Hong Kong: Innotech transforms construction Students can experience being knocked down by an iron bar or witness an explosion caused by volatile gases at the Hong Kong Institute of Constructions Safety Experience Training Centre. The first of its kind in Hong Kong, the 3,000 sq ft facility in Kwai Chung features eight training zones where students can interactively learn about the common hazards or causes of accidents at construction sites at its Virtual Reality Cave. At its Chemical & Electrical Safety Zone, students can also see how wires overheat and even feel a slight electric shock. The institute hopes the students can enhance their safety awareness through such simulation-based training. We do not want to see any casualties in the industry. Moreover, if the construction environment is not safe, parents are reluctant to let the young people join the industry. So we attach special importance to safety training, the institutes Director Francis Wong said. A step ahead The institute was established in October 2018 and offers more than 200 full-time and short courses. It aims to nurture a workforce with theoretical knowledge, professional skills, innovative ideas and safety awareness, and has been introducing innovative technological teaching elements, such as the use of simulators for welding courses. Supervising Instructor (Welding) Chung Kai-man said the simulators provide students with a safe learning environment. In the past, when students were learning to weld, the sparks held them back. But with this simulator they can practise their skills safely. They already know how to control the welding track and speed at the construction site. Enhanced skillset The institute said the courses aim to attract secondary students to the sector and help those in the field upgrade their skills. Chung Sze-ki learnt to install a billboard with a simulator during a 50-day crane operation course. When I looked at the models at home, I originally thought cranes are easy to control. In fact, the bricks and iron bars are huge and I was afraid of them bumping into me. The simulator helps me to control them better. Her coursemate Mok Wei-wu is a veteran with more than a decades experience in the construction industry. Wanting to upgrade his skills, Mr Mok recently resigned from his job to join the course. If I continue to move and lift heavy objects at a construction site, I will gradually suffer from strains and one day lose my strength, he said. I hope to become a crane operator so I will not be exposed to the sun and rain. Plus, my salary will be higher too. Cutting edge The institute is keeping in step with technological advancements in the construction industrys work equipment. Its Director Mr Wong said: The most expensive construction cost, in terms of per square metre, is New York. Hong Kong comes next. Introducing new construction machines and techniques will lower the construction costs, enhance the productivity as well as the working environment in terms of safety. The 2019-20 Budget allocated $200 million to expand the apprenticeship scheme for the construction industry. The institute expects to train 1,100 knowledge-based workers in the next one to two years, and increase allowances within five years to help 4,000 workers upgrade their skills. This story has been published on: 2019-04-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The decision to detain Vu, announced Friday, is part of an ongoing investigation into violations in managing and using state investment capital involving Vietnams third largest telecom firm MobiFone and certain divisions of the Ministry of Public Security, which has made headlines since 2016. The nexus came to light after the state-run MobiFone broke into the pay TV market with the acquisition of a 95 percent stake in AVG in January 2016. But government inspectors concluded that the deal had violated public investment laws and caused an estimated loss of about VND7 trillion ($307 million) to the state budget. Vu used to live and work in Eastern Europe before coming back to Vietnam in the 2000s. He started with real estate investment, and then switched to building a pay TV business in 2004. The VND1.8 trillion ($77-million) AVG was established in 2008 and officially broadcasted in 2011. Also on Friday, police opened investigation against Nguyen Bac Son and Truong Minh Tuan, former ministers of Information and Communications, for signs of receiving bribes in the AVG acquisition. In February, Son and Tuan were arrested for violations related to management and use of public capital in the same case. Son, then serving as information minister, directly approved the acquisition of AVG by MobiFone against regulations and asked subordinates to sign documents in contravention of regulations, investigation found. Tuan, as a deputy information minister, had signed a decision to approve the illegal acquisition without the Prime Ministers approval. He became information minister in 2016 but was dismissed from his position in a secret ballot by the legislative National Assembly last October. Several other people involved in the AVG case were also arrested and are facing criminal charges, including Cao Duy Hai, former general director of MobiFone; Pham Thi Phuong Anh, the firm's former deputy general director; Le Nam Tra, 57, its former chairman and general director; and Pham Dinh Trong, 48, former head of the Department of Enterprise Management under the Ministry of Information and Communications. An ongoing corruption crackdown spearheaded by Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong has seen scores of officials and top businesspeople arrested and sent to jail in recent years. Trong has said that there will be no let up in the anti-corruption drive. BLACK REPUBLICAN BLOG - The Republican Party is the party of civil rights and the four Fs: faith, family, freedom and fairness. The Democratic Party is the party of the four Ss: slavery, secession, segregation and socialism (Quote By Author Michael Scheuer). - Over the last week, protest action for better service delivery has spread across the major cities of South Africa - Sparked by protests in Johannesburgs Alexandra township, unrest has spread to Soweto and Tshwane, as well as parts of the Western Cape - High water bills and poor housing are just some of the concerns raised by the various areas PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed! South Africa has seen a tumultuous week of protest action, with citizens in many areas of the country demanding better service delivery from the government. Protests in Alexandra have been one of the main focuses of unrest this week, however, protests have since spread across to places such as Tshwane and Cape Town. PAY ATTENTION: Do you want to know what's trending on Briefly.co.za? Join our WhatsApp group today. Alexandra residents marched to the Sandton CBD earlier this week in order to state their grievances, which include worsening crime, poor waste management and inadequate housing. While in Soweto, later in the week, Pennyville residents blocked roads in order to announce their need for better service delivery, TimesLIVE reported. READ ALSO: Mzansi falls in love with doctor, just from looking at his hands Simultaneously, residents of Orange Grove and Kagiso, both near Johannesburg, also took to the streets in order to voice their unhappiness over similar issues, including electricity bills and housing. Tshwane also saw mounting protest action this week as citizens blocked roads in order to bring up the issue of municipal bills. Briefly.co.za gathered that, down by the coast, Cape Townians were also running out of patience. READ ALSO: 15 Fascinating Signs That Show You And Your Partner Are Meant For Each Other Organised by the "water crisis and high water bills", recent Cape Town protests led to the N2 being shut down, as well as over 20 local schools being shut down for safety reasons, TimesLIVE reported. While these pockets of protests across the country are kilometres apart, it seems that a great deal of South Africans are getting tired of the lack of proper service delivery provided by the government. 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Source: Briefly.co.za News / National by Mandla Ndlovu On Thursday President Emmerson Mnangagwa addressed the ZANU PF National Youth Assembly in Harare.In his address, he told the youths to prepare for elections since a new Youth leadership will be elected.The President further blasted a mafia that is working within ZANU PF to capture the party and cause divisions.He also took the time to explain that the government will not be paying the white commercial farmers for the land which was taken away from them at the turn of the millennium.He said farmers will only get compensation for improvements done on the land as enshrined in the constitution of the country.Watch the full video below: News / National by Staff reporter Government has said it will not hesitate to wield the axe at the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) to stamp out corrupt activities that emanated from the failure by the road fund to stick to its core mandate.An audit report by Grant Thornton at Zinara showed that the road fund lost $71 million after it assumed the roll of being an implementer of road projects.The Road Act says the primary role of Zinara is to fix and collect road user fees and disburse them to local authorities for road maintenance. Speaking at the Zinara strategic workshop in Harare on Thursday, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Joel Biggie Matiza said corruption had no place at Zinara."The board will not hesitate to wield the axe on executives and management implicated in corruption activities," he said."Corruption has no place at Zinara. We are not happy as a ministry when we read these negative stories from newspaper reports which all point to poor corporate governance and corrupt tendencies within Zinara."While these are legacy issues, we do not want a repeat of the same. Most of the legacy issues emanate from the fact that Zinara diverted from its core business and delved in roles that are for road authorities."There is need for a new corporate culture at Zinara. Government is a shareholder with an interest in the performance of Zinara and the motoring public are key stakeholders who must realise value. It is my hope that this workshop will come up with tangible deliverables and focus on clearing legacy issues which have resulted in Zinara hogging the limelight for the wrong reasons."Minister Matiza said his ministry had a mandate to deliver on the national vision and priorities of President Mnangagwa of making Zimbabwe an upper middle income economy by 2030. As such, he said Zinara should strive to stick to its mandate at every level.In his remarks at the same event, Zinara board chairman Engineer Michael Madanha said: "Zinara will not do extra core functions, which is implementation of road works. That's a thing of the past. From now onwards, we will be charting a new way. We must ensure that our collection of road user fees improves."No more implementation of road works by Zinara. If you venture into that area, that will be at your own risk. Zinara owes it to the nation to deliver and fund road rehabilitation in the country." News / National by Staff reporter A showdown is looming between the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and its membership over the labour representative body's decision to join MDC-Alliance ahead of the embattled party's crunch congress next month to elect new leadership, The Herald has learnt.The turmoil brewing in the labour body comes after MDC-Alliance resolved at its national standing committee (NSC) meeting to allot a quota of posts to the trade union.The resolution irked the trade union's general council members, who expressed alarm over conspiracies by the ZCTU leadership to conflate labour and opposition politics.According to documents gleaned by The Herald, ZCTU president Mr Peter Mutasa and secretary-general Mr Japhet Moyo are being accused of abusing their authority by unilaterally forcing the labour body to join opposition politics.Mr Mutasa reportedly wrote to MDC-Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisa, formalising the request for the allocation of a quota of posts in the opposition party."The request was discussed and approved during the MDC NSC meeting which was held at the Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House on 5 April 2019," reads the document. Mr Moyo "The NSC indicated that the specific quota would be discussed and finalised in due course."The ZCTU general council members argue that their membership is drawn from different political parties.The communique containing the MDC-Alliance resolution was allegedly issued out by the party spokesperson Mr Jacob Mafume a day after the meeting. ZCTU general council member, Mr Thomas Masvingwe, remarked on a ZCTU WhatsApp chat group after the publication of the resolution that the labour body's constitution had no provision for the allocation of a quota by the MDC-Alliance, according to the document."He warned that should the ZCTU decide to join the MDC-Alliance, that would mark the demise of the labour body. He declared that the ZCTU shall not be an appendage of a capitalist political party, which was rabidly anti-worker," read the document, in apparent reference to Mr Chamisa's involvement in the famous 2015 Zuva judgment.The condemned ruling allowed employers to terminate workers contracts of employment on three months' notice, resulting in a massive jobs carnage.Mr Masvingwe noted that an MDC, G40 and ZCTU alliance would be toxic to labour, suggesting that the vanquished G40 faction of Zanu-PF was also making overtures to join the MDC-Alliance.Most of the over 30 ZCTU general council members are said to have rejected Mutasa's plans to railroad them into joining the MDC-Alliance. MDC-Alliance spokesperson Mr Jacob Mafume confirmed the ZCTU link to the party and said it originated from the labour body. News / National by Staff reporter President Mnangagwa has, with immediate effect, appointed Mr Martin Rushwaya as Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration and Finance, while Ambassador Mark Grey Marongwe is the new Secretary for Defence and War Veterans Affairs.The President also appointed Mrs Respect Gono as the new chief immigration officer.In a statement yesterday, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda said: "His Excellency the President, ED Mnangagwa, has appointed the following senior Government officials: In terms of Chapter 10 Section 205 (1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) 2013; Martin Rushwaya as Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration and Finance (Accounting Officer) in the Office of the President and Cabinet; and Mark Grey Tichatonga (Marongwe) as Secretary for Defence and War Veterans Affairs."In terms of Section 5 (1a) as read with Section 5 (2) of the Immigration Act, Respect Gono (has been appointed) Chief Immigration Officer. The appointments are with immediate effect."Mr Rushwaya was the Secretary for Defence before his new appointment. Mrs Gono is a senior civil servant in the Office of the President and Cabinet and has served Government for 27 years. She replaces Mr Clemence Masango, who is now the Registrar-General.Ambassador Marongwe was the Director of Regional Cooperation and Continental Integration in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. He is a career diplomat and a retired veteran radio and television broadcaster, who was once a manager at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.Ambassador Marongwe was appointed first indigenous Zimbabwean to occupy the office of director of radio and television news and current affairs at ZBC in 1980. His diplomatic work spans over 28 years, starting in 1990 when he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Minister Counsellor at the Embassy of Zimbabwe in Washington, DC, United States of America.He acted as charge d'affaires at the embassy between 1993 and 1995 before the appointment of a substantive ambassador. Ambassador Marongwe also served as Zimbabwe's High Commissioner to Mozambique early 1999 before he moved to the Democratic Republic of Congo as ambassador in 2002 to supervise the withdrawal of Zimbabwean troops.In 2007, he was appointed Zimbabwe Ambassador to Kuwait, while also accredited as non-resident Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Yemen.The Embassy in Kuwait also covered Jordan and Lebanon. Ambassador Marongwe was a guerilla fighter with Zanu-PF's Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) from 1975 to 1977. News / National by Staff reporter PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has said his leadership will never allow "mafia-style" handling of Zanu-PF issues and urged party members to follow laid down procedures when settling grievances.The Zanu-PF First Secretary also warned youths to be wary of party cadres with unbridled ambitions who may want to cause disunity in the revolutionary outfit.President Mnangagwa made the remarks while addressing the Zanu-PF National Youth Assembly in Harare on Thursday."If any members or structures of the party have any grievances, the laid-out rules, regulations and procedures must be followed," he said."I know of some comrades who have been suspended or expelled but no procedures were followed. That is not proper. When we are dealing with party issues you put aside your personal differences with the persons concerned."You must obey and follow the rules and procedures of the constitution otherwise you will find yourselves in the wrong."Divisive, opportunistic or mafia-style handing of party affairs will never be accepted. You may feel that you are smart but let me tell you, this party, Zanu-PF, is always smarter."Votes of no confidence have been passed against some officials of the party's national youth league executive recently and reports of similar actions were being initiated in other provinces.The Zanu-PF Politburo put a stop to the unprocedural acts which had affected the youth's leader Pupurai Togarepi, deputy secretary Lewis Matutu, administration secretary Tendai Chirau, Admire Mahachi and Mercy Mugomo.On those with intemperate ambitions, President Mnangagwa said: "As you carry out both your political and development programmes you must be wary of those with brute, unbridled ambition and political gladiators."Be vigilant and alert as they may seek to sow seeds of disunity amongst yourselves, within the party and ultimately in the nation, for their own selfish ends. You must always foster loyalty, respect, honesty and integrity.""Guard against silo mentality and self-centred behaviour. Continue to fight against corruption by exposing any suspected acts in every sphere of society."He said mobilisation of party members should continue at all levels."The party is a party only if we have members," the President said."As you are aware, the party has embarked on the restructuring of Harare and Bulawayo provinces. Don't think the other eight are immune. This is an opportune time for you as the Youth League leaders to mobilise the youths of appropriate ages and skills mix to join your structures. Our desire is to see a vibrant Youth League that has a young, energetic, entrepreneurial, professional and patriotic members which encapsulates the Zimbabwe we all want."He went on: "I challenge you to be aggressive in inviting new members and retaining the old ones. Furthermore you should use unconventional strategies and platforms to draw young people of diverse backgrounds to join your League. I insist that you must study and draw lessons from other progressive parties who have transformed and modernised both the parties and countries. This will undoubtedly help in the development of more vibrant programmes and initiatives in the future."He said party members should be ready to move on as their positions were not permanent."We must be ready to move on," President Mnangagwa said."The only person who does not have to be ready to move on is Togarepi because he is appointed by the President. The rest of you must be ready to move on." News / National by Staff reporter A GWANDA Central parliamentary candidate for the Zimbabwe Partnership for Prosperity (ZIPP) in last year's elections has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for conning residents of about RTGS $800.Jackson Lunga of Spitzkop North suburb collected the money from five people after offering them houses which did not belong to him to rent.He was convicted on his own plea of guilty to five counts of fraud when he appeared before Gwanda magistrate, Mrs Nomagugu Ncube. Lunga was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment of which four months were suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar offence within the next five years.Five months were further suspended on condition that he performs 175 hours of community service at Gwanda Urban Police Station. The remaining nine months were further suspended on condition that he pays $824 restitution to the complainants.Prosecuting, Miss Faith Mutukwa said between July 27 last year and March 6 this year, Lunga collected money from five people that were looking for houses to rent. "On 27 July Ms Sinenkosi Mikazhu sent a message on AmaJahunda Whatsapp Group indicating that she was looking for a house to rent.Lunga responded on the group and said he had a house that was for rent and claimed the house belonged to him. Ms Mikazhu paid $160 through EcoCash to Lunga and went to clean the house in preparation to move in."The caretaker of the house heard that there was someone at the house and went to check and found Ms Mikazhu. The two realised Lunga had conned Ms Mikazhu. On 2 February Mr Velile Moyo posted on the same Whatsapp group that he was looking for a house to rent and Lunga responded and said he had a house. Mr Moyo paid him $125 EcoCash for the house and later realised that he had been conned," she said.Miss Mutukwa said on March 3 Mr Jobe Mabhena posted on the same group looking a house to rent and paid $140 to Lunga. She said Mr Mabhena later learnt that the house did not belong to Lunga and that he had conned him.She said on March 6 Mr Ephraim Moyo posted on the same Whatsapp group looking for a house to rent and paid $179 to Lunga and later realised he had been conned.Miss Mutukwa said on March 10 Ms Sikhulile Moyo posted on the group looking for a house to rent and paid $220 to Lunga. She said the complainants reported the matter to the police who carried out investigations resulting in Lunga's arrest. News / National by Staff reporter ZIMBABWEAN students studying on State scholarships in Algeria have, for the umpteenth time, made an impassioned plea to President Emmerson Mnangagwa to look into their welfare, which is now dire, as they are struggling to live decently without government stipends.For years, the government has persistently failed to pay students' yearly stipends.In various SOS tweets, the students said they had exhausted all channels of communication for government intervention to no avail.The scholarship to Algeria, which is meant for students from disadvantaged families, has been fraught with challenges for years, with the government failing to pay the $3 000 annual stipends."Our government promised to give us annual stipends of $3 000 every year to cater for our welfare, however, it turned out that no such money was disbursed since 2015. Our lives have become difficult and unbearable. We are halfway through the academic year and we haven't received a penny," one student, who requested anonymity, said.In December last year, the students' representative committee met with principals from the Office of the President and Cabinet."We were told to leave the past into the past, but how can I forget when the debt I incurred is still there? I am in the first year and can't take care of myself because I am an orphan," another student said in one of the several heart-breaking tweets.Some of the students, in a bid to earn some cash, said they have resorted to menial jobs, but are being short-changed because their permits are strictly for education purposes."Some of us are working in construction sites where we are paid $4 per day for nine hours and at times we are arrested after being perceived as immigrants," said one of the students."We are living from hand to mouth, begging from other nationalities, while some have had their gadgets confiscated for failing to pay off debts after borrowing from colleagues."Hardest hit are female students who are struggling for basic needs like sanitary wear."As female students, we are desperate for help. If you had told us the truth, we would not have accepted these offers. Our lack of stipends has affected our reproductive health as sanitary wear and toiletries have become a luxury we are unable to afford," said the students.The female students said as a result, their dignity had been lost. The students said their patience was running thin and they felt like government had just dumped them in a foreign land."We have a contract and if the whole government can't play its part, what precedence is that for our future generations?" they said.Final year students said they needed money to do projects and carry out sound research.Information ministry secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana promised to look into the issue. News / National by Staff reporter Bulawayo lawyer Blessing Mabusiso Bhala has been served with divorce summons by his estranged wife, Senele, who is demanding custody of their daughter and $300 in monthly maintenance.In summons filed at the Bulawayo High Court on April 8, Senele Bhala (nee Dhlomo) appealed for a decree of divorce, custody of [name supplied] and an order for both parties to retain ownership of property under their possession."An order for custody of the minor child, [name supplied] a minor girl born on [date supplied], 2013 be awarded to the plaintiff, subject to the defendant's rights of reasonable access upon prior consultation with the plaintiff, if anything on alternative weekends and school holidays," the shortened summons read in part."An order that the defendant pays maintenance of the aforesaid minor child in the sum of $300 every month until the minor child turns the age of 18 or becomes self-supporting, whichever shall occur first. An order that each party retains his or her sole and absolute all the property in his/her possession at the time of issuing the summons."Dhlomo, who is represented by Ncube and Partners Legal Practitioners, pleaded for an order for her husband to pay the costs of the suit.The summons did not cite the reasons for divorce. News / National by Staff reporter THE Environment Management Agency (EMA) has fined Mvurwi District Hospital for dumping hazardous biological waste in a pit instead of using an incinerator, NewsDay Weekender has learnt.Mashonaland Central EMA provincial managing director Robert Rwafa confirmed the incident."We have fined Mvurwi Hospital ZWR$400 for disposal of medical waste in a pit under Statutory Instrument 10 of 2007 since it is a serious violation of the human rights to a clean and healthy environment," he said.When NewsDay Weekender arrived at the hospital this week, children in the yard were picking some of the dumped waste, which included blood tubes, used surgical gloves, intravenous fluid water packs and injection powered bottles, all of which pose a health hazard.Concession district medical officer Rachel Socheri referred all questions to the Department of Public Works."I have been advised by my local authority to refer you to the Public Works for a comment on Mvurwi Hospital," she said.Public Works district officer Godfrey Jowana expressed ignorance over the issue."Where did you get my number and, above all, why do you want me to comment on that issue?" he fumed.Patients at the hospital castigated the institution for failing to dispose of biological waste properly."We are worried with this behaviour. As you have seen, the hospital is proving to be a breeding place for diseases, instead of being a health facility. How can they overcome diseases when they dump used waste in a pit? This is disgusting. We thank EMA for coming to our rescue," fumed a patient, Sekai Mwenamberi.Another patient said the hospital wards were dirty and general hand personnel were refusing to take orders from nurses."The wards are dirty and people responsible for cleaning refuse to take orders from nurses in our presence and we just stay in a dirty environment, which is not healthy for us as well," Thomas Dzobo said. News / National by Staff reporter AMALGAMATED Rural Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) president Obert Masaraure, who is accused of trying to subvert a constitutionally-elected government by urging people to protest against fuel price hikes, on Thursday unsuccessfully filed an application for refusal of further remand after the State failed to provide him with a trial date.Masaraure, who appeared before Harare magistrate Barbara Mateko had challenged his continued remand, saying justice delayed was justice denied.He was represented by Kudzai Kadzere of Kadzere, Mandevere and Hungwe Legal Practitioners.Mateko ruled that there was no inordinate delay since Masaraure was initially put on remand on January 19.The State, represented by Moses Mapanga, had argued that the docket was now ready and was being perused at the Prosecutor-General's Office for further management.Mateko remanded the matter to May 29 for a possible indictment to the High Court. News / National by Staff reporter A CHIPINGE woman is battling for her life after she sustained serious burns after being assaulted by her husband with a burning log.She was assaulted after delaying giving him a cellphone torch because she was still using it to provide light while cooking.Reuben Mhlanga (46), of Smithfield Farm under Chief Mapungwana, yesterday appeared before Chipinge magistrate Joshua Nembaware facing a charge of physically abusing his wife.He was convicted on his own plea of guilty to the charge and was remanded in custody to today for sentencing.In mitigation, Mhlanga, who is a tractor driver at the farm, asked for the court to exercise leniency with him and said he regretted his actions."I apologise for my actions. I pray to the court to exercise leniency on me when it arrives to my sentencing. I will not repeat such an offence," he said.Prosecutor Shamiso Ncube told the court that on April 6, Mhlanga knocked off duty and went home.During the night, his wife, Vimbai Mubonisi, was preparing supper in the kitchen while he was outside attending to other business.Mhlanga then asked his wife to bring him her cellphone so that he could light up where he was working.However, the complainant told him that she was using it to prepare supper and would delay bringing it.This angered Mhlanga, who dashed into the kitchen and started assaulting her.He slapped her thrice with his palm on the face.The court heard that he went on to pick a burning log from the fireplace and used it to further assault her.Mubonisi suffered serious burns on the face, hands and left breast.She reported the matter to the police and was rushed to hospital, where she is receiving treatment. News / National by Staff reporter PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has warned Zanu PF youths to be wary of an internal Zanu PF mafia group, which he said had embarked on a plot to hijack and destabilise party programmes in order to discredit his leadership.Addressing a Zanu PF national youth indaba at the party headquarters in Harare on Thursday, Mnangagwa said: "I am quite aware of machinations of the enemy to destabilise the party by causing despondency and disunity among our rank and file."Last year, Mnangagwa made similar warnings, saying he had received intelligence reports that there were some top ruling party officials plotting to impeach him after the July 30 harmonised elections.Early this year, the ruling party structures were rocked by a wave of expulsions, suspensions and no-confidence votes , which were later reversed.The alleged mafia group was believed to be behind the purges."Let us all condemn and expose these acts. Let me also warn that as provided for by our party constitution, acts of indiscipline, treachery and disloyalty will not be tolerated or condoned," Mnangagwa said."If any members or structures of the party have any grievances, we have laid-out rules and regulations or procedures that must be followed. I know of some comrades who have been suspended or expelled, but no procedures were followed. That is not proper."Mnangagwa, who was flanked by his two deputies Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi, said officials must put aside personal differences when carrying out party business andproperly follow laid out procedures in handling grievances."Divisive or opportunistic or mafia style handling of party affairs will never be accepted. You may feel that you are smart, but let me tell you that this party, Zanu PF, will always be smarter. As you carry out both your political and development programmes, you must be wary of those with brute and unbridled ambition and political gladiators," he said."Be vigilant and alert, as they may seek to sow seeds of disunity among yourselves, within the party and, ultimately, among the nation for their own selfish ends."Mnangagwa described other party officials opposed to his decision to engage opposition parties in a national dialogue as "out of order"."Your leaders have been saying to me that we went for elections and I won by more than 400 000 votes and in Parliament, we have in excess of two-thirds majority, so why worry about talking to these other political parties?" he said."This is a new dispensation. There is nothing wrong to continue talking to your people who have a positive vision towards progress. There is nothing wrong talking to your countrymen who have a positive view towards progress."You leave out those who are negative and those who are afraid of positive developments and embrace those who want to see this country moving forward. This is why we have the dialogue with other political parties who embrace progress."The Zanu PF leader has held several meetings with leaders of smaller opposition parties in an effort to unlock the political logjam, but main opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has snubbed the meetings, demanding that Mnangagwa should recuse himself from leading the process. News / National by Jessica Bezuidenhout I DM The circumstances around two conflicting reports involving the Zimbabwean renditions case were explored by former IPID head Robert McBride, in day two of his testimony before the Zondo Commission of Inquiry on Friday.Former police minister Nathi Nhleko allegedly compromised the independence of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) when he interfered with an investigation by law firm Werksmans, that examined the circumstances around two conflicting reports involving the Zimbabwean renditions case.And, the law firm, allegedly got it wrong when its team concluded that the first of two IPID reports into the role of former Hawks boss, Anwa Dramat and former Gauteng Hawks head, Shadrack Sibiya, in the Zimbabwe renditions case, had been altered.This is what McBride told the State Capture Commission during the second day of his testimony on Friday.The renditions case was widely seen as a part of a political move to remove Dramat from this key post at a time when he had called for all sensitive investigations, allegedly including one into the construction of former president Jacob Zuma's home at Nkandla, to be centralised under a team at the Hawks, the Commission heard.McBride's team at IPID had produced a report that crushed efforts to haul Anwa Dramat, Sibiya, and others up on disciplinary and or criminal charges over what became known as the Zimbabwean renditions case.The report found there was no evidence to sustain a criminal prosecution but Nhleko later relied on an earlier report, one that had been submitted to the National Prosecuting Authority prior to McBride's arrival in the job, to suspend Dramat.That earlier, January 2014, report had been rushed by former IPID investigator, Innocent Khuba, who had allegedly been pressurised by among others, Berning Ntlemeza, the man who would later replace Dramat, to submit a report to the NPA before the investigation was concluded.The initial report recommended Dramat and Sibiya, among others, be charged for their role in South Africa having handed three Zimbabwean nationals over to Zimbabwean authorities two of the men later died as a result.Unaware of this earlier report, once McBride was appointed as the head of IPID two months later, he asked for a briefing on all high-profile cases, it included the renditions matter.He said he then realised that the docket had pretty much been provided to his team by the police's Crime Intelligence unit which had no business being involved in an IPID investigation as this compromised the investigation.As a result, he asked that the entire process be re-covered by IPID investigators, that crucial outstanding cellphone analysis be incorporated into the docket. The final report was then submitted to the NPA, this time effectively clearing Dramat and Sibiya.Months later Nhleko, seemingly unhappy with the outcome of the IPID investigation, hired Werksmans to investigate the circumstances behind the two conflicting reports.McBride said his understanding of the initial report, even though he only became aware of it later on, was that it was not a final report as the investigation had not been concluded.But, in an April 2015 report, Werksmans concluded that the initial report had been altered and recommended disciplinary charges against McBride and senior IPID officials, Mathews Sesoko and Khuba.And, Werksmans recommended that Dramat and Sibiya be criminally charged.Yet, said McBride, the author of the Werksmans report refused to testify while the report had carried a disclaimer that it could not be used in litigation."What then was the purpose?" McBride asked before Commission chairperson, deputy chief justice, Raymond Zondo.McBride briefly alluded to a pattern during the State Capture project whereby those in charge had allegedly used auditors, lawyers and even media companies to drive the "persecution" of senior government officials that needed to be shafted.While the Werksmans report served as the basis for subsequent criminal charges against McBride and the two others, those were later withdrawn, again, because there was no evidence to sustain a prosecution, he told the Commission.He accused Werksmans of having tried to work around him during its investigating in the two reports by their sending him notices to incorrect email addresses or by targeting his subordinates, Sesoko and Khubu directly.Nhleko, he said, had allegedly irregularly interfered at times by having his office call Khubu to tell him to co-operate with Werksmans and by offering to fly him to Cape Town for meetings with Nhleko. "Even over weekends," said McBride.He said the Werksmans report formed part of the record that later served before the Constitutional Court where he had successfully challenged the minister's power to suspend him.The law firm, he said, was hired to investigate misconduct within the Hawks and principally, the role of IPID in that renditions investigation, yet it failed in the end to make definitive findings about who and under which circumstances the first report was allegedly altered.The Commission's senior evidence leader, advocate Paul Pretorius said the Waksman's' report may still be dealt with by the Commission later on. 5The firm has legal representation at the Commission.McBride's testimony continues. News / National by Staff Reporter ZIMBABWEANS should untiringly fight corruption as it is currently deep-seated in most State institutions such as the police, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Judiciary, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said yesterday.Speaking in a special Independence Day interview with ZBC at State House, President Mnangagwa said the various hurdles in successfully uprooting the scourge mean "the fight is so wide and deep"."I now realise that corruption is deep-rooted. I thought that by pronouncing that let's fight corruption those who are corrupt will fear and stop; it's not like that. It's so rooted that you have to fight it from A to Z. (In) most systems, structures and institutions, there is an element of corruption," said President Mnangagwa."To fight it, you need the police to unearth, investigate; but also within the police, there is corruption. The next stage, you need prosecution; that is the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) - they need to prosecute the cases, so once the cases pass the corruption in the police, it has to pass the corruption in the NPA, then it must go to the courts and there is an element of corruption in the courts, so the fight is so wide and deep."Fighting corruption, he said, was a collective responsibility. The President also said his office would not interfere with judiciary processes."However, I am happy that you find people who support the fight against corruption in all these institutions. In the police, not everybody is corrupt; in prosecution institutions, not everybody is corrupt; in the judiciary, not everybody is corrupt. So because of that we are gaining traction slowly, not as speedily as I had expected. As you realise, there are so many cases of corruption now in the courts," he added. President Mnangagwa expressed frustration at the snails' pace of some of the cases before the courts. A clean society, he added, would help the country to "develop faster" and lead to satisfactory service delivery. Current and former Harare City Council officials who abused the $144 million loan facility are likely to face the music, said the President."We had a loan extended to Harare City Council by the Chinese for sanitation and water reticulation. That money was then used to buy cars and other luxuries. It didn't address the issues for which the money had been given. So when I met my brother and colleague President Xi Jinping (Chinese President) and discussed about this loan, I wasn't aware that had happened and so I said, Mr President, the loan was fully disbursed', and he said, my brother, the money was not used for what we had given you for.' I was not aware people bought cars, some having workshops which had nothing to do with sanitation. Those who spent the money are not in office anymore, but they are likely to be followed." President Mnangagwa has committed to fight corruption by strengthening and restructuring key institutions such as the NPA, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zaac) and the Special Anti-Corruption Unit in the Office of the President and Cabinet. News / National by Staff reporter BEIRA port officials have threatened to stop Zimbabwe wheat cargo from using the terminal after inordinate delays in payment and collection of bonded consignments.Zimbabwe, through the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (Gmaz), has failed to pay and collect 19 000 metric tonnes of wheat bonded in Beira since December.A letter by Beira Grain Terminal (BGT) managing director Antonio Lopes to the country' grain supplier Holbud Limited, the port officials said Zimbabwe risked being banned from using the port.Holbud Limited is Gmaz's supplier of wheat.The London-based company also supplies fertilisers to government, which also owes it millions of dollars.Holbud has been supplying Zimbabwe with grain since the early 1990s, and supplied the yellow maize commonly locally known as "Kenya" which flooded the country during the 1992 drought."It has come to our notice that Holbud Limited has been bringing wheat for Gmaz contracts and storing it over the agreed time frame on reasons that payment is still being processed by GMAZ, which is causing a lot of inconveniences to other receivers of Mozambique , Malawi and Zambia," read part of the ultimatum."We are now objecting to this extended storage as this is now featuring regularly. In future, if any wheat vessel coming for Gmaz or its members from Zimbabwe, if it does not have release before berthing, it will not be allowed to be received at BGT," the port officials said.Mozambique Manica Freight Services (MMFS), which transfers GMAZ cargo from Beira warehouses to the Zimbabwean side, also said they were being greatly inconvenienced by the delays by Harare authorities to clear their wheat consignment."This delay in loading out the cargo on arrival is causing inconveniences to other receivers as the capacity of BGT is limited and is not a storage point. Now the time has come when other receivers are objecting to BGT allowing Gmaz/Zimbabwe cargo as this is now becoming a regular feature with Gmaz consignment," said MMFS.Gmaz imports wheat for the nation on behalf of the government and it gets a foreign currency allocation from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe which it uses to pay for the imports.In a letter to the Reserve Bank governor John Mangudya, Gmaz chairperson Tafadzwa Musarara pleaded with the central bank boss for the urgent settlement of the outstanding wheat import payments."We refer to the long outstanding wheat payment for the residual balance of 19 000 metric tonnes of wheat currently in Beira but berthed on 21 December 2018. The matter has become untenable," Musarara said. News / National by Staff reporter A LAWYER and some aides for senior MDC official and human rights lawyer Tendai Biti have pleaded not guilty to charges of violating the country's immigration laws when their trial commenced before Karoi provincial magistrate Sam Chitumwa.Biti's lawyer Nqobizitha Mahole Mlilo, 39, and the Harare East MDC Member of Parliament's aides Clever Rambanepasi, 41, and Tawanda Blessing Chitekwe, 36, are facing charges of failing to present themselves to an immigration official as defined in Section 25(1) as read with Section 25 (5a) of the Immigration Act.The trio, who are out of custody on $100 bail each, were arrested in August 2018 together with Biti and charged with contravening the country's immigration laws after they allegedly departed Zimbabwe on August 8, 2018 at an unauthorised port of exit.Prosecutors claimed that the trio, who are represented by Jeremiah Bamu of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, connived at Chirundu One-Stop Border post in Mashonaland West Province and hatched a plan to enter Zambia by evading immigration clearance procedures from both Zimbabwe and Zambia.They got arrested by officials from the Zimbabwean side of the border post.The State claims the trio failed to produce passports to both immigration authorities from Zambia and Zimbabwe to validate their exit and entry.The State led by prosecutor Gerald Dhamusi was however, forced to withdraw the main charge of departing from Zimbabwe from a place other than a designated port of entry as in its own submissions, Biti's alleged accomplices had "departed" Zimbabwe into Zambia through Chirundu One-Stop Border Post, a designated port of entry in terms of the paragraph 1 (Border with Zambia) of the Part III (Entry or Departure by Road), of the Schedule to the Immigration Regulations S.I 195/1998).In denying the charge, the trio argued that the charge cited by the State of failing to present oneself to an Immigration officer does not apply to asylum seekers such as Biti and themselves.Their lawyer told magistrate Chitumwa that his clients were abducted from Zambia by Zimbabwean authorities led by assistant commissioner Jealous Nyabasa, currently attached to the Criminal Investigations Department as the deputy director in the Zimbabwe Republic Police Anti-Corruption Unit.Nyabasa told the court that he was assigned to be the investigating officer against Biti whom the police intended to charge for alleged violations of the Electoral Act in the aftermath of the July 2018 harmonised elections.In the scope of his investigations, Nyabasa said he wrote to the Immigration Department informing the officials of persons wanted by the police, which list included Biti and requested them to alert its border posts to be on the lookout for the people on the ZRP wanted list in case they attempted "to skip the border".Nyabasa claimed that he received information that Biti had been seen at Chirundu One-Stop Border Post on the Zambian side, prompting him to depart for Chirundu, where two Immigration Department officers, Florence Nyathi and Morgen Moyo handed Biti and his alleged "accomplices" who had allegedly been deported from Zambia.Nyabasa told magistrate Chitumwa that he then took them to Harare for further management.Nyabasa failed to convince the court that Biti's alleged "accomplices" could not claim to be seeking asylum as a result of political persecution since they were not on the police wanted list.He however, failed to maintain this assertion when probed by Bamu whether being on the police list was enough evidence of political persecution and whether he was in fact confirming that the police was a political organisation.During trial, the State called Shingirai Chimedza, a senior Immigration Department officer at Chirundu who gave testimony about the entry and exit procedures and who however, confirmed that the provision under which Biti's alleged "accomplices" were charged under does not apply to asylum seekers, who are not required to comply with exit and entry formalities but to subject themselves to the authority of the host country in which they seek asylum.Bamu told magistrate Chitumwa that this is what Biti's alleged accomplices claim to have done after their lives were put at risk as they were in the company of the legislator at Chirundu One-Stop Border Post when an attempt was made on 0 and their lives by Zimbabwean security agents, who were attempting to abduct them from Zambian soil.Their trial continues on the 17th. News / National by Staff reporter THE Nelson Chamisa-led MDC has embarked on a witch-hunt in Chitungwiza to sniff out councillors who voted for an aspiring mayoral candidate from Zanu-PF during Wednesday elections in the dormitory town.While the MDC retained the post following the resignation of former mayor Gift Tsverere, along with his deputy Jabulani Mtunzi in February, questions were immediately raised after the Zanu-PF candidate garnered more votes than the number of councillors his party has in the municipality.The Zanu-PF candidate managed to get seven votes notwithstanding the fact that the ruling party only has four councillors in Chitungwiza.MDC vice president Morgen Komichi told the Daily News on Sunday that the party was hugely concerned by the apparent disloyalty displayed by its councillors, declaring that heads will certainly roll."We would ordinarily expect that Zanu-PF gets what it has so it is worrisome that it got more than it actually has, meaning that there are some of our councillors who voted them, hence an investigation into what transpired will be instituted to weed out the culprits who sold out. It is a sad development really," Komichi said.The MDC has 19 councillors in Chitungwiza against the ruling party's four.In the elections, MDC ward seven councillor Lovemore Maiko emerged winner after securing 16 votes against the seven polled by Zanu-PF's Kiven Mutimbanyoka.Maiko will be deputised by Musa Mukweza who also got 16 votes while Zanu-PF's John Matiyenga polled five votes, with two others being spoiled ballots.This is not the first time that the MDC has had to launch a witch-hunt after officials voted with the ruling party.In 2013, the late MDC founding president Morgan Tsvangirai did the same with Mutare councillors who voted for Zanu-PF's Collen Mukwada for the position of deputy mayor ahead of the party's preferred candidate Kudakwashe Chisango.The MDC Manicaland provincial leadership then recommended the expulsion of four party councillors who were alleged to have sold out.These included the then newly-elected mayor Tatenda Nhamarare and three other councillors Richard Mupfura, Farai Bhiza and Pamela Mutare.According to the country's Constitution, political parties have a right to recall both their Members of Parliament and councillors when it feels they are no longer representing the parties' mandate.Prior to the mayoral polls after the 2013 general elections all party councillors had been ordered to elect mayors and deputy mayors from among themselves.In the case of Mutare, the councillors had been directed to elect Nyamupanedengu as mayor with Chisango as his deputy.However, Nhamarare allegedly defied the party directive and contested for the mayor's post which he eventually won. News / National by Staff reporter AS THE MDC enters the final weeks of its preparations ahead of its make-or-break elective congress next month, there are real fears that the country's main opposition could suffer another damaging split due to widening fissures within the party, the Daily News on Sunday can report.This comes as the party's charismatic interim leader Nelson Chamisa has been nominated by five provinces to become the MDC's substantive new leader with secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora, who is tipped to contest him at next month's crucial gathering, struggling in the early nominations process.On the other hand, a number of disgruntled party members continue to pin their hopes on a recent High Court application that they made, in which they want the forthcoming congress stopped.At the same time, Mwonzora has set the cat among the pigeons by rallying party members to whittle down the powers of the MDC's next president a move which has been interpreted by some in the brawling party as a direct challenge to Chamisa, who has responded sharply by saying that those who are against the current process are free to "leave the party".The MDC will hold its keenly-watched congress from May 24 to 26 in Gweru, where a new party leadership will be chosen including the substantive successor to its late and much revered late president, Morgan Tsvangirai who died on Valentine's Day last year after losing his brave battle against cancer of the colon.Chamisa, who narrowly lost to President Emmerson Mnangagwa in last year's hotly-disputed elections, is still expected to face competition from Mwonzora at the congress, despite the latter's slow start in the ongoing nomination process by party structures.Well-placed sources told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday that there were "genuine fears" within the party that the MDC could be heading for another split, unless the bitter fight to lead the party is resolved before the start of the elective congress.They said rival factions pining for Chamisa and Mwonzora respectively were going at each hammer and tongs over the party's chaotic restructuring exercise which is said to have side-lined the latter's support base.By yesterday, Mwonzora was yet to receive a nomination to become party boss, meaning that he is now firmly on the back foot in the race to lead the MDC.On his part, Chamisa has so far received nominations for the position from Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands, Mashonaland West, the United States and Mashonaland East.According to the MDC constitution, a prospective candidate for a national leadership position should get at least one nomination per province to be eligible to contest the post.Other sources said Mwonzora's loyalists were miffed by Chamisa's camp's alleged use of the "power of incumbency" to tamper with the nomination process and "pluck out" elements deemed to be against him.They also claimed that Mwonzora's camp was planning a press conference this week to denounce "Chamisa's dictatorial tendencies" buoyed by last week's stinging statement that was issued by their secretary-general, who called on the forthcoming congress to whittle down the party leader's powers.In last week's statement, Mwonzora said the congress must usher in a new, dynamic and robust leadership that was willing to serve its members well and with respect."For us to truly reflect a democratic outfit, it is imperative that the 5th congress does not centralise a lot of power in the president," he said, adding that the party must also go beyond tribal and gender lines to accommodate all progressive-minded people."In order to cover for the disparities in gender and ethnic representation that might arise through the democratic electoral process, it might be necessary for us to reserve certain positions for the disadvantaged groups of our society."It is also key that all the regions are represented at national leadership," Mwonzora said."Therefore we look forward to a credible electoral process leading to congress. The on-going congress electoral process must not be reduced into a charade of candidate imposition as this will render the whole intention of rejuvenating the MDC useless."The will of the people at grassroots must be respected. The on-going violence and intimidation of members is a serious affront to the very tenets and democratic principles on which the MDC was founded. These are acts of cowardice by people afraid of contestation," he said further.MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume yesterday waded into the already explosive situation by dismissing Mwonzora's statement, which he said was out of line."At every congress we review our constitution and we don't have any issue with the powers of the president."We are a voluntary organisation and we are perfectly happy with the powers that the president has. I am not sure who isn't," Mafume told the Daily News on Sunday."We are aware of attempts by people who have been given money by the State to cause chaos and possibly engineer a split."We are alive to the fact that people hide behind anonymity and try to paint a picture of a party that is in disunity but we are united as a party and our congress is the poetry of politics," Mafume added.Meanwhile, a group of disaffected party supporters is determined to stop next month's congress and to also have Chamisa stripped of his current leadership powers, as it says the planned gathering violates the MDC constitution.In their court application, the disgruntled members want Chamisa to relinquish his current position as interim MDC boss, and to revert to his former position where he was one of the party's three vice presidents.They are arguing that in terms of the MDC constitution, an extraordinary congress should have been held a year after the death of Tsvangirai instead of next month to elect a new party leader.At the same time, political analysts said the MDC could only split if the winner from next month's gathering failed to accommodate losers."I think there won't be any split. This is not going to be winners-take-all those who lose must not leave the party."A democratic contest must manage to solve such differences. Any differences in the top leadership must not lead to a split," academic and researcher Pedzisayi Ruhanya said.Namibia-based scholar Admire Mare said there was a possibility of another split in the MDC, although its impact would be "minimal"."I doubt there is going to be a major split, but some disgruntled members may jump ship if they feel cheated by the process."Political parties are voluntary associations. So, it is possible some members may join in while others leave."But we must not read too much into congress grandstanding by candidates. A lot of bridge-building may be happening behind the scenes where you and I have no access to," Mare said.The MDC initially split in 2005 when its former secretary-general Welshman Ncube walked out of the party, accusing Tsvangirai of taking unilateral decisions.In 2014, the party split again, this time with another secretary-general Tendai Biti packing his bags after he also accused the popular Tsvangirai of allegedly having dictatorial tendencies.Both Biti and Ncube have since been re-integrated into the party, and are in the mix for the post of one of the vice presidents at the looming congress. News / National by Zimra The promulgation of Statutory instrument 72 of 2019 (Customs and Excise (Fuel supplied to approved beneficiaries) (Refund) Regulations, 2019, facilitates for approved beneficiaries to apply for a refund of excise duty on fuel purchased for use in the identified productive sectors namely Agriculture, Mining, Manufacturing and Transport.The refund is provided for in terms of Section 120 as read with section 125 of the Customs and Excise Act and applies to leaded and unleaded petrol, power kerosene, illuminating or heating kerosene and diesel fuels purchased from 13 January 2019 to 22 February 2019.The refund is equivalent to the difference between the prevailing Excise Duty rates during the stated period and the Excise Duty rates that prevailed prior to 13 January 2019.Registered beneficiaries who meet the following criteria as prescribe d by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development shall access the fuel duty refund facility.1. The beneficiaries should not have increased the price of their goods and services relative to the change in the price of fuel in the specified period;2. The beneficiaries should be registered and compliant for tax purposes;3. Beneficiaries should be members of recognized business associations; and,4. Beneficiaries should provide evidence of the productive use of the fuel.The fuel duty refund facility will only benefit approved beneficiaries in the Agriculture, Mining, Manufacturing andTransport sector who have successfully registered with Zimbabwe Revenue Authority through their respective business Association.All applications addressed to the Regional Manager of Customs and Excise must be submitted to ZIMRA office nearest to the beneficiary's place of operation clearly marked with the respective Region.Application for refund process Approved beneficiaries will be required to submit the following documents;1. Application for refund Form Ex FRF22. Submitted an invoice or receipt issued by the supplier of fuel from which duty paid shall be refunded, which contains the following particulars:(i) an individual serialised number and the date on which the invoice or receipt is issued; and(ii) the name, address and Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority licence number of the supplier, and(iii) the name and address of the recipient of the fuel; and(iv) a description of the goods supplied; and(v) the quantity or volume of the fuel supplied; and(vi) registration number of the vehicle supplied with fuel or description of the container in which the fuel has been loaded;(vii) the value of the fuel supplied; and(viii) Any other additional particulars as may be required by the Commissioner3. Documented proof of productive use of the fuel for the period the claim is submitted for refund by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority; Please note that all refund claims must be submitted to ZIMRA offices on or before 30 June 2019. Details of the registration process is available from the different recognized business associations. Opinion / Columnist Although the MDC has been a beacon of hope for most Zimbabweans since its inception in 1999, the same cannot be confidently asserted this time around. Successive splits that have been rocking the party for years have left it bruised, wounded and politically weakened. The latest split has left a severe constitutional and institutional crisis.Some constitutional law experts indicate that the unelected leadership currently running rings at MT House on behalf of the people's movement are not legal. Chamisa is said to have took over power through an obscure National Council resolution at the death of founding president, Tsvangirai. The controversy is yet to be resolved. This has added to the menacing illegitimacy crisis in terms of both party and national political leadership in Zimbabwe.ZANU-PF president Emmerson Mnangagwa became the president of the country via the "not-coup" coup in November 2017. He went on to controversially and disputably win the presidency of the country. A sad parallel could be drawn between him and the current MDC President Nelson Chamisa. The elbowing of Dr Khuphe and others out of the party has left the MDC with a serious crisis of leadership illegitimacy which needs to be rectified as a matter of urgency. Thanks to the 5th Congress which is just at the corner. At Congress, able, legitimate and astute leadership should be elected. Whoever is elected should have the ability and will to return the party to its original glory and stature.Contextual BackgroundCurrently the odds are that the 5th Congress of the MDC will be the first in the history of the party and country in general, in which the incumbent is contested. Unlike in the past where the then president Tsvangirai was never contested, it is a different ball game this time around. ZANU-PF is poised to learn a lot from this Congress and are already green with envy.The battle lines are already drawn between Chamisa and Mwonzora who is currently the Secretary General of the party. Mwonzora's political exploits date back to the late 80s and his monumental experience will work in his favour. However, Chamisa is likely to ride on the luck of being the incumbent and on the ability to manipulate processes in his favour whether directly or indirectly. Mwonzora was elected to the SG post in the 4th Congress beating Chamisa while the latter was questionably handpicked by President Tsvangirai together with Eng.Ellias Mudzuri, creating a divide and rule triangle of VPs which included Dr Thokozani Khuphe, the then elected VP. Sadly but predictably, the party organogram failed to depict the authority of each VP resulting in a fierce power struggle as early as the appointments were made. At Tsvangirai's death, Chamisa schemingly usurped the reigns and assumed the presidency, albeit, without any election. Obviously, the two, Chamisa and Mwonzora, have contrasting fortunes. The party should inescapably elect the best in terms of sustainable leadership qualities as opposed to seasonal, windborne endeavors. In that regard, the best candidate should be the one who will pass the litmus test on a number of the following capabilities:1) Ability to unite the partyThe MDC is in dire need of a leader who will unselfishly unite the party at all levels from grassroots to national. There should be deliberate commitment to mending perennial rifts between factions that have existed over the years although not publicly acknowledged. The new leader should be able to bridge the gap between the newly-came back "alliance boys" and the ever loyal members of the movement. The leader should have the ability and will to rein in the Johny-come-latelies to manage their venomous utterances. Focus should also be on possible reunification with the still invaluable Khuphe group. Such a leader would be selfless and people-centred. Some think Mwonzora is effortlessly capable of that as he is seen as a natural unifier. Contrary, Chamisa has not yet utilized his current position as president to that effect.2) Ability to re-engage the labour movementThe new leader should deliberately make effort to re-engage with labour. Unfortunately the current scenario has seen the ZCTU playing second fiddle in MDC affairs despite being a very important stakeholder in the founding and mobilization for the party since its formation in 1999. Sadly, most unionists have either been ignored or frustrated off the party. MDC is the party for the oppressed and exploited. Workers should continue to play a leading role in the MDC. Chamisa has not showed any will to ensure that labour plays the crucial role it originally had in the party. Mwonzora is obviously mindful of that and has great potential to rectify it. After all many regard him as a listening, team-oriented leader.3) Ability to re-incorporate social and grassroots support movementsThe new leader should also be able to recognize and acknowledge the essential role of various social and grassroots support movements in the party and country in general. These grassroots organizations wield a lot of influence in the politics of the country. There should be no jealousy or competition between the party and these invaluable stakeholders in democratic pursuit. Fortunately, the esteemed Mwonzora has a knack for inclusivity and is not a lone-player kind of a leader. If Chamisa is not doing that now, one wonders when he would be able to do it and why.4) Ability to strengthen and recognize the women's movementUnder the new leadership, there should be deliberate and concerted effort in revitalizing the women's movement and the women element in the party. Women are being sidelined and silenced in the party. The much talked about 50:50 men and women representation in the party has sadly remained a pipe dream. Influential women like Dr Khuphe, Jessie Majome, Makone, Priscilla Mushonga and others have been intentionally frustrated into leaving the party or being idle. The new president should be the one who will truly champion the 50:50 call for women representation. That is good for development. It is argued that Mwonzora can achieve that in reasonable time. Remember he is a man of action and not of many words. While Chamisa is a talented talker, there is little to show administratively.5) Ability to re-institutionalize the partyMDC has always been strong and unshakeable as an institution dating back to its inception. Any candidate representing the brand would easily win any election. Regrettably, that is no longer the case. The new president should have the ability and will to re-institutionalize the party as opposed to individualize it. Absolute presidential powers should be tail-docked so that the institution remains stronger than individuals. Chamisa has not indicated any willingness to pluck his gargantuan presidential powers. Possibly, Mwonzora as a good administrator who understands and appreciates strengthened institutions, might do better.6) Ability to moderate the influence of student activistsThe usurpation of power by a section of former student activists is a cause for concern. The new president should be the one who is able to moderate the runaway behaviour of the students in the usurpation of power and subsequent domination of the party. There should be due respect for all organs of the party including the veterans and new members. Mwonzora, as a reputable scholar and former law lecturer, could possibly, diligently rectify that in a respectable manner. Sadly, Chamisa has not yet indicated any willingness in that regard.7) Ability or willingness to curb internal violenceThe new leader should have the clout to decisively deal with the Vanguard and unequivocally call them to order. The world is watching both party and country politics of Zimbabwe. The party should never let its image be soiled by any violent individuals for whatever reason. Violence is a ZANU-PF phenomenon and has no place in the MDC and in modern politics. Mwonzora has been unequivocally deeply concerned about that and seems to possess the potential to curb it. The incumbent has not shown any willingness or ability in that regard despite widespread outcry over the scourge.8) Willingness to re-engage pressure groups and civil societyThe MDC needs a leader who does not compete with pressure groups and civil society. The party is where it is because of the unmatched sacrifices by these important stakeholders. The inclusive and tolerant to divergent views, Mwonzora, can re-engage and work successfully with this group. It is a mystery why the MDC is now divorced from civil society. It is notable far and aloof from the recent Matabeleland Collective too.The MDC boasts a rich reservoir of talent in terms of competent and excellent leadership qualities. Unimpedded democratic processes are called for so that this rich array of talent is freely explored as leadership positions are being filled at Congress. The Mwonzora versus Chamisa affair is arguably a mouth-watering and historic encounter in the politics of the country demanding praise and encouragement from all those who value and stand for democracy. The nation can't wait for this historic encounter!Written in my personal capacity as a grassroots voter.nhlanhlamoses@gmail.com Opinion / Columnist Compensation for political violence is the greatest apology but should not be done in a segregatory manor. Compensating white farmers is welcome and so should be the Gukurahundi victims. It looks a selfish half-hearted apology all the way because you are doing in return for what, aid and investment to boost the economy that you destroyed by your animal like behaviour.What about all those whites that were killed, beaten to death in their farms or who died in hospitals somewhere because of injuries as a result of the assaults. How will the survivors be compensated? No no no it is totally wrong.There should be a better and more humane approach showing real remorse and the peace and reconciliation commission can not be that zanu-PF sellected group of Mnangagwa apologists but should involve churches and reputable organisations across the political devide.First things first. Gukurahundi happened years before the thuggery farms invasion and caused the worst harm to the lives and souls of Zimbabweans, so why not deal with it first. No they are rushing to white farmers compensation because of the anticipated economic gain in it, western world aid and investment internationally. That is why. I lost my father on 13 February 1983 at Khumbula School (Vosaka Joshua Moyo) in Tsholotsho with six others.Their mass grave is approximately one hundred metres opposite Khumbula Secondary School across the road. We could not obtain a death certificate because officers at the births and deaths certificates office in Tsholotsho District offices wanted the reason for his death to be that 'he died at a cross fire', and we could not accept that blatant lie, so did others. They were murdered cowardly by the Gukurahundi thugs.You see the problem with these political thugs is not being able to listen to advice and admitting wrong doing.. You would expect people like Thokozani Khupe and those that made it to parliament to represent the will of the people of Matebeleland but no they are only interested in power and perks.If we had real political representatives in parliament, the issue of Gukurahundi would have long been resolved because of pressure applied by real politicians not these cowards and pretenders.Please let us look for real politicians to represent us, people who consult us on issues to be addressed because so far we only have David Coltart. That is absurd. I insist that the Gukurahundi issue needs to be resolved and the right way is to have a proper commission of churches, reputable organisations, political parties and traditional leaders probably chaired by a foreigner (not necessarily).Clement Moyo (Mr)Mediation for Peace Centre+263 712 708 284/778 662 090clemenmoyo@gmail.com Hand arranging wood block stacking as step stair with arrow up. The REIT sector is one of the best for income-seeking investors. Unlike most other corporations, REITs are required to distribute a large percentage of their earnings as dividends, at least if they want the tax benefits associated with the industry. With that in mind, lets look at what one of Canadas largest REITs by market cap: Canadian Apartment Properties REIT (TSX:CAR.UN). Here is why the Toronto-based firm is a good buy for income-oriented investors. Core operations Canadian Apartment owns and operates multi-unit residential properties including townhouses, apartment buildings, and lease communities near major urban centres. The market in which the company operates has its strengths and its weaknesses. Major urban centres are generally considered desirable places to live. Thus, rent prices usually come with a premium compared to what they would cost in rural areas. However, apartment owners tend to perform poorly when there is a recession. The drop in demand and occupancy rates can pull down rent prices, thus directly hurting their bottom line. One way to mitigate this risk is through diversification. Canadian Apartment has been working diligently over the past few years to expand its operations beyond national borders. The company now owns several properties in the Netherlands, although these still account for a minuscule percentage of its earnings. Recent financial results Canadian Apartment has been growing revenues and earnings in recent years while drastically improving its efficiency. While revenues increased by 29% since 2015, net income soared by 252% over the same period. One reason for the firms improved efficiency is its focus on shedding non-core, low-margin properties while reinvesting the proceeds into newer assets. The companys latest recorded quarter Q4 2018 show an occupancy rate of nearly 99%, while average monthly rent, net operating revenues, and funds from operations all increased by 5.7%, 11.6%, and 15.5%, respectively. Story continues Note that stable and predictable cash flows most of which are generated from the rent charged to tenants are one of the hallmarks of REITs. As Canadian Apartment continues to grow the number of properties it owns, the company should be able to steadily grow its earnings, too. The firm plans on continuing its European expansion both in the Netherlands and in Ireland where it acquired several properties a few years ago. Dividends The only thing better than strong quarterly dividend payments are strong monthly dividend payments. Canadian Apartment provides investors just that. Though the companys dividend yield of 2.76% (at the time of writing) is not stellar by industrys standard, the payout investors receive on a yearly basis is very competitive. Canadian Apartment currently has a conservative funds from operation payout ratio (by industrys standard) of 65.7%, which, along with its growing profits, is more than enough to support the companys dividends. The bottom line With its growing earnings, improving market position, and monthly dividend payouts, Canadian Apartment deserves your attention if you are looking to build a portfolio to generate passive income. While the company isnt without its risks, its increased geographical diversification should help reduce it. Further, Canadian Apartment isnt a very volatile stock. The Toronto-based REIT performed better than most last year even when equity markets were tanking. Thats a plus considering some are now predicting we are close to a recession. More reading Fool contributor Prosper Bakiny has no position in any of the companies mentioned. 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 Glass piggy bank If youve been contributing to your TFSA regularly and have been using the proceeds to invest in stocks, REITs, or other income funds, youve likely amassed enough money that could make you a substantial amount of passive income for the rest of your life. When it comes to fat, reliable, and low-risk dividend payouts, its hard to top the REITs. By law, theyre required to pay out 90% of their net income to shareholders in the form of a distribution. With such a standard in place, investors have the opportunity to collect monthly cheques as a lazy landlord who doesnt need to lift a finger after theyve purchased shares for their TFSA. Why dabble around with leaky faucets and faulty electronics when you can pay a pro handyperson who can take care of all maintenance work in the most cost-effective way possible? For many passive-income investors, REITs are the golden ticket to a life of big monthly income. So, without further ado, here are two of my favourites that should be core holdings to any TFSA income fund. Canadian Apartment Properties REIT (TSX:CAR.UN) As an income-oriented investor, its easy to brush off CAPREIT as a name thats unworthy of an investment, as the 2.7% yield is among the lowest in the industry. While the payout is comparable to that of a stock, investors should pay more attention to the REITs very favourable operating environments thatll allow for above-average distribution hikes and capital gains that would be enough to put stocks to shame! CAPREIT owns some prime residential properties in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Greater Vancouver Area (GVA), both of which are state-of-emergency markets that are facing a severe shortage in rental units. As a result, CAPREIT can keep raising rents and reinvesting in new properties without having to worry about any upticks to its sub-1% vacancy rates, which are among the best in the industry. The GTA and GVA markets are tight, and theyll remain that way in the near future. And thatll be a huge low-risk opportunity for CAPREIT to command massive ROE numbers thatll enrich its shareholders. Story continues As one of the fastest-growing REITs in Canada, CAPREIT is a must-own, not just for the growing distribution, but for the capital gains thatll flow in with minimal uncertainty. Chartwell Retirement Residences REIT (TSX:CSH.UN) Speaking of low-risk real estate sub-industries, seniors housing is another segment of the market thats ripe for continued growth. Baby Boomers are getting older, theyre getting sicker, and theyre going to need more care and attention as time goes on. The demand for assisted living, memory care, independent supported living, and long-term care are slated to explode over the next decade and beyond. As the largest seniors housing play in Canada, Chartwell is ready to take it to the bank with its 181 facilities that are located across the country. Over the next two decades, I expect NOI growth to soar alongside occupancy rates as the youngest Baby Boomers enter retirement age. Indeed, Chartwell is sitting on a generational opportunity, and with shares currently in a period of long-term consolidation, I suspect a big breakout could send the 4% yield much lower over the near term. So, if youve got a long-term horizon, Chartwell is a must-own for the long-term generational secular tailwinds. Foolish takeaway CAPREIT and Chartwell are attractively valued REITs that will have the wind to their back over the next decade and beyond. Both names have competent management teams and market conditions thatll allow them to make a huge economic profit over a prolonged period of time. Apartments and seniors housing are two of the hottest real estate sub-industries to get into, so if youre looking to construct a long-term income fund, you should scoop up both names, as they have the potential to grow their distributions at a ridiculously rapid rate, regardless of how hot the economy is at a given point in time. Stay hungry. Stay Foolish. More reading Fool contributor Joey Frenette has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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 Shopping card with boxes labelled REITs, ETFs, Bonds, Stocks One of the reasons many financial advisors fear millennials just arent investing like their predecessors is the worry that theyre putting money towards unsavoury institutions. As a millennial myself, its definitely something I like to consider when looking at my portfolio. I mean granted, Im a new mom. I need every single penny I can scratch together. When I started out my investment portfolio, I came to the Motley Fool Canada to find out how to make more money. Period. Now thats its been a while, Im not considering what other investments are out there that would help me sleep better knowing Im supporting companies that will create a better life for my children in the future. Well, I found one. Not only that, but it looks like Ive been missing out on an opportunity to be make some serious cash. Not your average energy stock Enter TransAlta Renewables Inc. (TSX:RNW). This energy producer is the perfect opportunity for those looking to get into renewable energy, while still getting a cut of the gas industry. Currently, the company owns and operates seven natural gas generation facilities and one natural gas pipeline, but it also has 21 wind facilities, 13 hydroelectric facilities and one solar facility. These facilities combined offer 2,421 megawatts of generating capacity that span from British Columbia through to New Brunswick, and into Wyoming, Massachusetts, and Minnesota. Oh, and down under in Western Australia. This diversification is perfect if the world begins to edge away from gas and doubles down on renewable energy resources like wind, hydro, and solar. This of course makes the company a long-term investment. Getting green So TransAlta offers a green energy option for investors, but its not the only green youll be seeing. In its most recent quarterly earnings report, the company announced revenue of $140 million, and earnings per share of $0.35. Its EBITDA was at $430 million, and it expects 2019 to be around the same. So overall, the company has a strong balance sheet that should help investors get on board. Story continues Then theres the companys stable monthly dividend that currently sits at a yield of 6.78%. Over the last six years, TransAlta has had a steady increase in that dividend of 6% each year. Brookfield Its not just investors like you and me that are getting on board with TransAlta. Brookfield Asset Management Inc. announced recently that the company would be investing $750 million in the power producer and nominating two directors to the companys board. Brookfield will have a 4.5% stake in TransAlta, with the option to increase that stake to about 9% if certain conditions come about. Through the deal, Brookfield can convert this investment into equity interest in the companys hydro assets later on. When this announcement hits the headlines, TransAltas stock shot up almost 4%, with the company boasting that it had hit its highest level since July of 2015, and giving the company a market value of $2.7 billion. TransAlta will use the $350 million investment and its proceeds to advance its strategy to move from coal to gas generation, aiming to complete this by 2025. Itll also use $250 million to buy back shares, which will be music to investors ears. Bottom line Since the beginning of 2019, shares are up about 42% at the time of writing. But as Ive mentioned, as the company continues to expand and invest in renewable resources, and as the world gets on board, that number should hit sky high. As it is, even during an oil and gas crisis, this stock should still do well. At about $14 per share at the time of writing, investors should be looking at the prices in 2017 around $17 and think itll be no time before those share prices will be reached again. More reading Fool contributor Amy Legate-Wolfe has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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 A high-ranking doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital has written a letter to the American embassy in Halifax, urging an expedited visa for an Afghan woman whose son needs cancer treatment in Boston. Sajia Yaqobi is facing the grim prospect of saying goodbye to her 15-month-old son for two months, as he leaves home in St. John's and heads to the United States for a rare form of therapy next month. Her son, Elias Faqiri, has brain cancer, but should survive with the help of proton radiation a treatment not offered in Canada. "We, his treatment team, write this letter hoping to explain the desperate situation in the hopes that you would consider expediting the approval of Mrs. Yaqobi's travel visa so she may join her son during this very trying time," wrote Dr. Torunn Yock, a radiation oncologist and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, and nurse practitioner Brooke Patteson. Working with MP's office Elias was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma just 10 months after he was born. He's undergone several rounds of chemotherapy at the Janeway Children's Health and Rehabilitation Centre in St. John's. Yaqobi is a permanent resident of Canada, but not a citizen, meaning she needs a visitor's visa to go to the United States. In her five years in Canada, Yaqobi has given birth to two children and spent most of the last five months in hospital with Elias. She hasn't been able to reach the level of English proficiency needed to pass a citizenship test. Submitted The family is working with their local Member of Parliament, Nick Whalen, and his staff to navigate the process of getting a visitor's visa in a short timeframe. The process usually takes several months. In the letter, Yock and Patteson said the mother's presence is required to ensure the baby gets appropriate care. The first treatment is May 6, and it will continue for about two months. First trip already complete Elias made his first trip to Boston last week, along with his father, aunt and uncle, for some preliminary tests. Story continues In order to make it through the full two months of intensive treatment, the medical team believes it's necessary Yaqobi make the trip. "[He] will require her care due to his young age and the side effects of the treatment," the letter reads. The family is expected to meet with Whalen's office on Monday, in hopes of travelling to the American embassy in Halifax in the coming days to meet with officials there. Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador Dina Lohan had already gotten suspicious that her online boyfriend didnt have the best intentions before they called it quits. On Saturday, her ex Jesse Nadler told TMZ that the pair, who had never met in real life, had finally set up a time to meet, but broke up before that could happen due to a fight. However, a source close to Lindsay Lohans mother, 56, tells PEOPLE that there was no meeting scheduled as Dina was already suspicious that he was media hungry and she is in talks about doing several new shows, including a dating show. This guy wants his 15 minutes of fame he just proved her suspicions correct, the source adds. Dina Lohan and Jesse Nadler | Astrid Stawiarz/Getty; Jesse Douglas Nadler/Instagram RELATED: Catfishs Nev Schulman Found Dina Lohans Alleged Boyfriend Who Insists Hes the Real Deal News of Dinas relationship first emerged during her time as a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year. During one of the episodes, she revealed that shes been talking to a special someone for five years, even though theyve never actually met in real life or even FaceTimed. The New York-based star went on to explain that she hadnt met her long-term boyfriend yet because he was currently living San Fransisco, California, taking care of his mother and he doesnt use FaceTime. Its personal, she said. Hes real. I swear, its crazy. But Im going to marry him. Its really, really true. I talk to his ma! RELATED VIDEO: Dina Lohan Reveals She Has Never Met Her Boyfriend of 5 Years: Im Going to Marry Him While Dina seemed confident that her relationship was real, her fellow houseguests thought the star was likely being catfished and apparently so did Nev Schulman, host of MTVs Catfish. In February, Schulman revealed the identity of the man who claimed to be Dinas boyfriend: Jesse Nadler, a 53-year-old from Tiburon, California, according to The Blast. UPDATE: found @dinalohans boyfriendbut his story is way bigger than I could have ever imagined, Schulman tweeted. In a follow-up tweet, Schulman shared a photo of Nadler, writing: CONFIRMED: Jesse Nadler is Dina Lohans boyfriend. Much much more coming soon Story continues At the time, Nadler himself had been tweeting about his supposed relationship with Dina, insisting that hes wasnt catfishing her. Ill be the judge of that Schulman replied. Nadler, who said he works in commercial real estate, went on to tell Page Six that he had never met Dina in person due to his mothers failing health, which she also noted on Celebrity Big Brother. Music fans gathered at shops across Montreal to celebrate Record Store Day, an international event to support independent record stores. Every year, record labels ship out exclusive pressings to participating shops, which hold events such as in-store concerts and giveaways as well. But it's also an opportunity for vinyl lovers to come together and share their passion for the format. "I like to record my vinyl onto my computer so that I can listen to them when I go out to school or anywhere," said Emile Burbiege, who was browsing at Beatnick Records on St-Denis Street. The 15-year-old started listening to vinyl when a cousin received a record player for Christmas. Then, he discovered that his father had kept his old record collection. "The most important part is really the experience of putting on the record, listening to it and having an object, not just this thing in the cloud somewhere," he said. Beatnick owner Nick Catalano says he loves seeing young people learning about vinyl. "To them it's all new. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Doors they're buying the same music that my generation was buying." Sarah Leavitt/CBC But it's not just older music that's playing through hi-fi systems. Vinyl sales continue to be one of the only bright spots in music sales as the popularity of streaming services grows. In 2018, Canadian vinyl sales surpassed 1 million units, according Nielsen's year-end report. Sales were up 25 per cent compared to the previous year. However, streaming still dominates, with 59 billion on-demand song streams in Canada last year, according to Nielsen. In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America reports that vinyl sales had their best year since 1988, while digital and CD sales continued their decline. According to the RIAA, vinyl sales made up for one third of physical sales by value in the United States last year. A recent change requiring the collection of social insurance numbers for federally funded workplace education courses has raised concerns for a Hantsport, N.S., businessman and led him to drop out of a class. Greg Pace said he was uncomfortable providing his SIN for the introductory financial management course offered through the Annapolis Valley Chamber of Commerce and funded by Ottawa. "It was put to me that if we did not provide it, I couldn't be there. So obviously they really want this information. Why?" said Pace. "It seemed very strange to me that to take a course through which I received no remuneration, there was no money passing through my accounts or to me personally in any way that they would actually require a social insurance number to be able to allow me to sit there." The two-page intake form for the free 10-week course also optionally asks for participants' marital status, gender, number of dependents, employer, employment status, education level and racial identity. Was optional until recently Up until April 1, the provision of the SIN was also optional, according to provincial labour department spokesperson Shannon Kerr. But she said it is now required by federal labour-market transfer agreements in order for provinces to receive funding for the programs. Kerr said SINs and other personal information are used to evaluate the training and ensure "the needs of participants in the program are being met." The collection of all information is done securely, she said. Employment and Social Development Canada said the collection of SINs for employment programs is an established practice. SINs allow the government to create anonymized reports demonstrating the effectiveness of the programs for participants, said department spokesperson Christopher Simard. Invasive government? Neither the chamber of commerce or a department of labour representative, who was present for the first class, gave Pace an answer for why his SIN was needed, he said. Story continues When they wouldn't allow him to opt out of providing it, Pace decided to instead drop out of the course. "It boils down to why is it necessary that the government has this, because it is a sensitive piece of information. What difference will it make to them? What will they use it for down the road? "How invasive do we allow the government become?" David Fraser, a privacy lawyer at McInnes Cooper in Halifax, said the government should only collect SINs if they are necessary for the operation of a public program. "The onus is also, I think, on the organization to explain to people why they want this information," said Fraser. Identity fraud is the predominant concern if a SIN falls into the wrong hands, he said. Elected officials and religious groups in Montreal are taking to the streets Sunday to protest Quebec's proposed religious neutrality bill. If adopted, Bill 21 would prevent public employees including teachers, police officers and judges from wearing religious symbols at work. A coalition of mayors, city councillors, school board commissioners and representatives from provincial and federal governments gathered for a protest organized by the City of Cote Saint-Luc this morning. It started at 11:30 a.m. in front of the Bernard Lang Civic Centre on Cavendish Boulevard. Lionel Perez, the leader of Montreal's official municipal opposition, was in attendance. He says the bill doesn't represent Quebec values. "We don't see ourselves in this law. We should not be legislating discrimination," Perez said. Perez wears a kippa, and says he likes to think of himself as an example of "what the new Quebec is all about." "I'm an elected official I represent everybody from all walks of life," Perez said. "[My faith] hasn't violated my ability to represent them impartially." Later in the day, various religious and social justice organizations are gathering for a demonstration organized by the Canadian Muslim Alliance. Simon Nakonechny/CBC The event starts at 2 p.m. at Place Emilie-Gamelin in downtown Montreal, near the Berri-UQAM metro. "All Quebecers of conscience are encouraged to attend and stand in solidarity with those who will be directly affected by Bill 21, if it's implemented," the Facebook event says. Representatives from the Catholic and Anglican dioceses, Montreal's board of Rabbis, the United Church of Canada and the World Sikh Organization of Canada will be present. Melissa Francois/Radio-Canada 'It's part of my faith' Maryam Raza is a Muslim engineer from Cote Saint-Luc who wears a hijab. She says she's protesting because the bill targets specific people who are already well integrated into Quebec society. Story continues "In Quebec, especially in Montreal, it's such a diverse city. We should be concentrating on other problems other than religious symbols," Raza said. Her parents immigrated to Canada so they could have a choice, she said. "I decided I was going to wear [the hijab]," Raza said. "It's part of my faith." MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and OPEC may decide to boost production to fight for market share with the United States but this would push oil prices as low as $40 per barrel, TASS news agency ited Russia's Finance Minister Anton Siluanov as saying on Saturday. "There is a dilemma. What should we do with OPEC: should we lose the market, which is being occupied by the Americans, or quit the deal?" Anton Siluanov, speaking in Washington, said, TASS reported. "(If the deal is abandoned) the oil prices will go down, then the new investments will shrink, American output will be lower, because the production cost for shale oil is higher than for traditional output." Siluanov said oil prices could drop to $40 per barrel or even less for up to one year. The minister said there had been no decision on the deal yet and he did not know whether OPEC countries would be happy with this scenario. OPEC, Russia and other producers, an alliance known as OPEC+, are reducing output by 1.2 million bpd from Jan. 1 for six months. They meet on June 25-26 to decide whether to extend the pact. The combined supply cuts have helped to drive a 32 percent rally in crude prices this year to nearly $72 a barrel, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to call on OPEC to ease its market-supporting efforts. OPEC has said the curbs must remain, but there are signs that stance is now softening. Earlier this week, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that OPEC could raise oil output from July if Venezuelan and Iranian supply drops further and prices keep rallying, because extending production cuts with Russia and other allies could overtighten the market. (Reporting by Maxim Rodionov. Editing by Jane Merriman) By Khalid Abdelaziz KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's main protest group on Sunday demanded the immediate handover of power to a civilian transitional government, saying it would keep up the street demonstrations which ousted former President Omar al-Bashir last week to achieve its aims. The Sudanese Professionals' Association (SPA) called for the establishment of a transitional council which would be protected by the armed forces, adding it would exert "all forms of peaceful pressure to achieve the objectives of the revolution". The military council that replaced Bashir, who was ousted on Thursday by the military after three decades in power, announced a raft of new decisions late on Sunday including the retirement of Defence Minister Awad Ibn Auf. Ibn Auf, and his deputy, resigned as head of the transition council after they assumed the positions following Bashir's ouster. The council also appointed Lieutenant General Abu Bakr Mustafa as intelligence chief, succeeding Salah Abdallah Mohamed Saleh, commonly known as Salah Gosh, who resigned on Friday. It did not name a successor to Ibn Auf. The transitional council spokesman told a news conference in Khartoum on Sunday the military was ready to work with opposition groups to establish a new civilian government. "The ball is now in the political forces' court when it comes to the prime minister or a government," Shams El Din Kabbashi said. "If they are ready today to approve anything, we are ready to implement it," he added. Lieutenant General Omar Zain al-Abideen, another member of the council, said the opposition would have one week to submit their suggestions. The head of the military council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, had earlier said the council had invited the main opposition parties and protest organizers for a meeting. But the SPA and other main opposition parties, which together make up a group known as the Forces for Freedom and Change, said they did not attend the meeting. "We were not invited to this meeting ... we will submit our suggestions for the government to the military council," a spokesman for SPA told Reuters. A Reuters witness said the meeting was largely attended by unknown politicians and parliamentarians who are known to be loyal to Bashir's party. A sit-in in the Sudanese capital, which began on April 6, was the culmination of a protest movement that began nearly four months ago, triggered by a worsening economic crisis. Kabbashi said there had been orders by the former regime to disperse the sit-in "at whatever cost," but the military had refused to do so and will continue to protect protesters. "DEFEND THE REVOLUTION" Several thousand protesters continued a sit-in outside the Defence Ministry and for the first time state television showed footage of people marching and chanting in the streets, while a TV presenter congratulated their "revolution". SPA, which had demanded civilians be included on the transitional military council and for Bashir's close associates to leave, called for the arrest of prominent National Intelligence and Security Service generals, including its former head Salah Gosh, and for the removal of the prosecutor general. It also called for the arrest of Bashir, whom the army has said it has already detained. Kabbashi said a committee would be formed to take over the former ruling party's assets and that Sudan's ambassadors to Washington, a former intelligence chief, and to Geneva, a former foreign minister, had been sacked. He also said the military council would release all the army and police officers who participated in demonstrations. Up to four thousand people were still camped out on Sunday, a Reuters witness said, slightly fewer than on previous days, with some people returning to work for the first time in days. After deadly clashes at the sit-in last week, the atmosphere was relaxed, with soldiers drinking tea and chatting with protesters. "We are at our sit-in until we hear the response from the army to the ... demands. We will defend the revolution from hijacking," Mouawiya Mubarak, a 21-year-old student, said. "Our demands are clear and have not yet been achieved, why would we go home? Our sit-in is the most powerful weapon in our hands," the SPA said in a tweet. (Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy in Cairo; Writing by Aidan Lewis, Hesham Hajali and Nadine Awadalla; Editing by Janet Lawrence, Alexander Smith and Chris Reese) Vancouver is consistently ranked as one of the world's least affordable housing markets, but that hasn't stopped people from moving to the region. According the 2016 Canadian census, Metro Vancouver's population grew by an average of 30,000 people per year, with international immigration making up 79 per cent of the newcomers. University of British Columbia professor Nathan Lauster studies immigration patterns. He says that despite the high price of housing, Metro Vancouver has a lot to offer if you're not concerned about the trappings of a single-family detached house. "It's a beautiful place to be," says Lauster, who also credits the region's livability. mild climate and economic opportunities as key attractions. "There's a real shortage of workers," Lauster says. He acknowledges that high housing costs can keep some people away from the region. "But the people who do come know what they're going to be facing and they're OK with it." CBC Radio's On the Coast profiled some of the newcomers in a series called New in Town. For love and freedom Margaret Gallagher Clemence Bussato, 27, and Arjun Singh Gill, 33, have lived in Vancouver together since October of 2018. The couple fell in love while working in San Francisco. Bussato is from Paris and Singh Gill is from India, but they chose Vancouver as the best place to build their life together. As outdoor enthusiasts, they enjoy Vancouver's mountains and proximity to nature. They also love the mix of culture and cuisine they find near their rental apartment off Commercial Drive. And they appreciate Vancouver's laid back vibe, compared to other major cities. "Paris is a very stressful city to live in," says Bussato, who works in communications. She arrived in Vancouver in spring 2018, and Gill followed a few months later. 'Here, I am free' "Canada looked like a better option in terms of security, jobs and the economy in general." Story continues "The lifestyle here is nicer," says Gill, who worked in the San Francisco Bay area's tech industry. Singh Gill entered Canada on an Express Entry visa, aimed at skilled workers. Now a permanent resident, he's working on a start-up business, something he was not allowed to do in the U.S. He's relieved to no longer have his residency status directly linked to his employer. "Through no fault of your own, your job could be lost and you could be kicked out of the country," he said. "Here, I am free." For work and culture submittd, Clemence Bussato Tammara Soma, 36, moved her young family from university housing in downtown Toronto to Burnaby Mountain in November 2018. The draw: a teaching position in Simon Fraser University's Resource and Environmental Planning Program. Soma is a food-waste expert and runs the university's Food Systems Lab, a sustainability research hub. She was thrilled with the job opportunity, but local housing prices were a concern. "When we accepted and starting looking, it was actually quite frightening," said Soma, who found it difficult to find rental accommodation for her family, which includes three kids and her husband. "Especially for a family of five." 'Beautiful mountains' Soma eventually used SFU's down payment assistance program to help purchase a small condo. SFU started the incentive program in 2017 as a way of helping attract skilled faculty in the face of high housing costs. UBC has a similar program. Soma, who is originally from Indonesia, also appreciates Metro Vancouver's strong Asian community, which make ingredients like kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce) readily available. She notes the similarities between Burnaby and her hometown of Bogor.. "There's all the beautiful mountains. That does remind me of home." For better air and a better life Margaret Gallagher Rachel Qian, 34, left China for Richmond in January 2019 in search of fresh air and a fresh start. She began to think about the move two years ago, when Beijing was hit with five days of intense air pollution. She was a new mother at the time. "I couldn't stop wondering, should we live in an environment like this for the rest of our lives?" QIan and her husband Justin Liao, 35, were also looking to make a career change. They had well-paying jobs in finance but wanted a less stressful life for themselves and their daughter Sarah, 3. Qian, who is now working in tourism, enjoys the change of pace. "I don't need to make a lot of money. I just want to find something I like doing." She admires the Canadian education system, which she feels is less demanding than China's. "Children don't need to study so much at elementary (school) and kindergarten. "That's a good thing. I don't want so much pressure for my children." Qian feels optimistic about her daughter's future in Richmond. "She can make friends and study what she really likes. That's what I want for my family." * The 4th International Competition of Cartoons Aleksandar Klas 2017, Serbia: All cartoonists whose cartoons are selected in the catalog and the exhibition will receive a free copy of the catalog ( Regulation ). * International Cartoon Contest in Memory of Cartoonist Prof. Atila Ozer 2016, Turkey: The selected cartoons will be published in a catalog. These will be sent at no cost to the participants whose works are : The selected cartoons will be published in a catalog. These will be sent at no cost to the participants whose works are exhibited and published ( Regulation ). The contents of Cockroach Catcher Blog (text and photos) are strictly the copyright of Dr Am Ang Zhang and all rights are reserved. Other bloggers are welcome to quote and use any of the content of the articles on the internet or in their own blogs as long as it is acknowledged. Anyone wishing to use substantial parts or all of any of the articles is asked to contact Dr Am Ang Zhang (cockroachcatcher (at)gmail (dot)com) in advance. 1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war. 2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war. 3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength. 4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war. 5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites. 6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination. 7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N. 8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N. 9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress. 10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N. 11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.) 12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party. 13. Do away with all loyalty oaths. 14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office. 15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States. 16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights. 17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks. 18. Gain control of all student newspapers. 19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack. 20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions. 21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures. 22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms." 23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art." 24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press. 25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV. 26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy." 27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch." 28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state." 29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis. 30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man." 31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over. 32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc. 33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus. 34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities. 35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI. 36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions. 37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business. 38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand. 39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals. 40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. 41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents. 42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems. 43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government. 44. Internationalize the Panama Canal. 45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike. " " Satellites like this may enable people living far off the grid to receive some of the fastest internet service available in the next few years. SES Networks Almost all of the world's internet data zips from place to place through underground and undersea cables. Now, several companies are looking to the heavens to expand the web's capacity and bring broadband coverage to everyone in the world, including the billions of people worldwide who lack it. SpaceX, OneWeb and LeoSat are in the early stages of launching hundreds, even thousands, of satellites to create an orbiting internet network. One company is already up there. SES Networks, headquartered in Betzdorf, Luxembourg, has 12 satellites circling the globe with four more due to launch in 2018 and another four on order. Its fleet is delivering high-throughput data services to diverse places, many of which are remote or impoverished and could not afford to install the infrastructure necessary to support cable fiber. Think the Cook Islands, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Chad, Madagascar, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, the Caribbean and many others. "In the rapid development of the company, we've been able to very quickly deliver high volume data to remote parts of the world and to enable them to connect to the internet, Facebook, Google, remote medical support, humanitarian aid, and more," says Stewart Sanders, executive vice president of technology for SES Networks. "It's difficult to overestimate the social and economic benefits this has enabled for our customers," he says. Advertisement Internet From the Sky The fleet of satellites have their origin in a company called O3b Networks, which SES acquired in 2016. Entrepreneur Greg Wyler founded O3b in 2007. Wyler spent the early 2000s setting up telecommunications in rural parts of Africa. While working with the post-war government of Rwanda to bring mobile phone service online, the entrepreneur began thinking about a better way to deliver to high bandwidth to the other 3 billion hence "O3b" people in the world who lacked access to the internet. Because fiber was too expensive and vulnerable to breaks or power outages common in developing nations, Wyler considered using satellites. He wasn't interested in the kind already providing internet through companies like Dish Network and DirecTV. These companies have satellites flying about 22,000 miles (35,700 kilometers) above the equator in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) an orbit that has traditionally been used for telecommunications. At that height, the satellites beam signals that can cover huge swaths of the planet, nearly 2,000 miles (3,000 kilometers) wide at a time. But the distance creates a delay, or latency. "People always talk about home usage and ask, 'What's my throughput? How much data am I pulling down?'" Sanders says. "But a key factor that affects performance and the user experience is latency." Signals from geostationary satellites can take about 500 milliseconds (0.5 seconds) to travel down to Earth and back up again. This amount of latency isn't ideal for providing internet services. Wyler settled on satellites that could fly at medium-Earth orbit (MEO), roughly 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) up, significantly lower than the geostationary orbit. At that lower height, latency is less than 150 milliseconds (0.15 seconds). The O3b fleet is now a part of SES Networks, which also flies more than 50 satellites in GEO. Each MEO satellite has 12 beams, two of which are directed at gateways on the ground. Of the remaining 10 beams, five connect to one gateway beam and five to the other. These 10 beams are called user beams, and each one can provide a customer with up to 2 gigabits per second (Gbps) throughput. SES Networks has nine gateways installed around the world directly supporting the O3b MEO Fleet, and Sanders says that at any given time, a satellite in medium-Earth orbit can see multiple gateways. Advertisement Launch Party In 2012, Wyler left O3b Networks to start up OneWeb, which in addition to SpaceX, wants to launch satellites into low-Earth orbit 111 to 1,242 miles or 180 to 2,000 kilometers where the lower orbit could enable even lower latency. It also reduces the time a satellite can "see" a gateway, so the number of satellites required for global coverage is significantly higher, and that increases the system's complexity. In November 2016, SpaceX filed a proposal to launch 4,425 satellites into low-Earth orbit at 700 miles (1,110 kilometers) and higher above the planet. Getting that many satellites into orbit will take time and money, says Sanders. "The launch costs alone will be a significant portion of the investment, and the technical challenges with the overall implementation will be significant," he says. But SpaceX, as well as the rocket company Blue Origin, owned by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, are developing reusable rockets, which could bring that cost way down. SpaceX told Congress it intends to start its ambitious satellite launch campaign in 2019. OneWeb intends to launch 720 LEO satellites into space, with plans to send up its first 10 craft in 2018. By 2019, the company aims to start providing low latency broadband in 2019. As these space-based systems begin to come online, so too will the fifth generation of wireless service, known as 5G. This means that people now living in the most remote regions of the planet as well those living far off the grid may soon be receiving some of the fastest internet service available. "I've been in this industry well over 30 years, and there's been more activity in the last five or so years, than probably in the previous 20," Sanders says. "It's incredible." The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) voted unanimously voted for the resolution to completely end its peacekeeping operations in Haiti on October 15. The resolution also called for establishing a political mission to support government efforts to promote order and development in Haiti situated in Latin America. UN Peace Keeping Mission in Haiti U.N. Peace Keeping Mission in Haiti was known as MINUSTAH, a French acronym which stood for The United Nations is not leaving. MINUSTAH began operations in Haiti in 2004, when a violent rebellion swept the country and forced then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide out of power and into exile. The goals of MINUSTAH included restoring security and rebuilding the shattered political institutions. The mission with additional help from the U.S. and other nations is credited with stabilizing the country, particularly after the January 2010 earthquake, and building up the national police force. But the Peace Keeping Mission was viewed as an affront to national sovereignty. The Mission was also blamed for sexual exploitation. a UN report has even documented the sexual exploitation of nine children on the island from 2004-2007 at the hands of at least 134 peacekeepers. The Mission was also seen as responsible for inadvertently introducing the deadly cholera bacteria to the country UNSC Resolution UN military peacekeepers had already left Haiti on October 2017. But a stabilization group had stayed back to train national police, help the government strengthen judicial and legal institutions and monitor human rights. The UNSC resolution gives a final six-month period for such operations and asks Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to plan a political mission. 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 ... Hebrew original The following translation was sent to me by a reader of this blog - he acknowledges that it is not a precise transl... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kIxzek0bLQ Rebbetzin Kamenetsky: Did you ever hear of Amalek? Hashem told to get rid of them because they... Question: Regarding my posts about the terrible perversion of Torah and halacha that Rav Shmuel Kaminetsky has engineered with his prod... Important!! email - yadmoshe@gmail.com Israel's Beresheet spacecraft may have crashed on the moon, but SpaceIL is not yet ready to throw in the towel. Planning for Israel's second lunar spacecraft is already underway.Beresheet 2.0Just days after Beresheet crashed on the moon, the SpaceIL team's spirits are already up again. In a video statement on Twitter, the president of SpaceIL, Morris Kahn, announced that they are going to build another spacecraft and complete the mission. The team will work on the project immediately, and in fact, meetings to plan the new endeavor are already scheduled.'Project Beresheet 2 begins tomorrow,' he saysin the video.According to Kahn, the decision to build another spacecraft came because of all the support that they got from all over the world. Khan, a South African-born billionaire, largely funded the original mission, covering about 40 percent of the $ 100-million project. Israel Aerospace Industries, which was SpaceIL's partner on Beresheet, is also willing to be a part of the new endeavor.Beresheet MissionOriginally, the SpaceIL team was one of the Google Lunar XPrize finalists, and the team continued work on the project even after the competition had ended without announcing a winner. The hope was that Beresheet would be the world's first privately funded mission to the moon, and to become the fourth nation to touch down on the moon's surface.With all the team's efforts, Israel became the seventh nation to put a probe in orbit around the moon. Unfortunately, Beresheet experienced a glitch while it was descending, and it crashed.Despite this, the team's spirits have not been dampened, and XPrize still awarded them the $1 million Moonshot Award since they were still able to touch the moon. Furthermore, even if the team was unable to land perfectly on the moon, they still achieved Beresheet's main goalsof advancing Israel's space program and generating young children's interest in science, engineering, technology, and math. More and more children are getting diagnosed with autism spectrum disorderacross the United States in the past several years.Researchers are now working to get more valuable insight about the developmental condition and its increased rate.One out of every 59 children in the United States is diagnosed with autism, which is equivalent to an autism rate of 1.7 percent of the childhood population in the country, accordingto a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The report, which came from data of 4-year-old children in various states, points to a significant increase in autism cases and researchers can't say exactly why.New Jersey's Autism Rate Is The Nation's HighestOut of the seven states involved in the study, New Jerseyhas the highest rate of autism with one in 35 children with the condition, an autism rate of 3 percent.The study authors point out that New Jersey is known for their excellent clinical and educational services for the autism. This means that their autism rates are likely more accurate and complete, which accounts for their higher-than-average autism rate.Walter Zahorodny of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School led the New Jersey portion of the study and describesthe findings as consistent and surprising in a press release. He believes that it's likely to see the autism rate soar even higher the next time researchers measure children.The Importance Of Early DetectionChildren whose autism are diagnosed early on in life, just around the second birthday, are found to have a better response to treatment compared to those who are diagnosed later.Unfortunately, the only children at the moment who are being evaluated for autism within this crucial window are the ones with the most serious cases. Late detection means that their treatment is getting delayed as well.For now, Zahorodny says that people are more aware of autism, but early detection is still effective yet.The average age of diagnosis is still 53 months, which is how it's been in the past 15 years.Zahorodny and the rest of the team are encouraging the enhancement of the early screening of autism, preferably when a child is from 18 to 24 months old, as he tellsGizmodo.What Is Causing This Increase?Researchers are unable to identify what caused the surge of autism throughout the country. Various factors have been identified, such as advanced age of parents, mothers' illness during pregnancy, genetic mutations, birth before hitting 37 weeks, and multiple births.However, Zahorodny says these factors aren't sufficient to explain the rising rate of autism prevalence."There are still undefined environmental risks that contribute to this significant increase, factors that could affect a child in its development in utero or related to birth complications or to the newborn period," Zahorodny says, adding that there needs to be more research done into autism's non-genetic triggers. A mysterious outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli has erupted in the United States, sickening more than a hundred people across six states.Now, health officials may finally have the answer: ground beefCDC Preliminary Findings Blame MeatAccordingto a newly released report from CDC, investigation is still ongoing, but preliminary evidence point to ground beef as the source of the outbreak. Patients who became infected reported eating ground beef at home or in restaurants prior to their diagnosis.Further investigations of the CDC will focus on tracing the common brand, supplier, or distributor of ground beef associated with the sick individuals.There have been 109 confirmed individual cases of E. coli infection, so far. Among them, 17 have been hospitalized for the infection.Six states are part of the outbreak, including Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia.More About The Recent E. Coli OutbreakThe people who suffered from the outbreak were infected by a specific strain known as the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O103 or STEC. After consuming the bacteria, individuals usually get sick within three to four days.Symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, and vomiting.While the infection usually only lasts five to seven days, STEC infected people can also develop a potentially life-threatening condition known as hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is one type of kidney failure. Most patients recover within a few weeks, but a number get permanent damage or die, accordingto the CDC.In the recent outbreak, there have been no cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome reported.What To Do Amid E. Coli Outbreak?While the CDC has identified ground beef as a culprit, the agency is not recommending people to avoid consumption of ground beef. They're also not discouraging retailers from serving or selling ground beef.To ensure the safety of the meat, the CDC instructs consumers and restaurants to thoroughly cook the beef before eating or serving it. Proper hygiene and cleanliness of the kitchen are also crucial when handling raw meat.Internal temperature of cooked ground beef is recommended to be at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooked ground beef should also be refrigerated within two hours and used within three to four days. On the other hand, raw ground beef should be refrigerated or frozen within two hours after buying it. Refrigerated meat should also be used within a day or two.Those who suspect they are infected with E. coli should talk to a healthcare provider as soon as possible. It would also be helpful for people to recall and write down everything they consumed the week before getting sick. Like many people, I saw the video of the arrest first on Twitter. I was shocked to see how much Julian has aged.His tall frame bent over by the police, dragging him out. He looked desperate and cornered. He was not the confident, daring and often calculating transparency activist I knew.I met Julian in 2009 before WikiLeaks became a household name. I'd heard that he had access to a video of a US military attack in Afghanistan and so I buttonholed him at an event in London.One day he showed up in my office with a USB stick filled with tens of thousands of what he said were classified US government documents. That's how I ended up reporting on, what was then, the biggest leak of government documents in US history.Julian always was, and I suspect remains, a challenging personality, as I discovered when I asked him about the sexual assault allegations he faced in Sweden in an on-camera interview in 2010. He was not happy and walked out, dumping the microphone on the floor.WikiLeaks: Swedish coder held by Ecuador previously defended WikiLeaks founder Julian AssangeThe last time I saw him was just after he claimed asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy, nearly seven years ago. He was in good health then and fairly optimistic that he could still run WikiLeaks from the embassy.I don't think he had any idea he would be in there for so long. He didn't even have his own window to look out on the world he needed a sun lamp to simulate natural light.For the first few weeks, there wasn't even a proper shower for him. That had to be installed later. He told me it was like living on a space ship.His friends worried about his health and bought him an exercise machine. Celebrity guests would sometimes visit and that would make a big splash in the news: Pamela Anderson, Lady Gaga.But it was a lonely existence and friends brought him a kitten to keep him company. Add to that the 24-hour police surveillance outside the embassy. I cannot fathom the toll it must have had on his physical and mental health.On the other hand, the Ecuadorian embassy was also under considerable strain putting up with him. The embassy is small, a collection of just a few rooms and desks. It was never set up to be a long term refuge for a celebrity asylum seeker. Instead, it became a kind of prison for both.I heard reports of heated arguments, accusations of belligerent and disruptive behavior by Julian. But I did not know the extent of it.The Ecuadorian government has now accused him of 'smearing feces on the walls of the embassy'. That this untenable situation lasted for nearly seven years is remarkable.As Julian was being arrested, Ecuador's President Luis Moreno released a statement, explaining the country's decision.'Today I announce that the discourteous and aggressive behavior of Mr Julian Assange, the hostile and threatening declarations of his allied organization against Ecuador and especially the transgression of international treaties have led the situation to a point where the asylum of Mr Assange is unsustainable and no longer viable.'Further stating that Julian himself had provoked the decision, he said: 'The patience of Ecuador has reached its limit on the behaviour of Mr Assange. He installed electronic and distortion equipment not allowed. He blocked the security cameras of the Ecuadorian Mission in London'.Whenever I spoke to Julian about why he chose to hole up in the embassy, he always maintained that he was not afraid of facing allegations of sexual assault in Sweden, which is what his original arrest warrant was for.Two of the allegations fell away after a deadline for bringing charges expired, and the Swedish prosecutor dropped the investigation into rape after finally questioning him at the embassy.He was more concerned that it was a ploy to get him extradited to the US on charges of espionage, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. He called the Sweden allegations a 'honey trap'.Remember that before the DNC leaks, before allegations of Russia collusion, before Trump's declarations of 'I love WikiLeaks!' Assange and WikiLeaks had published hundreds of thousands of classified documents leaked to him by former Army private and whistleblower, Chelsea Manning.And Assange wasn't alone in publishing them. He worked with the New York Times, the Guardian, and Der Spiegel to review and publish those documents.That was unprecedented. It made WikiLeaks what it is today. And Julian was convinced that the US government was coming after him, that a grand jury had issued a sealed indictment charging him with criminal acts.It seems, Julian was right, in part at least.Yes, the US government was pursuing a legal case against him but not, as it turns out, for espionage. The US Department of Justice has now unsealed the indictment filed in March of last year, charging with him with one count of conspiracy to computer hacking, offering to help Manning crack a password and gain access to classified government networks. He faces a maximum sentence of five years.Julian has always argued that if the US government charged him, it would be a slippery slope to prosecuting The New York Times, The Guardian or any other journalist that works with whistleblowers to reveal classified information in the public interest. That will, undoubtedly, be one of the arguments his experienced legal team will make.In his hearing before Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, the judge said that Julian was 'a narcissist who cannot get beyond his own selfish interest' and found him guilty of breaking his bail conditions.I'm not sure what Julian would think about being called a narcissist after all this time. Certainly, the man I knew then thought very highly of himself and was, in many ways, a sharp and manipulative mind who would use just about any means to an end.But it's not really about whether or not you like Julian. The case against him is about soliciting and conspiring with a whistleblower to access classified information and make it public.That is a legal battle that affects all of us and our access to information. Whatever happens now, it will set the precedent for years to come. An inmate serving time at Michigan's only women's prison has filed a class action lawsuit over a scabies outbreak that affected hundreds of inmates.Scabies Outbreak At Women's Huron Valley Correctional FacilityIn the lawsuit, Rebecca Smith, who is serving at least 25 years in prison for a murder conviction, said that inmates at the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility suffered itching and permanent scarring because the Michigan Department of Correction failed to promptly treat or properly diagnose a scabies outbreak.Scabiesis caused by microscopic mites called Sarcoptes scabieithat live on the skin for months. These creatures burrow into the skin and lay eggs, causing red and itchy rashes.The skin condition is contagious and can easily spread through close physical contact, so doctors usually recommend treatment for entire families or contact groups.The lawsuit claims the contagious skin disease started to spread in 2017, but the MDOC did not publicly acknowledge the issue until this year, when the facility was temporarily closed to visitors.Like The Worst Mosquito BiteIn March 2018, Smith told Detroit Free Press that she had the rash since October 2017, and some women had rashes before that.In the lawsuit, the 44-year-old said that the itching became unbearable by April 2018, and she was unable to sleep, but there was no response to her request for a sick call."It itches unlike anything it's like the worst mosquito bite," Smith saidSmith's lawyer, Daniel Randazzo, said he has letters from more than 200 inmates who had the infection. Some of whom suffered for six to eight months.The suit claims the department and other defendants, which include department Director Heidi Washington, Warden Shawn Brewer, and Corizon Health Inc., which holds a five-year, $715.7 million prison health contract with the state, should have known the infestation among the prisoners and the contagious nature of the disease.The lawsuit also said the defendants failed to make reasonable steps to mitigate the infection, treat those infected, and quarantine inmates. It also alleged the defendants failed to make a proper diagnosis of the infestation after minimal testing.The lawsuit was filed in federal court on Thursday, April 11. Scientists only previously referred the first supermassive black hole ever to be photographed as "M87" or the "Black Hole". Now, the celestial object has a nickname "Powehi."Powehi translates to "the adorned fathomless dark creation" or "embellished dark source of unending creation." It combines two Hawaiian words "Po," which means a profound dark source of unending creation, and "wehi" or "honored with embellishments."Hawaiian NicknameThe black hole's name came from an 18th-century chanting that describes the creation of the Hawaiian universe. It was coinedby Larry Kimura, a language professor at the University of Hawaii-Hilo.Powehi's image was generated using data from eight radio telescopesaround the world that observed the center of the galaxy Messier 87 (M87).Astronomers believe it was only fitting to give the black hole a Hawaiian name because two telescopes that contributedto the Event Horizon observations are in Hawaii the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and the Submillimeter Array. Both are located at the Mauna Kea Observatory on top of a dormant volcano.The black hole's name Powehi has yet to be approved by the International Astronomical Union, the officially recognized authority that gives names and designations to celestial bodiessuch as planets, minor planets, satellites of planets, stars, and any surface features of these astronomical objects.Naming A Black Hole"To have the privilege of giving a Hawaiian name to the very first scientific confirmation of a black hole is very meaningful to me," said Kimura.According to Jessica Dempsey, deputy director of the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, the name that Kimura gave to the black hole fits the scientific explanation about Event Horizon's project to capture an image of the supermassive black hole that is 55 million light-years away from Earth.Giving names to black holes and other celestial objects can be quite complicated, especially when there are disputes related to the discovery.There are guidelines in naming objects in the solar system and their features as well as objects outside the boundaries of the solar system such as stars, nebulae, galaxies, and exoplanets.Astronomical objects are dividedinto categories such as surface features of objects in the solar system, or stars. The names of objects are different from their designations, which are similar to a catalog of numbers. As for black holes, they are often given the designation of their host galaxy, like in the case of M87* or Sagittarius A*."Typically, discoverers of objects propose a name to a working group, who then vets the name and checks for various issues like duplication or political meaning," according to Lars Christensen of the IAU.While Powehi has not yet received official approval, Christensen said a very nice name has been proposed to the black hole.Various IAU working groups normally handle the process of naming celestial objects, and their decisions primarily affect the professional astronomers. Irradiated glaciers from the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear disasters now threaten the environment as they could release their stored radiation particles at any moment.In a study presented at the European Geosciences Union's General Assembly, researchers discussed how ice and snowin glaciated areas can capture fallout from nuclear accidents and store them for long periods of time.However, these glaciers are starting to melt at a rapid pace as a result of climate change. They are now at risk of releasing their contaminants into the environment, which could poison humans and wildlife alike.Nuclear Fallout In GlaciersDr. Caroline Clason, an expert on physical geography from the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom, led an international team of researchers in examining the effects of nuclear radiation on glaciers.They focusedtheir work on particles known as fallout radionuclides, which are the byproducts of nuclear weapons testings and accidents. These contaminants are often stored in ice surface sediments called cryoconite.Clason and her colleagues traveled to different sites around the world, such as Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Antarctica. The FRNs detected in these environments have orders of magnitude that are higher than those found in non-glaciated areas.The team's discovery underscores the role of glaciers, particularly the interaction between cryoconite and meltwater, in collecting contaminants in the atmosphere from various human activities.The researchers also found that FRN buildup is not restricted to areas directly affected by nuclear activity such as in Chernobyl and Fukushima. This highlights the impacts of nuclear fallout and other atmospheric pollutants on the entire planet.Clason said previous studies on nuclear accidents mainly focused on their impacts on humans and ecosystems in non-glaciated areas. However, evidence suggest that cryoconite on glaciers are more adept at collecting and storing dangerous levels of FRNs.While high concentrations of FRNs have already been detected in the past, not much is known about how they could potentially impact the environment yet. This is something that Clason and her colleagues have been trying to explore in their research."Our collaborative work is beginning to address this because it is clearly important for the pro-glacial environment and downstream communities to understand any unseen threats they might face in the future," Clason saidEffects Of Radiation ExposureThe high levels of radiation produced after a nuclear disaster can cause long-lasting effects on human health. The longer the body is exposed to the energy, the more cells and tissues are damaged.One of the most visible health effects of radiation is hair loss (Alopecia), which often occurswhen people are exposed to 200 rems or higher.The brain is also susceptible to damaging from nuclear exposure. Radiation with 5,000 rems or higher can destroy small blood vessels and nerve cells, resulting in seizures and even immediate death in extreme cases.High amounts of radioactive iodine can seriously damage the thyroid and other cells related to the gland. However, when used properly and in controlled doses, radioiodine can help treat thyroid cancer.People exposed to 100 rems of radiation may experience a lowering of their lymphocyte cell counts. This leaves them more vulnerable to various infections.Data from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombing suggest that symptoms of this form of radiation sickness can last up to 10 years, and can increase the risk of developing lymphoma and leukemia. Armed police have fired shots at a car after it drove into the vehicle of Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, outside the Embassy in London.Metropolitan Police confirmed 'police firearms were discharged' during the incident, around 10am this morning in the West London suburb of Holland Park.The embassy said in a statement the 'vehicle of the ambassador was deliberately rammed as it sat parked in front' of the building.Police were immediately called and they opened fire after the man behind the wheel rammed the car a second time.'The police were called immediately, and the suspect's vehicle was blocked up,' the embassy's statement said.'Nevertheless, despite the police actions, the attacker hit the Ambassador's car again. In response, the police were forced to open fire on the perpetrator's vehicle.'No-one inside the embassy was injured.Witnesses say they heard approximately 10 shots fired.The man has since been arrested and the incident is declared over by police, who are not treating it as terror-related.However, streets in the leafy suburb - also home to the Embassy of Greece, Embassy of Uzbekistan and Cameroon High Commission in London - remain cordoned off by authorities as investigations into the man's motive continue. North Korea have publicly executed 2 women and jailed another for life because they were fortune tellers. The trio had allegedly formed a collective named the Seven Star Group and claimed a spirit oracle could be channelled through 2 children, aged 3 and 5, to tell the future. A source within the country told Radio Free Asia that the execution was ordered to maintain social order over fears fortune telling had become too widespread. They added: Even high-ranking officials and the families of judicial authorities often visit fortune tellers before arranging weddings or making business deals. Thousands of people reportedly attended the execution of the 2 women in Chongjin, North Hamgyong Province. In 2013, Kim Jong-un ordered the execution of his own uncle, Jang Song-thaek, a high ranking government official, after accusing him of trying to increase his own power. The full extent of the use of capital punishment in North Korea is not fully known, but its criminal code states the death penalty can be applied for vaguely defined offences such as crimes against the state and crimes against the people, according to the a report published by the UN. It added: The policy of regularly carrying out public executions serves to instill fear in the general population. An amendment to the law in 2007 extended the death penalty non-violent offences such as smuggling, and authorities are able to order a persons execution if they deem the crime to be extremely serious. North Korean defector Gim Gyu Min previously told Metro.co.uk about being forced to attend public executions from the age of 6. He said: Officials would usually announce an execution was taking place about a week before it happened and notices would be put up in the neighbourhood. Everyone had to attend and workers would be rounded up and brought as a group to the execution site. There would be a little stage or a clearing, with a stake in the middle where the person would be tied up with their friends and family standing closely nearby. The condemned would be taken behind a curtain and have their head smashed to knock them out, so when they were tied up they wouldnt resist. Guards would then tie them up, take aim, and shoot. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde metro.co.uk, Staff, April 13, 2019 REPRIEVE, April 14, 2019. -- Britain has assisted prosecutions in anti-terrorism courts in Pakistan that have handed down more than 350 death sentences in the last five years, it has been revealed in the Telegraph. The Counter Terrorism Associated Prosecutorial Reforms Initiative (CAPRI) is a strand of the Pakistan Rule of Law Programme, funded through the UK Governments Conflict, Security and Stability Fund (CSSF). From 2018-19, the programme was allocated 9.32 million. In 2016, the then British High Commissioner to Pakistan claimed CAPRI was responsible for a tenfold increase in conviction rates in terrorism cases. Pakistans Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) defines terrorism as any crime or threat designed to create a sense of fear or insecurity in society. The United Nations Human Rights Committee and Committee Against Torture have both expressed grave concern that the ATA provides for extended detention without trial, enables courts to try juveniles as adults, and eliminates safeguards against torture. From 2013-19 - the period Britain has been funding CAPRI - at least 350 people have been sentenced to death under the ATA, while 68 people convicted under the law have been executed, according to Human Rights Commission of Pakistan figures compiled from publicly-available sources. Conservative, Labour and senior MPs have raised questions about the Pakistan Rule of Law programme, which cost the taxpayer 9.32 million in the current financial year. James Gray, a Conservative MP, told the Telegraph: Its massively complicated and largely secret and I certainly wouldnt want to swear in a court that I have the faintest idea where the money is going - I really dont know. It doesnt surprise me in the slightest to discover some of it may be going in the wrong place. Dan Dolan, Deputy Director at Reprieve, said: What does it say about the UK Governments human rights risk assessments that Ministers felt able to sign off on a programme that has helped sentence hundreds of people to death over the last five years? That the same broken system is being used to approve security assistance to countries such as Iraq and Egypt, where torture, summary trials and executions are widespread, demonstrates the need for urgent change. That these programmes are funded in secret, with no transparency or accountability, should appal British taxpayers. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde Reprieve, Staff, April 14, 2019 FOCUS ON DEFENSE CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND OCEANIA I am a retired newspaperman. I live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 44 years, Lou Ann. I grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather. Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com Ho Chi Minh City's downtown. The city's top leader says it needs to keep more budget revenue to afford infrastructure development. Photo by VnExpress HCMC's party leader says city should be allowed to keep more of its revenues to pay for infrastructure development. Ho Chi Minh Citys population makes up 9.5 percent of the nations 95 million, its labor force accounts for 8.2 percent of the nations, and it contributes on average 27 percent of the states annual budget collection, the municipals party chief Nguyen Thien Nhan said. However, the city is only allowed to use 18 percent of its own budget collection, he said at a meeting with a central government delegation Friday. "The city has to submit way too much to the state budget and keeps very little for itself. It is home to 9.5 percent of the countrys population, so it should be allowed to keep 9.5 percent of its budget collection instead of just 5.2 percent," he said. "This is a serious imbalance that has resulted in HCMC being unable to afford public investment for its infrastructure," Nhan noted. Including migrants, the megacity is currently home to 13 million people and is among the 20 percent of localities in Vietnam that can cover their own expenditures and contribute to the national coffers. For years, it has been the countrys largest moneymaker. Last year, it earned more than VND378 trillion ($16.3 billion), up 8.6 percent from 2017. Aside from the state budget contribution, Nhan highlighted some other inadequate policies that have prevented the city from thriving the way it should. Most major projects in HCMC, the biggest in Vietnam, are put under direct management of the ministries; the city cannot execute them as it has neither financial ability nor authority, he said. He cited as example the Ring Road No.3, HCMC wants to see it completed urgently in order to ease the city's chronic traffic congestion. The 90km (56 miles) ring road will remove the need for vehicles to enter the inner city when they need to travel to and from the neighboring provinces like Binh Duong, Long An and Dong Nai. This project is managed by the Ministry of Transport, which has been unable to make much progress because of a lack of funds. Now the city wants to finish the project itself. It will use its own budget or borrow the money and ask neighboring provinces that would benefit from the project to contribute towards site clearance, which is estimated to cost VND3 trillion ($130 million). Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The has said that he agrees with the citys suggestion. "If we wait until we have enough investment for site clearance, the cost (for site clearance) might go up to VND5-7 trillion," he said. Regarding the ring road project, estimated to cost VND55.8 trillion ($2.41 billion), Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has assigned the ministries of Transport, and Planning and Investment to swiftly complete investment procedures and report to the PM for approval. HCMC was granted autonomous decision-making power in September 2017 to help it develop to its full potential. Accordingly, the city can raise and add additional fees and charges to regulate its residents behaviors and increase its budget revenue. But it is still strapped for funds for crucial projects, like the first metro line, whose contractors have threatened to stop work unless their dues for work completed are paid. The new proposal for retaining a higher share of its revenues would buttress the citys autonomy, and help it fund important projects to deal with the chronic problems of traffic congestion and urban flooding. 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 Thursday, a disheveled and aged Julian Assange set foot on the street for the first time in seven years, yelling as three police officers carried him out. He was forcibly removed from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he had entrenched himself in order to avoid being arrested. The situation saw Assange, his team, diplomatic staff and security personnel forced to live together under often tense conditions in the 300-square-meter space of the embassy apartment. Several security cameras recorded his movements in the refuge in which he ended up trapped. This is the story of the day-to-day life of Assange, put together from the statements of a dozen or so security guards who were in charge of protecting the legation until 2017 while under the orders of a Spanish security company. The life of a plumber from the eastern Spanish region of Valencia crossed paths with Julian Assange for the second time in 2016, when he received a call from a familiar voice and was asked to complete a special assignment. He needed to travel from the small town in Valencia where he lived to London to fix a problem with a bathroom. The blockage was in the restroom of the most wanted cyberactivist in the world, in the Ecuadorian embassy. It had been four years since the former journalist and hacker who was born in Australia in 1971 and was the founder of WikiLeaks, the organization that in 2010 leaked to the media a huge amount of documents and hundreds of thousands of internal US communications about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had been taking refuge there. The embassy was filled with cameras, both inside and out Txema Guijarro, former advisor to the Ecuadorian Chancellery Months before seeking refuge in the embassy, Assange had lost his appeal to avoid being extradited to Sweden, which had issued an international arrest warrant against him over alleged cases of rape and sexual abuse. Once he was in the embassy, Ecuador first granted him asylum, then nationality. But as soon as he stepped out the door and onto British soil, he would be arrested. Assange and those who surrounded him in the embassy became obsessed that they were being spied on. The plumber was called to do the job by the private security guards in charge of protecting the diplomatic mission. They needed someone they could trust to fix the bathroom, and they knew the plumber because he had worked with them as a guard for four and a half months, a year earlier. The security guards were worried that British intelligence would use the broken bathroom as a pretext to sneak in. The pay for the four-day repair job was just as unusual as the assignment: 4,000. Assange could once again let the shower water run something he did to make it more difficult for someone to listen in on his conversations, the guards remember him telling them. This episode reveals the degree to which an ordinary problem becomes a complication if it affects the worlds most inconvenient guest, who at that moment was not only wanted by the United Kingdom, but also by Sweden. Assange was called guest in the reports written by security guards, but colloquially, some called him El Juli, after a renowned Spanish bullfighter. Assange would wake up late and go to sleep in the early hours of the morning, so as to not cross paths with diplomatic personnel But why were Spanish security guards working in the Ecuadorian embassy in London? The guards were employed by UC Global, a defense and private security company registered as Undercover Global S.L. in Puerto Real, in the Spanish province of Cadiz. One of the owners is David Morales, a diver and a marine, who shared the job of protecting the diplomatic mission with Blue Cell, a business owned by a man who had close contacts with the Ecuadorian government of then-president Rafael Correa.Morales contracted former military members and guards, but also personnel with lower qualifications. They were paid 2,000 a month, plus expenses. Some were employed for just a few weeks, others for years. UC Global began working in the embassy shortly after Assanges arrival up until 2017, when the firm fell out of favor when Lenin Moreno was elected as president. The embassy was filled with cameras, both inside and out, says Txema Guijarro, a deputy of Spains anti-austerity party Podemos, who at that time was an advisor to the Ecuadorian Chancellery (the equivalent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and had been sent to London to help manage the diplomatic problems caused by the WikiLeaks founders presence in the embassy. Assange was always obsessed with the idea that these images could be hacked and that, as such, we were doing the counterintelligence work for the British ourselves, the former advisor explains. Monitors, a video recorder and an autonomous power supply system were installed in a filing room. The guards dubbed this room the Batcave, after Batmans underground command center. According to the person in charge, the equipment allowed audiovisual signals to be seen in real time in Quito. Indeed, it was not the embassy nor the Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that paid for the security service, but rather the Senain, the National Intelligence Secretariat, the Ecuadorian ambassador confirms in an internal document sent to their government, and which has been seen by EL PAIS. Set up by Correa in 2009, this agency was accused of spying on the opposition and was dismantled by Correas successor Lenin Moreno. An investigation by The Guardian estimated that Ecuador spent $5 million on the operation to protect and surveil Assange. On Wednesday, a day before his arrest, WikiLeaks reported that it had uncovered a major spying operation against its founder. But according to one of the organizations lawyers, Aitor Martinez, this operation took place while Moreno was president, when UC Global was no longer in charge of security. The officials and the diplomatic team were tired of the feature articles and interviews, of Assange and his people using the meeting rooms UC Global guard Not long after he arrived at the embassy in 2012, Assange began to become suspicious and asked the diplomatic staff for permission to work with the recording equipment. He wanted to work out who was the person on the street throwing objects at his window in the early hours of the morning. He was granted permission but days later, when he was using the equipment of the Batcave, the security guard on duty tried to stop him. They argued and struggled. It was one of the first disagreements. The staff at the embassy also distrusted Assange. In November 2014, a security officer at UC Global wrote a report to the Ecuadorian ambassador of the time, Juan Falconi, explaining that he found a briefcase with a listening device, and that the briefcase had been seen in one of the rooms occupied by Assange. This proves the suspicion that he is listening in on diplomatic personnel, in this case against the ambassador and the people around him, in an effort to obtain privileged information that could be used to maintain his status in the embassy, the report reads. Falconi told EL PAIS that he informed the Chancellery as soon as he learned of the finding and decided to separate Assanges internet line from that of the embassy. When Assange was asked to explain himself, he evaded the question, according to Falconi. In this atmosphere of mutual suspicion, surrounded by security guards and cameras, Assange sought privacy. He would wake up late to work on his computers and go to sleep in the early hours of the morning, so as to not cross paths with the diplomatic personnel at the embassy. Although he could not leave the embassy, he received hundreds of visitors. Each visit request had to be processed two days in advance and registered. The ambassador was responsible for greenlighting each visit. Celebrities came to visit Assange, such as pop icon Lady Gaga, actor John Cusack, Yoko Ono and her son Sean Lennon and the designer Vivienne Westwood, who used to bring Assange food. He was especially grateful to eat meat and drink red wine. But the constant flow of visitors upset the day-to-day work of the diplomatic office. The officials and the diplomatic team were tired of the feature articles and interviews, of Assange and his people using the meeting rooms, says one guard. Many celebrities came to visit Assange, including pop icon Lady Gaga, actor John Cusack, Yoko Ono and her son Sean Lennon The security guards recorded the names of the visitors in reports, which were sent periodically to UC Global. The reports were uploaded to a draft folder in simple Hotmail accounts. The guards commented among themselves that this delicate information should have been better protected. They say the reports were often misplaced and had to be rewritten and sent again. As time passed and the entrenchment worsened, Assange became more distressed. On one occasion, officers had to enter his room to calm him down. The situation Assange is in is not easy because of his emotional state. Throughout the length of his stay, he has gone through different stages in which he was more or less in agreement with the [security and surveillance] procedures, but that is an area that does not correspond to him, but rather the client, says David Morales, the owner of the monitoring company. Not only did his spirits suffer, but he also had physical problems. As the years passed, he began to drag his feet as he walked and complained of vision problems due to being shut inside. He couldnt focus properly. The doctor recommended he looked into the distance and the embassy gave him another room where he could see the street. The same street he was pulled out on to against his will after 2,494 days in the embassy. Skateboarding in the embassy and complaints over a lack of hygiene In the five years they watched over the Assange, the security guards that spoke to EL PAIS said that they saw the WikiLeaks founder act eccentrically. Assange made the embassy his refuge and headquarters, but also his home. The guards say that Assange gave television interviews in his underwear, dressed only from the waist up the part that would be seen on screen. He didn't take care of himself and would leave the bathroom dirty after using it, which some officials complained about to the ambassador at the time, Juan Falconi. Other workers took photos of the mess he left. The kitchen Assange used was small and had no smoke extractor, and although Assange opted for the microwave, he also used an electric cooker to make stews. That bothered the employees at the diplomatic mission. Sometimes he held big celebrations in honor of important leaks by WikiLeaks. Other times, he was more alone, and, with his inseparable collaborator Stella Morris, would kill time playing with a skateboard in the embassy or kicking a ball around the corridor. There were also occasions when the security team was put in a difficult position. At a birthday party, a drag queen friend entered the embassy. A security guard flew into a rage because he feared that the person could have been hiding a foreign object under their elaborate outfit. English version by Melissa Kitson. Nearly nine million Iranians are suffering from "absolute illiteracy" a news report compiled by Majles (Iranian parliament) Research Center (MRC) says. Iran's population has risen to 82 million from less than 40 million four decades ago, but the country's economy is struggling with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Statistics compiled by international organizations, such as UNESCO show that the number of "absolutely illiterate" people in the Islamic Republic is much higher, despite the implementation of three strategic plans for eradicating illiteracy in Iran. Based on the World Bank statistics, nearly 65% of the population were literate in pre-Islamic Revolution (1979) in Iran (with the same rate in Turkey). The same rate in 2016 reached 85.5% in Iran, while in Turkey it was 96%. Therefore, the World Bank assessment shows that 11.6 million absolute illiterate people are living in Iran, today. UNESCO's statistics also show that 2% of under 24-year-old population of Iran are still suffering from absolute illiteracy, whereas the same rate in Turkey and Iran's northern neighbors, Republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Turkmenistan) is almost 0%. Furthermore, updated statistics show that in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq, 27%, 53%, and 48% of the youth respectively suffer from total illiteracy. In March 2018, the head of Iran's Literacy Movement Organization, Ali Baqerzadeh told the state-run Iran Students News Agency (ISNA) that the number of absolute illiterate in the country was 8.8 million, and the number of semi-illiterates eleven million. The border provinces of Iran are suffering from the highest rate of illiteracy. Sistan&Baluchestan, Kurdestan, West Azarbaijan, Lorestan, and Ardabil respectively have the highest rate of illiteracy in the country. The arrival of Iraqi Shiite militia Hashd al-Sha'bi in the flood-hit Khuzestan province in Iran has triggered angry reactions among Iranian social media users and also the ethnic Arabs in the Province. This comes as new heavy rainfall and possible floods have been forecast for most parts of Iran in the coming days. Iraj Masjedi, Iran's ambassador in Baghdad told Iranian news agencies on Saturday April 13 that Hashd al-Sha'bi forces have been deployed to Khuzestan to help with flood relief. Masjedi said hundreds of Iraqi militia, including 200 on Friday, have arrived in Iran to help the flood-hit people in Khuzestan and Lorestan provinces in western Iran. A video widely shared on social media shows an angry ethnic Arab resident in Khuzestan protesting the arrival of Hashd al-Sha'bi. Hashd al-Sha'bi, a militia set up by the IRGC's Qods Force in Iraq to fight Takfiri Sunnis, says its engineering units and heavy machinery are in Khuzestan to block the flow of floodwater into Iraq. The militia's statement was published on Alsumaria's Twitter. Nevertheless, Iranians on social media condemned its presence in Iran as "a disgrace". Others have warned that the Iraqi militia backed by Qods Force, may be in Khuzestan to suppress possible unrest. On Friday, protests broke out in the Ahvaz the capital of the province by residents who are angry at the governments handling of the flood disaster and reports that water was not being diverted to marshlands for fear of damaging nearby oil facilities. The Iranian Cyber Police says 24 social media users have been arrested in Khuzestan on charges of spreading rumors about the situation. This comes while traditional media in Iran have acknowledged that real news dissemination about floods takes place mainly on social media. Iranian state TV has been widely criticized by other media for broadcasting the views and claims of officials about their contribution to relief efforts rather than reflecting people's problems. Meanwhile, the Iranian Meteorological Organization (IRIMO) has forecast heavy rainfall and issued flood warnings in the south, southwest and northeast, as well as Sistan-Baluchestan, Khorasan, Isfahan, Yazd and Kerman provinces for Saturday and Sunday. Rivers might burst their banks in Khorasan region provinces, warned the IRIMO. In the meantime, the ministers of the Interior, Energy, Roads, and Agriculture will brief the Iranian Parliament (Majles) on the situation on Sunday, reported the parliaments news agency (ICANA). The heads of the IRIMO and Crisis Management Organization are also going to report to the Majles on Sunday. Meanwhile, reports from Lorestan province say part of Pol-e-Dokhtar and 8 surrounding villages do not have fresh water supply for close to two weeks while roads to 167 villages have been damaged and 69 villages are experiencing power cuts. In another development, the managing director of Iranian Railways says the tracks linking Iran's southern ports to the north have been damaged by floods in Golestan, Khuzestan and Lorestan provinces, adding that rail replacement transportation has been in place for facilitating the shipment of imported steel among other commodities. The official said that rail network in the other parts of the country is operating normally. Other officials have estimated the damages caused by flood at 30 trillion rials or around $6 billion based on the official exchange rate; $2.2 billion based on free market rate. Meanwhile, Iran's medical emergency services have reported that at least 77 people have lost their lives in the floods as of April 13. A convoy of 50 vehicles has carried Iraqi Al-Nojaba and Hashd al-Sha'bi militias into Iran's flood-hit western provinces, reported IRGC-linked Tasnim News agency on Sunday April 14. Meanwhile the IRGC commander in Ilam province says a large convoy of Iraqi militia have arrived in the province. The commander, Jamal Shakarami, has characterized the Iraqi militia as an ally of the Islamic Republic. Iranians on social media have been complaining why a country that has two armies, namely the IRGC and the conventional army, needs help from foreign militias for flood relief efforts. According to Shakarami, a convoy of Al-Nojaba forces have arrived in Dehloran in Khuzestan Province. Earlier, Iraj Masjedi, Iran's ambassador in Baghdad told Iranian news agencies on Saturday that Hashd al-Sha'bi forces have been deployed to Khuzestan to help with flood relief. Masjedi said hundreds of Iraqi militia, including 200 on Friday, have arrived in Iran to help the flood-hit people in Khuzestan and Lorestan provinces in western Iran. The Al-Nojaba movement has announced that its leader Haj Nasr al-Shemri is accompanying the units deployed in Khuzestan. A Twitter user has published the arrival of one Iraqi convoy, saying "The Fascist Hasd al-Sha'bi entered Iran..." According to hardliner daily newspaper Kayhan, which is close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's office, Hashd al-Sha'bi, Al-Nojaba and Afghan Fatemyoun militia have arrived in Khuzestan at the invitation of IRGC's Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani. In the meantime there has been strong protests on social media against foreign militia's presence in Iran. Some have characterized the militia as occupying forces. Others maintain that they are in Iran to suppress possible protests. The hashtag HashdalSha'bi in Persian is making the rounds on Twitter as many users say this is a sign how afraid the Islamic Republic is of rebellion by the people and some compare Iran's Supreme Leader to former Libyan strongman Qaddafi in his last days. The invitation by Soleimani follows a statement by Tehran Revolutionary Court Chairman Mousa Ghazanfarabadi, who said in Mid-March "If we do not help the Islamic Revolution, Iraqi Hashd al-Sha'bi, Afghan Fatemyoun, Pakistani Zaynabioun and Yemeni Houthis will. These are Iran-backed militia groups in the region who have been fighting proxy wars in Iraq, Syria and Yemen on Tehran's behalf. Meanwhile, Prince Reza Pahlavi, the heir to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who inspires part of the Iranian opposition, issued a statement saying that the Iraqi militia were in Iran to suppress dissent, otherwise the Iranian army is equipped with the machinery to cope with the flood and to serve the flood-hit people. Still others such as twitter user Parhami have issued explicit threats against the militia, telling them to leave at once. While some defend the arrival of Iraqi militias, others say that if the neighboring country wanted to officially help Iran they would have sent their relief organizations, not paramilitaries. Some videos on social media show "IRGC units confronting the people who resist against evacuating their homes." However, IRGC public relations chief Ramezan Sharif says IRGC forces try to convince people in flood hit areas to move to safe areas. A day after the denial, reports say that one such person, Aboud Jalizi, a farmer in Khuzestan has been killed following a confrontation with IRGC forces who shot him last week. Other reports say others, including Khalaf Marvani has been arrested and taken away after protesting the destruction of a dike by the IRGC. In one video, the governor-general of Khuzestan calls an elderly citizen "rude and part of the opposition" after the man asks why officials help Syria but fail to help the flood-hit people. The latest reports on the flood indicate heavy rainfall in the southeast, while the situation in other parts of Iran, particularly Khuzestan, Lorestan and Golestan provinces remain critical. And while the public does not seem to be happy with what the government and military forces have done so far to cope with the crisis, four cabinet ministers briefed the Iranian Parliament on Sunday on relief efforts. In the latest development Khamenei has agreed to allocate funds to flood relief out of the country's foreign currency reserve. Iranian official news agency IRNA says Vida Movahed, the first Iranian woman who hoisted her headscarf on a stick to protest compulsory hijab in 2017 has been sentenced to one year in jail. Payam Dorafshan, the woman's lawyer told reporters on Sunday April 14 that a Tehran court has sentenced Vida Movahed, nicknamed by Iranians as "The Revolution Street Girl" to jail on the charges of "encouraging people to corruption and prostitution by removing her hijab." Dozens of women followed Movahed's move and removed their hijab and held it on a stick in public, in Tehran and several other cities during the Winter of 2017-2018. The lawyer said that his client has accepted in the court that her protest was wrong and that she would not repeat the act. However, pressuring or forcing inmates to make statements or even confessions against themselves is a common practice in Iran. He added that Movahed's appeal and her call for being pardoned within the framework of an amnesty declared recently has not been accepted by the authorities. Other women, including Narges Hosseini, Azam Jangravi, Shaparak Shajarizadeh and Maryam Shariatmadari, who joined the protest against compulsory hijab were also arrested and sentenced to jail. Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has once again blamed U.S. sanctions for preventing foreign aid from reaching the country after floods claimed more than seventy lives and left up to 100,000 people homeless. Speaking to the state-run Iran Students News Agency (ISNA), the head of IRCS, Ali Asghar Peyvandi, said that the International Red Cross Society (RCS) has approved 500,000 euros (approximately $570,000) aid for the flood-stricken people in Iran, but the IRCS has not received it. Furthermore, according to Peyvandi, EU's aid money has also not been deposited in the IRCS' bank account. "We have told the RCS that the sanctions imposed on Tehran should not harm the Iranian people," Peyvandi asserted, adding, "We have urged RCS to pave the way for financial aid to reach Iran, in any way possible." Meanwhile, Peyvandi maintained that since IRCS' Swift and hard currency accounts are blocked under the U.S. sanctions, the society has not received a penny from abroad, so far. This claim cannot be verified. U.S. sanctions do not ban humanitarian aid. Instead, the Red Crescent is reliant on non-financial help, such as a recent rescue package of boats and equipment worth 300,000 ($340,000) from Germany. However, earlier on April 2, U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, had countered suggestions that Washington's sanctions are hurting relief efforts amid deadly flooding in Iran, accusing Iranian authorities of mismanaging the current crisis. In a statement, Mike Pompeo noted that the floods "once again show the level of Iranian regime mismanagement in urban planning and in emergency preparedness." "The regime blames outside entities when, in fact, it is their mismanagement that has led to this disaster," Pompeo added. Moreover, on its Farsi Twitter account, the State Department March 25 offered U.S. sympathy to the victims of the Iranian flooding and said it was ready to help. "As always, we are ready to help, as we have been on the front lines of such [events] in other parts of the world," it said in a tweet that included an image of the flooding with the word "Condolences" in black. There has been no public reaction from Tehran to the offer, so far. A group of Iraq's Shi'ite militias say they strongly reject Washington's designation of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). The Tehran-backed groups on April 13 said from the home of Iran's consul-general in the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf that the IRGC had helped prevent four or five states from falling to Islamic State (IS) militants. Some of the militia groups themselves have been designated as terrorist organizations by Washington. "This is laughable coming from the No. 1 sponsor of terrorism, America," said a spokesman for the Badr Organization, which was part of the volunteer forces that helped to defeat IS along with Iraqi government troops and U.S.-backed Western coalition forces. Badr is led by Iraqi militia commander and politician Hadi al-Amiri, whose Fateh coalition of militia groups has the second-largest number of seats in the Iraqi parliament. "We reject this action from America and say we have honor to be in the Islamic resistance that fought and beat terrorism," a spokesman for the wider Fateh coalition said. President Donald Trump on April 8 announced the decision to place the IRGC on the State Department FTO list, the first time the United States has designated a state entity of another government as a terrorist organization. Iranian 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. The estimated 100,000-strong IRGC is a branch of the military that also plays a major role in Irans economy. Trump said the designation "underscores the fact that Irans actions are fundamentally different from those of other governments" and warned that anyone who does business with the IRGC "will be bankrolling terrorism." 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 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." With reporting by Reuters and NPR The trial of a suspect charged with hiring gunmen to kill an exiled Iranian in the Netherlands is scheduled to be held sometime in May. The court found two men guilty of the murder and sentenced them to 20 and 25 years, respectively. The victim, who lived under the assumed name Ali Motamed, is believed to be Mohammad Reza Samadi Kolahi. Samadi Kolahi reportedly entered the Netherlands under the false identity of Ali Motamed as a refugee in the 1980s, having fled Iran after the June 28, 1981, bombing of the Islamic Republic Partys headquarters. The attack left more than 73 dead, including the nascent regimes chief justice, Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, who was considered the number two man of the newly established Islamic Republic after its founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. After decades of living in exile, Motamed was gunned down in front of his home in the Dutch town of Almere in December 2015. The Dutch daily Het Parool cited court documents stating the mans true identity was Mohammad Reza Kolahi Samadi and that he was most certainly the man accused by Iranian authorities of perpetrating the deadliest terrorist attack in the countrys history. Based on reports by Dutch news outlets, the two sentenced in the case are Moreo M., 36, and Anouar B., 29. Moreo M. will be jailed for 25 years, more than the sentence that prosecutors demanded, while Anouar B, 29, was sentenced to 20 years. Both convicts are residents of Amsterdam. According to previous court hearings, the two received 13,000 euros (approximately $14,800) from an unknown source to kill Samadi Kolahi, although they did not know the victim. An Iranian political activist living in the Netherlands, Morteza Sadeqi, who has closely followed the trial, told Radio Farda that based on Dutch police documents Samadi Kolahi was pointed out to Moreo M. and Anouar B. as a man of Turkic origins. The Dutch prosecutor general said the two had been commissioned by another notorious Amsterdam criminal, Naoufal F., known as Noffel. Naoufal's trial is scheduled to begin sometime in May. During the trial, the prosecutor maintained there was no evidence connecting Iran to the "cold-blooded" murder. Nevertheless, the Dutch intelligence service said it had obtained circumstantial evidence of Tehrans involvement in killing Samadi Kolahi. Moreover, according to the website Dutchnews.nl, Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok told MPs in January that the countrys AIVD secret service had reason to believe Iran was involved in Motameds murder, as well as that of Iranian opposition leader Ahmad Nissi, who was shot dead in 2017 at The Hague. A series of testy diplomatic exchanges followed with Iran, with embassy staff expelled by both nations, the website reported on March 29. But the public prosecutors could find no hard evidence of any foreign involvement in the Motamed court case. Motamed was married to an Afghan woman, and they have a 20-year-old son. Samadi Kolahi was believed to be a prominent member of the Iranian dissident group Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO). He reportedly joined MKO after the downfall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the establishment of the so-called Islamic Republic in February 1979, initially serving as an agent of the new regime's notorious Komiteh, a squad that terrorized officials affiliated with the previous system. Later, MKO clandestinely paved the way for Samai Kolahi to infiltrate the ruling Islamic Republic Party, serving first as a manager of sound and audio systems but quickly rising through the party ranks. On the day of the deadly attack, Samadi Kolahi reportedly carried a bomb hidden in his briefcase into the partys headquarters in the heart of Tehran, where almost all of the partys top officials were gathered at the time. Samadi Kolahi left minutes before the bomb went off, and after hiding for a time in an MKO safe house, fled Iran through its western border with Iraq and made his way to Europe. He was sentenced to death in absentia by Iran. The murders of Samadi Kolahi and Nissi led to the Netherlands expelling two Iranian diplomats from the country in June 2018. "Iran was informed that involvement in such matters is entirely unacceptable and must be stopped immediately ... further sanctions cannot be ruled out," read a separate statement by the group of European countries imposing the sanctions. In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused the Netherlands and other European countries of harboring members of the MKO, which was once designated as a terrorist group by the United States. "Accusing Iran won't absolve Europe of responsibility for harboring terrorists," Zarif wrote in a statement posted on social media. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that Iran continues to engage in illicit activities in Latin America and is the largest state sponsored of terror representing a global threat. Pompeo who is on a tour of South American countries, told the Voice of America in an interview in Paraguay on April 13 that "Iranian money remains in South America ... supporting Hezbollah, supporting transnational criminal organizations, supporting efforts at terrorism throughout the region." He added, "We see Iran for what it is: the world's largest state sponsor of terror. That's a global threat." Hezbollah is believed to have an active network in Latin America, partly used as a financial machine supplying cash to the militant group. The United States designated Irans Islamic Revolution Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on April 8; a move that has enraged Iranian leaders who moved quickly to reciprocate by designating U.S. military forces as terrorist Iran has also been a big supporter of Venezuelas embattled president Nicholas Maduro, alongside Turkey and Russia. The U.S. has warned countries around the world not to take steps to prop up the Maduro regime. Western sanctions on Damascus and U.S. sanctions on Tehran have led to serious fuel shortages in Syria, which announced measures April 14 to deal with long lines at the pumps. Syrian authorities are seeking to "regulate the distribution at gas stations" and to ensure even deliveries across to country while "preventing waste and smuggling", the official SANA news agency reported. Syria's government has faced a barrage of international sanctions since the conflict started in 2011, including measures impacting the import of petroleum-related products. In Damascus, a city of five million, queues at petrol stations can take days. One measure is to cut by half fuel distributes to government institutions. Bloomberg reports that Syria produces only a small part of its daily fuel needs, as most of its oil resources are outside government controlled areas. The ministry of petrol and mineral resources in April temporarily slashed the daily cap on subsidized petrol by half, from 40 to 20 liters per vehicle. On Sunday it blamed the crisis on "economic sanctions" that are targeting the energy sector and "preventing the arrival of oil tankers in Syria", in comments on the ministry's Facebook page. Prime Minister Emad Khamis, quoted in local press, said Iranian tankers supplying Syria had been halted due to U.S. sanctions on Tehran. Iran itself is in the grips of economic crisis partly due to U.S. sanctions and is now suffering from unprecedented floods, especially in its oil-producing region. Oil tankers bound for Syria have been barred from using Egypt's Suez Canal for six months, he added. In recent months fuel and oil shortages have rocked government-held areas of Syria, a country that before the war enjoyed relative energy autonomy. Authorities estimate that since 2011 Syria's oil and gas sector has suffered some $74 billion in losses. The UN estimates the conflict has caused some $400 billion in war-related destruction. Reporting by AFP, Bloomberg Baku, Azerbaijan, April 14 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 14, 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 14 By Matanat Nasibova Trend: Azerbaijani producer of alcoholic beverages, Naiqin-K Tovuz-Baltiya LLC, intends to export the products to China in the second half of 2019, the company told Trend. "On average, one consignment of the products intended for export reached 20 tons of alcoholic beverages," the company said. "The biggest volume of export accounts for the markets of Russia, Ukraine and the Baltic countries. The company intends to establish stable supplies to the Polish and German markets. The corresponding negotiations with European partners have intensified." The grape and fruit wines, brandy and fruit liqueurs are produced in the company. The products have a certificate of conformity issued by the Azerbaijani State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Patents. The company is using Italian, French and German equipment. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 14 By Fakhri Vakilov Trend: Uzbekistan plans to involve the World Bank in construction of a new railway through Afghanistan, Trend reports with reference to the press service of Uzbek Railways. The issue was discussed in Tashkent as part of the first meeting of the working group on the construction of the railway Mazari-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar. Construction of a railway from Afghanistan to Pakistan will cost $5 billion. The meeting was attended by representatives of the railway companies of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia, as well as the administration of the Afghan railways. "The meeting participants discussed the development of relations with international credit and financial institutions. Issues on the formation of a consortium involving the World Bank were worked out," the Uzbek Railways said in a statement. It was noted that the working group also discussed the roadmap for project implementation and the development of cargo transportation along the new transport corridor through Afghanistan. In December 2018, a protocol was signed on the creation of a joint working group and a financial consortium to build a railway in Afghanistan with a length of 573 kilometers. Participants in the new railway project in Afghanistan will create a financial consortium. It is assumed that annually up to 20 million tons of cargo will be transported through the section. --- Follow author on Twitter:@vakilovfaxri Baku, Azerbaijan, April 14 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: The inclusion of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Sepah in the US list of terrorist groups has no direct impact on Iran's oil sales, Member of the Iranian Parliament's Energy Commission Hidayatulla Hadimi told the Iranian parliament's website, Trend reports. The economic disability is observed in the Middle East and prices for products in different countries increase due to such terrorist groups, he said. Hadimi added that such countries as Saudi Arabia will try to prevent the rise in oil prices by increasing production. According to the US decision, even such countries with the world's biggest economies as China and Japan will also suffer damage, he said. The US will never wage a direct war with Iran but the sanctions against Iran will destabilize the regional economic market, Hadimi added. If over the past years oil products instead of crude oil were sold, Iran would not have faced the problem with the US any action today, he said. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has arrived for a state visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan, Trend reports citing Kazinform. On Sunday evening, the plane of the President of Kazakhstan landed at the Tashkent International Airport named after Islam Karimov. There, the Head of State was greeted by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov and mayor of Tashkent city Jahongir Ortikhodjaev. According to the Akorda's press service, during the visit the leaders of the two countries will discuss the topical issues of bilateral cooperation aimed at further strengthening of trade and economic, social and humanitarian, transit and transport cooperation as well as the key problems of regional and international agenda. The visit will result in signing of a number of important documents. Also, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev are expected to participate in the solemn ceremony of inauguration of the Year of Kazakhstan in Uzbekistan. Syria, Iran and Iraq plan to hold a trilateral meeting on the connection of their railway systems into one, a source in the Syrian Ministry of Transport said, Trend reports citing Sputnik. "Now, the countries are working on the resumption of the project connecting the railways of Syria, Iran and Iraq and are determining the date of the meeting between the representatives of the countries to develop the points of view", a source told the al-Watan newspaper on Saturday. The aim of the strategic project, which was launched before the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in 2011, is to provide Baghdad and Tehran with access to Syrian ports, according to the source. Prior to the crisis, the Syrian side has completed 97 percent of the project, however during the war most railways have been destroyed, according to the source. Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations. In late 2017, the victory over the Daesh terrorist group was declared in Syria and Iraq. In addition to the fact that limousine travel is very glamorous, it is also the most comfortable trip you can... Rockets fired by jihadists on Sunday killed at least 11 people in the Syrian city of Aleppo held by President Bashar al-Assad's regime, Trend reports referring to AFP. Aleppo sits in the north of the country next to Idlib, a province dominated by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Since the regime regained control of Aleppo at the end of 2016, the city has been targeted intermittently by jihadists and rebel fighters. State news agency SANA said the rockets fired by "terrorist groups" killed 11 "martyrs" and wounded 11 civilians in neighbourhoods of Aleppo, using terminology reserved for both jihadists and rebels. The news agency originally reported that six civilians were among the dead, but its latest update did not give a breakdown. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the rockets were fired by jihadist groups, notably HTS. It said 20 rockets were fired into several neighbourhoods of Aleppo, and put the toll at three dead civilians, including a child, and five members of the security services. A photographer with AFP saw pools of blood and body parts on the ground as well as a car with shrapnel holes. In front of an Aleppo morgue, a man was seen trying to calm a child who was crying out for his lost mother, before he also broke down in tears. Opposition fighters and jihadists overran large parts of Syria in the first years of war that broke out in 2011. But since Russia intervened on Assad's side in 2015 the regime has notched up a series of victories against them. It has recaptured all rebel areas but Idlib province and parts of the neighbouring provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia. Since September, these areas have been subject to a Russian-Turkish agreement providing for the creation of a "demilitarised zone" allowing them to avoid a major government offensive. Despite the initiative whose terms have not been respected, the regime has resumed its deadly bombings in Idlib, while jihadists have launched attacks against government-held positions. The eight-year conflict has claimed more than 370,000 lives and displaced millions of people. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta on Saturday sought to defuse reports of disarray within government ranks over the escalation of violence in Libya, Trend reports citing Xinhua. The eastern-based military forces led by Khalifa Haftar launched a military operation last week attempting to take over western Libya, the capital Tripoli in particular, where the UN-backed government is based. The government forces there have fought back. The Haftar-led army is allied with Libya's eastern-based government. The politically divided North African country has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid clashes and chaos since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi's government in 2011. Italy supports the U.N.-backed government led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. It opened an embassy in Tripoli in 2017, and sent a 300-member military task force as part of a "bilateral mission for assistance and support in Libya", according to the defence ministry. Also in 2017, Italy struck a deal with the government led by al-Sarraj to stop people traffickers' boats loaded with migrants and asylum seekers from leaving for Italy, approved a mission to support the Libyan Coast Guard in the fight against migrant traffickers, and allocated six million euros (6.8 million U.S. dollars) for migrant detention camps in Libya. In an interview with Il Fatto Quotidiano newspaper on Saturday, Conte downplayed Friday's report in La Stampa newspaper that Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has talked to his Libyan counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Maitig, and claimed that France is trying to undermine the al-Sarraj government. "I have no reason to think that France could have interests other than in Libya's stability and full recovery," Conte told Il Fatto Quotidiano. "An unstable Libya certainly would not allow France to pursue possible national economic interests." Conte was at pains to reiterate that the Italian government is united in its approach to the Libya crisis. "I am personally coordinating the Libya dossier, which is strategic for Italy," Conte said. "Italy does not bet on one or the other player." Conte also confirmed news reports that he has met with a delegation from Haftar recently in Rome. "I confirm the meeting took place," he told Il Fatto Quotidiano. "They delivered a personal letter from General Haftar to me....They said they want to free the country from terrorist organizations and unify the armed forces and security forces. I reiterated my firm opposition to a military degeneration that would inflict further suffering on the civilian population. I reiterated my openness to keeping open every type of dialogue that could be useful to find a political solution." Conte said he has spoken with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and that "she is also very concerned and shares our position, which is that the military option cannot be a solution." "We will work together within the European Union (EU) to pursue a common policy and to avoid proceeding in a disorderly fashion," Conte said. The al-Sarraj government is "the only government recognized by the international community" but "a solution to the conflict is unthinkable without dialogue with all the players - local or international - who play a role (in Libya)," he added. "Haftar has always played an important role," said Conte. "This is why I involved him in the Palermo conference (in November 2018), I met with him in Benghazi, and hosted him in Rome." Conte stressed his concern over a possible humanitarian crisis if the conflict in Libya does not abate, saying that while the violence might interrupt the flow of migrants into Libya from sub-Saharan Africa, "Libya could go from being mostly a country of migrant transit to one of departure." Conte also said Italy's military contingent and embassy staff will "remain fully operational for now, but we are ready to intervene to safeguard their security at any time." He was echoed by his defense minister, Trenta, who told Corriere della Sera newspaper in an interview also on Saturday that as far as Italian staff in Libya, "the evacuation plans are operational, we'll see how the situation evolves." With regards to Salvini's aggressive remarks against France, Trenta said that "there is no need a showdown, there is no need to act tough as I see some doing just to grab a newspaper headline or two. What we need now is intelligence, composure, and dialogue." Like Conte, the defense minister said that Italy "talks to all the players in the field as well as our international partners", and added that "France is our partner and friend, and I expect a country who is friend to act with fairness". "There is excellent cooperation and healthy competition between France and Italy," Trenta told Corriere. "We do not work to damage each other, but it is normal that Italy should also strive to pursue its own interests." Trenta also categorically dismissed the notion of armed intervention in Libya. "If anyone is thinking about military intervention in Libya, I can say the option does not exist," Trenta said. "And we will not back a hypothetical intervention by other countries." The World Health Organization said dozens have been killed, hundreds have been wounded and thousands displaced by the fighting in Libya, and the UN refugee agency UNHCR, which said 9,500 people have been driven from their homes, on Friday called for the immediate release of over 1,500 refugees and migrants who are believed to be trapped in detention centers where hostilities are raging. A young man was detained in the Belgian city of Wavre on suspicion of plotting a terror attack, Trend reported citing Sputnik. A Belgian daily, La Derniere Heure, reported earlier that the young Muslim convert identified went to his grandmothers home on 13 April to say goodbye before carrying out an attack over the weekend. Spokesman Eric Van Der Sypt confirmed to the Belga news agency that a 22-year-old had been detained by anti-terror police and would face a judge soon who would decide whether he should stay in custody. A laptop and cell phones were seized in the operation. The prosecutions spokesman did not comment on what or when the suspect allegedly planned to target in the attack. In January, Belgian police detained three people suspected of planning a terrorist attack and were investigating their possible links to any organised terrorist groups, according to the Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office. Belgium and other European countries, confronted with the need to deal with their citizens who fought alongside terrorists in Syria and Iraq, are considering the options of instituting an international legal procedure or setting up tribunals for foreign fighters in the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised on Sunday that the national government would help send a second lunar lander to the Moon, Trend reported citing Sputnik. "We plan to launch Beresheet 2. The State of Israel took part in the first launch and will do it again. I hope this time we will succeed", he said at a cabinet meeting. Morris Kahn, a billionaire who founded Israeli firm SpaceIL, announced Saturday that preparations for the mission would begin this weekend. The Beresheet 2 spacecraft will try to achieve what its predecessor could not after an engine failure caused it to crash on the lunar surface. If successful, Israel will become the fourth nation after the Soviet Union, the United States and China to put a spacecraft on the Moon. It will also be the first privately built craft to do so. The first Beresheet ("Genesis" in Hebrew) spacecraft, which had been launched by Israel in late February, crashed on the moon due to technical problems during its final descent to the surface. The militant Islamic State (IS) on Saturday claimed the attack on a vegetable and fruit market in Quetta in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, which left 20 people dead and 48 others injured, Trend reports citing Xinhua. The militant group said in a statement that one of its members carried out the suicide attack, killing and injuring at least 70 Shiite community members and Pakistani troops. There was no official confirmation from the Pakistani side yet. Provincial Home Minister Mir Zia Ullah Langau told local media that at least 20 people, including a soldier of paramilitary troops Frontier Corps (FC) and two children, were killed while 48 others, including four FC personnel, got injured in Friday's attack. South Korea's finance minister called on the United States to exempt it from new duties on imported vehicles at meetings of Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors held in Washington last week, the ministry said Sunday, Trend reports citing Yonhap. Hong Nam-ki, the minister of economy and finance, made the request to US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on the sidelines of the annual international conferences on the global economy and other issues. Mnuchin said he fully understands what the Korean minister requested from the US in terms of auto import tariffs and expressed hope that the issue will be resolved without difficulty, though no decision on the issue has yet been made, the finance ministry said. The US Commerce Department submitted a report on the impact on the car imports to President Donald Trump in February. The report was on whether or not to impose new duties on imported vehicles under a national security rationale. Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose tariffs on imported vehicles and has 90 days to review the Commerce Department report. Separately, Hong called on the world's three major credit ratings agencies -- Standard & Poor's, Moody's Investors Service and Fitch Ratings -- to reflect eased geopolitical tension on the Korean peninsula when they adjust Korea's sovereign rating. "In his meetings with the ratings agencies, Hong underlined that (three rounds of) summit talks between South and North Korea and (two rounds of) summit talks between the United States and North Korea have paved the way for denuclearization on the peninsula," the finance ministry said. He briefed them on the Korean government's economic policies on achieving growth of 2.6 percent to 2.7 percent this year amid external uncertainties and slowing demand for semiconductors. But the minister said he expected Korean exports will gradually improve on recovering demand for semiconductors in the second half. "The Seoul government is expanding fiscal investment to stimulate the economy and is easing regulations to encourage companies to make investments. It hopes to see a trade deal between the US and China as it could have direct and indirect impacts on Korean exports," Hong was quoted as saying by the ministry. Asked about the inter-Korean economic cooperation and minimum wages, Hong said the government is making preparations in an orderly and calm manner and a revision bill on the minimum wage is under deliberation at the National Assembly that will slow down the pace of minimum wage hikes. The minimum wage has increased by 30 percent since the Moon Jae-in government took office in May 2017. Moon's administration plans to raise the minimum wage to 10,000 won (US$8.90) by 2020, but the rapid increase has sparked a strong backlash from businesses. KATHMANDU: A small plane hit two helicopters while taking off near Mount Everest on Sunday. As per the report three people killed and three got injured. The accident happened at Lukla airport which is the main gateway to the Everest region. The reason of the accident in not known yet. Lukla airport official Ema Nath Adhikari told AFP, A co-pilot from the Let-410 run by Summit Air bound for Kathmandu and a police officer on the ground were killed on the spot. a police spokesman confirmed, another policeman died in hospital in Kathmandu. A group of hackers breached three websites and uploaded contents online Adhikari said, "The plane slipped towards the helipad during take-off and collided with two helicopters. The injured have been sent to Kathmandu for treatment," Adhikari said. Lukla airport is used by thousands of trekkers and climbers heading for the Everest region each year.It is particularly busy in April as the spring mountain climbing season begins. The aviation industry of the country has boomed in recent years, flying tourists and goods to remote corners of the Himalayan nation where road access is limited. But the impoverished country has a poor air safety record due to weak training and maintenance. The European Union has banned all Nepalese airlines from its airspace over safety concerns. Singapore open: PV Sindhu awfully surrendered in semifinals Earlier, in February Seven people, including the country's tourism minister when a helicopter crashed in the hilly east. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tagged the actors Nagarjuna and Mohan Lal in a tweet a few days ago in which he requested them to create awareness about voting. Even commoners from Hyderabad rushed to cast their vote in their respective native places. There was a huge rush from other places and even from abroad when Telugu people were eager to cast their vote. Not only commoners, even celebrities from different walks of life were seen casting their vote. also read: Suriya NGKs first single Thandalkaaran launched However, it looks like the actor did not franchise his vote in the recently concluded parliamentary elections in Telangana. Nagarjuna missed casting his vote and went on for Portugal schedule for his Manmadhudu 2. He was one of those celebrities who preached that it was our duty to use our right to vote. Although his wife Amala, son Naga Chaitanya, and daughter-in-law Samantha, all cast their votes, Nag did not turn up at all. Nag indeed did his part in creating awareness through his tweets asking voters to use their power. In his reply to Mr Modi, Nagarjuna said, Thank you for your kind words, sir. We believe in democracy and we will surely vote. Its surprising to see him skipping when he must be the one to make sure he cast his vote. Its ironic because just one day before the elections, he wrote in a tweet, Every 5 years, we get to choose our leaders and celebrate democracy! Its time to vote!. also read: Ram Charan to collaborate star director, read on NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday responded to the help request of former J&K chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah for bringing the body of a student from Jammu and Kashmir, who died in Bangladesh, a day after A student from Jammu and Kashmir, Quaratul Ain died on Saturday in Bangladesh. She was pursuing MBBS from Tahir-ul-Nissa medical college in Bangladesh. Sushma Swaraj took to Twitter and said that Indian High Commission in Bangladesh is in touch with the family of the student. She wrote, "Ms.Quaratulain MBBS student from Anantnag - Indian High Commission in Bangladesh is in touch with the family of the deceased. I spoke to her brother Harris yesterday. We are expediting the return of her mortal remains. @ihcdhaka. TRS Polling agent arrested for taking phoo inside EVM strongroom It t was Peoples Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti who first raised the matter with Ms Swaraj on Twitter on Saturday morning. She had writtern, "Dear @SushmaSwaraj ji, Quratul Ain, a kashmiri student has died in Bangladesh. She was pursuing her studies in Tahir Ul Nisa Medical College. Request your help to the family to get her body home (sic)," she had written. Amarinder Singh reverse the 'Gandhi family more than the nation: PM Modi Later, National Conference's Omar Abdullah said he had received a "request for help" from journalists in South Kashmir's Anantnag. He wrote, "Dear @SushmaSwaraj sahiba, I have received this request for help from journalists in Anantnag. Their colleague lost his sister Quaratulain, a student at Tahir-ul-Nissa medical college in Bangladesh. The family needs assistance getting the young lady's mortal remains back. The High Commission of India in Dhaka responded to Mr Abdullah saying the officers were in touch with the family of the student. Wu Haitao (C, Front), China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, addresses a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Colombia, at the UN headquarters in New York, on April 12, 2019. Wu Haitao on Friday asked parties concerned in Colombia to give priority to the peace process between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). (Xinhua/Li Muzi) UNITED NATIONS, April 12 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday asked parties concerned in Colombia to give priority to the peace process between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). "China hopes that parties concerned in Colombia will give priority to the peace process, further broad consensus, continue to promote the full implementation of the peace agreement, strength the inclusive political dialogue, accelerate socio-economic reconstruction so as to ultimately realize peace and development," said Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. At present, the overall situation in Colombia is stable, as the peace process has achieved early harvest, and crop substitution and rural development, among others, have made progress. At the same time, the full implementation of the peace agreement still faces challenges, thus requiring continued efforts by the Colombian parties and the international community, Wu told the Security Council. As Colombia experienced a long civil war, the implementation of the peace agreement in a comprehensive manner concerns numerous issues, such as politics, security, development, and social integration. It is, therefore, a systematic project, he said. China takes note of the recently emerged divergent views over the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, an extrajudicial court system to try ex-FARC rebels, said Wu. China hopes that the parties concerned will strengthen dialogue and consultation to facilitate the appropriate resolution of this issue, he said. China hopes that the UN Verification Mission in Colombia will continue to perform its duties as mandated, help the Colombian parties enhance communication, build up trust and push for synergies to carry forward the peace process, he said. China stands ready to work with other members of the Security Council to contribute to the furtherance of the Colombian peace process and the early realization of comprehensive peace, stability and development in the country, he added. WASHINGTON, D.C., April 13, 2019 -- Researchers hoping to better interpret data from the detection of gravitational waves generated by the collision of binary black holes are turning to the public for help. West Virginia University assistant professor Zachariah Etienne is leading what will soon become a global volunteer computing effort. The public will be invited to lend their own computers to help the scientific community unlock the secrets contained in gravitational waves observed when black holes smash together. LIGO's first detection of gravitational waves from colliding black holes in 2015 opened a new window on the universe, enabling scientists to observe cosmic events spanning billions of years and to better understand the makeup of the Universe. For many scientists, the discovery also fueled expansion of efforts to more thoroughly test the theories that help explain how the universe works -- with a particular focus on inferring as much information as possible about the black holes prior to their collision. First predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916, gravitational waves are ripples or disturbances in space-time that encode important information about changing gravitational fields. Since the 2015 discovery, LIGO and Virgo have detected gravitational waves from eight additional black hole collisions. This month, LIGO and Virgo began new observing runs at unprecedented sensitivities. "As our gravitational wave detectors become more sensitive, we're going to need to greatly expand our efforts to understand all of the information encoded in gravitational waves from colliding binary black holes," Etienne said. "We are turning to the general public to help with these efforts, which involve generating unprecedented numbers of self-consistent simulations of these extremely energetic collisions. This will truly be an inclusive effort, and we especially hope to inspire the next generation of scientists in this growing field of gravitational wave astrophysics." His team -- and the scientific community in general -- needs computing capacity to run the simulations required to cover all possibilities related to the properties and other information contained in gravitational waves. "Each desktop computer will be able to perform a single simulation of colliding black holes," said Etienne. By seeking public involvement through use of vast numbers of personal desktop computers, Etienne and others hope to dramatically increase the throughput of the theoretical gravitational wave predictions needed to extract information from observations of the collisions. Black holes are known to contain two physical quantities: spin and mass. Spin, for example, can then be broken down further into direction and speed. Etienne's colleagues, therefore, are examining a total of eight parameters when LIGO or Virgo detect waves from a collision of two black holes. "The simulations we need to perform, with the public's help, are designed to fill large gaps in our knowledge about gravitational waves from these collisions by covering as many possibilities as we can for these eight parameters. Current black hole simulation catalogs are far too small to properly cover this wide space of possibilities," Etienne said. "This work aims to provide a critical service to the scientific community: an unprecedented large catalog of self-consistent theoretical predictions for what gravitational waves may be observed from black hole collisions. These predictions assume that Einstein's theory of gravity, general relativity, is correct, and therefore will provide deeper insights into this beautiful and complex theory. Just to give you an idea of its importance -- if the effects of Einstein's relativity theory weren't accounted for, GPS systems would be off by kilometers per day, just to name one example." Etienne and his team are building a website with downloadable software based on the same Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing, or BOINC, system used for the SETI@Home project and other scientific applications. The free middleware system is designed to help harness the processing power of thousands of personal computers across the globe. The West Virginia team has named their project BlackHoles@Home and expects to have it up and running later this year. They have already established a website where the public can begin learning more about the effort: https://math.wvu.edu/~zetienne/SENR/. ### The presentation, "The BlackHoles@Home Project: Black Hole Binaries on the Desktop Computer," will take place at 1:42 p.m. MT, Saturday, April 13, in room Governor's Square 17 of the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. ABSTRACT: http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/APR19/Session/C11.2 MORE MEETING INFORMATION USEFUL LINKS Register as Press: https://goo.gl/forms/7l15SaH0GOAbhBgR2 Main Press Page: https://www.aps.org/meetings/april/press.cfm Main Meeting Page: https://www.aps.org/meetings/april/ Hotel Information: https://www.aps.org/meetings/april/hotel-travel.cfm PRESS REGISTRATION APS will provide free registration to all staff journalists representing media organizations, professional freelance journalists on assignment, and student journalists who are attending the meeting for the express purpose of gathering and reporting news and information. Press registration grants full access to all scientific sessions, to the press room, and to the press conferences. We will also provide complimentary press registration to university press officers, PIOs and other professional media relations staff. Press registration grants full access to all scientific sessions, to the press room, and to the press conferences. Press credentials are approved at the sole discretion of APS. For press related questions about the APS April Meeting, email . PRESS CONFERENCES A series of press conferences will be held during the meeting at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. The press conferences will be live webcast, and members of the media who are unable to attend the meeting in person may register to view the live webcasts at https://www.apswebcasting.com. ABOUT APS The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy, and international activities. APS represents over 55,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and throughout the world. Society offices are located in College Park, Maryland (Headquarters), Ridge, New York, and Washington, D.C. https://www.aps.org/ In analogy to the amplification of light in a laser, vibrations of a semiconductor crystal, so called phonons, were enhanced by interaction with an electron current. Excitation of a metal-semiconductor nanostructure by intense terahertz (THz) pulses results in a ten-fold amplification of longitudinal optical (LO) phonons at a frequency of 9 THz. Coupling such lattice motions to propagating sound waves holds potential for ultrasound imaging with a sub-nanometer spatial resolution. The laser is based on a fundamental principle in physics, the (L)ight (A)mplification by (S)timulated (E)mission of (R)adiation. This concept theoretically predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916 and experimentally demonstrated for the first time in 1961 can be adopted for the phonon, a vibrational quantum in a crystal which consists of a regular arrangement or lattice of atoms in space. Phonons can be absorbed or emitted by electrons in the crystal. A net amplification of phonons requires that their number emitted per second via stimulated emission is larger than that absorbed per second. In other words, there must be more electrons emitting than absorbing a phonon. This condition is illustrated schematically in Fig. 1 where the electron energy is plotted as a function of the electron momentum k, following roughly a parabolic dependence. For a thermal equilibrium distribution of electrons at room temperature [sketched by filled blue circles of different size in Fig. 1(a)], electron states at higher energies have a smaller population than those at lower energies, resulting in a net phonon absorption. Stimulated emission of a phonon can only prevail if a so-called population inversion exists between two electronic states separated by both the energy and the momentum of the corresponding phonon in the crystal [Fig. 1(b)]. For optical phonons, the latter condition is very difficult to fulfill because of their comparably large energy. Researchers from the Max-Born-Institute in Berlin, Germany, the Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico and the State University of New York at Buffalo, New York, USA, have now demonstrated the amplification of optical phonons in a specially designed metal-semiconductor nanostructure [Fig. 1(c)]. The system consists of a metallic dog-bone antenna on top of a layered semiconductor structure consisting of GaAs and AlAs. This structure is irradiated with an ultrashort pulse at THz frequencies. On the one hand, the THz pulse excites longitudinal optical (LO) phonons, on the other hand it drives an electron current in the thick GaAs layer. The LO phonons oscillating with a frequency of 9 THz (9 000 000 000 000 Hertz, about 450 million times the highest frequency humans can hear) are amplified by interaction with the electrons. The strength or amplitude of the phonon oscillations is monitored via the concomitant change of the refractive index of the sample. The latter is measured with the help of a second ultrashort pulse at higher frequency. In Fig. 1(d), the time evolution of the phonon excitation is shown. During the peaks of the curve, there is a net phonon amplification with the yellow area under the peaks being a measure of the phonon oscillation amplitude. The movie attached shows the spatiotemporal evolution of the coherent phonon amplitude which displays both periods of phonon attenuation [situation Fig. 1(a)] and phonon amplification [situation Fig. 1(b)] depending on the phase of the THz pulse. The present work is a proof of principle. For a usable source of high-frequency sound waves, it is necessary to further increase the amplification. Once such a source is available, it can be used for extending the range of sonography towards the length scale of individual biological cells. While the non-propagating optical phonons cannot be directly used for imaging, one can transform them into acoustic phonons with the same frequency in another material and apply the latter for sonographic imaging. ### Scientists of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) in collaboration with colleagues from Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (FEB RAS), ITMO University and Swinburne University of Technology (Australia) developed a method for efficient mass production of silicon-germanium fully alloyed nanoantennas. On their basis, optical biosensory platforms and next-generation chemical sensors for fast and accurate tracing of viruses, pollutions, explosives, etc. at low concentrations are expected to appear. Related paper was published in Nanoscale. To fabricate all-dielectric (AD) optical nanoantennas, scientists proposed a facile technology based on a temperature-assisted dewetting of commercial silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates at 800C in high vacuum. Such treatment of SOI substrate leads to the formation of silicon nanodrops, which can be used as optical nanoantennas, amplifying the signals from various adsorbed molecules. Scientists have shown that the deposition of Ge in the process of SOI dewetting allows producing alloyed nanoparticles with unique properties. Such nanoantennas allow to identify adsorbed molecules as well as to access and control the local temperature at high accuracy and resolution in the process of measurement. "It's very useful to know the local temperature because in the process of measurement both the nanoantennas and the adsorbed analyte molecules are exposed with intense laser radiation which causes their heating. At the same time, most organic molecules degrade at rather low temperatures around 130-170C, i.e. in the process of measurement one can simply burn them up before getting a useful signal. Such useful temperature-feedback modality cannot be realized with plasmonic nanoantennas commonly used to design biosensors. All-dielectric nanoantennas provide a reliable way to achieve this feature as the measured characteristics spectrum of the analyte molecules already contains all information required to determine the local temperature of the "nanoantenna-molecule" system." Said Aleksandr Kuchmizhak, a researcher in the FEFU Center for Virtual and Augmented reality. "By controlling the concentration of germanium in the alloyed silicon nanoparticles, one can tailor their properties; in particular, control their resonant optical characteristics, as well as the light-to-heat conversion efficiency. This is very useful for studying of various chemical processes and reactions induced by laser radiation." Reported Evgeny Mitsai, a researcher at Institute of Automation and Control Processes and Institute of Chemistry, FEB RAS. The scientist emphasized that by using all-dielectric nanoantennas one can study in details the temperature-mediated effects in laser-induced chemical reactions at high temporal resolution. Moreover, all-dielectric nanoantennas remain chemically non-invasive, i.e. their presence -- unlike the presence of the plasmonic-based nanoantennas -- causes no effect on the studied analytes and reactions. Until today, the mass production of all-dielectric nanoantennas was difficult. Commonly used electron-beam lithography was too expensive and time-consuming. The technology proposed by FEFU scientists in collaboration with their colleagues from the FEB RAS, ITMO University, universities of Australia and Tunisia, allows getting over this limitation. ### FEFU run a priority research project "Materials" engaged a group of talented physicists, chemists, biologists, and materials scientists, most of which are young scientists under 35 years old. Among other things, researchers actively study novel promising nanomaterials and technologies for next-generation sensory systems as black silicon and laser-textured PTFE. The study was supported by Russian Science Foundation (RSF), grant 18-79-10091 When heavy rain falls over the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia and the eastern Pacific Ocean, it is a good indicator that temperatures in central California will reach 100F in four to 16 days, according to a collaborative research team from the University of California, Davis, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Climate Center in Busan, South Korea. The results were published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences on April 12. FROM PREDICTION TO PROTECTION Heat waves are common in the Central California Valley, a 50-mile-wide oval of land that runs 450 miles from just north of Los Angeles up to Redding. The valley is home to half of the nation's tree fruit and nut crops, as well as extensive dairy production, and heat waves can wreak havoc on agricultural production. The dairy industry had a heat wave-induced economic loss of about $1 billion in 2006, for instance. The ability to predict heat waves and understand what causes them could inform protective measures against damage. "We want to know more about how extreme events are created," said Richard Grotjahn, corresponding author on the paper and professor in the UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources. "We know that such patterns in winter are sometimes linked with areas of the tropics where thunderstorms are enhanced. We wondered if there might be similar links during summer for those heat waves." The scientists analyzed the heat wave data from June through September from 1979 to 2010. The data were collected by 15 National Climatic Data Centers stations located throughout the Valley. From these data, the researchers identified 24 heat waves. They compared these instances to the phases of a large, traveling atmospheric circulation pattern called the Madden-Julian Oscillation, or MJO. The MJO manifests as heavy rain that migrates across the tropical Indian and then Pacific Oceans, and researchers have shown that it influences winter weather patterns. TROPICAL RAINFALL AND CALIFORNIA "It's well known that tropical rainfall, such as the MJO, has effects beyond the tropics," said Yun-Young Lee of the APEC Climate Center in Busan, South Korea, the paper's first author. "So a question comes to mind: Is hot weather in the Central California Valley partly attributable to tropical rainfall?" Lee and Grotjahn found that, yes, enhanced rainfall in the tropics preceded each heat wave in specific and relatively predictable patterns. They also found that hot weather in the valley is most common after more intense MJO activity in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and next most common after strong MJO activity in the Indian Ocean. "The more we know about such associations to large-scale weather patterns and remote links, the better we can assess climate model simulations and therefore better assess simulations of future climate scenarios," Grotjahn said. ### This work was supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Energy Office of Science, the United States Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the APEC Climate Center in the Republic of Korea. Bitcoin has increased in value, new products have been released, regulations around the world are starting to tighten up and some industry leaders have even been on the run! 2019 has been a busy year so far in the world of cryptocurrency, and weve reported on some of the leading stories you need to know. In case youve missed any of it, weve rounded up the five biggest cryptocurrency news articles from Q1 2019 below. John McAfee goes on the run from US authorities After being indicted by the US authorities for tax fraud, John McAfee and his wife Janice, went on the run. In an exclusive interview for a Coin Rivet article in the Daily Express, John McAfee hit Bitcoin has increased in value, new products have been released, regulations around the world are starting to tighten up and some industry leaders have even been on the run! 2019 has been a busy year so far in the world of cryptocurrency, and weve reported on some of the leading stories you need to know. In case youve missed any of it, weve rounded up the five biggest cryptocurrency news articles from Q1 2019 below. John McAfee goes on the run from US authorities After being indicted by the US authorities for tax fraud, John McAfee and his wife Janice, went on the run. In an exclusive interview for a Coin Rivet article in the Daily Express, John McAfee hit back against charges laid against him. Whilst travelling in an unknown location, Mr McAfee explained the reasons behind the IRS charges mainly focusing on his refusal to pay taxes. During the interview, he also explained the important role of cryptocurrencies and the fear it is instilling in governments. Now, cryptocurrency is coming its out of the box and privacy coins are here. Governments can see whats coming and it terrifies them. Governments will not be able to collect taxes when everyone is using privacy coins. Governments will disappear as we know them because they will not be able to fund their excess. Its a good thing. For the first time in human history it will be given financial freedom. Since this news story broke, we also had the opportunity to do a video interview with Mr McAfee, which you can watch here. DigiByte teams up with Block 30 Labs 2019 is shaping up to be a great year for DigiByte. Having recently announced that the California-based Block 30 Labs is will be a partner at the first DigiByte Global Summit taking place this month, we can expect big things! DigiBytes founder Jared Tate said teaming up with Block 30 represented a huge milestone. The full ecosystem vision of BLOCK 30 Labs is a perfect match for the vision of where we want to go with DigiAssets moving forward, he said. Story continues Together, the companies will explore the adoption of blockchain technologies in a more bespoke manner. To find out whats in store for DigiByte, and to discover the speakers who will be appearing at their huge event, read the full story here. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has been buying $10,000 worth of Bitcoin per week Despite the bear market, Jack Dorsey has been exceeding his weekly buy limit for Bitcoin. He could know longer participate in the #StackingSats social media movement, and he had already exceeded his limit on the Cash app. This limit is $10,000. So, even though the markets were quite quiet at the start of the year, it goes to show that people still have faith in the power of cryptocurrency. Dorsey has been known for his involvement in the Lightning Torch experiment, too. Read the full story about Jack Dorseys Bitcoin purchases. QuadrigaCX plot thickens as cold wallets are found to be empty Above all else, who could forget the story about the demise of QuadrigaCX CEO, Gerald Cotton? He was reportedly the only person who had the private keys to access the exchanges funds. As a result, $190 million worth of funds were lost. This led to the launch of an investigation, with the intention to recover as many funds as possible. However, it was easier said than done as it appears five out of the six cold wallets used for story have been empty since April 2018. You can unravel the mystery of this news, including what Ernst & Young had to say, by reading the story in full. London stock exchange invests in worlds first cryptocurrency bond Back in February, The London Stock Exchange Group invested in blockchain start-up Nivaura. This start-up endeavours to issue corporate bonds, loans, and equities in a more efficient manner. The start up has huge plans to launch a digital investment banking platform for a variety of financial institutions. There has always been a reluctance for banks and financial institutions to take cryptocurrency adoption seriously, but this investment could mark a change in mindset. This blockchain solution could see banks remove intermediaries involved in issuance of assets, and slash the time taken from issuance to market by up to 80%. To discover the other financial bodies that are taking a new approach to crypto, read the full story here. Were always reporting on the most recent and most important cryptocurrency news. Keep up-to-date with the industry by reading Coin Rivet! The post The biggest cryptocurrency news this quarter! appeared first on Coin Rivet. France's National Assembly voted to allow life insurance policies, a popular savings vehicle for the French, to contain funds that invest in bitcoin. | Source: Shutterstock If youre wondering if bitcoin will ever attain wide-scale adoption, look no further than France. French insurance companies can soon include cryptocurrencies in life insurance contracts, thanks to a vote by Frances National Assembly. Pact Act Swings Door Open for Insurance Companies to Invest in Crypto Deputies overhauled the Insurance Code via the Pact Act, with Article 21 swinging open the door for life insurance contracts to invest in specialized professional funds (SPFs), whose investment parameters have reportedly been relaxed as a result of yet another provision. Article 26 gives the SPFs the freedom to invest in blockchain-backed assets. Simmons & Simmons Attorney Emilien Bernard-Alzias told local publication Les Echos: With these two provisions, it is written in black and white that SPFs can invest in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Meanwhile, with no cap on the amount of crypto a life insurance policy can hold, French locals have a chance to bolster the value of their policies in the bitcoin bull market. Bitcoin Integration More than a Year in the Making Bitcoin didnt make its way into Frances life insurance market overnight. Policymakers alongside entrepreneurs and companies worked together for more than a year to make the rule change happen. In the end, investing in crypto is a byproduct of the updated code, not necessarily the intention. Nonetheless, it could set the stage for other jurisdictions to follow suit as France gains a first-mover advantage. Assemblymember Joel Giraud is cited in Les Echos as stating: This was not the primary goal of Pact, but insurers will actually be able to offer products based on crypto-assets. They will be able to do so through specialized funds, stated Assemblymembers adopted the measure in recent days, with 147 votes in favor, 50 votes against, and 8 abstentions. The vote, however, reflects only about one-third of the 577 seats comprising the Assembly. Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire was pleased with the results. Read the full story on CCN.com. Food supply chains vary in complexity based on the type of produce, its sourcing, and the level of processing it undergoes. Though the phrase "farm-to-fork" sums up the journey of food through its supply chain, it does nothing to shed light on the number of steps or the different stakeholders involved in making that happen. As a general rule of thumb, the more complex and international food supply chain is, the more opaque it gets while trying to trace the quality and the conditions under which the produce was sourced. Apart from benefiting the end consumer, advocating for supply chain visibility might surprisingly help alleviate the working conditions of people toiling away on distant farms. In the context of pushing for supply chain visibility, the multi-billion dollar chocolate industry would be a good place to start. The primary ingredient of chocolate is cocoa, a plant that grows well in hot and humid regions with high precipitation making West Africa an epicenter for cocoa plantations. The countries of Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria account for 70 percent of the world's cocoa production, selling their cocoa beans to the large chocolate manufacturers including Hershey, Nestle and Mars. The absence of regulations and worker unions, as well as widespread poverty, have pushed these countries to exploit the workforce in cocoa plantations, which include child labor, forced labor and corporate slavery. Though most of the large corporations do understand the rampant human rights' violations occurring, they rarely acknowledge the issue or are indifferent to the workers' plight. In many ways, cocoa production keeps the West African countries afloat. For instance, 60 percent of Ivory Coast's export revenue comes solely from its cocoa plantations. As the market for chocolate grows in the West, chocolate manufacturers are forced to reduce prices to stay ahead of market competitors, which increases the demand for cheap cocoa. In the end, it is the farmers who are left in the lurch, with figures showing that an average cocoa farmer makes less than $2 per day. Story continues Amid issues such as wage disconnect, forced labor and corporate apathy, putting the chocolate supply chain on a blockchain ledger can help make the supply chain more transparent. These are problems that exist under the surface and getting it the attention of end consumers would ultimately help drive better working conditions and pay for the workers. Amsterdam-based chocolate company Tony's Chocolonely, is taking the initiative of bringing visibility and transparency to chocolate supply chains via a shared value chain platform called the Beantracker, that digitally records the end-to-end movement of cocoa beans from the field to manufacturing to the final wrapping as a chocolate bar at the chocolate factory. The idea is to create a traceable channel for every stakeholder in the supply chain to understand what goes into a chocolate bar, and essentially put inhumane working conditions in the spotlight. Though the Beantracker is not powered by blockchain, this is a start. The promise of blockchain is not entirely different from the Beantracker, but blockchain's underlying technology is easier to scale up, especially if the system runs on a universal framework made of open standards. The Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) is a consortium that has made this a reality, bringing together hundreds of stakeholders in the supply chain space to create open standards that companies can use as a platform for their blockchain needs. Companies' blockchain pilots, if successful, can be scaled up across its specific vertical which in this case is the chocolate supply chain. That said, blockchain cannot be the stand-alone technology that pushes traceability into a supply chain as complex as the chocolate industry. Since food supply chains need to track real physical goods, it is vital for stakeholders to add Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to cocoa bean shipments to record where they are sourced from. Finally, for blockchain to work seamlessly, it will require stakeholders to come together, train and educate their personnel on data-sharing from the start, as real-time data inflow is critical to the system's functioning. Image sourced from Pixabay Want more content like this? Click here to Subscribe Permalink See more from Benzinga 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Riley Walters, a policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center, agreed, saying the "private sector is the most efficient way to distribute 5G capabilities, even if it's not at the pace nationalization proponents would like to see. Deregulation should help cut the costs for domestic developers to move up their time horizon." "It also makes no sense in relation to competition with China -- these are different markets in different phases of development." "The idea of state-designed and -operated 5G networks in the U.S. makes no sense on its own terms. A competitive, lightly regulated market is the hallmark of the U.S. system. This has delivered success in 4G and will encourage investment and innovation in 5G," London-based Gabriel Brown, a principal analyst at telecommunications research firm Heavy Reading, told VOA. Trump acknowledged that he considered such a plan -- opposed by the FCC and others -- but ultimately backed away from it. "We don't want to do that. It wouldn't be nearly as good, nearly as fast," Trump said. Starting Dec. 10, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will begin auctioning three chunks of millimeter-wave frequencies (upper 37 GHz, 39 GHz and 47 GHz) for cellphone companies to use. Some Trump allies had tried to persuade him to effectively nationalize this technology as a matter of national security. "We cannot allow any other country to outcompete the United States in this powerful industry of the future," Trump said in the White House Roosevelt Room, flanked by a group of telecommunications tower climbers and farmers. "The race to 5G is a race that we must win." In the race to beat China in the fifth generation of wireless technology, known as 5G, U.S. President Donald Trump is announcing the largest-ever auction of radio frequencies and a $20 billion fund to build a rural fiber-optics backbone. Connecting America 5G -- with speeds 100 times faster than the current 4G mobile internet -- will allow the emergence of everything from so-called smart cities and farms to self-driving cars. "We want Americans to be the first to benefit from this new digital revolution while protecting our innovators and our citizens," said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. "We don't want rural Americans to be left behind." The $20.7 million Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, to come from existing FCC subsidy coffers, is intended to connect up to 4 million American homes over the next decade. The expensive fiber rollout is seen as essential for carrying wireless network communications back to internet hubs. "Intervention at this level will encourage private investment and accelerate coverage in these hard-to-reach areas -- the economic and social benefits of rural coverage make it worth intervening to help make the market work," Brown said. "Creating a national fund to support these innovators is a great idea," said Prakash Sangam, the founder of Tantra Analyst, which is involved in marketing and business development of wireless technology. "I also suggest that the U.S. government intervene and facilitate the resolution of conflicts between American technology companies so that they collaborate and effectively compete against the companies sponsored by foreign governments." Security Concerns One challenge is the lack of U.S. manufacturers of 5G network equipment, an arena where China's Huawei and ZTE are set to dominate. Trump's 5G goals are in conflict with the Federal Trade Commission's stance on Qualcomm, the world's largest chipmaker. The FTC has sued the American company over anti-competitive pricing, according to technology analyst Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. "Qualcomm is the country's only hope for 5G and 6G leadership and with the FTC about to potentially hobble it, the U.S. will never be a leader, China will," predicted Moorhead, a former industry executive. A State Department senior official on Wednesday said the security concerns about Huawei and ZTE extend to all companies headquartered in China, contending they are effectively "under direction" of the Chinese Communist Party. "It's very important to distinguish how Western democracies operate relative to their private sector companies and vendors, and how the Chinese government operates with its companies," said Ambassador Robert Strayer, deputy assistant secretary for cyber and international communications and information policy. Strayer and other officials have warned that Huawei and ZTE could give China's intelligence services secret access to sensitive communications networks and the ability to send commands to disrupt communications. Trump did not mention the Chinese companies in his remarks Friday, but he said America's 5G networks will "have to be guarded from the enemy." Riley, at the Heritage Foundation, told VOA that the United States "can still limit the proliferation of imports that have a security concern, but it will be hard for U.S. companies to compete in price in external markets." Korea last week switched on its nationwide 5G network. Korea-based Samsung is offering itself as a global alternative to Chinese equipment manufacturers, but it still lags Huawei and ZTE, as well as Sweden's Ericsson and Finland's Nokia. Wireless companies operating in the United States, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon, are deploying 5G this year, but widespread service for the majority of Americans could still be a decade away. The radio spectrum coming up for auction will have very limited range, meaning small cell antennas will have to be mounted on about every fourth utility pole along streets, making 5G practical only in central business districts and other congested locations, such as stadiums, convention centers and shopping malls. Lower frequencies, which are being licensed for 5G in several other countries, would need fewer cell sites, but that spectrum in the United States is held by satellite operators who are reluctant to give it up. "There are proposals to free some of it for fixed wireless, and the mobile industry wants it for 5G," Brown said. SHANGHAI, April 12 (Reuters) - General Lithium Corp, China's fourth-biggest lithium producer, plans to start building a plant to convert mineral ore to lithium that will more than triple its capacity by the end of 2020, a company official said on Friday. The plant will convert spodumene, a hard-rock mineral mined for lithium, into 60,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) per year in the city of Yichang, in central China's Hubei province, said the official, who asked not to be identified, during an interview on the sidelines of an industry conference. The expansion, from General Lithium's current capacity of 22,000 tonnes of LCE per year, mounts a challenge to competitors Ganfeng Lithium Co and Tianqi Lithium , two of the world's biggest producers, although all major lithium firms are expanding due to rising demand for the metal used in batteries for electric vehicles. "Our plan is to get this done by the end of next year," the official told Reuters, adding that General Lithium has already secured all the necessary government approvals for the plant and is preparing the ground to start construction. He was unable to put a figure on the total investment required but said every 10,000 tonnes of LCE capacity in China generally needs investment of between 250 million to 300 million yuan ($44.7 million). However, the spodumene offtake secured by the company so far - from Australia, Brazil and Canada -- will not be enough to feed the new facility. "We need more. We are in very frequent contact with all the major guys," the official said. General Lithium currently intends to make 90 percent of the new plant's output as in-demand battery-grade lithium hydroxide and 10 percent lithium carbonate. "But our line designs are fully flexible and we can do the reverse," the official said. The company already has conversion capacity in China's Jiangxi and Jiangsu provinces, as well as a smaller facility in Qinghai that processes brine from salt lakes. It will receive an estimated 135,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate offtake this year, the official said, and continues to carry out tolling in Jiangsu with volumes from the Greenbushes mine in Australia, a joint venture between Tianqi and Albemarle Corp. ($1 = 6.7064 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Tom Daly; editing by Christian Schmollinger) With Julian Assange being arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in London after his stay of almost seven years, journalists and governments around the world will need to ask themselves some difficult questions. The case of Assange is a complex one though. Swedish authorities are now considering whether to reopen an investigation into allegations of sexual assault, which Assange denies. He is also enemy number one in the United States for releasing a trove of classified information and implicating them in war crimes. His decision to seek asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy was due to fear of being extradited to the US. In an unlikely turn of events, Assanges arrest has brought both the left and right of the political spectrum With Julian Assange being arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in London after his stay of almost seven years, journalists and governments around the world will need to ask themselves some difficult questions. The case of Assange is a complex one though. Swedish authorities are now considering whether to reopen an investigation into allegations of sexual assault, which Assange denies. He is also enemy number one in the United States for releasing a trove of classified information and implicating them in war crimes. His decision to seek asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy was due to fear of being extradited to the US. In an unlikely turn of events, Assanges arrest has brought both the left and right of the political spectrum together, both advocates of journalistic freedom. Whilst the US government might not be too happy to have the classified information in the public domain, we as citizens of the world should be grateful to Assange for providing such information. #JulianAssange has performed crucial services to democracy. It would be a travesty of justice if he were extradited and punished for them. He should be released immediately. GeorgeMonbiot (@GeorgeMonbiot) April 11, 2019 Unfortunately, since the Russia debacle surrounding Donald Trump emerged, Assange also managed to anger the centrist Democrats of the USA who see him as at fault for getting Trump elected. The typical Democrat is unlikely to ever have a period of self-reflection and realise that Hilary Clinton was a terrible candidate for a divided nation. Rather, Democrats are delighted with his arrest due to Assanges alleged close links to both Russia and Trump. Ecuador has been quick to receive its reward for giving up Julian Assange with the IMF, a bastian of US hegemony, granting a $4.2 billion loan to the country one day after the events. Subtle. Story continues Assange latest in a long line of those who went against the US government Should Assange be extradited, that would mean that the two key players behind the Collateral Murder video the other being Chelsea Manning will have faced trial. Manning had already been pardoned by Barack Obama but is now back in prison for not testifying to a Grand Jury against Assange. The US will most likely make an example out of Assange. The same happened to Ross Ulbricht and Aaron Swartz, two people who also went against the power of the United States government. The issues that Assange and Manning brought to the wider consciousness of the world are vital. They allow us to question governments and stop the behaviour of states who break international law. Should Assange end up behind bars, the message from the US government is clear: do not reveal our secrets or you will suffer the consequences. Will this make journalists fearful of publishing accurate but harmful information about governments? It would appear that is what they are aiming for. Whilst many states in the West highlight a free press as a vital part of our democracy, it is clear that press freedom is becoming reduced. Not only are many industry titans owned by a small handful of people, but states are now attacking journalists for releasing truthful information. Whilst there are many journalists celebrating the arrest of Assange today, it strikes a fearful note for the future. Disclaimer: This article is an opinion piece by the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Coin Rivet. The post The complexity of the Julian Assange case appeared first on Coin Rivet. Apple (AAPL) beat Disney (DIS) to the punch when it first unveiled its streaming service, Apple TV+, in March, but Disneys streaming service announcement on Thursday generated more excitement on Wall Street and for good reason. When it announced Disney+ on Thursday at a company event in Burbank, California, Disney executives hit all the marks they needed to: a look at the service, a competitive price point ($6.99 a month/$69.99 a year), previews of intriguing original content, even profitability forecasts. "Disney provided the most detailed insights yet into its new subscription-based streaming service (Disney+), with a U.S. launch now set for November 12, CFRA Research analyst Tuna Amobi wrote in a note on Friday. We were fairly impressed with a demo of the user interface for the new offering, with an unparalleled array of branded TV/film content." Disney CEO Bob Iger. Source: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File Apple, in stark contrast, did none of that during its Apple TV+ event in March, trotting out Hollywood celebrities like Oprah and Steven Spielberg but skimping on details like Apple TV+s pricing and footage of any original content in the pipeline. Apples stock dipped 2% the day of the Apple TV+ announcement. Todays presentation will show you where were going, but also remind you that we are starting from a position of strength and optimism, CEO Bob Iger told analysts and media at Disneys Investors Day on Thursday. To that end, Disney emphasized its newly combined stable of streaming services and content, including Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu, as well as the huge trove of shows it now possesses, thanks in part to the $71.3 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox, which closed in March. That includes hundreds of Disney films, over 20 Pixar films, 40-plus Marvel films, hundreds of National Geographic shows and documentaries, and all the Star Wars films. Actual footage The Disney+ user interface. Source: Disney Another area where Apple failed: footage of upcoming content. (There wasnt any.) Sure, it was exciting to catch glimpses Hollywoods elite at Apples event, but the tech giant failed to show actual footage no matter how rough it may be of upcoming shows like Reese Witherpoon and Jennifer Anistons series, The Morning Show, or Jason Momoas See. Likewise, Spielberg, who is developing an anthology series called Amazing Stories for Apple TV+, offered nothing but lip service. And the announcements star attraction, Oprah, merely emphasized Apples vast reach across millions of devices. Story continues There was much more to see in Burbank on Thursday. Lucasfilm, the Disney subsidiary that owns the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, unveiled the first footage from The Mandalorian, a series exclusive to Disney+ that takes place in the Star Wars series five years after Return of the Jedi. Jon Favreau on Thursday previewed "The Mandalorian," a new Star Wars TV series for Disney+ that will take place five years after "Return of the Jedi." Source: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP We're starting with new characters and new time period, Iron Man director Jon Favreau explained at the event on Thursday. Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter also teased never-before-seen footage from Monsters at Work, an upcoming Disney+ series spun off from the 2001 Pixar blockbuster Monsters, Inc. And Marvel Studios revealed an original show called Wanda Vision, with characters from the Avengers films, including the Scarlet Witch, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Vision, portrayed by Paul Bettany. These shows will be on the same level of quality youve grown accustomed to from Marvel Studios with major ramifications on other series and films, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige promised at Thursdays event. Forecasts Source: Yahoo Finance Disneys ambitions are wide-reaching, to be sure. At Thursdays event, the company said it wants to invest $1 billion in Disney+ over the next year significantly less than the $12 billion Netflix (NFLX) spent in 2018 alone, according to Netflixs fourth-quarter earnings report to grow its original content during its first year. Disney promises Disney+ will host over 35 original series, 10 original movies and 7,500 licensed TV episodes during the streaming services first year, but that number will grow to 50-plus original shows, 10-plus original movies and 10,000 licensed TV episodes by the fifth year. Disney also wants to sign up between 60 million and 90 million Disney+ subscribers by 2024 a substantial number given the increasing number of streaming services out there, including Apple TV+, Netflix and network-specific efforts like CBS All Access. (Netflix alone had over 139 million paying subscribers worldwide, as of January.) But with a wide range of films, shows and unique properties and an intriguing slate of original content in the pipeline based on Thursdays teasers Disney+ may hit its targets, which includes becoming profitable by 2024, proposed Disney CFO Christine McCarthy. Disney stock closed at $130.06 per share on Friday up over 11% since the Disney+ announcement. * Passionate plea for cooperation, multilateralism * Minister urges U.S. to put trade differences aside * Scholz: "It's not about the art of the deal" (Adds Scholz quotes) By Michael Nienaber WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - The rules-based order of multilateralism is increasingly under threat and leaders must uphold international cooperation, German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said in Washington on Friday, calling on the United States to overcome trade differences with Europe. U.S. President Donald Trump's threat this week to impose tariffs on $11 billion worth of European Union products, including commercial aircraft, has opened a new front in his global trade war and deepened a long-running transatlantic subsidy dispute surrounding Boeing and Airbus. The U.S. government is also mulling higher import tariffs on European cars on grounds that they are posing a threat to the national security of the country. The move would particularly hurt the German economy and its huge car industry. Speaking at a forum at the Peterson Institute on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, Scholz said both the United States and the EU had been advocates of open and fair trade for decades. "I believe this is a matter of principle, it's not just about achieving some short-term economic gain. It's not about the art of the deal," Scholz said in reference to the best-selling business advice book credited to Trump. The priority for the EU and the United States should be to settle their current trade dispute and aim for a more open, extensive trading relationship, Scholz said. The minister said the rise of China had shifted the global balance of power, but this should not lead to reactions that damage the global economy. "Protectionism is not the answer. Neither should we consider side-deals that will undermine our international economic framework," Scholz added. Instead of imposing tariffs, Western countries should safeguard fair trade practices and fair competition in order to defend a level playing field, Scholz said. Turning to Germany's export strength, repeatedly criticized by Trump, Scholz said that Germany's trade surplus was shrinking and that one should not get too caught up in discussions about current account balances. He pointed to strong increases in public investment, real wages and private consumption. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Andrea Ricci) (Bloomberg) -- The European Union has taken a closer look at how Google uses operations in Ireland to help reduce its corporate tax obligations within the trade bloc, two people familiar with the matter said. Officials from the European Commission, the EUs executive arm, held in-depth talks with Irish authorities late last year about whether the Internet-search unit of Alphabet Inc. complies with rules limiting tax perks provided by individual European governments, according to one person, who asked not to be named as the matter is private. The review was preliminary and might not lead to any formal investigation, the person said. According to another person, an EU investigation isnt imminent and some Irish authorities are optimistic that initial conversations proved sufficient to avoid a more extensive probe of the companys tax arrangements. Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe discussed a potential tax case with EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, one person said. Google declined to comment, as did the European Commission. EU officials have been cracking down in recent years on efforts by big global companies to limit their European tax burdens. Vestager, who is now seeking a top EU job, ordered Apple Inc. to pay back billions of euros to Ireland, and she backed a push by France to tax Internet firms more heavily. Apple, Google and Facebook Inc. all base their European operations in Ireland, which has a low basic corporate tax rate. Ireland has successfully resisted efforts by other European states to align tax calculations across the region. Vestagers probes have provided another way for the EU to put pressure on low-tax states -- including Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands -- that may lure firms away from other European nations. Regulatory Scrutiny Vestager has been a key figure in Googles regulatory woes in Europe, stepping up an antitrust probe when she took office in 2014 that her predecessor had been willing to end. She finished the third and last probe into the companys behavior with a 1.5 billion euro ($1.7 billion) fine in March, a day before she started campaigning to become president of the European Commission or win another senior EU post. Story continues Until recently, Google has seen little scrutiny of whether its Irish operations violate the EUs so-called state-aid arrangements. Apple has been the biggest target so far. The company was ordered to pay as much as 13 billion euros for deals with Ireland that reduced its effective corporate tax rate. Apple and Ireland are appealing the decision. The EU has also taken aim at Amazon.com Inc.s tax deals with Luxembourg. Google arrived in Ireland in 2003, with 100 employees. Now, it employs about 7,000 in Ireland. The companys European headquarters is in Dublin, the Irish capital, and its sprawling campus close to the citys south docks has been dubbed Googletown. In 2017, Google Ireland Ltd. recorded a profit of 1.2 billion euros on revenue of 32.2 billion euros, according to company filings. The firm paid 167 million euros in corporation tax. Tax Haven Ireland is battling a perception that it is a tax haven. President Donald Trump said Ireland is pushing to attract U.S. firms in search of lower taxes. In 2018, the corporate tax rate in Ireland was 12.5 percent, compared with an EU average of about 21.9 percent, European Commission figures show. The Commission as part of its mandate in relation to state aid has in recent years gathered information from all EU member states on tax rulings since 2014, the Irish finance ministry said in response to questions. So far, it has examined over 1,000 rulings across all member states. It isnt appropriate to comment on the nature of such requests, the ministry said. To contact the reporters on this story: Dara Doyle in Dublin at ddoyle1@bloomberg.net;Aoife White in Brussels at awhite62@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Steve Stroth, Peter Jeffrey For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. The goal of this article is to teach you how to use price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll show how you can use Yancoal Australia Ltd's (ASX:YAL) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. What is Yancoal Australia's P/E ratio? Well, based on the last twelve months it is 5.32. That is equivalent to an earnings yield of about 19%. View our latest analysis for Yancoal Australia How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio? The formula for price to earnings is: Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price Earnings per Share (EPS) Or for Yancoal Australia: P/E of 5.32 = A$3.6 A$0.68 (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2018.) Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good? A higher P/E ratio means that investors are paying a higher price for each A$1 of company earnings. That isn't a good or a bad thing on its own, but a high P/E means that buyers have a higher opinion of the business's prospects, relative to stocks with a lower P/E. How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios P/E ratios primarily reflect market expectations around earnings growth rates. That's because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the 'E' in the equation. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases. Yancoal Australia increased earnings per share by a whopping 35% last year. How Does Yancoal Australia's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers? We can get an indication of market expectations by looking at the P/E ratio. If you look at the image below, you can see Yancoal Australia has a lower P/E than the average (8.2) in the oil and gas industry classification. ASX:YAL Price Estimation Relative to Market, April 14th 2019 This suggests that market participants think Yancoal Australia will underperform other companies in its industry. Since the market seems unimpressed with Yancoal Australia, it's quite possible it could surprise on the upside. It is arguably worth checking if insiders are buying shares, because that might imply they believe the stock is undervalued. Story continues Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits Don't forget that the P/E ratio considers market capitalization. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. Theoretically, a business can improve its earnings (and produce a lower P/E in the future) by investing in growth. That means taking on debt (or spending its cash). Spending on growth might be good or bad a few years later, but the point is that the P/E ratio does not account for the option (or lack thereof). How Does Yancoal Australia's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio? Yancoal Australia has net debt worth 65% of its market capitalization. This is enough debt that you'd have to make some adjustments before using the P/E ratio to compare it to a company with net cash. The Verdict On Yancoal Australia's P/E Ratio Yancoal Australia's P/E is 5.3 which is below average (16.4) in the AU market. The company may have significant debt, but EPS growth was good last year. The low P/E ratio suggests current market expectations are muted, implying these levels of growth will not continue. When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. So this free visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20. 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. Employees age 65 and older are the fastest-growing segment of the workforce, according to AARP. But legal safeguards that shield workers from age discrimination have been weakened in recent years. The newly reintroduced, bipartisan Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act would reverse a 2009 Supreme Court ruling that made age discrimination cases harder to prove. The fastest-growing segment of the American workforce is employees age 65 and older. The reasons are many. Over the past decade, real wage growth has stagnated, pensions have disappeared, workers are delaying claiming Social Security benefits to maximize payouts, and lifespans are longer, leaving seniors worried they will burn through their retirement savings way too soon. According to a Gallup 2018 survey of 1,015 adults age 18 and older across the United States, 41 percent of participants who are not retired plan to leave the job market at age 66 or older, a figure that has risen from 12 percent in the 1995 study and 26 percent in 2004. This number will likely keep growing. Yet this hasn't changed the way most companies talk about their hiring priorities. Many firms today focus more intently on how to recruit and retain millennials, and they base success on the percentage of their workers that now come from this younger generation. Some job postings mention a "maximum number of years experience" or use a date-of-birth dropdown menu without an applicant's birth year listed. Words like "overqualified" can be code for too expensive. A corporate culture described as "fun" can suggest a workplace for the young. It is difficult for older workers to master the difficult interview process , and make discrimination claims once in a job. Older workers are encountering widespread age discrimination , according to AARP. According to its 2018 Multicultural Work and Jobs Study , 61 percent of respondents over the age of 45 reported seeing or experiencing age-based discrimination in the workplace. What's more, senior workers are in a weakened position when it comes to a crucial workplace protection based on a recent Supreme Court decision and the legal safeguards that shield against wrongful termination or demotion, like claims covered under the Civil Rights Act. Story continues "It's an open secret, and everyone knows it happens all the time, but few people stand up and say it's wrong," said Cathy Ventrell-Monsees, a senior attorney at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. "When it comes to age discrimination stereotyping and comments they seem too common." Applicants and employees age 40 and older are protected from age discrimination in employment under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, or ADEA, which was created in 1967 as an extension of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act , which doesn't cover age discrimination. A 2009 Supreme Court ruling in "Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc.," however, set a higher bar for employees to prove that age was the deciding factor in an age discrimination claim that wasn't applied similarly to race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Congress introduces bipartisan legislation There is a new effort on Capitol Hill to restore the pre-Gross standard and allow workers to use "any type of admissible evidence" to prove age discrimination. The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act, also known as POWADA, was recently introduced by powerful sponsors: Sens. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa; and Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania. In the House it is being sponsored by Reps. Bobby Scott, a Democrat from Virginia; and Jim Sensenbrenner, a Republican from Wisconsin. But similar legislation has been introduced twice before, and Boston-based employment lawyer Shannon Liss-Riordan said it has never been enough of a focus to muster the votes to pass. "I think this act is very important to strengthen protections for older workers so they're not excluded from the workforce earlier than they want to be based on bias," Liss-Riordan said. In 1991, Congress amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to incorporate what is known as a mixed-motives model for discrimination claims, which meant that if the employee demonstrated that the person's race, color, religion, sex or national origin was a motivating factor in the adverse action, like demoting or firing, placed on the employee, the burden of proof shifted to the employer. If the employer could demonstrate that it would have taken the same action in the absence of those factors, the court could still hold the employer liable for the discriminatory action, but the employer would avoid paying damages, although the employee could still be awarded attorneys' fees. The question remained whether the mixed-motives model applied to age, but the court's decision in "Gross" established that it would not apply similarly to the ADEA. This placed a heavier burden of proving age discrimination on the employee rather than shifting it to the employer as it is under Title VII. The recently introduced legislation would restore the legitimacy of mixed-motive claims that would allow plaintiffs to prove age is a motivating factor, if not the deciding factor, in the negative actions taken against them, according to the act . "For both older workers and employers, this bill is something they should be paying attention to," said Cristina Martin Firvida, vice president for financial security at AARP. The bill could have a better chance in this legislative session now that one of its key sponsors, Rep. Scott, is chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, Martin Firvida said. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine and chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, has also thrown her support behind the bill. "As more Americans are choosing to remain in the workforce longer, it is imperative that older workers are protected against age-based discrimination," said Senator Casey in an email. "An important first step is to pass my bill, the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act, that would make it easier for workers to fight back against age discrimination and has bipartisan support in both the Senate and House. With 10,000 people turning 65 every day, the time to act is now and I think Congress is taking note." Rick Rossein, professor and employment law expert at City University of New York School of Law, said the legislation would also combat stereotypes that arise about older employees, especially in industries like technology. This would include instances where people are terminated or demoted because their skills don't meet the company's needs, rather than the employers providing training programs to bring older employees up to speed. Government sees rise in diverse age claims The EEOC also has seen an increase in age discrimination filings from older women and minorities since 2010, said Ventrell-Monsees, a senior attorney at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Older women receive more rejections in the hiring process than men, in addition to minorities. The percentage of workers 55 or older participating in the labor force has grown significantly since 2000, and the EEOC found in a study that the number of black and Asian people filing charges of age discrimination nearly doubled compared to 1990 figures. "In the charges the EEOC receives, there's been a significant increase in the diversity of people filing age discrimination charges," Ventrell-Monsees said. "In 1980s data, it's mostly white men. Now filings from older workers of color have increased." Technology has made it easier in recent years for companies to target job candidates by age in ways that can be seen as discriminatory based on federal law. Facebook, which was sued in March by the U.S. government's Department of Housing and Urban Development for targeting certain consumers for housing ads, also allowed advertisers in recent years to target younger users with job advertisements while withholding the ads from older Facebook users. Facebook banned that advertising practice earlier this month, before the housing lawsuit. A Facebook spokesman told The Washington Post that the company was "surprised" by HUD's decision to sue and had been working with HUD to address concerns and has "taken significant steps to prevent ads discrimination." He said Facebook and HUD talks were complicated by the government agency's request for access to user data. "While we were eager to find a solution, HUD insisted on access to sensitive information," the Facebook spokesman said, adding that the company continues to work with civil rights groups on the issue. Other large companies are facing legal issues related to older workers. Liss-Riordan, the Boston-based employment lawyer, is working with former IBM IBM employees on age-based discrimination claims. Her legal actions on behalf of employees contend that the tech company systematically laid off older workers while actively investing in new, younger employees. So far, Liss-Riordan has filed over 60 arbitration cases against the company and said another roughly 60 employees who were not subject to arbitration clauses in separation contracts from the company have opted into a separate class-action. A partner at Lichten & Liss-Riordan, her workplace lawsuits have targeted Amazon, Google and, most recently, a lawsuit against Uber challenging the company's classification of drivers as independent contractors that was settled for $20 million. Liss-Riordan, a potential political star rising, recently announced she's considering a primary challenge against Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey. There was also a separate lawsuit filed by a group of former IBM employees in the federal district court in New York City on March 27 that charges the company with improperly preventing workers from joining together to charge IBM with discrimination. The employees are asking the court to invalidate a written agreement they made with IBM that requires them to waive their right to challenge the company in court in exchange for severance pay. If they win, it could expose the company to potential lawsuits from thousands of former IBM workers laid off in recent years. The case against IBM comes after a ProPublica investigation alleged that 20,000 U.S.-based IBM employees ages 40 and over had been laid off as the company restocked with younger, less-experienced and lower-paid workers. IBM defended its heavy investment in skills and retraining programs in response to the ProPublica investigation, with an IBM spokesman telling the publication, "We are proud of our company and our employees' ability to reinvent themselves era after era, while always complying with the law. Our ability to do this is why we are the only tech company that has not only survived but thrived for more than 100 years." An IBM spokesman told CNBC, "IBM does not discriminate, and makes its employment decisions based on skills, not age." At CNBC's recent @ Work Talent + HR Summit , IBM CEO Ginni Rometty told the audience the company spends nearly $500 million on retraining employees and consistently evaluates its employees' skills to remain relevant to the company and the market. "I think one of the most important things we all can do is give people clear paths to opportunity," Rometty said. "One would be transparency of what the skills are needed in the company." Liss-Riordan believes the evidence against IBM is strong, but said that any age discrimination case would have been easier to win over a decade ago before the Supreme Court's ruling. She does believe that building class-action lawsuits reduces plaintiff's fears of filing claims alone and, specifically with age discrimination cases that can be hard to prove, lawyers are able to gather stronger evidence of wrongdoing. Liss-Riordan said if the federal court challenge over arbitration succeeds, she will be working with the lawyers who brought that case. But if it does not, she will continue fighting on behalf of the former IBM employees. She stressed that this isn't just a tech industry issue, where it is assumed recent college graduates will be able to keep up with the most recent trends better than older employees. Age discrimination can happen in any industry. The EEOC reached a $12 million settlement in 2017 with restaurant chain Texas Roadhouse, which alleged the company had violated the ADEA by denying older workers front-of-house-positions. Texas Roadhouse did not admit any wrongdoing in reaching the settlement, but agreed to change its hiring and recruiting practices as part of the settlement. "Age discrimination is unfortunately common, and it's hard for people to pursue their rights," Liss-Riordan said. "Whether it's low-wage workers, who we are often representing, to laid-off executives at IBM, it's difficult for someone to push back against employers, because there's a lot of fear of being retaliated against." How to file a charge of employment discrimination A charge of discrimination is a signed statement asserting that an organization engaged in employment discrimination. The laws enforced by EEOC, except for the Equal Pay Act, require you to file a charge before you can file a lawsuit for unlawful discrimination. Time limits for filing a charge Where the discrimination took place can determine how long you have to file a charge . The 180-calendar-day filing deadline is extended to 300 calendar days if a state or local agency enforces a state or local law that prohibits employment discrimination on the same basis. The rules are slightly different for age discrimination charges. For age discrimination, the filing deadline is only extended to 300 days if there is a state law prohibiting age discrimination in employment and a state agency or authority enforcing that law. The deadline is not extended if only a local law prohibits age discrimination. Online A discrimination charge can be completed through the EEOC's online system after you submit an online inquiry and the EEOC conducts an interview. The EEOC's Public Portal asks you a few questions to help determine whether EEOC is the right federal agency to handle your complaint involving employment discrimination. In person at the EEOC You can schedule an appointment with the EEOC through the EEOC's Public Portal. Walk-in appointments are also available at EEOC offices. Go to https://www.eeoc.gov/field/index.cfm for information about the office closest to you. By telephone The EEOC does not take charges over the phone, but you can get the process started over the phone. You can call 1-800-669-4000 to discuss your situation. A representative will ask you for some basic information to determine if your situation is covered by the laws we enforce and explain how to file a charge. For more methods to file a claim, visit the EEOC's website . Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission More From CNBC By Saeed Azhar DUBAI, April 14 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is in talks with banks to raise a short-term bridge loan for as much as $8 billion to use for new investments, two sources said. The sovereign wealth fund finalised a deal last month to sell its 70 percent stake in Saudi Basic Industries (Sabic) to Saudi Aramco for $69.1 billion. Proceeds from the Sabic deal, which Saudi Aramco has said is expected to close in 2020, could take a few months to come through to PIF, while a document seen by Reuters said the oil giant will pay for the deal in tranches. One of the sources said the $5 to $8 billion loan, which could be for a period of less than one year, will be repaid from the proceeds PIF gets from selling its Sabic stake. A PIF spokesman did not comment on the details of the loan, but said in an email that raising debt is part of its strategy. "As outlined in the PIF Program, the long-term funding strategy includes four sources of finance, including capital injections and asset transfers by the government, retained investment returns, and loans and debt instruments." Banks are likely to underwrite the bridge loan, which was earlier reported by Bloomberg, as part of the deal, the second source said. Last year PIF took out an $11 billion international syndicated loan, its first commercial borrowing. The first loan was provided by JP Morgan, Citigroup, HSBC, BNP Paribas, Standard Chartered, Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, SMBC, Mizuho, MUFG, Credit Agricole, Societe Generale and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, IFR reported. PIF has been given the task of helping to deliver the so-called Vision 2030 reform plan, an ambitious economic programme announced by the government in 2016 designed to free the kingdom from dependence on oil exports. The fund has also made substantial commitments to technology companies or investments, including a $45 billion agreement to invest in a giant tech fund led by Japan's Softbank. It has also committed $20 billion to an infrastructure fund planned by Blackstone Group. (Reporting by Saeed Azhar Editing by Alexander Smith) MADRID, April 13 (Reuters) - Spains anti-trust watchdog fined tobacco companies a combined total of almost 58 million euros for non-competitive practices, the regulator said on Friday. Distributor Compania de Distribucion Integral Logista provided sales information for rivals to tobacco companies Philip Morris Spain, Altadis and JT International Iberia , regulator CNMV said in a statement. The effect of these practices has been to eliminate competition, the CNMV said. Logista was fined almost 21 million euros, Philip Morris Spain more than 15 million euros and Altadis more than 11 million euros, while JT International Iberia was fined 10 million euros. The CNMV began the investigation almost two years earlier after carrying out surprise inspections of the companies' offices. Logista, an affiliate of Imperial Brands, provided sales information in good faith and free of charge, and disputes that this negatively affected competition, the company said in a statement on Friday, adding that it plans to appeal the ruling. CNMV rulings can be appealed in Spain's High Court. Philip Morris, JT International Iberia and Altadis were not immediately available for comment. (Reporting by Sam Edwards Editing by Leslie Adler) By Tracy Rucinski CHICAGO (Reuters) - Normally U.S. airlines compete to sell tickets and fill seats during the peak summer travel season. But operators of the grounded Boeing 737 MAX are facing a different problem: scarce planes and booming demand. The grounding of Boeing Co's fuel-efficient, single-aisle workhorse after two fatal crashes is biting into U.S. airlines' Northern Hemisphere spring and summer schedules, threatening to disarm them in their seasonal war for profits. "The revenue is right in front of them. They can see it, but they can't meet it," said Mike Trevino, spokesman for Southwest Airlines Pilots Association and an aviation industry veteran. Southwest Airlines Co, the world's largest MAX operator, and American Airlines Group Inc with 34 and 24 MAX jetliners respectively, have removed the aircraft from their flying schedules into August. Southwest's decision will lead to 160 cancellations of some 4,200 daily flights between June 8 and Aug. 5, while American's removal through Aug. 19 means about 115 daily cancellations, or 1.5 percent of its summer flying schedule each day. Low-cost carrier Southwest, which unlike its rivals only flies Boeing 737s, had estimated $150 million in lost revenue between Feb. 20 and March 31 alone due to MAX cancellations and other factors. So far airlines have said it is too soon to estimate the impact of the MAX grounding beyond the first quarter, but the extended cancellations signal that they do not expect a quick return of Boeing's fast-selling jetliner. The 737 MAX was grounded worldwide in March following a fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash just five months after a Lion Air crash in Indonesia. All on board both planes were killed. Boeing is under pressure to deliver an upgrade on software that is under scrutiny in both crashes and convince global regulators that the plane is safe to fly again, a process expected to take at least 90 days. The timing of a prolonged grounding could not be worse for Northern Hemisphere carriers. Planes run fullest during June, July and August, when airlines earn the most revenue per available seat mile, according to U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. In a letter to employees and customers on Sunday, American Airlines' top executives said they believed the MAX would be recertified "soon" but wanted to provide their customers reliability and confidence during "the busiest travel period of the year." Story continues American was cancelling about 90 flights per day through early June, but runs more flights and has less fleet flexibility in the peak summer travel months. "We're not denying that it's going to be a challenge for us," American spokesman Ross Feinstein said. "That is why if we have to extend cancellations based on aircraft availability we will do so as far in advance as possible." A decline in seat capacity could mean higher last-minute summer fares, particularly for business class travelers, aviation consultants and analysts said. United Airlines, with 14 MAX jets, has largely avoided cancellations by servicing MAX routes with larger 777 or 787 aircraft, but the airline president, Scott Kirby, warned last week that the strategy was costing it money and could not go on forever. Overall the MAX represents just 5 percent of Southwest's total fleet and even less for American and United, but the strain on fleets increases as additional MAX deliveries remain frozen. Southwest has 41 MAX jets pending delivery for 2019, while American has 16 and United 14. To compensate, global MAX operators have added a flight or two to other aircrafts' daily schedules and deferred some non-essential maintenance work. Some airlines are also weighing extending aircraft leases and bringing back idled planes, but with unclear MAX timing, no option is clear-cut or cheap, consultants said. United is due to publish first-quarter results on April 16, followed by Southwest on April 25 and American on April 26. (Reporting by Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Chris Sanders and Susan Thomas) The Zacks Agriculture Operations industry comprises companies that either produce or procure, transport, store, process and distribute agricultural commodities to consumers and ingredients to other parts of the agriculture industry (like the clothing, animal feed, energy, and industrial products industries). Some of these players also engage in dairy operations, land transformation activities and development of food ingredients using gene-editing technology. The industry encompasses production activities related to traditional farming of crops (such as corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton), and livestock and poultry products (including meat, dairy and eggs). These products are mostly sold at grocery stores or exported overseas. Additionally, these products are used as feedstock for other industries. For example, cotton is used in the clothing industry and corn is used in the ethanol industry. Here are the industrys three major themes: The industry is riding high on the benefits of the organic movement, wherein agriculturists are adapting to organic production techniques and curtailing the use of chemicals and pesticides. Further, innovations in food processing, improved grain handling techniques, larger storage spaces, diversification and strong emerging market demand are conducive to the industry. This shift to organic methods to satisfy consumers increasing demand for healthier food bodes well for agri-based product companies. The agriculture industry is poised for steady growth through fiscal 2019 according to the USDAs latest projections for agricultural exports. USDA estimates agricultural exports of $141.5 billion for fiscal 2019, which ends on Sep 30 (unchanged from the November 2018 forecast). Export volumes will benefit from improvements in livestock and dairy exports, offset by declines in grain and oilseed exports. The U.S.-China trade war has done much damage to the growth of the U.S. agricultural segment in the recent past. Adversities arising from Chinas retaliatory tariffs on American agricultural products, such as soybeans, corn, pork and poultry, have been a major concern for the U.S. farming segment. Among these, soybean was the most impacted as China is the largest importer. Nevertheless, positive developments from the ongoing talks to resolve the conflict, and China agreeing to make substantial purchases of U.S. agricultural products, should bolster the industry prospects eventually. Despite this, the USDAs latest long-term projections report suggests that U.S. soybean exports are far from returning to pre-trade war levels until 2026-2027, mainly as Brazil and Argentina gain market share. Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Bright Prospects The Zacks Agriculture Operations industry, which is housed within the broader Zacks Consumer Staples sector, currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #73. This rank places it at the top 29% of more than 250 Zacks industries. The groups Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates solid near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. The industrys positioning in the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries is a result of positive earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are gaining confidence in this groups earnings growth potential for the next year. In the past year, the industrys earnings estimates for 2020 have increased by nearly 4%. Before we present a few stocks that you may want to consider for your portfolio, lets take a look at the industrys recent stock-market performance and valuation picture. Industry Lags Shareholder Returns The Zacks Agriculture Operations industry has underperformed both the S&P 500 and its own sector in the past year. The stocks in this industry have collectively declined 10.8% in contrast to the Zacks S&P 500 composite that improved 8.4%. On the other hand, the Zacks Consumer Staples sector has declined 4% over this period. Story continues One-Year Price Performance Agriculture Operations Industrys Valuation On the basis of forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, which is commonly used for valuing Consumer Staples stocks, the industry is currently trading at 12.16X compared with the S&P 500s 17.14X and the sectors 18.62X. Over the last five years, the industry has traded as high as 16.01X, as low as 10.33X, and at the median of 13.91X, as the chart below shows. Price-to-Earnings Ratio (Past 5 Years) Bottom Line The U.S. agriculture operations industry is catering to changing consumer preference, including growing demand for organic food products. However, the U.S.-China trade tensions have largely impacted the sales graphs of most players. Although initial U.S.-China trade negotiations bring in positive news for the industry, a conclusive deal on trade relations between the two countries will decide the fate of the U.S. agricultural operations industry. While none of the stocks from the Zacks Agriculture Operations universe currently hold a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), here we have mentioned one stock with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Additionally, we suggest another three stocks with Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) from the same industry, which investors may hold on to. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Lets have a look at them. Calavo Growers, Inc. (CVGW): The consensus EPS estimate for this Santa Paula, CA-based company, which markets and distributes avocados and other perishable foods in the United States, has moved up nearly 1.6% for the current fiscal in the past 30 days. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has rallied 23% year to date. Price and Consensus: CVGW Amira Nature Foods Ltd (ANFI): The stock of this Dubai-based company has gained 73.7% in the past three months. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current year has been stable in the last seven days. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #3. Price and Consensus: ANFI Calyxt, Inc. (CLXT): This Roseville, MN-based company carries a Zacks Rank #3 and has surged 59.2% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the companys current fiscal EPS has been stable for the last seven days. Price and Consensus: CLXT Limoneira Company (LMNR): The stock of this California-based company has gained 23.1% year to date. The consensus EPS estimate for the current year has been stable for the last seven days. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #3. Price and Consensus: LMNR Radical New Technology Creates $12.3 Trillion Opportunity Imagine buying Microsoft stock in the early days of personal computers or Motorola after it released the worlds first cell phone. These technologies changed our lives and created massive profits for investors. Today, were on the brink of the next quantum leap in technology. 7 innovative companies are leading this 4th Industrial Revolution - and early investors stand to earn the biggest profits. See the 7 breakthrough stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Limoneira Co (LMNR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Calavo Growers, Inc. (CVGW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Calyxt, Inc. (CLXT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Amira Nature Foods Ltd (ANFI) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research China is our greatest enemy. When I first said this at an event a few years ago I was met with laughs and protests of disgust from college students. I was doubted and considered to be fringe for having this belief. Now, as we stand today, when I say this on campus or at GOP meetings, I am instead met with agreement and applause. There is now widespread agreement that China is our biggest and most formidable enemy that should by no means be underestimated. They are hacking our cybergrid, building a massive army, purchasing assets around the globe and implementing spies throughout our country. It begs the question, what else are they doing that we arent noticing? Difficult as it may be to imagine, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may soon allow a group of foreign satellite companies one of whom is partially owned by our unyielding adversary, Communist China to reap billions selling strategic American assets given to them for free. If Republican lawmakers dont immediately intervene, U.S. interests, and American taxpayers especially those who reside in the rural interior are going to lose. Big time. At issue is the FCCs laudable goal of increasing Americas capacity for faster and more reliable internet by freeing up the 3.7 GHz to 4.2 GHz band commonly referred to as C-Band for internet services. This repurposing of the C-Band spectrum for mobile broadband deployment could ensure America wins the race to 5G. The timing is especially welcome, given that Chinese telecommunications company, Huawei, is poised to shortly dominate half of the global 5G market posing massive national security risks for the U.S. as we build out 5G domestically. What isnt welcome is the profiteering scheme recently hatched by the four satellite companies that currently own 100 percent of the C-Band spectrum over the United States, and which was licensed to them for free by our government back in the 1960s. The one firm proviso? Wield this power in the American public interest. Now those four companies Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat and Telesat have conspired to manufacture their own lobbying vehicle named the C-Band Alliance (CBA). The CBAs sole mission is to convince the FCC to permit a dramatic subversion of the American public interest by allowing them (the CBA) to privately sell off their C-Band spectrum, reaping billions potentially tens of billions that rightly belong to the American people. Story continues Compounding the outrage is the very nature of these companies, which, while nominally American, are in reality, anything but; they are, in fact, based on foreign soil, and owned and run by foreign investors. These include the massive Bank of Luxembourg, a myriad French and Canadian interests, as well as our committed adversary, China, through its sovereign wealth fund the China Investment Corporation (CIC), otherwise known as the wholly-owned investment arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It is safe to conclude that none of these entities would feature Americas public interest at the top, or even on, their priority list. The CBAs scheme, while deeply self-serving, represents a perversion of the public interest, as well as a swift blow to the American taxpayer, who is already alarmed by his country awash in debt, and his government shamelessly addicted to deficit-spending. In this climate, is the U.S. Treasury really going to forgo billions of dollars, while allowing foreign interests to profit to the detriment of Americans? It sure seems in contravention of the "America First" agenda promulgated by the Trump administration. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP Equally alarming, the CBAs scheme would only exacerbate the many challenges faced by rural American communities and the citizens who toil within them. The FCC has a mandate to protect these folks, and generally, theyve done an admirable job. These Americans should not be left behind, and yet, by subverting the FCC oversight responsibility for spectrum allocation, that is exactly what the CBA scheme would accomplish. Finally, not only does the CBA hope to abscond with Americas billions again, maybe tens of billions the opaque nature of the private sales for which its lobbying, would, in this competitive landscape, inevitably result in years of litigation, and endless delays in 5G deployment. All of which should render this scheme dead-on-arrival. The C-Band spectrum is a public asset of tremendous value, certain to command top dollar and committed interest on the open market. Thats our American tradition, and its a good one. Free markets, private investment and accelerated innovation are happy bedfellows, but given the calculus here Foreign Companies and Governments (including China!) vs. Americans in rural communities and Taxpayers across the country the answer should be a proverbial no-brainer. Turns out, the FCC is a bit of a pioneer as a regulatory body comfortable utilizing markets. In the past, it has succeeded in disposing of important public assets through incentive auctions that successfully harnessed the power of free markets, while still preserving their mandate to protect public interests. In fact, Chairman Pai himself described the ideal method: We need to have a free and open auction where market forces determine the outcome. The prices paid to broadcasters should be determined by the auction process, not by government fiat. And participation in the forward auction should be open to all. I agree. Why alter course now? Outsourcing the allocation of American spectrum to foreign operators is unacceptable. So, too, is thumbing ones nose at billions of American taxpayer dollars, while ceding strategic assets to those who either dont share our interests, or even oppose them wholeheartedly. Urge your elected representatives to reject the CBAs self-serving scheme, and instead, oversee a public auction that would allow for the most competitive allocation of licenses to best enable 5G deployment. That would be fair, open, and totally transparent. It would also bring in billions to the U.S. Treasury and us, the taxpayers while also facilitating the rapid, nationwide deployment of 5G, even to rural America. Thats what Americas public interest looks like. Charlie Kirk is the founder and president of Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit that aims to educate students on free-market values. You can follow him on Twitter @CharlieKirk11. Related Articles Yes, I found a better job Yes, but I'm still looking for a new job Yes, I retired Yes, I started my own business No, I like my current job No, but I'm currently looking for a new job Vote View Results The Rev. Patty Walker has been the church planter at First United Methodist Church for the past year. The title is literal. Walker has been seeding a new church, the storied downtown congregations Prairie Campus. The new branch bears fruit today with the launch of worship services. The celebration coincides with Palm/Passion Sunday the beginning of Holy Week. Walker will lead weekly 10 a.m. worship services at Banning Lewis Preparatory Academy (see box). The plan is to sink roots in the eastern Colorado Springs community with services at the school for now and eventually build a church there, she said. DETAILS First United Methodist Church's new Prairie Campus Worship services 10 a.m. Sundays In the gymnasium of Banning Lewis Preparatory Academy, 9433 Vista Del Pico Blvd. (80927) All are welcome Info: fumc-cs.org/prairie-campus; facebook.com/FUMCPrairie/ We are growing a church, and I think its an exciting thing for this church to be doing, said Walker, who has been minister of caring ministries for FUMC for six years. FUMC is the citys first church, established in 1871, when city founder Gen. William Jackson Palmer donated land for it. Part of the churchs mission has been to grow with the city. It has planted other churches: Mountain View United Methodist Church in Woodland Park in 1978, Sunrise United Methodist in Briargate in 1980 and Wilson United Methodist in the Mountain Shadows area in 1987. With FUMC approaching its 150th anniversary, the timing was right for new growth. In this climate, where more and more people especially young people are opting out of going to church, this model plants an additional location that will remain connected to this church (FUMCs downtown campus), Walker said. The Falcon-area location was chosen because no other main Protestant church is south of Woodmen Road and east of Powers Boulevard. We do have members who live out east there who drive in for services. Its about a half-hour drive, Walker said. But the greater motivation is: That is where Colorado Springs is growing, to the east. It grew out of this desire to reach new people who are living out there. There are a lot of young families. This is a time when millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) are opting out of church. Its very important to us at the United Methodist Church that we reach out to those people. Young people seem to think Christian means judgmental, she said. They think its an institution that mightve been good for grandma that really doesnt have relevance in their lives. But I feel like young people have a spiritual hunger. Were an everybody church. We are open-minded, inclusive and Christ-centered. The United Methodist Church is a big tent church. It has people from all different political persuasions, such as Hillary Clinton and Jeff Sessions. Theres something really beautiful that can happen when you come to the table with people who are different from you. You need both the traditional and new viewpoints at the table. The new campus also fills a need for female pastors in the eastern part of the city, she noted. I think there are also a lot of people who are hungry for the viewpoint of a female pastor. A calling fulfilled Walker felt a call at age 12 to become a minister when women in the ministry was a fairly new concept. God kept tugging at my heart, she said. I grew up in Indiana in a very conservative church. But it never made sense to me that God wouldnt want to use the talents of half the population in the ministry. At Washington University in St. Louis, Walker majored in religious studies and psychology before enrolling in the seminary at Yale Divinity School. She fell in love with Colorado while working at Samaritan House in Denver between her degrees. When the opportunity arose in 2007 to become chaplain for Pikes Peak Hospice, she didnt hesitate to move west with husband Roger and kids from their home in Cleveland. After five years of ministering to hospice patients, Walker joined the ministerial staff at FUMC in 2012. The Rev. Kent Ingram, senior minister at FUMC, announced a year ago that it was time for the church to spread eastward. Then he approached Walker and asked, How would you like to go out on the Eastern Plains? I immediately said yes! Its an amazing thing to give my life to. Im so excited to connect people to God, she said. The mother of three said her vision for the Prairie Campus is to be the church that serves and has hands-on programs that can really be the hands and feet of Jesus. Just as the downtown church has a longstanding relationship with Urban Peak, Walker would like to work with nonprofits in the east. The Prairie Campus is seeded with a launch team of 50 to 75 FUMC members who volunteered to make the move. Some of them live in the Eastern Plains. Others just felt a call to reach out, Walker said. Easter celebration After the 10 a.m. worship service on Easter, April 21, the Prairie Campus will host an egg hunt and celebration featuring a DJ from Mountain Country Radio (107.3FM), a bounce house and cupcakes. It will start about 11:15 a.m. outdoors, weather permitting. I hope the church will become a place for people to meet God, make friends and make a difference. I want people to find community there, she said. That the services are held in the gym reminds us that the church is not a building; its the people. Well be sitting on folding chairs ... but theyre good folding chairs! All are invited to see the new thing this old historical church downtown is doing, she said. Contact the writer: 476-1602 In Colorado rafting country, anticipation is building with the water. Its going to be a great season, no doubt about that, says Brandon Slate, president of the Arkansas River Outfitters Association, whose members at this time last year faced a much different outlook. With parched mountains amid drought, 2018s preseason story lines focused on the Upper Arkansas Voluntary Flow Management Program. Regulators delivered by releasing enough from reservoirs to keep boats afloat through the summer a lifesaver, says Salida-based Bill Dvorak, with 40-plus years in the rafting business. Would water managers be so generous in another dry year? We were definitely keeping fingers crossed for snow this winter, Slate says. And we got that for sure. Ringing from the ski slopes, the industry is picking up the praises to Mother Nature. At the start of April, river rats were eyeing charts that showed the states snowpack well above 100 percent of normal a bounty set to melt and swell rivers to epic proportions. Longtime outfitters are thinking back to 1995 for the last time the forecast looked this promising. That year, Dvorak recalls the Arkansas raging 6,700 cubic feet per second (700 is optimal under the voluntary flow management program). Itll get up to 4,000 Im sure this year, he says. Maybe up to 5,000, 6,000. But what excites Dvorak most is the potential of a lesser-known river outside his home territory. In circles like his, the Dolores is regarded as legendary. Stretching through remote forests, canyons and deserts in the states southwest corner, it stacks up with Americas best, Dvorak says, the Grand Canyon and Middle Fork of the Salmon among them. But whitewater buffs chances on the stretch have been few and far between. Since the late 80s, the McPhee Dam has trapped the water that once kept the Dolores running strong. Ironically, the Dolores River lives up to its name, the River of Sorrow, due to the limited releases, reads the website of Durango-headquartered Mild2Wild Rafting. It is a special treat that few ever get to experience, the outfitter reports. This might be the year. After a brutally dry 2018, catch up in the reservoir might be necessary, says Kolben Preble with Mild2Wild. The Dolores Water Conservancy District is set to make a call this month on releases. One things for sure, Preble says: Its gonna be an incredible season. Were gonna see rapids we havent seen in close to 10 years. Utahs Cataract Canyon is expected to reclaim its Class 4 and 5 reputation. The Yampa River through Dinosaur National Monuments storied land should be back to consistently raftable levels. Closer to the Front Range, boats already have dropped in the states most famous whitewater destination. Reservations are strong right now, up just about any other year, says James Whiteside, owner of Royal Gorge Rafting and Zip Line Tours. Business was reportedly good last year despite the headlines of drought; Arkansas River outfitters reported revenue was up 2 percent compared with snowy 2017, suggesting the story lines make no difference to customers. Still, what can hurt our industry is the perception, says Whiteside, predicting the medias alarm over danger this summer. Of course, he says, being informed, being prepared is important before embarking on high water. Its kind of a double-edged sword for us, Dvorak says. Talk about risks, then people wont come with us, and were quite capable of handling it. Its when you have some of these weekend warriors, the private boaters, who havent seen the water for a week or a year or a month, and all of a sudden, water is higher than theyve ever seen before, more than their boat is capable of, he says. Then theres more carnage. Whiteside echoes the message the industry heralds: High water, low water, the smiles stay the same, he says. The difference with a season like this? Its gonna be like a powder day every day. City Editor Tom Roeder is the Gazette's City Editor. In Colorado Springs since 2003, Tom has covered the military at home and overseas and has covered statehouses in Denver and Olympia, Wash. His main job, though, is being dad to two great kids. R-1 single-family zoning has long been the gold standard for residential areas in Colorado Springs, old and new. It is credited with creating strong neighborhoods, close to downtown as well as in more distant housing developments. The ideal of one family living on one lot is believed to create, maintain and preserve great neighborhoods in which to live and raise children. If you live in R-1 single-family zoning, and like it, you may not have it for long. The city Planning Commission unanimously approved and sent to the City Council a new law that turns every R-1 single-family zone into a de facto two-family zone. It is called the accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, law. It will permit every homeowner living in an R-1 zone to build or install a second separate dwelling unit on their property. This dwelling unit can then be rented to strangers, thus potentially doubling the number of people living in what was a one-family area. Accessory dwelling units come in two forms: detached units and integrated units. On R-1 single-family lots with adequate space, detached ADUs can be built as separate residences in the back or side yard. According to drawings distributed by city planning, these detached houses can be two stories high and have room for a two-car garage. They look perfectly adequate to house a family of four. Integrated ADUs are for homes with inadequate yard space for a second residence. In this instance, homeowners are allowed to add a second story to the home or knock out a side or back wall and thereby create a separate dwelling unit that can be rented to others. The proposed law requires that one of the two units created by adding an ADU to your property be owner-occupied. However, the law also says an ADU can be subdivided and sold as a separate residence to a new owner. Moving large numbers of new people into the neighborhood means more automobiles. The ADU proposal calls for one off-street parking space to be provided by the homeowner for each new ADU. City planning notes that these parking spaces can be provided in the front yards of houses in R-1 zones and specifies how much of the front lawn can be paved for such parking spaces. If the accessory dwelling unit law is enacted by the City Council, there will be little neighborhood change at first. But in 10 to 20 years, when many people in the neighborhood have constructed ADUs, the number of housing units in the neighborhood would almost double, the numbers of people living in the neighborhood would almost double, and the number of automobiles in the neighborhood would almost double. At full build-out, there will be double density of people and cars. City planning has arguments for encouraging every R-1 homeowner to add an ADU. It could be a place for parents to age in place. It could provide housing for dependent and disabled adult children. It could provide additional housing in economically challenged neighborhoods and wealthy neighborhoods. It could house unemployed boomerang children who return home after college and graduate school. And it could give a wealth building opportunity to R-1 single-family homeowners who would like the extra income from an in-house or backyard rental. The proposed law also provides that you can build an ADU in your backyard, or add one to your present home, and take it commercial and rent it out as a short-term rental (Airbnb, etc.) We support encouraging more affordable housing in Colorado Springs, yet we question some aspects of the proposed citywide ADU program. People who paid extra to buy and live in R-1 single-family zones may not be pleased to have an adjoining property suddenly have two residences rather than one. Others may feel the character of their neighborhood is being degraded as it slowly fills up with more and more backyard homes and paved front-yard parking spaces. Good zoning like R-1 is thought to give permanence and value to a neighborhood and should not be casually done away with in a drive to enforce higher-density living. We also dislike the one size fits all approach of making every R-1 neighborhood in the city accept ADUs, detached and integrated. Individual neighborhoods should be given a chance to vote to decide if they want ADU-generated increases in population and automobile densities. If you like your R-1 zoned neighborhood the way it is and want it to stay that way, let the City Council know . On the other hand, if you want more affordable housing for all income groups and do not mind making the trade-offs of higher population density and more automobiles let the council know those views. Retired Colorado College political scientists Tom Cronin and Bob Loevy live in R-1 single-family zones. Loevy served on the city Planning Commission from 1972 to 1975. Rachel Stovall is a longtime community advocate and organizer. Also a fundraising, media and marketing consultant, Stovall is most known for singing with her dance band Phat Daddy and the Phat Horn Doctors. With snow and poor visibility, thick traffic heads north and south on Interstate 25 near Baptist Road on Wednesday. Stroll any street in downtown Denver, and youre likely to come face to face in vivid and sometimes tragic detail with the citys grinding and intractable homelessness problem. A man sprawls unconscious on a sidewalk outside the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Another man reaches into a trash bin on 17th Street, pulls out a container and begins eating the leftover sandwich. A woman sleeps beneath a teal blanket on a cold spring day in Civic Center. Later she rises and heads to the bus station, blanket trailing behind. On the 16th Street shuttle bus, she croaks a hacking cough. This is the reality of homelessness in Denver in 2019. Against this sad urban backdrop, Denver voters are to decide May 7 whether to repeal the citys ban on homeless camping. Initiated Ordinance 300, one of several measures on the citys ballot, is touted by backers as the right to survive initiative. We are facing reality, and the reality is that people are homeless and are living on our streets, and criminalization does not work, said Terese Howard, a spokeswoman for the pro-Initiative 300 group Denver Homeless Out Loud. It does not help people. It does not get people into housing. It makes life worse and harder. Its cruel and unusual. And its immoral. It needs to stop. Opponents warn that the measure could turn Denvers parks, sidewalks and other public spaces into permanent encampments for squatters, spreading trash and endangering the public health and safety. We dont want to become the next Los Angeles, which probably has a multimillion dollar cleanup, Mayor Michael Hancock told Colorado Politics. This answer, this solution is not the right solution for Denver or any urban space for our homeless. That debate has exploded into an expensive battle, with 300s main opposition group out-raising supporters by better than 10-to-1 at last count. Together Denver, which urges a no vote on the referendum, has raised $558,784, compared with $53,946 gathered by the pro-300 campaign, finance reports as of mid-March show. Several prominent business groups have contributed to Together Denver. The Downtown Denver Partnership, a group of about 700 businesses, donated $100,000. What it says The ballot issue reads: Shall the voters of the City and County of Denver adopt a measure that secures and enforces basic rights for all people within the jurisdiction of the City and County of Denver, including the right to rest and shelter oneself from the elements in a non-obstructive manner in outdoor public spaces; to eat, share, accept or give free food in any public space where food is not prohibited; to occupy ones own legally parked motor vehicle, or occupy a legally parked motor vehicle belonging to another, with the owners permission; and to have a right and expectation of privacy and safety of or in ones person and property? If enacted, 300 would add a new section to Denvers municipal code, Article IX Right to Survive in Public Spaces. Under Article IX, authorities could not enforce any ordinance ... that limits, prohibits or penalizes the rights secured by this ordinance, including the citys camping ban on public property. It also says police could not harass or request ID from campers unless supported by reasonable suspicion of a crime. How the measure would play out on the streets of Denver is fiercely debated. Pro-300 advocates say on their website that the measure, by decriminalizing homelessness, would make it easier for homeless people to hold down jobs, which makes it more likely that they will be able to find homes. They say 300 would not allow people to litter, block roads or commit crimes. But anti-300 Together Denver warns in a position paper that the measure could lead to large encampments in city parks and around stadiums, the Denver Zoo, museums and other public sites. They also say cars and RVs could be parked outside homes, and people could camp on residential sidewalks . The measure ... would potentially create new civil and criminal liability and legal causes of action against private individuals, homeowners, businesses, city employees and city government, a city memo on 300s potential impact says. This likely would create a chilling effect for police officers, park rangers, health inspectors and others to enforce laws and may make them reluctant to assist those in need. For example, the memo warns, park curfews ... would no longer be enforceable. Nor would ordinances that prohibit overnight camping or setting up of tents and structures in parks. Backers of 300 dispute that conclusion. Shelter space an issue The measure has its roots in the citys response to the Occupy Denver movement several years ago. Like many U.S. cities, Denver was dealing in 2011 with an encampment set up in Civic Center by people protesting economic inequality . The following year, the City Council passed an ordinance outlawing unauthorized camping on public property. It allows police to cite or arrest an illegal camper, but only after asking the person to move on, then issuing a written warning. In practice, police seldom cite anyone under that ban, let alone make an arrest. Instead, campers often move from place to place. Initiative 300 seeks to overturn the camping ban and the separate sit lie law, which bars people from sitting or lying within the boundaries of the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. In 2012, people living on the streets were hardly new in Denver. During the 1980s, homeless people would camp out along the South Platte River, under bridges, on steam grates and along the south side of the City and County Building. Police would disperse them, and advocates would try to talk them into shelters on cold nights, but the problem persisted. Denver got a head start on its shelter system thanks to one dramatic event 36 years ago. During a bitterly cold winter in 1983, the Rev. C.B. Woolrich better known as Father Woody opened the Holy Ghost Church to the homeless. It was a controversial move, even among the parishioners. But according to a story in the National Catholic Register, Woolrich responded: Listen, Jesus Christ told us to take care of the least of our brothers and sisters. That means even if you have to hold your breath, he told his congregation. And were going to do that here at Holy Ghost Church. If you dont like it, find another church. My dear people, we cannot pray to the Lord and reject the ones he loves most. Three years later, the Archdiocese of Denver opened Samaritan House, the citys first shelter of its kind and the start of the shelter movement in Denver. That head start proved significant, because other cities without enough shelter space, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, have seen courts nullify their urban camping bans. Those rulings were based on a lack of adequate shelter space for the homeless. Opponents of Initiative 300 say Denver has enough space for the 3,445 homeless identified in the 2018 Point in Time survey, a 24-hour head count of the citys homeless residents. They cite a February report by the REMI Partnership a policy organization that includes business groups such as the Colorado Association of Realtors, the Colorado Bankers Association and Colorado Concern that calculates the city has 1.2 shelter beds per homeless person. Advocates of 300 dispute that figure, saying shelters often arent viable for families that dont want to be separated and for people with pets or disabilities. They say shelter space is inadequate to house all of Denvers homeless. Taking it to the people As the citys economy, population and housing values have soared, affordable housing has grown scarcer while the ranks of the homeless have increased. Their advocates tried for years to overturn Denvers camping ban through state legislation called the right to rest. But after four years of seeing those bills die in committee, they decided to take a different approach. After it being killed (in the Legislature) year after year, we said, Lets take it to the people, said Howard, the pro-300 spokeswoman. Organizers gathered nearly 10,000 signatures, and the issue went onto the ballot. Howard said the police policy of shuffling the homeless along through the camping ban does not work. We call it homeless whack-a-mole, she said, referring to the carnival game in which people hit the mole puppet only to see it pop up elsewhere. People dont just evaporate. They dont disappear when you tell them to move along, she said. They get moved to another place and then moved to another place and then moved to another place. Opponents of Initiative 300 respond that it is cruel and unusual to have people live on the streets. We recognize something needs to be done, and the homeless community needs better access to affordable housing, said Alvina Vasquez, a spokeswoman for Together Denver, the main group fighting 300. This doesnt provide any financial support for brand new services, mental health services, affordable housing. This does not help the key issues that cause homelessness. The Downtown Denver Partnership says in a position paper that the initiative undermines public safety and the well-being of all Denver residents, including those experiencing homelessness, by preventing the enforcement of essential public safety laws. The partnership wants to be part of the long-term solution, said Kate Barton, vice president for special projects. Ultimately we know we need good solutions, and were at the table to work on those solutions. But we do not believe Initiative 300 gets to the root of the issue or does anything to help solve the problem, she said. Not the next Los Angeles Mayor Hancock said having people living on the streets is not the solution. If I was homeless, I find no compassion in your answer telling me to go sleep in the park or go sleep on that concrete. Nothings healthy about it. Nothings safe about it, he said. Where the camping occurs now, police have handled felony assaults, Hancock said. Last summer, three people were killed trying to sleep outside, he said. Howard, the pro-300 advocate, acknowledged that the right to survive initiative is just that a right, not a solution. Everybody knows that the solution to homelessness is housing, she said. Thats something that we have been fighting for. ... That is what we need in the end is basic attainable housing for lower income people. But the citys attempt to create affordable housing in recent years has fallen way short of the need, Howard said. Were realists. We know that ... housing is not around the corner and that people are going to be surviving on our streets today, tomorrow and for the foreseeable future. At community forums, the two sides have sparred over what the wording of the measure would mean. Advocates claim it would not result in doing away with park curfews disputing the citys view and would not allow the homeless to obstruct public sidewalks. But opponents say the initiative is so vague and poorly defined that the result would open the gates for an incursion of the homeless in parks and other public spaces. They also worry that a provision that bans harassment of the homeless would make it difficult for police and outreach workers from helping homeless people who are at risk. In any event, city officials believe that the initiative could create legal conflicts as its provisions are untangled. Meanwhile, organizations that serve homeless people have watched both sides of the debate warily. Cathy Alderman, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, said neither side seems solution-oriented. Alderman does not believe asserting the right of the homeless to live on the streets is going to help their lot. But she also looks at the more than $500,000 raised by opponents of the initiative and thinks how that money could have enabled her to hire six more outreach workers to get and keep homeless people off the streets. At the end of the day, we believe getting more resources into the system is the best way to make sure that people have alternative and safe places to go, Alderman said. Chiranjeevee wrote: argha wrote: In D, isn't "same number compared to "last year". It should have been apt if compared with "last year's" or better if "same number as was last year".. Regards Argha for this reason only, i eliminated D and chose E. but none of the options seems fine. Really dont know How "D" is correct. for this reason only, i eliminated D and chose E. but none of the options seems fine. Really dont know How "D" is correct. Last year preposition phrase WAS compare NOUN (airline carriers) vs. PREPOSITION (last year) ==> wrong grammar. same subject I I After finding a new job, I make more money than I did last year. Many airline carriers are attempting to increase profitability while keeping overhead low by offering, in terms of flights, the same number as last year but using larger planes that fly more efficiently. this year vs. last year. Many airline carriers they Many airline carriers offer the same number of flights this year as they did last year. Hi ChiranjeeveeThere are two reasons why D is correct:(1) "" is. It CAN'T be compared with a NOUN phrase - "the same number". The question compare "this year" vs. "last year".If you add auxiliary verb before (after) "last year": ...................the same number aslast year .... <== You(2) This construction is quite common in English. You're comparingbut in two different periods --> You don't need to repeat subject.Let see an example:After finding a new job,make more money thandid last yearHowever, because of the same subject, you don't need to repeat it. The new sentence is:**Back to the question. I will plug in D into the question.The comparison is betweenThe subject of the question is the same. In order to make the sentence clear. I will rewrite it like:offer the same number of flights this year asdid last year.Now, the meaning is clearer but the sentence is wordier. ==> GMAT always prefers concise sentence. ==> The sentence should be:Hope it helps. Hoagie wrote: Would really appreciate a look at my profile, thx! Background and nationality: Chinese male, age 26, spent 25 years in China but scored 29/30 on speaking of TOEFL. Undergrad Information: -Undergrad: Top2 university in China, double degree: BS in applied mathematics (GPA 2.8/4.0,) and BA in economics (GPA 3.3/4.0) -Graduate: Top20 east coast graduate school in US, MA in applied economics (GPA 3.9/4.0) GMAT: 740 (q50 v40 awa5 ir4), will take again soon. Work experience and leadership: 2.5 yrs at the top investment bank in China, 3.5 yrs at matriculation. I started as a CDO manager and managed securitization projects. Since 2018 my role has been shifting to alternative credit investment. I currently focus on private non-standardized debt investment and CLO equity. It was a good combination for me, because private debt investment trains my soft skills in project management and communication, while CLO equity investment trains my hard skills in quantitative analysis. I also help the macro rates group on investment research projects. Career highlights are listed as follows: -Led one of the most complicated securitization deals in the ninth month of my career. Both VP and SVP were taking maternity leaves and the management responsibilities fell on my shoulder. I was in a position to make 80% of all the decisions and to manage lawyers, credit analysts, and interns. I wasn't able to close the deal due to regulation change, but it was still good experience and I learned a lot from it. -With an intern and a colleague, I developed the investment analytical models and system for consumer credit asset class, opening out group to a trillion dollar market, which is very premature because so few people in China understand the quantitative technology behind it. I made a good impact by replacing traditional investment analytical methodology with 21st century data science. It was a changing point of my career because the project enlightened my ambition in FinTech. -Did a bunch of digitalization and automation work since I decided to go into FinTech in the future. For example, I built a database wrote a small program to automate the non-standardized debt trading execution and paperwork drafting. It does not involve much leadership experience, but I'd like to think that I made some impact. Community and others: -Volunteered at a micro-loan non-profit in senior year of undergrad as a credit analyst. -Volunteered at a social enterprise that provides consulting service to non-profits. Brokered a large amount of impact investment funding from a tech giant for a small institution based in the poorest town in Yunnan Province. -Used to be an amateur athlete of 200m sprint. Post MBA goals: Long-term: FinTech - robo adviser, hopefully to start my own firm at some point down the road. Short-term: Either traditional finance or tech firm would make sense in the short term, becasue a solid background in either finance or tech could help a career in FinTech. Other info: Low GPA: I'm aware that my undergrad GPA might be a deal breaker. I went to a school that happened to gather all the top mathematical geniuses in China. I enjouyed the challenge, but my GPA inevitably suffered because the courses and exams were specially designed for those guys. I hope my graduate GPA and my work could somehow prove that I'm fully capable of advanced learning. 5 months' gap: I came back to China in Sep 2016 but started working in Feb 2017. The gap was because Chinese firms don't usually do Skype interviews for students abroad and it is very common for Chinese students to attend campus recruitment after they come back from US to China. We actually have a law specifically saying that students who study abroad will maintain legal status of fresh graduates for one more year after they come back. I'm fully aware that I'm probably in the worst applicant pool of S16, so don't hold back and please strike me with all the hard truth. Thank you! Hi Hoagie:Thanks for reaching out to me. And thanks for the relevant information and detailed profile as it helps me tremendously.For starters, you are not the worst applicant in the pool. While you do have some deficiencies, they are reasonable and because of that , they are explainable.Your GPA:I'm assuming you have approximately two years of full-time work experience as of right now. The general rule is the longer you are away from undergrad, the less your undergraduate GPA matters. Assuming you spent an additional year in graduate school, that means you have about three years since earning your GPAs - 2.8 and 3.3 - as a double majors in Applied Mathematics and Economics. While three years of work experience does help temper the lower GPAs, it won't help as much as to other factors - first, the strength of your undergraduate institution and second, the fact that you picked 2 rather difficult majors. We have to keep things in perspective for the admissions committee. This means they will want to know where you fall with respect to the rest of the class. So does your transcript indicate your standing or ranking in your departments? That will provide perspective. If your university is indeed a top 2 in China, then the admissions committee will be familiar with how difficult getting a 2.8 or 3.3 may be. You get a few extra brownie points. In other words, the admissions committee will grade your GPA on a curve. The arc of that curve will all depend on the rest of your fellow classmates and your rank within your department. So if you performed fairly well let's say top 20 or 25% within the class, you should be okay. Don't worry about the admissions committee looking at your GPA at face value. However, you do have to explain the circumstances to make sure the admissions committee does not take them for granted. In very much the same way you explained your circumstances to me, you should explain something similar to the admissions committee. Of course, use the optional essay to write a very on point summary of the circumstances. Don't bloviate. Don't make "the dog ate my homework" excuses. Just get to the point. If you have to fall on your sword a little bit, then do so. For example, if you lack maturity and therefore an ability to prioritize everything you encountered on campus during your freshman year, then say so. With any reason/excuse just don't bullshit as it wastes the reader's time.By the way, your graduate GPA 3.9 does help to make up for your undergraduate performance. It tells them that you're not a liability or a potential grenade in the MBA classroom when it comes to quant concepts. Of course, your work experience tells them that you are not going to be a grenade as well.All in all, the admissions committee tends to look at your undergraduate GPA from a couple of different perspectives: 1 how well does the applicant's undergraduate GPA stack up against others from the same school and from similar programs at other universities? - 2 - with respect to quant heavy subjects, is the applicant a potential liability in the MBA classroom?Your GMAT:What's the difference between a 740 and anything higher than that? At very top MBA programs, it could make the difference between getting accepted when the first round of announcements roll out and being waitlisted. Also, from my experience it makes a huge difference with respect to the amount of scholarship (free) money you will receive. With a 740, you may get a little money. With a 760, you are almost guaranteed to get money at top MBA programs like Wharton, Booth, and Kellogg. Again, this is based on my own personal client experience. On that note, over the last two years I've seen a drastic increase in the amount of scholarship money being handed to international applicants with high GMAT scores. I just had an international client receive more than $100,000 from HBS. Not too shabby.By the way, when you retake the GMAT I would not worry too much about your AWA and integrated reasoning scores. Sure they could be a little higher, but you are really leaving money on the table literally with your lower verbal score. So I would not worry about improving your quad score just maintain. my opinion, admissions committees will say they care about all scores on the GMAT, but what it really comes down to is they care about your quant and verbal scores, unless your AWA and integrated reasoning scores are alarmingly low.Your Work Experience:It seems like you're getting pretty darn good experience at your top investment banking China.if I was your consultant, I want to know more about the your shift to alternative credit investment and what the future of that segment is in China risks and opportunities.Based on what you told me about the securitization deals you worked on, it seems that you have the beginnings of a good story covered for any school that asks you for a leadership essay. The "I was thrust into a position of leadership" story because of maternity leave or because I was the last man standing always seem to resonate with admissions committees if written correctly.Harvard will often ask in the interview what legacy do you think you will leave behind at your current place of employment (or undergraduate). This is why I like the anecdote about the quantitative models you developed and how you innovated to do so. Based on what you told me, I think it's especially notable given the nascent nature of quantitative tech in China. this is definitely something that should be highlighted in your application on your resume, in the interview, on your essays.I like your goals - short and long-term. Keep in mind that as an international applicant, I think it's especially relevant that you state a backup plan for your short-term goals. Of course this short-term backup plan should represent a parallel path toward your longer-term aspirations. A caveat this is less important at schools like Stanford and Harvard. But for every other MBA program - with the exception of MIT Sloan - I personally feel it's imperative you state a backup plan for your short-term goals. It could be as simple as returning to your current employer but in a much more strategic role. As long as this gets you toward your ultimate, longer-term goals, you are cool.Looking at your longer-term goals from the perspective of a Stanford or HBS application - what is the "personal" connection you have to your longer-term goals? Now, I'm not saying that your personal connection is because your mom and dad own a community bank in China. I'm not saying that at all! What I am saying is something like this for example as a citizen of China, what do you hope to contribute to your country or region with the world that will make its financial systems more robust and transparent? if you know about the building liability within China's financial systems i.e. something similar to what happened in the USA in 2007/2008 - what can you do to help lead work that addresses these systemic issues? Again, this is only an example. I'm not as familiar as you are with what's going on in China. You're the expert when it comes to that and this is an important point. Because when you write your essays, you need to approach it as if you are knowledgeable. This does not mean telling the admissions committee everything and anything about the nature of systemic risk in Chinese financial markets. not at all. What this does mean is simply the following if you come to the table with an essay that talks about how you want to address systemic risk in China's financial system, then the admissions committee will lend you that credibility (as long as you don't write batshit insane commentary that cannot possibly be true even to the layman - i.e. China can solve all its systemic issues by packaging up its CDO's and putting them on a rocket to Mars. You get the point!)Anyway, the admissions committee won't know as much about the specifics, but they will know a little. So if you ever find yourself over explaining something, then don't do that. If this doesn't make sense to you, it's okay. Just make sure you don't end up educating the admissions committee on the technicalities of finance and risk in Chinese financial markets. It's a waste your time and their time. Anyway, I digress, slightly.Your Work Gap:Five months does need to be explained. But don't worry, it's not a dealbreaker in any way. This is more of a technical matter and not one born out of your bad habits or something unfortunate. All you have to do is explain it the way you explained it to me. Keep it short and simple.Your Extracurricular Experience:in general, I believe that current volunteer experience is useful if 1) you maintain a leadership position formal or informal and/or 2) it's consistent with your personal interests and past community involvement.There are a lot of caveats here. If you lack leadership experience at work, then it has to be made up somewhere and that's where extracurricular community service can help. It's no replacement for leadership at work, but the more leadership oriented it is, the better off you'll be. let's say you have plenty of formal or informal leadership experience at work - then it's perfectly appropriate if your significant volunteer experience outside of the office simply furthers the narrative of who you are (for the purposes of applying to business school). In other words, if you are an investor and you really take a hands-on approach to mentoring your portfolio companies, then mentoring little Johnny at a local high school would solidify the narrative. In addition, if your longer-term goal after your MBA is to fund initiatives at underperforming schools, then mentoring little Johnny helps to solidify that narrative. Again, mentoring little Johnny is not a replacement for your work experience as an investor, but it can help flavor the narrative. So if you want to move into impact investing and you have extensive experience mentoring little Johnny and working on the board of a charter school, then that will help solidify the picture you are painting (for the Adcom) in the goals you are proclaiming.This is why I do like your current volunteer experience. It bolsters what you do at work. It tells the admissions committee what you value and how you live your values.Your Target Schools:At the top of your list should be HBS. I believe you would be competitive for Harvard even with your 740 and your undergraduate GPA. Just we are clear, HBS is a stretch, but I believe you should at least try. In no way would you be dead on arrival. Not even close. Shoot for Harvard. They take a very mature approach to evaluating candidates (i.e. holistically). Frankly, HBS doesn't really give a **** about the rankings (as a program's average GPA affects their ranking). If they like you and you have a few scratches and dents, they will take you. Rankings be damned. In my experience, it's the same situation with Stanford.I would also target the usual suspects for a guy with your background. This includes Chicago Booth, Wharton, Columbia and perhaps MIT Sloan and Kellogg. It goes without saying, but I will mention it - if actually you plan to go back to China, reputation of your MBA program will matter. Of course you won't have a problem with HSW, but you may have a problem with otherwise great finance schools such as NYU Stern. Again, this is for you to assess. I'm just giving you the heads up.Overall, I am extremely positive about your candidacy. As I referenced earlier in this rather long analysis, it's a great year to apply as an international. Because of current circumstances, US business schools are hurting for top international students. Don't get distracted by the fray. Strike while the iron is hot. I've been doing this for 13 years and this has to be among the best years for international students to apply.Finally, a general disclaimer. Please keep in mind that my comments and feedback are based upon my experiences over the last 13 years of working with MBA applicants. Because I do not have full insight into your background, my comments are informational and do not constitute specific advice.Respectfully,Paul Lanzillotti_________________ Hi all,We tried to cover some of the major essay sets on our blog over the summer ( http://educatedoutcomes.wordpress.com/ ), so hopefully you are feeling good about what you are submitting in the next few weeks. With some of the Round 1 deadlines approaching, we thought we'd give you one of our top checklist items for schools coming up in the next three weeks, just so you can do a final analysis on what you are sending over.Duke (Sept 29) - Count how many times you write the word "global" - now go double itHBS (Oct 3) - Leadership, leadership, leadership!Wharton (Oct 3) - Innovation, particularly through community and with a global perspectiveColumbia (Oct 5) - Pragmatism; have you articulated multiple clear paths to your long-term career goal?Yale SOM (Oct 6) - Intellectual curiosity; specifically the raw case methodRoss (Oct 10) - Sharing your unique perspective; ready to learn from others as wellBooth (Oct 12) - Willing to take a risk and go for itHaas (Oct 12) - Incorporate the four pillars into your answers!Stanford (Oct 12) - Change Lives, Change Organizations, Change the World (make sure Essays 1 and 2 tell that story in tandem)Tuck (Oct 12) - Be personal; show true, deep knowledge of and love for TuckObviously it takes more than a sound bite to write the kind of essays required to get into these programs, but even if these one-liners help just one person, it was worth throwing it out there.Good luck to all.Best,PL_________________ Brazils execution of these activities is intentional and muted. Brasilia finds itself in the difficult position of needing to both protect national security interests and preserve existing regional relationships. If it were to broadcast its local engagement efforts, Brazil would be seen as undermining the regional and U.S. position, which is focused on regime change. Instead, the government passed off each of the above cases as an informal, even spur-of-the-moment event or altogether out of the governments purview. Through these informal channels, however, Brasilia can support dialogue with the Maduro government, focused on local stability and aid delivery, while maintaining plausible deniability. But all of these moves could be laying the groundwork for higher-level political solutions. Washingtons Tacit Approval The United States had until recently taken a hands-off approach to Venezuelas malaise. U.S. oil interests in Venezuela, and its desire to maintain stability in the region, werent enough to warrant intervention. It was also preoccupied with other countries like China, North Korea and Iran. As the U.S. changed course, it courted Colombia and Brazil as regional partners in its efforts to end the crisis in Venezuela. Brazil, along with the vast majority of the region , got on board. Even though its motivations and tactics differed from Washingtons, it shared the same end goal. Historically, there have been few instances where the U.S. and Brazil have forged strong bilateral ties over shared interests. In most cases, the U.S. needs something from Brazil and sets the terms of the relationship. As Bolsonaro took office, academics, politicians and foreign policy analysts raised concerns over the idea of Brazil cozying up to the United States, believing that Brazil could get caught up in the tensions between the U.S. and its rivals, such as China and Russia, that still support Maduro. Through public statements on issues like Israel and globalism, it seemed Bolosnaros government was planting itself firmly in the U.S. camp. Bolosnaros early declaration that he favored regime change in Venezuela was seen as a near-desperate attempt to garner favor with Washington. But Brazils overtures to Venezuela prove that its relationship with the U.S. is secondary to its need to deal with the national security threat posed by Venezuela. The U.S. is aware of Brazils new maneuvers but hasnt publicly responded. The cost of trying to fix Venezuela is climbing, and Washington is running out of cards to play, so from its perspective, it doesnt hurt to have Brazil trying out alternative options. For the U.S., military intervention isnt a viable option it would jeopardize the United States standing in the region. Washington has imposed a barrage of sanctions on Venezuela, and its rallied more than 50 countries to recognize Guaido as interim president. Now its playing one of the last cards it has to debilitate the Maduro regime: going after its security apparatus, by way of Cuba . Havana and Caracas have a long-standing security and intelligence-sharing relationship, and Cuba is credited with helping Maduro and his military hang on to power. The U.S. is now putting greater economic pressure on Cuba and calling on others to do the same, as Guaido asks for global support in blocking Venezuelan oil exports to Cuba. Washington can afford to let Brazil try out its own solutions to the Venezuela crisis because they have complementary goals an end to the crisis and political transition in Venezuela. It cannot criticize Brazil for deviating slightly from the U.S. approach, but nor will it openly endorse Brazilian efforts. Right now, the U.S. is still seen as the hemispheric leader, even on this matter. Washington has no reason to jeopardize its regional image, especially when Brazils moves are still low-level, low-risk and not fully developed. The crisis in Venezuela gives Brazil an opportunity to assume greater regional leadership at a time when the countrys entire foreign policy is being re-evaluated. Historically, Brazil has shirked the role of regional leader, unsure if it wants to assume the accompanying responsibility. But it now faces security threats from Venezuela, and Brazil will have to deal with them, whether it likes it or not. In the process, Brazil will also have to decide whether its ready to assume regional leadership. " " Michael Botticelli, the former U.S. National Drug Control Policy Director, speaks at the Fed Up! rally to end the opioid epidemic in 2016 in Washington, D.C. Protesters planted signs with photos of loved ones who had died from opioid addiction. John Moore/Getty Images In October, President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency. In a much-publicized White House ceremony, an emotional Trump insisted, "Nobody has seen anything like what's going on now," referring to the thousands of Americans overdosing each year from a class of narcotics that includes prescription painkillers, heroin and fentanyl (a synthetic form of heroin). But we have. Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, the crack cocaine epidemic ravaged poor black communities across the country. When crack arrived in economically depressed urban areas, it proved both powerfully addictive and potentially lucrative. Violent turf wars erupted as dealers fought for control of the market, and the grip of addiction caught many people. Advertisement Treatment of Crack The government's response to the crack epidemic was to double-down on the "War on Drugs" first declared by Richard Nixon in 1971. In 1986, Congress passed the infamous 100-to-1 sentencing law, which treated the possession of 1 gram of crack not the sale, mind you as the equivalent of possessing 100 grams of powder cocaine. This was on top of a five-year mandatory minimum sentence for first-time possession of crack. Since black people accounted for 80 percent of crack arrests, black communities were hardest hit by the ultra-criminalization of crack, which sent young black men to prison at historic rates. The federal prison population swelled from 1985 to 2000 and two-thirds of those convictions were for drug offenses. Studies have shown that although blacks are no more likely than whites to use illegal drugs, they are six-to-10 times more likely to be incarcerated for drug offenses. " " A typical media image from the War on Drugs, 1989: Police officers search through a crack house following a raid. They arrest 82-year-old Frank Wilcher (center), who was running the crack house. Steve Starr/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images Advertisement Treatment of Opioids In contrast to the "tough on crime" response to the crack epidemic, which took its toll primarily on poor black communities, the government response to the opioid crisis in which more than 80 percent of overdose victims are white has been wildly different, particularly in the way that elected officials and law enforcement talk about addiction. When President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency, he talked about his brother who died from an alcohol addiction. Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor who leads Trump's opioid task force, also talks about losing a close friend to opioid addiction. Police departments across the country adopted treatment-first policies that postponed or forwent criminal prosecution for opioid possession and diverted drug offenders to treatment programs. Police officers in the small town of Laconia, New Hampshire, a state hit particularly hard by overdose deaths, carry business cards that read, "The Laconia Police Department recognizes that substance misuse is a disease. We understand you can't fight this alone." One reason that most opioid addicts are white could be because they are more likely to be prescribed pain medication. One study showed that doctors are less likely to prescribe pain medication for their black patients, believing (falsely) they had a higher pain threshold. Advertisement The Experts Weigh In Ekow Yankah, a law professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, finds this treatment-first rhetoric a little bittersweet. He says that while it's heartening to see local law enforcement and elected officials talking about addicts as victims instead of moral degenerates, it's not like any of it is based on new information. "We spent two generations locking up young black men for any reason we could, in large part covered by the War on Drugs. And then we have an explosion of addiction in the white community, and suddenly everybody starts reading all the science that's been around for two decades," says Yankah. Yankah is one of many voices calling out the clear racial divide between the hyper-criminalization and moral outcry over crack addiction and the leniency and compassion shown toward opioid addiction. When pregnant black mothers became addicted to crack, it sparked a national panic over "crack babies." Today, a baby is born addicted to opioids every 19 minutes, but where is the vilification of "opioid moms"? Much was made during the 2016 presidential campaign about the economic toll of globalization on rural, mostly white communities, and how the ensuing joblessness and hopelessness helped to fuel the opioid crisis. Maia Szalavitz, a New York-based journalist who has written extensively about addiction, wonders why the same connections weren't drawn between economic depression and drug use in black communities. "The reason we saw crack hit black neighborhoods the way it did in the '80s and '90s, was because they had high unemployment levels and were hit hard by deindustrialization," says Szalavitz, "all the same things we're seeing in rural white communities now." Yankah says that plenty of sociologists and economists were making those connections back in the 1980s, but their voices and data were drowned out by a media narrative that preferred to place the blame for the crack epidemic on negligent black mothers and absent black fathers. "If you ask me, do I think if you changed the race of the victims, will our sympathies change?" Yankah says. "I have to say yes." Now That's Interesting The "crack baby" panic of the late 1980s was sparked by one preliminary study of just 23 infants and led to predictions that an entire generation would grow up to sickly, brain damaged and heavily dependent on social services. Longitudinal studies have since exposed the crack baby myth, showing that full-term babies born to crack-addicted mothers show no health differences compared to their peers. " " Women work out during a master Pilates class using reformers, a piece of Pilates equipment that provides support and resistance. Jabin Botsford / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images If you do aerobics regularly at a gym, your instructor might tell you to also take "a yoga or Pilates class for stretching." After all, both exercises include poses intended to increase flexibility. And both offer a quieter, more relaxing alternative to a step or spin class. But while yoga and Pilates get sometimes lumped together, the two disciplines are quite different. Yoga is believed to be more than 5,000 years old [source: Eisler]. It started in India, though no one knows who originated the practice. There are dozens of variations, although Hatha yoga is probably the most widely known and practiced version in the Western world today [source: Feuerstein]. Advertisement On the other hand, Pilates was developed in Germany by Joseph Pilates over a period of years, beginning in the early 1900s. Upon emigrating to the U.S. in the 1920s, Joseph and his wife opened a studio in New York City, which was frequented by a group of devoted followers, including many professional dancers. A couple of students eventually opened up their own studios, and the discipline began to spread across the U.S. and eventually the world [source: Joseph Pilates]. So why do people often confuse yoga and Pilates? Maybe it's because practitioners of both disciplines carry around rolled-up mats and spend time lying on the floor. More seriously, there is some overlap with the poses. Joseph Pilates had studied yoga and incorporated some of the moves into his own exercise routine [source: Hessel]. Another similarity is that both practices emphasize breathing, though in different ways, which we'll discuss later. A final similarity: Both routines earn accolades from their very vocal celebrity followers. Yoga is the workout of choice for A-listers such as Adam Levine, Madonna, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, who particularly appreciates the positive impact of yoga on his sex life [source: McKernan]. And David Beckham, Cameron Diaz and Megan Fox are just a handful of the celebs who swear by the body-changing abilities of Pilates [source: McClain]. Now that we've looked at the parallels, let's see what makes each unique. My names Will Capers. For almost nine years, Ive blogged on various topics. I blogged as Blaque Ink first, and as Brotha Wolf second. The latter had a mu... 2 years ago 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. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ Official figures indicate that at least 70 people have been killed in floods that affected nearly all of Irans 31 provinces, but the theocratic regimes detractors accuse it of downplaying a death toll that is upwards of three times that number. Many of those same critics emphasize that government institutions like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have placed more focus on managing public outrage over a situation that was exacerbated by poor infrastructure and resource management than on actually providing relief to those affected. That accusation was substantiated in the last days of March, when outlets including the Center for Human Rights in Iran reported that authorities had expressly warned citizens of the potential for prosecution if they posted on social media about their experiences or otherwise communicated publicly about the regimes activities in the wake of the flooding. The IHRM report then made it clear that the same authorities had followed up on these threats with action by making arrests at the same time that they contradicted citizens accounts through state propaganda networks. The report quoted Hossein Rahimi, the commander of state security forces, as praising the governments relief response and decrying the public for supposedly exploiting the situation to undermine confidence in the government. All officials, including government officials and the armed forces, made great efforts during the floods, but unfortunately some people have destroyed their image, he said before announcing the arrests that had been carried out with the help of the nations cyber police. IHRM also referenced other Iranian law enforcement officials, to demonstrate that the stated priority of regime authorities is to maintain the security of the state in the midst of a crisis that has helped to stoke public outrage. Indeed, a report published on April 3 by EA Worldview quoted General Mohammad Pakpour, the head of the IRGCs ground forces, as saying the people are in a rebellious mood amidst the floods and the uncoordinated recovery effort. In the face of that outrage, some authorities have acknowledged simply steering clear of flood-hit populations a situation that in turn spurred many citizens to take it upon themselves to offer relief efforts. But as the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran revealed, this led to conflict between the IRGC and residents of certain areas over whether to direct floodwaters away from homes and farmland or away from industrial infrastructure controlled by the IRGC itself. The resulting efforts by the IRGC to tear down civilian flood barriers led to violent clashes in Khuzestan Province, with the Guards firing upon the crowd, wounding several individuals and reportedly killing one. In the days following that report, further evidence emerged of the IRGC and other security forces actively opposing and criminalizing civilian-led recovery efforts. In another April 8 report, IHRM noted that two residents of a village in Khuzestan had been arrested while providing aid to victims of the flooding. The authorities motive for their arrest was not immediately clear, but it is perhaps significant that both arrestees were identified as members of Irans ethnic Arab minority. Yet another IHRM report states that in a different Khuzestan village, an elder by the name of Khalaf Mardani was arrested and transported to an undisclosed location after trying to prevent the IRGC from destroying civilian-made flood barriers. The decision to arrest this individual specifically may have been motivated in part by his status as a tribal sheikh, insofar as it sends a message to the rest of the population and thus puts pressure on the entire Ahvazi Arab community. Of course, this sort of pressure is also exerted by the floods themselves, with Khuzestan being one of the hardest hit areas. As Asharq al-Awsat pointed out on Friday, the disaster has deepened the preexisting adversity for Ahvazi Arab communities, especially as the government appears reluctant to declare a state of emergency even while the city of Ahvaz is threatened by the convergence of two nearby rivers. The report emphasizes that locally displaced people are suffering from a lack of food and aid, in the face of a crisis that many attribute in large part of systematic mismanagement. In context with previous reporting upon Tehrans crackdown on the Arab population, the latest stories from Khuzestan Province may suggest that the absence of relief is to some degree intentional. On March 26, as the flooding crisis was just beginning, IHRM reported upon the long-term repression of the Ahvazi Arab community, particularly in the wake of last Septembers attack on a military parade by separatist gunmen. This attack apparently set the stage for warrantless and indiscriminate raids and arrests, with entire families being subjected to indefinite detention in some cases. In much the same sense as the military parade provided an excuse for the intensification of pressure on one of Irans already marginalized minorities, the Khuzestan flooding may be regarded as an opportunity for more of the same. This perception is arguably supported by the announcement that Qassem Soleimani, the head of the IRGCs Quds Force, would be spending a month overseeing recovery efforts in Khuzestan, as well as Lorestan. The IRGC, having been the target of Septembers separatist attack, is also a driving force behind the ongoing, generalized crackdown on the local community. On the other hand, a report by EA Worldview emphasizes the effort to use Soleimanis deployment as a means of further raising the profile of the IRGC, although it does not dispute accounts of the paramilitary organizations misplaced priorities in previous recovery efforts. Indeed, the Quds Force commanders presence can be expected to fulfill the dual roles of threatening the regimes critics and promoting the IRGC among its hardline supporters. The latter goal has clearly already been a guiding principle in some of the actions and public statements by IRGC officers and others. Many reports have highlighted conflicts between the two factions of Iranian politics against the backdrop of the flooding. And some of these quoted the IRGCs chief commander, Mohammadi Ali Jafari, as placing blame for the inadequate government response not only on the pragmatist administration of President Hassan Rouhani but also on all those who voted for him in 2013 and again in 2017. Its the people who should have made the right choice. They are the ones who need to act with watchfulness, Jafari said according to EA Worldview. But as recent clashes demonstrate, the IRGC commander likely did not mean to imply that the people themselves should take control of relief efforts. Yet this precise recommendation has been offered by persons outside of the Iranian government and particularly by its longstanding critics, like the National Council of Resistance of Iran. On Friday, NCRI leader Maryam Rajavi reiterated her call for civilian intervention in the face of inaction and repression by regime authorities. Specifically referencing the people and youth of Ahvaz and other parts of Khuzestan in a statement on the organizations website, the Resistance leader urged public accessibility for resources belonging to the IRGC, the army, and other government institutions. These facilities are abundantly available, the statement observed before lamenting that currently they all serve to suppress the people, wage war in the region and fill the pockets of the regimes leaders. For instance, in July 1988, after the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, after sacrificing the lives of almost 1 million Iranians, agreed to a cease-fire with Iraq, Khomeini began to worry about the vulnerability of his regime to public unrest. So, the Supreme Leader ordered a fatwa that ensured the execution of some 30,000 MEK members and sympathizers who were being held in regime prisons. During the summer of 1988, Iran executed thousands. Shockingly, Irans current judiciary chiefEbrahim Raisiserved on the death commission that sent many of these prisoners to the death. While Mr. Rubin writes that this group, is unable to win any support from Iranians inside Iran, the facts seem to give little credibility to his statement. In fact, Iran has been facing unprecedented waves of protests throughout the country since December 2017. Iranians from all classes, social backgrounds, and from the countrys thirty-one provinces have been demonstrating against clerical rule, especially the young. Students, merchants, truck drivers, the educated and illiterate have all called for an end to the Iranian regime. Video evidence from inside Iran shows that many of these protestors are MEK supporters. Pictures of Maryam Rajavi, the head of the MEKs parent organization, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), hang from highway overpasses, and signs that condemn the regime are paraded. The MEK is endorsed outside mosques and at major squares in Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz and even Qom. These supporters are putting their lives on the line just like in 1988 if they are caught, they and their family members will be arrested, tortured and some will probably be executed. Still, they persist. If Mr. Rubin contends that the MEK are inept, then why is the Iranian regime so obsessed with demonizing them. Why would a group with little support inside Iran merit such attention? Like the nineteen movies, series, and documentaries that Irans state-run media has produced to demonize the MEK. In 2018, eighteen major books were published by the regime against the MEK. Irans Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei excoriated the MEK by name at least four times. As well, Irans President Hassan Rouhani has directly blamed the MEK for organizing public protests. When the protests in Iran were at their height in January 2018, President Rouhani personally phoned French President Emmanuel Macron and asked him to limit the activities of the MEK in France. However, Macron refused. Recently, the head of a major Canadian think tank revealed that the Iranian regime embassy offered him up to $80,000 to refer to the MEK as a cult in his publications. This is unprecedented. This demonization campaign displays the regimes fear of the MEK (and only the MEK) as an existential threat. Now, Irans government has resorted to terrorism to silence the MEK. At least three major terrorist plots coordinated by the regime against the MEK were uncovered in 2018 in the United States, Albania, and France. As far back as 2004, the United States recognized the rights of the MEK as protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention, after an exhaustive sixteen-month investigation of each and every member of the MEK by seven different agencies of the U.S. Government. They concluded that there was no basis to charge any member of the group [MEK] with the violation of American law. The MEKs base of support lies in the hearts and minds of the legions of Iranians. Soon their dream of a peaceful and democratic Iran may be realized, with the help of the MEK. The pending development of MESA is indicative of recent trends that have emerged in response to the Iranian regimes destabilizing actions in the region. The proliferation of Iran-backed militant groups in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and elsewhere has generated a great deal of concern about a growing threat to the interests of the Gulf Arab states as well as to Israel and their Western allies. But the Egyptian withdrawal is indicative of the uncertainty with which some nations are viewing the collective response, especially those nations that are in some sense torn between partnerships with the US and Iran. The Egyptian government acknowledged its second thoughts ahead of a meeting of the prospective member states, which was scheduled for Sunday. It was not immediately clear whether any particular event or statement had precipitated the withdrawal decision, and an anonymous Arab source told Reuters that multiple rationales were given, including doubts about the seriousness and specificity of the proposal, and concerns that it would only exacerbate existing tensions with the Islamic Republic. This latter concern was likely elevated by the announcement, earlier the same week, that the Trump administration would be designating and sanctioning the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization. This prompted Tehran to make a similar declaration about the US military, and it spurred vigorous debate in the international press about the prospective impact of such measures on relations among the two countries and their respective allies. There is little question about the potential for the IRGC terror designation to increase tensions, but as one policy analyst explained in an interview with CNBC, the White House truly believes that a strategy of maximum pressure will bring Iranian officials back to the negotiating table and convince them to, in the words of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, behave like a normal country. From the explanation of Egypts reasoning behind the pullout from MESA, it is not clear whether its government lacks confidence in the strategy itself or merely has questions about whether it is being effectively implemented. If the latter, then Cairos doubts are shared even by some of President Trumps allies inside Washington, as evidenced by a report published in Bloomberg on Thursday. That report highlights an effort by several Republican senators to accelerate the maximum pressure campaign even in the wake of the IRGC terror designation. Specifically, those lawmakers urged the cancellation of waivers associated with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, from which the US withdrew last year. An April 9 letter to the president urges him to finally end all US implementation of that deal by disallowing allied countries from continuing to facilitate Irans civilian nuclear program, which many suspect to have functioned as a cover for Tehrans pursuit of nuclear weapons. This particular call to action by Iran hawks goes hand-in-hand with demands for an end to waivers on purchasing of Irans oil exports, which were granted to eight countries when the sanctions came back into effect last November. The White House is reportedly considering the possibility of allowing all of those waivers to expire without renewal next month, and Brian Hook, the State Departments special envoy for Iran policy, has boasted that three of the eight recipients have already halted all imports of Iranian oil. Market conditions could make it difficult to withhold all waivers without sparking a surge in global oil prices, although several of the MESA member states could help to avoid this situation by raising their own petroleum output in advance. President Trump has made a number of public statements urging them to do just this, but Saudi Arabia and other members of the oil exporting countries are currently holding firm to an agreement that sets specific limits on production. From the perspective of Egyptian policymakers or anyone else who is uncertain about the seriousness of MESAs plan to contain Iran, this sort of reluctance may not be confidence-inspiring. But if the slow progress toward maximum pressure is part of Egypts reasoning, then its withdrawal from the alliance could motivate the Saudis and their partners to reconsider Trumps recommendation. Notably, sources close to MESA discussions indicated that Egypts decision did not appear to be final and could still be revoked. Furthermore, the other states appear uniformly committed to preserving and formalizing the full alliance, and may be willing to take new steps to see that this happens. We all want them back, one of those sources said of Egypts uncertain membership. Welcome, Neighbor! Thank you for sharing my journey with me. It's a bumpy ride, but hopefully you'll find it worthwhile! To reach out to me, send me an e-mail at jamesbradfordpate@yahoo.com. There is nobody so irritating as somebody with less intelligence and more sense than we have. - Don Herold Sometimes the appropriate response to reality is to go insane. - Phillip K. Dick In the fight between you and the world, back the world.- Frank Zappa - Playhouse stars Angelica Panganiban and Maxene Magalona are currently in Japan for their vacation - Angelica also shared their epic take on the Dalagang Pilipina challenge in Tokyo - The said video and trip garnered reactions from netizens on social media PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Kapamilya star Maxene Magalona and her husband Rob Mananquil have been joined by Angelica Panganiban during their vacation in Japan. It can be remembered that both Angelica and Maxene became close after working together for the first time in the drama television series Playhouse. The two actresses posted photos of themselves enjoying yakitori and milk tea on their social media accounts. KAMI also learned that Angelica uploaded her and Maxenes Tokyo edition of the Dalagang Pilipina challenge much to the amusement of netizens online. PAY ATTENTION: The Meghan Effect: 10 Brands Whose Sales Skyrocketed In Recent Years Because Of Meghan Markle Watch their funny video below: The said video and trip elicited reactions from netizens on social media. Ang sarap naman ng nabuong friendship sa inyo @iamangelicap @maxenemagalona Wow!! Best of friends na sila in real life!!! Dyan na prove na best friend ng lahat si Angelica very nice person IN & OUT!! Mas mahal ko na talaga ang friendship na 'to! Sobrang SWAK na may SWAG! You two are the best, nakaka good vibes kayo, kapag napapanood ko mga vid nio na ganito i can't help but smile Hahaha laugh trip talaga ang pattykins and natalia tandem!! Haha.. kayo na talaga! 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! As reported earlier by KAMI, Angelica Panganiban shared pictures of her taken from her recent Boracay trip. A netizen commented and implied that the actress was pregnant. The actress answered back calmly to the netizen. Angelica Panganiban is a Filipina actress who has been in several failed relationships. She and Carlo Aquino are exes, and they recently did a movie together, "Exes Baggage." However, things have gone sour after photos of Carlo Aquino with a non-showbiz girl surfaced. POPULAR: Read more news about Angelica Panganiban Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! In this video, we conducted a prank in public by showing how people react to someone farting out loud in public. Check out more of our videos - on KAMI HumanMeter Youtube channel! 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(10) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (5) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (6) Sep 18 (6) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (6) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (7) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (10) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (3) Sep 08 (8) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (7) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (6) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (6) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (4) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (5) Aug 25 (9) Aug 24 (7) Aug 23 (8) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (9) Aug 20 (8) Aug 19 (7) Aug 18 (6) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (6) Aug 12 (5) Aug 11 (7) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (9) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (6) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (7) Aug 02 (8) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (8) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (9) Jul 25 (9) Jul 24 (7) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (7) Jul 21 (9) Jul 20 (6) Jul 19 (9) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (2) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (7) Jul 14 (7) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (4) Jul 10 (7) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (8) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (6) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (6) Jun 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11 (1) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (1) Jun 07 (1) Jun 06 (1) Jun 04 (2) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (1) May 31 (3) May 30 (1) May 29 (1) May 28 (2) May 26 (1) May 25 (1) May 18 (1) May 17 (1) May 15 (1) May 09 (1) May 07 (2) May 02 (1) May 01 (1) Apr 30 (1) Apr 27 (1) Apr 26 (2) Apr 23 (1) Apr 22 (1) Apr 19 (1) Apr 18 (1) Apr 12 (1) Apr 11 (1) Apr 09 (1) Apr 07 (1) Apr 05 (1) Apr 01 (1) Mar 30 (1) Mar 27 (1) Mar 25 (1) Mar 22 (2) Mar 19 (1) Mar 18 (1) Mar 16 (1) Mar 15 (2) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (1) Triumphal entry from the notebooks, Palm Sunday, April 14, 2019. Posted on Good Friday, April 10, 2020. Unstuck in time, Palm Sunday, March 28, 2021. From the opening credits scene in the 1972 movie adaptation of Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse Five. Posted this one on Palm Sunday last year. Im posting it again today because its Palm Sunday, but as the Tralfamadorians would say, I have always posted it and I always will post it. Seen from their point of view, this blog is one long post stretching back to September 2004 and forward from there to now and however many more years I keep at this. So, listen: This blog is unstuck in time... Last month [March 31, 2019.] was the 50th anniversary of the publication of Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five. I was surprised when I learned this. I thought it was older. If youd asked me Id have said it was published in 1965. I dont know why 1965. I read it in 1971. I thought of it as a classic. I thought classics were old. Like Huckleberry Finn and Moby-Dick, classics I had already read. Of course I knew it wasnt that old. I knew when World War II was. I knew Vonnegut was still alive. But In 1971, 1965 seemed a long time in the past to me. I couldnt imagine that a book that famous had only recently landed in the bookstores. That it was as new as the last Hardy Boys mystery Id read, which probably actually was the last Hardy Boys mystery I read. How could I go back to reading about those two teenage sleuths and their chums solving mysteries in Bayshore after reading what happened to Billy Pilgrim in Dresden? In February of 1945, when the allies firebombed Dresden, Billy was only a few years older than Frank and Joe. Vonnegut himself, who was in Dresden that day as a POW, was only twenty-two. If I could work my will every future edition of Slaughterhouse-Five would come minus the first chapter. The first chapter is about how Vonnegut came to write the novel. It doesn't get the story rolling. It's really an author's introduction. If I could work my will it would be noted as such, what's now Chapter 2 would become Chapter 1, and the novel proper would begin where the story begins and with what then would be one of the greatest opening lines in American literature. Listen: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time. Vonnegut is echoing Melville. He might as well have begun Listen: Call him Billy. But what he wrote is better than Melville. Call me Ishmael doesnt get the story rolling. It doesnt even mean anything, at least not to any readers who arent well-versed in their bible reading and know who the Ishmael in the Book of Genesis was. Call me Ishmael is just Melville clearing his throat. Its the second paragraph where he hoists the mainsail and sets sail. Thats not just a metaphor. If I could work my will Id seriously consider eliminating Call me Ishmael from all future editions of Moby-Dick. The second paragraph is one of the greatest opening paragraphs in American literature. Its one of the greatest paragraphs ever written. Back to Slaughterhouse-Five. Listen: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time is actually printed as two lines. Listen: is the whole first paragraph. I think Vonnegut made a mistake there. So Ive always corrected it in my head. Ive corrected it here because I can work my will here. Listen: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time. I'm surprised Vonnegut used a colon there. Vonnegut hated semicolons. All they do is show youve been to college, he declared. Ive always assumed he felt the same about colons. On the other hand, James Baldwin seems to have liked them: he used them frequently. Maybe an editor stuck it in. It seems appropriate to put Slaughterhouse-Five in the line of American classics that arguably begins with Moby-Dick. Hemingway had his opinion. I have mine. Im open to the argument that Im wrong. I argue with myself about it. All American literature began with Melville. Or it began with Hawthorne. If it didnt, it began with Washington Irving, specifically The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Or it began with Huck Finn. Hemingway could be right. Its more than appropriate to mention Twain and Vonnegut in the same breath. If all American literature did begin with Huckleberry Finn, it runs in a straight line to Slaughterhouse-Five, barely taking a breath at anything Hemingway himself wrote. For the record, the novel by Twain I think pairs best with Slaughterhouse-Five is A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court. I probably think this because I read them at about the same time. Close enough in time that I might as well have read them back to back. To make the case Slaughterhouse-Five and A Connecticut Yankee are books separated at birth by eighty years I would have to read them back to back now. I dont have the time or the mental or physical energy. An interesting thing has happened concerning my love for Vonnegut. Somewhere along the line Slaughterhouse-Five stopped being my favorite of his books. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater took over. Eliot Rosewater makes a cameo appearance in Slaughterhouse-Five. He and Billy Pilgrim share a room in the psychiatric ward at the veterans hospital. Billy, unstuck in time again, has traveled back to 1948, when he was still in optometry school. He had had a nervous breakdown. Eliot Rosewater was tired of being drunk all the time. Vonnegut gives him one of my favorite lines in the novel. Another time Billy heard Rosewater say to a psychiatrist, I think you guys are going to have to come up with a lot of wonderful new lies, or people just arent going to want to go on living. In one of their scenes together, Rosewater tells Billy that everything there is to know about life is in The Brothers Karamazov by Feodor Dostoevsky. I think everything there is to know about life in these United States is in God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. The reason I think that is God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater" is about money. Vonnegut puts it right there in the first paragraph. A sum of money is a leading character in this tale about people, just as a sum of honey might properly be a leading character in a tale about bees. Not as good an opening paragraph as "Listen: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time" or even "Call me Ishmael" but it's pretty good. "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater" is another one I need to re-read to make the argument. I last re-read God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater two and a half years ago when I was in the hospital recovering from back surgery (July 2016). Two and a half years feels like ages ago. In 1971, I might have started out to read Slaughterhouse-Five in the line of classics Id already read: Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn; Moby-Dick; Treasure Island; Last of the Mohicans; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. But very quickly in I realized it was a break with those books. I knew it for the first adult novel I would read. Those other books were adventure stories. Boys adventure stories. Huck Finn is a boys adventure story. Slaughterhouse-Five centers around what a boy like I was could consider a boys adventure. I was used to adventure stories set in during World War II. One of my favorite books at the time, The Guns of Navarone, is an adventure story set during World War II. In 1971 when I first read Slaughterhouse Five, I read it at the house Mom and Pop Mannion had just bought on Lake George. The previous owner left-behind all her furniture. That included a bookcase full of books that were Book-of-the-Month Club selections going back several years. Slaughterhouse Five was one of them. Pop Mannion became a Vonnegut fan about a week before I did. He read that same copy of Slaughterhouse Five and then passed it on to me. Pops birthday is coming up. April 27. Itll be the first one without him. Pop didnt like us to make a fuss about his birthday. He used to like to say whenever his birthday was coming and he saw us starting to make plans for a party, What does the fact the earth has made another trip around the sun have to do with me? On the 27th the earth will have made just three days short of three-quarters of another trip around the sun without him. He died on August 1 of last year. You know what recurring line from Slaughterhouse-Five goes here, dont you? Kurt Vonnegut died on April 11, 2007. The earth has made twelve trips around the sun without him, almost to the day. This time Im not going to resist. So it goes. Today is Palm Sunday. Its a good occasion to re-tell what Vonnegut called the only joke in the New Testament. It occurs in the gospel of John. Chapter 12, verses 1-8, to be exact. Its the scene in which Mary anoints Jesus feet with oil and Judas objects. The oil is expensive. Judas complains that the money spent on the oil could have been better spent on feeding the poor. Jesus tells Judas to leave Mary alone. The poor, he says, you always have with you, but you do not always have me. Conservative Christians and Republicans have taken great satisfaction in using that passage to argue against the government safety net. Whats the use of wasting the taxpayers money on programs that wont eliminate poverty? they will propound, as if the only point of SNAP, Medicaid, housing subsidies, the ACA, school lunches, unemployment benefits, universal preschool, and other welfare programs was social engineering and evening out the wealth. They dont work. Theres always going to be poor people. Jesus himself said so. Vonnegut contended that Jesus was being ironic at Judas expense. The nuns who taught us at St. Helens taught us the same thing. It was six days before Passover. Jesus had a week left to live. He knew what was ahead of him, and he knew who was going to bring it about. And he was letting Judas know that he knew. You can help the poor later, he was tacitly saying, you know, after Im arrested, tortured, condemned to death, marched up to Golgotha, crucified, die in agony and doubt, and am buried, which is going to happen within the week, thanks to you. Vonnegut gave his exegesis of Johns gospel in a lay sermon he preached at the invitation of the pastor of an Episcopal church in New York City many trips around the sun ago. He tells that story and recounts his sermon in an essay in Palm Sunday, a book he subtitled An Autobiographical College. Often his non-fiction was better than his fiction. Vonnegut sometimes called himself a Christ-worshiping agnostic. He was closer to being a Christ-worshiping atheist. His friend Isaac Asimov was a straight-up atheist. Asimov died in 1992. So it goes. He died on April 2, ten days before Palm Sunday that year. I think hed have liked to have died a day sooner. I think hed have thought April Fools Day was a more appropriate death date for himself. Vonnegut delivered a eulogy at a memorial service for Asimov which was sponsored by the American Humanist Association. He opened with what he called his best joke. Isaac is up in heaven now. Vonnegut said that it was the funniest thing he could have said to a roomful of humanists. Had the mourners rolling in the aisles. He said he wanted someone to rewrite the joke for his funeral when the time came: Kurt is up in heaven now. I hope someone did. There are several spots in that second-to-the-last paragraph where I could have worked in a semicolon or a colon. I left them out in Vonneguts memory. And to be funny. I think Vonnegut himself would have recognized the joke and laughed. If he were up in heaven now. The picture up at the top of this post is from the opening sequence of the movie adaptation of Slaughterhouse-Five. Its one of the best film adaptations of a great novel I can name. It was directed by George Roy Hill in 1972 and starred Michael Sacks as Billy Pilgrim. Ive always wondered why Sacks didnt go on to have a better career than he did. He was good as Billy at every stage of Billys adult life. George Roy Hill was in the middle of an already great career. Hill directed his last movie in 1988. He died in 2002. So it...you know. Pop Mannion liked the movie too. But he thought Hill got the ending wrong. The movie ends on the planet Tralfamadore with Billy and Montana Wildhack celebrating the birth of their child. Montana Wildhack is the adult film star the Tralfamadorians brought from Earth to be Billys companion and mate. Montana Wildhack was played by the to my teenage eyes mind-bogglingly voluptuous Valerie Perrine. Perrines another one I wonder about. Why didnt she have a more stellar career? She fared a bit better than Sack in the 70s. She had major roles in several more good movies after Slaughterhouse-Five. Lenny. Superman. Superman II. After that though it was mostly cameo appearances in which she often played parodies of herself and guest appearances on TV shows. She should have been the Judy Holliday of the 70s and 80s. She was that good and that funny. The Tralfamadorians celebrate with Billy and Montana. The last image of the movie is of fireworks bursting in the night sky above the geodesic dome thats Billy and Montanas home and cage and the two of them waving to their invisible, skyborne hosts/captors/keepers. Pop Mannion thought the movie shouldnt have ended there. He thought the story should have come unstuck in time one last time and jumped back to where it began, with Billy back in Europe in World War II, trudging through the snow, on his way to being captured by the Germans and sent to Dresden. I think Pop was right. So Listen: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time Saturday, April 13, 2019 United States District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi Carlton Reeves in a speech at the University of Virginia School of Law addressed the critiques of the judiciary and the lack of diversity in judicial appointments. Judge Reeves recounts a history of the federal bench and equality, with some progress in diversifying the bench, but naming the present state of affairs as the "third great assault on our judiciary." The written version of the speech includes footnotes, including references to presidential tweets. In speaking about "this Administrations judicial nominations, especially those confirmed with the advice and consent of the Senate," Judge Reeves noted: Of the Article III judges confirmed under the current Administration, 90% have been white. Just one of those judges is black. Just two are Hispanic. Its not just about racial diversity. Barely 25% of this Administrations confirmed judges are women. None have been black or Latina. Achieving complete gender equality on the federal bench would require us to confirm only 23 women a year. How hard could that be? . . . . Think: in a country where they make up just 30% of the population, non-Hispanic white men make up nearly 70% of this Administrations confirmed judicial appointees. Thats not what America looks like. Thats not even what the legal profession looks like. In addition to commenting on the lack of diversity on the United States Supreme Court ("We have as many justices who have graduated from Georgetown Prep as we have Justices who have lived as a non-white person") and the duty of judges to diversify their own hiring of law clerks, Judge Reeves spoke to access to justice issues: Courts must do more than denounce and diversify. For the attack on the judiciary aims to close the courthouse doors to those who most need justice by shrinking the size, resources, and jurisdiction of courts. Over the last 30 years,while the U.S. population has increased by over 30%; Congress has increased the number of Article III judges by just 3%. Meanwhile, there are continued attempts to close the doors to our own courtrooms. I think of heightened pleading standards, the rise of mandatory arbitration, and judges who proclaim that prisoner civil rights cases should be eliminated from federal dockets. Defending the judiciary requires judges to demand, not diminish, the resources they need to find truth. We must expand the reach and power of our courts, offering justice to all who claim the promise of America. The speech is worth listening to in full: https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/conlaw/2019/04/daily-read-federal-judge-reeves-on-attacks-on-the-judiciary.html In order to continue enjoying our site, we ask you enter in the text you see in the image below so we can confirm your identity as a human. Thank you very much for your cooperation. Almost a month has passed since Cyclone Idai hit southeastern Africa. The storm left over 1,000 people dead and many others missing. It caused heavy damage in parts of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. In the port of Beira, along Mozambiques coast, life is still far from normal. Most businesses remain closed. Many people are struggling to recover from Cyclone Idai. The cyclone destroyed the home of 39-year-old Maria Muchane. She told VOA that she is slowly rebuilding her life. Muchane said she put old pieces of iron on top of her house so she could have a place to hide and keep out the rain. But, she says, when rainfall comes, the water comes in. Muchane survived the storms strong winds. But she was nearly killed when electric wires and the pole that held them up collapsed. The wires and pole have yet to be fixed. Across Beira, many wires are still on the ground. They are a sign the city government is overwhelmed by Cyclone Idai. The storm hit Mozambique in the middle of March, killing more than 800 people. It left hundreds of thousands homeless or displaced. Some people are starting to rebuild, but those who need more money end up in accommodation centers. Victoria Jone says she has nowhere else to go because the storm destroyed the house a religious group gave her. More than 150,000 displaced persons from three neighboring areas around Beira are being sheltered in the city. Maria Joao fled from the town of Buzi. She and others say they are afraid of returning home because of the floods that killed their neighbors. Maria Joao said that she has no plans to return, unless, maybe she gets a home on higher ground. She said the floodwaters were too much, and the floods could come back again next year. While some businesses have reopened, many others remain closed. Goods left in storm damaged storage centers have to be moved to safer places. Davis Simango is the mayor of Beira city. He told VOA that everyone there has a role to play in the rebuilding effort. We are going to rebuild the city. Your hands will also help to rebuild the city. So I think they will be useful to us. The most important thing as more people you have in the city more pressure you have in the infrastructures. I am talking about public infrastructure. So now we need to rebuild quickly (the) public infrastructure so that we can support the pressure we have right now. But in nearly a month since Cyclone Idai destroyed their world, survivors see no end in sight to the many problems caused by the storm. Im Jonathan Evans. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story accommodation n. a room, group of rooms of building in which people may stay infrastructure - n. the physical structures, such as roads and power supplies, needed for the operation of businesses or an area We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. Understanding the cost of attending a college or university in the United States is not always easy. All colleges and universities in the U.S. are able to set their own tuition and housing prices, as well as charge other program fees. A student may be able to find these costs listed on a schools website or in a college advice book. But such estimates usually do not include other costs related to higher education, such as books and supplies, transportation and cost of living. That is why the U.S. Congress passed the Higher Education Opportunity Act, which created new rules for how schools present this information, in 2008. Part of this law requires all colleges and universities that accept students federal financial aid to report on the total cost of their programs. The Department of Education collects data from the schools on average tuition payments as well as averages of other hidden costs. The agency also collects data on scholarships and other forms of aid the schools give to students to help reduce those costs. Another requirement is that the schools must have a tool on their websites that provides specific estimates of all costs for students. This tool is meant to gather information about an individuals financial situation and calculate how much aid the school might offer them. The tool then presents the student with a price estimate that takes that aid into consideration. The final result is known as the net price. However, a new study suggests that many schools are not fully meeting the laws requirements for these net price calculators. And experts worry this could harm students abilities to make the best decisions when applying to colleges and universities. Researchers with the University of Pennsylvanias Graduate School of Education looked at the net price calculators of 80 schools. Half of them were public colleges and universities. The other half were private non-profit institutions. They were all schools with a high percentage of students who receive Pell grants, a form of federal financial aid that goes to poorer students. The researchers released their findings last month. They found many of the schools net price calculators to be lacking in some way. Nearly a third of the schools calculators did not meet the federal governments definition of net price, failing to include costs like books and supplies. Additionally, half of the schools calculators were using data that was at least two years old. The links to the calculators for five of the schools did not work every time the researchers used them. And, two of the schools had no calculator at all. Laura Perna is a professor at the Graduate School of Education and the lead researcher on the study. She notes that while the group of schools is rather small, the findings do suggest a larger problem. In fact, a 2012 Institute for College Access and Success study of net price calculators at 50 colleges and universities had similar results. Pernas study did not look at why schools might be failing to meet the governments requirements. But she did say there is no governing body at the Department of Education that punishes schools for not providing up-to-date, correct net price calculators. And there is no single design for the calculators that schools are required to use. As the cost of college continues to rise, a school presenting older, less costly net price data might appeal to more students. And a higher application rate makes the school appear more desirable overall, Perna says. Some of the practices hopefully are not being done simply because institutions want more applications, but there could be some motivations along those lines as well, she told VOA. But, Archie Cubarrubia argues that the reasons behind this are likely more related to operational problems that schools face. He is vice president for policy and advocacy for Partners for College Affordability and Public Trust. In 2008, he was working for the Department of Education and helped create the guidelines for net price calculators. He notes that presenting net price data that is complete and up to date is very important. It is especially important for poorer students, who might only apply to colleges if they seem within their budget. But Cubarubbia adds that the 2008 law require colleges and universities to report huge amounts of all kinds of data. Not all of it is related to cost, and most of it comes from several different departments within the schools. Institutions with larger budgets are able to make sure that the necessary data is communicated effectively between departments and with the government, he says. Those schools are better able to make sure the calculators on their websites are providing up-to-date information. But, that is not always the case at schools with competing budgetary concerns. What ends up happening is because the federal requirements are so piecemeal and different offices are responsible for different pieces, one piece falls through the cracks and nobodys looking at it, said Cubarrubia. He adds that the government should consider simplifying its data requirements. Last month, U.S. lawmakers proposed the Net Price Calculator Improvement Act to Congress. It is aimed at creating a stronger definition of the data that go into net price calculations and how schools must present such tools. Im Pete Musto. And Im Dorothy Gundy. Pete Musto reported this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. How difficult is it for students to understand the cost of higher education in your country? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________- Quiz - Some US Colleges Fail to Present Real Costs for Students Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story tuition n. money that is paid to a school for the right to study there scholarship(s) n. an amount of money that is given by a school or an organization to a student to help pay for the student's education specific adj. relating to a given person or situation calculate v. to find a number or answer by using mathematical processes apply(ing) v. to ask formally for something, such as a job, admission to a school or a loan, usually in writing institution(s) n. an established organization practice(s) n. the action of doing or using something motivation(s) n. a force or influence that causes someone to do something piecemeal adj. done or made in a gradual way in a series of separate steps fall(s) through the cracks idm. to fail to be noticed or included with others This Sichuan chile oil is a hot condiment made by infusing oil with chile peppers, Sichuan pepper, cinnamon, bay leaf, and cloves. Drizzle over rice, noodles, vegetables, stir-fries, eggs, fish, just about anything, and prepare to be amazed. One of the best condiments weve tried. This tongue-tingling Sichuan chile oil is hot. Theres no denying that. But its hot in a haunting and earthy and floral and pretty much addictive sorta way thanks to the dried chiles and Sichuan peppers doing a little dance with a touch of cinnamon, cloves, and star anise. What you end up with is a subtle complexity, making this fiery condiment eminently more interesting than any store-bought chile oil. Known as red oil in China, its absolutely transformative with whatever you drizzle it over, including rice, noodles, potstickers, fish, stir-fries, and all manner of steamed or grilled vegetables. Now thats what we call hot stuff!Jenny Howard NOTE: What Are Sichuan Peppercorns? Despite the name, Sichuan peppercorns are actually the dried berries of the Chinese prickly ash bush. Numbingly spicy when eaten, they also have an enticing floral and citrusy aroma and come in both red and green varieties. If your whole Sichuan pepper mix contains black seeds along with the red husks, youll want to pick them out since they contribute a rather strong bitterness. We like to toss the Sichuan peppercorns in a hot, dry skillet for a minute or so to coax out all the sensational flavors and aroma before grinding them into a fine powder. Sichuan Chile Oil This Sichuan chile oil is a hot condiment made by infusing oil with chile peppers, Sichuan pepper, cinnamon, bay leaf, and cloves. Drizzle over rice, noodles, vegetables, stir-fries, eggs, fish, just about anything, and prepare to be amazed. One of the best condiments weve tried. Diana Kuan Prep 15 mins Cook 2 hrs Total 2 hrs 15 mins Condiments Chinese No ratings yet Print Recipe Ingredients US Metric 2 heaping cups dried Chinese red chile peppers (70 to 80) preferably Japones or Tien Tsin or another medium-hot variety, or 1/2 cup crushed red chile flakes 2 cups mild vegetable oil or peanut oil 1 cinnamon stick or more as desired 1 bay leaf 2 whole star anise 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or more as desired 2 tablespoons ground Sichuan pepper* (see NOTE above) Directions If youre using whole dried Chinese chile peppers , remove any stems and pulse the whole chiles in a food processor until you have about 1/2 cup coarse flakes. If youre using crushed red chile flakes , proceed to step 2. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the oil until the temperature reads about 200F (95C) on a deep-fry thermometer. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the chile flakes, cinnamon, bay leaf star anise , cloves, and Sichuan pepper. (If more of a warming spice note is desired, add a touch more cinnamon and/or cloves .) Let the oil sit for 2 hours and then scoop out the cinnamon, bay leaf , and star anise and discard. (Do not strain out the chile flakes, cloves , or Sichuan pepper.) Transfer the chile oil to a clean glass jar or use a funnel to transfer it to more slender-necked bottles. Screw on the lid and keep at room temperature. It will keep for up to several months when stored in a cool, dry place. Print Recipe Recipe Testers Reviews Originally published April 14, 2019 Recipe 2019 Diana Kuan. Photo 2019 Diana Kuan . All rights reserved. All materials used with permission. If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Deemed heart of a home, the kitchen is a kernel for flavors and spices, and most importantly a destination for Indias growing spending power. With an ever-increasing majority opting for modern houses today, modular kitchens have become the next big facet of the interior designing industry. Despite these booming trends, challenges grey progress as tackling issues of constricted-spaces, budget-breaking prices and meager technology become impediments. Targeting these crucial factors with a strong-hold in the modular kitchen industry since 2008, grounded in interior designing since 1999, Mumbai-based Goodluck Modular Kitchen(GLMK) crowns top expert in delivering the best modular kitchens-cum-furniture. With its IMOS error-eliminating software, BTS machines and right balance between budget and German-based quality resources, GLMK is a definite go-to for transforming basic kitchens into unique nubs within challenge-worthy time frames, prices and guaranteed service benefits.Headed by Vishal Doke(Founder & MD), the foreman behind customizing impeccable modular designs to precisely meet customer requirements, GLMK maintains a tie-up with the worlds best German-based furniture-fittings manufacturer, Hettich Hardware, to only assure the best. The company utilizes these fittings along with an exhaustive design plan(storage style & capacity) avowing delivery & installation within 25 days(be it 100 or 1000 sq.ft.). Further more exclusive after-sale services in case of damage ensure a 48-hour fixture/ replacement that comes with a 10-year warranty. Thus, GLMK remains as first resort among clients when it comes to desiring distinct kitchen models that guarantee convenience and exceptional delivery of services, leaving it with a 100 percent satisfied customer list for over a decade. "GLMK remains as first resort among clients when it comes to desiring distinct kitchen models that guarantee convenience and exceptional delivery of services" The Kitchen Work Triangle Fortifying well-organized accessible space management, GLMK provides unparalleled models of creating the kitchen work triangle where every thing is at a handy distance. Exclusively imported wood & PU coated shutters available in 17 colours are utilized based on customization or standard protocols. A detailed 3D view of the modelled kitchen is first presented to the customer (who can visualize a replica of the final project via superior software) and the execution process is then carried out for final closure. Leveraging the best resources and advanced tools available in the market (Marine ply, and higher density HDMR-sheets), the company customizes corners & shelves, built-handles/push-open shutters with matched colour laminations utilizing technologically updated channels for a more compact look. The ISO 9001-2015, ISO 1401:2015 and OHSAS 1801: 2007 certified company is an authorized supplier for RBI, a panelled member of NABARD & Anchor(completed over 700 kitchen-projects). Yet, to carve a GLMK impression in mind, the companys contribution to Ideas Cellular gallery in Raigad surfaces, where a 30-day countdown to launch their showroom was set and despite serious challenges, GLMK completed the project well ahead in time. This project earned it an astounding calibre among clients who developed an exclusive trust in its services drawing referrals to its elaborate client list. A Reliable Service Relationship Following its pioneering contribution, the company heeds no stop. Post installing the kitchen at the clients place within three-four days,the Goodluck app empowers customers to lodge any complaint and ensures quick guaranteed resolutions. Replacements are made immediately with legit parts so clients enjoy confidence in what they pay for. Witnessing a turnover of over Rs.5 crore, the company is tied-up with top-architects to help reach a revenue bracket of Rs.30-50 crore in coming years. Vishal states, The world is changing and moving towards technology and convenience, and for all space-saving technology, the solution is modular and we ace that. Rest assured, we guarantee the best kitchen and the best modular furniture for your home at a price challenge as we manufacture kitchen set-up at our manufacturing unit. Report of Brigadier-General Crook. Headquarters, Department of Arizona, in the Field, Fort Bowie, Ariz., April 10, 1886. Washington D.C., War Department publication, 1886, pp 147-196. Disbound from larger volume, with last signature disbound (but present) from this report. Contains the following terrific map: Outline Map of the Field of Operations against Hostile Chiricahuan Indians showing operations from April 12th, 1886 to the date of their Surrender 4th, 1886. A large, 29x25-inch folding black and white map lithographed by the American Graphic Company. (The map's condition is about Fine--there are a few tiny tears at the meeting of the folding joints along the top row, and then a 1" tear from where it was carelessly opened rom teh pamphlet--otherwise, this is in great condition.) The map covers all of Arizona and New Mexico south of 34 degrees N, from Phoenix on the west to not quite Roswell on the east, northern Sonora to well below Hermosillo, and extreme west Texas. On this detailed (1"=15 miles) map are located at least 40 army forts, camps and posts, as well as innumerable railroad whistle stops, ranches, and water holes. And of course locations of heliographic stations. Fine copy. $300 The Chiricahuan Apache leader and chief, Geronimo (1829-1909), famously led a progressively diminishing band through the Apache Wars of the 1850's-1880's. For thirty years of so he quirted the U.S. Cavalry, darting here and there in great exploits and famous escapes, evading the armies of the United States and Mexico. In the end, by 1886, there were just dozens who were following him, including women and children, and the elderly, ragged, tired, hungry, and pretty much, finally, beaten. I think what finally did Geronimo in were the miles of pursuit and the sun. The sun got to him via the heliographic communication network established by Major W.J, Volkman under the direction of General Nelson Miles (the other "miles" of this equation of defeat), which allowed the pursuing American army to communicate instantaneously over great distances, over hundreds of miles, without the need for runners or men or horseback or cutable telegraph wires or time The heliograph is an ancient instrument, used for more than two thousand years--in this case, they were very highly polished mirrors that reflected brilliant signals between stations, getting their light source from the sun. It allowed the army an enormous advantage, and one that finally caught up to Geronimo. The "miles" were just those, the thousands of miles Geronimo was tracked and retracked over that very difficult terrain in the southeastern part of Arizona and into northern Mexico, sharp mountains, endless badlands, caves, heat, height, cold....very difficult. (I've been there on treks.. .its tough land.) The capitalized "Miles" was the surname of General Nelson A. Miles who sent out with Lt. Col. George F. Crook to track down and capture Geronimo--and they almost did, again, in late MArch, 1886, when Geronimo presumably surrendered, but then fled to Mexico. After another five months and 1,600 miles, Miles came upon Geronimo om in Sonoran mountain camp, and induced him for the final time in September, 1886, at Skeleton Canyon, Arizona. The details of the capture and surrender are told in many places by many others--I just wanted to surface the role of the sun in the capture of Geronimo. The old man was shipped east, never to see Arizona again. He died after being thrown from his horse and contracting pneumonia as a result of being unable to help himself to safety through a long cold night, died in a bed as a prisoner in Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. A 34-year-old construction worker was killed at the site of an under-construction luxury apartment building on Saturday. Around 3:15 a.m., police responded to a 911 call about a man who was struck by an object near 111 Varick Street in Manhattan. They found Gregory Echevarria unconscious and unresponsive with severe trauma to the body. EMS pronounced Echevarria dead at the scene. According to PIX 11, "The construction crew, that also included Echevarria's brother, was setting up a crane counterweight when it slipped, fatally striking Echevarria, a source told PIX11." The loud crash was apparently heard by those in the area. A 34YO construction worker is dead after authorities say a crane counterweight fell on him. Happened on Varick Street in SoHo around 3:15 this morning. pic.twitter.com/HrsRtLDp8e Ken Buffa (@KenBuffa) April 13, 2019 The crane was being readied to lift air-conditioning equipment for 570 Broome Street, the Post reports. A colleague told the paper, "I didnt see it, but I heard he was split in half. You are talking about 15,000-16,000 pounds." Echevarria also had four children (including an infant) and was a veteran who "did four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan over 10 years," according to family members who spoke to PIX11. A relative said, "The best father, son, everything." This is the third construction worker death in the past week: A 51-year-old window washer was killed by a falling piece of facade on the Upper East Side on Monday; and a 23-year-old man fell to his death on Wednesday while replacing bricks under a water tower in Brooklyn Heights. Introducing The Main Index There are now over 43,000 individual posts here on A Light In The Darkness. They have all been individually added into Main Index categories. To get the full experience out of A Light In The Darkness and its very extensive library of items, covering virtually all things paranormal, supernatural etc ... we recommend that you flick down the Main Index, which runs down the right hand side of the blog page ... to find the indexed category in which the subject matter you seek is located. Alternatively, why not use long search bar you will find towards the top of the blog page ... ENJOY The father of a man killed by an illegal immigrant criticized Californias sanctuary state law on Fox & Friends, on Wednesday, April 10. He also slammed California Gov. Gavin Newsom for putting illegal immigrants before U.S. citizens. Don Rosenberg blames Californias immigration policy for the death of his son, Drew Rosenberg. In 2010, an unlicensed illegal immigrant, Roberto Galo, killed Drew Rosenberg, according to The Daily Signal. Drew Rosenberg was on his motorcycle in San Francisco when Galo made a last-second turn and hit him. Instead of stopping, he accelerated, and drove over his body, Rosenberg told KPIX5. My sons helmet had come off, and wedged under one of Galos tires, so he backed up, driving over him a second time. And then a third time, trying to flee, [he] drove over him a third time. Our friend and President of AVIAC, Don Rosenberg shares his feelings about the betrayal against California and American citizens by @GavinNewsom https://t.co/s5wDZ7LvrG Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime (@AVIACUSA) April 10, 2019 Five months before that, Galo had been cited for driving without a license or insurance. He was also heading the wrong way on a one-way street in San Francisco, according to Fox News. Galos car was impounded for a day, but when he paid the fine, the charges were dropped. When [Barack] Obama was president we couldnt even talk to anybody, Rosenberg said. There was no response whatsoever. Galo was originally charged with vehicular homicide, but then it was reduced to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, Rosenberg said. Galo only had to spend 43 days in jail for the death of Drew Rosenberg. After that, he was allowed to continue living in the United States for another two years before being deported, according to The Daily Signal. Newsom is one of the three people that I consider directly related to my sons death, Rosenberg said on Fox & Friends. On "Fox & Friends," Don Rosenberg, a man whose son was killed by an illegal immigrant, talked about his initiative in Posted by Fox News on Thursday, May 10, 2018 He was the mayor of San Francisco when my son was killed. It was his policy a year before that if you are in the country illegally you can drive in San Francisco without a license and the guy who killed my son was caught prior to that and they just dropped the charges, let him go, and he continued to drive until he killed my son, Rosenberg added. Newsom is currently on a 4-day trip to El Salvador to learn more about the reason behind why so many Central American migrants are making their way to the United States. He (Newsom) says hes going down there to get a better understanding of whats going on. I think he needs to travel around California and get a better understanding of what illegal immigration has done to the state, Rosenberg said. Rosenberg is the president of Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime, a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting Americans safeness from illegal alien crime. WATCH: Its disgusting: Dad of man killed by illegal immigrant blasts Gov. Newsoms trip to Central Americahttps://t.co/8W1PBLdb0b via @FoxNews Immigration Reform Law Institute (@IRLILaw) April 9, 2019 Rosenberg said he was also worried about the potential deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, saying the government should secure the rest of the immigration system before addressing the issue. Our position is you dont do anything about DACA until you take care of everything else with illegal immigration and Im very nervous about that one, Rosenberg said. As a sanctuary city, San Francisco recently came under criticism for finding illegal immigrant Jose Ines Garcia Zarate not guilty for the murder of Kate Steinle. A jury found Zarate not guilty on all counts, except for felony possession of a weapon. Steinles murder case led to a nationwide debate about the legality of sanctuary cities and the policies surrounding illegal immigrants. First Stop To Hell: Father Of Son Killed By Illegal Immigrant Slams Sanctuary States https://t.co/Tjqcy7GS0P pic.twitter.com/yhn8Hk4zGf The Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 28, 2017 Rosenberg appeared in an ad where he mentioned both Steinle and his son. California should be a sanctuary, for Californians, he said. He appealed to then-governor Jerry Brown not to sign the sanctuary bill for California. However, Brown signed the bill into law last October after the Senate Democrats passed the bill on a one party-line vote, according to The Daily Signal. On Fox & Friends, Rosenberg had strong words for former Democratic Gov. Brown. I wish he would get on the bullet train, first stop to hell, and he should get off and stay there, Rosenberg said. His concern for criminals, be they legal or not, is outrageous and has cost the life of many Californians. There is only a short window of opportunity to seek medical help before rabies becomes almost invariably fatal, but people wait an average of 10 days before seeking medical advice following exposure to potentially rabid animals overseas, according to new research being presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Amsterdam, Netherlands (13-16 April). The average delay in seeking treatment following bat exposures in the UK was almost three days. "The findings highlight the importance of raising public awareness around the risks of rabies, both for travellers visiting rabies-infected countries and from bat exposures in the UK", says co-author Dr. Kevin Brown, Head of Rabies and Immunoglobulin Service for Public Health England. Symptoms typically take 2 to 3 months to appear, but can develop in as little as a week (following severe bites to the head) or up to several years after exposure. "Preventive treatments are 100% effective if given promptly after exposure", says Dr. Brown. "That's why seeking prompt care is so important, even if the wound or incident seems very trivial. If you are bitten, scratched, or licked by an animal you must wash the wound or site of exposure with plenty of soap and water and seek medical advice without delay. Travellers should not delay waiting for treatment until they return to the UK." Rabies is a zoonotic infection (a disease that spreads from animals to humans) that can cause a rare but life-threatening infection of the brain and nervous system in humans. It usually results from a bite, scratch, or lick from an infected animal. The virus is estimated to kill around 59,000 people every year worldwide, most often as a result of a bite from a rabid dog in parts of Africa and Asia. Rabies does not circulate in wild or domestic animals in the UK, although some species of bats can carry rabies-like viruses (European Bat Lyssavirus type 1 and type 2). Every year around 150 people in England are treated after being bitten by a bat. People who believe they may have been exposed to rabies are advised to immediately seek treatment which involves a series of rabies vaccinations with or without immunoglobulin, an antibody treatment that gives immediate short-term protection while the vaccines start to work. In England, national rabies advice, guidance and treatment is provided through the Rabies and Immunoglobulin Service within Public Health England, with ten issuing centres around the country. In this study, medical staff from one of the issuing centres in Manchester, North West England conducted a review of all requests for rabies post-exposure treatment at their lab between June 2015 and June 2018. In total, 200 patients (aged 0-77 years old) received post-exposure treatment through the virology laboratory. Over a third (69/200 patients) were aged 20-29 years old. The vast majority of patients (92%; 183/200) had not received any rabies vaccination in the past. Results showed that over three-quarters (79% (157/200) of post-exposure treatment was given to travellers returning to the UK from 43 different countries. However, 1 in 5 individuals (22%; 42/200) reported an exposure to a bat in the UK. "While the risk of catching rabies in the UK is extremely low, it is important that all potential bat bites are risk-assessed and treated as necessary. Bat bites in the UK often do not leave a mark, and are felt rather than seen", says Dr. Brown. In the UK, although prompt treatment is recommended, given the prolonged incubation time it is never considered too late to receive post-exposure treatment for an exposure. In separate research, Public Health England doctors found a 7.5-fold increase in the number of risk assessments performed for rabies post-exposure in England since 2001increasing from 390 in 2001 to 2949 in 2018the majority as a result of dog bites in South and South East Asia, whilst around 1 in 10 were for bat bites in England. Of the previously unimmunised individuals exposed to animals overseas, 40% did not seek rabies post-exposure treatment overseas, but waited until return to the UK. Similar to the results from Manchester, more than 60% of bat bites sought treatment within 2 days. Nationally, in addition to the advice and guidance, Public Health England provides rabies vaccine and rabies immunoglobulin for all potential rabies exposures in England. In mid-2018, the guidance on post-exposure treatment for rabies was updated. The routine vaccine schedule for unimmunised individuals was reduced from 5 doses of vaccine to 4 doses. Additionally, a composite rabies risk (red, amber, or green) was calculated for each exposure, taking into account the country and animal risk; and the category of exposure. Rabies immunoglobulin was only recommended in cases with a 'Red' composite rabies risk, ie a category 3 exposure (bite or laceration) in a 'high risk' country/animal risk combination. Rabies immunoglobulin is also no longer given for bat bites in the UK, although still advised for non-UK bat bites. Further analysis showed that in the first 6 months following the introduction of the new guidelines, there was a significant increase in the number of calls about possible cases of rabies compared to the same period in 2017 (1727 vs 1157). Nevertheless, there was a decrease in both the number of vaccines (2.4 vs 3) and vials of immunoglobulin (256 vs 575) issued as treatment. "Those completing the risk assessment found the process easier to follow, and there was less risk of inappropriate treatment given", says Dr. Brown. "The new guidance has led to a significant reduction in the costs of running the program, whilst still ensuring appropriate treatment for those at potential risk of rabies." Explore further Study seeking to isolate antibodies against rabies virus Provided by European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases " " Enjoying your job is important, but are you sure you know the line between job satisfaction and goofing off? Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Thinkstock Working adults spend more waking hours in the workplace than anywhere else can you blame them for wanting to inject a little fun into their workdays? Far from hurting productivity or detracting from your image, having fun at work can actually boost both your mood and the company's bottom line. A 2008 study conducted at the University of Florida found that workers who enjoy themselves accomplish more and are also more likely to reach out to help coworkers [source: Keen]. Workplace happiness also boosts creativity, which can increase innovation and productivity. What does it take to create this kind of morale? Surprisingly, it's the little things that make work fun: office parties, jokes between coworkers, small personal freedoms like a relaxed dress code. Given these seemingly simple incentives, employees find themselves more engaged in the company, which drives them to dig deeper and work harder. These things help companies thrive in good times and recover more quickly from downturns. Advertisement Want to help your office lighten up? Direct everyone to a 2014 study from the University of Warwick, which found that happy employees are about 12 percent more productive than unhappy ones [source: Oswald et al]. You could also point them to Fortune's list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For." In 2013, the companies on this list saw revenues increase by an average of 22.2 percent not too shabby [source: Biro]. It's not just money that makes employees happy either; job satisfaction also has a distinct fun factor, which comes from encouraging people to bring their personalities and interests into the office and actually being themselves instead of corporate clones. The financial incentives for businesses to encourage a fun work environment are particularly striking when you compare turnover rates between employee-friendly companies and ones that focus less on employee wellbeing. IT companies on Fortune's list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" have a turnover rate of 5.9 percent, compared to 14.4 percent industry-wide [source: Waggoner]. A reduced turnover rate not only translates to lower hiring and training costs, but also results in a more experienced, productive staff that is better equipped to meet the goals of the company. Keep in mind that when it comes to having fun in the workplace, your mileage may vary. Only you can assess your company's corporate culture and determine what kind of behaviors will fly, and which will get you called into the boss's office. If you find yourself in a management role, consider that fostering a fun work environment might have just as much of an impact on productivity than more expensive fixes, like higher pay rates and other traditional benefits and perks. 8 minute read What could be better than owning a small business? You get to make important business decisions, but without the pressure of running a gigantic behemoth corporation. You get to lead a few employees with benevolence and wisdom. You get to panic come tax time when you realize that what the government is asking for is more than you planned and youre the one in charge of figuring out how to make it work. So perhaps its not all fun and games. But in the next few pages, well explore some tips to make your small business feel a little more substantial during tax season. From tax breaks to organizational tips, theres no reason to dread April weve got you covered! 10. Get a Good Accounting System Want to avoid taxes altogether? If youre looking for a surefire way to turn your small business into a failed business, be sure to ignore the basics of accounting and bookkeeping. With your business run into the ground, your taxes will be a cinch. (Well, next year maybe.) In all seriousness, theres no simpler way to start off on the right tax foot than to simply keep track of what youre making and spending. Because small business are able to itemize a lot of expenses, its also very wise to make sure that you have records and receipts for any of the costs youd like to write off. That doesnt mean jamming flimsy pieces of register tape into your junk drawer; scan and digitally file your expenses. If the IRS audit team comes knocking, youll be able to show them an organized, legitimate paper trail. 9. Capital Expenses Obviously, youre not allowed to ask the government to pay you back for the normal costs of operating a business. Sure, you can deduct some of the expenses you have, but clearly you gotta wait until youre actually running the business. Or do you? Turns out that the first year you start up your business, you can actually deduct $5,000 in capital expenses. (Capital, in this case, basically means theyre not current expenses.) That sound broad? It kind of is. Basically, any cost you incur while creating or investigating a business might count. If you paid for advertising, market surveys even wages for employees before the launch of your business, you can take that $5,000. Any amount over $5,000 might be deductible as well, but youll have to amortize it over the course of several years [source: IRS]. 8. Hire Your Kids Were not talking about forcing adolescents into factories here. Were actually just suggesting you to add some economic stimulus to your own household by hiring your own children. Nope, its not just because it seems like a nice thing to do; it really can help ease the tax burden on a small business. Heres the thing: You have to give them a reasonable wage, but you dont have to pay Social Security or federal unemployment tax if theyre under a certain age. (Keep wages low enough, and they dont have to file income taxes in general.) You can even say that their wages are, say, just enough to cover that phone bill you pay for them every month. They get to work to pay off the phone bill, and youre not taxed on it as ordinary income. Keep in mind, however, that you have to run a sole proprietorship or a partnership with your spouse in order for this to work. 7. Hire Your Spouse Heres another way to keep business in the family. Perhaps being a small business owner is a nice way to become closer to your husband by giving him a job. Its not just kind of you, or a way to make sure you both get the same time off during the holidays. Hiring a spouse can actually work extremely well in your tax favor if youre willing to offer your loved one a few perks. That doesnt mean a corner office and morning doughnuts. (The day buying doughnuts becomes a tax write-off is the day I quit doing any work besides buying doughnuts.) Its actually the opposite of doughnuts thats going to help you save some money: If you hire your spouse and offer him or her health insurance, you can deduct those payments on your taxes. Which sounds great being able to write off your spouses health insurance seems nice but whats the big deal? Well, consider that a health insurance plan can include not only the employee, but the employees family. Suddenly, youre able to write off your spouses insurance, your insurance and your kids insurance [source: TIME]. 6. Affordable Care Act Credit When the Affordable Care Act was introduced, there was a lot of talk about how it would affect small business owners and their bottom line. Nobody wanted to bleed small business owners dry, so tax credits were introduced in the bill to relieve the cost of healthcare. In 2014, a small business owner can qualify for a 50-percent deduction if the business employs fewer than 25 employees with average annual wages of less than $50,000 and contributes at least 50 percent to employees self-only health premiums. You do need to make sure your employees are purchasing insurance in the Small Business Health Options Program Marketplace, but its a huge credit for any business that qualifies. 5. Section 179 Section 179 is a rock star deduction. Not that you can actually deduct the cost of leather pants and sunglasses, but this is just the kind of deduction that small business owners scream for. To understand why its cool, you should understand how most expense deductions work very slowly. A lot of expenses are subject to depreciation, meaning that you can only write off their cost over a certain number of years. So sure, you can deduct the full price of that laser printer, but only over the course of its five-year life-span which is all fine and good if youre looking to lower your taxes a little every year. But what if you want to deduct the full price that year? Section 179 lets you. Well, it lets you deduct up to $25,000, provided the equipment youre expensing meets the requirements. Off-the-shelf computer software counts; land doesnt. There are a lot of exceptions and rules for the Section 179 deduction, so do read up on it to discover if there are loads of business deductions you can write off all at once. 4. Charitable Stock Donation Youre a good person, right? Thats probably why your small business donates to charity. You want to help the kids, the animals or the Earth. So you hand over a check, and then you giddily deduct the amount from your taxes. (You want to help the kids, the animals and the Earth, but you also want to help yourself out. No shame in that.) Consider going about it a different way. Instead of giving away a check or cash, you might want to think about donating stock. While it may seem pretty fancy for a small business owner, its a smart idea. You can deduct the current worth of the stock on your taxes rather than what you paid for it. Does that actually work out to be a good deal? It absolutely could be, if you plan it right. Say you bought stock a year ago for $250. You donate a share of that stock to a charity. By tax time, the share has doubled and you can write that doubled value on your tax return. 3. Small Business Jobs Act Credits In 2010, President Obama signed the Small Business Jobs Act into law. The act provided a whole slew of benefits for small businesses, like providing more money for small business loans and incentives for exporters [source: Lamoreaux]. It also introduced some new tax cuts for small business owners. The cuts run the gamut, and its wise to look through the list to make sure youre taking advantage of every program you can. For instance, certain small business investments are subject to zero capital gains taxes. Self-employed people can deduct health insurance costs. Even something as simple as the fact that cell phones formerly seen as listed property and deductible with certain recordkeeping are now much easier to write off for small businesses. Even relief from a penalty for tax errors is included in the act: Its based on a percentage of taxes now, not a flat dollar amount [source: Lee]. 2. Home Office Deduction The home office deduction is a little controversial. Not because anyone doubts that its amazing: No one can argue that writing off a part of your homes Internet bill or heating feels like youre getting away with a tax crime. But theres a persistent rumor that deducting a home office is akin to writing Audit, Please on top of your return and then adding neon yellow highlighter to the heading for good measure. Heres the thing: If you do qualify for the home office deduction, take it. Its unlikely that it leaves you any more vulnerable to an audit, and loads of people dont write off home office spaces even if they have them [source: Eisenberg]. But do know that the requirements are strict, and you certainly arent doing yourself any auditing favors if you make false claims. The key is that you must use the office space for regular and exclusive business use. (That means no trying to write off the family den, where the kids play computer games and you occasionally check your work email.) However, there are lots of intriguing exceptions for things like storing inventory or meeting clients, so check out the rules and see if you might find one more deduction for your small business. 1. Be Vigilant About Employees and Vendors The IRS defines vendor pretty broadly; its basically any person you pay for rent, services or even prizes and awards. The list also includes materials and equipment, so long as you paid an individual or partnership. Heres something the IRS is super strict about: If youre paying these vendors over $600 throughout the course of the year, youre going to have to send in a 1099 form. It might be prudent to collect a W-9 from all the vendors you work with regardless of how much youre anticipating paying them just so you have their mailing information and tax IDs [source: Kohler]. Youre subject to penalties if you dont send the 1099 and you can be dinged even if youre a little late. Its also important that you dont attempt to classify employees as independent contractors. Trying to avoid payroll taxes or withholding is not going to endear you in the eyes of the IRS. Check out the IRS for some simple ways to determine if you need to start identifying your workforce as employees [source: IRS]. Authors Note: 10 Tax Tips for Small Businesses Perhaps we made the home office deduction sound a bit daunting, but do know that even the IRS is trying to make it easier for folks to claim. Instead of making you figure out a percentage of your expenses to deduct based on the space you use in your home, the IRS now offers the simplified home office deduction: Simply multiply the square footage of your office (up to 350 feet [107 meters]) by $5, and then deduct that dollar amount. Major entities in the hospitality industry in South Africa have called for government to step in an regulate Airbnb, according to a City Press report. Airbnb has seen impressive growth in South Africa, and local hotels are concerned that the unregistered accommodation establishments listed on the platform are taking away business from established bed-and-breakfasts and hotels. The Federated Hospitality Association of SA (Fedhasa) called for government to crack down on Airbnb, and smaller organisations have echoed this call. The Port Elizabeth Metro Bed and Breakfast Association (Pembba) added that Airbnb brought in over R6 million in Nelson Mandela Bay last year, 65% up on the previous period. However, the formal hotel sector only saw an increase of 0.08% in the same area. The city must come up with a plan to regulate Airbnb, said Nelson Mandela Bay metro economic development executive director Anele Qaba. The tourism industry, which pays taxes in the city is not happy. They are saying the Airbnbs which is not regulated and can afford to undercut prices since they do not have overheads are killing the industry. Pembba chairperson Sheena Wilmot called Airbnb a massive problem, adding that the playing field between traditional accommodation and Airbnb must be levelled. Attractive platform While hotels may be against unregulated competition, the Airbnb app is an attractive platform for South Africans looking to make money from their property. This is especially true for locals who live in areas of high tourism, such as Cape Town. In October 2018, figures showed that South African hosts had earned over $ billion since the platform was first founded in 2008. Airbnb said it supports over 22,000 jobs across South Africa, and the popularity of the platform is growing quickly each year compared to traditional tourism sectors such as the hotel industry. It is currently unclear whether Airbnb will be subject to local regulation or what form that legislation will take. Now read: Airbnb to buy HotelTonight When Carolyn Mark retired to Napa from Marin in 1995, little did she know where her love of knitting would take her. Every summer, Mark had gone to Chautauqua, N.Y. where the founder of Knitting4Peace (K4P) lives and, twice a week, gathers people on her front porch to knit Peace Pals, charming, small dolls donated to children around the world. Mark never intended to go beyond the front porch until a large donation of yarn came her way. She posted on Napa Nextdoor, offering free yarn, instructions and inviting people to join K4P. Within 24 hours, 30 people responded, and for the next month knitters came to her home, from beginners to experts, knitting hats, scarves, but mostly dolls. Sometimes people just drop off a bag of dolls. She never knows what a day may bring. When her daughter went on a medical mission to Honduras, she took 40-50 dolls for the children. On its website, Knitting4Peace.org shares its mission, Since our founding in June 2006, we have delivered requested handmade items to more than 155,063 people living in communities across the United States and 80 countries around the world. We serve a growing community of women, teens, children, infants, and families in areas of local and global suffering and conflict. A few of K4P global partnerships suggests the scope of their outreach: Outreach Uganda, Vikas Project (India), Peruvian Hearts and Helping Haitian Angels. Six months ago, Mark went to a Knit-in at the Yountville Library to share Peace Pals. Now a group meets on Saturday mornings and many knit dolls. Markand helpers also taught a Yountville Library How To day on knitting Peace Pals. A Chicks with Sticks, church group that knits for the needy, are now interested. A grandmother visiting from Georgia wants to start a group, and another nonprofit in Africa wants dolls. Last year, Mark attended a talk on refugees by a local Napan, Tama Adelman of Hands on Global. That resonated with me that we could help and Tama could hand carry the dolls directly to the camps, Mark said. To date approximately 300 dolls have been made by Napa Valley knitters for refugees in Lesbos, Greece and the U.S./Mexican border as well as children in Honduras. Recently Doll Sponsorship began as a refugee fundraiser. Since the dolls are not for sale, for a small donation people can could sponsor a doll, including a hand-written personal message for a child in the refugee camps. The idea began with 100 note cards with personal messages in English, donated to Hands on Global (HOG). The refugees were so grateful for the cards; someone heard them, they became visible, they were valued.We need to bring medical supplies, but the dolls are a symbol of hope, said HOG director Valerie Hellerman. People feel so helpless about the refugee crisis so this feels like a small gesture, a way of connecting and saying, I care, Adelman said. When the children come to the clinic, scared, hurting, and cold with major PTSD, their eyes light-up when they receive a doll. Even the doctors wanted them for their own kids. Recently, Knitting4Peace provided a 100 dolls that were sent to the camps with a HOG volunteer. By the time a child gets to the camp they have nothing, Mark said. I think every child should have a lovey, a small something that gives them solace. Mark is now creating S.O.S. Flowers and S.O.S. Bracelets made from the lifejackets worn by refugees crossing the Aegean. While the purpose is to raise money, she hopes the adornments will spark a conversation about refugees and keep the invisiblevisible. When I take the lifejackets apart, it is a very powerful experience. This is the fabric that they depended on for their survival, if they survived. Now the life jackets can tell their story. On April 23rd we are part of a major refugee event titled, Frayed Lives: The Global Refugee Crises (www.nctcnapa.org). Our dolls, flowers, and bracelets will be part of the story. To learn more, contact Carolyn Mark at chapter4@earthlink.net or visit knitting4peace.org/. Learn more about refugees at handsonglobal.org. The refugee crisis has reached epic proportions. According to a 2017 report from the United Nations, 68.5 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations. We are now witnessing the highest levels of displacement on record. Actionagainsthunger.org reports that one person was displaced every two seconds in the past year. The vast majority of the countries hosting refugees are among the worlds least developed. More than half the refugees around the globe are under the age of 18, even though children make up only 31 percent of the worlds population. Refugee status is rarely temporary. Some 80 percent of refugees living in camps are trapped there for five years or more. Refugees in camps often arent allowed to work. To learn more about this crisis, The Napa Center for Thought and Culture has created an evening of refugee experts and medical team members who work in refugee camps. Frayed Lives: The Global Refugee Crisis will be held on Tuesday, April 23, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom, at 1455 Elm St. Napa. Dinner is included. Tickets are available for $35 at eventbrite.com. The big picture Mark Hetfield, CEO of HIAS will be the keynote speaker. HIAS was founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in 1881 to assist Jews fleeing pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe. Starting in the 2000s, HIAS expanded to working with non-Jewish refugees in such areas as Afghanistan, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Hungary, Iran, Morocco, Vietnam and several other countries. HIAS now works globally to build safe communities around the world for refugees, where the majority now remain indefinitely. Hetfield is recognized as an expert in refugee and immigration law, policy, and programs, and the domestic and global refugee crisis. According to Hetfields HIAS website biography, he practiced immigration law in the Washington, D.C, and graduated cum laude with a juris doctor degree from Georgetown University, from which he also holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service. Mark has led HIAS transformation from an organization focused on Jewish immigrants to a global agency assisting refugees of all faiths and ethnicities, the website says. As a result, HIAS currently is a major implementing partner of the United Nations Refugee Agency and the U.S. Department of State. In 2005, Hetfield directed a study of asylum seekers that is still used today. The work of this team was awarded the Arthur C. Helton Award for the Advancement of Human Rights, presented by the American Immigration Lawyers Association. The award itself was named for a leader in the field of refugee protection. Tales from the field The program will also feature speakers who are all medical volunteers working in refugee camps in Lesbos and Samos, Greece, at the U.S./Mexican border and in Bangladesh. Valerie Hellerman, is director of Hands on Global (HOG), a small non-governmental organization in Helena, Montana that sends small medical teams to work with refugees in Greece and the U.S./Mexican border. In 2016, HOG was founded to fulfill a request by the Dalai Lama to provide medical services at his newly built hospital in Zanskar, in the eastern half of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. He said, This is the last authentic Buddhist culture and you must continue this work. In response to the refugee crisis, HOG began their first service trip to Lesbos, Greece in February 2018, returning in October. They recently returned in 2019 from Samos, Greece, and will return in October. The trips run from three weeks to three months (when visas expire). Volunteers pay their own way, in addition to digging into their own pockets to provide needed medicines and clothing for refugees. They work six days a week, an average of eight hours a day, seeing 50-60 patients a day. The medical team works out of a van, which they refer to as Gorilla Van. The pharmacy is the backseat, physical therapy is on a wooden, cement bench. The conditions are bleak. HOG brings their own medicine or they purchase it on the island. HOG also purchases coats, boots, blankets, as well as food for the refugee translators, which is their only reward. Hellerman wrote in her blog, We hear there is tremendous needs in Samos: basic food, shelter and medical care needs are not being met, and the refugees are desperate. We are ready to head into the belly of the beast, the jungle the overflow of 4,500 people. The conditions are appalling. People are living in small tents, some have tarps, most dont. There are only three porta-potties so people are urinating and defecating in plastic bottles. HOG partners with refugee4refugees, a refugee lead NGO that works in Samos and Lesbos, and Kitrinos Healthcare (an NGO out of UK), and MedEquali, from France that only works in Samos. HOG brings clothes, as well as dolls made by Napa Valley residents. In 2018, in response to Napa Nextdoor, the Napa community donated more than 1,000 toothbrushes and 1,000 pairs of new underwear to HOG. Dr. Georgia Milan specializes in family health and integrative medicine. In 2013, Milan was honored by President Barack Obama with the Champion of Change White House Award. Dr. Milan has studied Ayurvedic, Tibetan and herbal medicine and integrates them in her allopathic practice. She received an International Diploma in Humanitarian Aid to better serve the most vulnerable populations. Milan is a member of Physicians for Social Responsibility and a graduate of Mayo Medical School. She has worked with Hands on Global in Greece and she works with refugees on the southern U.S./Mexico border. She writes in her HOG blog, Today was my first day at the Respite Center of the Rio Grand Valley Catholic Charities. I saw 60 patients, many children. Everyone had children with them. There were many fathers with their children. The mothers stayed behind knowing their husbands could earn more money and hoping their children could have a better life. I can only image the heartbreak of these women. Often I saw children that looked shell shocked after a three-four week journey through Mexico and still, no Mom. Children were frightened and confused with loving fathers, hoping they made the right decision. Other children were left behind. ICE has a practice of separating moms and dads but some still made it intact with both parents and kids the rarity. Milan will be speaking about conditions in the U.S./Mexico border camps. Lily Schroeder, an emergency registered nurse from Ketchikan, Alaska will briefly address the camps in Bangladesh that house the Burmese Rohingya refugees. Tama Adelman, is a retired RN and Napan who works in Lesbos and Samos refugee camps. She will speak about Napa Valleys Communitys support for medical service teams going to Greece. The evening will include time for audience members to ask questions and discuss among themselves the issues and potential actions regarding the global refugee crisis. A light dinner will start the evening in the gathering. Mara Adelman, Ph.D. (mara@seattleu.edu), is a local Napa resident, NCTC board member, and retired college professor who raises funds for refugees through her organization, www.earringsforpeace.com. A former and long-time Calistoga resident, Ira Clayton Adams, recorded the history of his adopted hometown with both his camera and pen. These images and recollections were eventually compiled into the book, Memoirs & Anecdotes of Early Days in Calistoga. Its various topics included the churches of Calistoga. According to Adams, Calistoga was home to the Catholic, Seventh-Day Adventists, Christian Scientists and Federated Churches. The latter Church served a congregation composed of both the Methodist and Presbyterian faithful. While noting these places of worship, Adams also acknowledged a specific benevolent and devoted Calistoga citizen. His account of the Upvalley churches began with his own congregation. Adams wrote, In 1937, plans were matured for the forming of a Federated Church and this having been accomplished, the results were highly satisfactory. Our pastor, Adolph Lucas, being an architect, has drawn plans for greatly increasing the size of the Presbyterian Church building and otherwise improving it. It will be used for all further meetings. The old Methodist Church on Cedar and Spring Streets has been sold to Martha Muller and the money received from the sale of it will be applied to help cover the costs of the improvements that are being made on the other building. But nearly a decade passed before the project began. Adams continued, In May, 1946, the cornerstone was laid,... He added, Originally, the church was built at a cost of $2,300 and has been moved twice since it was built. (Adams did not mention those various locations.) The Calistoga Presbyterian Church was organized on Jan. 2, 1871 by Thomas Frasier. At that time, its congregation numbered 25 to 30 members. Some of its former pastors were: Reverends C.H. Campbell and James Mitchell. The latter also ministered to the St. Helena Presbyterian Church congregation. As for the Methodist Church in Calistoga, it pre-dates the Presbyterian church. In 1868, the Calistoga Springs Resort founder, Sam Brannan, gave the Methodist Episcopal Church a lot on which to build their sanctuary. Adams wrote, Under the efforts of Reverend H.D. Bryant, a foundation was laid..., but a survey by the railroad company showed that the depot would have to be built there. Mr. Brannan gave the Church another lot which was at the corner of Cedar and Spring Streets. Mr. Brannan generously paid for the work done up to that time. The church was built on that second lot and finished in 1869. Also according to Adams, in 1902 the Methodist Episcopal Church was extensively remodeled with additions built by C.J.B. Moore, a local contractor. Adams continued with details about the other congregations of Calistoga. He wrote, The Baptist Church people started a stone building to be used as their church. It was on the lower end of Washington Street, but they could not finish it on the account of the lack of funds. So, they sold it to the Catholics who then finished it. Prior to buying that incomplete stone sanctuary, the Catholic faithful of Calistoga worshiped within the Fourth Street residence belonging to a Mrs. Francis. Returning to the Baptists, they built a second church edifice. It was a wood-frame building at Railroad Avenue and Third Street. Adams continued, But it was left idle for several years, and was finally sold to a Frenchman named Tresarrieu, who converted it into a laundry. Adams also briefly detailed two other denominations. He stated, in the late 1880s the Seventh-Day Adventists built their sanctuary along Berry Street. He also mentioned the Christian Scientists first gathered for services within a private Calistoga residence before their church was completed at the corner of Berry and Cedar Streets. Following his historical overview of Calistogas churches, Adams dedicated considerable space to detailing the benevolent act of a Calistoga woman. He wrote, Mary Monroe, a devout Christian woman, owned two lots on Washington Street. On each lot was a house and this property was willed to the Ladies Aid Societies of Calistoga and St. Helena, jointly. While this property was owned by the two societies jointly, each one received half the rental taken in. Later on, the Aid Society of Calistoga bought the half interest belonging to the St. Helena Aid Society... Sometime after buying this property, it was decided to build a Memorial Hall to the memory of Miss Monroe. The hall was built in 1902-03, the work being done by C.J.B. Moore. In this hall, Rev. C.L. Peterson built a beautiful fireplace and dedicated it to the memory of his deceased wife, Lulu Lindsay Peterson. The housing crisis gripping the Golden State threatens to permanently stymie economic growth and demands bold and innovative solutions. During his State of the State speech earlier this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom boldly proclaimed: If we want a California for all, we have to build housing for all. The California Association of Realtors and its more than 200,000 members who advocate on behalf of home buyers and sellers and are dedicated to the preservation of private property rights couldnt agree more. Californias 4.2 percent unemployment rate is at a 10-year low. Wages are accelerating at their fastest pace in nearly a decade. But prospective home buyers continue to see sticker shock, with median prices still hovering in the $530,000 range. The affordability problem must be addressed and fast if California is to remain a place where middle class people can live. Gov. Newsoms call to action is bearing fruit. Lawmakers have advanced bills designed to put a significant dent into the housing crisis. The California Association of Realtors is championing the following bipartisan measures: Senate Bill 50, by Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat. Its a bold plan to significantly boost housing and apartment development in and around major transit hubs and employers. The legislation provides developers with a density bonus and other incentives or concessions. This bill may also appeal to millennials, who often choose to live and work in dense, diverse urban villages where transportation and amenities are nearby. Assembly Bill 1568, by Assembly Member Kevin McCarty, a Sacramento Democrat. It would hold local governments accountable by withholding gas tax revenue if counties do not meet home building benchmarks verified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development. AB 1074 by Assemblyman Tyler Diep, an Orange County Republican, would allow bonds to provide loans to homeowners to construct accessory dwelling units will help to address Californias dire need for additional supply. AB 1590 by Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio, a Baldwin Park Democrat, would create a first-time home buyers tax credit. SB 509, by Sen. Anthony Portantino, a Democrat from La Canada-Flintridge. It would establish a housing crisis awareness program through the issuance of specialty license plates by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The license plate would generate revenue for affordable housing programs throughout the state. Whats essential to all of these efforts is a resource to help focus the states efforts to solve the housing supply crisis. AB 1020, authored by Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, a Thousand Oaks Democrat, would do just that by establishing a cabinet-level secretary of housing to oversee all housing-related initiatives and activities throughout California. A new Housing Agency would help to focus the states efforts, while the Secretary of Housing would provide the Governor with a resource to oversee and to interact with professional entities, both governmental and non-governmental, that play a role in the housing market. Last fall, California voters wisely rejected an initiative to expand of rent control. The solution to high rents is not more rent control. Its building more supply. The California Association of Realtors will work with the governor and legislature to ensure that all Californians can realize the American Dream of homeownership. Jared Martin is president of the California Association of Realtors. He wrote this commentary for CALmatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias Capitol works and why it matters. Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering has asked Bangladesh to engage India for import of hydropower from Bhutan. Yes, we have India in between Bangladesh and Bhutan. But, hydropower sector is a bonding factor between Bhutan and India. There has been a typical relationship about how a large country helps a small one, Tshering told businesspersons of the two countries here this week. Bangladeshs power capacity, though having grown five times in 10 years of Awami League rule, is falling behind growing demand fuelled by the countrys speedy industrialisation. Bangladesh is planning 100 Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to attract foreign investment but adequate power is a concern. It is turning to Bhutan and Nepal for importing cheaper hydropower since it would cost less than those produced domestically in gas-based units. Also Read: Modi Cabinet approves amendment to Article 3 of Indo-Bhutan power pact Tshering, ending a four-day visit to Bangladesh, said India had been very generous to his country in terms of hydropower by investing heavily and helping Bhutan with financial assistance and technology. If there is any interest in hydropower, it has to be trilateral. It cannot be bilateral because electricity cannot fly. It cannot be a wireless business. Bangladesh and Bhutan cannot alone do this business and we have to bring India in the picture, he said. Tshering said it has to be explored whether Bhutan has the potential for generating 30,000 megawatts of hydropower as some have said. Currently, Bhutan has the capacity to produce 5,000 megawatts of hydropower, he said. Personally, I am not convinced that we have 30,000 megawatt capacity. On the market side, Indian market is hundreds of thousands megawatt requirement and we have a few thousand production capacity. So, in terms of market, I think if we can produce, we have enough market in India, he said. At the meeting, Dasho Yeshi Wangdi, economic affairs secretary of Bhutan, said three countries have already made some progresses under trilateral cooperation. All three countries have to come on board that electricity has to be transmitted through India if Bangladesh and Bhutan want to do business with Bhutan, he said. Lately, India has come out with a cross-border trade in power guideline, which actually allows transmission of power through India. So, the trilateral cooperation can be pursued, he added. The real issue is whether Bhutan would have surplus power for Bangladesh after meeting the Indian demand. Armenias Pashinyan: We agreed with Azerbaijans Aliyev to continue contacts Armenia PM: Yeraskh-Julfa-Ordubad-Meghri-Horadis railway will be built 180 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Macron: We will never abandon Armenians Turkey considering airlines bids for Istanbul-Yerevan flights US National Security Adviser expresses concern over tensions between Armenia, Azerbaijan Armen Grigoryan, Jake Sullivan discuss security environment around Armenia Newspaper: Western-funded public sector of Armenia becomes active with new topics Azerbaijans Aliyev calls talks with Armenias Pashinyan in Brussels productive and pragmatic EU to provide 2.3bn to Eastern Partnership countries, including Armenia EU welcomes recent signature of common aviation area agreement with Armenia US embassy in Armenia issues travel update EU remains committed in its support to territorial integrity within their internationally recognised borders EU, Eastern Partnership countries leaders call Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting in Brussels very positive step Armenia PM, Cyprus President exchange views on developments in South Caucasus Pashinyan-Macron-Aliyev trilateral meeting held in Brussels Irakanum.am: Armenia PM to meet with members of ruling faction of Yerevan's Council of Elders tomorrow French Senate to set up group for Nagorno-Karabakh Armenia PM attends 6th Eastern Partnership Summit Turkey's ex-Ambassador to US to be appointed special envoy for normalization of relations with Armenia Aliyev on Armenian POWs: We returned them to Armenia, and they were detained there Aliyev claims that Baku has managed to convince Yerevan about 'inevitability of opening of road to Nakhchivan' Zelensky offers to host summit of leaders of Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Turkey in Kyiv Armenia Security Council Secretary to meet with National Security Advisor to US President Jake Sullivan Democratic Party of Artsakh members meet with representatives of Republican Party of Armenia Armenian army generals submit recommendation letter for release of detachment commander Ashot Minasyan Mitsotakis: Turkey's financial crisis presents danger for stability in the whole region Germany declares two officials of Russian Embassy persona non grata Armenia justice minister discusses sector-specific meetings with Croatian, Irish, Greek counterparts Ruling faction of Yerevan's Council of Elders launches procedure to express lack of confidence in mayor Moldova's special services arrest and conduct search against founder of Wargonzo Semyon Pegov Zakharova: Moscow welcomes direct contacts between Yerevan and Baku Russian MFA: Normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations would contribute to recovery of general situation in region NEWS.am daily digest: 15.12.21 Georgia justice minister accepts Armenian counterpart's invitation to visit Armenia during meeting in Venice Candidate for Mayor of Armenia's Vanadzor is detained, charged under 3 articles Armenia Migration Service: Russia has adopted and has yet to adopt new rules for migrants Armenian, Slovenian premiers confer on Armenia-EU relations Candidate for Vanadzor mayor taken to Investigative Committee in Yerevan Armenia's Ambassador Viktor Yengibaryan presents credentials to Germany President Artsakh President chairs Security Council meeting Armenia deputy PM in Brussels, meets with EU Commissioner Court rules to arrest opposition 'Armenia' Alliance member Narek Mantashyan for two months EU heralds Schengen Area reforms Turkish opposition parties have decided to put an end to 'monstrous' presidential system 5.0-magnitude earthquake hits Iran Dollar still falls noticeably in Armenia Turkish opposition member insists that Erdogan has decided to go to snap elections Legislature vice-speaker from opposition: Secret agreements can lead to new capitulation of Armenia Brother of North Korea's founder Kim dies at 101 Artsakh ombudsman: Azerbaijan does not allow Taghavard village residents to visit their community cemetery Armenia opposition MP: People have collective will to not let Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem implement idea of corridor Armenia National Assembly fails to ensure quorum in 4 hours Armenia parliament to convene special session tomorrow Armenia opposition 'With Honor' Faction head summoned to National Security Service, interviewed as witness Opposition 'Armenia' Faction head: No need to be afraid of Turkey and Azerbaijan, but there are risks and dangers Armenia justice minister tells CoE Secretary General about violations of international law against Armenian POWs Paylan to Turkeys Cavusoglu: An Armenian minister was sitting on your chair 110 years ago Armenia ex-defense minister shows up at Prosecutor General's Office within scope of civil forfeiture of illegal assets Macron, Putin discuss avenues to resolve Karabakh conflict Kopirkin: Russia, Armenia have very major cooperation within EEU Armenia, Moldova leaders underscore developing of bilateral economic ties Armenia ruling majority obstructs parliament special session initiated by opposition faction Blinken: We welcome statements on appointing special envoys by Armenia, Turkey Armenia, Azerbaijan leaders hold private talk as well in Brussels Azerbaijan president refuses to discuss Artsakh status issue USCIRF: Armenian church demolished in Turkey, Armenian cemetery in Van destroyed this year Yerevan hosting 7th annual session of Eurasian Expert Club 212 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Russia peacekeepers ensure safe conduct of agricultural work in Karabakh Artsakh FM: Azerbaijan's corridor for corridor approach is fraught with serious challenges for Russia, Europe 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 The 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Back to [RTHK News Homepage] (Adds Israeli minister) By Aziz El Yaakoubi DUBAI, April 14 (Reuters) - A delegation from Israel that was due to attend a conference in Bahrain this week has pulled out due to security concerns, the organizers said on Sunday, after Bahrainis held an extensive campaign against the visit. A spokeswoman for Israel's Economy Minister Eli Cohen said his planned visit to Bahrain this week had been "delayed because of political issues." Another Israeli cabinet minister said this referred to coalition talks after Israel's election last week. Israel and the Gulf Arab countries are in the midst of a diplomatic push aimed at forging an alliance against their common enemy Iran. Their efforts have become increasingly public after years of mostly covert contact due to strong opposition to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. The group of around 30 Israeli business executives and government officials was scheduled to participate in a congress organized by the U.S.- based Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) in Bahrain on April 15-18. This prompted an outcry in Bahrain, with parliament joining calls on social media for the visit to be canceled and some minor street protests held in Manama. "While we advised the Israeli delegation they would be welcome, they decided this morning not to come due to security concerns and a wish not to cause disruption for the other 180 nations participating," Jonathan Ortmans, GEN president, said in a statement. A source close to the matter told Reuters that three Israeli speakers had canceled because they were unable to obtain visas while the rest of the delegation had "decided not to go." The Bahraini government said the delegation had been invited at the sole initiative of the Global Entrepreneurship Network. "Our responsibility is to ensure a safe and supportive environment for the attending delegations," the government said in a statement. However, acting Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who also holds the intelligence portfolio, denied that the cancellation of Cohen's trip was due to security concerns. Story continues "The head of the delegation is busy with political matters right now," Katz told Israel's Reshet 13 TV, referring to talks on a new coalition government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who won reelection in the April 9 ballot. "Cohen had to choose between traveling to Bahrain - a very important trip - and exploiting the election gains." Last week a group of Bahraini lawyers tried unsuccessfully to get a court to stop immigration authorities from issuing visas to the delegation, while parliament condemned the visit. "Bahrain's parliament announces that the people of Bahrain rejects any Israeli presence on its territory and its lands and any decision allowing this presence is unacceptable," lawmakers said in a statement. Israel has formal diplomatic relations with only two Arab states, neighboring Egypt and Jordan. But an Israeli cabinet minister visited Abu Dhabi's Grand Mosque last year and fellow Gulf state Oman hosted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a surprise trip, the first time an Israeli leader had visited the Sultanate in 22 years. (Reporting By Aziz El Yaakoubi Additional reporting by Tova Cohen in Tel Aviv and Dan Williams in Jerusalem Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 79F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. (Adds police statement) SYDNEY, April 14 (Reuters) - Multiple people have been shot outside a nightclub in the Australian city of Melbourne, police said on Sunday. Two men were in hospital in critical condition, police said, while two other men had non-life-threatening injuries. The shooting occurred outside a nightclub in the southeastern Melbourne suburb of Prahran about 3:20 a.m. on Sunday, police said. A police spokeswoman said by telephone that there was no suggestion the attack was terror-related at this stage. The Age newspaper reported one of the wounded was a guard who was shot in the face in what the report described as a drive-by shooting outside the Love Machine nightclub. Police were investigating but no arrests have yet been made. (Reporting by Alison Bevege in SYDNEY and Ismail Shakil in BENGALURU; editing by Jonathan Oatis) (Adds Representative Omar statement) By Jan Wolfe April 13 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized President Donald Trump on Saturday for a Twitter post that used 9/11 imagery while suggesting Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a Muslim, was dismissive of the New York attacks. "The memory of 9/11 is sacred ground, and any discussion of it must be done with reverence," Pelosi said in a statement posted on Twitter. "The President shouldn't use the painful images of 9/11 for a political attack." On Friday, Trump tweeted a video suggesting that Omar, a U.S. representative from Minnesota, was dismissive of the Sept. 11 attacks. The video spliced news footage of 9/11 with a clip from a speech Omar gave last month in which she described the terror attack as "some people did something." The Trump tweet included the words "WE WILL NEVER FORGET!" In Omar's speech, given to a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, she said Muslims had "lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and, frankly, I'm tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it." Omar said the advocacy group recognized that "some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties." Lawmakers from Trump's Republican party have accused Omar of minimizing the 9/11 attacks, while critics of the president say he took Omar's words out of context in order to stoke anti-Muslim sentiment. "No one person no matter how corrupt, inept, or vicious can threaten my unwavering love for America," Omar wrote in a tweet on Saturday. "I stand undeterred to continue fighting for equal opportunity in our pursuit of happiness for all Americans." (Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Dan Grebler and Jonathan Oatis) (Adds links to graphics, factboxes, Mecca trip; paragraph 4) By Ed Davies JAKARTA, April 14 (Reuters) - When Indonesian President Joko Widodo was elected five years ago, the former furniture salesman seemed to offer a clean break from the military and political elite that had clung to power since the fall of strongman ruler Suharto in 1998. Now, Widodo, 57, is running on his own record for a second term in Wednesday's election, with a comfortable lead in most opinion polls over his rival, former general Prabowo Subianto. With his easy smile and signature "blusukan," or spur of the moment neighborhood walkabouts, he came to power on a wave of popular support for the clean, can-do image he cultivated as a small-city mayor, and then as governor of the capital Jakarta. Still, during his political rise, Widodo, a moderate Muslim from Solo in Central Java, has had to fend off smear campaigns suggesting he is anti-Islam, a communist or in debt to China, all damaging accusations in the Muslim-majority country. On Sunday, just days ahead of the election, Widodo made a pilgrimage to Islam's holiest site, Mecca in Saudi Arabia, a visit many Indonesians see as aimed at underlining that he is a devout Muslim. As president he was saddled with high expectations that he could fix a host of enduring issues in the sprawling archipelago, from tackling past human rights abuses to rooting out pervasive graft. Jokowi, as he is popularly known among Indonesians, also inherited an economy coming off a commodities boom, and faced an obstructive parliament and vested interests opposed to reform and transparency. But he methodically stitched together a majority in parliament, and while unable to deliver on an economic growth target of 7 percent, he led a record infrastructure push to build ports, roads and airports. Niken Satyawati, a family friend who has co-written a book on the president, said Widodo had sought to extend the clean governance he pursued as mayor of Solo to the national stage. Story continues "He was an ordinary person. And he still is," she said, describing his weakness as a desire to accommodate the wishes of too many people. Widodo came from humble beginnings. His father ran a small timber business and his childhood home was a riverside shack in the city of Solo. He was the first in his family to attend university and after graduating in forestry eventually set up a successful furniture business. BOLDER REFORM? Widodo became Solo's first directly elected mayor in 2005 and was hugely popular after cleaning up the streets and public spaces with incentives and persuasion to shift thousands of illegal vendors to new facilities. His consultative approach would come to define his campaign as he ran for governor of Jakarta in 2012. Once president, as a political outsider, he faced accusations of being beholden to party backers, particularly those connected to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, led by former president Megawati Sukarnoputri. Nevertheless, he focused on reviving the economy by cutting red tape and easing investment rules. At times, he faced cabinet infighting and policy flip-flops cast doubt on his ability to commandeer his own team, let alone a country of 260 million. On the foreign stage, he appeared more assertive, denying pleas for clemency in 2015 from foreign drug traffickers on death row, straining ties chiefly with neighbor Australia. He also held a cabinet meeting aboard a warship off the Natuna Islands after China stated its "overlapping claim" to nearby waters. The most bruising period of his presidency was from 2016, when huge rallies targeting Jakarta's ethnic Chinese, Christian governor for alleged blasphemy pushed religious tension in Indonesia to its highest in years. Widodo was forced to distance himself from Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a one-time ally later jailed for insulting Islam. To the disappointment of some progressive supporters, Widodo picked Islamic cleric Ma'ruf Amin as his running mate for the election, seeking to boost the ticket's appeal to Muslims. If he is re-elected, analysts expect broadly the same economic policy focus, though they are divided whether he will quicken the pace. "If he wins, I believe he will push his reform agenda more confidently, as politically he is a 'stubborn' leader," said Wawan Mas'udi, a politics expert at Gadjah Mada University who has charted Widodo's rise to power. (Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Clarence Fernandez) (Adds further quotes from judge) By Jan Wolfe WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Friday sentenced Republican political consultant Samuel Patten to 36 months of probation, 500 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine in a case spun out of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe. Patten, 47, pleaded guilty in August to communicating with U.S. lawmakers and news media organizations on behalf of a Russia-aligned political party in Ukraine called the Opposition Bloc without disclosing that work to the Justice Department, in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), among other offenses. Patten is a former business partner of Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian national indicted by Mueller and accused of having ties to Russian intelligence. In Patten's guilty plea he 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 Republican President Donald Trump on behalf of a Ukrainian oligarch, who reimbursed Patten through a Cypriot account. Patten, who spoke briefly at the hearing, said he "fully recognized" that he committed serious criminal conduct. "I behaved as though the law didn't apply to me and that was wrong," he said. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said Patten's violation of FARA was "not a mere technicality" and undermined the democratic process. "Hiding the truth of who one represents from policymakers undermines our political discourse and diminishes the quality of our policymaking because people need the facts for democracy to work," Berman Jackson said. But the judge said she believed Patten's remorse was genuine and said she credited his substantial cooperation with the special counsel's office. "You have told me in no uncertain terms that you accept responsibility for your actions. You didnt try to justify them, and you didnt try to blame them on anyone else," Berman Jackson said to Patten, adding "that doesn't happen everyday in this courtroom." Story continues Berman Jackson said the acceptance of responsibility was one reason Patten received a much lighter sentence than former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Berman Jackson last month sentenced Manafort to 73 months in prison for two conspiracy charges arising from the Mueller probe - a sentence called unnecessary and hostile by a Manafort lawyer. Patten's lawyer had asked for a sentence of probation, saying his case was unlike other FARA prosecutions, which have typically involved a lobbyist attempting to conceal the identity of the client and the source of funds. Prosecutors had not suggested a specific sentence but said leniency was warranted given Pattens cooperation with the special counsels probe. 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 Manafort, who had also worked for the Opposition Bloc. Manafort ultimately pleaded guilty, obviating the need for a trial. Patten's case has sparked interest in Washington amid a widening crackdown by the Justice Department on undisclosed lobbying. (Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Mohammad Zargham) Beirut (AFP) - Sudan's new authorities must investigate the role of the country's former spy chief in killings of demonstrators during months-long protests that preceded the fall of president Omar-al-Bashir, Amnesty International said. Salih Ghosh -- the head of Sudan's feared National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and a regime insider -- resigned his post on Saturday, two days after al-Bashir was deposed in a palace coup. He had overseen a sweeping crackdown led by NISS agents against protesters. "It is crucial that Sudan's new authorities investigate Salih Ghosh's role in the killings of scores of Sudanese protesters over the past four months," Amnesty said in a statement on Saturday. Initial protests against Bashir's regime erupted in mid-December, when the government announced a tripling of bread prices. The rights group said "allegations of torture, arbitrary detention and other human rights violations under" Ghosh's supervision of the intelligence service should also be investigated. Bashir had appointed Ghosh as NISS chief in February 2018 for his second stint in the post, after a first tenure ended in August 2009. Ghosh had worked on and off for NISS ever since the 1989 coup that brought Bashir to power, according to Sudanese media. He was credited with building the organisation into one of the most important pillars of Bashir's regime before his dismissal a decade ago. He was later jailed on accusations of plotting a coup but no evidence was found against him and Bashir pardoned him. Over the years NISS has overseen repeated crackdowns on government opponents and the media. Its agents frequently confiscated the entire print-runs of newspapers that criticised government policy or reported on protests. "The new authorities in Sudan must address past human rights violations and undertake desperately needed reforms to ensure that there can be no repeat of the heinous crimes," Amnesty said. * Sudanese and Algerian armed forces managed turmoil * Economic hardships which fueled 2011 unrest remain * Region still faces conflict after "Arab Spring" By Michael Georgy and Tarek Amara DUBAI/TUNIS, April 14 (Reuters) - The armed forces of Algeria and Sudan, which pushed out the long-serving rulers of those countries after mass protests, are following a script that has failed millions of Arabs since the 2011 uprisings. Those "Arab Spring" upheavals raised hopes of political and economic reforms in countries such as Egypt, where the army watched patiently from the sidelines and then capitalized on the turmoil to widen its influence in politics. Egypt's armed forces chief effectively brushed President Hosni Mubarak aside when it became clear security forces could not contain street protests against the veteran leader. A military council took charge, overseeing a turbulent and sometimes violent transition during which Egypts first democratic elections took place. Two years later, army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led the overthrow of Egypt's first freely elected president, Mohamed Mursi. Sisi then won elections in 2014 and 2018, on both occasions with 97 percent of the vote. Parliament has proposed constitutional reforms that could allow him to remain in power until 2034. "What I think caused a lot of the uprisings in 2011 and what's causing them today in Sudan and Algeria is the politics of deception: when the president says I won by 85 or 99 percent at the polls but wherever you go everyone disapproves of him," said Mohammed Alyahya, a Saudi political analyst and editor-in-chief of Al Arabiya English. "That can be viable when you have robust economic development. But if you dont have that and youre not granting people political and civil rights, then you're essentially giving them nothing but repression, and that is ultimately unsustainable." Sudan appears to be following the Egyptian model, at least for now, after long-serving leader Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in a military coup last week after sustained protests. Story continues Crowds had gathered outside the Ministry of Defence to ask the army to help them topple Bashir. The new head of Sudan's military council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Abdelrahman, said on Saturday a civilian government would be formed after consultations with the opposition and promised a transition period of no more than two years. He had just succeeded the officer who announced Bashir's arrest, Defence Minister Awad Ibn Auf, who stepped down as head of the military council after only a day in the face of demands for a civilian government. PRESSURE FOR CHANGE Protesters, however, kept up the pressure for change, just as they did in Egypt when Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi - who was defense minister for two decades - ran the country after Mubarak's fall. A common chant amongst the Sudanese was "either victory or Egypt," a reference to their objection to following that script. Social media in both countries latched on to Sisi and Burhan's identical first names to humorously warn of a similar fate. "The biggest blunder was the hope that the army would be an ally. I understand the emotions around the army but its a misunderstanding of what the army is and what it does," said Sudanese commentator Magdi El Gizouli. "If you call on the army to intervene to resolve a crisis, this is what it can do, it cant do better." Algeria's Army Chief, Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah, took a softer approach. He declared the ailing Bouteflika, 82, unfit for office when he attempted to extend his fourth term, raising the prospect of prolonged demonstrations. In a matter of days, parliament named a new interim leader who was part of the ruling elite, the army expressed support for a transition and a date was set for a presidential election - providing what analysts say is political cover for the army, a long-time kingmaker in Algeria. Any future civilian leader in Sudan or Algeria needs the support of the army - a common arrangement in the Arab World - while also facing huge economic and political challenges. Problems that triggered the unrest across the Middle East in 2011 have since become more acute. Ousted autocrats have been replaced by leaders who also failed to create jobs, and eradicate poverty and corruption BREAD PRICES More than one in four people below the age of 30 in Algeria are unemployed - a central grievance of protesters who want the economy liberalized and diversified to reduce reliance on oil and gas. In Sudan, what started as a protest about bread prices and poor living conditions turned into one about the regime. Echoing 2011, their cry is: The people want the regime to fall. But Elsheikh Ali, a 29-year-old Sudanese sales manager, said this was not exactly a second Arab Spring because the present protests were more about economic hardships than politics. "Sudan and Algeria arent a second wave. Theyre about hunger and the dire economic situation, and a wave of oppressed youth that havent gotten their full freedoms," Ali said. "Its not a victory in any way. People want to see accountability for all the people who brought us to this point." Fawaz Gerges, professor of Middle Eastern politics at the London School of Economics and author of two recent books about the Arab Spring, agrees. "The term Arab Spring is very misleading because it implies that everything will blossom, that there's a magic bullet to resolve a severe crisis that has been in the making for decades," he said. "What we are talking about is social protests that are symptoms of economic and political vulnerabilities." As Algerians and Sudanese seek more freedom and better prospects, turmoil elsewhere in the region suggests their hopes for a better future may be disappointed. Tunisia has been hailed as a success story for its democratic development, although an economic crisis has eroded living standards. But its problems seem minor in comparison to other Arab Spring nations. In Libya, military strongman Khalifa Haftar, whom critics call the new Gaddafi, is waging war to take over a country that had already descended into bloodshed since 2011. Hundreds of thousands have been killed in Syria's civil war. Four years of conflict have pushed Yemen, already one of the poorest Arab states, to the brink of famine. In Sudan and Algeria, meanwhile, democracy lacks a clear way forward. "The army wants to stay in control, whether with a civilian cover in Algeria or a direct way in Sudan," said prominent Tunisian journalist Ziad Krichen. "The military that has tasted the sweetness of power and privileges sees itself as the only one capable of protecting those countries." (Additional reporting by Tarek Amara in Tunis, Nafisa Eltaher in Dubia, Lamine Chikhi in Algiers, and Stephen Kalin in Riyadh Editing by Giles Elgood) Kiev (AFP) - Ukraine's interior ministry on Saturday called on a comedian tipped to become the country's next president and his incumbent rival not to exacerbate tensions ahead of a run-off in a high-stakes election. Nerves are starting to fray as polls show the comic and actor Volodymyr Zelensky easily defeating President Petro Poroshenko for the leadership of a country seen as the biggest frontier between Europe and Russia. After the first round of voting -- in which the 41-year-old political novice outshone the 53-year-old president -- the gloves have come off, with the rivals trading barbs and sparring bitterly on television. "We are approaching the final phase of the election campaign and the atmosphere in society is tense," Ukraine's deputy interior minister Sergiy Yarovyi said in a statement. "The mood of open hostility between the candidates is being stoked," he added, calling on both teams and their supporters not to play dirty. "Do not rock the boat ahead of the second-round of voting." This week police launched a criminal probe after a video emerged online of Zelensky being hit by a truck. The video ended with a line of white powder -- possibly cocaine -- being snorted through a rolled-up bank note, an apparent allegation of drug abuse. Zelensky's campaign pointed the finger at Poroshenko's team, which has denied involvement. - Trading insults - In a testy phone exchange between the rivals broadcast live on television this week, Zelensky refused to debate Poroshenko before next Friday, repeatedly interrupting him. He then hung up on the Ukrainian president, leaving Poroshenko speechless. Many were taken aback at the sight of a humiliated leader, with his long-time rival Yulia Tymoshenko recording a video address. "While fighting for the right to become president , do not destroy the honour and pride of the status of the president," said the former prime minister, who came third in the first round of voting. Story continues "It's necessary to remain human," she added. Poroshenko has called his rival a "clown" and a "puppet" of oligarch Igor Kolomoysky, who owns the channel that broadcasts the entertainer's shows. Support for the comedian among voters has doubled to 61 percent since he won the first round on March 31, according to the Rating pollster. Poroshenko garnered 24 percent, in a sign that Ukrainians are fed up with mainstream politics, war with Kremlin-backed rebels, poverty and corruption. Both men have also undergone drugs tests at Zelensky's insistence to prove they do not have a substance abuse problem. Ukraine's leader has been eager to spar with Zelensky and suggested they hold a policy debate on Sunday. Zelensky said he was ready to face off with Poroshenko at the country's largest stadium on April 19, two days before the run-off vote. By Sarah Marsh HAVANA, April 14 (Reuters) - Cones of white paper sprout from the seasalt-eroded pillars of one colonial building along Havana's seafront, elaborately painted curtains cascade from another while out front children play with an installation of multicolored hoses. Havana's 13th Biennial kicked off this weekend with works by more than 300 contemporary artists from 52 countries taking over the city's museums, galleries and open-air spaces, and many more collateral exhibits. "They turned my home into an artwork," said Silvia Perez, smiling at the paper sprouting from the colonnade of her home, a piece by Cuban artist Elio Jesus Fonseca. "The artist said it meant peace." The transformation of the Malecon seafront boulevard into an open-air, interactive gallery, has become one of the most popular venues of Cuba's most important arts event. Along the sidewalk this year are smooth boulders encased in volcanic slabs by Mexican artist Jose Davila, while a swirling light installation by Peruvian artist Grimanesa Amoros protudes from a building. Cuba's Communist government, which has heavily promoted the arts since the country's 1959 leftist revolution, created the Havana Biennial in 1984 to promote artists from the developing world, especially Cuban ones. This year, 80 Cubans will exhibit their work, including a performance on Monday by Manuel Mendive, considered the Caribbean island's top living artist. Still, it also includes a large contingent of European and U.S. artists including Cuban-Americans like Enrique Martinez Celaya and Emilio Perez. Biennial Director Jorge Alfonso said it had been a challenge to stage the biennial given Cuba's difficult economic situation - authorities postponed it half a year - but that it had succeeded underscored the importance Cuba placed on culture. "Not even in the most difficult moments have we ever given up on staging one of these kind of events," he told Reuters. Story continues "The slogan of this year's edition, 'the construction of the possible', is related to our ideal that a better world is possible." Some artists who are critical of the government however have subverted that slogan. In one piece on the Malecon called "Potemkin Village," Cuban-born artist Juan Andres Milanes Benito who lives in Norway has propped what appears to be the perfect facade of a building on another that is falling into disrepair. "It fits a lot with the Cuban government these days and how the system is working - there is a lot of facade," he said. "Inside it is not so perfect." Originally he had wanted to replicate the facade of a renovated government building but authorities would not allow him, he said. Some Cuban artists feel the Havana Biennial itself is a facade papering over simmering tensions between them and authorities. Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, who led a campaign against a controversial new decree on the cultural sector last year, was arrested last Friday after staging a small yet politically charged performance in his neighborhood. His whereabouts remain unknown, his friends say. Asked by Reuters about the arrest in a news conference, the head of Cuba's National Council of Visual Arts, Norma Rodriguez, said "as far as I know he is an activist not an artist." Cuba considers dissidents to be mercenaries in the pay of the United States trying to subvert the government. The Havana Biennial runs until May 12. (Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's father on Sunday called on Australia to bring his son home, saying he was shocked to see his son's condition after his arrest in London last week. John Shipton -- who was secretary of the Wikileaks Party when his son tried to run for a senate seat in 2013 national elections -- reportedly visited Assange every Christmas at the Ecuadore embassy in London after he sought refuge there in 2012. "DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs) and the prime minister should in a nuanced way do something," Shipton told Melbourne's Sunday Herald Sun. "It can be resolved simply to the satisfaction of all. There has been some talk in a meeting between a senator and a senior DFAT official to extradite Julian to Australia." Shipton said he was shocked to see the state of his son when he was arrested at the embassy on Thursday on allegations of skipping bail, and on a US extradition warrant related to a huge leak of official documents. "I saw him, the way they dragged him down the steps, the coppers (police), he didn't look good. I'm 74 and I look better than him and he's 47. It's such a shock," he said. "For months and months he has been living like a high-security prisoner, he can't even go to the toilet. There have been cameras watching his every move." Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that Assange would receive "no special treatment" from Canberra. The 47-year-old Australian had sought refuge in the embassy while on bail awaiting extradition to Sweden to face charges of sexual assault and rape, which he always denied. British lawmakers on Saturday urged their government to prioritise any extradition bid Sweden might make for him over the allegations. Swedish prosecutors dropped a preliminary investigation into the rape allegation in 2017. The WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is so disliked in journalism and political circles that many reporters and liberal politicians were publicly cheering on Thursday when the Trump administration released an indictment of Assange, which was related to his interactions with the whistleblower Chelsea Manning in the months leading up to the publication of Pentagon and state department cables in 2010. Related: The Assange prosecution threatens modern journalism | Kenneth Roth Please do not fall for this trap. It is exactly what the Trump administration is hoping for, as the Department of Justice (DoJ) moves forward with its next dangerous step in its war on journalism and press freedom. The larger context surrounding this case is almost as important as the Assange indictment itself. Donald Trump has been furious with leakers and the news organizations that publish them ever since he took office. He complains about it constantly in his Twitter tirades. He has repeatedly directed the justice department to stop leaks, and he even asked former FBI director James Comey if he can put journalists in jail. The justice department has responded by launching a record number of leak cases and have weighed changing the rules to make it easier to subpoena journalists. Donald Trump has been furious with leakers and the news organizations that publish them ever since he took office But officials at the justice department arent so stupid as to overtly act on the presidents most controversial musings and immediately attempt to prosecute New York Times or Washington Post reporters. Give them more credit than that. If they were to do so, the public backlash would be so overwhelming that, even if their case did not fall apart before trial, a judge would almost certainly put an end to it. There are other, more methodical ways for the justice department to ultimately get what Trump wants, and the case against Assange is their perfect vehicle. Whats the most effective way to curtail the rights of all people? First go after the unpopular; the person who may be despised in society and will have very few defenders. Assange fits this profile to a T. Once there is law on the books that says this aspect of journalism is illegal, it becomes much easier for the justice department to bring other cases against more mainstream government critics down the road, and much harder for judges to immediately dismiss them. Story continues Instead of thinking, I hate Julian Assange, so Im glad hes going to be punished, ask yourself this: do you trust Trumps justice department to protect press freedom? The Trump administration has attempted to disguise its motives in the Assange case by avoiding overtly criminalizing the act of publishing itself. Instead, they have accused Assange of one count of conspiracy to violate a computer crime law when he allegedly offered whistleblower Chelsea Manning help in cracking a password in 2010. (The indictment does not allege they ever did crack the password, nor do they allege it helped Assange get any documents from Manning.) Its true that most journalists arent going to attempt to help a source crack a password, and no one is claiming that is some sort of first amendment protected right. But when anyone reads the entire indictment rather than just the hyperbolic conspiracy to hack headline the Department of Justice wants you to see its clear that they are using the conspiracy charge as a pretext to target Assange and potentially criminalize important and common journalistic practices in newsgathering at the same time. The indictment refers to using an encrypted chat program to communicate with Manning for months. It describes how Assange wanted to protect Mannings anonymity and did so by redacting information such as usernames from the documents Manning sent him. It also talks about how Assange requested that Manning send him additional documents and material that were newsworthy. These are all standard practices for countless journalists around the country and around the world. In fact, using encryption and protecting the anonymity of sources are virtually requirements in an age where leak investigations are common. Reporters would not be doing their job if they refused to ask sources for information and instead waited for it to miraculously drop in their lap. CNN has already reported that the justice department expects to bring more charges against Assange. Coupled with the fact that there was an ominous reference to the Espionage Act in the current indictment, this all suggests prosecutors might still be thinking about charging him for a crime involving the act of publishing too a Rubicon that would be an absolute disaster for reporters everywhere. For those who have been following the WikiLeaks closely over the years, none of the information in the Assange indictment released yesterday is new. In fact, the Obama administration had this exact same information at their disposal since at least 2011, when it first considered indicting Assange. Despite Barack Obamas extremely disappointing record on press freedom, his justice department ultimately ended up making the right call when they decided that it was too dangerous to prosecute WikiLeaks without putting news organizations such as the New York Times and the Guardian at risk. Related: Julian Assange's charges are a direct assault on press freedom, experts warn To those who have no sympathy for Assange, are you going to trust Trumps justice department here over Obamas? Given the Trump DoJ is relying on nine-year-old evidence on a flimsy charge of conspiracy to crack a password an alleged scheme even the DoJ admits didnt work do you think they might have ulterior motives when it comes to this case? Virtually all the major press freedom and civil liberties organizations denounced the prosecution yesterday, and expressed extreme concern that even though the indictment was ostensibly about hacking that it implicated serious press freedom concerns nonetheless. At a time when press freedom has never been more at the forefront of the public consciousness, when it is the subject of Super Bowl commercials and celebrity award shows, please do not sit back and say: Yeah, I trust the Trump administration to protect my rights in this case. It is a recipe for disaster. Stockholm (AFP) - Swedish actress Bibi Andersson, best known for her roles in legendary director Ingmar Bergman's films, died on Sunday aged 83, her daughter Jenny Grede Dahlstrand told AFP. Andersson is perhaps best known for starring in many of Bergman classics including "The Seventh Seal" (1957), "Wild Strawberries" (1957) and "Persona" (1966). Andersson first started working with the director at the age of 15, when she was cast in several commercials for the Swedish soap brand "Bris", directed by Bergman. She received several awards including the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin international film festival in 1963 for her role in Vilgot Sjoman's "The Mistress" (1962). From early film credits in 1951, she continued working and starring in movies until 2009, when she suffered a stroke paralysing one side of her body. Her daughter Grede Dahlstrand said Andersson had made a mark on many people's lives. "She leaves behind a great hole of loss for every one of us who had the privilege of being near her," Grede Dahlstrand said. Jan Holmberg, CEO of the Ingmar Bergman Foundation, told AFP that although Andersson came to be extensively linked to Bergman, she was very much an artist in her own right. Andersson often played simple and sometimes poorly written characters, but she "would take those roles and make them something much greater," Holmberg said. The media, and Bergman himself, often referred to people he worked with as "his" actors and actresses. Andersson's response was: "I'm my own." "And that's exactly what she was," Holmberg said. By William James LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's ruling Conservative Party cannot let itself be defined solely by Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May's de facto deputy said on Sunday, as polling showed failure to leave the European Union on schedule has badly damaged its support. May's authority has been shattered by her three-time failure to get an exit deal approved by parliament and a pledge to quit once Brexit is delivered, driving speculation about her successor and a possible national election. The once-prized stability of British politics has disappeared, threatening to break apart both the Conservatives and their main opponents Labour, and leaving the world's fifth-largest economy facing an uncertain future. Without any consensus in parliament, reflective of a deeply divided population, all outcomes remain possible in the coming weeks and months: leaving the EU with a deal, a disorderly exit without a deal, or another vote on whether to leave at all. "We mustn't define ourselves as the Brexit party," said David Lidington, cabinet office minister and effectively May's second in command. "We've got to deliver the outcome of the referendum ... but, the Conservative Party has got to remain a broad church, a national party, and it's got to be talking about things that matter to people in their everyday lives: housing, health service, living standards." May, 62, took power in the aftermath of Britain's surprise 2016 vote to leave the EU and has seen her government paralyzed by divisions over Brexit and unable to enact an ambitious reform agenda to tackle social injustice. An Opinium poll published in the Observer newspaper showed the Conservatives at 29 percent, down 6 points from March 28 and 7 points behind Labour. An analysis of polls since the original intended March 29 exit day, published in the Sunday Telegraph, showed the Conservatives would lose 59 parliamentary seats if an election were held. "Much of this drop reflects disappointment among Leave voters - around a half of whom would prefer 'no deal' - at the government's failure to deliver Brexit," polling expert John Curtice wrote in the Sunday Telegraph The analysis showed Corbyn's Labour Party would win the most seats but still fall short of an outright majority in the 650-seat parliament, with Scottish nationalists and the small centrist Liberal Democrats party also picking up seats. "KICKED THE CAN" Lidington told the BBC compromise talks with Labour would continue, with both sides seeking agreement over a plan for Brexit that could win parliament's approval. He warned the talks could not be allowed to drag out for months, but showed little indication the government may drop its requirement that future EU ties cannot involve a customs union. With parliament on an 11-day break until April 23, Britons are wondering what happens next. Steve Murrells, chief executive of retailer Co-op group, told the BBC the government had "kicked the can down the road" on Brexit, but that his firm would continue to plan for the worst-case scenario of leaving without a deal. Despite being handed an extension of EU membership until Oct. 31, May is hoping to pass a withdrawal agreement and lead Britain out of the bloc before May 23 to avoid taking part in elections for the European Parliament. Eurosceptic Iain Duncan Smith, a former Conservative Party leader, said May should be ready to quit in June. He described the delay to Brexit as "political death" and urged May to avoid taking part in the European elections. "What the prime minister has to do now is aim everything towards departure before the euros (European elections) which would then allow her to step away having done what she said she would do - get the UK out of the European Union one way or the other," he told Sky News. (Reporting by William James; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) Montreal (AFP) - The Canadian government said Sunday it suspended financial aid to Nicaragua last year in response to human rights violations -- a decision not publicly disclosed until now. A foreign ministry spokeswoman, Britanny Fletcher, confirmed the cut-off after the CBC, citing a secret memorandum, reported the aid was halted at the end of August, 2018. It came amid a crackdown on anti-government protests, but was kept quiet to give President Daniel Ortega room to reverse course without seeming to be yielding to outside pressure, according to the CBC. "Our government is concerned by the deteriorating human rights situation and economic downturn in Nicaragua. In light of these concerns, we made the decision to suspend direct financial assistance to the Nicaraguan government last summer," Fletcher said. "President Ortegas repressive actions against his people are unacceptable. We continue to consider all diplomatic and policy options at our disposal in order to support the Nicaraguan people." She said Canada still provides support for NGOs and international organizations with projects in Nicaragua "with a focus on help for the most vulnerable." Canada was one of five top donors of bilateral aid to Nicaragua, providing some $20 million in aid a year over all, according to the memorandum cited by the CBC. China's economy cooled further in the first quarter, according to an AFP survey of analysts, as Beijing resorted to tried-and-tested measures to combat tepid global demand and a bruising US trade war. The world's second largest economy expanded by 6.3 percent in the January to March period, the poll of 13 economists found ahead of the official release of gross domestic product figures on Wednesday. It would mark the slowest pace of quarterly growth for almost three decades. The figure remains within the range targeted by the government of 6.0 to 6.5 percent for the whole year, down from 6.6 percent in 2018. To combat the slowdown, Beijing has stepped up support for the economy in recent months, announcing massive tax cuts and other fee reductions to help struggling companies. Last month Premier Li Keqiang acknowledged "downward pressure" but vowed not to let the economy "slip out of a reasonable range". Beijing faces a delicate balancing act as it tries to support private businesses in need of credit, without further inflating its debt balloon. Policymakers have turned the credit taps back on after several years of crushing deleveraging with credit data Friday from China's central bank showing monetary easing kicking in. Bank loan growth accelerated to its fastest monthly pace since 2016, said Chang Liu of Capital Economics, noting it usually takes six months for credit growth to translate into greater economic activity. But another economist, Bjorn Giesbergen of RaboResearch, warned that loans have not always reached the private sector and "China's debt-to-GDP levels are already excessive". The problems are only going to get "exponentially worse" if the new credit again does not flow to the private sector, he told AFP. Policies enacted this month, like cutting the value-added tax, and a cut in company social insurance contributions coming next month will more directly help China's struggling private sector. Story continues - Job insecurity - Last year China's infrastructure investment fell to 3.8 percent on-year growth, down from years of near 20 percent expansion. In recent months, big earth moving projects that Beijing had put on hold were restarted to pull along the economy. Growth was largely driven by infrastructure investment, with project approvals front-loaded and huge special bond issuance, said Nathan Hung Lai Chow, an economist at DBS. "Consumer confidence remained fragile due to job insecurity," Chow said. China's normally steady unemployment rate rose to 5.3 percent in February, from 4.9 percent in December, while retail sales growth remained near a 15-year low. The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday raised its forecast for full year growth to 6.3 percent from 6.2 percent citing China's ramping economic stimulus and clearing trade tensions with the US. - Trade war - All signs point to the United States and China closing in on a trade deal after nine rounds of high-level talks between the two economic giants. Last year Washington and Beijing slapped tariffs on more than $360 billion in two-way trade, biting into their manufacturing sectors. Chinese data Friday showed the politically sensitive trade surplus with the US widened to $20.5 billion last month from $14.7 billion in February. One sticking point in the talks had been an insistence by American officials that any final agreement have teeth -- but it appears the negotiators have found a resolution. "We've pretty much agreed on the enforcement mechanism," US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday. But no date has been set to bring together President Donald Trump and his counterpart Xi Jinping for a deal signing. "We think that growth will find a floor in (the second quarter) in response to the macro policy easing and improved confidence following the easing of tensions with the US," said Tommy Wu of Oxford Economics in a note. By Joseph Ax NEWARK, N.J. (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Cory Booker held the first major rally of his presidential campaign on Saturday in the city that launched his political career, saying America "can't wait" any longer to address the country's deep divisions and urgent problems. The rally took place in Newark, New Jersey, Booker's adopted hometown, where he built a national profile as mayor from 2006 to 2013 before winning a Senate seat. The event, which kicked off a two-week "Justice for All" multistate campaign tour, comes as Booker, 49, remains wedged in the middle of a crowded pack of Democratic hopefuls. Booker's 30-minute speech relied on some of the same themes of unity and compassion that he has touted throughout his campaign, arguing that defeating U.S. President Donald Trump in 2020 will require an inclusive approach to combat the Republican chief executive's often no-holds-barred brand of politics. "We have to decide whether we will choose division and blame - or if we will do the hard work of conquering fear with faith, apathy with action, and hatred with love," Booker said. "The president wants a race to the gutter and to fight us in the gutter. To win, we have to fight from higher ground in order to bring this country to higher ground." Booker also laid out a specific liberal policy vision, even as he warned that Democratic voters should favor pragmatism over ideological purity. He vowed to pursue Medicare-for-all, legalize marijuana, end mass incarceration and create "baby bonds" - government-backed savings accounts designed to close the racial wealth gap. The high-profile rally marked a shift for the Booker campaign, which thus far has emphasized more intimate events in key early voting states to introduce him to voters while building up staff on the ground. Booker has centered much of his campaign on his record in Newark, an economically troubled city that has nevertheless seen a revival during and after his tenure. Story continues But he has yet to see his campaign have the same sort of bounce that rivals such as Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and U.S. Senator Kamala Harris of California have enjoyed. Booker has stubbornly remained around sixth or seventh in opinion polls among the 18 Democrats who have entered the race. Campaign aides this week dismissed concerns about those numbers. "You've got to organize and got to get hot at the end," Booker's campaign manager, Addisu Demissie, told reporters on Thursday. "We're not building this campaign to win polls in April 2019. This is a long race and there are going to be a lot of ups and downs." Booker sought to connect his call to action on Saturday with the civil rights movement, noting that the date of the rally, April 13, was the same day that Martin Luther King Jr began writing his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail" while sitting in an Alabama cell in 1963. "He spoke to the possibility of what we can achieve when we realize our own power and refuse to wait," Booker said. "America, we know our history - it is a perpetual testimony to impatient, demanding, unrelenting people who in every generation with love stood up for justice." (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Frank McGurty, Bill Berkrot and Jonathan Oatis) If you want to know who really controls Tianjin TEDA Biomedical Engineering Company Limited (HKG:8189), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Large companies usually have institutions as shareholders, and we usually see insiders owning shares in smaller companies. I quite like to see at least a little bit of insider ownership. As Charlie Munger said 'Show me the incentive and I will show you the outcome.' With a market capitalization of HK$483m, Tianjin TEDA Biomedical Engineering is a small cap stock, so it might not be well known by many institutional investors. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutional investors have not yet purchased shares. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholder can tell us about 8189. View our latest analysis for Tianjin TEDA Biomedical Engineering SEHK:8189 Ownership Summary, April 14th 2019 What Does The Lack Of Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Tianjin TEDA Biomedical Engineering? We don't tend to see institutional investors holding stock of companies that are very risky, thinly traded, or very small. Though we do sometimes see large companies without institutions on the register, it's not particularly common. There could be various reasons why no institutions own shares in a company. Typically, small, newly listed companies don't attract much attention from fund managers, because it would not be possible for large fund managers to build a meaningful position in the company. It is also possible that fund managers don't own the stock because they aren't convinced it will perform well. Tianjin TEDA Biomedical Engineering might not have the sort of past performance institutions are looking for, or perhaps they simply have not studied the business closely. SEHK:8189 Income Statement, April 14th 2019 Hedge funds don't have many shares in Tianjin TEDA Biomedical Engineering. As far I can tell there isn't analyst coverage of the company, so it is probably flying under the radar. Story continues Insider Ownership Of Tianjin TEDA Biomedical Engineering The definition of company insiders can be subjective, and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. The company management answer to the board; and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board, themselves. I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions. Shareholders would probably be interested to learn that insiders own shares in Tianjin TEDA Biomedical Engineering Company Limited. As individuals, the insiders collectively own HK$46m worth of the HK$483m company. Some would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board, though I generally prefer to see bigger insider holdings. But it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling. General Public Ownership The general public, who are mostly retail investors, collectively hold 60% of Tianjin TEDA Biomedical Engineering shares. This level of ownership gives retail investors the power to sway key policy decisions such as board composition, executive compensation, and the dividend payout ratio. Private Equity Ownership With an ownership of 9.6%, private equity firms are in a position to play a role in shaping corporate strategy with a focus on value creation. Some investors might be encouraged by this, since private equity are sometimes able to encourage strategies that help the market see the value in the company. Alternatively, those holders might be exiting the investment after taking it public. Private Company Ownership We can see that Private Companies own 21%, of the shares on issue. It might be worth looking deeper into this. If related parties, such as insiders, have an interest in one of these private companies, that should be disclosed in the annual report. Private companies may also have a strategic interest in the company. Next Steps: I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can find historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph. Of course this may not be the best stock to buy. Therefore, you may wish to see our free collection of interesting prospects boasting favorable financials. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. 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. PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech government is planning to prop up state budget revenues by introducing a special tax on multinationals, Prime Minister Andrej Babis was quoted by a daily newspaper as saying on Saturday. Its central budget plans for this year and next show expected deficits of 40 billion crowns ($1.76 billion), or 0.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), a year, versus a broadly even balance or surpluses in recent years. Weaker growth is forcing the centre-left government to cut spending and find new income to reach that goal. "We will implement a digital tax for multinational firms which do business in the Czech Republic but don't reside here," Babis said in an interview published by the daily Lidove Noviny. Babis did not name any company that would be affected by the tax or say at what level it should be set, as this was still being negotiated with Finance Minister Alena Schillerova. The government is also looking for savings after the Finance Ministry cut the GDP outlook for the coming years. It even signalled that the country may see its public finances - which include the central and regional budgets, plus other funds - plunge into deficit for the first time since 2015. ($1 = 22.6650 Czech crowns) (Reporting by Robert Muller; Editing by Jan Harvey) Washington (AFP) - While first votes in the 2020 election cycle are still 10 months away, Democrats keen to distinguish themselves in a historically crowded field are expanding the traditional map, crisscrossing America to campaign in unexpected places. Several states have been long overlooked in primary politics, particularly those in the heartland -- derisively described by some as "flyover country" -- where some states have few delegates at stake. Among them is Utah. Often an afterthought in primary season, its influence could be further minimized in 2020 as residents vote on the same March day as a dozen other states including huge players California and Texas. Yet Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren heads to Utah on Wednesday for a Salt Lake City organizing event that may give her an early state-wide edge. Last month, the liberal Massachusetts stalwart also campaigned in southern states Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, where candidates usually pay token interest until they jet in days before the primaries. "I am running to be president of all the people, and that means getting out and talking to people all across this country, building a grassroot movement that stretches from coast to coast," Warren told AFP ahead of her Rocky Mountain campaign swing, which also includes Colorado. "That's how we'll win in 2020." Tradition dictates that in the runup to the voting that determines presidential nominees, candidates focus on the four early-voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. But conditions are different this cycle, with more candidates from a single party vying for president -- 18 Democrats by the latest count, after Congressman Eric Swalwell entered the race Monday -- than any modern-day US election. Experts say the wide field may complicate a candidate's efforts to secure a large majority of early delegates, resulting in a prolonged primary battle. Story continues Democrats seeking to challenge President Donald Trump are balancing the pressing needs of visiting the early states, introducing themselves to voters elsewhere, and meeting donors in wealth capitals like Los Angeles and New York to raise much-needed funds to propel their campaigns. Democratic candidates visited at least 21 states and more than 100 cities in total in March as they sought money and support, mostly in the first four states but also in places like Florida, Georgia, Nebraska and Texas. "I cannot recall a cycle where Democratic primary candidates were campaigning in states like Utah or other later states like they are this early in the process," said James Curry, a political science professor at the University of Utah. Candidates are taking the broader approach early, Curry said, because they anticipate the later states "may matter more than they typically have" in the process. - Not just Iowa - The incentive today is to plan for a longer primary nominations process, building up support and infrastructure in more states. For decades, the prevailing narrative involved candidates essentially parking their campaigns in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first and second states to vote. Jimmy Carter did that in Iowa and went on to win the White House in 1976. Thirty-two years later, it was Barack Obama who obsessed over the Hawkeye State. "I don't think that's the reality any more," Curry said. Iowa remains at the political fulcrum of the nominations process, but candidates are increasingly going cross-country. Candidate Julian Castro, a former Obama cabinet member, has pledged to campaign in all 50 states. California, the state with the most delegates up for grabs, was once an afterthought because of how late it voted in the nomination calendar. But it has shifted its primary forward aiming for a bigger role, joining massive Texas in voting on Super Tuesday next March. Campaigning will no longer wait in these two states until after the first four have their say. Among those who have traveled to California is Bernie Sanders, who held large rallies there last month. While California is a liberal stronghold, Sanders is also headed to the Rust Belt battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin beginning Friday, seeking to cut into Trump's backstop of white workingclass voters. Candidate Beto O'Rourke has already completed a campaign road trip through those states plus Ohio, all of which Trump flipped in 2016 to win the presidency. Wisconsin holds "exceptional value" because it has a stand-alone primary next April and is expected to be a critical battleground state in the general election, said political science professor Barry Burden of University of Wisconsin-Madison. "There is also symbolic value in paying attention to swing states in the Midwest that Trump narrowly won and led to his victory," Burden added. The Democrats presidential aspirants seem determined to prove that their partys 2016 achievement the election of the current president was not a fluke that cannot be repeated. But the Republican party, whose last remaining raison detre is to frustrate Democrats, seems to be thinking: We are determined to lose the 2020 election in order to foil Democrats attempts to lose it. The Democratic aspirants radiate unseriousness about things they discuss with notable solemnity. By their words of endorsement, many of them said that the Green New Deal is a matter of life and death for the planet, no less. But their actions zero Senate votes for the GND say something else. Among the reasons these aspirants give for promising to abolish the Electoral College is one reason that virtually guarantees that it will not be abolished: Because each state gets two electoral votes for its senators, the system advantages the least populous states. Opposition by 13 states will extinguish any constitutional amendment. If the legislatures of any of the 13 least-populous states (Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, Rhode Island, Montana, Maine, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Idaho, West Virginia) fail to oppose an amendment abolishing the electoral-vote system, other legislatures those of, for example, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, Utah, Mississippi probably will ensure defeat. Competition in the Democrats frivolity sweepstakes is intense. Beto ORourke contemplates amending the Constitution to show that corporations are not people. Conceivably, he has not thought through why corporate personhood has been in Anglo-American law for centuries: For-profit and nonprofit (including almost all progressive advocacy groups) corporations are accorded rights as artificial persons (William Blackstones phrase) to enable them to have lives, identities, and missions that span generations and produce a robust civil society of freely cooperating citizens. Story continues Donald Trump must secretly admire Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warrens thoroughly Trumpian proposal made where pandering is perfected: Iowa to ban foreigners from buying U.S. farmland. Lest diabolical foreigners take our loam home? No, Warren says foreigners threaten food security, hence national security, too. Warren and Trump he who sees a national-security threat from imported Audis are together at last. I wore my Planned Parenthood pink! exclaimed Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar at a recent Washington cattle call for Democratic candidates. She, who is supposed to represent the sensibility of flyover country in her disproportionately coastal party, told the conclave that a major priority for her, one that she would emphasize in her presidencys first 100 days, is statehood for the District of Columbia, a peculiar promise to facilitate retaking Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Julian Castro former mayor of San Antonio, former secretary of Housing and Urban Development said that when he is the 46th president, he will favor making Congress subject to the Freedom of Information Act. This is perhaps a good goal but not uppermost in the electorates mind. The Financial Times notes that in 2018, exit polls showed that a plurality of voters 41 percent ranked health care as their foremost concern. That was the year when it became obligatory for all candidates to promise that health insurance shall not be denied because of a persons preexisting health problems. But Trump (Nobody knew health care could be so complicated) evidently is going to seek reelection saying: Trust me, there will be a really great Republican health-care plan after the election, and after my administration has convinced a court to overturn the entire Affordable Care Act (including guaranteed insurance coverage for those with preexisting conditions), which now enjoys the support of a narrow majority. Voters might wonder why the coming health plans greatness will not be unveiled as an election asset. And voters might remember that in 1968 Richard Nixon said: Trust me, I have a plan to end the Vietnam War. When, seven years later, in April 1975, the last helicopter lifted off the roof of the besieged U.S. Embassy in Saigon, more than 21,000 Americans had died in combat since Nixons inauguration approximately 37 percent of those killed in the war since the early 1960s. The eventual Democratic nominee is probably among the many already running. So the party, with its mosaic of factions to placate (affluent progressives, faculty-club socialists, suburban women, African Americans, Hispanics, climate worriers, identity-politics warriors, etc.) and its aversion to winner-take-all primaries, should remember 1972 or 1984. Its nominees, George McGovern and Walter Mondale won 25 percent and 38 percent, respectively, of the nominating electorates votes. In the two general elections, they lost 98 states. 2019, Washington Post Writers Group More from National Review If you own shares in Cabot Corporation (NYSE:CBT) then it's worth thinking about how it contributes to the volatility of your portfolio, overall. In finance, Beta is a measure of volatility. Volatility is considered to be a measure of risk in modern finance theory. Investors may think of volatility as falling into two main categories. First, we have company specific volatility, which is the price gyrations of an individual stock. Holding at least 8 stocks can reduce this kind of risk across a portfolio. The second type is the broader market volatility, which you cannot diversify away, since it arises from macroeconomic factors which directly affects all the stocks on the market. Some stocks see their prices move in concert with the market. Others tend towards stronger, gentler or unrelated price movements. Beta is a widely used metric to measure a stock's exposure to market risk (volatility). Before we go on, it's worth noting that Warren Buffett pointed out in his 2014 letter to shareholders that 'volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' Having said that, beta can still be rather useful. The first thing to understand about beta is 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. See our latest analysis for Cabot What CBT's beta value tells investors Zooming in on Cabot, we see it has a five year beta of 1.37. This is above 1, so historically its share price has been influenced by the broader volatility of the stock market. Based on this history, investors should be aware that Cabot are likely to rise strongly in times of greed, but sell off in times of fear. Share price volatility is well worth considering, but most long term investors consider the history of revenue and earnings growth to be more important. Take a look at how Cabot fares in that regard, below. NYSE:CBT Income Statement, April 14th 2019 How does CBT's size impact its beta? Story continues Cabot is a reasonably big company, with a market capitalisation of US$2.7b. Most companies this size are actively traded with decent volumes of shares changing hands each day. It takes a lot of money to influence the share price of large companies like this one. That makes it interesting to note that its share price has a history of sensitivity to market volatility. There might be some aspect of the business that means profits are leveraged to the economic cycle. What this means for you: Beta only tells us that the Cabot share price is sensitive to broader market movements. This could indicate that it is a high growth company, or is heavily influenced by sentiment because it is speculative. Alternatively, it could have operating leverage in its business model. Ultimately, beta is an interesting metric, but there's plenty more to learn. In order to fully understand whether CBT is a good investment for you, we also need to consider important company-specific fundamentals such as Cabots financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following: Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for CBTs future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for CBTs outlook. Past Track Record: Has CBT 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 CBT's historicals for more clarity. Other Interesting Stocks: It's worth checking to see how CBT measures up against other companies on valuation. You could start with this free list of prospective options. 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. If you own shares in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) then it's worth thinking about how it contributes to the volatility of your portfolio, overall. In finance, Beta is a measure of volatility. Volatility is considered to be a measure of risk in modern finance theory. Investors may think of volatility as falling into two main categories. The first type is company specific volatility. Investors use diversification across uncorrelated stocks to reduce this kind of price volatility across the portfolio. The second type is the broader market volatility, which you cannot diversify away, since it arises from macroeconomic factors which directly affects all the stocks on the market. Some stocks see their prices move in concert with the market. Others tend towards stronger, gentler or unrelated price movements. Beta is a widely used metric to measure a stock's exposure to market risk (volatility). Before we go on, it's worth noting that Warren Buffett pointed out in his 2014 letter to shareholders that 'volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' Having said that, beta can still be rather useful. The first thing to understand about beta is that the beta of the overall market is one. A stock with a beta below one is either less volatile than the market, or more volatile but not corellated with the overall market. In comparison a stock with a beta of over one tends to be move in a similar direction to the market in the long term, but with greater changes in price. Check out our latest analysis for Scotts Miracle-Gro What does SMG's beta value mean to investors? Zooming in on Scotts Miracle-Gro, we see it has a five year beta of 0.89. This is below 1, so historically its share price has been rather independent from the market. If history is a good guide, owning the stock should help ensure that your portfolio is not overly sensitive to market volatility. Many would argue that beta is useful in position sizing, but fundamental metrics such as revenue and earnings are more important overall. You can see Scotts Miracle-Gro's revenue and earnings in the image below. Story continues NYSE:SMG Income Statement, April 14th 2019 How does SMG's size impact its beta? With a market capitalisation of US$4.5b, Scotts Miracle-Gro is a pretty big company, even by global standards. It is quite likely well known to very many investors. It is a little unusual to see big companies like this trade on low beta values. Oftentimes there is some other clear influence on the share price, overshadowing market volatility. What this means for you: One potential advantage of owning low beta stocks like Scotts Miracle-Gro is that your overall portfolio won't be too sensitive to overall market movements. However, this can be a blessing or a curse, depending on what's happening in the broader market. In order to fully understand whether SMG is a good investment for you, we also need to consider important company-specific fundamentals such as Scotts Miracle-Gros financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following: Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for SMGs future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for SMGs outlook. Past Track Record: Has SMG 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 SMG's historicals for more clarity. Other Interesting Stocks: It's worth checking to see how SMG measures up against other companies on valuation. You could start with this free list of prospective options. 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 Ayman al-Warfalli and Ahmed Elumami BENGHAZI, Libya/TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Eastern Libyan forces will pursue their advance on the capital Tripoli, the head of the eastern parliament in the divided country said on Saturday, despite international calls for a halt in an offensive that risks causing many civilian casualties. His comments came an eastern air strike hit the yard of a school on the southern outskirts of Tripoli, where eastern forces have been confronted by forces allied to Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj's internationally recognised government. In a possible new front, the eastern Libya National Army (LNA) was readying a unit to move to the Es Sider and Ras Lanuf oil ports, Libya's biggest, on the eastern coast, anticipating an attack from an armed group allied to Serraj, eastern military officials said. "The force will strengthen the protection of the ports," one official said, asking not to be named. Last week the European Union had called on the LNA to stop its attacks, having agreed on a statement after France and Italy sparred over how to handle the conflict. But the eastern parliament head said they would press an offensive launched a week ago under military commander Khalifa Haftar, the latest outbreak of a cycle of conflict since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. "We need to get rid of militias and terrorist groups," Aguila Saleh, head of the House of Representatives allied to Haftar, said using a reference eastern officials often make to describe forces allied to the Tripoli government, which relies on support from several armed groups. "We assure the residents of Tripoli that the campaign to liberate Tripoli will be limited and not violate any freedoms but restore security and fight terrorism," Saleh told lawmakers in a session in the main eastern city of Benghazi. For its part the Tripoli government will agree to a ceasefire only if the LNA troops return back east, government spokesman Mohanad Younes told reporters. Story continues Forces loyal to al-Serraj's government have so far kept the eastern offensive at bay. Fierce fighting has broken out around a disused former airport about 11 km (7 miles) from the centre. An eastern military source said a warplane belonging to the LNA had struck a military camp in an eastern Tripoli suburb. In a separate strike the yard of a primary school was hit, a Reuters reporter at the scene said. A LNA official said the plane had targeted a camp of Serraj's forces. Saleh also said the United Nations mission to Libya and Serraj's government had been controlled by armed groups and had failed to expel them from the capital, and promised Libya would hold long-delayed elections after the Tripoli operation ends. Haftar's offensive had surprised the United Nations, which had been planning to hold a national conference on April 14 to prepare Libya for elections. The latest battle had by Friday killed 75 people, mainly fighters but including 17 civilians, and wounded another 323, according to U.N. tallies. Some 13,625 people have been forced out of their homes. As well as the humanitarian cost, the conflict threatens to disrupt oil supplies, boost migration to Europe, scupper a U.N. peace plan, and allow Islamist militants to exploit the chaos. Haftar, 75, a former general in Gaddafi's army who later joined the revolt against him, moved his troops out of their eastern stronghold to take the oil-rich desert south earlier this year, before sweeping up to Tripoli at the start of April. (Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by David Holmes) 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. Story continues "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. For all the power SpaceX's rocket Falcon Heavy's had question remained of whether Falcon Heavy would succeed in both winning contracts and launching valuable payloads. "To actually classify a launch as commercial, not as a test, is huge," Ann Kim, managing director of Silicon Valley Bank's frontier technology group, told CNBC. "Revenue creation is so important because it confirms that there are buyers out there," Kim added. Even though it wasn't the rocket's debut, "there's been a lot of anticipation" for the massive Falcon Heavy rocket's first commercial launch, said Ann Kim, a managing director at Silicon Valley Bank. SpaceX flew Falcon Heavy flawlessly on Thursday, putting into orbit a large Saudi Arabian communications satellite. But to Kim, while the launch's execution may have been as dazzling as its maiden flight last year, the classification of Falcon Heavy's second flight made it far more important. "To actually classify a launch as commercial, not as a test, is huge," Ann Kim, managing director of the bank's frontier technology group, told CNBC. Silicon Valley Bank is a New York City-based technology-focused bank, with $57 billion in assets as of the end of 2018. "It's an inflection point," Kim added. Falcon Heavy ranks as the most powerful rocket in the world, with 27 engines creating 5.1 million pounds of thrust the equivalent of about 18 Boeing 747 aircraft combined. For all the rocket's gusto, however, the question of whether Falcon Heavy would succeed in both winning contracts and launching valuable payloads remained. Falcon Heavy was unveiled in 2011 and, following development delays, Kim said "critics were thinking: 'When will revenue truly be generated?'" The maiden launch did not carry a paying customer, but rather launched SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's car into orbit around the sun. The demonstration flight was enough for a few customers to sign on. Over the past year, the manifest of Falcon Heavy grew to five contracted missions. Two of those launch contracts came from the Air Force, showing key support from a customer with likely the world's highest rocket standards. Story continues So until Falcon Heavy's launch on Thursday, Musk's company had yet to deliver on the money it had been paid for the rocket. That, more than anything, set the second flight of Falcon Heavy apart, Kim believes. "Revenue creation is so important because it confirms that there are buyers out there," Kim said. Beyond contracts for national security launches and large satellites, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy is also under consideration for lucrative exploration missions. NASA's latest budget revealed an increased reliance on private companies like SpaceX, with the door now open for Falcon Heavy to launch missions that are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And, Kim noted, delivering for a customer isn't just important for getting more contracts. Falcon Heavy bringing in more money also begets increased investment in the broader company. "Once the revenue turns on, that's when a whole host of other investors begin to come in," Kim said. Indeed, SpaceX's successes have meant investors continue to flood in, as the company's valuation is reportedly now at least $30.5 billion. Shares of SpaceX also remain in heavy demand on private markets. "Historically investors shy away from aerospace deals, because they can't imagine when an opportunity or liquidity event will happen," Kim said. But more investors are seeing opportunity in the changing space industry, as investment floods into private companies. Kim credited Musk with the vision and ambition for driving some of that change. "Elon Musk brought in that kind of savage mind set of 'let's get this done,'" Kim said. "A lot of it was timing, as Elon Musk identified a really good market opportunity and had the funding available." More From CNBC Best Life Over 37 million Americans are living with kidney disease, also known as renal disease, a progressive condition that causes a gradual loss of normal kidney function over time. However, experts warn that the vast majority of those with the condition are unaware of their diagnosis. In fact, according to Joseph Vassalotti, MD, Chief Medical Officer at the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), just "10 percent of people with chronic kidney disease know that they have it."That's because symptoms tend to b By Anne Kauranen and Tarmo Virki HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland's leftist Social Democrats and the nationalist Finns Party emerged nearly tied to win Sunday's general election, reflecting a mounting sense of insecurity in the Nordic nation over immigration, welfare and climate change. Tipped to win, the opposition Social Democrats scored 17.7 percent, while their eurosceptic Finns Party rivals were at 17.5 percent, according to final results from the justice ministry. The co-ruling Centre Party of Prime Minister Juha Sipila and center-right National Coalition stood at 13.8 percent and 17.0 percent, respectively, marking the first time in a century that no party won more than 20 percent in a general election. With a fragmented parliament and deep divisions within the mainstream parties over how to tackle rising costs of expensive public services, coalition talks following the election could be protracted. But Social Democrat leader Antti Rinne, 56, a former union boss, was expected to have the first shot at forming a government, with most party leaders having ruled out cooperation with the populist Finns. "For the first time since 1999 we are the largest party in Finland ... SDP is the prime minister's party," Rinne told supporters and party members celebrating in central Helsinki. With the European Parliament election less than two months away, the Finnish ballot is being watched in Brussels. Underscoring a growing confidence among the far-right in Europe, anti-immigration parties, including the Finns, have announced plans to join forces after the May 26 EU election in a move that could give them a major say in how the continent is run. At stake in Finland is the future shape of the country's welfare system, a pillar of the social model across the Nordics, which the leftists want to preserve through tax hikes and the center-right wants to see streamlined because of rising costs. Just as the Social Democrats are benefiting from a growing sense of insecurity among Finland's older and poorer voters, the Finns argue that the nation has gone too far in addressing issues such as climate change and migration at its own expense. MOST POPULAR POLITICIAN After losing some ground when hardliner Jussi Halla-aho took the party's reigns in 2017, the Finns have made rapid gains in recent months when a number of cases of sexual abuse of minors by foreign men stirred anti-immigration sentiments. But Halla-aho, who was fined by the Supreme Court in 2012 for blog comments linking Islam to paedophilia and Somalis to theft, emerged as Finland's most popular politician on Sunday, garnering the highest number of votes - more than 30,000. The Social Democrats' Rinne won roughly 12,000. "I could not expect a result like this, and no one could," Halla-aho told supporters on Sunday, referring to the party's overall result. The Finns Party's stance on environmental policies, which includes opposing a proposed tax on meat consumption, appeals to rural voters in particular who worry about soaring fuel costs and resent any efforts to change what they see as the traditional Finnish way of life. The party is the only group in Finland - a country that has the highest air quality in the world, according to the World Health Organisation - to argue the next government should not speed up cutting carbon emissions to combat climate change. Unlike Finland's Social Democrats as well as populists in the south of Europe who resonate with voters angry over slow economic growth in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, the Finns call for fiscal restraint. One area that has suffered most in the Nordics is the region's cherished welfare model. Healthcare systems across much of the developed world have come under increasing stress in recent years as treatment costs soar and people live longer, meaning fewer workers are supporting more pensioners. Reform has been controversial in Finland and plans to cut costs and boost efficiency have stalled for years, leaving older voters worried about the future. "It's good that we are the biggest party in Finland, but it's tough competition with other parties. Negotiations for a new government will be very tough and very difficult," Social Democrat supporter Mikko Heinikoski, 37, said. (Additional reporting by Attila Cser and Ilze Filks in Helsinki; Writing by Justyna Pawlak; Editing by Janet Lawrence, Angus MacSwan and Daniel Wallis) DUBAI (Reuters) - A fire at a refinery near Iran's Gulf port of Bandar Abbas was quickly extinguished on Saturday, and there were no casualties, Iranian news agencies reported. "In less than 40 minutes, the fire was contained by firefighting teams. Fortunately, the incident did not cause any casualties," Ali-Reza Safa Isini, head of the provincial crisis management body, was quoted as saying by the semi-official news agency ISNA. The cause of the blaze and the extent of damage at the refinery, which has a capacity of about 300,000 barrels per day, are under investigation, Isini said. (Reporting by Dubai newsroom; editing by Jonathan Oatis) A large, flightless bird native to Australia and New Guinea attacked and killed its owner on a farm in Florida, according to authorities. The man, identified by police as 75-year-old Marvin Hajos, raised cassowaries and was injured after falling on a path near their enclosure Friday, according to Alachua County Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Jeff Taylor. Paramedics found Hajos just after 10 a.m. on Friday and transported him to the hospital where he died of his injuries, police said. Our crews worked very hard to give the victim the best chance possible at survival," Taylor said via email. There were two birds onsite but Taylor said its unclear whether they both participated in the attack. Cassowaries are similar to emus and stand up to 6 feet tall and weigh up to 130 pounds, with black body feathers and bright blue heads and necks. The San Diego Zoos website calls cassowaries the worlds most dangerous bird with a four-inch, dagger-like claw on each foot. Alligator: Florida family surprised by gator at 2 a.m. Pet lion: Czech man mauled to death by lion he kept in his backyard The cassowary can slice open any predator or potential threat with a single swift kick. Powerful legs help the cassowary run up to 31 miles per hour through the dense forest underbrush, the website says. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lists cassowaries along with animals such as alligators, clouded leopards and wolverines as Class II wildlife because they can pose a danger to people. Owners must have a permit and substantial experience and specific cage requirements must be met. Police spokesperson Lt. Brett Rhodenizer said the cassowary involved is currently secured on private property. "Sheriff's Office personnel will continue their investigation, and may coordinate with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) if necessary as the case progresses," Rhodenizer said. "Initial information indicates that this was a tragic accident for Mr. Hajos and his family." Story continues Contributing: The Associated Press Follow N'dea Yancey-Bragg on Twitter: @NdeaYanceyBragg This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida man attacked and killed by his cassowary, the worlds most dangerous bird Chicago (AFP) - Pete Buttigieg, the gay, liberal mayor of a small American city in the conservative bastion of Indiana, was expected to officially launch his presidential bid Sunday, joining a crowded field of Democrats vying for their party's nomination in 2020. The 37-year-old Rhodes scholar and Afghanistan war veteran is the two-term mayor of his hometown of South Bend -- a left-leaning bubble in America's so-called "Rust Belt" region, where the decline of industries such as steel and automobile manufacturing has hurt local economies. Voters in states such as Michigan and Wisconsin helped hand Republican US President Donald Trump his victory in the 2016 election. Buttigieg, who is credited with helping turn South Bend around, has couched himself as a can-do reformer who can speak to voters across the political spectrum. "Here you have this moment, probably the only moment in American history, where it just might make sense for somebody my age, coming from experience in the industrial Midwest, non-federal, different background, bringing something that will actually help Americans," Buttigieg told NBC's "Meet The Press" last weekend. Buttigieg was expected to officially launch his candidacy Sunday afternoon in South Bend, giving his already surprisingly strong campaign an additional boost. In the three months since he declared an exploratory committee to test a presidential run, he has gone from relative obscurity to drawing large crowds at campaign stops. He has raised $7 million dollars, more than most other candidates, and jumped to third place in the latest polls of voters in Iowa and New Hampshire -- the earliest states to vote in next year's primary elections. - Buttigieg versus Pence - The popular mayor who speaks eight languages and plays classical piano has been the focus of countless news stories and profiles. The fascination has been in no small part due to his background: he would be the youngest, first openly gay, first millennial, and first mayor to become president. Story continues He has had headline-grabbing moments, the most recent being his faith-based challenge of Vice President Mike Pence's views on same-sex marriage and LGBT rights. Former Indiana governor Pence, a religious conservative, infamously supported a 2015 law that was widely interpreted as codifying discrimination against LGBT people. It was quickly changed after nationwide outrage. "Speaking only for myself, I can tell you that if being gay was a choice, it was a choice made far, far above my pay grade," Buttigieg said in an April 7 speech. "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." It was a soundbite-ready moment -- like several others he has enjoyed -- that replayed throughout the week in American media. - 'Destined for national politics' - Buttigieg's Sunday launch event was scheduled to take place at an expansive South Bend building that once housed an assembly plant for defunct auto manufacturer Studebaker. The plant's closure in 1963 still reverberated in the city in 2011 when he was elected mayor. He set out to tear down decaying, abandoned homes and restore the blighted Studebaker complex to make it suitable for new high-tech companies. In an unlikely feat, the city has reversed decades of population decline and attracted new businesses and development, with the mayor's popularity growing in the process. "His appeal, for many people in South Bend, is his ability to look forward and to focus on better days ahead," South Bend-based political science professor Elizabeth Bennion of Indiana University told AFP. "Once people looked at his resume and heard him speak, many started talking about the fact that he was destined for national politics." President Donald Trump holds a narrow electoral advantage heading into 2020, according to Goldman Sachs, with his chances buoyed by a resilient U.S. economy and a crowded Democratic field in which a clear frontrunner has yet to emerge. In a comprehensive report released late Saturday, the investment bank gave its preliminary thoughts on a general election thats still more than a year away. While Trump reelection is far from assured, Goldmans economists believe the president is bolstered by the advantage of first-term incumbency and the relatively strong economic performance, in what is sure to be a close call election. Trumps approval ratings remain mired below 50%, as new crises appear to engulf his administration on a near daily basis. Meanwhile, early reads on the November 2020 ballot suggest the incumbent faces an uphill climb in his reelection bid. President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks about the deployment of 5G technology in the United States during an event in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Friday, April 12, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Yet with more than 20 Democrats vying to replace him, voter turnout uncertain and the likely emergence of an independent candidate suggest that President Trump is more likely to win a second term than the eventual Democratic candidate is to defeat him, Goldman wrote. While we believe the majority of market participants expect President Trump to win a second term, we note that prediction markets point in the opposite direction and imply that the Democratic candidate has a 56% probability of winning and the Republican candidate has a 44% chance, the bank said. Political betting markets have shown mixed results, with a few recently showing a clear reelection advantage for Trump, while others predict a Democratic win. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a rally in Warren, Mich., Saturday, April 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Democrats jockey for advantage Amid a massive field of contenders, a Democratic standard-bearer has yet to separate from the pack. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders former Vice President Joe Biden and California Senator Kamala Harris are considered frontrunners. Sanders has emerged as an early favorite. However, Biden who has run into trouble because of his affectionate style with women has yet to declare, and Harris doesnt crack double-digits in most polls. Story continues At this early stage with so many candidates, it is nearly impossible to predict who among the roughly 20 announced and potential Democratic candidates will win the nomination, Goldmans economists said. That said, we would make two observations. First, while the eventual nominee often trails in the polls in the year before the election, they typically have at least some base of support and poll in the double-digits. At the moment, only [Biden and Sanders] poll nationally in double digits, the bank wrote. Yet with so many contenders the odds are higher than usual in this election cycle that the eventual Democratic nominee could emerge from further down the list, according to Goldman. However, even in the crowded 2016 Republican primary, we note that by the time of the first debate then-candidate Trump was polling at over 20%, the bank added. Meanwhile, the idea that former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz could run as an independent is creating more white electoral noise. While it is impossible to predict whether a high-profile independent candidate (like Ross Perot in 1992) will run in 2020, if this occurred it seems more likely to benefit President Trump than the Democratic candidate, Goldman said. The bank surmised that in early head-to-head polling, polls that include potential independent candidate Howard Schultz typically reduce the Democratic vote share by around 2 [percentage points] more than the Republican vote share. Even if a Democrat were to take the Oval Office, Goldman predicted that person would face substantial obstacles in enacting a far-reaching, government-centric platform thats popular with the partys hardcore progressive voters. The first obstacle is control of the Senate: while we expect the House of Representatives to remain under Democratic control after the 2020 election, Republicans appear to be at an advantage heading into the 2020 election in the Senate, Goldman said. In the event that Democrats win the White House, they would need to win at least three Senate seats to take the majority, as the vice president casts the tie-breaking vote in the Senate, the banks economists wrote. Recapturing the necessary seats is plausible but unlikely, Goldman said, given the mix of seats up for reelection in 2020. We note that prediction markets also assign only a 35% probability to a Democratic-controlled Senate. Trumps support a wild card With all that said, Goldmans analysis fell well short of a ringing endorsement of Trump, or his chances for reelection. The bank noted that the 2018 midterm election, in which Democrats performed strongly amid historic turnout, portend at least some trouble for the president. Groups that most strongly supported President Trump in 2016 made up a smaller share of total voters in 2018 than they did in 2014, Goldman wrote. White voters without a college education form the crux of the presidents support in 2016, but that demographics share of the vote fell in 2018. Meanwhile, younger and non-white voters flocked to Democrats in large numbers. The upshot is that a core component of Trumps base declined meaningfully as a share of the electorate in the 2018 midterm elections, Goldman said. A sustained lack of enthusiasm among these groups into 2020 could portend difficulty for President Trump in safeguarding his narrow majorities in battleground states, the bank added. Javier David is an editor for Yahoo Finance. Read more: Follow Javier on Twitter: @TeflonGeek WASHINGTON (Reuters) - British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Friday it was very likely that the idea of a second Brexit referendum would be put to parliament at some point, but time was tight before October when Britain is due to leave the European Union. Hammond also said the process for choosing a new governor of the Bank of England was beginning ahead of the scheduled departure of current governor Mark Carney in January 2020. Here is a selection of comments by Hammond who was speaking to reporters in Washington where is attending meetings at the International Monetary Fund. ON A NO-DEAL BREXIT "No-deal as an immediate threat is off the table. Clearly we could have been in a very different place today. But it hasnt been removed altogether. It continues to exist. We are managing down the risks of no-deal." "Nobody should be under any illusion that if we were ever to get to no-deal, it would be a very uncomfortable place, both for the UK, for its impact on the European and hence the global economy." ON BREXIT TALKS WITH LABOUR "I think we are in with a good chance of being able to reach an agreement on the way forward in the next few weeks. We are in discussion with the Labour Party." "We agree on quite a lot. The Labour Party is clear that we have to deliver Brexit. They are clear that we have to end free movement ... We have some disagreements on priorities and approach beyond that but we agree on fundamentals." "I remain optimistic that over the next couple of months we will get a deal done." "It's no secret that the Labour Party regard a customs union as a negotiating objective for them." "Putting it on the table is not the same as having it agreed." "We haven't set red lines. Everything is up for discussion." ON A SECOND BREXIT REFERENDUM "You might argue that having an extension to the end of October creates that possibility. But if, in a couple of months time, we are taking a bill through parliament, then probably you are going to be struggling. Even if you wanted to organize a referendum, you would probably be struggling to do it in the time available." "I dont think the decision the (European) Council made on Wednesday night makes it any more or less likely that that will happen. That in the end is an issue about parliament and parliamentary numbers, and where the Labour Party ends up on this, as the Labour Party itself is deeply divided on this issue and at some point it will have to decide on where it stands as a party." "Our challenge now and our focus is to get a deal that we can get through parliament agreed as quickly as possible ... shut down the uncertainty so we can unleash the very large stock of potential investment that is hanging over the UK economy in suspended animation while people wait to see how this pans out." "It's a proposition that could and on all the evidence is very likely to be put to parliament at some stage." "The government's position has not changed. The government is opposed to a confirmatory referendum and therefore we would not be supporting it." ON THE SEARCH FOR A NEW BANK OF ENGLAND GOVERNOR "The process is getting underway ... Obviously I would have preferred to have the Brexit issue resolved before we started the process. It is stating the blindingly obvious that there may be some candidates who might be deterred from an application because of the political debate around Brexit, which inevitably the governor of the Bank of England can't avoid being part of... There may be some candidates who wouldn't want to be exposed to that level of political debate." "I hope we get it resolved before we get to the short-listing stage." ON PM MAY'S FUTURE "I remember in July 2016 quite a lot of colleagues in the media said she wouldnt last till Christmas. Here she is, three years later. She is remarkably robust and resilient, and determined to do what she thinks right." ON MAY'S SUCCESSOR "Someone who recognizes the Conservative Party is a broad church and a collation of views across a spectrum, and somebody that will pursue a policy agenda that is focused on ensuring Britain's prosperity is protected." ON THIS WEEK'S IMF MEETINGS "This set of meetings is crucial to the debate about IMF quotas and funding for the IMF." "We all anticipate that as events unfold in Venezuela, at some point there will be a need for a major program to support Venezuela. So the UK is very keen to ensure that the IMF in particular is properly funded." (Reporting by David Milliken; Writing by William Schomberg; Editing by Stephen Addison) Hillary Clinton at the Women in the World Summit on April 12 in New York City. (Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images) Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined other Democrats in their demands for the full Mueller report to be released to Congress and the public. We deserve to see the Mueller report, and if there is material that, for whatever reason, should not be shared publicly, it should be shared with the Congress, Clinton told CNNs Fareed Zakaria in an interview Friday at the Women in the World 10th Anniversary Summit in New York City. One of the things that I did as a very young lawyer was work on the impeachment staff of the House Judiciary Committee in 1974, investigating Richard Nixon, said Clinton, referring to the Watergate scandal for which President Nixon was named an unindicted co-conspirator and later resigned. I know what can be made available, what the court has to be asked to permit to be made available. I know what the Republicans did when they were in charge of the Congress in demanding information from the Justice Department that had never been offered before very sensitive information. It was all turned over to the Republican Congress. Were in this bit of a twilight zone, arent we? she continued. Theres a report that, depending upon which figure you believe, is somewhere between maybe three, four hundred pages long, and it is not being delivered to the Congress, which has an absolute right to see it. It is not being presented to the public. The report is expected to be released in the coming days, according to Attorney General William Barr, who testified last week at a hearing on Capitol Hill before House and Senate subcommittees. His summary of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation of the 2016 campaign said there was no collusion between President Trump's campaign and Russia. It also stated the Muellers findings were "not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction-of-justice offense." Democrats, skeptical of the four-page summary of the 400-page report and armed with a subpoena they have yet to issue, pressured Barr for the full, unredacted report. But Barr, while testifying Tuesday, refused to divulge details about Muellers report or say whether the White House has seen or been briefed on it. Story continues Hillary Clinton and Fareed Zakaria speak during the Women in the World Summit on April 12. (Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images) I think that what we saw in Congress, with the attorney generals presentation in both the House and the Senate, is someone who considers his principal duty to be protecting Donald Trump, not protecting the rule of law and the democracy that the Justice Department should be defending, said Clinton, who lost to Trump in the 2016 presidential election. And I remember when Nixon was really upset because there was an investigation going on and he fired people who would not do his bidding until he finally ended up with somebody who would do his bidding but it didnt save him, because the information that had been collected was made available to the Congress, to the courts and eventually to the public. I would hope that the law is followed, that the information is provided, she added, that the American public and the press has a chance to go through these three to four hundred pages with as few redactions or cross-outs as possible. While Trump and Republicans saw Barrs summary of the report as complete and total exoneration, some Democrats have held out belief there was some collusion like Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who has been one of the most outspoken skeptics of Barrs conclusions and maintains his stance that there is still significant evidence of collusion in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton, whose 2016 presidential run was marred by WikiLeaks publishing emails obtained through Russian hacks of the Democratic National Committee and her campaign, spoke about her experience in calling for the full report. As someone who has been in the eye of the storm all of these years, I think that everybody deserves their chance to tell their story, she said. I believe in facts and evidence and law. But this was an investigation that had a serious purpose to determine what role the Russians played in our election, to try to understand the kind of bizarre connections between Russians and members of the Trump campaign and people close to Trump. These are really important questions, she continued. [Not] just because we should, for historic purposes, really find out what did happen. Its because we need to be prepared to prevent whatever happened in the past from happening again that would influence wrongly our elections. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Ilhan Omar hit back at Donald Trump after he shared a video criticising her comments about the 9/11 terror attacks. I did not run for Congress to be silent, the Democrat representative for Minnesota tweeted, before vowing to fight and to defend our democracy. Ms Omar, who was one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, added: No one person no matter how corrupt, inept, or vicious can threaten my unwavering love for America. I stand undeterred to continue fighting for equal opportunity in our pursuit of happiness for all Americans. The congresswoman has faced increasing attacks since the US president shared footage showig Ms Omar referring to 9/11 as some people did something, adding the caption We will never forget!. Republicans have accused her of downplaying the terror attacks, and Mr Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr have both either retweeted or liked comments describing Ms Omar as a sick monster and not American. In her response, Ms Omar wrote: This country was founded on the ideas of justice, of liberty, of the pursuit of happiness. But these core beliefs are under threat. Each and every day. We are under threat by an administration that would rather cage children than pass comprehensive immigration reform. An administration that would rather give billionaires tax breaks than provide a little cushion for working people. An administration that would rather attack fellow Americans who are transgender and wear our countrys uniform than fight for equality and opportunity for all. I did not run for Congress to be silent. I did not run for Congress to sit on the sidelines. I ran because I believed it was time to restore moral clarity and courage to Congress. To fight and to defend our democracy. Thank you for standing with me against an administration that ran on banning Muslims from this country to fight for the America we all deserve. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Bernie Sanders and congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were among the Democrats to declare their support for Ms Omar. Story continues The President is inciting violence against a sitting Congresswomanand an entire group of Americans based on their religion. Its disgusting. Its shameful. And any elected leader who refuses to condemn it shares responsibility for it, said Ms Warren. Beto ORourke said: The presidents actions are an incitement to violence against Rep Omar and Muslim Americans across the country. There is a cost and consequence to this rhetoric. Members of both parties must stand together and condemn the presidents dangerous actions. It comes days after a man was arrested for phoning up Ms Omars office and threatening to put a bullet in her skull. Ms Omar has previously been accused of antisemitism over comments she made about the pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The Muslim American congresswoman Ilhan Omar has said she has received an increased number of death threats after Donald Trump repeatedly tweeted video footage of September 11 and accused Omar of downplaying the terror attacks. Omar issued a statement on Sunday night saying: Since the presidents tweet Friday evening, I have experienced an increase in direct threats on my life many directly referencing or replying to the presidents video. Omar said the Capitol police, the FBI, the House sergeant at arms and the speaker of the House were all aware of the threats and she thanked them for their assistance. Violent rhetoric and all forms of hate speech have no place in our society, much less from our countrys Commander in Chief, she wrote. We are all Americans. This is endangering lives. It has to stop. Related: Ilhan Omar: how Democrats responded to Trump's 9/11 attack The White House escalated its assault on Omar on Sunday, as the White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, insisted that Omar, 37, a Somali American who as one of the first Muslim women in Congress is the first to wear a hijab in the House chamber, was in the wrong. I find her comments to be absolutely disgraceful and unbefitting of a member of Congress, Sanders said, and I think that its a good thing the president is calling her out. Sanders dismissed concern among Democrats that Trump was inciting violence against Omar, who has received death threats before, and other Muslim Americans. The president is wishing no ill will and certainly not violence toward anyone, said Sanders. But the president is absolutely and should be calling out the congresswoman. I think that its a good thing that the president is calling her out Sarah Sanders Omar has come in for a drubbing from the right over a snippet from a speech last month to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair), in which she discussed the problem of Islamophobia and described the discomfort of being a second-class citizen. Story continues Cair was founded after 9/11, Omar said, because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties. In response, Trump tweeted, retweeted then pinned atop his Twitter account a video splicing footage of Omars remark with video of the 9/11 attacks, including planes striking the World Trade Center and the Twin Towers falling. Supported by a wave of Democrats saying Trump was willfully misrepresenting comments by Omar in what amounted to dangerous racist bullying, the congresswoman on Saturday said she would not be silenced by an administration that ran on banning Muslims from this country. No one person no matter how corrupt, inept, or vicious can threaten my unwavering love for America, Omar tweeted. Trumps attack amplified a cover run by the tabloid New York Post, owned by Rupert Murdoch, which splashed a quote from Omar over a picture of the World Trade Center in flames. In response, a group of New York City corner-store owners announced a boycott of the newspaper. The Yemeni American Merchants Association, which represents Yemeni Americans who own and run an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 of the citys thousands of delis and corner stores, known as bodegas, wrote that the front page provoked hatred and aims to harm Omar and her family and other people of the Islamic faith. This rhetoric threatens the safety and wellbeing of Omar, Muslim leaders, and the larger Muslim American community at a time when Islamophobia is at an all-time high, it added. This is about the fact that she looks a certain way, she is a woman of color, she happens to be of the Muslim faith Andrew Gillum Andrew Gillum, a former mayor of Tallahassee who made a strong run in 2018 for the Florida governorship, said on CNNs State of the Union Trump was making a racist attack on Omar as part of his strategy to win re-election. Obviously Ilhan has become a little bit of an easy target for this White House, for this administration, Gillum said. But I think his attack is beyond Congresswoman Omar. This is about the fact that she looks a certain way, she is a woman of color, she happens to be of the Muslim faith. The president is setting, in my opinion, the groundwork for the kind of campaign he wants to run, which is to pit Americans against Americans, to turn brown and black people against his base. Omar, who represents a district including Minneapolis, has been in Congress just over three months but she has been targeted by Trump more than once. In February, after Omar suggested support for Israel was fueled by donations from a lobby group, she was accused of antisemitism. Omar apologized unequivocally. But she has declined to do so over her 9/11 comment. I did not run for Congress to be silent, she tweeted on Saturday. I stand undeterred to continue fighting for equal opportunity in our pursuit of happiness for all Americans. Many Democrats, including more than a dozen presidential candidates, issued statements of support for Omar, though activists were careful to note that some of the statements, which mentioned Omar by name, were stronger than others. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the other Muslim American woman in Congress, was the first on Friday to call for Democrats to support Omar. Enough is enough, she wrote. No more silence, with NY Post and now Trump taking Ilhans words out of context to incite violence toward her, its time for more Dem[ocrats] to speak up. Clearly the GOP is fine with this shameful stunt, but we cannot stand by. Related: Yemeni bodegas boycott New York Post over attacks on Ilhan Omar Senator Bernie Sanders called attacks on Omar disgusting and dangerous and said Omar would not back down to Trumps racism and hate, and neither will we. Senator Elizabeth Warren said: The president is inciting violence against a sitting congresswoman and an entire group of Americans based on their religion. Its disgusting. Its shameful. And any elected leader who refuses to condemn it shares responsibility for it. Former representative Beto ORourke and New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Trumps attacks amounted to an incitement to violence. Trumps own controversial remarks and false claims about September 11 have come under renewed scrutiny. Speaking on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday, the New York congressman Jerrold Nadler, whose district covers lower Manhattan, said he was not offended by Omars remarks because she referred only in passing to September 11. But Trump was speaking out of turn, Nadler said, because after 9/11 he had taken money from a federal grant fund for small businesses that were damaged in the terrorist attacks. He stole $150,000 from some small business person who could have used it to help rehabilitate himself, Nadler said. He has no moral authority to be talking about 9/11 at all. LONDON (Reuters) - Iran will ask the international community to take a position on the U.S. designation of its Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was cited as saying on Sunday. Iran condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's step last week as illegal. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is a powerful elite force which controls much of the Iranian state and economy. "Today ... we will send messages to foreign ministers of all countries to tell them it is necessary for them to express their stances, and to warn them that this unprecedented and dangerous U.S. measure has had and will have consequences," Zarif was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. Zarif said he had also sent letters to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the United Nations Security Council to protest against "this illegal U.S. measure". Tehran retaliated against Washington's move by designating the regional United States Central Command (CENTCOM) as a terrorist organization. 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. The United States has already blacklisted dozens of entities and people for affiliations with the IRGC, but had not previously targeted the organization as a whole. 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. Iran's oil minister said on Sunday that the supply-demand balance in the global oil market is fragile due to U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela and tensions in Libya, and warned of consequences for increasing pressures on Tehran. France, Britain and Germany, other signatories of the nuclear accord, have set up a new mechanism for non-dollar trade with Iran to protect against U.S. sanctions. Zarif complained on Sunday about the delay in the implementation of the mechanism, and urged Europe to make it operational as quickly as possible. "The Europeans should not believe that the Islamic Republic of Iran will wait for long," he said. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Jan Harvey and Raissa Kasolowsky) DETROIT Chaldeans and elected officials in metro Detroit are asking the U.S. government to block the deportations of up to 1,000 Iraqi nationals. After a federal appeals court last week ruled against the Iraqis in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Iraqi American Christians and their supporters in Congress and the Michigan Legislature are mobilizing to lobby the Department of Homeland Security to halt the removal of Iraqis with criminal records. The decision by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals went into effect on Tuesday, which means many Iraqis could be deported at any time. Martin Manna, president of the Chaldean Community Foundation in Sterling Heights, spent two days this week in Washington meeting with members of Congress in an effort to craft legislation that could halt the deportation. "For many people, this may be life or death," Manna told the Free Press. "All we ask is they get additional time to get their due process in courts. ... They will likely face persecution in Iraq." Also this week, four House members, three of them from Michigan, sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence asking him to help block the deportation. And some legislators are now working on a potential bill that would ask the Trump administration to halt deportations based on a policy known as Deferred Enforced Departure previously used to halt the deportations of Liberian immigrants. Jeremiah Suleiman, of Sterling Heights holds a sign In the past, Vice President Pence has advocated for the protection of persecuted Christians abroad, so it would make sense to pursue his partnership on this issue, said U.S. Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., whose district in metro Detroit has a sizable number of Iraqi Americans. Iraqi nationals of all religious backgrounds facing deportation could receive a knock on the door ... and be deported to Iraq before an immigration court has the chance to individually hear cases. We are growing this bipartisan coalition swiftly, and we are involving all players who have an interest in securing fair and humane treatment for Iraqi nationals." Story continues The other congressional representatives who signed the letter sent April 9 to Pence were Reps. John Moolenaar, R-Mich.; Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.; and Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb. "We write to urge you to halt the wholesale detention and deportation of Iraqis living in the United States, including numerous Iraqi Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities," the letter reads. Liberian deportations: Hundreds of Liberians legally in U.S. face deportation following Trump decision Migrant family separations, heckling: Key moments from Kirstjen Nielsen's troubled tenure as DHS secretary The letter to Pence references a separate letter sent on Friday by 23 members of Congress led by Reps. Levin and Moolenaar to then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Acting Director of ICE Ronald Vitello. Nielsen has since resigned, and President Donald Trump recently announced Vitello will not continue as head of ICE. Levin said the two leaving their positions makes it all the more urgent that Pence try to help advocate for the Iraqis. In Michigan, there's a separate effort by the state Senate. Republican state Sen. Jim Runestad offered a resolution this week in the state Senate that says they oppose "the mass deportation of Iraqi nationals in Michigan and the United States." The resolution praises Iraqi immigrants, saying that "Iraqi nationals complement our American society with a proven history of contributing to the economic and social well-being of this nation. Metro Detroit has the largest concentration of Chaldeans outside of Iraq, a population of business owners, employees, and families that is indispensable to the local economy." A copy of the resolution was sent to ICE. Regarding the letters sent to ICE, Khaalid Walls, a spokesman for ICE, said that "any potential agency response to this correspondence would come through the appropriate channels." In an earlier statement after the court's ruling allowing deportations, ICE Detroit Field Office Director Rebecca Adducci said: This decision is a decisive victory further vindicating ICEs efforts to remove these aliens, many of whom had criminal convictions, to Iraq. The court's decision again affirms that each individual fully litigated their cases, receiving exhaustive due process. ICE is now reviewing this decision to determine its next steps. In addition to the letters, members of Congress are considering a bill that calls upon the U.S. to enact what is called a Deferred Enforced Departure policy for Iraqi nationals living in the U.S. The policy is currently in effect for Liberians because of a civil war and other disturbances in Liberia. Last month, Trump issued a memo extending the time that eligible Liberians could stay in the U.S. through March 2020, said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Manna said the policy for Liberians sets a precedent that can be used to help Iraqis stay in the U.S. Manna said he was asked to visit Washington this week by Moolenaar to help persuade other legislators to block the deportations. The Iraqi nationals facing deportation came to the U.S. legally, but because they have criminal records, are eligible for deportation. The range of their crimes varies, from minor cases like marijuana possession to more serious cases like assault and murder. Immigrant death: Mexican immigrant dies in U.S. custody, the fourth such death in recent months Mike Pence: Vice President to visit Border Patrol station in Arizona following DHS shakeup They previously had final orders of deportation by an immigration judge, but until Trump came into office were not ordered to leave. ICE has said previously it reached a deal with Iraq to send the Iraqi nationals back. "They're living with a lot of fear and anguish," Manna said of Iraqi nationals and their families. He noted that Iraq's Christian population has declined since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, which led to extremists gaining power and driving out minority groups. The fear of persecution is one of the reasons the Iraqis should be allowed to stay in the U.S., said Manna. Manna said he has been heartened by the bipartisan support from Michigan's congressional delegation. In addition to Levin and Moolenaar, other representatives from Michigan who signed the letter to ICE are: Republican Reps. Justin Amash, Jack Bergman, Bill Huizenga and Democrats Debbie Dingell, Dan Kildee, Brenda Lawrence, Slotkin, Haley Stevens, and Rashida Tlaib. Follow Niraj Warikoo on Twitter @nwarikoo This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Iraqi American Christians ask Vice President Mike Pence to block deportation of Iraqis By Aziz El Yaakoubi DUBAI (Reuters) - A delegation from Israel that was due to attend a conference in Bahrain this week has pulled out due to security concerns, the organisers said on Sunday, after Bahrainis held an extensive campaign against the visit. A spokeswoman for Israel's Economy Minister Eli Cohen said his planned visit to Bahrain this week had been "delayed because of political issues". Another Israeli cabinet minister said this referred to coalition talks after Israel's election last week. Israel and the Gulf Arab countries are in the midst of a diplomatic push aimed at forging an alliance against their common enemy Iran. Their efforts have become increasingly public after years of mostly covert contact due to strong opposition to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. The group of around 30 Israeli business executives and government officials was scheduled to participate in a congress organised by the U.S.- based Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) in Bahrain on April 15-18. This prompted an outcry in Bahrain, with parliament joining calls on social media for the visit to be cancelled and some minor street protests held in Manama. "While we advised the Israeli delegation they would be welcome, they decided this morning not to come due to security concerns and a wish not to cause disruption for the other 180 nations participating," Jonathan Ortmans, GEN president, said in a statement. A source close to the matter told Reuters that three Israeli speakers had cancelled because they were unable to obtain visas while the rest of the delegation had "decided not to go." The Bahraini government said the delegation had been invited at the sole initiative of the Global Entrepreneurship Network. "Our responsibility is to ensure a safe and supportive environment for the attending delegations," the government said in a statement. However, acting Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who also holds the intelligence portfolio, denied that the cancellation of Cohen's trip was due to security concerns. Story continues "The head of the delegation is busy with political matters right now," Katz told Israel's Reshet 13 TV, referring to talks on a new coalition government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who won reelection in the April 9 ballot. "Cohen had to choose between travelling to Bahrain - a very important trip - and exploiting the election gains." Last week a group of Bahraini lawyers tried unsuccessfully to get a court to stop immigration authorities from issuing visas to the delegation, while parliament condemned the visit. "Bahrain's parliament announces that the people of Bahrain rejects any Israeli presence on its territory and its lands and any decision allowing this presence is unacceptable," lawmakers said in a statement. Israel has formal diplomatic relations with only two Arab states, neighbouring Egypt and Jordan. But an Israeli cabinet minister visited Abu Dhabi's Grand Mosque last year and fellow Gulf state Oman hosted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a surprise trip, the first time an Israeli leader had visited the Sultanate in 22 years. (Reporting By Aziz El Yaakoubi; Additional reporting by Tova Cohen in Tel Aviv and Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) Frances government has said it would consider offering Julian Assange political asylum if he were to ask the country for refuge. The WikiLeaks founders French lawyer, Juan Branco, had appealed to president Emmanuel Macron to intervene in the case and prevent the hacker being extradited from a UK prison to the US. Mr Branco said on Thursday Mr Macron should offer mediation and take this man under our protection, adding that Assange has a small child in France. Frances minister for Europe, Amelie de Montchalin, said in a radio interview on Friday that the country had not received a request for help from Assange. We should listen to what he wants to do, she said, before also adding we dont offer asylum to someone whos not asking for it. Despite Ms de Montchalins comments suggesting France would be open to at least considering an appeal for asylum from Assange, Mr Macron has yet to comment on the matter. Assange was arrested in London on Thursday after the ambassador at the Ecuadorian embassy, where he had enjoyed political asylum for the past seven years, rescinded his asylum status. He was then taken to Westminster Magistrates Court, where he was promptly found guilty of breaching his bail conditions in relation to a Swedish investigation into rape allegations. The US has also charged Assange with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion with former army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, a first step in what is likely to be a long extradition battle. Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn has called on the government to stop Assange being extradited to the US, a move WikiLeaks has claimed could see him spend decades in prison. The extradition of Julian Assange to the US for exposing evidence of atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan should be opposed by the British government, the Labour leader wrote on Twitter. Theresa May, home secretary Sajid Javid and foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt all said Assanges arrest on Thursday showed that no one is above the law. Additional reporting by agencies CHICAGO Empire actor Jussie Smollett purposely attempted to mislead police by falsely describing alleged assailants who he said attacked him on a cold January night as white men, the city of Chicago claimed in a civil lawsuit filed Thursday. The allegation comes in a lawsuit filed by the city, which is attempting to force the actor to pay back more than $130,000 they say the police department spent in overtime costs to investigate a supposed hoax attack set up by the actor. Smollett, 36, who is black and gay, allegedly hired two brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo to stage an assault on him and make it look like a hate crime, police and prosecutors say. The actor told investigators that his attackers yelled homophobic and racist slurs at him, and also screamed This is MAGA country, a reference to President Donald Trumps 2016 campaign slogan. Smollett said the attack happened near his apartment in Chicagos Streeterville neighborhood on Jan. 29. Smollett told officers that the primary attacker was wearing a ski mask that covered his entire face, with the exception of the area around his eyes, by which (Smollett) could tell the attacker was white-skinned, according to the citys lawsuit. The brothers are black. (Smollett) made this statement despite knowing that the Osundairo Brothers are not white-skinned, the lawsuit says. By providing this false description, (Smollett) purposely misled the CPD officers to believe that his attackers were white, when, in fact, (Smollett) knew that his attackers were the Osundairo brothers. Lawsuit coming: Jussie Smollett investigation cost $130,000 in OT. Rahm Emanuel says Chicago will make 'Empire' actor pay Foxx under fire: Jussie Smollett legal team: Prosecutors flip-flopping on why they dropped charges Battle brews: Jussie Smollett, Chicago officials face off in nasty legal battle over civil fine The complaint recounts many of the details that prosecutors and police laid out in court and in public statements in February when they charged Smollett with disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. He was later indicted by a grand jury on 16 counts of disorderly conduct. Story continues For weeks, the police investigators treated Smollett as a victim, and were on the verge of charging the Osundairo brothers for the assault. The brothers, who were arrested more than two weeks after the incident upon returning to OHare International Airport from an overseas trip, reportedly laid out for investigators how they worked with Smollett to carry out the alleged hoax attack as they were on the cusp of being charged. They said Smollett paid them $3,500 to carry out the alleged fake assault. After the brothers statements, police charged Smollett for filing the false police report. The office of Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx, however, made the surprise announcement on March 26 that it was dropping charges against Smollett, less than three weeks after he had been indicted on 16 counts of disorderly conduct. Smollett agreed to forfeit $10,000 that he put up in bond money to secure his release after his arrest. The decision by Foxx was slammed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel as a whitewash of justice and criticized by Chicago Police Department officials and the Fraternal Order of Police. A group of suburban Chicago police chiefs last week called on Foxx to resign. One of Smolletts attorneys, Mark Geragos, responded to the city last week that he would insist on questioning Emanuel, who leaves office next month, and Johnson and other officials if they pushed forward with the lawsuit. Your claim that Smollett filed a false police report and orchestrated his own attack is false and defamatory, the letter said. A spokeswoman for Smolletts legal team on Thursday declined to comment. Police investigators told Smollett in February that they had identified the Osundairo brothers as the assailants, according to the civil complaint. Smollett made further false statements by claiming that his only relationship with the Osundairo Brothers was as trainers and social acquaintances, and told police they could not have been his attackers, the complaint says. Smollett had actually struck a friendship with Abel Osundairo, who worked on the set of Empire with the actor, in 2017, according to the complaint. (Smollett) and Abel socialized and exercised together, and (Smollett) occasionally asked for Abels assistance in obtaining recreational drugs, the city alleges in the lawsuit. Violation of Chicagos false statement ordinance allows the city to collect up to three times the amount of damages the city sustains as a result of the violation. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jussie Smollett purposely misled police by saying assailants were white, lawsuit alleges If you want to know who really controls Woodside Petroleum Ltd (ASX:WPL), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Institutions often own shares in more established companies, while it's not unusual to see insiders own a fair bit of smaller companies. We also tend to see lower insider ownership in companies that were previously publicly owned. Woodside Petroleum has a market capitalization of AU$33b, so it's too big to fly under the radar. We'd expect to see both institutions and retail investors owning a portion of the company. In the chart below below, we can see that institutional investors have bought into the company. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner, to discover more about WPL. See our latest analysis for Woodside Petroleum ASX:WPL Ownership Summary, April 13th 2019 What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Woodside Petroleum? Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index. We can see that Woodside Petroleum does have institutional investors; and they hold 29% of the stock. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Woodside Petroleum's earnings history, below. Of course, the future is what really matters. ASX:WPL Income Statement, April 13th 2019 Hedge funds don't have many shares in Woodside Petroleum. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too. Insider Ownership Of Woodside Petroleum The definition of company insiders can be subjective, and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it. Story continues Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group. Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Woodside Petroleum Ltd in their own names. Being so large, we would not expect insiders to own a large proportion of the stock. Collectively, they own AU$81m of stock. Arguably recent buying and selling is just as important to consider. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling. General Public Ownership The general public, mostly retail investors, hold a substantial 71% stake in WPL, suggesting it is a fairly popular stock. With this size of ownership, retail investors can collectively play a role in decisions that affect shareholder returns, such as dividend policies and the appointment of directors. They can also exercise the power to decline an acquisition or merger that may not improve profitability. Next Steps: It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Woodside Petroleum better, we need to consider many other factors. I always like to check for a history of revenue growth. You can too, by accessing this free chart of historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph. Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. 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. A mother detained in Dubai over Facebook posts calling her ex-husbands new wife a horse has said she thought she would never see her daughter again. Laleh Shahravesh said the day before she was told she was free to go, she had given up hope and wanted to die. Ms Shahravesh, 55, from Richmond, south-west London, was detained in Dubai under controversial cyber-crime laws as she visited with her daughter in March for the funeral of ex-husband Pedro Correia Dos Santos, who was Pariss father. She was originally warned she faced up to two years in prison over the posts made three years ago about her ex-husbands new wife, but on Thursday a judge ordered that her passport would be returned if she paid a fine of 3,000 UAE Dirham (624). Laleh Shahravesh was detained in Dubai when she returned for her ex-husbands funeral (Picture: PA) Ms Shahravesh returned to Heathrow on Friday morning, according to the Detained in Dubai campaign group that supported her, and was reunited with 14-year-old daughter Paris in an emotional scene at the airport. She told the Sunday People: The day before I was told I was free to go Id given up hope. READ MORE The Prodigys security guard Con dies weeks after Keith Flint Worlds biggest aeroplane with huge wingspan carries out maiden flight Boy, 10, killed by dog in Cornwall holiday park I was suicidal. I felt like I was never going to see my daughter again and sent a message to my sister saying I cant do this any more. She went on: I told her, Its killing me, every day is killing me. I felt so much pain and then I turned off my phone. I could see my whole life flashing before my eyes and I just wanted to die. It was torture to me. WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange will receive "no special treatment" from his home country following his dramatic arrest in Britain, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday. Assange's seven-year hideout in Ecuador's London embassy ended dramatically on Thursday when police dragged the WikiLeaks founder out of the building into a waiting van. He was found guilty by a British court on Thursday of breaching his bail conditions in 2012 and faces a year in prison. But US authorities are seeking his extradition on charges relating to his work with former US intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2010, with the case to be heard on May 2. Barely 24 hours into an official election campaign, Morrison said Assange would receive the same support as any other Australian in trouble overseas, and the extradition is a "matter for the United States". "Well it's got nothing to do with us, it has got to do with the United States," he told national broadcaster the ABC. "There's a judicial process, and that will be followed across a range of matters here and I would expect that to follow. He will receive the same consular support as any other Australians would in these circumstances." Morrison's counterpart Bill Shorten, who is favourite to become Australia's next prime minister following the May 18 election, also distanced himself from the case. "It will be a matter for the legal system to proceed, he should receive the support any other Australian citizens should receive," the opposition leader told reporters. "The matter is going before court so I don't think there is much more I can add," Shorten said. * "Most Popular Intellectual Property Law Blawg" of all time according to Justia rankings , December 2021. * "Most Popular Copyright Blawg" of all time according to Justia rankings , December 2021. * PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the World Intellectual Property Review's "Influential Women in IP" of 2020. * PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2018. * IPKat founder and Blogmeister Emeritus Jeremy Phillips listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2005, 2011, 2013, and 2014. * Recommended by the European Patent Office as reading material for candidates for the European Qualifying Examinations, 2013. * Listed as "Top Legal Blog" in The Times Online, March 2011. 2010 ABA Journal 100. * One of the only two non-US blogs listed in the Blawg100. * Court Reporter Top Copyright Blog award winner, November 2010. * Number 1 in the 2010 Top Copyright Blog list compiled by the Copyright Litigation Blog, July 2010. * Selected by the United States Library of Congress for inclusion in its historic collections of Internet materials related to Legal Blawgs as of 2010. * Top Patent Blog poll 2009: 3rd out of 50 in the "Favourite Patent Blog" poll and 2nd out of 50 in the "Most-read" poll. Blog of the Year, 20 August 2008. * ComputerWeekly IT Law and Governance, 20 August 2008. Washington (AFP) - Trade frictions are seen as a the main source of uncertainty for a slowing global economy, but there are more glimmers of hope for a US-China agreement. While there is no deadline for ending the protracted trade war with China, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Saturday the talks are nearing their conclusion, a fresh signal of progress. Mnuchin's remarks came on the margins of spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, which were once again dominated by fears US trade policy could upset global economic growth. The IMF predicted this week that the slowing world economy should begin to rebound in the latter part of 2019 -- provided in part that the world's top two economies resolve their differences. In a final statement from the meetings Saturday, the IMF's steering committee, which represents' the organization's 189 members, recognized the need to "resolve trade tensions" and support reforms of the World Trade Organization that have been demanded by the United States. While the IMF itself has warned against the "self-inflicted wounds" of tariffs and trade barriers, the committee itself steered clear of what has become an unexpected hot button in a forum once devoted to trade liberalization. IMF chief Christine Lagarde said many officials at the meetings in Washington "actually made their views well known about the benefits of trade" for economic growth. China's deputy central bank governor, Chen Yulu, warned that "the protectionism of some countries has harmed mutual trust among countries," although he did not name the United States. In the meantime, Washington this week rattled EU nations by threatening a new set of tariffs in retaliation for subsidies to the aviation manufacturer Airbus while separately prepare for new trade talks with Japan. - Close to final round - Mnuchin reiterated that President Donald Trump wants his team to focus more on a good deal with Beijing rather than on a quick one. Story continues "It is more important to get it right than have arbitrary date," Mnuchin told reporters. But "I'm hopeful we're getting close to the final round of concluding issues." In shuttle diplomacy since January between Washington and Beijing to resolve their nine-month trade war, both sides have continued to express cautious optimism without predicting success. Mnuchin said officials in Washington and Beijing held a round of telephone talks last week, with more planned for the coming week, and are discussions on whether further in-person meetings are required. A sticking point in the talks has been American officials' insistence that any final agreement have teeth -- and that they retain the ability to impose fresh tariffs should Beijing backslide on its commitments. Mnuchin declined to get into details on Saturday. "There are certain commitments the United States is making in this agreement and there are certain commitments that China is making," he said. "And I would expect that the enforcement mechanism works in both directions." "This is a very, very detailed agreement, covering issues that have never been dealt with before," Mnuchin added, noting that the text currently had seven chapters. Trump said last week a conclusion in the talks was probably "four weeks" away but since discussions began earlier this year to end the nine-month trade war, the finish line has repeatedly slipped further into the future. By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people waved palm and olive branches in St. Peter's Square on Palm Sunday as Pope Francis led the world's Catholics into Holy Week commemorations ahead of Easter calling for the Church to be humble. Palm Sunday is when Christians mark the day the Bible says Jesus rode into Jerusalem and was hailed by the crowd as Messiah, only to be crucified days later. After a long procession across the square accompanied by dozens of bishops and cardinals, and following gospel readings, Francis said in his homily that it was important to resist the temptations of triumphalism and remain humble. "Joyful acclamations at Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem, followed by his humiliation. Festive cries, followed by brutal torture. This twofold mystery accompanies our entrance into Holy Week each year," he said. The Church itself had to resist triumphalism and spiritual worldliness, he added, calling them "the most treacherous temptation threatening the Church". At the end of the two-hour service, Francis asked the crowd to pray for peace, particularly in the Holy Land and all of the Middle East. Palm Sunday marks the start of a hectic week of activities leading to Easter Sunday, the most important day on the Christian liturgical calendar. On Holy Thursday, Francis will travel to the city of Velletri, south of Rome, to wash and kiss the feet of 12 inmates in a prison there to commemorate Jesus' gesture of humility toward his apostles on the night before he died. On Good Friday, Francis, marking his seventh Easter season since his election in 2013, is due lead a Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession around Rome's ancient colosseum The 82-year-old leader of the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics leads an Easter vigil service on Saturday night and on Easter Sunday he reads the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message. (Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Jan Harvey) Cucuta (Colombia) (AFP) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ended his tour of South America on Sunday with a brief visit to the Colombian border city of Cucuta, crossed through by thousands of Venezuelans fleeing crisis under President Nicolas Maduro. After attending a Sunday service in the Peruvian capital Lima, the chief US diplomat set off for the final leg of his tour of South America, which began Friday in Chile. In Cucuta, where he met with refugees alongside Colombian President Ivan Duque, Pompeo called upon Maduro to open the border to allow humanitarian aid to enter -- and step down. "Open these bridges, open these borders, you can end this today," he said. "I hope that you will care enough when you see the horror, when you see the tragedy, to change your ways and to leave your country." Branded illegitimate by over 50 countries, who instead recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido, Maduro closed four frontier bridges connecting Venezuela and Cucuta on February 22. That came after National Assembly leader Guaido declared himself interim president on January 23, kickstarting a power struggle with Maduro -- of which the entry of humanitarian aid has been a defining issue. Pompeo promised that the US would continue to use all political and economic means to help Venezuelans. All four countries featured on his itinerary -- Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Colombia -- are led by right-wing or center-right leaders favorable to Washington's uncompromising approach to Maduro. On Saturday, Pompeo paid tribute to Peru's welcome for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan refugees. But he became irritated when a reporter asked if that contradicted US President Donald Trump's harsh immigration policy at home. "Peru has felt first-hand the effects of the disastrous Nicolas Maduro and the pain that he has brought to the Venezuelan people," he said, following talks with President Martin Vizcarra and Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio. Story continues He added that Peru had shown "enormous leadership in responding to this challenge." Over three million Venezuelans, around 10 percent of the population, now live outside the crisis-hit country, ravaged by shortages of food and medicine and repeated power outages. The United Nations predicts that number will hit 5.3 million by the end of 2019. Peru has received the most Venezuelans after Colombia: 750,000, according to Popolizio, testing the capacity of the country's public services. Another objective of Pompeo's whirlwind tour was to blunt trade rival China's growing reach in Latin America. In Chile, whose biggest trading partner is Beijing, he warned of links between Chinese trade and "their desire to steal intellectual property, to have forced technology transfer, to engage in activity that is not economic." A voluntary recall of certain pre-cut melon has been ordered after 93 people became infected with salmonella in nine states, health officials said. Indianapolis-based Caito Foods LLC on Friday advised the public to throw away any of its products that contain watermelon, honeydew melon and cantaloupe. The companys recall notice follows health officials connecting the fruits to a strain of salmonella. The outbreak remains under investigation. The company issued a similar recall last June after another outbreak sickened 60 people in five states. A company spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday. The latest fruit products recalled were packaged in clear, plastic clamshell containers and distributed by retailers including Trader Joes, Kroger, Target, Walmart and Amazon/Whole Foods, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. The full list of products and retailers can be seen here. Melon products distributed by Indianapolis-based Caito Foods LLC have been recalled by the company after dozens of people became ill with salmonella. (Juanmonino via Getty Images) As of Friday night, illnesses linked to the fruit have been reported in Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Of those sickened, 23 people have been hospitalized, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The fruit products were distributed in the following 16 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Because it is possible that products could still be on store shelves, this recall extends to both retailers and consumers, the FDA said in a release. Consumers should not consume the product and should promptly dispose of any remaining product. If the products origin is not known, the public is advised to throw it out to be safe. The span of reported illnesses covered March 4-31. Additional illnesses linked to the fruit may not yet have been reported, the CDC said. Most people who become infected with salmonella will develop diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps 12 to 72 hours after becoming exposed to the bacteria. The illness typically lasts four to seven days and in most cases does not require treatment. Young children and adults older than 65 years are more likely to have a severe illness because of weakened immune systems. By Ed Davies JAKARTA (Reuters) - When Indonesian President Joko Widodo was elected five years ago, the former furniture salesman seemed to offer a clean break from the military and political elite that had clung to power since the fall of strongman ruler Suharto in 1998. Now, Widodo, 57, is running on his own record for a second term in Wednesday's election, with a comfortable lead in most opinion polls over his rival, former general Prabowo Subianto. (GRAPHIC: Indonesia election by the numbers - https://tmsnrt.rs/2V4DCqq) With his easy smile and signature "blusukan", or spur of the moment neighborhood walkabouts, he came to power on a wave of popular support for the clean, can-do image he cultivated as a small-city mayor, and then as governor of the capital Jakarta. Still, during his political rise, Widodo, a moderate Muslim from Solo in Central Java, has had to fend off smear campaigns suggesting he is anti-Islam, a communist or in debt to China, all damaging accusations in the Muslim-majority country. On Sunday, just days ahead of the election, Widodo made a pilgrimage to Islam's holiest site, Mecca in Saudi Arabia, a visit many Indonesians see as aimed at underlining that he is a devout Muslim. As president he was saddled with high expectations that he could fix a host of enduring issues in the sprawling archipelago, from tackling past human rights abuses to rooting out pervasive graft. (GRAPHIC: Presidenti Joko Widodo's achievements - https://tmsnrt.rs/2CRgHYC) Jokowi, as he is popularly known among Indonesians, also inherited an economy coming off a commodities boom, and faced an obstructive parliament and vested interests opposed to reform and transparency. But he methodically stitched together a majority in parliament, and while unable to deliver on an economic growth target of 7 percent, he led a record infrastructure push to build ports, roads and airports. Niken Satyawati, a family friend who has co-written a book on the president, said Widodo had sought to extend the clean governance he pursued as mayor of Solo to the national stage. "He was an ordinary person. And he still is," she said, describing his weakness as a desire to accommodate the wishes of too many people. Widodo came from humble beginnings. His father ran a small timber business and his childhood home was a riverside shack in the city of Solo. He was the first in his family to attend university and after graduating in forestry eventually set up a successful furniture business. BOLDER REFORM? Widodo became Solo's first directly elected mayor in 2005 and was hugely popular after cleaning up the streets and public spaces with incentives and persuasion to shift thousands of illegal vendors to new facilities. His consultative approach would come to define his campaign as he ran for governor of Jakarta in 2012. Once president, as a political outsider, he faced accusations of being beholden to party backers, particularly those connected to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, led by former president Megawati Sukarnoputri. Nevertheless, he focused on reviving the economy by cutting red tape and easing investment rules. At times, he faced cabinet infighting and policy flip-flops cast doubt on his ability to commandeer his own team, let alone a country of 260 million. On the foreign stage, he appeared more assertive, denying pleas for clemency in 2015 from foreign drug traffickers on death row, straining ties chiefly with neighbor Australia. He also held a cabinet meeting aboard a warship off the Natuna Islands after China stated its "overlapping claim" to nearby waters. The most bruising period of his presidency was from 2016, when huge rallies targeting Jakarta's ethnic Chinese, Christian governor for alleged blasphemy pushed religious tension in Indonesia to its highest in years. Widodo was forced to distance himself from Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a one-time ally later jailed for insulting Islam. To the disappointment of some progressive supporters, Widodo picked Islamic cleric Ma'ruf Amin as his running mate for the election, seeking to boost the ticket's appeal to Muslims. If he is re-elected, analysts expect broadly the same economic policy focus, though they are divided whether he will quicken the pace. "If he wins, I believe he will push his reform agenda more confidently, as politically he is a 'stubborn' leader," said Wawan Mas'udi, a politics expert at Gadjah Mada University who has charted Widodo's rise to power. (Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Clarence Fernandez) Following is a summary of current people news briefs. Patriots owner Kraft asks Florida judge not to release 'pornography' sting video A lawyer for New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Friday asked a Florida judge not to make public a video that led to the billionaire being charged in a prostitution sting at a massage parlor, calling the evidence "basically pornography." Media companies including ABC and ESPN clashed with Kraft's defenders, saying the judge would violate Florida's public records laws by suppressing the video of Kraft receiving sexual services at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida. Obama, Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dogg pay tribute to rapper Nipsey Hussle Former U.S. President Barack Obama sent a letter, Stevie Wonder sang, and Snoop Dogg called slain rapper Nipsey Hussle a "peace advocate" at a Los Angeles memorial on Thursday attended by family members, friends and thousands of fans. Obama wrote a letter to the family that was read by Karen Civil, Hussle's friend and business partner. The former president praised Hussle's attempts to revitalize the gang-plagued neighborhood where he was raised, and where he was gunned down last month. Chicago sues Jussie Smollett over costs of investigating alleged attack The city of Chicago filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Jussie Smollett seeking three times the damages it said it incurred in the investigation of a hate crime that authorities allege the "Empire" actor staged. The lawsuit, which did not specify the amount of damages, was filed in Cook County Circuit Court over two weeks after prosecutors dismissed the criminal charges against Smollett alleging he fabricated the Jan. 29 attack. Damascus (AFP) - Rockets fired by jihadists on Sunday killed at least 11 people in the Syrian city of Aleppo held by President Bashar al-Assad's regime, state news agency SANA reported. Aleppo sits in the north of the country next to Idlib, a province dominated by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Since the regime regained control of Aleppo at the end of 2016, the city has been targeted intermittently by jihadists and rebel fighters. SANA said the rockets fired by "terrorist groups" killed 11 "martyrs" and wounded 11 civilians in neighbourhoods of Aleppo, using terminology reserved for both jihadists and rebels. The news agency originally reported that six civilians were among the dead, but its latest update did not give a breakdown. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the rockets were fired by jihadist groups, notably HTS. It said 20 rockets were fired into several neighbourhoods of Aleppo, and put the toll at three dead civilians, including a child, and five members of the security services. A photographer with AFP saw pools of blood and body parts on the ground as well as a car with shrapnel holes. In front of an Aleppo morgue, a man was seen trying to calm a child who was crying out for his lost mother, before he also broke down in tears. Opposition fighters and jihadists overran large parts of Syria in the first years of war that broke out in 2011. But since Russia intervened on Assad's side in 2015 the regime has notched up a series of victories against them. It has recaptured all rebel areas but Idlib province and parts of the neighbouring provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia. Since September, these areas have been subject to a Russian-Turkish agreement providing for the creation of a "demilitarised zone" allowing them to avoid a major government offensive. Despite the initiative whose terms have not been respected, the regime has resumed its deadly bombings in Idlib, while jihadists have launched attacks against government-held positions. The eight-year conflict has claimed more than 370,000 lives and displaced millions of people. [ sightings ] 04.14.19 Terror Squid W hat wakes me. Not myself. Hardly myself. Of these limited poses, sleep is the most false underseaand oh so luring. My omnidirectional yolkish eyes always open to everything around me; yet am I truly thinking, an observer may wonder before they swim too close. A fair question. Often I am merely a prefabricated construction of baseless fear, to be sure. Sometimes even a rushed cartoon. But the human imaginations lethargic guesswork has little to illuminate us capable cephalopods. Lazy complicating bastards, would I shriek to the coastal cities and ten million double lattes warming up in their pointless morning. My beak, however, is not made for their barbaric yawps. Its appropriate for squawking, muttering, shambling, and additional artifices. Dont be fooled, Ive no affinity for birds, eitherId sooner eat one. Theyre pedantic. Like everything else that jumps around with a semblance of purpose. No, it is far more agreeable to me to sleep and wait, sleep and wait, and then I strike when Im not aware of what I am about to do. This is how a gigantic squid gets its jollies out of transgression. All comers welcome. Case in point: these ill-shaven sailors. Im dragging them to their watery graves right now. I was sleeping snug and comfortable in an arctic repose many fathoms deep and somehow their loud, drunken profanities and plain sexual innuendoes reached me while recovering from a foul mood. Before I knew it, I had wrapped my massive self around the hull of their rusty washtub, sent my numerous tentacles in through the windows, and started taking care of grim business. My favorite maneuver is getting a large suction cup square on their screaming facesthat shuts them up good. Still plenty of screaming left with the others, though. They put up a half-hearted fight, sometimes pummeling my tentacles their puny fists. Out comes the captain. A grenade. Please. Then down they go. The whole crew. Believe me, if this is the best they can do, theyre much better off for it. Except I wont be afterwards. I try returning to my comfortable spot. Cant remember exactly where it was. Maybe here. Wait. Shit. Shit. Cant be helped. Nothings off-limits when I get started. Dinghies. Catamarans. Swan boats. Aqua bikes. Yachts in particular are big fun. They always think they can get away in those. There was one, too, with a helicopter getting ready to evacuate. Im seriousa helicopter. Didnt quite make it. The look in their eyes as I had them. A real treat. Reputations are difficult to navigate around and out of as the years pass. Yes, even out in the high seas with my contemporaries. Sharks tend to avoid me. Also whales, if they could. Other squid, well, lets say we have a mutual understanding, limited as it is. Such casual relations do require some tending to, which is why I never expel ink in self-defense. Better to save it for fun. See, watch this sucker coming along. I glide up behind him. Tap his mantle from behind. Hey you. What. Plbbbbbbbt. Hahaha. Off I slide away, his face full of lovely black sepia. For awhile, Im amused. Then it fades. I need another unwitting victim. I start looking. Jellyfish dont make the cut. Theyre too sententious. Someone keeps looking for trouble all the same, my ample warnings notwithstanding. The simple fishermen in trawlers with their sorry nets. Scientists and some contraption with extra special sonar. An errant submarine charged with blowing away all overgrown squids to assure the future safety of tourists (my thoughtful manifestoes are usually ignored by the generals for some reason). Everyones jockeying for the prize. Someoneor somethingforever wants a piece of me. I am to be pierced, torn, quartered, flambeed. Made an example of. Yes, its true, I am indeed an example of some special quality that inflicts perfect gruesome death and every part of me must be distinct in that special respect. Its a badge of honor that I wear on the inside, spit- polished. Not that I appreciate the steady intrusions, however. Farther and farther I drift, then, down down down to where a quantum of light fails to land, where I sleep and wait, sleep and wait, and with memories absent, dreams indefinite. The joy of never knowing a sunrise. Those scientists are goddamn tricky. I mean, they really piss me off. Here I am, nestled in the aquatic abundance with a restless nihilistic streak, and they come up with some new contraption that goes deeper than any other contraption before. With its predecessors I could wrap myself around it and crush it like a flotsam beer can and squirt ink into its single video camera. Now this one. Check it out. Titanium pressurized hull. Self-contained high-speed propulsion. High- intensity floodlights. Multiple video cameras at strategic angles. Satellite hook-up. And it wants to interview me with a grade school classroom on live feed. Sweet jesus. It follows me around for an hour or two. Passes by another, lesser squid willing to talk. I hide in a massive kelp bed to no avail. My dactylus keeps sticking out. Okay. Okay, you excrescent shallow vertebrates, lets do thiscome get your precious distance learning. Teacher: Class, we finally have something very exciting for our lesson today that the submersible found for usa monstrous squid. Say hello to Mr. Squid, class. Class: Hello, Mr. Squid. Squid: . . . Teacher: This is quite exciting, isnt it. Mr. Squid, Im sure you dont often get this opportunity to converse with eager young minds at the bottom of the ocean, do you. Squid: . . . Teacher: Well. Lets start with the questions. Billy, youre first. Kid #1: Mr. Squid, why are you a squid. Squid: Oh I see. Attempting to trip me up on the opener with an existential trap meant to indirectly debase myself along with my species in favor of your grossly overestimated hegemony. Nice try, Kid #1. Ill say this, though: being a squid is far more preferable than being some stunted subspecies mammal fooled into learning how multiplication tables and democracy will redeem your abbreviated lifespan until it dawns on you that theres no afterlife. Next. Kid #2: Mr. Squid, is it very cold where you live. Squid: No, its a positively balmy zero degrees centigrade most of the time, which is warmer than the calcified heart of your teacher while conferencing your divorced parents who couldnt care less about your evident lack of intelligence and future prospects for happiness. Next. Kid #3: Mr. Squid, are there other Mr. Squids down there, or are you lonely all the time. Squid: Next. Kid #4: Mr. Squid, do you find that your outward struggle against oppositional forces is, in fact, an inward need for validation and, quite possibly, a self-gratification that you also conspicuously choose to deny others of. Squid: Youre a smart one, Kid #4. Whats your name. Kid #4: Betsy. Squid: Well, Betsy, there are those who believe that squids are only simplified spongy conduits of electrical impulses with febrile tendencies to move and react to the right stimuli or tasty morsel but never feeling anything in particular, never capable of sentient thought, never showing sympathy, empathy, or the slightest modicum of what you shallow vertebrates would refer to as emotion. The sailors Ive killed over the decades would probably agree with that. But none of these charges address what I believe to be the unknowability, as I call it, inherent to all forms of sentient life, that which is independent of logic and reason, philosophy, scientific discovery, and the occasional well-written poem. That my becoming interacts so poorly with others, as you see it, is not a denial per se of anything in particular, but that the Other drives me to affirm this aforementioned unknowability in greater and greater gestures which will ultimately transcend the difference between Terror and Horror into a third virgin realm where there is no escape from the soul-crushing vicissitudes of the cosmos and its tormenting indifference towards precocious little children. Have I completely ruined your nascent and infantile perception of this world-as-is, Betsy. Kid #4: Yes, you have. Squid: Good. Next. Kid #5: Mr. Squid, why dont you wear any clothes. Squid: I refuse to, as it interferes with my resplendent nakedness in its lithesome gelatinous hypersensitivity. Note how this involuntary penile writhing Teacher: For love of god cut the feed. Off putters the tech-laden educational vessel to port. And to think theres much hand-wringing these days about the current state of the modern educational system. Validation, meet gigantic squid. With sudden benevolence I almost consider suspending my rampant killing spree for awhile, until I get hungry for a snack. A few giant sea snails, perhaps. Since theyre mollusks, they probably dont feel anything. I travel for a few days along the edge of an abyssal I find, hoping to throw off any other contraptions looking for my majestic tail, all the while congratulating myself for withstanding those kids as long as I did. Its true my skills of perseverance are legendary, and are not spoken of by many. Being a gigantic squid also gives me opportunity to view the latest wreckage from some disaster which Im sometimes unjustly blamed for (I cant be everywhere at once, much to my chagrin), but I soon reach pure, clear waters. Every lantern fish and transparent crustacean clear out for my oppressive arrival. I let them be for the moment. A gaggle of blind white salamanders scuttles below on the floora family, unaware. I do nothing untoward but find a welcoming rocky crevice to push my ample body-shape into and await the first sailor to come along and annoy me. The odds are generally in my favor. Here, no human has passed through, no speck of wasteful residue from above drifted down, no cautious thought has resided. Id call this home if I could remember these things later. One place looks like another at this depth. The new wreckage consistently replaces the old. I have noticed a few lesser squids enjoy doing a propeller turn with their arms and tentacles when ensnaring their prey or such. But Im not that fancy. In theory, some of us deserve to be calamari. What did I deserve to become this immense. Should I challenge myself, see how deep this abyssal goes. Big drop near as I can tell. Often its impossible for me to measure distance, even at a relative estimation from previous position. I can feel how colder or warmer it is, or the growing pressure. Its only when I see a creature Ive never witnessed that I know Ive gone deeper than I ever have before. And the growing familiarity of those I have seen before makes me aware that I am too close to the surface of things, to my angry boredom lashing out at deserving targets. So I am limited, even in immensity and unknowability. Theres so much of my own body Ive not seen for myself, unlike the shallow vertibrates Ive dragged to their watery deaths who have seen too much of me. Not surprisingly, I have no working detailed knowledge of procreation. Im supposed to do itthat much Im aware of. Plus its supposed to happen independent of any desire or other sexy intent. Maybe it has already happened. While I was asleep or feigning sleep. Maybe my progeny is swimming out there, full grown adults, and that Ive already squirted ink in their faces and laughed at its misfortune. Or eaten a few. Other than my immensity I have no conception of my identifying physical features distinct from other squids. We may look the same. All squids may be my children. They will be my children. No, thats not true. No fun in that prospect: would be fewer sailors to kill. A gigantic squid should be an eternal bachelor. Theres so much havoc to undertake, and I dont like sharing my sweetest candy. Yet the constant mistress of pride does demand attacking a helpless pleasure cruise, especially with the added challenge of a military escort in close pursuit in a vain attempt to subdue me. Worth the risk. No way Ill let these tourists spawn more dull-witted children who will interview me later against my will with the latest submersible technology. Ill absorb all the harpoons and bullets and machetes that I have to in order to prevent such a dim scenario. Ravenous, insatiable belly that I am, Ill spit out the bones if only to leave reminders for the fools who give chase. Please waitwhy should you stop me from procreating with my husband, this one very nice lady asks my beak while on deck during the hullabaloo; how about you let me home-school our potential child away from video conferencing and instill it with a paralyzing fear of the water because of youwould that be agreeable. Hm. A tempting proposition. Shes polite. Good teeth. Sparkle in the eyes. Healthy postponement of recognizing the inevitability of death. I bet her hypothetical kids would turn out super. Alas, its far too late to be discriminating in my abhorrent tastes. Down my beak with her to get it over quickly. I do have rare charitable flashes, I try explaining to the shocked onlookers by the jacuzzi. They all have shuffleboard cues aimed at me in last defense. My parents. Did I have any. I must have come from somewhere. Maybe I had only one parent, a squid even more vast than myself, if thats possible. Considering this makes me both proud and humbled. I shouldve asked that tech-laden educational vessel if it had seen any such squid. Damn. I mean, not that I crave a reunion or passing company. No. Just curious is all. Also, would like to find out whether my kill rates are acceptable to monster squid standards or not. Theres that reputation thing again. Or perhaps I have this backwards. When I find a baby squid in the open sea, orphaned by some cruel twist of fate, should I take it under my proverbial wring, raise it as my own, watch it slowly grow into an indestructible killing machine. On the other hand, never too early to get rid of the competition. This is when I know for certain I am my own parent. If theres a downside to the unabated wholesale killing of sailors, fishermen and tourists, its that explanations for my behavior will never be entirely satisfactory at any leveland for reasons I had mentioned to Betsy back there. I feel like Betsy was a kindred sort despite her being a non- squid. Sure, shes likely still upset right now, but shell start thinking about it more and more when that delayed adult growth cycle kicks in. Shell realize I got tired of everything happening on the surface. Didnt want any of that coming in my direction down here. Wont be some laboratory curiosity suspended in eternity in formaldehyde with a dumb look plastered on me. Teacher, mind you: Bestys going to figure this out someday. For all of you civilized land-sacks. Meanwhile, Im served a subpoena by a sweaty middle-aged lawyer in a suit on a jet ski. My wanton killing of (some) innocent people and sinking of (mostly expensive) vessels has become a nasty predisposition entangled with the usual political fallout, he says. New administration. Certain government agencies have taken notice. Powerful non-elected officials. It would be best, he continues, if I cooperate with the Attorney Generals investigation and submit myself to grand jury testimony to ascertain which adversarial nation has been helping me and whether I have information to contribute. Deals could be reached in the interim. Favorable terms. I look over the document. Everything seems in order; then I point out to him that my immensity is far too much for a standard federal courtroom and it wont be completely underwater unless we hold proceedings in the abandoned tanks at Sea World. He considers this parry carefully as he wipes his brow. Why yes, perhaps a video deposition could be done with a high-tech submersible, he pleads as I drag him under for the customary exit interview. In between taking down an oil tanker and a navy destroyer, I consider further the uncertain state of my already tenuous privacy. Nature often gets the best of me, and refuses to leave me alone for it. Its almost as if my killing people is that cliched cry for help, a distress call to join the world-as-is, which never relents in being cliched. Then the very act itself thwarts that impulse for self-preservation. Distressing, to say the least. I dont seek to destroy this world: its already been destroyed, of coursenot my fault. Only those who dont mind their own business get the shaft. After squirting some ink in the faces of a few gullible sting rays, the futility of my juvenile posturing slowly dawns on me while I decamp at a scenic coral reef thats kind of suffering a bit. Im surrounded by all these odd little organisms I could easily consume, but my immense beak is far too imprecise to accomplish this task. I should be aware of something. This moment. Yes. I am aware. Then I go looking for another sting ray. I should have more tools at my disposal than my beak, tentacles and ink sac. I really should. This does get tedious, despite the occasional awesome fireball explosion I create. Theyre throwing just about everything at me in desperation, apparently unaware of my regenerative properties. Molotov cocktails, made with booze from the hibachi barthats different. Some try flare guns, but those shots bounce right off me. If only they tried aiming at my beak while its open, exposing mywell, forget it, Ive said too much as it is. These bodies of well-dressed, well-mannered, well-meaning tourists in the water. They only wanted to enjoy themselves. They couldnt refrain from enjoying themselves. They took a pleasure cruise. Now they, too, are immense in ways they hadnt thought possible. The sea below all of this is so dark, so very dark, and will eventually be more free of myself, I sense I dreamt once. And the sea farther below that, I begin telling these bodies surrounding me, will always have enough room for any of us when it happens. (Repeats April 12 story with no changes to text) By Jennifer Hiller HOUSTON, April 12 (Reuters) - Chevron Corp's proposed $33-billion deal for Anadarko Petroleum Corp vaults the company into top ranks of the world's biggest oil companies and cements its chief executive, Mike Wirth, as a dealmaker. The merger, the sixth largest energy acquisition by value, propels Chevron two spots to the second-largest major by oil output, behind Exxon Mobil Corp, according to research firms Drillinginfo and Wood Mackenzie. The deal announced on Friday comes less than three months after Wirth bought Pasadena Refining System Inc, the (PRSI) operator of a Texas oil refinery. "My aspirations are for the company to be a strong performer," Wirth said in an interview on Friday. "We have always said and will still say that anything we do would have to make us even stronger." Wirth, 58, took over as chief executive 14 months ago, with a reputation for keen attention to costs earned from running Chevron's pipeline and trading units, and nearly a decade in charge of its refining business. The Anadarko deal was negotiated over the last few weeks, though Chevron has been thinking about the deal for some time, Wirth, a chemical engineer by training, said. Chevron regularly evaluates potential deals and has a number of companies "that were watching," said Wirth. But completing the latest purchase is now his priority. "Executing it well is important, so that will be our focus," said Wirth. The Chevron executive is detailed-oriented and a relentless worker, said Mike Sommers, president of industry group American Petroleum Institute, where Wirth is a member of the executive committee. After a recent dinner concluded at 10 p.m., Wirth headed off to make calls to staff overseas, Sommers said. "He is not someone who enters into every conversation but when he engages on an issue, he has a way of bringing the room together," said Sommers. Story continues His agreement with Anadarko marks the company's biggest expansion since its acquisition of Texaco in 2000. The purchase makes Chevron the top producer in the Permian Basin, the largest U.S. shale field. It also expands its oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico and in liquefied natural gas. "It wasn't that long ago you wouldn't have heard the word 'Permian' in anything from Chevron," said Rob Thummel, portfolio manager at energy investment firm Tortoise Capital. Chevron's $350 million deal for PRSI, a Gulf Coast refinery business owned by Brazil's Petrobras, fits its Permian expansion. The unit will turn West Texas crude into gasoline and fuels for its retailing network. (Reporting by Jennifer Hiller Editing by Nick Zieminski and Marguerita Choy) WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump wants to explore a twice-rejected proposal to send migrants to "sanctuary cities," but that is not the preferred solution to fix the straining immigration system, the White House said Sunday. Press secretary Sarah Sanders said it was one of many options, though she hoped Congress would work with the president on a comprehensive immigration overhaul. The Trump administration is dealing with an ever-increasing number of Central American migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, an influx that has pushed the immigration system to the breaking point. Laws make it hard to quickly return Central Americans, and many of them spend years in the U.S. waiting for their immigration cases to play out. Others claim asylum and wait just as long, living and working in the U.S. as they wait. "Sanctuary cities" are mostly left-leaning places such as New York City and San Francisco where laws prohibit local police and correction officers from working with immigration officials to help arrest and deport people living here illegally. Trump seized on reports last week of the proposal that sought to send migrants already detained to Democratic locations or transport migrants that have just crossed the U.S.-Mexico border to sanctuary cities. Sanders said the idea would be to spread out the number of migrants so the strain would not be on "one or two border communities." "The president likes the idea and Democrats have said they want these individuals into their communities so let's see if it works and everybody gets a win out of it," Sanders said. "Again, this is not the ideal situation." Trump tweeted on Saturday evening that the U.S. had the "absolute legal right to have apprehended illegal immigrants transferred to Sanctuary Cities." But the plan had already been eschewed twice. People with knowledge of the discussions say it was first brought to the Department of Homeland Security from White House staff in November, and was again discussed in February but was put down after DHS officials reviewed it and found it was too costly, a misuse of funds and would be too timely. The people were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Story continues It actually could make it more difficult for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to arrest people facing deportation because sanctuary cities do not work with ICE. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University announced last week that an analysis found that immigrants in sanctuary cities are 20% less likely to be arrested out in the community than in cities without such policies. Democrats criticized the White House proposal as a political stunt that used humans as pawns and would not work. "Look, you can't threaten somebody with something they're not afraid of," said Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington state, a candidate for president. "And we are not afraid of diversity in the state of Washington. We relish it. It is the basis of our economic and cultural success. We're built as a state of immigrants." The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., questioned the legality of the proposal. "This is again his manufactured chaos that he's created over the last two years on the border," Thompson said of Trump, adding Democrats were more than willing to sit down and talk about immigration legislation. But Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said sanctuary cities showed contempt for the law, though he didn't know whether there were any legal concerns with transporting migrants to the locales. "I mean, maybe he's just saying this to make everybody crazy," he said of Trump. Sanders appears on ABC's "This Week" and "Fox News Sunday." Scott was on CNN's "State of the Union" and Inslee was on NBC's "Meet the Press." Thompson appeared on ABC. Belgrade (AFP) - The widow of late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, often dubbed the "Lady Macbeth of the Balkans", has died in Russia at the age of 76, a friend told AFP on Sunday. "I can confirm that unfortunately Mira Markovic passed away," Milutin Mrkonjic, once a close associate of Milosevic and a family friend said by telephone, giving no details. Local media reported that Markovic died in a Moscow hospital and had been very ill. Tabloid Blic quoted her friend as saying her wish was to return to Serbia but "not under condition to be taken to prison right from the airport". Markovic's "only goal is to clear Milosevic's name," Dragoljub Kocovic was quoted by Blic as saying. In 2003, Markovic -- who was known to have a huge influence on her husband -- left Serbia, where she was charged with abuse of power and was suspected of cigarette smuggling and political assassination. In 2008, Russia granted both her and her son Marko Milosevic political asylum after Serbia issued an international arrest warrant for them in connection with alleged cigarette smuggling. Slobodan Milosevic died in a prison cell in March 2006 while on trial for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity before the UN war crimes court for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague for his key role in the 1990s wars that tore the Balkans apart. In 2015 Markovic, who had been a sociology professor at Belgrade University, released a lengthy autobiography defending the Serbian strongman and revealing how they fell in love. In the two-volume memoir titled "Bilo Je To Ovako" (This Is How It Was), Markovic described her husband as "the leading political figure" of the last decade of the 20th century, "whose name was mentioned more often than those of the Russian, American and Chinese presidents put together." Running to more than 900 pages, the book describes the couple's rise and fall, from when they met until Milosevic's death, as well as her childhood and her time in exile in Russia since 2003. Story continues Ultranationalist Milosevic was ousted as president by a popular uprising on October 5, 2000 after 13 years of iron rule in which he fuelled brutal ethnic conflict and mass murder in the former Yugoslavia, defying international sanctions and NATO bombs. Milosevic, whose leadership left the Serbian economy in ruins, was arrested six months later and transferred to the United Nations war crimes court in June 2001. He remained unmoved by charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Markovic was charged with abuse of power in Serbia and tried in absentia for allegedly handing out a government-subsidised apartment to an associate. In late March an appeal court voided her one-year jail sentence and ordered a retrial. She had also been named as a suspect in the mysterious assassination of former Serbian president Ivan Stambolic in August 2000. AbbVie's (NYSE: ABBV) share price has grown by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 15% since the company was spun off from Abbott Labs. But investors didn't see that kind of return in 2018, with AbbVie stock falling 5%. So far, AbbVie's performance this year has been even worse. But there's a simple way that you could make a 10% return each year with AbbVie. And you can do so regardless of how well the stock performs. Sound too good to be true? It isn't. Man holding outstretched palm with the figure 10% in red floating above it. Image source: Getty Images. Two simple steps To obtain a steady 10% annual return from AbbVie requires only two simple steps. First, you have to buy the stock now. Second, you have to sit back and wait around seven years. At the end of the period, you'll probably have 10% returns on your initial investment for a long time thereafter no matter how AbbVie stock fares along the way. One key ingredient to this strategy is AbbVie's dividend. Although the big drugmaker's dismal stock performance recently has been disappointing to shareholders, it's helped boost AbbVie's dividend yield to a mouthwatering 5.15%. The other key ingredient is AbbVie's commitment to increasing its dividend payout. Including AbbVie's time as part of Abbott, the company has increased its dividend for 47 years in a row. Since its spinoff from Abbott in 2013, AbbVie has raised its dividend by a total of 168%. That translates to a compounded annual yearly dividend increase of around 15%. If AbbVie continued to raise its dividend by 15% each year, the dividend yield would double to 10% in less than five years. However, the company's most recent dividend boost of 11.5% was a little less than its average. Even if AbbVie only increases its dividend by 10% each year, you'd only have to wait seven years for the dividend to double and provide an annual return of 10% on your initial investment. Realistic assumption? There's a huge assumption in this simple strategy: AbbVie has to keep growing its dividend. How realistic is that assumption? Story continues I don't see any problem with AbbVie's ability to double its dividend over the next seven years. First of all, AbbVie currently only uses 44% of operating cash flow to fund its dividend program. That gives the company flexibility to increase its dividend even if earnings and cash flow don't increase. The good news is that earnings and cash flow almost certainly will increase. Some investors might be concerned about sales declines for AbbVie's top-selling drug, Humira, now that there's biosimilar competition in Europe. However, Humira's European sales won't evaporate. More importantly, more than two-thirds of the drug's total revenue is made in the U.S., where there isn't likely to be any direct biosimilar competition until 2023. Even better, AbbVie expects to generate $35 billion in sales from drugs other than Humira by 2025. That's more than the company made in total last year. And unlike AbbVie's current dependence on Humira, its strategy for future success involves multiple drugs. Blockbuster cancer drug Imbruvica should continue its momentum. Sales for Venclexta are expected to pick up significantly with the drug's approval as a first-line treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). AbbVie also should benefit from strong sales growth for Orilissa in treating endometriosis pain and potentially in treating uterine fibroids in the future. The company has a couple of successors to Humira waiting in the wings as well. Regulatory approvals for risankizumab and upadacitinib are expected this year. Both immunology drugs should become megablockbusters for AbbVie. An added bonus I think that it's quite possible -- and even highly probable -- that investors who buy and hold AbbVie stock will be looking at a 10% dividend yield based on their initial investment within a few years. It could even happen sooner than seven years from now if AbbVie boosts its dividend closer to its historic levels. There's also an added bonus that I believe could be in store for patient investors. AbbVie's shares currently trade at less than nine times expected earnings. That's a bargain-basement price that could move much higher if AbbVie gets some good news, which I think is likely later this year. Even if AbbVie's share price only grows by 5% annually, the company's strong dividend combined with that relatively weak growth would give shareholders a total return of more than 10% -- without waiting seven years. All you have to do is buy and hold this big pharma stock. It's a simple path to solid profits. More From The Motley Fool Keith Speights owns shares of AbbVie. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Khartoum (AFP) - Sudan's foreign ministry on Sunday urged the international community to back the country's new military rulers to help "democratic transition". "The ministry of foreign affairs is looking forward to the international community to understand the situation and to support the transitional military council ... in order to achieve the Sudanese goal of democratic transition," the ministry said in a statement. "The steps taken by the army on Thursday, April 11, take the side of the people for the sake of freedom, peace and justice," the ministry said, echoing the catch-cry of the months-long protest movement that led to the ousting of long-time leader Omar al-Bashir. The chief of the military council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, is "committed to having a complete civilian government and the role of the council will be to maintain the sovereignty of the country," the military said. Burhan was also committed to an independent judiciary and to preparing the environment for political parties and civil society to build themselves up "in order to have a peaceful transition of power," the ministry said. Burhan took the oath as chief of the military council after his predecessor stepped down a day after ousting Bashir. Tens of thousands of people have been camped outside the army headquarters since April 6 demanding both the deposing of Bashir and the transition to civilian rule. Khartoum (AFP) - Sudanese protest organisers have presented demands to the country's new military rulers, urging the creation of a civilian government, the group spearheading demonstrations said. Thousands remained encamped outside Khartoum's army headquarters overnight to keep up the pressure on a military council that took power after ousting veteran leader Omar al-Bashir on Thursday. A 10-member delegation representing the protesters delivered their demands during talks late Saturday, according to a statement by umbrella group the Alliance for Freedom and Change. "We will continue... our sit-in until all our demands are met," including the formation of a fully civilian government, one of the alliance's leaders, Omar al-Degier, said in the statement. The umbrella group insists that civilian representatives should be accepted onto the military council, and that a fully civilian government should be formed to run day-to-day affairs. "We surely want our demands to be met, but both sides will have to be flexible to reach a deal," said a protester who spent the night at the army complex. - Burhan talks the talk - On Saturday, the new chief of the military council General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan vowed to dismantle Bashir's regime and lifted a night time curfew with immediate effect. Burhan also pledged that individuals implicated in killing protesters would face justice and that protesters detained under a state of emergency imposed by Bashir during his final weeks in power would be freed. He took the oath of office on Friday after his predecessor General Awad Ibn Ouf stepped down little more than 24 hours after ousting Bashir. Tens of thousands of people have massed outside the army headquarters since April 6, initially to urge the armed forces to back their demand that Bashir be removed. Burhan comes with less baggage from Bashir's deeply unpopular rule than Ibn Ouf. But while celebrating the fall of Bashir and then Ibn Ouf -- a defence minister and long-time close aide of the deposed president -- protesters remain cautious. Story continues Degier said their demands include restructuring the country's feared National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), whose chief Salih Ghosh resigned on Saturday. Rights group Amnesty International on Saturday urged the military council to examine Ghosh's actions during a crackdown against protesters during the final weeks of Bashir's rule. "It is crucial that Sudan's new authorities investigate Salah Ghosh's role in the killings of scores of Sudanese protesters over the past four months", said Amnesty's regional director Sarah Jackson. - Gulf allies voice support - The newly formed 10-member transitional council contains several faces from Bashir's regime. On Saturday evening, the new military ruler named NISS deputy head Jalaluddin Sheikh to the council. He also nominated Mohammad Hamdan Daglo -- known as Himeidti -- a field commander for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) counter-insurgency unit, which rights groups have accused of abuses in war-torn Darfur. One of the protesters taking part in the sit-in outside the army headquarters said he was ambivalent about Himeidti's appointment. "We don't have many options -- they (the RSF) have guns, they have money," said Mohamed, who gave only his first name for security reasons. "Himeidti was part of the crimes that happened previously but at least now he is on the side of the people," he added. Key regional power-brokers Saudi Arabia and the UAE voiced backing for the transitional council. Burhan's nomination "reflects the ambitions of the brotherly people of Sudan for security, stability and development", UAE state news agency WAM said. Saudi Arabia has promised an aid package, the Saudi Press Agency reported Saturday. Sudan is part of a UAE and Saudi-led military coalition fighting Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen. That marked a dramatic shift by Khartoum, aligning itself with the Gulf Arab monarchies and dropping close ties with their arch-rival Iran. The International Criminal Court has longstanding arrest warrants against Bashir for suspected war crimes during the regime's brutal campaign of repression in Darfur, where a decade-and-a-half of conflict has killed 300,000 people. Amnesty demanded Saturday the deposed president be handed over to the Court. But the military council has said it would never extradite Bashir or any other Sudanese citizen. New York (AFP) - Talk about being born with a silver spoon in your mouth: the royal baby of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will have a particularly glittery one. And US tax authorities will be keen to know how much that utensil is worth. That's because the baby will have dual nationality: British because of his father and US from his American mother, whose official title is the duchess of Sussex. "When one of the parents is American and has resided in the US for five years with at least two after the age of 14, the baby is automatically a citizen," said David Treitel, founder of American Tax Returns, a consultancy for US expatriates living in Britain. "This is the case with Meghan," said Treitel, noting this case is a first in the British royal family. US nationality comes with a bevy of restrictive conditions: like any American who is born, grows up and dies anywhere in the world, year after year Meghan and Harry's child will have to show the Internal Revenue Service his or her tax status is clean. From the moment of birth, money deposited in banks by the royal parents -- eager to ensure a bright future for their progeny -- must be duly reported to the tax man. The same would apply to money that comes in if mom and dad decide, say, to have the child follow in the footsteps of his ex-actress mother to become a star on TV or in movies. - 'Accidental Americans'- Forget about privacy, said Treitel. The IRS will "get to know a lot more about the couple's wealth" through the tax returns of the couple and their mother. "A lot more information is gonna get to the US," he added. To wit: the IRS will demand that any valuable gifts from non-Americans to Harry and Meghan's child -- and he will be feted, won't he? -- also be declared as assets. "Imagine the queen giving the baby some nice beautiful book of art from the royal collection, with paintings by Van Gogh or Miro. If this gift if worth more than $100,000, it is reportable," said Treitel. Story continues However, baby shower gifts that Markle received recently in New York will not have to be declared if they came from fellow Americans, the expert said. And although the baby and the mother will have to present forms that will be very time-consuming for their accountants, they may still not have to pay a lot in tax: these may be offset by duties paid in Britain, tax specialist Laura Saunders told The Wall Street Journal. US tax authorities' efforts to keep a close watch on American expatriates can have serious consequences for people whose sole link to America is that they were simply born there. Such is the case of so-called "Accidental Americans" -- such as thousands of people in France who automatically received US citizenship because they were born in the US but left America as little kids and no longer have any links whatsoever to the country. - Fines - Since the adoption of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act in 2010, which replaced the criterion of nationality with that of tax domicile, these people are obliged to report their income to US tax authorities and in some cases actually cough up some money. Many of these people left the US when they were very young. The Association of Accidental Americans that brings them together asked President Donald Trump last year to find a solution to their quandary. Their status can be a touchy subject. If they refuse to play ball with the US tax authorities, their banks at home can be sanctioned. So these institutions can refuse them services like bank accounts and mortgages. To a lesser extent, the British royal family cannot dodge its US tax obligations either: a flawed tax return can trigger hefty fines. But there is a solution to avoid headaches for the royal couple's accountants: Meghan can renounce her US citizenship. However, even if she does that, tax returns would still have to be filed for the child until age 18. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has retained his most important leadership post as his rubber-stamp parliament made a slew of personnel changes that bolstered his diplomatic lineup amid stalemated nuclear diplomacy with the United States. Some observers say the personnel appointments could show Kim's desire to keep nuclear diplomacy alive rather than returning to a policy of ratcheting up tensions. In Washington, President Donald Trump and visiting South Korean President met Thursday and agreed on the importance of nuclear talks with North Korea. The North's Korean Central News Agency reported Friday that Kim was re-elected as chairman of the State Affairs Commission at the first session of the Supreme People's Assembly on Thursday. DAEJEON, South Korea (AP) Just two hours after Lee Dong Kil's daughter was born on New Year's Eve, the clock struck midnight, 2019 was ushered in, and the infant became 2-years-old. She wasn't alone, though it happened for her quicker than most: Every baby born in South Korea last year became 2 on Jan. 1. According to one of the world's most unusual age-calculating systems, South Korean babies become 1 on the day of their birth and then get an additional year tacked on when the calendar hits Jan. 1. A lawmaker is working now to overturn the centuries-old tradition amid complaints that it's an anachronistic, time-wasting custom that drags down an otherwise ultramodern country. Foreign Minister Marise Payne says Australia remains "completely opposed" to the death penalty amid fears that Australian native Julian Assange could be exposed to such punishment if he is extradited to the United States. Australian consular officials plan to visit the WikiLeaks founder in a London jail on Friday a day after he was arrested at the Ecuadorian Embassy where he'd been holed up nearly seven years. For now, he faces a single computer conspiracy charge in the U.S. that does not carry the death penalty, but his supporters fear more serious charges may be brought later. Payne said Friday the U.K. Story continues NEW DELHI (AP) The Dalai Lama says he feels "normal, almost normal" after leaving a New Delhi hospital where he was treated for a chest infection. The 83-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader spoke after he was discharged on Friday. He had been hospitalized on Tuesday after leaving Dharmsala to consult with doctors in the capital. He is likely to return this week to the north Indian hill town that has been his headquarters since he fled Tibet in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama usually spends several months a year traveling the world to teach Buddhism and highlight the Tibetans' struggle for greater freedom in China. WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump and South Korea's Moon Jae-in agreed Thursday on the importance of nuclear talks with North Korea, but the two leaders aren't completely aligned on whether sanctions will pressure Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear weapons or drive him away from the negotiating table. Trump, in his first meeting with Moon since the unsuccessful U.S. summit with Kim in Hanoi, said the U.S. wants to keep economic sanctions in place to pressure Kim to denuclearize. But Trump said he retains good relations with Kim and didn't rule out a third summit or taking steps to ease food or other shortages in the repressive nation. NEW DELHI (AP) At least four people were killed in clashes Thursday on the first day of polling in India's general elections, a six-week process that's seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, officials said Thursday. Police said two workers of Andhra Pradesh state's ruling Telugu Desam party were killed in a confrontation with supporters of a regional opposition party, YSR Congress. One election official was killed in an alleged attack by suspected insurgents in India's remote northeast, the Election Commission said. Violent clashes were also reported elsewhere in Andhra Pradesh state, where voters are casting ballots for 25 members of India's lower house of Parliament, the Lok Sabha, and 175 state assembly seats. JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) Indonesia's Election Commission said Thursday it is sending officials to investigate after videos circulated online of thousands of ballots for next week's polls scattered throughout a warehouse in neighboring Malaysia. One of the videos shows police at the warehouse in Malaysia's Selangor state and people holding up voting papers and commenting they'd been marked in favor of Indonesian President Joko Widodo and legislative candidates for parties in his coalition. Another video, apparently from a second location in Malaysia, shows two women making holes in ballots, which is how a vote is marked in Indonesia's elections. Election Commission official Ilham Saputra said the commission "will immediately set up a team and send its members there to ascertain what really happened." Presidential and legislative elections in Indonesia, the world's third-largest democracy after India and the U.S., are set for April 17. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) In a major reversal, South Korea's Constitutional Court on Thursday ordered the easing of the country's decades-old ban on most abortions, one of the strictest in the developed world. Abortions have been largely illegal in South Korea since 1953, though convictions for violating the restrictions are rare. Still, the illegality of abortions forces women to seek out unauthorized and often expensive procedures to end their pregnancies, creating a social stigma that makes them feel like criminals. The court's nine-justice panel said that the parliament must revise legislation to ease the current regulations by the end of 2020. MANILA, Philippines (AP) _ Archaeologists who discovered fossil bones and teeth of a previously unknown human species that thrived more than 50,000 years ago in the northern Philippines said Thursday they plan more diggings and called for better protection of the popular limestone cave complex where the remains were unearthed. Filipino archaeologist Armand Salvador Mijares said the discovery of the remains in Callao Cave in Cagayan province made the Philippines an important research ground on human evolution. The new species is called Homo luzonensis after the main northern island of Luzon, where the remains were dug up starting in 2007. YANGON, Myanmar (AP) Three people were killed and seven civilians abducted in an attack on a police installation in western Myanmar that authorities blame on the Arakan Army rebel group, media reported Thursday. A report in the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said about 200 insurgents, who claim to represent the Rakhine ethnic minority in the western state of Rakhine, attacked a security police headquarters in Mrauk-U town on Tuesday night. Rakhine is best known for a brutal counterinsurgency campaign by the military against the Muslim Rohingya minority, which caused more than 700,000 to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. But while Rohingya insurgents have been largely inactive for more than a year, the Arakan Army has been engaged in increasingly fierce fighting with government forces since late last year. SAN FRANCISCO In the fall of 2009, this citys leader vanished. Mayor Gavin Newsom had been hoping to ride his controversial and prescient support of gay marriage in 2004 nine years before the Supreme Court made such unions law all the way to the statehouse in Sacramento. But as his polling numbers slipped and coffers ran low, Newsom suddenly realized his bid for governor against state stalwart Jerry Brown was doomed. For days, local media and even his own staffers could not find him. Newsom finally surfaced in Hawaii, licking his wounds with his wife and child. If the disappearance seemed petulant, it also spoke to his fierce desire for the job. Hed been soaring higher and higher politically as a very young man, but that aborted race for governor brought him crashing back down to earth, said Nathan Ballard, who was Newsoms spokesman at the time and remains a close advisor. Now, after champing at the bit for the role a decade ago, hes tempered by age and wisdom and hes not going to waste this opportunity," he said. Nearly 100 days into his tenure as the states 40th governor, Newsom, 51, has already brought his signature sermonizing style to the state's highest office. "The choices we make will shape our future for decades," he told lawmakers during his State of the State speech on Feb. 12. "This goes deeper than budget numbers or program details. This is about the bonds between us as human beings." Newsom hasn't been shy about backing up such words with actions. His most recent: Traveling to El Salvador in early April to investigate the roots of the current immigration crisis. Central American fact-finding mission: California Gov. Gavin Newsom meets Salvadorans who tried to reach US In a mere few months, Newsom has taken enough bold stances to frustrate Republicans and cheer fellow Democrats. There's also an unmistakable signal to national party leaders thanks to Newsom's photogenic looks, monied connections and youthful demeanor that a 2024 presidential run could well be in the offing. Story continues Governors of California have always been potential candidates for president, so part of what hell try to do now is build a legacy to run on, said Jack Citrin, a longtime observer of state politics and professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley. Newsom wants to do dramatic things, and it certainly seems like hes starting off in that direction. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a former San Francisco mayor herself, applauds Newsom's fast start, telling USA TODAY that he has identified "some of Californias biggest priorities including wildfire prevention and recovery and homelessness. Weve already met once in Washington since he took office and we have a strong relationship." This 2015 photo shows a a full-scale mock-up of a high-speed train that was displayed at the Capitol in Sacramento. The $77 billion project was dealt a big blow recently when Gov. Gavin Newsom told lawmakers that he wanted to drastically scale the project back to one line in the Central Valley. One of those big priorities was his decision last month to use his power as governor to suspend executions of death row inmates, a move that had critics baying that the governor was ignoring the peoples will as expressed in recent votes against getting rid of the death penalty. But theres more. Newsom sued the city of Huntington Beach for failing to move forward with affordable housing measures, warning dozens of other local governments during his State of the State speech that the state would not tolerate attempts to skirt responsibility in helping solve a mounting housing crisis. City leaders countersued saying the overreaching move was unconstitutional. Newsom also dove headfirst into the states expensive and often-derided high-speed rail project, immediately scaling back the vision to a singular run not on the coast but rather in the states arid Central Valley. That battle is far from over, as some Democrats lament the curtailed nature of the green-tech transportation vision while Republicans argue the entire project should be scrapped as impractical. Early polls show clear divisions USA TODAY asked Newsoms office for its view on the first 100 days. A long memo followed outlining a dozen varied initiatives that speak to the governor's aggressive start. Some highlights: On health care, Newsom signed an executive order giving the state more bargaining power with pharmaceutical companies; on education, he has proposed funding universal preschool; on immigration, he allocated $5 million to an emergency shelter in San Diego; on climate change, he preemptively declared a state of emergency in 200 communities likely to be susceptible to wildfires this year. The memo also called out the formation of a new strike force to reimagine the state's broken and much maligned Department of Motor Vehicles, and the diversity of Newsom's appointments, which includes a staff that is 70% women. Tackling California's less sunny side: California prison sued by inmates after maggots, mice fall into dining hall Polls suggest that so far the new governor is pleasing many voters in a state that has always carried significant political and cultural sway over the rest of the nation. Helping out is the fact that California has taken a blue turn of late largely in reaction to Trump administration policies that have been antagonistic to the state, whether on issues of border security and immigration, or because of federal threats of withholding funds for wildfire disaster relief. President Donald Trump greets California then-Gov.-elect, and current governor, Gavin Newsom as he arrives on Air Force One at Beale Air Force Base for a visit to areas impacted by the wildfires last November at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., as Gov. Jerry Brown, stands at center. Trump and Newsom have often been at odds politically, often on Twitter. During the last midterms, Democrats unseated Republicans in many traditionally red regions of the state, notably in the south, and gave Newsom a supermajority in the Legislature to go along with a budget surplus left behind by Browns two terms that is predicted to hit $15 billion this year. Generally speaking, Newsoms first 100 days have been successful in terms of connecting the dots between issues most voters care about and the things hes indicated will be his priorities, ranging from fire prevention to the homeless, said Mark Baldassare, CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California, a non-partisan research institution. The Institutes recent poll indicates Newsom has a 45% approval rating among the states adults and likely voters, while 26% disapprove. There are deep divisions among party lines, with 65% of Democrats polled approving of Newsoms early moves while 65% of Republicans disapprove. Echoing that divide, a poll from Reform California, a political action committee out of San Diego, indicates that while the same percentage (39%) favored and disapproved of his actions so far, 52% opposed his stand against the death penalty, and 54% opposed his decision to carry on with high-speed rail. 'Ignoring the will of the voters' One thing to remember is Newsom is operating at a time when things generally are very polarized in this country, and in this state, so it will be interesting to see what happens, said Baldassare. Perhaps predictably, interviews with lawmakers and stakeholders on both sides of the political aisle reveal fundamentally different views of the way Newsom is handing the reins of state. A homeless man sits at his tent along the Interstate 110 freeway in downtown Los Angeles. California Gov. Gavin Newsom met with the mayors of some of California's largest cities to discuss the homeless situation last month. The governors first three months is full of mixed messages and overreach when it comes to ignoring the will of the voters on things like the death penalty, and I would hope he changes course because California deserves better, said Vince Fong, a state assemblyman from the Central Valley who is a leading voice in the states Republican caucus. If Newsom says he wants to be bipartisan, I havent seen it, added Fong. Theres no monopoly on good ideas, and we Republicans have good proposals for building more roads, affordable housing and lowering taxes. Preparing for a coming wildfire season: California's secret wildfire weapon: Goats, sheep chew through flammable grass, brush Harmeet Dhillon, a lawyer with Dhillon Law Group in San Francisco and the National Committeewoman of the Republican National Committee, is even more blunt. When Gavin was mayor, he was a big business candidate, she said. Now hes more left. She calls Newsoms fight with Huntington Beach woke posturing that flies in the face of a raging homelessness problem in San Francisco that she lays at the former mayors feet. Specifically, she charges that Newsom is beginning to cater to the progressive side of the Democratic party as exemplified by presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and firebrand freshman U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks during a March press conference to announce Green New Deal legislation to promote clean energy programs. Republicans are looking to corner Democratic presidential hopefuls over an expensive, economy-upending plan proposed by the party's liberal left wing. To make your way up through the machine of San Francisco politics, you actually have to be relatively moderate compared to an AOC or Bernie, said Dhillon. But once you arrive, you can pivot left and go off the rails." Not bold enough for progressives Some progressives, however, arent sure Newsom is swinging left enough. Were looking for the governor to ban fracking outright and move us to renewable energy resources, and we need to see more out of his office on student debt and homelessness, said Bill Honigman, California state coordinator for the Progressive Democrats of America, a group founded in 2004 to sway a centrist Democratic agenda. Honigman, a retired emergency room physician, said Newsom also has to make good on his campaign promise to create a single-payer health care system in the state. Were disappointed we didnt get a piece of legislation for single-payer in Sacramento this session. He should be leading the way on this, so thats a minus point in his column, Honigman said. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, right, accompanied by Gov. Gavin Newsom, has been at the forefront of dozens of lawsuits the state has filed against the Trump Administration. But Newsoms supporters feel confident these first 100 days is merely a taste of the ground-breaking politics that will come out of the state in the coming four years. Gavin has launched with a vision, and it is a reflection of a governor whos going to be aggressive and forward leaning, says Xavier Becerra, the states attorney general. Hes acting on his values. Becerras office has so far nearly 50 lawsuits out against the Trump administration, legal actions that are helping Newsom sharpen a position that stands in defiance of many White House policies. Becerra also is on point for the states various data privacy initiatives that include a data dividend, a revolutionary though still-vague call by Newsom for tech companies to pay users for the private information they capture online. This fire near Santa Barbara was determined to be caused by power lines coming into contact during high winds. California's fire season is beginning to extend year round as a result of climate change as well as housing developments that are in area indefensible by firefighters. Gov. Gavin Newsom is appropriating millions from the current budget to reassess the state's approach to mitigating such disasters. Newsom understands he has a moment in history leading the fifth largest economy in the world, and my sense is hes going to strike, said Becerra. The death penalty. High speed rail. Wildfires. He understands hes here to help with all of that, and I hope he continues on this path. Gene Gantt, executive director of the California State Firefighters Association, a trade organization representing career and volunteer firefighters, said Newsoms decision to spend his first day in office with first responders to announce a five-year, $1 billion forest management plan sent the right signal. We want to upgrade communications, get new firefighting technology, upgrade the 911 system in parts of the state, and the governor seems wide open to listening to our concerns, said Gantt. It helps that there is money now, which with past Legislatures we had to fight for. State Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, said Newsom is doing what he has always done, taking bold positions that sometimes are ahead of public opinion, much like he was way ahead on gay marriage. Thats what leadership is about. Wiener added in California were willing to try new approaches to things and sometimes they work and sometimes they dont, but we like our leaders to have national profiles and get out there and lead. The job is 'in his bones' Few people know Newsom better than Ballard, his longtime friend and advisor, who currently runs The Press Shop communications firm. Newsom, in Ballard's view, was a precocious political neophyte who quickly was tapped for greatness by San Francisco mayor-turned-kingmaker, Willie Brown. Backed by Brown and powerful, wealthy friends such as the Getty family, Newsom became mayor at the age of 36. In that role, he learned the sobering lessons of governing. "You have to make the hard decisions," Ballard said over a coffee not far from Newsoms former home in Marin County just over the Golden Gate Bridge. "He never pulled cops off the streets, and he always delivered a balanced budget." Then came the national spotlight ignited by the debate over gay marriage, one in which California voters turned against Newsom by voting in 2008 for Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage, an initiative later ruled unconstitutional. In being ahead of the social curve on gay marriage "Something that is likely to be the first line in his obituary," said Ballard with a laugh Newsom thought the governorship was his in 2009. But Brown, a former governor and a steadying hand that ultimately helped deliver the state from a deep financial crisis, was what voters wanted. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, with his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom listen during a roundtable discussion with Central American community leaders at the Clinica Monsenor Oscar Romero in Los Angeles on March 28. Newsom said he would be traveling to El Salvador in April to discuss the poverty and violence that's causing waves of migrants to seek asylum in the United States. Soon after his Hawaiian funk, Newsom learned that the largely ceremonial post of lieutenant governor was his for the taking, and he took it. What followed were eight years riding shotgun to Brown and time spent largely raising his four children with his documentary filmmaker wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Newsom was waiting, and then he pounced, spending much of 2018 criss-crossing a divided state talking about a "California dream" that he said still united all residents of the Golden State. Today, Ballard describes his friend-turned-governor as a man driven by a sense of destiny. Hes not going to waste the platform, Ballard said. The end goal for him is to be a great governor of California for two terms. He has wanted this job in his bones, and the biggest setback of his professional life was when he had to withdraw in 2009. It was truly awful, I was there. Now, Ballard said, Newsom sees only an open field with plenty of room to run. Gavin has come out of the gate sprinting at an exhausting pace, he said. But its what I expected. Hes got a carpe diem attitude, one that says he has a limited time on this earth, and hes going to do all he can with that time. Follow USA TODAY national correspondent @marcodellacava This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: As Trump battles California, Gov. Newsom makes big changes in first 100 days Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump said Friday he is seriously considering funnelling detained illegal migrants into the self-declared sanctuary cities that oppose his tough immigration policies. Trump's announcement on Twitter reversed a previous White House assurance that the idea -- criticized as political retribution against cities led by opposition Democrats -- had been dropped. "Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities," Trump said. "The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy - so this should make them very happy!" he tweeted. The Washington Post earlier revealed the proposal, which would mark a new flashpoint in the ever growing political divide over immigration. Trump has staked his presidency on his insistence that the United States is being overrun by migrants and asylum seekers. But opponents, mostly in the Democratic Party, say his push for building more walls on the Mexican border and his almost daily denunciations of migrants as dangerous criminals border on racism. Citing homeland security officials and leaked emails, the Post said White House officials first broached the plan in November, asking several agencies whether members of a caravan of migrants could be arrested at the border and then bused "to small- and mid-sized sanctuary cities". Sanctuary cities are places where local authorities -- usually Democratic run -- have refused to hand over illegal immigrants for deportation. The White House told the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) that the plan was intended to alleviate a shortage of detention space, but would also send a message to Democrats, the Post said. The suggested policy was pushed back within ICE, with a top official saying it was rife with concerns and noting "there are PR risks as well". Story continues After the White House pressed the issue again earlier this year, ICE rebuffed it as "inappropriate." The Post said a White House official and a spokesman for the department of homeland security said the proposal was no longer under consideration. "This was just a suggestion that was floated and rejected, which ended any further discussion," a White House statement said. One of the centers targeted was the constituency of house speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose office on Thursday blasted the plan. "The extent of this administration's cynicism and cruelty cannot be overstated," said Pelosi spokeswoman Ashley Etienne. "Using human beings -- including little children -- as pawns in their warped game to perpetuate fear and demonize immigrants is despicable." Combating illegal immigration is a central plank of Trump's administration and he has expressed increasing frustration at the influx of migrants from Central America, who he often casts as criminals who threaten US security. The number of immigrant detainees in ICE custody has approached 50,000 in recent months, the Post said, an all-time high that has strained the agency's budget. J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL), which is in the specialty retail business, and is based in United States, received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the NYSE over the last few months, increasing to $7.15 at one point, and dropping to the lows of $5.1. 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 J.Jill's current trading price of $5.1 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 J.Jills outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change. See our latest analysis for J.Jill Is J.Jill still cheap? Great news for investors J.Jill is still trading at a fairly cheap price. According to my valuation, the intrinsic value for the stock is $8.03, but it is currently trading at US$5.10 on the share market, meaning that there is still an opportunity to buy now. Although, there may be another chance to buy again in the future. This is because J.Jills beta (a measure of share price volatility) is high, meaning its price movements will be exaggerated relative to the rest of the market. If the market is bearish, the company's shares will likely fall by more than the rest of the market, providing a prime buying opportunity. What kind of growth will J.Jill generate? NYSE:JILL Past and Future Earnings, April 14th 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. J.Jills earnings growth are expected to be in the teens in the upcoming years, indicating a solid future ahead. This should lead to robust cash flows, feeding into a higher share value. Story continues What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? Since JILL is currently undervalued, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. With a positive outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as financial health to consider, which could explain the current undervaluation. Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on JILL for a while, now might be the time to make a leap. Its prosperous future outlook isnt fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means its not too late to buy JILL. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the track record of its management team, in order to make a well-informed buy. Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters the fundamentals before you make a decision on J.Jill. You can find everything you need to know about J.Jill in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in J.Jill, 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. By Sonia Elks LONDON, April 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The U.S. military is returning to the era of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policies, said troops and LGBT+ groups, as new rules that will ban most openly transgender people from serving came into effect on Friday. They said the new policy would force trans military members to choose between transition and their job and result in increased stigma and mental health issues. "With the implementation of this transgender military ban, our nation is once again shamefully forcing brave American heroes to hide who they are in order to serve," said Ashley Broadway-Mack, president of the American Military Partner Association. "By dragging us backward into the dark days of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' the Trump-Pence administration is inflicting tremendous harm on our service members, their families, and the military as a whole." The Department of Defense said not all trans military members would be affected. "The military provides all necessary medical care to protect the health of our service members, including those who are in the process of being separated," a spokeswoman added. RULE CHANGES More than 10,000 transgender people may be serving in the U.S. military across active service and reserves, according to a 2016 study by the RAND Corporation, a think tank. But they have rarely been able to be open about their identity or transition while serving. While the official "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that prevented sexual minorities from serving openly was brought to an end in 2011, it was only in 2016 that former President Barack Obama lifted restrictions barring trans people. That policy was reversed by the current commander-in-chief, President Donald Trump, on the basis that trans people cause "tremendous medical costs and disruption" to the military. The new policy bars those who have transitioned or are openly transgender from enlisting after Friday, while troops who come out as trans while serving after that day will be discharged. Story continues But it allows members of the armed forces who were diagnosed with gender dysphoria during the Obama policy to remain in the military and serve according to their gender identity. THOUSANDS AFFECTED Kara Corcoran, a captain in the U.S. Army, disclosed that she was trans last year, under pressure from the incoming rules that would have forced her to stay in the closet indefinitely. "I cannot explain to you how much more mentally sound and even more physically fit I am today than I was a year ago," she said of the decision. She feared that many other troops who were not yet ready to come out would suffer, saying she had personally recently spoken to a colleague who had decided to keep his identity a secret. "He's like 'I'll hold out and hopefully they will change the policy back,' and it's hurtful because I know that he will eventually get to a point where he can't suppress it like I did for so many years," she said. Studies suggest there are likely to be thousands of trans troops who have not disclosed their identity and will be forced to choose between their career and living openly, said Blake Dremann, of the SPART*A organization for trans military members. The rules will have an impact on the mental health of trans troops, said Jillian Scheer, a postdoctoral research fellow at Yale University. "The president stating these messages reinforces this notion that trans people are different, and therefore should be stigmatized, that they are not fit to serve," she said. The policy was likely to cause increased anxiety, depression and suicidal feelings among trans service members, she said, and could also lead to a spike in stigma and abuse of trans people in wider society. LEGAL BATTLE LGBT+ organizations are fighting the new rules in the courts, arguing they violate trans Americans' constitutional rights including equal protection under the law, due process and freedom of expression. The courts have allowed the administration to put the policy into effect, but they have not yet ruled on the wider issues of whether it is legal. "When this policy is examined closely there is no justification that could possibly explain what the government is doing," said Peter Renn, of law firm Lambda Legal, the lead attorney in one of the cases fighting against the new rules. "We are positive that when we put forward all the facts... the courts will see it as baseless, irrational discrimination." He said, however, that it could be months before the court process is completed and a final judgment issued. Meanwhile, trans military groups said they would continue to support those forced to hide their gender identity as a result of the changes. "It's living as two different people," said Dremann. "That type of thing is untenable - a lot of people can do it for a certain amount of time but eventually they are going to have to transition. "And no one should have to choose between getting care that they need and being able to serve their country." (Reporting by Sonia Elks @soniaelks; Editing by Jason Fields; 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) Khartoum (AFP) - General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the second officer to be sworn in as Sudan's new military ruler in consecutive days, is a "veteran soldier" largely unknown outside the army. On Friday, Burhan became chief of a military council that deposed Omar al-Bashir, after the president's immediate successor General Awad Ibn Ouf stepped down following little more than 24 hours in power. Protesters, determined to see a civilian government after the end of Bashir's iron-fisted three decades in power, saw Ibn Ouf as a regime insider and a close aide of the toppled leader. Ibn Ouf's exit has catapulted Burhan from the shadows to the de facto head of the country. "Burhan is a high ranking officer within the armed forces, but basically he's a veteran soldier," said an army officer, who did not want to be named. "He's never been in the limelight like Ibn Ouf or General Kamal Abdelmarouf," the officer said, referring to the army's former chief of staff. Burhan had a stint as Sudan's defence attache to Beijing. On Friday, hours before he was named as Sudan's new military ruler, he was seen talking to protesters who have camped outside the army headquarters since April 6. - 'No political leanings' - Born in 1960 in the village of Gandatu, north of Khartoum, Burhan studied in a Sudanese army college and later in Egypt and Jordan. He is married and has three children. He was commander of ground forces before Bashir made him inspector general of the army in February. Sudanese media and analysts say Burhan coordinated sending Sudanese troops to Yemen as part of a Saudi-led coalition against the Iran backed Huthi rebels. Willow Berridge, author of Civil Uprisings in Modern Sudan and lecturer in history at Newcastle University says the Yemen portfolio saw Burhan work closely with Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). It is with the support of this group that "he now appears to have come to power," said Berridge. Story continues "The role in this latest move of the Rapid Support Forces -- branded by many as a revamped version of the Janjaweed militias who committed mass atrocities in Darfur -- will make many cautious," Berridge added. She noted that the various Darfur based rebel groups, which feed into opposition coalitions, would be especially wary. The conflict in Darfur erupted in 2003 when ethnic black rebels took up arms against Khartoum's Arab dominated government, accusing it of neglecting the region economically and politically. The United Nations says about 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict, while millions have been displaced. Bashir deployed Sudanese troops to Yemen in 2015 as part of a major foreign policy shift that saw Khartoum break its decades-old ties with Shiite Iran and join the Saudi-led coalition. Sudanese soldiers and officers are fighting in Yemen, and have suffered significant casualties. While it is unclear how many Sudanese troops have been deployed in Yemen, photographs of killed or wounded soldiers on social media have regularly sparked calls for withdrawal. "Burhan doesn't have any political leanings, he is a professional soldier," the anonymous officer said. But as de facto head of the country, he will not be able to escape making difficult political decisions. Washington (AFP) - The White House said Sunday it is looking at ways to transfer undocumented migrants to US sanctuary cities as Democrats accused President Donald Trump of creating "manufactured chaos" at the US-Mexico border. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders announced an "extensive review" of the potential plan on ABC's "This Week" after Trump confirmed press reports that his administration had proposed the controversial move. So-called sanctuary cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York are among hundreds of mainly Democrat-run jurisdictions across the US that limit cooperation in complying with requests from immigration officials. "This is an option on the table," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said of the proposal in an interview on ABC's "This Week." Trump "heard the idea, he likes it, so - well, we're looking to see if there are options that make it possible and doing a full and thorough and extensive review," she said. The president revived the idea on Twitter and in comments to reporters on Friday, after the White House had said earlier in the week it was off the table. Department of Homeland Security officials were reported to have pushed back against the transfers of detained migrants as illegal, impractical and counter-productive. But in a tweet late Saturday, Trump insisted the US has "the absolute right to have apprehended illegal immigrants transferred to Sanctuary Cities." "We hereby demand that they be taken care of at the highest level, especially by the State of California, which is well known (for) its poor management & high taxes!" he posted. Trump has staked his presidency on his insistence that the United States is being overrun by migrants and asylum seekers. - Political 'pawns' - But opponents, mostly in the Democratic Party, say his push for building more walls on the Mexican border and his almost daily denunciations of migrants as dangerous criminals incites racial hatred. Story continues "This is again his manufactured chaos that he's created over the last two years on the border," Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told ABC. Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, called Trump's push for transfers of migrants to sanctuary cities "another misuse of presidential power." He said the president had no right to use funds appropriated by Congress for other purposes "to ship immigrants all over the country." "Nor is it right for the president to use immigrants or people claiming political asylum as pawns in a fight against political opponents," he said on CNN's "State of the Union." Critics warn migrant transfers would further burden already stretched immigration authorities, while making it more difficult to track those that have been unloaded in sympathetic jurisdictions. Sanders acknowledged that it was not "ideal" solution but argued that Democrats had "stated time and time again they support open borders, they support sanctuary cities." "So, let's spread out some of that burden and let's put it in some of those other locations if that's what they want to see happen and are refusing to actually help fix the problem." When Gadi Habumugisha was 2 years old, he was forced to flee his home in Rwanda with his older sister. It was April 1994, and violence was escalating after the death of the president, as ethnic tensions erupted. Crossing the border to seek safety in refugee camps in the neighboring Congo, the pair were eventually orphaned by the killings. April 6 marks 25 years since the Rwandan genocide. Over the course of 100 days, an estimated 800,000 people were killed most of them members of the minority Tutsi ethnic group killed by the majority Hutu population. Gadi and his sisters new lives in Rwanda began at the end of 1994 after the genocide ended, when they returned with the Red Cross to their homeland and came to the Imbabazi Orphanage in the countrys north. Run by Rosamond Carr, an American humanitarian who had lived in Rwanda since 1949, the orphanage was a sanctuary for children who had lost their families as a result of that traumatic summer. For Gadi, and two other boys, Mussa Uwitonze and Bizimana Jean, the orphanage also became the place where, years later, they first picked up cameras at a photography workshop run by Through the Eyes of Children, an organization founded in 2000 by photographer American David Jiranek. All three boys seized the chance to tell their own stories by taking pictures. It marked the beginning of a lifelong passion for photography. Now all in their late twenties, the three men are spreading that passion to other vulnerable children, taking on the leadership of Through the Eyes of Children by teaching photography workshops in Rwanda and around the world. Working initially with 19 camera kids, the photography workshops for vulnerable children in Rwanda started in 2000, teaching them the basics of lighting, composition and stop-motion among other photography techniques. The photographs made by workshop participants have been exhibited at the U.S. Embassy in Rwandas capital Kigali, the United Nations headquarters in New York and at Holocaust museums around the world. When you give a child a chance to tell their story from their perspective, it tells them they matter, and that their story matters, says Joanne McKinney, project director at Through the Eyes of Children. Story continues Documenting scenes of everyday life in the country, the extraordinarily large collection of photographs track the healing and rebuilding of Rwanda in the years after the genocide. For us orphans, we were able to express ourselves and the world could see our photos, our country and the children of it, says Mussa Uwitonze, now 28 years old and the father of two girls. The photographs from the workshops did more than show life in Rwanda to international audiences. Proceeds from sales of the images to buyers around the world fed back into Imbabazi, paying for the childrens clothing, food and education. Many of the original Camera Kids have gone on to pursue careers in photography for media, events and non-profit organizations in Rwanda. Almost 20 years on from their first workshop, and 25 years on from the genocide, Gadi, Mussa and Bizimana are embarking on their own journey, telling their story through different means. They are both the subjects and storytellers of a forthcoming documentary, entitled Camera Kids, in partnership with American filmmaker Beth Murphy, director of the Groundtruth Project, an international non-profit media organization supporting storytelling and freedom of expression in the United States and developing countries around the world. The three men have all worked as professional photographers and now lead the Through the Eyes of Children photography workshops. But a few years ago, they realized they were still troubled by lingering questions about their past. We all had so many questions since our time at the orphanage, says Mussa. Who are these people who participated in the genocide? What were they thinking when they were killing people? We decided that it was our time, as photographers and storytellers, to find out the answers from the real people who participated in the genocide. These are the questions that Gadi, Mussa and Bizimana seek to answer in the documentary, which follows their reunions with the other original camera kids from Imbabazi Orphanage, which closed in 2014, as well as a three month-long journey through villages across northern Rwanda, interviewing and photographing those responsible for the violence and their families. So far, they have interviewed participants in the genocide and their families, and have the goal of interviewing 100 perpetrators in total. We want to hear what their stories are and why they were involved, Gadi says, but I dont expect to get a full or satisfactory answer. There is no valid reason that would lead one to kill another. However, talking to these perpetrators and survivors, I can see that eventually there has been some kind of reconciliation. Bizimana Abdullah stands at the site where he burned dozens of Tutsis to ashes in 1994 many of whom were his friends. He is haunted by the fact that not even one bone remained. | Jean Bizimana Murphy, the filmmaker, has been filming Gadi, Mussa and Bizimana for the past three years, with plans to release a feature-length documentary in late 2020. Making peace with your enemy is one of the most difficult things a person can do, and the story in Rwanda can really be something to emulate, she tells TIME. Murphy also says she was struck by some of the parallels in Rwanda with the rise of hate speech back home in the United States. Some of the language the perpetrators use to explain why they did what they did sounds a lot like some of the language that were hearing today, especially from white nationalists in the United States. Leading up to the 1994 genocide, government-sanctioned propaganda and radio broadcast messages were used to dehumanize the Tutsis and stoke hatred against them. Murphy sees parallels today around the world with the use of the word invasion, a phrase used by President Donald Trump to describe the movement of Central American migrants towards the U.S. border. The term invaders was also used in the New Zealand shooters manifesto before he killed 50 people at a mosque in Christchurch last month. Its chilling. And it is leading to violence and death, Murphy says. I want this film to be an antidote to hateful ideology and xenophobia. Beyond the perpetrator project, Gadi, Mussa and Bizimana are concentrating their efforts on expanding the mission of Through the Eyes of Children worldwide. In the U.S., they have led photography workshops with immigrant Haitian teenagers in New Jersey and foster children in Boston. In May, they plan to visit Haiti for workshops with orphanages, and will be traveling to Lebanon later in the year to share their photography craft with Syrian refugees. Its a great feeling to be able to transfer knowledge to kids in difficult conditions like we used to be in, Gadi tells TIME. Its like giving them a medicine to heal them. Its treating them because we know from experience that because of photography, they will be better people. The men want to foster a global community of camera kids, united by telling their own stories through photography and fostering empathy with others. A lot of kids around the world need photography to be able to express themselves, to know lives outside their boxes, says Mussa. And in Rwanda, where it all started, photography remains integral to the three mens lives. Gadi is pursuing a part-time career as a photographer and has worked with several non-profit organizations. Mussa recently left his job as a tour operator to become a full-time photographer, and Bizimana is in his second year as a staff photographer with Reuters Africa. Their determination to share their knowledge of photography with future generations has led to workshops with street children, disabled children, and now after the Camera Kids film project workshops with the children of both survivors and perpetrators of the genocide. When we were kids, [Rosamond Carr] used to tell us that we have to share with others what we have, Bizimana says, reflecting on the legacy of his late foster mother. This is the heritage she gave us. Giving other kids photography is doing what we promised her. Washington (AFP) - The top Democrat in the US Congress ordered a safety review for a Muslim lawmaker and her family Sunday after accusing President Donald Trump of putting her in danger by tweeting a video of her spliced with footage of the 9/11 attacks. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took time out from an official trip to issue a strong statement urging Trump to remove the clip featuring Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar. "Following the president's tweet, I spoke with the sergeant-at-arms to ensure that Capitol Police are conducting a security assessment to safeguard Congresswoman Omar, her family and her staff," she said. "The president's words weigh a ton, and his hateful and inflammatory rhetoric creates real danger. President Trump must take down his disrespectful and dangerous video." Trump's spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, meanwhile, defended the president Sunday against accusations that he was inciting violence toward Omar. Omar has been at the center of an escalating row after a clip emerged of her characterizing the deadliest attack on US soil as "some people did something." On Friday, Trump tweeted a video that juxtaposed the snippet -- which Omar's fellow Democrats say was taken out of context -- with images of the hijacked planes used in the attacks crashing into the World Trade Center's twin towers that once dominated New York's skyline. Menacing music accompanies Omar's words. The clip, which had been viewed more than 9.4 million times as of Sunday afternoon, ends with the words: "SEPTEMBER 11 2001 WE REMEMBER." Omar said in a statement posted on Twitter Sunday that many of the increased threats she had received were "directly referencing or replying to the President's video." "Violent crimes and other acts of hate by right-wing extremists and white nationalists are on the rise in this country and around the world," she said. "We can no longer ignore that they are being encouraged by the occupant of the highest office in the land." Story continues "We are all Americans. This is endangering lives. It has to stop." Prominent Democrats including Beto O'Rourke, Kamala Harris and Omar's fellow first-time Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were quick to rush to Omar's defense, accusing the president and other Republicans of deliberately de-contextualizing her remarks and endangering her life. Sanders, however, defended Trump, telling ABC television's "This Week" that "the president is wishing no ill will and certainly not violence towards anyone." But, she added: "It's absolutely abhorrent the comments she continues to make and has made and (Democrats) look the other way. "I find her comments to be absolutely disgraceful and unbefitting of a member of Congress and I think that it's a good thing that the president is calling her out for those comments, and the big question is why aren't Democrats doing it as well." - 'Unwavering love for America' - The controversy arose after Omar delivered a 20-minute address to the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) shortly after the New Zealand mosque attacks in March. "For far too long, we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and, frankly, I'm tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it," she said. "CAIR was founded after 9/11," she added, "because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties." The civil rights group was in fact founded in 1994 but grew significantly after 2001. The speech did not initially receive significant attention until the snippet in question was highlighted weeks later by controversial Australian personality Mohammad Tawhidi who refers to himself as the "Imam of Peace." Omar mounted a trenchant fightback, tweeting Saturday: "No one person -- no matter how corrupt, inept, or vicious - can threaten my unwavering love for America. "I stand undeterred to continue fighting for equal opportunity in our pursuit of happiness for all Americans." bur-oh-ska-qan/gle (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Its been an exasperating season for Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander at times and no moment better summarizes the downside to his rollercoaster campaign than a costly blunder he made in Game 2 against the Bruins. Trailing 2-0 in the second period, Nylander went to retrieve the puck in his own end on a routine play. However, Nylander handled the puck with atypical, careless abandon and jammed the puck into the side of his own net, much to the surprise of Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen. Nylander fumbles the puck and Heinen gives the #NHLBruins the 3-0 lead pic.twitter.com/2skoJnDwQa Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) April 14, 2019 Bruins forward Danton Heinen swooped in on the loose puck and tucked it into the net to take a 3-0 lead, much to the confusion of Andersen, who didnt see the puck before it was too late. It hasnt been all bad for Nylander, whose play has often exceeded his raw statistical output. Nylander signed a six-year contract on December 1, minutes before the RFA deadline. An error of this magnitude certainly wont silence his legion of critics, however. More NHL coverage from Yahoo Sports A 75-year-old man has been killed by the large flightless bird he owned after he fell on his property in Florida. Police found the man badly wounded by a cassowary when they were called to his property, where the victim kept exotic animals, on Friday. Cassowaries are known as the worlds most dangerous bird, according to San Diego Zoo. Alachua County Sheriff Department said the man was probably injured by the birds 4-inch, dagger-like claws. Police are investigating the incident but say initial information suggests it was a tragic accident. The victim, named as Marvin Hajos, was taken to hospital by paramedics, where he later died from his injuries. He was reportedly breeding the birds, which are native to Australia and New Guinea. It looks like it was accidental, deputy chief Jeff Taylor told the Gainesville Sun newspaper. My understanding is that the gentleman was in the vicinity of the bird and at some point fell. When he fell, he was attacked. Police added that the cassowary involved in the attack remains secured on private property at this time. A woman who identified herself as the victims partner told the Gainesville Sun that he had died doing what he loved but chose not to make any further statement. Cassowaries are similar to emus and are among the largest bird species in the world, weighing up to 60kg and reaching up to 6ft in height. San Diego Zoo said cassowaries can slice open any predator or potential threat with a single swift kick, due to their long claws. The birds are not traditionally raised in the US but are sought after by collectors. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lists the cassowary as Class II wildlife which can pose a danger to people and require a permit for ownership. Agencies contributed to this report New post, The Adversarial System and the Torah Ethic of Justice on Nishma Policy Comments Policy Comments that are excessively crude, obscene or profane - especially when they consist of nothing more than gratuitous insults or aspersions upon the character of authors or other commenters - will be vigorously discouraged. Therefore, if you find your comment has been deleted, you will know why. Northwest Reverb - Reflections by James Bash and others about classical music in the Pacific Northwest and beyond Becoming the most reliable airline and offering higher-quality service has been a top priority for Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) over the past decade. The carrier has dramatically reduced the frequency of delays and cancellations, improved its baggage handling performance, and nearly eliminated the need to involuntarily bump passengers from flights. These moves have driven steady improvements in Delta's ranking in the Airline Quality Rating report, compiled annually by researchers from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Wichita State University. And in the recently released 2019 Airline Quality Rating report -- which covers the 2018 calendar year -- Delta finally reached the top spot, overtaking Alaska Air (NYSE: ALK). Reliability has been a key area of focus In recent years, Delta Air Lines has invested heavily in initiatives to improve its reliability and serve customers better. For example, Delta invested $50 million to roll out an RFID luggage tag system in 2016. The new RFID system is more reliable than the typical bar-code setup used by most airlines, and sensors on Delta's belt loaders can automatically warn the ground crew (with a red light) if a bag is about to be loaded onto the wrong plane. Meanwhile, Delta reduced the number of maintenance-related mainline flight cancellations by 98% between 2010 and 2017, from more than 5,000 to fewer than 100. This allowed the carrier to improve its completion factor -- the percentage of flights that are completed, as opposed to being canceled -- from 98% in 2010 to 99.6% in 2018. Delta's reliability has improved so much that at times, it has been able to go a whole month with no mainline flight cancellations. Even including its regional airline operations (which are more prone to cancellations), it achieved a record 143 days with no canceled flights in 2018. A Delta Air Lines plane touching down on a runway Delta has dramatically improved its reliability over the past decade. Image source: Delta Air Lines. In recent years, Delta has also dramatically cut down on the number of passengers involuntarily bumped from oversold flights. It now offers incentives that can be worth several thousand dollars in some cases to attract volunteers to give up their seats, even when it would be cheaper to bump someone and pay the federally mandated compensation. As a result, in the first nine months of 2018, Delta Air Lines bumped just 22 of its 104 million mainline passengers. Story continues Rising to the top The annual Airline Quality Rating study measures airlines based on four objective factors: on-time performance, the rate of mishandled baggage, the number of passengers bumped from their flights, and the frequency of official complaints to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Delta has made big strides in all four categories over the past decade or so. Indeed, as recently as 2010, Delta's AQR score was slightly worse than the industry average. But the airline moved into the upper echelon of the industry in 2012, and has continued to make slow but steady progress since then. In 2016 and 2017, Delta placed second in the annual rankings, trailing No. 1 Alaska Airlines by the slightest of margins. A lower rate of official complaints to the DOT was the main reason why Alaska was able to hang on to the top spot despite stiff competition. However, by the end of 2017, Delta was routinely posting better monthly AQR scores than Alaska Airlines. Delta finally took the top spot in 2018. The company proudly noted that it was the only airline to improve year over year on each of the four factors measured. Moreover, its score of negative 0.36 gave it a substantial lead over No. 2 JetBlue Airways, which scored negative 0.48. (Scores closer to zero represent better performance.) Alaska Airlines took a big step backward, falling into fourth place, as its score deteriorated to negative 0.63 in 2018 from negative 0.44 in 2017. Customers will pay for quality and reliability Delta Air Lines' efforts to improve its reliability and customer service have helped it earn a consistent revenue premium in recent years. After all, high-paying business travelers care a great deal about arriving on time (along with their bags). This has translated to solid unit revenue growth and strong profit margins for Delta. As long as Delta continues to hold its spot at the top of the industry in the annual Airline Quality Rating study, it is likely to remain a preferred airline for business travelers. This should enable it to routinely achieve above-average profit margins for the foreseeable future. More From The Motley Fool Adam Levine-Weinberg owns shares of Alaska Air Group, Delta Air Lines, and JBLU. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Delta Air Lines. The Motley Fool recommends Alaska Air Group and JBLU. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. "I love to break taboos. Thats my hobby!" Oyungerel Tsedevdamba is a human rights activist who has been breaking taboos to promote human rights in her native Mongolia. Since 2015, the former member of parliament and author has championed better sanitation as a means for improving the lives of Mongolians. The best way to do this, she said, is to tackle the taboo surrounding the word "toilet." "The word toilet is a very prejudiced word," Tsedevdamba said. "In legal papers, advertisements, and in every day conversation, the word toilet doesnt come out, until we ran a nationwide campaign." Tsedevdamba created am NGO called Local Solutions which has a two-pronged approach for changing attitudes and improving sanitation. First is to de-stigmatise the word "toilet." The second was to educate people across Mongolia on toilet and toilet technologies. Clean water and sanitation are indispensable to sustain development, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet told an audience during an event to commemorate World Water Day. A report released this week by UN Water looking at the state of water and sanitation worldwide, shows that access to safe sources are still out of reach for much of the global population. "The fact that billions of people still lack safe water and sanitation is not merely a development emergency, its a human rights failure," she said. Better toilets = better lives In Mongolia, Tsedevdamba believes that access to safe and reliable sanitation is a matter of life and death and not just from disease. Each year poorly designed toilets, claim the lives of children and the elderly. The toilets amount to outdoor huts, with deeply dug trenches with planks of wood balanced precariously above them. For example, during particularly bad flooding in the western part of Mongolia in 2016, Tsedevdamba learned that at least five children died from drowning in pit toilets. These deaths, she said were underreported. She found out that police do not keep records of such deaths, labelling them simply as drownings because families will not report them because of the shame associated with toilets, she said. "After hearing these death stories, I thought I wished to change (physical) toilets as soon as possible so that we can save one childs life," Tsedevdamba said. Part of breaking the toilet taboo has been getting people to talk about toilets. Tsedevdamba and her team did this through trainings in local areas, as well as publishing a book on toilets. There was even a photo campaign (based on a book she wrote called "Lets Change Our Toilets") which had Tsedevdamba and others pictured in modern toilets while wearing the latest fashions by Mongolian designers. She also helped produce a manual of types of toilets that could be constructed in different settings across the country. The NGO has also been working on ways to help communities and individuals to improve, import and adapt, finance and build their own better toilets. "In the beginning, people were actually disgusted by what we were talking about," Tsedevdamba said. "But the more we talked about it freely and in many good examples, the less became the prejudice. Soon people started seeing toilets in a very different way." Listen to Oyungerel Tsedevdamba talk more about her campaign to break the toilet taboo in Mongolia in the film below. The Senate has confirmed President Trumps nominee to be the new U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Though Trump has been in office for more than two years, it will be the first ambassador of his administration to this key middle eastern ally. The Senate approved retired Gen. John Abizaid by a 92-7 vote on Wednesday. The vote comes almost five months after Trump first announced his intention to nominate Abizaid, a 68-year-old retired four-star Army general, who led U.S. Central Command during the contentious Iraq war. There are several takeaways from Abizaids confirmation. First, he fills a 27 month gap of the U.S. not having an ambassador to Saudi Arabia, a period that saw the best bi-lateral relations between Washington and Riyadh in years, likely since the administration of George Herbert Walker Bush during the first Gulf War when the U.S. helped protect the Kingdom against the possible Iraqi invasion. Moreover, unlike several of his predecessors, Trump has not pushed Riyadh over allegations of human rights abuses. In this light, the president seems to have a basic twin agenda with Saudi Arabia. Trumps Saudi agenda First, Trump sees Saudi Arabia as an integral part of his plan to offset Iranian hegemony pursuits in the Middle East. Second, and perhaps even more difficult to pull off, he wants to be able to influence Saudi oil production to help keep oil prices down and keep a lid on domestic gasoline prices. On the first count, Trump has largely been successful. A combined U.S.-Saudi front is serving as a check against Tehrans ambitions in the region, while it was reportedly Saudi Arabia that was instrumental in persuading Trump to reimpose fresh sanctions against Irans energy sector. Related: BP Pulls Out Of Chinas Shale Patch On the second count, the president has had mixed results. Last fall, he was successful in convincing Riyadh, mostly via Twitter comments, to increase oil production in an effort to put downward pressure on global oil prices. In fact, at the time there was concern that the Saudis were nearing the limits of their spare production capacity as it sought to appease Trump. However, the president committed a vital mistake. He offered numerous waivers for Iranian oil without consulting Riyadh. It was a move that caught Saudi Arabia off-guard and created an element of distrust between this firebrand president and Riyadh. Since his initial waivers for Iranian oil customers last year, Trumps calls and Tweets for the Saudis and OPEC to ramp up production as oil prices hit five-month highs have largely fallen on deaf ears. Abizaids influence Enter the confirmation of Abizaid as the new U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia. During his Senate hearings, while being peppered with questions about how the U.S. should deal with Saudi Arabia as well as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over their purported involvement in the killing of Saudi dissident journalist, U.S. resident, Jamal Khashoggi, the retired general was a voice for moderation and calm. Related: Is This The End Of The OPEC Deal? He defended the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia as strategically important during the hearings, but also called for accountability over Khashoggis murder, and also said he supported human rights. He added in comments to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that In the long run, we need a strong and mature partnership with Saudi Arabia It is in our interests to make sure that the relationship is sound. Going forward, Abizaids appreciation of Washingtons 70-plus year integral, albeit complicated relations with Riyadh will not only help stay the hand of U.S. lawmakers still upset over Khashoggis killing who are calling for stiffer sanctions against the Kingdom, he will also help set the Trump administrations dialogue with the Kingdom back on even keel, hopefully repairing the confidence lost when the president granted his first set of Iranian oil waivers without first consulting Riyadh. If Abizaid can pull this off, Trump will have more success in the future when he calls for Saudi Arabia to help bring down global oil prices by kicking up production. This is of vital interest to Trump as the 2020 election cycle kicks in with higher gasoline prices across the country. By Tim Daiss for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Trump signed two executive orders to streamline and speed up the permitting of oil and gas pipelines, a move intended to weaken states rights and the ability of state governments to regulate major energy projects. To achieve Trumps quest of energy dominance, the federal government must promote efficient permitting processes and reduce regulatory uncertainties that currently make energy infrastructure projects expensive and that discourage new investment, one of the executive orders declares. The White House billed the order was one that would clear the way for new projects that have been bogged down by regulatory uncertainty, such as the Keystone XL pipeline, and other natural gas pipelines around the country. However, the effect of the order is uncertain. At issue is the ability of states to weigh in on oil and gas pipelines and other energy projects under the Clean Water Act. Trump is trying to weaken that authority, but he cant simply override federal legislation that is on the books. Only Congress make such far-reaching changes. Although the executive order paints states and local authorities as responsible for delays in permitting, the executive order cannot change the role of the states in the Clean Water Act. The Clean Water Act is built in part on cooperative federalism between the states and the Federal government, Fred Jauss, a partner at law firm Dorsey & Whitney, and an expert on licensing and permits, said in a statement. The main focus is on Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, which gives states a say on permitting. Section 401 of the Clean Water Act requires applicants for a federal permit to obtain certification from a state that the proposed project complies with state water quality standards. This gives states the ability to veto a proposed project or impose conditions upon this issuance of the permit, Jauss added. Jauss said that while Trump could help speed up federal permitting, he has little sway in affecting the array of state permits that energy projects need to obtain. For instance, one of Trumps orders targets cross-border permitting, which is clearly intended to clear the deck for the Keystone XL pipeline. While he may be able to push through federal permits more quickly by weakening the role of the State Department in cross-border permits, individual states still have authority to regulate projects. But even Trumps ability to ram through Keystone XL is still an open legal question. Another pipeline project in New York is highly relevant to Trumps new order. The Constitution Pipeline would connect Marcellus Shale gas to markets in New York and other parts of the Northeast. However, the state of New York blocked the pipeline even as the project received federal permitting years ago. The Clean Water Act was not intended to give a state veto power, Dena Wiggins, president of the Natural Gas Supply Association, told Bloomberg. The actions New York is taking not only impact New York, they are impacting the entire Northeast, because we cant get a pipeline through the state in order to provide gas service to the Northeast. Related: Smart Money Is Piling Into Oil Separately, Washington State has blocked a coal export terminal on the West Coast, another example of a project that the Trump administration is hoping to push through. While the executive order may not strip states of their right to veto oil and gas pipelines, it may allow the EPA to shorten the timeline that states have to make a decision. States are typically supposed to review and issue decisions on permits within one year, but the timeline can be extended if there are hiccups in the process. On that note, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said that his agency could soon issue new rules on those permitting timelines that could speed up the process. We started working on it in advance, so we hope to have something out soon, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler told Reuters. Included in the executive order from a few days ago is another controversial proposal. Trump wants to allow natural gas to be shipped on trains in the form of LNG. The idea is that just as crude oil moved by rail when pipeline bottlenecks surfaced earlier this decade, natural gas could also move by rail to markets disconnected by infrastructure. Obviously, given the significant number of explosions and derailments from a few years ago, the plan has raised alarm. Its a disaster waiting to happen, Emily Jeffers, a staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, told Bloomberg. Youre transporting an extraordinarily flammable and dangerous substance through highly populated areas with basically no environmental protection. By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Brent Crude and WTI Crude prices hit a five-month high this week amid signs of tightening market and clashes in wildcard OPEC producer Libya. Brent Crude topped $71 and WTI Crude rose above $64 a barrel in the middle of this week as supply reductions outweighed fears of slowing economic growth. Following the crash in Q4 2018, oil prices have already increased by more than 30 percent so far this year. But there is still room for oil to run and Brent could go as high as $80 a barrel this summer, due to geopolitical issues, OPEC and allies cuts, resilient demand, and not-so-crowded hedge fund longs suggesting that bulls have room to add more bullish positions in crude oil futures and options, according to a research note from RBC Capital Markets, cited by CNBC. RBC strategists raised significantly their oil price forecasts for the average prices of Brent and WTI this year. Brent Crude is now seen averaging $75 a barrel in 2019, up from the previous call of $69.50, while WTI is expected to average $67 per barrel throughout the year, up from $61.30 in RBCs previous estimate. According to RBCs experts, this summer, Brent could even hit $80. This is a threshold which oil consuming countries such as India consider too high and which analysts say is the beginning of demand destruction. We see price risk asymmetrically skewed to the upside spurred by geopolitically infused rallies that could shoot prices toward or even beyond our high-end, bull-case scenario and test the $80/bbl mark for intermittent periods this summer, CNBC quoted RBCs research note written by strategists Michael Tran, Helima Croft, and Christopher Louney. Related: Soaring Permian Output To Cap Oil Rally Yet, not all analysts believe that Brent has some $10 a barrel upside from current levels. Goldman Sachs, for example, believes that the rally has almost ran its course and that Brent is unlikely to hit $80. Goldman has lifted its average Brent price call for Q2 to $72.50 from $65 a barrel, but expects shale production to rise and OPEC to come under pressure to reverse some of the cuts in the second half of the year. But RBC warns that we could see $80 Brent this summer, on the back of geopolitically motivated rallies in oil. Several geopolitical factors in the coming months could lead to higher oil prices than the current $71 a barrel Brent. First, the U.S. is due to announce within weeks whether it would extend the waivers for some Iranian oil buyers to continue purchasing Tehrans oil. Analysts largely believe that the zero Iranian oil exports will not happen in early May, when current waivers expire, because the Administration would be more lenient, again, at least toward some buyers, so as not to drive oil (and gasoline) prices too high. Then there is the issue with the tightening U.S. sanctions on Venezuela amid the Latin American countrys collapsing oil production, which was plagued by the sanctions and massive blackouts and plunged by 289,000 bpd to below 1 million bpdto 732,000 bpd in March, according to OPECs secondary sources. On top of these geopolitical concerns, one of OPECs wildest cards in recent years, Libya, is plunged in turmoil again after eastern strongman General Khalifa Haftar and his self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) are advancing westward on Libyas capital Tripoli and clash with troops of the UN-backed government in a renewed confrontation that could escalate and threaten to disrupt, once again, Libyas oil production and exports. Apart from geopolitical flare-ups that could suddenly tighten supply more than OPECs cuts have intended, the positioning of the money managers in oil futures suggests that oil still has room to rise, according to RBC. Related: BP Pulls Out Of Chinas Shale Patch In short, there is room to run to the upside given that geopolitical hotspots are still a clear and present danger for the market, but many wounded bulls remain following the Q418 washout, RBCs analysts note. The ratio of bullish to bearish bets peaked at 13:1 in the fall of 2018 and averaged 8.5:1 throughout last year, according to RBC. In the week to April 2, the ratio of long to short positions in Brent and WTI increased to 6.50 from 5.60 in the previous week, according to exchange data compiled by Reuters market analyst John Kemp. To compare, last year in mid-April, that ratio was 15.00:1, while at the end of September, before the Q4 price collapse, the ratio stood at 13.88:1. In addition to other factors boosting the oil price outlook, demand is also holding up, especially in China, according to both RBC and Goldman Sachs. RBC, however, warns that the outsized influence which China and India have on global oil demand growth could be a downside risk to oil prices should economic growth materially slow down. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Taiwo Oyerinde is a female firefighter in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. The 53-year-old indigene of Ogun State joined the Federal Fire Service Department immediately she left secondary school in 1986 in Lagos State, but later obtained higher educational certificates. In this interview with Premium Times Oge Udegbunam, the firefighter speaks on her career and other issues. PT: What are the challenges you face as a woman firefighter? A lot of challenge. Sometimes your work is not appreciated because you are a woman, no matter the amount of effort you put into the work. You face senior officers who look down on you because of gender. But I faced the challenges and handled them because of my passion for the job PT: How do you balance your career and family? I chose my career before my family came in, so I have to blend them. It is not easy, but I dont allow either of them to suffer. I work when duty calls and attend to my family at the right time. PT: What is your advice to young girls about their career? They should blend the family and their careers. Your career should come first but dont allow your home to suffer. As a woman, your family needs your presence. Young girls should ask for more strength from God to be women of integrity that can handle both career and family. PT: Was firefighting your dream as a child? No, it wasnt. But I found myself here, and Im enjoying it. PT: How did you feel initially in a male-dominated profession? It is always crazy. Men will always feel like heroes. But as a woman, I am bold, I know my job, and I am capable of what I am doing. These will earn you respect from men. You will become a boss like them. Walking with my head high without feeling humiliated, without feeling terrorised or feeling less has helped me all these years. I have made up my mind. There is no firewoman we are all firemen. PT: How does your family feel about your profession? When my mother was alive, she said to me: Will you be able to cope? I said I would cope as long as men are there and they are doing it. My mother was always proud of me. Whenever she saw me in my uniform, she would tell people, She is my daughter. PT: Is this going to be a lifetime job? I will retire in it as a professional. Then I will continue after retirement. PT: How do you intend to continue? I want to be a fire consultant, I want to be a fire contractor. I believe it is a way I can help my community to protect and prevent them from fire hazard. I want to do it as a humanitarian service. PT: What are your most memorable moments in the job? Many memorable moments. When I was a secretary at a conference, I enjoyed it. The times when I did a good job and my boss appreciated me made me feel happy. PT: Have you ever been scared at work? No. From the beginning, I knew it was going to be part of me. Whether it is a small fire or a big fire, as a heroine, I approached it with courage. PT: Have you ever been sexually harassed? Being in a male-dominated profession, it is unavoidable. It happens, it is normal. When men desire you, as a disciplined person, you should know how to go about it. PT: Will you allow your female child to do this job? Yes, if they want to, I will advise them to do it. I will give them the support they need. PT: If you were the head of the Nigerian Fire Service, what will you have as a priority? Firstly, staff welfare, which is of great importance. New equipment in the industry, training of the trainer, and training staff both at local and international levels. *** A two-storey building has collapsed in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the building, an uncompleted site, collapsed around 5.50 p.m. on Friday. The building is which is situated shortly after the Molete Bridge, is located along the Molete- Beere Road. Though details of the incident are still scanty, our correspondent gathered that some site workers are still trapped as at the time of filing this report. A witness told PREMIUM TIMES that about three people who sustained various degrees of injuries have so far been rescued from the building. Efforts made by PREMIUM TIMES to get the officials of the state emergency management agency were unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report. But the state Commissioner of Police, Shina Olukolu, while confirming the incident, explained that three people who were initially trapped have been rescued from the site. He added that rescue operations by emergency workers were still ongoing at the site. Mr Olukolu maintained that excavators were being expected to ensure the prompt rescue of those still trapped under the rubble. He said the police were still working with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and other stakeholders to rescue those who have been trapped. The Ibadan incident happened two days after a three-story building collapsed in Itafaji area of Lagos Island in Lagos State. ABout 16 people were killed in the Lagos incident. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is considered as one of the most influential politicians in Nigeria, and since the return of democracy in 1999, has been having his say in who becomes the president of Nigeria. At least until now. Mr Obasanjo was in office as president of Nigeria between 1999 and 2007. He was later enmeshed in a third term agenda scandal, (a plan to modify the constitution so he could serve a third, four-year term as President.) There was media uproar during this time, and consequently, the bill was not ratified by the National Assembly. Mr Obasanjo has repeatedly denied he ever planned to stay longer than the two terms. In an interview with Channels Television in 2007, he denied involvement in third term agenda. He alleged that it was some members of the National Assembly that proposed tenure elongation. I never toyed with the idea of a third term, Mr Obasanjo said then. In this analysis PREMIUM TIMES reviews how Mr Obasanjo endorsed late Umaru YarAdua in 2007, Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 and how he endorsed Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. His endorsed candidate for 2019 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, however, failed to win the election. Umaru YarAdua At the end of 2006 in December, Umaru Musa Yaradua was elected as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) through the support of Mr Obasanjo. Mr YarAdua was afterwards tagged Mr Obasanjos puppet by the opposition. Despite his ailment, he won 2007 controversial presidential election that took place on April 21, 2007, and was sworn in on May 29, 2007. Mr YarAdua was flown to Germany a month after, March 6, for medical challenges. His media aide said then; the ailment was due to campaign stress. Mr YarAdua left for Saudi Arabia to receive treatment for pericarditis in 2009 but returned to Nigeria on February 24, 2010. He died on May 5 of the same year. The election that brought in Mr YarAdua was considered by many as one of the worst elections conducted in Nigerias history as even the winner reportedly admitted that the election that brought him was flawed. Goodluck Jonathan Mr Jonathan simply became the president after the death of his boss in 2010, and in 2011, many Nigerians adopted his no shoes story. Mr Jonathan won the general election against Muhammadu Buhari and his running mate Pastor Tunde Bakare with 59 per cent of the votes and was declared the winner on April 18, 2011. Mr Obasanjo was instrumental to Mr Jonathans rise from a deputy governor in Bayelsa State to the governor, then vice president, acting president, substantive president and later elected as president. On February 8, 2011, while speaking at PDPs rally in Oyo State, Mr Obasanjo justified why he preferred Mr Jonathan to other aspirants. He said the South-south zone had suffered marginalisation over the years and it would be proper to give them a sense of belonging. Mr Jonathan eventually emerged as president. However, Mr Obasanjo soon fell out with his protege. It started by the exchange of letters between the duo. On December 2, 2014, a letter titled Before it is too late, came from Mr Obasanjo to Mr Jonathan. He accused him (Jonathan) of failure to deliver on his electoral promises, promote national unity, and tackle corruption. Mr Jonathan fired back in a letter dated December 20, dismissing all the allegations; and challenged the former president, his political benefactor, to substantiate them with facts. The rift between both leaders created some upset; not just in the PDP, but also in the country. Mr Obasanjo was instrumental to the political turmoil that ended with Mr Jonathans ouster at the polls. The Buhari endorsement Following the fallout between Mr Obasanjo and Mr Jonathan, the ex-president endorsed the opposition candidate, Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressive Congress. Speaking at the launching of his book titled My Watch in Nairobi, Kenya, Mr Obasanjo, said Mr Buhari was smart enough to rule Nigeria. The circumstances (Buhari) will be working under if he wins the election are different from the one he worked under before, where he was both the executive and the legislature he knows that. Its a question of leadership political and military. Hes smart enough. Hes educated enough. Hes experienced enough. Why shouldnt I support him? he said then. Mr Buhari eventually emerged as president beating the incumbent with more than 2.5 million votes. The election marked the first time an incumbent president lost re-election in Nigeria. However, just like he did to Mr Jonathan, on January 24, 2018, Mr Obasanjo soon fell out with Mr Buhari highlighting his areas of weakness and advising him not to run for office in 2019. On January 31, 2018, he launched a political movement called Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM). The movement later adopted a political party, African Democratic Congress (ADC), to realise its dream of a new Nigeria. Endorsing Atiku Despite his past attacks on his estranged deputy, Atiku Abubakar, Mr Obasanjo endorsed him for 2019 election, an endorsement which failed to yield success this time. Mr Obasanjo had on August 3, 2018, exclusively told PREMIUM TIMES the former vice president should not count on him for support in his bid to actualise his life-long ambition of being elected president of Nigeria. How can I be on the same side with Atiku? he asked. To do what? If I support Atiku for anything, God will not forgive me if I do not know, yes. But once I know, Atiku can never enjoy my support. I know Atiku very well. And I have mentioned my position with Atiku. My position has not changed. If my children are getting married, he has sent representatives. If his children are getting married, I have sent representatives. That is social. That is not political. But on political ground, my position has not changed. If I support Atiku for a political office other than the one I supported him in the past when I did not know him, maybe, but not now that I know him, God will not forgive me. On October 2018, Mr Obasanjo said he had forgiven Mr Abubakar. He then endorsed him to be the president. I took the stand I had taken based on the character and attributes you exhibited in the position you found yourself. I strongly believe that I was right. It was in the overall interest of everyone and everything to take such a position. From what transpired in the last couple of hours or so, you have shown remorse; you have asked for forgiveness, and you have indicated that you have learnt some good lessons and you will mend fences and make amends as necessary and as desirable. Whenever or wherever you might have offended me, as a Christian who asks for Gods forgiveness of my sins and inadequacies daily, I forgive, Mr Obasanjo said as he endorsed Mr Abubakar. Endorsement failure? Meanwhile, the election results of the February 23 presidential election showed how Mr Abubakar was defeated by the incumbent president, Mr Buhari. Except Mr Abubakar wins the court process he has initiated challenging the emergence of Mr Buhari in the election, the election outcome may put an end to the endorsement power of Mr Obasanjo. Since Mr Abubakars loss in the polls, Mr Obasanjo is yet to speak on the result of the election. He said on Tuesday that speaking on the results would be illegal as the result was already being challenged in court. Views Inibehe Effiong, a lawyer and political analyst, told PREMIUM TIMES that the 2019 election is an indication that some politicians have lost their roots. I dont believe Obasanjo determines who becomes the president. Elections only align with his endorsement as a coincidence. However, it is also an indication that his time has ended in influencing the result of the election, he said. Beyond that, the political consciousness in Nigeria is increasing. Nigerians now believe that the influence of the former (leader) no longer matters. Another political analyst, Ademola Owolabi, said the political consciousness of many voters has increased. As per his (Obasanjo) endorsement, let us remember that yesterday, Alhaji Abubakar filed a petition in line with the law of the land. As long as that petition is yet to be determined, one cannot say Mr Obasanjos support has failed. The tribunal may succeed, and it may not succeed. But basically, Nigerians are becoming people of their mind as regards what is good for them. They no longer want baba sope (father said) as it used to be. We, however, hoped that it would go round in all parts of the country. Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has attacked President Muhammadu Buhari, saying he is not a Nigerian as his father is from Niger Republic. Fani-Kayode was reacting to the claim by the All Progressives Congress that the Peoples Democratic Partys presidential candidate in the last election, Atiku Abubukar was from Cameroun. The APC had told the Presidential Tribunal that Abubakar is not a Nigerian by birth and that he came from Cameroun. According to the APC, by virtue of his not being a Nigerian by birth, Abubakar, was not qualified to have contested the last presidential election. It contended that by Section 131(a) of the Constitution, a person must be a citizen of Nigeria by birth to be qualified to contest for the office of the President of the country. The party said Abubakar was born on November 25, 1946 in Jada, now Adamawa State, then in Northern Cameroun, and is therefore a citizen of Cameroon. Reacting, Fani-Kayode argued that Atiku is a bonafide Nigerian by birth contrary to claim by the APC-led government. When a non-Nigerian (Buhari) accuses a bona fide Nigerian of being a foreigner, you begin to appreciate why those that have insisted on calling Nigeria a zoo may have a point. It is only in Nigeria that a man whose father was from Niger Republic can accuse others of being foreigners, Fani-Kayode said on his Facebook wall. Mr Ayuba Wabba, NLC President, gave the advice at a news conference on Saturday in Abuja. The news conference was tagged: Public Declaration of Nigerias Host of the 6th African Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba, Sept. 23 to Sept. 25 and Inauguration of Local Organising Committee (LOC). Wabba said that the continued devaluation of the Nigerian currency had created the impression of the existence of subsidy. He said that as long as the value of the Naira was left to market forces, the issue of subsidy would continue in the country. The NLC leader urged that efforts should be made by the government to upgrade the nations refineries. As President of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), I recently led organised labour across the world to a meeting with the IMF and the World Bank. I told them point blank that their one-stop recommendation on subsidy removal and other sundry policy recommendations to the third world are not working and will not work. He said that there was no country in the world where IMFs recommendations had worked or are working. According to Wabba, Nigeria should be cautious in considering the options suggested by the IMF. I saw that many media houses are trying to amplify that the IMF has recommended that subsidy should be removed. In the first instance, is there a subsidy? This is a question we have not been able to answer. And I want to corroborate with what President Buhari said years back that subsidy is actually corruption and that whoever is subsidising is aiding corruption and we stand by that position. In fact, that has remained a consistent position of NLC. We can kill that issue of subsidy if we refine our products for our domestic use and it is not rocket science. NLC urges FG to create more sustainable jobs for poverty reduction Very soon, we are going to forward a document to the government on that, he stated. He noted that countries like Venezuela are celebrated because they stood their ground on policies that must work for the people and not for the capitalist. According to him, our own case is a sorry one and the situation is even laughable. You own crude oil, you pay for it to be extracted from the ground, you pay for it to be taken outside to be refined, you pay for the tax to where you took it to and you also pay to bring it back to your country for consumption. This is simply the pathetic story of Nigeria. God Almighty has already given us this resource in abundance, why should our citizens have to suffer to get it for use? In the first place, we should only be talking about subsidy if actually, we do not produce this product. But whereas we are producing it and in abundance in that matter, yet we suffer like we dont even own a drop of it. This is the shameful ordeal Nigerians go through. It is really a funny situation, he said. Wabba said that if petroleum was refined in the country, the word subsidy would be a thing of the past. On the public declaration of Nigeria as the host of the forthcoming meeting, the NLC president said: We must never forget the sacrifice of Cuban people for the liberation of most African countries. And also for decades, Nigerians have been beneficiaries of Cuban government scholarships and education, most especially in the medical field, he said. Also speaking, Mr Carlos Trejo, Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, commended the NLC and the Nigerian government for their continued support to ensure the freedom of the Cuban people. Trejo said that Cuba has constantly been attacked due to their support to the Venezuela government to stand on policies that must work for the people. We will never abandon the duty to act in solidarity with Venezuela. So we will continue to call for support for our sovereignty from African countries, among others that can support us, he said. (NAN) The only female victim among the four students who engaged in drunken, Tramadol-fueled group s*x, has died, Punch Metro reports. It had been reported that the indiscriminate s*xual activity took place at the Sunshine Castle Hostel, Ihiagwa, Owerri, Imo State, involving the lady identified as Onyinyechi Okafor, and three other male students of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri. Her male accomplices, who all died before her, were Ugochukwu Kingsley, Richard and Aka Uche. Onyinyechi Okafor was identified as a student at the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri, also in Imo State. The victims had died after allegedly taking Tramadol tablets and Indian hemp before embarking on the group s*x. Miss Okafor was buried on Thursday at her hometown in Ihiala, Anambra State, Punch gathered, even as some students disclosed that her course mates were forbidden from attending the funeral. An undergraduate at Miss Okafors school said that the institutions management barred her course mates from attending her burial. The Rector of the institution, Michael Arimanwa, our correspondent learnt, threatened that any student of the school who attends the burial would be sanctioned. He (rector) was said to have been irked by the shameful circumstance leading to the death of the female undergraduate. The source said, The female victim, Onyinyechi Okafor, has been buried. She was buried on Thursday in Ihiala, Anambra State. She was HND 1 student of Pharmaceutical Technology. The rector warned her course mates not to attend the burial or be associated with her funeral rites. You know that our rector is a priest. He was saddened by the shameful stories surrounding the death of the girl. The management warned that any student who attends the burial would be sanctioned. That was why every student stayed away from the burial. Share this: From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As... One of the most interesting episodes in the HBO series "The Sopranos" was in season 6: Two Mafia goons, Burt and Patsy, try to shake down a new coffee shop in a neighborhood where their crew collects money in exchange for "protection." But the coffee place is a corporate-owned franchise, and the manager explains that he has no access to the money; he couldn't give it to them if he wanted to. When they threaten him, he explains threats to the store or to his own safety probably won't matter much to the larger corporation. Leaving the shop empty-handed, one of the mobsters hangs his head and says, "It's over for the little guy." The scene illustrates perfectly the outlook for the little Mafioso, too. If the past two decades have taught us anything, it's that corporate control and efficiency are just the things to loosen the Mafia's grip of extortion. But is the same true for traditional Mafia-run businesses? Advertisement Organized criminals have long invested in legitimate business as both a base of operations and a means of laundering money from illegal activities such as drug trafficking, weapons dealing, prostitution, smuggling, counterfeiting and robbery. The Mafia favors unregulated or cash-based businesses that require the strength and stomach to do things members of polite society avoid. Waste management, for example, has become so strongly tied to organized crime that in some parts of the country the term "sanitation crew" might as well be synonymous with "the Mob." Even as Mob types have gained higher profiles on TV and in movies, there's still the perception that the actual Mob is less present or relevant than it was in the past. In the digital age, cash businesses are more transparent, which makes it harder to strong-arm the competition. The law seems more adept at catching these criminals, and a slew of high-profile indictments have made headlines, beginning with the famous cases brought by Manhattan attorneys Rudy Giuliani in the 1980s and Robert Morgenthau in the 1990s, and leading up to former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's 2011 historic roundup of members of New York's "Five Families" (Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Luchese) [source: Rashbaum]. Membership in the Italian Mafia, aka La Cosa Nostra, is said to have dropped to 3,000 in Italy and another 3,000 in the U.S. [sources: Goldhill, The Week]. Even the killings are down. The Mafia's murder rate in Italy fell by 80 percent between 1992 and 2012 [source: Davies Boren]. In 2020, just 28 murders in Italy were Mafia-related, compared with 527 between 1988 and 1992 [source: Frate]. Law enforcement officials say violent organized crime is down in the U.S., too. Given this information, it's easy to get the impression that some of the Mafia's power has diminished. That impression, it turns out, is a myth. While traditional criminal activities have waned, the Mafia has adapted to the times and is finding ways to thrive in today's economy. It might have a lower profile, but in some industries (and union halls and political back rooms) the Mafia still has sway. Let's take a look at some of the business and industries that have historically been controlled by the Mafia and see whether they are still connected today. " " Donald Trump may be the most prominent Trump, but he's not the only one. James Porter/Spencer Platt/Mark Makela/Mark Wilson/Getty As the 2016 presidential campaign enters its final stretch, Donald Trump has complained that media coverage of him has been unfair, and that the criticisms he's received from his opponent Hillary Clinton have been "very mean." But opening yourself up to public scrutiny is all part of running for office. Donald Trump, the real estate guy, television host and Republican nominee, literally signed up for all this. But guess who didn't sign up for all this? Everyone else in America whose last name is Trump. Meet Jenna Trump, a 32-year-old real estate agent in Atlanta. She says sharing a surname with someone famous was once entertaining, but that changed when the famous person became a presidential candidate. "I have altered my response since the [Republican primary] election to where I no longer joke with potentially being related," she says. "It used to be kind of fun." Advertisement According to data from the 2000 census surname data from the 2010 census isn't available Trump is the 8,357th most popular surname in the United States, with only 3,640 people sharing the name. (Clinton, as the last name of 15,714 Americans, is almost four times more common.) The latest data from the Pew Research Center shows a country deeply divided when it comes to opinions of either candidate, and Donald Trump in particular elicits stronger reactions than does Hillary Clinton. And the strength of people's opinions about Trump and his campaign, whether positive or negative, is spilling over from the political arena into the day-to-day lives of ordinary people with the same last name. HowStuffWorks spoke with several via email, Facebook and phone to see how things have been going. "I get a range of reactions, questions, conversations. However, probably the one that sticks out to me the most is going through TSA," says Jenna Trump. "The agent thought it would be funny to pronounce that he could not let me through which prompted a lot of awkward stares in which I had to reveal my last name and that I in fact was not a threat." For one 41-year-old from Reading, Pennsylvania, being named Trump has had negligible impact on his life recently, though that's not the case for some of his younger relatives. "It hasn't affected me at all," says Scott Trump, who works in commercial real estate. "But my niece has been bullied at school in Ohio because her classmates mimic what their parents are saying about Trump. They've called her names -- racist, liar, evil. She had a tough go for a little while. Her sister was in Greece on a class trip and one of the shop vendors wouldn't put her name on an order that she placed because they didn't want to even write 'Trump' on the ticket. "I've been defriended on Facebook a couple of times because people don't want to be associated with a Trump," he says. "I'm sure they'll be back in mid-November." "Having the last name Trump has its ups and downs," says a 19-year-old West Virginia nanny named Tiffany Trump. The fact that she also shares a first name with Donald Trump's 23-year-old daughter has caused complications. "On social media, I have a Snapchat account which is the same username as his daughter's Instagram. I get fan messages meant for her, as well as getting called an impostor when I tell them I am not Donald's daughter. Sometimes with harsh responses." Recently publicized recordings of Donald Trump's misogynistic commentary have turned Tiffany away from the candidate. "About the things that Donald Trump has said regarding women, he has lost my vote for sure," says Tiffany, who plans to attend medical school next year. "I also feel as if he is not stable to run this country, he's way too thin-skinned to be a president, and therefore I do not trust him." Not everyone is frustrated with the association. Billie Trump, a 62-year-old retired firefighter who's currently the CFO of the town of Beckley, West Virginia, sees it as a way to start a conversation. "The reaction to my last name is usually positive," he says. "People usually ask if I am related and this leads to some good-natured banter about my being a poor relative. I always say we might be related but I have never seen him at any of the family reunions." Billie Trump also says that most people around town know him and his last name because he was his town's fire chief and spent more than two decades in public service. "Donald Trump says what many people think, but share with only their close friends," he adds. Jessica Burt, a 31-year-old photographer and nonprofit owner in upstate New York, has the luxury of setting the Trump name aside it's her maiden name. "I will say, before I was married, my entire life when I would introduce myself to someone, I got asked every single time if I was related to Donald," she says. "So I can only imagine how bad it would be now. I'm just thankful I don't have to deal with it!" Still, it's one thing to share a surname with the Donald. It's another to share both first and last name. Donald L. Trump, an oncologist living in Virginia, has that discomfiting distinction. His identity rose to prominence when news organizations looked into whether the presidential candidate had donated to charity, and found that only the oncologist had provably done so. But if there's someone doing real harm here, let's lay the blame on Mike Pence, Donald Trump's running mate. His nomination for second-in-command caused the regular-guy commercial real estate agent to miss a golden chance. "I was really hoping he would take [Florida governor] Rick Scott as his VP so I could get 'Trump/Scott' T-shirts," says Scott Trump. "Come on, how often do you get that opportunity?" Now That's Interesting For a 2012 article, National Public Radio asked people who have a name in common with someone famous to share their stories, and received more than 1,000 comments on its Facebook page. Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson hailed as "really big" the 2-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday that sent them back top of the Premier League in their gripping battle with Manchester City. The Reds' dreams of their first Premier League crown are still alive after the win, which puts them back two points ahead of City, who have a game in hand and had briefly gone top earlier on Sunday thanks to a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace. However, second-half goals from Sadio Mane -- created by Henderson's pinpoint cross -- and Mohamed Salah wrapped up three points for Liverpool. "It's really big," Henderson told Sky Sports. "It's another big game we have won. "We have to concentrate on ourselves, work hard on training pitch and the focus is on the next game. "We are enjoying it and that's the main thing." The 28-year-old midfielder said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had given them a firm talking to at half-time, with the match still goalless. "There were a couple of things we needed to work on and create space for one another," said the England international. "There was a period when we blew them away a little bit but they had a couple of chances as well so we need to be careful." Henderson's team-mate Virgil van Dijk said he preferred to focus on Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg at Porto -- Liverpool lead 2-0 -- than what the victory meant with regard to the title race. "We just focus on our games, we have a massive game next in the Champions League then to Cardiff which will be tough as well," said the Dutch international. "So we will see. I'm always excited, I'm always happy when my team wins, but it can change, for now we just need to enjoy it and we have a big game on Wednesday again." For 56 years, Louis Mofsie has danced with his troupe, making Native American heritage shine and ensuring that age-old steps live on, even if their tribes of origin may have forgotten them. Born in Brooklyn 82 years ago, the director of the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers -- which he founded in 1963 -- is a native New Yorker who only saw Indian reservations on trips out West. The son of a Hopi from Arizona and a Winnebago from Nebraska, he was still passionate about Native American culture as a young man, quickly looking beyond his tribal ties. "We went to different reservations, and we danced with the people and we learned the songs and we learned the dances," recalls Mofsie, who also learned from the large Mohawk community that lived in Brooklyn. "We put these all together, and then we all came back here to New York. And it kind of grew from that," he explained. The goal at first was to "bring those different styles of dancing to New York so people here have an opportunity to see these -- without having to travel all over the Southwest." These were purely social dances, since ritual or sacred dances traditionally are not to be danced or even seen by anyone outside a tribe. Though he carefully avoided that pitfall, Louis Mofsie had "troubles" early on. "Real troubles, because he wanted to share the Indian culture with a large audience and some people in his community were opposed to it," says Crystal Field, Artistic Director of Theater for the New City, where the Thunderbird performs every year. "Every culture that's oppressed draws into itself and then you are the enemy. They're protecting themselves that way." Sometimes inter-tribal, often presented at pow wows, large community gatherings, Mofsie's chosen dances focus on nature, mainly wildlife, such as the Robin dance, which celebrates the arrival of spring. The step is often supple, even airy, like a series of bounces alternating to the rhythm pounded out by percussion instruments and songs. It's not a couple's dance, even though women and men practice; the sequencing recalls a bit of swing, or even traditional rock, which has the same fluidity. Louis also fondly remembers his meeting with the famous American choreographer Martha Graham and his Mexican counterpart Jose Limon. "Many of their dances were influenced by native American dances," he says. - 'Make leaps' - In the series of shows each year by the Thunderbird at the Theater for the New City, an institution in Manhattan's East Village, Mofsie takes care to contextualize the dances, which if they are not sacred, make sense. "The important thing for us, too, is to explain what all these dances are, what they mean, because what people have seen on television and movies just looks like a bunch of people jumping around," says the octogenarian who still leads a troupe of 20 dancers. "These dances all have an origin, stories that are part of it. That's important to us, too." The old dances intermingle steps that evoke the history of Native American people and their struggles with the white men altering their way of life forever. One of them refers to the federal government's forced assimilation policy from the 1870s to the 1960s, which sent thousands of Native American children to boarding schools outside reservations. Mofsie is delighted to see more people who are deeply interested in Native American culture, as evidenced by the series of shows that was packed. But he is more concerned today about the preservation of this cultural heritage, which he knows is fragile. "Some of these dances, I think, they're no longer" danced. "I think it's important for those dances to be kept alive so that's what we're doing," he told AFP. Mofsie would like them to be cataloged and documented in video, for generations to come. He collaborates with the American Indian Community House, an inter-tribal organization based in New York, which has a large collection of documents. But so far nobody has sought to inventory the dances fully, including in images -- not the AICH or the National Museum of the American Indians, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. A specialist in Native American heritage at Washington State University, Lotus Norton-Wisla, who helps community organizations in their archival work, says he has never heard of such a project. Mofsie thinks about the troop, which is getting older, even though some young people have joined him. "With the influences that young people have today with television, ipods, and everything else, it's very hard to keep this going," he said. In this April 25, 2018, file photo, a visitor takes a closer look at the Sylphy Zero Emission during the start of the Auto China 2018 in Beijing, China. The 2019 Shanghai auto show highlights the global industry's race to transform electric cars into a profitable product Chinese drivers want to buy as Beijing winds down multibillion-dollar subsidies that made this country the biggest market for the technology. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File) This year's Shanghai auto show highlights the global industry's race to make electric cars Chinese drivers want to buy as Beijing winds down subsidies that promoted sales. Communist leaders are shifting the burden to automakers by imposing mandatory sales targets for electrics, adding to financial pressure on them amid a painful sales slump. Chinese purchases of pure-electric and hybrid sedans and SUVs soared 60% last year to 1.3 millionhalf the global totalbut overall auto sales shrank 4.1% to 23.7 million. Buyers of electrics were lured with subsidies of up to 50,000 yuan ($7,400) per car, but that support was cut by half in January and ends next year. "Competition is getting more fierce," said industry analyst Paul Gong of UBS. Communist leaders have been promoting electrics for 15 years in hopes of cleaning smog-choked Chinese cities and gaining an early lead in a promising industry. General Motors, Volkswagen, Nissan and other global majors are developing models to suit Chinese tastes. They have money and technology, but local rivals have experience: brands including BYD Auto and BAIC Group have been selling low-priced electrics for a decade. At the Shanghai show, which opens to the public Saturday, automakers plan to display dozens of electrics, from luxury SUVs to micro-compacts priced under $10,000. They aim to compete with gasoline-powered models on performance, cost and looks. By the end of next year, "it will be very difficult for a customer to decide against an electric car," said the CEO of Volkswagen AG, Herbert Diess. "The cars will offer roominess, space, fast charging," Diess said during a January visit to Beijing. "They will look exciting." Automakers are looking to China, their biggest global market, to drive revenue growth at a time when U.S. and European demand is flat or declining. That gives them an incentive to cooperate with Beijing's campaign to promote electrics. In this April 25, 2018, file photo, attendees take photos of the E-SEED electric concept car during a press conference by Chinese automaker BYD at the China Auto Show in Beijing. The 2019 Shanghai auto show highlights the global industry's race to transform electric cars into a profitable product Chinese drivers want to buy as Beijing winds down multibillion-dollar subsidies that made this country the biggest market for the technology. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) This week, General Motors Co. is unveiling the first all-electric model in Buick's China-only Velite range, which includes a hybrid based on the Chevrolet Volt. VW will display a concept SUV as part of plans to launch 50 electric models by 2025. Nissan Motor Co. and its Chinese partner will display the Sylphy Zero Emission, an all-electric model designed for China that went on sale in August. BYD Auto will display an all-electric sedan with an advertised range of 400 kilometers (250 miles) on one charge. Pressure to shift to electrics is "more an opportunity than a threat" to Chinese automakers, said UBS's Gong. Latecomers to gasoline-powered vehicles, Chinese brands account for just 10% of global sales, mostly in low price tiers, Gong said. But they account for 50% of electric sales worldwide. "In the EV world, Chinese companies started earlier and reacted faster," said Gong. The ruling Communist Party has spent billions of dollars on research grants and incentives to buyers. State-owned power companies have blanketed China with 730,000 charging stations, a vastly larger network than any other country. Meanwhile, automakers are struggling to revive sales of traditional SUVS, minivans and sedans that fell last year for the first time in three decades. A tariff war with Washington and weakening economic growth made jittery consumers reluctant to commit to big purchases. That skid worsened this year. First-quarter sales shrank 13.7% from a year earlier. Despite that, people in the industry say Chinese sales could top 30 million vehicles a year by 2025. Ford relaunched its China operation this year after 2018 sales plunged 37%. The company blamed an aging product lineup. In this April 29, 2018, file photo, visitors watch an electric-powered SUV manufactured by Chinese automaker NIO during the China Auto Show in Beijing. The 2019 Shanghai auto show highlights the global industry's race to transform electric cars into a profitable product Chinese drivers want to buy as Beijing winds down multibillion-dollar subsidies that made this country the biggest market for the technology. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File) Global brands are linking up with Chinese partners with experience at low-cost production. Ford has an electric venture with Zotye Auto. GM and its Chinese partners plan 10 electric models by next year. Mercedes Benz launched the Denza brand with BYD. VW's electric joint venture, SOL, started selling an SUV last year. Under the new system, automakers must earn credits for sales of electrics equal to at least 10% of purchases this year and 12% in 2020. Automakers that fall short can buy credits from competitors that exceed their targets. Regulators say targets will rise later. An electric's sticker price in China still is higher than a gasoline model. But charging and maintenance cost less. Industry analysts say owners who drive at least 16,000 kilometers (10,000 miles) a year save money in the long run. China's biggest SUV brand, Great Wall Motors, has responded to the sale quotas by launching an electric brand, Ola. Its R1 compact, while looks like a toy beside Great Wall's hulking SUVs, went on sale in December priced as low as 59,800 yuan ($8,950) after the subsidy. In a move to spur competition, Beijing lifted ownership restrictions on electric automakers last year. Tesla Ltd. responded by announcing plans to build its first factory outside the United States in Shanghai. Official ambitions clash with the Chinese public's love of bulky SUVs, seen as the safest option on crowded, bumpy streets. But sentiments are shifting. A UBS survey found 71% of Chinese buyers are willing to try an electric, up from 58% a year ago. The rate for the United States and Europe was below 20%. "Customer willingness is always higher in China," said Gong. Explore further Nissan launches China-focused electric car 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The BlackHoles@Home project uses highly efficient simulation grids so that binary black hole collisions can be modeled on desktop computers. The black dots represent the black hole horizons for two black holes of different masses. Credit: Z.Etienne/WVU Researchers hoping to better interpret data from the detection of gravitational waves generated by the collision of binary black holes are turning to the public for help. West Virginia University assistant professor Zachariah Etienne is leading what will soon become a global volunteer computing effort. The public will be invited to lend their own computers to help the scientific community unlock the secrets contained in gravitational waves observed when black holes smash together. LIGO's first detection of gravitational waves from colliding black holes in 2015 opened a new window on the universe, enabling scientists to observe cosmic events spanning billions of years and to better understand the makeup of the Universe. For many scientists, the discovery also fueled expansion of efforts to more thoroughly test the theories that help explain how the universe workswith a particular focus on inferring as much information as possible about the black holes prior to their collision. First predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916, gravitational waves are ripples or disturbances in space-time that encode important information about changing gravitational fields. Since the 2015 discovery, LIGO and Virgo have detected gravitational waves from eight additional black hole collisions. This month, LIGO and Virgo began new observing runs at unprecedented sensitivities. "As our gravitational wave detectors become more sensitive, we're going to need to greatly expand our efforts to understand all of the information encoded in gravitational waves from colliding binary black holes," Etienne said. "We are turning to the general public to help with these efforts, which involve generating unprecedented numbers of self-consistent simulations of these extremely energetic collisions. This will truly be an inclusive effort, and we especially hope to inspire the next generation of scientists in this growing field of gravitational wave astrophysics." His teamand the scientific community in generalneeds computing capacity to run the simulations required to cover all possibilities related to the properties and other information contained in gravitational waves. "Each desktop computer will be able to perform a single simulation of colliding black holes," said Etienne. By seeking public involvement through use of vast numbers of personal desktop computers, Etienne and others hope to dramatically increase the throughput of the theoretical gravitational wave predictions needed to extract information from observations of the collisions. Black holes are known to contain two physical quantities: spin and mass. Spin, for example, can then be broken down further into direction and speed. Etienne's colleagues, therefore, are examining a total of eight parameters when LIGO or Virgo detect waves from a collision of two black holes. "The simulations we need to perform, with the public's help, are designed to fill large gaps in our knowledge about gravitational waves from these collisions by covering as many possibilities as we can for these eight parameters. Current black hole simulation catalogs are far too small to properly cover this wide space of possibilities," Etienne said. "This work aims to provide a critical service to the scientific community: an unprecedented large catalog of self-consistent theoretical predictions for what gravitational waves may be observed from black hole collisions. These predictions assume that Einstein's theory of gravity, general relativity, is correct, and therefore will provide deeper insights into this beautiful and complex theory. Just to give you an idea of its importanceif the effects of Einstein's relativity theory weren't accounted for, GPS systems would be off by kilometers per day, just to name one example." Etienne and his team are building a website with downloadable software based on the same Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing, or BOINC, system used for the SETI@Home project and other scientific applications. The free middleware system is designed to help harness the processing power of thousands of personal computers across the globe. The West Virginia team has named their project BlackHoles@Home and expects to have it up and running later this year. They have already established a website where the public can begin learning more about the effort: https://math.wvu.edu/~zetienne/SENR/. Explore further Scientists detect biggest known black-hole collision More information: The presentation, "The BlackHoles@Home Project: Black Hole Binaries on the Desktop Computer," took place on Saturday, April 13, in room Governor's Square 17 of the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. Abstract: The presentation, "The BlackHoles@Home Project: Black Hole Binaries on the Desktop Computer," took place on Saturday, April 13, in room Governor's Square 17 of the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. Abstract: meetings.aps.org/Meeting/APR19/Session/C11.2 Skoda has left communist-era jokes far behind Once the butt of jokes, Czech-made Skoda cars have won over Brits, but the UK's exit from the European Union could deal a heavy blow to the brand and the entire Czech economy. Britain is the fifth largest export market for the Czech Republic, an EU member of 10.6 million people heavily dependent on overseas shipments, especially cars. The EU has given Britain until October 31 to organise an orderly departure, but a no-deal hard Brexit that would slap high tariffs on imports like cars is still possible. Controlled by Volkswagen since 1991, Skoda exports some 80,000 cars to Britain a year, almost 10 percent of its annual output. In an emailed statement, Skoda told AFP it was "worried and getting ready for all scenarios" and called for a "solution acceptable for all parties", but declined to elaborate. Radek Spicar, vice-president of the Czech Confederation of Industry, went further, warning that the company might suffer a heavy blow. "A hard Brexit would mean 10 percent import duties slapped on cars, and that would hurt," he told AFP. "It would stifle demand for cars. Companies like Skoda wouldn't collapse, but they would lose part of an important market," Spicar added. Despite the grim outlook, Skoda raised its first-quarter sales to Britain by 3.6 percent against a year ago to 22,200 units, company spokesman Zdenek Stepanek told AFP. Spicar pointed out Britain was also a "symbolic" market for the make, which has come a long way from being the butt of jokes to one of the most respected makes there. The car industry is key to the Czech economyand vulnerable to tariffs No joke anymore "How do you double the value of a Skoda? Fill the tank with petrol," went a popular joke about Skoda's clunky models produced in the 1980s when Czechoslovakiathe predecessor of the Czech Republic and Slovakiawas still communist. "Do you know why Skoda has heated rear windows? So when you're pushing it home in the winter, your hands stay warm," said another. But Britons gradually meltedSkoda's Fabia model was named car of the year by What Car? magazine in 2000, while the Skoda Yeti became the best car to own in a 2013 poll of 46,000 British drivers conducted by the Auto Express magazine. "Nobody is ashamed of driving a Skoda now, Jeremy Clarkson praised it in Top Gear, it is driven by taxi drivers," said Spicar. "Britain is simply a symbolic, important market, and Brexit would be terribly unpleasant for the make." A hard Brexit would "slash Czech exports to the UK by 20 percent, Czech GDP growth by 1.1 points, and employment by 40,000 staff", analysts at the Ceska sporitelna bank, a Czech unit of Austria's Erste Bank, have warned. Czech companies sell goods worth 210 billion koruna (8.2 billion euros, $9.2 billion) to Britain a year, with auto exports making up more than half of the total, according to Ceska. Accounting for more than 20 percent of Czech industrial output, the car industry "is the most threatened by Brexit because of its size within the economy", David Marek, chief economist at Deloitte Czech Republic, told AFP. Three global carmakers with Czech plants turned out more than 1.4 million cars in 2018, a new record, with Skoda making up over 60 percent of that. South Korea's Hyundai, and TPCA, a joint venture of Japan's Toyota and France's Peugeot-Citroen, also have Czech factories. Despite the grim outlook, Skoda raised its first-quarter sales to Britain by 3.6 percent against a year ago to 22,200 units, company spokesman Zdenek Stepanek told AFP 'Hard Brexit would be unpleasant' A thriving auto sector has been a major contributor to economic growth since 2013, with 2.9 percent expansion last year following 4.5 percent in 2017. Czech producers of electronics, nuclear plant components, sweets, photo equipment and others are also worried. "We generate turnover of some 10 million euros in Britain, which is about four percent of our total turnover," says Tomas Kolar, chief executive of Linet, a producer of hospital beds and mattresses. "A hard Brexit would be unpleasant but not critical," he added. For Linet, just like for car makers and other companies, Brexit will most probably mean their products will have to get a fresh certificate for sales in the British market. "This is a non-tariff trade barrier, independent regulation present in all non-EU countries. It may take time before we get the certificates," said Kolar. Stocking up is a way to avoid problems, but Linet could not do that as its products are tailor-made for each hospital or clinic. Instead, it has stocked up on welded mattress parts from a British supplier. "We didn't want to end up empty-handed, it would hit us globally because we sell mattresses worldwide," said Kolar, who expects Britain to impose a 6.5 percent duty on special mattresses made by Linet should a hard Brexit occur. "It's tough. I still hope they will find some common sense," he said. 2019 AFP The United States and economic partners held "productive" talks this week on the taxation of major tech giants, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Saturday. Countries like France, Spain and Austria have announced plans to tax tech companies' revenues outright because the Internet-based companies do not declare profits on a by-country basis. The United States is pushing for an overarching agreement through the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a forum for advanced economies. Mnuchin told reporters Saturday there had been "lots of productive discussions" on the subject in Washington where finance ministers were gathered for spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. He said it is "a priority from our standpoint to find an OECD solution." "We will be working together to do that and a commitment from the UK and France ... will go with an international solution," Mnuchin said. EU Economic Commissioner Pierre Moscovici told AFP on Saturday that the "atmosphere is more peaceful" in discussions on the issue. "There is a shared desire that was clearly expressed that now we have to move forward within the OECD," he said. OECD members are due to meet in Paris in May, followed by a Group of 20 summit in Japan the following month. Explore further OECD hopes for global digital tax by 2020 2019 AFP Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. 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. 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Talk to me about the duty of religion and I'll listen submissively. But don't come talking to me about the consolation of religion or I shall suspect that you don't understand."--C.S. Lewis The battle for the best wireless network is on. After years of PR and marketing hype, wireless carriers have finally turned on their 5G networks. But dont be surprised if you discover that carrier campaigns have been outpacing actual networksor that you are nowhere near one. Last week, buoyed by a thumbs up from the global leader in internet testing and analysis, Ookla, the nations largest wireless carrier, AT&T, vaunted its wireless network as the nations fastest. AT&T published speed test results that appeared to validate its new 5GE network as the fastest around. Meanwhile, Verizon launched a 5G network in parts of Chicago and Minneapolis that has been hailed as blazingly fast but good luck finding any coverage. Gaining visibility True to word, AT&Ts network did clock the fastest broadband speeds by the end of Q1 2019. But averaged over an entire quarter, it was only very marginally better than what rivals Verizon and T-Mobile offered. AT&Ts average download speed by the end of the first quarter was an impressive 40.7 Mbps. But thats the case only because the carriers new 5GE network gained serious visibility following the release of Apples new OS. According to the Verge, AT&Ts new 5GE icon started being displayed on iPhone Max, X, XR, XS, XS max, 8 and 8 Plus devices upon the launch of iOS 12.2. Naturally, users ran speed tests to check whether the new standard was an upgrade on the existing LTE network, which in turn juiced its network numbers for the final week. AT&T has the good fortune of being home to the largest number of iPhone users of any carrier, with 70 percent of its customers toting an iPhone compared to 62 percent for Verizon and 49 percent for T-Mobile. Related: Newmont Shareholders Approve Goldcorp Takeover Averaged over the entire quarter, however, AT&Ts network speed suddenly looks very average, with its network speed of 34.65 Mbps being only marginally better than T-Mobiles 34.11 Mbps or Verizons Verizons 33.07 Mbps. (Click to enlarge) Source: Engadget AT&Ts fortunes aside, the Verge reports that Verizons newly launched 5G network in Chicago and Minneapolis is very threadbare and difficult to find despite hitting some impressive speeds. It appears Verizon rushed the rollout to avoid falling too far behind rivals, but now risks being shunned by customers due to poor user experience. Thats a head up to Verizon customers who might be planning to buy 5G-compatible hardware like the 5G Moto Mod and paying an extra $10 every month to the carrier to receive 5G. Messy situation Readers might find it disconcerting to learn that much of what U.S. carriers are now touting as 5G is far from the real thing. 5G technology is not meant to merely be an upgrade on existing 4G/LTE systemson the contrary, its intended to be orders of magnitude better. True 5G networks could reach download speeds 100x faster than 4G and feature latencies of as low as a millisecond compared to 50 milliseconds by LTE. Related: Hong Kong Stock Market Surges Past Japan Consequently, AT&T not has to contend with lawsuits including from rival carriers who say its 5GE label is misleading. A March report by OpenSignal found that AT&T 5GE was actually slower than 4G LTE service from Verizon and T-Mobile. AT&T has been playing catch up to other carriers after being late to advanced LTE and 5G parties. The AT&T and Verizon situations are an apt demonstration of the current messy state of the 5G industry. The latest wireless technology has been marred by a litany of issues including delayed rollouts, conflicting standards, limited hardware tests and a healthy dose of political wrangling. But with telecom companies waging an all-out war to be seen as the top dog in the space and standards still few and far between, the 5G mess will probably continue being par for the course. By Alex Kimani for Safehaven.com More Top Reads From Safehaven.com Shirley Contreras lives in Orcutt and writes for the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society. She can be contacted at 623-8193 or at shirleycontreras2@yahoo.com. Her book, The Good Years, a selection of stories shes written for the Santa Maria Times since 1991, is on sale at the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society, 616 S. Broadway. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. " " Radiation from distant galaxies and even black holes exerts a tiny but measurable affect on humanity. Bettmann/Naoyuki Noda/Getty When we go to the beach, maybe we sit under umbrellas. We wear sunscreen. After all, we've been burned before, literally. Being outside on a clear day involves being relentlessly bombarded with photons, the tiny packages of energy that power this planet. These little bombs smash into our skin, resulting in a suntan or sunburn. About about one sextillion of the photons that's one followed by 21 zeroes, or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 that pelt a sunbather each second are sent here from our nearest star. But according to a new paper in the Astrophysical Journal, not all that tan you got this summer can be attributed to the sun you've got to look beyond our galaxy for the rest. Advertisement Researchers from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) have accurately measured the "extra-galactic background light" hitting our planet 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They measured photons from a wide range of wavelengths, varying from the very short ones that you're going to want protect your skin against, to the long wavelength photons you don't need to worry your pretty head about. They found that any time we're outside, we're being hit with about 10 billion short-wave intergalactic photons per second including 5 billion photons per second that come from black holes! This means around one ten-trillionth of your summer glow comes from galaxies outside our own. "These photons are minted in the cores of stars in distant galaxies, and from matter as it spirals into supermassive black holes," says study author and ICRAR astrophysicist Simon Driver, in a press release. The research team measured this extra-galactic radiation using combined data from an international network of space telescopes, including the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes and NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. But according to Professor Rogier Windhorst of Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration, we don't need to add space sunburn to the list of things to worry about. The dust from galaxies all over the universe cuts the ultraviolet light coming from distant heavenly bodies in half. "The galaxies themselves provide us with a natural suntan lotion with an SPF of about two," he says. Now That's Interesting About 10 quadrillion photons come to us each second, courtesy of the energy created at the Big Bang, but their wavelengths are too long to contribute to our suntans. A cyber attack hit the Lithuanian Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis with the intent of discrediting him and the Lithuanian national defense system. A major and orchestrated misinformation cyber attack hit the Lithuanian Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis with the intent of discrediting him and the Lithuanian national defense system. The currently unfolding complex cyber-information attack has affected Kas vyksta Kaune news portal as a piece of disinformation misleadingly stating there is an investigation by law enforcement carried out. reads the advisory published by the Ministry. The fake news has also spread across social media. The National Cyber Security Centre urges the citizens to think critically and not to give in to manipulation. Story by Lithuanian news portal https://t.co/1x6VqMALrj on how Lithuanian Defence Minister became a target https://t.co/7B2UhCYgix Lithuanian MOD (@Lithuanian_MoD) April 13, 2019 A new cybernetic attack has hit Lithuanian Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis, with the intention of discrediting not only the minister as a politician but also the entire Lithuanian national defense system and damaging public trust and support to the armed forces . states the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense. The attack started on the night of April 10, threat actors launched a spear phishing campaign from an e-mail address that pretended to be sent from an employee of the Ministry of Defense. The messages were spreading fake news on an alleged case of corruption in the ministry, they included links possibly leading to malicious addresses. On preliminary data, the letter sent to several e-mail addresses at the Presidents Office, the Government, and the Seimas falsely informs about an audit carried out at the Ministry of National Defence and finding a possible case of corruption there. continues the advisory. The false content of the letter says Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis took a bribe of USD 586 thousand in the process of weaponry procurement procedures and that one of the banks in Lithuania has documents proving it. The National Cyber Security Center has confirmed it is a typical social engineering attack using spoofed email accounts, it also attributed the attack to a foreign government The emails were sent to various addresses including the presidency and the government. This incident is just another piece of evidence that in the age of technology we are living in the conditions of cyber warfare. I have no doubt that the real aim of the attackers is to discredit not only me as a politician but also the entire National Defence System and to hurt the public trust and support to the Armed Forces, Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis, currently on a visit in Ukraine, says. According to the Delfi website threat actors also targeted news portals and inserted fake news into regional media outlet Kasvyksta Kaune and found its way into Baltic Times, a Riga based English language news website. Experts pointed out that both of them have been targeted by the cyber attacks last year. The threat actors carried out several attacks with similar TTPs in the same period, the Delfi published a detailed analysis of the events. Furthermore, fake news was posted on OpEdNews, with an alleged author Vytautas Benokraitis. In reality, he is CEO at DELFI Lithuania and never wrote material like this on OpEdNews US-based progressive/liberal news, antiwar activism, and opinion website founded by Rob Kall in 2003. reads a post published on the Delfi site. The website has already been noted for spreading fake news in the past. It was the OpEdNews, that posted a story about the impending NATO invasion to Belarus last November. A poor translation into Lithuanian language has been inserted via cyber means into Kas vyksta Kaune website It is not the first time the country is hit by such kind of attacks, a similar campaign was observed in January 2018 when one of Lithuanias media outlets was hacked and e-mails containing malicious code were sent to Lithuanias top leadership. The National Cyber Security Centre is investigating the attack. Pierluigi Paganini ( SecurityAffairs Lithuanian Defense, cyberattack) Share this... Linkedin Share this: Twitter Print LinkedIn Facebook More Tumblr Pocket Share On A Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft takes part in a flying display on the first day of the 52nd Paris Air Show at Le Bourget airport near Paris A Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft takes part in a flying display on the first day of the 52nd Paris Air Show at Le Bourget airport near Paris, France, June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/Files By Krishna N. Das NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India on Saturday said a French media report linking a tax exemption given to a French subsidiary of Reliance Group and an $8.7 billion fighter jet deal between the two countries was "totally inaccurate." French newspaper Le Monde reported on Saturday that France waived a tax demand of 143.7 million euros on a French subsidiary of Reliance Communications in 2015 when it was negotiating to sell the jets to India. The longstanding tax dispute was resolved between February and October that year, Le Monde said. India's Ministry of Defence said on Saturday the report was drawing a conjectural connection between the tax relief and the jet deal. "Neither the period of the tax concession nor the subject matter of the concession relate even remotely to the Rafale procurement concluded during the tenure of the present government," the ministry said in a statement. "Any connections drawn between the tax issue and the Rafale matter is totally inaccurate, tendentious and is a mischievous attempt to disinform." Alexandre Ziegler, France's ambassador to India, said a global settlement was reached between French authorities and Reliance FLAG in a tax dispute. "This settlement was conducted in full adherence with the legislative and regulatory framework governing this common practice of the tax administration," he said on Twitter late on Saturday. "It was not subject to any political interference whatsoever." India's main opposition Congress Party has for months accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of corruption in choosing Reliance Defence as a domestic partner in the deal to buy 36 Rafale planes from France's Dassault Aviation. Congress has made it a major issue in India's 39-day national election. The allegations have repeatedly been denied by both Modi and Mumbai-based Reliance, controlled by industrialist Anil Ambani. Reliance said in a statement on Saturday that Reliance FLAG, which runs a cable network and telecom infrastructure business in France, mutually agreed with the French authorities to pay 560 million rupees ($8 million) as tax for the period between 2008 and 2012 instead of the initial demand of 11 billion rupees. Story continues It said that during that period Reliance FLAG business had an operating loss of 2.7 million euros ($3 million). "Reliance denies any favouritism or gain from the settlement," it said in the statement. "Reliance Flag settled tax disputes as per legal framework in France available to all companies operating in France." India's Supreme Court said this week it would hear a request for an investigation into the Rafale jet deal. Under India's defence procurement rules, any company selling equipment must invest at least 30 percent of the contract in India as part of an "offset" clause to help build a domestic manufacturing base and reduce the country's dependence on imports. Dassault has said it picked Reliance Defence as a partner on its own. ($1 = 69.1800 Indian rupees) ($1 = 0.8849 euros) (Reporting by Krishna N. Das; Additional reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal in MUMBAI; Inti Landauro and Tim Hepher in PARIS. Editing by Jane Merriman) 33 Singaporean academics including professors and PhD students joined other academics to sign a letter to education minister Ong Ye Kung about the harmful effects of Singapores anti-fake news law towards research in the country. The letter was released Thursday under the group Academics Against Disinformation and featured 83 academics, including some ones with media backgrounds such as Ang Peng Hwa from Nanyang Technological University and Cherian George from Hong Kong Baptist University. Out of the 33 Singaporean academics who signed under their individual capacity, 17 of them were in Singapore-based universities such as National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University. According to a copy of the letter which Coconuts Singapore received, the academics voiced concern that the law potentially criminalizes false facts, whereas academic work is all about questioning the facts which could appear to be sowing discord online. How facts work in academia Academics often question facts by conducting new research to either disprove or add on to a fact, the letter said. Thus, the letter argued that it is difficult to state what is a fact and what is a misleading conclusion. The facts that are often questioned by academics are ones that a reasonable person would consider to be a fact when it actually has not been proven to be fully true, the letter added. This process is often carried out now over social media, with universities encouraging professors to share their work-in-progress as commentary articles through the media. Wide dissemination of ongoing researchwhich may be considered facts in disputeis a global public good facilitated by the borderless internet, the letter stated. As such, the group of academics are concerned that the laws wide reach, broad definition of what is of public interest, the online platforms such commentaries are posted on and the severe penalties will discourage this for an indeterminately wide range of subjects and individuals. Story continues This act discourages scholars from marshaling their expertise in precisely the areas where it is most needednamely, pressing questions and challenges for which there are no clear answers or easy solutions, the letter added. Group rejects ministry statement The group is also concerned that the law could inspire other countries to create such laws and asked the government to clarify how the law is applied to scholarly work and ensure safeguards for scholarly research and its online outreach. In an update to the letter on Saturday, the group alleged that the education ministry responded through Singapore media on 12 April 2019. A check showed that the ministry released a statement to The Straits Times reassuring academics that the bill does not restrict opinion and will not affect academic research work. We cannot accept (the ministrys statement) as a categorical guarantee until it is reflected in the language of the bill, said the group. The update further added that academics were on the frontlines on the battle against misinformation but no countrys response should undermine the very capacities it requires to deal with this crisis. Under the new law, called the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill, the government will have the ultimate power to take online news sources and platform to task if they disseminate deliberate online falsehoods. This also includes having the ability to ask such news sources and platforms to display corrections or warnings about such falsehoods so that readers will be informed about these errors. This article, 33 Singaporean academics signed letter to education minister on harmful Singapore anti-fake news law, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters! Over 80 academics from around the world have written to the Singapore government expressing concerns over how recently proposed laws against online falsehoods could threaten academic freedom in the city state. The Protection From Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill, tabled in parliament on April 1, has raised eyebrows for the sweeping powers it would hand the government. In their letter, sent to Singapores education minister on April 11 and made available to the media on April 13, the academics focused on how the proposed powers to police falsehoods could backfire on researchers. The legislation may also set negative precedents, with knock-on effects on the global academy, wrote the academics. They noted that much of academic work focuses on disputing apparently established facts, which are confirmed or denied through research, and continuously reappraised as new data becomes available. Thus for many phenomena it is not possible to state definitively what is a fact proven for all time, and what is a conjecture or hypothesis that may turn out to be false or misleading, wrote the group of scholars, who include University of Michigan business professor Linda Lim, Baptist University journalism professor Cherian George, National University of Singapore political scientist Chong Ja Ian and Nanyang Technological University sociologist Teo You Yenn. Statements that a reasonable person would consider to be a representation of fact are precisely those most usefully subject to rigorous academic scrutiny, they added. In its response to the letter, as reported by The Straits Times, Singapores education ministry reiterated the governments position that the bill covers verifiably false statements of fact which affect public interest and does not restrict opinion. The ministry said the law would not affect academic research work. Story continues In a media statement, the academics acknowledged the ministrys assurance but said they cannot accept this as a categorical guarantee until it is reflected in the language of the bill. For many phenomena it is not possible to state definitively what is a fact proven for all time Academics letter The much-anticipated bill gives government ministers sweeping powers to issue correction and take-down orders. Legal action would be taken against any deliberate online falsehood that meets two criteria: there is dissemination of a false statement of fact, and when such action is deemed against the public interest which under the bill includes areas such as Singapores security, the protection of public health, finances and safety as well as the countrys elections. Among the proposed penalties are up to 10 years jail and S$1 million (US$738,500) in fines for the most severe cases. The academics took issue with the bills broad definition of public interest, its proposal to hold internet intermediaries responsible for all items posted on their platforms, and the severe penalties proposed, noting that these will discourage individuals working in an indeterminately wide range of subjects. These provisions may have unforeseen consequences for Singapores ability to serve as a global hub of first-rate academic research and technological innovation, they wrote. Singapore is known for its investment in education, a commitment that reflects a belief that such an investment pays dividends. This act discourages scholars from marshaling their expertise in precisely the areas where it is most needed namely, pressing questions and challenges for which there are no clear answers or easy solutions. The letter also aired concern that the bill, if passed as drafted, could spur emulation by countries with weaker institutions, thus casting even wider restraints on global research and dissemination. Copycat legislation or reciprocal action could boomerang on Singapore entities, including businesses, government officials and universities with activities in other jurisdictions, just as (the act) will impact foreign entities that have interactions with Singapore, including universities, they wrote. The letter was also shared with presidents and boards of trustees at all Singapore universities. We are concerned about Singapores proposed legislation certainly not because we are oblivious to the seriousness of the global assault on reason. On the contrary, academics are at the front lines of this battle. But no countrys response should undermine the very capacities it requires to deal with this crisis, they wrote in the statement. As of Saturday, 83 scholars from around the world have signed on to the original letter of concern, most of whom are not based in Singapore. They include the current and four past presidents of the Association for Asian Studies, the leading association of scholars who study Asia, and a former president of the International Communication Association. In their statement on Saturday, the academics revealed that several Singapore-based peers privately expressed agreement with our letter but declined to sign for fear of compromising their career prospects. Our concern about the proposed legislation cannot be divorced from larger issues around academic freedom in the Republic. Communications professor Mohan Dutta, who is based at Massey University, said the premise of the bill is based on the assumed effects of fake news. Although we do now know from some scholarship that fake news has a greater likelihood of being shared as compared to accurate information, whether fake news influences attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours has not been conclusive demonstrated, said the professor, who was head of the National University of Singapores Communications and New Media department from 2012 to 2018. Empathetic leadership and compassion are critical ingredients in dismantling hate, an area that seems of key concern to the bill, said Dutta, citing the example of New Zealand premier Jacinda Arderns response after recent shootings in Christchurch. The bill poses significant challenges to academic freedom, especially because decision-making powers are placed initially in the hands of ministers, he said. Property analyst and researcher Ku Swee Yong agreed with the group of academics that the definition of public interest is too broad. There are too many grey areas left to the discretion of our ministers, said Ku, an adjunct instructor at the Singapore Management Universitys School of Business. Singapores anti-fake news bill comes six months after a select committee studying the issue of deliberate online falsehoods made its recommendations. During the public hearings before the committee last year, several individuals also aired concerns about the impact of legislation on free speech, and the lack of a definition of what constitutes falsehoods. The proposed laws are expected to be debated in May. More from South China Morning Post: This article Dozens of university dons concerned Singapores anti-fake news laws will stifle academic freedom first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019. Mercedes pulled off a "risky" but well-choreographed double pit stop to help wrap up a one-two at the 1,000th Formula One grand prix on Sunday in Shanghai. Lewis Hamilton won the landmark race ahead of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas, with the rival Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel a distant third. Mercedes have now taken first and second place at all three grands prix this season, even though Ferrari were thought to have the quicker car. With the race on Sunday entering its second half and Hamilton out in front, Mercedes called both cars in to switch to medium tyres. World champion Hamilton, who now leads the standings from Bottas, praised his team's decision to "double-stack". "I didn't actually know he (Bottas) was behind me in the pit stop. Fantastic job by the team," said the Briton. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said it was a calculated gamble. "Stacking the cars for a double pit stop was a risky moment because you have everything to lose when you're leading the race," said Wolff. "But we thought we would lose positions if we had stopped one of them earlier. "Our plan worked out perfectly. It was a well-choreographed pitstop and the team did a brilliant job." pst/tom FERRARI NV US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in Peru on Saturday on the third-leg of a four-nation tour of Latin American allies focusing heavily on Venezuela and countering China's economic reach. Pompeo held talks with President Martin Vizcarra and Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio before attending a dinner for business leaders. He paid tribute to Peru's welcome for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan refugees and Vizcarra's fight against corruption, which has embroiled the previous four Peruvian presidents. But he became irritated when a reporter asked if that contradicted US President Donald Trump's harsh immigration policy at home. "Our objective is to allow people to stay in their home countries, this is President Trump's desire, we want to create conditions in these countries where they can stay in their own country," he told the press conference with Popolizio. Earlier Pompeo became the first US secretary of state to visit Paraguay, formerly ruled as a dictatorship, since 1965, paying tribute to the country's transition to democracy as an inspiration to the region. The top US diplomat arrived in Asuncion late Friday after talks with Chile's President Sebastian Pinera in Santiago that focused heavily on his country's developing trade relationship with China. The highlight of Pompeo's trip will be a brief visit Sunday to the Colombian city of Cucuta on the Venezuelan border, where he will meet refugees. All four countries on his itinerary are led by right-wing or center-right leaders favorable to Washington's uncompromising approach to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. In Asuncion, Pompeo had praised Paraguay's support for US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido in Venezuela, and its role in the Lima Group of mostly Latin American nations seeking a solution to the Venezuela crisis. "Paraguay is a leader in defending democracy and calling Maduro as he is, a tyrant who has ruined his country," Pompeo said. Foreign Minister Luis Castiglioni said Paraguay's position on Venezuela remained strongly aligned with that of the United States. "We have always said: with dictators, with tyrants, there is no dialogue. You fight them. We must fight them until liberties are restored so that the Venezuelan people can return to live with dignity," he told reporters. Asked by a US journalist if Paraguay would back a military intervention in Venezuela, he said: "We are convinced that all the diplomatic efforts that are being made to isolate this regime will have results in a short time." Paraguay was ruled by dictator Alfredo Stroessner from 1954 to 1989. - Transnational crime - The two officials also discussed Paraguay's commitments on combatting threats of terrorism, drug trafficking and transnational crime in what is known as the tri-border area, the border region Paraguay shares with Argentina and Brazil. "Paraguay has declared all-out war against transnational crime," said Castiglioni. "This battle that we are fighting is a battle of no return until we win. We have assured the Secretary of State that Paraguay wants to cooperate very closely with the US government, since we are on the same path." The US official said before his arrival in Chile on Friday that the current US administration had "spent a lot of time" in Latin America seeking to improve trade in a region which has turned its back in recent years on a slew of leftist governments. "This is an historic opportunity," he told reporters, referring to "a handful of countries that are truly market driven, democratic in ways that we havent had in South America for decades. And we think it creates real opportunity." Asked about China's influence at a press conference following a working lunch with his Chilean counterpart Roberto Ampuero, Pompeo said: "I think the Chilean government and the United States government both share the same concerns." "China's trade activities often are deeply connected to their national security mission, their technological goals, their desire to steal intellectual property, to have forced technology transfer, to engage in activity that is not economic," he said. He iterated his concerns Saturday in Peru. "Too often we see China's predatory lending and debt diplomacy reverse positive advances in this area," he said. "Our shared goal would be to resist Chinese overtures and promote transparency." Singapore It takes a whole squad to prep a celebrity ready for the awards show. But its not just all work and no fun for this once a year event. We take a look at what some of your favourite celebrities were up to hours and days before the show, just like how Yanxi Palace star Lawrence Wong played an impeccable host to his co-star Wu Jinyan. READ MORE: Star Awards 2019: Joanne Peh, Rebecca Lim, Jerry Yan, Wu Jinyan and more on the red carpet Your Horoscope for the Week of April 15 From Lawrence Wongs Instagram post, we see that hes bought some of Singapores local food like mee rebus, mee siam, laksa, nasi lemak, otah and BBQ stingray just for his Story of Yanxi Palace co-star Wu Jinyan. In a statement shared with Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore, Wu commented that Lawrence makes a great Singapore ambassador, and not only he bought her the local dishes, he took the time to explain what they were. Wu likes mee rebus the most as the sweet and spicy taste was unique to her. Lawrence was happy to see her in Singapore but he apologised to her as he had little time to take her sight-seeing. A lift reunion calls for a wefie. Fann Wong takes a sneak peek of her hubbys hair prep by celeb hair stylist David Gan on her Instagram Stories. Christopher Lee. (PHOTO: Fann Wong Instagram) Not to be excluded, David Gan is also working magic on Jesseca Lius mane. Jesseca Liu. (PHOTO: Jesseca Liu Instagram) Zoe Tay loves her juice and chips, and we cant fault her so! Zoe Tay. (PHOTO: Zoe Tay Instagram) Hong Ling gets her smoky eyes look and sleek do done. 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 Saturday Night Live hires so many talented impressionists that any sketch premise that allows the cast to assemble a collection of faux famous peoplecelebrity game shows, movie screen tests, Ariana Grande holding a microphoneis almost guaranteed to become a recurring segment. So it is good news for both SNL and civil society in general that this week, the most obvious way for the show to fill a room with celebrities was to set the cold open in prison. Until quite recently, it would have been difficult to imagine circumstances that would put Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti, Full House star Lori Loughlin, and rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine in the same place at the same time. But in the last few months, Loughlin was criminally charged for her involvement in a college admissions cheating scandal, Assange got evicted from Londons Ecuadorian Embassy and now faces extradition, Tekashi 6ix9ine pled guilty to federal racketeering charges, and Avenatti was indicted for what can only be described as a crime spree. Its a new era for celebrity accountability, which means its also a new era for Saturday Night Live celebrity impression sketches: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is a rare treat these days to see Kate McKinnon do an impression without extensive makeup, and Pete Davidson, who rarely gets much to do in sketches, pulls off an entire monologue without breaking. But the star is undoubtedly Michael Keaton as a gum-chewing Assange, strutting around the holding cell boasting about being the King of Chaos and the Scourge of the Cleaning Staff at the Ecuadorian Embassy. The only thing more fun than playing a Bond villain is playing an incompetent Bond villain, and Keaton is having the time of his life. Most of all, its fun to see a group of SNL celebrity impressions bouncing off each other without anyone having to play Jeopardy! Its going to be complicated to weigh the evils that come from mass incarceration against the benefits we might reap from finally making some famous people follow some of the laws, but one thing is clear: Imprisoning as many rich and powerful people as possible will only make Saturday Night Live funnier. Lets get to it! I was 11 years old, and I didnt realize our country was under attack until I heard the rocks pelting against the window of our classroom. I was in math, and kids outside were throwing rocks at our Islamic school in New Jersey. The principal got on the intercom and announced that school was dismissed for the day and that all students needed to evacuate the building. Before I even saw the pillar of black smoke coming from lower Manhattan, I knew that as an American Muslim, I would be asked to choose between those two identities. Im 29 now, and still, over and over, my religious identity is leveraged by bigoted pundits and politicians, who place me on the side of the terrorists who attacked all of us that day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I cant say Im surprised that Rep. Ilhan Omar, the first ever hijab-clad congresswoman, has been subjected to the same smears. Last month, the West Virginia Republican Party displayed a poster that claimed that Omar was proof that Americans have forgotten about 9/11. This week, the New York Post published an inflammatory cover connecting Omar to the terrorist attacks. And then, on Friday, Donald Trump tweeted out a heinous propaganda video intercutting Omars words with images of the attacks. Trump would have his supporters believe that he, the elite aristocrat who bragged about his real estate while Ground Zero was still smoldering, cares more about the suffering of human beings than a refugee of war does. And recent history suggests that Trump supporters will believe it. The Republican Party has been all too willing to leverage Islamophobia, with the recent midterm election featuring some of the most hate-filled campaigns this country has ever seen. Fear of Muslims, it seems, is the glue that helps bind many of the partys supporters. Stoking that fear has become a winning strategy for the GOP. Advertisement Advertisement This most recent round of attacks on Ilhan Omar was sparked by Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw, who suggested that Omar made light of 9/11 in a recent speech. Forgive me for doubting Crenshaws sincerity in criticizing Omar for describing terrorists as some people. (Her full comments are here.) Crenshaw at one point was an administrator for a Facebook group that called Islam a cancer. The Texas congressman also ignored that Omar co-sponsored a recent bill seeking to compensate first responders for their continued suffering a decade after 9/11. Nor do he and Trump seem to care that theyre villainizing Omar as shes faced credible threats against her life in recent weeks. Lt. Christopher Hasson, who was found with an enormous cache of weapons when he was arrested in February, included Omar on his hit list. Among the searches found on Hassons computer: civil war if trump impeached. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After 9/11, my community was determined to show that the attacks would not divide us. American flags were distributed at my masjid and prayers were recited for both the Muslim and non-Muslim New Yorkers who lost their lives that day. Donald Trump, meanwhile, has been focused on using the horrors of that day to sow hatred and division. Trump long ago fabricated the claim that thousands of Muslims in Jersey City cheered when the Twin Towers went down. Now, hes suggesting to his followers that a Muslim American politician doesnt care about terror victims and that shes somehow responsible for the attacks themselves. The attacks on Omar have been steady and insidious, and its more obvious now than ever what theyre based on. The attacks on Omar have been steady and insidious, and its more obvious now than ever what theyre based on. When Crenshaw and Trump connect her to 9/11, and when commentators on Fox News question whether shes American first and suggest that her hijab indicates she doesnt follow the U.S. Constitution, the religious bigotry is clear. Its no longer possible to deny. Advertisement Advertisement Its also depressingly familiar. But a part of me hopes this could a turning point in Americas discourse surrounding Islamophobia. Even while some party leaders are failing Omar, Democratic presidential candidates such as Bernie Sanders, Beto ORourke, and Elizabeth Warren are directly and angrily acknowledging Trump and Crenshaws Islamophobic tropes, specifically the idea that Muslims covertly harbor seditious, anti-American ideas. At this point, anyone who doesnt acknowledge what these attacks against Omar signify either isnt paying attention or believes that its reasonable to use anti-Muslim rhetoric to score political points. For all Americans, this should be an easy call: If youre not standing against these kinds of attacks against Ilhan Omar, youre not standing up for your country. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has spoken with officers in charge of security on Capitol Hill to make sure Rep. Ilhan Omar will be safe after President Trump tweeted a graphic and misleading video targeting the Democratic lawmaker. Following the presidents tweet, I spoke with the Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure that Capitol Police are conducting a security assessment to safeguard Congresswoman Omar, her family and her staff. They will continue to monitor and address the threats she faces, Pelosi said in a statement. Advertisement .@realDonaldTrumps dangerous video must be taken down. I have spoken with the Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure that Capitol Police are conducting a security assessment to safeguard Rep. @Ilhan Omar, her family & her staff. They will continue to monitor & address the threats she faces. pic.twitter.com/Grb9c8S18d Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 14, 2019 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pelosi once again called on Trump to take down the video that spliced images of the September 11, 2001 attack and comments Omar made in a speech. The Presidents words weigh a ton, and his hateful and inflammatory rhetoric creates real danger. President Trump must take down his disrespectful and dangerous video, Pelosi said. The House speaker had come under fire from some of her fellow Democrats for her earlier statement that condemned the video without actually mentioning Omar. Advertisement Advertisement The memory of 9/11 is sacred ground, and any discussion of it must be done with reverence. The President shouldnt use the painful images of 9/11 for a political attack. Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 13, 2019 Hearing from Trumps allies though it doesnt seem like the president is ready to back down. Speaking on two Sunday talk shows, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders characterized Trumps attacks on the Democratic lawmaker as justified. Why is she brushing this off dismissively? She continues to make anti-Semitic comments over and over again and Democrats refuse to call her out for it, Sanders said on Fox News Sunday. If she continues to do it, the president will continue to call her outcall her out by name. And hes not going to be ashamed, nor should he be. Sanders went on to say she was glad the president is calling her out and holding the freshman lawmaker accountable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking on ABCs This Week, Sanders also said that even though Omars comments were unbefitting for a member of Congress, Trump isnt wishing violence against anyone. Certainly the president is wishing no ill will, and certainly not violence towards anyone, Sanders said. But the president is absolutely and should be calling out the congresswoman for her not only one time but history of anti-Semitic comments. Sanders also characterized the comments she continues to make and has made as absolutely abhorrent. Advertisement Advertisement Although Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, had not exactly kept it a secret that he wanted to pursue the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, he made those desires explicit Sunday as he officially announced his candidacy. Barely known at the beginning of the year, Buttigieg has seen a surge of interest from Democratic voters and donors as many have been attracted to the possibility of electing the youngest-ever president and the first who is openly gay. At the rally in his hometown, Buttigieg said he was well aware that his candidacy was more than a little unconventional. My name is Pete Buttigieg. They call me Mayor Pete, Buttigieg said to cheers from the crowd that had packed a former factory. Advertisement I recognize the audacity of doing this as a Midwestern millennial mayor. More than a little boldat age 37to seek the highest office in the land, he said. But we live in a moment that compels us each to act. Buttigieg characterized his campaign as the opposite of President Trump and his slogan while using his hometowns turnaround as an example of what he can accomplisht. Theres a long way for us to go. Life here is far from perfect. But weve changed our trajectory and shown a path forward for communities like ours. And thats why Im here today. To tell a different story than Make America Great Again, Buttigieg said. Because there is a myth being sold to industrial and rural communities: the myth that we can stop the clock and turn it back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pete Buttigieg said he's running for president to tell "a different story than 'Make America Great Again.'" "They're selling an impossible promise to return to a bygone era that was never as great as advertised to begin with." https://t.co/AtDPVOMJpc pic.twitter.com/kHA9rsIoZq CBS News (@CBSNews) April 14, 2019 In his speech, Buttigieg characterized his candidacy as more than just a race for the highest office in the land. The forces of change in our country today are tectonic, he said. Forces that help to explain what made this current presidency even possible. Thats why, this time, its not just about winning an electionits about winning an era. Advertisement Buttigieg: "Until recently this was not exactly what I had in mind, either, for how I was going to spend my 8th year as mayor & my 38th year in this world. But we live in a moment that compels us each to act ... It's not just about winning an election, it's about winning an era." pic.twitter.com/NfkFzKhbAp Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 14, 2019 Buttigieg has managed to raise $7 million in the first three months of the year, which is less than half of Sen. Bernie Sanders $18 million but still more than several national figures running for office, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a full-throated defense of President Donald Trumps decision not to turn over his tax returns to Congress. Or at least to this Congress. If the lawmakers were more to his liking sounds like the commander in chief could maybe change his mind. This is a dangerous, dangerous road and frankly, Chris, I dont think Congress, particularly not this group of congressmen and women, are smart enough to look through the thousands of pages that I would assume that President Trumps taxes will be, Sanders said on Fox News Sunday. Advertisement Chris asks @PressSec if the President will tell the IRS not to release his tax returns #FNS pic.twitter.com/RBaVniYMKj FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) April 14, 2019 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sanders then went on to say that part of the reason why lawmakers are unqualified for the job is that they likely hire people to do their taxes for them. My guess is that most of them dont do their own taxes, and I certainly dont trust them to look through the decades of success that the president has and determine anything, Sanders said. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal filed a formal request for Trumps tax returns earlier this month for six years of Trumps tax returns. He made the request to the IRS citing a little-known tax statute from the 1920s. On Saturday Neal made a second request for the files and gave the IRS a hard deadline of April 23 to hand over the files. Sanders argued Sunday that with their actions Democrats in Congress are putting every American in jeopardy. If they can single out one, they can single out everybody. Its a quiet Sunday morning, and since theres really nothing going on, Id like to share with you a fun read in the form of an excerpt from the one history book I ever wrote, Panic, Prosperity, and Progress. It just goes to show that fake news is not an invention of the modern age, particularly when it comes to the financial markets: Just as the value of the Greyback behaved as a proxy for the Souths war prospects, the value of gold reflected the military success (or setbacks) for the Union. Although financial markets were quite primitive at the time, necessity being the mother of invention led to the creation of gold rooms where spirited bidding would take place. A contemporary wrote of one such room, evoking the intensity of the scene that isnt far removed from a modern-day account of a commodity exchange: The gloom or the gladness over success or defeat of the national flag mingled with individual passions. Men leaped upon chairs, waved their hands, or clenched their fists; shrieked, shouted; the bulls whistled Dixie, and the bears sung John Brown; the crowd swayed feverishly from door to door, and, as the fury mounted to white heat, and the tide of gold fluctuated up and down in rapid sequence, brokers seemed animated with the impulses of demons, hand-to-hand combats took place, and bystanders, peering through the smoke and dust, could liken the wild turmoil only to the revels of maniacs. The importance of gold to the Unions assets, and its value as a measurement of popular sentiment about the wars prospects, were not lost on President Lincoln. He followed golds movement with a combination of interest and resentment that any man would try to profit from the horror of the war happening around them. President Lincoln examining an ancient predecessor of the Slope of Hope website. One dinnertime anecdote holds that Lincoln asked, What is the price of gold this morning? Is it going up or down? The aide replied, Up, Mr. Lincoln. The Street is wild. The President responded, Well, now, they dont know everything. If I were a bear on Wall Street, and if I were short of gold, Id keep short. Its a good time to sell. It seems incredible to imagine a near-deity like Abraham Lincoln speaking in the language of a financial speculator, but such was the account. The gold rush that commenced in California over a decade earlier turned out to be a godsend for the United States, which relied heavily on whatever stores of gold it could attain. General Ulysses Grant himself remarked, I do not know what we would do in this great national emergency were it not for the gold sent from California. The opportunities to profit from golds dynamic price movements were not missed by the unscrupulous, and one fascinating account from 1864 captures this neatly. In May of that year, after four years of war, the Union was growing hopeful that a successful conclusion might be in sight. However, on May 18th, two morning papers came out the New York World and the Journal of Commerce with shocking news: they stated that the President had ordered an additional 400,000 men to be conscripted into the Union army on account of the situation in Virginia, the disaster at Red River, the delay at Charleston, and the general state of the country. The discouraging report and the demand for such a huge quantity of fresh soldiers sent a shockwave through the financial community, since it was obvious from the report that things were not going nearly so well in the war as once believed. Stocks tumbled, and hard assets such as gold soared in value. Some people became puzzled, however, because this important report was nowhere to be found in any of the citys many other newspapers. Late that morning, crowds had gathered at the offices of both papers that had published the news, and the editors assured them that the story was true, producing the dispatch from the Associated Press with the matching information. The Associated Press, however, the ostensible source of the information, quickly issued a statement making clear that they had never sent out this dispatch. This was soon followed by the State Department in Washington, in which the Secretary of State, William Seward, declared the news dispatch to be an absolute forgery. It turns out that the forgery was a clever creation of Joseph Howard, the city editor of the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper. Howard, who was intimately acquainted with the workings of the citys newspapers, had come up with a scheme. He knew that bad news from the war would cause gold to rise in value. He also knew that the best way to get a dispatch into the morning papers would be to submit the dispatch when the newspaper staff was most vulnerable that is, in the wee hours of the morning, when there were hardly any personnel around to verify the facts. Joseph Howard, the mastermind behind the 1864 gold hoax. Thus, working with an accomplice, he crafted a realistic-looking Associated Press news release and, working with one Francis Mallison (a reporter for his journal), he distributed the news item at 3:30 in the morning to the citys newspapers. Most of them were reluctant to print such an important piece without verification, but two of them proceeded to run with the story. Of course, before any of this took place, Mr. Howard had acquired as much gold as he could in his margin account, and once the grim news was raging throughout the financial community, he disposed of his position at a handsome profit, never suspecting the false item would be traced back to him. It was, however, and President Lincoln himself ordered the closure of both of the papers that had printed the dispatch, which was an order later rescinded. Lincolns furious demand for the papers closures, however, became one of the few black marks on his presidency since, in spite of the ugly circumstances involved, went right to the heart of freedom of the press enshrined in the Constitution. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this was not the first instance Mr. Howard decided to try to fool the public. Years earlier, in 1861, he wrote a story claiming that President Lincoln had traveled throughout Baltimore disguised of all things with a Scotch cap and long military cloak. Although Howard was thrown into Fort Lafayette for his crime, he was released a few months later. The irony to the entire hoax was that only two months later, Lincoln did indeed order up the conscription of more men into the Union army. However, the figure demanded was not the 400,000 that Howard had dreamed up for his bogus news release. It was, in fact, a full half million. Howards fanciful fraud was, in the end, prescient. https://slopeofhope.com/2019/04/old-school-fake-news.html Old School Fake News In order to comment on this blog, you must have JavaScript installed and enabled. Rebel Voyager toured the Buffalo Raceway half-mile oval in a season's-best 1:54 to take a one-and-a-quarter length decision over Upfront Countryboy in the co-featured $12,000 Open Pace on Saturday, April 13. The victory was the third straight win for Rebel Voyager and his fifth in eight appearances. Starting from post five, Rebel Voyager and driver Billy Davis Jr. had little resistance in stepping to the lead and put up blazing fractions of :27.1, :56.1 and 1:25.1 which took the starch out of the field. No one came close to Rebel Voyager in the lane as Upfront Countryboy took the place position while Manceiver was third. Co-owned by the Vogel & Wags Nags Stable, Jack Rice and the Pine Hill Stable LTD, Rebel Voyager (Shanghai Phil-Pan Voyage) is a five-year-old gelding that is trained by Maria Rice. The win upped his seasonal bankroll to $26,146 and $132,331 lifetime. He paid $7.90 to win. In the other co-main event, Golden Gesture and driver Ray Fisher Jr. zoomed straight to the top and faced no threats the rest of the way to post a $38.20 win over Beachy Dream in 1:55.4. Golden Gesture used :28.2, :57.3 and 1:27.0 splits off the rail and was looking for any challengers in the lane but found no takers when producing a length victory. Beachy Dream took the second place check with Andys Ideal cruising into third. Golden Gesture (Shark Gesture-Black Gold Mindale) is trained by Mike Ohol and owned by Finocchario's Dream Stable. The 6-year-old gelding, now a winner twice in 12 starts, has produced a bankroll of $18,158 this year and $168,734 in his career. In the two $10,000 splits of the Class A Pace, Down On My Luck ($3.70) made his debut at Buffalo Raceway an impressive one by blitzing the field by eight lengths in a snappy 1:54.2. In the other division, driver Shawn McDonough and Harry Hoo N ($6.40) wore down Im So Handsome late to take a nose victory in 1:55.4. Monti finished the evening with four victories in the bike while Cummings had three and Billy Davis Jr. two. Gerry Sarama and Angelo Nappo each conditioned a pair of winners. Racing will continue on Wednesday evening, April 17 at 5 p.m. with a 9-race card scheduled. (with files from Buffalo Raceway) The annual awards banquet of the Prince Edward Island Standardbred Horse Owners Association was held in Charlottetown on Saturday evening (April 13). Guest speaker and hometown hero Wally Hennessey entertained the sold-out crowd of over 300. Hennessey touched on topics ranging from his start in the race game at the Charlottetown Driving Park under the guidance of his father, Joe, who Wally described as the best horseman he ever knew. He talked of his experiences with the legendary Moni Maker, one of the great trotters in the sport of harness racing. The stars of the 2018 season were also honoured throughout the evening. The Marc Campbell Stable continued to dominate this year, as horses from his stable captured many divisional honours, including trotter of the year, which was won Buckaroo, who is owned by Larry and Kathy Chappell. Reg MacPherson (right) pictured accepting the AVC Equine Ambulator Award for Horse of the Year (Sock It Away) from Dr.Kathleen MacMillian (middle). Reg MacPherson (right) pictured accepting the AVC Equine Ambulator Award for Horse of the Year (Sock It Away) from Dr.Kathleen MacMillian (middle). Sock It Away, who is owned by Reg MacPherson, took home the coveted Horse of the Year Award. The PEISHOA also took the opportunity to recognize Wally Hennesseys truly remarkable career by awarding him their most prestigious award the Kentucky of Canada Award. Wally Hennessey (left) with Vance Cameron during the question and answer session at the PEISHOA banquet. Wally Hennessey (left) with Vance Cameron during the question and answer session at the PEISHOA banquet. Other major award winners were Norman Clarey who was recognized as Active Horseman of the year for his many years of involvement and contribution as a trainer, breeder and industry volunteer. Charlene Cypher was named Active Horsewoman of the Year, while Jeff Lilley was awarded Horseperson of the Year. Jeff Lilley, the 2019 Horseperson of the Year Award winner, pictured with Dr. Colleen Dickie, president of the PEISHOA. Jeff Lilley, the 2019 Horseperson of the Year Award winner, pictured with Dr. Colleen Dickie, president of the PEISHOA. Dale and Ronnie Rennie were honoured with the Standardbred Canada Owner of the Year award. David and Douglas Neill were awarded the Arnold Weeks Memorial Award, which was established to honour those who truly display great kindness and generosity to fellow horsemen. Dale and Ronnie Rennie pictured accepting the Standardbred Canada Owners of the Year award from Kent Oakes (far left) and Wally Hennessey (far right). Dale and Ronnie Rennie pictured accepting the Standardbred Canada Owners of the Year award from Kent Oakes (far left) and Wally Hennessey (far right). The complete list of the 2018 winners appears below. Two-Year-Old Colt Trot Mile Hill Willie Two-Year-Old Filly Trot Little Miss Winnie Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt Woodmere Bolt Two-Year-Old Pacing Filly Magical Mistress Three-Year-Old Colt Trot Buckaroo Three-Year-Old Filly Trot Daisy River Three-Year-Old Pacing Colt Sock It Away Three-Year-Old Pacing Filly REs Shabla Aged Trotting Horse Freddie Aged Trotting Mare Hop Up Aged Pacing Horse Euchred Aged Pacing Mare Sodwana Bay Fan Favourite Caughtfoolinaround Trotter of the Year Buckaroo Pacer of the Year Sock It Away Horse of the Year Sock It Away Rising Stars Awards Justin Hughes Landon Campbell Carson Wilkie Jude Campbell Female Groom Sophie Hughes Male Groom Ryan Wilkie Mr. Trot Challenge Corey MacPherson Rookie Driver Austin Sorrie Leading Dash Winner Marc Campbell Leading Percentage Trainer (between 25 and less than 75 starts) Gilles Barreau Leading Percentage Trainer (more than 75 starts) Barney McGuigan Leading Dash Winning Trainer Marc Campbell Appreciation Awards Melissa Banks Owners of the Year Dale and Ronnie Rennie Arnold Weeks Memorial David and Douglas Neill Active Horseman of the Year John Clarey Horsewoman of the Year Charlene Cypher Horseperson of the Year Jeff Lilley Kentucky of Canada Wally Hennessey (PEISHOA) Wisdom of the Crowd: 58% of the respondents said that Ho Ching is not likely to be the next president of Singapore. https://tklcloud.com/C... 1 hour ago 3 Reasons Why BlackBerry May be Ready to Grow on Its Own Merits The unlikely meme stock is showing investors its business strategy is starting to pay off BlackBerry (NYSE:BB) was one of the stranger companies to be part of the meme stock movement. Read Article By Park Hyong-ki Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Cho Yong-byoung has left for investor roadshows (IR) in Toronto and San Francisco to meet with and attract potential institutional investors, the group said Sunday. Over the next 10 days, Cho will be meeting with executives from AGF Investment, Mackenzie Financial Corp., and Canadian International Investments in Toronto. He will also attend an investment forum in San Francisco hosted by the Government of Singapore Investment Corp. (GIC), Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, where the chairman will be meeting with Silicon Valley-based tech startups and institutional investors to discuss potential partnerships. Cho will hold a one-on-one meeting with GIC CEO Lim Chow Kiat at the forum to share Shinhan's digital business plan and his 2020 Smart Project. "Chairman Cho seeks to attract long-term global institutional investors during his overseas trip," a Shinhan Financial spokesman said. When Cho was inaugurated as the Shinhan chief in 2017, he introduced his 2020 Smart Project for the group. The group is aiming to generate 20 percent of the total net profit from its overseas business by 2020, up from the current 13 percent. Besides maximizing synergy among its banks and nonbanks, the group will seek to "balance growth" between its bank and nonbanking companies overseas by developing new digital business models and differentiated services. Last week, the group launched a new startup program inside the group's expanded Shinhan Future's Lab. 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Soestu believed that the shape and texture of Korean pottery and even earthenware reflected Korea's inner strength and beauty. Courtesy of the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library By Amanda Price As the ever-changing tension between Japan and South Korea tugs and pulls at opinions, there is a victim that few pay any attention to. That victim is history. In Japan's re-telling of the colonial and war years, history's gray areas have often been smudged, if not completely erased. Sanitized and made palatable for Japanese sensitivities, this less-offensive history minimized facts and maximized perceptions. Despite changes, Japanese history remains incomplete. It is little wonder that so many young Japanese express remorse for their country's past actions but cannot clearly articulate what those actions were. In contrast, South Korean history has largely become about absolutes. The black and white narrative that runs through discourses is that the Japanese were "evil colonizers" and the South Koreans the "powerless but impassioned victims." Of course, there is truth in this absolute, but that does not make the absolute entirely true. When history is remembered as either black or white or with watered down grays, truths are forgotten, stories fade and those at the center of them all but disappear. In those disappearances we not only lose parts of history, but parts of ourselves. Hidden among the lost pages of history are the Japanese who fought for Korean independence. It is hard to lay blame on the Korean educational system for these untold stories as the colonial Japanese government worked tirelessly to censor or simply silence these protests. The Japanese government, however, has no such excuse. Despite Korea's present lack of knowledge, these protests were known by Korean academics and the media during the colonial period. As the need to overcome the invaders grew, however, information referring to Japanese resistance appeared irrelevant, if not counter-productive. Some anti-Japanese freedom fighters also found it hard to accept that any Japanese citizen could be on their side, let alone actively fight for their independence. Since the 1950s, the journals, essays and news articles testifying to their efforts have been available for all to read. With the translation and digitization of historical records, they are now easily accessed by anyone who cares to look. What these records reveal is that, during the colonial era, a notable minority of Japanese citizens, predominantly academics and other critical thinkers, vehemently opposed their own government's policies and actions, fighting in whatever capacity they could for Korean independence. As Japanese soldiers carried alarming amounts of ammunition through The Independence Gates, Japanese dissents called Japan's colonial front "the mask of a ruthless regime." Courtesy of the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library As early as the late 19th century, the Japanese government's expansionist ideologies drew sharp criticism from liberal Japanese leaders. Despite these criticisms coming from a small sector of society, they would sow the first seeds of opposition. The first voices of dissent arose from those who believed that Japan had a responsibility to pass on the advancements that she had made, but to do so through alliances built on trust, not assimilation based on Japanese supremacy. The most vocal of these dissenters were those who objected to colonialization on moral grounds. These protests were based on principles of justice and equality. Moral dissenters included Christian groups and pacifists who saw enforced colonialism as an assault on human dignity and individualism. These critics remained on the fringe, however, until 1910, when those with more influence were added to their number. The following individuals are but a selection of those who campaigned for Korean independence. Among prominent protesters was Yoshino Sakuzo (1878-1933), a professor of political science at Tokyo Imperial University. Yoshino's transformation was gradual and came from time spent listening to Korean students. Yoshino warmly invited Koreans to his classes, seminars and to his home, where young Koreans were encouraged to articulate the cause for independence. Having been affected by these students, Yoshino invited them to "the Dawn Society" (Reimeikai) meetings for academics and liberal thinkers such as Professor Fukuda Tokuzo. At these meetings Korean students found allies and supporters for Korea's independence. But as the news of increasing Japanese brutality reached the island of Japan, the Japanese government and wider media shrouded events in silence. Sakuzo and other academics faced dense political walls as they sought to make these events known to the public. Protesters, however, inspired new critical thinkers, who in turn became protesters. Though their voices would not prevail against the shouts of the military, they continued to speak. Yanagi Soestu (1989-1961), a well-known artist and philosopher, became aware of the colonial condition through visits to Korea and friendships with Koreans. Soestu decried not only Japan's inhuman treatment of Koreans, but also their attempts to destroy Korea's rich and unique cultural heritage. Soestu wrote: "If this is what is known as the way of 'assimilation,' it is terrifying." When the colonial rulers attempted to destroy the Kwanghwa Gate at Kyonbok Palace, Soestu was outraged on behalf of Koreans. Determined to change the minds of Japanese bureaucrats, he published a compelling essay in which the destruction of the wall symbolized the suffering of Korean citizens. His impassioned protest achieved a measure of success. Though oppressive imperial decisions were still imposed, the gate was dismantled and rebuilt rather than destroyed. Soestu repeatedly spoke of the kinship and affinity he felt with the citizens of Korea, who he viewed as brothers, equal in every sense. Breaking with common consensus, he believed that Japan was neither inferior to America in the West, nor superior to Korea in the East. Following in this vein was Yanaihara?Tadao, the youngest professor to become Chair of Colonial Studies at Tokyo Imperial University. Tadao publicly and repeatedly condemned Japan's occupation of Korea as a "despotic regime." But Tadao was far from alone. Records and journals have revealed that the majority of academics in the field of colonial studies held similar opinions, and these opinions were passed on to their students. Tadao was motivated by a strong sense of justice. He asserted that though Korean protesters in the March 1st Movement were horrifically slaughtered, the Korean people were still the victors, having won a war of conscience. The Japanese Imperialist Government was like an unmoveable mountain, but Japanese who were led by their conscience chose to fight against it regardless. Unsplash Because of Tadao's overtly hostile stance toward the government and the military, he was placed under a professional ban and dismissed from the university. When the massacres at Kanto began, academics from imperial universities publicly condemned the government and the police for their role, even writing to inform as many as possible that the pogroms had been incited by officials. Their protests reached cabinet members who then demanded an end to the violence. Despite the government's attempts to distance itself from the horrific mass murders, claiming they had sent in police, Japanese activists responded, accusing the police of having committed "repugnant" crimes. A Japanese student paper wrote an article condemning the massacres, mournfully concluding, "try as we may, we can never erase what happened." Though academics led the fray in arguing for Korea's independence, they were not the only ones outraged by their government's actions. Ishibashi Tanzan, the accomplished editor-in-chief of Japan's Far Eastern Economic Review, used his position as a one of Japan's foremost journalists and economic analysts to attack the government's "absurd" expansionist and colonizing ideology. He accused the government, which bizarrely consulted him on economic policy, of behaving with marauder-like aggression toward Korea and China. Tanzan argued that Japan had no right to lay claim to Korea and that Korean resistance was the "natural" response to a Japanese regime. "The Korean people are one people," he wrote. "They have their own language. They have a long independent history. Some may find it regrettable, but there is not one single Korean who is glad that his country has been annexed by Japan. Until Koreans finally regain their independence they will naturally and repeatedly resist Japanese rule." Tanzan's influence was considerable as he presented a dual argument that Korea's emancipation would not only be morally right, it would help Japan. Rather than being continually censored, Tanzan was able to pragmatically confront issues by offering solutions that came with benefits. Under the guise of economics, Tanzan's protests reached the elite in government. As mentioned earlier, though protests most often came from Japan's intellectual elite, they were never able to drown out the demands of those who justified their oppression with repressive expansionist policies. Some may say that their efforts were for naught, but the very existence of Japanese dissenters and protesters changes the way in which colonial history should be read. While the Imperial Japnese Government "assimilated with the sword", academics protested with their pens. Many of the atrocities perpetrated against Korean citizens would have been unknown to the wider world if not for these men. Unsplash Wade Modisette is a local husband and father that seeks the best and most appropriate entertainment for his family. A movie connoisseur in his own mind, he seeks to educate his friends and community on quality choices for their family. Find more reviews and information at wadereviewsstuff.wordpress.com. 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. In an interview with RTL, Luxembourg's Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean Asselborn confirmed that Luxembourg would take in some of the migrants that are currently stranded in Malta. A total of 64 migrants were rescued at sea. Under pressure, Malta took in the refugees after they were stuck on a boat for 10 days. Asselborn explained that Luxembourg would prioritise women and children. Malta had only allowed the migrants to disembark after Luxembourg, Germany, France and Portugal agreed to take in the refugees. Asselborn showed himself disappointed that only four countries agreed to help the rescued people. He lamented that European solidarity was lacking. As Malta's prime minister Joseph Muscat confirmed on Twitter, none of the refugees will stay stay in Malta. In his words, the island-state "cannot shoulder this burden alone." " All 64 migrants onboard #AlanKurdi will be disembarked and redistributed between #Germany, #France, #Portugal and #Luxembourg thanks to effective coordination by @EU_Commission and #Malta. None will remain in Malta, which cannot shoulder this burden alone -JM Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) 13. April 2019 It remains unclear how many of the migrants Luxembourg will welcome in the coming weeks. Helping them has priority, Asselborn stressed. Sudan's new authorities must investigate the role of the country's former spy chief in killings of demonstrators during months-long protests that preceded the fall of president Omar-al-Bashir, Amnesty International said. Salih Ghosh -- the head of Sudan's feared National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and a regime insider -- resigned his post on Saturday, two days after al-Bashir was deposed in a palace coup. He had overseen a sweeping crackdown led by NISS agents against protesters. "It is crucial that Sudan's new authorities investigate Salih Ghosh's role in the killings of scores of Sudanese protesters over the past four months," Amnesty said in a statement on Saturday. Initial protests against Bashir's regime erupted in mid-December, when the government announced a tripling of bread prices. The rights group said "allegations of torture, arbitrary detention and other human rights violations under" Ghosh's supervision of the intelligence service should also be investigated. Bashir had appointed Ghosh as NISS chief in February 2018 for his second stint in the post, after a first tenure ended in August 2009. Ghosh had worked on and off for NISS ever since the 1989 coup that brought Bashir to power, according to Sudanese media. He was credited with building the organisation into one of the most important pillars of Bashir's regime before his dismissal a decade ago. He was later jailed on accusations of plotting a coup but no evidence was found against him and Bashir pardoned him. Over the years NISS has overseen repeated crackdowns on government opponents and the media. Its agents frequently confiscated the entire print-runs of newspapers that criticised government policy or reported on protests. "The new authorities in Sudan must address past human rights violations and undertake desperately needed reforms to ensure that there can be no repeat of the heinous crimes," Amnesty said. 4/15/19 Save The Date: Why CT Needs to Get Youth out of Adult Prison 10am 12pm Happening at the Legislative Office Building, 300 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, from the organizer Save The Date! We are hosting an event with Senator Gary Winfield to discuss the abysmal conditions of confinement in the Department of Corrections for young people. More Information to Come!!! christina@ctjja.org 4/16/19 Generation One - The Search for Black Wealth 5:30pm 8:30pm Happening at Gateway Community College, 20 Church Street, Community Room N-100, New Haven, the Urban League of Southern Connecticut in partnership with Project Longevity-New Haven will host a screening and panel discussion of the critically acclaimed Generation One - The Search for Black Wealth . 4/16/19 What would the transition to an independent PR Look like? 6pm 8pm Happening at the New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm Street, New Haven, join the discussion on the details of how Puerto Rico could transition into an independent country with Adrian Gonzalez of the Puerto Rican Independence Party(PIP) Adrian was a young activist during the fight to liberate Vieques from being a military bombing site, and he will share how that experience led him to become a leader in the fight for Puerto Rican Independent. 4/17/19 Volunteer Night in New Haven! 5:30 pm 8:30pm Interested in volunteering with Planned Parenthood in New Haven? Join them on the third Wednesday of every month from 5:30-8:30 PM at their admin office in New Haven, CT (345 Whitney Ave) for their monthly Volunteer Night! Dinner is on them! Bring your friends, they have lots of fun projects to work on. 4/17/19 Spoken Word & Social Justice 6pm 8pm Happening at Stetson Library, 200 Dixwell Avenue, New Haven, for an evening of spoken word, poetry, and music ruminating on the theme of home. Stay tuned for announcements of local poets to perform! 4/18/19 Storytelling & Justice 5:30pm 8:30pm Happening at Fair Haven Library, 182 Grande Avenue, New Haven to join Karen DuBois-Walton (Storytellers New Haven) and Bill Graustein (William Casper Graustein Memorial Fund) in conversation with LWT's new Artistic Director Jacob Padron as they explore the intersection of storytelling and social justice. 4/18/19 End Discrimination in Reentry Community Conversation 6pm 8pm Come down to 782 Orchard Street, New Haven (the Beulah Heights First Pentecostal Church in New Haven) for a Community Conversation on Ending Discrimination for people impacted by the justice system. Join the ACLU of Connecticut Smart Justice campaign, State Representative Robyn Porter, and more for a community conversation about stopping discrimination against people on the basis of their criminal record. 4/19/19 Solidarity Film Series: The Revolution Will Not be Televised 7:30pm 10:30pm Happening at the Peoples Center, 37 Howe Street, New Haven for this free event. From the organizer April 2002, the democratically elected Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, faces a coup d'etat by an American-backed opposition party. The two-day coup fails to topple Chavez, but the tumultuous event proves to be great dramatic material for two Irish filmmakers who happen to be making a documentary about Chavez as the coup erupts. They capture footage of the massive opposition and pro-Chavez crowds and analyze how Venezuelan TV manipulated images for propaganda purposes. Released 2003. 4/20/19 "OPERATION LOVE-A-FAIR" 12pm 5pm Happening at Scantlebury Park, New Haven, Free community event for the Homeless and whole needy Community "WE ARE HONORING" Vets,Widows & Kids Of Veterans And The Whole Needy Community All Are Welcome To Give Back, Churches,Schools,Organizations,Businesses And Groups Of All KINDSFor more info call Jesse Jhop Hardy @ (203)821-1957 4/20/19 NHV Watch Party: Eyewitness Venezuela ft. Antiwar Heroes 3pm 4:30pm Join the ANSWER Coalition online for a special Eyewitness Venezuela Livestream Panel featuring: Ajamu Baraka Black Alliance for Peace Medea Benjamin CODEPINK Max Blumenthal Editor at Grayzone Project Claudia De La Cruz Popular Education Project Gloria La Riva Cuba-Venezuela Solidarity Committee and ANSWER Coalition Anya Parampil Grayzone Project The livestream will be nationally broadcast from the former Venezuelan Embassy building in Washington, D.C., on the Facebook page of the ANSWER Coalition. The panel presentation will feature prominent anti-war and peace activists, and progressive journalists based in the United States who have just returned from Venezuela or have firsthand knowledge. They will discuss the reality of the situation in Venezuela, taking on the myths portrayed in the corporate media, what lies behind the U.S. war drive and how we can stop it. 4/22/19 Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting with our Youth Committee 6pm 8pm Join students at 35 Lyon Terrace, Bridgeport as they demand their voices and input be included in the Master Plan at the Planning and Zoning Commission. For more information alison.martinez@maketheroadct.org 4/22/19 Tell Your Story: Finding Home 6pm 9pm Happening at New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm Street, New Haven, for a city-wide story slam on the theme of "Finding Home." All are welcome to share their stories. Stories will be shared from the Young Leadership Program at IRIS - Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, "Survivors of Society Rising" at State of Connecticut Connecticut Mental Health Center, One Tower East, and YOU! Please sign up online in advance here: https://forms.gle/ytPjv9CBHnuv9Kjf9 4/25 4/27/19 Undoing Racism Workshop 9am 1pm Happening at Beulah Heights First Pentecostal Church 782 Orchard St, New Haven, participate in the Undoing Racism/Community Organizing. This intensive workshop focuses on racism and educates, challenges, and inspires people to undo the race-based structures that block social change. We focus on what racism is, where it comes from, how it functions, why it is persists, and what we can do to dismantle it: Analyzing Power Recognizing Internalized Racial Oppression Defining Racism Understanding the Manifestations of Racism Learning from History Sharing Culture Organizing to Undo Racism This New Haven workshop is organized locally and offered with the Peoples Institute for Survival and Beyond, a national, multiracial, anti-racist collective of veteran organizers and educators dedicated to building an effective movement for social change. Since its founding in 1980, The Peoples Institute has led workshops for over 500,000 people in hundreds of communities throughout the United States and internationally (including many from New Haven and across Connecticut). More about the peoples institute at www.pisab.org . Breakfast and lunch provided Thursday and Friday. Light refreshments provided Saturday. Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, and Vegan options will be available. 4/25/19 Immigration Legal Clinic, Bridgeport 5pm 8pm For more information contact mary.smith@maketheroadct.org Make the Road has an ongoing need for volunteers in different capacities. For more information contact mary.smith@maketheroadct.org 4/26/19 Monthly Meeting 10am 11:30am Come down to Russell Library, Room 2, 123 Court Street, Middletown for the monthly Middlesex Immigrant Rights Alliance meeting. 4/27/19 The Thirteenth Annual Transgender Lives Conference 8am 5pm The Thirteenth Annual Transgender Lives: The Intersection of Health and Law Conference being held at the UConn Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, Hartford. This all-day conference is geared towards Service Providers, Medical and Legal Professionals, Trans and Gender non-conforming community, allies and all those interested in the Health and Law issues facing the Trans and gender non-conforming communities. General Registration price is $25 per person (including lunch), $50 for anyone seeking CEC credits from the National Association of Social Workers of CT (NASW/CT). Can't afford it? There will be scholarships available the day of the event. The first 25 walk-ins will receive a free lunch. 4/27/19 Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride 9am 2:30pm Rock to Rock is New Haven's biggest Earth Day celebration. You and about a thousand of your neighbors travel from West Rock and East Rock, with celebrations on both sides of the city. Along the way, eat tasty food, hear great music and explore our city's parks and neighborhoods. 30+ Organizations. One Cause. Rock to Rock brings together more than 25 organizations, all doing high-impact work to create a healthier, greener community. When you collect pledges, you decide where these donations go: one of these organizations, or divided evenly among all these great groups? To learn about all of the partner organizations: To register: To sponsor: Strategy = Power The young people who started Otpur had a clear conception of how domination works. They saw their society as a pyramid, with Milosevic and his cronies at the top, in alliance with business owners, party leaders, and generals. The direction of power was typically top-down, and included both obvious repression (the army, police, secret police) and subtle repression like a monopoly of the media and school curricula. Here's where Otpur activists diverged from conventional wisdom about power. They noticed that each layer of domination was in fact supported by the layer below; that the orders that were given were only carried out because those below were willing to carry them out. Rather than buy into the top-down version of power that Milosevic wanted them to believe, they decided instead to picture Serbian society as organized into pillars of support holding up the dictator. If the pillars gave way, Otpur believed that Milosevic would fall. This alternative view of power became so central to Otpur that it was taught in all the trainings of new Otpur members. (All new Otpur members were expected to go through the training so they could understand the winning strategy.) Since the top power-holders depend on the compliance of those beneath them to stay on top, Otpur's strategy was to weaken the compliance and finally to break it. First, Otpur needed to ask: which are the pillars of support needed by the dictatorship? Then: what are the tactics that will weaken those pillars? Activists in other countries can follow this methodology to begin to create their strategy.3 Here's just one example of how it worked in Serbia. One pillar of support for Milosevic was his police. Otpur systematically undermined that pillar. The young activists knew that fighting the police would strengthen police loyalty to Milosevic (and also support the mass media claim that the young people were hoodlums and terrorists). So they trained themselves to make nonviolent responses to police violence during protests. One of the slogans they learned during their trainings was: It only hurts if you're scared. They took photos of their wounded. They enlarged the photos, put them on signs, and carried the signs in front of the houses of the police who hurt them. They talked to the cop's neighbors about it, took the signs to the schools of the police officers' children and talked with the children about it. After a year of this, police were plainly reluctant to beat Otpur activists even when ordered to do so, because they didn't want the negative reactions of their family, friends, neighbors. The young people joked with the plainclothes police assigned to infiltrate them and reminded the cops that everyone would get their chance to act for democracy. Through the assertive outreach of the activists, relationships were built with the police, even into the higher ranks. When the movement ripened into a full-fledged insurgency in Belgrade, many police were sent out of the city by their commanders while other police simply watched the crowds take over the Parliament building. It wasn't easy, as one of my Otpur friends who had been beaten repeatedly told me. It was, however, simple; the strategy guided the young activists to develop creative tactics that took away one of the key pillars of the dictator's support. Can this alternative view of power work other places? One reason why the Otpur activists worked so efficiently at undermining the various pillars of Milosevic' support was because many knew their view of power had already worked in other places. Consider what had happened within the lifetime of Otpur teenagers: the Philippine dictator Marcos had been overthrown by what was called people power in 1986; Communist dictatorships had been overthrown by people power in East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland in 1989; commanders in the KGB, army, and Communist Party were prevented by people power from establishing a coup in Russia in 1991; a mass nonviolent uprising in Thailand prevented a top military general from consolidating his power in 1993; the South African whites' monopoly political rule was broken in 1994 after a decade of largely nonviolent struggle. In all these places the power-holders found their power slipping away because those they depended on refused any longer to follow the script. George Lakey (Strategizing For A Living Revolution). Remember - The People United Will Never Be Defeated you can achieve anything, change anything, be anything, do anything you put your mind to you are power united we stand, divided we fall. Fist up, smile on, CJ 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. For local Houston area, Texas or national events, you can e-mail me at transgriot@yahoo.com For events outside the Houston metro area, I ask that my travel and lodging expenses be covered. This is separate from my speaking fee. If you are interested in having me appear as a speaker or panelist, you can e-mail me with the date and details of your proposed event. Please book as early as possible because my speaking and event calendar slots during the year rapidly fill up. KUALA LUMPUR -- A Vietnamese woman who had been accused of killing a North Korean will be freed from a Malaysian prison on May 3, her lawyer said, a day earlier than previously expected. Doan Thi Huong, 30, was charged along with an Indonesian woman of poisoning Kim Jong Nam by smearing his face with a banned chemical weapon at Kuala Lumpur airport in February 2017. Malaysian prosecutors dropped a murder charge against Huong earlier this month, after she pleaded guilty to an alternate charge of causing harm. She was sentenced to more than three years in jail, but the term was later reduced as Malaysian law can allow a one-third remission off prison sentences. Huong, who had been expected to be freed on May 4, will be released a day earlier as the original date fell on a weekend, her lawyer, Salim Bashir, told Reuters. We were informed by the prison authorities that she would be released on May 3, and it is likely she will be flown back to Hanoi on the same date, he said, when contacted. Huongs co-accused, Siti Aisyah, was freed in March, after prosecutors also dropped the murder charge against her. South Korean and U.S. officials have said the North Korean regime had ordered the assassination of Kim Jong Nam. Pyongyang has denied the allegation. Defense lawyers have maintained the women were pawns in an assassination orchestrated by North Korean agents. The women said they thought they were part of a reality prank show and did not know they were poisoning Kim. Four North Korean men were also charged, but they left Malaysia hours after the murder and remain at large. Malaysia had come under criticism for charging the two women with murder - which carries a mandatory death penalty in the country - when the key perpetrators were still being sought. Good morning from Vietnam! Politics -- Indias naval ships Ins Kolkata and Ins Shakti arrived at Cam Ranh Port, located in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, for a goodwill visit to Vietnam from April 13 to 16. Society -- Vietnam arrested two citizens on Saturday for smuggling 26.6kg of drugs from Cambodia. -- Rangers at Con Dao National Park, located in Con Dao Islands off the southern Vietnamese province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, saved a turtle stuck in fishing nets and washing up ashore on Friday, the management of the park said on Saturday. -- Rain is in the forecast in northern Vietnam from Saturday to Monday, whereas heat will hit the central and southern parts of the country during the period. -- Dairy firm Vietnamilk and Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday signed an MoU on a nutrition program to provide healthcare for one million patients and senior citizens in 2019-2021. Business -- Ho Chi Minh City businesses have committed VND34,460 billion (US$1.5 billion) in investments so far in Nghe An Province, according to figures announced at a meeting to sign an agreement on economic and social cooperation between the two locales on Saturday. Lifestyle -- Four young Vietnamese started a 100km relay run from Ho Chi Minh City to Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province on Saturday from Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1 to raise awareness of plastic waste and encourage a green lifestyle among the youth. Education -- Authorities in Quang Ninh Province, located in northern Vietnam, have suspended a private kindergarten after a video surfaced on Thursday last week online of its teachers abusing kids during afternoon naps. Ho Chi Minh City is mulling a comprehensive reorganization of its bus network to better connect existing public transport with its first metro line, poised to enter commercial run in 2021. The US$2.05 billion Ben Thanh Suoi Tien line, which runs 19.7 kilometers between District 1 and District 9 in Ho Chi Minh City, is the first among at least six metro lines to be built in the southern metropolis. With less than two years from the lines scheduled commercial opening in Q1 2021, city officials are already devising a master plan to reroute buses that operate in its vicinity for better inter-connection between means of public transport in the city once the metro goes online. Tran Chi Trung, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority of Public Transport, said they had been tasked with studying such a plan on the basis of inheriting previous research conducted by Japanese consultants. Accordingly, bus routes around the Hanoi Highway, which connects Ho Chi Minh City with neighboring Dong Nai Province, will be reorganized into main lines and branch lines that will serve to transport commuters between nearby residential areas and metro terminals. Bus stops will be spaced no more than 500 meters from one another and within a 17.8-kilometer radius from a metro terminal to make sure they are within walking distance for the majority of residents, Trung said. More buses will be added to reach deep into busy residential areas, university campuses, industrial zones, and hi-tech parks in District 2, District 9 and Thu Duc District to bring as many passengers as possible to metro terminals, the official added. An aerial view of an under-construction terminal of the Ben Thanh Suoi Tien metro line in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre Options are also on the table to develop river buses to connect to the Ben Thanh Suoi Tien metro line, according to Bui Xuan Cuong, head of the Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR). Metro riders who stop at the Ba Son or Tan Cang terminals will be able to easily walk to nearby wharfs on the Saigon River and catch a river bus to continue their trip, Cuong said. A series of footbridges will also be built along the Hanoi Highway by 2020 to allow commuters to safely get to the other side after getting off from the metro, he added. These pedestrian overpasses will be roofed and well-lit, allowing them to be used regardless of the weather, day or night, Cuong said. The first two trains built for Ho Chi Minh Citys Ben Thanh Suoi Tien metro line are expected to arrive in the city in Q3 2019, with 15 more to come later, according to MAUR. Each of these trains will include three passenger cars, each capable of holding up to 300 commuters. The trains will operate at a maximum speed of 110 kilometers per hour, making a full trip from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien in under 30 minutes, MAUR said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! An economic affairs officer was caught in the act of accepting bribes from a store owner in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City last week, thanks to a tip-off. Local police confirmed on Sunday that they are detaining Phan Ho Hung Doan, 34, who is in charge of economic affairs of Ben Thanh Ward in downtown District 1 for an investigation into bribery allegations. As the chief of a joint inspection team of the Ben Thanh Peoples Committee, Doan came to a business store on Le Thi Rieng Street on April 11 afternoon to meet the owner, according to initial reports. He demanded cash in return for his ignoring the owners violations in his business. Plain-clothes police showed up and took him to the police station when Doan was receiving an envelope from the anonymous owner. Police checked the envelope and found VND5 million (US$216) inside. The economic affairs officer admitted to taking the bribe. Undercover police officers had been tasked with following Doan after they received a tip-off from a source. Further investigation is ongoing. Those taking bribes worth VND2 million (86) to less than VND100 ($4,300) million shall be subject to two to seven years in prison, according to the Vietnamese penal code. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Rangers at a natural park in Vietnam rescued a turtle washing up ashore in fishing nets last week, according to the park management. Forest protectors at Con Dao Natural Park, located in Con Dao Islands off the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, found a turtle weighing around 10kg struggling in used fishing nets when they were on patrol on April 12 morning, the facilitys leader said on Saturday. The fishing nets were thick, heavy, and weighed as much as the turtle, he added. The reptile was healthy when being discovered so it could quickly swim to the sea after the rangers freed it. The management of Con Dao Natural Park said that another turtle was stuck in a bunch of ropes after it crawled to the shore to lay eggs in 2018. They explained that these incidents are indicators of how dangerous waste in the ocean proves to marine life. Most of such waste includes damaged fishing nets and ropes. Many endangered species live in Con Dao Islands. Con Dao is the name of an archipelago situated around 180km off Vung Tau City and 230km away from Ho Chi Minh City. In 1993, Vietnams prime minister signed a decision to establish Con Dao National Park, according to the parks website. Con Dao National Park covers 19,998ha, including 16 islands and islets, 5,998ha of forest and forestland, and a protected area of 14,000ha. Early this year, the park was recognized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as an important zone to conserve marine animals. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnamese border guards and police officers have just captured two locals for purportedly smuggling illegal drugs from Cambodia into Vietnam. Police officers from the Ministry of Public Security and southern An Giang Province were finishing procedures to search and arrest Du Quoc Cuong, a 29-year-old man from the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, and Trinh Cong Nghia, a 41-year-old man from An Giang, on Saturday evening when the two were found carrying a large amount of drugs from Cambodia, a source told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. Cuong and Nghia were crossing the border from Cambodia into An Giang, located in southwestern Vietnam, on a motorbike that bore a Vietnamese number plate at 4:00 pm, the source said. The two were intercepted when they had just gone past the Dong Ky ferry station in An Phu District, An Giang, with 26.6kg of alleged drugs. Of the amount, 8.2kg was suspected to be synthetic drugs, the remaining 18.4kg being crystal meth. Authorities are investigating the case to find out who would have bought this drug haul and how they would have done it, the source added. An Giang border guards told Tuoi Tre that this was the largest drug haul to have ever been busted in the province so far. The Ministry of Public Security will be responsible for expanding the investigation, an An Giang border guard leader said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! "The reasons behind the decision, according to the sources, is that Egypt doesnt wish to harm its relations with Iran, as well as it doesnt believe that US President Donald Trump would be elected for a second term. If Trump is gone that jeopardizes the entire Arab NATO idea since the next POTUS may decide not to follow through. On April 9th, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi visited the US and met with Donald Trump. Trump said that they spoke of security issues, but neither the Arab NATO nor Iran were mentioned in the press conference following the meeting. Both leaders praised the warm relations between the countries, which could presumably be spoiled if the reports of Egypt giving up efforts are true. In addition to the US and Saudi Arabia, the MESA proposed participants include the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Jordan. Two anonymous sources also told Al Jazeera that the project would be moving forward and that Egypt would be pressured into not revoking its membership. The project was initially proposed by Saudi Arabia in 2017, and was perpetuated by US President Donald Trump.." SF and al jazeera ------------- It surprises me that Egypt has rather brazenly walked away from the Boltonesque fantasy of an "Arab NATO." I would have thought that the paychecks Egypt receives every year from the American taxpayer and the Saudis would have kept Sisi in line, but apparently the prospect of other sources of funding affected the decision to defy the Amiirkaan. With the exception of Jordan's small but competent armed forces, Egypt is the only country among the members that possesses significant military power, The armed forces of the other countries are mere playthings for princes. Egypt's withdrawal from this alliance makes the farcical nature of the plan quite clear. This is a humiliation for the US in that it demonstrates the waning power and influence of the US in the region and most especially of Donald Trump who has demonstrated his indifference to the interests of the Arabs in repeated slavish support of Israel against the Palestinians, Lebanese and Syrians. pl https://southfront.org/egypt-pulled-out-of-u-s-efforts-to-form-arab-nato-to-combat-iran-reports/ Netflix has delayed a movie starring Felicity Huffman in the wake of her announcement that she will plead guilty in the college admissions bribery scandal. Otherhood, a Mandalay Pictures comedy starring Huffman, Angela Bassett and Patricia Arquette as three mothers and long-time who travel to New York to visit their adult sons, had been scheduled to debut on April 26. The Hollywood Reporter notes it has since been rescheduled to August 2. Another project featuring Huffman, however, will remain in place. Drama series When They See Us, about the infamous Central Park Five case remains scheduled for May 31st. Huffman has a supporting role as prosecutor Linda Fairstein. Username: Password: or Register Back to Forum Reply to This post Post New Thread Thread Rating: 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Google's Wing Launches Commerical Drone Delivery Service In Australia ALADIN * weird wizard1* User ID: 493119 04-14-2019 02:16 PM Posts: 5,423 Post: #1 Google's Wing Launches Commerical Drone Delivery Service In Australia Advertisement The startup air delivery service Wing, a subsidiary of Googles parent company Alphabet, has launched a drone-based commercial delivery service in Australia. "Our service allows customers to order a range of items such as fresh food, hot coffee or over-the-counter chemist items on our mobile app, and have them delivered directly to their homes by drone in minutes," Wing wrote in a press release Monday. The company launched the air delivery service earlier this week to residents in Crace, Palmerston and Franklin, which are suburbs in North Canberra. Next month, the service is expected to expand into Harrison and Gungahlin suburbs. Last month, we reported that Wing was "on the verge of launching" its new service. The company tested drones over Bonython, a suburb of Tuggeranong, a township in southern Canberra for about a year. During the trial, the drones delivered food, small household items more than 3,000 times to Australian homes. The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority granted Wing licenses to operate commercial drones after the agency reviewed all flight records and operational plans. However, many Australians are not too enthusiastic about drones flying above. Some residents earlier this year told law enforcement that they would shoot the drones out of the sky. Despite dozens of complaints from residents, government officials have asked Wing to reduce the decibel level of the drones so that they don't startle residents. "When they do a delivery drop they hover over the site and it sounds like an extremely loud, squealing vacuum cleaner," Bonython Against Drones said on its website. The Australian aviation authority ordered Wing to modify its drone's propellers and engines to reduce noise for quieter deliveries. New regulations have limited drone deliveries on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-1...-australia 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 ... Google's Wing Launches Commerical Drone Delivery Service In AustraliaThe startup air delivery service Wing, a subsidiary of Googles parent company Alphabet, has launched a drone-based commercial delivery service in Australia."Our service allows customers to order a range of items such as fresh food, hot coffee or over-the-counter chemist items on our mobile app, and have them delivered directly to their homes by drone in minutes," Wing wrote in a press release Monday.The company launched the air delivery service earlier this week to residents in Crace, Palmerston and Franklin, which are suburbs in North Canberra. Next month, the service is expected to expand into Harrison and Gungahlin suburbs.Last month, we reported that Wing was "on the verge of launching" its new service. The company tested drones over Bonython, a suburb of Tuggeranong, a township in southern Canberra for about a year. During the trial, the drones delivered food, small household items more than 3,000 times to Australian homes.The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority granted Wing licenses to operate commercial drones after the agency reviewed all flight records and operational plans.However, many Australians are not too enthusiastic about drones flying above. Some residents earlier this year told law enforcement that they would shoot the drones out of the sky.Despite dozens of complaints from residents, government officials have asked Wing to reduce the decibel level of the drones so that they don't startle residents."When they do a delivery drop they hover over the site and it sounds like an extremely loud, squealing vacuum cleaner," Bonython Against Drones said on its website. The Australian aviation authority ordered Wing to modify its drone's propellers and engines to reduce noise for quieter deliveries. New regulations have limited drone deliveries on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Back to Forum Reply to This post Post New Thread It has been just over a year since Salisbury was in the headlines when a former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were lucky to survive poisoning with Novichok in March 2018. At that stage the Wiltshire city was the scene of men in Hazmat suits, combing the streets for other possible threats relating to the deadly nerve agent. As noted by The Guardian, the Novichok incident did later claim the life of a local woman, Dawn Sturgess, who had found a perfume bottle which was thought to have been used in the nerve agent attack on the Skripals and was later discarded. Famous for more than just Stonehenge Fast forward to this year and Salisbury has the honour of being named by the Sunday Times as being the best place to Live in the United Kingdom. When announcing the coveted title, one of the judges remarked that the city had revealed a real collective spirit following the poisonings, bringing the attention of the world to the beautiful city. A beautiful city with a warm and wonderful community that has come through its toughest time: Heres why Salisbury was chosen as our winner for this years #STBestPlaces https://t.co/YCWLan5VbC pic.twitter.com/D0W2ZciTdI The Sunday Times (@thesundaytimes) April 14, 2019 The following are the top UK cities and areas named in the Sunday Times Best Places to Live 2019. 1 Salisbury, Wiltshire, England Sunday Times Home editor Helen Davies said Salisbury had been in the global headlines for all the wrong reasons. She said some areas of Salisbury are still experiencing a clean-up, but the city has bounced back and they chose the cathedral city due to its very special community. Davies added that the city is divinely attractive and is a very welcoming city, well-placed for the coast and with many of the best schools in the region. The city is also famous for its Stonehenge monument. 2 The Isle of Dogs, Greater London Next in line for England is the Isle of Dogs, which is said to be the best place to live within Greater London. 3 Dundee, Scotland 4 Crickhowell, Powys, Wales 5 Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland ALL RIGHTS RESERVED India is remembering martyrs today (Saturday) on the 100th anniversary of Jallianwala Bagh. In the year 1919, thousands of people were killed in this massacre in Amritsar, but only 379 murders were reported in the figures of the British Government. The British Government has not apologized for this massacre so far. However, the Daily Mail reported that when David Cameron was the British Prime Minister, he expressed regret for the incident. Nevertheless, ahead of the ceremony this year, British Prime Minister Theresa May stopped shy of apologising, saying, "We deeply regret what happened and the suffering caused." On the 100th anniversary, Indian President Ramnath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted tributes to the martyrs. Many dignitaries during the remembrance, including Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, and Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, reached the memorial and remembered the martyrs. The Times of India reported, the British High Commissioner Sir Dominic Eskith paid tribute to the martyrs after reaching the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial on Saturday. During this, in his note written in the Visitor's Diary, the incident of Jallianwala Bagh was termed as the most "shameful event in British India history." President Ramnath Kovind tweeted a picture of Jalianwala: "Our dear freedom army had been martyred in Jallianwala Bagh a hundred years ago. India can never forget that terrible massacre that stigmatized civilization. On this occasion, we pay tribute to the martyrs of Jallianwala." A 100 years ago today, our beloved freedom fighters were martyred at Jallianwala Bagh. A horrific massacre, a stain on civilisation, that day of sacrifice can never be forgotten by India. At this solemn moment, we pay our tribute to the immortals of Jallianwala #PresidentKovind pic.twitter.com/tNt0v5aFWv President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) April 13, 2019 Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: "We pay homage to the martyrs of the horrific massacre of Jallianwala Bagh. His courage and sacrifice can never be forgotten. Today, when we look at the hundred years of the heinous Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the memory of the martyrs inspires us to work even more for India, which they will be proud of." Today, when we observe 100 years of the horrific Jallianwala Bagh massacre, India pays tributes to all those martyred on that fateful day. Their valour and sacrifice will never be forgotten. Their memory inspires us to work even harder to build an India they would be proud of. pic.twitter.com/jBwZoSm41H Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 13, 2019 Punjab government has demanded an apology from Britain In February, in the year of entry into the 100th anniversary of the Jalianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar, a resolution was passed unanimously in the Punjab assembly, to demand an apology from the British government for the Jalianwala Bagh massacre. The Dailymail reports, according to the proposal, there will be a real tribute to the martyrs apologising for the killings on Baisakhi on 13th April 1919. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahma Mohindra brought this proposal which was a voice note under the leadership of Amarinder Singh. Yahoo News quoted Mohindra as saying, "It is on the 13th day of April 1919, on the sacred day of Baisakhi, the slogan of British rule in Jaliani Bagh. It was a brutal act done on the innocent people gathered to protest against the rule. " Julian Assange has been accused of trying to create a centre for spying in the Ecuadorian embassy that sheltered him by the nations president. Lenin Moreno also said that no other country had an influence over the decision to revoke the WikiLeaks founders asylum, which the leader claimed followed repeated violations by Assange. The comments in an interview with The Guardian show the degradation of Assanges relationship with Ecuador, which allowed him to stay in the London embassy for nearly seven years. But the 47-year-old was dragged out by police in dramatic scenes on Thursday. He now faces jail for breaching bail and possible extradition to the US. Julian Assange was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police (PA) Mr Moreno, who became president in 2017, said his nations previous government provided facilities within the embassy to interfere in processes of other states. We cannot allow our house, the house that opened its doors, to become a centre for spying, Mr Moreno told the newspaper. This activity violates asylum conditions. Our decision is not arbitrary but is based on international law. The president also made references to Assanges apparently poor hygiene following allegations made by interior minister, Maria Paula Romo, which included Assange putting faeces on the walls. Assanges lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, disputed the claims when she appeared on Skys Sophy Ridge On Sunday. I think the first thing to say is Ecuador has been making some pretty outrageous allegations over the past few days to justify what was an unlawful and extraordinary act in allowing British police to come inside an embassy, she said. Pressed over the veracity of the allegations, Ms Robinson said: Thats not true. She also said Assanges fears of a US extradition threat were proved correct this week after allegations were made that he conspired to hack into a classified Pentagon computer. Story continues Assange faces up to 12 months in prison after being found guilty of breaching his bail conditions when he entered the Ecuadorian embassy in 2012. He made the move after losing his battle against extradition to Sweden where he faced allegations including rape. The extradition of Julian Assange to the US for exposing evidence of atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan should be opposed by the British government.pic.twitter.com/CxTUrOfkHt Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) April 11, 2019 Assange is now expected to fight extradition to the US over an allegation that he conspired with former army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to break into a classified government computer. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has joined Assanges supporters in saying he should be protected against extradition to the US because he exposed evidence of atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tonight over 70 parliamentarians stand with victims of sexual violence, and are calling on both the Home Secretary and the shadow Home Sec to urge them both to be champions of action to ensure Julian Assange faces Swedish authorities and is extradited there if they so request: pic.twitter.com/uaJMM984Cc stellacreasy (@stellacreasy) April 12, 2019 More than 70 MPs have also urged the Government to ensure Assange faces Swedish authorities if they request his extradition. The father of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has called on the Australian government to help his son and suggested he could be brought back to his home country. John Shipton, who lives in Melbourne, urged prime minister Scott Morrison to step in following Assanges arrest in London last week. He told News Corp Australia that Mr Morrison and the countrys Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) should in a nuanced way do something. He added: It can be resolved simply to the satisfaction of all. There has been some talk in a meeting between a senator and a senior DFAT official to extradite Julian to Australia. John Shipton urged Australian PM Scott Morrison to help his son (AP Photos/Rod McGuirk, File) Mr Morrison has previously said Assange, an Australian citizen, will have consular assistance available to him but will not get special treatment. Mr Shipton also expressed shock at the appearance of his son in footage of his removal from Londons Ecuadorian embassy on Thursday. I saw him, the way they dragged him down the steps, the coppers he didnt look good, he added. Im 74 and I look better than him and hes 47. Its such a shock. In Britain, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said Assange should answer questions about sexual assault allegations in Sweden. The comments came after more than 70 Parliamentarians signed a letter to Home Secretary Sajid Javid urging the Government to ensure Assange faces Swedish authorities if they request his extradition. Mr Corbyn told Sky News: If there are allegations which Julian Assange needs to answer of sexual issues, sexual attacks that may or may not have taken place in Sweden, then its a matter for the courts to decide. But, I do think he should answer those questions. My objection was to his extradition to the United States because I do believe that WikiLeaks told us the truth about what was actually happening in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Story continues Tonight over 70 parliamentarians stand with victims of sexual violence, and are calling on both the Home Secretary and the shadow Home Sec to urge them both to be champions of action to ensure Julian Assange faces Swedish authorities and is extradited there if they so request: pic.twitter.com/uaJMM984Cc stellacreasy (@stellacreasy) April 12, 2019 The letter to the Home Secretary was organised by Labour MP Stella Creasy and stated: We are writing to request that you do everything you can to champion action that will ensure Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden in the event Sweden make an extradition request. This would be so the formal investigation into an allegation of rape can be concluded and, if appropriate, a charge can be made and any trial can take place. We do not presume guilt, of course, but we believe due process should be followed and the complainant should see justice be done. We urge you to stand with the victims of sexual violence and seek to ensure the case against Mr Assange can now be properly investigated. The rape allegation has a limitation period which expires in August 2020, it added. Assange had been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for nearly seven years (Rebecca Brown/PA) Assange spent almost seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he sought political asylum in 2012. This followed defeat in his legal battle against extradition to Sweden, where he was wanted over two separate allegations, one of rape and one of molestation. In May 2017, Swedens top prosecutor dropped the long-running inquiry into a rape claim against Assange, which he has always denied. But his arrest prompted the lawyer for a Swedish woman who alleged she was raped by Assange during a visit to Stockholm in 2010 to say they wanted the case reopened. Prosecutors in Sweden have since confirmed that, while the investigation has not been resumed, they are looking into the case. Labour MP Stephen Kinnock told the BBC: Mr Assange is accused of rape and sexual violence in Sweden and its vital that that doesnt get airbrushed out of the conversation because of all the other issues to do with WikiLeaks. I think the top priority, as we say in our letter, is to ensure that if the Swedish authorities wish to have him extradited there to face those charges, they must take priority above all else. Writing in The Observer, Labour MP Jess Phillips said the allegations against Assange in Sweden were the first and most pressing case he should answer. The UK government should support his extradition to Sweden before they even begin to consider any pressure from the US, she wrote. Julian Assange's lawyer has accused Ecuador of making "outrageous" claims about his actions in their London embassy. Jennifer Robinson said allegations of Assange's gross behaviour, including that he had smeared walls with faeces, were fabricated as a pretext to force him out. The WikiLeaks founder was holed up in the embassy for more than seven years before he was arrested on Thursday. Ecuador has claimed Assange had to be reminded to flush the toilet, left dirty underwear in the lavatory, did not clean dishes and left the cooker on. Ms Robinson told Sky's Sophy Ridge: "The first thing to say is Ecuador has been making some outrageous allegations. It's a difficult situation. "Ecuador has made these allegations to justify the unlawful and extraordinary act of letting police come inside an embassy. "I've been visiting him for the last seven years. This man has been inside a room with no outside access. Inside the embassy it's become more difficult. The politics changed when Ecuador's political situation changed with a new leader. "He stayed inside the embassy for so long because of a real and legitimate fear of US extradition which, as we saw on Thursday, proved to be justifiable fears." Assange is facing charges in the US for "conspiracy to commit computer intrusion" in connection with documents published in 2010. Ms Robinson welcomed support from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has said the UK should not extradite Assange to the US. She said Assange had published the greatest amount of confidential US information in history and had been doing what journalists do every day. "It is right and correct for Jeremy Corbyn to say what he said," said Ms Robinson. The lawyer denied Assange had avoided allegations of rape and sexual misconduct in Sweden by remaining in the embassy. Assange was accused of rape and other sexual offences, against two women, following a WikiLeaks conference in Stockholm in 2010 - allegations he has vehemently denied. Story continues The rape allegation facing the 47-year-old has a limitation period which expires in August 2020. Ms Robinson said: "This was and is not about avoiding facing Swedish justice. It is about avoiding US injustice. He has cooperated with the Swedish investigation. Swedish prosecutors came into the embassy to hear his testimony. After that they closed the case." Swedish authorities said at the time they were setting the case aside because they had exhausted all avenues for as long as Assange stayed inside the embassy. Ms Robinson said that if the investigation was reopened "we will deal with it". Assange was removed from the embassy after the Ecuadorian government withdrew his asylum - accusing him of interfering in international affairs and being discourteous to embassy staff. America has just under two months to present Britain with a detailed case to justify Assange's potential extradition, a US government official has said. Assange appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday where he was found guilty of breaching his bail conditions, meaning he also faces a jail term of up to 12 months in the UK when he is sentenced later at crown court. Eastern Libyan forces will pursue their advance on the capital Tripoli, the head of the eastern parliament in the divided country said on Saturday, despite international calls for a halt in an offensive that risks causing many civilian casualties. His comments came amidst an eastern air strike hit the yard of a school on the southern outskirts of Tripoli, where eastern forces have been confronted by forces allied to Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarrajs internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) .In a possible new front, the eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) was readying a unit to move to the Es Sider and Ras Lanuf oil ports, Libyas biggest, on the eastern coast, anticipating an attack from an armed group allied to Serraj, eastern military officials said.The force will strengthen the protection of the ports, one official said, asking not to be named.On Sunday, the GNA said its forces shot down a fighter jet belonging to forces of Haftar south of the capital Tripoli.A source for the LNA confirmed the loss of a MiG-23 aircraft, but they attributed it to a technical failure.The source said the pilot had ejected with his parachute and was safe and sound, denying reports he had been captured by the GNA.GNA spokesman Mohamed Gnounou earlier told AFP that the forces of the Libyan army shot down an enemy plane that was preparing to conduct air raids in the Wadi al-Rabie area.On Sunday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Haftar in Cairo to discuss developments in Libya, Sisis spokesman said. No other details about the meeting were immediately available.Last week the European Union had called on the LNA to stop its attacks, having agreed on a statement after France and Italy sparred over how to handle the conflict.>> Read more: How the Wests silence emboldened Libyas HaftarBut the eastern parliament head said they would press an offensive launched a week ago under military commander Khalifa Haftar, the latest outbreak of a cycle of conflict since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.We need to get rid of militias and terrorist groups, Aguila Saleh, head of the House of Representatives allied to Haftar, said using a reference eastern officials often make to describe forces allied to the Tripoli government, which relies on support from several armed groups.We assure the residents of Tripoli that the campaign to liberate Tripoli will be limited and not violate any freedoms but restore security and fight terrorism, Saleh told lawmakers in a session in the main eastern city of Benghazi.For its part the Tripoli government will agree to a ceasefire only if the LNA troops return back east, government spokesman Mohanad Younes told reporters.Schoolyard hitForces loyal to Serrajs government have so far kept the eastern offensive at bay. Fierce fighting has broken out around a disused former airport about 11km (7 miles) from the centre. An eastern military source said a warplane belonging to the LNA had struck a military camp in an eastern Tripoli suburb.In a separate strike the yard of a primary school was hit, a Reuters reporter at the scene said. An LNA official said the plane had targeted a camp of Serrajs forces.Saleh also said the United Nations mission to Libya and Serrajs government had been controlled by armed groups and had failed to expel them from the capital, and promised Libya would hold long-delayed elections after the Tripoli operation ends.Haftars offensive had surprised the United Nations, which had been planning to hold a national conference on April 14 to prepare Libya for elections.Foreign military intervention cannot be a solutionItalys prime minister on Saturday said any foreign military intervention in Libya would not resolve the latest conflict in its former colony, warning that it might trigger a refugee exodus across the Mediterranean.A military option cannot be a solution, Giuseppe Conte told daily Il Fatto Quotidiano newspaper in an interview published on Saturday. He said talks involving all sides should be held in a bid to halt the fighting.Italy, which is a big player in the oil sector in the troubled North African country, has supported al-Serrajs government.Conte said any potential military intervention could push many Libyans to flee across the Mediterranean towards southern Europe. At the moment, Libya is mainly used as a transit spot for migrants from Sub-Saharan countries. There is a serious risk that a humanitarian crisis mounts, he said.Toll mountsFighting in Tripoli has killed 121 people and wounded 561 since Haftar launched the offensive earlier this month, the World Health Organization said Sunday. Some 13,625 people have been forced out of their homes.As well as the humanitarian cost, the conflict threatens to disrupt oil supplies, boost migration to Europe, scupper a UN peace plan and allow Islamist militants to exploit the chaos.Haftar, 75, a former general in Gaddafis army who later joined the revolt against him, moved his troops out of their eastern stronghold to take the oil-rich desert south earlier this year, before sweeping up to Tripoli at the start of April.(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS and AFP) Eastern Libyan forces will pursue their advance on the capital Tripoli, the head of the eastern parliament in the divided country said on Saturday, despite international calls for a halt in an offensive that risks causing many civilian casualties. His comments came amidst an eastern air strike hit the yard of a school on the southern outskirts of Tripoli, where eastern forces have been confronted by forces allied to Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarrajs internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) . In a possible new front, the eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) was readying a unit to move to the Es Sider and Ras Lanuf oil ports, Libyas biggest, on the eastern coast, anticipating an attack from an armed group allied to Serraj, eastern military officials said. The force will strengthen the protection of the ports, one official said, asking not to be named. On Sunday, the GNA said its forces shot down a fighter jet belonging to forces of Haftar south of the capital Tripoli. A source for the LNA confirmed the loss of a MiG-23 aircraft, but they attributed it to a technical failure. The source said the pilot had ejected with his parachute and was safe and sound, denying reports he had been captured by the GNA. GNA spokesman Mohamed Gnounou earlier told AFP that the forces of the Libyan army shot down an enemy plane that was preparing to conduct air raids in the Wadi al-Rabie area. On Sunday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Haftar in Cairo to discuss developments in Libya, Sisis spokesman said. No other details about the meeting were immediately available. Last week the European Union had called on the LNA to stop its attacks, having agreed on a statement after France and Italy sparred over how to handle the conflict. >> Read more: How the Wests silence emboldened Libyas Haftar But the eastern parliament head said they would press an offensive launched a week ago under military commander Khalifa Haftar, the latest outbreak of a cycle of conflict since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. Story continues We need to get rid of militias and terrorist groups, Aguila Saleh, head of the House of Representatives allied to Haftar, said using a reference eastern officials often make to describe forces allied to the Tripoli government, which relies on support from several armed groups. We assure the residents of Tripoli that the campaign to liberate Tripoli will be limited and not violate any freedoms but restore security and fight terrorism, Saleh told lawmakers in a session in the main eastern city of Benghazi. For its part the Tripoli government will agree to a ceasefire only if the LNA troops return back east, government spokesman Mohanad Younes told reporters. Schoolyard hit Forces loyal to Serrajs government have so far kept the eastern offensive at bay. Fierce fighting has broken out around a disused former airport about 11km (7 miles) from the centre. An eastern military source said a warplane belonging to the LNA had struck a military camp in an eastern Tripoli suburb. In a separate strike the yard of a primary school was hit, a Reuters reporter at the scene said. An LNA official said the plane had targeted a camp of Serrajs forces. Saleh also said the United Nations mission to Libya and Serrajs government had been controlled by armed groups and had failed to expel them from the capital, and promised Libya would hold long-delayed elections after the Tripoli operation ends. Haftars offensive had surprised the United Nations, which had been planning to hold a national conference on April 14 to prepare Libya for elections. Foreign military intervention cannot be a solution Italys prime minister on Saturday said any foreign military intervention in Libya would not resolve the latest conflict in its former colony, warning that it might trigger a refugee exodus across the Mediterranean. A military option cannot be a solution, Giuseppe Conte told daily Il Fatto Quotidiano newspaper in an interview published on Saturday. He said talks involving all sides should be held in a bid to halt the fighting. Italy, which is a big player in the oil sector in the troubled North African country, has supported al-Serrajs government. Conte said any potential military intervention could push many Libyans to flee across the Mediterranean towards southern Europe. At the moment, Libya is mainly used as a transit spot for migrants from Sub-Saharan countries. There is a serious risk that a humanitarian crisis mounts, he said. Toll mounts Fighting in Tripoli has killed 121 people and wounded 561 since Haftar launched the offensive earlier this month, the World Health Organization said Sunday. Some 13,625 people have been forced out of their homes. As well as the humanitarian cost, the conflict threatens to disrupt oil supplies, boost migration to Europe, scupper a UN peace plan and allow Islamist militants to exploit the chaos. Haftar, 75, a former general in Gaddafis army who later joined the revolt against him, moved his troops out of their eastern stronghold to take the oil-rich desert south earlier this year, before sweeping up to Tripoli at the start of April. (FRANCE 24 with REUTERS and AFP) Pope Francis has rekindled hopes for peace in South Sudan by kissing the feet of President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar as they wound up a 2-day historic spiritual retreat to the Vatican on Thursday. The sworn enemies whose bitter struggle for power left more than 400,000 people dead during a bloody five-year civil war, are under pressure from international stakeholders to form a government of national unity in May.The deadline was set in September last year after the signing of a UN-brokered armistice by Kiir, Machar and other belligerents.Kiss of peaceKenyas Standard reports that Salva Kiir, Machar and three other Vice Presidents were shaken when the 82 year-old Pope went down on his knees to kiss their feet.I am asking you as a brother to stay in peace and not to allow the many problems overcome us, said Pope Francis in the improvised remarks made at his Santa Clara residence.Race against timeIn Uganda, the Daily Monitor quotes observers as saying that while the May deadline ticks in, the implementation of the deal has stalled with Kiir and Machar yet to negotiate security control of the capital, moves to establish a national army among other sticking points. Despite the armistice, one third of South Sudans 12 million inhabitants have been displaced by the 5-year civil war with seven million people facing severe food shortages , according to three specialized UN, agencies. Joy in JubaIn his first reaction to the extraordinary event in Rome, the Auxiliary Roman Catholic Bishop of Juba, Monsignor Santo Loku Pio Doggale hailed Pope Francis for the highest exhortation of South Sudans leaders to accept the terms of peace. Everybody I talked to this morning is very happy and overjoyed that the Pope had done his best, said Pio Doggale in a telephone interview with RFI.According to the bishop of Juba, while it was tough to get Salva Kiir, Riek Machar and the others on board, their Christian faith facilitated their decision. Religious mediationMonsignor Santo Loku Pio Doggale also commends the role played by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who proposed the idea of the retreat to the Pope , Juba's Archbishop Monsignor Paulino Lukudu and South Sudans other spiritual leaders.They never stopped exhorting them to lay down their arms, end the senseless suffering and look for a better way of resolving the conflict, the bishop noted.Monsignor Santo says the presence of the Church leaders at the Vatican retreat was crucial so they could hold the war mongers accountable for the pledges made in front the Holy Father.The Riek Macha conundrum Our first target is to improve the degree of will of the two leaders. They are the ones who triggered the differences at the lower level, he noted.One issue Bishop Goggale raised as having complicated the mediation, is Riek Machars absence from Juba for quite a long time. He flew to Rome from Khartoum and that is where a lot of doubt has been, he said.According to the Catholic cleric in Juba, If office disagreements are not allowed to spill over and as soon as he is here in Juba, holding hands with all the other leaders, then that will be a key moment of reconciliation of the ordinary citizen. Pope Francis has rekindled hopes for peace in South Sudan by kissing the feet of President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar as they wound up a 2-day historic spiritual retreat to the Vatican on Thursday. The sworn enemies whose bitter struggle for power left more than 400,000 people dead during a bloody five-year civil war, are under pressure from international stakeholders to form a government of national unity in May. The deadline was set in September last year after the signing of a UN-brokered armistice by Kiir, Machar and other belligerents. Kiss of peace Kenyas Standard reports that Salva Kiir, Machar and three other Vice Presidents were shaken when the 82 year-old Pope went down on his knees to kiss their feet. I am asking you as a brother to stay in peace and not to allow the many problems overcome us, said Pope Francis in the improvised remarks made at his Santa Clara residence. Race against time In Uganda, the Daily Monitor quotes observers as saying that while the May deadline ticks in, the implementation of the deal has stalled with Kiir and Machar yet to negotiate security control of the capital, moves to establish a national army among other sticking points. Despite the armistice, one third of South Sudans 12 million inhabitants have been displaced by the 5-year civil war with seven million people facing severe food shortages , according to three specialized UN, agencies. Joy in Juba In his first reaction to the extraordinary event in Rome, the Auxiliary Roman Catholic Bishop of Juba, Monsignor Santo Loku Pio Doggale hailed Pope Francis for the highest exhortation of South Sudans leaders to accept the terms of peace. Everybody I talked to this morning is very happy and overjoyed that the Pope had done his best, said Pio Doggale in a telephone interview with RFI. According to the bishop of Juba, while it was tough to get Salva Kiir, Riek Machar and the others on board, their Christian faith facilitated their decision. Story continues Religious mediation Monsignor Santo Loku Pio Doggale also commends the role played by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who proposed the idea of the retreat to the Pope , Juba's Archbishop Monsignor Paulino Lukudu and South Sudans other spiritual leaders. They never stopped exhorting them to lay down their arms, end the senseless suffering and look for a better way of resolving the conflict, the bishop noted. Monsignor Santo says the presence of the Church leaders at the Vatican retreat was crucial so they could hold the war mongers accountable for the pledges made in front the Holy Father. The Riek Macha conundrum Our first target is to improve the degree of will of the two leaders. They are the ones who triggered the differences at the lower level, he noted. One issue Bishop Goggale raised as having complicated the mediation, is Riek Machars absence from Juba for quite a long time. He flew to Rome from Khartoum and that is where a lot of doubt has been, he said. According to the Catholic cleric in Juba, If office disagreements are not allowed to spill over and as soon as he is here in Juba, holding hands with all the other leaders, then that will be a key moment of reconciliation of the ordinary citizen. The Latest on severe weather in the South (all times local): 11:35 p.m. A suspected tornado hit a rural Ohio city, as the storm that pummeled the South made its way to the Northeast. The Times Gazette reported several homes and businesses were damaged after an apparent tornado struck Shelby, Ohio, Sunday about 4 p.m. Shelby is about 90 miles (144.83 kilometers) from Cleveland. The Richland County Emergency Management Agency reported about a half-dozen homes were damaged and at least six people were taken to a hospital to be treated for storm-related injuries. The National Weather Service has issued tornado watch warnings for parts of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Sunday's warnings come as a severe storm in the South destroyed homes, hospitalized people and caused the deaths of eight people. ____ 4:15 p.m. Two more deaths have been blamed on the weekend storms that ravaged the South, bringing the death toll to at least eight. One of the deaths in East Texas was that of a person initially among those injured when a tornado tore through the Caddo Mound State Historical Site during a Native American cultural festival Saturday. Cherokee County Judge Chris Davis says the woman has died of her critical injuries. The National Weather Service says a tornado rated EF-3 with winds of about 140 mph (225 kph) tore through the Caddo Mound area. In neighboring Houston County, the sheriff's office has confirmed one person was killed in Weches, some 6 miles (10 kilometers) southwest of Caddo Mound. ____ 2:15 p.m. A party of about two dozen members of a South Carolina music school is finally on its way to China. Severe thunderstorms Saturday forced them to spend the night at a Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport terminal. The 38-member entourage from the Horry (OH'-ree) County School of Music, along with 17 chaperones, left Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday for Dallas-Fort Worth, but storms forced their flight to divert to Little Rock, Arkansas. Story continues By the time they finally arrived at DFW, their travel plans had been completely disrupted. Tour leader Amanda O'Brien said that after some confusion, American Airlines representatives were able to get them on their way to Beijing late Sunday morning. Airline spokesman Ross Feinstein said the addition of hail to Saturday's storms and the resulting need to inspect aircraft for resulting damage forced cancellation of 350 flights from DFW Saturday. DFW Airport spokesman Casey Norton said another 47 DFW-bound flights had to be diverted elsewhere. The result: almost 7,000 people spent the night in DFW terminals, Norton said. ___ 1:28 p.m. Three more deaths are confirmed from powerful storms sweeping through the southern United States, bringing the death toll to at least six. In Louisiana, Deputy Glenn Springfield of the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Department said Sunday that two people died in floodwaters Saturday. He says 13-year-old Sebastian Omar Martinez died during flash flooding in the community of Bawcomville, near Monroe. Responders pulled him from a drainage canal. Several hours later, a person died in a submerged vehicle near Interstate 20 in Calhoun. A county employee in Alabama died after being struck by a vehicle while he was helping clear away trees toppled by the storm. Capt. David Agee of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office says the worker was struck about 2:15 a.m. Sunday near in the Birmingham suburb of Hueytown and died after being taken to a hospital. His name was not immediately released. Two children died in Texas when a tree fell on a car in which they were riding, and an elderly man was killed when a tree fell on his trailer in Hamilton, Mississippi. ____ 12:30 p.m. Authorities say at least 25 people were taken to hospitals for treatment in East Texas after a suspected tornado struck the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site. Police Chief Jeremy Jackson says the injuries occurred during a Native American cultural event in Alto, Texas. Alto is about 130 miles southeast of Dallas. Cherokee County Sheriff James Campbell says at least eight of those were injured critically. Damage to the town's schools has prompted the Alto Independent School District has canceled all classes until its buildings have been found to be safe. The National Weather Service was sending a survey team to Alto on Sunday to confirm if the storm was, indeed, a tornado. However, the area had been under a tornado warning at the time the storm hit. ___ 11:30 a.m. Local authorities say the intense tornado that struck the Central Texas town of Franklin destroyed 55 homes, a church, four businesses, a duplex and part of the local housing authority building. Robertson County Judge Charles Ellison told KBTX-TV of Bryan-College Station that the south side of the town of about 1,700 residents is destroyed. Emergency Management Coordinator Billy Huggins said more than a dozen people were injured in Franklin, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of Austin. None of the injuries were thought to be life-threatening. The National Weather Service rated the tornado EF-3 with winds of about 140 mph (225 kph). ___ 11:05 a.m. Authorities in Mississippi have identified the man who they say was killed after a tornado struck his town. Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley says 95-year-old Roy Ratliff died late Saturday when a tornado toppled a tree onto Ratliff's home in the town of Hamilton. Hamilton, Mississippi, is 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Memphis, Tennessee. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports that a hospital clinic, some apartments, several storage units, a mechanic's shop and the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department all had major damage from the tornado. Another shop and the Monroe County Morgue were destroyed. ___ 10:45 a.m. Local emergency management officials say one person is dead after a tornado swept through a northern Mississippi town late Saturday. Monroe County Road Manager Sonny Clay said at a news conference Sunday that a man was killed in Hamilton when a tree fell on his trailer. Clay said 19 people were taken to hospitals for treatment, including two in critical condition. Hamilton, Mississippi, is 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Memphis, Tennessee. ___ 8:35 a.m. A possible tornado has left damage in southeastern Alabama on Sunday morning. Power poles and trees were knocked over and parts of buildings were left hanging across utility lines in Troy, located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Montgomery. A mobile home community was damaged, but no injuries are being reported. The National Weather Service detected a possible twister on radar, but it's unclear whether a tornado or straight-line winds caused the damage. The Storm Prediction Center says trees and power lines are down in Brewton near the Florida line, and some power is out. Homes were damaged about 250 miles (402 kilometers) to the north in Glencoe, and there's scattered damage south of Birmingham. About 65,000 homes and businesses are without power in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama along the path of storms crossing the region. ___ 12:45 a.m. Multiple people have been reported injured as tornadoes continued to flare along the Mississippi-Alabama state line late Saturday and early Sunday. Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley says multiple people were injured and multiple homes were damaged in Hamilton, Mississippi, which is 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Memphis, Tennessee. A tornado was reported in the area at the time. At least one mobile home was destroyed, throwing a man from the mobile home. No fatalities were reported. The roof of a hotel in New Albany, Mississippi, was damaged, although the cause was unclear. A twister hit Vicksburg, Mississippi early Saturday evening. Earlier, two children died in East Texas after a tree fell on their moving car. ___ 11:30 p.m. Deadly storms continue to move across the South after spawning suspected tornadoes and damaging several homes. The National Weather Service says a twister was reported Saturday night in the Vicksburg, Mississippi, area. No injuries were reported, and news footage showed shattered windows and rooftop debris. In East Texas, authorities say two children were killed when high winds toppled a tree onto the back of the family car while it was in motion. The Angelina County Sheriff's Office says an 8-year-old and 3-year-old died after the tree hit the back of the car in Lufkin, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) northeast of Houston. The parents in the front seats were not hurt. The weather service also says preliminary information showed an EF-3 tornado with winds of 140 mph touched down in Franklin, located about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south of Dallas. ___ This story has been corrected to show Hamilton, Mississippi is about 140 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee, not 60 miles. Username: Password: or Register Back to Forum Reply to This post Post New Thread Thread Rating: 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp Suffer World-Wide Outage ALADIN * weird wizard1* User ID: 493119 04-14-2019 04:56 PM Posts: 5,423 Post: #1 Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp Suffer World-Wide Outage Advertisement Almost a month to the day after Facebook experienced its worst outage ever, Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp are again experiencing worldwide outages that started around 6:30 am Eastern, triggering a flurry of complaints on rival social networks like Twitter. In areas around the world, Facebook and Instagram feeds wouldn't refresh, and neither Whatsapp messages nor Facebook messenger messages could be sent or received. During last month's outage, it took more than a day for Facebook to finally resolve the issue. The company blamed a "server configuration change", and apologized for the outages. The outages appeared to affect a sizable swath of the US, as well as parts of Canada, Mexico and South America. Most of Europe was also impacted, according to an outage map. The outages for Instagram and Facebook appeared to mostly overlap... Facebook hasn't released a statement on the outages or given any indication about when users can expect functionality to return. In the mean time, it looks like people will need to suck it up and try actually talking to one another for a change. https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-1...ide-outage 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 ... Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp Suffer World-Wide OutageAlmost a month to the day after Facebook experienced its worst outage ever, Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp are again experiencing worldwide outages that started around 6:30 am Eastern, triggering a flurry of complaints on rival social networks like Twitter.In areas around the world, Facebook and Instagram feeds wouldn't refresh, and neither Whatsapp messages nor Facebook messenger messages could be sent or received.During last month's outage, it took more than a day for Facebook to finally resolve the issue. The company blamed a "server configuration change", and apologized for the outages.The outages appeared to affect a sizable swath of the US, as well as parts of Canada, Mexico and South America. Most of Europe was also impacted, according to an outage map. The outages for Instagram and Facebook appeared to mostly overlap...Facebook hasn't released a statement on the outages or given any indication about when users can expect functionality to return.In the mean time, it looks like people will need to suck it up and try actually talking to one another for a change. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 495379 04-14-2019 04:59 PM Post: #2 RE: Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp Suffer World-Wide Outage 44575 Wrote: (04-14-2019 04:56 PM) Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp Suffer World-Wide Outage Almost a month to the day after Facebook experienced its worst outage ever, Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp are again experiencing worldwide outages that started around 6:30 am Eastern, triggering a flurry of complaints on rival social networks like Twitter. In areas around the world, Facebook and Instagram feeds wouldn't refresh, and neither Whatsapp messages nor Facebook messenger messages could be sent or received. During last month's outage, it took more than a day for Facebook to finally resolve the issue. The company blamed a "server configuration change", and apologized for the outages. The outages appeared to affect a sizable swath of the US, as well as parts of Canada, Mexico and South America. Most of Europe was also impacted, according to an outage map. The outages for Instagram and Facebook appeared to mostly overlap... Facebook hasn't released a statement on the outages or given any indication about when users can expect functionality to return. In the mean time, it looks like people will need to suck it up and try actually talking to one another for a change. https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-1...ide-outage Probably that sunspot! Probably that sunspot! LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 465738 04-14-2019 05:00 PM Post: #3 RE: Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp Suffer World-Wide Outage Hmmm. Never noticed because I'm not on any of them. Back to Forum Reply to This post Post New Thread The cassowary reportedly fell onto its owner then attacked him (Picture: Getty) A man has been killed by the worlds deadliest bird after he fell and it attacked him. The victim was breeding cassowaries large, flightless birds native to Australia and New Guinea on his property near Gainesville, Florida, when he met his death, authorities said. Cassowaries are similar to emus and can reach up to 6ft in height and weigh up to 60kg. Described by some as the worlds deadliest bird, they have a dangerous four-inch claw on each foot The Alachua County Fire Rescue Department said it appeared the man had fallen and was attacked by the bird with its long claws. Deputy chief Jeff Taylor said: It looks like it was accidental. My understanding is that the gentleman was in the vicinity of the bird and at some point fell. When he fell, he was attacked. Cassowaries are not raised for food in the US but are sought after by collectors. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman Karen Parker said in order to get a mandatory permit, cassowary owners must have substantial experience and meet specific cage requirements. READ MORE Mother held in Dubai over Facebook posts calling ex-husbands new wife a horse says she wanted to die The San Diego Zoo website calls cassowaries the worlds most dangerous bird, saying: The cassowary can slice open any predator or potential threat with a single swift kick, the website says. Powerful legs help the cassowary run up to 31mph through the dense forest underbrush. Michelle Obama said she misses the spontaneity of life before she became a global figure whose schedule involves a team of agents. The former US first lady said the spontaneity is gone and everything is subject to planning ahead of time, with cinema visits at strictly off-peak times. Mrs Obama was speaking to Stephen Colbert at The O2 Arena in London as part of her book tour following the release of her bestselling memoir Becoming. .@StephenAtHome and @MichelleObama getting ready for the London stop of the #IAmBecoming tour! Afterwards, theyre going clubbing pic.twitter.com/HbSkW0fBid The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) April 14, 2019 The tour has seen Mrs Obama discuss the experiences and events, both public and private, that have shaped her, through her childhood in Chicago to her years as a working mother, and her time in the White House. The wife of the 44th US president, Barack Obama, was asked about her favourite thing to do since leaving the White House. Mrs Obama, 55, said: Favourite thing to do is anything that makes me feel normal. And thats hard because we still live in a bubble. I try to explain to people what does it feel like to lose your anonymity because a lot of people take anonymity for granted. All I want to do is to walk down the street and sit at a cafe and have a cup of coffee and watch other people. Mrs Obama was being interviewed by US late night talk show host Stephen Colbert (Kirsty OConnor/PA) She added: But we can do things when we plan it, so I miss the spontaneity of life. Mrs Obama said she has to plan going to the cinema and chooses senior hours, adding: You cant go Friday night, first run show. No, that would be bad. Story continues But Monday at two? You know, those are the best times. Its like me and three other old ladies and a guy over there thats asleep for most of the movie. Its really great. Its like having your own private theatre. I wanna be remembered for helping the next generation step up.@MichelleObama on the legacy she hopes to leave behind.#IAmBecoming pic.twitter.com/WsYpZlitqG Penguin Books UK (@PenguinUKBooks) April 14, 2019 Mrs Obama also said she enjoys Orangetheory fitness classes. But you just have to plan it, right? So I cant up and say I want to do Orangetheory in an hour. Then your agents look at you like What? Theyll try to make it happen but they have to check stuff out, and figure out logistics and figure out how to get there. So spontaneity is gone. Tickets for the event at The O2 Arena, which has a capacity of 20,000, were still available on The O2 website on Saturday for 485.50, with resale tickets nearer the front priced at 546.19. The show was part of Mrs Obamas tour for her book, Becoming (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Tour producer Live Nation said they were implementing various methods to ensure that tickets were not resold on secondary sites. In a statement, Live Nation said: It is important to Mrs Obama that her events are accessible to as many people as possible. Mrs Obama and Live Nation are donating a portion of ticket inventory for every tour stop to various organisations, including, but not limited to, charities, schools, book clubs, and community groups in each city the tour visits. Those fans will receive free admission to Mrs Obamas event in their city. A Live Nation spokesman said on Sunday evening that the event had sold out. Mrs Obama has already stopped off in London on her book tour, with a sold-out date at Southbank Centres Royal Festival Hall last December. She will visit Paris on April 16 after postponing the French capitals original December 5 event to attend the funeral of former US president George H W Bush. The autobiographical memoir Becoming was released in the US and Canada on November 13, and within one week became an instant New York Times bestseller. As of December 11, it had sold more than any other book published in the US in 2018. As eastern Libyan forces continued their advance on the capital Tripoli Sunday, the World Health Organization warned that fighting there has killed 121 people and wounded 561 since military commander Khalifa Haftars offensive began 10 days ago.The WHO condemned attacks on aid workers and said it would be sending in more staff and medical supplies, while the UN earlier appealed for the evacuation of more than 1,500 migrants and refugees caught in the crossfire.The UN's office for humanitarian affairs (OCHA) warned that more than 13,500 people had been displaced by the violence. * The true face of Libya's Khalifa Haftar"Three medical personnel have been killed and five ambulances have been incapacitated by shrapnel," OCHA said in a statement Saturday.Haftar's forces have claimed advances in the battle to wrest Tripoli from the UN-backed Government of National Accord, but reports say neither side appears to have taken a lead in the ground offensive.The leader of the UN-backed government, Fayez al-Sarraj, accused Haftar's forces of human rights violations, indiscriminately bombarding civilian areas in Tripoli, and recruiting children to fight.Aguila Saleh, speaker of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives allied to Haftar, said Libya needed to get rid of militias and terrorist groups."Speaking to lawmakers in the main eastern city of Benghazi, Saleh said: "We assure the residents of Tripoli that the campaign to liberate Tripoli will be limited and not violate any freedoms but restore security and fight terrorism."Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi met with Haftar in Cairo on Sunday, but no further details were given.Haftars forces extended their control beyond their eastern stronghold earlier this year, taking the countrys south-western Fezzan region, before launching a long-anticipated push for Tripoli.Libya has been divided since the 2011 toppling of Moamer Kadhafi with political and armed factions vying for control. * A quick guide to Libya's main players: EU Council on Foreign Relations As eastern Libyan forces continued their advance on the capital Tripoli Sunday, the World Health Organization warned that fighting there has killed 121 people and wounded 561 since military commander Khalifa Haftars offensive began 10 days ago. The WHO condemned attacks on aid workers and said it would be sending in more staff and medical supplies, while the UN earlier appealed for the evacuation of more than 1,500 migrants and refugees caught in the crossfire. The UN's office for humanitarian affairs (OCHA) warned that more than 13,500 people had been displaced by the violence. "Three medical personnel have been killed and five ambulances have been incapacitated by shrapnel," OCHA said in a statement Saturday. Haftar's forces have claimed advances in the battle to wrest Tripoli from the UN-backed Government of National Accord, but reports say neither side appears to have taken a lead in the ground offensive. The leader of the UN-backed government, Fayez al-Sarraj, accused Haftar's forces of human rights violations, indiscriminately bombarding civilian areas in Tripoli, and recruiting children to fight. Aguila Saleh, speaker of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives allied to Haftar, said Libya needed to get rid of militias and terrorist groups." Speaking to lawmakers in the main eastern city of Benghazi, Saleh said: "We assure the residents of Tripoli that the campaign to liberate Tripoli will be limited and not violate any freedoms but restore security and fight terrorism." Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi met with Haftar in Cairo on Sunday, but no further details were given. Haftars forces extended their control beyond their eastern stronghold earlier this year, taking the countrys south-western Fezzan region, before launching a long-anticipated push for Tripoli. Libya has been divided since the 2011 toppling of Moamer Kadhafi with political and armed factions vying for control. Washington is working on a plan to send new NATO ships to the Black Sea in response to the November armed clash between the Russian and Ukrainian navies off the annexed Crimean Peninsula. On April 3, the United States announced its intention to strengthen NATO's military presence in the Black Sea by sending new ships. "We will ensure that we have the capacity to deter a very aggressive Russia," said US Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison. She assured that the US proposal was aimed at "ensuring that there is a safe passage for Ukrainian ships through the Kerch Strait".This plan comes in the wake of the November naval incident between Ukraine and Russia when Russian coastguards boarded Ukrainian warships trying to enter the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait separating it from the Black Sea. Three people were injured in the incident and 24 Ukrainian sailors have since been taken prisoner.Is the situation in the Black Sea region getting worse?Quentin Lopinot, an associate researcher at the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, believes the American initiative is primarily a response to the deteriorating situation in the Black Sea region: "Russia is on a mission to modernise its fleet and infrastructure there in a major way, and is marking its territory much more aggressively. Washington does not want to turn a blind eye to this development, fearing that Moscow will therefore succeed in controlling de facto, or dominating the Black Sea region. The challenge is therefore also to ensure that the Black Sea remains an international space, where freedom of navigation is respected."Yves Boyer, an associate researcher at the Fondation pour la recherche strategique (FRS), believes that its primarily a question of good communication. "We need to make announcements. The Americans want to reassure Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia. Theres also perhaps the idea of helping Ukrainian President Poroshenko, who is in a bad position before the second round of the presidential elections," he explains.Russia responded by indicating that it viewed the American plan "in a negative way". "We don't understand what they mean by this. The situation in the Kerch Strait and navigation there is well known," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov.Boyer believes Russia is within its rights to view the American plan as provocative: "It's like tickling a bear under its chin, thinking that it will impress him, but its completely ridiculous. The shore of the Sea of Azov is completely Russian. It's like telling Americans to stay out of business in the Gulf of Mexico.The strategic Kerch StraitBefore the naval clash, however, for months Kiev and the West had already accused Russia of deliberately "obstructing" the navigation of commercial ships through the Kerch Strait. Russia has claimed control of the Kerch Strait since its annexation of Crimea, which allows it to control both sides of the strait. "This strait is important for Moscow because it establishes physical continuity between the Crimean peninsula and Russian territory. The control of the strait thus makes it possible to consolidate the annexation of the Crimea," says Lopinot.This strait is also crucial for Kiev because it allows entry into the Sea of Azov, where there are several Ukrainian ports of great importance to the country, including Berdyansk and Mariupol.Russia is not just any old countrySeveral border countries belonging to NATO, such as Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, are naturally permanently present in the Black Sea.Other military transit in the region is subject to the 1936 Montreux Convention, which regulates free movement in the Black Sea."American, French, British and German ships regularly enter the Black Sea under this convention," says Boyer. "In 2018, four American destroyers sailed there and France is due to send three ships in 2019," says Lopinot. "But the novelty lies not so much in increasing the volume of ships present in the area, as in better coordination of resources between allies. The challenge is not to accumulate military assets in this area, but rather to use them better to be more effective."Boyer believes military confrontation is unlikely. "No NATO country will taunt the Russians too much in the Sea of Azov, Boyer says. We must not forget that Russia is not just any old country, it is the second largest nuclear power in the world." This article was translated from the original in French. Washington is working on a plan to send new NATO ships to the Black Sea in response to the November armed clash between the Russian and Ukrainian navies off the annexed Crimean Peninsula. On April 3, the United States announced its intention to strengthen NATO's military presence in the Black Sea by sending new ships. "We will ensure that we have the capacity to deter a very aggressive Russia," said US Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison. She assured that the US proposal was aimed at "ensuring that there is a safe passage for Ukrainian ships through the Kerch Strait". This plan comes in the wake of the November naval incident between Ukraine and Russia when Russian coastguards boarded Ukrainian warships trying to enter the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait separating it from the Black Sea. Three people were injured in the incident and 24 Ukrainian sailors have since been taken prisoner. Is the situation in the Black Sea region getting worse? Quentin Lopinot, an associate researcher at the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, believes the American initiative is primarily a response to the deteriorating situation in the Black Sea region: "Russia is on a mission to modernise its fleet and infrastructure there in a major way, and is marking its territory much more aggressively. Washington does not want to turn a blind eye to this development, fearing that Moscow will therefore succeed in controlling de facto, or dominating the Black Sea region. The challenge is therefore also to ensure that the Black Sea remains an international space, where freedom of navigation is respected." Yves Boyer, an associate researcher at the Fondation pour la recherche strategique (FRS), believes that its primarily a question of good communication. "We need to make announcements. The Americans want to reassure Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia. Theres also perhaps the idea of helping Ukrainian President Poroshenko, who is in a bad position before the second round of the presidential elections," he explains. Story continues Russia responded by indicating that it viewed the American plan "in a negative way". "We don't understand what they mean by this. The situation in the Kerch Strait and navigation there is well known," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov. Boyer believes Russia is within its rights to view the American plan as provocative: "It's like tickling a bear under its chin, thinking that it will impress him, but its completely ridiculous. The shore of the Sea of Azov is completely Russian. It's like telling Americans to stay out of business in the Gulf of Mexico. The strategic Kerch Strait Before the naval clash, however, for months Kiev and the West had already accused Russia of deliberately "obstructing" the navigation of commercial ships through the Kerch Strait. Russia has claimed control of the Kerch Strait since its annexation of Crimea, which allows it to control both sides of the strait. "This strait is important for Moscow because it establishes physical continuity between the Crimean peninsula and Russian territory. The control of the strait thus makes it possible to consolidate the annexation of the Crimea," says Lopinot. This strait is also crucial for Kiev because it allows entry into the Sea of Azov, where there are several Ukrainian ports of great importance to the country, including Berdyansk and Mariupol. Russia is not just any old country Several border countries belonging to NATO, such as Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, are naturally permanently present in the Black Sea.Other military transit in the region is subject to the 1936 Montreux Convention, which regulates free movement in the Black Sea. "American, French, British and German ships regularly enter the Black Sea under this convention," says Boyer. "In 2018, four American destroyers sailed there and France is due to send three ships in 2019," says Lopinot. "But the novelty lies not so much in increasing the volume of ships present in the area, as in better coordination of resources between allies. The challenge is not to accumulate military assets in this area, but rather to use them better to be more effective." Boyer believes military confrontation is unlikely. "No NATO country will taunt the Russians too much in the Sea of Azov, Boyer says. We must not forget that Russia is not just any old country, it is the second largest nuclear power in the world." This article was translated from the original in French. Sudan's military rulers have held talks with protests leaders demanding the creation of a civilian government following the overthrow of the countrys regime as thousands of people remained camped outside the army headquarters overnight.The Alliance for Freedom and Change, an umbrella group leading the protests, on Saturday said they had delivered their demands including restructuring Sudans National Intelligence and Security Service.Sudan has seen two leaders toppled in two days after General Awad Ibn Ouf, who ousted longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir, was himself ousted after 24 hours. * Bashirs 'military cronies need a civilian to run Sudan'The new leader of the Military Transition Council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has promised to hand over power to a civilian government within two years.He also lifted a night curfew imposed by his predecessor and ordered the release of prisoners jailed under the emergency law for protests against al-Bashir.In a statement broadcast on Sudanese radio, al-Burhan urged the protesters to return home promising the military council was working to promote an equal society that protected political freedoms. Sudan's military rulers have held talks with protests leaders demanding the creation of a civilian government following the overthrow of the countrys regime as thousands of people remained camped outside the army headquarters overnight. The Alliance for Freedom and Change, an umbrella group leading the protests, on Saturday said they had delivered their demands including restructuring Sudans National Intelligence and Security Service. Sudan has seen two leaders toppled in two days after General Awad Ibn Ouf, who ousted longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir, was himself ousted after 24 hours. The new leader of the Military Transition Council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has promised to hand over power to a civilian government within two years. He also lifted a night curfew imposed by his predecessor and ordered the release of prisoners jailed under the emergency law for protests against al-Bashir. In a statement broadcast on Sudanese radio, al-Burhan urged the protesters to return home promising the military council was working to promote an equal society that protected political freedoms. HONG KONG (AP) A Hong Kong court has found nine leaders of 2014 pro-democracy demonstrations guilty on public nuisance and other charges. Those convicted Tuesday 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. They were leaders of the "Occupy Central" campaign to demand the right of the semi-autonomous Chinese city's population to choose its own leader. Hong Kong's biggest popular protest in recent years also known as the Umbrella Movement laid siege to government headquarters and paralyzed the financial district for 79 days. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) Three American service members and a U.S. contractor were killed when their convoy hit a roadside bomb on Monday near the main U.S. base in Afghanistan, the U.S. forces said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The U.S. and NATO Resolute Support mission said the four Americans were killed near the Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, while three others were wounded in the explosion. The base in Bagram district is located in northern Parwan province and serves as the main U.S. air facility in the country. The wounded were evacuated and are receiving medical care, the statement said. NEW DELHI (AP) As she patrols for cow smugglers, Sadhvi Kamal, a Hindu holy woman in a saffron robe, rides in a white SUV with a sticker on the rear window displaying a cow framed by swords and rifles. The words in the sticker's logo say, "The cow is the mother of the world." Kamal leads a vigilante force of thousands of volunteers, mostly young Hindu men. Such vigilante forces have emerged after several Indian states banned the slaughter of cows, sacred to Hindus, in recent years. Mobs have lynched three dozen Muslims, who traditionally run meat shops and slaughterhouses. NEW DELHI (AP) India's ruling party released its election manifesto on Monday, three days before the start of a multi-phase general election in the world's largest democracy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party hoping to return to power for a second five-year term laid out their platform, emphasizing national security and economic development. The BJP manifesto opened with an entreaty from Modi for voters' "valued blessings." Modi said the document described the path for India to "move from being a developing country to a developed country" by 2047, asking, "If the 21st century is Asia's century, should India lead it or not? Story continues JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) More families of victims of the Lion Air crash in Indonesia are suing Boeing Co. after its chief executive apologized and said a software update for the MAX 8 jet would prevent further disasters. Family members and lawyers said Monday that CEO Dennis Muilenburg's comment last week related to an automated flight system was an admission that helps their cases. The anti-stall system is suspected as a cause of the Lion Air crash in October and an Ethiopian Airlines crash in March that also involved a MAX 8 jet. The two crashes killed a total of 346 people. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) Korean Air's chairman, whose leadership included scandals such as his daughter's infamous incident of "nut rage," has died due to illness, the company said Monday. Cho Yang-ho had been indicted on multiple charges, including embezzlement and tax evasion, and his death came two weeks after shareholders voted to remove the 70-year-old from the company's board over a series of scandals surrounding his family. Cho's death will likely force a court to dismiss his criminal case. The company said in a statement that Cho died at a hospital in Los Angeles but did not specify his illness or provide other details. WASHINGTON (AP) 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. TOKYO (AP) Nissan's shareholders ousted the automaker's former chairman Carlos Ghosn from its board on Monday, seeking to shut the door on an era capped by scandal. More than 4,000 people gathered at a Tokyo hotel for a three-hour extraordinary shareholders' meeting and signaled their approval for dismissing Ghosn with applause. They also approved the appointment of French alliance partner Renault SA's Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard to replace Ghosn. Renault owns 43 percent of Nissan. "I will dedicate my energy to enhance the future of Nissan," said Senard, who was introduced to the shareholders at the meeting's end. He promised to do his best to keep the automaker's performance on track. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) Malaysian police said Monday that 41 Muslim Rohingya men and boys have been detained in the northernmost state of Perlis, the second group to land in the country in just over a month, and that some 200 others are still believed to be at sea. Perlis police chief Noor Mushar Mohamad said the group, ranging in age from 14 to 30, landed early Monday on the same beach where 34 Rohingya women and children were found stranded March 2. Noor Mushar said one of the men told police that they were part of over 200 Rohingya in a large boat that sailed overnight from Thailand, and that 47 of them were transferred to a smaller boat to Perlis after they paid 4,000 ringgit ($977) each to a trafficker. WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has named a sitting Supreme Court justice to head New Zealand's top level investigation into the actions of security agencies and other issues related to the mosque shootings last month in which 50 people were killed. The Royal Commission of Inquiry will look into the gunman's activities before the attack, including how he obtained a gun license in New Zealand and purchased weapons and ammunition, and his use of social media and possible connections with others in New Zealand or overseas. "The Government will ensure no stone is left unturned as we examine as quickly as possible how the March 15 attack happened, what could have been done to stop it and how we can keep New Zealanders safe," Ardern said Monday in announcing the terms of the inquiry. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in Peru on Saturday on the third-leg of a four-nation tour of Latin American allies focusing heavily on Venezuela and countering Chinas economic reach. Pompeo held talks with President Martin Vizcarra and Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio before attending a dinner for business leaders.He paid tribute to Perus welcome for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan refugees and Vizcarras fight against corruption, which has embroiled the previous four Peruvian presidents.But he became irritated when a reporter asked if that contradicted US President Donald Trumps harsh immigration policy at home.Our objective is to allow people to stay in their home countries, this is President Trumps desire, we want to create conditions in these countries where they can stay in their own country, he told the press conference with Popolizio.Pompeo also spoke by telephone with Brazils Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo, the State Department announced late Saturday.They reaffirmed the close friendship between the United States and Brazil and pledged to continue working together to address the... crises in Venezuela, their effects on Venezuelas neighbors, and the need for outside actors, including Cuba, Russia, and China, to stop propping up Nicolas Maduro, spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.Visit to ParaguayEarlier Pompeo had become the first US secretary of state to visit Paraguay, formerly ruled as a dictatorship, since 1965, paying tribute to the countrys transition to democracy as an inspiration to the region.The top US diplomat arrived in Asuncion late Friday after talks with Chiles President Sebastian Pinera in Santiago that focused heavily on his countrys developing trade relationship with China.The highlight of Pompeos trip will be a brief visit Sunday to the Colombian city of Cucuta on the Venezuelan border, where he will meet refugees.All four countries on his itinerary are led by right-wing or center-right leaders favorable to Washingtons uncompromising approach to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.In Asuncion, Pompeo had praised Paraguays support for US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido in Venezuela, and its role in the Lima Group of mostly Latin American nations seeking a solution to the Venezuela crisis.Paraguay is a leader in defending democracy and calling Maduro as he is, a tyrant who has ruined his country, Pompeo said.Foreign Minister Luis Castiglioni said Paraguays position on Venezuela remained strongly aligned with that of the United States.We have always said: with dictators, with tyrants, there is no dialogue. You fight them. We must fight them until liberties are restored so that the Venezuelan people can return to live with dignity, he told reporters.Asked by a US journalist if Paraguay would back a military intervention in Venezuela, he said: We are convinced that all the diplomatic efforts that are being made to isolate this regime will have results in a short time.Transnational crimeThe two officials also discussed Paraguays commitments on combatting threats of terrorism, drug trafficking and transnational crime in what is known as the tri-border area, the border region Paraguay shares with Argentina and Brazil.Paraguay has declared all-out war against transnational crime, said Castiglioni.This battle that we are fighting is a battle of no return until we win. We have assured the Secretary of State that Paraguay wants to cooperate very closely with the US government, since we are on the same path.The US official said before his arrival in Chile on Friday that the current US administration had spent a lot of time in Latin America seeking to improve trade in a region which has turned its back in recent years on a slew of leftist governments.This is an historic opportunity, he told reporters, referring to a handful of countries that are truly market driven, democratic in ways that we havent had in South America for decades. And we think it creates real opportunity.Asked about Chinas influence at a press conference following a working lunch with his Chilean counterpart Roberto Ampuero, Pompeo said: I think the Chilean government and the United States government both share the same concerns.Chinas trade activities often are deeply connected to their national security mission, their technological goals, their desire to steal intellectual property, to have forced technology transfer, to engage in activity that is not economic, he said.He iterated his concerns Saturday in Peru.Too often we see Chinas predatory lending and debt diplomacy reverse positive advances in this area, he said.Our shared goal would be to resist Chinese overtures and promote transparency.(AFP) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in Peru on Saturday on the third-leg of a four-nation tour of Latin American allies focusing heavily on Venezuela and countering Chinas economic reach. Pompeo held talks with President Martin Vizcarra and Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio before attending a dinner for business leaders. He paid tribute to Perus welcome for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan refugees and Vizcarras fight against corruption, which has embroiled the previous four Peruvian presidents. But he became irritated when a reporter asked if that contradicted US President Donald Trumps harsh immigration policy at home. Our objective is to allow people to stay in their home countries, this is President Trumps desire, we want to create conditions in these countries where they can stay in their own country, he told the press conference with Popolizio. Pompeo also spoke by telephone with Brazils Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo, the State Department announced late Saturday. They reaffirmed the close friendship between the United States and Brazil and pledged to continue working together to address the... crises in Venezuela, their effects on Venezuelas neighbors, and the need for outside actors, including Cuba, Russia, and China, to stop propping up Nicolas Maduro, spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. Visit to Paraguay Earlier Pompeo had become the first US secretary of state to visit Paraguay, formerly ruled as a dictatorship, since 1965, paying tribute to the countrys transition to democracy as an inspiration to the region. The top US diplomat arrived in Asuncion late Friday after talks with Chiles President Sebastian Pinera in Santiago that focused heavily on his countrys developing trade relationship with China. The highlight of Pompeos trip will be a brief visit Sunday to the Colombian city of Cucuta on the Venezuelan border, where he will meet refugees. All four countries on his itinerary are led by right-wing or center-right leaders favorable to Washingtons uncompromising approach to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Story continues In Asuncion, Pompeo had praised Paraguays support for US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido in Venezuela, and its role in the Lima Group of mostly Latin American nations seeking a solution to the Venezuela crisis. Paraguay is a leader in defending democracy and calling Maduro as he is, a tyrant who has ruined his country, Pompeo said. Foreign Minister Luis Castiglioni said Paraguays position on Venezuela remained strongly aligned with that of the United States. We have always said: with dictators, with tyrants, there is no dialogue. You fight them. We must fight them until liberties are restored so that the Venezuelan people can return to live with dignity, he told reporters. Asked by a US journalist if Paraguay would back a military intervention in Venezuela, he said: We are convinced that all the diplomatic efforts that are being made to isolate this regime will have results in a short time. Transnational crime The two officials also discussed Paraguays commitments on combatting threats of terrorism, drug trafficking and transnational crime in what is known as the tri-border area, the border region Paraguay shares with Argentina and Brazil. Paraguay has declared all-out war against transnational crime, said Castiglioni. This battle that we are fighting is a battle of no return until we win. We have assured the Secretary of State that Paraguay wants to cooperate very closely with the US government, since we are on the same path. The US official said before his arrival in Chile on Friday that the current US administration had spent a lot of time in Latin America seeking to improve trade in a region which has turned its back in recent years on a slew of leftist governments. This is an historic opportunity, he told reporters, referring to a handful of countries that are truly market driven, democratic in ways that we havent had in South America for decades. And we think it creates real opportunity. Asked about Chinas influence at a press conference following a working lunch with his Chilean counterpart Roberto Ampuero, Pompeo said: I think the Chilean government and the United States government both share the same concerns. Chinas trade activities often are deeply connected to their national security mission, their technological goals, their desire to steal intellectual property, to have forced technology transfer, to engage in activity that is not economic, he said. He iterated his concerns Saturday in Peru. Too often we see Chinas predatory lending and debt diplomacy reverse positive advances in this area, he said. Our shared goal would be to resist Chinese overtures and promote transparency. (AFP) Photo credit: . From House Beautiful Update: 4/11/2019: Over the past few decades, it's become expected for royal babies to be photographed in their mothers' arms just hours after birth. But Meghan and Harry are breaking from that tradition, and will not have a photocall directly outside the hospital. According to a statement today from the royal family, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, "have taken a personal decision to keep plans around the arrival of their new baby quiet. The Duke and Duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family." Original: 4/4/2019: Shortly after Prince Louis was born last spring, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge exited the iconic doors of the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital Paddington to introduce their newborn son to the world's media for the first time. They posed for a few minutes, as a sea of photographers, reporters, and news crews captured history in the making. But as the royals smiled and waved for the cameras, William pointed out one photographer in particular, Arthur Edwards, the royal photographer for The Sun, saying "There's Arthur, there he is." Edwards has been photographing the royal family for more than four decades, and Prince William grew up seeing him on a regular basis. His familiarity with the royal family is well known: "Other photographers always want to stand next to me because they always think that might happen," Edwards sheepishly tells T&C over the phone. Edwards, in fact, was there for Prince William's first Lindo Wing portrait-the one he took with his parents. "Ive been covering him all his life, from when he started nursery school all through, right to when he got married," Edwards says. "I photographed William when he came out of hospital in his mothers arms." He has photographed eight royal births, and watched as the tradition of posing for photos outside the hospital took root. While Princess Diana wasn't the first royal to give birth in a hospital-and she wasn't even the first royal to be photographed leaving a hospital with a newborn-she was the first royal to deliver an heir in the hospital, and that changed everything in the 1980s. Story continues Photo credit: Tim Graham - Getty Images "There was fascination, and so of course hoards of photographers and the media were all outside waiting for her to leave with William," explains royal commentator Victoria Arbiter. "It really offered an opportunity to capture a moment in history. There is the future heir Prince Charles with his wife walking out with the future, future heir." From there, it became a modern tradition for new royal mothers to give the world a glimpse of their babies right outside the hospital doors. "It's interesting when you think about thousand years of royal history, this is only two generations that have done this," Arbiter muses. "In this media-dominated world, its definitely something weve come to expect." But over the past 36 years, the magnitude with which these moments are captured and broadcast around the world has changed enormously. "With [Prince William's birth], there were two TV crews, the BBC and ITV, about 20 photographers, and about five or six reporters. When Harry came out of the hospital two years later, there were about another five more photographers," Edwards recalls. "When William carried out his eldest son George, there was 300 yards of media." Photo credit: JUSTIN TALLIS - Getty Images Those reporters represented outlets from around the world. "There was a massive, massive media crowd. All the television networks were there, with an easy way to distribute news," Edwards says. "Every American network there; every Australian network there; there were New Zealand networks there; there were Mexican networks; there were Greek networks there. Everybody was there." As the crowd of reporters grew, so did the number of photographs they were taking. "As soon as those press pens were introduced, there were a lot of photographers there, but of course, theyre shooting film, so you only have thirty-six exposures," explains Bob Ahern, the director of archive for Getty Images. "When youre talking about today, youre talking about thousands of pictures." And as technology advances, it's changing the type of images photographers try to capture. Edwards's ideal picture is still "both the Duke and the Duchess holding the baby, looking straight at me," but there's also a desire for close-ups of the newborn, along with style-focused shots of the Duchess's outfit, and images of the royals as they get into the car. Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images "You have to get that great shot thats going to be on the front cover of the worlds papers the next day, but I think in and around that, theres just as much interest in scrolling through galleries of how the day unfolded," Ahern says. "We want to know every detail, right? We want to know who makes the car seat that William uses. We want to know how Kate styled her hair. We want to know what the baby was wrapped in, all those little details. Its an exponential interest. Its kind of incredible, really." And of course, now that everyone has a camera in their pocket at all times, royal fans are known to camp out outside the hospital, hoping to capture their own photos of the special day. "I think the desire to participate is at its kind of peak. I think its a wonderful thing, but I don't think it changes what a professional photographer does," Ahern says. Photo credit: Peter Macdiarmid - Getty Images As the Duchess of Sussex's due date draws near, it's unclear which hospital she will give birth in (or indeed, if she will opt for a home birth). Whether Meghan, Harry, and their new baby will pose for a portrait on their way out the door is an unknown factor as well. Victoria Arbiter thinks they will, if only to quell the rabid interest in unsanctioned pictures. "If I were a betting person, I would think Meghan and Harry would stop for a photograph because by standing and giving the press what they need in that photograph and in that moment, it reduces the value of any kind of paparazzi pictures," she says. "That first photograph has the potential to be incredibly valuable. Which is when you see royals take control of the narrative. And they say, 'Well give you this picture but in exchange youve got to leave us alone and respect our privacy.'" But she says there's still a chance they might want to protect their newborn from scrutiny. Photo credit: Neil Mockford - Getty Images "Bless this babys little heart because its a huge historical burden to carry, but the child happens to be the first mixed race heritage baby in the royal family. That is very exciting, thats reflecting society as it is today. But as I say, that is also a tremendous historical burden for that little baby to have on his or her shoulders," she says. "Harry and Meghan are going to be keen to protect that baby." Edwards is hoping for a photograph as well, but Harry and Meghan are known to break tradition. "Ive asked the question and Ive got no answers, so I dont know," he says, when asked if he thinks Harry and Meghan will pose for a few snaps with their newborn outside the hospital. "I photographed Harry coming out of that hospital in his mothers arms, and I hope to photograph Harrys baby when coming out in Harrys arms," Edwards says. "But Harry might do it differently. He may have his own plans. Well know soon enough." Follow House Beautiful on Instagram. ('You Might Also Like',) Julian Assange is seen skateboarding in the Ecuadorian embassy in newly-released footage which reveals his deteriorating relations with staff in the building. The WikiLeaks founder was holed up in the embassy in London for more than seven years before he was arrested on Thursday. Security footage, obtained by the Spanish newspaper El Pais, has shown Assange in his living quarters and captured a furious row between the Australian and a security guard. At one point, Assange, 47, is seen dressed in a vest and shorts while he tries to ride a skateboard. Assange is also seen clashing with a guard as he holds a meeting with visitors who allegedly refused to leave. The footage shows him pointing a camera at the guard, who then tries to snatch it away. Assange's guests left after the ambassador reportedly arrived in the early hours of the morning. It comes after Assange's lawyer accused Ecuador of making "outrageous" claims about his actions in their London embassy. Jennifer Robinson told Sky News that claims about her client's behaviour - including that he had smeared walls with faeces - were fabricated as a pretext to force him out. Ecuador has claimed Assange had to be reminded to flush the toilet, left dirty underwear in the lavatory, did not clean dishes and left the cooker on. Ms Robinson said: "Ecuador has made these allegations to justify the unlawful and extraordinary act of letting police come inside an embassy. "I've been visiting him for the last seven years. This man has been inside a room with no outside access. "Inside the embassy it's become more difficult. The politics changed when Ecuador's political situation changed with a new leader." Ecuador's president has accused Assange of trying to create a "centre for spying" at the embassy and said the nation's previous government had provided facilities within the building to "interfere in processes of other states". Story continues In an interview with The Guardian, Lenin Moreno said the Wikileaks founder's activities "violate asylum conditions" and added: "Our decision is not arbitrary but is based on international law". He also said no other country influenced Ecuador's decision to withdraw Assange's asylum, claiming it had followed a series of violations by the self-proclaimed journalist. Assange faces up to 12 months in prison after being found guilty of breaching his bail conditions when he entered the Ecuadorian embassy in 2012. He made the move after losing his battle against extradition to Sweden where he faced allegations including rape. Assange is now expected to fight extradition to the US over an allegation that he conspired with former army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to break into a classified government computer. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has joined Assange's supporters in saying he should be protected against extradition to the US because he exposed evidence of "atrocities" in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 70 MPs have also urged the government to ensure Assange faces Swedish authorities if they request his extradition. 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Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next. When asked by Uygur who he thought lied to him, Wilkerson said one of WINPACs two WMD experts at the time may have been answering directly to Dick Cheneys office. declassified report from 2002 titled Iraq: Status of WMD Programs reveals that while the Bush administration was making its claims of absolute certainty regarding the dangers posed by the Iraqi government, behind the scenes it was damn near the opposite. Some choice excerpts: Our assessments rely heavily on analytic assumptions and judgment rather than hard evidence. The evidentiary base is particularly sparse for Iraqi nuclear programs. We range from 0% to about 75% knowledge on various aspects of their program. Our knowledge of the Iraqi (nuclear) weapons program is based largelyperhaps 90%on analysis of imprecise intelligence. We cannot confirm the identity of any Iraqi facilities that produce, test, fill, or store biological weapons. Our knowledge of what biological weapons the Iraqis are able to produce is nearly complete. Our knowledge of how and where they are produced is nearly 90% incomplete. We do not know the status of enrichment capabilities. We do not know with confidence the location of any nuclear-weapon-related facilities. Please take a look at this material as to what we dont know about WMD. It is big. (That one was from Rumsfeld.) We dont know with any precision how much we dont know. This is not the language of certainty. Yet certainty was presented to the public to manufacture support for a war which murdered a million Iraqis. The 2002 Downing Street memo , made public in 2005, reveals a secret meeting between senior officials of the British government, intelligence and defense agencies discussing what they knew about Americas plans for war. The text of the document contains an assertion by the head of MI6 that Bush had already determined that the invasion of Iraq would take place, and it was only a matter of fixing bits of intelligence around a narrative to make the case. Military action was now seen as inevitable, the document reads. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regimes record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action. It seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action, even if the timing was not yet decided, the document quotes Foreign Secretary Jack Straw as saying. But the case was thin. In a 2008 hearing before the House Judiciary Committee , attorney and author Vincent Bugliosi pointed out that the fact that Bush lied about Iraq could be proven by the difference between the classified 2002 National Intelligence Estimate and its declassified white paper which was made available to the public. The classified version contained dissents from the consensus and language which made it clear that the reader was reading assessments and opinions by the CIA and other intelligence agencies, whereas the unclassified version saw these things deleted, presenting the assessments as absolute fact. The evidence that he lied about weapons of mass destruction, by the way, which is not the basis for this book, are right in front of me, Bugliosi said . I have it right here. Here is the evidence. This document here is the National Intelligence Estimate. I didnt name it before. I talked about a classified report. This is it right here. October 1st, 2002, classified NIE report. It is called Iraqs Continuing Programs of Weapons of Mass Destruction. In this document right here, the CIA and 15 other U.S. intelligence agencies use words like this, we assess that or we judge that Hussein has weapons of mass destruction. This document here is the white paper that was given to you folks here in Congress and the American people. And the words we assess that or we judge that were removed, meaning that you folks here heard a fact, and in fact, it was only an opinion. Number two, on nuclear weapons, this document right here, the classified report has several important dissents. This document right here, the white paper that you folks were given and the American people, all of those dissents were deleted. Over and over and over again we saw the same thing: uncertainty presented as certainty. Guesses presented as fact. Opinions presented as proof. Thats a lie. Bush lied. We know this with as much certainty as his administration was pretending to have in the lead-up to the Iraq invasion. There was a pre-existing agenda to invade Iraq, and justifications were advanced to provide an excuse for that invasion with such extreme aggression that now-National Security Advisor John Bolton literally threatened to murder an international officials children for making diplomacy work with Saddam. Here are a few more courtesy of Vox In 2007 General Wesley Clark told Democracy Now that hed actually been informed of the decision to invade Iraq immediately after 9/11, while the crosshairs were turning on Afghanistan and well before the public narrative was being amped up in demand of an invasion of Iraq. His comments read as follows: About ten days after 9/11, I went through the Pentagon and I saw Secretary Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz. I went downstairs just to say hello to some of the people on the Joint Staff who used to work for me, and one of the generals called me in. He said, Sir, youve got to come in and talk to me a second. I said, Well, youre too busy. He said, No, no. He says, Weve made the decision were going to war with Iraq. This was on or about the 20th of September. I said, Were going to war with Iraq? Why? He said, I dont know. He said, I guess they dont know what else to do. So I said, Well, did they find some information connecting Saddam to al-Qaeda? He said, No, no. He says, Theres nothing new that way. They just made the decision to go to war with Iraq. He said, I guess its like we dont know what to do about terrorists, but weve got a good military and we can take down governments. And he said, I guess if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem has to look like a nail. So I came back to see him a few weeks later, and by that time we were bombing in Afghanistan. I said, Are we still going to war with Iraq? And he said, Oh, its worse than that. He reached over on his desk. He picked up a piece of paper. And he said, I just got this down from upstairs meaning the Secretary of Defenses office today. And he said, This is a memo that describes how were going to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran. I said, Is it classified? He said, Yes, sir. I said, Well, dont show it to me. And I saw him a year or so ago, and I said, You remember that? He said, Sir, I didnt show you that memo! I didnt show it to you! Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Iran. If youve been following the behaviors of the US war machine, Iraq wont be the only painfully familiar name on that list. Ari Fleischer is a liar. He was in the thick of the Bush administrations campaign to sell the Iraq war to the American public, and to this day he continues trying to sell them on new acts of depraved US interventionism . Hes just as much a warmongering neocon inside as he was when he was behind a podium defending Bushs wars in the press room, so its no wonder he wants to preserve the image of his insatiable death cult. Fleischer wants to preserve his legacy, yes, but he also wants to preserve support for the war machine whose feet he worships at, hence his ham-fisted attempt at narrative manipulation regarding the unforgivable Iraq invasion. The responses to Fleischers Twitter thread have been overwhelmingly negative, though, so it doesnt look like anyones buying it. In our new political landscape, where the image of George W Bush is being continually rehabilitated , that gives me a bit of hope. These monsters lied to start a war which snuffed out a million human lives and destabilized an entire region, and they did it right in front of our faces. The fact that theyre now trying to lie about the thing we all watched them do is as insulting as it is infuriating. Never let them pull the wool over your eyes, and never forget what they did. Forgiveness is highly overrated River to Sea Roxana Roxy Sora has enjoyed a busy April. Having exhibited her art pieces at ArtExpo in NYC, the artist is now planning on making more Art as 2019 continues and is heading to the Hamptons on 4th of July weekend to exhibit her work there. Roxy was able to realize her passion for that arts after her children grew up and found their way in the world. She now has more time to continue creating her unique art pieces. Roxy was born in Cuba but came to America at age eight with only her seven-year-old sister as a company. The two lived in an orphanage for over a year until they were reunited with their parents. This experience resulted in Roxy diving into art as an escape mechanism. Roxy grew up, started a family, and attained the title of President in the insurance industry. Roxy uses her life as inspiration for her paintings...and her new fashion line which she officially launched as the Roxana Zubia Collection. Roxys art has been displayed in commercial buildings in Florida at The Benitez Gallery, the Coral Gables Museum of Art, Art Basel Week at Spectrum, the DaVinci Gallery, Artblend Gallery and elsewhere. Roxy recently discussed her art, fashion, and future via an exclusive interview. Colors, style, and art Meagan Meehan (MM): Your style is very colorful, so how did you manage to create a look that is entirely your own? Roxana Sora (RS): The liquid paints I use are poured so having the paints ready and blending them in one sitting to make sure I get the effect I want is important. When I started working with this medium, I just poured the colors and let them run into each other to see what the effect would be. With time, I was able to get it to do what I wanted. Discuss this news on Eunomia I would have a picture in mind and was able to recreate it in an abstract form. If you go to my website, you can see that I have done waves, volcanos, sunsets, and other pieces. I also paint with music, jazz, classical, Latin; it depends on the mood. People tell me they can see and feel the movement of the music in my work. The above pictures are titled FIRE, NOCHE (NIGHT), EVENINGS DELIGHT. MM: You came to America at age eight with your little sister. You were without the company of an adult, so what was that journey like? RS: The Cuban government separated my sister and I the day before leaving Cuba. I came over by myself. There have been several books written about the Pedro Pan children which translates to Peter Pan. We all had different experiences, but one that still stands out in my mind was my mother telling me before we were separated that I could not cry or else they would not let me go, and it was important for me to go. She also told me that once I was reunited with my sister, I needed to take care of her. To this day, my sister calls me her second mother. I was then led to a glass room to wait to board the plane. I could see my parents on the other side, and they could see me, but I could not CRY. I remember boarding the plane with a doll and a purse in my hand. I was only in Miami for a week before I was sent to an orphanage in Davenport, Iowa. Coming from a beautiful island and arriving in the dead of winter was a shock. There were no leaves on the trees; the sky was grey; it was cold and snow on the ground. To think about it, it was a leaving the warmth-loving world of my parents and sister, to the dark, cold loneliness of nowhere! MM: What was life in an orphanage like and how much of an impact did your time there have on your embracement of artwork? RS: The nuns were strict and tough. I came from an upper-middle-class lifestyle. My sister and I had nannies to take care of us. In the orphanage, I had to learn to wash clothes, iron and clean bathrooms. I still have a scar from the hot iron the first time ironed. When I was reunited with my sister, since she was only seven, I had to do her chores as well. I became very independent and withdrawn. Since I did not speak English, I started to communicate through my drawings, which my mom kept and brought one of them from Cuban. I was happiest when I was drawing. MM: What was it like to be reunited with your parents and were there any major culture shocks regarding your new life in America? RS: My sister and I were one of the fortunate kids. We were reunited with our parents within the year. The day we arrive in Miami from Iowa someone forgot to tell our parents we were arriving so they were not there to pick us up. We were once again picked up by the person who picked us up the first time when I arrived in Miami and taken to the camp in Florida City where all of the children were taken. I wanted to run away, but because of my sister, I didnt. Its interesting how a mothers intuition kicks in. My mom kept telling my dad that she knew we were in Miami. She insisted that a family member call the organization taking care of the kids to see if we were here and they confirmed that we were. It took my parents three days to get to us. In 1962, there were not many jobs, so my dad went to New York to find a job; we followed a week later. I would say that it was not so much the culture shock but the fact that our childhood was taken away from us. Not in a terrible way just the fact that we had to grow up faster. My father spoke English from Cuban but my mom did not. We became their translators and help them assimilate the language. My dad found two full time jobs in NY. We hardly saw him. My mom worked in a factory and would leave very early in the morning and got home late. My sister and I would spend most of our time alone. There were several Cuban families that lived in the same building and they would take turn taking care of each others children since some of the parents worked the night shifts. It was difficult but I believe the experience was worth it to be able to have the freedom we all wanted. MM: Did you continue dabbling in art throughout your teenage years and how did you style evolve? RS: Yes, I continued through grammar school and high school. I tried many mediums, acrylic, watercolors, oils, pastels, India ink, portraits, landscapes, seascapes, etc. In school, I would volunteer for every art project. MM: You spent years in the insurance industry and even attained the title of President. So, what made you chose that field and did any of those connections help you establish your art in corporate offices? RS: I wanted to be an artist but always heard you had to starve to be an artist or die in order to become famous; that you would not make money as an artist so I knew I had to find a job. All I wanted was a foot in the door the rest was up to me. When I finished school, I decided that my parents had been in the cold too long so I brought them to Miami. My first job interview for a secretarial job was at an insurance agency. So, you can say I fell into my insurance career. Today, this is the same company I started to work for 45 years ago. After a few years as a secretary, I became an insurance agent, then sales manager, COO and currently President of one of their Divisions. In the background, I still continued with my art. The company I work for bought several of the art pieces that is in one of their main conference rooms. They are always encouraging my work and the fashion line I created. You can go to Roxana Zubia and see my fashion line website. My clients have requested installations at their offices and some have bought pieces for their condominium projects. I believe relationships are what drives the business world and the art world. Artblend, ArtExpo, and NYC MM: When you retire, are you planning on becoming a full-time Artist and how did you find opportunities to exhibit your work? RS: Yes, I will be a full time Artist and Designer. For the last seven years, I have been exhibiting in Art exhibitions, museums and galleries. I have also been involved with many non-profits donating my art pieces and fashion line pieces their silent auctions. This gives me an opportunity to have my work seen by as many people as possible while helping an important cause. MM: How did you meet Artblend and what do you like most about working with them? RS: I met Michael, the owner of Artblend, early last year and wanted him to curate my work in order to participate in the Spectrum Art Show during Art Basel week which I exhibited for the first time in December 2018. We then spoke about ArtExpo in NY and now are talking about the Hamptons Art Festival in July. What I like about Artblend, and confirmed by others, is that they are professional, fair, and respected within the industry, winning many awards for their gallery, artist they represent and contribution to many Art Exhibitions around the country. MM: What was it like to be at ArtExpo in NYC and whats happening next for you? RS: It was an amazing experience. I love people watching and this was one of the best places to do that. There were so many talented artists and beautiful art pieces. I am sure it was not easy for the buyers. We sold several pieces and received many compliments! In the future, the Hamptons, several art festivals, galleries and definitely Spectrum in December of 2019. A fire scare outside the North Lawn of the White House forced the secret service and law enforcement officials to put the property under Lockdown. It seems a man arrived there on his mobility scooter. He wore a jacket, which he set on fire. Law enforcement agencies arrested him, extinguished the fire, and administered first aid. There was a suspicious package found near the suspect. He is understood to be suffering from issues related to mental health. Immediately after the incident, the secret service jumped into action to clear the surrounding areas of the White House and the media had to remain in the West Wing. The police have not disclosed the identity of the man. Daily Mail UK reports that President Donald Trump was present in the premises at the time but there was no danger to him. The timing of the incident was soon after the president spoke in the Roosevelt Room about the nation's 5G network. White House on lockdown after man sets himself on fire https://t.co/uc5y29zJi4 pic.twitter.com/FRw5ndhk2s New York Post (@nypost) April 12, 2019 The police acted promptly to man on fire Secret service personnel who guard the White House are always alive to any unnatural happening in or around the premises and in this case, they responded promptly. The man was operating an electric wheelchair-type scooter. He set fire to his outer jacket while he was sitting in it outside the North Fence Line. The on-duty personnel extinguished the fire and rendered first aid. He was later shifted to a local hospital and the injuries he suffered are of the non-life-threatening type. A man in a motorized wheelchair set himself on fire near the White House Friday, sending Secret Service agents rushing to secure the scene. The executive mansion was put on lockdown with the president inside. Heres @jeffpeguescbs https://t.co/0Xv5anxpzu pic.twitter.com/01Jd57VKAC CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) April 12, 2019 There was a suspicious package, which is under investigation. Discuss this news on Eunomia Daily Mail UK says a witness saw the man recording the incident of the burning jacket and it could have been a sort of demonstration. The witness adds that the man did not heed orders of the security personnel to put the jacket down. As a precautionary measure, the Secret Service closed some roads adjacent to the White House to pedestrian traffic and put portions of the complex under lockdown. It is a part of their standard drill when something out of the ordinary happens. There was a scare at the White House According to the New York Post, a person in a motorized wheelchair set fire to his jacket in front of the White House in broad daylight. Obviously, he wanted to pass on a message of sorts to the world at large and selected a method that would get instant attention. In this case, the Secret Service personnel swung into action, subdued him and moved him out of harms way and into a hospital. The authorities have launched an investigation to ferret out the antecedents of the individual and ascertain his intentions. This is not the first time that the White House was put under lockdown. In March last year, the discovery of a suspicious package led to a scare and lockdown because it is the most important building in the world and a security breach cannot be tolerated. The local aviation sector has achieved impressive growth, but its infrastructure has not kept up with the nations overall development, said an official from the Ministry of Planning and Investment, at a workshop in Binh Dinh on April 11. A Bamboo Airways aircraft - PHOTO: BAMBOO AIRWAYS The workshop was aimed at seeking solutions to promote the sustainable growth of the Vietnamese aviation sector. Pham Van Hao, deputy head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, said at the workshop that although Vietnams aviation sector is a young industry, it has seen double digit growth in the past decade. The number of planes in the local aviation sector has tripled, from 60 in 2008 to the current 192, with 57 planes being owned by Vietnamese airlines. Also, the average longevity of the local aircraft fleet has been some 5.8 years, compared with 8.8 years a decade ago, said Hao. He added that the sector has recently witnessed the participation of the private sector, including budget airline Vietjet and fledging carrier Bamboo Airways, a subsidiary of property developer FLC Group. Their involvement has made significant changes in both the quantity and quality of the sector, he noted. Further, the respective numbers of domestic and international flight routes have reached nearly 60 and 130, compared with the 2008 figures of 25 and 54. He ascribed the robust growth of the sector to the Governments economic renovation policy. The sector has much room for growth, thanks to a large population and their increase in incomes. Despite robust growth, competition in the sector requires putting safety first. The roles of aviation regulators are to manage customer safety, ensure healthy competition, and harmonize the interests of businesses and localities, as well as guarantee the quality of passenger service, he stressed. Also, speaking at the workshop, Dang Tat Thang, vice president of Bamboo Airways, said competition in the aviation market is not only between airlines, but also between the public and private sectors. In the aviation market, when there is competition, this will bring benefits to passengers. Competition is to grow together, not to win over competitors or to make the situation worse. When entering the aviation market, we determined to compete through the quality of service, safety, comfort and many new products, Thang said, adding that Bamboo Airways will open new routes to potential localities. Do Duc Tu, a representative of the Department of Infrastructure and Urban Centers under the MPI, said the explosive growth of the aviation sector has resulted in more services and aircraft, but has also entailed some risks, since the current infrastructure has yet to keep pace with the civil aviation development space. Tu explained that the warnings about overload at the International Tan Son Nhat Airport were made three years ago. This is why the Government has raised its capacity to 50 million passengers annually. Meanwhile, Lai Xuan Thanh, chairman of the Airports Corporation of Vietnam, said that the expansion of the third passenger terminal at Tan Son Nhat will allow for the handling of overload, if the development of the airport facilities, including runways, taxiways and aprons, is to be on par with the transport infrastructure system outside the airport. SGT After Grab bought up Ubers ride-sharing business, some new businesses have appeared in the ride-hailing app market and are operating vibrantly, promising cutthroat competition in the future. After Uber retreated from Vietnamese market, Grab has ruled the roost in the ride-hailing market. Not long after that several Vietnamese ride-hailing apps continuously made debut. However, only when Go-Viet app appeared, did Grab meet its match. The battle for ride-hailing app supremacy between the two businesses has become increasingly fierce and yet to know the winner. The ride-hailing market in Vietnam recently welcomed a new player Be - with two first major services: motorbike and car rides. Be run by Vietnamese star-up BeGroup aims to provide services in 15 cities and provinces this year and all 63 cities and provinces nationwide by 2020. The company so far has had 30,000 partner drivers and its app has had more than 3 million downloads. Mr. Tran Thanh Hai, CEO of BeGroup, said that his companys competition strategy will not aim to offer super low fare rate but to focus on improving service quality and loyalty of partner drivers. Partner drivers of Be will have insurances, receive preferential discount and support for duration of service so that they will provide services professionally and be loyal to the company for a long time. Mr. Hai said that partner drivers are the core value because they are the ones who provide services. Therefore, ride-hailing businesses have to offer the best policy for drivers if they want to succeed. It is necessary to build a professional driver staff and professional services. In addition, the fare pricing policy must be stable which means that the fares will not be increased during peak hours. Similarly, ride-hailing app Aber was developed by a group of Vietnamese youngsters of the 8X and 9X generations based on German technology. In term of services, Aber services are more diverse as it provides up to six different transport services, comprising of Aber Bike, Aber Car, Aber Truck, Aber Travel, Aber Business and Aber Express. According to representatives of ride-hailing businesses, in order to join the battle, they have had to prepare carefully for different features to be suitable with geography and customers interests. For instance, there must be different pricing levels for each place. The company has to connect transport vehicles. The drivers must be trained and pass the test to ensure safety for passengers. Most of the aforesaid apps using technology developed by Vietnamese people are in the national start-up program. Thanks to the participation of new players in the ride-hailing market, commuters now have more options when they need to go anywhere. Ms. Kim Nhan shared that she has to use ride-hailing service frequently because of the nature of her work. Earlier, she had no other option than Grab but now there are various options for ride-hailing service. I support the establishment of new vehicle-booking apps for passengers to have more choices when commuting, she said. Most passengers said that many new ride-hailing apps offer lower fares than Grab, especially during peak hours. Not only passengers, but drivers also want to have more new ride-hailing apps for them not to be taken advantage of. A partner driver of Grab can be a partner driver of Be, GoViet or Aber and FastGo at the same time. If the booking rate is low, drivers will close the app to open another one. Similarly, passengers usually use some vehicle-booking apps at the same time. When they need to commute, they will use whichever app offering low fare and convenience. More players in the ride-hailing market will create competition in service quality and provide more choices for users, preventing monopoly. According to MA Pham Ngoc Cong, when there are many ride-hailing businesses in the market, there will be fierce competition. They will compete in on-time performance, quality, services and optimal route and at the same time will lower their fares, bringing many benefits for the market and passengers. However, Mr. Cong also expressed concerns about the unbounded development of ride-hailing businesses which possibly creates confusion. He said that relevant authorities need to find measures to manage them effectively. According to Mr. Do Ngoc Hai, head of the Ho Chi Minh Citys Road Transport Administration under the Department of Transport, legal framework for the management of this activity remained unclear as the Ministry of Transport only allowed some companies, including Grab, Mai Linh Car, V-Car and Go-Car to pilot. The rest, including Aber, Go-Viet, Be and Vato, has not given permission to take part in the trial but they are still in operation. Clearly, the appearance of ride-hailing apps has created conditions for transport companies to compete with each other and provided more options for passengers. However, it also contains uncontrollable risks thus authorities should have regulations to control them. SGGP The most important solution to improve the quality of postgraduate training, according to experts, is creating a link between postgraduate training and scientific research. Associate Prof Dr Le Minh Ha, a member of a well-known research team at Hanoi National University, said his team received VND30 million ($1,300) in financial support last year. No comment about the figure, Ha said. Ha was a panel speaker at the seminar on upgrading tertiary education quality and the cooperation between trainers and businesses held by the Hanoi University of Science & Technology and Big Data Institute several days ago. The participants all agreed that the number of postgraduate students at universities is on the decrease, which is a contrast compared with several years ago. Deputy Minister of Science & Technology Bui The Duy confirmed that the number of postgraduate and PhD students is high at times. University lecturers have attended training courses to satisfy new requirements on lecturers qualifications. And state officials want to obtain masters degrees and doctorates to get job promotions. Deputy Minister of Science & Technology Bui The Duy confirmed that the number of postgraduate and PhD students is high at times. University lecturers have attended training courses to satisfy new requirements on lecturers qualifications. And state officials want to obtain masters degrees and doctorates to get job promotions. The number of postgraduate and PhD students is decreasing because those who wanted higher degrees have obtained them and there are not many positions at businesses which require candidates with a doctorate. Only some large corporations need workers with higher education levels for their R&D division, while 98 percent of enterprises are small and medium sized, which dont have the demand. However, the most important reason, according to Duy, lies in the demand for postgraduate training and R&D of universities themselves. In general, Vietnams universities still cannot generate money with their research outcomes, he commented. In Europe, postgraduates who work and do research receive salaries for the full-time study. Schools commercialize the postgraduates research and consider them research workers. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, postgraduates have to pay for their studies. High workload and high expenses for study make people indifferent to study, he commented. The Ministry of Science & Technology and universities are seeking a way to accelerate the commercialization of research, support the establishment of technology transfer centers, encourage registration for patents, stimulate the establishment of startups, and promote links between schools and businesses. To attract talents to research team, Ha from the Advanced Institute of Mathematics said after a research team gets approval from the science council, it will be invited to the institute to work for three to six months. During that time, they can receive support from the institute. For example, they can invite foreign professors to work in their teams, get allowances to organize workshops, and receive wages for their research time. RELATED NEWS International in-country training programs lose popularity What do university lecturers actually do? Ha An The Mu Cang Chai terraced rice fields in the northern province of Yen Bai, Vietnam, have been praised as one of the worlds top 20 colourful places by the New York-based magazine Conde Nast Traveler. Each year, the colours change from green in late spring and summer to yellow in October as the rice ripens. (Photo: cntraveler.com) Around 280 kilometres northwest of Hanoi, these rice paddies in Vietnams isolated northern reaches have gained Instagram fame for their impressive angles in a topographically challenging region, the magazine reported. Each year, the colours change from green in late spring and summer to yellow in October as the rice ripens. The magazine also suggested that travellers visit the fields in the beginning of October, when the rice harvest begins, and stop by twice: once early in the morning before the crowds arrive, and a second time at sunset. Other Asian places named in the list include Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and Fushimi Inari Taisha (Japan), Chengdu (China), Jaipur (India), and Chiang Mai (Thailand). As a luxury and lifestyle travel magazine published by Conde Nast, Conde Nast Traveler magazine has won 25 National Magazine Awards. Its annual award is known as the pinnacle of the world tourism industry. Nhan Dan Obama Aggressively Prosecutes Whistleblowers But Refuses to Go After White Collar Criminals Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton each prosecuted financial crime more aggressively than Barack Obama. But that doesnt mean that Obama is failing to prosecute. He is just aiming at a different type of target. The New York Times reported last year: In President Obamas 26 months in office, civilian and military prosecutors have charged five people in cases involving leaking information, more than all previous presidents combined. Andrew Kreig notes: [Government Accountability Projects] Homeland Security and Human Rights Director Jesselyn Radack, a well-credential ethics advisor in 2001 at the Bush Department of Justice [said] Obama has brought more prosecutions against whistleblowers under the Espionage Act than any previous president and all presidents combined. The former head of the National Security Agencys global digital data gathering program William Binney confirmed to Democracy Nows Amy Goodman: AMY GOODMAN: [T]he number of people who have been indicted are more than all presidents combined in the past. WILLIAM BINNEY: Right. And I think its to silence whats going on. And see this interview with former CIA intelligence asset Susan Lindauer. Donald Trump's interest in Bay of Pigs veterans has been a thing for a while--he spoke to them during the campaign and now John Bolton is going before them to talk about Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. Economic isolation is a key part of it. Twenty years ago, Trump made a Cuba policy speech as he mulled running for president. He spoke to the Cuban American National Foundation, praising Jorge Mas Canosa. I snipped this bit from C-Span. His logic is based on two contradictory points: First, the embargo will end the regime. Note that he was saying that 40 years after the embargo was put in place, and that 20 years after saying it, it's still not true. Second, no matter what, you have sunk costs and so you have to go on as long as the regime is in power. In other words, #1 could easily just be wrong but you keep going anyway. Because you've already gone to so much trouble. His views have not changed noticeably in the last two decades. The embargo will work, but it doesn't matter even if it doesn't. The Tamil remake of Vijay Deverakondas Arjun Reddy has grabbed eyeballs for all the wrong reasons in the past. Just as the film was entirely completed by director Bala, the makers decided to rework on the film unhappy with the output. And now, directed by Gireesayya, the film titled Adithya Varma is being shot in Lisbon, Portugal. Notably, the original was entirely shot in India. So, it is a matter of wonder as to what the team has on the cards with this one. Starring Banita Sandhu as the female lead, the film has music by Radhan. Articles that might interest you: Ken Roth in The Guardian: The US governments indictment of Julian Assange is about far more than a charge of conspiring to hack a Pentagon computer. Many of the acts detailed in the indictment are standard journalistic practices in the digital age. How authorities in the UK respond to the US extradition request will determine how serious a threat this prosecution poses to global media freedom. Journalistic scrutiny is a key democratic safeguard against governmental misconduct. Strong reporting often depends on officials leaking information of public importance. That is why, although many democratic governments prohibit officials themselves from disclosing secret information, few prosecute journalists for publishing leaked information that they receive from officials. Similarly, because electronic communications are so easily traced, todays investigative journalists often make extraordinary efforts to maintain the confidentiality of their sources, including setting up communication avenues that cannot easily be detected or intercepted. The Assange prosecution threatens these basic elements of modern journalism and democratic accountability. More here. Temporary traffic lights up at intersection of 6th Ave., S. Dakota Prev 1 of 5 Next Winter has come and fans of the record-breaking HBO series, Game of Thrones, will finally find their thirst at least slackened as the eighth and final season kicks off tonight. Based on the popular A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of linked novels written by Santa Fe resident George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones is set in mythical Westeros and follows the various plights of characters as they wage war among themselves sometimes in incredibly despicable ways vying for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms even as a greater threat creeps down upon them all from the frozen north. Filmed in Belfast and elsewhere in Northern Ireland, Canada, Croatia, Iceland, Malta, Morocco, Scotland, Spain and the United States, some of the more remote Game of Thrones filming locations are opening up to tourists eager to see where some of the more famous scenes were shot. In Ireland, the Glens of Antrim will be familiar to avid viewers as the Dothraki Sea and it is not unheard of to hear the guttural Dothraki being spoken as fans gaze out on the pristine and photogenic Causeway Coast. For those really in-tune, it also will be familiar from the shows opening season as the site where Ned Stark beheads a traitor from the Nights Watch. Ireland also is home to nearby Ballintoy Harbour, which translates appropriately enough to Town of the North. Constructed with limestone blocks, it will be familiar as the docks of the fog-shrouded Greyjoy Kingdom of Pyke from Westeros Iron Islands. Also nearby, the UNESCO-listed Giants Causeway is a short drive and is not to be missed even if it does not directly play in the Game of Thrones dialogue. Some 40,000 basalt rocks create a stunning landmark jutting out into the sea. Travel north to Tollymore Forest, where in the series-opening episode the dreaded White Walkers began their march into the realm of men. The bastard of Bolton hunted Theon Greyjoy here, and it is where the Starks discover the direwolf pups. The haunting ruins of Inch Abbey in Downpatrick were most notably the setting in season one as Robb Starks camp where he became the King of the North. The Castle Ward complex near Strangford in County Down makes frequent appearances as the Starks Winterfell and nearby Audleys Wood is where Brienne of Tarth and Jaime Lannister trekked together as they made way for Kings Landing. Here one can become one of the Stark clan and dress in authentic Game of Thrones wear and even receive archery instructions from Jon Snow. Venturing farther north to even more remote locales, Iceland is home to an array of sites with deep meaning to the storyline. Thingvellir National Park, about a 45-minute drive from Reykjavik, is the home to the impregnable Eyrie, where the Hound and Arya Stark wander in season four. Its also where Brienne and the Hound wage their grueling and climatic duel in a locale near Hengill that contains majestic mountain background scenes. The Oxararfoss Trail remarkable stone pathway carved through formidable cliffs leads to the thunderous Oxararfoss waterfall. It also serves as the Bloody Gate, entrance to the Vale that Arya and the Hound negotiate in season four in search of a safe haven. Shiver a little in Skaftafell National Park and be aware for things that go bump in the dark as the frigid and stark landscape serves as the home to the Nights Watch, the downtrodden Wildlings and appears like the White Walkers domain. Although the scenes in Grjotagja Cave had to be cut short because of steamy water temperature causing too much mist, it served as the love cave scene when wildling Ygritte lures You know nothing Jon Snow into a fateful tryst in season three. On its own merit, the small lava near lake MA 1/2vatn is worth a visit, even if the thermal spring has been too hot for bathing. And finally at Dyrholaey on the countrys south coast is Eastwatch-by-the-Bay from the last season. Two great stone arches thrust into the sea and next to it is the infamous black-sand coast where Jon Snow and his party land in preparation for their journey beyond the Wall. Prev 1 of 4 Next Dinosaurs once roamed the Land of Enchantment when a great sea covered the middle of what is now North America. Physical evidence of this can be seen around the state including at Clayton Lake State Park in northeastern New Mexico, where a trove of dinosaur tracks greet the public. The fossil trackway of dinosaurs draws interest from around the globe. Now New Mexico State Parks is teaming up with students at Central New Mexico Community College and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science to map out the footprints. Park officials installed a catwalk that encircles the track site area, allowing visitors easy access and a chance to view the footprints up close. Spencer Lucas, a curator of paleontology at the museum, said there are only about a half dozen dinosaur footprint sites in the United States located in public places. Footprints, he said can give scientists a lot of information. In addition to the type of dinosaur that left the track, footprints reveal how tall and long a dinosaur was and how fast it walked. He said the hundreds of tracks found at Clayton Lake, which is about 4 hours from Albuquerque, are from four different species of dinosaurs and were all made within a year. The Clayton Lake site is a treasure, he said. The track sites are about 100 million years old and along an ancient sea coast. Bryan Burns is a student participating in the project. He said hes always had an interest in drone technology and is looking forward to using it for scientific research. I like all the different ways we can survey different locations, he said. We will be one of the first ones to do something like this at the site. Students will use a drone to photograph the track sites, lasers to scan the entire site and a digital camera on the ground for close-up shots. They will then use photogrammetric software to convert the photos into 3-D images and the other data to map out the area. CNM instructor Rick Watson said the students are enrolled in the schools new unmanned aircraft systems certificate program. The students will fly the drones from different heights in order to record a variety of details. Once the project is complete, they will place the photographs, 3-D models, maps and other findings on a website. The public will be able to access to the website, he said. Its designed to help people explore the track site from anywhere in the world. Clayton Lake is man-made and was created when officials dammed up Seneca Creek north of Clayton in the 1960s. Construction of the dams spillway unveiled the tracks, which were embedded in sandstone. Rick Leonhardt, a semi-retired psychotherapist, is one of the students working on the projects. His first career, he said, was as a geologist and now practices it as a hobby. This will be his first time visiting the Clayton Lake site. This will help us digitally preserve these tracks, he said. We are putting procedures in place to collect the data so others can duplicate the process in the future. Lucas said preservation is important because the footprints are out in the open and susceptible to erosion. As some erode, he said, others are revealed. The museum, one of our goals and one of our primary missions is to educate New Mexicans on our natural history, Lucas said. This will help improve the way we gather data. This state as an outdoor laboratory is almost unparalleled. Really, how many places in the country do we have that you can go see dinosaur tracks? Prev 1 of 4 Next On Thursday, it will be 74 years since Ernie Pyle, famed and hugely popular newspaper columnist and war correspondent, was killed by Japanese gunfire on the Pacific Ocean island of Ie Shima during World War II. Pyle was an Indiana native, but his home at the time of his death was a modest frame house with a picket fence at 900 Girard SE right here in Albuquerque. The house is still there. Acquired by the city, it became the Albuquerque Public Librarys first branch location in 1948. Today, among the shelves of books youd expect to find in any branch library, there are displays of Pyle memorabilia, including pictures of Pyle and his wife, Geraldine, referred to by Pyle in his columns as Jerry or that girl, inside the house or with friends in the yard. Its easy to get caught up in those pictures, trying to figure out in which room they were taken. I really dont think of it as a library, said Baldwin G. Burr, who researches and writes about New Mexico history. To me, its just Ernies house. It is impossible not to get a sense of Ernies presence when you are in the house. The memorabilia helps, of course, but there is also an inexplicable feeling you get that Ernie and Jerry are still there. Same for their dog, Cheetah, who is really there, buried in the yard. Friends celebration Burr will do a presentation titled Ernie Pyle: Bringing the World to Americas Doorstep at 10:15 a.m. Saturday, April 27, in the auditorium in the lower level of the Main Library, 501 Copper NW. Its part of Friends of the Public Library Day, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the nonprofit organization that raises money, mostly through the sale of used books, DVDs and CDs, to support Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Public Library programs. The celebration includes a wide array of events (see full schedule at friendsofthepubliclibrary.org) at the Main Library and the Special Collections Library, 423 Central NE. Admission is free. Burr said his presentation will touch on columns Pyle wrote for the Scripps-Howard newspaper syndicate while traveling across the United States from 1935 through 1941, the columns he wrote in the European and Pacific theaters during World War II and also on Pyles Albuquerque home. I will talk quite a bit about the house, why they built it, why they built it in Albuquerque and some stories about the house after Ernie and Jerry died, he said. Pyle was 44 when he was killed on April 18, 1945. Jerry was 45 when she died seven months later, Nov. 23, 1945, at St. Joseph Hospital in Albuquerque. She had come down with the flu, suffered kidney failure and died of uremic poisoning. Their Albuquerque house, built in 1940, was their home for only a few years. And it was not always a happy home. Becoming Ernie Both Ernie and Jerry drank heavily and Jerry suffered from depression and drug dependency. (Ernie) wanted the house to be a project for Jerry to get involved with to help her with her drinking, drug problems and depression, Burr said. That didnt work out as he had hoped. He made the mistake of identifying in a column where the house was located in Albuquerque and that resulted in a steady stream of visits from complete strangers. He finally had to rent a room in the Alvarado Hotel to have a place where he could write his columns undisturbed. He did enjoy puttering around the house, and he is the one who put up the white picket fence in front. Burr, 73, a resident of Tome in Valencia County, is the consulting historian at the Los Lunas Museum of Heritage and Arts, secretary of the Historical Society of New Mexico and a member of the Valencia County Historical Society, the Los Alamos Historical Society, the Madison County (Ohio) Historical Society and the New Mexico Westerners Association. He has a bachelors degree in art history and a masters in education, both from the University of New Mexico, and he has taught over the years at UNMs Valencia County campus, Central New Mexico Community College and the College of Santa Fe. He and history professor Richard Melzer are co-editors of the book Ernie Pyle: Tributes to Americas Best Loved Newspaper Columnist. Between February 2015 and October 2017, Burr portrayed Pyle in more than 20 performances for the New Mexico Humanities Councils Chautauqua Series. I was researching photographs for Dr. Richard Melzer at UNM Valencia County and one of the photos was of Ernie Pyle, Burr said. Richard commented that there was a physical resemblance between Ernie and me. The more I learned about Ernie, the more similarities I discovered. We both grew up around farming but did not want to farm for a living. We grew up a dozen counties apart in the Midwest, Ernie in Indiana and me in Ohio. Burr did not find it all that difficult to become Ernie. I didnt have to work on the Midwest accent since I grew up in the Midwest, he said. And I had researched his life so thoroughly that it seemed in many ways like it was my own story. I was always conscious of paying respect to Ernies legacy. Unreasoning affection That legacy, what endeared Pyle to readers more than 70 years ago, was his ability to write warm, down-to-earth portraits of people of all kinds in his pre-war columns and service men and women during the war. The qualities in Ernie that impressed me were his sense of humor, his way of saying things directly without a lot of hyperbole, the fact that he never wrote about his subjects at their own expense, Burr said. He always seemed to have good things to say about people. Another thing Burr and Pyle share in common is a love for the Southwest, something Pyle once called in an article a deep, unreasoning affection. Burr, who grew up in the small farming town of London, Ohio, first saw New Mexico when he went to the Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron as a teenager in the 1960s. I stepped off that bus and looked at those mountains and knew as well as I knew my own name that I was going to live in New Mexico for the rest of my life, Burr said. I had to go back and finish high school, but as soon as I graduated in 1964 I got in my car and drove to Albuquerque and enrolled as a freshman at UNM. Been here ever since. Pyle wrote, I guess its like being in love with a woman. You dont love a woman because she wears No. 3 shoes or eats left-handed or has a diamond set in her front tooth. You just love her because you love her and you cant help yourself. Thats the way we are about the Southwest. In his war columns, Pyle always expressed delight in meeting military folks from his adopted home state, especially those from Albuquerque who lived within sight of my own picket fence. On Ie Shima, on April 17, 1945, the day before he was killed, Pyle saw a soldier step on a land mind and explode into pieces right in front of him. Shaken, Pyle reportedly turned to a fellow correspondent and said, I wish I were in Albuquerque. Leave your logic at the door. Neil Simons Rumors is a farce with all of the chaos the term describes slammed doors, lightning pacing and ludicrous plot lines. The Albuquerque Little Theatre will present Simons 1988 comedy beginning Friday, April 19. Four nouveau riche couples gather in a swanky Manhattan townhome for the deputy mayors 10th anniversary party dressed in formal finery. The trouble is, no one can find the guests of honor. The deputy mayors lawyer Ken and his wife, Chris, arrive first, only to find the politico bleeding in an upstairs bedroom. The husband is upstairs and hes been shot in the earlobe, director Henry Avery said. They try to cover it up and of course it gets worse and worse. Soon all the party guests are desperate to hush up the scandal. Earlier guests struggle to keep the secret from later attendees. Confusion and miscommunication reigns. The police arrive and the group insists they heard nothing because the music was turned up too loud. Then they start impersonating their wounded host. Its one of the funniest shows Ive ever done, Avery said. I did it about 25 years ago when it was first released. It sounds silly, but when you see it, its great fun. If you go WHAT: Rumors by Neil Simon WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 19-20; 2 p.m. Sunday, April 2. Weekends through May 5.WHERE: Albuquerque Little Theatre, 224 San Pasqual SW HOW MUCH: $23; $21 seniors (65+); $19 students 13-university; $15 children 12 and under at 242-4750, albququerquelittletheatre.org. Prev 1 of 3 Next The next Chatter Sunday pairs the contemporary with the romantic, knitted in shivers of texture producing both energy and calm. The chamber concert at Las Puertas Event Center will feature group co-artistic director James Shields on clarinet. Local and visiting musicians will perform: co-director David Felberg, hornists Nathan Ukens and Peter Erb, violinist Emily Cole, violist Laura Manko, cellist Dana Winograd and bassist Sam Brown. The musicians will play Fellow Traveler, a string quartet by the famed American composer John Adams, and PoyoPoyo, a solo horn piece by the Japanese composer Dai Fujikura. They both have incredibly active textures, Shields said in a telephone interview from Portland, Ore. They use very dense texture to achieve the complete opposite effect. The Adams piece is an intense, high-energy ride, with the strings going very fast, syncopated, jazzy rhythms in a web, he said. PoyoPoyo meditates in the opposite direction. In Japanese, the word PoyoPoyo describes something soft and squidgy, with a velvety texture like the cheek of a 4-month-old baby, which is how old my daughter was when I wrote this work, Funikura said. The work is for solo horn. It sounds very active on the surface, Shields said. He uses a mute for bass trombone. It creates a totally different texture, an otherworldly sound. The 19th century German composer Louis Spohr bridged the gap between classicism and romanticism, between Mozart and Wagner. The musicians will play his Octet in E major with violin, two violas, a clarinet, two horns, a cello and a bass. The blend sounds like a chamber orchestra, Shields said. The violin part is incredibly virtuosic. Its a beautiful, exciting, elegant piece, he said. It sounds really full-textured for eight players. Shields is the principal clarinetist with the Oregon Symphony, but he returns to Albuquerque several times a year. First of all, I love Albuquerque, he said. And Chatter is extraordinarily unique. Were doing 70 concerts a year, and they have 150 people (attending each show). Im truly humbled and thrilled to still be involved. "Missouri River, North of Niobrara City, Nebraska," by Santa Fe photographer Mary Peck. (Courtesy of the artist) "Beaver Creek, Boone, Nebraska," by Santa Fe photographer Mary Peck. (Courtesy of the artist) "Cottonwoods at Black Bridge, Yellowstone River, Glendive, Montana," by Santa Fe photographer Mary Peck. (Courtesy of the artist) "Little Blue River, Steele City, Nebraska," by Santa Fe photographer Mary Peck. Steele City is where the Keystone XL pipeline's route would end and connect with the Keystone I pipeline. (Courtesy of the artist) Prev 1 of 4 Next Over six weeks, Mary Peck traveled thousands of miles across North America. Starting in Santa Fe, the photographer drove to the tar sands of northeastern Alberta. From there, she traveled along the 1,200-mile proposed route of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, photographing the landscape particularly the countless bodies of water along the path spanning two provinces and three states. The pipeline, which was first proposed more than a decade ago, would carry hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil daily from Canada to U.S. refineries. The project, however, has been hit with major delays and opposition from activist groups and individuals concerned about the environmental impact of construction and potential spills. Its a stunning landscape, Peck said about the land the pipeline would be built through. I was concerned about the landscape, the impact that construction of a pipeline like that would have, and also concerned about climate change in broadest sense and the impact of fossil fuels , she said. An exhibition with selections from The Spaces in Between: Following the Route of the Keystone XL opens tonight at 5. Gallery (5 Point Gallery). The exhibition will stay up until May 24. Max Baseman, director of 5., described the work as really still, quiet and fantastic from an artistic standpoint. And at the same time, it offers a compelling backstory. For me, both artistically and environmentally if you will, its an important body of work, Baseman said. It calls to ones conscience a responsibility in the world. The project differed from many of Pecks other photography series over the past several decades. Peck, who has been based in Santa Fe since 1974 and worked previously under photographers Paul Caponigro and Laura Gilpin has often been drawn to lands that are protected, if not absolutely pristine. And this was absolutely not that, she said. Its rural North America, and so its populated, although sparsely. These places, these little rivers, watersheds and big rivers, are places that are more common to people. In whatever state theyre in, its not a place like a national park or a foreign country where you go to see the views and the big scenery. These are part of peoples everyday lives. I think there was a real poignancy of seeing all these water bodies along the way and thinking how integral they are to peoples lives. The photographs are published in color, contrary to the black-and-white style Peck has used for many of her previous works. She explained the artistic choice by saying black and white can sometimes bring a distance between the image and the viewer that color doesnt always allow. Sometimes, theres an immediacy to color that I think seemed to match the urgency that I felt about this situation and the threat of the pipeline, said Peck. Peck has been paying attention to the controversial pipeline plan since it was proposed in 2008. She considered a trip along the route for a while. When the Obama administration turned down a permit for pipeline construction, Peck didnt feel the same urgency that grew after the 2016 election and the Trump administration took control. The status of the pipeline is up in the air. On March 15, a federal appeals court upheld a ruling barring the TransCanada Corp. from working on construction of the Keystone XL pipeline during ongoing legal challenges. On the flip side, on March 29, President Donald Trump approved a new permit for the pipeline. A federal judge had blocked an initial permit Trump signed in March 2017. Its like this back and forth and back forth, and its going to be in the courts for a long time, said Peck. These groups that have opposed it, the tribes, theyre not going to stop. From April to early June in 2017, Peck traveled between 3,000-4,000 miles, including her initial drive from Santa Fe to the tar sands near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canadas primary oil mining spot. Peck said oil extraction there has had drastic effects on local wildlife. The Keystone XL pipeline would begin in nearby Hardisty. Peck continued her journey through other parts of Alberta and then on to Saskatchewan, Montana, South Dakota and southern Nebraska, where the pipeline would end in Steele City and connect with the existing Keystone I. She couldnt take the direct pipeline route as published by TransCanada parts of the path go through private lands so she kept to the trail as best she could by staying downstream of the route, making the journey slightly longer. That choice led her to focus on bodies of water. In part because I knew it was accurate that those places would be impacted by the pipeline, and also because of the significance that a leak in the pipeline would have on those waters, which impact people far beyond the immediate parameters of the route, she explained. In the U.S. alone, she said, there are an estimated 1,000 bodies of water, big and small, and including seasonal creeks, ponds and streams, that exist along the route. She photographed areas along high-profile features, such as the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers, and lesser-known, but significant, waterways, including Nebraskas Niobrara and Little Blue rivers. Although many of the bodies of water Peck visited arent on most peoples radar, theyre still a part of the local populations everyday lives. These places, theyre personal and specific to a small town or a place, and not on anybodys map, said Peck. Going through the images shell have in the show, Peck pointed out her photograph of Gooseberry Lake, a tiny spot on the edge of a provincial park in Albertas rural farm country. Others are of Durkee Lake just outside of Faith, South Dakota, a city with a population of about 400, and Beaver Creek, which runs across Boone County, Nebraska. Some locations didnt even have names, or at least ones Peck could find out about. It really means we could never really know the impact it (the pipeline) could have for all the people along that route, she said. Some of (the impacts) are known and stated, but then theres the less tangible: what it means for someone to take a walk along a river, or a family to go have a picnic along a river. Its more about the everyday and seemingly small uses of these places. Peck said the places she photographed also have an importance that cannot necessarily be measured. When she started her trip, she recalled, she was driven by deep disturbance over the election and the drastic consequences that could emerge from the proposed pipeline. But as she exited the tar sands country and spent the next several weeks traveling along the water, she began to feel better. That disturbed feeling, in a way, started to dissipate. It just kind of emphasized how important those places are in contrast to the big protected national parks or areas that are set aside as reserves these places are healing to people, said Peck. So it cant always be quantified in terms of water for farmers or people or even clean drinking water. Its just the existence of these places that is important to our well-being. If you go Spaces in Between: Following the Route of Keystone XL opening reception WHEN: Friday, 5 p.m. WHERE: 5. Gallery, 2351 Fox Road No. 700 REGULAR GALLERY HOURS: Wednesdays 9 a.m.-6 p.m. or by appointment Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal Ylise Kessler was just as surprised as all her friends when she decided that she was going to be opening up her first gallery. About the past 20 years, people have said to me, When are you going to open your own gallery? You should open your own gallery, said Kessler. I said no thank you, I have no interest. I dont want the overhead, I dont want the headache, I want to be more fluid in being able to travel. And all of a sudden, she continued, it just felt right. Kessler, who has been working within the contemporary art scene for more than 30 years the past 20 in Santa Fe full time opened up her namesake commercial gallery last month on the corner of Guadalupe Street and Montezuma Avenue. And being around the gallery business for so long and watching it change Kessler says her mission is to create a new paradigm for galleries. So what does that mean? The physical gallery is just the hub for building a more fleshed-out program, she explained. Besides art exhibitions in her space, there are other projects and programs she plans to organize. That includes pop-up shows in other cities, which Kessler said she will curate based on the arts audiences in each location. She also plans to develop an online presence geared toward younger collectors looking for work via the internet. And Kessler is interested in hosting artist talks, book-signings and educational classes, ranging from Collecting Art 101 to the dos and donts of how artists should approach getting their work into galleries. Some of the talks may be salon-style conversations where artists discuss whats going on in the art world today. Its about broadening what a gallery is now, she said of her space. A brick-and-mortar gallery is more than one space. I think this is what its turning into. There are art fairs now, and the internet, and its not what it used to be. People dont have to come to galleries to buy art as previously they did. So the more exposure and the more projects I do, I think the more Ill be building out this brand. Kessler has worked independently, and with other galleries in both New York and Santa Fe. She founded Ylise Kessler Fine Art in the late 80s while living in New York after a transition out of her career in art restoration. Back then, she was an art advisor, which means she built art collections for corporations and private collectors. She began forming relationships with dealers in New York, she said, and during the summers she would stay in Santa Fe. She lived here briefly right after graduating from Tyler School of Art at Philadelphias Temple University. She had a degree in weaving and, for more than a decade after, she restored antique textiles, specializing in Navajo blankets. In 1999, she made the move to Santa Fe full time. Art advising was more difficult in Santa Fe, she said, adding that collectors here are more interested in finding their own pieces. So she started working for local galleries. From 2008-12, she was director of the contemporary program at the William Siegal Gallery, which closed in 2017. After that, Gerald Peters tapped her to launch the Peters Projects contemporary art space on Paseo de Peralta. She was there from 2014-16. Kessler next worked privately through her own company, helping collectors in de-accessioning artwork and curating exhibitions for galleries. Last summer, she organized a show for the then-new galleryFRITZ in the Railyard. Which kind of instigated this, because it was so fun to be back out in public, Kessler said of that project. I love to look at art and place art, but I love to talk about it and I love to educate people on it or share with people who are educated on it, share responses about how we look at it, or view it, or what its about. Kessler is interested in showing contemporary work, not narrowing it to a specific medium or type of artist. For her inaugural exhibition, shes curated a group show of New Mexico-based artists not particularly well-known to the local commercial art community. The artists include Santa Fe-based Ben Dallas, who is exhibiting a series of acrylic-painted wood wall pieces. Ilona Pachler of Santa Fe mages of historical structures and silkscreened them onto plexiglass. Cedra Wood, an Albuquerque-based artist currently working through the Roswell Artist in Residency Program, has made a series of small paintings of sculptures made from her own hair. Two of the exhibiting artists recently moved to New Mexico. Jonathan Parker, a multimedia artist from San Francisco, has a series of collage works made from stitched pieces of canvas. Karen Miranda Rivadeneira, an Ecuadorian American photographer who recently moved to Taos from Los Angeles, created several pieces now in the gallery. One of her works, Matilde and I, was previously shown in the Smithsonians National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. There are a few artists that have been shown in every gallery in Santa Fe, and thats something I dont want to do because weve seen it, Kessler said. And Id like to offer something fresh and unique. Two additional artists currently showing in the space, Kessler said, previously lived and worked in New Mexico, and are known locally, nationally and internationally, namely James Harvard, represented by painting and collage pieces, and mixed-media artist David Kimball Anderson, with metal sculptures from his Bud Vase series on display. The exhibition will be up through May and Kessler plans to have the next show up by June. Kesslers 600-square-foot gallery sits in a long-vacant spot in a commercial building at the corner of Montezuma and Guadalupe. She acknowledged that she isnt in one of Santa Fes major art centers, like downtown or the Railyard. But, you know, (longtime gallery owner) James Kelly started in the Railyard before it was the Railyard and SITE Santa Fe (opened) in an old beer warehouse, and that worked, Kessler said. So I dont think its insurmountable. But, yes, its a concern. However, she added that she hopes that with her reputation in the arts community and her plans for ongoing events, the spot will become an arts destination. She hopes to roll out the programming aspect of the gallery starting in May. Kessler said its important to her that she has something for a wide audience. I want it to be not just for the art-savvy or not just for the uninitiated, she said about her programming. I want enough people to come by often enough to make this a destination, that they feel comfortable stopping by, or if they have people in town, (they tell them), Come see this gallery, the dealer is really nice and inclusive, youre not going to feel weird, youre not going to be embarrassed to ask a question. I hate that. And Ive always operated that way (in which) everybodys the same. Everybodys welcome. Ylise Kessler Gallery HOURS: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described Ilona Pachler as an Albuquerque-based artist who is currently participating in the Roswell Artist in Residency program and is showing a small series of paintings based on sculptures made out of her own hair. Those descriptions have been correctly attributed to Cedra Wood. Las Cruces police on Friday arrested a local psychiatrist who is accused of sexually assaulting at least six female patients over several years. Psychiatrist and pain-management specialist Mark Beale, 72, is charged with three counts of criminal sexual penetration, four counts of criminal sexual contact and three counts of battery. The alleged abuse occurred between 2015 and the present and involved women many of them longtime patients who ranged from 21 to 60 years old, according to the Las Cruces Police Department. In October 2018, Las Cruces police first learned of sexual assault allegations made against Beale, police spokesman Dan Trujillo said in a statement. He said the subsequent case brought together investigators from the LCPD, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and Metro Narcotics. Among the allegations, police say Beale fondled multiple patients under the guise of an examination, told one woman she had schizophrenia and that the police were watching her, and urged another patient to leave her husband before prescribing her Viagra for pain. According to a criminal complaint filed in Las Cruces Magistrate Court, sexual assault allegations against Beale, who operated a clinic in Las Cruces, began to mount in 2018. One woman told police she had been seeing Beale for more than three years and, in that time, he told her she was worthless and nobody loves her but him, according to the court document. Beale then prescribed her Adderall to lose weigh because he liked her thin and offered painkillers if she would cooperate with him sexually. Police say Beale then raped the woman while giving her an Abilify shot for bipolar disorder, a condition she did not believe she had. Another patient told police Beale assaulted her while giving her a shot and told her he would take care of her before giving her hundreds of dollars to help pay bills, according to the complaint. Police say Beale gave her less and less money until, when she asked for help, he paid her after she gave him oral sex. One patient told police she confronted Beale after enduring abuse and unwanted advances for more than four years. She told him she forgave him for what he did to her, an officer wrote in the court document. He told her he did not do anything wrong and refused to apologize. Police say when the patient attempted to leave, Beale grabbed her and told her he was not going to let her go and you are mine. Many of the women told police they were traumatized and had breakdowns due to the treatment by Beale, with one of them only able to see female doctors since. According to a recent poll, voters across the West are substantially more worried about climate change now than they were just two years ago. Whats more, a majority identify as conservationists. These attitudes are at odds with the priorities of President Donald Trumps administration, which have included aggressively cutting environmental regulations while shrinking national monuments and encouraging fossil fuel production on public lands. These findings come from Colorado Colleges annual Conservation in the West poll, which surveys residents in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming on issues of climate, energy and public lands. This year, a majority of the approximately 400 respondents in each state rated climate change a serious problem, and every state saw an increase in climate concern. These fears may be driven by climate changes growing impacts in the West, such as drought and fire. Nearly 70 percent of poll respondents said that wildfires were more of a problem today than ten years ago. Climate change is playing an increasing role in the Wests lengthening fire season and intensifying blazes, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. Indeed, the survey found that climate impacts have started to surpass more traditional political preoccupations, like the economy: Respondents rated low river and stream levels, water quality and insufficient water supplies of greater concern than wages and unemployment. Approximately two thirds of respondents also prioritized environmental protections and public lands access for recreation, compared to 24 percent who support Trumps energy dominance policy of ramping up energy production on federally regulated land. Almost every state polled had at least a 30 percent margin in favor of conservation, including states that tend to vote red in statewide elections, including Arizona, Idaho and Utah. Only Wyoming stood apart, with just an eight percent gap between those who emphasize public lands and those who support increased energy production. In all, a significant bipartisan majority almost 90 percent of respondents rated the outdoor recreation economy as important to their state, while 70 percent called themselves outdoor recreation enthusiasts. The poll has habitually found bipartisan support for the outdoor recreation industry and land access, said Corina McKendry, director of the State of the Rockies Project and an associate professor of political science at Colorado College. But the rejection of the current administrations priorities is particularly intense here, she said in a press release. Whether that influences upcoming elections is unclear. Public opinion polls often find widespread concern regarding climate change and support for policies to address the crisis. But these issues rarely swing elections, where foes of climate policies often highlight the economic and social costs of increased environmental regulations. In Colorado, where poll respondents overwhelmingly claimed to prefer environmental protection over energy production, voters roundly rejected a ballot measure in 2018 to limit hydraulic fracturing, following an industry-backed publicity campaign against the measure. There is strong evidence that Americans support environmental protection and conservation efforts, and that they have substantial concerns about environmental issues, such as climate change, said Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, who has worked on other environmental polling projects. However, their concerns are often less intense than those regarding other issues. Midterm exit polls showed health care, immigration, the economy and gun control as the top national issues for voters in 2018. According to Borick, achieving robust climate policy requires that the environment compete with, and even surmount, these other political concerns. How soon this happens is an open question, even as Westerners increasingly worry about rising temperatures, drying streams and hotter fires. Nick Bowlin is an editorial intern at High Country News. This article was first published in High Country News (hcn.org) on Feb. 7. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE With the dust from New Mexicos 60-day legislative session finally settled, progressive groups are already taking aim at some moderate Senate Democrats who helped put the brakes on several high-profile bills. Those who could face challenges include two longtime lawmakers who hold key positions: Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Arthur Smith of Deming and Senate President Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen of Las Cruces. But the states Democratic Party chairwoman says theres no litmus test for legislators who are elected to represent diverse districts statewide and no punishment for Democrats who stray from the partys platform. We put the platform out there and we dont chop anyones head off for not following it 100 percent, party Chairwoman Marg Elliston told the Journal. She also said the state Democratic Party is not in the business of deciding who should run in primary elections, while adding that she saw more unity than division among Democrats on critical issues during this years legislative session. With Democrats currently holding a majority in both legislative chambers and all 112 legislative seats up for election next year, the schism between progressive and more moderate Democrats could be an issue to watch. Former state Sen. Eric Griego of Albuquerque, who now heads a progressive advocacy group, said this years session brought victories from his perspective on legislation related to voter registration, public schools and gun restrictions. But he said a small group of conservative Senate Democrats, several of whom hold key positions in the chamber, played a key role in stymieing bills dealing with more money for early childhood programs from the states largest permanent fund, legalizing recreational marijuana use and repealing a long-dormant state abortion ban. Most of those bills, had they gone to the floor they would have passed, Griego said in a recent interview, alluding to the fact the permanent fund and marijuana bills were both bottled up in the Senate Finance Committee without a final vote being taken. He said groups are already working on organizing primary election challenges for next year, while predicting that at least four Senate Democrats will face serious and credible primary opponents. Its a conservative coalition thats out of step with Democratic values, said Griego, who is the state director of the New Mexico Working Families Party, a progressive advocacy group. Theyre undermining potential change in our state. The four senators he cited are Democratic Sens. Clemente Sanchez of Grants and Gabriel Ramos of Silver City, along with Smith and Papen. Papen has been the Senate president pro tem since 2013, while both Smith and Sanchez are influential committee chairs. Smith has been in the Senate for 30-plus years, while Papen was first elected to the chamber in 2000. The other two senators are more recent arrivals. Smith said hes not worried about a possible primary challenge, adding more liberal House Democrats will have to explain to voters why they supported a tax package that would have raised certain rates and generated more than $350 million in additional revenue annually. That tax legislation was pared back by the Senate before being signed into law. Ive been a target before and Ill be a target again, said Smith, who pointed out voters in three counties encompassed fully or partially by his southwest New Mexico district supported Republican Steve Pearce over Lujan Grisham in last years gubernatorial race. For his part, Sanchez said hes also not sweating the possibility of a contested primary. He said hes heard mostly positive feedback from constituents in his largely rural district since the session ended March 16. I dont own the seat, so anybody has the right to run, he said in an interview. If we go to Santa Fe and govern based on the next election, than were not doing the job right. Progressive challengers Progressive New Mexico Democrats have a history, at least in recent years, of ousting long-term incumbent lawmakers in primary elections. Current Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller was among several progressive Democrats to win election to the Legislature in 2008 Griego was also among the group by knocking off more moderate office-holders like Shannon Robinson and James Taylor. In last years election, northern New Mexico House members Debbie Rodella and Carl Trujillo, both of whom were considered to be business-friendly Democrats, were unseated by primary foes. But such attempts have not always been successful, as both Smith and former Sen. Phil Griego, who was later convicted of bribery and other public corruption charges, rebuffed primary challengers backed by teachers unions and conservation groups in 2012. Part of progressives challenge in trying to unseat conservative Democrats in next years election cycle will be that many of the targeted lawmakers represent districts outside the progressive strongholds of Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces. Sanchez, who was first elected to the Senate in 2012, said many voters in his district it includes parts of Cibola, Valencia, McKinley and Socorro counties share his moderate views and fiscal conservatism. I think I fit that profile for my constituency, Sanchez said. But progressive leaders say members of the conservative coalition in the Senate also represent districts with high poverty rates, and argue those legislators have not done enough to address child well-being issues. Stephanie Maez, the executive director of ProgressNow New Mexico, said the group will embark on a voter education effort before next years election cycle, though she said it was too early to provide specifics. In the past, the nonprofit group has launched billboards targeting certain lawmakers. Now is the time to be bold, Maez, a former state House member, told the Journal. We had eight years of real harm done to our tax code and our environmental legacy, she added, referring to the administration of former Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican. Above the political fray One person who has largely stayed out of the political fray when it comes to the Legislature is Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat who took office in January. While Lujan Grisham expressed disappointment that some of her agenda including a bill that called for more money from the Land Grant Permanent Fund for early childhood programs did not win approval by legislators this year, she has described the session overall as among the most productive in state history. She has also largely refrained from publicly criticizing lawmakers, instead complimenting them for hammering out compromises on bills to increase New Mexicos minimum wage and enact changes to the states tax code. I am not about attacking any group in the Legislature whose job it is to be the fiduciary for taxpayers, Lujan Grisham said during a ceremonial bill-signing event this month for the minimum wage legislation. Democrats will hold their biannual State Central Committee meeting in Rio Rancho later this month. Next years primary election is scheduled for June 2, 2020. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal Elaine Montoya was a teenager when she thought she loved the parish priest, the now-convicted child molester Arthur Perrault. It took years for her realize she was sexually abused, and to discover that her older brother also had been molested. As young adults living in Denver, the brother and sister decided in 1984 to travel to Albuquerque to try to put a stop to Perraults access to kids. But first they had to tell their parents, including their mother, a devout Catholic and former nun. Unlike some of the other victims, our parents didnt question our claim. Instead, they said if we told the archbishop, they never wanted to see us again. Needless to say, that hurt. We left our parents and the home we grew up in and stayed at a hotel. The Montoya siblings, who got nowhere with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, were among the first of Perraults alleged victims to go public in October 1992 after they filed a civil lawsuit. That same month, Perrault skipped town, putting himself a continent away from the mounting child sexual assault allegations against him by settling in north Africa. He taught at an American language school in Tangier, Morocco, where the FBI arrested him last September to face federal sexual assault charges in New Mexico. Montoya, 59, was in the audience when a jury in U.S. District Court in Santa Fe convicted Perrault last week of the repeated sexual abuse of an altar boy who was befriended by the charismatic priest nearly 20 years after the Montoya siblings. The unusual federal prosecution hinged on the testimony of a home-schooled boy named Ken Wolter who served daily Mass at St. Bernadette Parish in the early 1990s. Wolter, now 38, testified that as a boy he was sad when Perrault, whom he considered his best friend, abruptly resigned from St. Bernadette to go on sabbatical in October 1992. Like the Montoyas did earlier, Wolter went public in 2016 by filing a state civil lawsuit in his own name that detailed the repeated sexual molestation he endured from ages 10 to 11 years old at the hands of Perrault. Details in the civil lawsuit, including Wolters young age at the time and the abuse occurring on federal property, caught the attention of the FBI. The lawsuit also gave Perraults whereabouts. Wolters attorney Brad Hall of Albuquerque traced Perrault to the school in Morocco. Assisted by the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the FBI opened a criminal investigation in 2016 that culminated last week with the jury finding Perrault guilty of one count of abusive sexual contact and six counts of aggravated sexual abuse. He now faces a maximum life sentence in prison. A sentencing date hasnt been set. During the trial, Elaine Montoya attended daily to show support for Wolter and the seven other victims who provided corroborating evidence that Perrault had a propensity to sexually abuse boys. With last Wednesdays verdict, victims say, the federal government has now accomplished what the Catholic Church was never able to do: ensure that Perrault will no longer be free to abuse children. Last night was the first night since I was 14 years old that I could go to sleep knowing this man will never molest another child ever again, Montoya told the Journal on Thursday morning. Thanks to the 12 brave jurors, a precedent has been set in New Mexico. Sexual abuse by priests will not be tolerated. Innocence lost At least 38 civil claims of child sex abuse have been filed against Perrault in New Mexico. Montoya says that as far as she knows, she is the only female victim. Most all victims have been referred to as John Doe in lawsuits. Defendants have included the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and the Servants of the Paraclete, which operated a Jemez Springs center set up to treat pedophile Catholic priests including Perrault from around the country. The archdiocese, which suspended Perraults priestly faculties in 1992, hasnt responded to Journal inquiries about his case. But court records show that when Perrault was about 28 years old, he was released from the Paraclete center and was reassigned to New Mexico in 1966 from his Hartford, Connecticut, diocese. Over the next 26 years, he taught high school at St. Pius X and was priest at four different Albuquerque parishes. Perrault was also the coordinator of a workshop for Catholics in the western United States and was sometimes quoted in the Journal as an authoritative church official, once warning in a 1974 story about the dangerous effect the popular movie The Exorcist would have on children. The church has always taught that the devil is a fallen angel, the prince of darkness. We must respect the devils power, while respecting our own power to overcome the devil, Perrault was quoted as saying. Around that same time period, Elaine Montoya began working for Perrault on a Catholic publication he produced. Initially, he presented himself as a friend, she told the Journal in a 1993 article. But things changed. I was abused over 300 times in two years, and he made real certain it was kept secret. When Perrault moved on to the sexual aspect, he would tell me our love was special and God meant this to be. Given that my mother had been a nun seven years prior to marrying my dad, being raised as devout Catholics, I was taught that priests were the closest thing to God. A decade later she began having issues with a boyfriend and saw a therapist, mentioning that she had been in a relationship with a priest for several years. That disclosure led to weeks of therapy. Finally, she said, I decided to confide in my brother. Shockingly, he replied that he too has been abused by Perrault. In 1984, the two decided to return to Albuquerque, where she said they met with the then-archdiocese chancellor, the Rev. Donald Starkey. He said he had known Perrault had abused kids for over 25 years and there was nothing he could do about it. His hands were tied. Starkey advised filing a police report, which she said they did. But that criminal investigation went nowhere. Then-Archbishop of Santa Fe Robert Sanchez, in a 1996 deposition, told the Montoyas attorney, Bruce Pasternack, he didnt know who they were and that Starkey never told him of their accusations. The archdiocese settled her lawsuit in November 1993, with Montoya receiving about $300,000 after attorneys fees and costs, news reports showed. By that point, Montoya said, she had been admitted to a psych ward for several months of in-patient treatment. I lost my childhood, my innocence, my virginity, she told the Journal back then. I lost my foundation, my trust of people and trust of God. Because she is now deaf, Montoya sat in the front row of the historic Santa Fe federal courtroom for Perraults criminal trial so she could easily see her sign language interpreters sitting across from her. But that put her in close proximity to the defendant the same man who used to complain that he had to go put on his monkey suit and say Mass, she said. The same priest who gave her pearls he said were his mothers. As court security officers escorted the now 81-year-old Perrault, relying on a walker, in and out of the courtroom, Montoya said she and Perrault eventually made eye contact. He gave me a huge smile. I just shook my head. No statute of limitations Ken Wolter was 12 when the Montoyas went public with their allegations against Perrault. Back then I wanted to be a priest, Wolter testified at trial, noting that Perraults friendship led to at least 100 acts of sexual contact, including anal and oral sex, that sometimes occurred on Kirtland Air Force Base and the Santa Fe National cemetery locations Perrault could access because he was a priest and a military chaplain. The fact that the crimes occurred on federal land allowed the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Mexico to use its limited jurisdiction under federal law to prosecute. Unlike in New Mexico law, there is no federal criminal statute of limitations on such offenses. On the witness stand, Wolter hung his head as he gave the details of his assaults and how he used to hide his blood-stained underwear in a closet at home where he did his own laundry. His mother, a devout Catholic who volunteered at St. Bernadette, never questioned his trips with Perrault. She also wouldnt permit him to speak ill of priests, he testified. Like Montoya, Wolter underwent therapy years later and realized the damage Perrault had inflicted. Wolter said he received about $300,000 from a $575,000 settlement of an initial lawsuit he filed against the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 2015. In 2017, after Wolter sued Perrault individually, he won a $16 million default judgment from state District Court Judge Denise Barela-Shepard after Perrault failed to respond in time to defend himself. Wolter has yet to collect. This lawsuit was never about money, Wolter testified at the Santa Fe trial. It was to give information about Father Perrault and others like Perrault. Other priests that were serial molesting and raping children. Just to get it into the court documents. Over the years, Montoya said she would routinely check the internet to find Perrault or his obituary. Now she can stop. For many of us, we take the first step in healing by making our abuse public, she said. Spurred by Perraults trial, we enter (another stage) where we clearly see we cant let Perrault have power over the remainder of our lives. Hes already taken too many years. We have to make a conscious choice to heal. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal Ashley Cook, 17, wasnt planning on going back to high school when she found out she was pregnant with her daughter, Athena. Rachel Meijers, 16, thought she would even be kicked out. Amara Good, 19, assumed getting a GED was her only option. And 19-year-old Moriah Martinez said she would have dropped out. But the Independence High School students said GRADS with its childcare, supportive teachers, resources, such as diapers, and sense of community kept them in school. Just like these students, many young parents in New Mexico credit Graduation Reality and Dual Role Skills, or GRADS, as the reason they are able to finish high school. While 17,817 young parents have had similar stories about the program which is now in 26 high schools since its inception in 1989, GRADS is now facing a precarious funding crossroad. In June 2020, its current, main funding stream will dry up. Jeanne Johnston, director of GRADS in New Mexico, told the Journal that a federal grant being used to fund the program which was originally intended for expansion will run out at that time. She said she is cautiously optimistic the Legislature will find funding for the classes. But nothing is certain. Im hopeful, she said. But Im always nervous because it is funding. She said there are legislators who have been loyal to the program and who have found funding in the past. However, the last seven years the state has given the program about $200,000 a year, according to GRADS funding documents. Thats $600,000 to $800,000 less than what Johnston said GRADS needs for annual operations statewide. Legislative situation Once the grant expires, Johnston is planning to seek state dollars to make up for the gap. Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, said she was unaware of the expiring federal grant, and thats why GRADS funding wasnt addressed in the session that just ended, despite a huge budget surplus. It kind of got forgotten, she said about the program. She added that GRADS was just one of the many education funding issues legislators had to focus on. Its a program that we support, she said. Its just not at the top of the priority list. But Stewart also said the state should fund GRADS at the level they need. As for next years legislative session, Stewart said its too soon to say whether the budget will allow $800,000 to $1 million be set aside for GRADS. Theres certainly verbal support for the program. Legislators have championed it and theres typically a New Mexico GRADS Day at the Roundhouse during regular sessions. The state Public Education Department, which oversees GRADS, also touted and highlighted the initiative at a town hall earlier this month for young parents, holding it up as an exemplar initiative and a lifeline for young parents to continue their education. Education Secretary Karen Trujillo, who was once a GRADS teacher, said this month that she wants to see the program expand. PED Chief of Staff Daniel Manzano could not be reached for an interview but said in an email that the state agency is planning to apply for other federal funds if they become available and will also be seeking state dollars. We will be advocating that additional state funds be made available to support the expansion of GRADS statewide, especially in areas with teen birth rates higher than the state average, he wrote. He did not address questions from the Journal about why PED didnt ask for more funding in the most recent session. Funding history GRADS in New Mexico has had a volatile fiscal history. Its not something new, Johnston said. Dealing with federal and state funding you just never know. In the 2010-11 school year and during the recession, state funds for the program were cut about 70% compared to three years prior, or from $1 million to $288,668, according to GRADS funding documents. What kept the organization afloat was a serendipitous interchange of dollars. Before funding cuts, GRADS, with backing from PED, had applied for a federal grant earlier that year from the Office of Adolescent Health, which is under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The grant, which is the same grant that is about to run out in June 2020, kicked in the same year the state funding was slashed. The original plan for the additional dollars was to expand GRADS, including offering it in more schools and boosting investment at current sites. We wrote in the grant to add two new sites a year, Johnston told the Journal. But when its state funding was gutted in the 2010-2011 school year, the focus shifted from expansion to sustainability and the federal grant had to be used for operations, according to Johnston. The program got $846,719 in federal funding for that academic year. Since then, the grant has served as the primary, albeit temporary, funding component for GRADS barring the 2017-2018 school year in which the program did not receive federal dollars and had to rely on PED funding. Ultimately, its the students who are impacted by cuts, Johnston said. It affects whether they have a GRADS class or not, she said. And for Good, the 19-year-old at Independence High student, its even more than a class. Ive never felt more at home, she said. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal On a recent Wednesday, officers with the New Mexico State Police auto theft suppression unit spotted a stolen vehicle and alerted their counterparts with the Albuquerque Police Department. By themselves they cant track it they dont have enough bodies so we get our guys involved, said Lt. Josh Brown of the APD property crimes unit. We started following it all over the place, getting in, getting out, getting in, getting out, then they get to a house. They go up there and contact them and end up finding a habitual offender who had a stolen gun, another stolen gun and stolen vehicles. In all, the investigation found four stolen vehicles and resulted in the arrest of a man with a lengthy criminal history. This type of partnership is just one of the ways local law enforcement has been trying to reduce car thefts after 2016 and 2017, when the metropolitan area had the shameful distinction of being No. 1 in the nation for its rate of stolen vehicles. A quick scan of a popular Facebook page dedicated to stolen vehicles shows the plague has hardly ended, but authorities say they see hopeful trends, with a 29% decrease in auto thefts from 2017 to 2018. In 2017, 7,684 stolen vehicles were reported. The preliminary count for 2018, according to an APD report, is 5,447. In the first quarter of 2019, APD says, there were 28% fewer auto thefts a total of 1,787 than in the same period in 2018, when there were 2,482. There has been a 38% decline since the first quarter of 2017. Its a mindset change with this administration, Brown said as he patrolled Southeast Albuquerque in his undercover pickup truck looking for stolen cars. Were doing what we can and the best we can with the resources we have available. Factors in crime rates Last July, nonpartisan analysts working for the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee released a 100-page report detailing numerous gaps in the Bernalillo County criminal justice system that coincided with the spike in crime that began in 2011. It also focused on societal woes, including poverty, homelessness, income inequality and drug abuse, which research shows all worsened around the same time and are often linked to increased violent and property crime. Charles Sallee, the deputy director of the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee, said arrests and prosecutions had fallen off as crime began to increase. You had a small element that was able to do lots of things that werent even on the police radar, he said. So if you start taking a handful of those individuals out of the community by putting them in prison you can start having an impact on overall crime pretty quickly. He said its still next to impossible to pinpoint exactly what contributed to a decline in crime which started in November 2017 but it could have something to do with an improving economy and lower unemployment rate, as well as better policing and prosecution practices. You can move the needle pretty quick. Sallee said. If all those entities start hitting the mark on evidence-based intervention, performance management collaborating, they can have really sustained positive impact, I believe. Another factor the report considered was that every major jurisdiction that entered into police reform efforts with the Department of Justice saw an increase in crime a year or two after the signing of a consent decree. However, the report says, after this increase, each city including Albuquerque saw an eventual decrease. But Albuquerque still has much higher rates of crime than the national average. Partners against crime Brown, a 19-year veteran with APD, joined the auto theft unit as a sergeant in 2014, right before crime began to skyrocket. He said the stress rose as more than 20 vehicles were being stolen each day in 2016 and 2017. In 2016, when 7,710 vehicles were reported stolen in Albuquerque, there were six auto theft detectives. The following year, when there was only a very slight decrease, there were five. Now seven auto theft detectives patrol the streets and the department has doubled the number of bait cars they use. The department also reported conducting 35% more traffic stops in 2018 than in 2017. And on a daily basis, APDs auto theft detectives are joined by Sgt. Shane Todd and his three officers with the New Mexico State Police auto theft suppression unit. Prior to February 2018, Todd said, State Police did not have a unit dedicated specifically to auto theft. The teams patrol areas identified by APDs Real Time Crime Center each week as hot spots for stolen and recovered vehicles. They also partner with the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office auto theft unit to conduct tactical plans on certain areas and offenders. This partnership is an excellent partnership, Todd said. The guys, all the way up through the chain of command, everybody gets along really well. Everybody is just molded into one unit. We all have the same task in mind. Todd said the team started in the Albuquerque metropolitan area but expects to move into other parts of the state as needed in the future. The states Office of Superintendent of Insurance has also pitched in. In late 2017, it started organizing a metro area task force to identify repeat auto thieves, and by the following March legislation was passed to give the office authority to investigate and prosecute auto thefts. Special Agent in Charge Mark Torres said they started by focusing on 25 individuals who have stolen three or more vehicles in Albuquerque and surrounding counties. Now, he said, they get between five and 10 new cases every week for further investigation and prosecution. Several of those offenders have committed offenses across multiple jurisdictions. Were streamlining the process, Torres said. Our prosecutors are intimately involved in the case. Theyre not tasked with the same volume the district attorneys have with cases. Improving procedures A little more than a year ago, Bernalillo County District Attorney Raul Torrez created a team of 10 attorneys to solely focus on prosecuting car thieves. These days, they have actually started taking on other cases. And other changes have been made at the office to go after people with multiple arrests and to more efficiently prosecute cases. Joey Montano, the deputy district attorney in charge of the general crimes division, said historically if a defendant had several cases against him or her, different attorneys would be assigned to each one. Now, a prosecutor follows all of a defendants cases. Part of Rauls vision of one prosecutor, one defendant lent itself naturally to the car team, Montano said. Lets get these guys who have two, three arrests and lets go after our best case. Montano and Brown both attributed some successes to a better working relationship between Torrez who took over the District Attorneys Office in January 2017 and APD officers under Chief Michael Geier who was hired by the new administration in late 2017. Montano referenced the Case Management Order case deadlines imposed by the New Mexico Supreme Court in early 2015 to address severe overcrowding in the county jails by speeding trials along as one factor that had slowed prosecutions a couple of years ago and had allowed suspects to pick up multiple cases before they were held accountable. When the CMO hit, we sort of stopped going to grand jury until we received discovery on all of the case, he said. The CMO accelerated the deadline to get discovery before we could indict a case and move forward so we became hesitant. That created a backlog. Were slowly getting rid of what was the backlog prior to Raul coming into office. Starting in early 2018, APD began hiring paralegals to help officers and detectives compile all the paperwork needed for a complete case file. Now the department is turning over better cases for prosecution. Lt. Brown said this has greatly reduced the amount of time his detectives spend behind a desk, meaning they can spend more time in the field. They go in and they collect every bit of discovery the officers have, he said. That alleviates the time for detectives to have to pull up reports from other agencies, old reports, and finding every shred that goes along with this case number. They do hundreds of cases each year. Drugs, drugs and drugs When asked what percentage of recovered vehicles are found with drugs or paraphernalia in them, Brown answered simply: All of them. The Legislative Finance Committee report found methamphetamine surged in New Mexico over the past several years. In Albuquerque, emergency department visits related to amphetamine use more than tripled between 2010 and 2016. With a lot of these repeat offenders that we were seeing, the underlying factors is drugs, drugs and drugs, Sallee said. Theres a lot of evidence-based interventions that could help with that earlier on when they come into contact (with the criminal justice system). We saw case after case where there was opportunities for intervention that just didnt happen. Previously, when an inmate was released from the Metropolitan Detention Center he or she would be dropped off on the streets Downtown, sometimes in the middle of the night. Last June, the county opened up a Resource Re-Entry Center to provide a recently released inmate with a place to sleep and eat, get resources about substance abuse treatment, and meet with caseworkers about future obligations and court dates. Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins said the county has also obtained funding and is planning how to work with local agencies to create a Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, or LEAD, program that will give property crime suspects who are addicted to drugs the option of getting treatment instead of getting booked into jail. The Santa Fe program both Santa Fe and Seattle have really good data showing that helps people get into treatment and stay in recovery longer, Hart Stebbins said. And it reduces repeat offense by individuals who are in the program. CARLSBAD The former Post Time Saloon is set to become part of the solution to one of Carlsbads biggest problems: housing. Many Carlsbadians remember getting drinks at the popular saloon, and then when it closed a few years ago and became the Luxe Nightclub. That business closed last year, leaving a vacant property with an aging hotel and empty bar. Enter Nuclear Waste Partnership and a contract to rebuild the ventilation system at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Houston-based Critical Applications Alliance was hired for the project and began bringing workers into Carlsbad. The contract is for about $400 million and the job will take about three years job. The contractor is a joint venture between Christensen Building Group and Kilgore Industries, created to seek contracts for work at WIPP and in the oil and gas industry. Critical Applications Alliance was hired to build Occidental Petroleums transloading facility for frack sand in Loving, and the companys first project in southeast New Mexico was a similar facility in Jal in 2014. And since it needed a place for workers to stay, the company bought the Post Time property and began refurbishing it to offer an upscale hotel. We noticed there were continuing opportunities at the WIPP site, said Mark Christensen, founder of Christensen Building Group. We put together a strategic joint venture to pursue that work. Were bringing families. Were bringing our resources. Because of competition with the oil and gas industry, we wanted to control our resources. The recent oil boom in southeast New Mexico caused a crisis in Carlsbads housing market. Homes for sale are rare, and hotel room rates skyrocketed above $300 per night. Workers and tourists alike have struggled for a place to stay. The Post Time Suites will be ready by July, with 40 rooms featuring king and double beds, Christensen said. His company also built office space near Canal and Wood streets two years ago, establishing a permanent presence in Carlsbad. We wanted to really establish ourselves as committed to Carlsbad, Christensen said. We wanted to give something back and be a part of the community. For Jeff Campbell, director of marketing and business development at the Carlsbad Department of Development, more beds are always welcome, especially downtown. An area in downtown Carlsbad was recently distinguished as the Pearl of the Pecos Arts and Culture District (ACD). The district is one square mile in downtown, encompassing Carlsbads MainStreet and Historic districts. Its good to have a hotel in that area, Campbell said. It can encourage people to walk around and experience downtown. Campbell said there were at least four hotel projects going in the Carlsbad area, providing rooms for a large influx of oil and gas workers and other employees into the area. Eddy County had the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 3.1% in February, according to data from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. There is still a lot of need for housing in the area, Campbell said. A lot of companies use hotels for their employees. Each of these projects is doing something different. The two-story hotel surrounds the building that was once the Post Time Saloon and later the Luxe Nightclub. It was likely built in about the 1950s, Christensen said. LAS CRUCES The former principal at Zia Middle School, who is suspected of possessing child pornography, will remain in custody after a judge said he was a flight risk and danger to the community. Prosecutors also announced in court Tuesday that Joel Aguilar Villanueva likely possessed more child pornography than was initially reported and also engaged in grooming behavior at the school. Las Cruces Public Schools Superintendent Greg Ewing said in a statement last week, We continue to appreciate the hard work and dedication of the Zia staff and all that they are doing to support our students, parents and the community during this time. Villanueva, 42, was detained and arrested April 3 and charged in federal court with one count each of transportation and possession of child pornography. The criminal complaint against Villanueva stated he had a USB port with 192 videos, most of them child pornography. He is also accused in that complaint of sharing a child porn video on Twitter. Tuesday, at a preliminary detention hearing in U.S. District Court, prosecutors announced that more electronic devices from Villanuevas apartment appeared to contain pornography involving children. Prosecutors also said they had evidence of more social media and online accounts. Moreover, Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Ong said, local interviews provided evidence of grooming behavior by Villanueva at Zia Middle School, where he had served as principal since being hired by the district in 2017. Ong said there was evidence Villanueva invited select students to share snacks in his office and that he paid for some students personal items. Federal magistrate Judge Gregory J. Fouratt ruled that Villanueva, who has not entered a plea, was both a flight risk and a danger to the community, stating, I cant imagine how high a secure bond I would require to allay his concerns about the defendant. Defense attorney Jeff Lahann recommended Villanueva be confined to a halfway house, but Fouratt said he would need to turn a halfway house into a private jail to be satisfied the defendant would not endanger the community or attempt to evade trial. Superintendent Ewing was in the process of putting Villanueva on administrative leave Wednesday morning at the districts central office when police arrived to take custody of the principal. Ewing disclosed that detail during a PTO meeting at Zia Middle School Monday night, when Ewing and his executive cabinet presented themselves to school staff and students family members to provide a timeline of the events, including what the district knew and when regarding the federal investigation of Villanueva. Although the investigation began with a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on October 22, 2018, Ewing told the PTO the district knew nothing before it was notified Villanueva was under surveillance on April 1 of this year. The investigating agency is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Ewing said he received an assurance from authorities that no students were believed to be involved or in danger, but was requested to take no action that might alert Villanueva before a search warrant was executed at his Las Cruces residence. The decision to place Villanueva on leave, Ewing said, came early Wednesday morning after investigators told him the search warrant had been executed and the district was free to take whatever personnel action it deemed appropriate. At that point, the district was not presented with any indication of activity involving students at the school, but otherwise Ewing said the district remained in the dark about what Villanueva was alleged to have done, even as federal investigators searched Villanuevas school office and other areas. Ewing said he only learned of the details about the investigation by obtaining a copy of the search warrant from a public records request, and from news reports. NEW YORK The Labor Department is proposing new rules to determine whether companies can be considered joint employers, sharing control over workers in one of the businesses. The proposed rules announced last week would affect companies including those that are franchises or that are in a contractor/subcontractor relationship. There has been controversy and litigation over the joint employer standard in recent years. The Labor Departments proposal creates a test to help determine if a company is a joint employer: Does the company have the power to hire or fire a worker? Who supervises and control the employees work schedules or conditions of employment? Who determines how much employees are paid and how are they paid? Who maintains a workers employment records? The current joint employer standard has been on the books since 1958; under it, companies must exercise direct operational and supervisory control over employees to be considered joint employers. But in 2015, under the Obama administration, the National Labor Relations Board said in a contractor/subcontractor case that it will consider factors such as whether a company exercised control over employees indirectly through an intermediary, or whether it has reserved the authority to do so in determining whether companies are joint employers. That decision was criticized by small business and franchise groups who said it would take away small companies control over their workers. The International Franchise Association said at the time that individually-owned franchises, which are often small businesses, could be drawn into national labor disputes between unions and franchisors. There were concerns that individual owners wouldnt have the final say over matters like how much they paid their workers. The joint employer standard was among the Obama-era federal regulations the Trump administration has targeted for change. Business groups welcomed the Labor Department proposal. Karen Kerrigan, head of the advocacy group Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, said in a statement that the proposal will bring needed certainty in business-to-business relationships and in the franchise industry. Public comments will be taken through June 10. The proposal can be found at www.regulations.gov in the rulemaking docket RIN 1235-AA26. WASHINGTON It has the makings of a new Cold War, or worse. The deep chill in U.S.-Russian relations is stirring concern in some quarters that Washington and Moscow are in danger of stumbling into an armed confrontation that, by mistake or miscalculation, could lead to nuclear war. American and European analysts and current and former U.S. military officers say the nuclear superpowers need to talk more. A foundational arms control agreement is being abandoned and the last major limitation on strategic nuclear weapons could go away in less than two years. Unlike during the Cold War, when generations lived under threat of a nuclear Armageddon, the two militaries are barely on speaking terms. During the Cold War, we understood each others signals. We talked, says the top NATO commander in Europe, U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, who is about to retire. Im concerned that we dont know them as well today. Scaparrotti, in his role as Supreme Allied Commander Europe, has met only twice with Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian general staff, but has spoken to him by phone a number of other times. I personally think communication is a very important part of deterrence, Scaparrotti said, referring to the idea that adversaries who know each others capabilities and intentions are less likely to fall into conflict. So, I think we should have more communication with Russia. It would ensure that we understand each other and why we are doing what were doing. He added: It doesnt have to be a lot. The United States and Russia, which together control more than 90 percent of the worlds nuclear weapons, say that in August they will leave the 1987 treaty that banned an entire class of nuclear weapons. And there appears to be little prospect of extending the 2010 New Start treaty that limits each sides strategic nuclear weapons. After a period of post-Cold War cooperation on nuclear security and other defense issues, the relationship between Washington and Moscow took a nosedive, particularly after Russian forces entered the former Soviet republic of Georgia in 2008. Tensions spiked with Russias annexation of the Crimea in 2014 and its military intervention in eastern Ukraine. In response, Congress in 2016 severely limited military cooperation with Russia. The law prohibits military-to-military cooperation until the secretary of defense certifies that Russia has ceased its occupation of Ukrainian territory and aggressive activities. The law was amended last year to state that it does not limit military talks aimed at reducing the risk of conflict. Relations frayed even further amid U.S. allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, although President Donald Trump has doubted Russian complicity in what U.S. intelligence agencies assert was an effort by Moscow to boost Trumps chances of winning the White House. After a Helsinki summit with Putin in July, Trump publicly accepted the Kremlin leaders denial of interference. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview Friday that Russian behavior is to blame for the strained relationship. Its very difficult for us to have normal relationships with a country that has not behaved normally over the last few years, Dunford said. There are major issues that affect our bilateral relationship that have to be addressed, to include where Russia has violated international laws, norms and standards. Dunford said he speaks regularly with Gerasimov, his Russian counterpart, and the two sides talk on other levels. Im satisfied right now with our military-to-military communication to maintain a degree of transparency that mitigates the risk of miscalculation, he said. I think we have a framework within to manage a crisis, should one occur, at the senior military-to-military level. James Stavridis, a retired Navy admiral who was the top NATO commander in Europe from 2009 to 2013, says the West must confront Russia where necessary, including on its interventions in Ukraine and Syria. But he believes there room for cooperation on multiple fronts, including the Arctic and arms control. We are in danger of stumbling backward into a Cold War that is to no ones advantage, he said in an email exchange. Without steady, political-level engagement between the defense establishments, the risk of a true new Cold War rises steadily. No one is predicting a deliberate Russian act of war in Europe, but the decline in regular talks is a worry to many. Moscow says it is ready to talk. Russia remains open for interaction aimed at de-escalating tension, restoring mutual trust, preventing any misinterpretations of one anothers intentions, and reducing the risk of dangerous incidents, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement last week in response to NATOs 70th anniversary celebration. Sam Nunn, who served in the Senate as a Democrat from Georgia from 1972 to 1997, argues that dialogue with Russia is too important to set aside, even if it carries domestic political risk. You cant call time out, he said in an interview. The nuclear issues go on, and theyre getting more dangerous. Nunn co-wrote an opinion piece with former Secretary of State George Shultz and former Defense Secretary William Perry arguing that the U.S. and its allies and Russia are caught in a policy paralysis that could lead to a military confrontation and potentially the first use of nuclear weapons since the U.S. bombed Japan in August 1945. A bold policy shift is needed, they wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, to support a strategic re-engagement with Russia and walk back from this perilous precipice. Otherwise, our nations may soon be entrenched in a nuclear standoff more precarious, disorienting and economically costly than the Cold War. A group of U.S., Canadian, European and Russian security experts and former officials in February issued a call for talks with Russia on crisis management. The risks of mutual misunderstanding and unintended signals that stem from an absence of dialogue relating to crisis management are real, the Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group said in a statement. It said this could lead to conventional war with Russia or, in a worst case scenario, the potential for nuclear threats, or even nuclear use, where millions could be killed in minutes. REDDING, Calif. - Police are searching for answers after a home on Lake Boulevard caught fire and exploded after 8 p.m. Saturday. Four people were injured, and one was taken to the hospital by helicopter. The fire marshall says it's too early to tell what caused the explosion or the fire, and Redding police told Action News Now details will remain limited as they continue the investigation. Neighbors said they are surprised that an explosion happened inside this normally quiet trailer park. One neigbor said he was doing dishes and ran outside after hearing two big explosions. He then saw a big fireball when his neighbor opened the door. "The skin was melting off," said neighbor, Dan Brooks. Brooks said he then got his hose and sprayed his neighbor with water after finding him severely burned. "I just sat there drenching them until the fire department showed up. They went inside and turned the gas lines off and just got everything under control until the fire departmnet showed up," Brooks said. Redding police and fire officials are still working to determine the cause of the fire. UPDATE 6:08 p.m. Monday, April 15, 2019: Action News Now Reporter spoke with Myra Taylor, Henry Lane's former Common Law wife, who lived with him for 8 years and says Lane has a mental health illness. "The police and the sheriff in this community in this county know better than anyone and they've dealt with these people years in and year out what their problems are and what their issues are and stopping them permanently with a bullet is not going to end the mental health crisis," Taylor said. "We need help in our community and using a gun is not the help that everyone needs," she said. Although the investigation is still ongoing, Red Bluff Police Department held a press conference Monday at 2 p.m. "Ultimately, when one of the officers felt their life or the life of one of the other officers were in danger in terms of receiving a significant injury, a choice was made to utilize deadly force," said Red Bluff Chief of Police Kyle Sanders. He continues to say that the use of deadly force was appropriate. "I think a use of a stick, in this case, was several feet in length and had some girth to it I think anyone who is reasonable could conclude that if that weapon were used against an officer or anyone for that matter and was to strike them particularly in the head would cause serious bodily injury to one of our officers," Sanders said. The investigation is still ongoing and Corporal Harper has been placed on paid administrative leave. --- UPDATE 1:42 p.m. Monday, April 15, 2019 - The Red Bluff Police Department identified the man killed in an officer-involved shooting on Sunday. His name is Henry Lane, 42, of Red Bluff. --- UPDATE 6:24 p.m. Sunday, April 14, 2019 - Video from witnesses of the officer-involved shooting was added to this story. You can see responders providing CPR to the victim a couple of minutes after the victim was shot. --- RED BLUFF, Calif. - Red Bluff police officers were involved in an officer-involved shooting incident on Sunday morning, just after midnight. The incident occurred at the Antelope River Bridge. Police contacted a man on Antelope Blvd., just east of Rio Street. Police said the man was armed with a large stick. They said they asked him repeatedly to drop the stick, but he refused. He walked away as the officer followed him on foot. Police then started to use a Taser and bean bag rounds to gain control of the situation and take the man into custody. However, officers said these steps were ineffective. The man came toward officers with the large stick raised in preparation to strike at officers. At this point, one officer, Red Bluff Police Corporal Stephen Harper, fired one round from his service pistol which struck the male in his upper body. Officers started life-saving measures until paramedics arrived and the man was put in an ambulance. He was pronounced deceased at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Red Bluff. The subject's identity is being withheld until next of kin are notified. Corporal Stephen Harper, who shot the round that struck the man, has worked in law enforcement for 15 years and has been with the Red Bluff Police Department for three and a half years. He was placed on paid administrative leave while the incident is being investigated. No officers were physically harmed during the incident. The Tehama County District Attorney Bureau of Investigation is handling the independent external investigation. The Red Bluff Police Department is also conducting an internal affairs investigation into the incident. A witness is questioning if Red Bluff police could've handled the situation differently. "Why couldn't you guys spend more time with it? Why were you guys so anxious to you know, when there were no threats?" He goes on to say, "Whatever the case may be, it's not worth taking somebody's life." The investigation is still in its early stages. Updated 7:40 p.m. Sunday, Apr. 14, 2019 - A representative of the computer replacements effort asks that people interested in the program email them to be placed on a list. They do not want people to call the first Assembly of God Church to be put on the list. The email address is shipshapemarine@gmail.com. --- CHICO, Calif. - It has been more than five months since thousands of people lost everything in the Camp Fire. Most people lost their computers, so a group of very tech savvy high schoolers from Petaluma are providing relief. For their senior community project tech students from Casa Grade High School handed out 20 computers to Camp Fire survivors Saturday in Chico at the First Assembly of God church on Arbutus. The computers were donated by the Golden Gate Computer Society in San Anselmo, California. They were refurbished computers with brand new keyboards. They also provided mousepads and monitors. The students said they will be coming back to Chico to give out more computers to survivors in the future. They said to call the First Assembly of God Church at (530) 345-1377 to be put on a waiting list. The church has been providing lots of relief of many different kinds to fire survivors. Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News N Augusta Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. https://www.aish.com/jw/s/Bananas-5-Surprising-Jewish-Facts.html In celebration of World Banana Day, discover the Jewish connection to this delicious fruit. April is a busy month for Jews, as we prepare for the Jewish holiday of Passover. Its easy to overlook another holiday on the calendar this season: World Banana Day held the third Wednesday of every April. This year, its April 17, 2019. Its worth taking a break from our Passover cooking and cleaning to contemplate what it takes to grow and market these delicious fruits. The modern banana industry has some surprising Jewish connections. Here are five Jewish facts about this delicious fruit. Discovering Bananas A native plant to India, bananas started becoming popular in the Middle East and Europe during the Middle Ages as Arab traders brought this novel fruit to new markets further west. A tenth-century Arab traveler and geographer known as al-Muqadasi recorded eating bananas in Jerusalem, along with other fruits such as raisins, oranges and apples. Other accounts record Jews eating bananas elsewhere in the land of Israel during the Middle Ages. From about the 17th century on, there are records of farmers growing the crop in the region. Medieval Jews embraced the exotic fruit, but had a key question are bananas a fruit at all? This matters because Jews traditionally make one blessing thanking God for creating borei pri haetz, the fruits of the tree, and a different blessing thanking God for making borei pri haadamah, or the fruits of the grounds, over vegetables and herbs. Bananas grow in a palm-like plant and are actually a herb, producing up to hundreds of bananas from a single plant. Unlike fruit trees, banana trees dont last long: about eight years. In the 1500s in the Israeli city of Safed, Rabbi Joseph Karo explained that since bananas are not a fruit, the adamah blessing, not the blessing for fruit, should be said over bananas. Reflecting the fact that Arab traders were largely responsible for spreading bananas popularity, Rabbi Karo called them by their Arabic name, muzish. Sam the Banana Man Samuel Zmuri was a Jewish teenager from Kishinev in Russia when he bought a steerage ticket to New York City. Arriving in the US, he stowed away on a freight train to Selma, Alabama, where he worked various odd jobs including unloading bananas from ships arriving from Central America, where banana production was fast becoming a major industry. Samuel Zemurray Samuel, who by then had changed his name to Zemurray, started buying up the overly-ripe bananas that would ordinarily be thrown away and selling them to grocers. Soon Zemurray was being called Sam the Banana Man. In 1903 he started his own company and two years later started running his own shipping line, bringing bananas to the US from Honduras. In 1906, he leased 5,000 acres of banana crops and became a major importer of bananas to the United States. He eventually became a controlling shareholder in United Fruit Company, then the worlds largest fruit company. Under his leadership, bananas popularity soared, becoming a staple in many American households. Zemurray was a committed philanthropist. He sponsored 22,000 Latin American farmers to be independent producers selling to United Fruit, and endowed many universities and hospitals, including an agricultural college in Honduras and New Orleans first hospital for Black women. Saving Holocaust Survivors Samuel Zemurray was a passionate Zionist and a personal friend of Chaim Weizmann, the first President of the State of Israel. In the years after World War II, tens of thousands of Jewish Holocaust survivors longed to sail to the land of Israel and start new lives in the Jewish homeland. Britain, which ruled the area, enforced a strict policy of not allowing Jewish refugees to enter. Many Jews tried to enter the land of Israel illegally, only to be captured and imprisoned once more by the British in prison camps on the island of Cyprus, in Greece. In 1947, the secret Jewish defense force the Haganah (the forerunner of todays Israel Defense Force) approached Zemurray with a top secret plan: would he finance the purchase of a ship on which Jewish partisans could smuggle Holocaust survivors to the land of Israel? Zemurray agreed, using a front firm called the Weston Trading Company to disguise the deal. The ship Zemurray bought was a 20-year-old steamer called the USS President Warfield. Attacked by a German submarine in 1942, it had been decommissioned; when Zemurray bought it, it was on its way to a junkyard. Instead, the Haganah brought the ship to the French port of Marseilles and loaded it with 4,553 passengers: Holocaust survivors desperate to enter the land of Israel. As the ship slowly made its way to the port of Haifa during the summer of 1947, the crew renamed the ship the Exodus and unfurled a large blue and white flag, declaring that the land of Israel was their final destination. The Exodus A host of British ships including destroyers accompanied the Exodus, and when they neared the coast of Israel, the British shot at the ship and sent a convoy of armed soldiers to board the ship and subdue its passengers and crew. In the fighting that broke out, three Holocaust survivors died and many were wounded. British ships towed the Exodus into the harbor, with plans to send the broken, desperate passengers back to France. Instead, the passengers and crew of the Exodus staged a hunger strike. For 24 days, in the brutal Mediterranean sun, the world watched as thousands of Holocaust survivors men, women and children and members of the Haganah weakened from lack of food. Eventually, British soldiers forced the Exodus passengers back to Europe, where they were forced by soldiers wielding tear gas and clubs into new prisons: displaced person camps in Germany. A few months later, in August 1947, in part due to the stirring example of the single-minded determination of the Exodus passengers to reach the land of Israel, the United Nations voted to create a Jewish state in a portion of the Biblical land of Israel. Few were aware of Samuel Zemurrays role in this historic event. A modest, self-effacing man, he shunned the limelight. When he passed away in 1961, some friends were shocked to discover that Zemurray the banana magnate had been behind the historic Exodus journey years before. Saving banana crops around the world Jewish farmers began to grow bananas in Israel in the 1930s, first in the north near the Kinneret, (Sea of Galilee), and later throughout the country. Though they are a warm-weather crop, Israels burning hot summers can be too much for banana plants. Israeli farmers realized they could compensate by erecting canvas roofs to block bananas from the sun during the hottest summer months. They also conducted pioneering research in banana plant irrigation, fertilization and cross-breeding. Today, Israel produces about 45,000 tonnes of bananas each year, supplying about 20% of all bananas consumed in the West. Growing bananas in Israel Israeli banana growers saved banana crops world-wide a few years ago. The greatest threat to banana crops is a pathogen called nematodes, commonly known s roundworms. After years of losing banana harvests to this pest, Israeli scientists developed a banana plant thats resistant to nematodes in the early 2000s. Now, Israeli-developed strains of hardier banana plants are grown around the world, producing hardy bananas and dramatically boosting yields. Embraced by Jewish Chefs Bananas have long been embraced by some Jewish communities. Jewish chefs in Persia and Afghanistan pass down traditional recipes for charoset, the sweet paste eaten at the Passover Seder, that incorporate bananas as key ingredients. In Yemen, Jews used to mash bananas with honey as a folk recipe for some illnesses. Ashkenazi Jewish cooks began embracing bananas in the 20th century in North America and Europe, along with their non-Jewish counterparts, as bananas became more commercially available and popular. One 19th century Jewish cookbook aimed at recent Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe explained that the soft creamy inside, not the tough outer peel of a banana, was meant to be eaten. Today, Israel is the worlds top market of fresh bananas per capita, eating a whopping 30 kilos each year per person. Though some South American and East Asian nations consume more bananas in the form of banana flours and drinks, As far as eating a plain banana goes, Israel is definitely a world leader in consumption, particularly among children, explains Yuval Levy, a banana expert at the Zemach agricultural research station in Israel. Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas are exchanging accusations following unprecedented statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he rejected the idea of the Palestinian Authority (PA) reclaiming control over the Gaza Strip because Israel is benefiting from the Palestinian division. He also said Israel will not give Gaza to PA President Mahmoud Abbas. In an April 4 interview with Israel Hayom newspaper, Netanyahu stressed that the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have become separate entities, and that this is not particularly a bad thing for Israel. He said, [Abbas] brought that upon himself. He cut back the influx of PA funds [to Gaza]. He thought that by doing so, he could send Gaza up in flames. We would [have to] pay for the occupation of Gaza with a heavy loss of life, and on Israels back, [Abbas] would get Gaza on a silver platter." "That wont happen, he added. Palestinians reacted soon after Netanyahu's statements. On April 7, Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of Fatahs Central Committee, accused Netanyahu of seeking to maintain Hamas' authority while worsening tension between Gaza and the West Bank. Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, told Donia al-Watan website April 6 that instead of shifting the Palestinian situation from division to outright separation, Hamas ought to respond to Netanyahu by ending the division and implementing the reconciliation agreement reached with Fatah in October 2017. Also on April 6, Mahmoud al-Habash, supreme judge of Palestine and Abbas' adviser on religious affairs, told Palestinian news network Raya that Netanyahu's statements prove that the Hamas leadership which seized control of Gaza in 2007 is working for him by insisting on division and not putting Gaza back under the all-inclusive Palestinian umbrella. According to Habash, this means Hamas is plotting against the Palestinian cause. Palestinian presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh told Wafa news April 4 that Netanyahu's remarks make it imperative for Hamas to realize what is being planned for it as part of the US plan for Middle East peace, which is still a matter of some secrecy. However, Hamas has consistently rejected the deal, most recently when Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem issued a press statement April 6 stressing that Hamas will not be part of the plan. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum told the Saudi-funded satellite TV channel Al-Resalah on April 7 that Abbas' behavior is consistent with Netanyahu's statements, which bolsters the chances of the West Bank and Gaza separating further from each other and paves the way for the US plan to be implemented. He asserted that Hamas is all that's standing between Abbas and his goal. In turn, Ahmed Yousef, a former political adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, told Al-Najah news website April 6 that Hamas stresses that there will not be a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip nor will there be a state without Gaza hinting at the unification of Gaza and the West Bank. Mustafa al-Sawaf, former editor of Felesteen newspaper in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, The PA does not mind returning to Gaza on the back of an Israeli tank, but Netanyahu's statements addressed the international community to show that he will not reoccupy the Gaza Strip and is against the PA's desire to control it. However, he is for keeping the division and is taking advantage of the Palestinian conflicts between Fatah and Hamas. Meanwhile, Israeli media has been increasingly talking about allegations that the PA and Arab states are involved in an Israeli effort to overthrow Hamas. Yet, on April 4, Netanyahu told Israeli Public Broadcasting Corp.'s website Makan that no Arab leader is ready enough to manage Gaza should Israel regain control over it. Israeli journalist Yair Sheleg wrote in Makor Rishon on March 31 that the long-term solution in Gaza can only be achieved through Israeli and international engagement with Arab states (which he did not name) that are preparing to solve the Gaza problem. "This means an international action to resettle Gazan refugees outside the Gaza Strip in the northern Sinai Peninsula, in all the Arab states and perhaps in other countries," he wrote. Gen. Kobi Michael, former head of the Palestinian desk at the Israeli Ministry for Strategic Affairs, wrote in a March 31 analysis for the Institute for National Security Studies that Israel could face a problem finding anyone it would want to fill the vacuum in Gaza if Hamas falls from power. Mahmoud Mardawi, a member of Hamas national relations bureau, told Al-Monitor, Netanyahu's statements confirm that Abbas' policies are wrong and that he is going to separate Gaza from the West Bank. Netanyahu's vision is consistent with his army's intention not to carry out a broad war against Hamas. I don't believe he will change this policy, although not all Israelis especially those who support using force against Hamas agree with him on it. Hamas may be reassured that Israel is not going to eliminate it, especially not to give Gaza back to the PA. Israel is not ready to sacrifice its soldiers for Abbas, particularly since Hamas and Israel agreed on Egyptian-brokered humanitarian understandings March 30 in Gaza. Wasel Abu Youssef, a PLO Executive Committee member, told Al-Monitor, Netanyahu's statements seek to deepen the Palestinian division and even take it a step further toward separation. They happen to coincide with Hamas' understandings with Israel, in preparation for making [the understandings] long-term, as the [US peace plan unveiling] approaches. Abu Youssef added, The PA never asked Israel to wage a war against Gaza. Netanyahu's speech is misleading and no Arab state will dare take control of Gaza and overstep the Palestinian legitimacy. It's highly unlikely that Israel, which withdrew from Gaza in 2005, would return to it in 2019, especially without a clear military plan capable of overthrowing Hamas and ensuring security in the Gaza Strip. If there is no such plan, Israel will not risk a return, because it doesn't rely on anyone else to ensure its security, be it the PA or any Arab country. Maj. Gen. Wasef Erekat, a Palestinian military expert in the West Bank and a former PLO artillery commander, told Al-Monitor, Netanyahu is not going to wage a war against Hamas in Gaza, fearing for the lives of his soldiers. He may, however, carry out a deterrent military operation against Hamas without overthrowing it. Erekat said, Israel is interested in keeping Hamas in control of Gaza, and [keeping] the PA in the West Bank. The division bodes well for its strategic interest. Israel may be reluctant to eliminate Hamas, given the rapprochement between the movement and Egypt, which will not welcome such a move for fear of security chaos spilling over from Gaza to Sinai. Netanyahu's statements embarrassed both Hamas and Fatah. He showed keenness to keep Hamas in control of Gaza and portrayed Fatah as begging him to wage a war against the Gaza Strip to overthrow Hamas. Netanyahu's comments also increased tension between Hamas and Fatah and raised questions about each of them being part of Israeli plans to deepen Palestinian division. Hamas and Israel reached March 30 humanitarian understandings under Egyptian brokerage aimed at easing the Gaza Strip's living conditions by solving the electricity problem, opening crossings, bringing in more goods and distributing financial aid to poor families. Adnan Abu Hasna, a Gaza-based spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Gaza Strip (UNRWA), announced April 9 that a temporary employment process extending over three to nine months has kicked off. The process, he said, aims to fill 6,400 job vacancies with Qatari funding. Abu Hasna noted that UNRWA and government institutions in Gaza, such as the Health and Education ministries, will benefit from having these jobs filled. On March 31, Israel opened the Kerem Abu Salem and Beit Hanoun crossings in the framework of the Egyptian-brokered understanding with Hamas; the Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border is still operational. In addition, Israel expanded April 1 the allowed fishing zone off Gazas coast to 15 nautical miles in the south near Egypt. Qatar has agreed to finance the supply of gas to Gaza's power plant within six months as well as the establishment of solar tanks for the plant, a Hamas official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. Since October 2018, Qatar has paid $150 million to the Gaza Strip to help poor families, cover salaries of Gaza public servants out of work and purchase fuel for the Gaza power plant for six months ending April. Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya al-Sinwar said April 6 during a meeting with Palestinian factions and community figures in Gaza, Qatar plays a key role in word and deed in the efforts to break the siege on the Gaza Strip and to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people. It pumps money into the economy and establishes humanitarian projects. On April 3, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in an extensive interview with Qatari daily Al Sharq that Qatars main role in Gaza aims at maintaining security and helping Palestinians. Qassem said that Qatar has an important role when it comes to energy, relief, employment, security and employees salaries in the Gaza Strip. In addition, he noted, it plays a key role in lifting the siege on Gaza, which is something the Palestinian people greatly appreciate. This, according to Qassem, shows how genuine Qatars government, people and leadership are. He pointed out that such efforts have been ongoing since Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani took office, as Qatar started building residential cities, paving roads and supporting the health and energy sectors. Sheikh Hamad became emir in 1995 and relinquished power to his son Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in 2013. Through Qatars Gaza Reconstruction Committee, he implemented around 150 projects, most notably the rehabilitation of Salah al-Din Street in Gaza, the establishment of Sheikh Hamad residential city in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip and the establishment of a water network in the city of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip. In addition, he offered a grant to Gaza worth $407 million in 2012 after the Israeli war in November 2012. Qassem told Al-Monitor, Although we, as a movement, do not get direct financial support from Qatar, which supports the Palestinian people, the ever-growing ties between Hamas and Doha are a natural evolution. Hamas is trying to keep a balance in its foreign relations, and it steers clear of siding with one party or axis against another. While the Palestinian Authority [PA] keeps trying to sabotage Hamas relations with other countries, all we care about is to have the Palestinian people benefit from the support we get. On April 3, Hamas political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh called the former emir and briefed him on the latest developments in the truce between the Palestinians and Israel. He praised Qatar's role in humanitarian projects in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani stressed his support for the Palestinian people and stressed the need to implement the recent understandings reached between Hamas and Israel. Al-Monitor attended a meeting April 2 in Gaza between Haniyeh and a number of political analysts, academics and authors. Haniyeh said that the understandings with Israel include humanitarian projects that Qatar agreed to fund. On March 29, Haniyeh also discussed over the phone with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani the latest developments in the truce and stressed Qatar's role in tackling the humanitarian situation in Gaza and in supporting the projects it finances there. Amin Makboul, a member of Fatahs Central Committee, told Al-Monitor, The PA is not completely absent from the Gaza Strip as it is keeping an eye on foreign interference there. But we do not want to have problems with any Arab country, and any Arab contacts with Gaza must be carried out through President Mahmoud Abbas, who represents both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. There should not be any contact with each separately. Yet this is the case with Gaza and it is unacceptable. On Feb. 17, Abbas instructed Fatah leaders to stop attacking Qatar and its role in the Gaza Strip. On Feb. 12, Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki had accused Qatar of helping the Israeli occupation and described its role as disobedient. On Nov. 9, 2018, member of the PLO Executive Committee Ahmed Majdalani attacked the Qatari role in Gaza, saying it was overstepping the PA, entrenching division, sabotaging the reconciliation efforts and informally funding Hamas. Khalil Shaheen, director of research at the Palestinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies - Masarat, told Al-Monitor, Qatar is seeking to keep Hamas away from armed action. Its support is focused on humanitarian work in a bid to spare Gaza an Israeli war, and this is different from Iran's weapon-limited support. He noted, Egypt and Qatar are dividing their roles when it comes to their relations with Hamas. The first concludes a security truce between the movement and Israel while the second provides financial support. Hamas has established communication channels with the two parties. Shaheen added, Abbas maintains a good relationship with Qatar because he does not want problems with Doha for supporting Gaza. However, should he feel that such support strengthens Hamas control there, he will not hesitate to react. Majid Abu Diak, a Qatar-based Palestinian author who writes for Al-Jazeera.net, told Al-Monitor, The Qatari support for Gaza falls within Qatars desire to strengthen its political role in the region. Qatar is indeed achieving this thanks to its ties with Hamas. Meanwhile, both Israel and the United States are pleased with Qatar's ongoing relationship with Hamas and are turning a blind eye to the support it provides to Gaza. On Nov. 11, 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the introduction of Qatari funds into the Gaza Strip prevents a humanitarian crisis, and this is a step in the right direction. Palestinians in Gaza, Hamas leaders included, believe Qatar is their lifeline to overcome the blockade. Yet they are well aware that Qatar is not a charity and that it pumps money into the Gaza Strip in order to achieve greater influence in the Palestinian territories. Hamas leaders are not ashamed to admit this so long as they do not have to make any political concessions in return the PAs constant attacks against both Hamas and Qatar not being a problem for them. Anne Speakman, who founded the Shelby County Humane Society and served as president of the State Humane Society, has died, her family said. She died Saturday afternoon after a long battle with lung cancer. She was 78. She was known for challenging animal exploitation such as mules trained to dive off high dives into water and monkeys riding dogs at the Alabama State Fair, and bear wrestling at a bar, said her oldest son, Danny Speakman. She stopped the diving mules at the state fair, Danny Speakman said. She put a stop to that. A man had a grizzly bear at a bar in Alabaster and was doing bear wrestling. They set up a ring like wrestling match. Men got drunk and got in the ring to wrestle the bear. The bear had its teeth and claws pulled. Mother got that stopped. At the state fair they had monkeys riding on dogs. She put a stop to that." Mrs. Speakman was assistant director of the Birmingham Humane Society before founding the Shelby County Humane Society in 1981 and serving as executive director for 13 years. She was fired in 1993 for mismanagement. After she left the Humane Society, people would still call her for years, said her son, Michael Speakman. These cows are starving. Theyre fighting pit bulls. Can you do something? Mrs. Speakman was born Sept. 27, 1940 in Pittsburgh and moved in her youth to Birmingham, where she married a coal miner, Johnny Ray Speakman, who died in 1990. Until she gave up alcohol in 1979, Mrs. Speakman struggled with alcohol and drug addiction, her sons said. She turned her desire for drinking to caring for animals, Danny said. In the 1980s, Mrs. Speakman was instrumental in pushing the Alabama Legislature to pass a law that required cities and counties with more than 5,000 population to fund animal control and animal shelters. Mrs. Speakman traveled the state to spread awareness of the law and helped start humane societies in Fort Payne, Cullman, Etowah County and St. Clair County, Michael said. She lived it, Michael said. It wasnt a job for her. It was something she truly believed and dedicated her life to it. To start the Shelby County Humane Society, Mrs. Speakman lobbied the Shelby County Commission for a $30,000 a year budget. Then she arranged with the sheriff to lend seven county jail inmates each day to help her build the first animal shelter. It was built with convict labor, Danny said. She convinced a lumber company and a concrete company to donate materials. I would go to the jail, get these inmates, and take them back at the end of the day, Michael said. That original building has been replaced, he said. They tore the old shelter down. Mrs. Speakman also started her own business called Ponies for Parties, renting ponies to childrens parties. She did that up into her seventies, Michael said. Mrs. Speakman was an activist against puppy mills, noting that there were too many dogs that needed to be adopted and the worst part of her career was having to euthanize animals. She estimated that she killed 50,000 animals that were not adopted during her 13 years as head of the Shelby County Humane Society and her five years at the Birmingham Humane Society. Its so wrong to kill animals as the solution to the pet overpopulation problem, she said in a 1993 interview with The Birmingham News. I dont want to do that anymore. She lived much of her life in a trailer on her small farm in Pea Ridge. She never was able to gain any kind of wealth, Michael said. She asked to be buried in a simple pine coffin, he said. She was kind of like an old hippie, Danny said. She didnt want to be embalmed. She wanted just a plain old pine box casket. -- Jimmy ONeal Spencer, a 52-year-old homeless man with a long criminal record, was out on early parole last July when he was arrested for killing a 7-year-old boy, his 75-year-old great-grandmother and another woman in Guntersville. The murders last year upended Alabamas early parole system. Spencers release from state prison drew the ire of Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall, and inspired Ivey last October to halt early parolees. But at the same time, federal investigators were preparing their findings, and their legal warnings, about Alabamas brutal, jampacked prisons. And while Alabama stopped early paroles, doing little to end the prison crisis, Mississippi has gone the other direction, increasing paroles, decriminalizing marijuana and earning high grades among Southern states for at least attempting reforms. In Alabama, legislation has now surfaced to reform early parole by mandating that people convicted of certain violent crimes cannot be considered until they serve out 85 percent of their sentence or do 15 years in prison. But last week, the U.S. Department of Justice dropped its report, and gave Alabama just 49 days to start easing the crowding and resulting violence in its prisons. Contained within the striking, 56-page federal report on the horrific prison conditions is a seeming recommendation to revive early parole immediately: Within one month, consult a nationally recognized expert, approved by the Department, with experience realigning low-risk, nonviolent prison inmates to local oversight, to assess such feasibility in Alabama. That could relate to parole, said Carla Crowder, executive director with the Alabama Appleseed Institute for Law & Justice. This is an area where other states have really done a lot of work reducing population safely. Crackdown The Justice Department says that Alabamas 13 major prisons are at 182 capacity, while operating with a third of the recommended staff and guards. The report argues the dangerous combination of overcrowding and understaffing violates constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment, as Alabama regularly fails to protect inmates from extortion, violence and rape. Yet Ivey and Marshall believe the DOJs report isnt aimed at reversing limits to early parole. The governors office says its not an either-or proposition. The DOJ report provides no reason to release violent criminals into our neighborhoods and onto our streets, said Ivey spokeswoman Lori Jhons. Governor Ivey has fought both to crack down on lax parole policies and to ensure that Alabamas decades-old prison problem gets an Alabama solution, once and for all. Darrell Morgan, assistant executive director with the Board of Pardons and Parole, said the board doesnt experience pressure in parole decision making based on inmate populations and conditions inside the states prisons. He said its unknown if the board will be tasked with a role in any conceived mandated inmate realignment process in the future. However, if called, the Agency stands ready to provide the most effective supervision and re-entry services for released individuals placed under the Boards authority in a manner that enhances public safety for the citizens of Alabama, Morgan said in an email to AL.com Friday. Marshalls office, in a statement to AL.com, said that attorney general remains unconvinced that the states pardons and parole system can ensure safety of the public. More work must be done and statutory reforms to the system are a necessary next step, the statement reads. Ivey and Marshall, the states top two public officials, have the support of victims rights organizations like Victims of Crime and Leniency or VOCAL. Yet Mississippis early parole system, meanwhile, is being held up as an example for Alabama. The state, which often lags behind Alabama and other Southern states in most public health and well-being lists, was recognized in a 2018 report by the non-profit Washington, D.C.-based Sentencing Project, for showing substantial prison population reductions. Mississippi also was one of only six states to score a grade of a C or above in a rigid analysis of parole release systems by the Prison Policy Initiative. Alabama and all other states in the Deep South scored an F. Mississippi is recognized for dropping its prison population 17.5% from a peak of 22,831 state inmates in 2008 to 18,833 in 2016. Alabama saw a 13% drop from a peak of 31,437 inmates in 2012, to 27,799 in 2016. Alabamas population is more than 1-1/2 times the size of Mississippi, but the two states rank side-by-side on the number of people on parole: Alabama, in 2016, had 8,150 parolees while Mississippi had 8,424. Alabamas parole rate, based on 2016 numbers provided by the Sentencing Project, shows that it ranks among the lowest in the South. For every 100,000 Alabama residents, 167 are parolees. Mississippi, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, and Georgia all have a far higher percentage of people on parole than Alabama. Only South Carolinas parole rating is lower. It shows we have a lot of people who would be paroled in other states who would not be considered (in Alabama), said Crowder with Alabama Appleseed. Opponents of early release Janette Grantham, director of the victim advocates group VOCAL, said she remains perplexed by the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles activity from last fall, which she said would have led to the early release of murderers and other criminals deemed the worst of the worst. The board, in a press release Friday, acknowledged previous mistakes in calculating parole guideline set dates, and said each case was being scrutinized to prevent reoccurrence. But the board has taken exception to statements that the board is not following its own rules or that the entire system is broken. Alabama is one of 9 states with a board of pardons and paroles with the exclusive authority to grant state pardons, and whose director is appointed by the existing board members. She is supportive of giving the governor the ability to appoint or remove board members. But state Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, said he was unsure if Ivey even had the legal authority to call for a moratorium. The Board of Pardons and Parole, a state agency, was officially established in 1939 through a constitutional amendment that removed the governors then-authority to grant any prisoner a pardon or parole. A new three-member board was then given the complete authority. The Pardons and Parole board can do whatever they want to do, Ward said. It was set up that way so the governor and the Legislature could not influence the pardons and parole process. The Attorney General and governor, in reality, cannot stop the board from paroling anyone, at least not legally. Ward is the bills, SB42, would make the director of the board an appointee of the governor and would define the directors authority as the chief executive of board operations. The three-board currently appoints the director. The governor appoints the board members, who are confirmed by the Senate. The legislation also would write into state law restrictions on the earliest that certain violent offenders can be considered for parole. Those restrictions are currently in board regulations, but Marshall has said that they need to be written into law and enforced. A key restriction would be to add to the law that offenders convicted of certain violent crimes cannot be considered for parole until they serve at least 85% of their sentence or 15 years, whichever is less. Ward said there are two versions of the legislation: The one he is sponsoring and the one sponsored by Rep. Connie Rowe, R-Jasper, which requires at least one member of the board to be a current or former law enforcement officer with a minimum of 10 years experience investigating violent crimes. Ward said that Rowes version is preferred by Ivey and Marshall, who has come out the strongest against the current board and the early parole system. I know as chairman of the Judiciary, the bill I moved out of (committee) is as far as I want to go with that, said Ward, referring to his legislation. Its a reasonable and balanced approach as opposed to something more heavy-handed. Kneejerk reaction Critics of the states handling of early parole reforms believe that Ivey and Marshall are overreacting to the Spencer case without the proper data and analyses. Marshall, the former district attorney in Marshall County, told the Judiciary Committee last week that he knew two of the victims in the Guntersville killings. Its a kneejerk reaction, said Ebony Howard, senior supervising attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center based in Montgomery. Ward said while Spencer was a kind of a posterchild of the latest efforts. Ivey unveiled the moratorium in October and said her move was to prevent the board from scheduling hundreds of violent offenders for early parole consideration without justification. She demanded a new approach and ordered the board to come up with a corrective action plan. In mid-November, the parole board submitted its corrective action plan, only to have it returned by Ivey and Marshall who claimed it wasnt sufficient. An amended draft was then forwarded before the end of the year. The SPLC is now critical of the most recent plan, which requires that an inmate or his/her representative gather letters of support for early parole from one or more of the following: The prosecutor in the inmates case, the victim or victim representative, the sentencing judge or successor or a law enforcement official from the county of conviction or the Attorney Generals Office. Very few people will be able to comply with this, said Howard. Who was being paroled The SPLC is also debating the state on whether the worst of the worst are primarily getting early parole in Alabama. The organization recently analyzed criminals paroled between Jan. 1, 2016 and June 9, 2016, and then researched to see who was back in custody two years later in September 2018. Their findings: -Of 1,005 people paroled during that time frame, 119 were back in state prisons two years later. -Of those 119, the SPLC concludes that 80 were sent back to prison after being charged for a nonviolent offense and 22 were in prison based on a so-called violent offense. -Ten of the 22 violent cases involved a burglary offense with little violent element, according to SPLC. The second-most common charge among the 22, was assault. Nearly two-dozen non-violent parolees were sent back to state prison on a drug-related arrest, the SPLC contends. We need to find ways to release people safely and figure out ways to determine who doesnt oppose a threat to public safety and who has been rehabilitated and can be released from prison, Howard said. Its time for them to have a reckoning on the paths they have taken here and figure out what they are doing and I would begin to engage with stakeholders across the spectrum who are dedicated to this issue. Mississippi model Mississippi, according to the Sentencing Project, took several steps highlighted in the Sentencing Project report, some which Alabama has yet to consider: *It scaled back sentencing guidelines for nonviolent convictions and applied them retroactively, leading to a substantial increase in paroles and accounting for two-thirds of the population reduction. Alabama, by contrast, did not apply its 2015 prison reform legislation retroactively and the Justice Department, in its scathing review of Alabamas prison system, has taken note: In an effort to decrease the prison population, the law created a new class for felonies for low-level drug and property crimes and reformed parole boards. However, it did not apply retroactively, and the effect on Alabamas prison population has been minimal. Bennett Wright, executive director with the Alabama Sentencing Commission, said there is a lot of discussion in Montgomery toward possible retroactive considerations toward leniency. I havent heard a legislator stand up and definitively say that, but there has been a lot of conversation about it, said Wright. Thats where our immediate future is in evaluating the possible effects and possible reforms on Alabamas existing (prison) population and population moving forward. *Mississippi adopted a risk assessment instrument that contributed to doubling of parole approval rate to more than 50 percent. The measures retroactively allowed consideration for parole for more types of crimes where certain aggravating circumstances had previously disqualified inmates from consideration. Also, individuals deemed nonviolent habitual offender were allowed to petition for parole consideration. The changes also allowed parole consideration for people ages 60 and up and who had served at least 10 years and were parolable under other provisions of the law. Alabama, by contrast, does not have detailed risk assessment measurements, although the Board of Pardons and Paroles considers factors like family ties and employment prospects when considering early parole applications. Crowder also said that Alabama needs to consider a repeal of the Habitual Felony Offender Act, which has led to thousands of Alabama prisoners serving enhanced prison sentences because they were convicted of more than one minor crime. Marijuana decriminalization The DOJs assessment of Alabamas prisons has also provided fuel for groups like Alabama Appleseed to advocate for more issues that could decrease overcrowding: Decriminalization of marijuana possession, rolling back enhanced sentences, and improvements to inmate re-entry programs. Alabama Appleseed released an extensive report on marijuana enforcement in 2018, and concluded that the state spent $22 million enforcing the drug in 2016. An overwhelming majority of arrests, the report states, involved possession. Mississippi, in 1978, decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana of 30 grams or less. No one in the state has ever been sentenced to jail for being arrested on possessing paraphernalia. Alabama has two bills in the Legislature this session that groups like Alabama Appleseed believe are a step toward decriminalization. But both proposals, HB96 and SB98, have yet to garner any Republican sponsorship and are currently awaiting a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ward said he anticipates the Senate proposal, sponsored by Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, to receive a committee hearing next week. Both bills propose reclassifying the penalties for marijuana possession, downgrading felonies to misdemeanors punishable by only fines. For instance, SB98 would revise the crime of unlawful possession of marijuana in the first-degree to require an amount of 2 ounces or more. Ward doubts either measure will do anything to reduce prison overcrowding. (Singletons bill) is decriminalizing a certain small amount and I feel like we can get it out of committee, said Ward. But let me say this, that does not move the needle whatsoever on the prison population. Almost no one is in an Alabama prison today with marijuana being a primary crime. However, this does ease the burden on the local charges and stuff where people have a (criminal) record for possessing a small amount. Re-entry services Meanwhile, Ward and Crowder are advocating for the state to consider more effective re-entry services, which helps inmates transition from post-incarceration into their communities. Kerri Pruitt, executive director and co-founder of the 19-year-old Dannon Project in Birmingham, said the re-entry focus should start long before early parole becomes a consideration. Its almost kind of too late to get out and to try and develop a plan, said Pruitt. I know it sounds cliche, but re-entry should start the day they start their sentence. But its more important in the six to nine months before they get out. The Dannon Project, and other organizations like it around the state, provide career readiness services and other skills for inmates who are transitioning from a world of being in a cage and operating from a survivor mode. Pruitt said there are some things the state can do to assist re-entry services, such as providing her agency Internet access when working with inmates inside correctional facilities. There is hardly anything you can do thats not online, she said. We do job readiness classes on the inside, but we have to pay so much money to get those programs loaded onto a disc. It is cost prohibitive to us. We made the investment, but why can we not have Internet when we go in? Crowder said that no matter what reforms are considered by lawmakers, the efforts would go a long way toward the overall message from the Department of Justice to Alabama: Fix the system. Its clear that the DOJ is expecting a lot of work inside the prisons but this problem cannot be fixed without fewer people being locked up, she said. Statistics have long showed Alabama with one of the highest incarceration rates in the country. We are just incarcerating too many people, she said. Having worked with many of them, with the right kind of services and support, most of them can do well outside of prison. State Troopers report that a Dozier woman was killed in a Sunday morning crash in Crenshaw County. Mary Elizabeth Baker, 23, was killed when the 2010 Chevy Malibu she was driving collided with a 1999 Dodge Ram, driven by Scott Young. The two-vehicle crash happened about 3:19 a.m. on U.S. Highway 331. Alabama State Troopers continue to investigate. The first beating Jerry Cooper sustained at the notorious Florida School for Boys involved him being thrown on a bed, tied down and whipped so hard that his body was lifted a foot and half every time the leather strap made contact. A boy who was awake in a room nearby heard the violent and horrifying ordeal, counting 135 lashes. And every time that strap would come down, you could hear the shuffle on the concrete because their shoes would slide, said Cooper, now 74, in an interview he gave back in October 2012. And you could hear the shoosh, shoosh, bam. Cooper, who was 16 at the time, lost consciousness and nearly died. It was 1961. Coopers story of violent beatings he sustained at the school have become common among the survivors who have come out in recent years, adding valuable clues as state investigators contend and wrestle with the recent shocking and chilling discovery of unmarked graves on the sprawling 1,400 acre site. On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged the discovery of 27 possible unmarked graves, adding to the 55 confirmed graves found during an investigation in 2012. The newest possible graves were discovered by a contractor conducting a ground survey prior to a pollution clean up on a little under 2 acres of land at the school. The contractor, using ground-penetrating radar equipment, reported 27 anomalies consistent with the depth and shape of graves. Cooper was sent to the school after being caught stealing a car. Other kids were also charged with crimes, but some children simply had nowhere else to go, he said. A lot of orphans were there that did not have places at times and they were sent to Marianna, Cooper told NPR. They werent there for any crime whatsoever, but we had many, many boys who was there for smoking in school, that were incorrigible. We werent bad kids. We might have needed help in some respect. But that wasnt the place to find it, Ill tell you that right now. The school gained a reputation for rape, torture and the murder of young boys who were forced to live there, according to statements given by a group of survivors known as the White House Boys, a name taken from the small cinder-block building where thousands of beatings are believed to have taken place. The number of men who have publicly come out is now more than 400. The White House Boys began telling their stories in the early 2000s, widely documented in a detailed 2009 investigation by the St. Petersburg Times. Survivors corroborated that segregated whippings rooms existed where guards would use a belt made of leather and metal to punish the boys. So severe were the punishments that the boys underwear would become meshed with their skin. One person said he saw one boy trapped in a running laundry dryer and believed he had been killed. Others claim there was a rape room at the school where they were sexually abused by guards. Some of the children were as young as 9, according to witness accounts in the investigation. Christmas gifts being distributed to African American boys at the School for Boys in Marianna, Florida, in the 1950s. A law enforcement investigation was launched prior to the extensive news reporting by the St. Petersburg Times, finding no concrete evidence of a link between the deaths and the actions of the staff who worked there. No graves were opened during the investigation, but law enforcement did note in a report that 31 of the graves had been dug between 1914 and 1952. Some reports by former students stated that in addition to corporal punishment, they were also subjected to sexual abuse at the hands of former staff members or other students, said an official 2010 report that investigated the spankings. With the passage of over fifty years, no tangible physical evidence was found to either support or refute the allegations of physical or sexual abuse. In March 2010, the Florida State Attorney said that no charges would be filed, citing lack of evidence. The school was shut in 2011 after immense pressure was placed on the legislature in Tallahassee, which is just one hour east of Marianna, the city where the school was located since opening in 1900. Of the first 55 graves that were discovered, the remains of 51 boys have been found, according to studies made by a team of anthropologists from the University of South Florida. The USF team has been at the site on and off since 2012, but only recently did the team gain full access to the entire property. A majority of the work being done by the USF team is at the Boot Hill cemetery, which was designated as an African-American burial ground during the segregation era. Segregation ended at the school in 1966. The remains of the first boys discovered in 2012, which mostly consisted of bones, teeth and artifacts, underwent DNA testing, enabling researchers to make seven certain matches and a further 14 presumptive identifications. Those remains were returned to families where possible, but most were reburied. The number of official deaths at the school appears to be disputed because of incomplete documentation. The bodies of those who were officially recorded have not all been accounted for at the schools cemetery, while some of those found in the unmarked graves are not noted in documentation, according to investigators. For example, a boy by the name of George Owen, who was reported missing in 1940, was found in the first batch of unmarked graves. Many children at the school were reported to have died under less sinister circumstances. Eight boys died in a fire in 1914, while others died from flu and pneumonia. Some runaways were also shot. Gov. DeSantis has asked state officials to work closely with anthropologists to establish if the anomalies are in fact unmarked graves. If it proves to be true, any remains will also undergo DNA testing and identification. Jackson County plans to eventually use the land to build a distribution and manufacturing center, as well as a training center for people with autism. The Florida Cabinet voted on the proposal in December. A Jefferson County worker was killed early Sunday when he was hit by a vehicle while trying to clear a downed tree from the roadway. The crash happened about 2:15 a.m. on 15th Street near Hueytown, said Jefferson County Sheriffs Office Capt. David Agee. The name of the Roads and Transportation worker has not yet been released pending notification of his relatives. Storms pummeled the South Saturday night, moving into Alabama after midnight. Suspected tornadoes also were reported in various parts of Alabama, including Highland Lakes, Greystone and American Village in Shelby County and lake Purdy at Grants in Jefferson County. Agee said the Jefferson County worker was cutting up a tree to clear the road when a motorist struck him. The worker was taken to an undisclosed hospital where he later died. The driver remained on the scene and cooperated with investigators. Were asking everyone to slow down and be mindful of our workers, Agee said. There is a lot of construction going on all across the county and we are asking everyone to slow down in these areas and be a little more patient. This story will be updated as more information is released. IDPs who fled attacks use drug imported illegally from India to cope with post-traumatic stress and challenges in camps. Maiduguri, Nigeria Aliyu Yusuf hadnt heard of Tramadol until he arrived at an IDP (internally displaced persons) camp in 2016, having escaped an attack by Boko Haram on Gwoza, his hometown near the border with Cameroon. One morning in the camp in Madinatu, where some 5,000 IDPs live on the outskirts of Maiduguri, there was no food to eat. A man he had made friends with offered him the drug to ease the pain of hunger. A few tablets later, he felt relieved. It was the start of his Tramadol addiction. I feel very empty without Tramadol, said Yusuf. It is the only thing that makes me tough and takes away all my pain away. Yusuf is one of dozens of IDPs in Madinatu who is addicted to Tramadol. While it is mainly used as pain relief medicine, when taken at higher doses, it can produce the same high as heroin. Tramadol binds to opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, leading to a sense of euphoria. Like Yusuf, most of the people on the drug in Madinatu told Al Jazeera that they were introduced to it in the IDP camp. Many said they experienced post-traumatic stress following Boko Haram attacks and cited the challenges of living in an IDP camp as reasons for their dependence. 170119093804569 Nothing matters to me any more whenever I take [Tramadol], said 23-year-old Shettima, whose two brothers were killed in a Boko Haram attack in Bama town in 2015. When fear comes, Tramadol takes it away. In 2015 when the camp was first erected, Tramadol was relatively unknown. But when people managed to escape from Boko Haram captivity, where they were exposed to the drug by fighters, Tramadol made its way to the IDP community. They (dealers) gave the impression that it was a magic drug that will make whoever takes it very happy, said Hauwa Salihu who has lived in Madinatu since escaping from Damboa town in 2015 when Boko Haram attacked. People began to rush it since then. We've established a number of cases of bullying, intimidation and even sexual advances involving more than a dozen IDPs in Madinatu and Bulumkutu who regularly abuse Tramadol. Jibrin Bukkar, counsellor and social worker Among the former Boko Haram captives who introduced Tramadol to IDPs in Madinatu is 19-year-old Adamu Musa, who spent months in a Boko Haram camp after being abducted, along with about a dozen others, from their home in Gwoza. During his time in captivity, Musa said he joined fighters on forced missions to attack communities and abduct young men his age. His captors made sure everyone took high doses of Tramadol before embarking on any mission. He became addicted in the process and when he arrived in Madinatu after escaping, he introduced the drug to some in the camp. I wanted to help them forget about what theyve been through, he said. Tramadol helps you feel like youre on top of the world. Drug abuse in IDP camps in northeastern Nigeria is not restricted to Madinatu. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), which last year arrested 19 IDPs for using and selling drugs in the Bakkasi and Mogolis IDP camps in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, said drug use affects several IDPs and that none of the camps in the state capital is free from the nefarious drug activities. Tramadol continues to be the most common drug used in IDP camps. Aid workers say they have witnessed aggression as a side effect among users in Madinatu and nearby the Bulumkutu IDP camp. Weve established a number of cases of bullying, intimidation and even sexual advances involving more than a dozen IDPs in Madinatu and Bulumkutu who regularly abuse Tramadol, said Jibrin Bukkar, a counsellor and social worker at Caprecon Development And Peace Initiative, an organisation assisting victims of drug abuse and human trafficking in IDP camps. Excessive use of the drug can sometimes lead to symptoms like agitation, nervousness, tension, and changes in mood which can trigger aggression. Yes it keeps me calm most of the time, but it has taken away everything I have. I spent all my money buying Tramadol. Maryam, Tramadol user In Bulumkutu, where hundreds live in a crowded camp, 36-year-old Maryam has signs of depression following months of Tramadol abuse. She was introduced to the drug after becoming frustrated in the camp, where IDPs often struggled to get enough food. Yes it keeps me calm most of the time, but it has taken away everything I have, said Maryam, who is attempting to come off the drug following counselling. I spent all my money buying Tramadol. The drug can easily be bought from local pharmacies for as little as 30 cents for a strip of 10 tablets, mostly in dosages as high as 225mg more than two times what is legally allowed in some other countries. Tramadol users also benefit from loose international regulation of production and distribution of the opioid, which has flooded Nigeria from South Asia, particularly India. The United Nations said in December that almost 90 percent of all the pharmaceutical opioids (predominantly Tramadol) seized globally were seized in West, Central, and North Africa. Cracking down Nigerian authorities have cracked down on illegal importation; late last year, almost 600 million tablets were seized at the countrys biggest port. But Nigerias porous borders have allowed for the drug to be smuggled from neighbouring countries including Benin, a country the US Department of State said was the worlds second largest destination for Indian Tramadol in 2016 after the US itself. The number of IDPs who abuse Tramadol keeps growing by the day and many of these persons get the drug from the black market, said Yusuf Mohammed, a senior official at the Borno Community Coalition, an association of NGOs in Borno State supporting vulnerable IDPs including victims of drug abuse, human trafficking, violence and exploitation. It appears black marketers, who may be working with Tramadol smugglers, have found a huge market with IDPs. In general, Nigerias problems with drug abuse is alarming. Around 14.3 million people, or 15 percent of the countrys adult population, which is more than twice the global average of 5.3 percent, used a considerable level of psychoactive substances over the past year, according to an EU-funded survey on drug use and health. A quarter of that number (about 4.6 million people) used opioids, including Tramadol, for non-medical purposes. While efforts to reduce drug dependence in IDP camps are gathering pace, campaigners demand action on smuggling and the sale of opioids. Pharmacies have to insist on prescription before Tramadol is sold, and security at our borders has to be stronger, said Bukkar. If these actions are not effectively implemented, we will not get complete success in our campaign. There are three possible outcomes of the ongoing military conflict in western Libya. On April 3, renegade military leader Khalifa Haftar announced an offensive on Tripoli to liberate the capital and the entire west of Libya from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Fayez al-Sarraj. Many now believe that Haftar had been planning this military takeover since 2014 when he called for a military coup in Tripoli. His attempt at overthrowing the first democratically elected parliament in Libya, the General National Congress (GNC), failed, which led him to launch Operation Dignity in Benghazi a few months later. His consolidation of power in the east and then gradual expansion south and west of the territories under his control have been seemingly aimed at eventually taking over Tripoli, which would allow him to establish a one-man military rule over the country, similar to that of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The announcement of the operation launched by Haftars Libyan National Army (LNA) came just days before a national conference organised by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) was to be held in the city of Ghadames on the border with Algeria. This conference was expected to achieve a breakthrough in the political impasse and produce a roadmap to resolve the Libyan conflict, which would have included holding fresh elections to unite the countrys divided institutions. Such a political deal would have put an end to Haftars personal ambitions of achieving absolute power in Libya, supported by his main international backers, the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The fact that he chose to wage war on Tripoli just ahead of this important conference (initially scheduled for April 14-16) demonstrates that he has always been disingenuous about reaching a political settlement and that his attendance at all the international peace talks, including in Paris, Palermo and most recently Abu Dhabi, was merely a tactic to buy time. Haftars offensive has antagonised the entire west of Libya, especially the cities of Tripoli, Misrata, Zawia and Zintan, and their military factions, which were quick to unite under the banner of defending the capital and put up a viable resistance to his forces. Now as the chances of a political settlement in Libya are vanishing by the day, there seem to be three possible scenarios that could unfold moving forward. The scenarios First, Haftars offensive could grow into a protracted conflict and eventually a military stalemate. This means that the fighting would go on for many months, possibly even years, especially if both sides keep receiving support from international backers in the form of weapons, ammunition and financing. This scenario would be devastating for the country, causing a large-scale humanitarian crisis and widespread damage to civilian infrastructure and housing. It would also mean the end of the UN-led dialogue process, further division between the east and west of Libya, and continuous bloodshed throughout the country. Second, the LNA could also choose to withdraw, facing potential defeat. Haftar gambled on the element of surprise and a quick entry into Tripoli before his opponents could react and mobilise. That, however, did not happen; his forces failed to break through the defences of the capital. Haftar has been using two staging posts for his offensive on Tripoli: the cities of Gharyan and Tarhouna, some 80km south-west and south of the capital. His supply lines, however, are vastly stretched, with his forces fighting hundreds of kilometres away from their base in the east. If his long supply lines are cut and needed supplies of fresh ammunition, fuel and new fighters diminish more quickly than expected, then LNA is likely to end up retreating. This could in turn lead to the GNA forces advancing and reclaiming lost territory in both the south and the strategically important Jufra area in the centre of the country. Haftars control of the oil-crescent area between Sirte and Benghazi could also come under threat if his forces withdraw. Third, there is also a possibility that the LNA, boosted by fresh military supplies from his staunch supporters the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt would defeat the forces currently defending Tripoli. If the LNA manages to advance into the capital, some opposition armed groups may switch their allegiances to Haftar and some of his reported sleeping cells may become active and help with the take-over. However, resistance in the form of street fighting may go on for a while before the renegade military leader could establish full control over the capital. Conquering other key cities outside Tripoli, such as Misrata (220km to the east) and the Nafusa Mountain towns (200km to the south) would take much longer, possibly months if not years. Will Haftar succeed in his war on Tripoli? Whether Haftar will succeed or not in his war on Tripoli will depend mainly on the stance taken by the international community, especially the permanent members of the UN Security Council. So far, these key players have resigned themselves to issuing statements of condemnation, calling for the cessation of fighting. Meanwhile, other countries have continued supplying weapons, ammunition and logistical support, which are fuelling and prolonging the conflict. In my opinion, the indications are that Haftar has now lost the element of surprise and miscalculated the level of military resistance that he would face. The supply lines for his troops are difficult to maintain and it is most likely that he would not be successful in taking Tripoli. A defeat would mean the end of Haftars ambitions of securing total military and political control of Libya and the end of his perceived legitimacy to be part of any further political process. He would have to be left out of any further efforts to achieve reconciliation and political accord. The chances of Libya ending the conflict and the current divide, bringing about genuine peace and stability, would indeed increase if Haftar, the biggest obstacle, was removed. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Renegade general orders probe into what UN calls heinous crime behind deaths of 36 people whose bodies bear signs of torture. Khalifa Haftar, who controls eastern Libya, has ordered an investigation after 36 unidentified bodies were found in an area to the east of Benghazi. The bodies showed signs of torture and bullet wounds to the head. Witnesses say the victims were arrested months ago by Haftars Libyan National Army. Sources have told Al Jazeera that those who went missing included opponents of Haftar and military dissidents who did not agree with his operations. The UN mission in Libya condemned the heinous crime that resulted in what is described as the killing of at least 36 people. In Tripoli, the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) echoed the UN missions condemnation and called the killings a horrible act. It also said that it would launch an investigation. Chaos and conflict continue to plague Libya six years after the long-serving leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled and killed in a NATO-backed uprising. Haftars forces have been accused of committing numerous atrocities since the renegade general launched Operation Dignity in 2014. with reporting by Al Jazeeras Mahmoud Abdelwahed in Tripoli Judges say they will not oversee the vote if it is held under same judicial framework and Bouteflika-era institutions. Algerias magistrates, who play a key role overseeing the countrys elections, said on Saturday they would boycott a July 4 presidential election in support of the protest movement. Protesters have held vast rallies calling for allies of overthrown president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down after the veteran leader resigned early this month. They have rejected the July poll, arguing that elections cannot be free and fair if they are held under the same judicial framework and institutions of the Bouteflika government. Interim leader Abdelkader Bensalah has pledged a transparent vote but protesters have called for him to leave office too. More than 100 magistrates staged a protest outside the justice ministry on Saturday in response to a call by the Magistrates Club a nascent group set up as an alternative to the governments National Magistrates Syndicate (SNM). The Magistrates Club has decided to boycott the task of supervising the presidential election, said Saad Eddine Merzoug, a judge from El Oued in the countrys southeast. Merzoug said the new club had members at every court in the country, without specifying numbers. Magistrates play a major role in organising votes in Algeria. Notably, they oversee the electoral roll, a frequent source of disputes between the regime and the opposition. A revision of the register is set to take place later this month, ahead of the July election. Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange faces warrant for US extradition related to a huge leak of official documents. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assanges father on Sunday called on Australia to bring his son home, saying he was shocked to see his sons condition after his arrest in London last week. John Shipton, who was secretary of the Wikileaks Party when his son tried to run for a senate seat in 2013 national elections, reportedly visited Assange every Christmas at the Ecuador embassy in London after he sought refuge there in 2012. DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs) and the prime minister should in a nuanced way do something, Shipton told Melbournes Sunday Herald Sun. It can be resolved simply to the satisfaction of all. There has been some talk in a meeting between a senator and a senior DFAT official to extradite Julian to Australia. Shipton said he was shocked to see the state of his son when he was arrested at the embassy on Thursday on allegations of skipping bail, and on a US extradition warrant related to a huge leak of official documents. I saw him, the way they dragged him down the steps, the coppers (police), he didnt look good. Im 74 and I look better than him and hes 47. Its such a shock, he said. For months and months he has been living like a high-security prisoner, he cant even go to the toilet. There have been cameras watching his every move. 190412134034770 Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday that Assange would receive no special treatment from Canberra. The 47-year-old Australian had sought refuge in the embassy while on bail awaiting extradition to Sweden to face charges of sexual assault and rape, which he always denied. US prosecutors say Assange faces five years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, though further charges are expected to be brought against him. UK politicians on Saturday urged their government to prioritise any extradition bid Sweden might make for him over the allegations. Swedish prosecutors dropped a preliminary investigation into the rape allegation in 2017. But on Friday, prosecutors said they were re-examining the rape case at the request of the alleged victims lawyer. Serious human rights violations Massimo Moratti, Amnesty Internationals deputy director for research in Europe, told Al Jazeera that if extradited, Assange would face the risk of serious human rights violations, namely detention conditions, which could violate the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment due to the possibility of solitary confinement. We also consider him at risk of being subject to an unfair trial and even the death penalty cant be excluded a priori. As a result of these risks, the UK at this point is under the obligation not to extradite him or otherwise send him to the US, he added. Assanges collaborator Chelsea Manning spent seven years in prison in the US including a year in solitary confinement, which the United Nations deemed cruel and inhumane for providing 750,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks in 2010. Manning was once again jailed in March for refusing to give evidence before an investigation into WikiLeaks. She remains under arrest. Politicians, activists and celebrities have joined an outpouring of support for US congresswoman Ilhan Omar after President Donald Trump retweeted a video that was edited to suggest she was dismissive of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. Some called Trumps move Islamophobic and an incitement to violence against the Somali-American politician, while others said it put her life in danger. The video Trump retweeted on Friday pulls a snippet of Omars recent speech to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in which she described the 2001 attack on New Yorks World Trade Center as some people did something and includes news footage of the hijacked planes hitting the Twin Towers. Trump also tweeted: WE WILL NEVER FORGET! Neither Trumps tweet nor the video included her full quote or the context of her comments. In a statement on Sunday, Omar said she has faced increased death threats since President Trumps tweet, adding that it was endangering lives and it has to stop. We are all Americans. This is endangering lives. It has to stop. pic.twitter.com/gwB2kDUIRp Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) April 15, 2019 She told CAIR in Los Angeles that many Muslims saw their civil liberties eroded after the attacks, and she advocated for activism. For far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and, frankly, Im tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it, she said in the March 23 speech, according to a video posted online. CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognised that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties. CAIR was founded in 1994, according to its website, but its membership skyrocketed after the attacks. Islamophobic attack Omars critics denounced what they said was a flippant description of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. First Member of Congress to ever describe terrorists who killed thousands of Americans on 9/11 as some people who did something,' tweeted Dan Crenshaw, a Republican congressman. Heres your something, the New York Post newspaper blared on its cover beneath a photograph of the flaming towers. The response by conservatives prompted many others, including politicians, academics, actors and writers, to rush to Omars defence, posting tweets with the #IStandWithIlhanOmar. The Muslim politician also tweeted a quote from former President George W Bush, who said days after the attacks: The people and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon! Was Bush downplaying the terrorist attack? Omar tweeted. What if he was a Muslim. Bernie Sanders, Democratic presidential candidate, called Trumps tweet disgusting and dangerous on Friday, while Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, scolded the president for using the painful images of 9/11 for a political attack against Omar. Ilhan Omar is a leader with strength and courage. She won't back down to Trump's racism and hate, and neither will we. The disgusting and dangerous attacks against her must end. Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 13, 2019 Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is also seeking to become the Democratic partys presidential candidate, accused Trump of inciting violence against a sitting congresswoman and an entire group of Americans based on their religion. The President is inciting violence against a sitting Congresswomanand an entire group of Americans based on their religion. It's disgusting. It's shameful. And any elected leader who refuses to condemn it shares responsibility for it. Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) April 13, 2019 Actor George Takei, best known for playing Hikaru Sulu in the 1966 Star Trek television series, also expressed his support. When I was a child, it was Japanese Americans who were vilified as the enemy after Pearl Harbor, he wrote, referring to the Japanese attack in 1941 that drew the United States into World War Two. No one stood up for us, and 120,000 of us were sent to internment camps. I swore that Id dedicate my life to ensure this never happens again in America, he added. When I was a child, it was Japanese Americans who were villified as the enemy after Pearl Harbor. No one stood up for us, and 120,000 of us were sent to internment camps. I swore that I'd dedicate my life to ensure this never happens again in America. #IStandWithIlhanOmar George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) April 13, 2019 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic congresswoman, accused Trump of putting Omars life in danger, and urged members of US Congress to denounce the presidents explicit attack. One of the ugly aftermaths of 9/11 that is too often ignored is the codified profiling of Muslim-Americans solely bc of their faith. No-fly lists. Warantless mosque surveillance. All of it. To fear+suspect all Muslims due to the actions of terrorists is bigotry. Plain & simple. https://t.co/gYgzAe6xGv Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 13, 2019 Javier Munoz, star of the Broadway hit Hamilton, also hit back at Trump, saying its absolutely NOT normal to demonise Omar with anti-Muslim rhetoric, while Ibram X Kendi, a professor at the American University, said anyone who did not stand with Omar stands with Islamophobia, with racism, with politicians deploying lies to inflame racial and religious terror in the country. It goes without saying that #IStandWithIlhanOmar. And anyone who does not stands with @IlhanMN stands with Islamophobia, with racism, with politicians deploying lies to inflame racial and religious terror in the country. There is no middle ground in this struggle. Ibram X. Kendi (@DrIbram) April 13, 2019 Jewish groups also spoke in favour of Omar, who earlier in the year had been criticised by some politicians and Jewish groups after she suggested politicians supporting Israel have dual allegiances. Bend the Arc, a Jewish lobby group, called the Trumps tweet violent and unconscionable, while Rabbi Jill Jacobs said the president was engaging in blatant Islamophobia. Trump is engaging in blatant Islamophobia by taking a comment by @IlhanMN out of context in order to smear her with the worst stereotypes. He is likely also endangering her life, as she has already been target of death threats. @jack @Twitter how long will you allow incitement? Rabbi Jill Jacobs (@rabbijilljacobs) April 12, 2019 Amy Klobuchar, another Democratic presidential candidate, noted that a New York man recently was charged with threatening Omars life. The video the president chose to send out today will only incite more hate, she wrote. You can disagree with her words as I have done before but this video is wrong. Enough. House Democrats set new hard deadline of April 23 for federal tax agency to hand over Trumps tax records. US congressional Democrats have given the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) a final deadline of April 23 to hand over President Donald Trumps tax returns. In a letter on Saturday, Richard Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, warned the IRS that failure to comply with his request for six years of Trumps individual and business returns would be interpreted as a denial a move that could pave the way for a court battle. The Trump administration has already missed an initial April 10 deadline for providing the tax records, which Neal first set when he made his request on April 3. I am aware that concerns have been raised regarding my request and the authority of the Committee. Those concerns lack merit, Neal said in his letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig. He argued that a 1920-era law saying the IRS shall furnish any tax return requested by Congress is unambiguous and raises no complicated legal issues. Democrats want Trumps tax returns as part of their investigations of possible conflicts of interest posed by his continued ownership of extensive business interests, even as he serves the public as president. Trump has broken with decades of precedent by not voluntarily releasing his returns to the public during the 2016 presidential election. He claimed that he cannot release his tax returns because they are being audited, but the IRS has said this is no impediment to their release. Steve Mnuchin, Trumps treasury chief who oversees the IRS, said Neal was just picking arbitrary dates in setting deadlines. He told reporters it was more important to get the decision right to ensure the IRS would not be weaponised in a political dispute. Im sure well respond by that deadline, not going to make a commitment prematurely whether well be able to conclude a legal review by that deadline, Mnuchin said. We have people working on it diligently. On Saturday, Neal said the administration has no right to question or second guess his motivations. Concerns about what the Committee may do with the tax returns and return information are baseless, he said, giving the administration until 5pm (21:00 GMT) on April 23 to hand over the tax records. Please know that, if you fail to comply, your failure will be interpreted as a denial of my request, he wrote. The presidents former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, told a House panel in February that he does not believe Trumps taxes are under audit. Cohen said the president feared that releasing his returns could lead to an audit and IRS tax penalties. Head of eastern parliament says LNA forces will press offensive on Libyan capital as Sisi meets with Haftar in Cairo. Forces loyal to renegade General Khalifa Haftar are set to move in on Libyas capital, Tripoli, on Sunday, the head of the countrys self-proclaimed eastern parliament said. Haftar announced an attack against Tripoli on April 4 to capture the capital and the entire west of Libya from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. We need to get rid of militias and terrorist groups, Aguila Saleh, head of the House of Representatives allied to Haftar, said on Saturday, using a reference eastern officials often make to describe forces allied to the Tripoli government. Meanwhile, Egypts President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met Haftar in Cairo on Sunday to discuss the latest developments, el-Sisis spokesperson said. No other details about the meeting were immediately available. El-Sisi has been an ardent supporter of Haftars forces, which control swaths of eastern Libya. On Saturday, an air raid by Haftars forces hit the yard of a school on the southern outskirts of Tripoli, where Haftars forces have been confronted by forces allied to al-Sarrajs internationally recognised government. In a possible new front, the eastern Libya National Army (LNA) was readying a unit to move to the Es Sider and Ras Lanuf oil ports, Libyas biggest, on the eastern coast, anticipating an attack from an armed group allied to al-Sarraj, eastern military officials said. The force will strengthen the protection of the ports, one official said, asking not to be named. For its part, the Tripoli government will agree to a ceasefire only if the LNA troops return to the east, government spokesperson Mohanad Younes told reporters. Ongoing air raids Forces loyal to al-Sarrajs government have so far kept the eastern offensive at bay. Fierce fighting has broken out around a disused airport about 11km from the centre of Tripoli. An eastern military source said a warplane belonging to the LNA had fired at a military camp in an eastern suburb of the city. In a separate raid, the yard of a primary school was hit, a Reuters news agency reporter at the scene said. An LNA official said the plane had targeted a camp of al-Sarrajs forces. Saleh also said the United Nations mission to Libya and al-Sarrajs government had been controlled by armed groups and had failed to expel them from the capital, and promised Libya would hold long-delayed elections after the Tripoli operation ends. The LNAs push into Tripoli is the latest outbreak in a cycle of conflict since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. It has continued despite international calls for a halt in an offensive that risks causing many civilian casualties. Last week, the European Union called on the LNA to stop its attacks, having agreed on a statement after France and Italy sparred over how to handle the conflict. Haftars offensive had surprised the UN, which had been planning to hold a national conference on April 14 to prepare Libya for elections. The latest battle had, by Friday, killed 75 people, mainly fighters but including 17 civilians, and wounded another 323, according to UN tallies. About 13,000 people have been forced out of their homes. As well as the humanitarian cost, the conflict threatens to disrupt oil supplies, boost migration to Europe, scupper a UN peace plan, and allow armed groups to exploit the chaos. Haftar, 75, a former general in Gaddafis army who later joined the revolt against him, moved his troops out of their eastern stronghold to take the oil-rich desert south earlier this year, before sweeping up to Tripoli at the start of April. Finland may elect its first left-wing prime minister in two decades. Climate change was a prominent issue in Finlands election where polls have just closed. However, four years of austerity cuts seemed to be a bigger issue for the voters in the happiest country in the world. Favoured by voters worried about spending cuts and the future of the welfare state, the leftist Social Democrats took an early lead. Al Jazeeras Nadim Baba reports. With more than 98 percent of ballots counted, the Social Democrats win 40 seats in the 200-member parliament. The leftist Social Democrats have secured the majority of votes in Finlands general elections, according to preliminary results. With more than 98 percent of ballots counted, the Social Democrats won 40 seats in the 200-member parliament on Sunday, followed by the right-wing Finns Party with 39. The preliminary returns gave the conservative National Coalition Party 37 seats and the Centre Party, which was a senior partner in the outgoing government, 32. Voter turnout stood at about 72 percent, higher than the 70.1 percent recorded in 2015. For the first time in a long, long time the Social Democrats are in first place, party leader Antti Rinne told reporters at the Finnish parliament. A first-place spot would put the Social Democrats at the head of the government for the first time in 16 years. The Finns Party, led by hardline member of the European Parliament Jussi Halla-aho, has seen a surge in support in recent months during an anti-immigration dominated campaign, urging people to Vote for some borders. The party could hold significant influence in the talks to form the next government, which in Finland is typically a coalition of three or four parties. Voter turnout stood at about 72 percent, higher than in 2015 [Lehtikuva/Emmi Korhonen via Reuters] Finland has a rapidly ageing population and declining birth rate, and the question of how to keep funding the countrys generous welfare state has been a key election battleground. Yet the Social Democrats may face tough economic conditions in which to implement its anti-austerity promises: many economic forecasts suggest Finlands gross domestic product (GDP) growth will slow in the coming years. Immigration became a hot election topic following outrage in January over highly publicised reports of an alleged string of sexual assaults by immigrant men. The incidents boosted support for the Finns Partys anti-immigration agenda. Detainees at detention centre on the outskirts of Tripoli live in fear amid intense clashes for control of the capital. Refugees and migrants trapped on the front line of fierce fighting in Libyas capital, Tripoli, are pleading to be rescued from the war-torn country while being surrounded by heavy weapons and militants. Hit by food and water shortages, detainees at the Qasr bin Ghashir detention centre on the southern outskirts of Tripoli, told Al Jazeera they were abandoned on Saturday by fleeing guards, who allegedly told the estimated 728 people being held at the facility to fend for themselves. The refugees and migrants used hidden phones to communicate and requested that their names not be published. [There are] no words to describe the fear of the women and children, an Eritrean male detainee said on Saturday. We are afraid of [the] noise fired from the air and the weapons. I feel that we are abandoned to our fate. Fighting rages on Tripoli outskirts Tripolis southern outskirts have been engulfed by fighting since renegade General Khalifa Haftars eastern forces launched an assault on the capital earlier this month in a bid to wrestle control of the city from Libyas internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). The showdown threatens to further destabilise war-wracked Libya, which splintered into a patchwork of rival power bases following the overthrow of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. At least 121 people have been killed and 561 wounded since Haftars self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) started its offensive on April 4, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Both sides have repeatedly carried out air raids and accuse each other of targeting civilians. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), for its part, estimates more than 15,000 people have been displaced so far, with a significant number of others stuck in live conflict zones. 190407155352767 Amid the fighting, refugees and migrants locked up in detention centres throughout the capital, many of whom fled war and persecution in countries including Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan, are warning that their lives are at risk. We find ourselves in a fire, a 15-year-old detainee at Qasr bin Ghashir told Al Jazeera. Electricity outage, water shortages Others held at the centre described the abject conditions they were subject to, including a week-long stint without electricity and working water pumps. One detainee in her 30s, who alleged the centres manager assaulted her, also said they had gone more than a week until Saturday with no food, [and] no water, adding the situation was not good and saying women are particularly vulnerable now. This is the third time since August that detainees in Qasr bin Ghashir have been in the middle of clashes, she said. 190406075042211 Elsewhere in the capital, refugees and migrants held at the Abu Salim detention centre also said they could hear the noise of weapons and needed protection. At this time, we want quick evacuation, said one detainee at Abu Salim, which sits about 20km north of Qasr bin Ghashir. Weve stayed years with much torture and suffering, we dont have any resistance for anything. We are (under) deep pressure and stressed People are very angry and afraid. Take us from Libya, please Tripolis detention centres are formally under the control of the GNAs Department for Combatting Illegal Migration (DCIM), though many are actually run by militias. The majority of the approximately 6,000 people held in the facilities were intercepted on the Mediterranean Sea and brought back to the North African country after trying to reach Europe as part of a two-year agreement under which which the European Union supports the Libyan coastguard with funds, ships and training, in return for carrying out interceptions and rescues. In a statement to Al Jazeera, an EU spokesperson said the blocs authorities were closely monitoring the situation in Libya from a political, security and humanitarian point of view though they could not comment on Qasr bin Ghashir specifically. DCIM, for its part, did not respond to a request for comment. 190407172920412 The UN, however, continues to reiterate that Libya is not a safe country for refugees and migrants to return. Amid the ongoing conflict, the organisations human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, warned last week of the need to ensure protection of extremely vulnerable civilians, including refugees and migrants who may be living under significant peril. Bachelet also called for authorities to ensure that prisons and detention centres are not abandoned, and for all parties to guarantee that the treatment of detainees is in line with international law. In an apparent move to safeguard the refugees and migrants being held near the capital, Libyan authorities attempted last week to move detainees at Qasr bin Ghashir to another detention centre in Zintan, nearly 170km southwest of Tripoli. But those being held in Qasr bin Ghashir refused to leave, arguing the solution is not a move elsewhere in Libya but rather a rescue from the country altogether. All Libya [is a] war zone, an Eritrean detainee told Al Jazeera. Take us from Libya, please. Where is humanity and where is human rights, the detainee asked. More than 120 people have been killed since renegade General Khalifa Haftars forces launched a push to seize Tripoli. Troops loyal to Libyas internationally recognised government have shot down a fighter jet belonging to the eastern forces under the command of General Khalifa Haftar, on the same day the renegade military leader held talks with Egypts president in Cairo. Military sources within the United Nations-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) said the jet operated by the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) was downed on Sunday in Tripolis southern outskirts, as fighting for control of the capital rages. Al Jazeeras Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Tripoli, said LNA sources confirmed one of the LNAs fighter jets was shot down but added the pilot had escaped after using a parachute to eject from the unit. Pro-government forces said they were searching for the pilot, he added. No other details were immediately available. Mass displacement, hundreds wounded The downing of the LNA jet came after Haftars forces stepped up air raids against pro-GNA troops in recent days as part of a campaign launched on April 4 to wrestle control of the capital. Haftars warplanes have been targeting several locations in and around Tripoli and also warplanes with the GNA have been targeting Haftars locations south of Tripoli, Abdelwahed said. 190406075042211 Libya, which has been mired in chaos since the NATO-backed toppling of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, has been split into rival eastern and western administrations since 2014. In March 2016, GNA chief Fayez al-Sarraj arrived in Tripoli to set up a new government, but the Haftar-allied administration in the eastern city of Tobruk refused to recognise its authority. However, Haftars push on the capital threatens to further destabilise the oil-rich country and reignite a full-blown civil war. At least 121 people have been killed and 561 wounded since the LNA started its offensive on April 4, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Both sides accuse each other of targeting civilians. About 15,700 people have been forced to flee their homes because of the conflict, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), with a significant number of others still stuck in conflict zones. The situation remained very tense on Tripolis southern outskirts, Abdelwahed said, with the mass displacement constituting a crisis for authorities attempting to rehouse those forced to flee. Sisi-Haftar meeting in Cairo The eruption of conflict has forced the UN to abandon its plans for a conference aimed at brokering an agreement to hold elections as part of a solution to the long-running crisis. The meeting was scheduled to bring Haftar and al-Serraj together in the southwestern town of Ghadames from April 14 to 16. Instead, Haftar met on Sunday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo. A statement from Sisis office following the pairs meeting did not mention Haftars offensive directly but confirmed Egypts support for efforts to combat terrorism and extremist groups and militias in order to achieve security and stability for the Libyan citizen. 190414092955725 Haftar, who casts himself as a foe of extremism but is viewed by opponents as a new authoritarian leader in the mould of Gaddafi, has vowed to continue his offensive until Libya is cleansed of terrorism. Egypt has close ties with the LNA leader but also publicly supports the UN-led peace efforts in Libya. Coinciding with the Sisi-Haftar meeting, the UNs envoy to Libya said on Sunday that the bodys position on ending the countrys turmoil would not change. Youve learned and tasted war. No matter how obstinate one becomes, there is no solution except a political one, Ghassan Salame, a Paris-based Lebanese academic, said in a Twitter post. More than 1,890 pilgrims participate in religious festival at Panja Sahib shrine in northern Pakistan city. Hasanabdal, Pakistan Hundreds of Indian Sikhs have celebrated the religious festival of Baisakhi at one of their religions holiest shrines in the northern Pakistani city of Hasanabdal, even as tensions between the South Asian neighbours remain at fever pitch. More than 1,890 Indian Sikh pilgrims, mainly from the states of Punjab and Haryana, were among thousands who participated in the festival at the Panja Sahib shrine in Hasanabdal, about 35km west of the capital Islamabad, on Sunday. Hundreds of men and women dressed in colourful clothes lined up at the gurdwara, or shrine, to witness the reading of the final passages of the Guru Granth Sahib, Sikhisms holy book, which is considered by Sikhs to be a living saint. Over the past 48 hours, the book had been recited from start to finish by devotees, and at its end all of the thousands of pilgrims present offered a collective prayer. Baisakhi celebrates the anniversary of a decision by the tenth Sikh saint, Guru Gobind Singh, to formalise the identity of the Sikh community. The Indian pilgrims arrived in the country by foot at the Wagah-Attari border between India and Pakistan on April 12, senior civil official Imran Gondal told Al Jazeera, and will stay in the country until April 21, completing pilgrimages to a number of other holy sites. Sikhism, founded in the 16th century by Guru Nanak, has roughly 25 million followers globally, most of them living in Indias western Punjab and Haryana states. Pakistan, the site of the religions founding and home to some of its holiest sites, also has a small population of tens of thousands of Sikhs. Felt my faith renewed In February, tensions between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan spiked after a suicide attack in the disputed region of Kashmir killed at least 40 Indian security force personnel. India blamed the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad armed group and the Pakistani government for carrying out the attack, conducting retaliatory airstrikes on Pakistani soil on February 26. A day later, Pakistan conducted strikes of its own, with both countrys fighter jets engaging in an aerial dogfight. At the height of hostilities, some of the pilgrims thought they would have to forego their trip this year. I had initially thought that whatever happens, even if there is war, it will happen both here and there so Ill go regardless, said Ravinder Singh, 48, who runs a footwear store in the Indian city of Simla and was visiting Pakistan for the first time. Ravinder Singh, 48, runs a footwear store in the Indian city of Simla and was visiting Pakistan for the first time [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera] Singh said it was important for him to perform the pilgrimage this year because he felt the compulsion of his faith. Sikhs believe that the Panja Sahib shrine is particularly sacred because it contains a large boulder that bears a handprint that they believe belongs to Guru Nanak. It is said that, after a dispute with a local Muslim saint over providing drinking water, Guru Nanak placed his hand upon the earth and a spring of water appeared. At this, the enraged Muslim saint threw a boulder from his hilltop shrine, which the Sikh saint stopped with his hand. The stream, to this day, runs through the centre of the gurdwara, and it forms a pool around a small alcove where the rock is visited by pilgrims. When I saw and touched the stone, I felt like my faith had been renewed, said Dilbagh Singh, 52, a farmer from the village of Sant Nagar, in Indias Haryana state. Inside the inner gurdwara, a woman in a teal shalwar kameez recites from the Guru Granth Sahib as devotees prostrate themselves before it. She sits within an ornate white shrine made of plaster and colourful glass set in intricate geometric designs. A woman reads from the Guru Granth Sahib, Sikhisms holy book, as devotees pray around her [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera] A crystal and glass chandelier hangs from the roof, also tiled with glass in symmetrical patterns. Inside the room, there is a hushed silence, as pilgrims read from holy texts or listen to the recitation. Some weary travellers get a few minutes of sleep, tired from multiple rail journeys and having to sleep on floors through much of the trip. Soon, a young man in a blue shalwar kurta and pink turban takes the dais, relieving the previous reader. Outside, the sound of devotional songs accompanied by tablas and harmoniums fills the air. The musicians sit in a separate hall, but their intricate harmonies cascade across the rest of the gurdwara, bathing it in sound. We are one people It will be best if there is peace here between the two countries, says Jagah Singh, 70, on his first pilgrimage to Pakistan following his retirement from the Indian army after 30 years service. If there is war, all will suffer, on both sides, said Singh. We are one people. It was not quite his first trip to Pakistan. During the war between India and Pakistan in 1971, he says he recalls eating lunch at a railway station in the Pakistani town of Shakargarh, after a major battle between the warring nations. Now, however, he says he believes that peace is the way forward for both countries. When I saw Guru Jis handprint for the first time, I felt happiness at seeing how he created a spring of water in this place from nothing, he says. And this water, it is for everyone. When he returns, he says he will tell his countrymen that Pakistan is a great place, and we are all brothers. Siv Singh, 52, a fellow resident from Jagah Singhs town of Nangal, echoes that sentiment, saying he looks forward to returning to the country soon through a visa-free corridor being established for Sikh pilgrims. View of the crowd gathered for the Nagar Kirtan ritual of the Baisakhi festival [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera] In November, Pakistan and India agreed to create a visa-free corridor between the Sri Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan and the Indian town of Dera Baba Nanak, about six kilometres away. The shrine in Kartarpur is of particular importance in Sikhism, as it contains the grave of Guru Nanak, and it is where he spent the final years of his life, farming the fields and formalising what would become the Sikh religion. Technical talks on the Kartarpur corridor are currently the only platform on which Pakistan and India are engaging bilaterally. The latest technical talks on the issue are to be held on Tuesday at the Wagah/Attari border, according to Pakistans foreign office. Kartarpur is very important for us, said Siv Singh. Our guru spent so many years there, farming and praying. Baisakhi is a celebration of the anniversary of the tenth Sikh saint, Guru Gobind Singhs decision to formalise the identity of the Sikh community [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera] The talks remain a point of contention in the current atmosphere, however, with India postponing the last round, drawing accusations from Pakistan of attempting to delay construction before the November deadline, which would be Guru Nanaks 550th birth anniversary. Earlier this month, Pakistans foreign minister accused India of preparing to launch a military attack against Pakistan in April. Pakistan has reliable intelligence that India is hatching a new plan for aggression against Pakistan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters in Multan. This can happen in between April 16th and 20th. Indias foreign ministry dismissed the accusations as irresponsible and preposterous. Still, fears remain high of any return to an escalation of hostilities between two countries that have fought three all-out wars and several limited military engagements since gaining independence from the British in 1947. Asked if possible hostilities would have any impact on future plans to visit shrines in Pakistan, Ravinder Singh paused before answering. We try to stay out of questions of war, he says, as he gazes out at the rock with Guru Nanaks hand imprinted on it. We need to earn a living, and we need to do our religious duties. Well do that, and the rulers, they can do whatever they want. Officials say 725 bridges destroyed, 14,000km of roads damaged, as six more people confirmed dead in the southwest. Floods in Iran have killed 76 people and caused more than $2.2bn in damages in recent weeks, with flood warnings still in place for large swaths of the country. Six more people were confirmed dead in the countrys south, according to a new toll published on Sunday. With the death of five people in the Khuzestan province and another person in Ilam province, the death toll has now reached 76, since March 19, a statement by the coroners office said. The two southwestern provinces are the latest to be overwhelmed by floods that first hit the northeast of the usually arid country, forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate from cities and villages. Officials have again issued flood warnings for the east of Iran, with heavy rains that began on Saturday forecast to continue. Since mid-March, flash floods have hit 25 of Irans 31 provinces, forcing mass evacuations, ravaging infrastructure, and inflicting heavy losses on the agricultural sector. Damaged vehicles are seen after flash flooding in Shiraz last month [Tasnim News Agency/Reuters] Twenty-five provinces and more than 4,400 villages across the country were affected by the floods, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli told parliament, according to the official IRNA news agency. He said the damages amount to between 300 and 350 trillion rials between $2.2bn and $2.6bn at the free market rate. Transport Minister Mohammad Eslami meanwhile told government officials that 725 bridges have been totally destroyed. More than 14,000 kilometres of roads have been damaged, he said, according to IRNA. The head of Irans meteorology service told the same parliamentary session that the floods do not necessarily mean that a decades-long drought has ended. The recent floods were due to climate change and global warming, Sahar Tajbakhsh said. Sanctions hamper relief efforts The government of President Hassan Rouhani has been mounting relief efforts, enlisting the help of the cash-strapped banking system to offer help in the form of cheap or interest-free loans. Local communities are leading relief efforts, with soldiers and volunteers clearing rubble, diverting water, building dykes, and distributing supplies. Everything that comes through these doors is donated by private citizens, said Al Jazeeras Zein Basravi, reporting from an aid camp in the capital, Tehran. So far, volunteers who have been at it for about three weeks have collected and dispatched 30 truckloads of supplies worth tens of thousands of dollars to flood-hit areas all over the country. The Islamic Republic has received aid from neighbouring countries and further afield, with France on Saturday donating 210 tents and 114 pumps. The World Health Organization and UNICEF are also helping, as are Germany, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Russia and Turkey. But, aid workers in Iran say US sanctions are hampering their ability to help those affected. Right now, we need some boats and machinery to control the water flow, Fereshte Ghaffari, a volunteer for the Imam Ali society said. It would be much easier for international agencies to provide them. Due to the sanctions, prices are [also] much higher. If it wasnt for sanctions, [things wouldnt be as expensive] and we could do much more with the money weve collected, she told Al Jazeera. Lawyer of Vida Movahed says court sentenced her in March after finding her guilty of encouraging public corruption. The lawyer for an Iranian woman who removed her headscarf in a public protest says she has been sentenced to one year in prison but pardoned by the supreme leader. Payam Derafshan told The Associated Press news agency that a court sentenced Vida Movahed in March after finding her guilty of encouraging public corruption. Movahed was arrested in November 2018. Derafshan, who revealed the verdict to local media on Sunday, says Movahed is on a pardon list but the release procedures are still under way. There was no official comment. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei occasionally issues pardons. Movahed, 32, was dubbed the Girl of Enghelab Street and briefly arrested in 2017 after she took off her headscarf and held it in the air. 180202084416823 Authorities detained 29 women on similar charges the following year. Mandatory headscarf The headscarf, or hijab, has been mandatory in Iran since 1979, after the Iranian revolution and the installation of Ayatollah Khomeini as Supreme Leader. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of Iranian women have protested against the law. During a wave of protests in the country in 2018, women renewed their opposition to the law, taking off their hijabs in public and waving them on wooden sticks like flags. Holly Dagres, an Iranian-American analyst, told Al Jazeera last year that Iranian authorities are very much aware that more than half of the population is against wearing the hijab. 150307030843889 Its evident by the fact that the morality police are on constant patrol of the streets of major cities like Tehran, Dagres said. Authorities know that if they dont crack down, Iranian women will continue to test the boundaries of what they can and cannot wear. The 2018 rallies against the headscarf were inspired by a lone female demonstrator who stood on a busy pavement in central Tehran waving her white headscarf on a wooden stick. The image of the woman spread on social media. Her case attracted more attention when she was reportedly detained by police in late January. She was later released on bail, according to the Iran Human Rights group. Under Irans law, a woman who does not wear a hijab in public could face jail time or fines. A delegation of businessmen and government officials was expected to take part in a conference in the Bahraini capital. An Israeli delegation composed of businessmen and government officials has cancelled its participation in a conference set to take place in Bahrain. The group, which was planning to attend the gathering organised by the Global Entrepreneurship Network on April 15, said in a statement it was withdrawing from the summit on security grounds. While we advised the Israeli delegation they would be welcome, they decided this morning not to come due to security concerns and a wish not to cause disruption for the other 180 nations participating, the organisations president Jonathan Ortmans told Reuters news agency on Sunday. The cancellation came after the kingdoms parliament issued a statement rejecting the visit, and some protests against it in the streets of the capital Manama. 190407070020416 While Israel does not maintain any diplomatic relations with any of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, analysts say some of the countries are not opposed to normalising ties with Tel Aviv. In October, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a surprise visit to Muscat following an invitation by Omans Sultan Qaboos. Shortly after that visit, Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports Miri Regev attended a judo tournament in Abu Dhabi, where the Israeli anthem was also played. In October last year, Israeli Communication Minister Ayoub Kara had not only visited Dubai but also gave a speech at a telecommunications conference. Recently, Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Omans minister responsible for foreign affairs, called on Arabs to take initiative and make Israel overcome fears for its future in the region. I believe that we Arabs must be able to look into this issue and try to ease those fears that Israel has through initiatives and real deals between us and Israel, bin Abdullah told a discussion panel on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum earlier in April. UK man who was accused of high-profile US hacks and successfully fought extradition slams arrest of WikiLeaks founder. London, United Kingdom A British citizen with Asperger syndrome who was accused of hacking into US government agencies and had faced extradition said Julian Assange has been put on the sacrificial altar, as he warned that the WikiLeaks founders arrest could have a damaging effect on press freedom. Lauri Love, 34, was accused by the US of belonging to the international Anonymous collective and involvement in hacks in 2012 and 2013 targeting the FBI, NASA, US Army, Missile Defense Agency and the Federal Reserve. He faced 99 years in prison in the US, but last year won his appeal against extradition in a landmark case. The extradition of Julian Assange is crucial to the US because hes been a thorn in the side of the US power base, particularly regarding secrets exposed with the assistance of Chelsea Manning and other leaks about US military activities and war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, Love told Al Jazeera by phone on Saturday. WikiLeaks embarrassed the US government by shedding light on powerful people who do horrific things with public money and as a result, Julian has been put on the sacrificial altar. Almost 10 years ago, WikiLeaks released classified documents on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which exposed US war crimes. 190413133901719 British police arrested Assange on Thursday at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London after the South American country revoked his asylum status. Assange had been holed up there since 2012. In a British court later on Thursday, the Australian national was found guilty of breaching bail conditions. His extradition hearing is expected to take place in London on May 2. Love said Assange has been vilified in an attempt to turn his political asylum into a soap opera. Someone who speaks truth to power in the public interest and allows us to understand how the world works should not find themselves facing prison, he said. It has a chilling affect on press freedoms everywhere. And I think everyone in journalism should be very careful before they try to imagine they are somehow different, that something like this couldnt happen to them. Love won his appeal in February 2018 as court judges ruled extradition would be oppressive by reason of his physical and mental condition. The case was significant because it was the first successful use of the forum bar a legal provision which UK judges can use to stop extradition. The forum bar was introduced in 2013 by Theresa May, then-home secretary, after she had successfully blocked the extradition of Gary McKinnon. Eleven days before it was introduced, however, Talha Ahsan was extradited and went on to spend eight years in US prisons, including two in solitary confinement. Love also won on the grounds that prosecution should take place in the country where the alleged offences took place. Grietje Baars, lecturer at Londons The City Law School, told Al Jazeera: This [argument] would be challenging for Assange to argue as he is accused of conspiring with US citizen, Chelsea Manning. Love also had complex mental health conditions, which weighed on the decision. If the courts grant the extradition, I would expect Assanges lawyer Jennifer Robinson to appeal on the basis that hes unlikely to face a fair trial, because this is arguably, a political trial, or that he shouldnt be extradited on the basis of his health. Assange faces a five-year prison sentence for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and data theft. Love alleged that most US cases are resolved by coercing people into plea bargaining as he praised Chelsea Manning for refusing to testify against WikiLeaks at a grand jury which saw her jailed last month. As far as we know, or as anybody knows, nobody has come to any harm as a consequence of WikiLeaks disclosures. If anybody can find incontrovertible objective evidence to the contrary, I would be happy to hear it. In the absence of that evidence, it is clear to me these disclosures have been a force for good in the world. At least 276 girls were taken from a government secondary school in Chibok town by Boko Haram in 2014. The sleepy town of Chibok in Nigerias northeast continues to grapple with the seemingly endless wait for the return of more than 100 schoolgirls who were abducted by the armed group Boko Haram, five years ago on Sunday. Life has not remained the same for the community, which still feels haunted by the April 14, 2014 kidnappings. The town attracted international attention after Boko Haram fighters forcibly removed at least 276 girls from the government secondary girls school in Chibok town, prompting global outrage with various organisations and celebrities calling for their release. In the first frantic minutes of their ordeal, 57 girls managed to jump from the trucks in which they were transported, and escaped. The remaining 219 were taken away by the fighters. A social media campaign with the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls went viral and celebrities, leaders and activists across the world joined the campaign to free the kidnapped schoolgirls. Five years after the Boko Haram attack, more than 112 girls are still missing. Over the years, a total of 107 girls have been found or released as part of a deal between the Nigerian government and the armed group. They [the government] are not talking about our girls anymore. They are acting as if they are happy about what happened to us, Enock Mark, whose two daughters are still missing, told Al Jazeera. We have lost hope in the government helping us. They have not shown any serious interest in ensuring that our daughters are found. It looks like it was done intentionally. They dont care about us anymore, he said. We wont give up. Even in a hundred years, we will keep believing that our daughters will return home. Until we all die, we wont stop believing that our daughters will come back. Mark and other parents of the missing girls still regularly make the difficult journey of nearly 900km to the nations capital, Abuja, for updates about their daughters. The road leading to Chibok is often being targeted by Boko Haram with very little done by security agencies to protect commuters. The town has also come under repeated attacks by gunmen with buildings burned and some residents killed. Endless grief In recent years, the Nigerian government has come under immense criticism for doing very little to free the Chibok girls. Some of the parents have died waiting for their daughters to return. Local media reports say they died of heart attacks and grief-related ailments. Others are still grieving and hoping their children will be found. There is great pain in our heart every day when we remember our missing daughters. We leave it to God to help us, Mark said. My wife has been finding it so difficult to cope without her children. She keeps crying every time she remembers her missing daughters. I have to keep consoling her, he added. At least 20 of the girls who escaped from Boko Haram have since moved to the US to continue their education. The remaining girls may have been forced to integrate with Boko Haram, Chibok community leaders say, adding that some may be ashamed to return home because they were forced to marry the fighters and have babies. Boko Haram, whose name roughly translates to Western education is forbidden, has waged an armed campaign in northeastern Nigeria since 2009. The group wants to establish an Islamic state, following a strict interpretation of Islamic law. More than 27,000 people have been killed by the group and over two million others displaced from their homes. Over the years, the group has kidnapped thousands of adults and children. Most of those abducted are women who are used as sex slaves, while the men are often forcefully recruited as fighters. The group has repeatedly attacked schools, churches, mosques and markets, but state institutions such as police stations and military facilities have remained primary targets. They have used minors and veiled women for suicide bomb attacks, attacked people with car bombs and opened fire on civilians at public places. Boko Haram allegedly operates its largest camp in the vast Sambisa forest in Nigerias northeast. The forest stretches for about 60,000 square kilometres in the southern part of the northeastern state of Borno, which has borne the brunt of Boko Harams violence. In August 2016, the group split into two after long-time leader Abubakar Shekau rejected an attempt by the a branch of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant groups Abu Musab al-Barnawi to replace him. Al-Barnawi is believed to be the son of late Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf and used to be Boko Harams spokesperson. There are reports that Al-Barnawi has been removed as the factional leader. The northeast remains a battleground in Nigerias decade-long fight against the armed group of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari promised to crush Boko Haram during his first term election campaign in 2015. But his administration has failed to end the decade-long violence, with increasing attacks on military bases and strategic towns. The group continues to launch attacks in the countrys northeast, and its leader remains at large. Fading advocacy Since 2014, Chibok has hosted hundreds of journalists, activists, security operatives and government delegations. Most of the advocacy groups that pleaded for the release of the girls have however gone quiet. Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) has kept the campaign going, but the group has become smaller, seemingly having lost its punch. It is quite challenging to sustain a singular core demand #BringBackOurGirls when facing a government that has taken up a disinterested and hostile stance for almost five years, spokesperson of the Bring Back Our Girls group, Nifemi Onifade, told Al Jazeera. The drain of standing for the Chibok girls is real and heavy and so, many may have had various reasons over the years for their reduced commitments, Onifade added. Military concedes to some demands from protesters, removes defence minister and vows to restructure intelligence agency. Sudans ruling military council has announced a raft of concessions aimed at appeasing protesters calling for a civilian-led transition to democracy following the overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir. Shams Eldin Kabashi, a spokesman for the council, vowed on Sunday to restructure the widely feared National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), a key demand from the political parties and movements behind the months-long protests that triggered Bashirs removal by the armed forces. Activists accuse NISS forces of violently cracking down on protests as well as an ongoing sit-in outside the army headquarters, killing dozens of protesters and wounding hundreds more. Kabashi said the council has appointed Lieutenant General Abu Bakr Mustafa to head the NISS following the recent resignation of Salah Abdallah Mohamed Saleh, known as Salah Gosh. He also announced the removal of General Awad Ibn Auf from his post as defence minister. The general had initially assumed power, taking oath as the head of a military council that he said would rule the country for a two year-transitional period, but was forced to step down a day later in the face of mass protests for a civilian-led transitional administration. Ibn Auf was replaced by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who pledged on Saturday to uproot the regime of al-Bashir, release detained protesters and hold talks with all political parties and groups behind the months-long protests. Hours later, a 10-member delegation representing the protesters delivered their demand to the council. They included an immediate handover of power to a civilian-led body, reforms to the NISS and release of protesters. We will never leave On Sunday, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which spearheaded the protests, said they will keep up street demonstrations until a civilian transitional government, as outlined in the so-called Declaration of Freedom and Change signed by various political and professional groups in January, is formed. In a nine-point list of demands, the SPA also called for a freeze on the assets of top officials of al-Bashirs government, dismissal of all top judges and prosecutors, and the arrest of al-Bashir, Gosh and Mohamed Atta, a former NISS head who was appointed as Sudans envoy to Washington last year. In his statement, Kabashi said Atta had been sacked from his post. Khartoums ambassador in Geneva had also been removed, he said, adding that all police officers arrested for participating in the protests would also be freed. The council will also form a committee to take over the assets of al-Bashirs party, he added. Al Jazeeras Hiba Morgan, reporting from the capital, Khartoum, said the militarys concessions amounted to less than what some people wanted. Reforming NISS, while significant, was not the main issue standing between the two sides the main issue was how will the military council operate under the transitional government, said Morgan. There were concerns from the political parties that the military council will oversee the government and thats something they do not want. They want an independent government in which the military council serves only as a protector. 190414135158735 Protesters at the Khartoum sit-in, meanwhile, said the councils reforms did not go far enough and called on the ruling body to hand over power immediately. We will never leave this square, our only [means of] power to put pressure on this military council is our sit-in here, so we will continue until we achieve all our demands, Randa Mohamed, 22, told Al Jazeera. Fellow demonstrator Mohamed Atia, 39, agreed. We still need the power to be transferred to the civilians and [for] the dissolution of the ruling party and the militias of the ruling party [to take place], Atia said. Sudanese protesters demand the countrys military rulers immediately hand power over to a civilian government [Ahmed Mustafa / AFP] Earlier on Sunday, the military council met with some political parties in Khartoum and urged them to agree on an independent figure to lead Sudan as prime minister. We, your brothers in the armed forces, are asking you to support us with your initiatives to brave through the transitional period, said General Yasir Atta. We need and hope all of you within a short span of time come to a consensus and agreement upon one figure, a patriotic independent person, to lead the government. The military wants to hold on to the interior and defence ministries in any transitional government, he said. Sudans foreign ministry, meanwhile, urged the international community to back the countrys military council to help facilitate a democratic transition. Al-Burhan was committed to having a complete civilian government and the role of the council will be to maintain the sovereignty of the country, the ministry said, adding that he intended to prepare an environment for political parties and civil society to build themselves up in order to have a peaceful transition of power. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued statements in support of the transitional military council. Saudi Arabia said it stands by the Sudanese people and called on all Sudanese to give priority to the national interest of their country. The UAE called on the Sudanese to work for protecting legitimacy and ensuring a peaceful transfer of power. Saudi King Salman ordered an unspecified package of aid for Sudan that includes petroleum products, wheat and medicine. Mohammed Amin contributed to this report from Khartoum Opposition vows to continue protests until all demands are met, including the formation of a civilian government. Sudans protest organisers have presented their demands, including the creation of a civilian government, in talks with the countrys new military rulers, the group spearheading the demonstrations said. A statement by the Alliance for Freedom and Change, an umbrella group leading the protests, said a 10-member delegation submitted its list of demands to the military during a meeting on Saturday. Thousands remained encamped outside the army headquarters in the capital overnight into Sunday to keep the pressure on the military council that took power after overthrowing long-time President Omar al-Bashir on Thursday. One of the alliances leaders, Omer Eldigair, said in the statement that the demands include restructuring the countrys feared National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), whose chief Salah Abdallah Gosh has resigned following the removal of al-Bashir. 190410135717502 We will continue our sit-in until all our demands are met, including the formation of a fully civilian government, Eldigair said. The Freedom and Change alliance insists that civilian representatives should be accepted onto the military council and that a civilian government should be formed to run daily administration. We surely want our demands to be met, but both sides will have to be flexible to reach a deal, said a protester who spent the night at the army complex. On Saturday, the chief of the military council, General Abdel Fattah Burhan, vowed to dismantle al-Bashirs establishment and lifted a night-time curfew with immediate effect. Burhan also pledged that individuals implicated in killing protesters would face justice and that protesters detained under a recent state of emergency would be freed. Burhan took the oath of office on Friday after his predecessor General Awad Ibn Auf stepped down just a day after the removal of al-Bashir. Peaceful transfer of power Tens of thousands of people have massed outside the army headquarters since April 6, initially to urge the armed forces to back their demand that al-Bashir be removed. On Thursday, the army toppled the veteran leader, who had swept to power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989. But the protesters have vowed to remain in place until the military council demonstrably accepts its demands. Dozens of people have been killed in protest-related violence since demonstrations erupted against al-Bashirs rule in December. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) issued statements in support of Sudans transitional military council. Riyadh said it stands by the Sudanese people and called on them to give priority to the national interest of their country. The UAE called on the Sudanese to work for protecting legitimacy and ensuring a peaceful transfer of power. Saudi King Salman ordered an unspecified package of aid for Sudan that includes petroleum products, wheat and medicine. In separate statements issued late on Saturday, Saudi Arabia and the UAE specifically expressed support for Sudans transitional council formed by the military. The UAE said it welcomed the swearing-in of Burhan on Friday as head of that council. With Sudan facing a number of crises, finding a consensus has gained new urgency but uncertainty remains. It took nearly four months of vigorous street protests across Sudan to trigger an army takeover that ended Omar al-Bashirs 30-year authoritarian rule. But it took the same protesters a mere 24 hours to get al-Bashirs replacement taken down. On Friday evening, General Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf named Lieutenant General Abdelfattah al-Burhan to head the countrys ruling military council Sudans third leader in as many days following al-Bashirs overthrow on Thursday. The departure of Ibn Auf, a close aide of al-Bashir, set off a wave of celebrations in the capital, Khartoum, including among the thousands who had defied a military-imposed curfew to keep converging outside a complex housing the army headquarters. It fell again, it fell again, chanted the protesters, who had denounced Ibn Aufs announcement for the establishment of a two-year transitional military council as nothing but a farce that robbed them of their revolution. Safest and best option On Saturday, in his first televised address to the nation, al-Burhan appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone. The night-time curfew would be ended with immediate effect, he declared, vowing to uproot the regime and release the jailed protesters. 190411125048555 The new council chief, who is believed to be popular among the army rank-and-file and more removed politically from al-Bashir than Ibn Auf or other top senior security officials, also said that the transition to civilian-led rule could still last up two years but called for dialogue with political parties and civil society groups. The pledges were cautiously welcomed by protesters seeking credible reforms, including the rapid opening of political space and the inclusion of broadly supported civilian figures in the transitional administration. Al-Burhan said all the right things, said Dallia Abdelmoneim, a protester in Khartoum. After 30 years, its impossible to just hand over to a civilian government. This coalition between the two seems the safest and best option for us all. Theyll both keep each other in check. She added: To get rid of the security apparatus in one go would be tantamount to madness. Face-saving option Indeed, talks got under way on Saturday, when the protest organisers presented a series of demands to the military leaders, including the formation of a four-year civilian government under the protection of the armed forces. On Sunday, the military council called for a consensus agreement to identify a patriotic independent person to lead the government, adding that they wanted to hold on to the interior and defence ministries to maintain security and order in the country. Joseph Siegle, director of research at The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, said there was a good chance the protest and military leaders would reach an agreement. 190414075312409 The military realises that they are facing enormous opposition if they try to hold onto power. This would make it very difficult for them to govern, he said, arguing that al-Burhans goal appeared to be to uphold the cohesion and integrity of the military as an institution. Moreover, Sudan faces a severe economic crisis that will require technical expertise and support from international financial institutions. Neither of these will likely be forthcoming unless there is a civilian government with popular support, he noted, citing al-Burhans promises might be a signal that he is willing to compromise. But the protesters also need to compromise specifically, they need to provide a face-saving option for the military to back a civilian-led transition. They [protesters] have proven, through the Sudanese Professional Association and associated groups, that they have the infrastructure to go the distance, said Michael Woldemariam, assistant professor of international relations at Boston University, referring to the umbrella organisation at the forefront of the demonstrations. But sustaining their vigour and unity in the face of government concessions, and broader appeals to stabilise the country, wont be easy, he said. For Georges Fahmi, a research fellow at the European University Institute, the main challenge for the protest movement is to combine its ability [to mobilise] on the ground, with the ability to negotiate with the military council. This balance needs to be managed carefully, he said. Protesters biggest test Demonstrations were sparked in December last year by a government decision to remove wheat subsidies, which, in turn, led to a sharp increase in the price of bread. Initially led by professionals such as lawyers, teachers and doctors who are angry at years of economic mismanagement, violent repression and institutional corruption, the protests quickly escalated into wider calls for political change, with women taking a leading role. 190414075312409 Siegle said the protesters have so far demonstrated a remarkable degree of organisation and discipline, as well as a plan of action even as al-Bashir temporarily hit back by installing a state of emergency in late February. They [demonstrators] very much see themselves as continuing a democracy agenda from previous Sudanese generations, especially the protest movements of 1965 and 1984, he said, referring to popular uprisings that toppled previous military dictatorships. The protesters represent a coalition of different groups, which means they are well-rooted with Sudanese society this should enable them to sustain their effort. Siegle said the immediate tests now faced by the pro-democracy movement included identifying a representative, unifying and merit-based transitional leadership. With this in place, they will need to establish plans for the reforms of key institutions justice, economic, media, legislative, electoral that will create a level playing field for a genuinely democratic system. Fragmented security apparatus Such moves could be decisive for the countrys future. After leading a coup in 1989, al-Bashir spent years working to ensure he himself did not become prey to another coup. He created divergent security institutions as part of a tangled power-and-patronage network, which he expertly presided over for years. 190413064228484 But when al-Bashir finally did fall, having survived multiple challenges throughout his three-decade rule, the internal power struggle within Sudans security establishment a multitude of militias and intelligence factions became even more apparent. On Saturday, state media reported that the powerful spy chief Salah Gosh had followed Ibn Auf in handing in his resignation. The security apparatus is highly fragmented, a byproduct of al-Bashirs strategy of rule, and to some extent, the competing influences of Middle Eastern countries within Sudans security institutions, Woldemariam said. The latter phenomenon has become more obvious in the last several years, as deep economic problems have made the countrys governing structures vulnerable to external penetration, he added. Sudan, which is part of the Saudi-UAE coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen, has in recent years relied heavily on assistance from Gulf countries to shore up its ailing finances, which suffered a major blow in 2011 when South Sudan gained independence and took with it more than 75 percent of its oil production. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued statements backing the military council, with Riyadh urging the Sudanese to give priority to the national interest. 190410135717502 Woldemariam warned, however, that external powers will have to be careful about not wading into Sudanese politics too directly. It will trigger a backlash from the Sudanese people, who are rightly demanding that they be the sole owners of their transition, he said. Siegle agreed, saying any foreign attempt to maintain a military government in Sudan would come at a high price. Sudan faces enormous economic challenges. While these external actors may be able to provide a short-term emergency package, none of them is in a position if they were so inclined to recoup Sudans $55bn in external debt, stabilise its currency, address widespread unemployment, and make Sudan an attractive investment environment, he said. Yet, if they intervene, they will be held responsible for these challenges. Nor would they likely elicit much additional international support to help share this burden. With Sudan facing a number of crises, trying to find a way out of the current situation has gained new urgency but even if a consensus was reached, the outcome could still be uncertain. Will the military follow through on its promises? asked Woldemariam. Will the settlement, over time, be inclusive enough to satisfy the diverse interests of the protest movement and civilian opposition, not to mention armed groups in the periphery of the country? Are there any credible guarantors to be had in this context that can build confidence between the different sides? he continued. A lot of questions remain. US President Donald Trump is accused of inciting violence and dividing Americans after a tweet attacking the Muslim congresswoman. US President Donald Trump is facing accusations that he has put the life of a Muslim congresswoman at risk through one of his tweets. Trump selectively quoted Ilhan Omar, making it look like she was downplaying the 9/11 attacks. Disapproving of Trumps remark, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, Members of Congress have a duty to respond to the presidents explicit attack today. Ilhan Omars life is in danger. Al Jazeeras John Hendren reports from Washington, DC. Venezuelas opposition leader calls for nationwide protests against the president during a visit to the oil-rich state of Zulia. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido is in the oil-rich state of Zulia, where there have been demonstrations against power outages and water shortages. Guaido, who is recognised by the United States and 50 other countries as Venezuelas legitimate leader, is trying to organise nationwide protests against President Nicolas Maduro. His trip came as President Maduro called on more than two million army and militia members to defend his government. Al Jazeeras Lucia Newman reports from Caracas. About the show A weekly programme that examines and dissects the worlds media, how they operate and the stories they cover. Watch The Listening Post every Saturday at 0830GMT Two unpleasant but fascinating recent films allow psychology to scuttle alternative spiritualities, even as monotheistic faiths are not consulted. Birds of Passage, directed by Ciro Guerra and Cristina Gallego, is the epic tale of a family of Colombian drug-dealers. Maria Camila Arias and Jacques Toulemonde Vidal wrote the screenplay. This film engages the viewer from the very outset with its tableaux of Colombian customs: the confinement ceremony that marks young womanhood; then courting and marriage and baby-welcoming ceremonies. We quickly come to care about Rapayet (Jose Acosta) and Zaida (Natalia Reyes) and their relations as the young couple builds a family. True, the mother-in-law (Carmina Martinez) is somewhat demonic. She and the other women are the guardians of local rituals and beliefs. The Peace Corps members are depicted in this film as half-heartedly combating socialism with pamphlets during the day and as indulging in drugs and free sex at night, in contrast with the mores of the natives which, while rooted in old beliefs, seem to work in everyday family life. Its the Peace Corps youth who get the locals into drug trafficking, if this film is to be believed. The dreams and death rituals, dominated by the women, are rather gory, and have disastrous social consequences -- or, at least, hasten the social consequences of the family business. One thinks of the Hebrew Bibles discouragement of obsessing on death and on the dead and buried. One wonders what happened to Catholicism, if it ever took hold. Birds and talismans figure prominently in the local spirituality. The film is superbly, even exquisitely, acted and directed, and reaches full authenticity when the indigenous people are allowed to do their chants and incantations. But that authenticity also consists in unrelenting messengers and in chauvinistic tribal honor. Ethics often come down to bargaining. It works -- until it stops working. At least the West has its witness protection plans (which dont always work, either). For all its authenticity and moralizing, the film offers a bad message: that a family can flourish in the drug trade and be guided by indigenous beliefs as long as a bad seed does not ruin things. The women regard the local religion as ever ready to pounce on sins familial and gangland, but there is never the suggestion of ethical proscriptions of drug dealing. True, Christianity and Judaism have not always been successful at getting their adherents to resist gang vices and abominations, but at least the teachings and standards have been made clear. Do the filmmakers suggest something inherently problematic in relying on signs rather than scriptures? Ironically, despite the sheer beauty of the local countryside and the fascinating local customs and story line, the outstanding eye-catching aesthetic object in this film is a token of Western design: a stunning modernist house for the protagonist family, albeit with pretentious furniture. Is that house intended as a Western sacrifice to the local gods, even as the God of the Western (and Eastern) monotheists is never consulted here? In Out of Blue, written and directed by Carol Morley, the violent death of a glamorous female astrophysicist (Mamie Gummer) requires the talents of a hardnosed and mysterious female detective, Mike Hoolihan (Patricia Clarkson). Though the case is quickly and surprisingly solved, it is the ramifications of the solution that ultimately lead Mike to discover a parallel to her own childhood trauma and to confront her own demons. The film is well-acted and directed, with James Caan almost unrecognizable in a most offbeat role. As in Birds of Passage, the theme of what the living must do for the dead dominates the living; and spirituality, such as it is, is left to the women. In this film, the emotionally unbalanced mother (Jacki Weaver) learns from the deceased daughter: She taught me that your nose can come from a different star than your hand does. The deceased astrophysicist had a lot of similar observations, which she articulated while in the spotlight before her untimely death: In order for us to live, a star must die. We are all stardust. Do you know where you are? What kind of neighborhood does our galaxy live in? One such statement seems both geographical and psychological: We do not simply live within the universe. The universe lives within us. But just when we brace ourselves for a full New Age worldview from which (who knows?) reincarnation or New Orleans spiritism may emerge, the film backs away from its own pronouncements and falls back on psychology. Indeed, the film is disarmingly Freudian -- perhaps refreshingly Freudian at a time when New Age self-help therapies still prevail. It deals with the powerful effects of fear within families even in the absence of physical abuse per se. It takes as its motto a very Freudian observation of William Faulkner: The past isnt dead. Its not even past. Indeed, despite all the talk about stars and galaxies, the film is very earthy. It deals with terrestrial evils which haunt the mind. As does Birds of Passage, it focuses on morbid practices for dealing with the dead and with (psychological) ghosts of the dead. There is, for example, a request for cremation ashes to be scattered over the garbage. This movie has its talismans, as well, which appear with the dead body. There is even a messenger in the form of a TV reporter (Devyn A. Tyler) who may be real or a psychological phenomenon or both. Not unlike Birds of Passage, Out of Blue can be summarized in a Shakespearian line which, when applied to this film, becomes quite Freudian: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in the stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings. Despite a billion dollars' worth of negative press to destroy Trump before he was elected over 500,000 lying articles claiming that Trump colluded with Russia and the Deep State's $30-million illegal investigation, Trump has miraculously survived. Incredibly, Trump has stayed on offense, laser-focused on making America great again. The treasonous anti-Trump coalition is frustrated, hatefully consumed with creating Kryptonite to take down this political Superman. While he has performed like a man of steel, Trump is only human. Ninety-two percent of media reporting on Trump is negative. How much abuse can this man take? It is vitally important that We the People assure President Trump that we have his back. Tea Party Express launching "Tea Party for Trump" is divinely timed. Sarah Palin was a conservative warrior, an answer to the prayers of Christians, conservatives, and Republicans. I still remember the joy and excitement I felt hearing Sarah Palin's acceptance speech to run as John McCain's vice president. Palin was bright, bold, and beautiful, unembarrassed to stand up for principles and values that have made America great. Immediately after Palin accepted the V.P. nomination, the American left launched a no-holds-barred campaign to destroy her. Palin's entire family, including her Down syndrome toddler son, were high-tech lynched by fake news media. Every word out of Palin's mouth was spun to brand her crazy, stupid, or racist. This is exactly the same tactic Democrats and their minions have used to keep Trump's approval below 50%. The same way leftists viciously attacked Palin's family, actor Peter Fonda said Trump's 12-year-old son should be caged with pedophiles to be gang-raped. Whose family could endure such vile, relentless hate? The American left decreed commenting on Obama's family out of bounds while declaring it open season on attacking the families of Palin and Trump. Despite the Mueller Report concluding that Trump did not collude with Russia to steal the presidency from Hillary, NeverTrumps and Republicans maintain a safe distance from Trump, halfheartedly supportive of his America first agenda. Once again, I am reminded of our side's disloyalty to Sarah Palin. Making sure that none of the excrement fake news media showered upon Palin splashed on them, conservatives and Republicans distanced themselves from Sarah Palin. Word in conservative and Republican circles was that Palin had become politically toxic. Frustrated, I thought, "So this is how we treat our friends and courageous warriors?" Trump does not play by any of Washington, D.C. elitists' rules. Trump drives them nuts. The assault on Palin pales in comparison to what Democrats, fake news media, Hollywood, NeverTrumps, RINOs, and the Deep State are doing to president Trump. Every day, this man awakens to face a tsunami of media lies, distortions, and the narrative that Americans hate his guts. None of Trump's remarkable, unprecedented achievements for We the People is reported. Trump is despised by the American left because he is effectively blocking its mission to transform America away from the vision of our Founding Fathers, rooted in biblical principles. Another reason Trump is despised is because he is a man of the people. Leftists and political elites are shallow, ruled by surface appearances. For example, New York Times columnist David Brooks absurdly said seeing Obama's perfectly creased pants told him Obama would be a great president. Obama was a master of what we in the black community describe as "jive talkin'." Whenever Obama gave one of his incomprehensible, rambling answers, his fake news media sycophants were enraptured. They would interpret the brilliance of Obama's superior intellect to us commoners. The Bible says, "Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). When Trump speaks, leftists and political elites are appalled. In contrast, We the People see, hear, and connect with Trump's heart his love for America and his sincere commitment to serving her best interest. God has a hedge of protection around Trump. Millions of Christians are praying for him, which I believe is the source of Trump's remarkable strength, endurance, and focus. Still, Trump is only human. Anti-Trump resisters relentlessly attempt to character-assassinate him 24/7. Trump needs to hear daily that we appreciate his courage and that we are solidly standing shoulder to shoulder with him. We must help Trump keep America great in 2020. Lyrics from the song "One Day at a Time": "I'm only human. I'm just a man. Just give me the strength to do every day what I have to do. Lord, help me today; show me the way one day at a time." Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American Help Lloyd spread the Truth: http://bit.ly/2kZqmUk http://LloydMarcus.com Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr. As in one of those old-time movies like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington or a sci-fi film like Star Wars, where the good guys finally go on the offensive and beat the evildoers, this week the President and the rebel alliance cracked through the Democrats Death Star of lies , deceit, and unpunished illegalities. It was fun to watch, and I think its just begun. Candace Owens This attractive young black woman, connected to Prager U, blew House Democrats out of the water. The video of her feat on C-Span received more hits than any other Twitter/CSpan video. Townhall, covered this, in case you didnt see Owens in action. She demolished Congressman Ted Lieu, who tried to paint her as a Hitler lover by selectively misrepresenting her earlier statement in which she had distinguished between nationalism as pride and support for ones country, and Hitlers version. In the process she proved her claim that the globalist infused Democrats distort the idea of America First as a white racist doctrine because they assume that black voters are stupid. Another black woman conservative noted why this exchange was so wonderful to see: Juliette Akinyi Ochieng Conservatives who are black have been speaking out for a long time. But the House Republicans finally invited one -- Candace Owens, a fine speaker and advocate for conservatism -- and, thereby, provided a spotlight. That House Democrats made fools of themselves was mere icing. And it was sweet. We should all rejoice in this. In any event, the charge that there is an army of violent white supremacists out to harm minorities, is utter poppycock -- a propaganda ploy by the left to ingather voters who fall for it. Even a superficial glance at the record indicates that of the nearly 20,000 people killed in thousands of extremist killings in 2017, white supremacists were responsible for very few. The worst terrorist event of 2017, according to the State Department, was the explosion of a truck bomb outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, which killed more than 580 people. This violent act is believed to have been the work of Al-Shabaab, which was responsible for 97 percent of the 370 instances of extremist killings in Somalia in 2017, accounting for about 1,400 deaths -- mostly civilian. The remaining violent acts were carried out by Jabha East Africa (ISIS-Somalia), a dissident Al-Shabaab splinter group. The deadliest extremist attack in Egypts history took place in 2017, when ISIS-Sinai terrorists converged on a mosque in Sinai during Friday prayers and slaughtered 312 people... Also in Egypt that year, on Palm Sunday, an extremist suicide bomber connected to IS-Egypt killed 30 Coptic Christians at a church in Tanta The first day of 2017 was marked by an ISIS attack on a nightclub in Istanbul; the Uzbeki perpetrator killed 35 people. In April, another Uzbeki rammed a truck into a crowd of people in Stockholm, killing seven. In August, ISIS militant Younes Abouyaaqoub ran a truck into a crowd of people in Barcelona, killing 15 people White nationalists committed none of the above violent acts of extremist killing, and thats nothing remarkable: almost all the worlds extremist violence is concentrated in a handful of regions, where very few white people live. In areas where whites do live (America, Canada, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand), white nationalists do indeed perpetrate a significant proportion of the relatively uncommon acts of extremist violence. Again, this is unsurprising, because whites make up the overwhelming majority of the population there.[snip] When Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that white supremacists were responsible for the most extremist killings of 2017, she was obviously wrong, by at least two and maybe three orders of magnitude (if she meant worldwide, which is unclear from her tweet). There were at least 8,500 such incidents worldwide that year, and white supremacists accounted for perhaps 15 or 20 of them, depending how you count. A big influencer in creating the lie about white racism and violence has been the Southern Poverty Law Center, whose top two officials were fired or resigned and which now faces an avalanche of lawsuits against it. Amid the racism and sexism scandal roiling the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), former employees have revealed the far-left smear factory's list of "hate groups" as a cynical fundraising scam. Last year, the SPLC paid $3.375 million to settle a defamation lawsuit involving similar accusations. Now more than 60 organizations falsely accused of being "hate groups" are mulling lawsuits, and at least one lawsuit will come as soon as this summer. Former SPLC employee Bob Moser described "the annual hate-group list" as "a valuable resource for journalists and a masterstroke of Deess marketing talents; every year, when the center publishes it, mainstream outlets write about the 'rising tide of hate' discovered by the S.P.L.C.s researchers, and reporters frequently refer to the list when they write about the groups." According to The Progressive's John Egerton, SPLC co-founder Morris Dees "viewed civil-rights work mainly as a marketing tool for bilking gullible Northern liberals." Current Affairs Editor Nathan J. Robinson slammed the "hate map" as an "outright fraud," a "willful deception designed to scare older liberals into writing checks to the SPLC." John F. Kerry Congressman Thomas Massie punctured the lefts perpetually publicity seeking gasbag John F. Kerry during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing. Congressman Massie has both a bachelors and masters degree from MIT and a decade-long history of scientific achievement before running for Congress. Kerrys scientific knowledge is sparse, as Massie made clear. (Like Al Gore at Harvard, his college courses at Yale probably consisted of a single course headed something like Deep Thoughts About Science.) How do you get a bachelor of arts in a science? asked Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentuckys northern 4th District, during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on Tuesday. Well, its [a] liberal arts education and degree -- its a bachelor, Kerry said. OK, so its not really science, replied Massie. So, I think its somewhat appropriate that somebody with a pseudoscience degree is here pushing pseudoscience in front of our committee today. Kerry fired back, Are you serious? I mean, this is really happening here? To which Massie said: You know what? It is serious. Youre calling the presidents cabinet a kangaroo court, is that serious? Im not calling his cabinet a kangaroo court, Kerry said. Im calling this committee hes putting together a kangaroo committee. Massie asked, Are you saying he doesnt have educated adults there now? I dont know who it has yet, Kerry said, because its secret. [snip] Are you aware that since mammals have walked the planet, the average [atmospheric carbon dioxide] has been over 1,000 parts per million? Massie asked. Yeah, but we werent walking the planet, Kerry said. We now know that definitively, at no point during at least the past 800,000 years, has atmospheric CO2 been as high as it is today. Massie shot back, The reason you chose 800,000 years ago is because for 200 million years before that, it was greater than it is today. Yeah, but there werent human beings, replied Kerry. It was a different world, folks. We didnt have 7 billion people living here. Massie continued, So -- howd it get to 2,000 parts per million if we humans werent here? Did geology stop when we got on the planet? Michael Avenatti Michael Avenatti, who very recently was considered a presidential contender (by himself and perhaps others) after he tried to bring down the President with Stormy Daniels charges and Justice Brett Kavanaugh with sketchy, incredible claims, has had his private plane seized by the IRS for back taxes and is under indictment in New York, charged with attempting to extort $20 million from Nike. This week the U.S. Attorneys office in the Central District of California announced it filed a 36-count indictment against him. The indictment alleges wire and bank fraud charges, including allegations that he stole funds from a mentally ill paraplegic client. Iowahawk tweeted: @iowahawkblog 6h6 hours ago Stealing millions of dollars from a paraplegic man to spend on a private jet may be a bit of a messaging challenge for his presidential campaign comms team. He was a frequent guest of CNN and MSNBC: Avenatti, who most notably represented adult film star Stephanie Clifford, professionally known as Stormy Daniels, became a regular guest on CNN and MSNBC last spring. During 10 weeks in 2018 from March to May, Avenatti appeared on cable news 147 times, according to Newsbusters. Of those appearances, 131 of them came on either CNN or MSNBC, with CNN topping MSNBC 74-57 I guess both of those networks must be scouting for a new legal expert. Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand This could be termed a double-header act. Maxine Waters, Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, grilled bank officials on the student loan program, forgetting that a decade ago Obama nationalized the program, something she had twice voted for. And if that doesnt give you confidence in our elected elites, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, confused tactical nuclear weapons with tactile ones. The Barr Report Still waiting for the impeachment ship to dock, the Democrats were thrown into the drink when Attorney General William Barr reported that he believed the FBI and other intelligence agencies had spied on Trump and his campaign. (Something anyone outside the bubble considered obvious for years.) Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) offered up a transparent euphemism, apparently for a lack of any better response. Dem Sen Schatz to AG Barr: Do you want to rephrase your 'spying did occur' statement? Could cause cable news freakout. Barr: 'Unauthorized surveillance. I want to make sure there was no unauthorized surveillance. Is that more appropriate?' Some of them are now referring to Barr as Trumps handpicked Attorney General, I suppose to confuse idiots who think this position is normally filled by a nationwide lottery. Ari Fleischer tweets something quite obviously true: Ari Fleischer 6h6 hours ago When allegations were made vs Trump, CNN bore in on how serious the charge was & its implications for the future of Trump. CNN speculated about what the allegations could lead to. Now that the actions of Obama aides are under scrutiny, CNN casts doubt on allegations. This is bias. If you are confused about why theres so much radical partisanship in Congress now, you might find the answer in this article by Madeline Osburn. On the other hand, it occurs to me that Republicans are foolish to compromise on legislation when the administrative state and courts have been allowed to ignore the parts of laws they won in the legislative compromise. This overreaching is made worse as district courts get away with issuing nationwide injunctions even on the flimsiest, subjective basis against perfectly legitimate actions. Perhaps when this administration can fully excise these self-appointed legislators, well see more rationality and compromise. In any event, since Russian Collusion is now mortally wounded with a wooden stake through its heart, and theres no viable, nonloony Democrat likely to recapture the White House in 2020, the Democrats may have to rethink whether lying, ignorance, and acting crazy is a winning agenda. The first overt sign of the trouble that lies ahead for Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat leadership with the emergence of a radical Muslim wing of the party arrived Saturday. Following the discovery of a video clip of Rep. Omar referring to 911 as some people did something, the blowback has been fierce, including in deep blue New York City, where the wounds of death and destruction (and lingering health issues among first responders) still are very painful. Rep. Tlaib is not happy with what she perceives as inadequate support for her fellow Muslima in Congress, and extended the criticism on this specific issue by another Twitter user into a broader attack on the party leadership: They put us in photos when they want to show our party is diverse. However, when we ask to be at the table, or speak up about issues that impact who we are, what we fight for & why we ran in the first place, we are ignored. To truly honor our diversity is to never silence us. https://t.co/7T1OlwS1YG Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) April 13, 2019 To say that Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ihan Omar have chips on their shoulders would be an understatement. Both women embrace the notion of Muslim victimhood in a party that stokes the grievances of a variety of minorities who are encouraged to see themselves as victims and seek balm in the form of concessions from the majority. When the interests of these subgroups clash, the standard operating procedure of the Dems has been to co-opt the minority leadership and have them smooth over those conflicts in favor of the goodies that come from unity at the expense of the malign majority against whom they nurse their wounds. But when religion becomes the basis for grievance, and when the radical version of that religion seeks as its sacred mission the destruction of an existing state and the imposition of a global theocracy based on its dogma, compromise becomes much more difficult. So, we can expect Reps. Omar and Tlaib, backed up by their glamourous amiga-in-grievance Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, to continue to press demands that are unpalatable not simply to mainstream Americans, but to fellow members of the minority collation of the Democrats (such as Jews and black Christians). By criticizing the partys treatment of them as tokens of diversity, they sow the seeds of a split. This is going to come to a head when the new Democrat members of the House elected in 2018 face primary race challengers from the Left, as already threatened by Ocasio-Cortez. Most of the new House Democrats come from swing districts and were chosen by canny party leaders like Pelosi on the basis of their ability to appeal to moderate voters put off by the personality and past peccadillos of President Trump. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is getting desperate. With the international community lining up against him, and his own people getting more hungry all the time, Maduro finds himself increasingly alone and isolated. His solution? Find a million more friendly faces that he can count on when it really hits the fan. Maduro is calling for a million more members of his personal bodyguard, a civilian militia tasked with keeping the population in line by any means necessary. Those means include roving gangs of street thugs who shoot anyone who looks like they oppose the government. Since there are already nearly 2 million members of these militias, Maduro's call for a million more could mean that he is beginning to distrust his base in the Venezuelan military. Indeed, Maduro said yesterday that his civilian militia would become part of the military command. Tass: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has sent a request to the Constitutional Assembly to integrate national militia into the Bolivarian Armed Forces. "I am asking the Constitutional Assembly and the General Staff to review the main charter of the Bolivarian Armed Forces, in order to grant a constitutional status to the Bolivarian national militia, to make it a part of the Armed Forces," Maduro said in a speech broadcast live on Twitter on Saturday. Do you think it has anything to do with Maduro's rival, Juan Guaido, offering amnesty to any military members who come over to his side? BBC: The call to expand the militia - which answers directly to Mr Maduro - comes as opposition leader Juan Guaido seeks to persuade the Venezuelan military to abandon the president. So far the military has stayed loyal. Certainly the top brass in the military aren't budging. But they'd have a hard time protecting Maduro if they didn't have many soldiers to command. Maduro is asking his militiamen to go out to the fields and get some food for the rest of Venezuela. The president praised the civilian militia for its readiness to "defend, with arms in hand, (the) peace, sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence and the life of our homeland", during a rally in the capital, Caracas. But he also called on the existing two million members to get involved in agriculture, as Venezuela continues to struggle with a spiralling economic crisis which has left people struggling to afford food. "With your rifles on your shoulders, be ready to defend the fatherland and dig the furrow to plant the seeds to produce food for the community, for the people," Mr Maduro told the crowd of militia members. The Chavista thugs that join the militia are interested in protecting the goodies that Maduro has been handing out since he came to power. These are the poorest of the poor who, without Maduro's benificence, would starve to death. They are his natural allies and political base - what's left of it. Venezuela's agony will continue and may be entering a new, bloodier phase. Guaido is calling for people to take to the streets to "start the final phase of the end of the usurpation". That means confrontation with the militias and probably a lot more bodies in the streets. At least no cops died after Cook County states attorney Kim Foxx let Jussie Smollett walk. The same cannot be said of her offices treatment of the case of Dan Davies. Davies, a habitual offender with decades of citations for driving without a license and drunk driving, including multiple forfeitures of bond when he failed to obey the conditions of his release. Kim Foxxs office decided to let Davies out on bond one more time, despite the fact that he was facing six felony counts of drunk driving. It was his last such release, however, because this time Davis drove the wrong way on Interstate 294 and crashed head-on into the patrol car of Illinois State Trooper Gerald Ellis, killing both men. NBC Chicago screen grabs NBC Chicago has been investigating the release, and attempting to get some explanation from Foxxs office for the release of a man who obviously had no respect at all for obeying laws on driving. Foxx and her minions have dummied up: It has been a week and a half since NBC 5 Investigates revealed the lengthy traffic and criminal history of Dan Davies, a 44-year-old Calumet City man who police say drove the wrong way down Interstate 294 on March 30 and crashed head-on into Illinois State Trooper Gerald Ellis, killing them both. At the time of the crash, Davies was out on bond after being charged with six felony DUIs with no license, the most recent in a decades-long series of charges and convictions for DUI, drugs and scores of traffic violations. NBC 5 Investigates Phil Rogers immediately reached out to the Illinois States Attorneys office to try to find out how and why Davies was allowed free on bond when he had a driving record that state officials call one of the worst theyve seen. Rogers spoke to the offices Chief Communications Officer Tandra Simonton and later sent her an email with additional info. Below is NBC 5 Investigates correspondence with the Cook County States Attorneys Office, as we continue to try to get an answer to that question. On Apr 2, 2019, at 1:01 PM, Rogers, Phil (NBCUniversal, WMAQ) wrote: We have just been told by the Sec of States office that he never had an Illinois Drivers License. Ever. Simonton wrote right back: From: TANDRA SIMONTON (States Attorney) Sent: Tuesday, April 2, 2019 1:12 PM To: Rogers, Phil (NBCUniversal, WMAQ) Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: FYI Wow! Im working on getting the bond details and will get back to you soon. Simonton didnt get back to NBC 5 that day, so Phil Rogers followed up on Wednesday. Tandra, You never got back to me and our story aired yesterday. I would still like to know how someone with such an abhorrent record was never jailed. How did he get a $3000 I-bond? Did your office ever seek to keep him in custody. Did any Cook County prosecutor ever realize the extent of his record? Why did this man continue to drive a car? I dont think these are unfair questions and I would like to know exactly what prosecutors did in this case. Thank you, Phil Rogers When there was still no answer by Thursday, an NBC 5 Investigates producer followed up: Hi, Ms. Simonton Im Katy Smyser, an investigative producer who works with Phil Rogers. I am continuing to follow up on Phils questions to you from Tuesday, and his follow-up questions from yesterday: Can you please provide me with specific information on how Dan Davies (dob 5/30/1974) was released on a $3,000.00 I-bond in case # 19-CR-02676 in which he was charged with six felony counts of aggravated DUI with no drivers license? We need to understand the entire process by which this bond was agreed to, including: What prosecutor or prosecutors in the states attorneys office handled Davies case? In particular, what prosecutor or prosecutors in the states attorneys office handled the bond portion of Davies case? What did those prosecutors originally recommend as Davies bond (if any)? Did anyone recommend that he be jailed? What judge or judges handled the bond hearing and ultimate decision on bond? Who ultimately recommended the $3,000 I-bond? If it was recommended by the states attorneys office, please tell me who was involved. Even if it was not someone in the states attorneys office who ultimately recommended the $3,000 I-bond, please tell me who, in the states attorneys office, ultimately agreed to this bond; how the final decision was made; and how Davies criminal and traffic history may (or may not) have factored in to the granting of this bond. Was there any consideration of other options for Davies release, in addition to this bond for example, electric monitoring or some other kind of monitoring? Once we understand the process that was used to grant this most recent bond, we will have several follow-up questions about the states attorneys role in Davies past cases. For reference, here is a link to a summary we put together of his past history in Cook County Criminal and Traffic Courts: https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/investigates-trooper-ellis-crash-driver-decades-of-offenses-cook-county-508069771.html Thank you in advance for helping Phil and me to understand the entire process of this particular case. Katy Smyser Producer, NBC5 Investigates No response from Simonton that day. And no response the following day, on Friday. On Monday, Rogers wrote to Simon again: Tandra, I have been disappointed that you have chosen to completely ignore our requests for information regarding the States Attorneys handling of the case of Dan Davies. We have asked for very basic information in this case. I am aware that your office has been challenged recently by a spate of difficult publicity surrounding the Jussie Smollet case. But the office still has to function. And this case has nothing to do with that one. We are going to do a follow-up on this case very soon, and its extremely important that the States Attorneys Office is represented in some fashion in that story. I dont want that story to say something to the effect of, States Attorney Kim Foxxs office has refused all requests for information on how this case was handled. But its important that you know that I strongly believe that you write that line, not me. Please. Please respond to the questions which first Katy Smyser, and then I sent you last week. Thank you very much. Still no response from Simonton. On Tuesday, NBC 5 Investigates sent yet another note to the States Attorneys media spokesperson: Dear Ms. Simonton Can you please respond to either Phil Rogers or me concerning the questions weve had for the past week, concerning Cook County Case number 19-CR-02676, in which Dan Davies was allowed out on bond following six felony charges of DUI with no license? Our main question continues to be how Davies was allowed out on a $3,000.00 bond, when his record shows such a lengthy history of criminal charges and traffic citations, including clear evidence (in the form of more than two dozen citations for no license) that Davies might get back in a car, if he were allowed out on bond? At very, very least, can you let us know when you might have some information for us on the states attorneys role in Mr. Davies bond? Thank you very much, Katy Smyser Producer, NBC5 Investigates As of Wednesday at 4:45pm, there was still no response, so NBC 5 sent this: Hi, Ms. Simonton Once again, Phil Rogers and I are still hoping to hear from you, since you are Chief Communications Officer for Cook County States Attorney Kimberly Foxx. Unfortunately the information we are looking for on how Dan Davies was allowed out on the streets, after being charged with multiple counts of DUI with no license, and despite a lengthy traffic and criminal record is information that we can only get from you. The public documents in this case give us some basic information, but our key questions namely, what role the states attorneys office had in allowing Davies out in bond, or in trying to keep him behind bars can only be answered by your office. As you obviously know, this is all PUBLIC information. We are just trying to figure out how Davies was allowed out of jail and able to get in a car on Saturday, March 30th; drive the wrong way down I-294; and kill both himself and an innocent driver, Illinois State Trooper Gerald Ellis. Since it has now been more than a week since weve heard anything from you, I am forwarding this correspondence to several other email addresses at your offices, as well, in the hopes that someone finally contacts me and Phil to discuss this case. Thank you. Katy Smyser Producer, NBC5 Investigates The problem of China hacking US businesses and stealing intellectual property has been going on for decades. But when it comes to fighting the crime wave from China, the US government has been hampered by a lack of cooperation from the victims. An investigation by National Public Radio and PBS found that fear of losing profits has driven the silence from US companies who see rocking the boat as more of a threat to their livelihood than taking strong action. In dozens of interviews with U.S. government and business representatives, officials involved in commerce with China said hacking and theft were an open secret for almost two decades, allowed to quietly continue because U.S. companies had too much money at stake to make waves. Wendy Cutler, who was a veteran negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, says it wasn't just that U.S. businesses were hesitant to come forward in specific cases. She says businesses didn't want the trade office to take "any strong action." "We are not as effective if we don't have the U.S. business community supporting us," she says. "Looking back on it, in retrospect, I think we probably should have been more active and more responsive. We kind of lost the big picture of what was really happening." None of the dozens of companies or organizations that NPR reached out to that have been victims of theft or corporate espionage originating from China would go on the record. And for its part, the Chinese government officially denied to NPR and Frontline that it has been involved in such practices. It's estimated that Chinese unfair business practices are costing American companies $57 billion a year. But the exposure of company secrets can mean an incalcuable loss. But now the impact of that secrecy is coming to light, they say. Companies are facing hundreds of millions of dollars in future losses from the theft, and U.S. officials say they are years behind trying to tackle the problem. Michael Wessel, commissioner on the U.S. government's U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, says it wasn't supposed to be this way. U.S. officials had high hopes when China officially joined the World Trade Organization in 2001. "There was a honeymoon period in the first six or seven years, a desire to try [to] make things work," Wessel says. But, he says, starting around 2006, businesses began coming to him saying that China had stolen their designs or ideas or had pressured them into partnerships and taken their technology. Just like with Hickton, Wessel says, they wouldn't come forward publicly. China is counting on this code of omerta by American businesses as they continue with business as usual. But you would think that eventually, China's stealing will become so prevelant, that US companies will be forced to cooperate for self preservation. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Wanuri Kahiu isnt happy with how much trolling and nastiness shes gotten since her film Rafiki was banned in Kenya because it positively depicted a same-sex relationship. But middle fingers up to the haters: Days before Rafiki was banned, it was selected for Cannes. Now she has two Hollywood projects on the go: a sci-fi series for Amazon Prime, and a gig directing Millie Bobby Brown of Stranger Things, in a young adult drama produced by Reese Witherspoon, making her the first African woman to get a studio deal. One article bills her as the next Kathryn Bigelow.' The Guardian (UK) King Mohammed VI has outlined the guidelines that are likely to enhance the role of the Cen-Sad grouping as a preferred interlocutor for the resolution of the crises plaguing the Sahel-Sahara region, through a coordinated approach with the other Regional Economic Communities, the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union and other stakeholders. In a message to the conference of heads of state and government of CEN-SAD convened Saturday in NDdjamena, Chad, the Moroccan Sovereign called for enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the Cen-Sad communitys executive bodies; establishing the various institutional structures provided for in the revised CEN-SAD Treaty, in particular the Permanent Peace and Security Council and the Permanent Council in charge of Sustainable Development; and for devising a strategy dedicated to human development in the Sahel-Saharan region as well as programs for the integration of young people. The Sovereign also called in the same vein for ensuring the effective implementation of the strategy to combat terrorism and violent extremism; ensuring the operationalization of the CEN-SAD 2015-2050 Security and Development Strategy; and developing a common policy on border security and adopting an operational action plan. King Mohammed VI reiterated in this connection Moroccos willingness to share its experience in combating terrorism and violent extremism with CEN-SAD African Member States, noting that the Moroccan experience is based on the triad defined by security, religion and the fight against vulnerability and poverty. Insisting on the CEN-SADs peace and security action in the Sahel-Saharan region, King Mohammed VI said this action should be based on the principles of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and non-interference in their internal affairs. Consequently, that action should favor dialogue, mediation, good offices and preventive diplomacy. He pointed out further that if these measures are supported by a revamped education system geared towards creativity and human resource development, the community would be able to ensure the protection of the current and future generations. King Mohammed VI also called on members of the CEN-SAD community to enhance further their economic complementarities, inclusive co-development and joint actions against security challenges to speed up regional and continental integration. He said this community has great potential for development, growth and complementarity, with a GDP in excess of $1 trillion and a population of some 600 million, and significant natural resources. The CEN-SAD has been providing itself with the tools that will enable it to contribute actively to regional and continental integration processes, added the Monarch, who urged this regional bloc to foster the efficiency of its executive bodies, set up strategies dedicated to human development and the fight against terrorism and adopt a common policy on border. The Sovereign recalled that Morocco has always sought to ensure the emergence of the Sahel-Saharan region by maintaining fraternal relations with all member countries based on cooperation, solidarity and respect for their sovereignty and territorial integrity, underlining the North African Kingdoms commitment to South-South cooperation, paving the way for an integration that is conducive to investment and trade and that targets co-development. With that in mind, Morocco has worked actively to establish a network of actors involving both the private sector and civil society. This policy has led to the setting up of three Commissions, one for the Sahel Region, one for the Congo Basin Region and the third for Island States, in addition to the adoption of the triple A Initiative for the adaptation of African agriculture, the King recalled. He also reiterated Moroccos commitment to give fresh momentum to the CEN-SAD as a Regional Economic Community of the African Union, stressing the need to strengthen CEN-SADs action for the promotion of peace, stability and development in the Sahel-Saharan region. Morocco became member of the grouping in 2001. CEN-SAD was established in February 1998, one of its goals being to achieve economic unity through the implementation of the free movement of people and goods in order to make the region a free trade area. Originally, this bloc was set up to combat desertification, drought and climate change, before becoming a community dedicated to the promotion of cooperation and sustainable development, the preservation and consolidation of peace, security and stability, the fostering of political dialogue and the fight against all forms of organized cross-border crime. Like New Zealand and Lord of the Rings, Belfast became a major tourist attraction thanks to its starring role across eight seasons of Game of Thrones. One local artist who spent a year making sculptures for the farewell party: The legacy will go on for many, many years. Theres a real pride in the whole country because of Game of Thrones. Los Angeles Times 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. The nation's financial capital is home to the maximum number of the rich in the country. Mumbai has been the world's busiest single-runway airport handling close to 1,000 flights a day for the third year in a row in 2018. (Photo: File) Mumbai: The Mumbai city airport leads Dubai and Tokyo by a wide margin in private jet departures at around 1,516 outbound aircraft movements in 2018, which is 8.28 per cent higher than the Gulf city at 1,400, and 20 per cent over those in the Japanese capital at 1,202, finds a report. Mumbai has been the world's busiest single-runway airport handling close to 1,000 flights a day for the third year in a row in 2018, after Gatwick near London, while the Dubai airport is the world's largest aviation hub. The top rank is held by New York, thanks to the city being home to the world's largest number of rich people, with 66,968 private jet departures in 2018, while Mumbai is ranked 146, according to a study on the travel trends of ultra-high networth individuals by Knight Frank. The nation's financial capital is home to the maximum number of the rich in the country. Country-wise, North America has the highest number of active business jets at 13,685, followed by Europe, Russia, and the CIS (ex-Soviet republics) countries at 2,879 each. Britain, France, the UAE, and Germany are the other top destinations, according to the study. The study finds that proximity and season are the key factors for the rich to choose their travel destinations. Accordingly, most Americans visit Canada or Mexico, while Australians head towards New Zealand. Similarly, June is the most favoured time for travel aboard for both the Americans and the French, while for the British it is April. ONGC produced 6.141 million tonnes of crude oil from its onshore fields despite majority of them being more than 50 years old. Talking about the performance, ONGC Chairman and Managing Director Shashi Shanker said: "The growth in onshore production has been achieved beating enormous challenges which cropped up due to ageing of the fields. This has come at a time when fields with similar vintage are facing a sharp decline internationally." (Photo: File | PTI) New Delhi: State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has arrested a declining crude oil production trend in its onshore fields and registered a 1.25 per cent rise in output in the fiscal year ended March 2019, top company officials said. ONGC produced 6.141 million tonnes of crude oil from its onshore fields despite majority of them being more than 50 years old and facing a natural decline. The company has been able to make a production turnaround through a slew of initiatives, they said. India's largest oil and gas producer has in recent times faced immense pressure from the government, which has blamed it for the continuing decline in the country's output. ONGC raising output is critical to meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's target of cutting oil imports by 10 per cent by 2022. ONGC has already reversed years of decline in natural gas output, posting a record 6.5 per cent jump in production to 25.9 billion cubic metres in 2018-19. However, oil production from offshore fields continues to be on a decline and will only reverse next year when Krishna Godavari basin field KG-DWN-98/2 comes onstream. Officials said ONGC has monetised five out of the total 13 discoveries during 2018-19 on a fast-track mode which helped contribute to the growth in production from onshore fields. In order to sustain production and achieve higher onshore growth, ONGC drilled 303 wells during the last fiscal, which is the highest since 2014-15. The company has also engaged reputed international oil and gas consulting firm Gaffney Cline & Associates for high level review of two major fields of largest onshore producing asset, Mehsana in Gujarat and a few other onshore fields for enhancement of production. The company has invested about Rs 5,000 crore in the last fiscal in its onshore operations on a number of projects and has a similar investment plan for the financial year 2019-20, officials said. Talking about the performance, ONGC Chairman and Managing Director Shashi Shanker said: "The growth in onshore production has been achieved beating enormous challenges which cropped up due to ageing of the fields. This has come at a time when fields with similar vintage are facing a sharp decline internationally." "The onshore fields, which are mostly five-decade old, are faced with increased level of water-cut (the water which comes with oil during production)," he said, adding "while disposing of produced water is a critical issue, the stringent environmental laws and complex land acquisition process make the challenges in onshore quite difficult to surmount." Shanker said a well-wise focused approach and deploying state-of-the-technology for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) have started paying a rich dividend in not only arresting the decline in production trend but also to grow. ONGC Director (Onshore) S K Moitra said the company continues to take up various initiatives on the EOR front and as many as six EOR projects have been either implemented or are on the verge of implementation. Help everyone even if they dont vote for you, says Hema Malini. New Delhi: Yesteryears Dream girl and BJPs Mathura MP Hema Malini on Saturday reacted strongly to party colleague and Union minister Maneka Gandhis alleged threat to the Muslims voters during a campaign rally. Ms Malini, who has been renominated by the party from Mathura, said that said even if the people in the minority community do not support the BJP, the party leaders still have to help everybody. The Election Commission has already issued a showcause notice to Ms Gandhi. Senior BJP leader Maneka Gandhi had created a controversy on Friday after a video clipping showed her warning the Muslim community that if they do not vote for her, she will not help them in future. The video clip that went viral on the social media, showed the minister telling voters that it is all about give and take. This is important. I am winning. I am winning because of the love and support of people. But if my victory is without Muslims, I wont feel that good. Dil khatta ho jayega (Things will become sour), Ms Gandhi, the BJP lawmaker from Pilbhit, said. Then when a Muslim comes to me for work, I think let it be, how does it matter. Its all give and take, isnt it? she added. The BJP minister was served a show-cause notice by the District Magistrate of Sultanpur over her remarks on Friday. After the video clip created a political storm, Ms Gandhi later clarified that her words had been twisted. I love Muslims and I had myself called a meeting of the BJPs minority cell. I only meant to say that I am winning the elections and their participation would be like daal pe chaunk (garnishing for a dish), said the WCD minister. Hema Malini on Saturday responded to Ms Gandhis speech and said, On triple talaq issue, many minority community women support us but even if they do not, you have to help everybody. It doesnot matter who voted for us and who did not, Ms Malini was quoted as saying by a news agency. Hema Malini, seeking a re-election from Mathura, added that she was confident of a win in the national elections. I am very confident of a win because I have done good work. My government has done good work, so I am sure people will support us. Things are changing and people want development, caste politics now doesnt work, she said. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading. The defence ministry, however, termed as mischievous and inaccurate any attempt to draw a connection between the tax issue and the Rafale deal. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the report exposed layers of crony capitalism and corruption. (Photo: ANI) New Delhi: The Opposition parties on Saturday renewed their attack on the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre over the Rafale deal controversy, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was acting as a middleman for his crony businessman and that layers of corruption were being unravelled in the case. The Congress-led Opposition got fresh ammunition on the controversial issue when a French daily claimed that Anil Ambanis company benefited from a French tax waiver in 2015 when India was negotiating the Rafale deal. The Congress alleged that the tax concession for Mr Ambani was due to Modi kripa (blessings) while the Left parties said the Prime Ministers Office must own up to this. The defence ministry, however, termed as mischievous and inaccurate any attempt to draw a connection between the tax issue and the Rafale deal. The French daily said the French tax authorities accepted 7.3 million euros from Reliance Flag Atlantic France as a settlement as against original demand of 151 million euros. Reliance Flag owns a terrestrial cable network and other telecom infrastructure in France. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the report exposed layers of crony capitalism and corruption. PM Modi is acting as middleman for Anil Ambani. How many other companies in France have got a tax benefit? Is this not a quid pro quo for the purchase of aircraft? It is clear only one watchman is the thief. Those that have Modis blessings can get anything. If Modiji is there, then it is possible. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury alleged that the Modi government misused public funds to pay an exorbitant price for Rafale fighter jets to benefit crony businessman Anil Ambani through offset deal and French tax benefit. NCP chief Sharad Pawar claimed former defence minister Manohar Parrikar relinquished his post at the Centre and returned to Goa because he did not agree with the Rafale fighter jet deal. CPI leader D. Raja accused Modi of aiding his corporate friends while leaving farmers and students high and dry. The fear of defeat in their (oppositions) language is very much visible. All they serve to the country is lies, he added. New Delhi: Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the biggest victim of political intolerance. The remarks came amid statements issued by certain groups of people, including artistes, appealing to the voters to oust the BJP from power in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. The ruling party has also rallied artistes and intellectuals in its support. Recalling that about five years ago also some so-called intellectuals had written to the US and the European Union against Mr Modi, the BJP leader said that some Congress leaders had gone to Pakistan and sought help from neighbouring country to remove Mr Modi. Mr Naqvi said even after Modi led the BJP to power, some activists had written to the president, saying the Constitution was in danger and claiming that there was an atmosphere of intolerance in the country under the Modi government. Despite these conspiracies, peoples faith in Modi has increased day by day. Despite this negative propaganda, Modi has carried forward the countrys progress and prosperity through his hard work and performance, he added. The party also slammed SP's Azam Khan for his controversial Bajrang Ali remark. BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said, With his Bajrang Ali comment, he has insulted both Hinduism and Islam. The only suggestion I have for him is zuban sambhal ke (mind your language). Both Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam have been taught lessons for his comments in the past. The fear of defeat in their (oppositions) language is very much visible. All they serve to the country is lies, he added. Mr Khans remarks on Friday that in place of Ali and Bajrangbali, it should be Bajrang Ali. Bajrang Ali todd day dushman ki neli (Bajrang Ali will destroy our enemies bones), created a political controversy. His remarks came after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath compared the Lok Sabha elections to a contest between Ali, a revered figure in Islam, and Bajrang Bali, the Hindu god Hanuman, during a rally in Meerut recently. The Congress president declared that his kisan budget would pave the way for amending several existing laws that were against the farming community. Kolar/Mysuru: Taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his criticism of his Nyay scheme, Congress president, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday recalled that he often asked where he would get the money for it. I would like tell him today that it will come from the pockets of his gang of thieves, Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Anil Ambani, which he has been busy filling with money stolen from you (people), he charged, kickstarting his campaign in Kolar here. Mr Gandhi said the main beneficiary of his Nyay scheme would be women, the kisan budget would focus on farmers welfare and his plan of filling up all 24 lakh vacancies in government departments would ensure employment for the youth of the country. As he thundered, ab hoga nyay there was thunderous applause from the audience, that chanted, Rahul, Rahul, Chowkidar chor hai, and Modi sarkar luccha hai. Promising to empower women he said, Women will be the beneficiary of my most ambitious plan of giving `72,000 per annum to poor households. A monthly income of Rs 6000 will be credited into their accounts. Besides this, I also plan to give 33 per cent reservation for women in every sector, including government jobs. My party is committed to filling 24 lakh vacancies in the first year itself. The Congress president declared that his kisan budget would pave the way for amending several existing laws that were against the farming community. When people like Anil Ambani can go scot free for not paying their bank loans, why should a farmer go to jail for not repaying a meagre loan? I will repeal these laws that harasses farmers, he assured. Reiterating that his party was committed to freeing the entrepreneurial sector from the present licence/permit raj, the Congress president said, for the next three years no entrepreneur would need a licence to start his business in the country. He will get all support, including bank loans. That is my vision. Addressing a Congress-JD(S) rally of over 10,000 people at KRNagar in Mysuru district, he said the Lok Sabha poll was a contest between the ideologies of communalism and secularism, injustice and justice, truth and lies. If you want to listen to lies you can listen to Mr Narendra Modi, and if you want to know the truth, you must come here. I will not lie. The Congress government at the Centre will do a surgical strike on poverty. With our Nyaay programme we will change the economy, help small industries and 22 lakh unemployed will get jobs in a year. Ten lakh youth will get jobs in the panchayat and `3.60 lakh will be deposited in the accounts of five crore poor, he promised. Hitting out at Mr Modi once again, he charged that he had failed to waive farm loans given by nationalised banks and diverted the insurance money of farmers to rich businessmen. But the Congress-JD(S) coalition in the state has already waived Rs 11,000 crore in farm loans, he noted. Mr Gandhi also appealed to Congress workers give their complete support to the JD(S) in the poll campaign in the state to defeat Mr Narendra Modi, the BJP and RSS. Pawar formed Nationalist Congress Party but soon joined hands with the Congress to form government in Maharashtra. Shah's barb was in reaction to Pawar's claim that late BJP leader Manohar Parrikar quit defence ministry because he did not agree with the Rafale jet deal. (Image: ANI twitter) New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday accused NCP chief Sharad Pawar of spreading falsehoods, claiming that he was doing so because of his party's falling fortunes and family fights over seats. Shah's barb was in reaction to Pawar's claim that late BJP leader Manohar Parrikar quit defence ministry because he did not agree with the Rafale jet deal. "Being a former Defence Minister yourself, one expected better from you Pawar Sahab! Your party's falling fortunes and family fights over seats is making you nervous and spread falsehoods," Shah said in a tweet. The BJP chief added, "Talking of quitting, remember why you quit Congress and what you did thereafter?" Shah was apparently referring to Pawar quitting the Congress in 1999 after raking up Sonia Gandhi's foreign origins and her credentials to lead the party. Pawar formed Nationalist Congress Party but soon joined hands with the Congress to form government in Maharashtra. Recently Pawan had claimed that Parrikar returned to Goa and quit as defence minister as he did not agree with the Rafale deal, in which the opposition has alleged corruption. Parrikar, who died last month of cancer, had said that he always wanted to work in Goa. He returned as the state's chief minister after the assembly polls in 2017 amid demands by BJP's allies that he should be leading the alliance government. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading. Modi had said, 'Abdullah family and Mufti family have destroyed lives of three generations of Jammu and Kashmir'. Mufti's remark comes after the Prime Minister, in a rally at Kathuaearlier in the day, claimed that the Abdullah family (National Conference) and Mufti family (PDP) destroyed the lives of three generations in the state. (Photo: ANI) Kathua: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that he bashes political parties before elections and stitches alliances with the very same parties later. Mufti's remark comes after the Prime Minister, in a rally at Kathuaearlier in the day, claimed that the Abdullah family (National Conference) and Mufti family (PDP) destroyed the lives of three generations in the state. "Why does PM bash political families pre elections & then sends his envoys to stitch alliances with the very same parties? NC in 99 & PDP in 2015. Why do they choose power over Article 370 then? BJP with its noxious agenda of banishing Muslims & minorities wants to divide India," Mufti tweeted. In Kathua, Modi had said, "Abdullah family and Mufti family have destroyed lives of three generations of Jammu and Kashmir. Bright future of the state can be ensured only after their departure. They can bring their entire clan to the field, can abuse Modi as much as they want but they will not be able to divide this nation." Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading. Mr Fadnavis further said that the Congress leader Ashok Chavan had brought a leader on rent for his campaigning. Mumbai: A day after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for levelling allegations against Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has ridiculed Raj Thackeray saying that the latter is performing stand up comedy in the state. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis mocked the MNS leader saying that he is dancing at others weddings. Senior BJP leader and education minister Vinod Tawde said that the stand up comedy show would be held at many place in coming days. Addressing a poll rally on Saturday at Bhokar in Nanded for BJP candidate Pratap Patil Chikhalikar, chief minister said the MNS (abbreviated as manse in Marathi) has become unse (ummedvaar nasleli sena - a party devoid of candidates). Mr Fadnavis further said that the Congress leader Ashok Chavan had brought a leader on rent for his campaigning. With the help of tenant leader, Mr Chavan is seeking the mandate. Mr Tawde said, The MNS chief is not campaigning for his party's candidate but is appealing to elect the Congress and NCPs candidate. Therefore, we are going to demand from the Election Commission that the expenditure of Raj Thackerays public rally would be added to the expenditure of the Congress and the NCP's candidates. The BJP has also written a letter to Ashwani Kumar, states chief electoral officer (CEO), seeking to know which Lok Sabha candidate would incur the cost of MNS chief Raj Thackeray's political rallies. Mr Tawde said in the letter, The commission should then clarify for whom are the rallies being conducted and which candidate will bear the expenses for his rallies. The letter further said the rallies, which have been held by Mr Thackeray, are aimed at defeating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and making Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and NCP president Sharad Pawars candidates win the Lok Sabha elections. Slamming Mr Fadnavis, the MNS chief on Friday said that the drought situation in the state was tense; Mr Fadnavis conspired to divert the water of Godavari River to Gujarat at the same time when the regions in Maharashtra were fighting for the water. Mr Thackeray had also alleged that Mr Fadnavis was a planted chief minister. Rebutting the allegations, Mr Fadnavis said that as MNS chief does not have to fight elections and therefore, he can speak what he wishes to without giving any proof for his claims. He said, Mr Thackeray says I am a planted chief minister. However, the people of the state have planted me. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading. Ambedkar and Shinde are contesting Lok Sabha election against each other in Solapur constituency. Mumbai: A day after meeting between Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) leader Prakash Ambedkar and former union minister and Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde, Mr Ambedkar said that the Congress is a party of donkeys. Mr. Ambedkar and Mr. Shinde are contesting Lok Sabha election against each other in Solapur constituency. Both the leaders meeting had led to speculations about a compromise formula between both the leaders. However, both leaders denied that there were any political discussions and said it was just an accidental meeting in a hotel where they bumped into each other. While the speculation were still on, Mr Ambedkars statement came up. The Congress is party of donkeys. After meeting Sushilkumar Shinde, I felt that the Congress party was going to behave foolishly. The Congress is proficient in politicising the meeting. Mr Ambedkar further said that the election is dependent on whom the people would elect. But those, who are playing davpech (games), would be taught a lesson. Meanwhile, Maharas-htra Congress general secretary and spokesperson Sachin Sawant said, The donkey is an honest animal, which takes peoples load on its back. Now, this donkey (Congress) has taken the responsibility to protect the Constitution of India, which was drafted by Dr B.R. Ambedkar from the ill hands of the fascist government. However just like the animal from the story of ispaniti that tricked other animals into entering the lions den pretending to be a friend, so are some people actions. They are tricking innocent people while behaving like a friend. VBA leader was accompanied by local leader Anand Chandanshive and Bala Waghmare to a hotel on Saturday, while former union minister and Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde had gone to meet former speaker Shivraj Patil. After coming across Mr Ambedkar, Mr Shinde extended a warm welcome. Mr. Ambedkar also reciprocated him. Since a photo of the meeting had gone viral on the social media, both parties had to give a clarification, as the speculation was rife on social media platforms and political circles. The police arrested accused after getting a complaint from activist of Child Line Trust. Mumbai: A sessions court rejected the bail application filed by two ladies arrested for attempting to sell a child. The police arrested accused after getting a complaint from activist of Child Line Trust. The sessions court judge H.B. Gaikwad rejected the bail pleas filed by Suvarna Kopula (35) and Kavita Chitiyala (35), both residents of Borivali. The Kasturba Marg police had arrested the applicants after receiving secret information from member of a Child Line Trust about some persons planning to sell a child near Borivali court. Following this the police laid a trap on December 7, 2018 and at around 2.30 pm six women and a man came to the spot whose behaved suspiciously. When the police tried to nab them, the man ran away and the ladies were held. The police said that during the probe it was revealed that one Akila Shaikh sold her child to another woman called Laxmi Uthnoori and the applicants Kopula and Chitiyala were acting as agents. The applicants contended before the court that the police falsely implicated them in the case. Their lawyer argued that the applicants had gone to Borivali court only to see if the child could be adopted. As the probe was over and chargesheet has been filed, the custody of accused was not required, he argued. The public prosecutor opposed the bail plea saying that the offence was serious, as the accused were involved in human trafficking, There is possibility of tampering with evidence if they are rele-ased on bail, he argued. Judge Gaikwad ob-served that considering the accusation made aga-inst the accused and the nature and gravity thereon, apparently there is co-mplicity of the applicants in the alleged crime. The applicants tampering with the prosecution evidence, absconding and committing similar type of offence in future can not be ruled out at this stage, observed the judge, while rejecting the bail application. JD is backed by Walmart Inc, Alphabet Incs Google and Chinas Tencent Holdings. The 996 work schedule, which refers to a 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. workday, six days a week, has in particular become the target of online debate and protests on some coding platforms. Richard Liu, the founder of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com Inc, has weighed in on an ongoing debate about the Chinese tech industrys gruelling overtime work culture, lamenting that years of growth had increased the number of slackers in his firm who are not his brothers. Lius comments, which Chinese media said were posted on his personal WeChat feed on April 12, are the latest contribution to a growing discussion about work-life balance in the tech industry as the sector slows after years of breakneck growth. They also come amid reports this week that the company is in the throes of widespread layoffs. Three company sources told Reuters that cuts began earlier this year and had become more extensive in recent weeks. A JD.com spokesman confirmed the authenticity of Lius note. He declined to comment on layoffs but said some adjustments were happening as a normal part of the business. JD.com is a competitive workplace that rewards initiative and hard work, which is consistent with our entrepreneurial roots, the spokesman said. Were getting back to those roots as we seek, develop and reward staffs who shares the same hunger and values. Liu, who started the company that would become JD.com in 1998, in the note spoke about how in the firms earliest days he would set his alarm clock to wake him up every two hours to ensure he could offer his customers 24-hour service - a step he said was crucial to JDs success. JD in the last four, five years has not made any eliminations, so the number of staff has expanded rapidly, the number of people giving orders has grown and grown, while the those who are working have fallen, Liu wrote. Instead, the number of slackers has rapidly grown! 0020 If this carries on, JD will have no hope! And the company will only be heartlessly kicked out of the market! Slackers are not my brothers! he added The term he used, which is commonly translated in China as slackers can be directly translated as people who drift along aimlessly or waste time. The contents of his note were reported by major Chinese media outlets such as financial magazine Caijing and the 21st Century Herald newspaper on Saturday as well as widely shared on Twitter-like platform Weibo, where it was read more than 400 million times. Three JD employees, who declined to be named as they were not permitted to speak to the media, told Reuters that morale at the company was low after several senior executive departures and layoffs across the firm in recent weeks. One said the cuts also affected vice-president level staff. Tech website The Information reported this week that JD.com could cut up to 8 per cent of its workforce. JD, which had more than 178,000 full-time employees at the end of last year, said the figure was incorrect. Now is kind of an inflexion point, where too many people and too many business leaders or department leaders have been laid off. No one is safe, one of the sources said. He added that it had affected productivity in his department and that many workers checked Weibo, the stock markets or played games rather than focus on work. The layoffs are pretty much all JD employees can talk about, he said. The JD spokesman, when asked about morale, said most of the team was highly committed. Change - while uncomfortable for some - can be encouraging for most, who are dedicated to our shared future. JD, which is backed by Walmart Inc, Alphabet Incs Google and Chinas Tencent Holdings, in February, posted its lowest quarterly revenue growth rate since its 2015 initial public offering. Other Chinese tech giants have lowered growth forecasts and cut staff bonuses amid the slowdown, which has driven calls for better work conditions for its workers. The 996 work schedule, which refers to a 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. workday, six days a week, has, in particular, become the target of online debate and protests on some coding platforms, where workers have swapped examples of excessive overtime demands at some firms. Alibaba Group founder and billionaire Jack Ma also weighed in on Friday, telling the companys employees in a speech that the opportunity to work such hours was a blessing. Liu said JD did not force its staff to work the 996 or even a 995 overtime schedule. But every person must have the desire to push oneself to the limit! he said. Uber racked up nearly USD 8 billion in losses over its 10 years in existence. Drivers complain about declining earnings, and they can easily switch between platforms, making it difficult for either company to further reduce driver costs and keep fares cheap for passengers. (Photo: AFP) Uber is providing a look under the hood of its business in the lead-up to its hotly anticipated debut on the stock market, revealing strong growth but an ongoing struggle to overcome huge losses and repair its reputation. Documents released April 11, offered the most detailed view of the worlds largest ride-hailing service since its inception a decade ago. The massive filing shows Uber has been generating the robust revenue growth that entices investors, but also racked up nearly USD 8 billion in losses over its 10 years in existence, which mirrors the same trend challenging Lyft, Ubers main rival in the US Ubers revenue totalled USD 11.3 billion in 2018, a 42 per cent increase from USD 7.9 billion in 2017, and a giant leap from USD 495 million in 2014. The company posted a profit of USD 997 million last year, but that doesnt mean its ride-hailing service suddenly started to make money far from it. The positive result stemmed from a windfall that Uber generated from the sale of its operations in Russia and Southeast Asia. The company said it sustained an operating loss of USD 3 billion. The San Francisco Company also disclosed a legal cloud hanging over its head as government authorities and regulators investigate whether the company broke any laws. Among other things, Uber revealed the US Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation into a yearlong cover-up of a massive computer break-in during 2016 that heisted personal information belonging to millions of passengers and drivers. The probes are among the many risks that investors must weigh as they mull whether to jump into one of the biggest IPOs in years. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi acknowledged the self-inflicted wounds that damaged the ride-hailing services reputation while trying to make the case that the company has rehabilitated itself since he took over 18 months ago. He struck his note of contrition and optimism in a letter included in the federal documents. Some of the attributes that made Uber a wildly successful startup a fierce sense of entrepreneurialism, our willingness to take risks that others might not, and that famous Uber hustle led to missteps along the way, Khosrowshahi wrote, closing his letter by assuring he will run Uber with integrity. Reaching profitability has proven to be a challenge for both Uber and Lyft. Paying drivers is a huge expense, and Ubers fierce competition with Lyft for customers has led both companies to offer rides below cost. Drivers for both companies complain about declining earnings, and they can easily switch between platforms, making it difficult for either company to further reduce driver costs and keep fares cheap for passengers. Uber said it plans to give bonuses to qualified drivers and is setting aside an undisclosed portion of its stock for drivers to buy. Its unprofitable history may force Uber to eventually raise its ride-hailing prices unless it can reduce its costs by shifting to driverless cars or expand into other markets and lines of business. But Ubers operating losses declined from USD 4 billion in 2017 to USD 3 billion in 2018, indicating it could be heading in the right direction. Theyre showing that theyre capable of controlling their costs, which has been a concern of ridesharing companies in general, said SharesPost analyst Alejandro Ortiz. Thats a sign that will be looked on favourably in the next few weeks. Lyft beat Uber to the stock market last month with an IPO that raised USD 2.3 billion, but its shares have been backsliding after an early run-up. Lyfts stock currently is hovering around USD 61, down from its IPO price of USD 72. The rocky start may have prompted Uber to tamp down its IPO ambitions. The company is expected to try to raise roughly USD 10 billion and seeks a market value of USD 90 billion to USD 100 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. Thats below earlier estimates of USD 120 billion. The investment bankers handling Ubers IPO are expected to reveal a pricing range for Ubers shares later this month. That will come before executives head out on a so-called road show designed to drum up interest in the IPO among institutional investors who will be given the first opportunity to buy the stock before it begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange next month. In the end, Uber is widely expected to be the biggest technology IPO since Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group went public in 2014. And its likely to be the largest among US tech companies since Facebook took its bow on Wall Street seven years ago at a time when most people hadnt ever considered using an app on their smartphone to summon a ride from strangers driving their own cars. Uber launched in 2009 as UberCab, a black car service where customers could hail professional drivers with a few taps on a smartphone. It shortened its name to Uber in 2010, distancing itself from the taxicab industry, which has criticized the company for operating under less regulation than the traditional taxi industry. The company operates in 65 countries and has completed 10 billion trips worldwide. Uber is also expanding in other markets such as freight while offering other ways to get around with shared scooters and bikes. Its fast-growing food delivery business, which spans 500 cities globally, doubled its revenue to USD 757 million in 2018 from USD 367 million in 2017. But Uber faces challenges that Lyft doesnt because of a series of damaging revelations that sullied its reputation among consumers. The setbacks have included rampant internal sexual harassment and allegations it stole self-driving car technology. The blowback from the problems helped Lyft pick up ground in the US something Uber acknowledged in its filing and led to the ouster of Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick as CEO in 2017. Now it will be up to Kalanicks successor, Khosrowshahi, to persuade investors that Uber has cleaned up its act and merits a market value higher than Ford Motor and General Motors combined. Kalanick is one of Ubers largest shareholders, owning nearly 9 per cent of the companys stock. Uber has been investing substantially in self-driving vehicles, which could be critical to reducing driver costs and achieving profitability. It launched its first self-driving test vehicle in 2016 and its self-driving car division has more than 1,000 employees, and it has built more than 250 self-driving cars so far. But it suspended testing when one of its self-driving vehicles struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona last year. The company resumed testing self-driving vehicles in Pittsburgh in December. In its federal filing, Uber warned of the fierce competition it faces on that front from rivals such as Tesla and Googles Waymo, who it said could introduce autonomous vehicles earlier than Uber. The company also warned that potential future regulations or increases in insurance costs could impact the autonomous vehicle business. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, owns 5 per cent of Uber, even as it competes with Uber on self-driving technology. Alphabet also owns roughly 5 per cent of Lyfts stock. Mitsubishi Motors Philippines has been selling top quality vehicles to the Filipino people for more than five decades. This unprecedented record withstood the test of time which brought us to where we are today, said Mutsuhiro Oshikiri, MMPC president and CEO. One of the longest-running auto brands in the Philippines has just sold its 1-million vehicle in the country. After operating for over half a century, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) has achieved another sales milestone in the country. The vehicle that made this achievement a reality is a Mirage Hatchback. The company first achieved the 500,000 sales milestone back in 2008. It was only after 11 years that they were able to make the 1 millionth unit milestone in the country. With that in mind, MMPC is hopeful that by improving sales and production output, they can achieve the projected 2 million sales mark in 10 or 11 years. I believe we can achieve another one million sales by improving our sales and production. That way, we estimate that we can hit the 2 million units in just over a decade, added Oshikiri. During the celebration, MMPC also saluted the government's continued support for the growth of the automotive industry, particularly the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). In addition, the company congratulated, as well as gave thanks to the local suppliers that have continued to supply MMPC the parts and components they need to produce cars for the country. As MMPC surpassed its millionth unit sales, the company is eagerly looking forward to bringing new and exciting vehicles designed to meet the needs of the Filipino people. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Longs Peak towers over alpine tundra in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colo. A draft report released Wednesday said harmful nitrogen pollution is still drifting onto fragile high-elevation ecosystems in the park from Colorado highways, power plants and livestock operations. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) would be America's second black president if elected in 2020, but he'd also be the country's first bachelor president since Grover Cleveland was elected in 1886, who married in his first term. Why it matters: Booker, who has never married and is reportedly dating actress Rosario Dawson, told the Washington Post that President Trump has broken the mold by being elected after 3 marriages. As LGBTQ political candidates reach diversity milestones in the 2020 race and other elections, the idea of a "bachelor" president bringing diversity could seem like a stretch to some. But it would still break the mold in a presidency that has been marinated in traditional nuclear family values for most of the country's existence. What to watch: In the Post, Booker comments that single Americans are a fast-growing demographic, but adds: I dont know what its going to mean at the voting booth. Only half of U.S. adults are currently married, according to the Pew Research Center. In 1960, 72% of adults were married. Go deeper: Everything else you need to know about Cory Booker Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) kicked off his 2020 presidential campaign in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, Saturday with a pledge to fix the justice system and legalize marijuana. Details: Booker said his administration would also look at closing the racial wealth gap and tackle climate change. He invoked the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr when he said the U.S. couldn't wait for social and economic reform. "We are here today to say, we can't wait," he said. What he's saying: "We cant wait when powerful forces are turning their prejudice into policy and rolling back the rights that generations of Americans fought for and heroes died for, he said. "We cant wait when this administration is throwing children fleeing violence into cages, banning Muslims from entering the nation founded on religious liberty, and preventing brave transgender Americans from serving the country they love." The big picture: Booker has returned modest results in preferred presidential polling. His campaign manager Addisu Demissie told reporters they had a longer term goal to win the election, rather than the news cycle. Booker's marijuana pledge builds on a bill he reintroduced in March that would legalize the drug on a federal level and supersede the 10 states and Washington, D.C. , which have legalized recreational marijuana. Go deeper: Cory Booker: Everything you need to know about the 2020 candidate Staffers from past Democratic presidential campaigns are more likely to have gone to an Ivy League college than staffers from Republican campaigns, a new study from North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows. Why it matters: The student bodies of Ivy League schools are less representative of the U.S. overall, and campaigns with less diversity run the risk of failing to reach voters from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. The study warns that if Democrats want President Trump out of office, they should "reach far beyond the hallowed halls of the Ivy League and other elite education institutions to help them craft their appeals to voters." By the numbers: The School of Media and Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill collected profiles from 954 presidential primary and general election campaign staffers from the 20042016 cycles. 20% of all hires by Democratic campaigns are from just 7 schools: Harvard (5%), Stanford (3%), New York University (3%), University of California Berkeley (3%), Georgetown (2%), Columbia (2%) and Yale (2%). Harvard (5%), Stanford (3%), New York University (3%), University of California Berkeley (3%), Georgetown (2%), Columbia (2%) and Yale (2%). The top 3 Republican schools are public: University of Texas, Ohio State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The bottom line, according to the study: "Our public and non-elite private institutions, many far away from the countrys major cities and corridors of power, often have diverse student bodies in terms of geography, class, race and ethnicity, and life experiences. They are often more representative of America than elite, Ivy League institutions." Add nuclear energy to the long list of sectors caught up in President Trumps protectionist trade agenda. Driving the news: The Commerce Department faces a Sunday deadline to deliver a report to Trump on whether it recommends imposing quotas requiring more uranium the fuel used in nuclear plants to be sourced domestically in the name of national security. Where it stands: The two petitioners, U.S. uranium producers with operations across the West, including Colorado and Wyoming, are asking the administration to impose a 25% quota for domestic uranium. Right now that figure is just 7%. The companies, Ur-Energy and Energy Fuels, allege that the increasing dependence on foreign imports of uranium threatens national security. They point to the fact the U.S. imports Russian uranium and argue that China is playing an increasing role in the global uranium enrichment market. The big picture: This is the latest example of afflicted domestic industries seeking to seize on a sympathetic president. This is at least the fourth such petition seeking trade barriers because of alleged national security concerns during the Trump administration. The other three: steel, aluminum and autos. The latter two resulted in new trade restrictions, while the outcome is not yet determined for autos. Trump also slapped tariffs on solar imports last year under a different provision. The other side: A coalition of some of Americas biggest utilities, including Exelon and Duke Energy, argue domestic quotas for uranium would actually hurt Americas national security by increasing costs for Americas nuclear power plants. The group, whose members also include Pacific Gas And Electric and Xcel Energy, points out that America doesnt import any Chinese uranium and that our biggest suppliers are strong allies: Australia and Canada. Whats next: Once he receives the report, Trump has 90 days to decide whether or to what degree to follow through on the recommendations. President Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting at the White House on March 26 that if Israel doesn't limit its ties with China, security cooperation with the U.S. could be reduced, according to Israeli officials. Why it matters: The Trump administration and the Netanyahu government are aligned on virtually every issue, but relations with China have emerged as a main point of contention. The Trump administration has already asked the Israeli government several times to limit its ties with China, and the fact that Trump himself raised it with Netanyahu indicates the White House may be growing impatient. Background: In January, national security adviser John Bolton visited Israel and privately raised concerns about Israel's China ties with Netanyahu. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also privately raised it with Netanyahu several times in the last 6 months, and he even publicly warned recently that "intelligence sharing [with Israel] might have to be reduced." Netanyahu told Bolton and Pompeo that his security Cabinet is about to pass a decision on forming a new government mechanism that will monitor Chinese investments in Israel. The security Cabinet held two meetings on the issue in the last several months, but still hasnt come to a decision due to disagreement between Israeli government agencies. During the March 26 meeting, which took place minutes after Trump signed the presidential proclamation recognizing the Golan Heights as part of Israel, Trump was the one to raise the China issue. Trump didn't set an ultimatum or threaten Netanyahu, but he wanted to know the status of the steps the prime minister had promised Bolton and Pompeo. Israeli officials told me Trump said he was concerned that the Chinese had won several major infrastructure projects like the new port in Haifa, where the U.S. Navy's 6th Fleet has operated for decades. Israeli officials said the U.S. is also concerned about Chinese telecommunication companies like Huawei being involved in the future of building 5G infrastructure in Israel. Trump said he was concerned that the Chinese had won several major infrastructure projects like the new port in Haifa, where the U.S. Navy's 6th Fleet has operated for decades. Israeli officials said the U.S. is also concerned about Chinese telecommunication companies like Huawei being involved in the future of building 5G infrastructure in Israel. According to Israeli officials, Netanyahu doesn't have a problem with pledging not to let Chinese telecom companies build Israel's 5G network. The biggest issue is the Haifa contract, since construction at the new port has already started and canceling the deal now would cause a huge crisis with China that Netanyahu is seeking to avoid. The White House didn't dispute this account but refrained from commenting. The prime minister's office told me: "The story is not true." In a closed-door meeting with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month, King Abdullah II of Jordan said the White House had given him zero visibility into the most fraught part of their peace plan: how it proposes to divide Israeli and Palestinian territory. Behind the scenes: The king seemed dissatisfied with the level of consultation and was pessimistic about the plan's prospects, two sources in the room told Axios. King Abdullah has privately told people he is frustrated by the fact that despite having numerous meetings with senior Trump administration officials, he's never been given any detail about the core political issues, in which Jordan has a huge interest. Why it matters: Any U.S. peace plan between the Israelis and Palestinians will also impact Jordan, which borders the West Bank, has a majority Palestinian population and has a special status in Jerusalem's holy sites according to the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty. The sources who were in the room with King Abdullah told Axios that he meets with the committee almost every time he's in D.C., and he usually speaks with caution. But he seemed less so this time, a source in the room said. "The king made it clear they have not been talking to him about it. He seemed to be critical and dismissive of the efforts," one of the sources said. Another source in the room said King Abdullah "gave the impression that it was more of an economic deal rather than a peace deal." A Jordanian official with knowledge of the discussion told Axios: "His Majesty was asked about the plan and said he did not yet see it and therefore cannot comment. He also believes that an economic plan without a political one is not sufficient." A senior White House official responded: "We have met and spoken with leaders throughout the region, including King Abdullah, to share ideas and solicit their thoughts." "Since the beginning, we have been clear that this is not just an economic plan. We are taking very seriously both aspects of this, the political, which deals with all the core issues, and the economic. We understand that if the political aspect does not work, the economic aspect will not create peace." "But at the same time, the political aspect will not succeed without a significant economic plan to enhance Palestinian lives and the lives of others in the region." Between the lines: Sources with direct knowledge told Axios that only five or six people in the entire U.S. government have seen the political side of the plan, making it one of few secrets the White House has been able to keep. During Jared Kushner's recent tour of the region, he briefed Arab leaders on the economic side of the plan, but revealed nothing about the proposed division of land, the status of Jerusalem or whether the plan would support the creation of a Palestinian state. The big picture: The White House's Arab partners who will need to sell a peace deal remain in the dark about its political dimensions. These Arab partners including the Saudis and Emiratis have also complained that the Trump administration has taken steps favoring the Israelis and frustrating the Arab world, including moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. What's next: The White House peace plan isn't expected to be public before mid-June, and it's unclear if the White House will reveal the whole thing at once. Some on the team, according to sources in touch with them, hope to roll out the economic side first. Do you know something? If you think you might have useful information about the November 1980 shooting death of Petrina Moore -- or any unsolved local murder -- call the Kern County Secret Witness line at (661) 322-4040, visit www.kernsecretwitness.com or use the anonymous online tip form. Secret Witness of Kern County is funded by donations from local businesses and individuals. Secret Witness funds are disbursed and monitored by a volunteer (non-paid) Board of Directors consisting of community members. Secret Witness of Kern County accepts donations; visit the Secret Witness website for details. If you are donating to a specific case, indicate the victim's name or case number. Three teenagers were charged Sunday in connection with the slaying of a local businessman last week. A fourth person was charged with what police say are related firearms and evidence-tampering charges. Jamirious Jantrel Gardner, 17, and James Cook, 18, were arrested early Sunday morning. They were booked into the Jefferson County Jail on murder charges. Later Sunday, a 15-year-old also was charged. Authorities did not release his name because of his age. Sunday evening, Bernard Bell, 26, of Beaumont, a man police identified as an older brother of one of the murder suspects, was charged with tampering with evidence and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Capt. George Schuldt of the Beaumont Police Department said the gun is believed to be the weapon used in the slaying Thursday night of 37-year-old father of two Anthony Wilson in the 6800 block of Madrid. RELATED: Family man is 5th homicide victim of 2019 in Beaumont Wilson, owner of a lawn-care and landscaping business in Beaumont, was gunned down half a mile from his home, allegedly by thieves who police suspect had been involved in a string of auto burglaries in the Dowlen West neighborhood. His truck and work trailer were found abandoned a couple of miles away, in the 400 block of Norwalk. He left behind a wife and two young children. Officials said he had confronted a group of men who had allegedly attempted to burglarize his truck at his home in the 900 block of Wisteria. Beaumont police issued a public call for help, asking Dowlen West residents to check home-security or doorbell camera footage shot between 8 and 10 p.m. Thursday. Authorities made a similar request of residents in the Amelia area, for the 10 to 11 p.m. time period, "as this is the area that the suspect(s) abandoned the victim's vehicle and fled on foot." A series of fierce storms that ripped through Texas early Saturday producing large hail, damaging winds and lighting also resulted in a tornado that struck a small East Texas community. Robertson County Texas Sheriff Gerald Yezak told The Associated Press that a suspected tornado hit Franklin on Saturday, overturning mobile homes, destroying buildings and damaging other residences. Franklin is a small city just north of College Station and Bryan. Democrats are still smarting over the collapse of Collusiongate, and thats understandable. If they get embarrassed over Taxreturngate, their despair will be unimaginable as will be the glee of Trumpnation. I mean, what happens if a long and tortuous investigation into Donald Trumps tax returns, sort of like Robert Muellers exhaustive probe of the 2016 election, turns up a whole lot of nothin? Its not inconceivable. The two issues have some things in common. President Trump looked and acted like he had conspired with the Russians ever since he and Melania glided down that escalator in Trump Tower to announce his candidacy. He was defensive, shifty and obstructive. That simply does not seem like the actions of an innocent man. In retrospect, however, we are learning thats how Trump operates. When hes attacked, or perceives an attack, he goes from zero to 60. He lashes back at the accuser and fights on every front. He makes no distinction between small issues that should be ignored and major ones that should be challenged. He often causes problems for himself he could easily avoid. If that sounds familiar, its being replayed now with the battle over his tax returns. Hes digging in and wont concede an inch. Instead of acting statesmanlike, hes hurling insults. When most people behave like that, its because they have something to hide. If you suspect right now that Trump cheated on his tax returns or was involved in money-laundering, the evidence seems to be hiding there in plain sight just like his collusion with the Russians. But what if theres no there there? What if we have an eerie echo of the Russia investigation a few misdemeanors here and there, but no felonies, and certainly no smoking gun? If you can give Trump credit for anything, he seems to have an uncanny ability for walking right up to the edge of chaos and crime and then edging away. His tax returns, if the Democrats can ever pry them out, could well reveal this sort of unethical behavior. Trump probably twisted the tax code and gave little or nothing to charity. He likely exaggerated his wealth, and may be doing business with a rogues gallery of shady characters. After all, unless you still believe in the Easter Bunny, this is how Trump operated all those years in rough-and-tumble New York while he was building his wealth. He stiffed creditors, shafted business partners and left suckers holding the bag. But, and this is a key point, he might not have actually violated any laws. He appears to have a sixth sense about knowing how far he can go, and he knew he probably would be audited by state and federal officials at least some of the time. So he probably got the best tax attorneys that money could buy and said, Use every trick in the book but keep me out of jail. A lesser politician would be embarrassed by all this, but of course Donald J. Trump is not your average politician. He can blithely and needlessly lie about his father being born in Germany (when it was really New York City) and suffer no consequences. He simply moves on to the next issue, where again truth will be an option. His critics throw up their arms in exasperation, while his supporters cheer him on for shaking up the stuffed shirts. So be careful what you wish for, Democrats. You might get your hands on those tax returns some day. But when youre unwrapping that shiny Christmas present, be prepared for a series of boxes with nothing inside. Thomas Taschinger, TTaschinger@BeaumontEnterprise.com, is the editorial page editor of The Beaumont Enterprise. Follow him at twitter.com/@PoliticalTom The man was arrested in the College Avenue area of Belfast. Credit: Google Maps A man arrested in Belfast on suspicion possessing and distributing indecent images of a child has been released on bail pending further enquiries. The 57-year-old was detained following a planned search at a property in the College Avenue area of the city on Saturday afternoon. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. The Princess Royal has been shown around some of Irelands oldest lighthouses during a weekend visit to the capital. The British royal family visitor travelled to Howth where lighthouses have guided ships at Baily since 1667, before taking in the comparatively younger 19th century Rockabill Lighthouse at Skerries and the Kish Lighthouse off Dublin Bay. Expand Close Princess Anne with Yvonne Shields OConnor, Chief Executive, Commissioners of Irish Lights and John Coyle, Chairman, Commissioners of Irish Lights during a visit. (Robbie Reynolds Photography/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Princess Anne with Yvonne Shields OConnor, Chief Executive, Commissioners of Irish Lights and John Coyle, Chairman, Commissioners of Irish Lights during a visit. (Robbie Reynolds Photography/PA) Hosted by the Commissioners of Irish Lights, Anne met staff and heard about their work providing vital maritime safety services and modern navigation aids at its Dun Laoghaire headquarters. She also toured the navigation vessel, ILV Granuaile during her two-day visit that began on Friday. Expand Close Princess Anne visited the Commissioners of Irish Lights at its Dun Laoghaire headquarters. (Robbie Reynolds Photography/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Princess Anne visited the Commissioners of Irish Lights at its Dun Laoghaire headquarters. (Robbie Reynolds Photography/PA) The Princess Royal was visiting in her role as Master of Trinity House as part of the ongoing 150-year relationship between Irish Lights and the Lighthouse Authorities of Great Britain and Ireland. Irish Lights chief executive Yvonne Shields OConnor said it was a great privilege to host the royal. Not only have we a strong historical relationship with Trinity House and Northern Lighthouse Board, we have an essential day-to-day working relationship and warm ties of friendship, she said. Expand Close Princess Anne visit the Commissioners of Irish Lights at its Dun Laoghaire headquarters at the weekend. (Robbie Reynolds Photography/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Princess Anne visit the Commissioners of Irish Lights at its Dun Laoghaire headquarters at the weekend. (Robbie Reynolds Photography/PA) I am honoured to have this opportunity to showcase the vital work Irish Lights does, in particular with regard to providing essential safety services through the use of modern technology in visual and electronic navigation aids, as well as our Met and Coastal Data services. While our work is progressive and forward-focused, we are also immeasurably proud of our rich heritage and we are delighted that the Princess Royals visit has also included a trip to one of the very first lighthouses built by Irish Lights in 1814, the Baily Lighthouse. The Princess Royal is a great champion of the maritime sector and we appreciate her visit as a source of encouragement to our own work and in terms of strengthening the bonds between the three lighthouse authorities. Julian Assanges lawyer has accused Ecuador of making outrageous allegations to justify allowing police to arrest the WikiLeaks founder in its embassy. Assange spent almost seven years in the nations London embassy where he sought asylum, until he was dragged out by police in dramatic scenes on Thursday. The South American nations interior minister, Maria Paula Romo, described staff tolerating poor behaviour from the 47-year-old, including him putting faeces on the walls. But his lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, disputed the allegations when she appeared on Skys Sophy Ridge On Sunday. I think the first thing to say is Ecuador has been making some pretty outrageous allegations over the past few days to justify what was an unlawful and extraordinary act in allowing British police to come inside an embassy, she said. Expand Close Julian Assange outside Westminster Magistrates Court (Victoria Jones/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Julian Assange outside Westminster Magistrates Court (Victoria Jones/PA) Pressed over the veracity of the allegations, Ms Robinson said: Thats not true. She also said Assanges fears of a US extradition threat were proved correct this week after allegations were made that he conspired to hack into a classified Pentagon computer. The politics of the case with respect with Ecuadors change of government with Lenin Moreno coming to power and ever since then inside the embassy its become more and more difficult to the point where Human Rights Watch said was akin to solitary confinement, she said. So hes had a very difficult time its not been easy. And to suggest that someone would chose to remain in there without legitimate concerns about US extradition, which is exactly what was proven this week, I think people cant really understand what it would be like to live in a room like that for a very long time. "If they chose to reopen it... we will deal with it" - Julian Assange's lawyer says Sweden did not provide the assurance against onward extradition to the US. #Ridge Fugitive or hero? Read more about Assange here: https://t.co/seRfoDgSow pic.twitter.com/i4Pc2Cbbo7 Trevor Phillips on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) April 14, 2019 Assange faces up to 12 months in prison after being found guilty of breaching his bail conditions when he entered the Ecuadorian embassy in 2012. He made the move after losing his battle against extradition to Sweden where he faced allegations including rape. Assange is now expected to fight extradition to the US over an allegation that he conspired with former army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to break into a classified government computer. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has joined Assanges supporters in saying he should be protected against extradition to the US because he exposed evidence of atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 70 MPs have also urged the Government to ensure Assange faces Swedish authorities if they request his extradition. The paper says more staff should be recruited to make sure revenue is collected (Jane Barlow/PA) A new system of property tax and environmental charges should be introduced to boost Scottish council funding, according to a report. Trade union Unison and the Jimmy Reid Foundation are launching a joint paper on Monday calling for a fundamental review of local government funding. It sets out recommendations of what can be pursued as a means to increase council service spending, including the recruitment of staff to ensure revenues are collected and the introduction of new levies. Politicians in all spheres must create the time and space for a fundamental review of funding local governmentMike Kirby, Unison Mike Kirby, Scottish secretary of Unison, said: Over the years, the balance of funding for public services through local government has shifted from approximately 50% coming from national government to 50% being raised directly by local authorities, to 85% of funding coming from central government and 15% being raised directly by local authorities. Together with an overall reduction in funding, during a period of austerity, this has resulted in severe financial pressures and impacted upon the quality and delivery of vital public services. Politicians in all spheres must create the time and space for a fundamental review of funding local government. This report is a contribution to that essential debate. Professor Mike Danson, lead author of the report, added: Within the constraints of the fiscal powers devolved under successive Scotland Acts, there are still some opportunities to generate greater funding for public services locally. Some changes will require time to explore, plan and introduce but it is economically efficient and effective to shift the tax burden onto property and land owners and away from council taxpayers, making the tax system more progressive and more based on ability to pay. Other recommendations in the report include looking for more effective support for private and social enterprises, while unions should consider how municipalisation of public services could be appropriately pursued as well as how local authority debts can be taken over by the Treasury. It also says Unison should consider establishing improved research and policy facilities through collaborations with academics and others in the Scottish Trades Union Council (STUC) research network to assist in the above. An expansion of local public services is possible with a fairer system of property taxes and environmental charges, according to the report. Cosla has long said that the current model is not sustainableCosla Councils are to receive 11.2 billion in 2019-20 through the local government finance settlement. This is a real-terms increase in both revenue 1.2% and capital funding 21.5% compared to the previous year. A total of 20 local authorities have chosen not to increase council tax by the full 4.79% permitted. A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: The package of local tax reform measures announced at the Budget will deliver the most significant empowerment of local authorities since devolution. We will, this year, formally consult on the principles of a locally determined tourist tax, in addition to supporting a Green amendment to the Transport Bill that would allow councils to choose whether they wished to introduce a workplace parking levy. A Cosla spokesman said: Cosla has long said that the current model is not sustainable. We reiterated this point in our essential services campaign. Undoubtedly there is a funding issue for local government and we are happy to engage in any debate that gives us more funding and flexibility to deliver essential services for our communities. The paper is being launched at the STUCs 122nd Annual Congress in Dundee. Ukip leader Gerard Batten has described a candidates rape tweet to MP Jess Phillips as satire, and defended his own belief that Islam is a death cult. Carl Benjamin was announced as an MEP candidate for Ukip in the South West this week, with Mr Batten celebrating the decision having come after an exhaustive process. Mr Benjamin had previously written that I wouldnt even rape you to the Labour politician on Twitter. Mr Batten defended the tweet on BBC Ones The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, saying: I think this was satire. "I think this was satire"#Marr challenges UKIP Leader Gerard Batten on one of his EU election candidates tweeting "I wouldn't even rape you" to a Labour MP in 2016https://t.co/38cIQbBDC3 pic.twitter.com/FMc9Gk6gef BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) April 14, 2019 Describing the candidate as a classical liberal, Mr Batten said: I dont know the exact context of that and I certainly dont condone any remarks like that but he is not a bad person as hes being portrayed. He is a proponent of free speech. The context that he said it was satire against the people he was saying it about. He wasnt actually making a literal statement. Mr Benjamin a YouTuber with a large following reportedly sent the tweet in 2016 when responding to Ms Phillips having written: People talking about raping me isnt fun, but has become somewhat par for the course. He replied: I wouldnt even rape you, Jess Phillips. I see that people talking about if they would or wouldn't rape me has been discussed on #Marr this morning. UKIP claim it is satire to discuss my rape. I didn't see it I was eating pancakes with my sons and nephews. We are all flesh and blood. Jess Phillips MP (@jessphillips) April 14, 2019 Ms Phillips later said she received in excess of 600 rape threats in a night. After Battens defence, the MP for Birmingham Yardley said her husband had questioned: Is this man satire? The Ukip leader was also asked whether he hates Islam, the religion he calls a death cult. I do not like the ideology, the literalist interpretation of Islam, he replied. I know lots of people in this country who do take a literal interpretation of Islam. I think thats the worrying thing. He also defended his proposal that mosque building should be banned in the UK. What I have said in the past is that we should not allow planning permission for mosques until they allow planning permission in Islamic countries for churches, Hindu temples and other forms of religion. The Muslim Council of Britain accused Mr Batten of making outrageous and absurd claims about Islam and Muslims and said the interview highlighted Ukips extremism. It demonstrates Mr Battens refusal to come to terms with the fact that Muslims are British too, a spokesman added. The group also said the BBC should reflect long and hard about giving such people airtime without proper scrutiny. Just to make sure it is clear, I make no criticism of #Marr for covering and challenging UKIP on the issue, it's the right thing to do. Jess Phillips MP (@jessphillips) April 14, 2019 However, Ms Phillips said she could not criticise the programme for airing the interview, writing on Twitter that covering and challenging Ukip on the issue, its the right thing to do. A BBC spokesman also said we reject these claims, adding: Andrew robustly challenged Gerard Batten and he was properly held to account. Mr Batten took over the party last year after a tumultuous period since the departure of Nigel Farage and has appointed the activist known as Tommy Robinson as an adviser. Mr Farage, who has formed a new Brexit Party, criticised his old stable as now being linked to extremism, violence, criminal records and thuggery. The scene near the Ukrainian embassy in Holland Park, west London (Jonathan Brady/PA) A man arrested by officers who fired shots after a car was driven at police outside the Ukrainian embassy in London has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. The 40-year-old had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of officers after the ambassadors car was deliberately rammed on Saturday. Scotland Yard said on Sunday that he will now be taken to hospital for treatment following the incident in Holland Park in the west of the capital. Update re: man arrested in #HollandPark on Saturday morning https://t.co/jUmtYWFRWC Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) April 14, 2019 Chief Superintendent Andy Walker said the firing of a police firearm will be investigated. The Metropolitan Police said armed officers were dispatched as part of the protective security arrangements for London. Officers said they were called at about 9.50am to reports of anti-social behaviour involving a car. When they arrived, the silver Mercedes was said to have been driven at police officers and was in collision with a number of parked vehicles near the Ukrainian embassy. Expand Close Police apprehend a suspect near the Ukrainian embassy (Emma Slatter/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police apprehend a suspect near the Ukrainian embassy (Emma Slatter/PA) Witness Darcy Mercier described the really strange event to the BBC. He said the car was blasting Ukrainian music in some kind of protest against the embassy after arriving at about 7am. Footage showed armed police surround the Mercedes before smashing the drivers window and using a Taser on the screaming suspect. The Ukrainian embassy said that ambassador Natalia Galibarenkos official vehicle was deliberately rammed. No staff were injured. The Met said the Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed. An investigation continues. A mother held in Dubai over Facebook posts in which she called her ex-husbands new wife a horse has said she had given up hope and wanted to die. Laleh Shahravesh, from Richmond, south-west London, returned to Heathrow on Friday morning, according to the Detained in Dubai campaign group that supported her. She was swiftly reunited with her 14-year-old daughter Paris in an emotional scene at the airport. Ms Shahravesh, 55, told the Sunday People: The day before I was told I was free to go Id given up hope. I was suicidal. I felt like I was never going to see my daughter again and sent a message to my sister saying I cant do this any more. I told her, Its killing me, every day is killing me. I felt so much pain and then I turned off my phone. I could see my whole life flashing before my eyes and I just wanted to die. It was torture to me. Ms Shahravesh was detained under controversial cyber-crime laws as she visited the United Arab Emirates with her daughter in March for the funeral of ex-husband Pedro Correia Dos Santos, who was Pariss father. Authorities had received a complaint over posts made three years ago and Ms Shahravesh was warned she faced prosecution and up to two years in prison. But during a court appearance on Thursday, a judge ordered that her passport would be returned if she paid a fine of 3,000 UAE Dirham (624). After discovering her ex-husband had remarried in 2016, Ms Shahravesh called his new wife, Samah Al Hammadi, from Tunisia, a horse on Facebook. More than 30 homes were damaged when severe weather struck Franklin, Texas (Laura McKenzie/The Eagle via AP) Powerful storms have swept across the southern United States after unleashing suspected tornadoes and flooding that killed at least eight people, including three children. Nearly 90,000 customers were without power in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Georgia as of midday on Sunday, as the severe weather left a trail of destruction. Two children were killed on a back road in East Texas when a pine tree fell onto the car in which they were riding in a severe thunderstorm on Saturday near Pollok, about 150 miles south east of Dallas. Updated midday Severe Weather Outlook from @NWSSPC: pic.twitter.com/chNmNDgJWG National Weather Service (@NWS) April 14, 2019 The tree flattened the car like a pancake, said Captain Alton Lenderman of the Angelina County Sheriffs Office. The children, aged eight and three, were pronounced dead at the scene, although both parents, who were in the front seat, escaped injury, he said. At least 25 people were taken to hospitals for treatment after a suspected tornado struck the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site in East Texas during a Native American cultural event in Alto, said Police Chief Jeremy Jackson. At least eight were critically hurt. There was widespread damage in Alto, a town of about 1,200, and the school district cancelled classes until its buildings can be inspected to ensure they are safe. A tornado flattened much of the south side of the central Texas town of Franklin, overturning mobile homes and damaging other residences, said Robertson County Sheriff Gerald Yezak. The weather service said preliminary information showed an EF-3 tornado touched down with winds of 140 mph. ICYMI: An EF-3 tornado has been confirmed from Saturday morning, with the town of Franklin, TX receiving the most significant damage. This information is sill preliminary, and more assessments will be completed in the coming days. #dfwwx #ctxwx pic.twitter.com/mV3xXjs9gk NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) April 14, 2019 The tornado destroyed 55 homes, a church, four businesses, a duplex, and part of the local housing authority building, authorities said. Two people were taken to hospital for injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening, while others were treated at the scene, Mr Yezak said. Heavy rains and storms battered Mississippi into the night on Saturday as the storms moved east. A 95-year-old man died after a tree crashed onto his caravan in north eastern Mississippi, Monroe County Road Manager Sonny Clay said at a news conference, adding that a tornado had struck. Nineteen residents were taken to hospitals, including two in critical condition. A tornado was reported in the area 140 miles south east of Memphis, Tennessee, at the time. National Weather Service meteorologist John Moore said a possible twister touched down in the Vicksburg, Mississippi, area. No injuries were reported there, but officials said several businesses and vehicles were damaged. The storm damaged a roof of a hotel in New Albany, Mississippi, and Mississippi State Universitys 21,000 students huddled in basements and hallways as a tornado came near the schools campus in Starkville. Expand Close A car lies upside down in a ditch following a suspected tornado (Laura McKenzie/College Station Eagle via AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A car lies upside down in a ditch following a suspected tornado (Laura McKenzie/College Station Eagle via AP) University spokesman Sid Salter said some debris, possibly carried by the tornado, was found on campus, but no injuries were reported and no buildings were damaged. Trees were toppled and minor damage was reported in residential areas east of the campus. The large storm system also unleashed flash floods in Louisiana, where two deaths were reported. Thirteen-year-old Sebastian Omar Martinez drowned in a drainage canal after flash flooding struck Bawcomville, near Monroe, said Deputy Glenn Springfield of the Ouachita Parish Sheriffs Department. Separately, one person died when a car was submerged in floodwaters in Calhoun, also near Monroe. As the storm moved into Alabama, a possible tornado knocked out power and damaged mobile homes in Troy, about 50 miles south of Montgomery. A county employee died after being struck by a vehicle while he was helping clear away trees about 2:15am on Sunday near the Birmingham suburb of Hueytown, said Captain David Agee of the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office. The man, whose name was not released, died after being taken to a hospital. Police in the Spanish city of Bilbao have clashed with hundreds of protesters outside a rally by a far-right party that is running in the countrys general election this month. The private news agency Europa Press said two people were arrested by the regional Basque Country police. Protesters threw bricks and other objects at police, who used batons and shields to clear the street outside a congress centre where Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right anti-migrant Vox party, was holding a rally. Vox is trying to win its first seats in the national parliament in Spains April 28 election. Vox is promising to crack down on unauthorised immigration and to recentralise the state, taking away powers from regions like the Basque Country. Pope Francis warned against being judgmental and too full of oneself, in his Palm Sunday homily to thousands of people during Mass in St Peters Square in Rome. He cautioned against the temptation of triumphalism, which he said feeds itself by looking askance at others and constantly judging them inferior, wanting, failures. Expand Close Pope Francis delivers his homily during Palm Sunday Mass (Gregorio Borgia/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pope Francis delivers his homily during Palm Sunday Mass (Gregorio Borgia/AP) The day ushers in Holy Week, which will include Way of the Cross processions around the world to commemorate the Passion, or suffering, of Jesus on Good Friday and his death by crucifixion. Palm Sunday services recall the triumphant entry of Jesus entering Jerusalem. But not long after, the publics mood changed, and Jesus was arrested, mocked, scourged and executed. Expand Close Thousands filled the square on Palm Sunday (Gregorio Borgia/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Thousands filled the square on Palm Sunday (Gregorio Borgia/AP) Festive acclamations and brutal torture: the silence of Jesus throughout his Passion is profoundly impressive, Francis said. The pope cautioned against the temptation of triumphalism, which he said feeds itself by looking askance at others and constantly judging them inferior, wanting, failures. Expand Close A woman holds a palm frond as she waits for Pope Francis to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peters Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 14, 2019. The Roman Catholic Church enters Holy Week, retracing the story of the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection three days later on Easter Sunday. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) AP / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A woman holds a palm frond as she waits for Pope Francis to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peters Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 14, 2019. The Roman Catholic Church enters Holy Week, retracing the story of the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection three days later on Easter Sunday. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Francis added that one subtle form of triumphalism is spiritual worldliness, which represents the greatest danger, the most treacherous temptation threatening the church. He recommended humility as a way to counter such temptations. Expand Close Prelates hold palm fronds during the Palm Sunday procession (Gregorio Borgia/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Prelates hold palm fronds during the Palm Sunday procession (Gregorio Borgia/AP) Sprinkling holy water, Francis blessed palm fronds and olive branches clutched by pilgrims, tourists and Romans before Mass began. Holy Week culminates in joyous celebrations on Easter Sunday as Christians celebrate their belief that Jesus rose from the dead. King Mohammed VI has called on countries of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) to enhance further their economic complementarities, inclusive co-development and joint actions against security challenges to speed up regional and continental integration. In a message addressed to the extraordinary session of the conference of heads of state and government of CEN-SAD convened Saturday in NDdjamena, the Moroccan Sovereign said this community has great potential for development. With a GDP in excess of $1 trillion and a population of some 600 million, the Sahel-Saharan region boasts significant natural resources, has a potential for complementarity and for economies of scale and is an important reservoir for growth, explained the Monarch. The CEN-SAD has been providing itself with the tools that will enable it to contribute actively to regional and continental integration processes, added the Monarch in his message to the summiteers. He urged this regional bloc to foster the efficiency of its executive bodies, set up strategies dedicated to human development and the fight against terrorism and adopt a common policy on border. These measures should enhance the CEN-SAD role as a preferred interlocutor for the resolution of the crises plaguing our region, explained King Mohammed VI, stressing the importance of adopting a coordinated approach with the other Regional Economic Communities, the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union and other stakeholders. The CEN-SADs action with regard to the maintenance of peace and security in the Sahel-Saharan region should be based on the principles of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and non-interference in their internal affairs, underlined the King, saying that action should favor dialogue, mediation, good offices and preventive diplomacy. He said that Morocco remains ready to share its experience in combating terrorism and violent extremism with CEN-SAD African Member States, noting that the Moroccan experience is based on the triad defined by security, religion and the fight against vulnerability and poverty. Morocco has always sought to ensure the emergence of the Sahel-Saharan region by maintaining fraternal relations with all member countries based on cooperation, solidarity and respect for their sovereignty and territorial integrity, said the Monarch, underlining the North African Kingdoms commitment to South-South cooperation, paving the way for an integration that is conducive to investment and trade and that targets co-development. He also reiterated Moroccos commitment to give fresh momentum to the CEN-SAD as a Regional Economic Community of the African Union, stressing the need to strengthen CEN-SADs action for the promotion of peace, stability and development in the Sahel-Saharan region. CEN-SAD was established in February 1998 and Morocco became member of the grouping in 2001. One of its goals is to achieve economic unity through the implementation of the free movement of people and goods in order to make the region a free trade area. Originally, this bloc was set up to combat desertification, drought and climate change, before becoming a community dedicated to the promotion of cooperation and sustainable development, the preservation and consolidation of peace, security and stability, the fostering of political dialogue and the fight against all forms of organized cross-border crime. A convoy of Philippine troops who took part in the battle against Muslim militants in Marawi are given a heroes welcome in Manila, Oct. 30, 2017. U.S. DNA tests confirmed that a senior Filipino militant who helped plan the five-month siege of Marawi in the southern Philippines in 2017 was killed in a March gun fight, the military said Sunday. Army Col. Romeo Brawner, commander of the 103rd Brigade, told BenarNews that tests revealed tissue samples from a body recovered in the town of Tubaran, Lanao del Sur, belonged to Owaida Marohombsar, whom military officials had referred to as Humam Abdul Najib (alias Abu Dar). Brawner said U.S. officials notified their Philippine counterparts about the DNA result. Its Abu Dar. He is dead. President Rodrigo Duterte was supposed announce it on Friday in Marawi, but he was not able to come due to bad weather, Brawner said. Those he (Dar) recruited could not continue their struggle since he is dead and several followers and supporters have surrendered to us, the military official said. On March 14, soldiers pursuing militants in the jungles of Tuburan clashed with a band of militants, leaving two of them and three soldiers dead. Troops recovered the militants bodies, took tissue samples from one believed to be Abu Dar and delivered them to U.S. experts for DNA examination. Marawi planner Dar was among those who helped plan the Marawi siege that began in March 2017 and ended five months later with the deaths of the Maute brothers and Isnilon Hapilon, the overall regional leader of the Islamic State (IS). The siege, the biggest that was launched in the region by the IS, led to heavy battles that killed 1,200 people, most of them militants. Several Southeast Asian IS militants, as well as fighters from the Middle East, joined the effort. Filipino forces, long used to jungle fighting, had to adjust to urban guerrilla warfare. Australian and U.S. forces were called in to help in intelligence efforts, mostly providing aerial and other technical support that helped pinpoint enemy positions. While Hapilon was killed in October 2017, Dar and several fighters escaped as troops closed in on their positions in Marawi, military officials said. Last year, military officials had estimated that at least 40 foreign fighters were still believed to be fighting in Mindanao, many of whom had slipped into the south across its borders with neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia. Dar is believed to have studied in an Islamic school in the northern Philippines before going to Afghanistan for jihad training in 2005. He was an expert bomb maker and had run basic military training for recruits in the southern Philippines, according to military officials. Violent clashes occurred Saturday evening within the Polisario-run Tindouf camps. The confrontations opposed members of two factions of the Rguibat tribe, causing serious material damage. The violent clashes in the so-called Smara camp opposed Ahl Lahcen Ouhmad and Oulad Moussa factions of the Rguibat tribe. According to concordant sources and videos relayed on social networks, the bloody clashes erupted following a dispute over ownership of a plot of land at the intersection of the Farcia and Jdayria Dairats (a kind of constituency under the authority of a Pasha). The plot of land was sold by Algerian authorities to the two sides without any legal document. Both sides used bladed weapons and gas cylinders in their clashes that left three people seriously burnt. A house was also burnt down. According to sources quoted by the news website le360, four tents were also destroyed by fire and 33 people were arrested by the pseudo police of the polisario. The clashes also left 17 wounded among the protagonists and 9 members of the pseudo police. Over the past weeks, the Rabouni camp, hosting the Polisario headquarters, has been shaken by demonstrations, marches and sit-ins staged by hundreds of Sahrawis protesting against their appalling living conditions and restrictions to their freedom of movement decreed by the Algerian supervisory authorities, since February 22, the beginning of the popular demonstrations in Algeria against the long-ruling regime. Pelosi was one of many Democrats who came to Omars defense over the weekend. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday that she believes President Trumps recent Twitter attack on Representative Ilhan Omar has created real danger for the freshman congresswoman, and has asked Capitol Police to conduct a security assessment to safeguard Omar, her family, and her staff. On Friday, President Trump tweeted a video featuring news footage of the World Trade Center and Pentagon being attacked on 9/11 to target Omar, one of the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress, including the message WE WILL NEVER FORGET! The Islamophobic tweet and video, which sought to sow outrage over comments Omar made last month highlighting the Islamophobia which followed 9/11, then remained pinned to the top of Trumps Twitter feed through Saturday. Pelosi was one of many Democrats, including all of the major candidates for president, to decry Trumps tweet over the weekend and conclude that the attack could lead to real harm being done to Omar by one of Trumps supporters. The Presidents words weigh a ton, and his hateful and inflammatory rhetoric creates real danger, Pelosi said in a statement. President Trump must take down his disrespectful and dangerous video. The President is inciting violence against a sitting Congresswomanand an entire group of Americans based on their religion. It's disgusting. It's shameful. And any elected leader who refuses to condemn it shares responsibility for it. Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) April 13, 2019 Omar, the first woman to wear a hijab in Congress, has faced regular death threats since taking office, particularly since her faith, outspoken politics, and controversial criticism of Israels U.S. lobbying efforts have made her a popular target on the American right. In a few instances, Omar has used language mirroring anti-Semitic tropes to attack Israels influence on U.S. lawmakers, and it has triggered bipartisan criticism, as well as a wave of cynical outrage from Planet Trump. Omar has also been repeated called un-American by conservative pundits, resurfacing a well-worn anti-Muslim trope that became popular in the aftermath of 9/11. The focus of Trumps tweeted video, however, was part of a speech Omar gave at the Council on American-Islamic Relations in March in which she attempted to differentiate the Islamist terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks an extremist minority from the Muslim Americans who were unfairly subjected to Islamophobia as a result. CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties, Omar said, deliberately omitting the terrorists extremist faith in the context of what happened next. Right-wing attacks later focused, predictably, on the some people did something part, disingenuously framing the fragment of Omars comments as some kind of minimization of the attacks or a denial of the hijackers motives. It was, in other words, perfect fodder to resurrect the simple-minded Islamophobia she was criticizing, and President Trump and many of his allies didnt miss the opportunity particularly after Omar recently (and correctly) called chief White House xenophobe Stephen Miller a white nationalist. On Thursday, the New York Post shamelessly devoted its front page to the overblown story, printing an image of the towers of the World Trade Center burning next to the headline, Heres Your Something. The issue prompted the Yemeni American Merchants Association which represents more than 4,000 New York City bodega owners and was founded in response to President Trumps Islamophobic travel ban targeting Muslims to call for a boycott of the Post, noting in a statement that [the Posts] rhetoric threatens the safety and wellbeing of Omar, Muslim leaders, and the larger Muslim American community at a time when Islamophobia is at an all-time high. Trumps attack on Omar was a good thing, according to White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. During a Sunday morning appearance on ABCs This Week, Sanders claimed the president is wishing no ill will and certainly not violence towards anyone, but she also tried to further hype Omars characterization of the 9/11 hijackers as well as link it to the representatives unrelated remarks about Israel. I think it is a good thing that the president is calling her out for those comments, Sanders suggested. When Sanders appeared on Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace made a point of saying the show was not comfortable playing the whole misleading video, and then asked why the president was comfortable putting out horrible images like that, and does he worry at all about inciting violence against Muslims in general or Ilhan Omar in specific? Nothing could be further from the truth, Sanders replied, insisting that the president who has lied about Muslims in New Jersey celebrating 9/11 and praised the idea of coating the armed forces bullets in pigs blood isnt trying to incite violence against Muslims, but is actually speaking out against it. OTTAWA - Canada plans to attract more international students by expanding its presence overseas in an effort to advance classroom diversity and boost economic benefits that already amount to billions per year. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2019 (976 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA - Canada plans to attract more international students by expanding its presence overseas in an effort to advance classroom diversity and boost economic benefits that already amount to billions per year. The economic effects of foreign students nearly doubled between 2010 and 2016, when they reached a total of $15.5 billion in Canada for everything from tuition fees to rent and groceries, according to a federal analysis. To put that in perspective, the document says the sector supported nearly 170,000 jobs in 2016 and had greater economic impacts than Canada's exports of auto parts, aircraft and lumber. The vast majority of foreign students have been coming from India and China, while recent years have seen surges from countries with fast-growing economies like Vietnam. Officials from universities, colleges and the federal government are now in the early stages of developing an "aligned" strategy that will broaden campaigns in other parts of the world, Universities Canada president Paul Davidson said in an interview. He expects Canada to promote itself as an education destination in places with expanding economies and large populations of young people, like Colombia and parts of Africa. "We're looking at where in the world there is a growing middle-class demand for higher education, a place where Canada has got linkages and connections," said Davidson, whose organization represents 96 institutions. Canada has been an attractive place to study for years. In 2000, federal numbers show there were 122,665 valid study permits in Canada a number that hit 572,415 last year for an increase of 467 per cent. Numbers compiled by Universities Canada say full-time international student enrolment at universities rose by about 15 per cent across Canada between 2017 and 2018. The 2018 growth came despite a diplomatic dispute last August between Canada and Saudi Arabia, which has been one of the top home countries for international university students. The Saudi government suspended diplomatic ties with Canada, expelled the Canadian ambassador and recalled its own envoy to Ottawa after Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and her department criticized the regime on Twitter for its arrest of social activists. Saudi Arabia also ordered thousands of its citizens studying in Canada to come home. Davidson said diplomatic efforts by the federal officials and the higher-education community helped reduce the impact. In the end, he said many Saudi students stayed, including medical trainees who had been in Canada for several years as well as those in studying in other areas of health science and some graduate programs. "The Saudi situation underscored the importance of having a diverse range of countries to work with," Davidson said. Last month's federal budget announced nearly $148 million of funding over five years for international education, part of which will be dedicated to efforts to attract more foreign students to Canada. International Trade Minister Jim Carr said beyond the economic impacts, students from abroad often establish important, decades-long links with Canada. "We believe that international students add value to our communities, that they experience Canada's fine institutions and take with them an appreciation of who we are as Canadians," Carr said in an interview. "Sometimes they stay, sometimes they go back to their home countries and become, really, ambassadors for Canada." Denise Amyot, president and CEO of Colleges and Institutes Canada, said foreign students bring new perspectives that help their Canadian classmates better understand the world. Their higher tuition fees strengthen institutions and ensure a wider choice of programs are offered for all students, she added. Amyot, who represents 132 publicly funded colleges and institutes, said her members have also seen rising numbers of international students. In 2006-07, she said foreign students made up a four per cent share of enrolment in the college system by 2015-16, it had grown to eight per cent. She said immigration policy changes in Canada have helped it compete with other countries in attracting the world's increasingly mobile post-secondary students. The policies, she added, have sped up visa processing times, permitted foreign students to work in Canada while they study and improved a graduate's chance of obtaining permanent residency. Numbers from the Immigration Department show that last year 10,950 former study permit holders became permanent residents. Between 2015 and 2017, the annual total failed to eclipse 3,000. "Some of our best immigrants, in fact, have been international students that have studied in Canada, worked in Canada," said Amyot. "This becomes very, very attractive and Canada has a shortage of employees right now, so it is really helping our labour-market situation." Follow @AndyBlatchford on Twitter ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - A Newfoundland genealogist has stumbled onto a rare and mysterious DNA quirk that he says could tell the untold story of the island's first European settlers. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2019 (976 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Boats in the ice in St. John's harbour are shown in a 1926 file photo. A Newfoundland genealogist has stumbled onto a rare and mysterious DNA quirk that he says could tell the untold story of the island's first European settlers.THE CANADIAN PRESS/National Archives of Canada/S.H. Parsons ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - A Newfoundland genealogist has stumbled onto a rare and mysterious DNA quirk that he says could tell the untold story of the island's first European settlers. David Pike, a mathematics professor and genealogist, said the rare mitochondrial DNA profile caught his attention over a decade ago when it began popping up frequently in test results for a Newfoundland and Labrador genealogy project. The profile -- called H5a5, plus another unnamed mutation is likely European in origin. It has appeared in about 10 per cent of the 264 people across the province who have supplied mitochondrial DNA for the online project. Compared to thousands of results from other countries, however, it's extremely rare. Only a handful of people from Europe fewer than 10 have been found to test positive for the specific profile, and almost all those have roots in Newfoundland and Labrador. Pike said the results point to a possible "founder effect," where a biological trait becomes commonplace when passed down from a small group of colonizing ancestors. Genealogy is often pursued as a way to trace one's own family roots, but Pike said this particular mystery could speak to the heritage of much of the province. Even if individuals don't carry the profile themselves, they could still descend from it. "You talk to individual people, they have their individual genealogical mysteries," Pike said. "This is one that's broader, it's at the level of population genetics." Canada's youngest province was home to some of North America's earliest European exploration, but it took a long time for Europeans to settle permanently on what was then a very isolated island. The Norse established a temporary settlement in L'Anse aux Meadows in the late 10th century, and John Cabot arrived in 1497, followed by Portuguese and French explorers. The first British colonies were founded in the early 1600s, followed by the French, but Newfoundland had no sizable permanent settler population until after 1760, with an influx of English and Irish migrants whose descendants make up a large majority of the population today. The island's original inhabitants, the Beothuk, are widely believed to have become extinct in 1829, but the island has a continuing Mi'kmaq presence. Pike says the mitochondrial DNA that has caught his attention is matrilineal, and he suspects it came from a woman who travelled to Newfoundland around the early 1600s and had daughters, who then passed the mitochondrial DNA down to their daughters, and so on. The first woman's identity and country of origin could reveal a previously unknown settler population, or at the very least shed light on the story of an unwittingly influential ancestor, Pike said. "I think if we could pinpoint the arrival, the time in Newfoundland and Labrador and maybe the place and time of departure, I think it would give us brand new insight into the peopling of Newfoundland," he said. Tracing any one person through centuries is a difficult task, but it becomes even more challenging when that ancestor is a woman. Genealogists often study church records and other such documents to get a sense of who lived where and when, but Pike said many of these in Newfoundland and Labrador don't date back much earlier than the 1800s. Records of early settlements are scant, and documents that do mention a woman often refer to her only by her husband's name. Surnames make the hunt for a source of a mitochondrial DNA profile even trickier, given historically, European and early immigrant women to Newfoundland took their husband's names. Pike said the mystery could be solved with time, luck and a wider pool of curious participants. If someone matching the profile could trace their roots back to an older region outside of Newfoundland, that could lead to more research into their family history, possibly pointing to the missing puzzle piece. "Maybe there will be a parish record entry from ... 1610 or something saying Jane Doe, whoever she was, left this parish for Newfoundland," Pike said. "It's going to take luck for that entry even to exist. Finding it, if it exists, is another piece of luck." MONTREAL - A coalition of federal, provincial and municipal politicians added their voices to those opposing Quebec's proposed secularism bill on Sunday as they joined community leaders and citizens in denouncing the legislation as discriminatory and unconstitutional. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2019 (976 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. People hold up signs during a demonstration opposing the Quebec government's newly tabled Bill 21 in Montreal, Sunday, April 14, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes MONTREAL - A coalition of federal, provincial and municipal politicians added their voices to those opposing Quebec's proposed secularism bill on Sunday as they joined community leaders and citizens in denouncing the legislation as discriminatory and unconstitutional. A few hundred people gathered in front of a community centre in the Montreal-area Cote-Saint-Luc suburb for a protest against Bill 21, which would prevent many state employees, including teachers and police officers, from wearing religious symbols on the job. Anthony Housefather, who was one of five Liberal MPs to attend, said politicians have a responsibility to stand up against a bill that threatens fundamental rights and freedoms. "As your Member of Parliament, if there is ever a law that threatens the rights of any of my constituents, it is my obligation to come out and protests against it, no matter what level of government is proposing it," he said. Housefather took particular aim against Quebec Premier Francois Legault's choice to invoke the notwithstanding clause to block potential legal challenges, saying the population at least has a right to know if a bill is unconstitutional. He said that while he doesn't believe the clause should be used at all, it's especially inappropriate to use it preemptively. "If a government wants to let a bill proceed through the courts, find out it's unconstitutional, and then with the population knowing it's unconstitutional knowing it's unconstitutional choosing to use the notwithstanding clause to use it, then that's their prerogative and they'll take the political hit," he said in an interview on the edges of the demonstration. "But they shouldn't be shielded from having a court judgment about a law." Many attendees, including provincial legislature member David Birnbaum, argued the effect of the Quebec government's proposed bill runs counter to the ideals of neutrality it claims to uphold. "The idea of a neutral state is very clear," Birnbaum said. "If I am wearing my kippah, if you are wearing your hijab, if you are wearing your mohawk punk haircut with five rings in your nose, the state is blind, and your right to be part of it in every way is sacred." Speaking at a different Montreal event on Sunday, Legault reminded reporters that the consultations on the bill are still ongoing and the government is "open to all kinds of suggestion." But he said the current bill is reasonable and already includes compromises, such as the inclusion of a grandfather clause that would allow current employees to keep their jobs even if they wear religious symbols. The protesters included the dean of McGill University's Law school, teachers, school board representatives, municipal politicians and citizens such as 13-year-old Zachary Richard, who stood with his mother waving a sign that read "Let us all be one, in our own way." "There are a few teachers at my school who wear kippahs or hijabs, and I think that's good I respect it," Richard said. "I don't think Legault should take that away from us." But one notable absence was that of Hampstead Mayor William Steinberg, who came under fire in recent days for likening Bill 21 to "ethnic cleansing, not with a gun but with a law." Steinberg decided not to attend despite rejecting multiple demands to apologize, including from Legault and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. But Cynthia Carsley, a local resident who attended the protest with her husband, said she felt Steinberg's words were accurate. "I think it's absolutely the correct term, because when you strip people of their right to wear the clothing that their religion dictates, it's terribly dictatorial," she said. Carsley, who is Jewish and married to a Holocaust expert, said she feels the term can be expanded to encompass the Quebec government's actions even if no blood is being shed, saying actions that target minorities are a "slippery slope" that can precede larger-scale abuses. Polls have shown a majority of Quebecers support the restrictions proposed in the bill, but it has drawn strong condemnation from groups representing minorities, women and human rights. The protest in Cote-Saint-Luc was only the first of two that was scheduled to take place in Montreal on Sunday. A second event, this one a march through the streets of downtown, got underway shortly after 2 p.m. CALGARY - Alberta's NDP leader said she's hopeful momentum is moving toward her party in the waning days of what has been a nasty provincial election campaign. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2019 (976 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. CALGARY - Alberta's NDP leader said she's hopeful momentum is moving toward her party in the waning days of what has been a nasty provincial election campaign. "We're really feeling good on the ground and we're certainly seeing that there's a lot of volatility, a lot of movement," Rachel Notley told reporters Sunday while visiting a Sikh temple in northeast Calgary. Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley, left, speaks with Gurdeep Singh Dhillon as she visits the Dashmesh Culture Centre to celebrate the Sikh holiday of Vaisakhi in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, April 14, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh Notley was scheduled to head to Edmonton for a rally later Sunday before returning to Calgary a key battleground on Monday. The rival United Conservatives are focusing their final campaign push in Edmonton. Election day is Tuesday. Notley said the fact that a whopping 696,000 people voted in advance polls shattering the previous record of 235,000 in 2015 doesn't necessarily portend a change election. Part of it may be due to a rule change that allowed early voters to cast ballots anywhere not just in their home riding, she suggested. "Maybe turnout's really up because of that. Maybe turnout's really up because it's convenient. Or maybe ultimately not that many people vote on Tuesday," she said. "It's a little too early to tell, but I'm very happy that we've been able to succeed in making it easier for people to vote." Notley's chief rival, United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney, has spent much of the campaign attacking the NDP's record on pipelines and the economy, never missing an opportunity mention her co-operation with Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on those matters. The UCP has laid out an aggressive plan to go after oil and gas industry critics, including setting up a war room and stoking a number of legal battles. It has also vowed to proclaim a law that would stop the flow of energy to neighbouring B.C. over its blocking of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. On Sunday, Notley once again accused Kenney of political grandstanding, saying his plans threaten to alienate the very people Alberta needs to have on-side to ensure its energy gets to market. "He's declaring a war in order to further national political objectives, but Alberta may well be the casualty in that," she said Sunday. "I don't think that he's prepared to stand up for Albertans. He's just grandstanding." Kenney spent Sunday in Edmonton attending Palm Sunday services and celebrating the Vaisakhi festival with members of that city's Sikh community. He was scheduled to meet with First Nations leaders in the evening. On Monday, he plans to join candidates door knocking, capitalizing on what the party says is growing support in the provincial capital. "In the past, we have sadly seen provincial governments with little or no representation from this vibrant city, and we can never let that happen again," Kenney said in a statement Sunday, when he had no media availabilities scheduled. "We have an amazing team of Edmonton and region candidates eager to fight for this city, for jobs and for Alberta, and we need them in the next legislature. That's why I will be here in Edmonton right through to election day." TORONTO - Interested Canadians will have a rare opportunity this week to watch Ontario's top court sort out a federal-provincial legal battle over carbon pricing. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2019 (976 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Ontario Court of Appeal is seen in Toronto on Monday, April 8, 2019. Interested Canadians will have a rare opportunity this week to watch Ontario's top court sort out a federal-provincial legal battle over carbon pricing. It will be the first time in more than a decade cameras are being allowed in the Court of Appeal to livestream an event. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colin Perkel TORONTO - Interested Canadians will have a rare opportunity this week to watch Ontario's top court sort out a federal-provincial legal battle over carbon pricing. It will be the first time in more than a decade cameras are being allowed in the Court of Appeal to livestream an event. "Typically cameras are not permitted in courtrooms," said Jacob Bakan, special counsel in the office of the province's chief justice. "The court is making an exception for the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act." The case, beginning on Monday, pits the Ontario government and supporters against the federal government and supporters over Ottawa's imposition of a charge on gasoline, heating fuel and other pollutants as a way to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Ontario maintains the federal law is unconstitutional. In an order last week, Justice James MacPherson gave the CBC permission to put up to five cameras in the courtroom. The livestream will be available to other media and on the court's own website. Off-limits are any private chats between justices, lawyers and their clients, or court staff, or shots of documents. No camera is permitted on the dais or behind the justices. While rare, cameras in Appeal Court have been allowed in the past. In 2007, the CBC webcast the hearing concerning the conviction of Steven Truscott. "Cameras were also permitted in courtrooms for a pilot project in 2008 conducted by the Ministry of the Attorney General," Bakan said. "During that pilot project, 21 cases were webcast." http://www.ontariocourts.ca/coa/en/ OTTAWA - The federal government is suspending all direct aid to Nicaragua, citing what it calls "the deteriorating human rights situation" in the Central American nation under President Daniel Ortega. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2019 (976 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Anti-government protesters march outside the Central American University (UCA) in Managua, Nicaragua, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018, before police blocked the march from reaching its planned destination, the local U.N. headquarters. The federal government is suspending all direct aid to Nicaragua, citing what it calls "the deteriorating human rights situation" in the Central American nation under President Daniel Ortega. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Alfredo Zuniga OTTAWA - The federal government is suspending all direct aid to Nicaragua, citing what it calls "the deteriorating human rights situation" in the Central American nation under President Daniel Ortega. Ortega's government has cracked down violently on protests that began last April as demonstrations against cuts to the country's retirement system, but quickly turned to calls for the president to step down. The opposition has said more than 640 people were being held for political causes, although the government says the actual numbers are far smaller and it has released many prisoners in recent months. Canada's suspension of direct aid to Nicaragua was first reported by the CBC, which says a Global Affairs memo from last August recommended against making any public announcement when the decision was made. In an email to The Canadian Press on Sunday, a spokeswoman for Global Affairs Canada confirms the government made the decision last summer. Brittany Fletcher says Ottawa will continue to support projects led by non-governmental organizations, with a focus on helping vulnerable groups. "President Ortegas repressive actions against his people are unacceptable. We continue to consider all diplomatic and policy options at our disposal in order to support the Nicaraguan people," Fletcher said in an email. According to the government's "Statistical Report on International Assistance," Global Affairs Canada provided $9.37 million in bilateral international assistance in 2017-2018. Gardai are renewing their appeal for witnesses to a crash in Ballinteer in south Dublin. A woman died after being struck by a motorbike when she just got off a bus on Ballinteer Avenue last Monday. The silence of one hand clapping. Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images As we barrel toward the next season of presidential primaries and caucuses (on the Democratic side, at least), its normal to think about the successful campaigns of the past that set a template for todays POTUS wannabes. Some classics are easy on the memory, like come-from-nowhere nomination winners George McGovern in 1972, Jimmy Carter in 1976, and, yes, Donald Trump in 2016, as are strategic masterpieces as Barack Obamas campaign and John McCains back-from-the-dead effort in 2008. But with what will ultimately be dozens of candidates running for the next Democratic nomination, there will be a lot of losers who follow very different precedents the types of campaigns that begin preposterously or proceed disastrously and end in the sad silence of nobody caring enough to witness the good-bye. So its a good time to remember the really bad nomination campaigns in both parties over the decades and consider the lessons each might offer the campaign class of 2020. This list excludes the multitude of obscure candidates who never raised enough hopes to be worthy of being dashed but includes themes of failure that have repeated across more than one cycle, as well as 2020 takeaways where appropriate. (And please note that even bad campaigns can involve talented, hard-working people who sometimes go on to successful political careers.) The Early Flameouts Scott Walker watches as a reality-television star beats him in a GOP popularity contest. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images 10. Scott Walker 16, and 9. Tim Pawlenty 12 Both of these candidates were on-paper heavyweights thought to be exceptionally well positioned to win the nomination or at least seriously contend. Both were from states bordering Iowa. Both had serious conservative Evangelical street cred and estimable (from a conservative point of view) records as governors. And unfortunately for them, both had charisma deficits. Pawlenty of reasons for this failure to launch. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/2011 Getty Images Tim T-Paw Pawlenty staked everything on winning the August 2011 Ames straw poll, then the key pre-caucus test of strength in Iowa. He finished third, well behind fellow Minnesotan Michele Bachmann, and with his money depleted, he almost immediately dropped out. Scott Walkers campaign also foundered early, as CNN reported in September 2015: Walker rocketed to the front of the GOP pack in Iowa after a rousing speech at the Iowa Freedom Summit in January and subsequently, his campaign pinned its hopes on the first state to vote in the presidential nominating process. But Walker was hurt by lackluster performances in the first two Republican debates. And his poll numbers suffered: In a CNN/ORC poll released Sunday, Walker failed to garner even one-half of 1% nationally among likely GOP primary voters. When he withdrew, Walker called on conservatives to quickly winnow the large 2016 field so that the voters can focus on a limited number of candidates who can offer a positive, conservative alternative to the current front-runner, Donald Trump. That didnt work, either. Both Pawlenty and Walker lost gubernatorial races in 2018. The Self-Inflicted Wounds An affair of the Hart. Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel/CC 8. Gary Hart 88 To some extent, all capsized campaigns can be blamed on the mistakes of their captains. But sometimes candidates self-immolate with breathtaking speed and irreversible damage. The classic of this genre was provided by Democratic candidate Gary Hart in 1987. Hart entered the 1988 cycle as a clear front-runner after nearly upsetting Walter Mondale in the 1984 primaries. He then quickly self-destructed, answering questions about long-rumored womanizing by issuing a follow me around taunt to reporters which led directly to the exposure of a dalliance with a young former beauty queen named Donna Rice, including photos of Rice sitting on his lap aboard a lobbyist-piloted yacht appropriately named Monkey Business. Hart was forced from the race almost instantly, though he did reenter the field later as a forlorn, substance-focused debate contender with no real prospects. More than he could chew. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images 7. Rick Perry 12 Former Texas governor Rick Perry took longer to blow himself up. He entered the 2012 contest late but initially looked like a king-hell fireball, dispensing red meat to thrilled conservative audiences and racing to a lead in the polls. Then the debates arrived, and in one Perry stubbornly refused to follow Mitt Romney in attacking generous treatment of Dreamers, and in another turned into Bobo the Simple-Minded, unable to remember which federal agencies he had proposed to eliminate. He hung around, bleeding support, and soon after a fifth-place finish in Iowa, dropped out. Other candidates have inexplicably damaged themselves in less-enduring ways. One good example is Democrat Ted Kennedy, who on the eve of his challenge to incumbent Jimmy Carter in 1980 granted an interview to CBSs Roger Mudd in which he was shockingly incoherent, creating doubts about his once-indomitable political strength. Another is Republican George Romney, whose 1968 nomination campaign lost steam and expired after he attributed an abandoned position on the Vietnam War to a brainwashing he had received from military brass. Eugene McCarthy, alluding to Romneys reputation as not terribly deep, supposedly quipped, I would have thought a light rinse would have sufficed. Theres no telling which 2020 candidate might be susceptible to self-sabotage; by definition, it can strike candidates from a clear blue sky. The Risk of Negative Momentum Voters told Joe it wouldnt be so. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images 6. Joe Lieberman 04 Battening on the name ID he built as Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 2000, Joe Lieberman led the 2004 field in the polls for some time. But being crosswise with Democratic activists over his robust and unrepentant support for the Iraq War, Lieberman skipped Iowa and then became an object of enduring ridicule for trying to spin a fifth-place finish in New Hampshire as a sign of Joementum. He dropped out of the race a week later and, in the next presidential cycle, backed Republican John McCain. Other candidates who looked solid until voters started voting and then quickly lost ground include Democrat Ed Muskie in 1972 and Republican Rudy Giuliani in 2008. The 2020 candidate who might be susceptible to this malady, if only because his early polling is more robust than his record might suggest, is Joe Biden. He should definitely avoid claiming Joementum. The Path From Ridicule to Abyss Photographic proof that Dan Quayle once thought he should run for president. Photo: John Ruthroff/AFP/Getty Images 5. Dan Quayle 00 Quayle could fit into any number of categories of campaign-trail failure, and for that reason he deserves his own slot on the list. He was elected vice-president in 1988 after a campaign in which he was thoroughly humiliated by Democratic counterpart Lloyd Bentsen in a debate. His reputation as something of a lightweight was burnished by his most-high-profile moment as vice-president: a quarrel with fictional sit-com character Murphy Brown over her decision to give birth to a child out of wedlock (a decision that could have just as easily been reconciled with Quayles pro-life point of view). His presidential campaign in the 2000 cycle went nowhere fast despite high name ID, mainly because of the persistently low regard in which he was held by voters, as Gallups Frank Newport explained later: Quayle has long suffered from image problems, with unfavorable ratings that rose to 48% and 59% in the summer of 1992 when he was being chosen again to run with George H.W. Bush (at the time, it should be noted, the senior Bushs own job approval ratings were at the low point of his administration). Additionally, Gallup polling in the summer of 1992 showed that almost four out of ten Republicans thought President Bush should dump Quayle in favor of someone else. Quayle, of course, stayed on the ticket and the Republicans lost the November election to Bill Clinton and Al Gore. The former veep finished eighth in the 1999 Ames straw poll, trailing such political powerhouses as Alan Keyes, and soon dropped out. There is a former veep in the field in 2020, but even among detractors, Joe Biden has inspired much more respect, and commanded much more popularity, than Quayle could ever muster. His top-ten standing is pretty safe. The Legends in Their Own Minds Wilbur Mills, caught on-camera with Tidal Basin Bombshell Fanne Fox. Photo: Screencap/YouTube 4. Wilbur Mills 72 One of the recurring incidents of tragicomedy in presidential primaries is when puffed-up potentates of Beltway politics get confused and assume their titanic qualities will translate well in a national campaign. Representative Wilbur Mills of Arkansas was a much-revered figure in Washington as longtime chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, where, as the New York Times put it, he was held in awe for his near-absolute sway over any legislation with fiscal consequences. He let himself get flattered into a 1972 presidential candidacy, but after finishing a poor fourth among five candidates in New Hampshire (trailing even eccentric L.A. mayor Sam Yorty), Mills disappeared from the campaign trail. A couple of years later, Millss fall from grace culminated in an early-morning incident when he was found in the company of a stripper named Fanne Fox, who tried to flee the scene by jumping into Washingtons Tidal Basin. Wham, bam, no thank you, Gramm. Photo: John Mottern/AFP/Getty Images 3. Phil Gramm 96 Phil Gramm was a Texas Democrat turned Republican senator who became a big deal in conservative circles during the Reagan, Bush 41, and early Clinton years. As RealClearPolitics explains in its own list of terrible candidates, Gramm got off to a roaring start with fundraising in the 96 cycle but never got rolling with voters: Despite his fundraising prowess, his national profile, and solid early poll numbers, he peaked too early. Vast sums of money were raised, but vast sums were spent, too, and on dubious goals, such as winning non-binding straw votes in states of little strategic importance. The first contest in 1996 came February 6 in Louisiana, which sought to usurp Iowa and New Hampshire that year. His mere participation in Louisiana hurt Gramm among the Republican establishment in Iowa, which jealously guards its first-in-the-nation primary status. For Gramm, it was a one-two punch that knocked him out of the race. First, after boasting hed win Louisiana and win it big, Gramm came in second to Patrick Buchanan. A week later, he finished fifth in the Iowa caucuses. Having peaked too soon, he quit the race two days later on Valentines Day. Perhaps Texas breeds pols who are too big for their britches, since Gramms underwhelming, but well-financed, performance was matched by Democratic senator Lloyd Bentsen in 1976 (though Bentsen did serve credibly 12 years later as Michael Dukakiss running mate) and by fellow party-switcher John Connally, the former governor and Nixon favorite who bombed in 1980. Theres nobody quite like Mills or Gramm or Connally or Bentsen in the 2020 Democratic field, though you can argue the bumper crop of congressional candidates (six senators and four House members and counting) shows some Beltway self-regard in itself. The Lifetime Non-Achiever Rockefeller in 1974 after finally making it to the Oval Office as an appointed vice-president. Photo: STF/AFP/Getty Images 2. Rocky 60, 64, and 68 Nelson Rockefeller had a distinguished early career in Latin American diplomacy and philanthropy and an impressive list of accomplishments as governor of New York over 13 consecutive years in that post. But his intense desire to become president was consistently frustrated. He briefly ran in 1960 before withdrawing in Richard Nixons favor, though not until he extorted platform concessions from the winner that permanently alienated outgoing president Dwight D. Eisenhower. Rocky was the front-runner for 1964 until his sudden divorce and remarriage damaged his personal standing significantly. He ran anyway, and after a crucial primary loss to Barry Goldwater in California (helped along by ill-timed news that his second wife had given birth), suffered an ignominious reception at that years Republican convention, when Goldwater delegates howled down his efforts to speak. In 1968, he decided not to challenge Nixon again but then changed his mind and jumped back into the race, with his sole message being his superior electability which was ruined on the eve of the convention by a poll showing Nixon doing better against Democrat Hubert Humphrey. Rocky was considering yet another presidential run in 1973 when he was appointed Gerald Fords vice-president. His political career ended when he was forced off the 1976 ticket by conservatives threatening to bolt to Ronald Reagan. You have to go back to Robert Taft (40, 48, and 52) to find Rockefellers equal as a three-time nomination-contest loser (not counting perennial candidates like Harold Stasson, or favorite sons). However, there have been many two-time losers who (unlike, say, Ronald Reagan) didnt make up for it with a win or two along the way. There are Democrats Estes Kefauver (52 and 56), George Wallace (64 and 72), Gene McCarthy (68 and 72), Scoop Jackson (72 and 76), and John Edwards (04 and 08). Republicans include Lamar Alexander (96 and 00) and the aforementioned Rick Perry (12 and 16). The only 2020 candidate in danger of becoming a three-time loser is Joe Biden (88 and 08). If he wins, hed match Hubert Humphrey (60, 68, 72) with a one-and-two record in nominating contests. The Truly Spectacular Flop He could not. Photo: Brian Blanco/Getty Images 1. Jeb Bush 16 Again, this is a subjective process, but its hard to think of a presidential candidate whose underachievement was so overwhelming and had such enormous consequences for his party and country. Jeb Bush entered the 2016 contest with the most valuable last name in politics, a massive fundraising machine, a boatload of elected official endorsements, strong positioning in the field ideologically, and a critical firewall state relatively early in the process (his home state of Florida). He was overwhelmingly the smart-money favorite, sure at least to survive until the late primaries. Instead, he became a punching bag for Donald Trump in the debates and a steadily unpopular candidate in polls. And he wasted an enormous amount of his donors money as he stumbled toward defeat, as I noted at the time: [Bush strategist Mike] Murphy described Donald Trump as a zombie front-runner doomed to fade into irrelevance when voters tuned in, got their signals from elites, and thrilled to the rich symphony of Jebs philosophy, record, biography, and electable message. The irony, of course, is that by October of 2015 the term zombie best described the Bush campaign itself, pouring tens of millions of dollars a week into ads that did almost nothing. Bush withdrew from the race before having to suffer the ultimate humiliation of being trounced by Donald Trump in Florida (that distinction was saved for fellow Floridian Marco Rubio). He ultimately earned a total of three delegates, which means he and his outside backers spent $53 million per delegate. The enduring epithet for Jebs candidacy was this incident in New Hampshire: But there were so many such incidents that soon after he withdrew, Vox published an article titled The 17 saddest moments of Jeb Bushs very sad campaign. The main reason I listed Jeb! 2016 as the worst nomination-contest campaign is that I cant imagine anyone matching this disaster in 2020 or in the foreseeable future. That it helped Donald Trump ascend to the presidency is the rancid cherry on top of the sundae. Fianna Fail's Health spokesperson, Stephen Donnelly, has called on the Government to sign on the dotted line and bring our doctors home. Mr Donnelly said he is furious at figures released on Friday, showing more than half a million patients were waiting for a first hospital outpatient appointment in March. Deputy Donnelly said there are solutions, and it starts with staffing. He said: "We have about half the hospital consultants that we need. One of the biggest barriers that has to be addressed, and could be addressed in a signature, is the new entrant pay discrepancy for hospital consultants needs to be corrected. "We can bring back the fantastic and well-trained consultants, Irish consultants all over the world who want to come home but are saying 'look, I'm not going to earn 80,000 less than my colleague who has the same experience'." The Fianna Fail Deputy also accused the Government of making another empty promise when it comes to the development of the long-planned Maternity Hospital on the grounds of the new National Childrens Hospital. He said: I got the chance to grill the Health Minister face-to-face last Wednesday when he appeared before the Oireachtas Health Committee and I was shocked by what I learned. Simon Harris admitted to me that no money has been set aside in this years HSE budget for co-locating a maternity hospital on the grounds of the planned childrens hospital at St James in Dublin. Were not talking about a first round of funding here. The Minister came in to talk to the Committee about the so-called further revised estimates of the HSE budget. In other words, the National Maternity Hospital wasnt included in the initial budget, it wasnt included in the next draft of that budget and now it hasnt been included in the latest figures. According to the Minister, there are no plans to allocate any money to the new building in 2019. I thought it was bad when the Minister told me recently that the design phase of the new maternity hospital hadnt started yet; but this is even worse. I shouldnt have to remind anyone that we were promised that the maternity hospital would be developed in tandem with the childrens hospital in fact that was one of the major selling-points of the city centre site at St James. "Unfortunately, Im now more inclined to believe the former Master of the Coombe maternity hospital who recently told the Irish Times, lets not delude ourselves that well get a world-class hospital for the 2 billion; therell never be a co-located maternity hospital. It saddens me to say it, but this appears to be another instance of Fine Gael making a public promise thats reneged in private. Its a shame that its women and children wholl pay the price, he concluded. Yoshihisa Kainuma has made a career out of being in the right place at the right time. In 2015, the head of Japan's Minebea Mitsumi was on a bullet train heading to a city northwest of Tokyo when he realised the chief of a potential acquisition target was onboard. He texted over his seat number and, during a one-hour ride, convinced his counterpart to sell his $US500 million ($696 million) company. Japan's "king of deals": Yoshihisa Kainuma. Credit:Bloomberg "We grabbed the 6A and 6B seats and hashed it out on our way to Karuizawa," Kainuma said during an interview at the company's Tokyo headquarters. Three months later, he closed the purchase of Nintendo supplier Mitsumi Electric, leading to a surge in profits when the Switch console was introduced. Decades of similarly well-timed deals have kept Minebea riding each big wave in technology -- from hard disks to smartphones and game consoles. The company, dubbed the 'King of Deals' in local media, has grown from a small ball-bearing manufacturer on the outskirts of Tokyo to a key player in the tech industry's global supply chain. Lynas management was warned eight years ago that the rare earths miner had failed to "engage meaningfully" with Malaysia and its operations in the country could be jeapordised if it did not change the way it dealt with environmental concerns and the government. The Herald and Age have obtained a confidential report delivered to Lynas in 2011 by Australian advisory firm Futureye that concluded the company was in "urgent need" of winning the local community's support for the Malaysian operations' future. The report warned that failure to win local support would not just jeopardise the company's Malaysian business but also call its reputation as a good corporate citizen into question at home in Australia. Lynas is fighting off a $1.5 billion takeover bid from Perth-based conglomerate Wesfarmers with the viability of its operations now hinging on a decision by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Macartan Gaughan was working with a child protection charity in Nepal when the idea for his Melbourne start-up, Clean Travel, hit. Nepal is a country with a lot of problems, but tourism is one of those green shoots. Tourism is one of the few areas where there is a lot of growth, he says. Macartan Gaughan says there's a better way to travel. Credit:Simon Schluter. Gaughan spent three years in Nepal working with anti child-trafficking group The Umbrella Foundation. He found despite many young locals wanting to get involved in the tourism sector, it was difficult to place them in jobs. Despite the demand for adventure and nature tourism in Nepal and surrounding regions, it was tough to know how operators were impacting communities. This included whether companies were hiring local people, taking a sustainable ethos or causing problems in the natural environment. London: The woman who took on Australian industry super fund-backed investment vehicle IFM for sexual harassment has been paid 270,000 ($492,000), with the firm opting to settle less than a week out from a second legal hearing of the case. Nathalie Abildgaard claims she was sexually harassed by an IFM executive in Madrid in March 2018. Nathalie Abildgaard, 27, alleged that Frederic Michel-Verdier, the head of IFM's London office, invited her to his hotel room after a work celebration in Spain last year. The Central London Employment Tribunal heard in January, that the 50-year old told her: "I know more about sex. I can teach you a lot of things." He denies harassing her and the settlement does not include any sort of apology. He is still employed by IFM. The settlement amount exceeds the 236,000 requested in her original court claim and some of it will go towards her charity, Legal Aid for Business Diversity, which she established to help victims of workplace discrimination. Humans love to think they are special and Simon Amstell is no exception. The witty, droll British comic, perhaps best known as co-host of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, even wrote a book last year to prove how special he is (he'll sign a copy after the show if you buy one). Amstell regularly refers to his notes, despite touring this show in Britain and New York, telling us he's just too busy to remember it all. And if he stuffs up? He can't help thinking: "It's only Australia." After a slow start, Amstell gathers steam and the audience begins to realise that behind the neurotic, hyper-intelligent facade, he is a rather fragile soul. He's been in therapy, he says, and is amusingly candid about the strained relationship he has with his disapproving father. Being gay and Jewish hasn't always been easy, but he has found enlightenment via several illicit drugs: namely ayahuasca and MDMA. Losing his virginity and navigating a seven-year relationship with his boyfriend provide more sleek material, and many of his observations are rather thought provoking. But in the end the biggest laughs come from the poo jokes. Oh, humans. Voters are being promised a spending surge on hospitals over the next five weeks in an election bidding war that has sparked fears of political deals to favour marginal electorates while neglecting those in safe seats. Labor and the Coalition are escalating their contest to commit taxpayer cash to health services in key seats with a combined $4 billion in promises, but they are being warned against making "invented" announcements to win votes. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's promised a $50 million upgrade to Concord Hospital. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen An analysis of the two major parties' funding promises shows that they each have hundreds of millions of dollars still to be allocated from competing funds to pay for hospital upgrades, cancer treatment, health clinics and other services. It comes as Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on Monday unveils a $250 million pledge to fix elective surgery waiting lists to give Australians faster access to procedures such as cataract surgery, knee and hip operations. Bank of Baroda has invited bids from consultancy firms to evaluate the performance of its board. The bank said the outcome of the review would help to enhance its board's overall effectiveness through improved dynamics and strengthened processes. The state-owned lender became the second largest bank of India after the merger with Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank earlier this month. Consultancy firms have been asked to submit proposals by May 2 for 'Review of Board Evaluation', Bank of Baroda said in a request for proposal document. "Bank of Baroda has decided to engage a consultancy firm to conduct an independent review of the overall evaluation and effectiveness of the bank's board. The review would provide an opportunity to align and prioritise the board's focus on critical issues," the RFP said. The selected consultancy firm will have to conduct in-depth interviews with individual members on the Bank of Baroda board through in-person meetings, analyse findings, and share preliminary feedback with certain members of the board, Bank of Baroda stated in the RPF document. The consultancy firm will also be responsible for holding a board alignment workshop. It will then have to outline the 'Board Vision' as an outcome of the board alignment workshop and agree on the 'Action Plan for the Board'. The firm will also evaluation of independent directors. The chosen firm will have to complete these tasks within 6-8 weeks. The board of directors of Bank of Baroda is headed by Chairman Hasmukh Adhia. Other members include MD and CEO PS Jayakumar, executive directors Papia Sengupta, SL Jain, Vikramaditya Singh Khichi, and directors Debasish Panda, Ajay Kumar, Gopal Krishnan Agarwal, Biju Varkkey, Soundara Kumar, Bharatkumar D. Dangar and Srinivasan Sridhar. Bank of Baroda's decision to evaluate its board is in line with a guidance note in this regard by SEBI for listed companies. The market regulator's calls for evaluation of a company's board as a whole, its directors, independent directors and chairperson, and various committees of the board. The provisions of the SEBI note also specify the responsibilities of various persons and committees for the conduct of such evaluation and certain disclosure requirements as a part of the listed entity's corporate governance obligations. ALSO READ:Bank of Baroda expects to complete merger process of Dena, Vijaya Bank in two years: Official ALSO READ:Bank of Baroda becomes second-largest PSU, third-largest bank in India A flood of money has lifted activist group GetUp to a new peak of $12.5 million in annual donations as it puts pressure on election candidates to declare their policy positions in order to gain its support on polling day. Donations have soared 27 per cent over the past year in a significant threat to the Morrison government, which is urging voters to ignore the group's "untruths" and its support for higher taxes. Paul Oosting, National Director of GetUp. Credit:Louie Douvis The group is about to intensify its campaigns against conservative candidates by choosing 30 priority electorates where it will urge Australians to cast their ballots on climate change, the Adani coal mine and the treatment of refugees. GetUp chief Paul Oosting said the group was already running campaigns against Coalition MPs including former prime minister Tony Abbott, former defence minister Kevin Andrews, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, Health Minister Greg Hunt, backbencher Nicolle Flint and Attorney-General Christian Porter. Last weeks first ever photograph of a black hole was a giant leap forward for science and a massive step backward for humanity. We now have the capacity to photograph a halo of dust and gas 500 million trillion km from Earth, but evidently we are not yet advanced enough to give credit and acknowledgement to a woman. Scientist Katie Bouman after the first image of a black hole takes shape. Credit:Facebook The woman in question was Dr Katie Bouman, the MIT graduate who led the creation of one of the algorithms used to produce the black hole photo. After the black hole image was revealed to the world by the Event Horizon telescope director Sheperd Doeleman, MITs Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab proudly tweeted a photo of Dr Bouman, acknowledging her role on the project. A Sydney craft store has become caught up in a vitriolic online campaign that has seen members of the knitting community labelled as racist by people who say they were ignored in yarn stores and felt uncomfortable at "white-majority knitting groups". Claims of bullying, lying and harassment have gone back and forth on social media since the dispute began over the treatment of black, indigenous and people of colour (BIPoC) in the knitting community. An online campaign about racism in the knitting community has ensnared a Sydney craft store. Sukrita Mahon, a spinner and weaver from the NSW Central Coast, has played a prominent role in the campaign to highlight and combat racism and prejudice among knitters. Sydney, we have a problem, Ms Mahon wrote in January. Your knitting spaces are unsafe for bipoc (and probably others). You have shown yourself unwilling to listen, at best. Exploring Kangaroo Point on a brisk autumn day, I came across a beautiful statue beside the river on the eastern side of Story Bridge. The statue is of a woman holding a childs hand and is dedicated to the refugees who fled war-torn Vietnam in boats bound for Australia in the late 1970s and through the 1980s. Many lost their lives on the way. The statue and memorial at Kangaroo Point acknowledges the struggle and the arrival of the Vietnamese to a new home in Australia. Credit:Brismania The statue captures a sense of the plight of the Vietnamese; the human factor of each individuals personal struggle, as a bird comes to rest on the womans hand while the little boy tugs in the other direction, perhaps looking to a brighter future in a new country. Well, thats my interpretation and the statue is so powerful it stops you in your tracks and draws you in to consider an important part of Australian-Vietnamese history. The prison which once held Queenslands most dangerous criminals and which has since been reduced to ruins can again be explored, thanks to gaming technology. At a new exhibit at the Queensland State Archives, visitors can don a virtual reality headset and explore the digitally reconstructed St Helena prison stockade. Tailoring workshop on St. Helena Island, 1912. Credit:State Library of Queensland. Located several kilometres from the mouth of the Brisbane River, St Helena Island's prison ran for more than 60 years, and was considered one of the foremost penal establishments at the time. Senior curator Phil Manning said the uninhabited St Helena island in Moreton Bay was originally going to be used as a quarantine station for ships. ICRC has confirmed the positive sighting. It said the search for Akavi and the two Syrians had consumed the ICRC for more than five years. "At times, we've felt Louisa's freedom was close at hand," said director of operations Dominik Stillhart. "At other times, the trail seemed lost." Stillhart said Akavi had been held longer than anyone in the 156-year history of the ICRC. A US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter stands on a rooftop overlooking Baghouz, Syria, after the SDF declared the area free of Islamic State militants last month. Credit:AP "It is emotionally wrenching that a person so dedicated to helping others would have her freedom taken from her for so long." He confirmed that in the first years of Akavi's captivity, in late 2013 and 2014, the ICRC was in active communication with the Islamic State group. "We were not able to persuade them to release her and that communication fell off." It knew that Louisa was moved around a lot, including to Raqqa. "A breakthrough for us came in late 2017, with the beginning of the end of [Islamic States'] broad control of territory, when people fled that region. "We spoke with people in IDP camps in Iraq who had been treated by Louisa in Syria. From this we understood that she had been in places like al-Susah and al-Bukamal (aka Abu Kamal) in late 2018, close to the Syrian-Iraqi border near the Euphrates River, the last concrete information we have on her whereabouts." Loading But when IS was finally overrun there was no sign of her. Akavi's remarkable story began October 2013, when she was abducted at gunpoint on a medical run for the Red Cross in Northern Syria. She was passed from one militant group to the next before being held hostage alongside other Westerners used as bargaining chips in IS's brutal propaganda war. Highly-informed sources spoken to by Stuff over many years have confirmed it was likely Akavi's nursing skills that kept her alive, because of her usefulness to IS as it came under heavy attack on the run from US and coalition forces. Akavi is a veteran of the frontline and has served in countless other conflicts including Iraq and Chechnya, where she survived a hospital massacre that left a fellow Kiwi nurse dead. Loading Akavi was taken hostage by armed gunmen who ambushed her medical convoy. There were public appeals for her return by the ICRC, but while others taken hostage in the same incident were later released, she remained in captivity. The ICRC says it does not know why the others were released, but not Akavi or the two Syrians. In 2014, Akavi came agonisingly close to rescue she was one of a number of Western hostages missed by only hours by US special forces in a raid to free them. Over the following years she was moved multiple times. For a long period with no sightings or fresh intelligence New Zealand authorities believed she may have been killed. But Stuff was told before the fall of Raqqa in 2017 that there was renewed confidence she was alive. Like with other hostages, there were attempts to seek a ransom in the early stages of her captivity and proof of life was offered. But both the New Zealand Government and the ICRC have a firm policy against paying ransoms. Nurse's close ties to American captive International media reports over the years have alluded to the Kiwi nurse, including her time sharing a cell with US hostage Kayla Mueller, a young aid worker, reported killed in 2015. Mueller suffered brutal treatment at the hands of her keepers, including rape and torture. One report suggested Mueller gave up her chance to escape her captors to look after the New Zealand nurse, who had shrapnel wounds and deteriorating health. That report was based on interviews with a young Yazidi girl who shared a cell with Mueller. Sources suggested to Stuff at various times that this is also what New Zealand authorities believe, though there are conflicting accounts. Mueller's parents, Carl and Marsha, have told Stuff that other hostages relayed stories that suggested a special bond between the two while they were held together in Raqqa. Kayla had at one point tried to protect the older nurse, who was sick and wounded. When the pair were split up, Mueller begged that she be moved with Akavi but their captors refused and Akavi was kept behind to work in the hospital treating IS wounded. Five years of trying For years, successive governments have tried to locate Akavi and there were hopes of a rescue mission. Stuff has been told about at least one aborted rescue attempt, though there may have been others. Stuff has also learned through sources that at some point in Akavi's captivity, New Zealand military and intelligence personnel were placed on the ground with coalition forces in neighbouring Iraq to gather information and look for opportunities for a rescue. At various times the "NZ Inc" team included soldiers from the elite SAS force, key GCSB and Security Intelligence Service personnel and police, in a Ministry of Foreign Affairs-led operation. They remained there for the final battle for Baghuz and Stuff has confirmed some were relocated to a displaced persons camps in Syria, where it was believed Akavi might end up amid the chaos of a mass exodus from the heavy fighting and bombing. They were on the lookout for Akavi and also any intelligence about her whereabouts. Their cover was lifted when Kiwi jihadi Mark Taylor revealed he had been interviewed by intelligence personnel after surrendering to Kurdish forces. Stuff has confirmed they wanted to know if he had come across the Kiwi nurse. He told them he had no knowledge of her. The last known sighting of Akavi was December or January, when she was picked out of a line up of photographs shown to some of the tens of thousands who had fled before the final battle. Stuff has been told that people were asked to pick her face out of a number of photographs of similar looking women, then asked to pick her out again, using a different pack of photographs. The fact that people successfully did so meant there was a high degree of confidence that she was still alive and nursing IS wounded as Baghuz came under heavy fire But then there was silence. In mid-April there was a surge of optimism when reports came through suggesting a woman matching Akavi's description had been spotted in a displaced persons' camp outside of Baghuz surrounded by IS sympathisers. But those hopes were dashed when it turned out she was an Iraqi woman. Fading hope Over the following days as Baghuz and surrounding tunnels were cleared it became clear that Akavi was no longer there. Intelligence services officials briefed the Government on April 10 that Akavi's status was now "under review" meaning they could no longer be sure she was alive. Her family were asked to attend a meeting at the Beehive on April 11 and given that information. The family were also told it looked increasingly likely that the story could soon become public, and to prepare themselves for that moment. NZ Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters spoke to the family at that meeting and told them they should pray for her. There has never been 100 per cent certainty about Akavi's survival. There were long periods without any news and some senior level sources spoken to by Stuff expressed doubt that some sightings were her. The woman believed to be Akavi had worn a burqa and went by several Arabic names as well, so mistaken identity was a possibility. In February, however, there were fresh reports of a New Zealand hostage after Britain's security minister, Ben Wallace, confirmed British journalist John Cantlie, also a hostage for more than five years, was still alive. Other international media reports also referred to a New Zealand hostage a nurse who was also alive and being used as a bargaining chip by IS in return for safe passage from the village of Baghuz, where a group of die hard fanatics were making their last stand. Those reports did not surface in NZbecause of agreements by New Zealand media not to put Akavi at risk. IS prisoners and family members spoken to after they fled the encircled town had confirmed three hostages Cantlie, the New Zealander, and an Italian Priest, Paolo Dall'Oglio, 64 were being held there, according to The Times. None of them have been sighted since the fall of Baghuz, however, raising several possibilities. The Lions Den Zionism and the Left from Hannah Arendt to Noam Chomsky Susie Linfield Yale University Press; $32.50; 389 pages As discouraging as these times may be for fans of liberal democracy, the mood among liberal friends of Israel including most American Jews is more like severe heartbreak. Long gone are the days when Israel was new and appealed to idealists around the world, when Golda Meir was a celebrated deputy chairwoman of the Socialist International and Pete Seeger and the Weavers were singing the Israeli folk tune Tzena, Tzena, ... 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. 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Digital Editor More than a thousand Jet Airways pilots will strike work from 10 am Monday to protest unpaid salaries and uncertainty about their jobs, news agency PTI reported. The carrier, saddled with more than $1.2 billion of debt, has had to ground more than 80 per cent of its fleet over unpaid dues to leasing companies, pushing it to the brink of shutdown and jeopardising hopes of attracting a new investor. "As on today, we have not been paid for nearly three-and-a-half months and we don't know when we will be paid. So we have decided to go ahead with our call of no-flying from ... 1 Connect this journal launched in the early 20th century that was known to have expressed unqualified admiration for big corporations and the "Captains of finance and Industry" and the Father of Corporate Public relations and what do you arrive at? Name both the journal and the person. 2 The employees of this company brand themselves as very peculiar people and this attitude became the inspiration for naming their corporate mascot also. The company also has registered a colour in the Pantone series named after it. Name the company and its mascot. 3 This companys ... Welcome Guest! You Are Here: The police on Sunday arrested two persons in connection with a case where a man allegedly dragged a toll plaza employee on his car's bonnet on Saturday. The arrested accused persons have been identified as Sandeep and Pritam, both residents of Gurugram. According to the police, Pritam was driving the car when the incident took place. The said vehicle (Innova car) was also recovered from the possession of the accused. On Saturday, the accused hit and dragged a toll plaza employee who hung to the vehicle's bonnet for almost six kilometres at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour in Gurugram. The car was asked to stop and pay at the toll plaza in Kherki Daula toll but the driver accelerated his vehicle, brushed past the toll barrier and refused to stop even as the attendant came out of his booth. Disregarding the attendant who jumped onto the bonnet of the car, the driver sped away on the Gurugram- Manesar highway with the toll employee hanging onto the bonnet. "You'll stop my car? Even the police don't stop my car, the driver of the car told me after he refused to pay the toll," toll attendant Arun Kumar had told ANI. Kumar said he was dragged after he tried to stop the Innova car which collided with the toll barrier and sped away from Kherki Daula toll in Gurugram. The whole incident was captured on a CCTV camera installed at the booth. "They took me to the cloistered area, where they beat me up, tried to abduct me and assaulted me but somehow I managed to escape," said Kumar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Paying tributes to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar on his 128th birth anniversary on Sunday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a new scheme to ensure proper learning spaces and environment for the children of labourers. "It was Ambedkar who believed that can change lives. We have made a new scheme under which children of labourers will be given proper No matter where they are working, we will reach there to educate their children," Adityanath said while addressing a public gathering here. Underlying the need to provide scholarships and fee reimbursement to the students, he said: "Students from backward communities were denied scholarship and fee reimbursement, but now about 25 lakh students are being benefited with government funds and scholarships." "Ambedkar was an apostle of equality and freedom. He left an indelible mark in the making of new India. His ideas have constantly guided me to work for the welfare and dignity of our people. He has given voice to those who were not accepted by the society. He gave them a new direction," he added. Praising the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre for giving due credit to Ambedkar, the Chief Minister said, "It was the BJP who decided to develop five places related to Ambedkar ji as 'Panch Tirath' in his remembrance." He also took on the previous government in UP and said: "The earlier government in Uttar Pradesh believed in dynasty politics. They made statues and put photos of their family members in public offices and other places. But, we directed all public offices to install Ambedkar's photo." The Lok Sabha polls for 80 parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh began on April 11 and is staggered in all seven phases till 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.) Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's seven years of tenure ended abruptly on Thursday following his arrest at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London. But what will happen to his cat? Where will she go? CNN has reported that the furry haired animal was Assange's only companion during his asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy. The cat had a significant Internet following of its own. Twitter followers of the 'Embassy Cat' shot up to 31,000, while its Instagram account was regularly viewed by nearly 5,000 followers respectively. Therefore, when the British police stormed the Ecuadoran Embassy on April 11 to detain Assange and charged him with conspiracies and hacking, many started worrying about the fate of the cat. Would the cat's asylum end, too? Or was it just beginning? Would someone adopt it, or would it also face extradition to the United States? Would it fall victim to a vast conspiracy? Did it know too much? -- are some of the questions raised by the social media followers following Julian's arrest, Washington Post reported. "Is Julian Assange's cat going to be okay though?" one person asked. "I do hope that someone looks after his cat, who must be very confused about all this," another said. A third simply stated: "Am worried about . . . his cat." While it's unclear exactly what happened to Embassy Cat, multiple sources said that the cat is believed to have left the Embassy long ago. Assange got the cat for himself in 2016 to help pass the time while he was stuck up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he had been since 2012, CNN reported. WikiLeaks tweeted footage of Assange's cat watching his owner being arrested. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress leader Hardik Patel on Saturday said his party gave a lot of respect and power to MLA Alpesh Thakor which the latter could not handle. "Congress party had given so much respect and power but he could not handle it. He started playing blame games," Hardik told ANI. Alpesh, who had joined the Congress party in 2017 ahead of last Gujarat Assembly polls, barely after 18 months tendered his resignations from all party posts on Wednesday evening. Hardik further alleged that the BJP tried its best to stop him from contesting the Lok Sabha polls. "I am accepting the decision of the High Court. BJP lawyers tried their best so that I could not contest the ongoing elections. Congress wanted to take me to the Parliament. I am a 25-year-old young man and many elections will come in the future," he said. The Supreme Court had declined urgent hearing on Hardik's plea seeking suspension of his conviction in a case of rioting and arson in Mehsana district of Gujarat during the Patidar quota stir in 2015. Patel had moved the apex court challenging the order of the Gujarat High Court, which in August last year suspended his jail sentence but not the conviction. He had joined Congress on March 12 and was given a party ticket to contest the election from Jamnagar in Gujarat. When questioned about the mention of amending sedition law in Congress' manifesto, he said, "BJP misguided the people. Congress said to remove sedition charges but will not tolerate anti-nationalism. The BJP does not have any issue to fight the elections that is why they always come with issues like anti-nationalism." The Patidar leader who led the Patidar agitation in 2015 claimed that his community is happy with his decision of joining the Congress party. "There are a huge number of Patidars who like me and my leadership. Patidar community is happy with my decision of joining the Congress. I believe they will support me and will help in fighting this battle." Speaking about his campaign for Congress, Hardik said: "I will do 42 rallies and we will try to make Congress candidates win. Congress is in favour of the poor and farmers. Achhe din aayenge, Rahul Layenge (Good days will come, Rahul Gandhi will bring them)." Polling for 26 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on April 23. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking a jibe at Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the former did not get time to attend the government's Jallianwala Bagh event with Vice President Venkaiah Naidu as he was busy with 'parivar bhakti'. The jibe comes a day after Amarinder accompanied Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to the Jallianwala Bagh memorial on the centenary of the massacre. Addressing a rally here, Prime Minister Modi said: "I have known Capt Amarinder Singh for a long time. I have never raised a question on his patriotism. I can understand the kind of pressure which must have been put on him for this kind of 'parivar bhakti' (devotion for family)." "He boycotted the event. Do you know why? Because he was busy in 'bhakti' of 'Congress parivar'. He went to Jallianwala Bagh with naamdar (Rahul)but did not find it right to attend an event with Vice President. This is the difference between 'Rashtrabhakti' (nationalism) and 'Parivar bhakti'," he added. Prime Minister Modi also accused Congress of politicising a "sensitive occasion" like the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, adding that the Vice President was in Amritsar for a government event. On Saturday, Gandhi laid a wreath at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial on the centenary of the massacre. He was accompanied by Amarinder Singh and state minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, among others. Hours after Gandhi's visit, the Vice President also visited the memorial and released a commemorative coin of Rs 100 and a postage stamp. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on 13 April 1919 when troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer fired machine guns into a crowd of unarmed protesters and pilgrims who had gathered in Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab's Amritsar on the occasion of Baisakhi. The crowd had assembled peacefully at the venue to condemn the arrest of two leaders -- Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew -- when they were fired at indiscriminately by General Dyer and his men. According to British government records, 379 people including men, women, and children were killed while 1,200 were wounded in the firing. Other sources place the number of dead at well over 1,000. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress on Sunday demanded an urgent probe by the Election Commission (EC) into a mysterious box which was allegedly unloaded from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's chopper in Chitradurga in Karnataka, on Tuesday. "In Chitradurga, a big black box was unloaded from Prime Minister's helicopter. The box was loaded onto a private vehicle which was not a part of the SPG carcade and it sped away," former Union minister and senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said at a press conference here. Sharma said that the Congress demands an investigation in the matter by the poll body. "The EC should investigate the matter so that it can come to fore as to what was in the box," he demanded. The Congress leader said: "It is not just in favour of the people of India but also in favour of the PM in order to uphold the dignity of the post." He informed that the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) leaders have filed a written complaint to the Election Commission in this matter. "When the PM, cabinet ministers go on election campaigns, EC officials check their vehicle," Sharma stated questioning whether "the rule does not apply to the PM". Earlier on Saturday, KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao tweeted a video clip in which some people can be seen hurriedly loading a box into a white SUV. "A mysterious box was unloaded from PM Modi's helicopter at Chitradurga yesterday and loaded into a private Innova which quickly sped away. The #ElectionCommission should enquire into what was in the box and to whom the vehicle belonged," Rao had tweeted on Saturday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Congress alleging that the previous government led by it used to only lament after a terrorist attack but the BJP-led dispensation "killed terrorists inside their home". Addressing an election rally, the Prime Minister said, "What used to happen earlier was terrorists would come from Pakistan, attack us and the Congress government would only lament before the world that we have been attacked. But in this new India when terrorists attacked Uri, our brave soldiers conducted a surgical strike." "The second big mistake the terrorists made was in Pulwama after which we killed them in their home through air strikes,' Modi said. He said, "Only those who have strength are heard in this world. The one who always keeps crying does not get anyone's attention. Be it the United Nation, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Afghanistan, India is being given importance." Modi said that the capacity to shoot down a satellite was with India for about a decade but the Congress government did not support it. "However, after our government was formed we immediately gave go-ahead to the project," he said. He alleged that it is not in the agenda of SP-BSP or Congress to strengthen the country and they only hurl abuses at him. "Have they ever shared their vision for the country? Did they ever talk about strengthening the country? They have only a one-point agenda and it is to abuse Modi. I have two decades of listening to the abuses and now I am immune to such things," the Prime Minister said. He said that the Bill against triple talaq will be once again brought in Parliament if his party is elected to power. Modi also took a jibe at SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati for forming an alliance and said, "The 'nephew' has in past made many comments against his 'aunt' including saying that she had looted Uttar Pradesh... The nephew has also forgotten the days when the aunt used to advice Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) to go to a mental asylum. The elephant is riding cycle now to target the chowkidar. The real danger is on their identity and hence the past has been forgotten." Earlier in the day, Modi addressed a rally in Aligarh where he lauded B R Ambedkar for framing the Constitution which has enabled the elevation of individuals from weaker sections to key posts in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former MLAs of Congress wrote a letter to party president Rahul Gandhi demanding tickets for Muslim leaders in Delhi to contest the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. "...No Muslim candidate has been given ticket from Delhi. There are 5 senior Muslim leaders who are five times elected MLA and are very popular in the Muslim and other communities...there is very resentment among the people and political circle for not given ticket in the Parliamentary elections," the letter read. The leaders include Shoaib Iqbal, Matin Ahmed, Hasan Ahmed, Asif Mohd Khan, and Haroon Yusuf. Citing seniority of leaders, former Delhi Deputy Speaker Shoaib Iqbal said, "We all 5 ex-MLAs are very senior and are very active in and also very popular in the Voters of Delhi of every community." Pushing forth their demand, the leaders said that keeping in mind the number of Muslim voters and the contribution of these 5 senior leaders and their track records of winning the elections, the former MLAs said there must be at least one ticket for one of them from either Chandni Chowk or North East Delhi parliamentary constituency. All seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi will go to polls in a single phase on May 12. The results will be announced on May 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Humare paas Modi hai," said BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav while hailing the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attacking the grand alliance or 'mahagathbandhan' of the Opposition. " As in a movie there is a dialogue in which Amitabh Bachchan says that he has a mother(mere paas ma hai), we have Modi(Humare paas Modi hai)," he said while addressing a gathering here on Saturday. The BJP leader was referring to the iconic "Mere paas maa hai" dialogue from Deewaar, which actually was delivered by veteran actor Shashi Kapoor in conversation with Amitabh Bachchan. "There is no leader like Modi in any other party. Hence no one is ready to face him, so they are forming an alliance. The grand alliance could not be formed because they couldn't decide who will be Prime Minister from their side," added Madhav. He also claimed that results of these elections are already known to all and said, "This is an important election which has begun on April 11 and will go on in seven phases till 19 May. On 23rd May the results will be announced but this is such a special election that the results are already known to all." Madhav also asserted that the country has become much safer under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. "Previously not a year would pass without a terrorist attack. Our houses, hotels, buses, festivals were not safe and people were afraid as to when and where Pakistani terrorists would attack. But in five years of Modi government, there hasn't been a single terrorist incident. Now the things have turned, we are entering into their places and killing them there. There was a time when we were afraid of terrorists but now they are afraid of Modi. We have made this strong India," he said. Madhav also demanded an explanation from Congress on different statements of PDP and Conference leaders with regard to Article 370 of the Constitution. "NC and PDP leaders are making various statements. NC leaders are saying Kashmir will disintegrate if 370 is removed. Mehbooba Mufti is telling new history. Both PDP and NC have given support to Congress in Jammu and Congress has to make its stand clear whether it agrees with their statements or not." Lok Sabha elections are being held at a time when Jammu and Kashmir is under President's rule after the fallout of the PDP-BJP alliance in June 2018. Voting for 6 Lok Sabha seats will be held in five phases: April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, and May 6. Counting will be done on May 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The body of a woman, missing for the last few days, was found stuffed in a suitcase in Soorarum area here, police said on Sunday. Police said the body, identified as of one Lavanya, has been sent for a post-mortem examination. The prime suspect in the case Sunil Kumar, who was allegedly in a live-in relationship with her since the year 2017, was arrested today. Ramachandra Rao, Circle Inspector, RC Puram Police station told ANI over phone: "Lavanya who was missing for the last few days was in a relationship with Sunil Kumar since the year 2017. The duo were classmates while studying engineering. Sunil Kumar with an intention to sexually exploit Lavanya had proposed to her in the year 2017 and she accepted it." "Later their engagement was also fixed but Sunil somehow managed to postpone it. Lavanya was pressurising Sunil Kumar to marry her, so he (Sunil) hatched a plan to kill her," he added. The police officer further said that Sunil had lied to Lavanya's parents about getting a job in Muscat. "He told her parents that he wanted to take Lavanya to Muscat on the pretext of the job. Lavanya's parents agreed for it and they came to the airport on April 4 to see them off. After her parents left the airport Sunil took Lavanya to nearby lodge in Shamshabad and throttled her to death," Rao said. According to police, he later stuffed her body into a suitcase on April 5 and threw it in a drain in Soorarum area. The suspect Sunil was nabbed on Sunday after Lavanya's parents filed a missing complaint on April 7. The accused confessed to killing her, police said. "He has been charged under Section 302 IPC. The dead body of Lavanya has been recovered from Soorarum area and shifted to a government hospital for PME," the police officer said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to visit Iran in the coming months, reported Iranian state agency, Islamic Republic News Agency. Confirming the same, Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said, "Prime Minister will pay an official visit to Iran in the near future but the details of the visit would be announced later." This will be Imran Khan's maiden visit to Iran after taking over as the Prime Minister last August. The neighbouring countries reached a brink of war after the February 13 attack in Iran, in which 27 members of Iran's elite paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps force were reportedly killed. Tehran accused Islamabad of harbouring the terror outfit responsible for the deadly terror attack. Iran which borders Pakistan share a nearly 1,000 km between the two countries. In recent years, Iran has witnessed several cross-border attacks carried out by Jaish al-Adl and other affiliated groups. Notably, both Jaish al-Adl and Jaish-e-Mohammed groups are based in Pakistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday claimed that Congress and its allies "overlooked atrocities" on Kashmiri Pandits as they were more concerned about their vote bank. Addressing a public rally in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, Modi said, "Due to the policies of Congress, Kashmiri Pandits had to leave their own home. Congress and its allies are so worried about their votes that they overlooked the atrocities on Kashmiri Pandits." "I would like to ask Congress, who would do justice when they did injustice for 60 years? Will Congress ever be able to provide justice to Kashmiri Pandits? Will they be able to provide justice to those massacred in 1984 riots?" he asked. Reaffirming BJP's commitment towards the welfare of Kashmiri Pandits, Modi said, "Chowkidar is committed to let Kashmiri Pandits live on their land. Work has begun. We're also making efforts for a law to provide citizenship to families which have come here from Pakistan and believe in 'Ma Bharti' (mother India)." Continuing his tirade against Congress, the Prime Minister said, "Some people in the country are opposing me because nationalism is appearing as an insult to them. But do they know that surveys are showing that BJP will get three times more seats than Congress in the Lok Sabha elections?" Targeting the Opposition for questioning the Centre on security, the Prime Minister said, "These days 'mahamilawat' (grand alliance) and 'ragdarbaris' are asking why Modi is talking about security. Congress is saying that it will remove the Army from Jammu and Kashmir and they will talk to the people who are taking money from Pakistan and influencing the youth of Kashmir." "By raising fingers at Balakot airstrikes, they have already questioned the calibre of our Army. They have demoralised our armed forces. The grand old party has seen armed forces as a medium to earn money. They have a tendency to keep an eye on defence deals," he said. The Prime Minister claimed that Congress has cheated people in the name of giving justice. "Deceiving generation after generation is a political character of Congress and its allies who believe in dynasty politics," he added. Modi also criticised Conference for demanding separate a prime minister and president for Jammu and Kashmir and said, "National Conference and PDP have been exposed. They threaten to have a different Prime Minister in the state. At one time Pakistan used to threaten in the name of nuclear attack, but does not anymore. We have debunked these and we want to tell these leaders that we will do the same." "The Abdullah and Mufti families destroyed lives of three generations of Jammu and Kashmir. Bright future of the state can be ensured only after their departure. They can bring their entire clan to the field, can abuse Modi as much as they want, but they won't be able to divide this nation," he said. The Prime Minister congratulated the people of Jammu and Kashmir for coming out in large numbers to vote in the first phase and said, "You have proven the strength of democracy in India in the first phase of elections. By coming out to vote in huge numbers in Baramulla and Jammu, you have given a befitting reply to terrorist leaders, opportunists and people in 'mahamilawat'," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chennai Super Kings spinner Imran Tahir gave credit to skipper MS Dhoni for his scintillating performance against Kolkata Knight Riders here on Sunday. "I just bowl according to how the captain wanted me to bowl and it is always beneficial taking advice from Mr Dhoni. He is an absolute legend and been helping me a lot this season, so actually the credit goes to him than myself," Tahir said during the post-match press conference. "There are few things which I do not think personally and then he comes and tell me like what I need to bowl and which area and where the guy is looking to hit," he added. The 40-year old took some crucial wickets of Chris Lynn and destructive Andre Russell which shackled the KKR batting line-up and confined the hosts to just 161 runs. Chennai then easily chased down the target and won the match by five wickets. Man of the match, Tahir, took four wickets which helped him achieve the purple cap, a cap entitled to the player with most number of wickets in the ongoing season. Chennai will now visit Hyderabad to face Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 17. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Katrina Kaif posted a picture on Instagram on Sunday, giving her fans a sneak peek of her look in her upcoming flick 'Bharat.' The actor took to her Instagram handle and wrote: "Bharat, 10 days to trailer." The 'Tiger Zinda Hai' actor can be seen draped in a green saree, hair tied in a messy braid and with a cute small black bindi. 'Bharat 'is one of the biggest releases of the year, which is being directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and stars Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in the lead roles besides Disha Patani, Sunil Grover and Jackie Shroff in pivotal roles. According to reports, the 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' actor will be seen sporting five different looks in the film spanning 60 years, including a crucial part which will showcase the actor in his late 20s, looking much leaner and younger. The film is Salman Khan's third collaboration with director Ali Abbas Zafar after the 2016 movie 'Sultan' and 2017 movie 'Tiger Zinda Hai.' The trailer is releasing on April 24 and the film will hit the screens on Eid this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Quoting the spokesperson, Al Jazeera, reported that Sisi has been an ardent supporter of Haftar's forces, which controls parts of eastern Libya. However, no other details about the meeting were available. On Saturday, an air raid by Haftar's forces hit the yard of a school on the southern outskirts of Tripoli, where Haftar's forces have been confronted by forces allied to United Nations-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj. According to the state media, the LNA forces are currently preparing a unit to move to Libya's biggest Es Sider and Ras Lanuf oil ports located on the eastern coast of the country, anticipating an attack from an armed group allied to al-Serraj, eastern military officials said. Meanwhile, Tripoli government spokesperson Mohanad Younes was quoted as saying that Tripoli will only agree to a ceasefire only if the LNA troops return back to the east. Haftar announced an attack against Tripoli on April 4 to capture the capital and the entire west of Libya from the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Serraj. The latest report issued by the UN noted that 121 people were killed and over 500 people have suffered injuries in the ongoing political crisis in Libya. "#LibyaCrisis casualties are 682: 121 dead and 561 wounded. WHO sending medical supplies, health staff support for first- and second-line responders," the UN Mission in Libya tweeted. The report informed that the number of individuals who have fled their homes due to the current hostilities is now approaching 16,000. Over 2,000 of whom were displaced in the past 24 hours alone, it added. Eight ambulances have been struck by weaponry since the beginning of the current hostilities. So far some 4,000 people have been reached with some form of humanitarian assistance, the report said. The oil-rich African nation is now disconnected from air traffic as its only working International Airport was bombarded on April 8, which means only the roadway in and out from the war-ravaged nation is functional. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police in London opened fire after a car "deliberately" rammed into the Ukrainian ambassador's official car here on Saturday (local time), according to the London Metropolitan Police. The accused has been arrested and is in custody at a central London police station, the police added. "Around 10 am on Saturday, April 13, the official vehicle of the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom was deliberately rammed as it sat parked in front of the Embassy of Ukraine's building. The police were called immediately, and the suspect's vehicle was blocked up," the Embassy of Ukraine to the UK said in an official statement. "Nevertheless, despite the police actions, the attacker hit the Ambassador's car again. In response, the police were forced to open fire on the perpetrator's vehicle. The culprit was apprehended and taken to a police station," they added. The embassy further said that no staff has been injured in the incident, as the police have launched investigations to ascertain the motive behind the "attack." The current Ukrainian ambassador to the UK is Natalia Galibarenko, who has held the post since 2015. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking a jibe at the alliance between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday compared the duo with the love pair of Laila-Majnu. "The love between Nitish Kumar and PM Modi is very strong. It is stronger than that love of Laila-Majnu. When the love story of Nitish Kumar and PM Modi will be written, do not ask me who is Laila and who is Majnu between the two. You decide," Owaisi said while addressing an election rally here. "Listen Laila and Majnu, when your love story will be written then instead of love, hate will be written. It will be written since that time they came together, there is tension between Hindus and Muslims in India," he added. Nitish-led JD (U) contested the 2015 state Assembly elections in alliance with Congress and RJD. But later joined hands with BJP to run the government. Out of 40 Lok Sabha constituencies, BJP and the Janata Dal (United) will contest 17 seats each, while the remaining six would be fought by the LJP. Owaisi also hit out at Union Minister Maneka Gandhi over her remark on Muslims asserting that the 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' slogan of BJP is a lie. "Maneka Gandhi scolds and threatens Muslims that if they do not vote for her then they will not get jobs... Prime Minister's slogan 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' is a lie," he said. Addressing a rally in Sultanpur, Gandhi had said: "You have to recognise that this victory is sure without you and even with you, and you will have to spread the word... You came to seek our help at the time of your need. But, if you say during election time that we will not vote for the BJP and instead vote for any other party which can defeat BJP, then it breaks our heart." AIMIM has fielded its Bihar chief Akhtarul Imam as his party's candidate for the Muslim dominated Parliamentary constituency of Kisanganj. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Multiple people were shot outside a night club here on Sunday morning, according to Victoria Police. Police and emergency services are currently responding to the incident and have urged people to avoid the area. "Investigators believe multiple people were shot outside a night club near Little Chapel Street and Malvern Road about 3.20am," the police said in an official statement. No information regarding the perpetrator has been released yet. Police have launched investigations to look into the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly playing "dirty politics" over the commemoration of Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Taking a strong exception to Prime Minister Modi's remarks on him in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua during a rally, the Chief Minister said the Centre had deliberately chosen to hold a parallel event instead of supporting the initiatives and programmes of the state government. This came after Prime Minister Modi earlier in the day said Captain Amarinder did not get time to attend the government's Jallianwala Bagh event with Vice President Venkaiah Naidu as he was busy with 'Parivar Bhakti.' The jibe comes a day after Captain Amarinder accompanied Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to the Jallianwala Bagh memorial on the centenary commemoration of the massacre. Countering PM Modi's attack, Captain Amarinder said: "He had personally approached the Prime Minister several times over the last two years, seeking his support for ensuring that the centenary of Jallianwala Bagh martyrdom is observed in a befitting manner but the Centre failed to respond suitably." "Instead, the NDA government decided to hold its own event, quite evidently to score brownie political points in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha elections. This was truly shocking considering the fact that the Prime Minister was chairman of the Jallianwala Bagh Trust," he added. "Shocked at your remarks in Kathua on Jallianwala Bagh @narendramodi Ji. You used a somber occasion to play dirty politics, conveniently ignoring your own government's decision to hold a parallel event instead of extending support to my govt, which we'd been requesting for 2 yrs," the Chief Minister tweeted. "It was not befitting the stature of the country's minister to stoop to such a low in order to woo voters," the Chief Minister said, urging Modi to refrain from demeaning the high office to which the people of this great free nation had elected him. Captain Amarinder also urged the Prime Minister not to exploit the martyrdom of the victims of the violence unleashed by the British during the freedom struggle, or of the soldiers who are dying every day at the borders or in ISI-backed terror attacks such as Pulwama, for furthering his and his party's political ambitions. Criticising Prime Minister for trying to mislead the people with politically motivated falsehoods, the Punjab Chief Minister said: "It was Modi who had insulted the bravehearts of Jallianwala Bagh, first by not being present at any of the commemorative events and then by choosing to politicise the occasion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (PSP) chief Shivpal Singh Yadav on Friday clarified that he will not dissolve his party and return to the Samajwadi Party. Though, Shivpal told ANI that he is open to forging an alliance with Akhilesh Yadav-led party. "After elections, if he (Akhilesh) communicates with us, give me respect then I will think about it. I can only be an alliance partner. My party will remain and I cannot include my party with SP," Singh told ANI. Shivpal also denied allegations of being a B-team of the Bharatiya Janata Party. "I have always worked with SP and worked against BJP. When Akhilesh announced the alliance, I asked him to make me a part of the alliance. My demand was not that big. Then I tried with Congress. I have talked with the leaders of Congress. I asked them two seats - Firozabad and Etawah. Besides this, I told them to give me those seats where they don't have candidates. I asked 15-20 seats. I was ready to defeat BJP," he said. "They got pressure from Mayawati and Akhilesh. But the real pressure was of Professor. They got afraid of the pressure. But they should not have afraid since the people wanted an alliance between Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party and Congress. If there would have been an alliance, BJP would have suffered defeat," he added. Shivpal is contesting from Firozabad Parliamentary constituency against sitting MP and Prof Ramgopal Yadav's son Akshay Yadav. When asked why his party has not fielded any candidate against Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh's wife Dimple Yadav, Shivpal said: "We have not fielded any candidate against Netaji and Dimple. Netaji formed the party. I respect him from the beginning. Our senior leaders advised me that this was a family matter and should be dealt in a specific manner." Mulayam is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Mainpuri seat while SP leader and sitting Member of Parliament (MP) Dimple Yadav is contesting from the Kannauj Parliamentary seat. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A group of Sindhi women on Saturday gathered outside the Pakistan High Commission in London to protest against forced conversion of Hindu girls by Muslim men in Pakistan. In the protest, organised by International Sindhi Women Organisation (ISWO), slogans were raised against the perpetrators and the injustice done to Hindu girls. The speakers said that the practice of forced conversion of religious minorities, especially Hindu girls is cruel, criminal and a gross violation of human rights. "The state and its institutions have intentionally failed to protect religious minorities," said Rubina Sheikh, one of the protestors and the Chairperson of Sindhi Congress. She added, "The state is systematically and strategically supporting this practice and spread of violent religious extremism. The perpetrators carry it out without any impunity due to their patronage". Seeking help from the international community, the speakers also reiterated that the practice of forced religious conversion is to coerce and frighten the vulnerable Sindhi people to leave their motherland. The protesters handed over a letter to the Pakistan High Commission demanding to stop forced abductions, conversions and violence against Sindhi Hindus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party have "misunderstood" the people of Uttar Pradesh who had sent out a clear message in 2014 and in 2017 that they don't want caste-based but that of development. "They are completely cut-off from the ground and they didn't know that the people of western Uttar Pradesh have understood their selfishness. In 2014 people of Uttar Pradesh have told them that they don't need the of caste but rather of development. the situation was the same in 2017," said PM Modi. The prime minister said that in Uttar Pradesh, governments were "made" and "made to fall" at tea-stalls. "BSP and SP have misunderstood Uttar Pradesh where governments are made and made to fall at tea-stalls," he said. Recalling B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution PM Modi said that it was his vision that enabled even a man belonging to the "deprived-oppressed" class to become the President of India while a 'chaiwala' could become the Prime Minister. "This is only the power of the Constitution of Baba Saheb Ambedkar that a gentleman from the oppressed and deprived class has become the President of India, a person hailing from a simple farmer family in a village is the Vice-President while a chaiwala is the Prime Minister," said PM Modi. Expressing confidence on coming to power again, PM Modi said that the results of elections in Uttar Pradesh will force the SP and BSP to "buy locks from Aligarh" as they will be forced to shut shop after the election. "The SP and BSP don't want to accept the truth. Had they accepted the truth then their shops would have been locked down by now. The results of elections in Uttar Pradesh will force SP and BSP to buy locks from Aligarh," said Narendra Modi. "After the first phase of elections it has become tough for them to contest before the BJP, they have realized that they are on the verge of defeat," he said. He said that Uttar Pradesh has made him a Member of Parliament and also the Prime Minister and he wants to see the state in the top position. "Uttar Pradesh has made me MP, Uttar Pradesh has made me Prime Minister. I have a dream in my heart. Due to the of caste, Uttar Pradesh failed to get the stature it deserved. The entire world talks about Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru but not about UP. I want to see UP at number one position in the country in terms of economy and as a society," said Narendra Modi. Uttar Pradesh went to poll on 11 April in the first phase for its eight Lok Sabha constituencies. Lok Sabha elections in UP are in all seven phases for its 80 seats. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Venezuela is expected to make an amendment in its Constitution to integrate its national militia into the country's army - National Bolivarian Armed Forces - announced Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday. "The militia will receive a constitutional rank as a full-fledged part of the country's armed forces," Sputnik quoted Maduro as saying. This comes a day after Maduro ordered an expansion of the civilian militia by nearly one million by the end of December 2019. Venezuela is currently facing a political and economic crisis, which has been worsened by blackouts and an acute shortage of water and medicines. National Assembly leader Juan Guaido had proclaimed himself interim President of Venezuela in January, as protests calling for President Nicolas Maduro's ouster shook the Latin American nation. The US immediately supported Guaido, asking other nations to back the self-proclaimed President. Several countries called for Maduro to step down or hold fresh elections, as they largely view the elections which brought the 56-year-old leader to power as rigged. The embattled President continues to hold on to his post and enjoys the Venezuelan military's support. While countries like US, UK, France and Japan recognise Guaido as the interim President, China, Russia, and other countries have slammed international interference in Venezuela's internal affairs, throwing their weight behind Maduro. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Efforts are on to save the nation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah duo, said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday. "The country is in danger and to save it from Modi Ji and Amit Shah Ji 'jodi', we are ready to do whatever is needed. Our efforts will continue till the end," he said, in an apparent reference to AAP-Congress alliance, which has not yet taken any shape. On Saturday, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said that the primary objective of the Aam Aadmi Party was to ensure the removal of the "dictatorial" and "anti-federal" Narendra Modi-led government. "It is for the Congress to decide its priorities," he had added. The AAP has offered to join hands with Congress to defeat the BJP and its allies in 33 Lok Sabha seats -- 13 in Punjab, 10 in Haryana, seven in Delhi, two in Goa and one in Chandigarh, Sisodia had said. The senior Congress leader PC Chacko is in favour of the alliance, while Delhi Congress unit chief Sheila Dikshit has rubbished any such talks between the two parties. AAP has already announced its candidates for all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. The city will go to polls in a single phase on May 12. The results will be announced on May 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As many as three people were killed and three others injured on Sunday morning when a 19-seater plane crashed during takeoff at Lukla Airport in Nepal, officials said. There were no passengers aboard. The Summit Air plane lost control and skidded to the right side of the runway while preparing for takeoff, Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport Spokesperson said, reported Efe news. The plane crashed into two helicopters, parked some 30 metres from the runway, the official added. Images showed the aircraft had come to rest on top of a helicopter. Lukla Airport is the only airport in Nepal's Everest region. Nepali Police spokesperson said the aircraft's co-pilot and two police officials, standing near the helipad, were killed in the incident. The pilot sustained injuries and was stated to be in stable condition in hospital. In a statement on Facebook, the Nepali Police said additional details about damages were yet to be ascertained. Two employees of Manang Air, which owns one of the helicopters, were also injured, Kathmandu's Grande International Hospital spokesperson said. This is the second crash of a Summit Air plane at the Luka airport, the starting point of treks and climbing expeditions to Mount Everest from the Nepal side. On May 27, 2017, one Summit Air plane had crashed while trying to land, killing both pilots. The worst air crash in recent years in Nepal happened in March 2018, when a AS-Bangla, Bangladeshi airline, plane crashed during landing at Kathmandu International Airport, with 67 passengers and four crew on board. 51 people were killed in the accident. Nepal has been criticised for poor safety measures, with the European Union denying Nepalese airlines access to its airspace since 2013. --IANS pg/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Within hours of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's absence at the main function to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by British forces, the Chief Minister on Sunday hit back. Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu had presided over the function on Saturday afternoon at the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial in Amritsar to commemorate the event. Punjab Governor V.P. Singh Badnore was present at the function but Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who paid homage to the martyrs at the venue on Saturday along with Congress President Rahul Gandhi, stayed away. Taking strong exception to Modi's remarks made at a rally in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, Amarinder Singh on Sunday said that "dirty was being played over the sombre occasion of the Jallianwala Bagh centenary". Countering Modi's attack on him over the Jallianwala Bagh event organised by the central government, Amarinder Singh said the Centre had deliberately chosen to hold a parallel event instead of supporting the initiatives and programmes of the state government. "I had personally approached the Prime Minister several times over the last two years to seek support for ensuring that the centenary of the historic event is observed in a befitting manner but the central government had failed to respond suitably," the Chief Minister pointed out. "Instead, the Modi government decided to hold its own event, quite evidently to score brownie political points in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha elections. This was truly shocking considering the fact that the Prime Minister was Chairman of the Jallianwala Bagh Trust," he said in a statement here. "Shocked at your remarks in Kathua on Jallianwala Bagh @narendramodiji. You used a somber occasion to play dirty politics, conveniently ignoring your own government's decision to hold a parallel event instead of extending support to my government, which we'd been requesting for 2 yrs," the Chief Minister also tweeted. "Unlike the BJP, the Congress leadership does not believe in dictating terms to its state governments," Amarinder Singh said, countering Modi's remark that he did not attend the central government event under pressure from his party high command. Amarinder Singh also exhorted the Prime Minister not to exploit the martyrdom of the victims of the violence unleashed by the British during the freedom struggle or of the soldiers dying every day at the borders or in ISI-backed terror attacks such as Pulwama to further his and his party's political ambitions. Condemning the Prime Minister for trying to mislead the people with this politically motivated falsehoods, he said it was Modi who had insulted the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh, first by not being present at any of the commemorative events and then by choosing to politicise the occasion. Amarinder Singh said that all the necessary protocols were duly followed, including appointment of a cabinet Minister to be present at the Vice President's function on Saturday. --IANS js/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Arab League (AL) has expressed its support for the "important steps" announced by Sudan's Transitional Military Council (TMC) to reach a political transition in the country, the AL said in a statement. It voiced support for the efforts done by the TMC and the political and civilian forces to reach a national consensus that would realise "the wishes and hopes of the Sudanese people", Xinhua reported on Sunday. The league also urged the Sudanese parties to stick to dialogue as "the only means to achieve the desired political transition," calling on the international community to support all that leads to Sudan's stability. The Sudanese army ousted and detained former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on April 11 in response to four months of nationwide protests against his three-decade rule. TMC chief Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan announced in a televised speech on Saturday that a civilian government will soon be formed based on national consensus. He also assured that the TMC is committed to a two-year transitional period after which the rule will be handed over to the civilian government formed by the people. --IANS vin/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday accused the BJP of being directly responsible for "the barbaric repression let loose on the traders of Delhi's Mayapuri by the Modi government controlled-Delhi Police and paramilitary forces". On Saturday, thousands of factory owners, scrap dealers and employees of commercial establishments in Mayapuri Industrial area in west Delhi turned violent during a sealing drive by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). Speaking to the media, AAP leader Manish Sisodia said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had adopted an enemy-like approach towards Delhi. "The traders have been the worst victims during the last five years of Modi government, which has been proved by sealing and all other activities, including Saturday's attack on them," he said. He said it was shocking that instead of standing in solidarity with the traders, the BJP ordered Delhi Police to beat them up. "Then paramilitary forces were called to further terrorise them by throwing bricks and stones on them. Is this the way to deal with traders? Are they terrorists? Why were they treated like this?" Sisodia asked. Sisodia, also Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister, said fearing that its conspiracy had backfired, the BJP was trying to divert the issue and its leaders were making baseless statements. He said Union Minister of State for Urban Development Hardeep Singh Puri said that these industries were to be relocated. "So, who has to give land for relocation of these industries? Is it the Central government or Delhi government which was to provide land? " Sisodia questioned. Puri on Saturday tweeted: "I want to make it clear that the matter of relocating nearly 800 polluting scrap industries is purely between NGT and the Delhi government. The NGT had issued an order in 2015, but the incompetent and clueless Delhi government did nothing on it for four years which angered the NGT." Sisodia said the BJP cannot fool anyone by shedding crocodile tears. "Where were Puri and his Ministry since the 2015 NGT order? Where was Modi? "Why are you running away from taking responsibility? Why are you shifting the blame? If you claim control, then accept responsibility also. Have some shame," Sisodia said. Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain said: "I want to know under whose instructions they were there since they neither informed me nor took my approval. How was I bypassed? "I will be writing to the LG, telling him that strict action should be taken against DPCC officers." He said he would check if the LG gave them the approval and "were they (officials) told to keep the Minister in the dark". --IANS nks/pgh/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the campaign for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha picking up, central leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are descending on the state to woo the voters in favour of their party candidates. Odisha is one of the key eastern states where the saffron party has placed high hopes on making significant gains. The Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are being held simultaneously in the state in four phases. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the state on April 16. He is scheduled to address two rallies in Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur on the same day. Modi will also hold a roadshow in Bhubaneswar and address a public meeting at the Baramunda Ground here, state BJP vice-president Samir Mohanty said on Sunday. Modi will hold a roadshow from the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) to the meeting venue via Siripur Square, Mohanty said. Both Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur parliamentary constituencies will go to the polls in the third phase on April 23. BJP national President Amit Shah will also address two rallies in Baramba in Cuttack district and Dhenkanal on April 17. Shah had addressed a public meeting on April 12. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will hit the election campaign trail in Odisha on Monday. During his one-day visit to the state, Yogi will attend public rallies in Rourkela, Angul and Phulbani, said BJP spokesperson Golak Mohapatra. While several Union Ministers have already visited the state, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari on Sunday attended roadshows and public rallies at Brajarajnagar and Jharsuguda. To counter the BJP, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has depended on its president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is moving across the state to woo the voters. The Chief Minister will campaign in Bargarh and Bolangir districts on April 15 with a night stay scheduled at Bargarh. On April 16, he will visit his second assembly constituency of Bijepur, where he is scheduled to hold public meetings. Patnaik is contesting from the Hinjili and the Bijepur Assembly constituencies, both of which will vote in the second phase on April 18. --IANS cd/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP on Sunday wrote to the Election Commission demanding a probe in a controversial sermon delivered by a Catholic priest which it said could destabilize religious harmony in Goa. In a video that has gone viral, parish priest of Father Conceicao D'Silva is heard addressing devotees at the Raia Church in south Goa and alleging that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar died due to cancer as a wrath of God for encouraging pollution and trying to cancel government holidays of the Catholics. D'Silva also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of harassing minorities and urged his parishioners not to vote for it. "The said video clip depicts a priest addressing people within a religious institution and creating an atmosphere of hate and fear against a particular political party and a specific religion," BJP Panaji Mandal General Secretary Vishnu Naik said in a complaint to the Goa Chief Electoral Officer. "This matter needs a thorough investigation and the said priest must be booked for spreading hate and destabilizing religious harmony," said the letter. In the undated video, D'Silva spoke about coal dust pollution in the port town of Vasco da Gama, 35 km from Panaji. "It (coal dust) is all over, in the food, water, houses. People protested, held morchas, meetings, but Parrikar did not pay heed. His pockets were filled. Therefore God gave him cancer," he alleged. "Parrikar had even tried to take away school holidays. And he died in suffering. Pancreatic cancer is the worst cancer. Those who cross the path of God are invariably punished," he said. Asked for a comment, Secretary to Archbishop Fr. Loiola Pereira said: "I am aware of the video and the Bishop's House has been informed about it." --IANS maya/rtp/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Africa: President Ramaphosa to hand over schools in KZN This story has been published on: 2019-04-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Eskom says it will implement load shedding when absolutely necessary. On Thursday afternoon, the power utility alerted South Africans of a high risk of load shedding following a shortage of capacity due to the loss of generating units at its power stations. However, load shedding was not implemented on Thursday night, as the demand for... See more The Congress on Sunday demanded that the Centre make public the minutes of the meeting (MoM) between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former French President Francois Hollande, which culminated in the Rafale fighter aircraft deal. "The draft of the joint statement of the Indian Prime Minister and the French President did not have any mention on Rafale deal. We want the government to publicly place the minutes of meeting held between the two leaders," senior Congress leader Anand Sharma told reporters. "What is there to hide?", he asked. The former Union Minister also invited the Prime Minister for an open debate on the Rafale deal. "If there is no corruption involved, then the government should release the MoM. By not doing so, it is clearly evident that the Prime Minister is hiding something and he is involved in corruption. The former French President had already said that the Indian government recommended a partner," he said. Questioning the veil of secrecy on Rafale, Sharma said a joint statement between two countries is usually negotiated and prepared in advance. "... and if purchase of Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition was discussed, why was it not included in the joint statement. The Prime Minister should not remain silent on the deal," he said. He also shared details of the meeting between top officials of the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and the Rafale manufacturers Dassault. "The contract was snatched away from HAL, wherein Dassault had agreed on transfer-of-technology. Instead, a deal was made for 36 jets and HAL was not involved at all," Sharma said. --IANS ss-bns/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In two separate complaints to the Election Commission, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday accused leaders of the Congress as well as the Aam Adami Party (AAP) of "misinterpreting" parts of a speech, delivered earlier this week by its President Amit Shah, to create a communal rift for electoral gain. In one complaint, the state BJP has accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of violating the model code of conduct in his speech in Margao, part of the South Goa parliamentary seat. BJP Vice-President Keshav Prabhu alleged the AAP leader "blatantly violated" the model code of conduct by "inciting religious sentiments". "Kejriwal has been reported to have made remarks like mob lynching taking place in the country under the guise of cattle theft is actually murder. Kejriwal also tried to creat fear among Christians and Muslims by saying they will be driven into the sea under the guise of infiltrator," Prabhu said. In his speech on Saturday, Kejriwal had referred to Amit Shah's recent speech at a Darjeeling poll rally, where he had reportedly said the National Register of Citizens would be implemented across the country and all infiltrator barring Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs would be weeded out of. Kejriwal had also said if Shah became the Union Home Minister, mob lynching would become commonplace. In another complaint against Goa Congress spokesman Sunil Kawthankar, Prabhu, also the election agent of North Goa BJP candidate Shripad Naik, said the Congress leader had "grossly misinterpreted the statement of Shah and tried to spread lies". "He attempted to create communal divide by wrongly citing Shah's speech. It's a gross violation of the poll code and heinous attempt to create a communal rift," Prabhu stated in the complaint. --IANS maya/rs/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday filed a case against the former Vice-Chancellor of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication and 19 others in connection with irregularities in appointments and administrative decisions. "On examining a complaint by the university, a case has been filed under relevant sections against 20 people, including former VC Brajkishore Kuthiala," EOW sources said. According to the compliant, during his tenure as V-C, Kuthiala flouted rules to appoint people between 2010 and 2018. The appointments violated the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms. It was also alleged that the appointment of teachers between 2003 and 2018 were against UGC rules. Citing the complaint, EOW sources said the former V-C also misused his position to spend the university money on his family. --IANS hindi-pgh/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Goa has ordered a probe into a viral video, in which a Catholic priest is seen slandering the BJP as an anti-minority party and saying that the late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar suffered from pancreatic cancer as a wrath of God. A spokesperson for the CEO said that the South Goa District Magistrate, who is also the Returning Officer, has been directed to probe the video. "The South Goa District Magistrate has been ordered to probe whether the contents of the speech violate the model code of conduct," the spokesperson said. Earlier on Sunday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wrote to the Election Commission (EC) demanding a probe into the controversial sermon delivered by the parish priest Father Conceicao D'Silva. D'Silva accused the BJP of harassing the minorities and urged his parishioners not to vote for the party. "The said video clip depicts a priest addressing the people within a religious institution and creating an atmosphere of hate and fear against a particular political party and a specific religion," BJP Panaji Mandal General Secretary Vishnu Naik said in the complaint to the CEO. "This matter needs a thorough investigation and the said priest must be booked for spreading hatred and destabilising religious harmony," said the letter. In the undated video, D'Silva also spoke about coal dust pollution in the port town of Vasco da Gama, 35 km from Panaji. "It (coal dust) is all over, in the food, water, houses. People protested, held morchas and meetings but Parrikar did not pay heed. His pockets were filled. Therefore God gave him cancer," he alleged. "Parrikar had even tried to take away school holidays. And he died in suffering. Pancreatic cancer is the worst cancer. Those who cross the path of God are invariably punished," he said. Asked for a comment, Secretary to Archbishop Fr. Loiola Pereira said: "I am aware of the video and the Bishop's House has been informed about it." --IANS maya/arm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Film: "Hellboy"; Director: Neil Marshall; Cast: David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane and Daniel Dae Kim; Rating: ** Hell hath no fury when a woman is scorned, and to curb her from destroying the world, we have Hellboy, a demonic beast-turned superhero, who secretly works for the BPRD (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense) to keep the world safe from paranormal threats. That's the story in a nutshell, of Neil Marshall's film, which is based on the Dark Horse Comics' character, Hellboy. Set in England, the story is not as simple as it sounds in the above one-liner. The lady in question is the Blood Queen Nimue (Milla Jovovich), an evil and wicked sorceress who was killed by the mighty King Arthur. Subsequently, her dismembered body was packed in caskets and buried in different parts of the country. Now centuries later, while Hellboy is busy hunting giants in the English countryside, he confronts a decaying witch called Baba Yaga and reconnects with the young psychic Alice (Sasha Lane) whose life he had once saved. These two, accompanied by Ben Daimio a rugged Japanese-American military member of the BPRD., form a team to keep the demons at bay from the humans. Their journey cross paths with Gruagach, a hog-like fairy who is loyal to Nimue and eventually takes them deeper than you expect into the Arthurian lore. The plot touches upon issues like; Hellboy's origin and his relationship with his adoptive father who is now the head of BPRD. The screenplay is definitely disjointed and convoluted, set on a cheesy rock-soundtrack. So, all the fascination, the mythical spirit and the consciousness of enjoying the journey to the distant and legendary worlds are lost along the way. Dominated by a gimmicky and artificial desire that runs through the shell character of Hellboy, the inspirational-superhero trait, is missing and the experience appears sterile, despite his tough exterior and tender-side. What makes the character endearing and relatable though is his sulky half-demon-half-man-child-like behaviour. While the demons look ghastly with their special effects and bizarre make-up, they vibrate with energy as they skip light heartedly through the action scenes. The fight sequences which are brash, noisy and violent though astutely choreographed, are worn down by a feeling of, "seen it before." Also every time Hellboy grumbles, there is more noise and less emotions, forcing a sound in which no one believes. The soul is definitely missing during these moments. Overall, this film will appeal only to its comic book fans. --IANS troy/rb (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) How much challenge will the alliance between Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkars Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and Assaddudin Owaisis All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) pose to the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena combine in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra? The alliance of the two parties representing Dalits and Muslims, respectively, being experimented with for the first time in Maharashtra, has declared that it will be contesting all the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. While the party of Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of the architect of Indian Constitution B.R. Ambedkar, will be contesting 47 seats, AIMIM will be contesting on one seat. Its impact on the opposition Congress-Nationalist Congress Party led 56-party conglomeration will also have to be watched out for. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena combine had won 41 seats and after four years of bickering, the two parties are again contesting jointly. In some constituencies like Solapur, both the BJP-Sena and rival Congress-NCP view the VBA as a bigger challenge. The Congress has fielded former union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde while the BJP has nominated Mahaswami Jaisiddheshwar Shivacharya. Perhaps to dent the VBA challenge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held nearly half a dozen rallies in the state so far, targeting the Congress-NCP in an effort to wean away its voters to balance the potential damage of the VBA. Congress-NCP leaders privately dub the VBA as the 'Team B' of the BJP, "propped up" by the saffron allies to gobble up their Dalit-Muslim support base and ensure victory for its (BJP's) candidates. Ambedkar lashed out against this, claiming his main target will be BJP-Sena as the Congress-NCP is now weak in the state. Turning the screws on both the opposing alliances by targeting their perpetually-assumed support among Dalits and Muslims, the unprecedented VBA test could probably change the attitude of all the major mainstream parties vis-a-vis the two sections. Historically, the major Dalit and Muslim groups/parties remained content, hanging onto the skirts of the other major political groupings - but not anymore, as the VBA offers a clear-cut option to both sections, inclusive of others like tribals, Dhangars, Kolis and several fringe or deprived sections. The VBA demonstrated its prowess in February after Ambedkar and Owaisi addressed a mammoth public rally in Mumbai and before that in Aurangabad. Ambedkar, 64, a three-time parliamentarian, including one term in the Rajya Sabha, has also decided to field VBA candidates in 47 Lok Sabha constituencies, leaving Aurangabad for the AIMIM, which has nominated its high-profile legislator Imtiyaz Jaleel, a TV journalist-turned politician. Besides Solapur in Akola, won by Ambedkar twice in 1998 and 1999, the challenge will be against three-time BJP MP Sanjay S. Dhotre and the Congress' Hidayatullah B. Patel, who finished second in the 2009 and 2014 general elections. Interestingly, last month, Shinde - who won from Solapur thrice in 1998, 1999 and 2009 - created a political stir by claiming he and his legislator daughter Praniti were lured by the BJP. It retorted that Shinde was making such claims as he sensed defeat in Solapur. In the minority-dominated Aurangabad constituency, Jaleel will challenge the four-time MP and Shiv Sena stalwart Chandrakant Khaire and Congress' Subhash Zhambad, with a couple of rebels of Sena-BJP also in the fray. After the BSP-SP alliance fielded Dalit and Muslim candidates in Maharashtra, political pundits predict a tough time for the BJP-Sena and Congress-NCP alliances. Luckily for them, the BSP elephant barely impressed Maharashtra voters in the past, though the SP cycled its way through in Mumbai and surroundings with a legislator and some municipal corporators. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in) --IANS qn/vm/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At a time of widespread agricultural distress caused by successive droughts, unremunerative farming and debt-trapped rural economies, a young man with his mobile app is showing how change can be brought in the life of farmers at the grassroot level. In 2016, V. Naveen Kumar, who had no personal knowledge of agriculture, was so moved by the suicide of a farmer in a village in his native Warangal district of Telangana that for the next three months he ran around like a man possessed, meeting farmers to understand their problems. He interacted with agri-entrepreneurs and other stakeholders to find if there is a way he can bring some change in the lives of the financially besieged farmers. Today, over 1.24 lakh farmers in Telugu-speaking states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh use his mobile app NaPanta to avail a host of services, all free of cost. And this MBA degree holder is satisfied that he is contributing his mite to bring some change in the way they practise agriculture. NaPanta, which was started in June 2017, saw, surprisingly, thousands of farmers download the app. The launch of the pocket-friendly Reliance Jio and the boom in use of WhatsApp brought more people on the platform. The app, which provides all farming-related information and communication in Telugu on a single platform, is significantly reducing the time and cost of cultivation for a farmer in real time. "I am confident that if farmers follow my platform, they will be able to save 20 per cent on expenditure and get 10 per cent extra yield. We can make 30 per cent difference," V. Naveen Kumar, Founder and Managing Director, NaPanta, told IANS. While the country has many apps to help farmers, there is no single app covering the entire gamut of agriculture activity ranging from selection of crops to locate the market offering highest price for their produce. From advisory services and weather information to market prices and e-commerce, the digital platform offers the comprehensive agri eco-system. The app has tools like crop expenditure (which helps farmers track their expenses in an organized manner), crop protection, weekly agro advisory, agri forum, market price, agri e-commerce, crop insurance, weather, food processing technologies, and soil testing information. A farmer can also buy or rent an agri-equipment as per the requirements of his crop cycle and can also sell his produce for the highest price without any middleman. The app also allows farmers to access real-time and dynamic information pertaining to daily market prices of 300 agri-commodities across over 3,500 markets, along with three-year price trend. Currently available in Telugu and English, NaPanta App provides complete pest and disease management details, covering 90 crops and with suggestions about 3,000 pesticide products. Naveen Kumar, who earlier worked as a Credit Relationship Manager in ICICI Bank and later as Credit Risk Manager with HDFC Bank before co-founding apnaloanbazaar.com, a retail loan distribution services portal, says he is trying to build core competence among the farmers. According to him, for all their requirements, small and marginal farmers depend on third parties like distributors of the companies. "With no knowledge of agriculture practices and requirements of a particular farmer, they try to push their products for some extra profit and as a result the farmers either suffer crop losses or end up incurring huge expenditure." With agriculture extension officers of the government more focused on clerical related activities rather than extending actual help, he believes there is a huge gap between farmers and the government initiated activity. "Farming is not depending on a single advisory. It is a combination of various services. We identified all that a farmer needs in day to day life and ensured that he has easy access to the advisory so that whenever he gets a doubt, he can get it cleared then and there," he said. Naveen said several states including Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu were showing interest in the platform. The app will be available in Hindi and Tamil in June-July this year. "If everything goes well in next 3 to 5 years, we will have our presence in 7-9 states," said Naveen, who heads a five-member team. While the information on app will clear regular doubts of farmers, for specific doubts a farmer can ask questions to a panel which includes agriculture scientist and experts. NaPanta, an incubatee of International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) also gets the institute's help in business activity, reaching the farmers and engagement with agri-input companies. The startup, which can sustain for next six months on its own, is receiving proposals from different investment companies and Naveen says he will go with whoever is close to his idea. With huge amount of data being generated on the digital platform, Naveen embarked on building big-data architecture with crowd-sourcing information. It is building database with information on major crops in a particular area, major insects which affect a crop, cropping system, sequential cropping model, pesticides and where the farmers sell their produce. He is confident that this data will be a goldmine in the coming years. "This kind of crowd-sourcing information is not available in the agriculture sector in India. We are getting information from actual farmers and not third parties." (The weekly feature series is part of a positive-journalism project of IANS and the Frank Islam Foundation. Mohammed Shafeeq can be contacted at m.shafeeq@ians.in) --IANS ms/vv/tb (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India has called nuclear-armed Pakistan's bluff with its air strikes on terror camps in that country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, adding that one country cannot have two Prime Ministers. Referring to the air strikes by the Indian Air Force (IAF) at Balakot, Modi told an election rally here: "Pakistan and its supporters have been threatening us for long with its nuclear capability but the IAF called its bluff with its strikes. "Those days are gone when India would give in to threats. This is a new India and it will strike terrorists well inside their hideouts across the border," he thundered. In his speech, Modi took on both the Congress as well as the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Accusing the Congress and its allies of always criticizing him for highlighting India's security situation, he said: "They do so because they never fully trusted the country's defence forces. "The Congress always restricted our Army from going all out against terrorists. It has used the defence forces only for income generation, be it Bofors or helicopter deals. The Congress and its allies keep above the security of the country. "Some people are so involved in anti-Modi tirade that they have forgotten the security of the country," he said. Modi accused the National Conference and PDP of supporting separatism. "They threaten India with a separate Prime Minister and also separation of the state from the country. "I want to make it clear to these separatist supporters that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and will remain so. The people of J&K are not the slaves of the Abdullahs and the Muftis whose three generations have ruled this state. "It was in Kathua that Shyama Prasad Mookerjee unfurled the tricolour and Prem Nath Dogra stood with him. One country cannot have two Prime Ministers, two flags and two Constitutions. That commitment made by Shyama Prasad Mookerjee is our firm resolve," he said. "These corrupt families of J&K must know that Modi will stand like a wall against their attempts to continue their family rule in the state. They may keep abusing me but they will not succeed in dividing this country. "They have already destroyed three generations of people in the state." Modi also promised citizenship rights for West Pakistan refugees and the return of Kashmiri Pandit migrants to the Kashmir Valley once he was voted back to power. The Prime Minister said while did not doubt Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's nationalist credentials, "he was under tremendous pressure from the Congress family not to attend the official function at Jallianwala Bagh in memory of the martyrs." --IANS sq/rtp/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack at a vegetable and fruit market in Pakistan's city of Quetta. The militant group said in a statement on Saturday that one of its members carried out the suicide attack that killed and injured several Shiite community members and Pakistani troops. There was no official confirmation from the Pakistani side yet. Provincial Home Minister Mir Zia Ullah Langau told local media that at least 20 people, including a soldier of paramilitary troops Frontier Corps (FC) and two children, were killed while 48 others, including four FC personnel, got injured in Friday's attack. Deputy Inspector General of Quetta Police Abdul Razzaq Cheema said the blast targeted the Hazara community of minority Shiite Muslims, and at least eight people from Hazara community were among the killed. Shortly after the attack, the Hazara community members including women and children staged a sit-in which continued on Saturday, demanding better security measures from the government. The protesters demand that the government implement an effective security plan and ensure protection of the community. The Senate Standing Committee on Interior also sought a report from the Interior Ministry on the action taken so far against terrorists and banned outfits involved in Hazara killings. The committee voiced serious concern over the Quetta blast and continued killings of members of the Hazara community. --IANS vin/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Low-cost carrier and top rival SpiceJet appears to be making the most of the crisis at Jet Airways. Spicejet is now hiring engineers and pilots at much lower pay than their current salaries at the financialy-troubled Jet. Industry sources told IANS that pilots from Jet Airways are being asked to take salary cuts of 25-30 per cent, while engineers have been advised to settle at 50 per cent of their current pay package. Not long ago, many airlines including SpiceJet were luring the same pilots and engineers with joining bonuses and better perks. "The prospect of closure is certainly one of the reasons for professionals agreeing to take salary cuts. But average salaries at Jet Airways have also been higher than the industry level," a top aviation source said. A senior aircraft maintenance engineer who has applied to SpiceJet and Air India Express for a job said that he has got an offer in the range of Rs 150,000 to 200,000 a month while his current cost to company (CTC) at Jet Airways is nearly Rs 400,000 a month. "The offer is much lower. It will certainly be a forced choice. We are hoping that some investor would take over Jet and our salaries will remain protected," he said. A SpiceJet executive said that the budget carrier was offering salaries based on their own structure and not the highly inflated one paid by Jet Airways. A senior commander with Jet Airways said that pilots with 4-5 years of experience are going to other airlines as they are feeling the pinch of salary delays. "They have loans and other financial commitments so they are looking for places where there is certainty of jobs and timely salary payment. Not many senior level pilots have so far left Jet Airways. They are reluctant to go to either SpiceJet, IndiGo or Air India Express as they feel their seniority and salary will be impacted. They do not want to sign 3-5 year bonds," he said. The flying veteran noted that many co-pilots who do not have much experience generally get about Rs 2.9 lakh salary month at Jet Airways, and they are willing to join other airlines for even less than Rs 2 lakh a month. Among various domestic airlines, only Air India Express and SpiceJet operate Boeing fleets, apart from Jet Airways. Those operating Airbus aircraft fear huge conversion costs for both pilots and engineers and are, thus, reluctant to hire the technical personnel from Jet. "We will have to train them for flying and maintenance of Airbus aircraft. In case of pilots, it will need six months of training, while for engineers the reskilling would take 3-4 months. This means the salary for entire training period will be a huge cost for us," said an executive of a private airline operating Airbus planes. But aviation experts feel that the current situation is temporary and it will normalise once Jet gets back on its feet. "This is an unusual situation because Jet Airways remains almost grounded. Normally, supply and demand have been in favour of pilots and engineers. Now, it depends on how quickly Jet restarts again. If that happens things will stabilise. I won't be surprised if many pilots and engineers go back to Jet," said Rajan Mehra, a veteran aviation professional and Chief Executive Officer Club One Air. Saddled with mounting debt and losses, Jet Airways is fighting for its survival. The airline is in gradual descent and staring at closure with nearly 90 per cent of its fleet on the ground. (Nirbhay Kumar can be contacted at nirbhay.k@ians.in) --IANS nk/sn/bc (663 Words) (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Electorate in Karnataka will not be allowed to carry smart-phones or mobile phones inside the polling booth while going to vote to prevent them from taking selfies or recording videos, an official said on Sunday. "The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) prevents voters from carrying mobile phones or smart-phones and cameras inside the polling booth. In fact, no voter will be allowed to take his/her cellphone within 100 metres radius of the booth. "They will have to leave it at home or deposit it with the police personnel before entering the booth," Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar told IANS. Another poll official admitted that though the MCC has had the ban provision since 2008, it was not enforced strictly during the previous elections for reasons such as manpower shortage and absence of internet-connected smart-phones with a camera. "The provision to not allow mobile phones or smart-phones inside the booth was observed more in breach in the past, as not many voters had them a decade or five years ago or carried them while going to vote," recalled senior poll official Surya Sen. With most urban voters now using camera-wielding smart-phones, during the May 2018 Assembly elections many were caught taking selfies while casting their vote or making videos inside the booth as a proof of exercising their franchise. "This year, the security personnel have been instructed to prevent voters from carrying a mobile or a smartphone inside the booth," said Kumar. "If the security personnel are busy, the voters can leave their devices with party agents who sit outside the booths with the voter lists," Kumar added. Polling officials, security personnel and others manning booths, including presiding officers, their assistants and agents of candidates, however, will be allowed to carry and use smart-phones. Karnataka has 5.11 crore electorate, including 2.6 crore male and 2.5-crore female voters and 4,661 others. The number of polling booths in 28 seats across the state has increased 7 per cent from 54,265 in the 2014 elections to 58,186 this year. The state's 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in the central and southern regions go to polls on April 18, while the remaining 14 parliamentary seats cast their vote on April 23. The 14 constituencies polling in the first phase are Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga (SC), Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajnagar (SC), Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkaballapur and Kolar (SC). Those in the second phase are Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur (SC), Gulbarga (SC), Raichur (ST), Bidar, Koppal, Bellary (ST), Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davanagere and Shimoga. The votes will be counted on May 23. --IANS fb/rtp (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Accusing the Narendra Modi government of waiving off loans worth Rs 5.56 lakh crore to corporates, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Sunday said it is conducting a "mega-loot" of national resources while imposing "mega-misery" on the common people. Alleging that the people are getting greater evidence of its corruption and cronyism everyday, he claimed they will vote on the basis of their day to experience under the current government and not basis of some "emotive appeals" made by Modi and his party. "The Modi government is getting drawn deeper into corruption and cronyism.... Out of the total NPAs that leaked out, government figures show Rs 5.56 lakh crore loans to corporates have been waived off. The government have kept the names of the corporates a secret so we do not who they are. "People of the country is getting the evidence of the mega-loot that is being done by this government while imposing a mega-misery on common people's economic livelihood. This is the balance sheet of the current government. This will determine the election," Yechury told reporters here. He hinted that corporate firms which might have paid hefty amounts to the ruling BJP, might have been given the benefit of loan waivers by the government. "This connects to the electoral bonds.. Now the Supreme Court has asked the banks to furnish details about who paid how much electoral bonds to which party. So it will know which are the companies involved in buying electoral bonds. Soon the public will also know about it," Yechury said. Asked whether the Left parties will extend post electoral support to the Congress in forming a government at the Centre, he said they will decide that as per the election results. "CPI-M is committed for the creation of an alternative secular government at the centre. We cannot speculate what form would that government take. All depends how the result emerge and based on that we will take a decision after the elections," he said. Referring to the first phase of general elections on April 11, he said his party is "very unhappy" with the way things have gone in different states and warned that people will lose their faith in the Election Commission if such "malpractices" are repeated in the next phases. "There have been so many glitches in the EVM machines. In Bengal, there was not enough protection for the voters even in the places where the central force were deployed. Many people were not allowed to reach the polling booths while in Tripura, most of the opposition parties' polling agents were beaten up and driven away from the polling premises. We will tell the EC that if such things happen for another phase, people will lose faith on them," he added. --IANS mgr/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Modi wave lashing the country is now stronger than what it was in 2014 when he stormed to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared on Sunday. "I have gone around the country... I now see a more powerful wave than in 2014. All the surveys are suggesting that the BJP is winning three times more seats than the Congress in the Lok Sabha," the Prime Minister thundered at an election rally here. "The chances of survival for the Congress is very difficult," he said. Referring to the opposition, Modi said some people were so intent on hating him that they consider nationalism as an abuse. He hailed the people for coming out to vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state on April 11. "You have proved the power of Indian democracy... With heavy voting in Jammu and Baramulla, you have given a strong response to the terrorists and opportunists." He said elections and leaders will come and go but the country will remain. In an apparent reference to the opposition, he said: "'Mahaamilaavati' and their 'rag darbari' ask why Modi is speaking about protecting the nation. Speaking about the nation is important..." He accused the Congress of doing over the 100th anniversary of Jallianwala Bagh massacre on April 13. "While the Vice President, who is not a part of politics, went for a programme organized in Amritsar to pay tributes to the martyrs... the Chief Minister (of Punjab) was missing. He boycotted the programme because he was busy in Congress bhakti. He went there with the Congress President but not with the Vice President. That is the difference between the love for a family and love for the nation." --IANS nks/pg/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Andrew Mason founded Groupon -- an online platform that helps people find deals on local restaurants, goods and services -- in 2008. As a CEO, he declined Google's offer to buy his company for $6 billion in 2010. Mason, known for drinking beer at the company's annual meetings, has been criticised in the Silicon Valley for not being mature enough to run the company. Mason, however, is not the lone entrepreneur to face such criticism. The stark truth behind the downfall of tech majors like Kodak, Blackberry or video rental company Blockbuster - not to forget the untimely death of scores of start-ups - is when top leadership mess things up, either owing to poor decisions or throwing arrogance in the public domain, especially on social media. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Facebook Founder-CEO Mark Zuckerberg fits the bill in the current scenario. The blue-eyed boys of Silicon Valley, the duo - stubborn and arrogant to a large extent - has created super-cool brands that has the potential to change the world (only if they want that to happen). The man behind several successful ventures -- PayPal, Tesla Motors, SpaceX and SolarCity - Musk has rewritten the rules how innovation and hard work can transform businesses. Amid all the good stuff he is doing, Musk's irresponsible tweets have created a havoc, both in the lives of investors and the company insiders. Smoking marijuana on a live show and abusing people on Twitter (calling a Thailand cave rescuer "child rapist" and "pedo"), Musk invited trouble for himself. After facing widespread backlash, Musk eventually apologised to the Thai diver. In August 2018, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against Musk after he tweeted that he was considering taking the company private. Musk and Tesla later settled with the SEC. Tesla agreed to pay a $20 million fine and Musk stepped down as Tesla Chairman for at least three years. In March this year, the SEC pulled up Musk for blatantly violating the settlement pact. The SEC said Musk had regularly published substantive information about Tesla and its business in tweets even after the pact. "Take a breath. Come back with your reasonableness pants on," a US District Court judge told Musk during the hearing on the Tesla-SEC case earlier this month. He was also criticised for allegedly pushing a former Tesla employee who resigned and was attempting to say goodbye to a co-workers. Tesla, meanwhile, survived the lowest sales in nearly two years - a 31 per cent decline in deliveries in the first quarter of 2019 as compared to the final quarter of 2018. In the words of a Twitter user who goes by the name of Drew G.: "I don't have much, but I believe in you and your vision. Unfortunately, I invest what little I have into @Tesla and I continuously lose months worth of savings due to your tweets. Please think of us small people". In the case of Zuckerberg, his failure to take action to address obvious flaws in Facebook and to protect the brand is well documented in the latest book 'Zucked' by Roger McNamee, a famed Silicon Valley fund manager and venture capitalist. Zuckerberg initially denied the existence - and later responsibility - for "coordinated inauthentic behaviours" on his platforms, including WhatsApp and Instagram, as data breaches kept happening. Internally, Zukerberg's goal to monetise all its platforms -- WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram -- has forced several key people to leave the company. One of them, Brian Acton, told Forbes that Zuckerberg was in a rush to make money from the messaging service and undermine elements of its encryption technology. "Targeted advertising is what makes me unhappy," Acton said. Facebook got another jolt when Instagram founders Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom quit the company, also reportedly due to disagreements with Zuckerberg. Before his death, Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs said: "Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it". The cost of arrogance is business and being humble in the public domain -- the way Google's Sundar Pichai, Microsoft's Satya Nadella or Apple's Tim Cook display -- is the key to win the trust of customers and users. (Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in) --IANS na/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday that his fight for replacing EVMs with ballot papers is to protect democracy in India. Naidu, also the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief, claimed that only 18 out of 191 countries were using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for conducting the polls. He reiterated that the machines can be manipulated and that even the developed countries were not using them. Naidu was speaking at a meeting organised by opposition parties at Constitution Club of India on the topic 'Save democracy - Transparency in election process and protection of voters rights'. Demanding transparency in the conduct of the elections, the meeting decided to file a review petition in the Supreme Court for counting of VVPAT slips. Paying tribute to Dr B. R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, on the occasion of his 128th birth anniversary, Naidu cited his quote: "Vote is sharper than a knife and if it is rightly used, the voter will be the king and if it is sold, he will remain as a slave." He alleged that technology was misused during the Telangana elections to delete 25 lakh votes and when this was pointed out to the poll officials, they merely said "sorry". Claiming that services of contract employees were used for maintenance of EVMs, he asked the Election Commission if it would own responsibility for their wrong-doings. Naidu also alleged that there was a chance of tampering EVMs by managing the micro controller and chips. He said even the developed countries like Germany preferring ballots for polling. He said there should be transparency in election process. "The Election Commission lost credibility with the non-functioning of EVMs at majority of places in Andhra Pradesh," Naidu said, claiming that around 20 to 30 per cent EVMs did not function during the elections to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and the state's 25 Lok Sabha seats on April 11. He said the BJP government failed to honour the demand of opposition parties to reintroduce the ballot system, and also accused the Modi government of harassing opposition leaders through Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate raids. The Chief Minister also said the Election Commission transferred officials in Andhra Pradesh without the consent of the state. --IANS ms/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As telecom major Vodafone Idea (VIL) opened its rights issue on Wednesday for the next two weeks with an aim to raise Rs 25,000 crore, sector experts say the fund would not be enough for the company given its high debt and the highly-competitive market. In the meantime, Bharti Airtel too has announced that on April 24 its committee for fund infusion would decide on the shareholders who would be able to participate in its rights issue for around Rs 25,000 crore. Analysts say Airtel is in a better financial position than Vodafone Idea and unlike the newly-merged entity, the amount raised from the rights issue by Sunil Bharti Mittal-led Airtel would be sufficient for the time being. Vodafone Idea is offering 2,000 crore shares at a price of Rs 12.50 apiece. The entitlement ratio of the issue, which will close on April 24, has been fixed at 87 rights shares for every 38 currently held. Under rights issue, existing shareholders are offered to purchase additional stock shares, known as subscription warrants, in proportion to their existing holdings. In a rights offering, the subscription price at which each share may be purchased is generally discounted relative to the current market price. Rights are often transferable, allowing the holder to sell them in the open market. "Vodafone idea is very stretched because their Ebitda has fallen to about $650 million(around Rs 4,495 crore), their debt is also quite high and their leverage as measured by debt-to-Ebitda too is high," Nitin Soni, Director for corporate ratings at Fitch Ratings, told IANS. He said that Airtel is a diversified company and has operations in Africa as well while Vodafone Idea is a telecom-specific company which has severely deteriorated its financials. "In that light, their (Airtel's) equity injection is sufficient and they are going to raise another $3 billion from African IPO and sale of assets, but for Vodafone idea it is insufficient and they might have to raise more money in future because their capex plan is about $3.5-4 billion," Soni said. He added: "They (Vodafone Idea) need to invest heavily to avoid any network congestion and their Ebitda has fallen much more than Bharti's. So all in all they would probably need more equity, or stake or sale of other assets". According to the company's promoter shareholders, Vodafone Group and Aditya Birla Group have confirmed their participation of up to Rs 11,000 crore and up to Rs 7,250 crore, respectively, in the rights issue. "It is not compulsory that the rights issues of companies are fully subscribed over time, it is up to the market conditions and existing shareholders, and whether they rely on the management and the future expansion plans of the company," said Manish Yadav, Head of Research, CapitalAim. Amit Gupta, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Trading Bells, said the fund would work for two or three quarters but the company would require additional infusion after that. "Vodafone Idea has a overall debt of Rs 1,23,000 crore with a gross debt-to-Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) ratio of 33.30. After infusion of the equity capital through the rights issue, the debt would reduce to Rs 98,000 crore and its debt-to-Ebitda ratio would decline to 26.50 which would still be higher than that of its competitors Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio," Gupta said. The company is also looking to sell its 11.5 per cent stake in Indus Towers in the next two to three months and raise around Rs 5,500 crore. Off late, apart from loss in revenue, Vodafone Idea has also lost a large number subscribers to both Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio. Vodafone Idea, the largest telecom operator in terms of subscribers, lost 35.87 lakh users taking its total base to 41.52 crore while both Jio and Airtel added to their subscriber base. From the industry perspective, Prashant Singhal, Emerging Markets TMT Leader at Ernst & Young, said that although the rights issue would help in reducing the debt, the sector being a capital intensive industry, companies would continue to need capital for expanding and investing their networks. He said that rationalisation of tariffs, which are extremely low currently, would give a much-needed boost to the sector, apart from the capital infusion. --IANS rrb/sn/pg/arm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), here on Sunday, urged the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) for an independent probe into recovery of Rs 6.65 crore by Punjab Police from the house of a Christian priest, which later went missing. Alleging that the money could be misused by the Congress in the parliamentary polls, the SAD demanded a thorough probe into the missing money and strict action against police officers concerned. SAD senior vice-president Daljit Singh Cheema in a statement said it was important to find the money trail. "We have reasons to believe this money could find its way into the hands of the Congress and its leaders and be used to influence voters in the parliamentary polls. Only an independent probe can prevent this and bring the guilty of the crime to book," Cheema said. The SAD leader said the Khanna Police had been exposed by the special investigation team, appointed to probe the case, but even the SIT could not proceed against the Congress or its leaders. "As per the latest information, it has been ascertained that two assistant sub-inspectors and a police informer made off with Rs 6.65 crore and the police were looking for the three accused. It seems doubtful that two low-level police officers could commit the crime without any political patronage," Cheema said. "The SIT is constrained because it reports to the Congress government and cannot explore this angle. This is why an independent probe, supervised by the EC, is necessary to get to the bottom of the case," he said. The Akali leader also demanded registration of cases against all officers of the Khanna police district who tried to give a clean chit to the policemen after the Christian priest, Father Anthony Madasserry, claimed that Rs 16.32 crore had been seized from his residence last month, but the authorities had shown recovery of only Rs 9.66 crore. "The Khanna police did its utmost to discredit Father Madasserry and refused any wrong doing on its part. But bank officials (of South Indian Bank) who counted the money as well as CCTV footage nailed the lies of the Khanna police," Cheema claimed. He also demanded a probe why the Khanna police claimed that it seized the money from Doraha, and not the priest's house in Jalandhar. --IANS js/pgh/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court has allowed an IPS officer facing department proceedings to go on a private trip to the US and France to meet his family. The apex court said that right to travel is an essential fundamental right of an individual. A bench comprising Justice L. Nageswara Rao and Justice M.R. Shah said: "Right to travel abroad is an important basic human right as it nourishes independent and self-determined creative character of an individual, not only extending his freedom of action, but also extending the scope of his experience. The right also extends to private life."Satish Chandra Verma, an IPS officer, had moved the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Chennai, seeking its permission to travel abroad. However, the tribunal had dismissed his application citing pending department inquiries against Verma. Verma, who is an Inspector General with the Central Training College, Coimbatore, then moved the high court, which said there was nothing wrong with the denial of permission by the tribunal due to lack of vigilance clearance. Verma then filed a petition in the apex court challenging the high court order. Verma informed the SC that he was keen to meet his family residing in France and the US. The apex court noted that freedom to meet family and friends and the freedom to attend marriages were genuine human rights. The SC bench said that Verma has the fundamental right to travel abroad and that right cannot be infringed on the ground that vigilance clearance has not been given. Verma informed the court that he had earlier flown to the US in 2017 and had returned within the stipulated time period. The court said: "We are of the opinion that there is no reason for the Government of India to refuse permission to the applicant to travel abroad." The bench noted that pending department proceedings cannot be a ground to stop Verma from travelling abroad. Observing that Verma had paid leaves to avail, the SC bench permitted him to travel to the US and France between April 24, 2019 and June 1, 2019. The court also directed Verma to file an undertaking to the Registry stating that he would surely come back by June 1. --IANS ss/arm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday called upon Sri Lankans, living in the island and overseas, to work unitedly for the upliftment of the nation. In a statement, Sirisena has said as the country celebrates the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, Sri Lankans must collectively commit themselves towards fulfilling the national expectations, which includes further development of the country, the Xinhua news agency reported. "While enjoying the results of efforts of our own victories, we must collectively commit ourselves to fulfil the national expectations. I wish the dearest people of this country as well as the Sri Lankans living abroad a peaceful and prosperous New Year," the President said. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in a statement said the Sinhala and Tamil New Year was a national cultural festival celebrated across the country. "It is with immense pleasure I would like to wish all of you a blissful and bountiful New Year," Wickremesinghe said. Several new year festivities were held across the island to usher in the new year. --IANS rs/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sudan's Transitional Military Council chief has issued a constitutional decree to confirm the list of 10 army generals in the council, the official Sudan TV reported. According to the decree, the 10-member military council consists of the chairman Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, the deputy chairman Mohamed Hamdan Daqlu and eight other members, Xinhua reported on Saturday. All members of the transitional military council have taken the constitutional oath before the Chief Justice. --IANS vin/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The rise of the Chinese short video-sharing app TikTok in India has been so spectacular over the past year that it is now nearly impossible for any social media user to not have come across its content. These user-created videos that often contain memes, lip-syncing songs and sometimes sleazy posts regularly find ways to other popular social media sites including Facebook, WhatsApp and ShareChat. These are the platforms where most adult social media users are now getting introduced to TikTok. For the young generation though, especially the teenagers and even younger kids, the app needs no introduction. In fact, according to a new report from mobile app intelligence firm Sensor Tower, out of the 18.8 crore new users that TikTok added globally in the first quarter of 2019, 8.86 crore were from India. Globally, TikTok has far crossed 1.1 billion installs and in the first quarter of 2019, it emerged as the third most installed app in the world, ranking behind only Facebook's WhatsApp and Messenger at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, the analysis showed. But how do you explain the dramatic rise of this app owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance? "The rise of TikTok (formerly Musical.ly), highlights where the future of the Internet in India is: video," leading tech policy and media consultant Prasanto K. Roy told IANS. "Of the 500 million smartphone and mobile broadband users in India, well over 300 million consume predominantly or only video. And as we get the next 200 million online by 2020, the video-only share will rise to over 70 per cent," he added, indicating the potential for further growth of video sharing apps in the country. So far, the big drivers of Internet adoption in India have been WhatsApp, Messenger and Facebook, with additional help from shopping and taxi apps, and some streaming services such as Hotstar. "No other app before Musical.ly/Tik Tok really went to a video-only, and especially an interactive video platform. For instance, its 'react' feature lets users to film their reaction to a video and its 'duet' feature allows users to film a video aside another video," Roy added. Another reason for its growth is that the app allows people to express themselves even if they do not have the gift of the gab. So anyone who feel a little ostracized in platforms such as Facebook and Twitter may find solace on TikTok. "TikTok caters to those who feel left out on other primarily-text platforms, either because of literacy or language inadequacy," Roy pointed out. However, the growth of TikTok has not been without its share of controversies. Hearing a petition filed by an advocate, the Madras High Court earlier this month asked the Centre to ban the app, saying it "encourages pornography" and is spoiling the future of youths and the minds of children. TikTok on Friday said as part of its commitment towards providing a positive in-app environment for its users in India, it had removed over six million videos that have violated its "Community Guidelines". TikTok also said it has stopped allowing users below 13 years to login and create an account on the platform. "Unfortunately, social media has been an unsafe space and a platform like this (TikTok) which draws children in, and therefore possible predators, needs to be used with care," Roy said. (Gokul Bhagabati can be contacted at gokul.b@ians.in) --IANS gb/prs/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The debate on Kashmir has produced a crop of 'experts' whose analysis is in many cases tinted by their political alignment. In the run-up to the 2019 General Election, the issue of handling of Kashmir by the Centre and the connected question of India's Pakistan policy figure prominently in the opposition's attack on the government. In essence, the stand of the Modi regime was that the prime challenge in Kashmir was to counter the cross-border terrorism instigated by Pakistani agencies from across the LOC and prevent the latter from converting some vulnerable young minds in the Valley to the path of the gun in support of the infiltrated terrorists - all in the name of faith. The narrative on Kashmir whipped up by the opposition is silent on three important aspects of the issue - these have to be explained so that the distortion these gaps produced in the Kashmir story is understood. First, the analysts disregard the basic fact that the discussion on Kashmir has to be around the integral state of Jammu & Kashmir that housed a multiplicity of religions - and not only about the Valley. For over two decades now, since the difficult election of 1996, the state was governed by a democratically-elected political executive which was supposed to connect with the entire citizenry of J&K and provide it with both development and security. The Valley-based political parties, who used the separatist lobby with its pro-Pakistan stance to gain power, did not measure up to the accountability they had towards all the people of the state for good governance. Because of their vested interests they never came out clean on the question that any communally guided solution-finding of the Kashmir 'problem' was simply not valid or acceptable for the reason that it will bring back the legacy of Partition and weaken India as a democratic nation. The second serious flaw in the debate on Kashmir is traceable to a near complete ignorance on the part of many commentators, of the historical reality that the aggravation of the internal trouble in the Valley began in the early Nineties when the external factor of Pakistan launching an entirely new kind of covert offensive from across the LOC came into play. The success of the anti-Soviet armed campaign in Afghanistan, for which Pakistan was given the entire credit by the Americans, led the Pakistan ISI to plan a replication of the Afghan Jehad in Kashmir by pumping in Mujahideen into the Valley. The arrival of Harkat ul-Ansar terrorists there in 1993 marked the start of a new level of proxy war operation of Pakistan. HUA comprised elements of the Taliban and Jaish-e-Mohammad and the subversion in the name of Jehad that they launched, replaced the political slogans of Plebiscite and Azadi raised by the separatists earlier. Pakistan's ISI had directed the Jamaat-e-Islami of Syed Shah Gilani to extend support to HUA at that time. Later Gilani's young militants leading the indigenous outfits of the Jamaat, like Burhan Wani of Hizbul Mujahideen and Asiya Indrabi of Dukhtaran-e-Millat, were made to take orders directly from Maulana Hafiz Sayeed - chief of LeT in Pakistan. Terror in Kashmir has since been squarely directed from Pakistan - a limited number of locals converted to the path of Jehad does not change this basic aspect of the Kashmir problem. The third crucial gap in the current narrative of the opposition on Kashmir is in the interpretation of the role of the Indian army in the state. Cross-border terror is the instrument of 'proxy war' that the Pakistan ISI has been using against India in Kashmir and elsewhere. 'Proxy war' is a covert offensive but it is also 'war'. Army that fights a 'war' on the border and beyond has to fight the 'proxy war' on our own soil. It has to specially retrain itself to meet the new combat environ - and this is what the Indian army has successfully done in Kashmir. It has been given the orientation for observing 'restraint' as it is operating in a civilian setting. It carries out intelligence-based tasks so as to minimise collateral damage. It has the protective cover of AFSPA but its performance is monitored by the Unified Headquarter chaired by the Chief Minister. This underlines the concept that even in an insurgency-affected area, the army is deployed in aid of civil power. AFPSA defines misconduct of armed personnel and provides for punishment after an enquiry. Any criticism of the very presence of the . army or the wholesale denunciation of AFPSA for political reasons makes no sense. Emphasis has to be on correcting operational methodology and deployment in the light of experience and doing everything possible to remove any misunderstanding about the same in the minds of the law abiding local people. The regional politicians running the government have not done anything to work for that objective for the obvious reason that promoting a separatist ethos helped them to gain power. Can any thing be more ridiculous than their stand that India should talk to Pakistan to prevent stone pelting incidents? They are either confirming that Pakistan was behind the spell of lawlessness in the Valley or admitting the utter failure of their administration to even deal with a civil disorder. While the political issues like Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution are in the realm of national policy - not matters affecting the average Kashmiri's current day-to-day life - they are seized by these leaders to spread apprehension for keeping their vote bank intact. These provisions at best signify an advance degree of autonomy - which, by definition, will always be something less than sovereignty. The democratically-elected leaders in the state should have, when in power, promoted economic development and collective security of citizens against the shadow of externally instigated terror but they did not do any of that and only allowed Islamic extremists to destroy Kashmiriyat which was known for shared veneration of Saints and Pirs at their Mazars by both Musims and non-Muslims. Why did the state politicians in power not ask their Deputy Commissioners and SSPs to have a weekly interaction with the public to address their issues? Why did they never name Pakistan for infiltrating terrorists and instead openly appreciated the misguided youth who joined the Pakistan Mujahideen spreading violence in the Valley? The 'muscular' approach of the Centre against terrorists must be extended to Pakistani agents and local collaborators of terror and at the same time the efforts of the administration to reach out to the youth in the Valley should be doubled. Pakistan is only interested in keeping the Kashmir valley destabilised and giving it a communal spin to get an opportunity of meddling in the domestic of India. Prime Minister Imran Khan is clearly on this path at the behest of his army. The Pulwama attack on the CRPF by a suicide bomber of Jaish-e-Mohammad signals the intention of Pakistan to intensify its proxy war in Kashmir notwithstanding the disapproval it has earned from the world community for colluding with the outfits of Islamic terrorists. It is playing for a larger geo-political strategy that gives it a say in Afghanistan to the detriment of India. It should be remembered that Pakistan had managed to instal an Afghan Emirate at Kabul under Taliban-Al Qaeda leadership in 1996. India's handling of the Kashmir issue at home cannot be divorced from our ability to thwart the external threat from Pakistan's designs facing the Valley. The tough stance against Pakistan on the issue of terror has to be maintained for as long as it takes and our foreign policy activated with equal vigour not to let Pakistan have its way in Afghanistan as well. (The writer is a former Director Intelligence Bureau) -- IANS pathak/am (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Social is trending on possible links between Frances Le Monde daily and Sam Pitroda, the high-profile technocrat close to the Gandhi family. It has been suggested that Pitroda, who many describe as the father of India's telecom revolution, has close business links with French billionaire Xavier Niel, one of the co-owners of Le Monde. Niel's main business is telecom. Forbes.com, which puts his wealth at $4.4 billion, says he owns 55 per cent of Ilaid, the parent company of Free Mobile, which is owned by him. A series of social posts, which started on Saturday and then picked up momentum, suggested that Pitroda actually invested in Niel's company. Ravi Kant, who uses the Twitter handle @LegalKant, claimed in a post: "So basically Le Monde's co-owner has links to Sam Pitroda and @lemondefr main French competitor @Le_Figaro is owned by Groupe Dassault Did @lemondefr share these facts in its vicious report that seems more suited for Congress mouthpiece @NH_India." In another post, he says: "Few are aware that Xavier Niel's firms gained from investments made by Sam Pitroda To what extent Sam Pitroda made those investments?" He then asks: "Can Sam Pitroda deny any commercial links with Xavier Niel?" Ravi Kant goes on to claim on Twitter: "Such deep are the links between French Newspaper Le Monde and #SamPitroda (advisor of @RahulGandhi) that he was called as 'father of India's telecommunications network equipment'." IANS contacted Pitroda on WhatsApp against the backdrop of Ravi Kant's tweets, and asked whether he had any links with Niel. Pitroda's response was: "Do not know who he is and have no business with him. I do not know where you got this from." Ravi Kant describes himself as lawyer-turned-labour economist, who graduated from the Global Labour University and was thereafter a PhD scholar at Sorbonne in Paris, researching on labour markets. The Twitter trail on his posts got significant traction. One reason for that is the relevance of Pitroda. He left India after the Congress lost the 1989 Lok Sabha election and Rajiv Gandhi was no longer Prime Minister. However, he continues to generate interest in India. When the Congress-led UPA came to power, he headed the National Knowledge Commission. He is close to the Gandhis and is believed to be playing a role in the Congress strategy in the Lok Sabha elections. The Twitter posts by followed a report in the Le Monde pertaining to the Rafale deal which was denied by the Indian and French governments but was taken up by the Congress party. Ravi Kant said in a post: "It is a mischievous attempt by Le Monde to discredit #RafaleDeal which benefits the owner of its French media competitor. "Foreign media is meddling in Indian elections because it has deep liks (sic) to the family of Rahul Gandhi." --IANS am/vd/arm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court last Friday refused to stay the usage of electoral bonds for political donation but said that all parties must reveal the details to the Election Commission in a sealed cover by May 30. Ashish Aryan deciphers why the scheme has become controversial: What are electoral bonds? The central government had on January 29, 2018, notified the scheme. It is like a promissory note that can be bought by any Indian citizen or company incorporated in India from select branches of State Bank of India. The citizen can then donate the same to any eligible political party of his/her choice. Who can receive electoral bonds? Issued in multiple values of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore, these bonds can only be encashed by political parties, which had secured at least 1 per cent of the votes polled in the most recent Lok Sabha or state election. Monies received from electoral bonds will be deposited in a bank account verified by the Election Commission. All the transactions for electoral bonds can be done only through that account. Why is there a controversy? Experts point out that electoral bonds are most likely the first-of-its-kind instrument in the world used for funding political parties. While the United States has Political Action Committees which receive money from individual and corporate donors and manage them, they do not have any scheme that allows the citizen to directly purchase a bond and donate the same to a political party. "The introduction of the scheme is part of what appears to be a growing trend away from transparency and accountability, two values which were already sparse in relation to Indian political parties," said a Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy report, published in March 2018. Opponents to the scheme allege that since the identity of the donor of electoral bonds has been kept anonymous, it could lead to an influx of black money. Others allege that the scheme was designed to help big corporate houses donate money without their identity being revealed. Some experts, however, differ and say the idea of electoral bonds was never to entice big corporate houses into making political donations without being identified. "It is more for the individual donator and keeping a check on such scrupulous donations that could have come without any checks and balances," notes a legal expert, requesting anonymity, as the matter is sub-judice. What did the Supreme Court say? In its order, the Supreme Court said that while it wanted to hear the matter at length at a later stage, for the interim it wanted a situation where the balance was not tilted in anyone's favour. It has asked political parties to reveal details of the donations they received through electoral bonds to the Election Commission. The poll panel, on the other hand, has been asked to keep all the details in a sealed cover until further orders of the top court. What is the future for electoral bonds? While experts are divided on whether the order provides for an answer to the issue of transparency that was raised by the petitioners, they say the interim arrangement will ensure that there is some transparency going ahead. "It would be interesting to see what stand the Election Commission takes going ahead when final hearings in the matter begin. One part of their objections over anonymity has been somewhat addressed," another expert notes. Twelve people were killed and 16 others badly injured when a fuel tanker exploded in northern Nigerian city of Gombe, police told AFP on Sunday. The driver lost control of the fuel tanker as he tried to avoid colliding with another truck at a bridge on the outskirts of the city on Saturday. The tanker fell on its side, "spilled its contents and exploded, causing an inferno that engulfed other road users," Gombe state police spokeswoman Mary Mallum said. "Twelve people burned to death while 16 others were seriously injured and evacuated to hospital for treatment," she said, accusing the driver -- who was among those killed -- of reckless driving and speeding. Accidents are common on Nigeria's poorly maintained roads, many caused by reckless driving, speeding and disregard for traffic rules. Nineteen people were killed on April 5 when a truck crashed in northern Katsina state due to "fatigue and overloading", according to road safety officials. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi Police has arrested three persons, including a woman, who used to dupe job aspirants through fake websites of a well-known online job platform, officials said Sunday. The arrested were identified as Raju Kumar (24) and Ravi Kumar (21) of Bihar's Aara district, and Aamna (25), a resident of Delhi's Punjabi Bagh area, they said. A man lodged a complaint saying that he was in search of a job and visited an online portal. When he registered himself providing his details on the website, a lady called him and offered job opportunities in banking sector, Monika Bharadwaj, Deputy Commissioner of Police (west), said. She further told the man that an amount of Rs 10 needs to be paid to sign up on the website. Aadhaar card and PAN card details of the complainant was also asked. The complainant made the payment of Rs 10 through his credit card, thereafter, he noticed that his credit card has been debited with about Rs 10,000, the officer said. The man enquired with the lady who said it was a technical glitch and the money will be refunded immediately by sending an OTP to him. The complainant gave the OTP to the woman and soon after, more money was deducted from his account, the officer said. During investigation, technical surveillance was mounted, which led to the arrest of the trio. Raju and Ankit were the kingpin of the gang, while Aamna used to call and lure the victims. Raju and Ankit through a website developer, Mohnish Arora, created the fake job website. Raids are on to nab Arora, who is absconding, the officer said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Once a stronghold, the Raiganj Lok Sabha seat is set to witness a four-cornered contest this time with the candidates of major political parties in the state pitted against each other in a neck-and-neck battle. Since 1952, candidates have won the seat 13 times including the two terms for party stalwart in 1999 and 2004. His wife Deepa Dasmunsi also represented the constituency in Parliament for a term. The former bastion in Uttar Dinajpur district has also sent candidates to Parliament four times including the outgoing one. CPI(M)'s Mohammed Salim, who had won the seat in Uttar Dinajpur district in 2014 by a razor thin margin of 1,634 votes, seems to have an uphill task this time to retain the seat. ALSO READ: Are crossovers and dissidents weakening the BJP from within in West Bengal? In the 2014 general election, the candidate got 3,17,515 votes and the Congress secured 3,15,881 votes. The BJP and the TMC came third and fourth bagging 2,03,131 and 1,92,698 votes respectively. Congress leaders later said the fight between the party and the (TMC) had helped the candidate win the seat in the last Lok Sabha election. Besides the Murshidabad seat, Raiganj had been the bone of contention between the Congress and the CPI(M) in the seat-sharing talks in the state that did not materialise. The CPI(M) had won only Raiganj and Murshidabad in 2014. Between 2014 and 2019, the BJP has gained strength in the state eating into the vote share of the Left Front and the Congress, as evident from the 2018 rural election results. ALSO READ: 'Jumla meter' to 'king of fascists': How Mamata is battling for West Bengal In the three-tier panchayat polls, the TMC had won hands down. The BJP had come a distant second relegating the Congress to the third spot. The LF nominees won only few seats. The TMC has also poached many opposition leaders into its fold over the years. The Congress MLA from Islampur, 64-year-old Kanaialal Agarwal, is one such. The TMC has fielded Agarwal, who was once a follower of Dasmunsi, in the Lok Sabha seat. Raiganj Lok Sabha seat is one of the few seats in the state from where the party has never won. Agarwal said he is confident of winning the seat for two reasons- opposition parties do not have support base in the constituency and the development work done by Chief Minister However, shifting of the proposed from Raiganj to Kalyani in south Bengal at the insistence of Banerjee is an issue, Congress candidate Deepa Dasmunsi is banking on. It was Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi's dream to set up the to ensure better healthcare for local people, she said. ALSO READ: NRC, infiltration, corruption are the 3 biggest poll issues in West Bengal had suffered a in 2008 when he was a Union minister, and gone into a vegetative state. He died in 2017. Deepa had won from the seat in 2009. At a recent rally, had promised to set up one at Raiganj if voted to power. Agarwal, however, claimed that the AIIMS is no longer an issue here after the chief minister set up the Raiganj Medical College and Hospital. CPI(M) nominee has quite an outstanding performance in the 16th Lok Sabha with 85 per cent attendance. He has also spent Rs 20.50 crore out of the Rs 21.51 crore sanctioned in MPLAD fund for Raiganj during his tenure. But, he has been accused of being absent in his constituency for long periods of time. "We have not seen much of our MP in the last five years," says Tapan Das, a resident of Raiganj. ALSO READ: BJP 2019 poll manifesto saga: Mamata cautions Modi on NRC in West Bengal The senior CPI(M) leader, however, denied the charge. "Probably I am one of the most accessible MPs in the country. People have always got me during their need," he said. He said he is hopeful of retaining the seat as he has worked hard for the constituency during the past five years. BJP candidate Debasree Chaudhuri, a familiar face at the BJP state headquarter in Kolkata, asserted that it is imperative that central forces are deployed in each of the 1,623 booths in the seat to ensure a peaceful election. Coochbehar, where polling was held in the first phase on April 11, witnessed widespread manipulations and strong-arm tactics by the ruling TMC, she told PTI. "People have seen the Congress and the Left becoming irrelevant. They have also suffered TMC atrocities. So the natural choice for them will be the BJP," Chaudhuri claimed. The death of two youths at Daribhit School in Islampur in September 2018 in alleged police firing while protesting appointment of an Urudu teacher has found a prominent place in the saffron party's campaign in the constituency, which has a sizeable minority population. BJP at a rally had raked up the issue to allege minority appeasement by the TMC government. There are 14 candidates including five Independents in the fray in the constituency, which will go to vote on April 18 in the second phase. There are about 1.6 million voters in the constituency. Seven people, including four women, died and two injured in a collision between an overcrowded autorickshaw in which they were returning after attending Ramnavami festival and a lorry in Telangana Sunday, police said. The accident occurred near Kodad town in Suryapet district when the speeding autorickshaw tried to overtake a vehicle, resulting in the head-on collision. Five people were killed on the spot while two of the four others who suffered injuries succumbed at a hospital, district Superintendent of Police R Venkateswarlu told PTI. The victims were returning to their native Kodad after participating in the Ramnavami celebrations at a Lord Ram temple in Tammara village in the district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The usage of foul language during electioneering hit a new low Sunday when veteran SP leader Aazam Khan made an "underwear jibe", which the BJP said was made against actor Jaya Prada, fighting the Lok Sabha polls from Rampur against him. Without naming the actor, who is fighting as a BJP candidate from Rampur, Khan told the gathering in an election rally there "... you got represented (by her) for 10 years. (aapne das saal apna pratinidhitwa karwaya)". "People of Rampur, people of Uttar Pradesh and people of India, it took you 17 years to understand her reality. But, I could recognize it in 17 days that she wears a khaki underwear. (Rampur waalo, Uttar Pradesh waalo, Hindustan waalo, usski asliyat samajhne mein aapko 17 baras lag gaye. Main 17 dinon mein pehchaan gaya ki inke neeche kaa jo underwear hai, woh khaki rang kaa hai), said Khan. The video of Khan's purported speech was also doing the rounds on various social media platform. Construing Khan's remark as having made against Jaya Prada, BJP's state unit spokesperson Chandramohan told PTI, "It's a very obnoxious and shameful remark." "The level of politics cannot fall lower than this," said the BJP spokesperson. This remark by Azam Khan reveals the actual face of the Samajwadi Party in which he is expressing his real thoughts about women oblivious of all dignity," said Chandramohan. The BJP also asked BSP supremo Mayawati to make her stand clear on "this indecent remark against Jaya Prada." National Commission for Women Chairperson Rekha Sharma too construed Khan's remarks as having been made against the actor and termed the same as "extremely disgraceful". She said the women panel will be sending a show cause notice to Khan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Karnataka Congress Sunday indicated action would be taken against disgruntled leaders who stayed away from the Congress-JD(S) joint rally, attended by AICC chief Rahul Gandhi Saturday at K R Nagar under Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, where Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamys son Nikhil is the coalition candidate. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief Dinesh Gundu Rao said he had also instructed senior partymen and Ministers D K Shivakumar and M B Patil not to make any public statements on the Lingayat issue as he tried to distance the party from the controversy. "On Mandya, what should be done we have already discussed. I have also held discussions with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. We have come to a decision on what kind of action should be taken," Rao told reporters here in response to a question about the absence of the disgruntled leaders. "Not attending the event of Rahul Gandhi is a serious issue, but how action should be taken, where and when, we will do it... Congress party has taken it seriously, what kind of action should be taken we will take it later," he said. With repeated efforts by the Congress state leadership including CLP leader Siddarmaiah to tide over local opposition to JD(S) candidate Nikhil in Mandya Lok Sabha constituency bearing no fruit, it was expected that Rahul's participation in the joint coalition rally would end the stalemate, as disgruntled party leaders would have to attend the event. But dashing the hopes of the state unit, several Mandya Congress leaders,including former MLAs N Cheluvarayaswamy, P M Narendraswamy, and Ramesh Bandisidde Gowda failed to turn up. Upset over the party conceding the seat to JD(S), local Congress leaders and workers in Mandya have been strongly opposing the candidature of Nikhil and openly said they would not work for his victory,with most even supporting independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh, who has BJP's support. They cited Kumaraswamy himself not seeking their support as one of the reasons for staying away from campaigning for Nikil and also voiced strong opinion against certain statements of the Chief Minister recently on a section of Mandya Congress leaders. With the alliance facing trouble in several key Lok Sabha constituencies of old Mysuru region, especially Mandya, as Congress workers are unhappy over the seat sharing arrangement with JD(S), AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal had recently warned of strict disciplinary action against those working against the coalition candidate. The party had on April 10 also suspended seven of its block presidents in Mandya for not toeing the party line. However,party sources said action against any leaders was unlikely till the elections are over, to avoid any adverse impact. Transfer of Congress' vote is crucial for the victory of the JD(S) candidate in Mandya and any adverse move by party workers and leaders locally will have its impact on the victory of the grand old party's candidate in other constituencies like Mysore-Madikeri. Rao also said he had instructed two senior partymen and Ministers D K Shivakumar and M B Patil not to make any public comments on the previous Siddarmaiah government's decision to recommend to the Centre, according religious minority status to the dominant Lingayat community, the issue on which both leaders have locked horns. "Congress has nothing to do with the issue, we have been saying this since the beginning. It is an issue left for the community and the government. What the community decides in majority, things should happen accordingly. Party has nothing to do with it,"Rao said. Also it is not right for anyone to give open statements like this. I told both of them not to give any public statements. It is unnecessary... it is even more unnecessary in the midst of election. Vokkaliga leader Shivakumar had during a recent election rally apologized for Congress venturing into religious issues, which irked M B Patil who was at the forefront of the movement demanding religious minority status to Lingayat community. The then Congress governments decision to recommend the status to the Lingayat community is said to be one of the reasons for the partys debacle in May 2018 assembly polls. Patil has strongly reacted to Shivakumars apology, questioning what was his business in the issue, and asked him to look at partys poor performance in the old Mysuru region, which is dominated by Vokkaliga community. The public spat between two senior party leaders from two dominant communities Vokkaliga and Lingayat has been a cause of worry for the Congress. Lingayats are seen as the strong vote bank of BJP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A war of words broke out between Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on social media Sunday over the former's absence from an official event marking the Jallianwala Bagh massacre's centenary. The event was organised in Amritsar on Saturday by the Centre and was attended by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. Singh has alleged that the central government deliberately chose to hold a "parallel event" instead of supporting the initiatives and programmes of the state government. At a poll rally on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua, a town located on Punjab's border, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Singh boycotted the function because he was busy in "Congress parivar's bhakti (appeasing the Gandhi family)". After Modi's remarks, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal also targeted the Punjab chief minister over the issue. "Shocked at @ capt_amarinder's refusal to join the country in paying tributes to Jallianwala Bagh martyrs. Was it not a matter of pride that the country was saluting sons & daughters of Punjab who were martyred so that we could live free lives?," the SAD president tweeted. "You @ capt_amarinder proved your care for martyrs by boycotting national function headed by the Vice President of India... Sad you cheapened 100th anniversary of massacre by holding parallel function of PPCC. Martyr families won't forgive this insult," Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said in a tweet. Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Amarinder Singh had on Saturday morning paid floral tributes at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial in Amritsar. The function organised by the Centre was organised in the afternoon that day. Singh lashed out at the Akali leadership for "trying to politicise the Jallianwala Bagh centenary, quite patently at the behest of their political masters the BJP". "Notwithstanding the fact that elections in India have, over the years, become a playground for no-holds barred battles, it was shameful that the SAD, at the bidding of the BJP leadership, was exploiting the Jallianwala Bagh martyrs to woo voters," he tweeted. "The Badal clan, including Harsimrat, had reduced themselves to being puppets in the hands of the BJP leaders," he said. "The BJP and its allies were bereft of any constructive electoral agenda, and were thus resorting to all kinds of falsehoods and engaging in petty, low-level in a frantic effort to grab power," the senior Congress leader said in a statement. Harsimrat also put out a video on her Twitter account, attacking Singh, the scion of erstwhile Patiala Royals, on the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy issue. "When will u learn lesson from history @ capt_amarinder? Or you covering up ur grandfather's role in supporting the man who ordered Jallianwala Bagh massacre? Pl watch this video to refresh memory about how Bhupinder Singh cosied up to Gen Michael O'Dwyer and insulted the martyrs," she tweeted. The chief minister, however, asked the Union minister to spend her time and energy on learning history instead of expending all of it in launching Twitter tirades against him. He said the Bathinda MP, in a desperate bid to mislead the people of Punjab and woo their votes for the Lok Sabha elections, has posted a series of factually incorrect tweets on his grandfather. "You're asking me to learn distorted history @HarsimratBadal_? A random video of a social visit by my grandfather in London, with no connect to #Jallianwala BaghMassacre, wont help you cover your great grandfather's lavish dinner to butcher Gen Dyer on the very day of the massacre," Singh tweeted in response to Harsimrat's tweets. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An air strike has killed the Islamic State group's second in command in Somalia, the security minister in the northwest region of Puntland announced Sunday. "The air strike occurred near Hiririo village in the Iskushuban district of Bari region this afternoon where the commander Abdihakim Dhoqob and a suspected colleague had been travelling in a car," Abdisamed Mohamed Galan said. Speaking from the port of Bokasso, Galan did not say who had launched the strike. IS in Somalia is far outnumbered by a rival jihadist group, the Al-Shabaab, which is aligned with al-Qaeda. The United States said Wednesday that it had resumed air strikes against al-Shabaab and has previously targeted both groups. Muse Abdiweli, an elder in a nearby village, confirmed the attack. "There was a heavy blast and several smaller blasts and people who went to the scene of the attack later saw a vehicle completely destroyed with human body parts shattered in pieces," he said. Amnesty International has criticised US drone attacks and air strikes in Somalia, last month reporting that 14 civilians had been killed from only five air strikes they had examined, of a total of 110 missile blasts. US forces said on April 5 that two civilians had died in an air strike in Somalia, the first time it has admitted non-combatant deaths since launching a wave of missiles targeting jihadist fighters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of playing "dirty politics" after the PM claimed that the Congress leader skipped an official event marking the Jallianwala Bagh massacre's centenary as he was busy in "Congress parivar's bhakti". Singh alleged that the central government had deliberately chosen to hold a "parallel event" instead of supporting the initiatives and programmes of the state government. The event was organised in Amritsar on Saturday by the Centre and it was attended by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. Singh claimed in a statement that he had personally approached the prime minister several times over the last two years to seek support for ensuring that the occasion is commemorated in a befitting manner but the Centre had failed to respond suitably. "Instead, the Modi government decided to hold its own event, quite evidently to score political brownie points in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha elections," he alleged. "This was truly shocking considering that the prime minister is the chairman of the Jallianwala Bagh Trust," Singh said. Congress president Rahul Gandhi and the chief minister had on Saturday morning paid floral tributes at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial in Amritsar. On Saturday afternoon,M Venkaiah Naidu visited Jallianwala Bagh and paid tributes to those killed in the massacre on April 13, 1919. The ceremony was organised by the Union Ministry of Culture. Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore and Punjab Cabinet Minister O P Soni were among others present at the function held in the afternoon. At a poll rally on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua, a town located on Punjab's border, Modi said Singh boycotted the function because he was busy in "Congress parivar's bhakti (appeasing the Gandhi family)". Modi, at the same time, said that he had known Singh for a long time and never questioned his patriotism, but understood the kind of pressure which must have been put on the Congress leader for the "Parivar Bhakti". "Shocked at your remarks in Kathua on Jallianwala Bagh @narendramodi Ji. You used a sombre occasion to play dirty politics, conveniently ignoring your own government's decision to hold a parallel event instead of extending support to my govt, which we'd been requesting for 2 yrs," Singh tweeted. "Unlike the BJP, the Congress leadership does not believe in dictating terms to its state governments," Singh said in his statement, countering Modi's remark that he did not attend the Centre's event under pressure from his party high command. "These things happen in the BJP, which you, Mr Modi, are running in your typical dictatorial style," he alleged. Singh claimed it did not befit a prime minister of the country to stoop so low in order to woo voters and urged Modi to refrain from demeaning the high office. Singh also exhorted the prime minister not to exploit the martyrdom of victims of the massacre, or of the soldiers dying everyday at the borders or in ISI-backed terror attacks such as in Pulwama, for furthering his and his party's political ambitions. He condemned Modi for allegedly trying to mislead the people with this "politically motivated falsehoods" and claimed the PM had insulted the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh, "first by not being present at any of the commemorative events and then by choosing to politicise the occasion". The Congress leader said that while Modi was busy in his usual, dirty political games, he was at the memorial for the state-level event marking the centenary. Singh said that after leading the state at the commemorative events in Amritsar, he immediately rushed to another event organised by The Tribune Trust in Chandigarh. A Cabinet Minister (O P Soni) was appointed to be present at the Central government's function, which was attended by the vice president, he said, adding that all the necessary protocols were duly followed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Sunday protested the Canadian government, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, removing all references to Sikh extremism from its 2018 report on terrorism which had earlier listed it as one of the top five terrorist threats to the country. The 2018 report on terrorism, first released in December last year, drew the ire of the Sikh community at the time of its release as it was the first time it listed Sikh extremism as one of the top five extremist threats in Canada, the Toronto-based CBC said. Singh protested the Trudeau administration's decision, saying it "succumbed to domestic political pressure". "The move is a threat to Indian and global security," he said. Amarinder said the "knee-jerk decision" by the ruling Canadian Liberal Party was aimed at protecting its political interests in an election year. It could have serious consequences for the Indo-Canadian relations in the long run, Singh said. "(Canadian Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau is playing with fire with his decision to assuage inflamed domestic passions through this ill-considered move," he claimed. The world cannot afford to fan extremism in any form, which is what the Trudeau government is effectively doing with such ill-thought moves, he added. He pointed out that he himself had given proof to the Canadian Prime Minister during his India visit last year, of his country's soil being used to spread the separatist Khalistani ideology against a friendly country. Trudeau had been informed of Khalistani activists being involved in financing terror activities in India from Canada, said the Chief Minister in a statement here Sunday. Singh had handed over to the Canadian Prime Minister a list of nine Canada-based operatives allegedly involved in promoting radicalism in Punjab, which has the highest number of Sikhs in India. The chief minister dubbed the "erasure of the various references to Khalistan and Khalistani organisations" from the latest threat report "as an unpardonable act in the eyes of the peace-loving global community." "It is obvious that Trudeau had played safe in view of the upcoming elections in Canada, giving in to pressure within his country. In the process, he has quite blatantly ignored the adverse impact this could have not only on Canada's relations with India but also on geopolitical stability," he added. The updated version of the '2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada' was released on Friday, Toronto-based CBC quoted The Canadian Press agency as saying. The language in the report was changed to remove any mention of religion, instead discussing the threat posed by "extremists who support violent means to establish an independent state within India", it reported. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Himachal Pradesh unit of the Congress Sunday sought an apology from the BJP's state unit chief accusing him of using derogatory remark against Rahul Gandhi. Himachal Pradesh BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti had used derogatory comment against Gandhi in a public meeting in Solan district under Shimla parliamentary constituency, state Congress' chief spokesperson Naresh Chauhan alleged. He said Satti should tender an apology, otherwise the Congress might file a complaint with the Election Commission against him. "We are taking the opinion of our legal cell. Subsequently, we may file a formal complaint against him with the EC," Chauhan said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Army officer died after falling into a gorge near the Line of Control (LoC) in Machhil sector in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Army said Sunday. Major Vikas Singh slipped into a gorge and suffered critical injuries during a patrol along the LoC in Machhil sector on Saturday, an Army official said. The officer was rushed to a hospital from where he was shifted to the Army's 92 base hospital at Badamibagh Cantonment here, he said. However, he succumbed to injuries at the hospital on Sunday, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scientists have created artificial atoms that generate single photons, an advance that may be a big step in efforts to develop all-optical quantum computing. The artificial atoms -- which work in air and at room temperature -- were created by drilling holes into a thin two-dimensional sheet of hexagonal boron nitride with a gallium-focused ion beam. "Our work provides a source of single photons that could act as carriers of quantum information or as qubits. We've patterned these sources, creating as many as we want, where we want," said Benjamin J Aleman, from University of Oregon in the US. "We'd like to pattern these single photon emitters into circuits or networks on a microchip so they can talk to each other, or to other existing qubits, like solid-state spins or superconducting circuit qubits," said Aleman. Artificial atoms were discovered three years ago in flakes of 2D hexagonal boron nitride, a single insulating layer of alternating boron and nitrogen atoms in a lattice that is also known as white graphene. Researchers are using the discovery to produce and use photons as sources of single photons and qubits in quantum photonic circuits. Traditional approaches for using atoms in quantum research have focused on capturing atoms or ions, and manipulating their spin with lasers so they exhibit quantum superposition, or the ability to be in a simultaneous combination of "off" and "on" states. However, such work has required working in vacuum in extremely cold temperatures with sophisticated equipment. Motivated by the observation that artificial atoms are frequently found near an edge, the researchers first created edges in the white graphene by drilling circles 500 nanometers wide and four nanometers deep. The devices were then annealed in oxygen at 850 degrees Celsius to remove carbon and other residual material and to activate the emitters. Confocal microscopy revealed tiny spots of light coming from the drilled regions. Zooming in, Aleman's team saw that the individual bright spots were emitting light at the lowest possible level -- a single photon at a time. The individual photons conceivably could be used as tiny, ultra-sensitive thermometers, in quantum key distribution, or to transfer, store and process quantum information, according to the study published in the journal Nano Letters. "The big breakthrough is that we've discovered a simple, scalable way to nanofabricate artificial atoms onto a microchip, and that the artificial atoms work in air and at room temperature," Aleman said. "Our artificial atoms will enable lots of new and powerful technologies. In the future, they could be used for safer, more secure, totally private communications, and much more powerful computers that could design life-saving drugs and help scientists gain a deeper understanding of the universe through quantum computation," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) founder Julian Assange's father on Sunday called on to bring his son home, saying he was shocked to see his son's condition after his arrest in last week. John Shipton -- who was secretary of the Party when his son tried to run for a senate seat in 2013 national elections -- reportedly visited Assange every at the Ecuadore embassy in after he sought refuge there in 2012. "DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs) and the prime minister should in a nuanced way do something," Shipton told Melbourne's Sunday Herald Sun. "It can be resolved simply to the satisfaction of all. There has been some talk in a meeting between a senator and a senior DFAT official to extradite Julian to " Shipton said he was shocked to see the state of his son when he was arrested at the embassy on Thursday on allegations of skipping bail, and on a US extradition warrant related to a huge leak of official documents. "I saw him, the way they dragged him down the steps, the coppers (police), he didn't look good. I'm 74 and I look better than him and he's 47. It's such a shock," he said. "For months and months he has been living like a high-security prisoner, he can't even go to the toilet. There have been cameras watching his every move." Australian Prime Minister said Friday that Assange would receive "no special treatment" from Canberra. The 47-year-old Australian had sought refuge in the embassy while on bail awaiting extradition to to face charges of sexual assault and rape, which he always denied. British lawmakers on Saturday urged their to prioritise any extradition bid might make for him over the allegations. Swedish prosecutors dropped a preliminary investigation into the rape allegation in 2017. The three-day annual Baisakhi festival -- which was participated by thousands of Sikhs from across the world, including over 2,000 from India -- concluded at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal city of Pakistan's Punjab province on Sunday. Baisakhi is celebrated to mark the beginning of a new harvest season. Under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, every year, large number of Sikh pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals and occasions. A total of 2,206 Sikh pilgrims arrived at Hasan Abdal from India on Friday to attend the festival at the Gurdwara Panja Sahib, even as tensions between the two neighbours remain at fever pitch. Special security arrangements were made for the pilgrims to ensure law and order. The Panja Sahib gurdwara at Hasan Abdal, which is about 35 km from Islamabad, has a handprint of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, on a boulder of the shrine. Addressing the pilgrims, Prime Minister's Advisor on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam, who was the chief guest at the concluding ceremony titled Bhog Akhand Paath Sahib', said the Pakistan government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan believed in providing equal rights to all minorities, and cited the example of the country's decision to open the Kartarpur corridor. India and Pakistan have agreed to open up a special border crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district. The corridor will facilitate the visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP Sunday accused the AAP government of inaction and inability to find workable solution to the traders' problems in conformity with the directions of the National Green Tribunal. BJP MLA Vijender Gupta said that pollution control was the sole responsibility of Delhi government and Chief Minster Arvind Kejriwal "must rise from his slumber and take immediate action to provide relief to the traders by finding lasting solution acceptable to both traders and NGT." Gupta, also Leader of Opposition (LOP) in Delhi Vidhan Sabha, accused Kejriwal of dragging the matter and said the state government did not issue notice of action to the traders and straight away decided to act in hurry during the election days. Delhi BJP President, Manoj Tiwari, meanwhile, accused the state government of planning the incident. "This incident was pre scripted that how it should be presented before the people. Arvind Kejriwal had already prepared a tweet and the Radio ad for this purpose," he said. He further said that the step taken for sealing in Mayapuri by Kejriwal was an unsuccessful attempt to malign the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Around 14 officials were injured after clashes broke out between the security personnel and scrap dealers during the sealing drive on Saturday. The drive was started by the Delhi Cantonment sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Separate incidents of alleged inducement and threat to voters, purportedly involving leaders of the BJP and the Congress, have come to light in Gujarat in the run-up to Lok Sabha elections. An audio tape of BJP candidate from Rajkot Lok Sabha constituency Mohan Kundariya allegedly threatening a Congress member of the Rajkot district panchayat for votes has gone viral, whereas Congress' Panchmahals nominee V K Khant is purportedly seen distributing money to voters in a photo, which is also circulated on social media. Both the leaders have refuted allegations against them. Kundariya, a sitting MP, said the purported audio tape is a handiwork of the Congress, while Khant said he never distributed cash to voters. In the audio clip, Kundariya can be purportedly heard telling Nanu Dodiya, a member of the Congress from Rajkot district panchayat, that if he doesn't ensure that 75 per cent votes from his Kothariya village are cast in favour of the MP, the latter will close down the milk union mandli in the village. Dodiya told reporters that he recorded Kundariya's "threat call" on his mobile phone. When contacted, Kundariya said, "The people of my constituency know that I have not used any threatening language. This clip is a handiwork of the Congress party," he claimed. Congress candidate from Rajkot Lalit Kagathara said the BJP was using threatening language because it does not believe in democracy. Patidar quota spearhead and Congress leader Hardik Patel also slammed Kundariya, saying the BJP is using "abusive language" because they are sensing defeat in Gujarat. This is not the first incident wherein BJP leaders have allegedly threatened people in the run-up to elections. Earlier, BJP MLA from Vaghodiya constituency, Madhu Shrivastav had threatened voters in a public meeting that he would "take action" agains them if they failed to vote for the BJP candidate from Vadodara constituency. In another incident, state minister Kunvarji Bavaliya was filmed saying that as a village did not vote for him during bypolls, he may not make arrangement of water for them. Reacting to the purported photo of V K Khant, the BJP has alleged that the Congress candidate was distributing notes of Rs 500 to voters. "Congress candidate from Panchmahals, Khant was distributing notes of Rs 500 to voters ahead of the elections. He is a moneyed man who was trying to bribe voters," claimed Khant's challenger Ratanshinh Rathod of the BJP. However, Khant denied the allegations. "The photo shows some notes (money) in my hand, but I have never distributed those notes to voters with whom I was interacting. I was trying to take out a handkerchief and with it the notes might have come out," Khant told reporters. The alleged incident occurred on April 9. Reacting to the development, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said the Congress was "synonymous" with corruption which just wants to bribe their way to Lok Sabha. The BJP is planning to complain to the Election Commission against Khant. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP Sunday continued its attack on the Congress for not attending an event to mark the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre Saturday. The party accused the Congress of disrespecting the martyrs and criticised Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for "boycotting" the event which was organised in Amritsar on Saturday by the Centre and was attended by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. In a press conference here, BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said, "The boycott of Vice President's event was an assault on the federal structure of the country. Some members of the 'mahamilavat gang' of the opposition recently demanded a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir. After J&K, are they trying to create another situation where a separate PM for Punjab will be demanded?" Singh, on the other hand, alleged that the BJP-led central government had deliberately chosen to hold a "parallel event" instead of supporting the initiatives and programmes of the state government. He claimed in a statement that he personally approached the prime minister several times over the last two years to seek support for ensuring that the occasion is commemorated in a befitting manner but the Centre had "failed" to respond suitably. "Instead, the Modi government decided to hold its own event, quite evidently to score political brownie points in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha elections," he alleged. Singh was responding to a statement made by the Prime Minister at a political rally at Kathua where he said, "The Vice President was in Jallianwala Bagh for the government event. He paid tribute to martyrs but Congress CM was not there." The Punjab chief minister, Modi said, insulted the Jallianwala Bagh memorial by not attending the government's memorial on the day of the centenary. The massacre took place at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar during the Baisakhi festival on April 13, 1919, when troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer opened fire at a crowd of people holding a pro-independence demonstration, leaving several dead and scores injured. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) AICC general secretary and leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of weakening the democratic and constitutional institutions in the country. He also alleged that the BJP-led government has started issuing certificate of nationalism and question the patriotism of any one on the basis of religion and caste and said "the of polarization is suicidal for the strength of our nation". "Modi Government has weakened the democratic and constitutional institutions established and strengthened in the country for the pastseven decades by the successive governments right down from Jawaharlal Nehru regime," the former chief minister said addressing series of election rallies in Ramban and Doda district. Remembering the architect of Indian constitution B R Ambedkar, Azad said that mandate in the constitution was carried out by establishing strong constitutional and democratic institutions in the country which are the pillars of strong and vibrant democracy. However, Modi regime and BJP have made every attempt to "weaken and politicising" of such institutions by various modes, which is very harmful for the largest democracy in the world and these are the danger signs for the future of democracy in this country, he claimed. Azad said that erosion of authority and "diluting of the democratic institutions" are the indications of weakening of democracy in the country. "Modi Government has started to issue certificate of nationalism and question the patriotism of any one of this country on the basis of religion and caste," he said. He asked the "misguided people" to read and refresh their memory from the history about the contribution and sacrifices of common man irrespective of caste, colour or creed in making India since post-independence. Azad alleged that those misleading younger generations for their short term objective of vote bank are doing great disservice to the nation by weakening religious tolerance and unity in diversity. The Congress leader claimed Modi government has nothing to markettheir achievements during past five years and they are banking upon "emotional issues of religion and region and achievements and sacrifices of our security forces". Appealing the people tovote for the Congress party and ensure the victory of Vikramaditya Singh from Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency for the "larger interests of nation". He also lashed out at the economic policy of Modi government and alleged it pursued "pro-rich and anti-poor policies" which have got havoc for poor and common man of this country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) State-owned Bank of Baroda (BoB) is likely to complete the process of merger of Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank with it in two years, said a senior official of BoB. The merger of Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank with BoB became effective from April 1. Information technology platform integration alone will take about 12 months and other processes and systems may take another year or so, the official said. The process has been designed to ensure that there is minimum disruption of the customers during the transition period, the official said adding that the branding of the three entities will be retained in the interim period and will be transitioned to the new brand in a phased manner to ensure minimum disruption to existing operations. As far as capital is concerned, the official said, the government has infused Rs 5,042 crore in the bank taking care of additional expenses and maintaining minimum regulatory capital requirement. There would be pressure on the balance sheet of the bank during the first quarter when the maximum impact of the merger will play out and, subsequently, the impact will moderate, the official added. The maiden three-way amalgamation is the first step in the consolidation of the public sector banking industry recommended in 1991 by the Narasimham Committee report. Through this merger, the government has created an institution of global scale and size, thereby providing significant benefit to all stakeholders. The consolidated entity started the operation with a business mix of over Rs 15 lakh crore on the balance sheet, with deposits and advances of Rs 8.75 lakh crore and Rs 6.25 lakh crore, respectively. BoB, the second-largest public sector lender after State Bank of India, now has over 9,500 branches, 13,400 ATMs, and 85,000 employees to serve 12 crore customers. The announcement of the three-way merger was among several reforms initiatives undertaken by Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar to make public sector banks (PSBs) healthy, robust and globally competitive. As part of the reform process, the government had also announced transfer of majority 51 per cent stake to Life Insurance Corporation in IDBI Bank in August last year to transform the Mumbai-based lender. Besides, the Department of Financial Services made a record capital infusion of Rs 1.06 lakh crore in the PSBs in 2018-19. As a result, five PSBs, including Bank of India, Corporation Bank and Allahabad Bank, were out of the prompt corrective action framework of the RBI earlier this year. Non-performing assets showed a negative trend in 2018-19 and reduced by Rs 23,860 crore between April 2018 and September 2018. Following the merger, the number of PSBs has come down to 18. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A ceremonial Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) was Sunday held between the armies of India and China in the eastern Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir on the occasion of Baisakhi, a defence spokesman said. The meeting was followed by a ceremonial address comprising exchange of greetings, wishes and vote of thanks, the official said. "A ceremonial border personnel meeting (BPM) on the occasion of Baisakhi festival was conducted today at the Indian BPM huts at Chushul-Moldo and DBO-TWD meeting points in eastern Ladakh," he said. The official said the Indian delegation was led by Brig V K Purohit and Col Prashant Rana, while the Chinese delegation was led by Senior Col Yin Hong Chen and Col Song Zhang Li. The ceremonial BPM commenced with saluting the respective national flags by the delegation members, he said. The address reflected a mutual desire of maintaining peace and improving relations at the functional level, the spokesman added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The room is a palette of gloom, the furnace throwing an orange glow on the soot covered walls and greenish, yellow hot metal being poured into a cast by two artisans painstakingly crafting brass lamps. Outside, the sun shines bright and hot and the din of campaigning ahead of elections on April 23 in this western Uttar Pradesh constituency rises in crescendo. But Imran and Mohammed Fazal continue to focus on the job at hand in the airless room, a rickety table fan, which is also pumping air in the furnace, their only relief from the stifling heat. It's an 11-hour work day but there is little choice. With GST, demonetisation and the rising cost of raw material pushing Moradabad's famed Rs 7,000 crore brass industry into crisis, jobs are scarce and the two don't want to take a chance. An estimated 10 lakh people are dependent on the industry, a valuable pocket of votes for political parties. Imran, who breaks into an old Mohammed Rafi song, as he carefully pours liquid metal into moulds, uses an app, Star Maker, to fine tune his singing skills and Facebook and WhatsApp to remain connected with developments in the country. " My father used to do it, now I do it. After GST, the cost of raw material like coal and sand has shot up. After deducting costs, we get just Rs 300 a day as against Rs 500 before GST and demonetisation,"he said. November 8, 2016, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the demonetisation of high value currency notes, was a turning point for the brass industry of Peetal Nagari, as Moradabad is often known, say industry insiders. And their vote will depend on which candidate offers them a turnaround back to better times, they say. According to Rahat Ali Ansari, who runs several small units in Moradabad, demand dipped by almost 50 per cent after demonetisation, leaving thousands of artisans unemployed. Many picked up alternative livelihoods like driving e-rickshaws food stalls, became vegetable vendors or migrated to other locations like Kerala and Odisha. Officials estimate that over Rs 7,000 crore worth of brass items are produced in Moradabad. However, there is no study to give an authentic figure of a dip in the industry in recent years. The brass industry is primarily an unorganised sector dependent on exporters, karkhanedars (people who bring the work from exporter) and artisans who run their small specialised factories. "For example, if an exporter wants 2,000 pieces of a particular design, he will call the karkhanedar who will assess the design element. After deciding on it, the person will allocate work to different artisans based on their specialties," explained Syed Ganim Miyan of the Fair Trade Primary Producers Association. From designing to sand casting to carving and polishing, brass art passes through 15-20 different artisans who work in small, closed factories in the narrow bylanes of Moradabad. Each one brings a specialisation to the brass item, from the lamps, or deepams', of Kerala to ashtrays and more, he added. The industry, which has about 10 lakh people dependent on it, including those providing ancillary services, is cash intensive as artisans are paid in cash on the basis of number of pieces finished by them, Ganim said. Demonetisation, say experts, was a huge blow to the industry which was still trying to come to terms with global recession started in 2008. Machines lie unused in many factories. "We have a capacity of six people but as you can see only two of us are working. The rising cost of raw material and drop in demand leaves very little margin," said Javed, a worker in one unit. He added most artisans have left the trade and there is no one to work the machines. "Whatever was left was hit hard by GST. Although businessmen below Rs 40 lakh of income are exempted, the government asks traders to get registered and obtain a GST number. Once the number is obtained, the person is supposed to file regular returns or else face a penalty," Nauman Mansoori, president of the Handicraft Development Society, told PTI. He said most artisans are barely literate, leaving them dependent on professionals to file returns. The charge is anywhere between Rs 2,000-5,000 and most artisans avoid taking a GST number. Ask how the community of brass workers and traders will vote on April 23 and there is no one answer. Ganim and Ansari proudly show on YouTube a video of Congress president Rahul Gandhi who held an interaction with artisans of Moradabad in 2014. "We are looking at central figures--Rahul and (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi. We are evaluating the pros and cons of having either one as next leader of this country. We interacted with Rahul and he understood our problems, so he remains a favourite but the community is yet to make its mind," Ansari said. S T Hasan, a former mayor and local doctor who is contesting on an SP- BSP-RLD alliance ticket and was a runner up in the 2014 election, has an advantage as he is a local, say some townspeople. But it has to be ascertained if he is effective at the national level, they add. Hasan is challenging sitting BJP MP Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar who is pinning hopes on the division of Muslim votes. Muslims comprise about about 47 per cent of the electorate in the constituency. Also in the running is Congress' Imran Pratapgarhi, a young fiery poet whose poems on missing JNU student Najeeb, lynchings and madrassas, have popularised him on social media. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Canadian government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has removed a reference to Sikh extremism from its 2018 report on terrorism which had earlier mentioned it as one of the top five terrorist threats to the country. The updated version of the '2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada' was released on Friday, Toronto-based CBC quoted The Canadian Press agency as saying. The language in the report was changed to remove any mention of religion, instead discussing the threat posed by "extremists who support violent means to establish an independent state within India", it reported. The 2018 report on terrorism, first released in December last year, drew the ire of the Sikh community at the time of its release as it was the first time when it listed Sikh extremism as one of the top five extremist threats in Canada, the CBC said. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale had said that he would at least ask for a review of the language the report used, the report said. He said entire religions should never be equated with terrorism, it said. On Saturday, Prime Minister Trudeau praised the minority Sikh community as he visited a gurdwara on the occasion of Vaisakhi. "Vaisakhi is a time to focus on what matters family, friends, and coming together as neighbours & fellow Canadians and an opportunity to recognize the remarkable contributions Sikh Canadians have made to our country. What a celebration in Vancouver today!," he said in a tweet. The dedication to helping others at the heart of the Sikh faith is also "fundamental to who we are as a country", he said at one of the largest Sikh temples in the country, Vancouver's Ross Street Gurdwara. He, along with Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, also took part in a massive parade to mark the Sikh holy day of Vaisakhi. Trudeau praised the Sikh community for its values of "equality and social justice". There are roughly half-a-million Canadians who identify themselves as Sikh, most of them in the Greater Toronto Area and suburban Vancouver. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday accused the Centre of bypassing the Delhi government in conducting a sealing operation in Mayapuri area that led to violent clashes between the traders and the security personnel. Sisodia lashed out at Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri for blaming the Aam Aadmi Party government for the violence in west Delhi, saying the responsibility of land allocation was with the Centre. "Delhi police is yours, SDM is yours, NGT is yours, DDA is yours and we are blamed. They should have some shame and take accountability for their actions," Sisodia told reporters. Around 14 officials were injured after clashes broke out between the security personnel and scrap dealers during the sealing drive on Saturday. The drive was started by the Delhi Cantonment sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). "Delhi government ministers were not involved in this decision. They were bypassed by the LG (Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal)," the deputy chief minister added. The operation was conducted days after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had slammed the Delhi government for not taking action against illegal scrap industries in Mayapuri that were causing pollution. Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussein said he was not consulted before taking action. "I am going to write to the LG demanding explanation for his actions," Hussein said. "Officials (involved in the sealing drive) must be suspended. DPCC employees were involved too. I am the environment minister... no approval was taken from me. Strict action would be taken against all officials involved," Hussein added. Sisodia said if the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) was brought under the purview of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, then they would "get the land allocated to these traders in two days". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A small passenger plane veered off the runway while taking off and hit two parked helicopters at Lukla airport in Nepal's Everest region on Sunday, killing a co-pilot and two policemen, officials said. The incident occurred as the plane - a Twin Otter belonging to Summit Air - with registration 9N-AMH skidded off the runway while preparing to take off and hit helicopters parked 30-50 metres from the runway, the Kathmandu Post reported. S Dhungana, co-pilot of the plane, and Assistant Sub-Inspector Ram Bahadur Khadka, who was stationed at the helipad, were killed in the incident, Tribhuvan International Airport spokesperson Pratap Babu Tiwari was quoted as saying by the paper. Assistant Sub-Inspector Rudra Bahadur Shrestha, who was injured in the crash and airlifted to Kathmandu, died while undergoing treatment at Grande Hospital, the paper said, citing hospital sources. Captain RB Rokaya who was flying the aircraft and Captain Chet Gurung of Manang Air, who was in the helicopter, were injured in the incident. They are receiving treatment at Grande Hospital and are said to be out of danger, it said. The aircraft had hit the helicopters of Manang Air and Shree Air. Lukla airport, also known as Tenzing-Hillary airport, is often referred to as one of the most difficult and dangerous airports in the world because of a short runway (527 metres) and challenging terrain. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Coast Guard Sunday rescued eight fishermen off Porbandar coast in Gujarat following a distress call from them after their trawler was flooded. A Coast Guard release said its ship received a distress call late Saturday night from the Indian fishing boat "Prabhu Sagar", with eight crew members on board. Coast Guard Ship C-445 reached the flooded boat in two hours and started rescue operations, it said. "Braving the rough sea and darkness, the ICG ship started de-flooding the boat by using submersible pumps. However, due to rough sea conditions, one wooden plank of the hull broke and the boat sank and the crew jumped into water," it said. The eight were saved and taken on board ICG C-445 safely and brought to Porbandar harbour early Sunday morning, it informed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Sunday demanded a thorough probe into the alleged transportation of a "suspicious black trunk" in Prime Minister Modi's helicopter during his visit to Chitradurg in spokesperson asked the prime minister to come clean on the issue and said the EC should inquire into the contents of the trunk. He said the Congress' unit has already filed a complaint with the EC in this regard. "We saw there were three more choppers escorting the prime minister's helicopter. After landing, a black trunk was taken out and whisked away in a private car which was not part of the SPG cascade," he alleged. Sharma also asked Modi to give an account of his five-year rule to the people of the country. Even as opposition Congress Sunday lashed out at ruling BJP in Goa over its "failure" to resume mining operations in the state, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said only the government led by his party (BJP) could resolve the issue. Goa Congress spokesperson Yatish Naik, while addressing a press conference in Panaji, accused the BJP of creating problems for the mining industry, which came to a standstill in March last year and continues to remain so. Naik said the ruling party has been promising to bring a solution to the mining crisis since 2014. "The BJP has been assuring to resume the mining operations, and have repeated its promise even in the manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha election," he said. Sawant, while addressing a rally, made an emotional appeal to the mining dependents saying he knows the pain of people working in this industry, as his own father was one amongst them. "I know how the people dependent on mining industry suffer when there is lay-off or disturbance to the industry. I represent the Assembly constituency which has mining as major economic activity," Sawant told BJP workers in Sanguem assembly constituency while campaigning for party's South Goa Lok Sabha candidate Narendra Sawaikar. South Goa has a sizable number of mining dependents, who are now jobless due to the closure of the industry. "I know the pain of the people because I belong to the family of mining dependents. My father was a machine operator at Chowgule Industries (a mining firm)," he said. "I can very well understand what difficulties are faced by people dependent on this industry, when it is shut down. Give me some days to provide solution. We will find out the solution. I assure the people dependent on mining industry that only the BJP government can resolve this issue," he said. The mining dependents under the banner of Goa Mining People's Front have been agitating demanding resumption of the industry. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mumbai Congress chief Milind Deora has said his party will win all the six Lok Sabha seats in the metropolis as anti-incumbency was a major factor in the polls and people will not be fooled by the BJP-Shiv Sena's "opportunistic alliance". Deora, who was last month appointed Mumbai Regional Congress Committee chief replacing Sanjay Nirupam, also said the Congress' Mumbai unit was "united and fighting for one cause". In an interview to PTI, he said 2014 was an exceptional year and those political situations do not prevail any more after five years. The Congress had drawn a blank in the six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai in the 2014 general elections after having cornered a lion's share of five seats in the 2009 elections. Three seats were won by the BJP, while three went to Sena in 2014. Deora, who is again fighting from Mumbai South seat, said the Congress has fielded best candidates amongst all parties on all six seats. The list of candidates includes those who had lost had lost in the "Modi wave" of 2014, but their people's connect is "remarkable" and they are getting a great response, he said. "Anti incumbency against sitting MPs and the government is a big issue here. We will win all seats in Mumbai," Deora told PTI from Mumbai. Asked if the Sena-BJP tie-up just ahead of polls had made it tough for the Congress, the former Union minister said it will be rather tough for the combine as they have "abused" the mandate they got in 2014. "For the last five years, Sena has been abusing Modi and the BJP has been insulting Sena. On the eve of elections they have made up, but voters are not fools. They know this is an alliance of opportunism," Deora said. Asked what was the thought process behind fielding actor Urmila Matondkar from the Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency, Deora said: "Why belittle a citizen who seeks to bring change through Urmila is an established actor, a thinking person, a socially conscious and morally upright woman." He said Matondkar's power to swing votes comes from the social and political conviction she has in her. "She will go a long way in public life," the 42-year-old leader said. On how the Congress is planning to counter the Modi blitz, Deora said the Modi campaign effect was a bit exaggerated. "Campaigns need to resonate on ground. Blitz does not mean you are affecting or influencing voters. You can't have a campaign only by abusing your opponents and then use emotive issues to dodge real answers. "I have seen it in my campaign in 2004. Indian voters are smart they don't follow the pied piper blindly," he said. Deora, who had won in the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha polls but lost in 2014, is taking on Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant in the Mumbai South constituency. He was named MRCC chief on March 25 replacing Nirupam who had been at loggerheads with some senior party leaders in the state. The move was seen as a bid to quell the intense infighting within the Mumbai Congress unit. Deora, the son of former oil minister Murli Deora, is also considered close to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. Besides Deora and Matondkar, the Congress has fielded Priya Dutt from the Mumbai-North-Central seat, Eknath Gaikwad from Mumbai South-Central, and Sanjay Nirupam for Mumbai North West. From the Mumbai North East seat, Congress ally NCP's Sanjay Dina Patil is contesting. Polling will take place in the fourth phase on all the six constituencies in Mumbai on April 29. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The opposition Congress in Kerala Sunday attacked the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Sabarimala issue, saying people would not tolerate the 'drama' being played by the saffron party in the name of Lord Ayyappa and that the devotees have been "cheated". Hitting out at Modi and the BJP, AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal alleged that the party had "cheated" the devotees and "are sincere to Sabarimala only when it comes to election and voting". The senior Congress leader alleged that the Centre and the state were hand-in-glove for having worsened the Sabarimala issue. "Why is the Prime Minister playing a drama over Sabarimala? I had brought up the matter in Parliament on January 4. I had sought legislative intervention to protect the rights of the believers. Has the Prime Minister or his minister ever uttered a single word on the issue in Parliament?," Venugopal asked. Recalling that the NDA had brought forward an ordinance to validate the lapsed Bill on Triple Talaq, he sought to know why the same enthusiasm was lacking in the case of Sabarimala. "An ordinance would have been enough. The Centre could have intervened in the name of faith. But they didn't. Modi said his party and government will approach the Supreme Court, explaining the traditions of Sabarimala. They could've have done this long ago. But they didn't. People will tolerate all kinds of drama, but using the name of Swami Ayyappa for election drama is beyond limits, " Venugopal said at a meet the press programme here. The Congress has officially asked in Parliament for legislative intervention on the Sabarimala matter, he said. Attacking the Left government in the state, he said it could have sought time to implement the Supreme Court verdict, but did not do so. "The RSS/sangh parivar tried to disrupt the peace an tranquillity at the hilltop shrine. Sincere devotees were denied their right to pray. Both the state and the centre governments were hand-in-glove in making the situation worsen. Both the governments were responsible for worsening the Sabarimala issue," Venugopal alleged. Venugopal said the AICC decision to appoint a special observer in Thiruvananthapuram was to monitor the poll activities in the major constituencies. Senior leader Nana Patole has been appointed as observer in Thiruvananthapuram constituency, where the high profile candidate Shashi Tharoor is contesting for the party. Referring to certain media reports that Tharoor had complained to AICC about local level leaders not campaigning for him in the constituency, Venugopal said "Those were just rumours. Tharoor has never given any complaint. The whole country knows the Parliamentary intervention of Tharoor. Who else is there to compete with the stature of Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram ?," Venugopal asked. The observers were appointed as the BJP was using all its machinery to fight this poll. Referring to a purported video clipping of two SPG men carrying two big boxes into a car which was not part of the Prime Minister's convoy at Chitradurga in Karnataka, which had gone viral, Venugopal said the party had complained to the Election Commission. "So the BJP thinks they can capture the seat from us. We decided to fight back and appointed observers," he said. Venugopal also raked up the issue of the alleged fake degreeof union Minister Smriti Irani, who is contesting against Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, and said she had given four different statements in four elections. "In 2004, she says she passed BA.In 2009, it became B.Com from Delhi university. Another one in 2014. Now, in 2019 she says she has not passed B.Com. What credibility does that candidate have ?," Venugopal asked. Those who allege that Rahul Gandhi ran away from Amethi have fielded someone with a fake degree. "Four times, four statements. What credibility does she have? You are giving the affidavit on your own educational qualification," Venugopal said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bombay High Court has granted bail to a 20-year-old man, who is accused of killing his mother at their suburban residence in the metropolis in 2017. The accused is the son of a policeman. Justice Ajey Gadkari, while recently granting bail to the accused Siddanth Ganore, observed that he was only 20 years old and had no other criminal antecedent. Ganore is accused of killing his mother, Dipali, on May 23, 2017 allegedly after getting tired of frequent domestic quarrels and his mother's bickering. The accused allegedly drew a smiley face with the victim's blood near the body. He had fled from the spot and was arrested from Jodhpur on May 25, 2017 and has been in jail since. Ganore's counsel Ashok Mundargi argued there was no conclusive evidence against the accused. The prosecution opposed the bail plea and said the deceased was last seen with the accused person and that the accused had absconded after committing the crime. Justice Gadkari, in the order, however, observed that absconding may lend weight to the other evidence establishing the guilt of an accused, but, by itself, is hardly any evidence of guilt. "Even an innocent person may, when suspected of grave crimes, attempt to evade arrest. Absconding is a weak link in the chain of circumstances and is not conclusive either of guilt or a guilty conscience," the order said. The court granted the accused bail on a surety of Rs 25,000. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Aircondition maker Daikin India is aiming to be a Rs 5,000-crore company this fiscal with around 20 per cent growth in sales, helped by rising demand of power-efficient inverter ACs and expansion of sales network, said a top company official. The company is also expecting to have around 18 to 19 per cent market share of the residential AC market. Besides, Daikin India, which is currently exporting to African and neighbouring South Asian markets, expects volume of shipping to its overseas markets to go up, helped by expansion in its production capacity. "We are looking at a turnover of Rs 5,000 crore in 2019-20," Daikin India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Kanwaljeet Jawa told PTI. He further said, "Daikin is gearing up sell 10 lakh room AC units and we want to increase our market share to 18-19 per cent." The company is expecting its turnover for the previous financial year concluded on March 31, 2019, to be around Rs 4,250 crore. This season, Daikin India is expecting a growth of 18 to 20 per cent in sales, riding on the back of "power availability, increased distribution & sales-service network, tier-III and IV cities demand and brand building". "We have been consistently growing more than the industry since 2009," Jawa added. The Indian residential AC industry market is expected to be of around 4.5 million units with more than 20 companies competing in the space, in which Voltas and LG are the market leaders. Jawa, also expects that sales of high tech inverter range of AC would go up in the industry, as now customers are "more conscious" and are adopting products which "bear the stamp of superior technology & power efficiency". "As pioneers of Inverters across the globe, we are confident that the inverterisation in the Indian market will lead the way for Daikin dominance in the product category," he said Currently, Daikin India gets around 45 to 48 per cent contribution comes from non-metro market, Jawa expects this season to remain in the same range as the non-metro trends are positive over the past few years. "Our channel or distribution of more than 6,400 sales outlets today is powering our growth taking the Daikin products to tier-I, II, III & IV cities," he added. Daikin, which had two manufacturing units at Neemrana, Rajasthan, and is in the process to set up a third unit in southern region expects exports from its Indian unit to go up, backed by enhancement of its production capacity. "The exports to East Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal will further augment our business growth. And, with the third factory, we will have significant manufacturing edge and cost competitiveness in the Indian market," he said. Daikin Airconditioning India Pvt Ltd is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Daikin Industries Japan, a global leader in the manufacturing of commercial-use and residential air conditioning systems. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress government in Chhattisgarh has sought permission from the Election Commission for setting up a judicial probe panel into BJP legislator Bheema Mandavi's killing by Maoists in Dantewada district on April 9, in view of the model code of conduct. The General Administration Department (GAD) has written to state chief electoral officer (CEO) in this regard, a GAD official told PTI Sunday. The letter written on April 10, a day after the attack, stated that Mandavi and four police personnel were killed when Maoists, who had laid an ambush, blew up their bullet proof vehicle with an IED near Shyamgiri village. The MLA was heading towards Kuwakonda from Bacheli town as part of his poll campaign, and was being followed by his two escorting vehicles when the incident took place, it said. "Therefore, a judicial probe panel is proposed to be constituted into the matter. As the Model Code of Conduct is into effect for Lok Sabha Elections, the screening committee meeting chaired by the chief secretary of state on April 10 has recommended to seek permission from election commission for the formation of a judicial probe panel," the letter stated. BJP president Amit Shah had on April 12 demanded a CBI probe into the incident, which he dubbed as a "political conspiracy". Meanwhile, the Congresshas accused the BJP of politicisingthe tragic killing of the MLA. "The BJP should not do politics in such a sensitive matter and wait for the decision of the Election Commission. The Congress government is serious on the issue and it will conduct an impartial enquiry into the incident," said state Congress spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi. He said Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had decided to order a probe while he was returning from Dantewada on April 10 after paying tribute to Mandavi ji. "Since the government couldn't take any decision during the model code of conduct, it has sought permission of the ECI for a judicial probe into the attack," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara has said the Congress' decision to cede the Tumakuru Lok Sabha seat to coalition partner JDS will not reduce the party's hold in the constituency and that their ultimate goal is to see Rahul Gandhi becoming prime minister. Former prime minister and JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda will take on former parliamentarian G S Basavaraju in Tumakuru, which has changed hands between the Congress and the BJP in the past. "The decision to allot the Tumakuru constituency to Deve Gowda will not cut down the Congress' hold there. Our ultimate goal is to see Rahul Gandhi becoming the prime minister of India," Parameshwara told PTI in an interview on the sidelines of an election campaign event at Kolala village here. Even Deve Gowda has expressed his desire to see Gandhi as prime minister, he added. "There is a saying in English. It goes something like this - 'one has to accept defeat so that you don't break later' (sic). Therefore, I and my party decided not to field a candidate from Tumakuru," he said. Parameshwara and other local Congress leaders were earlier upset over the seat being denied to sitting MP Muddahanume Gowda. The deputy chief minister had to take a lot of heat from the Tumkuru District Congress Committee for his inability to keep the seat for the party, while chairman of the coordination committee Siddaramaiah was successful in denying the Mysuru seat to the JDS despite pressure by the coalition partner. Muddahanume Gowda acknowledged that there was quite a ripple initially when the seat was given to the JDS, but after meeting Gandhi and the central leadership, he withdrew his nomination as an independent candidate. "I met Rahul Gandhi and other leaders in Delhi. Gandhi told me to withdraw my nomination as a rebel candidate from Tumakuru constituency. The scion told me 'you have to do that for India and its security and well being'. I immediately decided to withdraw and started helping Deve Gowda," he said. The joint campaign trail of the coalition partners has witnessed tremendous response from people, Muddahanume Gowda said. "Having 30 years of political experience, I personally feel we are going to win this seat easily because the failure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has percolated down to common people and villagers," he added. The political pundits, however, say there's a tough battle on the cards for Deve Gowda as he is contesting from a Congress bastion amid disquiet in both his party and ally Congress over allocation of seats and tickets. They, however, do acknowledge the former prime minister's potential to bounce back as he did by winning the Kanakapura by-election in 2002, after he had lost to G Puttaswamy Gowda of the Congress in 1999 from Hassan. Candidates of the Congress and the BJP have won ten and four times from the same constituency. It was a Congress stronghold from 1952 to 1989, till the party lost ground to the BJP. G S Basavaraj is the BJP candidate. He won the seat thrice on a Congress ticket and once as a BJP nominee. He was defeated by Muddahanume Gowda in 2014 elections. The Vokkaliga leader has fielded his grandsons Nikhil K and Prajwal Revanna from Mandya and Hassan respectively. This has apparently left some of the senior JDS leaders, who were hopeful of getting tickets, unhappy. Tumakuru district comes under the Old Mysore region. The JDS has not won an MP seat from there, but C N Bhaskarappa had won in 1996 as undivided Janata Dal candidate. Tumakuru constituency, a dryland region, is spread over 6,706 sq.km. It had 15,94,703 registered voters - 7,97,512 males and 7,97,191 females - till January 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday targeted the Congress and regional parties, including National Conference and PDP, saying their demand for separating Jammu and Kashmir from India has been exposed like Pakistan's nuclear threat had been "deflated". Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, he said addressing a poll rally here in support of Union minister Jitendra Singh, seeking re-election from the Udhampur seat. Modi said the BJP is duty-bound to party's ideologue Shyama Prasad Mukherjee who raised tricolour on this land and scarified his life asserting that "Ek desh mein do vidhan, do pradhan aur do nishan nahi chalenge (a single country cannot have two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two national emblems)". "In the recent past, you saw how 'mahamilawat' of the Congress, the National Conference and the PDP got exposed. What was in their hearts for decades and for which they were working clandestinely has come out in the open. "Everyday they are threatening to separate Jammu and Kashmir from India, talking about bloodshed and a separate prime minister. Earlier, Pakistan also used to warn India of its nuclear weapons but it was deflated," Modi said. The prime minister raised the issue of surgical strike and air strikes, and questioned the Congress for doubting the capability of the Indian Army. He accused it of demoralising security forces by seeking revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and their withdrawal from the state. Modi accused NC and PDP leadership of causing destruction in Jammu and Kashmir and said the key for the state's brighter future lay in removing these two families from power. "I want to tell those who have occupied the seat of power for the last three generations, including Abdullahs and Muftis, that it is 'Modi jo na bikta hai, na darta hai aur na jukta hai' (Modi is not for sale, is not afraid and not ready to bow). "Bring all your family members on field and abuse Modi as much you want but you will not be able to disintegrate the country. Shyama Prasad's ideology is 'wachan patra' (agreement) for us and it is carved in stone which cannot be removed by anyone," Modi said. He said this was the BJP's commitment and the nation's chowkidar (watchman) is connected to this ideology as well. "The Congress and its alliance partners can do their best but they will find Modi standing before them like a wall," he said. Taking a dig at Modi, NC vice president Omar Abdullah shared a picture of PDP founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Modi hugging each other after cobbling an alliance in 2015 on his Twitter account. "This is how much Modi ji believes what he says. Look how happy he is to seal an alliance with one of the families he wants to rid J&K of," he said, sharing the picture. "We have to rid J&K of these two political families", says Modi Ji in 2014 & then promptly goes and makes not one but TWO members of the Mufti family CM of J&K. In 2019 Modi Ji says 'we have to rid J&K of these two political families'. Another jumla Modi ji?" the former chief minister tweeted. Amid chants of 'Modi Modi', the PM, in his over 38-minute speech, targeted the Congress, the NC and the PDP, saying the parties continuing family rule have not inherited Jammu and Kashmir. "The founder of our Constitution (B R Ambedkar) made it clear, during his address in Punjab way back, that family rule is the biggest enemy of the country.Today is his birth anniversary and the real tribute to him is to vote against the parties following family rule," he said. He said Mukherjee, supported by local leader Prem Nath Dogra, challenged anti-national forces and asserted that a single country cannot have two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two national emblems, he said. Modi, who started his speech in Dogri, said the heavy turnout of voters in the first phase of elections on April 11 in Jammu and Baramulla constituencies is a setback to terrorists, their mentors and those parties championing their cause. "I visited the entire country after starting rallies last month and witnessed an intense wave in favour of the BJP. Surveys by various agencies also make it clear that the BJP will get three times higher seats than the Congress in this poll and it is not possible for the Congress to save itself," he said. "The Congress stopped the armed forces from taking tough measures against terrorists. They were apprehensive that if they give a go-ahead and a situation like 1962 emerges, the Congress's boat will sink." He claimed the Congress never understood the strength and capability of the Army. "We used the force for national security but for the Congress, the Army is just an instrument for minting money," he alleged. He alleged the party got "malai" (kickbacks) for defence deals and it was least concerned about the forces. He claimed that even today the Congress is raising questions on surgical and air strikes to shield its failure to act and to save their vote bank. "India had never emerged as a strong country at global level, but the situation has changed. The days are gone when Indian government was cowed down by threats. This is a new India and we will kill terrorists (in their safe heavens) and expose people (supporting them)," Modi said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mumbai might be India's financial nerve centre and a melting pot of culture, customs and fashion, but its voting pattern is still rooted in caste and linguistic considerations, like much of the country, analysts say. The BJP, Congress, Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and others political parties have their pocket boroughs in the metropolis, several of which are urban spillovers, mirroring their rural constituencies, they point out. Language too plays a part as the city was at the centre of a movement for the creation of Maharashtra state, for Marathi-speaking people, from the erstwhile Bombay state which also comprised parts of current Gujarat. "Ever since it came into being, the city has had its own electoral character, in which caste and religion have had limited roles. However, there has been a drift recently and linguistic politics has made an entry," said Sudheendra Kulkarni of the city-based think-tank Observer Research Foundation. He gave the example of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena which ran a strident campaign on the basis of Marathi and non-Marathi speaking communities centred around the influx of migrants from north Indian states into the metropolis. "But thankfully, Bollywood, which is like the country's identity card to the rest of the world, has been largely unaffected by such divisive politics. It has given public representatives like Sunil Dutt, who earned the faith of all sorts of voters," Kulkarni opined. Sanjay Nirupam, journalist-turned-politician, who is contesting from the Mumbai North West on a Congress ticket, was of the opinion that a large chunk of Mumbaikars are migrants with rural roots. "These migrants are still connected to their roots. So they simultaneously form community-based habitations in Mumbai as well. Like we find Jain, Marwari, north Indian, Sindhi, Gujarati groups here. These groups develop a collective conscience which drives them for the betterment of the group," Nirupam, a former Lok Sabha MP from the city, said. Former Bombay High Court judge and Janata Dal (S) national general secretary Justice B G Kolse-Patil (retd), however, said winnability was the prime factor for parties. "Be it a metropolis like Mumbai or any other city, all parties and candidates bank on caste and community to further their politics. It is unfortunate. They can go to any extent to woo voters," Justice Patil(retd) said. Grassroots party workers seconded these opinions with several of them saying their parties issued instruction to canvas for respective candidates on the basis of caste, community and language. "I have been told to interact with Gujarati-speaking voters as I am from Gujarat. We have also been told to skip the pipeline area (a Muslim-dominated locality in Kurla) as we might not get much votes there," a BJP booth worker from the Mumbai North East constituency said. A Congress party worker in the constituency said, "Who says elections are fought on caste, community or ethnicity only in rural areas? Mumbai is no different. It is part of India." Amarjeet Mishra, the general secretary of the Mumbai BJP, termed this "customised" electoral pattern as "worthy" and said it helps address a particular group's problems precisely. If leaders or party workers are entrusted to convince voters of their own sect etc, then it really works since both belong to the same group," Mishra claimed. Canvassing on the basis of religion, caste, language and the like are prohibited, with Additional Chief Electoral Officer Dilip Shinde stressing that the Election Commission's enforcing department takes strict action when such incidents are brought to its notice. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Sunday with Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, whose forces are fighting for control of the capital Tripoli, state media reported. They "are discussing the latest developments in Libya" at the presidential palace in Cairo, state newspaper Al Ahram said. A presidential spokesperson did not return AFP's calls for confirmation. Sisi has been an ardent supporter of Haftar's forces, which control swathes of eastern Libya and launched an offensive on April 4 to take the capital. Fighting near Tripoli has killed 121 people and wounded 561, the World Health Organisation said on Sunday. Haftar has defied international calls to halt his battle against fighters loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord based in Tripoli. Earlier this month, Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry cautioned that the conflict could not be solved militarily. His remarks came at a Cairo press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, who also called for a political solution among all sides in Libya. The Libyan commander has modelled his political style of authoritarian leadership after Sisi, himself an army general turned president. Egypt has provided funding and arms to his Libyan National Army, seeing him as a bulwark against Islamist militants. Haftar, who was exiled in the United States for two decades, returned to Libya in 2011 when the revolution erupted, commanding forces that eventually toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi. The oil-rich north African country has been in turmoil ever since with successive weak governments in place and several Islamist militias battling for territorial control. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ferns N Petals plans to come out with its initial public offer (IPO) in 2020 while it expands its operations beyond the core business of flowers and gifts retailing, a top company official said. The company's expansion plans include FMCG and hospitality sectors. "We are looking at coming out with an IPO in the next 14-18 months...in year 2020. Work has already started on this front. We will use money to fund our growth plans as we expand beyond our core business of flowers and gifting," Ferns N Petals Founder and MD Vikaas Gutgutia told PTI. The company plans to become a major player in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) segment with launch of packaged water, chocolates, cookies and cakes. It is also looking at establishing a chain of wedding hotels. "We want to expand base beyond our core business of flowers, gifting and wedding decor. Apart from growing FMCG, we are also looking at opening a chain of wedding hotels and producing content for different platforms such as web series and short films," he added. Gutgutia said Ferns N Petals plans to invest Rs 20 crore to open three to four hotels in the next 12 months. At present, it has one operational property in Delhi. The company had reported about Rs 360 crore turnover last fiscal, and expects about 30 per cent year-on-year growth. Ferns N Petals has 300 outlets in 120 cities across India. By the end of year 2020, the brand is planning to open 500 outlets across the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The comrades who had led the movement for release of Kanhaiya Kumar from Tihar in 2016, following his arrest over sedition charges, are now campaigning to send him to the Lok Sabha from Bihar's Begusarai. Fielded by the CPI, Kumar, a debutant, is pitted against BJP veteran Giriraj Singh and RJD's Tanveer Hassan in Begusarai, which goes to polls on April 29. Some of the comrades have been camping in Begusarai to seek votes for the former Jawarharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president. Rama Naga, a former JNUSU member who was charged with sedition along with Kanhaiya, has been in Begusarai for the last two weeks. "The government tried its best to put us down. Our name will be noted in history worldwide among those few who were charged with sedition," he told PTI. "They wanted to portray it as a negative tag but how Kanhaiya has tried to make a positive beginning out of it and to remain attached to his roots in Begusarai is commendable," he said. "We have moved on to different projects in our respective lives but our ideologies are still the same and this campaigning has united all of us again," he added. Shehla Rashid, who was a prominent face of the campaign for Kumar's release, is gunning for him yet again. "Begusarai is brimming with anticipation. After decades, people are looking forward to having a representative who can dare to speak against injustice and Kanhaiya is just about that," said Rashid, who entered mainstream politics by joining the fledgling Jammu and Kashmir Peoples' Movement earlier this year. The BJP would have never thought that a student movement would reach so far, she said, speaking about Kumar's rally after he filed his nomination papers. The rally was joined by hundreds. Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar, a JNU alumnus, is also in Begusarai. She was trolled on social media for supporting Kumar and Khalid in 2016. Bhaskar was among those who joined Kumar's nomination rally on April 9, also her birthday. "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 the Indian democracy," she said. Gurmeher Kaur, a student activist who was trolled for her appeal to say no to war and boycott BJP's student outfit Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, is also campaigning for Kumar in Bihar. Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattarcharya, who were also jailed in connection with the sedition row, are running a campaign on social media to seek votes for the former JNUSU president. Kumar also received the blessings of Fatima Nafees, mother of missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmad. Kumar, along with others, was part of a campaign to seek justice for Ahmad. Before he set out to file his nomination papers last week, Kumar had shared a picture with his mother and Nafees on his Twitter handle saying, "I now have blessings of the mothers". Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani and activist Teesta Setalvad are also actively campaigning for the young leader. Students from JNU are also leaving for Begusarai in batches to participate in the campaigning. Kumar shot to fame after his arrest three years ago for allegedly raising anti-national slogans at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency in Uttar Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 60.47 per cent in the April 11 Lok Sabha polls, with 13.89 lakh people exercising their franchise, slightly higher than the 2014 general election. Over 1.95 lakh more voters exercised their franchise this time, according to revised official data issued Sunday. After the polling on April 11, the district election office had put the voting percentage at 62.7 per cent but has now come out with absolute numbers. A total of 13.89 lakh votes were cast in the just-held election across the five assembly segments of Noida, Jewar, Dadri, Khurja and Sikandrabad from an electorate of 22.97 lakh, the data shared by district election office stated. An assembly segment-wise break-up of the data showed 3.49 lakh votes were cast in Noida, 3.26 lakh in Dadri, 2.16 lakh in Jewar. The two assembly segments of Sikandrabad and Khurja, that fall in Bulandshahr district but are part of this constituency, had a turnout of 2.52 lakh and 2.44 lakh, respectively, it stated. In absolute numbers, Noida segment registered around 71,000 more voters than 2014, Dadri 78,000, Jewar 19,000, Sikandarabad 15,000 and Khurja 12,000, the data stated. Among the voters, 7.73 lakh were male, 6.15 lakh were female, and only four from the third gender category, it showed. Gautam Buddh Nagar had witnessed a turnout of 60.38 per cent in 2014 and an abysmal 48 per cent in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, according to Election Commission statistics. The turnout was lower than the national average of 66 per cent in 2014 and 58 per cent in 2009. "Good election management, improved law and order situation and a massive voter awareness programme (SVEEP) are the main reasons for the improved voter turnout this time," District Magistrate Brajesh Narain Singh said. Rajeev Tyagi, the nodal officer for Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation programme (SVEEP), attributed the increased turnout to the large scale voter awareness campaigns held across the district. A senior official involved in the election process said the turnout of 62.7 per cent as given on April 11 was based on initial estimates only. "Later, a detailed sector-wise turnout showed the final figures. During election day, poll officials have to update voter turnout after every few hours and at times they put out an estimate a few minutes prior to the closing of polls. Hence, these changes occur," the official told PTI on the condition of anonymity. Poll observers said the voter turnout increased despite the hot weather on polling day and no leave for local voters who work in Delhi and Gurgaon. In 2014, Noida assembly segment registered 2.78 lakh votes, Dadri 2.48 lakh, Jewar, 1.97 lakh, Sikandrabad 2.37 lakh and Khurja 2.32 lakh, altogether 11.94 lakh of 19.86 lakh voters had cast their votes that year, the official data showed. In 2009, 7.38 lakh of the 15.22 lakh voters had cast their votes, around 48 per cent, it added. BJP's Mahesh Sharma was seeking a re-election this time with Congress' Arvind Kumar Singh and BSP's Satveer Nagar, among 10 other candidates, put up a fight in the Lok Sabha election here. Voting was held in Gautam Buddh Nagar on April 11 during the first leg of the seven-phased elections, whose results will be out on May 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pete Buttigieg, the gay, liberal mayor of a small American city in the conservative bastion of Indiana, officially launched his presidential bid Sunday, joining a crowded field of Democrats vying for their party's nomination in 2020. The 37-year-old Rhodes scholar and Afghanistan war veteran is the two-term mayor of his hometown of South Bend -- a left-leaning bubble in America's so-called "Rust Belt" region, where the decline of industries such as steel and automobile manufacturing has hurt local economies. Voters in states such as Michigan and Wisconsin helped hand Republican US President Donald Trump his victory in the 2016 election. Buttigieg, who is credited with helping turn South Bend around, has couched himself as a can-do reformer who can speak to voters across the political spectrum. The message has helped catapult him from relative obscurity to becoming one of the leading Democrats in the crowded presidential race. "My name is Pete Buttigieg. They call me 'Mayor Pete.' I'm a proud son of South Bend, Indiana, and I am running for president of the United States!" he told a jubilant crowd of supporters at a former assembly plant turned high-tech hub in South Bend. "That's why I am here, to tell a different story than 'Make America Great Again'" he added, referring to Trump's campaign slogan. "This time it's not just about winning an election. It's about winning an era." The official launch -- in which Buttigieg touched upon a number of liberal talking points such as racial justice, voting rights and health care reform, as well as his faith and marriage to Chasten Buttigieg -- is expected to give his surprisingly strong campaign an additional boost. Campaign staffers said they have been caught by surprise by the speed with which the mayor has generated nationwide political support, and are still staffing up the campaign. Buttigieg had no speech writer to help him prepare his remarks. So many people showed up for the launch event that a large crowd was left outside in the rain to watch on a large video screen. Buttigieg braved the elements and thanked the crowd moments before making his official announcement indoors. "He represents a new generation of Democratic leadership. We love his vision," said Jenn Watts, 35, while her three-year-old daughter sat on her shoulders. They were in the cavernous event space in the former plant of defunct automaker Studebaker waiting more than two hours to see Buttigieg speak. "As a young mom with a young daughter, he represents what I want my daughter to see in leadership in this country," Watts added. In the three months since he declared an exploratory committee to test a presidential run, Buttigieg has raised USD 7 million, more than most other candidates, and jumped to third place in the latest polls of voters in Iowa and New Hampshire -- the earliest states to vote in next year's primary elections. The popular mayor who speaks eight languages and plays classical piano has been the focus of countless stories and profiles. The fascination has been in no small part due to his background: he would be the youngest, first openly gay, first millennial and first mayor to become president. But Buttigieg must still overcome the perception that his youth and thin resume as mayor of a town of just 1,00,000 leaves him lacking the experience necessary for the presidency. "I recognize the audacity of doing this as a Midwestern millennial mayor," Buttigieg said. "But the moment we live in compels us to act." Drew Corbin, a 24-year-old college student clutching four campaign T-shirts he had purchased for friends and wearing a campaign cap, said he still had not fully committed to the candidate. "There's a lot of candidates. I don't want to make up my mind so soon, almost a year before the primaries," Corbin said. "But he's definitely my favourite right now." Buttigieg's launch at Studebaker called to mind the plant's closure in 1963 that was still reverberating in the city in 2011 when he was elected mayor. He set out to tear down decaying, abandoned homes and restore the blighted Studebaker complex to make it suitable for new high-tech companies. In an unlikely feat, the city has reversed decades of population decline and attracted new businesses and development, with the mayor's popularity growing in the process. "His appeal, for many people in South Bend, is his ability to look forward and to focus on better days ahead," South Bend-based political science professor Elizabeth Bennion of Indiana University told AFP. "Once people looked at his resume and heard him speak, many started talking about the fact that he was destined for national (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) German broadcaster Deutsche Welle said Sunday it has been taken off-air by Venezuelan authorities, but vowed to keep beaming its programmes online to the crisis-hit South American country's viewers. "The Venezuelan broadcasting authority Conatel has removed from the cable network the broadcasting signal of Deutsche Welle's Spanish language television channel," said the German station in a statement. The Director General of Deutsche Welle Peter Limbourg urged Venezuelan authorities to reinstate the signal. Limbourg said the broadcaster will keep transmitting its programmes, particularly those focusing on the situation in Venezuela, on social media and Deutsche Welle's YouTube channel. "We will of course continue to do everything to inform our viewers and users in Venezuela," said Limbourg. Deutsche Welle said it reaches 17 million viewers every week with its 24-hour TV channel in Latin America. Viewers appeared to show interest not only in reports about Venezuela, but also in the reaction from Germany and Europe, said the broadcaster. It noted that a video on Twitter about Chancellor Angela Merkel's call for new elections in Venezuela was viewed 112,000 times. Germany counts among more than 50 countries which have voiced backing for Juan Guaido as interim president of the economically-devastated country, to the anger of President Nicolas Maduro. Caracas last month expelled Germany's ambassador over Berlin's stance. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Goa Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has 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 has gone viral on social media. In the video, the priest, who is speaking in Konkani, is seen criticising the BJP, party president Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and late Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar. The BJP's Goa unit lodged a complaint against the priest on Sunday. A complaint was also filed by a local resident. The complainant alleged that through his speech, the priest was spreading hatred and also violated the model code of conduct (MCC). When contacted, CEO Kunal said he has ordered an inquiry into the matter. "District Election Officer for South Goa constituency has been directed to conduct a detailed inquiry at the earliest and submit a report," he said. BJP's Panaji block general secretary Vishnu Naik said in his complaint, the video clip shows "a religious priest addressing people within the building of a religious institution and creating an atmosphere of hate and fear against a particular political party". The ruling party demanded a thorough investigation into the matter and that the priest be booked for "spreading hatred". Polling will be held for the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa on April 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister and senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal Sunday said the Congress party's promise of a minimum income scheme for poor is a "disaster" in its design itself and could lead to another "scam" as selection of beneficiaries would be full of corruption. Goyal said he feels it will not be possible to implement this scheme as there is no data for income and salary levels and the Congress promise will "burst like a balloon". 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 if it comes to power. While the Congress leaders and its president Rahul Gandhi have been saying the proposed scheme, which the party has named 'Nyay', has got a huge traction among the voters, the BJP has termed it totally impractical and against economic prudence. In an interview to PTI, Goyal said, "From the perspective of economic and financial prudence, obviously it is a disaster. I believe that it is near impossible because there is no data of salary and income levels of people. "And, selection of people (beneficiaries) will be full of corruption and it could become a scam by itself, adding to the several scams that the Congress is famous for," Goyal said. Attacking the opposition party, the Minister of Railways and Coal said the Congress still seems to be in its old mindset where they believed mere slogans can help them "fool the people", but they should know that people now cannot be fooled by fancy slogans. "For three generations, their leaders have offered big promises but delivered below-average performance laced with corruption. The people of India are smart and will not be taken in by such untruths anymore, and certainly not by fancy slogans and big promises," Goyal said. The BJP leader said the Modi government, on the other hand, is working for sustainable development of the country and is committed to a better future for the 130 crore Indians by making them self-reliant self-sufficient and living life of dignity. "For us, it is the race to the top where everybody is aspiring to go up. For Congress, it is race to the bottom where everybody is forced to go down," he said. Asked about the issue of unemployment, Goyal said India is the fastest growing economy in the world now and is poised to become the world's fifth largest economy and this cannot happen without generating work. The opposition parties have been attacking the government on the issue of unemployment, alleging job losses and lack of sufficient employment for the youth. "You cannot become the world's fastest-growing economy and the sixth largest economy without work being generated. Jobs are being created, Goyal countered. He said the BJP has promised to invest Rs 100 lakh crore in infrastructure over the next five years which will lead to further generation of employment and one-third of the capital is expected to be utilised for paying salaries to workers. "We have announced that Rs 100 lakh crore will be invested in infrastructure and our estimates show that one-third will go into paying salary and wages to different forms of human labour, including direct and indirect," Goyal added. Talking about the Modi government and its achievements, Goyal said the government has changed the mindset of the country from one of weakness to one of strength and there has been a paradigm shift in the way India works. He said the country and its people have become aspirational and do not accept the 'Chalta Hai' attitude anymore. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Two groups clashed in Kuttar near here Saturday night after stones wereallegedly thrown at a bus carrying BJP workers returning froma rally addressed by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi in the city. Police sources said the stone throwing incident happened at Madani Nagar at around 8 p.m after which there was an altercationbetween two groups of people. The women in the bus wereallegedly attacked by a group. Those injured in the clash had been hospitalised, theysaid. Meanwhile, BJP workers went to the Konaje police station and demanded the arrest of the culprits. City police Commissioner Sandeep Patil and other top officials visited the spot and the situation was brought undercontrol. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chinese smartphone brand Honor aims to garner 15-20 per cent smartphone market share by 2020 which will make it third-largest player in the segment, a top official of the firm said. "First, this year, we will build clear brand image of top-quality product in India. We invest a lot in our products. We have sent so many experts here to improve quality of production here. We will build trust relationship with local channel partner, retailer, internet service companies, etc. If we have this kind of relationship with eco-system, market share will follow," Honor Business Unit President George Zhao told PTI. When asked about the market share that Honor expects by 2020, Zhao said "15-20 per cent" and added that "it is not much important". The Honor brand, from Chinese telecom firm Huawei, has been targeting to garner 10 per cent market share. Honor has been one of the fastest-growing brand in 2018, however, its market share was estimated to be around 3 per cent, as per Counterpoint Research. "We can pave the way to become number one in India. We have to make people aware of our quality. Ninety-ninety five per cent of Honor phones are manufactured in India. In India, today, if you go to Amazon, our return rate is the lowest and loyalty for Honor brand customer is very high," Zhao said. Honor has the target to be among top-4 smartphone brands globally and top-2 in China. Chinese telecom firm Huawei started Honor brand for sale of smartphone through e-commerce platforms in economy to medium range segment. In the past two years, the brand has been offering smartphone in the premium segment as well which falls in the price of range of Rs 30,000 and above. Huawei brand smartphones, which were positioned by the Chinese telecom firm as premium brand only, have started coming in medium range as well. Zhao said that in retail market, Honor will compete with Huawei brand phones as well. "When end-consumers go to market, Honor and Huawei are two choices. From this point of view, we are competitors. We will have products starting from Rs 6,000 to Rs 50,000," he said. Honor this year will focus on retail channel partners in tier-I and tier-II cities and then expand to other cities. "I believe if you want to make one-time effort to gain big market share then you will lose also very soon. There have been many brands in India but only few exist now. We have to ensure retailers should be profitable. In the tier-I and tier-II, it is easy to implement our strategy and then expand to other parts gradually," Zhao said. When asked about investment that Honor plans to make to compete with rivals, Zhao said budget will depend on business plan of local team in India and additional budget will be provided if the performance goes well. "They (Honor team in India) can decide (budget) by themselves. We will introduce new categories -- smartwatch and tablet. If they plan to start new products -- tablet, laptop, we will give them additional budget," Zhao said. He said Honor will diversify its product portfolio with foray into tablet segment this year and may even introduce selling laptop. "Tablets will be there for sure," Zhao said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Hurriyat leader was intercepted at the Srinagar airport on Sunday for allegedly carrying over Rs 14 lakh "unaccounted" cash, officials said. Aga Syed Hasan Mosavi, a noted Shia leader, was briefly detained by the Jammu and Kashmir police after he landed here from Delhi with the cash of Rs 14.38 lakh. It is suspected to be unaccounted and has been seized in view of the election season, the officials said. The case has been transferred to the Income Tax Department and Mousavi has been summoned before an investigating tax officer on Monday, the officials said. The Income Tax Department is looking to ascertain the source of the cash, which is primarily believed to be from a Shia organisation based in Iran, the officials added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Avengers: Endgame" is being touted as the culmination of the decade-long journey of the A-6, but for Jeremy Renner, the film is just a beginning in the content-rich Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Renner, whose version of superhero Hawkeye is getting a stand-alone mini-series at Disney's soon-to-be launched streaming service, did not divulge much details on the project, but is confident that the MCU will continue to grow. "Do things continue on? 'Endgame' is only a beginning in my mind," Renner said when asked about his show and his future in MCU. "As far as the richness created in the comics is concerned, it is up to Kevin Feige, Disney and Marvel and anybody else who wants to continue the storytelling but the world is there and it is rich for telling. But what happens is out of my pay grade. I would always be willing to be a part of any sort of storytelling that continues on because look we are talking about 21 movies turning into one" he said in a group interview here. The actor recently posted a picture of the original six Avengers-- Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye -- on Instagram. He said the friendship that he shares with his co-stars transcends the films. "For us, the original six Avengers... They are on my daughter's pyjamas... It means our decade spent of shared time. We got the tattoo to represent that. Not that the friendships I have made outside of them are any less important. It is just the length of time... It started with Downey (Robert Downey Jr) with Iron Man and then the world grew into Captain America, Hulk, Hawkeye, The Widow" he added. Hawkeye was not in "Infinity War" but he is back to avenge the superheroes who did not survive the finger snap by supervillain Thanos that wiped off half of the population of the universe. Renner said he completely trusted his directors Anthony and Joe Russo and Feige as storytellers so all he had to do during this break was "stretch". "You feel like you're always around, you're always in it. Storytellers know more about the universe. I didn't know I was not in 'Infinity War' until they mentioned it. I just trust what they do," the actor said. Describing MCU as a big engine, Renner said he believed in the directors' vision and did his part to the best of his ability. "It's like an engine that moves a car. Every part of that engine needs to operate properly, otherwise, it does not move. So everybody is like a cog in the wheel. Everybody has to do their part and do it to the best of their ability and that's like anything. "I'm a spark plug, or whatever it might be. I do it to the best of my ability. And that's what I got to do. And trust the Russo brothers who are tremendous storytellers. They can grab the scope of 21 films and make it into one essentially. And Kevin Feige, who's been running this universe for so long, I just trust them. And all I got to do is just stretch," he said. Renner was in South Korea to promote "Endgame" with co-actors Downey Jr, Brie Larson, Russo brothers, Feige and executive producer Trinh Tran. "Avengers: Endgame" releases in India on April 26 in Hindi, English, Telugu and Tamil. The film also features Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Bradley Cooper, Tessa Thompson and Josh Brolin. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian capital market outperformed several major global markets, including the developed ones like the US and the UK as well as developing economies such as China and Brazil, with double-digit returns in the fiscal ended March 2019 despite numerous global and domestic headwinds, data shows. The Indian market benckmark indices also improved on their own performance in the previous fiscal, with the BSE's Sensex (17.3 per cent) giving relatively better returns than the NSE's Nifty (14.9 per cent) in 2018-19. This is much better than the equity market returns recorded in the US (7.6 per cent), the UK (3.2 per cent), China (minus 2.5 per cent), Brazil (11.8 per cent), Japan (minus 1.2 per cent), South Korea (minus 12.5 per cent) and Hong Kong (minus 3.5 per cent) in 2018-19. An analysis of equity market returns for these countries shows that the Indian benchmark indices had underperformed those in the US, Brazil, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong in 2017-18, though the performance was better than the UK and China even in that year. With positive performance by benchmark indices and increasing fund raising from the market, the size of the capital market in India also continued to expand during 2018-19, with the market capitalisation rising by over 6 per cent to over Rs 151 lakh crore. Besides, mutual fund asset under management grew by 11.4 per cent to nearly Rs 24 lakh crore and Foreign Portfolio Investors' asset under custody expanded by 8.6 per cent to close to Rs 30 lakh crore. This is despite the fact that 2018-19 was relatively a difficult and challenging year on account of global and domestic headwinds. Fundraising from the capital market also continued its positive trend during 2018-19, with funds raised through debt and equity rising by 5.3 per cent to nearly Rs 9 lakh crore. The double-digit returns came in despite subdued sentiments at times in view of certain negative developments since September 2018, particularly on the fixed-income securities front. On the mutual fund front, debt-oriented funds witnessed net outflows on the back of certain developments in debt market since September 2018. But, equity-oriented mutual funds continued to receive positive net inflows across all months during 2018-19 and other mutual funds received positive net inflows in 10 out of 12 months of the financial year. Net fund inflows in equity-oriented and other types of mutual funds together were to the tune of Rs 1.58 lakh crore in 2018-19 as against Rs 2.84 lakh crore in 2017-18 and Rs 1.30 lakh crore in 2016-17. The year also saw the much-awaited REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) finally taking off in India. REITs have been used worldwide as a vehicle for monetisation of assets by real estate developers. As an instrument class, it provides to investors stable and predictable returns, matching those and often exceeding returns from other alternative investments. Capital market regulator Sebi had issued REIT regulations in 2014 to give impetus to this instrument and, in turn, to the real estate sector in the country. The government has also provided pass-through tax status to REITs registered with Sebi. In March, the first REIT public offer came and it has listed units worth about Rs 4,750 crore. The issue was well received with oversubscription of two times in institutional category and upwards of three times in retail category. This is the largest listed REIT in Asia in terms of area of assets. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The lawyer for an Iranian woman who removed her obligatory Islamic headscarf in a public protest says she has been sentenced to one year in prison but pardoned by the supreme leader. Payam Derefshan told The Associated Press a court sentenced Vida Movahed in March after finding her guilty of encouraging public "corruption." Movahed was arrested in November. Derefshan, who revealed the verdict to local media Sunday, says she is on a pardon list but the release procedures are still underway. There was no official comment. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei occasionally issues pardons. Movahed, 32, was dubbed the "Girl of Enghelab Street" and briefly arrested in 2017 after she took off her headscarf and held it in the air. Authorities detained 29 women on similar charges the following year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israeli speakers scheduled to appear at a business conference in Bahrain next week have cancelled their talks over "security concerns", organisers said on Sunday. At least three Israeli speakers, including the Israel Innovation Authority's deputy chief Anya Eldan, had been due to address the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Manama. Their attendance at the four-day event that starts on Monday had been condemned by members of parliament in Bahrain, which does not recognise the Jewish state. "While we advised the Israeli delegation they would be welcome, they decided this morning not to come due to security concerns and a wish not to cause disruption for the other 180 nations participating," said Jonathan Ortmans, founder and president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network. Israel has official diplomatic relations with only two Arab states, neighbouring Egypt and Jordan. Israel has long faced resistance to its efforts to improve ties with Arab nations because of its 50-year occupation of Arab territories. It has, however, recently seen increased behind-the-scenes cooperation with some Gulf states, particularly in tackling their shared enemy Iran. In 2018, Bahrain hosted a UNESCO conference attended by an Israeli delegation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said it is due to the strength of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar's Constitution that a man from a deprived and exploited class is president, a man from a farmer's family is vice president and a 'chaiwala' is the PM. Modi also attacked the opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh, asking how those not fighting all the Lok Sabha seats in the state can give a prime minister. "It is the strength of Babasaheb's Constitution that a gentleman hailing from deprived and exploited class has become the president (Ram Nath Kovind), while the vice-president ( M Venkaiah Naidu) is from a farmer's family," he said at a rally in Aligarh district, on birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution. "Thanks to Babasaheb's Constitution, a 'chaiwala' (tea-seller) is holding the prime minister's post," Modi said. In an apparent jibe at the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh, Modi asked, "Those who are not contesting on all 40 Lok Sabha seats (in the state), can they give a prime minister?" In Uttar Pradesh, the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is contesting 38 Lok Sabha seats, while the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) has fielded candidates from 37 parliamentary constituencies. There are three Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) candidates in the poll fray from the state. The alliance has left two seats of Rae Bareli and Amethi for the Congress. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Far from the din of Washington, Ivanka Trump toured businesses run by women in Ethiopia on Sunday while promoting a White House global economic program for women. President Donald Trump's daughter and senior adviser visited a coffee shop and textile company in Addis Ababa. It was her first stop in Africa on a four-day trip to Ethiopia and Ivory Coast on behalf of a White House project intended to boost 50 million women in developing countries by 2025. Aiming to offer assistance and learn about the struggles of women in business, she took part in a traditional coffee ceremony, visited with weavers and announced new financial support for businesses. "Investing in women is smart development policy and it's smart business," Trump said, sitting in Dumerso Coffee, a dimly lighted space with a woven ceiling, tile floor and colorful paintings. Alongside were women who work in the industry. This is Ivanka Trump's first visit to Africa since the president launched the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative. It's a program she hopes will outlast an administration better known for "America First" isolationism. She has drawn praise for taking on this project and for making the trip. But thousands of miles from Washington, she is sure to be shadowed by her father's efforts to cut international aid, as well as his past disparaging comments about Africa. Ivanka Trump arrived in Ethiopia early Sunday, flying commercial. At the textile and craft manufacturer Muya, she was greeted by dancers and chatted with women seated at colorful looms. She said she was pleased to begin in the country with Africa's second-highest population. "Ethiopia's success is Africa's success," she said. Ivanka Trump was accompanied by Mark Green, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and David Bohigian, the acting president of the Overseas Private Investment Corp., which provides loans, loan guarantees and political risk insurance, funding projects that stretch across continents and industries. At the coffee shop they announced a loan, issued by a local women-focused bank and backed by USAID, for a coffee business owned by women. At Muya, they announced additional OPIC financing. Later in the trip, she plans to meet with Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. In Ivory Coast, she will visit a cocoa farm and participate in a meeting on economic opportunities for women in West Africa. That gathering is part of the World Bank's Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, a program that Ivanka Trump pushed the bank to introduce. She will be joined in Ivory Coast by a U.S. congressional delegation that will include U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of the White House. Reaction to the visit reflected the contradictions of Ivanka Trump's role. Activist Marakie Tesfaye, who founded a group in Ethiopia for women, welcomed the attention. "I think she's coming genuinely to empower women and it's good that she's coming because she will push forward our agenda," she said. Ethiopian journalist Sisay Woubshet was more skeptical, citing Donald Trump's past comments. "I don't think people will have a good feeling about his daughter's visit this time around to promote her global initiative towards women." For Ivanka Trump, those challenges come with the territory. She has spent two years promoting a family-friendly agenda in an administration focused on hard-line immigration tactics and protectionist trade policies. To questions about international aid spending, she has said the administration strives to be generous in a "fiscally responsible way," and has argued that investing in her project, which builds on previous White House efforts, is a way to promote security in developing countries. The new global women's initiative involves the U.S. State Department, the U.S. National Security Council and other American agencies. It aims to assist women in developing countries with job training, financial support and legal or regulatory reforms. Money for the effort will come through USAID, which initially set up a $50 million fund using dollars already budgeted. The president's 2020 budget proposal requests an additional $100 million for the initiative, which will also be supported by programs across the government as well as private investment. Experts praised the government-wide approach, which will incorporate new and existing programs, though some stressed that it was early in the process. The investment comes as the president is proposing cuts to foreign aid, and as the administration is expanding a ban on U.S. aid to groups that promote or provide abortions. "The part of the proposal which is around looking at laws that is a good thing to focus on," said Charles Kenny, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, referencing the initiative's support for changing laws, regulations and customs that create barriers preventing women from fully participating in the workforce. But he said the abortion-related ban could have a negative economic impact. "I think one of the most powerful tools for women's economic empowerment is the ability to choose when and how many children they have," Kenny said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Struggling for survival due to a severe cash crunch, has suspended its operations in SAARC and ASEAN regions indefinitely, besides extending suspension of its services to Toronto and from Chennai and back. The airline has also cancelled its long-haul, west-bound operations to and from Amsterdam, Heathrow, and till April 16, said Sunday. Operating with 6-7 aircraft, had on Friday extended suspension of its services to these destinations until Monday. "Jet Airways has currently suspended operations to SAARC and ASEAN destinations, as well as to Toronto and from Chennai and back," said Jet Airways in a statement. "The airline has also cancelled its long-haul, west-bound operations to/from Amsterdam, Heathrow, and Paris until April 16 (Tuesday)," it added. According to available information, the airline has also stopped accepting bookings for its Mumbai-Paris flight until June 10. It has also closed reservations for its Mumbai-London, Mumbai-Amsterdam- and Bangalore-Amsterdam flights, up to April 18, according to the information. Jet Airways confirmed stopping of bookings for these flights, saying the move is aimed at re-accommodating passengers due to interim cancellations. ALSO READ: Jet episode raises many questions and govt of the day needs to answer them "As a proactive measure, Jet Airways has restricted sales on certain routes for a few days, in order to re-accommodate guests, who have unfortunately been inconvenienced by interim cancellations," the airline said. Following complaints by passengers of lack of information on cancellation and non-receipt of refunds, Civil secretary had Friday said the Centre had asked Jet Airways to inform passengers 48 hours in advance about flight cancellations, and take their problems into consideration. Rajshree Pathy resigns as Jet Airways' independent director Struggling carrier Jet Airways Sunday said its Independent Director Rajshree Pathy has quit the company, effective April 13, citing time constraints and other commitments. "This is to inform you that Rajshree Pathy has submitted her resignation as an Independent Director of the company with effect from April 13, owing to time constraints and on account of her other current commitments," Jet Airways said in an exchange filing. The loss-making airline is now under the management control of SBI-led consortium of lenders under a debt-recast plan approved by its board last month. The opposition Left Front and the Congress on Sunday alleged "blatant rigging" during the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls in Tripura, and appealed to voters to resist any such attempt in the next phase on April 18. Around 77.6 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the election to the West Tripura Lok Sabha seat on April 11. "We have witnessed that the first phase of elections was blatantly rigged by the BJP and it is apprehended that the second phase would be no different," Left Front Convener and CPI(M) central committee member, Bijan Dahar told reporters. The BJP termed the charges as baseless, and instead, claimed its supporters are being attacked in different parts of the state by CPI(M) and Congress activists. "The opposition parties have failed to put up election agents. They have become alienated from the people. Their appeal to resist is actually an attempt to spread violence and a verbal tonic to estranged supporters," BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya said. Meanwhile, a delegation of the Tripura Left Front Committee on Sunday met Chief Electoral Officer Sriram Taranikanti, and complained of gross violation of the model code of conduct during first phase of elections. The Left Front will organise a mass sit-in demonstration in Agartala on April 16 to protest against alleged attacks, violence and rigging in the Lok Sabha polls. Tripura Congress spokesperson Harekrishna Bhowmik said party representatives met Election Commission officials in New Delhi on Saturday, demanding central forces in all the 1,645 polling booths of East Tripura constituency on April 18. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Slamming the BJP-led government, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Sunday said it stands on the twin pillars of loot of natural resources and more misery for the poor. Yechury also accused the Narendra Modi-led NDA government of trying to use the armed forces to polarise the elections in the face of its imminent defeat. He said it is "quite evident" from the anger against the present dispensation at the grassroots that a secular democratic government will come to power after the elections. "Recently, a report came out where it stated that bank loans of corporates worth Rs 5.5 lakh crore were waived off in the last five years. This only sums up from where the BJP is getting so much money in terms of electoral bonds. "This Modi government rests on twin pillars of loot of natural resources, cronyism and more misery for poor and common masses," Yechury told reporters here. Asking the Centre to reveal names of the corporate leaders whose loans have been written off, the senior CPI(M) leader said the Rafale deal with France was also a blatant example of "promoting crony capitalism". Criticising Modi for seeking votes in the name of martyrs and the armed forces, he urged the Election Commission to act strongly against BJP's "despicable attempts". "As the BJP is well aware that they are going to lose the elections, they are making last-ditch efforts to use the armed forces to polarise the voters. The EC should act against it and stop BJP's attempt to politicise the security forces," Yechury said. He said the saffron party would face the same fate as in 2004, when it lost the general elections. "We have full faith in Indian voters. In 2004 also, the BJP raised the issue of opposition being rudderless and they had Atal Bihari Vajpayee leading from the front. But, we had seen they were defeated and Manmohan Singh became the prime minister for the next 10 years. "This time, too, the same thing is going to happen, a secular democratic government will come to power after the elections," he said. Yechury added that the 2019 Lok Sabha election is the most crucial one in the history of Independent India, as the very future of the secular democratic republic, as enshrined in the Constitution, is at stake. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP chief Amit Shah, who is contesting elections from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, Sunday participated in a roadshow in Kalol assembly segment. The roadshow was kicked off in the evening after Shah paid tributes at the statue of Dalit icon Babasaheb Ambedkar on the occasion of his birth anniversary in Kalol town. During the procession, Shah and Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitin Patel mounted an open vehicle, and were welcomed by thousands of people along the route. Shah also waved back to the people. The vehicle passed through various areas of the town including Ambedkar circle, railway station, Tower chowk, Vakhariya cross road etc. The roadshow culminated at Panchwati Hanuman temple, a distance of around 7 kms from the Ambedkar statue. Hundreds of BJP workers in cars and on motorcycles also accompanied Shah. Earlier in the day, Shah joined various campaign-related activities in the Lok Sabha constituency. He held a meeting with BJP workers and asked them to work hard for the party's victory. The BJP chief also interacted with the chairmen and secretaries of various housing societies in Sabarmati, Gathlodiya and Naranpura areas of the constituency and appealed to them to re-elect Narendra Modi government for prosperous India. Shah had earlier held road shows on the day of filing of his nomination papers and on April 6. Polling for all 26 seats in Gujarat will be held on April 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two years after Srinagar Lok Sabha bypolls made for the wrong reasons, democracy's appeal will be put to test in this constituency with over 12 lakh voters on April 18. The Srinagar Lok Sabha bypoll, necessitated after PDP leader Tariq Hamid Karra resigned from the lower house of Parliament, was marred by violence and saw the lowest ever voter turn out of 7.2 per cent. Nine persons were killed in security forces' action against protestors in different parts of the constituency and an Army officer used a shawl weaver as a human shield to save his men from a stone-pelting mob on polling day. This year, stringent security measures have been put in place to prevent any untoward incidents. Additional security personnel have been deployed in the three districts -- Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam -- that make up the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat. The fate of 10 candidates would be decided by 12,90,318 voters. Prominent among these candidates is National Conference (NC) president and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, who is in the running to enter the Lok Sabha for the fourth time. Farooq faces a challenge from Aga Syed Mohsin of the Peoples Democratic Conference (PDP), who had contested as an independent in the 2014 parliamentary elections. Political observers feel that by fielding a "weak" candidate in Mohsin, the PDP might have conceded the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat to Farooq. However, PDP spokesperson Harbaksh Singh said it would be wrong to write off Mohsin just yet. "He (Mohsin) had contested 2014 Lok Sabha polls and won a significant number of votes. He is a prominent Shia leader and scholar. Moreover, he has the backing of the biggest political party of the state," Singh said. Sajad Gani Lone-led Peoples Conference has emerged as an alternative to the NC and the PDP in regional The party, which moved out of the separatist camp in 2009 to return to electoral politics, won the mayoral elections to Srinagar Municipal Corporation. The Peoples Conference has fielded businessman Irfan Ansari, a greenhorn, against Farooq. Ansari, however, has his elder brother Imran Ansari, a prominent Shia leader and former minister, to guide him. The 41-year-old businessman is confident that he will be able to connect with the youth. "I represent the younger generation and I believe I am more in touch with the problems and realities faced by today's generation and would be able take on the challenges confronting the generation of today," Ansari said. "I will not only be able to understand them well but also try and find a way to resolve those problems," he added. The BJP too has fielded a debutant, party spokesperson Khalid Jehangir, from the seat. Jehangir was vice chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Project Construction Corporation, a state PSU, during the PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress, an ally of the NC, has decided not to field any candidate against Farooq. It had not fielded any candidate opposite the NC patron even in 2017. Farooq (83) has lost an election only once in his 42-year-long political career. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980. However, he returned to state due to the failing health of NC founder and his father Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah in 1981. Farooq first became the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir in September 1982, following his father's death. He remained part of state till 2002, when he passed on the torch to his son Omar Abdullah However, Omar's loss in the 2002 Assembly election put paid to his hopes and the NC, despite emerging as the single largest party, decided to sit in the opposition. Farooq stayed away from active politics for several years but made a comeback after first winning Rajya Sabha elections in early 2009. He entered the Lok Sabha for the second time in May 2009. As many as 1,716 polling stations have been set up in Srinagar. For migrant voters of the constituency, 26 polling stations have been set up including 21 in Jammu, one in Udhampur and four in New Delhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking a swipe at the opposition's 'mahagathbandan (grand alliance)', Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Sunday described it as a "baraat" without a groom. Everybody knows the reality of Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati, Chandrababu Naidu and Mamata Banerjee, they are all "contenders for the post of prime minister from the opposition's camp, which has failed to reach a consensus on one person", he claimed at a BJP 'Vijay Sankalp' rally in Aurangabad village, which is part of the Faridabad Lok Sabha constituency, in Palwal district. The opposition is without a prime ministerial nominee, Khattar said. "It's a baraat without the groom," he said taking a dig at the grand alliance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked for bettering the lives of the poor and downtrodden during the last five years, the chief minister said. People have made up their mind to re-elect Modi as prime minister for all-round development of the country and protecting its security and integrity, Khattar said, adding that the world has seen the leadership qualities of the PM. "Today terrorists and those who give shelter to them fear Modi's name. The prime minister has adopted a tough stand against terrorists and separatist elements," Khattar said. Referring to the Congress's nominee from Faridabad, Lalit Nagar, he said the opposition party's candidate comes nowhere near the BJP's nominee, whose work speaks for him. Nagar has been pitted against Union Minister and BJP sitting MP from Faridabad Krishan Pal Gujjar. Targeting the opposition, the chief minister said "corruption was rampant under the previous regime, but the BJP has given a corruption free and transparent administration to the people. The BJP government in Haryana during its tenure so far has given 60,000 jobs to unemployed youths on merit, Khattar said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A major fire broke out at a rubber godown in northwest Delhi's Siras Pur area on Sunday, a senior official of the Delhi Fire Service said. The Delhi Fire Service received information about the incident at 7.34 am and 25 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The fire was controlled by 10.50 am and no casualty was reported, the official said. The cause of fire was yet to be ascertained, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : The election commission should ensure reliability of EVMs to restore voters' confidence in them in the wake of reports of the machines malfunctioning during the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, CPI national secretary D Raja said Sunday. Many political parties have expressed concern over the malfunctioning EVMs and With six more phases of polls to go, the EC should see to it that the machines were reliable, he said. Asked about the remarks of union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal on the 8-lane Chennai-Salem green corridor and NEET respectively, Raja said the BJP has its own agenda and was trying to bulldoze the states' rights. Gadkari had said he would discuss with farmers on the road project even while Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami was in constant touch with him, despite thousands of farmers losing lakh of acres of cultivable land, Raja said. Why was the BJP's ally PMK silent on the issue, as it was the party that had gone to the court against the project and got a verdict, he said. Similarly on the NEET issue, Goyal had on Saturday said he would try to convince the AIADMK to continue the test for taking up medical courses, Raja said. All these show that the BJP had never bothered about the rights of the states and wanted to impose its agenda, he said. To a question on the general trend of polls, Raja said the BJP was on its way out as the mood of the people was against Modi and the BJP government. On the post-poll scenario, the veteran CPI leader said there was a possibility of the secular democratic alliance forming the government, once the BJP government was removed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Invoking Bofors and Rafale deals, BSP chief Mayawati Sunday accused the BJP and the Congress of "corruption" in defence deals, and of misusing the CBI and ED to "drag" Opposition parties into false cases. She also questionned the Congress over non-implementation of its proposed' NYAY' or minimum income guarantee scheme in the party-ruled states including Chhattisgarh. "The Modi government has exploited farmers, dalits, tribals and minorities, and has been biased against them. The government has a casteist and communal thinking," the Bahujan Samaj Party chief said while addressing a public meeting in Janjgir-Champa district. Targetting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mayawati said people have now understood his "jumlebazi" (false promises). "The 'chowkidar' cannot mislead people anymore now," she said, adding that BJP leaders only give hollow promises. Apparently referring to the BJP's bid to build the poll campaign around national security, the Dalit leader said, "They (BJP leaders) speak such things that drive emotions of people, which eventually turns out to be a jumla". She said the BJP's slogan of ushering in "achhe din" ahead of the 2014 elections, and its promise of depositing Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts of common people was never fulfilled. "Only capitalists got benefitted under the Modi government, which is working as a 'chowkidar' (watchman) only for businessmen," she added. Mayawati said demonetisation and faulty implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has resulted into loss of jobs and spike in poverty in the country. Mayawati, whose party is contesting elections in alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP), did not spare the Congress during her speech. "The Congress did the Bofors scandal while the BJP government has openly committed corruption in Rafale fighter jet deal. The current government of the BJP and the previous Congress dispensation misused the CBI and the ED to target Opposition parties and drag them into false cases," she said. Mayawati also questionned the Congress' poll promise of implementing the 'NYAY' (nyuntam aay yojna) scheme, which envisages depositing Rs 6,000 per month in accounts of the poorest, if voted to power in elections. "Why the scheme was not launched in Chhattisgarh and other states (ahead of Lok Sabha polls) ruled by the Congress?" she asked. Mayawati said if voted to power, a government of the SP and the BSP would provide work to each and every person, and ensure generation of jobs in government and private sectors. "The time has come for the exploited and backward sections to take the key of power at Centre and Chhattisgarh in their own hands. Don't get swayed away by false promises," she said. Former chief minister and Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) president Ajit Jogi was also present on the occasion. Jogi's party, which had contested the last year's assembly elections in alliance with the BSP, is supporting BSP nominees in all 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in Chhattisgarh which votes in three phases. While polling for Bastar (ST) seat was held on April 11, remaining two phases will vote on April 18 and April 23. Four out of total 10 constituencies that will go to polls are reserved seats. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday dismissed the claim made by BJP chief Amit Shah that her party remembered Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar only during elections. In a tweet, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, "The statement of BJP chief Amit Shah that the BSP remembers Babasaheb Ambedkar only during elections is untrue and mischievous." Describing the BSP as a movement, Mayawati said taking inspiration from Ambedkar, her party was working for all sections of the society. In another tweet, she said, "BJP leaders have now forgotten development, black money, corruption, poverty, unemployment and farmers. Now they have started raking up patriotism and national security...but after being unsuccessful in that, they are now threatening the voters like it was done by Maneka Gandhi, which is highly condemnable." In a controversial remark, Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi recently told Muslims to vote for her as they would need her once the Lok Sabha polls were over. She is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh in the ongoing general election. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday hit out at Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for not attending a function presided over by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu to pay tributes to those killed in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. "There is a difference between 'rashtra bhakti' (patriotism) and 'pariwar bhakti' (loyalty to family). I have known Capt Singh for decades and never questioned his patriotism. But I can understand the pressure built on him for this 'pariwar bhakti' and the tactics being adopted in Punjab. The captain too had to bend before it," Modi said. The prime minister was addressing an election rally here in support of Union minister Jitendra Singh who is seeking re-election from the Udhampur parliamentary constituency. This was the second election rally addressed by Modi in the Jammu region during the past 18 days. Referring to Punjab chief minister's absence at the commemoration ceremony organised by the Union Ministry of Culture, he said, "It is necessary to expose these people. Yesterday when the whole country was paying tributes to those killed in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Congress was busy in playing politics," he said. "The vice president went to Jallianwala Bagh to participate in a government function to pay tributes to the martyrs but the Congress chief minister was missing. He boycotted the function because he was busy with Congress 'pariwar bhakti'," the prime minister alleged. Lauding the valour of security forces, he said the question is why the Congress is "fearful and frustrated" when it hears about surgical and air strikes in Pakistan. "The countrymen feel proud after hearing such things. The morale of our forces also go up, but the Congress is busy in politicking," he said. The prime minister paid tributes to father of the Constitution B R Ambedkar and also greeted people on the occasion of Baisakhi. He also paid tributes to state general secretary of BJP Anil Parihar, his brother Ajeet Parihar and RSS leader Chanderkant Sharma who were killed in separate terrorist attacks in Kishtwar district. Modi said they sacrificed their lives for the nation and they will always be remembered. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sharpening its attack on the Prime Minister, the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF in Kerala Sunday accused Narendra Modi of "misleading" the country on the Sabarimla issue and dubbed his statement as "utter lie." Leading the onslaught, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan claimed Modi during his campaign meetings in neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Saturday had said invoking the name of Lord Ayyappa or Sabarimala in Kerala would land devotees in jail and described it as "utter lie" and "misleading." "This is an utter lie. How can a Prime Minister make such a wrong remark?" Vijayan asked while addressing an election rally in Kollam. "If anyone was arrested, it was because they have gone against the law. In other states, Sangh Parivar activists may not land in jailor there may not be any cases against them, thanks to the blessings of Modi. But that will not happen in Kerala," the chief minister warned. Accusing Modi of practising "double standards", he said it was the Centre which had asked the state government to impose Section 144 in Sabarimala during the frenzied protests last year over the entry of women of all age groups into the hill shrine. It had also offered to send central forces to put down the protests, he added. The state had witnessed violent 'namajapam' protests by a section of devotees, Right wing outfits and the BJP after the LDF government decided to implement the September 28 Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups to offer worship at the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala. Modi, who was in Kozhikode on April 12, while not mentioning Sabarimala or Lord Ayyappa directly, had said the BJP government would ensure that the centuries old beliefs of devotees would be protected. The Prime Minister was more direct in his campaign meetings in Tamil Nadu, where he alleged the Communists, Congress and Muslim League were playing a dangerous game on the Sabarimala issue. "They are using brute force to strike at the roots of faith and expression. Sadly for them, as long as the BJP is there, nobody will be able to destroy our faith and culture," he had said. The prime minister had also mentioned that the BJP candidate in Kozhikode, Prakash Babu, was arrested and jailed on the Sabarimala issue. Hitting back, Vijayan said: "Whoever does any wrong, action will be taken", adding those arrested on the Sabarimala issue had gone against law. The model code of conduct was applicable to the prime minister also, Vijayan said campaigning for the LDF candidate K N Balagopal in Kollam. The state's Chief Electoral Officer, Teekaram Meena, had earlier made it clear political parties cannot invoke the name of Lord Ayyappa or Sabarimala to seek votes. Vijayan said the BJP had given a call to its followers saying no one should put any offerings in hundis. "Why did they send people to the hill shrine to attack devotees? The attackers even reached the Sannidhanam... the policemen were hit with coconuts. Police had great difficulty in controlling the attackers," he alleged. CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan also lashed out at the BJP, saying the saffron party was allegedly dividing people on communal lines. The prime minister himself was defying the Election Commission, he alleged. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fighting near Tripoli has killed 121 people since strongman Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive earlier this month to take the Libyan capital, the World Health Organisation said Sunday. In clashes between Haftar's forces and those of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), both sides have proclaimed "advances" but neither appears to have made substantial progress on the ground in recent days. With more than 560 people wounded since the fighting started on April 4, the WHO said it was sending more medical supplies and staff to Tripoli. On its Twitter feed, the agency denounced "repeated attacks on health care workers" and vehicles during the fighting. The UN's humanitarian coordination office, OCHA, said Saturday that three medical personnel had been killed and that shrapnel had put five ambulances out of action. The mounting violence has sparked global alarm over the oil-rich country, in turmoil since NATO-backed forces overthrew former dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. A bewildering array of militias have sought to take control since his ouster. Haftar's offensive began shortly before a conference set for this month to discuss Libya's future -- an event the UN cancelled as his forces closed in on the capital. Haftar, who leads the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), has pushed from his power base in the country's east towards the Libyan capital in the west, the seat of the UN-backed unity government led by Fayez al-Sarraj. The unity government said its forces had shot down an LNA fighter jet on Sunday "that was preparing to conduct air raids" south of Tripoli. An LNA source said the plane had come down in an area under its control and that the pilot, who had ejected, was "safe and sound". That came as the strongman met in Cairo with key backer Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, who pledged support for "efforts to fight terrorism and extremist militias to achieve security and stability... throughout the country", Sisi's office said. Haftar also has the support of key Gulf Arab states and Russia. With gunfire echoing through city blocks and tanks rumbling through towns and districts south of Tripoli, many panicked residents have fled their homes. More than 13,500 people have been displaced and over 900 are now living in shelters, OCHA said. Both sides have launched daily air raids and accuse each other of targeting civilians. One air strike the GNA blamed on Haftar's forces hit a school in Ain Zara, south of Tripoli, which has been the scene of violent clashes for days. On Sunday, the UN mission in Libya warned that international humanitarian law "prohibits the bombing of schools, hospitals, ambulances and civilian areas". The mission warned that it would document all breaches in order to inform the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court. The LNA meanwhile accused the Tripoli-based forces of an air raid "targeting civilians" in the Gasr Ben Ghachir region south of Tripoli. GNA spokesman Mohamed Gnounou said his forces had carried out 21 air strikes targeting LNA positions and supply lines between Friday and Saturday. Gnounou late on Saturday claimed "great advances on all fronts", including in Al-Aziziya, a city about 50 kilometres south of Tripoli. "We have not started this war," he said, "but we will decide the time and place of its end." On the LNA's side meanwhile, spokesman Ahmad al-Mesmari said the attacking forces were also "moving forward on all fronts". He reiterated his claim that "terrorists" and "criminals" were fighting on the side of the UN-backed GNA forces. "The decision is no longer in Sarraj's hands," he said. "It is in the hands of terrorists now." The European Union also expressed its "concern" on Thursday at the involvement of "terrorist and criminal elements" in the fighting. Sarraj on Saturday denounced the "misinformation campaign by some parties that our forces include fighters belonging to terrorist organisations and groups". In a statement, he "strongly denied" the claim and insisted that it was the LNA attack on the capital that was "paving the way the way for dormant terrorist cells" to attack Libyans. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seguin, TX (78155) Today Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 80F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has registered a case of fraud and financial irregularities against B K Kuthiala, a former vice-chancellor of the city-based government run journalism university, a senior officer said Sunday. Kuthiala, who had served as the VC of the Makhanlal Chaturvedi Rashtriya Patrakarita Evam Sanchar Vishwavidyalaya, has been booked for charges including fraud, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy along with 18 other officials and employees. He was also booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act. EOW Additional Director General (ADG) K N Tiwari said the government had constituted a three-member committee of senior IAS officer M Gopal Reddy, ex-Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to CM Bhupendra Gupta, and Sandeep Dixit to probe alleged irregularities in January, which submitted its report last month. "On the basis of this report, the university registrar has written a letter to the EOW in which the irregularities committed by Kuthiala, who was the VC from 2008 to 2018, are mentioned," Tiwari told a channel. He said most of these alleged irregularities are related to appointments and recruitment of ineligible persons through a wrong procedure and for hiding truth. "Secondly, there are financial irregularities like the one in which Kuthiala availed medical reimbursement from the varsity in violation of the government rules," Tiwari said. The ADG further said Kuthiala had booked a ticket for himself and his wife from the varsity fund for participating in a conference in London. However, when the matter came to light, Kuthiala deposited this money back to the University Fund five months after the visit. Tiwari said the inquiry report also mentioned that Kuthiala availed reimbursement for liquor consumption bills. "He also got a liquor cabinet constructed and the payment of the same was made from the university fund," the officer said. Kuthiala could not be reached for reaction. Meanwhile, state BJP spokesman Rahul Kothari said the inquiry committee was illegal as it included leaders of the ruling Congress party. "This is an effort to divert attention of the media from the information coming out after the income tax raid (on aides of chief minister Kamal Nath). The FIR was illegally filed without seeking permission from the Election Commission," Kothari claimed. State Congress Media Cell vice president Bhupendra Gupta, who is one of the members of the committee, said they found several criminal irregularities during the inquiry. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta has refused to share details on search operations conducted by the Income Tax department against corrupt public servants of the state government citing an exemption clause under the RTI Act. RTI activist Ajay Dubey had sought details related to search operations conducted by the Income Tax department from the Lokayukta. He had also sought details of corruption cases registered by it since July 2017 among other information. In its reply, the Lokayukta said the information sought is in question-answer format. Therefore, it cannot be given. It also cited Section 2 (F) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act and said the desired details do not constitute information mentioned in the transparency law. The information thus cannot be constructed and cannot be given, the Lokayukta said. The section describes information" as any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force. To a query on sharing details on information given by the Income Tax department related to the search operations conducted against corrupt government employees, it said the information cannot be made public as its investigating arm Special Police Establishment (SPE) was exempt under the transparency law from disclosing such details. The Income Tax department shares details of search operations conducted against corrupt government employees with the Lokayukta of the state concerned so that it can also act against them. The Lokayukta has adopted anti-transparency attitude by blocking access to the information sought, Dubey said. The Income Tax department recently carried out raids at over 50 locations, including in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, against close aides of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on charges of tax evasion and hawala transactions. Searches have detected wide spread and well-organized racket of collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore through various persons in different walks of life including business, and public service, a press release issued by the Income Tax department in Delhi on April 8 had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The absence of any discernible wave and reversal of fortunes in the 2018 Assembly polls has put the BJP on the backfoot in for the April-May elections. The party had won 27 out of 29 parliamentary seats in the state in 2014, with only current chief minister and senior leader managing to withstand the Modi wave in Chhindwara and Guna respectively. The poll picture seems hazy as of now, though the Congress seems to have its nose ahead if the data of the last Assembly polls is any indication. It is just a little over 100 days that the government has been sworn in, so it is too early for it to start attracting anti-incumbency, party leaders said. The Assembly poll win has also invigorated Congress workers and the momentum is likely to be carried forward to the elections. Secondly, the Congress is fancying its chances as it had polled more votes than the BJP in 12 seats in the Assembly polls. For the BJP, the fact that it polled more votes than the Congress in 17 Lok Sabha seats might not be of much solace. The 12 constituencies where the Congress secured more votes than the BJP in the last Assembly elections are Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Mandla, Chhindwara, Rajgarh, Dewas, Ratlam, Dhar, Khargone, Khandwa and Betul, as per data from the and other sources. Interestingly, in Guna constituency, which the Congress managed to hold on to despite the Modi wave in 2014, the party polled less votes than the BJP in the 2018 Assembly polls. The Congress, which was out of power in the state since 2003 managed to unseat the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in the Assembly polls in November last year, winning 114 seats against the BJP's 109. However, the BJP believes the Assembly results will not cast a shadow on the State BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal said the saffron party would retain 27 seats, arguing that people vote differently during Assembly and general elections. "People are excited and waiting to re-elect Narendra Modiji as the Prime Minister. We are expecting to win more than 27 seats in MP," Agrawal said. His confidence is anchored in the BJP's performance in the 17 Lok Sabha seats where the saffron party garnered more votes than Congress candidates in the Assembly polls. These seats are Guna, Sagar, Tikamgarh, Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa, Sidhi, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Balaghat, Hoshangabad, Vidisha, Bhopal, Ujjain, and Voting will be held in four phases in beginning April 29. A group of Maoists shot dead a former cadre here suspecting him to be a police informer, police said on Sunday. The incident happened in Khaira village under the jurisdiction of Dumriya police station on Saturday night when the man was sleeping on the rooftop of a relative's place, the police said. The deceased has been identified as Raghu Ravindra alias Sunil Singh Bhokta, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Gaya, Sushil Kumar, said. Bhokta was earlier associated with the CPI(Maoist), the SP said. The CPI (Maoist) cadres, in a leaflet left behind at the spot, charged Bhokta of being a police informer, he said. Bhokta had left the CPI(Maoist) around three years ago and had joined Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), a police officer said. The body was sent to Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital here for post-mortem examination, the SP said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scrapping of Section 377 that criminalised homosexuality in India was just a relief for the LGBTQ community and there is still need for a comprehensive campaign to sensitise the society about their issues, says author Sharif D Rangnekar. He has come out with his memoir Straight to Normal in which he narrates his trials and tribulations as a gay man and the discrimination the community has undergone in the country. I think there is just relief (that Section 377 got scrapped off). Relief, that we aren't criminals any longer for doing something as basic as having sex. Yet we are far from freedom, he told PTI. There are a number of areas to be addressed be it at the workplace, anti-discrimination laws covering schools to colleges and so many other spaces of existence. We have issues on insurance and health to inheritance. And what's more is that there has to be a comprehensive campaign to sensitise society which the (Supreme) Court suggested but is still to be addressed by governments and related institutions, he says. The 50-year-old Rangnekar, who spent 28 days writing his autobiography last year, says he had planned the book at least 15 years ago but could not pen it down due to the fear of the law and the society. The first time I felt like writing was back in 2004 when I returned to Delhi after a visit to Thailand where I experienced acceptance and a certain sense of normalcy about myself and the community. I also saw the murder of Pushkin Chandra being turned into sensational stories by the press that reflected a mindset that was no different from society at large. he says. This is when I penned down some 3,000 words reflecting my anger and pain of living in Delhi. I didn't write more after that, not until 2013 when I decided to write a book under my pen name - Bharat I Sharma. But somehow I struggled with the idea of fiction, creating settings, many of which didn't seem real enough to me. And then the law came in the way, leading me to completely abandon the idea of writing a book, he adds. Rangnekar says the fear does not exist anymore as he now has the law on his side. Importantly I have my family, mother in particular, with me besides a number of amazing friends, he says. He is also largely disappointed with the portrayal of LGBTQ characters in Hindi films in terms of addressing the community. Hindi cinema has largely been a disappointment. After Fire' and My Brother... Nikhil', we've seen precious little. Barring films like Aligarh' where you in any case have a queer activist and writer, Apurva Asrani, writing the script and to some extent Ek Ladki Ko Dekha', co-written by Gazal Dhaliwal, there is very little out there that comes close to addressing our community, he says. We are still to see a love story and a real story of the trials and triumphs of a queer person. We are still to see any story that parallels life in general that society relates to as theirs', he says. He believes that the book, brought out by Rupa Publications, needs to reach out to parents, youngsters going to school and college, the LGBTQ community and those who maybe living in fear or doubt of who they are, questioning whether they are normal. On a possible screen adaptation of his autobiography, he says only if it has the same sensitivity of treatment that Made In Heaven, a recent web series with a homosexual lead character, has. It's a series that breaks barriers and creates a path that cinema today needs to look at, Rangnekar says. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking on the prime minister over his nationalistic poll pitch, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath Sunday said even when Narendra Modi "didn't learn to wear pyjamas and pants", Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi had built the country's defence forces. The veteran Congress leader's stinging attack on Modi came days after the prime minister referred to him as 'bhrasht' Nath, meaning corrupt. Addressing an election rally at Harsud in Khandwa district, Nath said the "highest" number of terror attacks happen whenever the BJP is in power at the Centre. "Modi talks about security of the country. Was the country not in safe hands five years ago? "Modi, when you had not even learned to wear pyjamas and pants, Jawaharlal Nehru (the first prime minister of India) and (former PM) Indira Gandhi had created the Army, the Air Force and the Navy for this country. And, you say that the country is safe under you," he said. Modi has been invoking the Pulwama terror attack and Balakot air strike in an apparent bid to build a poll narrative around national security and a decisive government. "Under whose government did most terror attacks happen? Whose government was in Delhi when terror attack on Parliament happened (in 2001)? The BJP government was there and statistics shows that the highest number of terrorist attacks have happened under the BJP rule," the chief minister said. Continuing his tirade, the Congress leader said Modi has failed to keep his promise of generating jobs for youths. "Modi promised to give crores of employment but how many youths have got jobs? Modi said good days will come. Whose good days have come? Modi promised to bring back black money from abroad. Where is that money?" he asked. In a recent interview to a TV channel, Modi had referred to the chief minister as 'bhrasht' Nath after tax raids were conducted at properties linked to his close associates. "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," Modi had said. Polling in all 29 Lok Sabha seats of Madhya Pradesh is slated to be held in four phases beginning April 29. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Payments network NPCI is considering using highly scalable blockchain solution to further strengthen digital payments, which have seen an exponential growth in recent times. A blockchain or distributed ledger is a continuously growing list of encrypted transactions called blocks. A block may contain any type of data such as unique digital identifiers of physical products The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is an umbrella organisation for all retail payments in India. It was set up with the guidance and support of the Reserve Bank of India and the Indian Banks Association (IBA). Promoted by 10 banks in India under the aegis of the IBA, it aims to become the "best payments network globally". Presently, 56 banks are shareholders of NPCI. "NPCI intends to develop a resilient, real time and highly scalable blockchain solution. It is proposed to develop this solution using an open source technology/ framework/solution," it said in a notification. In this regard, the NPCI has floated an Express of Interest (EOI) in order to enable bidders to propose their capability for developing distributed ledger technology/ blockchain in the payment domain. As per a recent report of global consultancy firm PwC, India would be one of the world's blockchain leaders by 2023. "Blockchain stores information about transactions between users in a way that can be tracked by any user for forever for maximum transparency. This gives visibility which can lead to greater efficiency by automating or confirming transactions and increasing liquidity in the supply chain," said Innefu Labs Co-Founder Tarun Wig. NPCI has invited bids for selection of Liaisoning Consultant (LC) to acquire various End-to-End Statutory permissions for Construction of Captive Data Center (CDC) in Chennai and Hyderabad. NPCI provides services like cheque clearance and facilitates digital payments. It has developed Unified Payments Interface (UPI), an instant payment system. UPI is fast gaining traction in the country with total payments through it soaring to Rs 1.33 lakh crore in March 2019 from a meagre Rs 3.1 crore in August 2016. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Persisting with their doubts over the credibility of EVMs, several opposition parties Sunday said they will move the Supreme Court again to seek verification of at least 50 per cent of the polled votes against VVAPT slips. Opposition parties, including the Congress, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Samajwadi Party, CPI and CPI(M), jointly addressed a press conference to highlight the issue of transparency in the election process and protection of voter rights and gave a call to "save democracy". Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "programming" the electronic voting machines to win the Lok Sabha polls, while his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu said 21 political parties have demanded matching of the VVPAT slips with at least 50 per cent of the votes cast through the EVMs. Naidu had met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora Saturday to raise the issue of alleged malfunctioning of EVMs. The demand by the parties comes days before the 2nd phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections on April 18, when the a total of 97 constituencies across 13 states go to polls. The first of the seven-phase polls was held on April 11. The Supreme Court had on Monday asked the Election Commission to increase the random matching of VVPAT slips with votes cast through EVMs at five polling booths per assembly segment, from one at present, in the Lok Sabha polls. It had given the direction saying the measure would provide greater satisfaction not just to political parties but the entire electorate. The opposition parties, including the Congress, have been demanding that at least 50 per cent of all votes polled through EVMs be verified against the paper slips of the the voters' verifiable paper audit trail (VVPATs) machines. A VVPAT is an auxiliary, independent device linked to an electronic voting machine to allow voters to see if the votes cast by them have gone to the right candidate. The VVPATs are also meant to help detect any possible "election fraud" or malfunction of EVMs. The Election Commission of India has decided to use VVAPTs with all the EVMs in the ongoing elections to impart greater transparency and credibility to the country's poll process. The BJP, meanwhile, termed the opposition parties' meet in Delhi an exercise "to find excuses for their impending massive defeat" in the Lok Sabha polls. In a separate press conference, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said, "The so-called all party meeting convened in Delhi is nothing but a confession of defeat by the so-called Mahagathbandhan." "They are already trying to find excuses for their impending massive defeat. They have not only failed to mount a challenge against the BJP in this election but have also failed as an opposition in the last five years," he added. After the opposition parties' meet on EVMs, AAP supremo Kejriwal told reporters that the people were losing faith in EVMs and the election procedure. Congress leaders and senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi also attended the conference. Singhvi said the opposition parties will approach the Supreme Court for a direction to the EC for matching at least 50 per cent of the votes recorded in VVPAT slips with those registered by EVMs in every assembly segment. Sibal said, If the EC ignores this issue, we will take other measures. We will not sit quietly. We will approach the Supreme Court." Singhvi said the opposition parties would launch a nationwide campaign on the issue of "discrepancies" in EVMs and alleged the EC was not doing enough to address it. "Questions were raised after the first phase of elections, we don't think the EC is paying adequate attention. If you press the button before X party, vote goes to Y party. VVPAT displays (paper slips) only for 3 seconds, instead of 7 seconds," he claimed. "Why the EC does not want 50 per cent VVPAT slips to be counted. Today, 20 to 25 per cent EVMs are not working properly. People vote till 4 am and wait in queues. What does this mean? asked Sibal, doubting the EC's intentions. It will be unfortunate if the EC supports voting machines instead of the voters, he added. Accusing the BJP of "programming the EVMs" to win the poll, Kejriwal claimed, "People don't believe in EVMs anymore." He said all opposition parties, except the BJP which is "benefitting out of this manipulation of machines", want the counting of at least 50 per cent of the VVPAT slips. The loss of faith in the electoral procedure is raising a question mark on the country's democratic structure," he said. He also accused the poll panel of ignoring the complaints of manipulations of EVMs. "Why is the EC not listening or acting on the complaints? There is a serious manipulation of EVMs. Why is the EC ignoring this?" he asked. Claiming that all votes goes to the BJP irrespective of the buttons pressed on EVMs, Kejriwal asked why this discrepancy was not being investigated by the EC. Asserting that the EVMs are not reliable, the opposition parties' key interlocutor Naidu said they are not satisfied with the Supreme Court order to the EC to increase the number of EVM's to be randomly verified from one to only five per assembly constituency. He said a fresh petition will be filed in the matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Sunday assailed BSP supremo Mayawati for seeking votes for a candidate who had called BR Ambedkar a 'land mafia', and also attacked the opposition alliance, saying the 'mahamilavat' will face a "mahagiravat"-- a grand fall. Addressing a poll rally in Moradabad, over 350 km from here, Modi claimed there was a wave across the country in favour of the BJP and opposition grouping's "survival is difficult". "Mahamilavat ka mahagiravat tay hai (the grand fall of the highly adulterated alliance is certain)," he said. The Prime Minister has been slamming the opposition alliance terming them 'Mahamilavat'. Modi said the Uttar Pradesh alliance partners the SP and the BSP are facing "existential crisis" and, therefore, they have "put behind all the expletives" they used against each other. "Now, they have coined a new slogan -- 'mera bhi maaf, tumhara bhi maaf, varna ho jayenge donon saaf' (Let's forgive each other else both of us will be wiped out)," Modi said. In Uttar Pradesh, the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party is contesting 38 Lok Sabha seats, while the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) has fielded candidates on 37 parliamentary constituencies. There are three Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) candidates in the poll fray from the state. The alliance has not fielded any candidate on Rae Bareli and Amethi, the two Congress' bastions. Referring to the seat-sharing arrangement between the SP and the BSP, Modi said, "For forming a government at the Centre, 272 seats in the Lok Sabha are needed. Those who are fighting on 40 seats, will they bag 272 seats?" "They are only befooling you," Modi said. "UP will completely finish the half-half people from the state." Modi alleged the SP and the BSP have become "contractors" of their vote banks and "selling" and "transferring" them to each other. He also attacked Mayawati over her party's support to SP's Rampur candidate Azam Khan. "Mayawati is today seeking votes for the candidate who had termed Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar as a 'bhoo-mafia' (land mafia) and had encroached Dalit hamlets in the name of a university," the prime minister alleged. Khan had in 2016 allegedly termed the Father of the Constitution as someone who "grabs land". An FIR was registered against him two years later. Modi said, "These are the same people who had once said that Mayawati will meet the same fate as Saddam Hussein. Mayawati is seeking votes a person who did not approve of garlanding the statue of Ambedkar." Taking a jibe at SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, the prime minister said, "Has babua forgotten the act of Mayawati who had once talked about sending Mulayam Singh Yadav to a mental asylum. Today, an elephant is riding the cycle, and the chowkidar (watchman, as Modi often refers to himself) is the target." 'Elephant' is the poll symbol for the BSP while 'cycle' is allotted to SP. The Pakistani Army on Sunday asked India to emulate Pakistan in speaking "truth" as it mocked an Indian legislator, claiming that the politician has copied its anthem and dedicated it to the Indian armed forces. Thakur Raja Singh Lodh, a BJP member of the Telangana legislative assembly representing the Goshamahal constituency in Hyderabad, had tweeted, "My new song which will be released on 14th April at 11:45 AM on the occasion of #SriRamNavami is dedicated to our #IndianArmy forces." However, as Lodh shared a snippet of the song on social media, the Pakistani Army claimed that the composition was a copy of a song released by its media wing on March 23 for Pakistan Day. The song was written by Sahir Ali Bagga. "Glad that you copied. But copy to speak the truth as well," Pakistan army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor tweeted. According to local media reports, Lodh copied the song 'Zindabad Pakistan' and recorded it by changing it to 'Zindabad Hindustan' and dedicated it to Indian armed forces. The relationship between the two neighbouring countries have further soured in the recent months after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A team comprising senior counter-terror officials have been formed to investigate an ISIS suicide attack targeting Hazara Shias in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, even as the community continued their sit-in for a third day on Sunday demanding better security measures. An ISIS bomber blew himself in Hazarganj fruits and vegetable market in provincial capital Quetta Friday morning, killing 21 people and injuring 60 others, mostly Hazaras. The ISIS Saturday released a photograph of the attacker along with his name and said the attack targeted Shia Muslims. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdul Razzaq Cheema said that a team of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials had visited the site of the attack to collect evidence, DawnNewsTV reported. The body parts of the suspected attacker have been sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency for DNA testing, he said, adding that the test reports would be handed over to Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal. The official did not specify when the test reports would be issued. Meanwhile, the Hazara community members are continuing a sit-in on the main Western Bypass road in Quetta to protest against what they term as the persistent failure of law enforcement agencies to provide them security. The sit-in started soon after the suicide blast ripped through the market on Friday. Women and children are among those who have been staging the sit-in. The protesters demand an effective security plan to ensure the protection of the Hazara Shia community. Chief Minister Khan visited the families of the victims Saturday and said that his government is taking responsible steps to root out terrorist activities from the province. He also requested the protesters to end their sit-in. Despite reassurances, the protesters refused to call off their sit-in until all their demands were met, including the arrests of those involved in the attack, steps for protection of the community, and implementation of NAP without discrimination. Hazaras make up a significant minority group in Pakistan and most of them live in Quetta. There have been similar terror attacks in Hazarganj area of Quetta in the past. The market serves as a wholesale market for fruits and vegetables. The National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) last year stated that 509 members of the Hazara community were killed and 627 injured in various incidents of terrorism in Quetta from January 2012 to December 2017. According to the NCHR, targeted killings, suicide attacks and bomb blasts have inflicted harm to daily life, education, and business activities of ethnic Hazara community members in Balochistan's largest city Quetta. Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is Pakistan's largest and poorest province, rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Madhuri Dixit Nene says she does not believe in adhering to ageist stereotypes and will choose roles which give her the opportunity to do the "unexpected". The veteran star, who established herself as a versatile performer with movies like "Ram Lakhan", "Tezaab", "Dil", "Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!", "Mrityudand", "Pukar", "Devdas". In 2007, she returned with "Aaja Nachle" and then again took a break only to return to the silver screen in 2014 with powerful roles in "Dedh Ishqiya" and "Gulaab Gang". "I have never adhered to... like now that I am a wife or mother of two kids so I have to play only those kind of roles. Just because I am a wife and a mother so I should do only those kind of roles. I don't believe in that. "I believe in doing something different, something that breaks the stereotype. So I did 'Dedh Ishqiya', 'Gulab Gang', 'Bucket List' and 'Total Dhamaal'. These films put me in a different light. People should expect that I will do something unexpected on screen," Madhuri told PTI in an interview. She dominated the '90s as a Bollywood leading lady and after shifting her base back to Mumbai from Denver, US, she is here to stay. "I think one has to change with times. I am walking with time. If I am making a film I have to make a film that is realistic and I know this is something people will like and relate to. I may make an action film. "What is most important is your creativity should not go away. You should always be creative, look for new things to do. I should not be afraid of taking risks." Madhuri, 51, who made production debut with husband Sriram Nene through the Netflix Original film "15 August", says her choices are always going to be different as an actor and as a producer. "For my first film (as a producer) I wanted to do something that is relatable. Chaawls is a dying culture. There is unity and love everybody knows what is happening in other person's house. Everyone comes together during happy and sad moments. "And my next film 'Kalank' is far from simple. The characters are larger than life, there is a lot of angst and there is turmoil. The sets are larger than life." "Kalank" came her way after the untimely demise of Sridevi, who was earlier supposed to star as Bahaar Begum in the Abhishek Varman-directed film. "As an actor it wasn't difficult to play this role. But emotionally it was difficult as you know something unfortunate had happened so suddenly. I am also a mother, she has two kids, who are so young, so thinking of all that, it was really sad." "Kalank", which releases on April 17, also reunites Madhuri with her '90s co-star Sanjay Dutt. The actor said working with Dutt was a great experience. "We have worked together earlier. So there was no re-bonding or awkwardness or anything. I have worked with Anil Kapoor ji (in 'Total Dhamaal') and Sanjay after a long time and it was great. "There is a kind of comfort and I know how the scenes will be, how the action and reaction is going to be," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday slammed the Abdullahs and Muftis, saying two families "ruined" three generations of Jammu and Kashmir and he will not allow them to "divide" India. The prime minister was referring to NC leader Omar Abdullah's demand for a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir. The Abdullah and Mufti families have "ruined" three generations in the state. They laid seize to the state for three generations. For the better future of the state, they need to be voted out, he told a public rally here. The bright future of Jammu and Kashmir can be ensured only after their departure. They can bring their entire clan into the field, can abuse Modi as much as they want but they won't be able to divide this nation, the prime minister said. Campaigning for Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh, who is seeking re-election from Udhampur Lok Sabha seat, the prime minister said people in Jammu and Kashmir voted in large numbers in the first phase of polls and "rattled" terrorist leaders, opportunists and demoralised the "mahamilavat" alliance. Modi said, "You have proven the strength of democracy in India, in the first phase of elections". Lashing out at the Congress, the prime minister said, "Congress had been infected with germs. The grand old party's manifesto promise that AFSPA will be removed from the state if they come to power to demoralise the security forces". "Can a patriot speak like this? Shouldn't our security forces have a safety net," he asked people at the rally. Modi accused the Congress of politicising the Jallianwala Bagh Centenary. "The Vice President was in Jallianwala Bagh for the government event. He paid tribute to martyrs but Congress CM was not there", he said, charging that nationalism was an insult for the opposition. The Punjab chief minister, he said, insulted the Jallianwala Bagh memorial by not attending the government's memorial on the day of the centenary. Modi said he can understand the kind of pressure on Amarinder Singh. "I have known Capt Amaridner Singh for a long time. I have never raised a question on his patriotism. I can understand the kind of pressure which must have been put on him for this kind of 'Parivar bhakti", Modi said. Referring to doubts raised by the Congress on the 2016 surgical strikes and IAF strikes in Balakot, he charged that Congress has never trusted the Indian armed forces. "For the Congress, the Army is only a way of earning money," Modi charged. Hitting out at the Congress for migration of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley, Modi said the BJP is committed to bring the community back to their land. "The policies of Congress were responsible for Kashmiri Pandits leaving their homes in valley", he said. "The Congress was so concerned about their vote bank, that they pretended not to see atrocities against my Kashmiri Pandit brothers and sisters," he added. The prime minister also referred to the 1984 Sikh riots and said the Congress was betraying the people by promising "nyay". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress general secretary K C Venugopal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday of running away from real issues and trying to divide people, and said his only weapon in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls was "polarisation". The Congress was raising the concerns related to jobs, agrarian crisis, women's safety, development of all, but Modi was running away from these real issues and trying to divide the people of the country, Venugopal alleged at a meet-the-press programme here. "Modi had promised acche din (good days) to the people. This election verdict is going to be a referendum on the BJP government's performance. Modi's performance is zero. One can analyse his speeches and see that he has not mentioned anything that has been done by his government. "Nothing on development, nothing on black money, nothing on farmers or jobs. His only weapon is polarisation. But he got it wrong this time. Just because it happened once, does not mean it may happen again," he said. Raising the Rafale issue, the Congress leader alleged that the prime minister overruled the defence secretary's opinion and went forward with the agreement to purchase the French fighter jets. The defence secretary had said a direct negotiation by the prime minister would "weaken" India's position, he claimed. Venugopal also referred to a report published in a French daily that claimed that Anil Ambani's Reliance Communications was given tax waivers. "Who is Anil Ambani to the French government? Chowkidar chor hi hai (the watchman is indeed a thief). We have evidence. It is rare that the Supreme Court hears a review petition. But it is, now, in this case. This was because the Centre had misled the Supreme Court," he alleged. The defence ministry has said that any connection drawn between the tax issue and the Rafale deal is totally "inaccurate" and "tendentious". In its reaction, Reliance Communications has rejected any wrongdoing and said the tax dispute was settled under the legal framework which was available for all companies operating in France. Venugopal said the Congress was confident of forming the government at the Centre as the strongholds of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were "trembling" after the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Manufacturer of prefabricated structures Epack Polymers plans to invest around Rs 150 crore to expand capacity to realise its target of more than doubling revenue toRs 500 crore over the next two years, a top company official has said. The company is also in talks with global strategic partners for setting up two greenfield manufacturing facilities with one each coming up in Indore and Hyderabad, its director Nikhil Bothra told PTI. "We plan to invest around USD 20 million in these two facilities which will be set up in the next two years. Our intent is to start operations one plant this fiscal year itself," he said. Currently, it has a plant in Greater Noida with an annual capacity of 10 lakh square metres of prefabricated sandwich panels and 12,000 tonnes of prefabricated structure fabrication. "We are looking at strategic partnerships which will be majorly on the technical front along with financial support. There are large international firms with interest in India and are in talks with a few of them," Bothra added. The company reported revenue of over Rs 247 crore in fiscal 2019. "We are targeting over 40 per cent increase in revenue this fiscal and a 55 per cent next fiscal year," he said, adding the pace at which orders are being executed, especially in real estate, construction and infrastructure sectors, the company is hopeful of achieving revenue of Rs 550 crore by FY21. The company lists the likes of Reliance Industries, L&T, AAI, CPWD, Schneider Electric, ABB, Mahindra, Thermax, Tata Power, Tata Steel, Kribhco, Lodha Developers, Welspun, Adani, Gammon, Lanco, LG, Videocon, Ashok Leyland, Perfetti, Priyagold, Mother Dairy, IDMC among others as its key clients. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Regional parties alone cannot form the government on their own after the Lok Sabh polls and will have to take the help of the Congress, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda asserted here Sunday. Speaking to reporters in Tumakuru, from where he is contesting the election, he said differences were there between many regional parties, but he believed they alone could not form the government without the help of the Congress, which is a national party. He said regional parties should set aside their differences if they wished to end the rule of prime minister Narendra Modi. "All the regional parties should join the national party Congress if they want to see the end of Modis rule, who is out to destroy the political system in the country," the JD(S) supremo said. In this context he cited the example of Karnataka, where his party JD(S) has forged an alliance with Congress to keep the BJP out of power. To a question,Gowda said he was contesting the election, not with any political ambition, but to contribute to the nation "in this difficult situation." "I am contesting the election not for any political ambition, but to contribute my bit to the nation in this difficult situation," he said. The former prime minister offered regional parties his help to bring all of them together in order to forge a strong alliance. Gowdas two grandsons Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Prajwal Revanna are also contesting the Lok Sabha election from Mandya and Hassan respectively. While Nikhil is chief minister H D Kumaraswamys son, Prajwal is Karnataka PWD minister H D Revannas son. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rockets fired by jihadists on Sunday killed at least 11 people in the Syrian city of Aleppo held by President Bashar al-Assad's regime, state agency SANA reported. Aleppo sits in the north of the country next to Idlib, a province dominated by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Since the regime regained control of Aleppo at the end of 2016, the city has been targeted intermittently by jihadists and rebel fighters. SANA said the rockets fired by "terrorist groups" killed 11 "martyrs" and wounded 11 civilians in neighbourhoods of Aleppo, using terminology reserved for both jihadists and rebels. The agency originally reported that six civilians were among the dead, but its latest update did not give a breakdown. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the rockets were fired by jihadist groups, notably HTS. It said 20 rockets were fired into several neighbourhoods of Aleppo, and put the toll at three dead civilians, including a child, and five members of the security services. A photographer with AFP saw pools of blood and body parts on the ground as well as a car with shrapnel holes. In front of an Aleppo morgue, a man was seen trying to calm a child who was crying out for his lost mother, before he also broke down in tears. Opposition fighters and jihadists overran large parts of Syria in the first years of war that broke out in 2011. But since Russia intervened on Assad's side in 2015 the regime has notched up a series of victories against them. It has recaptured all rebel areas but Idlib province and parts of the neighbouring provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia. Since September, these areas have been subject to a Russian-Turkish agreement providing for the creation of a "demilitarised zone" allowing them to avoid a major government offensive. Despite the initiative whose terms have not been respected, the regime has resumed its deadly bombings in Idlib, while jihadists have launched attacks against government-held positions. The eight-year conflict has claimed more than 370,000 lives and displaced millions of people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rockets fired by jihadists on Sunday killed at least six civilians in the Syrian city of Aleppo, which is held by President Bashar al-Assad's regime, state agency SANA reported. Aleppo is located in the north of the country next to Idlib, a province dominated by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Since the regime regained control of Aleppo at the end of 2016, the city has been targeted intermittently by jihadists and rebel fighters. SANA said the rockets fired by "terrorist groups" killed six people and wounded seven in neighbourhoods of Aleppo, using its terminology for jihadists and rebels. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the rockets were fired by jihadist groups, notably HTS. It said 20 rockets were fired into several neighbourhoods of Aleppo, but put the toll at three dead civilians, including a child, and five members of the security services. A photographer with AFP saw pools of blood and body parts on the ground as well as a car with shrapnel holes. In front of an Aleppo morgue, a man was seen trying to calm down a child who was crying out for his lost mother, before he also broke down in tears. Opposition fighters and jihadists overran large parts of Syria in the first years of war that broke out in 2011. But since Russia intervened on Assad's side in 2015 the regime has notched up a series of victories against them. It has recaptured all rebel areas but Idlib province and parts of the neighbouring provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia. Since September, these areas have been subject of a Russian-Turkish agreement providing for the creation of a "demilitarised zone" allowing them to avoid a vast government offensive. Despite the initiative whose terms have not been respected, the regime has resumed its deadly bombings in Idlib, while jihadists have launched attacks against government-held positions. The eight-year conflict has claimed more than 370,000 lives and displaced millions of people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The SAD (Taksali), a breakaway faction of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Sunday evening announced withdrawal of its candidate, ex-Army chief Joginder Jaswant Singh, from Khadoor Sahib and its support to Punjab Democratic Alliance's (PDA) Paramjeet Kaur Khalra in the seat. The PDA candidate is the wife of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who disappeared in fake a encounter in Punjab. He was allegedly killed by Punjab police officials in 1995 after he was abducted from his house in Tarn Taran district. "We have decided to withdraw our candidate J J Singh from Khadoor Sahib seat and will support PDA candidate Paramjeet Kaur Khalra," SAD (Taksali) General Secretary Sewa Singh Sekhwan said. The sacrifice of Jaswant Singh Khalra could never be forgotten, he said, adding that he has also appealed to the AAP to withdraw its candidate from the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat. SAD (Taksali) chief Ranjit Singh Brahmpura said, "People from Punjab and Punjabi Sikh diaspora settled in different countries were constantly in touch with us seeking our support to Paramjeet Kaur Khalra. So respecting their sentiments, we have decided to withdraw our candidate to support her." "But we also appeal to Khalra to contest the elections as an Independent instead of a party candidate. We will assure her win from Khadoor Sahib as I myself had won the last parliamentary election from there with a margin of about 1 lakh votes," Brahmpura said. When contacted, Gen J J Singh (retd) said it was his decision to withdraw candidature. "I had a meeting with Brahmpura today. I told him our strategy is not correct and we should make a united front against our political adversaries -- the Congress and the SAD. "On the ground, we are contesting against each other. Either you ask her (Khalra) to step down or I am ready to sacrifice for the cause of 'Panth' (Sikh community) because I think we cannot achieve anything by fighting each other," Singh said, adding he would support Paramjeet Kaur Khalra in the polls. Meanwhile, PDA member and Punjab Ekta Party chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira hailed the move of SAD (Taksali). "This would go a long way in forging full unity in the opposition ranks of Punjab to defeat the traditional parties -- the Congress, SAD and BJP," he said. The PDA comprises Sukhpal Singh Khaira-led Punjab Ekta Party (PEP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Lok Insaaf Party (LIP), Punjab Manch led by suspended AAP MP Dharamvira Gandhi, CPI and the Revolutionary Marxist Party of India (RMPI). The SAD candidate from Khadoor Sahib, Bibi Jagir Kaur, said, "Withdrawing the candidature of Gen J J Singh (retd) by SAD (Taksali) neither surprised me nor shocked me as I had already predicted that the gentleman general would ultimately be ditched by the party." While the Congress has fielded Jasbir Singh Dimpa from the seat, the AAP has fielded its youth wing leader Manjinder Singh Sidhu from the parliamentary constituency. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 56-year-old senior journalist allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence at Aurangabad in Maharashtra on Sunday, police said. The journalist, Sundar Vilas Latpate, was found hanging at his house in Pundalik Nagar around noon, an official said. He was rushed to a local hospital, but was declared dead before admission, he said. Police recovered a suicide note purportedly written by Latpate, which said he was ending his life as his wife was not staying with him, the official said. A case of accidental death has been registered and a probe is underway, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday accused NCP chief Sharad Pawar of spreading falsehoods, claiming that he was doing so because of his party's falling fortunes and family fights over seats. Shah's barb was in reaction to Pawar's claim that late BJP leader Manohar Parrikar quit defence ministry because he did not agree with the Rafale jet deal. "Being a former Defence Minister yourself, one expected better from you Pawar Sahab! Your party's falling fortunes and family fights over seats is making you nervous and spread falsehoods," Shah said in a tweet. The BJP chief added, "Talking of quitting, remember why you quit Congress and what you did thereafter?" Shah was apparently referring to Pawar quitting the Congress in 1999 after raking up Sonia Gandhi's foreign origins and her credentials to lead the party. Pawar formed Nationalist Congress Party but soon joined hands with the Congress to form government in Maharashtra. Recently Pawan had claimed that Parrikar returned to Goa and quit as defence minister as he did not agree with the Rafale deal, in which the opposition has alleged corruption. Parrikar, who died last month of cancer, had said that he always wanted to work in Goa. He returned as the state's chief minister after the assembly polls in 2017 amid demands by BJP's allies that he should be leading the alliance government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will offer prayers at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala near here on April 17. Accompanied by his wife Jayanthi Pushpa Kumari and other family members and Lankan officials, Sirisena would land at Renigunta airport 20 km from here from Hyderabad at noon on April 16 and reach the hills by road. After an overnight stay at the TTD guest house on the hills, he would take part in the 'Suprabhatha' ritual (the recitation of Sanskrit hymns by priests to wake the Lord) in the early hours on April 17, a temple official told PTI. After offering prayers at the ancient hill temple, Sirisena would fly to Bangalore, the official said, adding that it would be his third visit to the shrine as President of Lanka Earlier, he had visited the holy hills in August 2016 and February 2015. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Finland's leftist Social Democrats held a razor-thin lead over the far-right Finns Party in Sunday's general election with 93.1 per cent of votes counted. The close result -- with just a 0.2 per cent share of the vote separating the two parties -- will make negotiations to form the next coalition government particularly fraught. The Social Democrats led by 56-year-old former trade union boss Antti Rinne picked up 40 seats after campaigning on a ticket of fierce opposition to the austerity imposed by the previous centre-right government. The Finns Party, which won 39 seats, meanwhile focused almost entirely on an anti-immigration agenda, under the leadership of hardline MEP Jussi Halla-aho, who also decried the "climate hysteria" of the other parties. A first-place spot would put the Social Democrats at the head of the government for the first time in 16 years. The Finns Party has seen a surge in support in recent months, urging people to "Vote for some borders", and pledging to reduce Finland's asylum intake to "almost zero". Sunday's result see the Finns Party more than double its presence in parliament, from 17 seats to at least 39, and regaining all of the ground it lost when more than half of Finns Party MPs fled the party in 2017 on the election of hardline leader Jussi Halla-aho. During the campaign, most parties expressed strong reservations about sharing a government platform with Halla-aho's party, though stopped short of ruling it out entirely. Finnish governments are typically a coalition of three or four parties who form the minimum 101-seat majority in parliament. The Social Democrats' Antti Rinne has previously said his party would find it "very difficult" to enter a coalition with the Finns Party. Meanwhile Petteri Orpo, leader of the conservative National Coalition, said his party was "ready to discuss" with Halla-aho. Outgoing Prime Minister Juha Sipila said his Centre Party was the night's "biggest loser", blaming the "difficult economic decisions" his administration made in an attempt to rebalance the economy after a long slump. Voter turnout looked set to come in around 72 per cent, higher than the 70.1 per cent who voted in 2015. The current government's cuts to Finland's prized education system, and a tightening of unemployment benefit criteria, had provoked loud and widespread public opposition. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan has said it was hoping for "re-engagement" with India after the Lok Sabha polls, noting that structured dialogue would enable the two countries to understand mutual concerns, resolve outstanding disputes and build the edifice of durable peace and security in the region. In an interview to PTI, Pakistan's outgoing High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood said diplomacy and dialogue are indispensable to improve ties between the two neighbours. "We hope for re-engagement after the elections in India. Diplomacy and dialogue are indispensable," he said. Tensions between the two countries worsened after the Pulwama terror attack and both the countries were almost on the brink of a war after India's military planes struck a terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26 and Pakistan carried out a counter-offensive the next day. Mahmood, who has been appointed as Pakistan's next Foreign Secretary said dialogue between India and Pakistan was the only option to understand mutual concerns and ensure peace, prosperity and security in the region. "Sustained engagement and structured dialogue would enable the two countries to understand mutual concerns and differences, resolve outstanding disputes and build the edifice of durable peace, security and prosperity in the region," Mahmood said. He also said that there was a need to review the narrative about Pakistan in India. "A narrative is needed that captures the reality in Pakistan objectively and more fully. A narrative that also helps recognise opportunities for peaceful, cooperative and good neighbourly relations," he said. "We must strive for stable peace, equal security and shared prosperity for ourselves and the region," the envoy added. In signs of easing tensions, Pakistan around two weeks ago announced that it was releasing 360 Indian prisoners, mostly fishermen as a "goodwill gesture". The initiative was followed by Pakistan High Commission here granting visas to 2,200 Sikh pilgrims from India to facilitate their participation in the annual Baisakhi celebrations in Pakistan. Over two weeks after the Balakot strike, India and Pakistan held talks to finalise the modalities for setting up a corridor linking the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur with Gurdaspur district in Punjab. Asked about the Kartarpur corridor project, the Pakistani High Commissioner said Islamabad was committed to completing the physical infrastructure on its side. "The government of Pakistan is proceeding in full measures to complete the physical infrastructure on its side and it is hopeful that the modalities will be mutually agreed between the two sides in good time before November 2019," he said. Last November, both India and Pakistan agreed to set up the Kartarpur corridor to link the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib -- the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev -- to Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur. Kartarpur Sahib is located in Pakistan's Narowal district across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. The relations between India and Pakistan remained tense since 2016. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had travelled to Delhi to attend Modi's oath-taking ceremony and the Indian premier had in December 2015 made a stopover in Lahore to greet his counterpart on his birthday. However, the ties nose-dived following a string of cross-border terror attacks in 2016 and India's subsequent surgical strikes. The sentencing of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to death by a military court in April 2017 further deteriorated bilateral ties. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sudan's new military rulers briefed Washington's top envoy to Khartoum on Sunday about security after the army's ouster of veteran leader Omar al-Bashir, state media reported. Steven Koutsis met with the military council's deputy Mohammad Hamdan Daglo, widely known as Himeidti, at the presidential palace in Khartoum. The Sudanese deputy briefed Koutsis on the current situation in the country and the reason for forming the military council, the official SUNA agency reported as state television broadcast footage of their meeting. "Himeidti told him about the measures taken by the military council to preserve the security and stability of the country," SUNA reported. Sudan's military council headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan took power after the army ousted Bashir on Thursday. Himeidti heads Sudan's controversial counter-insurgency unit -- the Rapid Support Force (RSF) -- which rights groups have accused of abuses in the war-torn Darfur region. About 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur since a brutal conflict erupted there in 2003, when ethnic rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated government of Bashir. The United States, which has blacklisted Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism, has insisted that Khartoum needs to improve its human rights record if it wants to be removed from the list. Washington imposed sanctions on Sudan in 1997 for its alleged links to Islamists which were lifted in October 2017, but the much awaited economic recovery has failed to materialise. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sudanese protesters on Sunday demanded the country's military rulers "immediately" hand power over to a civilian government that should then bring ousted leader Omar al-Bashir to justice. Thousands remained encamped outside Khartoum's army headquarters to keep up pressure on a military council that took power after ousting Bashir on Thursday. On Sunday the organisation which spearheaded the protests against Bashir, the Sudanese Professionals Association, called on the military council "to immediately transfer power to a civilian government". The SPA also demanded the next "transitional government and the armed forces to bring Bashir and all the chiefs of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS)... to justice". "The Sudanese Professionals Association calls on its supporters to continue with the sit-in until the revolution achieves its demands," it added. Earlier the military council met with political parties and urged them to agree on an "independent figure" to be the country's prime minister, an AFP correspondent present at the meeting said. "We want to set up a civilian state based on freedom, justice and democracy," a council member, Lieutenant General Yasser al-Ata, told several political parties, urging them to agree on the figures to sit in civilian government. The protesters have insisted civilian representatives must join the military council. A 10-member delegation representing the protesters delivered their demands during talks with the council late Saturday, according to a statement by the Alliance for Freedom and Change umbrella group spearheading the rallies. The foreign ministry urged the international community to back the military council "to achieve the Sudanese goal of democratic transition," it said in a statement. The council chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan was "committed to having a complete civilian government and the role of the council will be to maintain the sovereignty of the country", it added. Talks between protest leaders and Sudan's new rulers were followed Sunday by a meeting between Washington's top envoy to Khartoum, Steven Koutsis, and the military council's deputy. Mohammad Hamdan Daglo, widely known as Himeidti, told Koutsis "about the measures taken by the military council to preserve the security and stability of the country," the official SUNA agency reported. Himeidti is a field commander for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) counter-insurgency unit, which rights groups have accused of abuses in the war-torn Darfur region. On Saturday, the military council's new chief General Burhan vowed to dismantle Bashir's regime, lifting a night-time curfew with immediate effect. He also pledged that individuals implicated in killing protesters would face justice and that protesters detained under a state of emergency imposed by Bashir during his final weeks in power would be freed. Burhan took the oath of office on Friday after his predecessor General Awad Ibn Ouf stepped down little more than 24 hours after Bashir's ouster. Tens of thousands of people have massed non-stop outside the army headquarters since April 6, initially to urge the military to back their demand that Bashir be removed. Burhan comes with less baggage from Bashir's deeply unpopular rule than Ibn Ouf, a former defence minister and long-time close aide of the deposed president. But while celebrating the fall of both men in quick succession, protesters remain cautious. Protest leaders say their demands include restructuring the country's feared NISS agency, whose chief Salih Ghosh resigned on Saturday. Rights group Amnesty International on Saturday urged the military council to examine the actions of Ghosh during a crackdown against protesters during the final weeks of Bashir's rule. "It is crucial that Sudan's new authorities investigate Salah Ghosh's role in the killings of scores of Sudanese protesters over the past four months", said Amnesty's regional director Sarah Jackson. The newly formed 10-member transitional council contains several faces from Bashir's regime. On Saturday evening, the new military ruler named NISS deputy head Jalaluddin Sheikh to the council, with Himeidti as its deputy head. "Himeidti was part of the crimes that happened previously, but at least now he is on the side of the people," said Mohamed, a protester outside the army headquarters who gave only his first name for security reasons. Key regional power-brokers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have voiced support for the transitional council. Burhan's nomination "reflects the ambitions of the brotherly people of Sudan for security, stability and development", UAE state agency WAM said. Saudi Arabia has promised an aid package, the Saudi Press Agency reported Saturday. Sudan is part of a UAE and Saudi-led military coalition fighting Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sudanese protesters demanded new military rulers set up a civilian government as the foreign ministry called Sunday for backing from the international community to help the country's "democratic transition". Thousands remained encamped outside Khartoum's army headquarters overnight to keep up pressure on a military council that took power after ousting veteran leader Omar al-Bashir on Thursday. A 10-member delegation representing the protesters delivered their demands during talks with the council late Saturday, according to a statement by the Alliance for Freedom and Change umbrella group spearheading the rallies. "We will continue... our sit-in until all our demands are met," including the formation of a fully civilian government, said one of the alliance's leaders, Omar al-Degier. Later the military council met with political parties and urged them to agree on an "independent figure" to be the country's prime minister, an AFP correspondent present at the meeting said. "We want to set up a civilian state based on freedom, justice and democracy," a member of the military council Lieutenant General Yasser al-Ata told several political parties, urging them to agree on the figures to sit in civilian government. The protestors have insisted that civilian representatives must join the military council, and demanded that a fully civilian government be set up to run day-to-day affairs. Meanwhile,the foreign ministry urged the international community to back the military council "to achieve the Sudanese goal of democratic transition," it said in a statement. The council chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is "committed to having a complete civilian government and the role of the council will be to maintain the sovereignty of the country", it added. Talks between protest leaders and Sudan's new rulers were followed Sunday by a meeting between Washington's top envoy to Khartoum, Steven Koutsis, and the military council's deputy. Mohammad Hamdan Daglo, widely known as Himeidti, told Koutsis "about the measures taken by the military council to preserve the security and stability of the country," the official SUNA agency reported. Himeidti is a field commander for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) counter-insurgency unit, which rights groups have accused of abuses in the war-torn Darfur region. On Saturday, the military council's new chief General Burhan vowed to dismantle Bashir's regime, lifting a night-time curfew with immediate effect. He also pledged that individuals implicated in killing protesters would face justice and that protesters detained under a state of emergency imposed by Bashir during his final weeks in power would be freed. Burhan took the oath of office on Friday after his predecessor General Awad Ibn Ouf stepped down little more than 24 hours after ousting Bashir. Tens of thousands of people have massed non-stop outside the army headquarters since April 6, initially to urge the military to back their demand that Bashir be removed. Burhan comes with less baggage from Bashir's deeply unpopular rule than Ibn Ouf, a former defence minister and long-time close aide of the deposed president. But while celebrating the fall of both men in quick succession, protesters remain cautious. Protest leaders say their demands include restructuring the country's feared National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), whose chief Salih Ghosh resigned on Saturday. Rights group Amnesty International on Saturday urged the military council to examine Ghosh's actions during a crackdown against protesters during the final weeks of Bashir's rule. "It is crucial that Sudan's new authorities investigate Salah Ghosh's role in the killings of scores of Sudanese protesters over the past four months", said Amnesty's regional director Sarah Jackson. The newly formed 10-member transitional council contains several faces from Bashir's regime. On Saturday evening, the new military ruler named NISS deputy head Jalaluddin Sheikh to the council, with Himeidti as its deputy head. "Himeidti was part of the crimes that happened previously, but at least now he is on the side of the people," said Mohamed, a protester outside the army headquarters who gave only his first name for security reasons. Key regional power-brokers Saudi Arabia and the UAE have voiced backing for the transitional council. Burhan's nomination "reflects the ambitions of the brotherly people of Sudan for security, stability and development", UAE state agency WAM said. Saudi Arabia has promised an aid package, the Saudi Press Agency reported Saturday. Sudan is part of a UAE and Saudi-led military coalition fighting Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States and economic partners held "productive" talks this week on the taxation of major tech giants, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said. Countries like France, Spain and Austria have announced plans to tax tech companies' revenues outright because the Internet-based companies do not declare profits on a by-country basis. The United States is pushing for an overarching agreement through the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a forum for advanced economies. Mnuchin told reporters Saturday there had been "lots of productive discussions" on the subject in Washington where finance ministers were gathered for spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. He said it is "a priority from our standpoint to find an OECD solution." "We will be working together to do that and a commitment from the UK and France ... will go with an international solution," Mnuchin said. EU Economic Commissioner Pierre Moscovici told AFP on Saturday that the "atmosphere is more peaceful" in discussions on the issue. "There is a shared desire that was clearly expressed that now we have to move forward within the OECD," he said. OECD members are due to meet in Paris in May, followed by a Group of 20 summit in Japan the following month. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Sunday said his technology advisor Hari Prasad Vemuru, whose presence in TDP's delegation to the Election Commission was objected to by the poll panel, was a whistle-blower and not a thief. "Yesterday we met the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and showed him how EVMs were not functioning properly. He (Vemuru) was called for discussion in the fight for transparency. He is a whistle-blower. He has not committed theft," Naidu said speaking at a presser of opposition parties here on the issue of transparency in the election process. "I know technology. I have been promoting technology in the country. We should become masters of technology and not slaves of it," he added. In a letter to the TDP, the Election Commission on Saturday questioned how a person with criminal antecedents can be part of the delegation led by Naidu. The poll panel said Vemuru was involved in a criminal case regarding alleged theft of an EVM in 2010. In its reply, the TDP said no charge sheet was filed against Vemuru in the last nine years. The EC had even invited Vemuru to participate in the first field trial of VVPATs in Delhi on July 21, 2011. He had also attended several other meetings of the EC in the last nine years, it said, adding that instead of focusing on the issue, the poll panel was "trying to avoid addressing the situation". At the presser, Vemuru made a presentation on how EVMs were not working properly. "The machines which are claimed to be secure are not functioning as per the manual. The manual says the voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) slip has to be displayed for seven seconds and then cut and drop into the box but it was not happening," he said Showing a video which captured different functioning of three EVM machines -- two machines from two constituencies in Andhra Pradesh and one from a demonstration given by the EC, he said: "Certain code has been changed or manipulated showcasing the differences in display time. The EC is not answering this." Leaders of over 20 opposition parties, including the Congress, TDP, AAP, SP, CPI, CPI(M) and Trinamool Congress, were present at the presser and launched a vociferous attack on the ruling BJP for trying to "influence" the EC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vasai MLA Hitendra Thakur, whose party- Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA)- failed to get its regular poll symbol 'whistle', Sunday blamed leaders of the ruling parties, and accused them of pressuring the election machinery. He also threatened to approach the Supreme Court against the returning officer and the election machinery for bowing to pressure of the ruling parties. The BVA, which had lost its election symbol of 'whistle' to a newly-formed outfit, Friday made a last-ditch effort to get it back, but could not succeed in it. The BVA has fielded former MP Baliram Jadhav from Palghar Lok Sabha constituency against sitting MP Rajendra Gavit, who is contesting as a Shiv Sena candidate. The Election Commission had allotted the 'whistle' symbol to the newly-formed Bahujan Maha Party (BMP) this time. However, after its Palghar candidate withdrew from the election, the BVA staked claim to the symbol. However, returning officer Prashant Narnavre told Thakur early on Saturday that since the 'whistle' symbol has already been allotted to the BMP, it could not be given to his or any other party. The BVA has been allotted the 'auto-rickshaw' symbol. Peeved at not getting BVA's regular poll symbol, Thakur Sunday said, "I will drag the returning officer and the election machinery to the Supreme Court for falling prey to the pressure by the ruling parties." "We have got the auto-rickshaw symbol. There are thousands of autos running in Vasai belt and each and every auto is our campaigner. Symbol is secondary for us, but the manner in which they pressurised the administration and ensured that the symbol is snatched from us...I want to drag them to court," he said. "They thought that symbol is our strength, but our work and workers are our real strength. Our work will speak for itself and we will make every effort to win the seat this time. The ruling party has done nothing great, but only snatched the whistle from us," he alleged. "Leaders of ruling parties exerted pressure and the administration bowed to it. Hence, I want to expose them. All the people who put pressure on the administration needs to be exposed," he said. He also accused the Maharashtra minister of being behind the entire episode. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A sea of colours and tradition of the Sikh culture inundated Times Square, the crossroads of the world, as members of the community tied turbans to thousands of New Yorkers and tourists in an annual fixture aimed at spreading awareness about the Sikh identity. Sikh organisation 'The Sikhs of New York' organised the annual Turban Day on Saturday in association with the Consulate General of India in New York. This year's Turban Day also marked the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev and the festival of Baisakhi. Deputy Consul General of India in New York Shatrughna Sinha said the Consulate is commemorating the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak with Gurubani recital programmes. As part of the commemoration of Guru Nanak's 550th birth anniversary as well as to mark Baisakhi, this year the Consulate associated with The Sikhs of NY on Turban Day, Sinha said. "This is a great environment and ambience and the crowd is fantastic," Sinha said, sporting a blue turban as he took part in the commemoration. "There is no better way than this to raise awareness about Sikhism as well as propagating the message of universal brotherhood and humanity of Guru Nanak Dev ji," he told PTI. Turban Day was started in 2013 at Baruch College to promote and educate people about the Sikh religion and identity. Sikhs of New York co-founder Chanpreet Singh said in the seven years that Turban Day has been organised in the city, there has increasingly been awareness about Sikhism, not just through people who are getting turbans tied but by the thousands others on social media following the event. He said more than 38,000 turbans have been tied in the past seven years since the day started being organised in the city. "Technically, by tying one turban we are educating 200 people who are following it on social media," Singh said, adding that number of volunteers signing up for the event has increased multifold over the years. "We have people coming from California, Canada, Europe and some from India, especially planning their trip to the US around Turban Day," he said. This year, the organisation also honoured Sikh personnel serving in the US Army and Navy. Singh said the organisation will continue in its endeavours such as Turban Day till "the day I walk on the streets and people don't give me two looks," noting that there is need to continue to spread awareness about the Sikh culture the organisation plans to take Turban Day to other cities across the US. "The celebration was very special and important for us because we not only celebrated Turban Day, like every year, but this year it fell on Baisakhi Day and we are marking it with 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, our first Guru, he said. Gabriella Vinetti and her friend Eri Banjahi from Argentina clicked selfies, donning their bright green and pink turbans. "We wore the turban in solidarity and in respect of another culture," they said. Last year, the Sikhs of New York had created a world record for tying thousands of turbans within a few hours on Turban Day. The organisation had won a certificate from the Guinness World Record for the "most turbans tied in 8 hours was achieved by Sikhs of NY (USA) in Times Square in New York, USA on April 7, 2018." Every year, Turban Day brings together hundreds of volunteers from the the Sikh community who tie colourful turbans on New Yorkers, tourists and Americans from across the country visiting Times Square. While tying the turbans, they also talk about the Sikh heritage, identity and make those getting the turbans tied aware of the culture. The event has been aimed at spreading awareness among Americans and other nationalities about the Sikh religion and its articles of faith, especially the turban, which has often been misconceived and misidentified, particularly in the years since the 9/11 terror attacks. The five-hour long event included cultural and musical performances by young children. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tributes were paid to 12th century saint philosopher Basaveshwara and architect of the Indian Constitution Dr B R Ambedkar on their birth anniversaries to mark the occasion as an anti-discrimination day in London on Sunday. India's High Commissioner to the UK Ruchi Ghanashyam and Deputy High Commissioner Charanjeet Singh paid tributes at the Albert Embankment to Basaveshwara and Ambedkar on their 885th and 128th birth anniversaries respectively. The event was organised by the former mayor of the London borough of Lambeth, Dr Neeraj Patil, on behalf of the Lambeth Basaveshwara Foundation, a non-profit organisation that owns the intellectual property rights of the Basaveshwara statue and its vicinity. Speaking on the occasion, Patil said: "We are paying tributes to both Basaveshwara and Ambedkar jointly because both share a conceptual relationship. Both opposed caste discrimination and gender inequality". Basaveshwara pioneered the idea of democracy in the 12th century and Ambedkar was the architect of the Indian democracy and its Constitution. They were both champions of liberty, freedom of speech and human rights. Members of the Indian community took a pledge at the statue to oppose caste discrimination. On November 14, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi simultaneously unveiled the statue of Basaveshwara and Ambedkar house in London. The Basaveshwara statue erected at the Albert Embankment is not only the first statue to be unveiled by an Indian Prime Minister in the UK, but also the first conceptual statue approved by the British Cabinet in the vicinity of the British Parliament. Ambedkar House in London, where he lived for higher education during 1921-1922, was converted into a museum. It is located in the London borough of Camden. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Triple Talaq Bill has been a major poll plank of the BJP, with the party trying its best to woo a section of minorities with the legislation, even as those who had led the crusade against the practice continue to fight for their survival. In its recently released manifesto for Lok Sabha polls, the saffron party, which failed to legislate the bill in Parliament due to stiff resistance by the opposition, has pledged to eliminate the practices of instant talaq and nikah halala if re-elected to power. Vijaya Rahatkar, the national president of the party's Mahila Morcha, said the efforts of the Narendra Modi government to pass the Triple Talaq Bill "will surely yield positive results for the BJP" in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. Ironically, anti-triple talaq champions - Ishrat Jahan, Shayara Bano and Atiya Sabri - who had moved the Supreme Court to seek an end to the practice of instant divorce continue to live in abject poverty, with little or no means of income. The court, in a landmark judgment in 2017, held the practice "void" and "unconstitutional". Divorced in April 2015, Ishrat Jahan lives with her two children in neighbouring Howrah district. "I am struggling to make both ends meet. I don't have money to send my children to school. As of now, I depend on my relatives for financial assistance," she told PTI. Jahan had joined the BJP in 2018 and was initially expected to be one of the major minority faces of the party in Bengal. It was also speculated that she would figure in BJP's list of Lok Sabha candidates in the state. "Things appear to have changed. I am not in touch with the party any more. At times I visit party meetings, but that's about it," she said, when asked if the BJP leaders inquire about her. The story is no different for Shayara Bano and Atiya Sabri, who live under stressful financial conditions with no help from their divorced husbands. "She doesn't have any income of her own ... We try to help her in whatever way we can," Bano's brother Arshad told PTI from Uttar Pradesh. Sabri's brother Rizwan, who is a resident of Uttarakhand, said the family wants the court matter to be disposed off soon. He appealed to both the state and central governments to look into the early disposal of the case. "My sister stays with me. She is part of my family. We don't want any financial help, we just want this matter to end soon," Rizwan said. Two other petitioners, Afreen Rahman and Gulshan Parween, could not be contacted. Rahatkar, when apprised of the condition of the three women, said she had met Jahan and assured her of financial assistance. "We should always stand by those women who have suffered but not given up. I spoke to Ishrat and told her that we will provide assistance if she needed to send her children to school. We are also willing to give her loan under the government's Mudra scheme to help her start a business," Rahatkar told PTI. Arguing that the triple Talaq Bill does not empower women, Sushmita, the president of All India Mahila Congress, said "criminalizing the practice isn't the solution". "How does it (bill) help a Muslim woman? Punishing the husband does not guarantee financial support for the woman. If you talk about empowering a woman, you have to find her suitable means of income," Dev said. Uzma Alam, the convenor of Bengal unit of the women's cell of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said "no one but Jahan was responsible for her precarious condition". "When she had issues with her husband and was given the talaq, I told her that we would help her in finding a job and make arrangements for her remarriage. But she had other things in her mind so she can't blame anybody for her condition now," she added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two persons were arrested in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district for allegedly carrying drugs, police said Sunday. The two were held on Saturday night while they were crossing the Banjar police station area in a truck. Over two kg charas was recovered from their possession, Kullu Superintendent of Police Shalini Agnihotri said. They have been identified as Anil Kumar alias Sonu from Haryana's Sonepat district and Surjan Singh of HP's Mandi district. A case under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered against them, the officer said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Criticising the Congress for its poll assurance on scrapping sedition law, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray Sunday asked NCP chief Sharad Pawar to clarify his stand on the issue. Thackeray was addressing a rally in Osmanabad for Shiv Sena's Lok Sabha candidate Pavanraje Nimbalkar. "The Congress has assured of striking down the sedition law, and I would like to know whether Congress' partner NCP and Sharad Pawar are also of the same opinion," he said. Reacting to the Congress-NCP audio-visual campaign tagline "Laj Kashi Vatat Nahi (Aren't they ashamed), Thackeray said, "In fact, the mother India will say that she is ashamed of both of you, the Congress and the NCP". "It is the need of the hour to ask Sharad Pawar whether he is ashamed of himself," he said. Thackeray also labelled JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) students with Left inclination, including CPI candidate from Begusarai Kanhaiya Kumar, as "red monkeys". "There is some university called the JNU and its red monkeys like Kanhaiya Kumar. Who are these people, who gave out slogans of breaking India into several pieces? How can you expect people to call them patriotic and not anti-nationals?" Thackeray said. "I believe that had Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj been alive today, he would have thrown such anti-nationals off the cliff from one of his forts," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Researchers at the University of Sheffield in the UK have been awarded a whopping 2.1 million euros to help develop a technology to monitor how well people walk, a vital sign of health and wellbeing. The project, which also includes researchers from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, involves developing a system that uses small sensors worn on the body so that people's walk can be easily monitored and assessed by doctors and health professionals. Funded by the European Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking - a public-private partnership that funds health research and innovation - the research is part of a pioneering European project named MOBILISE-D, which aims to revolutionise assessment of mobility loss using digital technology. This could lead to enhanced clinical trials and better clinical management. MOBILISE-D marks a fantastic opportunity for the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospital to contribute to a technology-based revolution in clinical management and personalised healthcare, with a local focus on Multiple Sclerosis. professor Claudia Mazz said. It is the product of a long-standing multidisciplinary collaboration between researchers at the Insigneo Institute for in silico Medicine and the NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, he added. Mazz, a Professor in Biomechanics at the University of Sheffield's Department of Mechanical Engineering, would lead the development of the digital technology. He also leads the silico medicine research for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre. Co-investigators in the project are Professor Fabio Ciravegna and Dr Vitaveska Lanfranchi from the University's Department of Computer Science. The project will enable clinicians and scientists from academic centres across Europe to collaborate with companies from the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). The goal is to develop, validate, and ensure regulation of better mobility outcomes. The project includes 34 international research partners based at leading international universities and some of the world's largest pharmaceutical and technical companies. Mobility how well someone walks is considered the sixth vital sign of health. This is because poor gait, especially walking slowly, is associated with earlier death, greater risk of disease, cognitive decline, dementia and an increased risk of falls. In the EU, people over the age of 65 make up more than 19 per cent of the population, a figure projected to rise significantly. Increasing life expectancy, coupled with the number of people living with chronic health conditions, means that more people are coping with mobility loss. Better treatment of impaired mobility resulting from ageing and chronic disease is one of the 21st century's greatest challenges facing patients, society, governments, healthcare services and science. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police have seized the car used in the Kishtwar terror attack in which a senior RSS functionary and his PSO were killed, an officer said Sunday. The vehicle was recovered from an area in Kishtwar district, he said. Police have released a photograph of the owner of the vehicle, Zahid Hussain, who had been absconding since the attack, the officer said. "We have identified and tracked down a vehicle (used in the terror attack). We have identified its owner also," Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu Zone, M K Sinha told PTI. Hussain has reportedly joined terror outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen recently but police did not confirm this. According to sources, the car had a false number plate and had changed hands four times. Senior RSS leader Chanderkant Sharma and his security guard were killed on April 9 when a militant opened fire inside a health centre in Kishtwar town. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jeevan Das, 103, who cast his vote in India's first general election in 1951, is excited to exercise his franchise again this year. The centenarian claims he has never failed to vote in any election. "I have not missed a single election ever since the process began in the country. Be it a municipal election or the Lok Sabha polls, I have always made it a point to cast my vote. I am eagerly waiting to vote this time too," Das told PTI. "I was 35 years old then. Common people like us did not even know what voting meant. We just knew that we are free after the independence struggle and voting is something which will make us even more free," he said. Recalling the old times, Das said a lot has changed over the years, including women going out to vote. "Women did not use to go out much. I would go with my father and elder brother while our wives and my mother stayed home with the kids," he said. What has not changed, however, is that people still vote keeping the prime ministerial face in mind, said Das, who lives in Arjun Nagar area here with his son. "Even then people did not vote to elect representatives for their constituencies but for the prime minister. Like today people will either vote for Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi, back then people voted for Jawaharlal Nehru," he said. The centenarian feels that unlike differently-abled people, not much has been done to make voting easier for the elderly. "The election process in the country has undergone a tremendous makeover over the decades and has changed for good. But still there are no facilities for elderly people. They have so many options for differently-abled people but not for us," Das rued. He said it would be a lot more convenient if authorities could arrange for people above 80 years of age to vote at home. "These days people do not live that long so the number of such people would be less and making arrangements for them will not be a difficult task," he added. Polling will be held across 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab, including Jalandhar, in the seventh and last phase of general elections on May 19. Results will be announced on May 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Sunday said neither Prime Minister nor any other NDA leader wanted to politicise and there was nothing wrong in talking about the political will giving freedom to the forces to take action as they deem fit. At an informal interactive session with intellectuals, academicians and young thinkers here, she said the opposition had been constantly coming up with the allegation that were being politicised. "Nobody wants to politicise the armed forces, not particularly myself or prime minister or anybody from here (government). We dont want to politicise the armed forces, she said. Sitharaman sought to know whether it was wrong to compare how "weak" the Manmohan Singh-led government was in 2008 post Mumbai attacks and the how "strong" the was now in 2019 after the Pulwama terror attack by Jaish-e-Mohammed which killed 40 CRPF Jawans in February. Action was taken after Pulwama because we felt the heat from the people saying Is this India? Is this the government we voted for? Are you incapable of taking action? "And then the political will, based on sound intelligence information, gives the freedom to the to take the necessary action as they deemed fit. Is it wrong to say it? That is not politicisation of the armed forces, the Defence Minister asserted. She asked the people to differentiate between politicisation and talking about the political will. Congress and other opposition parties have objected to Modi and several other BJP leaders referring to IAF's air strikes on terror camp in Balakot and mentioning the valour of the armed forces in defending the country. The Congress on Friday moved the Election Commission against Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah for allegedly "dragging" the armed forces in the political domain by using them to seek votes. Over 150 military veterans have written to President Ram Nath Kovind, expressing outrage over what they called "use" of the armed forces for "political purposes" and sought his intervention in preserving apolitical character of the services. Referring to the Rafale deal, Sitharaman charged with Congress with spreading lies despite the Supreme Court's order and the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). ALSO READ: Nirmala Sitharaman approves the first batch of reforms in Indian Army "In spite of supreme court decision, In spite of the CAG report, in spite of former Raksha Mantri Arun Jaitley, in spite of me all of us making in the Parliament point by point answer, if the Congress party is going about saying the same things all over again, it is purely false, she said. When someone from the audience sought to know the truth about the allegations over Rafale deal, Sitharaman said Congress could not believe that the can operate without middlemen. Over the years, the Congress "has milked the ministry to its advantage," she charged. She dared the Congress to answer on the AgustaWestland VVIP choppers deal in which kickbacks were allegedly made to various people to swing the deal in favour of the firm. The Italian agencies were dealing with the Italian side of the story and did not look at the Indian side though the "bribes were made" here, she said asking who received the money. Sitharaman hit back at Congress Rahul Gandhi for his repeated allegation that the Prime Minister gave Rs 30,000 crore to businessman Anil Ambani, saying if it was true why his (Anil Ambani) brother had to bail him out from 'bankruptcy'. The United States, Britain and Norway said Sunday it was time for Sudan's military rulers and other parties to hold talks over the country's transition to civilian rule. The three countries said Sudan's new ruling transitional military council had pledged to transfer power to a civilian government, but the "legitimate change" that the Sudanese people demand had still not happened. "It is time for the transitional military council and all other parties to enter into an inclusive dialogue to effect a transition to civilian rule," the embassies of the three countries said in a statement. "This must be done credibly and swiftly, with protest leaders, political opposition, civil society organisations, and all relevant elements of society, including women." The three countries also insisted that the continuing peaceful protests "must not be met with violence from any quarter". "Sudan needs an orderly transition to civilian rule leading to elections in a reasonable time frame." The three countries reiterated their call for the release of political prisoners, as it condemned acts of violence by "legacy forces of the former regime". Omar al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan with an iron-fist for 30 years, was deposed on Thursday by the army after tens of thousands of people protested for months against his rule, accusing it of mismanaging the economy and corruption. Meanwhile, Sudan's ruling military council on Sunday said it had sacked Khartoum's top envoy to Washington days after the army ouster of veteran leader Omar al-Bashir. The military council has decided to sack Sudan's charge d'affaires to Washington, Mohamed Atta, the council's spokesman Lieutenant General Shamseddine Kabbashi told reporters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The White House said Sunday it is looking at ways to transfer undocumented migrants to US sanctuary cities as Democrats accused President of creating "manufactured chaos" at the White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders announced an "extensive review" of the potential plan on ABC's "This Week" after Trump confirmed press reports that his administration had proposed the controversial move. So-called sanctuary cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York are among hundreds of mainly Democrat-run jurisdictions across the US that limit cooperation in complying with requests from immigration officials. "This is an option on the table," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said of the proposal in an interview on ABC's "This Week." Trump "heard the idea, he likes it, so -- well, we're looking to see if there are options that make it possible and doing a full and thorough and extensive review," she said. The president revived the idea on Twitter and in comments to reporters on Friday, after the White House had said earlier in the week it was off the table. Department of Homeland Security officials were reported to have pushed back against the transfers of detained migrants as illegal, impractical and counter-productive. But in a tweet late Saturday, Trump insisted the US has "the absolute right to have apprehended illegal immigrants transferred to Sanctuary Cities." "We hereby demand that they be taken care of at the highest level, especially by the State of California, which is well known (for) its poor management & high taxes!" he posted. Trump has staked his presidency on his insistence that the United States is being overrun by migrants and asylum seekers. But opponents, mostly in the Democratic Party, say his push for building more walls on the Mexican border and his almost daily denunciations of migrants as dangerous criminals incites racial hatred. "This is again his manufactured chaos that he's created over the last two years on the border," Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told ABC. Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, called Trump's push for transfers of migrants to sanctuary cities "another misuse of presidential power." He said the president had no right to use funds appropriated by Congress for other purposes "to ship immigrants all over the country." "Nor is it right for the president to use immigrants or people claiming political asylum as pawns in a fight against political opponents," he said on CNN's "State of the Union." Critics warn migrant transfers would further burden already stretched immigration authorities, while making it more difficult to track those that have been unloaded in sympathetic jurisdictions. Sanders acknowledged that it was not "ideal" solution but argued that Democrats had "stated time and time again they support open borders, they support sanctuary cities." "So, let's spread out some of that burden and let's put it in some of those other locations if that's what they want to see happen and are refusing to actually help fix the problem. Indian members of Team Stark left Robert Downey Jr aka Iron Man overwhelmed by their love and adulation when they assembled in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru to meet their favourite superhero early Sunday morning. Downey Jr, who has been playing the much-loved character since 2008, was in live conversation with his Indian fans from Seoul. He is currently promoting "Avengers: Endgame" in South Korea with co-stars Brie Larson, Jeremy Renner and directors Anthony and Joe Russo. The actor may be known for his witty remarks, but he was left speechless when his appearance on screen was met with deafening screams of crazy fans. Downey Jr, 54, was over the moon with the frenzy during the video conference and promised that he will visit India soon. "You guys are just amazing fans. I can't wait. I cannot believe I haven't been to India. I'm coming there so damn soon," the actor told close to 1,500 fans who gathered in the four metros to catch his glimpse. Only four lucky Marvel fanatics got the golden opportunity to ask a question to their beloved superhero and the actor was all ears to them. When one of the fans asked if he could tell some fun stories from the "Endgame'" wrap party, the actor gave an emotional response saying the film sums up all the good memories the team shared over the years. "Well, I have no memory of it so it must have been pretty good. I got to tell you honestly, we made both 'Infinity War' and 'Endgame', we basically shot them back to back and it was the time that most of the Avengers and Guardians and everyone was spending the most time together. "This 'Endgame' really represents the culmination of probably the time in our lives that we have been the closest," he said. The video conference took place in cinema halls across the four cities, which were jam-packed with Iron Man admirers holding posters, donning T-shirts and chanting 'RDJ' ever since they arrived in the theatres. Young fans, who had always seen Tony Stark on the big screen leading the Avengers in a fight against the evil, had a surreal experience while interacting with the star himself. As they waited to meet Downey Jr, they were treated with official Marvel T-shirts as a prize in a Q&A session. The over seven-minute-long live session left the fans with a memory to cherish forever and a hope to meet Downey Jr during his maiden visit to India, which he promised will happen soon. "Endgame" is slated to be released in India on April 26. The film also features Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Bradley Cooper, Tessa Thompson and Josh Brolin. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddarmaiah Sunday said he will not contest again from Chamundeshwari assembly constituency in Mysuru, where he had tasted defeat during the May 2018 assembly polls. "I appeal to you with folded hands...I will not contest from this constituency once again, I'm making it clear. You all should work together for the development of this constituency," he said. Speaking at the joint election campaign in Jayapaura of Chamundeshwari assembly segment in Mysore, he said "this constituency should develop. I have won here five times; this constituency gave me political birth." Siddarmaiah, the then sitting Chief Minister, had lost the 2018 assembly polls in Chamundeshwari to JD(S) G T Deve Gowda by a margin of over 36,042 votes. He however won Badami, the other constituency in North Karnataka from where he had contested. Making his debut in the Assembly in 1983, Siddaramaiahgot elected from Chamundeshwari on a Lok Dal Party ticket, He has won five times from this constituency and thrice tasted defeat. In 2006, he won the Chamundeshwari bypoll on a Congress ticket by a wafer thin margin of 257 votes against JD(S) candidate in one of the bitterest poll battles in the state. The results then were crucial for Siddaramaiah to score political points over his bete noire JD(S) supremo and former Prime MinisterH D Deve Gowda, after being expelled from the party. After neighboring Varuna became a constituency in 2008 following delimitation, Siddarmaiah represented it till he vacated the seat for his son DrYatindra in the assembly polls last year and went back to his old constituency of Camundeshwari. Interestingly Siddarmaiah Sunday shared the stage after a long gap with old time friend turned rival G T Deve Gowda, who defeated him in the assembly polls, to campaign for coalition candidate C H Vijayashankar of Congress for the April 18 Lok Sabha polls. Congress and JD(S) joined hands to form the government after the December 7 2018 assembly polls after the election threw up a hung verdict and decided to face the Lok Sabha polls together. According to the seat sharing arrangement, Congress is contesting in 21 seats and JD(S) in seven. Congress managed to secure Mysore Lok Sabha seat as Siddaramaiah was adamant about not ceding it to JD(S), which was also demanding the constituency, under G T Deve Gowdas leadership. The former Chief Minister appealed to both Congress and JD(S) workers to defeat the BJP in Lok Sabha polls. Sitting MP Prathap Simha is the BJP candidate from Mysore. Siddaramaih had earlier indicated that 2018 would be his last election. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dozens of youth staged a protest in the frontier Uri town in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday against the alleged irregularities in the selection list of porters in the Army, police said. The Army on Sunday issued the selection list of 600 porters for as many vacancies. However, those candidates, whose names did not figure in the selection list, protested against the Army, alleging irregularities in the selection process, a police official said. He said the protesters accused the Army of selecting candidates from outside Uri. The situation was brought under control and the protesters diffused after some time, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As Phase 2 of the Lok Sabha Election 2019 nears, candidates are campaigning in full force to woo the voters. To begin with, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a public meeting in Aligarh. He started his address by thanking Dr BR Ambedkar and said that it is because of his Constitution that a chaiwala could become a PM. He also said that Modi's mission is to remove poverty, corruption and terrorism. In another meeting in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua, he spoke about how some people hate him so much that they have started feeling that nationalism is an abuse. He also thanked voters for coming out in huge numbers during Phase 1 of the General Elections 2019. Additionally, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi held a road show in Silchar in Southern Assam on April 14. This was her first campaign trip outside Uttar Pradesh. Gandhi campaigned for Mahila Congress President Sushmita Dev in Silchar. Last week, Congress President Rahul Gandhi sought a second term for Dev. Follow the Lok Sabha Election 2019 LIVE updates on BusinessToday.In: 6:20pm: Visuals from Amit Shah's roadshow in Gandhinagar. 6:20pm: BJP president Amit Shah holds a roadshow in Gandhinagar, Kalol. Shah is BJP's candidate from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat. 5:32pm: We are committed to the development of brass industry here, PM Modi said at his Moradabad rally. 5:30pm: In his rally at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, PM Modi said that the sugar mills withholding payments to farmers will be looked into after the elections. 5:00pm: "Terrorists used to come from Pakistan, attack us & Congress govt used to cry before the world that we've been attacked. But this is new India. When terrorists attacked Uri, brave soldiers of the country conducted surgical strike there. When they committed the second mistake in Pulwama, we entered their home and conducted air strike," PM Narendra Modi said during a rally in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. PM Modi in Moradabad: When they committed the second mistake in Pulwama, we entered their home & conducted airstrike. Udhar walon ko bhi samajh mein aa gaya hai ki agar teesri galti hui to lene ke dene padd jaenge. https://t.co/u7EeclAa63 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 14, 2019 4:45pm: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said that NDA will get 350 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, and BJP will secure more than 65 seats in Uttar Pradesh. Union Minister Ramdas Athawale: Today the environment in the country is such that NDA will get 350 seats and BJP will get 65+ seats in Uttar Pradesh as Congress-SP-BSP are not together there, there is fragmentation of votes. So, BJP will automatically be benefited. pic.twitter.com/CI3HhDrLoa ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 3:49pm: Visuals from Smriti Irani's roadshow in Chennai. Tamil Nadu: Union Minister Smriti Irani holds a roadshow in Chennai. #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/RiVStUfS06 ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 3:47pm: Speaking about Congress-AAP alliance, Arvind Kejriwal said, "The country is in danger. To save the country from Modi ji and Amit Shah ji's 'jodi', we are ready to do whatever is needed. Our efforts will continue till the end." 3:35pm: "It's Modi's mission to remove terrorism, corruption and poverty," said Modi in Aligarh. 3:32pm: "Should terrorism be wiped out or not? Should Pakistani terrorists be decimated at their homes or not? Should surgical strike and air strike take place or not? Should our brave soldiers get absolute authority or not?" asks Modi in Aligarh. 3:27pm: "It is because of the Constitution made by Babasaheb that a chaiwala has become the Prime Minister of this country," said Modi in Aligarh. 3:25pm: "Your love and blessings for me does not let the ones in Delhi sleep at night," said Modi in Aligarh. 3:20pm: Visuals from Modi address in Aligarh. 2:48pm: Visuals from Priyanka Gandhi's road show in Assam's Silchar. The streets of Assam are filled with thousands of people spreading love & support for GS I/c UP East Smt. @priyankagandhi & @MahilaCongress President @sushmitadevmp. #PriyankaGandhiInAssam pic.twitter.com/Dw5OVsJZiA Congress (@INCIndia) April 14, 2019 2:30pm: "I for once have never lowered political discourse by abusing opponents including the BJP. In order to gain sympathy and consequently power, PM is misleading people by equating himself with the nation. Every Indian owes his allegiance to India, not PM Modi. India is not Modi and Modi isn't India," said Mehbooba Mufti. 2:15pm: Rajnath Singh at a public meeting in Bijnor said, "SP-BSP have formed an alliance to stop Narendra Modi ji. It could have never been imagined that these two parties will come together in UP. They knew 'Modi ki aandhi mein hum (SP and BSP) akele tinke ki tarah beh jaenge' (they would float away like straws in the 'Modi storm'), so they came together." 2:05pm: Speaking about Congress' NYAY scheme, Piyush Goyal said, "From the perspective of economic and financial prudence, obviously it is a disaster. I believe that it is near impossible because there is no data of salary and income levels of people. And, selection of people (beneficiaries) will be full of corruption and it could become a scam by itself, adding to the several scams that the Congress is famous for," Goyal said. "For three generations, their leaders have offered big promises but delivered below-average performance laced with corruption. The people of India are smart and will not be taken in by such untruths anymore, and certainly not by fancy slogans and big promises," Goyal said. 1:50pm: In response to the all-party meet, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said, "The so called all party meeting convened in Delhi is nothing but a confession of defeat by of the so called Mahagathbandhan. It's a fact that the so called opposition alliance neither have any governance agenda nor do they have any leadership to inspire people. The only thing opposition parties have in common is the negativity and an attempt to somehow pull India back from the development it witnessed in the last five years." 1:20pm: Abhishek Manu Singhvi said at an all-party meet in Delhi, "Questions were raised after the 1st phase of election. We don't think EC is paying adequate attention. If you press the button before X party, vote goes to Y party. VVPAT displays only for 3 seconds, instead of 7 seconds. Names of lakh of voters have been deleted online without physical verification. There is a long list that the parties have given to EC. It has become even more necessary to count at least 50% of the paper trail of VVPAT. We will demand the same in Supreme Court." 1:15pm: Congress General Secretary for eastern UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra campaigns for party's MP candidate from Silchar parliamentary constituency Sushmita Dev. Assam: Congress General Secretary for eastern UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra campaigns for party's MP candidate from Silchar parliamentary constituency Sushmita Dev. pic.twitter.com/aZwB0sQHe1 ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 1:00pm: Union Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh's son Brijendra Singh to contest from Hisar in Haryana. BJP releases 20th list of 6 candidates in Haryana, MP and Rajasthan for #LokSabhaElections2019 . Union Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh's son Brijendra Singh to contest from Hisar (Haryana). One candidate for by-election to Uluberia Purba assembly constituency (WB) also named. pic.twitter.com/LliLITOxHd ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 12:45pm: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said in Gujarat, "Rahul Gandhi says 'Garibi Hatao'. It was said by his father and grandmother too. TV serials begin with the disclaimer 'All characters in this story are imaginary'. In few days, TV channels will also show disclaimer 'Yeh bhashan kalpanik hai' (this speech is imaginary) before Rahul Gandhi's speeches." 12:24pm: "Abdullah family and Mufti family destroyed lives of 3 generations of J&K. The bright future of J&K can be ensured only after their departure. They can bring their entire clan into field, can abuse Modi as much as they want but they won't be able to divide this nation," said Modi in Kathua. 12:23pm: "Can Congress give justice to Kashmiri Pandits? Can Congress give justice to 1984 riots victims? Congress's NYAY is a big sham. I'm committed to an honourable return and rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandits," said PM Modi in Kathua. 12:20pm: "Congress wants NYAY but has done anyay (injustice) for 60 years," said Modi in Kathua. 12:17pm: "Army is a source to earn money. Congress indulged in corruption in defence deals. In recent days, you have seen the 'mahamilavat' of Congress, NC & PDP. Congress indulges in vote bank politics," said Modi in Kathua. 12:14pm: "Now, it is out in open who they are working for. NC, PDP are threatening to separate Kashmir from India. Their threats are hollow. I want to tell these dynasts of Kashmir that they didn't get J&K from their parents. J&K is an integral part of India," said PM Modi in Kathua. 12:10pm: "I know Captain Amarinder Singh for years now. I can understand what kind of pressure must have been put on him to show his devotion to the (Gandhi) family. Captain Amarinder had to bow down before the kind of game that is being played in Punjab," said PM Modi in Kathua. 12:00pm: "By coming out to vote in huge numbers in Baramulla and Jammu, you have given a befitting reply to the terrorist leaders, opportunists and the people in 'mahamilawat'," said PM Modi said in Kathua. 11:58am: "Some people are so immersed in opposing Modi that they feel nationalism is an abuse," said Modi in Kathua. 11:54am: "I pay my respects to all the BJP karyakartas who were martyred in Jammu and Kashmir and their families," said Modi in Kathua. 11:50am: "Today is the birth anniversary of the father of the Constitution Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. I pay my respects and tribute to Babasaheb," said PM Modi in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua. 11:30am: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis pays tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary in Ahmedabad. Gujarat: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis pays tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary, in Ahmedabad. #AmbedkarJayanti pic.twitter.com/3enXGNNx1p ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 11:15 am: Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy, Deputy CM G Parameshwara, state minister Priyank Kharge and other leaders pay tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. Bengaluru: Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy, Deputy CM G Parameshwara, state minister Priyank Kharge and other leaders pay tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. #AmbedkarJayanti pic.twitter.com/8W0GIIeLyC ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 11:00am: Akhilesh Yadav said, "They say, as long as there is BJP govt, our borders are secure. We the people of Samajwadi Party believe that as long as there are brave soldiers at our borders, the borders are secure. Governments come and go but the jawans stay at the border, protecting India." 10:30am: BSP releases fourth list of 16 candidates. Bahujan Samaj Party releases fourth list of 16 candidates for #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/9cejO6wwMn ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 14, 2019 10:00am: On Ambedkar jayanti, Rahul Gandhi took a jibe at the ruling party and said, "Those who pay him tributes on this day, while insidiously weakening these values, do his memory disservice." On Dr Babasaheb Ambedkars jayanti, let us re-dedicate ourselves to the 4 universal values of JUSTICE, LIBERTY, EQUALITY & FRATERNITY enshrined in our Constitution. Those who pay him tributes on this day, while insidiously weakening these values, do his memory disservice. Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 14, 2019 9:40am: Puri further said, "Since he clearly had no idea on how to govern Delhi, serve its citizens & take it forward, Delhi CM Shri Kejriwal & his highly incompetent govt should take full moral & administrative responsibility for today's incident & resign." 9:30am: Speaking more about the clash at Mayapuri sealing drive, Puri said, "Today's action was a result of this inaction. Shri Kejriwal & his govt should have paid heed to this matter which involves direct & indirect livelihood of nearly 60,000 hardworking citizens. He should have requested NGT for more time." Today's action was a result of this inaction. Shri Kejriwal & his govt should have paid heed to this matter which involves direct & indirect livelihood of nearly 60,000 hardworking citizens. He should have requested NGT for more time. pic.twitter.com/FqoNA7fGfZ Chowkidar Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) April 13, 2019 9:20am: "Complete responsibility of today's unfortunate violent incidents in Mayapuri lies squarely on the shoulders of Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal & the incompetent manner in which his govt is running the affairs of Delhi. The CM, as usual, tried to pass the buck. I want to make it clear that the matter of relocating nearly 800 polluting scrap industries is purely between NGT & Delhi Govt. NGT had issued order in 2015, but the incompetent & clueless Delhi Govt did nothing on it for 4 years which angered the NGT," said Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs about clashes during the Mayapuri sealing drive. 9:10am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. pic.twitter.com/dUohmzYRfw ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 9:05am: Over one thousand Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) youth workers joined the opposition Congress in the state on Saturday, its leaders said. Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Pradyot Kishore Deb Burman said 300 youth IPFT supporters joined the Congress from Khowai district, while another group of 700 at Kamalpur in Dhalai district. "IPFT supporters are coming to us because they have realised that IPFT supremo N C Debbarma, who is not even campaigning, submitted a nomination to cut down on votes of the Congress and help the BJP," Deb Burman claimed. 9:03am: Visuals from BJP rallies. Reports of Pakistan Air Force pilots being trained to fly the latest Rafale fighters for Qatar's Amiri Air Force may have been highly exaggerated. In a February 13 report about the handover of the first Rafale to Qatar, the independent media company Aviation International News had mentioned in passing: "The first batch of pilots trained for Qatar in November 2017 were Pakistani exchange officers." Various Indian media outlets and commentators had latched on to the above sentence and claimed the Rafale's secrecy had been compromised and that the Pakistanis would now be able to devise strategies to tackle the aircraft when the Indian Air Force inducts it later this year. However, the French embassy in New Delhi quickly denied Pakistani pilots were trained to fly the Rafale aircraft for the Amiri Air Force. Referring to the AIN story, Ambassador Alexandre Ziegler said: "I can confirm that it is fake news." On February 6, AIN's freelance reporter Jon Lake had covered the news when Qatar got delivery of its first Rafale fighter jet in a grand ceremony attended by the Qatari Deputy Prime Minister among other senior officials. The Gulf country has signed a euro 6.3 billion agreement for the supply of 24 fighters. In order to get to the bottom of the story, I emailed AIN Executive Editor Marks Phelps about the veracity of Lake's report, considering the French envoy had described it as "fake news". Phelps replied: "I've been in touch with our Defence Editor, and he told me he's removed the reference to Pakistan from the story, but provided this link to a report." The link provided by Phelps takes you to a website named WAFF - World Armed Forces Forum. Owned by Mike M, it describes itself as a "free speech forum which is now among the most popular on the internet". It claims to have "thousands of members from 140 countries". After my email, AIN removed the reference to the Pakistani air force officers from its story, indicating that it no longer trusts the authenticity of the source. Phelps also provided a link to an Arabic language website Youm7 (Seventh Day) from where WAFF had obtained the original information about Pakistani air force officers being trained in Paris to fly Rafales. This Egyptian website seems to be the original cause of the kerfuffle. The Seventh Day report, dated November 27, 2016, says "according to media reports" the Qatari government did not send Qatari pilots to train on the Rafale aircraft, but instead Pakistani two pilots were sent to Paris. According to Seventh Day, it is "aimed at the readership of the elite of Egypt" and produces "news and information with absolute credibility, depth of analysis, transparency in information". For all its bombast, it does not name the media it is citing from. I also contacted Lake on Twitter: "Regarding your report in AIN Online about Pakistani military officers trained to fly Amiri Air Force Rafales, the French ambassador to India says it's fake news. Any comments?" Lake responded: "I merely repeated the report on the Arabic language news website Seventh Day (Youm7) which was reposted on WAFF." Since Lake runs a website named Arabian Aerospace, he would have been scanning all sorts of websites in the Middle East, especially those related to defence and aerospace. London's The Guardian describes the Seventh Day as "one of Egypt's most modern news organisations" and its Editor in Chief Khaled Salah as "an unlikely jihadist". Writing about his experiences on his website the Egyptian says he "fell for the bait of extremist thoughts... I was ready to be martyred for God's Sharia". Salah has gone to prison several times for plotting the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak "in order to free the Egyptian army to join the struggle to retake Jerusalem for Islam". An email has been sent to Cairo-based Seventh Day and a reply from Salah is awaited. (The author is a New Zealand-based defence and foreign affairs analyst) Also read: Falcon down: Why Pakistan is desperate to fake the F-16 dogfight Also read: Mission ASAT: Why India needs a satellite killer April 13, 2019 - Washington, D.C. - Global Affairs Canada The Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, today released the following statement in follow-up to a discussion held on the occasion of the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group: The international humanitarian system is still not meeting the needs of everyone. Progress has been made, but more needs to be done to systematically take the needs and expertise of women and girls into account. Adopting a gender-responsive approach to humanitarian assistance, where women and girls are meaningfully involved, does not just ensure a better response to the needs of women and girlsit also strengthens our entire humanitarian response. Canada has championed gender-responsive humanitarian action, as demonstrated during last years G7 Whistler Declaration on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls in Humanitarian Action. Today, Canada has taken a step to further advance on commitments we made under the Feminist International Assistance Policy by launching a new guiding document for our humanitarian assistance, entitled A Feminist Approach: Gender Equality in Humanitarian Action. Through this guiding document, Canada will be taking actions to increase the gender-responsiveness of its humanitarian action, such as promoting humanitarian principles and respect for international humanitarian law. Canada will also support prevention, mitigation and response strategies for sexual and gender-based violence and will support the provision of the full range of sexual and reproductive health services during humanitarian responses. We know that women and girls are disproportionately affected by crises and are often the primary targets of conflict. We also know that women and girls are powerful agents of change, yet their voices and interests are too often ignored. Canada will support women and girls empowerment and will work to ensure that they are heard and their leadership is taken into account in every step of the way. Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2015 file photo, a TransCanada's Keystone pipeline facility is seen in Hardisty, Alberta. President Donald Trump is eager to jump-start energy projects such as the TransCanada Keystone XL oil pipeline, and he's taken action to assert executive power over such infrastructure. The president last month issued a new permit for the stalled Keystone project, which would move Alberta crude to U.S. refineries, insisting it's an exercise of presidential authority that's not subject to judicial review. And Trump has now signed another order clarifying the president alone has authority to issue permits for cross-border projects such as pipelines. A third order makes it harder for states to block pipelines and other energy projects on the basis of environmental concerns. Taken together, the actions are a broad assertion of presidential authority that reverses more than 50 years of practice. Pipeline opponents have already asked a federal court to strike down Trump's new permit. William Buzbee, a constitutional scholar and professor at Georgetown University Law Center, noted the action came after another judge ruled against Trump. "This is somewhat dumbfounding, the idea that a president would claim he can just say, 'Never mind, I unilaterally call a do-over,'" said Buzbee. In November, U.S. District Judge Brian Morris ruled the Trump administration did not fully consider potential oil spills and other impacts when it approved the pipeline in 2017. A burly, bearded man wearing a Hawaiian shirt is being praised for chasing and tackling a person who, in a video, appeared to douse a vehicle with gasoline and set it on fire in Edmonton on Friday night. Ross Lockwood, who was skateboarding with a friend in Edmonton's Whyte Avenue bar and restaurant district, said he pulled out his camera and began recording when he overheard someone exclaim that a person had just set another car on fire. "There was a man wearing dark clothing carrying a jerry can full of gasoline. He was pouring the gasoline onto and by cars parked cars but more worrying, he poured it onto the hood of an occupied vehicle," said Lockwood, who posted his video of the incident on Reddit. "The vehicle caught on fire." The driver turned the corner and pulled over, Lockwood said, and people with fire extinguishers raced to put out the flames. In the video, the man appears to hold the jerry can towards people on the sidewalk, who kept their distance. "I think a lot of people recognized just how dangerous it is to try to intervene with someone who's got a full can of gas and a lighter, and no one took real action until it was safe to do so, and that's exactly what happened," Lockwood said. The video appears to show the man walking across the street, raising his arms and throwing the jerry can into the air as his backpack falls to the pavement. He then appears to continue walking, apparently waving at pedestrians. The video then shows a person wearing a Hawaiian shirt and jeans running after the man, following him into a Starbucks, trailed by someone carrying what appeared to be a plank. "A man in a red Hawaiian shirt brought him to the ground, and after that, several others stepped in to aid the man in the red shirt and they held him until police arrived," Lockwood said. Police said in an email that they responded to a report of a male pouring fuel onto multiple vehicles and setting them on fire on Friday night. With the help of a citizen, the email said, a male suspect was taken into custody and charges are pending. Police said 13 vehicles were damaged but no one was hurt. Social media reacted to video with accolades for the man in the Hawaiian shirt. Some posts compared him to Magnum P.I. One Batman-themed meme had a picture of a spotlight shining into the air, but instead of showing a bat symbol, it had a Hawaiian shirt. Lockwood has no idea who the man was. "I have no background for the man in the red shirt, but I just want to say thank you for the actions that you took on Friday night," said Lockwood, who has turned over his video to police. The Moccasin Bend Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution held their April meeting at the Red Bank Church of Christ Saturday. Agent Dewey Woody, with Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, presented the program on safety and security for today's world. Agent Woody is a veteran of the U.S. Army, Bradley County Sheriff's Department, Cleveland Police Department, chief of Bradley County Fire-Rescue, and deputy director and chief operating officer of TEMA before joining the Homeland Security agency. Agent Woody is certified to teach a variety of fire, rescue, and law enforcement classes. A Christian once wrote to the famed evangelist Billy Graham: Every year, our church celebrates Palm Sunday, the day when the crowds cheered Jesus as He entered Jerusalem for the last time. But I've never understood why they turned against Him just a few days later and demanded He be put to death. Why did they? The question is as old as time. And as we embrace the beginning of The Holy Week with both those who believe and those who do not, it is still asked repeatedly and for good reason. According to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Foundation, Christians from all over the world are today celebrating Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem (which we usually call Palm Sunday, because the crowd welcomed Him by spreading palm branches in His path). Those who greeted Him were convinced He was the Messiah (or anointed one), sent by God to establish His Kingdom on earth. Why did the crowds turn against Jesus so quickly? One week they welcomed Him, and the next week they demanded He be crucified. Billy Graham, who died in February of 2018, offered what I believe is the best answer. He held onto his answer with all of his heart before he died and ascended into heaven to be with the same Jesus for an eternity: Dr. Graham begins, No events in human history were more important than Jesus death and resurrection, and yet many people (even Christians) never take time to study them. It must have been a dramatic sight as Jesus approached Jerusalem on a donkey (which was a sign of His humility), he told many millions for years who attended his Crusades. The Bible says that the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!' (Luke 19:37-38). Even those who werent part of that welcoming crowd listened eagerly to His teaching during the next few days. But not everyone in Jerusalem welcomed Him; the very next verse says that the whole city was stirred and asked, Who is this?' But soon many turned against Jesus and demanded His death: What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ? Pilate asked. They all answered, Crucify him!' (Matthew 27:22). * * * THE ANSWER: ONLY IN DEATH COULD CHRIST CONQUER SIN AND SATAN (By Billy Graham, courtesy of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) One reason the crowds turned against Jesus was because He refused to be the kind of king they wanteda political and military leader who would free them from the hated Roman government. Roman soldiers had occupied their land for decades, and they hoped Jesus would lead them in a successful revolt. But Jesus made clear to them that this was not His goal. God had another purpose for Himand that purpose was far greater than any mere political or military victory. His goal was to establish another kingdomthe Kingdom of God. This, He taught them, wasnt to be a political kingdom, but the rule of God over our hearts and mindsand ultimately, over the whole universe. To the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, He declared, My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight. My kingdom is from another place (John 18:36). How could this happen? It could happen only if sin and death and Satan were defeatedfor these keep Gods Kingdom from becoming a reality in our lives. And how could they be defeated? Only by Christs death and resurrection for usfor by His death and resurrection Jesus Christ conquered sin and death and Satan. Where would you have been during Jesus final days? Would you have been in the crowd demanding His deathor would you have been among the minority who remained true to Him? And are you true to Him today? The central message of Easter is that God still loves us, and because of Christ we can be forgiven. He came for one reason: Christ died for sins once for all to bring you to God (1 Peter 3:18). May you welcome Him into your life during this holy season. * * * An equally perplexing question: What if you have spent a life worshipping Jesus, adhering to his teachings in the Bible, and supporting the church, but when you finally die, find there is no heaven or hell, that there is no Christ nor any Church? Some say you are going to feel a little silly. But the best answer is also a question: What if you, on the other hand, are an atheist, and have never believed the promise of eternal life, or that Jesus died to forgive your sins? What would you do, upon your death, to find out that every single part of being a Christian, asking to be forgiven by the grace of God, and therefore assured of everlasting life, is absolutely true? If it is, guess who aint got a seat on the train? Only in life can you ask and receive the keys to the kingdom. All you have to do is ask and Gods promise is youll live with all those you love for an eternity. It is guaranteed. royexum@aol.com In 2014, when This American Life premiered the podcast Serial, people were instantly gripped by the 1999 murder of 18-year old high school student, Hae Min Lee, and the circumstances surrounding the investigation into her murder, specifically that of her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, who was convicted of the crime in 2000. The podcast has been downloaded more than 80 million times, according to Esquire. For the last five years, Amy Berg has studied the case and put her findings into a documentary, which will be shown on HBO in four parts. The first episode of The Case Against Adnan Syed has already aired with the second episode set to air at 9 p.m. on March 17, 2019. Berg spoke with Esquire about where the documentary starts saying, So we picked up where Serial left off. They did such a great job at creating the interest and picking the case apart, and I felt like we had an opportunity to go even farther into what happened after Serial. Which is almost as interesting as the podcast. Bergs past work Berg is already well-versed in true crime documentaries. She created West of Memphis, about the West Memphis Three who were convicted of murdering three boys in 1993 in West Memphis, Arkansas. She also made a documentary film about sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church called, Deliver Us From Evil. Why Berg was drawn to the case Reading Haes journal it really moved me, Berg said. And then after talking to some of her friends, I felt like there was a reason to put this into a film series just to understand the cultural context and to see peoples faces. That to me warranted a show, for sure. According to the documentarys synopsis, the film closely re-examines the events leading up to Hae Min Lees disappearance, from high school romance, forbidden love, and cultural conflict, to the aftermath of her disappearance, the original police investigation and the present day, when Syed awaits a new trial. New discoveries Since production began on the documentary in 2015, new discoveries as well as groundbreaking revelations that challenge the states case, have been made. Viewers will get to see all the findings and how they impact Syeds case in the documentary. Syeds case Since his murder conviction in 2000, Syeds steadfastly maintained his innocence. There have been two significant breaks in his case since Serial became a national phenomenon. Adnan Syed | Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS via Getty Images The first break happened in June of 2016. Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Martin P. Welch vacated Syeds conviction and granted him a new trial. This happened after new evidence came to light bringing into question the reliability of cell phone data that connected Syed to the crime scene. A witness, who could establish an alibi for Syed at the time of Lees death, would get the chance to testify in the new trial. The second break took place in March 2018. Then on March 29, 2018, after going to the Court of Special Appeals, Syed received a vacated conviction and a retrial. Is Adnan Syed guilty? This is something the families of Lee and Syed have wrestled with for the past two decades along with the rest of America since the premiere of Serial. While we dont know whether or not Syed is guilty, were getting a second look at the evidence and the events that led up to Lees murder in The Case Against Adnan Syed. Viewers can make their own inferences about Syeds alleged innocence or guilt. Contrary to what your grandmother might have told you, its not typical to get pregnant the first time you have sex. Even perfectly healthy people who want to have kids might spend six months to a year tracking the womans menstrual cycle and fertile window before successfully achieving pregnancy. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made no secret of wanting to have children. Still, it was slightly shocking to royal fans when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the announcement that they were expecting a baby just six months after their royal wedding in May 2018. Some practical folks pointed out the obvious with Meghan Markle being slightly older, how did she get pregnant so quickly and easily? Conspiracy theorists speculate that Meghan Markle may have done fertility treatments. But thats probably not factual. Heres what the 37-year-old mother-to-be did to get pregnant so quickly. Meghan Markle | Jack Taylor/Getty Images Did Meghan Markle do fertility treatments to get pregnant quickly? Fertility issues are on the rise as women wait longer and longer to start their families. The older a woman is, the longer it usually takes to get pregnant and the higher risk she has for complications including miscarriage. After the age of 35, any expectant mother is technically considered a geriatric pregnancy. But Meghan Markle seems to be immune to all that. Despite the fact that shes post-35, Markle got pregnant quickly and easily, which made some royal fans wonder if she may have chosen in-vitro fertilization to have a baby. While not impossible, theres a much more logical explanation for how it happened so fast. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were thinking ahead As RadarOnline reports, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were already planning for children before they tied the knot in May 2018. Because of this, the pair sought out a respected London-based nutritionist to find out if they were good candidates for getting pregnant right away. And what they found out there was overwhelmingly positive. Both Meghan and Harry eat well and maintain healthy weights, which contributes immensely to fertility health. A royal insider also revealed that Prince Harry took things one step further, dropping 7 pounds in advance of the wedding so he could be in peak physical condition. Meanwhile, Meghan Markle added strengthening exercise programs such as yoga to her repertoire, which likely helped her physical and mental well-being in advance of getting pregnant. How many kids are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex planning on having? It sounds like more than one. At a royal event, Prince Harry was overheard saying that if he had more than two children, it would serve him right. Meghan Markle | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images Would Meghan Markle have considered fertility treatments? That same royal insider said that the couple was so intent on having children that they would have pursued additional treatments such as IVF if they needed to. But as we know now, the Duchess of Sussex is in excellent fertile health and has no reason to take extreme measures getting pregnant. No doubt theyre planning on expanding their family again soon! A lot will change when Queen Elizabeth dies. To state the obvious, the United Kingdom will no longer have a queen and once again welcome a king to its throne. Prince Charles will ascend as His Majesty and, while his role in the royal family is sure to align with some of his mothers values, he will likely make a few adjustments that stay true to himself and a more modern monarchy. When Prince Charles Ascends the throne, he will utilize some of the queens royal residences including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, which are both owned by The Crown for his work. But what about his mothers private homes? Will Prince Charles inherit Balmoral Castle and Sandringham Estate when his mother passes? Find out, ahead. Prince Charles | Chris Jackson/Getty Images Prince Charles future royal residences Despite gaining access to Buckingham Palace, Prince Charles doesnt plan to live at the royal family headquarters. Instead, we will remain at his current royal residence, Clarence House and use the palace as his office and place for hosting world leaders, banquets, ceremonies, and other events. He doesnt see it as a viable future home or a house thats fit for purpose in the modern world, a source revealed to Hello! Magazine. He feels its upkeep, both from a cost and environmental perspective is not sustainable, they added. And, although the heir apparent could argue the same for Windsor Castle the monarchs weekend abode he will likely spend more time in the countryside, as Prince Harry and Meghan Markles family home is located on the Windsor Estate. As for his mothers privately owned residences? Prince Charles will most likely inherit both Balmoral and Sandringham Estate. Both royal abodes are typically passed down through monarchs in the royal family. When King George VI died, he left both properties to his eldest child and monarch, Queen Elizabeth. And she will most likely do the same for Prince Charles when she passes. Where does Prince Charles live now? These royal residences arent the only abodes Prince Charles will have under his name. In addition to Sandringham Estate and Balmoral Castle, the future king will likely keep some of his current homes. Instead of moving to Buckingham Palace, Prince Charles plans to stay at his current official residence, Clarence House which is located just down the road from the royal family headquarters in London, United Kingdom. Additionally, he and Camilla Parker Bowles will likely hold onto Highgrove House, which is near Tetbury in Gloucestershire and serves as the couples family home. Prince Charles might inherit Balmoral Castle, but he likely wont move out of his current residence on the estate. When visiting the familys Scotland home, he and Camilla Parker Bowles live at Birkhall. The vacation home resides on the castles estate and once belonged to the Queen Mother (Clarence House also once belonged to Prince Charless grandmother). The Prince of Wales also owns property in Wales, called Llwynywemod and stays there when he visits the United Kingdom country. While he could choose to keep his Welsh property, he might also choose to gift it to his eldest son, Prince William when he becomes the Prince of Wales. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Learning a foreign language isnt a requirement in the royal family. However, that hasnt stopped some members of the monarchy from becoming fluent in multiple languages. According to reports, Prince Charles and Prince William are the most impressive linguists in the royal family with knowledge of at leave five languages. Prince Philip is also multilingual with fluency in English, French, and German. But, what about Prince Harry? Does the Duke of Sussex speak a foreign language like his father, brother, and grandfather? Prince Harry | Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage Does Prince Harry speak a foreign language? Some suggest Prince Harry does not speak a foreign language at least not fluently which is surprising given how many languages his brother and father know. That said, the Duke of Sussex knows some words and phrases and has delivered speeches and greeted leaders in their foreign language while abroad for royal engagements. Additionally, Prince Harry learned some French in school. While sitting in on a German class during his royal tour of New Zealand, Prince Harry revealed: I learned French at school, but Ive forgotten most of it. He also noted how he wanted to learn Spanish, but his teacher discouraged it. I wish I could speak German, Prince Harry noted. What foreign languages does Prince Harry know? The Duke of Sussex has delivered a speech in Arabic before. He also delivered a speech in six languages (with the help of some notes) while on a royal tour of New Zealand. In the speech, he spoke Samoan, Tongan, Fijian, Niuean, Cook Islands Maori, Maori, noting this is definitely the first time Ive spoken most of those languages, so I apologize if my accent wasnt any good. Does Meghan Markle speak a foreign language? Prince Harry might not remember the French he learned in school, but luckily he has a wife that does. According to her biography on the royal familys website, the Duchess of Sussex studied French for six years in school. Prior to living in the United Kingdom, she lived in Canada where both English and French are spoken. However, the French spoken in Canadian is different than that of France. Unlike her husband, Meghan Markle also knows Spanish. Her biography states that she learned the language while interning at the US Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina during her college years. While visiting Edinburgh, Meghan Markle also spoke a little Tagalog, the language of the Philipines. The Duchess of Sussex was overheard saying Salamat Po, which means thank you in the foreign language. Royal family foreign languages Prince Harry might not be fluent in a foreign language, but many of his family members are. Across the board, the royal family is most fluent in French with members like the queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince William, and Kate Middleton understanding the language. Additionally, some members of the royal family can speak German, Russian, Welsh, Gaelic, and Swahili. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Robyn Brown entered into the plural family nearly two decades after Kody Brown married his third wife. Though it was tough for wives number one through three to welcome Robyn into the fold; bringing her kids into the crowd added another hurdle. Along with Robyn came three children; Dayton, Aurora, and Breanna. Even with the initial bumps in the road, the family welcomed the kids, but they were desperate for a legal reminder that Robyns kids were part of their family. @realkodybrown changes diapers all the time. This was just a couple of days ago. That is why he won the competition with Caleb. Maybe when he was on the road working when the older kids were little he couldnt but he does now. #sisterwives pic.twitter.com/MRNcCHpwc1 Robyn Brown (@LuvgvsUwngs) March 5, 2018 Because of an overwhelming desire to legally take custody of the familys newest members, Kody Brown divorced his first wife, to make his fourth wife his legal bride; clearing one of many hurdles to legal adoption. Eventually, Dayton, Aurora, and Breanna officially became Browns, but years after the fact, fans are still questioning exactly why it needed to happen. Why did Kody adopt Robyns kids? Sister Wives fans have long questioned why Kody was so motivated to adopt the three children that Robyn brought into the marriage. Sure, he loves them and views him as his own children, and that is awesome, but fans have wondered if there is more to the story. There seems to be. The sister wives all explained that the legal adoption aimed to ensure that if something were to happen to Robyn that her three children from a previous relationship would remain in the Brown family. If Kody did not legally adopt them, and something were to happen to Robyn, the Browns would have no claim to the children. In all likelihood, they would be passed back to their biological father; David Preston Jessop; something Robyn was vehemently against. Why did Robyns first marriage end? Robyn has not been shy about sharing the details of her first marriage. According to E!, Robyn ended her first marriage after nine years due to abuse. Robyn explained her explosive reaction to bullying between the kids on a 2011 episode of Sister Wives. Robyn shared even more insight into her first marriage in the familys book Becoming Sister Wives. In the non-fiction offering, Robyn notes she was not open to dating after ending her nine-year nightmare and was reluctant to involve herself with the Brown family; especially coming into the relationship as a fourth wife after such a long gap between adding new members. Reddit users dug up a 2018 arrest report on Jessop that seemingly corroborate Robyns story. Jessop was allegedly arrested in Montana for assault on a family member. There is no further information on how the case shook out or who Jessop assaulted. Robyns weird gift during the adoption celebration While Kodys Brown adoption of Robyns three kids from a previous marriage isnt all that strange, the gift that Robyn presented during the adoption celebration was. Fans have been talking about the portrait Robyn commissioned since the episode first aired. Robyn offered Kody a portrait of himself with the three kids. That in itself wouldnt be weird, but the picture features a young Kody with the three kids as young children you know as if Kody has been in their lives forever. While Robyn surely meant the gesture to be sweet, fans went wild; questioning exactly why she was attempting to rewrite the childrens history. Even with the legal adoption a done deal, fans worried Robyns attempt to insert Kody as their father from day one could be damaging. Paris, TX (75460) Today Thunderstorms in the morning will give way to cloudy skies late. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High around 70F. SW winds shifting to N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms. Low 58F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Teen Mom 2 star, Jenelle Evans has had a tough couple of months. Not only did she feel dragged through the mud during a recent reunion special taping, but shes also been dealing with a myriad of health problems. Evans, who first rose to fame in 2009 when she appeared on 16 and Pregnant, is no stranger to drama, but her recent stint of troubling health concerns have fans worried. Her most recent medical procedure, a tubal ligation, took place just a few days ago. So, what prompted the teen mom to have her tubes tied? The real reason Jenelle Evans had her tubes tied Evans posted to social media to inform her fans that she was doing just fine, and her rep confirmed that she was healing well from the procedure. While several media outlets have suggested the star had a simple tubal ligation, there seems to be more to the story. Evans, according to Us Magazine, had one ovary removed along with several polyps. She also had her tube tied on the remaining ovary. The polyps have allegedly been sent out for further testing. She willingly discussed the procedure and told fans that aside from being entirely satisfied with the three children she has, the procedure was performed to alleviate near constant pain. Evans has suffered from ovarian cysts in the past, with several instances landing her in the emergency room. Jenelle Evans precarious health While Evans most recent hospital stint has left her seemingly hopeful for answers, it is not the first time the MTV star has spent time in a hospital bed. In fact, the reality TV starlet has apparently been experiencing mysterious symptoms since 2016. Jenelle Evans | Nancy Rivera/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images In December 2018 the troubled mother of three was hospitalized for a series of biopsies. Evans, 27, shared her December hospitalization via her Instagram story but didnt update fans on any findings. According to People, doctors performed an endoscopy on the North Carolina native. An endoscopy is a procedure that allows doctors to see the digestive tract and, in some cases, take biopsies were necessary. Evans was also hospitalized twice in October 2018; once for a fall and a second time for a septoplasty to address sinus issues. Janelle welcomed a daughter with husband David Eason in January 2017. She is also mom to Kaiser, 4 and Jace, 9. If the reports are accurate, Baby Sussex is due to greet the world at the end of April or the beginning of May. The world is on pins and needles waiting to catch a glimpse of the new royal. While all royal baby announcements get full attention, this one is different. From the start, people have been fascinated by Meghan Markle. Prince Harry has been breaking Royal traditions from the beginning of their relationship leaving many people to wonder what else will change. While Kate Middleton has made every attempt to stick with traditions, Markle seems to be less conservative. Its this quality that likely grabbed Prince Harrys attention in the first place. So, what royal rules can we assume Megan Markle will break after Baby Sussex is born? The rules Prince Harry broke with Meghan Markle The most obvious royal rule or tradition that Prince Harry broke when he began his relationship with Markle is her status. She did not come from any royal bloodline, or posh family like Kate Middleton did. She was an American actress. According to Marie Claire, this breaks the mold for the royal family in so many ways. On top of being American, she was also previously married and divorced. The law that forbade royals from marrying people who have been divorced has been changed making it legal. However, it is still frowned upon in many circles. Not that that seems to matter to either one of them. Believe it or not, there are rules against royal couples holding hands in public. This royal rule may sound completely foreign to us regular folks, but it exists. Not that we blame Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, but they most definitely break this royal rule. Royal rules Meghan Markle has broken thus far There are very specific rules that royal women are supposed to follow when they are pregnant. While Meghan Markle has done her best to follow most of them, there are some royal rules that she has broken. To start with, she decided to have a baby shower. For most American women, a baby shower is a right of passage. For royals, it is in bad taste. The idea that a member of the royal family would accept gifts and be showered is traditionally out of the question. Not for Markle, who had a shower in New York. Another rule she has sidestepped is the one that says pregnant royals are not allowed to travel abroad. On top of flying to New York for her baby shower, she has also accompanied her husband several times on royal duty trips abroad, even though she was pregnant at the time. There are also strict rules on what she should wear while expecting. Like Kate Middleton did with her pregnancies, Markle is supposed to wear loose clothing, close-toed shoes, and stay conservatively covered up. Already, we have seen Markle break all these wardrobe rules, and wear what makes her comfortable. Rules Meghan Markle will break after Baby Sussex is born Some royal rules we have heard she might break once Baby Sussex arrives also has a lot to do with American vs. English traditions. For starters, Markle has suggested that she may want to have a natural home birth. If that happens, she wont have her baby at the same hospital that royal women have been using for decades. If Markle decides to give birth at home, it is unlikely that she will pose outside the maternity ward, like Kate Middleton and Princess Diana before her. She has expressed concern about the stress of needing to look picture perfect so soon after giving birth. She would rather spend that time bonding with her bundle of joy. Speaking of her bundle of joy, she is considering breaking the royal rules for name choosing. According to StyleCaster, Markle and Prince Harry are thinking about naming the baby Diana if possible. Traditionally royal babies are named after former British monarchs. Of all the royals we have seen, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are the most independent. They seem to have made it their goal to change things up and pave the way for more modern traditions. And we cant wait to see what happens when Baby Sussex arrives. Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo are two of Counting Ons favorite cast members. The couple got married in 2016 and has since welcomed a little girl named Felicity. Recently, they announced theyd be picking up their lives and moving to Los Angeles this year. But when does the couple officially make their move? Jinger Duggar with her husband, Jeremy Vuolo and daughter, Felicity Vuolo. | Jinger Vuolo via Instagram Jinger and Jeremy moved to Texas after they were married The Duggar children arent allowed to leave home until they tie the knot. For Jinger, who was homeschooled just like her siblings, marrying Jeremy meant a major change of pace. Jeremy Vuolo is a pastor in Laredo, Texas, and Jinger agreed to move there with him after they wed. She went from living at home and attending school at home to moving hundreds of miles away from her family. She said on an episode of Counting On that it was a major life change and required some adjustment, but ultimately, the couple grew to love living there. The couple announced theyre moving to Los Angeles for Jeremys graduate classes Although the two have fallen for Laredo, their lives are leading them in a different direction. Jinger and Jeremy announced on Instagram in late March that Gods plan for them includes moving out of Laredo and building a new life in Los Angeles, California. According to the couples blog, Jeremy is pursuing graduate studies at the Masters Seminary, and the couple will attend Grace Community Church while they are living out there. They didnt say whether the move would be permanent, but they seem excited to start a new chapter. The two will leave for California in July of this year Jeremy and Jinger both said that it wouldnt be easy to leave Texas. Leaving Laredo this July will be one of the hardest things weve ever done; our friends here have become like family, the couple wrote on the blog. The two often post photos of themselves out enjoying the town with their daughter, and its clear they will have a hard time leaving. However, theyre heading out this July, and Jeremy will likely start classes the following month. The couple is, of course, bringing their daughter with them, and Jinger hinted on her reality show that she and Jeremy wont be welcoming any new babies this year. With so much on their plates, they said theyre looking forward to just watching Felicity grow. Jingers family likely wishes shed move closer Its unclear how Jingers sisters feel about the move. Although theyre probably happy for her, shell be even further away now than ever, which means she wont be seeing Jana, Jill, Jessa, and the others as much as shed probably like. Jinger has always been very close with her family, and now she will have to start a new chapter of life all over again without them. Most of the Duggars have remained in Arkansas after marriage, but Jinger has always been one to bend Duggar traditions. Fans are looking forward to the couple documenting their new journey on the West Coast. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Overseas UMC leaders felt alienation from US churches over traditional marriage support Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment United Methodist Church leaders from outside the United States said they feel dismissed by their brethren in the United States over their support for traditional sexual ethics. Bishop Eduard Khegay, who is based in Eastern Europe, said he received emails from fellow UMC members who no longer want to financially support his Episcopal region after his delegate supported a plan earlier this year that opposes openly homosexual clergy and same-sex marriage. I find it kind of threatening, explained Bishop Khegay at a meeting last month in Manila, Philippines, as reported by United Methodist News Service. The question my people ask: Are we a church that wants to support those in need even if they think a different way? Or do we only support those who think like us? At a special session of the UMC General Conference held in February, delegates voted 438-384 to uphold the mainline denominations official position against homosexuality and same-sex marriage. Known as the Traditional Plan, the proposal not only upheld the current standards of the Book of Discipline but also included stricter enforcement of the rules and a possible gracious exit for congregations opposed to it. Delegates representing overseas churches, especially Africa where the UMC is growing the fastest, played a crucial role in the vote result. Those gathered in Manila talked about the backlash they have received from pro-LGBT churches in the United States. Simon Mafunda from the East Zimbabwe Conference, who was a delegate at the special session in February, explained that many African members felt alienated by pro-LGBT UMC members. There is also a feeling they are being treated like perpetrators and another group of people are the victims for the simple act of exercising their right to support what they believe, Mafunda explained. Others, however, including Bishop Harald Ruckert of Germany, spoke about the pain experienced by those in his region that opposed the Traditional Plan. When the decision was made on the last day, many of our people indicated to me this is no longer my church. I lost a home in my beloved United Methodist Church, stated Bishop Ruckert. Not only because of the exclusiveness toward LGBTQ people but because this plan tries to implement a spirit of mistrust and punishment. The Manila meeting came about a month before the denominations highest court will convene to determine the constitutionality of the Traditional Plan. The United Methodist Judicial Council will meet on April 23-26 in Evanston, Illinois, to hear challenges to the Traditional Plan. They are expected to release a decision within days of their meeting. At issue are two items: the first being from Pastor Timothy Bruster of the Central Texas Annual Conference requesting that the Judicial Council review the constitutionality, meaning, application, and effect of the adopted legislation referred to as the Traditional Plan. The second is from the UMC Council of Bishops, who submitted a request on March 6 for the Judicial Council to determine the constitutionality of Petition 90066, which changes the denominations policy on congregation disaffiliation. Already, many pro-LGBT United Methodists in the United States and Europe have stated that they will refuse to enforce the Traditional Plan if it takes effect next year as scheduled. 94 abortion workers seek help to leave industry after watching 'Unplanned' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Chuck Konzelman, writer and director of Unplanned, a film about Planned Parenthood clinic director-turned pro-life advocate Abby Johnson, revealed Wednesday during a congressional testimony that 94 clinic workers have come forward after watching the movie to seek help leaving their jobs. Konzelman, who spoke before the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, revealed that since the films release on March 29, these workers approached Johnsons nonprofit, And Then There Were None, and have indicated an intent to change their lives. And Then There Were Nones stated mission is to help abortion clinic workers leave the abortion industry. READ ALSO: Doctor Who Performed 1,200 Abortions Reveals What Stopped Him The number of actual workers who have reached out is 94, Konzelman revealed, estimating that this accounts for about 1 percent of abortion workers in the U.S. The Unplanned director went on to say that these individuals are truly looking to change their lives (you can watch this portion of his testimony at the 2:52-mark here). One percent of the abortion workers in the United States, after getting one look at them being portrayed on film have decided to change their lives and what they do for a living, Konzelman said. The filmmaker also noted that this is evidence that Unplanned isnt portraying these people as monsters. Instead, some workers appear to find something redeeming about the movie, and are taking personal action as a result. READ ALSO: Inspired by Unplanned? 5 Pro-Life Movies You Can Watch Now As Pure Flix Insider previously reported, the congressional subcommittee hearing, titled, Stifling Free Speech: Technological Censorship and the Public Discourse, also dealt with the recent suspension of the official Twitter page for Unplanned, among other claims of censorship. Watch Actress Ashley Bratcher, who played Johnson, speak about the power of prayer: Numerous stories have emerged about the filming of Unplanned as well as the impact the movie is having on the masses. Bratcher, who portrayed Johnson in the movie, discussed her own journey toward accepting the role and the ways in which faith played out on set. I walk into the set and when I did the presence of the holy spirit just overcame me, Bratcher said. I wanted to just fall to me knees in that moment and cry. It was so overwhelming. I had no idea that the team had been praying over that set. And Johnson has openly shared her story as well. Listen to her reveal why she fled Planned Parenthood and became a pro-life activist: Perhaps one of the most interesting people attached to the film is Dr. Anthony Levatino, a gynecologist who performed around 1,200 first and second trimester abortions early in his career before a stunning change-of-heart transformed him into an outspoken pro-life advocate. He plays an abortion doctor in Unplanned and his personal story is incredible: 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. 7 inspirational songs for Palm Sunday Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In many churches, the Sunday before Easter serves as a celebration of Jesus' triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem, in which the Bible records that local waved palm branches in his honor. Known as Palm Sunday, the day begins what is called Holy Week, a time on the liturgical calendar that includes Holy Thursday, which recalls the Last Supper, Good Friday, which recalls the Crucifixion, Holy Saturday, and finally Easter. The observance will often involve members of a congregation taking palm branches and waving them during worship, especially the opening processional of the service. Here are seven songs that are used to celebrate and contemplate the significance of Palm Sunday. They include works ranging from Medieval times to this very century. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next Louisiana church will give away free gas and prayers on Good Friday Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In a creative move that combines ministering to both the material and spiritual needs of their community, the Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist in New Orleans, Louisiana, will be giving away free gas to their community on Good Friday while supplies last. Executive Pastor Donna Williams told The Christian Post Friday that come April 19, the church will give gas away from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. at Sterling Express station located at 1667 Tchoupitoulas Street and the Gentilly-Paris Shell located at 2035 Gentilly Boulevard. We do this as a way of giving back to the community. This is the second year that we will be doing it. We call it [the] Greater Good Friday Gas Giveaway, Williams said. Community members hoping for a shot at the free gas will have to make sure that they are among the first 250 people to show up at the gas stations. We plan to service 250 people and we have two different gas stations that they give the gas away, so once we reach the amount that we expect to giveaway then unfortunately we just have to turn some people away, she said. Williams explained that if people miss out on the free gas, the church will also be offering prayers and an invitation to join them at Greater St. Stephen Baptist for worship on Easter Sunday. Were there and we witness to them. If they want prayer we offer prayer and we invite them to celebrate with us on Easter Sunday, she said. When the church first held the event which was the brainchild of Senior Pastor Debra B. Morton last year, Williams said they were able to invite many people to church and about 20 percent of them showed up for church on Sunday. I would say maybe 20 percent [showed up], she said. We give them cards and we ask them to bring the cards and we have a small reception planned for them, those who show up. Beginning next Wednesday as well, Williams said the church will kick off a more traditional Easter event in which they will host early morning services from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. until Good Friday. We call it a Holy Week Symposium service that starts on Wednesday morning. Weve been doing it for like 50 some odd years. Its a one hour service on Wednesday, Thursday and Good Friday morning. And that is just overwhelming, so many people come, Williams said. They look forward to it because its something that weve done traditionally. For the gas giveaway, Williams said Morton wants the community to know that the church cares. She explained that the church conducts other types of community outreach like feeding the hungry and providing clothes to those who are in need but we just thought that the gas would be something that people needed [at this time]. For this Easter, Williams added, Greater St. Stephen is promoting the theme, Jesus, the Cross: The Salvation factor. We just all want people to know that Jesus Christ died and He was crucified and He was risen so that we can all have a better life, she ended. Finding healing: one woman's journey with God after the Rwandan Genocide Twenty-five years ago, a genocide was unfolding across Rwanda, bringing the most horrifying violence and bloodshed to towns and villages. In the space of just 100 days from April to June 1994, some 800,000 Rwandans, mostly Tutsis, were to die in the Rwandan genocide. Those who survived would spend years trying to recover from the trauma they experienced. One of those survivors is Denise Uwimana, who in the midst of an attack on her village, went into labour. She miraculously survived with her newborn and two other sons when Hutu attackers ransacked her home. But others who had been hiding there were killed, including her cousin, who was beheaded in front of her. Tragically, her husband was also killed. In spite of her horrific experiences, she found a way through the pain with the help of God and now spends her time bringing healing to communities that were affected by the genocide through the organisation she founded, Iriba Shalom International. She speaks to Christian Today about her journey towards healing here. CT: It must be hard to put into words what you saw during the terror of the genocide. Did you ever question where God was? DU: Since my childhood, I loved God because my parents gave us a Christian education, but during the genocide against the Tutsi, I experienced evil things done by Christians that were totally contrary to what my parents and my church had taught us. I lived through a journey of hell on the earth where every day I was a victim to be killed. But all religions were involved directly or indirectly in killing Tutsi people and I had many questions to God about why He did not intervene to stop the killing. My firstborn, who was four and a half years old at the time, asked me: "Mama is this the end of the world as people used to say?" I did not have any answer to my child. Then he sang: "God still loves us; He will never put his hands away from us." I thought about whether there was no longer a God. And if there was still a God, I thought He was only a God for Hutu people and not for Tutsi. I thought that God loved Hutu people more than Tutsi because we were killed and no one dared to say stop. CT: What role did faith play in your healing? DU: I was struggling with God during the genocide because of the promises I received from God before it broke out - "I will protect you" and "what a man cannot do for you, I, God will do it for you." But finally, my relationship with God was deepened by my suffering. The suffering I passed through sustained my relationship with Jesus Christ, because He himself suffered and He was tempted and is able to help those who are being tempted. Without faith or God's Word, which I obeyed, I would not have been able to take that step towards the perpetrators and forgive them publicly. That played, of course, a great part in my healing. And healing would also not have been possible without a fellowship with other widows of the genocide. We gathered not only to exchange our experiences which was important enough - but also to pray and listen to the Word of God for our situation, to encourage each other in faith and love. CT: How do you cope with traumatic memories? Has anything made your experience easier to deal with? DU: Survivors of the genocide against the Tutsi always suffer from traumatic memories because we live with the effects of the genocide in our daily life. Still our children ask us why they do not have a father. The orphans who survived and who now have married and got children of their own ask why they cannot visit grandparents, uncles, cousins. But the way I cope with traumatic memories is to share my suffering, my sorrow - and also my joy - with other survivors in a community or a group of people who understand my sufferings and who are ready to listen to me. It helped me to feel valued as a human being because before, we were regarded as snakes and cockroaches. And serving others has also played a good role in the process of healing my trauma. I realised that at least I could change the life of my colleagues by showing them love and giving back the dignity which they lost during the genocide. CT: Do you ever fear it might happen again? DU: I do not ask myself such a question of whether the genocide might come back again in Rwanda. But I know that if we Rwandans are not awake, divisions might arise again. We are there to say: "Never again" and "We all are Rwandans". And we have a good government which supports unity and reconciliation and is against any new propaganda promoting divisions or revisionism. Trusting in God does not mean to be blind, but God makes us attentive to new dangers, especially against all forms of discrimination, which is always the first step to genocide. Remembering Jane Haining: The brave Scots woman who lost her life saving Jewish school girls On Sunday evening, a quiet torchlit procession will wind its way through the streets of Budapest. Some 15,000 people are expected to take part in honour of the brave Scots woman who died in Auschwitz after refusing to leave the Jewish schoolgirls in her care. The March of the Living takes place in the Hungarian capital each year to mark the country's Holocaust Memorial Day. This year's march is being dedicated to Jane Haining, a farmer's daughter from Dunscore near Dumfries, who served as matron of the Scottish Mission boarding school in Budapest between 1932 and 1944. Many of the 400 students in her care were Jewish girls and when World War Two broke out in 1939, she refused to abandon them despite Church of Scotland officials advising her to return home. Her response to their concerns was that the girls in her care needed her in the "days of darkness". In 1944, the Gestapo entered the school and arrested her in front of her students. The eight charges against her included working among Jews. Former pupil Agnes Rostas described the students sobbing as she was led away. Miss Haining, however, showed great courage, telling them: "Don't worry, I'll be back by lunch." She never did return to her beloved school, though, eventually being taken to the Auschwitz Birkenau extermination camp in Nazi occupied Poland where she died two months after arriving. Sunday evening's march will be led by Scottish Secretary David Mundell, the minister of St Columba's Church of Scotland in Budapest, the Rev Aaron Stevens, and UK ambassador to Hungary, Iain Lindsay. The procession will make its way to the 'Shoes on the Danube' Holocaust memorial near the Hungarian Parliament, accompanied by bagpipers. Mr Mundell said: "It is a huge honour, and a great privilege, to be asked to lead the March of the Living to mark Hungary's Holocaust Memorial Day. "I am very proud that the 2019 march will remember Scottish missionary Jane Haining. "An extraordinary, brave and selfless woman, Jane Haining sacrificed herself to protect Jewish schoolgirls in Budapest during the Second World War. "Her unwavering devotion saw her lose her life in Auschwitz 75 years ago, aged just 47. "She is a hero of which all of Scotland, Hungary and the world can be proud. "The Holocaust was undoubtedly one of the darkest times in human history, but the courage and personal sacrifice of individuals like Jane Haining give us hope for the future." Last week, Mr Mundell was in Miss Haining's hometown of Dunscore to visit the local church where a heritage centre celebrates her life. He also paid tribute at a cairn erected in her memory. The exhibition features photographs, letters, documents and other personal items connected with Miss Haining, who was a Dux of Dumfries Academy. During his visit to Budapest, Mr Mundell will also visit the Dohany Street Synagogue and join worshippers at St Columba's Church, which is next to the former site of the girl's school. Rev Stevens said Miss Haining's legacy lived on in his own church and its work with refugees in the city. "Jane Haining's service and sacrifice shows that caring for people from different backgrounds in no way compromises our faith," he said. "In fact, it just might be the fullest expression of it. "Since I've had a chance to hear women share their childhood memories of the Scottish Mission, I treasure every opportunity to pass on those stories. "As an English-speaking church in Budapest with an international congregation, it is natural for us to be involved in outreach among refugees. "Compassion and hospitality is in our church's DNA." The circumstances were perfect: I was meeting up with one of my best friends from college for our first visit to Portland, Ore., and held the eager anticipation of what kind of antics we would get into during the exciting weekend ahead. Yet, preparing for this short vacation led me to Google something I've never searched for before: Is it legal to bring marijuana on a plane from one state to another if it's considered legal in both states? Most websites' answers were a resounding, seemingly obvious "no." Go ahead, laugh at my naivety all you want. But after spending most of my life in the Midwest where recreational marijuana legalization seemed to be a far-off pipe dream, I honestly didn't have a clue. Nor did I think it was a question I would ever have the opportunity to ask. Sure, I knew I could just buy whatever I wanted when I arrived in Portland, but after spending money on plane tickets, a few nights' stay in a hostel, and knowing I had other pending expenses ahead, I didn't want to drop even more cash on something I already had legally. SAVE MONEY: How to sprout your own marijuana seeds I even took to Reddit to ask people on r/trees (a go-to subreddit for everything related to cannabis with over 1.3 million subscribers). Most of the responses there ranged from caring "I wouldn't risk it, your weed will be waiting for you when you get back home :)" to curt "good luck getting caught and going to jail LOL." So, I went the safe route and left my edible gummies I was planning on bringing at my apartment and begrudgingly purchased more when I got to Portland. Still, I knew I wasn't the only one questioning this legality. Whether you're traveling to Portland like I was, or other big cities where recreational marijuana is legal say, Seattle, Denver, Las Vegas, or Boston it seems contradictory to have to leave your cannabis products at home when the law is giving you the green light in both your own city and destination. That's not to mention medical patients who need certain strains in order to combat chronic pain or alleviate symptoms of an illness. It was simple for me to just leave my weed at home, but what about patients for whom stopping usage can be detrimental to their health and well-being? EXPLAINED: Here's the science behind cannabis therapies for pain, inflammation Long after I returned from the trip, I had the answer to my question, but still wanted the details. Are CBD products okay at airports? Is a TSA dog really going to sniff me out? Jenny L. Burke from the Transportation Security Administration provided me with some answers that might help you on your next journey. The short answer: As soon as you head into that airport, marijuana is considered a controlled substance and is therefore illegal from a federal perspective. So, carrying a joint through the TSA checkpoint at a California airport is illegal? Yes but that doesn't mean you'll necessarily get in trouble if you get caught. TSA says that officers are required to report "any suspected violations of law, including possession of marijuana and cannabis infused products." That being said, your weed likely isn't their priority the safety of everyone else is. TSA's screening procedures are security-focused and designed to look for "potential threats" to aviation and passengers. What about my CBD oil that I use for pain relief? Yup, still illegal according to TSA guidelines. Again, they're not looking for it though. What if I just kept my marijuana or CBD-infused products in my checked luggage? This is also illegal in the eyes of the (federal) law which governs airports, and you don't want to mess with the random searches that TSA conducts. Still, the searches there prioritize heavy metal objects and bottles full of liquid frequent suspicious objects that call for further inspection, again, for security reasons. Do TSA dogs sniff for weed? No. While some people think airport sniffer dogs will seek out illegal drugs, they're predominantly trained to sniff for explosives, and to sniff for things that could introduce an invasive species into a foreign ecosystem. There's more to it, though. Some dogs are trained to sniff for many drugs, but recent state court rulings on marijuana mean their keen noses for pot are no longer needed. They would return false positives on their work sniffing for other (illegal) drugs. They can't always be counted on to smell the right thing, and some are actually being eased out of the labor force because of this. The bottom line: TSA officers are required to report any suspected violations of law, including possession of marijuana and cannabis infused products. While they don't search for marijuana or other illegal drugs, in the event they find an illegal substance, they will refer the matter to a police officer to enforce state law. So, if you're in a state where cannabis is legal, local officers are not likely to do anything, even as federal possession laws apply as long as you don't have eight pounds of weed chocolate. It's up to you to decide whether to play it safe or be a little daring, but you're likely under less scrutiny than you might have previously perceived. Safe travels! This story was originally published on GreenState. A mother and her 16-year-old son are recovering after a gunman shot them at a birthday party in northwest Houston early Sunday morning, Houston police said. The mother and son were at the Wingate Hotel near FM 1960 and Mills Road Saturday night into the morning. Members of the British comedy scene are mourning the passing of Ian Cognito, a comedian who died midway through his set on Thursday night near Oxford. Cognito, whose real name is Paul Barbieri, was 60 years old and a veteran comic who had performed stand-up since the mid-1980s. On the night he died, he was booked at the Lone Wolf Comedy Club in Bicester, not far away from Oxford. He had reportedly not been feeling well earlier in the evening, but resolved to perform anyway, the night's host, Andrew Bird, told the BBC. RELATED: Notable Bay Area locals who died in 2018 Then, just 10 minutes after Cognito had joked about having a stroke onstage, the comedian sat down and was breathing heavily. According to the venue owner, Ryan Mold, Cognito "sat down, put his head and arms back" while "his shoulders were twitching." The audience, believing this was part of the set, continued laughing. "Everyone in the crowd, me included, thought he was joking," Bird said. "Even when I walked on stage and touched his arm I was expecting him to say 'boo.'" It soon became apparent, however, that something was seriously wrong. Two off-duty nurses and a police officer in the audience jumped up to begin chest compressions while an ambulance was called. He was pronounced dead at the scene, though the cause of death is not yet clear. RELATED: Comedy legends of San Francisco: When they were young The event left the audience shaken up. One in the room told the BBC that "we came out feeling really sick; we just sat there for five minutes watching him, laughing at him." His peers in the British comedy scene are now posting their tributes to his life. Jack Whitehall, who CNN points out recently hosted the Brit Awards, wrote he "always had so much fun," calling Cognito a "true maverick." Comedian Mark Steel called him "a difficult awkward hilarious troubled brilliant sort; a proper comic." Another comedian, Jimmy Carr, said he'd "never forget his kindness when I started out." Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira. Fiction 1. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. A woman who survived alone in the marsh becomes a murder suspect. 2. The Cornwalls Are Gone by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois. An Army intelligence officer must commit a crime or lose her kidnapped husband and daughter. 3. Run Away by Harlan Coben. A family is torn apart when the daughter becomes addicted to drugs and goes missing. 4. Celtic Empire by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler. The 25th book in the Dirk Pitt series. 5. The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear. The 15th book in the Maisie Dobbs series. While the Germans attack the British Isles, Maisie must solve a case and protect a young evacuee. 6. Tiamats Wrath by James S.A. Corey. The eighth book in the Expanse series. 7. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. Theo Faber looks into the mystery of a famous painter who stops speaking after shooting her husband. 8. Wild Card by Stuart Woods. The 49th book in the Stone Barrington series. 9. Cemetery Road by Greg Iles. Journalist Marshall McEwan returns to his hometown, which is shaken by two deaths and an economy on the brink. 10. Wolf Pack by C.J. Box. Wyoming game wardens Joe Pickett and Katelyn Hamm take on killers working for the Sinaloa cartel. Nonfiction 1. Becoming by Michelle Obama. The former first lady describes how she balanced work, family and her husbands political ascent. 2. Educated by Tara Westover. The daughter of survivalists leaves home for university. 3. The Right Side of History by Ben Shapiro. The conservative political commentator reflects upon what he considers most impactful to Western civilization. 4. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou. The rise and fall of the biotech startup Theranos. 5. Doing Justice by Preet Bharara. The former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York describes some of his career highlights and gives insights into our legal system. 6. Shortest Way Home by Pete Buttigieg. A memoir by the mayor of South Bend, Ind., and the first openly gay Democratic candidate to run for president of the United States. 7. Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. A look at the conflict in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles. 8. Mamas Last Hug by Frans de Waal. The death of a chimpanzee matriarch frames a broader look into the world of animal and human emotions. 9. The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells. How climate-related crises may cause food shortages, refugee emergencies and other catastrophes. 10. Grateful American by Gary Sinise with Marcus Brotherton. The Oscar-nominated actor describes how he has entertained troops and helped veterans. New York Times The 2019 Katy ISD Teacher of the Year community luncheon will be presented by Brazos Valley Schools Credit Union in partnership with Katy ISD on Thursday, April 18, at the Merrell Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Business leaders and prominent members of the community will gather together at the luncheon to honor outstanding teachers from each campus who have demonstrated excellence and leadership among their peers and in their classrooms. Winning recipients from all 68 Katy ISD campuses will be recognized at the luncheon for their contributions and presented with a gift bag from the business community. Outstanding teaching and learning is taking place inside Katy ISD classrooms every day because of our thousands of teachers who dedicate their expertise and talent to meeting the diverse needs of our students, said Superintendent Ken Gregorski. These amazing professionals provide our learners the confidence, skills and determination to create the future in which they are most passionate. Our school community is truly grateful for their service," added Gregorski. Organizers of this years luncheon are proud to announce Keith Garvin, Anchor for KPRC-TV Channel 2 News will serve as the emcee and city of Katy Mayor Charles Brawner will be the guest speaker. Supporting education in our community has been a long-standing tradition, said BVSCU CEO Yvonne Kershner. The Teacher of the Year luncheon is a wonderful way to celebrate the hard work of our teachers and schools. This is a fantastic event that really provides an opportunity to recognize our talented educators, she added. Summa Cum Laude sponsors for the event include Brazos Valley Schools Credit Union, Houston Methodist Hospital and Members Choice Credit Union. Cum Laude sponsors include First Community Credit Union and PBK, Inc. Honor Roll sponsors include the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce, Memorial Hermann Medical Group and VLK Architects, Inc. Academia sponsors include Bridgeland, Frost Bank, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Mann Eye Institute and Laser Center and Profile by Sanford. Spirit sponsors include Chick-fil-A, Hasta la Pasta Italian Grill, Shell Federal Credit Union and Tommy Hilfiger. We invite the community to join us in celebrating excellence in education. Individual tickets can be purchased at $40 each and special reserved tables of 8 are available for $300. To register to attend the luncheon, visit https://katyteacheroftheyear.eventbrite.com. For more information about the 2019 Katy ISD Teacher of the Year luncheon, contact Lisa McGarity at 281-644-3650. Founded in 1954, Brazos Valley Schools Credit Union is a trusted financial partner serving the community's financial needs by offering competitive savings account products, affordable loan products along with easy access online and mobile banking. To learn more about Brazos Valley Schools Credit Unions products and services, call 281-391-2149 or visit www.bvscu.org. Sunday kicks off Holy Week for Christians throughout the world, with Palm Sunday leading a week of holy days leading up to Easter Sunday on April 21. Among the area churches with Palm Sunday services are: St. Edith Stein Catholic Church at 3311 N. Fry Road. Go to https://stedithstein.org for more information. Grace Anglican Church at 24968 Katy Ranch Road. Go to www.graceanglicankaty.com for more information. St. Pauls Episcopal Church at 5373 Franz Road. For more information, go to www.stpaulskaty.org. Church of the Holy Apostles at 1225 West Grand Parkway South. Go to www.cotha.org for more information. St. Bartholomew the Apostle Catholic Church at 5356 11th St. Go to www.st-bart.org for more information. Living Word Lutheran Church at 3700 South Mason Road. For more information, go to www.livingwordkaty.org. Contact your church for more information on Holy Week Services. Following Palm Sunday is Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, and Spy Wednesday, which leads into Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday in advance of Easter Sunday. Katy ISD school board Katy Independent School District trustees will meet Monday, April 15, in a work study meeting at the Katy ISD Education Support Complex, 6301 S. Stadium Lane. The closed meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. During the closed portion of the meeting, the board is scheduled to consider employment of employees for the 2019-2020 school year, including those on probationary contracts or those with one- or two-year contracts. The board is also scheduled to consider giving notice to those employees whose probationary contracts will not be renewed for the next school year. Upon reconvening in open session, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., the board will consider approval of the personnel report. Also up for consideration are April 2019 budget adjustments and projects to upgrade campus safety and security. The regular school board meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 22. Visit http://tinyurl.com/yd4dwqzh to check the agenda. Tax Day Monday, April 15, is the deadline to file federal tax returns for the 2018 tax year. Tax returns mailed to the IRS must be postmarked by midnight April 15 to avoid any penalties. Those who are e-filing, they must be submitted by midnight. Katy EDC meeting The Katy Area Economic Development Council general assembly meeting is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 16, following networking and socializing from 8 to 8:30 a.m. A light complimentary breakfast will be provided. The featured presentation will be an update on the Katy Boardwalk by the city of Katy, KDW and Sueba USA. The free event will be held at Members Choice Credit Union, 18211 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77094. Go to www.katyedc.org for more information. Teacher of the Year luncheon Brazos Valley Schools Credit Union, in partnership with Katy ISD, will honor outstanding teachers from each campus who have demonstrated excellence and leadership among their peers and in their classrooms at the 2019 Teacher of the Year luncheon on Thusday, April 18, at the Merrell Center, 6301 S Stadium Lane. Visit http://tinyurl.com/y32vtmce or contact Lisa McGarity at 281-644-3650 for more information. Chill Out Day Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls is scheduled to be the guest server during the Fulshear Katy Area Chamber of Commerce Chill Out Day on Monday, April 15. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., free Kona Ice will be doled out at the Fulshear Katy Area Chamber of Commerce at 29818 FM 1093, Ste. 108, in Fulshear. For more information, go to www.kona-ice.com. Rope cutting for College H.U.N.K.S. The Fulshear Katy Area Chamber will host a rope cutting and social for College H.U.N.K.S. from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, at 3902 FM 723, Suite J, in Rosenberg. College H.U.N.K.S. Hauling Junk & Moving serves residential and commercial junk removal and recycling needs. For more information, go to www.collegehunkshaulingjunk.com. Police are searching for three people they believe were connected to a deadly shooting in northwest Houston on Saturday. Deverrick Gooden, 44, was fatally shot around 2:30 p.m. Saturday on Parkes Street, according to Victor Senties, an HPD spokesman. 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. Annika Gallaway is a senior ready to graduate from The Woodlands High School, doing what many normal high school students do: visiting colleges and planning out her future over the next several years. Gallaway, though, is not the typical high school student, something that is revealed in her social justice activism and leadership of the Montgomery County chapter of the group Students Demand Action. Gallaway recently attended a large conference on LGBT rights and activism in Iowa, where she spoke on behalf of Students Demand Action about the importance of stopping mass shootings and gun violence across the nation. The 18-year-old Highlander, who helped organize the local March for Our Lives in The Woodlands and has been involved in other advocacy, sat down with The Villager for our Sunday Conversation. QUESTION: What is happening in your life right now and how did you become involved in the activism you do now? Gallaway: I am just working on college stuff, I have not decided where I am going to go. But that is what Im mainly what Ive been doing, visiting a lot of colleges. I think like, especially with activism, I really kind of started out in Girl Scouts. Ive been a Girl Scout since the fifth grade. As a Girl Scout, one of our biggest focuses is on community service. Ive always been interested in being active in the community, and I kind of grew into activism. (My mom) Has been very supportive and I do believe I get a lot of my activism from her. She does support me a lot. QUESTION: How did you become involved in Students Demand Action? Gallaway: Students Demand Action, Ive been involved for little over a year. That chapter kind of grew out of what the group I had for my Gold Award for Girl Scouts. For my Gold Award, I did ait was called a teen advocacy project. I had this group of students and teens, and each month we would have different guest speakers discuss social issues. The last one we did was right after the Parkland shooting. We had Moms Demand Action come in, and we kind of decided, we should start a Students Demand Action chapter. Both Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action are part of a group called Everytown. QUESTION: Youre growing up in the era of mass shootings in school settings and other places, how has that environment affected you as a student and a young person? Gallaway: I think it is sad to say, but I think a lot of people in this generation have become desensitized to all the violence that has happened. I think it is obvious to say, were all scared to go to school now. I think everyone in my generation feels that way, although not everyone says or does something. I think this needs to change (stopping mass shootings.) QUESTION: There have been some false alarms at The Woodlands High School in recent months, highlighted by a student who was thought to be carrying a gun outside the campus, but it turned out the person had only a wooden stick. How did that incident make you feel? Gallaway: That day, I remember I was in AP U.S. History and they came over the intercom saying it was a lock-down. Theyre usually not allowed to say whether or not it is a drill, but that time, he said it was not a drill. We all got into position and locked the door and sat by the walls. We had been seeing on the internet (that) people were posting stuff, a lot of rumors were going around in live time. I texted my mom and even after the lockdown ended, I think it lasted around 30 to 45 minutes, I think it was even just the next day that we actually figured out what really happened - it was just a kid with a stick that looked like a gun. It made me think with all the talk of legislation for arming teachers. If there was an armed teacher and they saw something like that (a person with what appeared to be a gun), they could have shot and killed an innocent child. QUESTION: When you and six other students walked out of TWHS in spring of 2018 in protest, you mentioned at the time that a few students criticized your activism. What has been the reception to your anti-gun violence stance from other students? Gallaway: On campus, our group is not affiliated with the school - I dont think theyd allow it to be since it is probably too political. When we did the walk out, the walk-out started as a school-sanctioned event, but only a few of us walked out. There were quite a few - several hundred - attending that event (inside the school) and they all seemed very receptive (to stopping gun violence). There are always a few people who are adamant in their beliefs. Overall, it is pretty well accepted. The majority of people understand that this is an issue (mass shootings at schools) that needs to be (solved). We (Students Demand Action) dont meet at the school, we normally meet in public libraries. Usually the people who approach us are very supportive. People who dont support what we do, tend to hate us from afar and dont get involved. I am thankful for that. QUESTION: What can politicians, school districts and lawmakers do to create a safer nation and prevent these kinds of mass shootings that are occurring in schools and other venues? Do you have any specific recommendations for changes? Gallaway: I know what Everytown is working on is very common sense gun legislation, like red flag laws that say you can take guns out of the hands of someone who is actively violent or dangerous. I think that could stop at least some of the mass shootings that are happening. I also think making it harder to purchase guns (would be good)more extensive background checks and closing the gun show loophole. As for schools, I think most students realize that arming teachers is not a good idea. I think it is parents and adults who think differently on the issue, but I think most of the student feel the same way, we can take action to stop this. QUESTION: The current generation of teens and young adults has taken activism to new levels, especially on social media and in public places. How do you juggle normal teen activities such as friends and sports, with the intense nature of these serious issues youre advocating about? Gallaway: I just kind of dont think about it a lot when I am at school, but that doesnt mean that I am not conscious about what could happen. A couple of weeks ago, we had a shooting threat. That day, everyonea lot of people were very sensitive to that (threat). I knew there was a big police presence, on that day it was the safest it could be (because of the police). I think were a lot more perceptive to (our surroundings)if someone pops a balloon, we all freeze. QUESTION: You recently attended a large LGBT youth conference in Iowa, the Iowa Safe Schools Governors Conference on LGBTQ Youth, where you spoke. How did that come about? Gallaway: This year, I am the president of the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at (The Woodlands High School). When I first applied for my place on the national advisory board for Students Demand Action, part of what I wanted to to do was focus on the intersectionality of gun violence and different communities. They contacted me, Students Demand Action, and said would you like to speak at this conference in Iowa? We had, I dont know how many people, but it was a big room, a big conference. There were a couple of thousand people there. I held a workshop on what Students demand Action is and basically how to start a (chapter). I think we did get a couple of student groups (started) in the Des Moines area. Question: The LGBT community itself can be controversial for some people in society, what is the environment like for LGBT-identifying people in the high school realm? How are you and other LGBT youth treated by others at The Woodlands High School? Gallaway: I think, again, there is always going to be people who dont agree with it. I feel like in Texas, it is a fairly large (number of people opposed to LGBT). But, in general, nobody really bothers us and whenever they do, it is very indirectly. For example, we have to put up our (GSA) posters under a security camera so that if they get taken down, (administrators) see who took it down. I think it is a lot better than it used to be, but with the increase in visibility of our community, I guess there ispeople..they dont really bother us. There is a level of tolerance in people who dont agree, but in people who do, people accept us. Question: Some studies and news reports claim older people, the generation aged 45 and older, dont respect the views of younger people and the desire of youth to effect significant change in these areas gun violence and LGBT issues? Is there a divide between the generations? Gallaway: I definitely think so (see the differences) Weour younger generation is experiencing different things that the older generation didnt have to experience. They had nuclear bomb drills, we have mass shooting drills, it is kind similar but very different. Id like to bridge that divide, or at least in some way try to bridge the divide. Because, I feel like even though we as a younger generation have so much of a voice, it is the older generation still making laws and in (political) office. Question: What advice would you give to other young people if they are interested in activism and helping create a conversation? Gallaway: There are a lot of groups and organizations right now that you can join, especially through social media. I think being a part of a community like that is a good first step to activism. Not even having a leadership opportunity, you dont have to be a leader to be an activist. Id say, dont be afraid to be active in these things even if your friends make fun of it. I found a lot of my friends who are not activists were really supportive. jeff.forward@chron.com For Mike Esposito and the nearly 200 employees at Auto/Mate Dealership Systems, 2018 was about getting over their unusual 2017. The company had planned to sell to a competitor, CDK Global and the plan was announced in early 2017. The deal was set to close, pending federal regulatory review. But in March 2018, the Federal Trade Commission said it was opposed to the deal, claiming it would stifle competition and the two companies canceled the deal. The company rolled out a listening strategy to help employees understand what the sudden change would mean for the company, said Esposito, the companys president and CEO. We held meetings to let everyone know this is probably going to be the best thing for us, he said. Part of the strategy relied on a long-standing trait of the company, which makes a point to listen to its employees. The company began periodic outings for lunch or drinks, which gave employees an opportunity to talk to management outside of a formal work setting, Esposito said. At a glance Business sector: Auto dealership software management systems Headquarters: Albany Year founded: 1985 Ownership: Private Number of employees: 176 in Capital Region; 198 in total nationally Website: automate.com See More Collapse Weve probably spent more time together as a company since last April, he said. We got through it as a team. Founded in 1985, Auto/Mate provides software to help car dealers track inventory, calculate leases, and run their business. Most of its 180 employees are based in the Capital Region, but the company also has employees who work remotely from Arizona and North Carolina. Making sure those employees felt included in the companys culture is a point of emphasis, Esposito said. When Auto/Mate bought employees lunch or brought them out to happy hours, theyd send gift cards to remote employees. In return, those employees would often send selfies of their outings, letting management know they appreciated the gesture, Esposito said. A Pennsylvania fugitive sarcastically suggested authorities offer pickup and delivery services to the county jail - so, they kindly obliged. When the Greene County Sheriff's Office posted its "Top Ten Wanted" list on Facebook last month, one of the fugitives, Chloe Jones, replied beneath the post, "Do you guys do pick up or delivery??" She added four laughing emoji. In their own satirical response, authorities announced this week that Jones, who was wanted for failing to appear in court in connection with a simple assault charge, had been arrested. She was taken into custody after a social media spat on the sheriff's office's Facebook page, where she taunted deputies and disclosed her recent whereabouts. "Ms. Chloe Jones and her witty comments are taking a hiatus from our Facebook comments section due to the jail not having Internet for her to use," the post read. Following Jones's snide remark to authorities, she started engaging with commenters on the sheriff's office's Facebook page who were telling her to "be an adult" and turn herself in to police. Jones, from Waynesburg, Pa., alleged that the reason she did not show up in court was because she was in the trauma center at the Ruby Memorial Hospital, which is in Morgantown, West Virginia, near the Pennsylvania border. "Like I said hard to show up in court when I'm sedated in the hospital," Jones wrote in the comment section. "I called my attorney and he said the warrant was already issued blah blah blah.. so of course I'm going to laugh when I'm sitting in the hospital and get on my Facebook and see that I made #2 most wanted for something that I couldn't control." It's unclear who is representing Jones. The Greene County Public Defender's Office said she has not been assigned an attorney in the case. Officials with the Greene County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that Jones, 21, was taken into custody Monday in Morgantown after authorities received an anonymous tip about her possible location. But it is not clear whether Jones's social media comments contributed to her arrest. Deputies contacted officers with the Morgantown Police Department, who made the arrest. She is in custody in West Virginia, according to booking records. "Our Facebook page has proven to be a valuable asset to our department in bringing wanted persons to justice," interim Greene County Sheriff Marcus Simms said in the statement. "We owe a great deal of gratitude to the citizens and law enforcement of our county and the surrounding counties." ALBANY Local law enforcement agencies and district attorneys will have to reconcile how to pay for sweeping criminal justice reforms that were passed with great fanfare by state lawmakers but left unfunded in the budget. The measures approved in the state budget will eliminate cash bail for misdemeanors and many non-violent felonies, mandate the issuance of appearance tickets for certain crimes and create new speedier pretrial discovery. County officials around the state are worried that the potential savings from the reforms won't offset the new costs of compliance, including beefing up pretrial services provided by law enforcement and prosecutors. The budget also failed to provide direct funding for a Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct that is being established over the strong objections of state prosecutors to investigate allegations of malfeasance by district attorneys offices. The 2020 spending plan "includes groundbreaking legislation going into effect next year that dramatically reforms New Yorks criminal justice system, including cashless bail that will ensure approximately 90% of cases where people are charged, but not yet convicted, will remain out of jail before their day in court," said Freeman Klopott, a spokesman for the state Division of Budget. He said the changes "will provide savings for local governments" and that the plan calls for new revenue sources, including an internet sales tax, to generate more than $200 million in revenue for county governments. On the reform measures, Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen is particularly concerned about the increased burden of extraditing defendants who are released pending disposition or sentencing and never show up for court. "Those costs are borne by the counties alone," said Heggen, who anticipates the number of these instances will increase dramatically next year when the law is implemented. She believes the problem will be exacerbated in Saratoga County because of its large tourist population. With the use of bail drastically scaled down, counties will likely have to spend more on their pretrial monitoring, and create those programs from scratch in some cases. Electronic monitoring of defendants released from custody is expected to become much more prevalent. A statewide analysis by the New York State Bail Bondsmen Association, which opposed the changes, estimates $85 million in startup costs and $185 million in recurring operating costs. Michael Vanunu, a defense attorney who previously worked in the Queens district attorney's office, said this forecast didn't consider existing programs that are in place already and the entire scope of the reforms. Vanunu said the increased use of desk appearance tickets, as opposed to keeping people charged with misdemeanors and low-level felonies in custody before they can see a judge, will likely reduce costs for law enforcement. He said this could also save money for courts that are open on nights and weekends. "Bail reform will significantly change the amount of people who are incarcerated," he added. New York State Association of Counties Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario said his organization is still reviewing the language in the budget to determine the effect on county agencies that will be tasked with administering the policies. While the laws should reduce the current jail population and create savings, Acquario said the "remaining impact is unknown right now." It's not clear whether changes to the discovery process, which required prosecutors to provide defense attorneys with information within 15 days of arraignment, will end up adding to county personnel costs. Heggen said this will create "huge demands on support personnel" for some counties. "Some offices have one or two clerical staff. Fifteen days? What if have your staff is on maternity leave or vacation?" said Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick. "Unfortunately for the first time in my 40 years of public service the New York state district attorneys are being totally left out of substantive conversations regarding criminal justice matters. Its like trying to design a new aircraft without consulting pilots and, for that matter, the designers never having flown," Fitzpatrick said. "The new crop of legislators, completely unfettered by competitive elections in most parts of New York City, remind me of the characters in Lord of the Flies. They crash landed in Albany and have suddenly discovered there are no adults around." Vanunu countered that additional costs of release could be offset by cases being resolved faster. On the whole, Vanunu said, "The new proposed laws have a lot of benefits that outweigh the costs." This is the sentiment espoused by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's administration, which estimates the changes will keep 90 percent of New Yorkers facing charges out of jail until their day in court. They also noted that the budget provides new recurring revenue for counties, including $48 million from discontinuing an energy sales tax exemption and a $160 million increase in sales tax collections on online purchases. Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, a Brooklyn Democrat who helped spearhead the bail changes, said in a radio interview last week that the state might consider allocating resources to localities in the future. "But considering the savings that many of the locales and the state will have with respect to not having to pay to keep people behind bars, we believe that those services will be able to be covered," Walker said. Acquario is encouraging the state to establish a task force to monitor the local costs, because he said the effective implementation of the new policies will require adequate resources. In 2017, New Jersey essentially eliminated cash bail and the cost of pretrial services far exceeded what was anticipated. A review of the change in 2018 found that the new process was "simply not sustainable" without funding from the state budget. David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87 Pounding noises kept coming from the bathroom in a suburban home outside Portland, Oregon. Cops had surrounded the door, and a trained canine panted nearby. The officers unholstered their guns, shouted that they were police and demanded that the burglary suspect holed up inside let them in. No response. Just more banging. Probably, the police decided, the intruder was trying to force open a window to run away. All at once, the cops burst in, ready to fire. Then, they saw it: a little Roomba robot vacuum, stuck in a corner and slamming repeatedly into the shower door. The deputies convulsed. And one of America's first brushes with robot-versus-law enforcement conflict, thankfully, ended without violence. "There was just immediate laughter," Sgt. Danny DiPietro, a spokesman for the Washington County Sheriff's Office, said in an interview with The Washington Post. "They didn't know what was going to happen. They're ready for anything and then it was like, 'Whoa, what? What's going on here? Am I being pranked?'" In fact, the call for assistance was no joke. Two men dialed 911 at 1:48 p.m. on Monday, the sheriff's office said on Facebook, to report that someone had broken into a home in the Cedar Hills neighborhood just outside Beaverton, Oregon, about seven miles west of downtown Portland. The intruder was locked in the bathroom, the caller said, adding that he could see shadows moving under the door. A detective happened to be nearby and rushed to the scene. Within minutes, he was met by three other deputies from the sheriff's office and two canine officers from Beaverton's police force, DiPietro said. They soon learned the full story from the worried callers. "There were two gentlemen house sitting for their nephew, who is an adult. They go out to walk the dog and when they come back, they hear something in the bathroom," DiPietro said. "The door is shut and locked, and they believe someone is in there. So they called the police, like anyone would." The officers on the scene didn't take any chances. They loudly announced their presence, warning the intruder that they'd been caught in the act, and then sent in one of the trained police dogs. Whoever was inside wouldn't surrender. When the cops came into the house, they could hear "rustling" in the bathroom, Deputy Brian Rogers wrote in a note recounting the incident. That's when they surrounded the bathroom, ready for the worst. Whoever was inside wasn't just ignoring police orders, they were making a commotion as they presumably plotted an escape. "One hundred percent, they had their guns out and the dogs out," DiPietro said. "If we tell you we're the police and you're not responding and not coming out, we don't know what we're walking into. We don't know if they're armed or if they're going to attack us." Only after rushing the room and then collapsing into a fit of laughter did the deputies work out what had happened. "We breached the bathroom door and encountered a very thorough vacuuming job being done by a Roomba Robotic Vacuum cleaner," Rogers wrote. The two men, who were hugely apologetic, had no idea their nephew owned a Roomba. After the department gleefully recounted the saga on its Facebook page under a faux "Most Wanted" poster featuring a Roomba, hundreds of commenters jumped in to laugh at the callers' plight. But DiPietro defended the would-be robot vacuum burglary victims. "They were definitely embarrassed, but our deputies told them, 'Hey, we believed it was an intruder, too,'" DiPietro said. "These people were house sitting. They didn't know this vacuum was going to kick on and go and do this. . . . These people were in a unique circumstance." The foiled robot robbery will long be retold around the Washington County Sheriff's Office, DiPietro said. "Every call is unique, and this was a fun one," he said. "There are a lot of parts of our job that can be not the best. This is one that is going to stick in your mind for a long time for a good reason." Middle East and North African (Mena) investors continue to invest as well as make their first market investments in the European hotels sector including cities such as London, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Madrid and portfolio deals in Germany, says a new report. Over the last three years, Middle Eastern investors have invested 3.45 billion into Europe (including the UK) in 2016, 5.39 billion in 2017 and 4.84 billion in 2018 as the European hotel market is seen as a safe haven for investment with real estate offering steady returns, said the Savills report. Nick Newell, director in the Savills hotels team, commented: On the one hand lower oil prices have impacted some major Mena investors who have typically been the sovereign wealth funds. In addition to this, Brexit uncertainty has had a stalling effect on UK market investment recently; their traditional preferred investment location. However, despite uncertainly, the fall in the pound due to the Brexit vote in 2016 has countered this and has made sure that the UK remains a viable option, creating an opportunity for a wider international investor pool including more private, high-net-worth individuals and family office investment from the region such as the Select Group and LuLu / Twenty14 Holdings investing in the European hotel sector, a trend we expect to continue over the next 12 months. At the same time, growing population figures and government-led initiatives in Mena, in particular in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, are attracting international hotel investors. Savills notes that due to challenging oil markets, Saudi Arabia has embarked on its 2030 Vision which aims to reduce the countrys dependence on oil, diversify its economy, and develop public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure and tourism. This has led to huge investment domestically via PIF, the Saudi Sovereign Wealth fund. Major hotel groups such as Marriott International, Rocco Forte Hotels, Hilton and Swiss-Belhotel International are driving the hospitality pipeline across the country as they aim to meet the demands of an ever-increasing number of domestic tourists and international visitors. While Europe continues to be seen as an attractive and safe market for existing and new hotel investors, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are in turn attracting international investors due to the anticipated population growth, the report said. Some Mena investors are already looking further afield, with Egyptian Naguib Sawiris, investing in the Caribbean hotel market. Having already purchased Silversands Resort, Grenada and converted to the Grand Anses newest hotel, he is reportedly seeking to increase Grenadas hotel room stock by 30% in the coming years with the construction of two additional properties. TradeArabia News Service The monthslong legal tug of war over Charlie Thrash, 81, a wealthy San Antonio man who is mentally incapacitated, took a decisive turn Friday that left his girlfriend Laura Martinez on the outs. After a three-day hearing, Probate Court Judge Oscar Kazen issued a temporary injunction against Martinez and her family that forbids any of them from coming within 500 feet of Thrash, the longtime owner of a specialty car repair shop on West Avenue. RELATED: Adult adoptions by mentally incompetent millionaire nullified Kazan also ordered Martinez and her adult children to vacate Thrashs spacious home in Shavano Park by April 28 and to relinquish any of his assets they may still possess. Still at issue is a $100,000 Corvette, believed to be hidden in Junction. In their closing arguments Friday afternoon, lawyers for court-appointed guardians Mary Werner and Tonya Barina reminded the judge of the extensive evidence of exploitation presented during the hearing. Laura was trying to scare Mr. Thrash that the guardians were out to get his money. The truth is, the only people out to get his money were the Martinez family, said Laura Cavaretta, attorney for Barina, the guardian of Thrashs estate. READ THE COURT ORDER HERE We believe that if our requests are not granted, Mr. Thrash will continue to be intimidated and his assets drained, she added. Philip Ross, the lawyer for Martinez, 54, and her adult children, told the judge they were the only ones who truly cared about him. They were doing everything they possibly could for Charlie without asking for payment in return, he said. Earlier, while testifying, Laura Martinez became emotional on the witness stand. Charlie is the most important thing to my whole being, she said Thursday through tears. The reason Im here is to defend Charlie and fight for him. Charlie has capacity and should have his civil rights respected. The two guardians, who were appointed by the probate court to protect Thrash and his estate, had frequent conflicts with the Martinez family. Throughout the litigation, the Martinez family and Ross had sought to end the guardianships, claiming that Thrash, who was found to be mentally incapacitated in 2017, has somehow recovered his mental competence. His estate is worth about $3 million. According to Laura Martinez, who began dating him in 2012, she is the sole beneficiary of his will. An investigation by Texas Adult Protective Services concluded that Martinez was exploiting Thrash financially and isolating him from his family and longtime friends. SUBSCRIBER CONTENT: S.A. millionaire marriage annulled after abuse, exploitation and 'abduction' claims Dr. Raymond Faber, a psychiatrist, had found Thrash in 2017 to be totally without capacity to care for himself or handle his business and financial affairs. Thrash did not attend the hearing and has not been in contact with the Martinez family since March 6, when he was removed from the home in Shavano Park that he shared with Martinez and two of her adult children. Werner, his personal guardian, said she took the dramatic action because she had become concerned about his physical safety. Since then, he has been staying with a relative somewhere in Bexar County. Hes happy, telling funny stories. He thinks hes the biggest comedian, said Barina, guardian of his estate. Martinez was briefly married to Thrash last month, despite a court order forbidding him from making such important decisions. The marriage was soon annulled by Judge Kazen. A March 5 adoption by Thrash of two of her adult children was also voided by another judge on the same grounds. Kazens decision on Friday replaces a March 14 temporary restraining order. The motion by the guardians for the restraining order claimed that threats had been made against them by the Martinez family; that the guardians attempts to take control of Thrashs assets had been stonewalled; and that assets of his estate had been converted to the Martinezs benefit. All five Martinez family members are living rent-free in the Wards property, some are or were driving the Wards vehicles, and made extensive retail purchases using the Wards funds, read the motion. The simmering conflict flared several times during this weeks proceeding, prompting Kazen and his bailiff to scold Martinez family members about improper courtroom conduct or alleged aggression directed at court officials. Your client and Mr. Martinez circled the parking lot, yelling profanities at my staff, Kazen said on Thursday to Ross, after court investigator Elaine Damian complained about an incident involving Michelle Martinez and her father Mario Martinez. That ends today. You will not touch my staff, said the judge, who threatened to bring a contempt action. Much of the evidence and testimony during the hearing had to do with financial records, a Go Fund Me account opened in January purportedly by Thrash to raise money for an attorney, how Thrashs business was operated and the whereabouts of various business records and Thrashs property. Among the more dubious transactions was a business lease signed in October 2018 in which Brittany Martinez, then 25, would rent Thrashs repair shop on West Avenue for $700 a month over 20 years. The lease specified that the rent would not increase. In her testimony, Laura Martinez acknowledged that fair market value for the shop dictated a monthly rent of between $3,500 and $5,000 a month, but said that the lease terms reflected Thrashs wishes. The slow pace of the proceeding, originally set for one day but stretching to more than 20 hours, eventually provoked judicial comment. Someone described this as a slow burro ride up a mountainside. Its more like a three-legged burro ride up a mountain, Kazen groaned Friday morning, his eyes on the clock. And despite the fact that the Martinez family had on March 14 been ordered to turn over all of Thrashs property, various items were still unaccounted for when the hearing began Wednesday. By Thursday, however, missing items began to reappear, including a valuable watch, an $8,000 check from an insurance company and boxes of business records. The capper came Thursday afternoon when Brittany Martinez, 26, revealed to the judge that she had three of Thrashs missing guns in her car, and that some were loaded. We went from a Rolex to a check to guns to one bag of jewelry, marveled Kazen, who called in a sheriff deputy to assist with the transfer of the weapons. The mystery of how Thrashs 2016 Z06 Corvette ended up in Junction in a storage area owned by Ross was also finally clarified. Laura Martinez said she and Thrash drove it there to keep it out of the hands of the guardian of the estate. He was scared. He wanted to take it away and hide it. He said for the millionth time, I do not want Tonya around my cars, Martinez said. Near the close of the hearing, Kazen issued a stern order to Ross to bring the car back to San Antonio at his own expense. Mr. Ross, you have until 5 p.m., Tuesday. That fiasco ends, said the judge. jmaccormack@express-news.net A pastor at Freedom Church of San Antonio was arrested Thursday after a girl detailed years of alleged sexual abuse she endured. Kevin Garcia, 27, is charged with sexual assault of a child, according to Bexar County Jail records. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox On Wednesday, a woman who attends the church called police to report the allegations against Garcia. After a church service, the woman said she took a 15-year-old relative of Garcia out to eat and asked how she was doing. "The (victim) revealed to the witness that (Garcia) has been molesting her since she was in the 7th grade," police wrote in the affidavit. The witness told the girl's mother about the allegations, according to the affidavit. When the mother confronted Garcia about them, he allegedly denied the accusation and moved out of the house. Police later interviewed the girl, who said Garcia regularly sexually assaulted her while she was sleeping. RELATED: 36 child sex crime suspects arrested, indicted in Bexar County in March, records show "The (victim) stated that she was always frightened and pretended to be asleep," police wrote in the affidavit. Garcia's bond was set at $75,000, jail records showed. He posted bail and was released from jail Thursday, jail records showed. Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | fsabawi@mysa.com|@FaresInSA It shouldnt have taken two chemical plant fires within 17 days and the death of a worker to get state officials to be more aggressive in enforcing Texas environmental rules. Tougher enforcement wont bring James Earl Bubba Mangum back to life, but it might prevent similar events that endanger not just plant workers but entire communities near hazardous work sites. Mangum, 27, was one of three workers severely burned April 2 at the KMCO chemical plant in Crosby when fire spread from a storage tank into a building holding other combustible substances. The fire spewed a plume of black smoke, fairly mimicking the sky over Houston after a March 17 fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Co. storage facility in Deer Park. Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported in that incident. Within days of the Deer Park fire, Attorney General Ken Paxton said he was filing suit against ITC for violating state environmental laws. He noted the benzene and other toxins released into the air by the fire that forced nearby schools to close and residents to stay indoors. Paxton later filed a similar suit against KMCO. Those were the right responses, but the fast action surprised many Texans. For years, state officials have been too lenient on petroleum and chemical companies because they are so vital to the Texas economy. There was no lawsuit by the state after an ammonium nitrate explosion in 2013 at a fertilizer plant in West. Fifteen people were killed and 250 injured. In other cases, the state waited years before filing suit; including after the 2005 BP explosion in Texas City and the 2010 explosion at BPs Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig. Fast, aggressive use of the courts by the attorney general should be the norm, not the exception. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality says it consistently refers companies that break the law to the attorney general. That may be so, but the two recent plant fires suggest the TCEQ and AGs office havent done enough to discourage bad actors. It would also help if the Legislature stopped making it difficult for local governments to sue companies. A bill passed in 2015 capped the amount of money a local government could receive in civil penalties from environmental cases. In 2017, another bill passed requiring local authorities to get the attorney generals permission to file lawsuits. The AG has 90 days to grant or deny permission or the local government can proceed. The Legislature seems even more determined this session to protect rules violators. A bill filed by state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, would allow the attorney general to settle lawsuits started by a county without that countys approval. A bill filed by state Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood, would require a county to get the attorney generals permission before it could hire outside attorneys to handle complex cases. Not everyone sees Paxtons unusually prompt run to the courthouse as welcome. Lone Star Project, a left-leaning political action committee, contends Paxton filed the ITC and KMCO lawsuits quickly so the state could get in front of any local litigation. Paxton can now act as a friendly plaintiff who is only technically in opposition to the companies, said an unsigned commentary on the Lone Star website. He can agree to a settlement with a relatively small fine and little or no safety reforms. Thats a bold accusation, but it resonates with many people given the states poor track record. Stronger action should have been taken against the Crosby facility long before last months fire killed a man and polluted the air and water. Rock Owens, manager of the environmental section for the Harris County Attorneys Office, said KMCO has long been one of the countys worst violators of environmental and workplace rules. This company has been around forever causing trouble, Owens told Chronicle reporter Matt Dempsey. In fact, three contract workers have filed suit alleging KMCO officials knew beforehand about a valve leak that may have caused the Crosby plant fire. KMCO has paid more than $4 million in fines and criminal penalties to local and federal regulators since 2009, but the TECQ has fined it only $150,000 for numerous violations during that same period. That same pattern of wrist-slapping was evident at ITC, which Paxton said has a history of environmental violations. That simply wont do. Not when people are dying, not when parents are afraid to send their children to school, not when you cant open your bedroom window for fresh air. Paxton and the TCEQ say they are committed to putting the publics health first. More than their words are needed to prove it. Batelco, a leading digital solutions provider in Bahrain, and Gulf Air, the Kingdoms national carrier, have renewed their partnership agreement for a further 3-year term to provide Batelcos Al Dana Club members and high valued customers with superior benefits. The agreement was signed by Batelco general manager Consumer Division Maha Abdulrahman and Gulf Air Chief commercial officer Vincent Coste at Batelcos HQ recently. The Al Dana Club is Batelcos exclusive Customer Relationship programme for residential customers who meet a number of set requirements. The exclusive club has been in operation since 2005 and Batelco regularly enriches the programme with new special benefits for its members which includes Falconflyer miles when members pay their Batelco bills. In addition, Batelco also announced the launch of the Gulf Air Bundle, extending Falconflyer miles to high value customers who subscribe to the Gulf Air Bundle for BD5/monthly. The miles will be added to the customers Falconflyer accounts based on their bill payments. We are very pleased to renew our partnership with Gulf Air in order to continue to deliver superior Gulf Air privileges for our Al Dana members. It greatly supports our efforts to deliver worthwhile benefits to enhance our customers experience, said Abdulrahman. Coste said: We are delighted to partner with Batelco yet again for the renewal of this agreement. Together we are facilitating travel with Gulf Air and enhancing benefits for Batelco customers a strategic initiative that reinforces our commitment to making Gulf Air the carrier of choice. I hope Batelco customers enjoy the distinctive privilege offered by this collaboration. TradeArabia News Service CLEVELAND, Ohio Its beyond debate that the late, great John Paul Miller was one of the most important artists this city ever produced. Miller, (1918-2013), a longtime professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art, earned a reputation as one of the greatest jewelers and metalsmiths in the world, based on the supreme artistry of his brooches, pendants, necklaces and other items inspired by insects, crustaceans and geological forms. Millers work, now represented in collections including that of the Cleveland Museum of Art, blends supreme technical command with mid-century modern streamlining and abstraction. But Miller was more than a one-off genius. As a new exhibition at the Cleveland Institute of Art underscores, he was part of a lineage that includes his onetime student, New York-based William Harper. The work of Harper, a 1967 of a joint CIA / Case Western Reserve University program, is the subject of an impressive career retrospective that blends technical prowess with flights of improvisational fancy and naughty transgression. William Harper's "Royal Barcelona Dubu."Cleveland Institute of Art If you look at the chaste curves, smooth or elegantly textured surfaces and meticulous detailing of Millers crabs and squids, or the gleaming strata of his golden rock forms, its easy to wonder, where could this go next? Harpers work offers one convincing answer. The show is designed as a mysterious grotto filled with treasures that glint and gleam from within numerous display cases. Inside those cases are intricately fashioned objects that straddle the line between The Beautiful and the Grotesque, to quote the kicker in the exhibitions title. The heart of the show consists of more than 50 gold-and-enamel creations including necklaces, brooches and objects that seem destined to play a role in rituals of some kind. Collectively, they evoke a post-apocalyptic world that feels equally futuristic and primal. Its a world without rules, except those invented by the artist as he goes along. I do no sketches or preparatory design work, he wrote in a text displayed on the gallery wall. I simply go into my studio and indulge in adult play, sorting through my assortment of exotically shaped pearls, loose semi-precious stones, animal bones, fragments of broken mirror or plastic bicycle reflectors. William Harper's "Flotsam I."Cleveland Institute of Art The show is part of a series of events at CIA exploring the world of contemporary craft, and the schools contribution to it. Those events included last falls ThinkCraft exhibition, which celebrated the work of 12 alumni from the art college. To be sure, Harpers artistic roots go beyond Miller. His biography at on the website of the Enamel Arts Foundation also lists the Cleveland Institute enamellist Kenneth Bates as a major inspiration, along with Mary Ellen McDermott, another former CIA prof. Given this history, the cumulative effect of the two big exhibitions is to assert CIAs status as an epicenter of innovation and excellence in contemporary craft. Whatever his roots, the anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss would call Harper a bricoleur, a kind of DIY mythmaker who takes what comes to hand to create powerful stories or images. The fundamental impulses in Harpers work are akin to those of collage or assemblage. He fuses disparate objects, shapes, forms and textures to explore the alchemical idea that junk can be made magical, that dross can be turned to gold. Prime examples in the show include his three Flotsam pieces from 2007, in which gold wires, and fragments and cloisonne enameled abstractions the size of postage stamps are fixed in wiry orbits around discarded aluminum can lids. William Harper's "Pages of Saints Volume II'' is on view at the Cleveland Institute of Art.Cleveland Institute of Art Garbage is transformed into art, but Harpers use of gold sometimes flips that logic on its head. He uses gold in ways that evoke the texture of dried leaves, or the rich sedimentary layers of crud that settle at the bottom of a lake. He twirls gold wire around the bony armatures of his pins and brooches, joining disparate pieces as if they were prehistoric implements tied together with strips of hide or sinew. And along with semi-precious stones and bits of enamel, he incorporates animal bones that introduce organic shapes and textures to his wiry contraptions of mineral and metal. In addition to jewelry, the show includes paintings, sculpture and crafted objects such as a collection of boxes or casks resembling medieval reliquaries that bristle with nails like African nail fetishes. Other works include folded books made of heavy, wood-framed pages that narrate the lives of Catholic saints or the artists experience as a creative person. A room at the back of the exhibition focuses on a folded book called Caravaggios Closet, which combines collaged fragments of paintings by the Italian Baroque master along with pornographic imagery borrowed from sources including Victorian photographs and Japanese Shunga woodblock prints. The Caravaggio room gives the show a whiff of the risque, while the folded books communicate Harpers deep enthusiasms for art history, his buoyant creative energy and his desire to expand his range beyond jewelry. Yet Harpers books, paintings and examples of sculpture in the show can sometimes seem muffled by heavy accretion and by an overpowering accumulation of art historical references and quotations. The eye never rests in these pieces. The visual volume is at a constant 11. In Harpers jewelry, the empty spaces in and around his wiry constructions provide moments of visual silence that balance the sheer brilliance in his enamels and shards of tooled gold. Voids and solids are in tune; the eye knows where to relax and where to engage. The result delightful. When Harper follows the free-flow rules in his creative game as a jeweler, hes at his best. CLEVELAND, Ohio As many as one out of five in-network claims made for Ohio patients with Obamacare are denied, according to research by the Kaiser Family Foundation. When a health insurance claim is denied, that leaves patients or providers to cover the cost, leading to unexpected medical bills for patients or unpaid debt for health systems. J.B. Silvers, a professor of healthcare finance at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, said patients are usually not at fault in claim denials, but still can pay the price. Patients are mostly collateral damage, Silvers said. Its between the provider and the insurance carrier at this point. Obamacare marketplace plans are typically purchased by those who are not insured through work, Medicaid or Medicare. Per the Ohio Department of Insurance, 10.9 million people in Ohio have some kind of health insurance. About 230,000 people have Obamacare plans, roughly 2% of insured Ohioans. Insurers nationwide denied about 19% of all Obamacare claims, just below Ohios average, according to the Kaiser study, which analyzed data from The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for Obamacare providers in 2017. Denial rates across the country ranged from a high of 41% in Kentucky to a low of under 8% in Oregon. In Ohio, denial rates peaked at 33% for Molina Healthcare of Ohio and were as low as 10% for AultCare Insurance Co. and Summa Insurance Co. in 2017, the last year data was collected at the national level. This needs to be dealt with, Silvers said. Even if its just mistakes, the patient is the one that gets caught. The reasons claims are denied are many. Insurers can deny claims for services that arent covered by a patients policy, were coded incorrectly, had clerical errors, didnt have the required pre-authorization or were not considered a medical necessity. CareSource, which denied 17% of its Obamacare patients claims in 2017, said it wants to be a good steward of all of its members money. We work to do what is appropriate, while not reimbursing for a service that is not a part of a members policy, the company said. We do track denial rates and use the data as a trigger to research the root cause. Molina said it works closely with medical and pharmacy providers to ensure timely claim payments. Occasionally, a claim may be denied because it does not fit within the approved guidelines or due to nonpayment of premiums, the company said in a statement. Molina closely monitors denial rates to verify all claims are appropriately handled, and is committed to ensuring members have proper access to care. The Ohio Department of Insurance received 1,090 denial complaints for health insurance in 2017, 19% of those were for marketplace plans. Historically, information on health insurance claims wasnt made public, but requirements in the Affordable Care Act are changing that. The ACA requires insurers to provide data on their marketplace plans, including information on enrollment, claim denials and appeals. The data still isnt complete. It doesnt include information on why claims were denied, nor does it include out-of-network claim denial statistics, but it does give some insight into a previously private industry. The ongoing struggle between insurance companies that want to keep costs low and providers that want to provide comprehensive medical care perpetuates a system in which denials remain high, Silvers said. But efforts for more transparency in health care are leading to the creation of alternative methods, such as accountable care organizations. These are networks of providers coordinating care to reduce costs. Its basically inviting ways to overcome that natural clash of perspectives, Silvers said. Challenging a denial Those who want to challenge claim denials can file complaints with the Ohio Department of Insurances consumer services division at 1-800-686-1526, or by visiting the departments website, www.insurance.ohio.gov. The department will review each claim and assist consumers with the appeals process. BEREA, Ohio -- Berea City School District officials offered their insights during the April 10 Board of Education meeting about what a new funding plan proposed by two Ohio state legislators could mean for the district. The Ohio Fair School Funding Plan, developed by Ohio Reps. Bob Cupp (R) of Lima and John Patterson (D) of Jefferson, would take the per-pupil allocation for the Berea district and raise it by $409. Multiplied by the districts enrollment, it could result in more than $2 million for the district. The 2018-19 allocation was $1,421 per student. It is proposed to rise to $1,830 for 2019-20 and to $2,205 for 2020-21. Superintendent Mike Sheppard said he and several other superintendents recently met with Ohio Sen. Matt Dolan, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, to discuss the plan. "The framework was put together with a pretty diverse group of superintendents and treasurers from all over the state," Sheppard told board members. "From there, when it comes out of the (Ohio) House, it will go to the Senate. I think it's going to change quite a bit over the next month or two." Sheppard said the Cupp-Patterson plan would require $1 billion more over the two-year state budget cycle than before. I think you will hear that people dont believe theres an extra $1 billion out there, he said. "What the governor believes in regard to state revenue does not match what is currently being estimated through the legislators, so they will have to work through that. "The Cupp-Patterson report, when we looked at the breakdown, is a good thing for us," he added. "If they left it alone right now, we would get a really nice increase, but we've been down this road before." District Treasurer/CFO Jill Rowe said the district remains cautiously optimistic. We will be watching to see whats going to happen, Rowe said. Its still really early in the stages of debate. Read more stories from the News Sun here. SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Domestic violence, Fairmount Boulevard: At 12:25 a.m. April 8, police arrested a Shaker Heights woman, 64, who, during an argument, struck a 32-year-old woman. The older woman was charged with domestic violence. Drug abuse, Lee Road: At 1:10 a.m. April 5, police pulled over a car that had an illegal window tint. It was subsequently found that the cars driver, an East Cleveland man, 24, was in possession of a marijuana. The man was cited for the tinted windows and for drug possession. Warrant arrest, Chagrin Boulevard: At 2:50 a.m. April 5, an officer stopped a car he saw weaving. It was later learned that the man driving, 28, of Cleveland Heights, had a suspended license and was wanted on a Cleveland Heights police warrant. The man was arrested on the warrant. Burglary, Van Aken Boulevard: At 10:10 a.m. April 6, it was reported that someone broke a window and gained entry into a unit at an apartment building, the South Shaker Apartments, 15700 Van Aken Blvd. Nothing was reported stolen. Police gathered evidence and are investigating the matter. Domestic violence, Avalon Road: At 2 p.m. April 6, police arrested a Garfield Heights man, 26, for domestic violence at a home. The man hit his girlfriend, 23, while children -- not his own --were present. Drug abuse, Warrensville Center Road: At 1 a.m. April 7, a traffic stop was conducted of a car that was showing fictitious plates. It was subsequently found that the driver, a Cleveland man, 36, had a suspended license. Marijuana was found in the mans car. The driver was further cited for not wearing a seat belt. Theft, Chagrin Boulevard: At 9:20 a.m. April 7, police arrested a Garfield Heights man, 45, for the theft of $140 worth of food from Heinens grocery store, 16611 Chagrin Blvd. OVI, Chagrin Boulevard: At 4:45 p.m. April 9, police investigated a car crash in the Huntington Bank parking lot, 17121 Chagrin Blvd., in which a car driven by a woman, 43, of Shaker Heights, struck another car, then drove from the scene. The woman was apprehended and found to be intoxicated. She had a blood-alcohol content of .228, above the state minimum for drunk driving of .08. Police charged the woman with OVI and prohibited BAC. If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page. Read more news from the Sun Press here. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Thursday, Governor Mike DeWine delivered Ohios version of the heartbeat bill into law, after former Governor John Kasich had aborted previous attempts by Ohios legislature to get the bill signed. When the law goes into effect in July, Ohio will become the sixth state to ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, generally at six weeks. Kentucky, Iowa, Mississippi, North Dakota and Arkansas have enacted their versions of the ban and similiare versions of the bill are moving through the legislatures of several more states. At the bill signing, DeWine made it clear, both that he believes advances in medical knowledge since Roe v Wade makes the bill justified and that he expects court challenges will lead to the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruling on the issue by revisiting and reversing Roe V Wade. Governments role should be to protect life from the beginning to the end. Taking this action really is the time-honored tradition, the constitutional tradition of making a good-faith argument for modification, reversal of existing legal precedent, So this is exactly what this is, and the United States Supreme Court will ultimately make a decision. Why I Oppose Abortion and Ohio Heartbeat Bill. Ive always opposed abortion except in cases of rape, incest and the mothers life being in danger. My opposition to abortion rights has nothing to do with personal religion or politics. Its a falsehood and myth that Pro-Life is only a conservative and religious position. Ohios version of the heartbeat bill doesnt include an exception in cases of rape and incest, which is one of the reasons I oppose the bill. Its possible to be both Pro-Choice and Pro-Life if you believe as I do, that the choice comes in deciding whether to engage in unprotected fornecation that can lead to pregnancy. Once that choice has been made, there should be no choice but to be accountable and take responsibility for the result, which is a human life. A victim of rape and incest, had no choice in becoming pregnant. When the Mothers life is in danger, the only real right and practical choice is to save the Mother. While Im Roman Catholic, my opposition to abortion has zero to do with my religious beliefs. If I were an atheist or agnostic I would still be opposed to abortion rights for two reasons. First: Abortion is the taking of a human life, which goes against nature. Its the same reason Im not a big fan of male bears because some are known to devour bear cubs. Second: What happens to the fetus in an abortion is barbaric. Abortion is a nicer term than dismemberment and burning to death. When I first heard how abortions are done and what happens to the fetus I thought it was so horrific I didnt believe it, so I asked a doctor if it was true. The doctor confirmed it was. He explained the two most common procedures used, and that they result in dismemberment and burning. Theres nothing gentle about suctioning, cutting tools and pulling clamps. Those graphic photos of aborted babies at anti-abortion and pro-choice rallies are for real and accurate, which is why pro-choice groups object to them. In talking to a woman who had an abortion, I also learned its a false myth that abortion clinics fully inform and educated women before having an abortion. The woman I spoke to had know idea how the procedure was done and what happened to the fetus, until years later and then regretted it. What she was told by the abortion clinic was basically, " Dont worry, itll be quick, its no big deal, done all the time, itll just be a clump of tissue." The argument that Its my body, its my right" falls flat when the heartbeat of a second body can be heard and the silent scream of that second body has been seen. Pro Life just isnt a Conservative and Republican position. Not only is Pro-Life not solely a religious position, its not solely a Conservative or Republican one either. Dennis Kunich is as liberal as you can get, and for years he was Pro-Life, until Democratic Party presidential race peer pressure resulted in him flip flopping to Pro-Choice. In college, my political science classmates described me as a bleeding heart liberal. I was and still am a bleeding heart, but I was also Pro Life. Democrats Joe Biden and Tim Ryan are both personally Pro Life, but in their government positions, are Pro-Choice. I know more than a few lifelong Democrats who refused to vote for Al Gore for president because of his support for late-term abortions, same with Hillary Clinton. Bill might not reach Supreme Court, and if it does, Roe v Wade may not be reversed. DeWines expectation and hope is that the U.S. Supreme court will take up the issue. While several federal judges have already ruled heartbeat laws unconstitutional, the U.S. Supreme Court passed on its first opportunity to take up the case. The presumption has been that with Justice Brett Kavanaugh now on the court, Roe v Wade can be overturned. But Kavanaugh had also indicated in his confirmation hearings he might not rule to overturn Roe v. Wade. And Chief Justice John Roberts is looking like he might end up being the courts new swing vote, already having ruled in favor of Obamacare. While Roe v Wade v DeWine v Constitution v SCOTUS proceeds, society should work to work to discourage abortions, making them rare, and only in the case of rape, incest and preserving the life of the Mother. In todays Plain Dealer, Ohio politicians want to eliminate gun permits and training rules (GOP bid to defang concealed-carry law should be defeated: editorial, April 3). It isnt enough that people want marijuana for so-called recreational use; now, they want zero gun laws for anyone owning a weapon. What do they think will happen when a launch of idiots are carrying guns with no training? I have several guns and a concealed-carry permit, but as a former noncommissioned officer in the U.S Air Force, I have qualified on several weapons and have the knowledge and ability on when and how to use them. If a policeman should ever stop me for any reason, I am obligated to inform him or her that I carry a gun and show them my permit. There is nothing wrong with that. By passing this law, they will turn Ohio into a large cemetery. Alan F. Ross, Cleveland CLEVELAND, Ohio Aliyah Henderson brought her daughters to University Hospitals Rainbow Center for Women and Children on Euclid Ave. for a checkup in March, and left the clinic with two big, non-medical, worries off her mind: how to afford the furniture shed need after an upcoming move, and how to pay for the diapers she never seems to have enough of. Thats because in addition to the routine heart, lung and temperature checks of a well-child visit, Henderson also received a visit from a student volunteer with the health centers Rainbow Connects team. The program works to identify and help meet families basic social needs things like food, clothing, diapers, utilities and furniture to help them stay healthy. Rainbow Connects is a reboot of the hospital systems collaboration with Health Leads, a two-year pilot initiative launched at UH in 2016, which served two small patient groups to see if helping with basic necessities would impact their health and wellbeing. Rainbow Connects is now primarily serving families at well-child pediatric visits and participants in the hospital systems CenteringPregnancy group prenatal care visits. Health Leads was founded in Boston in 1996 and has been used in 19 health systems across the country. In a 2016 study in JAMA Pediatrics, caregivers of children at two hospitals in San Francisco who received a social needs assessment and in-person intervention reported a significant decrease in needs and significant improvement of the childs overall health after four months compared to a control group that only received written information on community resources. The UH Health Leads pilot reached more than 3,000 families and helped connect about 20 percent with needed resources. It was successful enough to warrant making it a permanent service, says the UH Centers Director, Jordan Javier. With the help of a $1 million grant from Key Bank last year, Rainbow Connects is funded for four years. The grant covers the cost of two full-time employees as well as administrative and technical costs of running the program; about 20 student-volunteers deliver the bulk of the in-person interventions during appointments. Eventually, the hospital system hopes to gather enough data on the long-term health impacts of the program to be able to make a strong case for more sustainable funding models, such as having Medicaid reimburse for the service. Its great we have funding but how do we sustain this going forward? says Javier. We hope that with these upstream initiatives that were doing to help families address some of the major health disparities that we have and perhaps bend the cost-curve downstream. Needs many, similar among patients At Hendersons visit in March, volunteer Meghan Beard walked the young mother through a quick questionnaire (usually delivered via iPad, but on this day with paper and pencil due to technical issues) about her needs. Intern and volunteer Meghan Beard, 22, a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University in medical physiology, waits with donated blankets to screen patients for their program called Rainbow Connects at UH Rainbow Center for Women and Children on Tuesday, March 19, 2019.Lisa DeJong/The Plain Dealer In the last year did you ever worry that youd run out of food stamps or not have enough money for food? asked Beard, 22, a graduate student in medical physiology at Case Western Reserve University, who plans on becoming a doctor. Henderson nods. Beard continues down her list, and Henderson tells her she also needs help with baby clothes, furniture and diapers. Everybody needs diapers, she tells Beard, holding her 3-year-old daughter, Amor Wilson, on her lap. Next to her, grandmother Lei Branic entertains Hendersons younger daughter, 1-year-old Mila Chatman, with a game of peekaboo using a donated hand-knit blanket. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, cant be used to pay for baby items such as diapers, which can cost a family $75 to $100 a month. And the areas only official diaper bank, the non-profit Cuyahoga County Diaper Bank, shut its doors in 2016, leaving only a few nonprofits that offer diapers on a limited basis. Baby supplies are a huge need, I cannot overstate that, says Genevieve Birkby, Rainbow Connects program director. That's everything from diapers to car seats, to baby clothing to cribs and safe sleep spaces. In addition to baby supplies, the most frequently reported needs for families are food, furniture, clothing and assistance with utilities, Birkby says. Of the 867 caregivers Rainbow Connects has screened since October of 2018, 78 percent reported at least one need, and on average there were four or more needs among those who said they needed help. Obstacles Javier and Birkby say one of the biggest obstacles to helping people like Henderson access the resources they need is the ever-changing landscape of community providers. Health Leads has found that in a typical year, 40 percent of community resources change their contact information or offerings and another 20 percent are new to the landscape. Rainbow Connects is amassing and updating whats available for patients by using software from Toledo-based digital health company Wellopp, Javier says. A separate grant funds a community outreach coordinator tasked with making connections with available area resources. Intern and volunteer Baraa Nawash, 20, a pre-med student at Case Western Reserve University, follows up with Rainbow Connects patients at UH Rainbow Center for Women and Children on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Rainbow Connects, formerly a Health Leads-driven program, is a service that screens patients for their needs outside the healthcare setting - transportation, housing, furniture - and attempts to connect them to existing community agencies to help.Lisa DeJong/The Plain Dealer The other main problem is when there are no available resources to fill a need, what is available is too far away from a patients home or bus route to be accessible or is simply too difficult to use. For example, the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP), a statewide program that helps low-income families manage their energy bills, is not set up to be easy for people all the time, Birkby says. Much of the work of Rainbow Connects continues to be helping people reach the right places and ensuring they get what they need. About 30 percent of people with identified needs are successfully accessing provided resources through Rainbow Connects, an increase from the 18 percent connection rate for the UH Health Leads pilot, Birkby says. The group hopes to drive this figure even higher with more in-person follow-ups at appointments, she says. It's a chance to reengage them about their needs and remind them of what is available, she says. That is often the best strategy. The second time was the charm for Henderson, who says she remembers a volunteer talking to her about things like food and utilities when she was in for an earlier appointment, but she didnt pay close attention to the details. Shes glad she did this time. I could really use the help, she says. Three people are dead and one firefighter was injured during a house fire early Sunday morning on East 99th Street. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Three people died Sunday in an early morning house fire in Cleveland, officials say. An 86-year-old woman, a 60-year-old man and and 30-year-old woman died in the fire that happened about 2 a.m. on East 99th Street near St. Clair Avenue in the citys Glenville neighborhood, according to a tweet from the Cleveland Fire Department. The three people have not yet been identified. A firefighter was taken to MetroHealth for injuries suffered while battling the fire, the fire department said. The firefighter is in stable condition as of Sunday morning. Officials have not released what caused the fire. If youd like to comment on this story, visit Sundays crime and courts comments section. Help India! Imran Inamdar, TwoCircles.net MP Elections in Solapur are on 18th April and in Goa on 23rd. Here is what some of the voters feel which they shared with TwoCircles.net: Support TwoCircles Irfan S.M. 65 years old, a social, political activist and a journalist from the textile city Solapur (Maharashtra) has witnessed dozens of elections and took part in them actively. According to him formation of Bahujan vanchit Aghadi is a good move and will surely help Muslims and Dalits to become policy makers. Irfan says, Western Maharashtra is supposed to be strong seat of NCP-Congress but with the formation of Vanchit Aghadi (Great alliance of deprived castes as SC, S.T., N.T, Sadi, Mali, Koli, Vanjari, & Dhangar community) lead by Adv. Prakash Ambedkar grandson of Dr. Baba saheb Ambedkar and its subsequent alliance with Asad Owaisis AIMIM, the vote bank of the congress-NCP alliance has become weak. Muslim Voters seldom vote for Indian national congress by choice, but to defeat BJP they may consider INC. And if they get a better choice such as S.P., BSP, RJD, TRS, TMC etc. they will go with that party, Irfan said. He said that as of now Voters of Maharashtra has a good choice of vanchit Aghadi, but Aghadi is still struggling to create confidence among voters to stand against BJP. There is a bright possibility that in the coming Assembly Elections this Vanchit Bhujan Aghadi will play an important role in Maharashtra which may empower marginalised politically, he added further. Asif Husain, 48 years old, is a peace activist, attached with many social and educational bodies of Goa from Vasco. He couldnt control his uneasiness and expressed him views about the performance of the central government in the last 5 years as: Acche din got lost in the din, Phir ek baar galti na Kar mere yaar, Is baar koi aur mere yaar According to Asif, It all started with Love jihad. But there could be no ghar wapsi after that, Soon we were introduced to lynching. Criticising the role of the media, he says, The 4 Senior judges of Supreme Court tried to warn us but the Sold media buried the threat. Anyway constitution is the target, and universities became battle grounds, Dalits were skinned for riding horses, Farmers and soldiers betrayed, He quoted further. 42 year old Parvez who has worked with corporate sector and is a progressive activist, from Solapur (Maharashtra), says, My city Solapur is a mixture of all communities but painful to say that it is struggling for drinking water, good roads, employment, industries etc. from decades. And this has resulted in migration and qualified youths settling in other cities like Pune in a large number. Stressing on the upliftment of marginalized Parvez Peerzade said, It is the need of the hour. Strengthening Bahujan movement by voting for then is the key which can help disadvantaged section to join the mainstream society. MEDINA, Ohio If you really want to show your appreciation for a service member deployed overseas, theres one thing you can do. Send em some beef jerky. In the past nine years of corresponding with some 45 soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen stationed abroad, Carl and Jane Meding have discovered that jerky is the No. 1 requested treat. But its not just jerky. Its Oreos, too. And protein bars, and special packages on birthdays and holidays, and regular correspondence. And above all, caring. Neither of the Medings are veterans, and their only prior military connections were fathers who served during World War II (hers in the American army, his in the German). So why the sudden commitment to total strangers in the military? For me its a sense of giving back, Jane, 62, said. Its my way of thanking them for what theyve done for all of us. Without them, we dont have a stable, safe country, and I get the feeling Im helping them, she added. Since I cant do the job that theyre doing, Id like to try to help them. Their support campaign started in 2010 after reading an article in The Plain Dealer written by a soldier serving in Iraq. Carl, 66, chief bailiff at Medina Municipal Court, said the soldier wrote how happy he was to have gotten some toothpaste in a care package from home. Its like toothpaste? Weve got the greatest military in world and weve got to send them toothpaste? That got us thinking about what we could do to help, he recalled. They eventually found an online charity, Adopt a US Soldier (AAUSS), that links people with military personnel on deployment. According to its web site, www.adoptaussolider.org, the group is a 501c3 volunteer-based organization that connects supportive civilians with deployed troops and offers a channel by which to communicate encouragement and express gratitude to the brave men and women serving our nation and the world. The group was founded in 2005 by Ann Johnson who sent packages to her son, a medic serving in Iraq, and his unit. She got friends involved in the support and the effort grew from there. The Medings say there is no fee to use AUSS services. Theyre not a pen-pal site, theyre not a dating site. They just want you to support whoever you get, Carl said. Its just keeping in contact with them, writing to them. His wife added, Your level of support really depends on what you would like to do, from keeping in touch with them to sending them things that they might need. Whatever youre comfortable with doing, she added. We usually send goodie boxes once a month, and we keep in touch with them regularly through e-mail." Or Facebook messenger, Carl added. "Sometimes youre able to establish a really good relationship, and I mean, the communication goes back and forth. According to the Medings, the key to building those kind of relationships is gaining a service members trust. Ask questions. What are their interests? That provides subjects for conversations. You really want to be encouraging, Jane said. You want to thank them for what theyre doing. They need to know that theyre appreciated, that theyre thought-of, fondly. Politics, religion, even spouses and family members are avoided unless the service member brings them up. Were not here to intrude on their lives, Carl said. No, were here to try to make them a little better, his wife added. What are their likes? Their needs? That offers fodder for goodie boxes. Those packages can contain anything from snacks and books to a few more unusual items like the unit that had a craving for whole dill pickles, or the woman who needed long underwear for duty in Syria. It also makes for some unusual shopping trips. One soldier had developed a taste for Korean food from a previous deployment. As Carl recalled, So we found an Asian market in Akron and went down there and told them, Weve got a solider, he likes Korean stuff, what do you suggest? His wife continued, They didnt speak much English, and we spoke no Korean, but we managed to get him stuff that he was thrilled with. She added that sometimes when theyre shopping for soldiers packages theyll have a cart piled with snacks, and people will give them a funny look and say, Boy, you guys really like snacks. And well say no, theyre going to soldiers, and then as you tell them about it, theyll say Well that sounds interesting, how do I get involved? Some vendors that they regularly use give them a discount, but Jane emphasized, We dont ask for a discount. We dont ask for anything to be donated. No. We do it on our own. But once they hear what were doing, they want to help, too. The Medings are sometimes referred by a service member to other personnel in their unit. Right now were working on dog handlers, the MPs with (bomb detecting) dogs, so were getting passed around by all the people there, Jane said. They limit their military beneficiaries to two or three at a time, usually spanning the typical six- to 10-month deployment. As a group, the service members they have corresponded with are uniformly patriotic and care about what theyre doing. They think that what theyre doing is important and I think the rest of us need to let them know that thats correct, Jane said. There are times when a service member can be going through some serious issues. That can be a little difficult because theyre so far away and you want to just wrap them up in your arms and tell them everythings fine, and you cant do that, Jane said. You let them know that you care, just try to be as supportive as you can. The Medings say they have been fortunate that only one of their correspondents was wounded (a Marine hit by an improvised explosive device). We tried to support him through his recovery and after he got out for a while, just to make sure he was doing OK, Jane said. Eventually there comes a time when a service members deployment ends, and with it, their relationship with the Medings. Or not. The couple has visited more than a half-dozen service members at bases across the country after their deployments, and still correspond with a few. Its GREAT, Carl said of the visits. Just actually seeing the person, and being able to talk to them about the last 10 months or whatever. His wife added, For me, its getting to hug them and let them know personally that I am so grateful for them. The feeling is mutual, according to Carl, who said, Theyre just really grateful that someone was thinking of them. That somebody paid attention, Jane added. Steve Whitford, 39, of Dallas, was an Army medic in Afghanistan when he started corresponding with the Medings in 2012. We hit it off really well, said Whitford, who was the soldier with a taste for Korean food. It definitely helped to know there were complete strangers back home in America who, you could tell, really cared, he added. It was a huge, uplifting thing. When Whitford got back to the U.S. he visited the Medings, and they returned the visit to attend his wedding reception. Army Sgt. Sabrina Westmoreland, 27, of the 226th Military Police Battalion headquartered in Fort Hood, Texas, started corresponding with the Medings in 2016 when she was deployed to Egypt. The packages that the Medings sent to Westmoreland, a dog handler, included magazines, laundry pods, packaged tuna, beef jerky and treats for her dog, Diesel. Westmoreland, who refers to the Medina couple as Mr. Carl and Miss Jane, recalled, They were definitely a godsend to me. They were absolutely the best part of every week that I was there. Having conversations with them made me feel comfortable, she added. They were like a little piece of home, almost like I had a new member of the family. And those conversations didnt have to be anything momentous. In fact, it was better that they werent, according to Westmoreland. For me, the best part was just hearing about somebodys day-to-day life, she said. It was just a kind-of distraction from what youre currently dealing with. Just having somebody ask how youre doing, that was a huge thing because sometimes you didnt have other people to ask how I was doing, whats going on, she added. Its all the reward the Medings need. Its always nice when they tell you how appreciative they are, Carl said. That always makes you feel good. His wife added, It warms your heart. Yeah, it lets you know that youre doing something thats worthwhile. TOLEDO, Ohio In a last-ditch attempt to give a financial lifeline to Ohios two nuclear plants, lawmakers announced a plan Friday that would add a surcharge to every electric bill in the state. Backers of the plan said it would generate $300 million each year for clean energy production, but they also think it should end up saving most customers money because it calls for getting rid of renewable energy mandates that add on extra charges. The idea, supported by the leader of the Republican-controlled Ohio House, drew immediate criticism from groups that favor renewable energy such as wind and solar and those who say the plan too heavily favors the nuclear plants. "Investment is more likely to happen if Ohio has a comprehensive energy policy that creates an equal playing field for all energy sources," said Bill Stanley of The Nature Conservancy in Ohio. The surcharge would add $2.50 to monthly residential bills while commercial customers and businesses would pay more. Industrial users, for example, would see a $250 per month increase. About half of the money from the surcharge would go to the Davis-Besse nuclear plant near Toledo and the Perry plant near Cleveland that produce 14 percent of the state's electricity. The rest would go to expanding Ohio's clean energy sector. Both plants are slated to close by 2021 unless their operator, FirstEnergy Solutions, can find a buyer or the government eases the cost of operating them. The plants like many of the nation's aging nuclear reactors are expensive to operate and maintain and struggle to compete with cheaper natural gas plants and renewable energy. New York, New Jersey and Illinois already have given billion-dollar bailouts which will be funded by customers to stop unprofitable nuclear plants in those states from closing prematurely. Up until now, lawmakers in Ohio and former Gov. John Kasich were unwilling to subsidize the state's two plants along Lake Erie. Backers of the plants say closing them would make Ohio too dependent on natural gas and take away a reliable source of energy. It also would mean the loss of at least 1,500 jobs and millions in tax money for schools and local governments. Republican Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder said Friday the legislative proposal that would create the Ohio Clean Air Program is about more than saving the nuclear plants. He said it would provide incentives to produce zero-carbon electricity and boost efforts to have an "all of the above" approach to energy sources. He also said it was important that the proposal was good for the state's industrial base. "This program will steer our state in the right energy and clean air direction," he said. But several environmental groups said the proposal was nothing more than a bailout for the nuclear plants and said it will slow down efforts to expand the clean energy industry. "The proposed legislation misses the mark by prioritizing the bailout of two old, economically uncompetitive nuclear power plants rather than creating jobs and protecting our natural habitats in Ohio through clean energy investment," said Frank Szollosi, a policy director with the National Wildlife Federation. Lawmakers will be under a tight deadline to get the proposal approved because FirstEnergy Solutions must decide this summer whether to commit to closing or refueling the Davis-Besse plant. From 2013 to 2017, the federal government gave Ohio cities and counties more than $24.4 million for jailing people accused by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency of breaking U.S. immigration laws. Among those lockups are Geauga Countys, in Chardon, and Butler Countys, in Hamilton, north of Cincinnati, cleveland.coms Eric Heisig and Robin Goist recently reported. Geauga County initially failed to reveal the full amount that ICE had paid it since 2013, causing cleveland.coms Goist to file a public records complaint in the Ohio Court of Claims. However, on Friday, before that complaint was adjudicated, the county provided the missing figures, revealing ICE had paid it more than $4.2 million between 2013 and 2017. Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand said the added revenue from housing 60 to 80 ICE detainees per day has helped Geauga County pay off the costs of its 2005 jail earlier than expected. Moe Khoshknabi, a South Euclid resident who is a native of Iran and who was held for about a year in the Geauga County Jail, told cleveland.com he was treated well. As ICE detentions rise and payouts to local jails increase, transparency is needed on another front, however: regarding detention conditions, such as the adequacy of medical services in local jails not set up for long-term detentions. Heisig and Goist write that poor medical treatment contributed to more than half the deaths reported by ICE from December 2015 to April 2017, according to a Human Rights Watch report. Those concerns are compounded by a report last June on detention conditions by the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys inspector general that flagged poor federal oversight and frequent deficiencies in detention conditions in the local jails and other detention facilities ICE uses to house its detainees. The report found that in more than 200 detention facilities, including local jails, that housed almost 9,000 of the nearly 38,000 detainees held during federal fiscal year 2017, neither [ICE] inspections nor onsite monitoring ensure consistent compliance with detention standards, nor do they promote comprehensive deficiency corrections. Such weak federal oversight is precisely why Ohio localities that house ICE detainees must be transparent not just about how much they are paid by Washington but also about how they ensure appropriate medical care for detainees. That includes releasing data on hospitalizations, deaths and serious illness and other indicators of health conditions in a given detention facility. Only then can Ohioans be sure that what is being done in their midst, and arguably in their names, is being done humanely. About our editorials: Editorials express the view of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- the senior leadership and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the news organization. Have something to say about this topic? * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. * Use the comments to share your thoughts. Then, stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the Follow option at the top of the comments, & look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com. WARREN, Ohio U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders told an enthusiastic crowd of union members and workers from around Lordstown on Sunday that, if elected president, he would freeze government contracts to companies like General Motors who opt to shut down American factories like the Chevy Cruze facility to outsource jobs to lower-paying countries. Standing just three miles from the now-idled factory in a packed auditorium at Lordstown High School, Sanders an independent from Vermont running as a Democrat made the pronouncement during town-hall meeting that functioned as a quasi-rally in front of a friendly crowd. But the positive reception by the crowd to Sanders constant flurry of attacks against GM show that the factory closures could be a serious liability for Republicans in 2020. If entities like General Motors think that they can throw workers out on the street while theyre making billions of profit, and then move to Mexico and pay starvation wages and then line up for federal contracts, theyve got another thing coming, Sanders said, flanked onstage by activists and union leaders from the American Federation of Teachers. Its a bold claim against a company that currently has hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts, but a sign of the political potency the factory closings represent in Northeast Ohio, particularly the Mahoning Valley. But it also received arguably the most resounding response from the crowd. Since GM closed the factory in March, leaving 1,400 people out of a job, the area has been in a sort of economic limbo. General Motors CEO Mary Barra opted to idle the factory and instead invest in a Mexican facility. While factory closings are nothing new to the Mahoning Valley, GMs move is exactly the kind of thing Republican President Donald Trump campaigned against. Coupled with the gain GM received from Trump and the GOPs tax plan, his direct promise to bring jobs back to the area and his attack on local union members and leaders, its almost a gift-wrapped local issue with national implications for Democrats to use in 2020. Take the story of Chuckie Denison, 40, of Lake Milton. Denison worked at GM for 20 years, transferring to Lordstown in 2008. His said his wife, Cheryl Janesco, also worked at GM for 10 years. Denison told the crowd Sunday of his familys plight at the hands of GM. He took early retirement due to health reasons. Janesco was part of the first round of layoffs, eventually transferring to Tennessee before returning, also due to health reasons. When layoffs started, Denison who is a Democrat said he followed Trump around to several rallies with other Lordstown workers including Republicans to try to get Trump to address the issue head on. He ignored us. Matter of fact, he kicked us out of his rally for wearing a Good Jobs Nation t-shirt, Denison said. He gave General Motors $700 million in federal contracts and did not do one thing here in Lordstown. He didnt come to visit. He didnt try passing legislation. He did nothing but come here and lied to these people. Sanders replied to Denison and the crowd that it was unfair for the public to shoulder the burden of giving a federal contract to a company that decided to not invest in America. Your tax dollars are going to provide a federal contract to General Motors after General Motors showed contempt for people in this community and communities around the country, and that is not acceptable, Sanders replied. We want those people who get federal contracts to have respect for working people and will give contracts to those large and small employers who pay their workers a living wage, who support the right for workers to join unions. GM spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan declined to comment on Sanders statements, but said the company was investing money in American factories, which includes Ohio. In a press conference before Sanders took the stage, Ohio Republican Party Chairman Jane Timken blamed Democrats for the economic devastation of the Mahoning Valley. She said Sanders and Democrats were out of touch with the needs of the area. What I know is Gov. DeWine and President Trump have been talking to leaders and folks and GM and trying to come up with a solution, Timken said. Theyre not ignoring this. Despite Republicans controlling Ohio government for the better part of three decades, total Republican control of the federal government following Trumps election and Trump promising during a Youngstown rally in 2017 that jobs were coming back, Timken said GOP lawmakers held no blame in the economic contraction of the Mahoning Valley. No, I dont think they should at all, Timken said. Trump won Ohio in 2016 by 8-percentage points with a solid infrastructure in the state through the ORP. He has a higher approval rating than his national average according to Morning Consult, though still has a net disapproval rating that has fallen by 20 points since taking office. The biggest question regarding Sanders second attempt at the presidency has been whether he would be able to build on the momentum from his upstart 2016 run. At 77, hes the one of the oldest candidates in the race, which now includes nearly 20 people. But if his Sunday appearance is any indication, he should have at least some support in Ohio. Denison, the former GM worker, said he started a chapter of Our Revolution the pro-Sanders political group on Saturday and already had 30 members. While the crowd was invitation-only and mostly union members, they were emphatic about their support for Sanders policies like single-payer health care and tackling income inequality. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It was a good night for Jefry Rodriguez. From the Indians point of view that was about it. Once again they didnt hit and have positioned themselves to be swept out of Kauffman Stadium on Sunday by the last-place Royals following Saturdays 3-0 loss. Rodriguez, filling in for injured Mike Clevinger, arrived from Class AAA Columbus and delivered 5 2/3 solid innings. He allowed two runs, struck out three and didnt walk a batter. Last season with Washington, Rodriguez walked 37 and struck out 39, but Saturday night he threw 68 percent (62-91) for strikeouts. I thought he really represented himself well, said manager Terry Francona. "He made a couple of mistakes that he paid for, but on a lot of nights were sitting here saying, The kid pitched great and he got a win. I thought he really handled himself well. The Indians, with an eye on Rodriguezs history of wildness, kept things simple. I told him before the game, Just get ahead strike one and well go from there,'" said Kevin Plawecki. "We dont need to nibble. We dont need to get too fancy or two cute. Just get ahead strike one and go from there. He did that. He put us in a good situation by not letting them get into good hitters counts. The offense continues to be a problem. Cincinnati castoff Homer Bailey (1-1, 5.29) threw seven scoreless innings against the Tribe. Brad Miller had the Indians only two hits. In Fridays 8-1 loss, the Indians managed four hits. Relievers Ian Kennedy and Wily Peralta pitched an inning each to complete the shutout. Its the second time the Indians have been shut out this season and the first time theyve lost consecutive games. The Indians only run in the last two games came on Tyler Naquins homer on Friday night. They entered Saturdays game with 44 runs, the second lowest total in the AL. Rodriguez (0-1, 3.18), acquired in the Yan Gomes trade, gave up a two-out, RBI single in the third to Adalberto Mondesi. He was ahead in the count 1-2 when Mondesi lined a single to right to score Martin Maldonado from third. Maldonado started the inning with a double to snap a 0-for-17 slump. Ryan OHearn made it 2-0 with a 429-foot homer in the fourth. I feel like I did my job," said Rodriguez, through interpreter Agustine Rivero. I felt I was able to give the team a chance to win. Cody Anderson, recalled from Columbus on Saturday, pitched the last two innings. It was Andersons first big-league appearance since Sept. 28, 2016. He underwent Tommy John surgery in March of 2017 and has been trying to get back to the big leagues ever since. Anderson gave up a run in the seventh when Whit Merrifield singled past shortstop Max Moroff with runners on second and third. A good throw to the plate by Jake Bauers cut down Lucas Duda as he tried to score a second run. I thought he was a little over-amped when he first came in which was understandable, said Francona. He settled down and threw some really good breaking balls and changes up. Part of our goal tonight was to get our bullpen back in order and we did. Jefry went a long way in accomplishing that. Bailey (1-1, 5.29) struck out six and allowed two hits. He was coming off a start against Seattle in which he allowed seven runs on eight hits in five innings. Three of the eight hits were home runs. In December the Reds traded Bailey to the Dodgers in a deal that brought them Alex Wood, Kyle Farmer, Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp. Bailey, 1-14 last year, was put in the deal to balance the money part of the trade. The Dodgers released him as soon as the trade went through. Thats what kind of value Bailey seemed to have when the Royals signed him to a minor league deal on Feb. 9. Saturday night Bailey found a team he could beat. Get Tribe Insider texts in your phone from Paul Hoynes: Cut through the clutter of social media and communicate directly with the award-winning Indians reporter, just like you would with your friends. Its just $3.99 a month, which works out to about 13 cents a day. Learn more and sign up here. The European Union has completed the transfer of only 2.2 billion euros ($2.49 billion) of the total of 6 billion euros (3+3 billion euros) that pledged to Turkey as a part of refugee deal signed in March 2016. As Daily Sabah writes, as the EU Commission released its annual report about "The EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey," it stated that 6 billion euros were allocated for the fund, established in 2016, to financially support Syrian refugees in Turkey. Within the scope of the fund, a total of 2.2 billion euro has been transferred to Turkey for supporting 84 projects in various areas such as humanitarian aid, education and health. In the report, it is stated that a total payment of 2,071,816,000 euros was completed during the first phase of the deal, while the payment of 149,767,000 euros was completed in the second phase. As more than 1.5 million people have benefited from direct cash support projects, 470,000 refugees have benefited from conditional education support programs which provide education for Syrian children and other refugee children, the report stated. The report also indicates that EU funds were especially used to meet the basic needs of Syrian refugees. Turkey hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country in the world. Ankara and Brussels signed an agreement in 2016 to find a solution to the influx of refugees heading to the union. According to the deal, Turkey was promised a total of 6 billion euros in financial aid, which was initially designed to be given to the country in two stages and be used by the Turkish government to finance projects for Syrian refugees. Visa freedom for Turkish citizens was also promised to be provided under the agreement. Lastly, the customs union was also promised to be updated in accordance with the deal. In exchange for these promises of the EU, Turkey took the responsibility of discouraging irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of more than 3 million Syrians living in Turkey. Despite significant developments in the control of migration traffic, the EU could not deliver on its commitments stated in the deal. 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Mack Hogan/CNBC Jeep is the highlight of Fiat Chrysler's portfolio, with record sales helping to make up for the Italian-American conglomerate's slow growth in other sectors. The reason why is simple: people love Jeeps. From the Fiat-based, compact Renegade to the 707-horsepower Grand Cherokee Hellcat, the Jeep brand offers a sense style, personality and ruggedness that fits perfectly with the current SUV-obsessed market. But the cornerstone of that success is the Wrangler. The Wrangler and its fanatical owners helped create the culture of adventure, personalization and durability that define the Jeep brand. It sells in massive numbers and with great margins, with two-door, four-door and soon pickup-truck variants in a slew of trims. It's far from perfect, but a week with the Wrangler will convince you why people get so crazy for these things. It may be rough around the edges, but the Wrangler is cooler and more charming than any other SUV on sale. 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Mack Hogan/CNBC The Good You'd be forgiven for thinking that Wranglers are the cheap, simple machines they used to be. But our loaded Rubicon tester came to $56,765, nearly $30,000 more than the $27,945 starting price of a basic Wrangler. That number was pretty daunting, but Jeep added a lot to justify the price. First off, our tester had the new "eTorque" engine, which is a mild-hybrid setup. It has a 48-volt battery system and a smaller, turbocharged motor that provides 270 horsepower while delivering better fuel economy. The difference is mostly apparent in city driving, where the V-6 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon delivers 18 miles per gallon while the eTorque is good for 22 mpg. 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Mack Hogan/CNBC Our tester was also an "Unlimited" edition, which is the four-door model. It also has a three-piece hard top, with panels that can be removed to create a sunroof effect. When the weather gets warm, you can take off the entire top, remove the doors and even fold the windshield down with the included tool kit. In the summer, it's hard to imagine a better vehicle to pack with friends and gear. Should your travels take you off-road, that's where the Rubicon trim shines. Our tester had big steel bumpers with increased clearance, massive all-terrain tires and skid plates covering your delicate undercarriage should you find yourself making unintentional contact with rocks on the trail. 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Mack Hogan/CNBC It's got a traditional four-wheel drive system with a low-range gearbox for better climbing, an electronically disconnecting sway bar that allows more articulation and locking differentials that allow you to keep moving even if one or more of your wheels are off the ground. Should all of that equipment not be enough, the Jeep has four auxiliary switches that you can wire things like trail lights to. It's already the most capable vehicle you can get for the price, but it's built for further customization and modification. If the trail is muddier than expected or the weather changes while the top is down, rest assured that the interior is water resistant. You can hose if off later and commute to work. It has leather seats, an industry-leading infotainment system, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and a premium audio system. Perhaps more importantly, the new Wrangler is a massive improvement in daily life compared with the previous generation. The old Wrangler dated back to 2006, with an unrefined experience to match. The new Wrangler rides extremely well for an off-roader, with less bounciness and more predictable steering and handling. 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Mack Hogan/CNBC The Bad Still, it's far from a luxury car. Even with the hardtop, the Wrangler is loud on the highway. While the ride is good for an off-roader, it can't match a crossover or family sedan. In fact, if you don't plan to take it off road, we can't see why you'd get a Wrangler as a family vehicle. It's less spacious, less efficient, less safe, less refined and more expensive than crossovers like the Honda CR-V or even Jeep's own Cherokee. On that efficiency front, we'd also like to note that while the Wrangler supposedly gets 22 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway, we averaged about 18 mpg over the week. So, families and long-distance commuters with a tight gas budget probably shouldn't buy Wranglers. However, if you're mainly looking for a fun car for adventures, the Wrangler is hard to beat. The problem, in that case, is the price: $56,765 is a lot of money. No matter how much equipment you add, the Wrangler doesn't offer anything like a luxury car experience. Much like the Miata from last week, the Wrangler is best when you embrace its simplicity. 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Mack Hogan/CNBC How we'd option it Hardcore off-roaders should spring for the Rubicon, but few buyers will find the basic Wrangler lacking in capability. Our goal is to get four doors, the amenities you need to get by and none of the expensive fluff. The Sport trim doesn't come with air conditioning, which we consider a necessity. So we'd start with a four-door Wrangler Sport S. We'd stick with the manual transmission, as the automatic is costly at $2,000. Skip the 2.0-liter eTorque engine, as we didn't find it particularly efficient or advantageous. You also don't need a hardtop, as the soft top is easier to remove, cheaper and to our eyes better looking. It'll be loud, but so is the hardtop. The only extra upgrade we'd get is the $995 technology package, which brings that class-leading infotainment, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. With that box checked and destination fees included, our Wrangler comes to $37,135. 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Mack Hogan/CNBC Final thoughts We've never reviewed a vehicle that made people smile quite as often as the Wrangler. Other Wrangler drivers smiled and did the "Jeep Wave," passengers gleamed when the windows were down and the roof panels were out and gas station bystanders smiled as they complimented the color. It was also fun to pilot, with commanding seating position and the confidence that you really could take it anywhere. It's not a perfect family vehicle nor a luxury car, but option it right and you can get the coolest SUV on sale for $37,135. Exterior: 5 Interior: 4 Driving Experience: 3.5 Value: 2 Overall: 3.6 Price as tested: $56,765 *Ratings out of 5. An American Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8, on a flight from Miami to New York City, comes in for landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York, March 12, 2019. American Airlines is extending cancellations for the Boeing 737 Max aircraft through August 19, a key summer travel period, as the jets remain grounded. The cancellations amount to about 115 flights per day, roughly 1.5% of American's total flying per day in the summer, the airline said. They come after the Max's anti-stall software was implicated in an Ethiopian crash in March that killed 157 people. It's unclear when the Max, which has been grounded since mid-March, will return. Boeing has slowed production and stopped deliveries as it works on a software fix. On Friday, Southwest Airlines removed the Max jet from its schedule through Aug. 5. United has canceled Max flights through June 5. "We remain confident that the impending software updates, along with the new training elements Boeing is developing for the MAX, will lead to recertification of the aircraft soon," American CEO Doug Parker and President Robert Isom wrote in a letter to employees Sunday. Parker also said canceling the flights now will help the airline plan for its busiest travel season of the year. As major airlines continue to extend cancellations, Boeing said Thursday that it's completed 96 flights with the new Max software fix. The planemaker will likely submit the fix to Federal Aviation Administration regulators within the next couple weeks. "Skorverdon zaldrizoti Daenerys eza?" Translation: How many dragons does Daenerys have? It's not a ridiculous question if you're a fan of the HBO hit series "Game of Thrones," which returns for its eighth and final season on Sunday. The language? It's called High Valyrian, the tongue of the ruined Valyrian Freehold empire, and it's one of four languages created by linguist David J. Peterson spoken on the show. While only one character can speak native High Valyrian on "Game of Thrones," viewers nationwide are picking up a few words and phrases from an unlikely source: Duolingo, the free language-learning app. Duolingo first offered lessons in High Valyrian in 2017 and, since then, 1.2 million people have started the course. In the last two weeks leading up to the premier of the final season, Duolingo has seen a near 65% increase in people taking the course, said Sam Dalsimer, a spokesman for Duolingo. High Valyrian isn't the only fictional language Duolingo has to offer. Star Trek fans can find Klingon, a language constructed by Marc Okrand and centered around spacecraft, warfare and weaponry. To offer languages on Duolingo, the company usually relies on hundreds of volunteers and employees to develop course material and monitor users' experiences. That's not the case when it comes to High Valyrian, where Peterson is a contributor and develops the courses for free. "We teach over 30 languages and most have thousands of people who speak them and are capable of helping us teach them." Dalsimer said. "There's only one person on planet Earth who knows the language, and that's David Peterson." The origins of High Valyrian come from the book that inspired the show, written by George R.R. Martin. Peterson won a contest to develop the more common language used on "Game of Thrones" called Dothraki but was asked to build High Valyrian later in the series. His goal was to create a classic language that could give birth to many others, similar to Romance languages, and Peterson noted it had to fit with the names Martin created for the book, such as Daenerys, Viserys and Rhaella. There are now 824 words of High Valyrian that users can learn on Duolingo, and that number continues to grow. Peterson said there are now 2,000 words in the full version of the language he maintains. "With every single language I create I keep working on it for the rest of my life or until I'm not happy with it," said Peterson, who has created more than 50 languages. "It will basically just be another one of my languages, it's not like it's going to get any special treatment." When Peterson first encountered Duolingo, he felt it could revolutionize the way people learned languages. It had a great interface, it was free and, as a linguist, it's the dream for people like him to create languages people would have access to, although he didn't foresee how popular High Valyrian would become. Today, High Valyrian has 822,000 active learners, or those who have used the course in the last 12 months. That's more than Czech, Norwegian, Vietnamese and Hungarian. "I imagined it would attract casual interest, but I never imagined there would be that many people who would actually be interested in taking the course," Peterson said. There is one statistic Peterson is particularly proud of: 44% of users who came to Duolingo to learn High Valyrian went on to practice other languages. While users may not perfect High Valyrian, Peterson sees the language as a "gateway drug" to learners discovering other cultures. "As we become more economically focused, people view language as a tool as opposed to an art piece in and of itself or cultural history," Peterson said. More than 40% of the world speaks one of eight languages, although there are more than 7,000 worldwide. UNESCO, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has labeled 2,680 languages in danger as it celebrates the International Year of Indigenous Languages, designed to raise awareness to disappearing languages. "It's nice that the UN is putting this emphasis on indigenous languages because people need to start addressing this issue," Peterson said. "We're losing them and we're losing them quickly, and once they're lost, they're lost." Duolingo has worked with communities and volunteers like Peterson to develop courses in endangered languages, such as offering lessons in Hawaiian, Irish and Navajo, Dalsimer said. "Those courses are driven entirely by volunteer contributors and for them it's more about a desire to preserve their language and their culture because they see it as being endangered, and it is," Dalsimer said. "Languages die every year and Duolingo can help them preserve it." More from CNBC Disruptor 50: Uber releases its long awaited IPO filing Apple slams Spotify's claims about App Store "I remember thinking that if David Peterson ever taught the 'Game of Thrones' language I would definitely check it out," said Andrew Feinberg, a volunteer for Duolingo who has used the app since its beta version nearly seven years ago. Except when Duolingo announced it would offer High Valyrian courses, Feinberg thought it was a joke. He helped Duolingo develop its Norwegian and Japanese platforms, and he's witnessed the company's pranks in the past, like when it offered pirate and zombie languages. But Feinberg noticed the only contributor to the course was Peterson. That's when he realized it wasn't a joke. Peterson, dubbed by the Los Angeles Times as "Hollywood's go-to language guy" has created languages for many film and television projects, including the movies "Thor: The Dark World" and "Doctor Strange." "I had sort of stalked him on YouTube and watched all those videos on how he created those languages," Feinberg said. "I was really excited for it. I knew that he was a serious linguist who had complimented Duolingo before." Now Feinberg manages learning groups on Facebook for Japanese, Chinese, Norwegian and, a day after its introduction, High Valyrian, which has amassed over 200 members learning alongside Peterson himself, who encourages people to use and develop the language in conversation with each other even if that means moving beyond what he imagined. "It's always a little different since I did create High Valyrian and, in a sense, there is an arbiter to determine what is right and what is wrong," Peterson said. "But as long as I'm here I feel like not only do I want to, but I should be there to try to help people out." Senator Kamala Harris, a Democrat from California, speaks during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, March 7, 2019. Democratic U.S. Senator Kamala Harris released on Sunday 15 years of tax returns through 2018, offering the most complete look to date at a presidential candidate's finances. Harris held public office during the years 2004 through 2018. With her husband, Douglas Emhoff, an attorney, she had a combined adjusted gross income in 2018 of about $1.89 million, and paid total taxes of about $697,000, according to the returns. Harris and Emhoff, who have filed joint tax returns since marrying in 2014, have paid more than $2.2 million in federal taxes over the past five years at an average effective tax rate of 32.6 percent, according to her campaign. Harris' release of her tax filings follows that of fellow White House contenders like Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Elizabeth Warren. Senator Bernie Sanders has said he will release his tax filings this week. Tax day is April 15 in the United States. Democrats in the 2020 race have released their tax returns as Republican President Donald Trump resists moves by congressional investigators to review his tax filings in probes related to his businesses and Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Trump is the first modern U.S. president not to release his tax returns to the public. After taking control of the House of Representatives in the 2018 elections, Democrats passed a bill that would require presidential candidates to release their tax returns. It has not been voted on by the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans, but Harris supports such legislation. Harris has also called for the repeal of the Republican tax law approved in 2017 that delivered major tax cuts to the wealthy and businesses. In 2018, about $157,000 of Harris and Emhoff's $1.89 million in income came from Harris' salary as a U.S. senator, with the bulk of the rest reported as partnership income from Emhoff's work at a law firm. Before her marriage to Emhoff, most of the income Harris reported each year was from the salary she earned as California's attorney general and, before that, as San Francisco's district attorney. Pete Buttigieg (D), Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, seen speaking at the National Action Network National (NAN) convention in New York City, NY. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, a rising star in the large pool of Democratic presidential hopefuls, officially announced a 2020 presidential bid on Sunday. "My name is Pete Buttigieg. They call me Mayor Pete," Buttigieg said at a rally inside a partly rebuilt factory, formerly owned by automaker Studebaker. "I am a proud son of South Bend, Indiana. And I am running for President of the United States." "I ran for mayor in 2011 knowing nothing like Studebaker would ever come back, but that we would, our city would, if we had the courage to reimagine our future," he told the crowd. If elected, Buttigieg, a 37-year old Rhodes Scholar, would be the youngest president in history, and the first who is openly gay. The once little-known Midwestern politician formed an exploratory committee in January, and has since garnered early attention from Democratic voters and donors. Recent polling from early voting states New Hampshire and Iowa show Buttigieg in third among the Democratic party's voters, behind Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, but ahead of well known candidates including Elizabeth Warren and Beto O'Rourke. Earlier this month, Buttigieg announced he had raised more than $7 million since declaring his candidacy in January, an amount that surprised some, given his low name recognition among voters. Buttigieg's official announcement also caps a week of heightened media attention, especially after the mayor criticized Vice President Mike Pence's record on LGBT equality. Addressing the "Mike Pences of the world," Buttigieg said on Sunday that "your quarrel is not with me your quarrel, sir, is with my creator." Pence, who served as governor of Indiana when Buttigieg came out as gay during his re-election campaign for mayor, responded to Buttigieg's comments in an interview that aired on CNBC's "Squwk Box" Thursday: "He said some things that are critical of my Christian faith and about me personally. And he knows better. He knows me." As he gains momentum as a 2020 candidate, Buttigieg's record as a two-term mayor has also come under some scrutiny. As much of his candidacy has centered on his claim of reversing an economic downturn in South Bend, questions have surfaced about whether the city's revitalization left out black and Hispanic residents. In an interview with CNBC's John Harwood on Friday, Buttigieg said he's not running to be president "for any one group." "I think divisive identity politics is exactly what's being practiced by the White House today, and it's using race to divide us within, for example, the middle and working class. We've got to turn the page from that," he said. The launch of the final military telecommunications satellite of Russias Blagovest constellation from the Baikonur Cosmodrome has been put off from May to July, a source in the space industry told Sputnik. "It was decided to postpone the launch of Blagovest from 23 May to July. There are no issues with the satellite, it is ready to be sent to Baikonur", a source said, Sputnik reports. Iran's oil minister said on Sunday that the supply-demand balance in the global oil market is fragile due to US pressures on Iran and Venezuela, and tensions in Libya. "Venezuela is in trouble. Russia is also under sanctions. Libya is in turmoil. Part of US oil production has stopped. These show the supply-demand balance is very fragile," Bijan Zanganeh was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency. "If they (the Americans) decide to increase pressures on Iran, the fragility will increase in an unpredictable way," Zanganeh added. Some victims of the tech support scam who live in Ohio are getting justice. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the state of Ohio are sending out $92,000 in refunds to consumers who were tricked. Weve reported on this scheme over the years. There are many variations of the tech support scam, but most go like this: an ad that looks like a security alert pops up on a consumers computer informing them they have a virus and provides a toll-free number to call to get it removed. If the victim bites, he or she will be charged several hundred dollars for lifetime support and sold useless software they dont need. Its rare that victims ever get relief, but in this case the FTC and Ohio reached a settlement with operators who were doing business under a variety of names, including Repair All PC and WebTech World, among others. Masquerading as Microsoft As early as 2015, scammers were cold calling consumers and claiming to be employees of Microsoft, telling their intended victims that an analysis had indicated their PC was infected with malware that could be removed for a hefty fee. In one year, Microsoft said it received 175,000 complaints about that scheme. The latest FTC complaint said people who called the toll-free number listed on the pop-up ads were urged to provide the telemarketers with remote access to their computers. The telemarketers then went through the motions of running diagnostic tests before delivering the bad news -- the victims computer was packed with viruses, had been hacked, or had other problems. Checks are in the mail The FTC said it is mailing checks, averaging $417 each, to 222 victims of the scam. Those receiving a check should deposit or cash it within 60 days, as indicated on the check. The FTC also points out that it never requires people to pay money or provide account information to cash a refund check, heading off yet another scam in which criminals promise to help victims receive their compensation in exchange for a fee. Consumers who believe they are due a refund should watch their mail for a check. If they have questions, they can contact the FTCs refund administrator -- Rust Consulting, Inc. -- at 1-877-773-8183. 60% Website jas-rabbity.com uses latest and advanced technologies. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of 855 bytes (0.83 kb uncompressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2019-09-18, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. 60% Website kermanmotorco.com uses latest and advanced technologies like: Boostrap and Asp.Net. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of 20875 bytes (20.39 kb uncompressed) and 20878 bytes (20.39 kb compressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2020-07-28, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Iran will ask the international community to take a position on the U.S. designation of its Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was cited as saying on Sunday, Reuters reports. Iran condemned U.S. President Donald Trumps step last week as illegal. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is a powerful elite force which controls much of the Iranian state and economy. We will send messages to foreign ministers of all countries to tell them it is necessary for them to express their stances, and to warn them that this unprecedented and dangerous U.S. measure has had and will have consequences, Zarif was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. Zarif said he had also sent letters to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the United Nations Security Council to protest against this illegal U.S. measure. 100% Website ufh.ac.za uses latest and advanced technologies. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 24030 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 39172 bytes (38.25 kb uncompressed) and 7825 bytes (7.64 kb compressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-09-03, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The US Senate should better focus on the United States domestic problems rather than indulge in inventing anti-Russian sanctions, Russian presidents aide Yuri Ushakov said on Sunday. He said it was high time US politicians get sick and tired of discussing sanctions against Russian. "Its high time they get tired, I think. They have other things to deal with and theyd better do that. They (in the United States - TASS) have a lot of problems to find solutions to," he said in an interview with the "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" program on the Rossiya-1television channel, TASS reports. Antigua and Barbudas Tourism Delegation led by the Hon. H. Charles Fernandez held a series of meetings with the countrys critical cruise line partners recently in Miami. In its communication to the major cruise lines the destination provided updates to industry partners on the recently announced partnership with Global Port Holdings (GPH) and the Governments strategic plans to expand the St. Johns Port facilities, to position the destination to take advantage of the growing Cruise line executives reconfirmed their support for the initiative taken by Antigua & Barbuda to improve its infrastructure to offer the best possible service guests, according to a statement. A major increase for the destination comes from TUI Cruises, at the Mein Schiff 2 will increase calls to the destination after an absence of three years. The Mein Schiff 2 will visit the destination on its inaugural call on November 6 with a total of 13 calls for season 2019-2020 bringing over 37,000 passengers, according to a statement. Norwegian Cruise Lines will return with the Norwegian Epic along with the Norwegian Bliss. The latter will make its inaugural call on December 9 with over 4,000 passengers. In addition, Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises are regular callers, according to a statement. In a joint meeting with representatives for all the Carnival Corporation brands, the commitment was given at the highest level by all the attendee member lines to continue to work together with Antigua and Barbuda to mutual benefit. Minister of Tourism the Hon. Charles Fernandez in all meetings thanked the countrys cruise line partners for their support over the years and reconfirmed Antigua and Barbudas commitment to working with all partners for win-win outcomes, as the country continues on its development path, to become a premier port of call for all cruise lines visiting the Caribbean. Costa Fortuna has officially become part of the Costa ships' food donation program following her call in Genoa on Friday. Surplus food not served aboard the ships is collected and distributed to local organizations that support people in need. Launched in Savona on July 22, 2017, the project currently operates in Italy, in the ports of Savona, Civitavecchia, Bari and Palermo, and has been exported as an Italian "best practice" to France and Spain, in Marseilles and Barcelona and, since last December, in Guadeloupe and Martinique as well, according to a prepared statement. Over 21 months, Costa said it had donated 100,000 portions of food to 11 associations. This has now been expanded with another ship as the Fortuna is back in Europe following her China program and will call every Friday at Genoa through early November. Every Thursday preceding the ship's arrival in Genoa, at the end of dinner, all the dishes prepared in the catering areas and not served to guests, the so-called "ready-to-eat" meals, will be collected. The meals will be placed in appropriate aluminum containers, which will be sealed and labeled to ensure their traceability, and then stored in the ship's refrigerators, Costa said. Then, the next day, with the ship in Genoa, the food is handed over to Banco Alimentare, who will deliver them to the La Casa dellAngelo Opera don Guanella center in Genoa, which cares for young people in need. This partnership with Costa Cruises and Fondazione Banco Alimentare demonstrates that different worlds and interests can not only talk to one another but also cooperate and plan virtuous cycles to fight poverty and try to limit food waste. We and all the young people for whom we care, who will now be able to enjoy high quality food, are grateful to Costa Cruises and Fondazione Banco Alimentare Onlus, noted Don Attilio Molteni, Director of La Casa dellAngelo Opera don Guanella. This project to recover food from Costa ships is a good circular economoc practice of which we are very proud, said Marco Lucchini, Secretary General of Fondazione Banco Alimentare Onlus. We are committed to fighting food poverty and waste, as required by the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 12, so we are proud to have created a model with Costa Cruises that sensitizes citizens on the subject of waste reduction and is a concrete example of responsible consumption, with great attention paid to the social dimension." The return of a Costa ship to Genoa has enabled us to launch this initiative with Banco Alimentare Onlus in our city as well and is a real innovation in the maritime sector. The project began in 2017, also in Liguria, in Savona, and we are particularly glad to roll it out further within our region, giving a concrete sign of the commitment of Costa Cruises and glad to have an authoritative partner and benchmark as is Banco Alimentare Onlus, added Giuseppe Carino, Vice President Guest Experience and Onboard Sales of Costa Cruises . We are keen to thank and to highlight the hard work done by the Customs Agency and the Maritime Health Authority to develop the procedures for food to be delivered to all the parties involved in making this project possible. The donation of surplus food, managed in collaboration with Fondazione Banco Alimentare Onlus, is part of the 4GOODFOOD initiative, through which Costa Cruises was the first to decide to review the issue of food in a sustainable way, said a press release. Thanks to its integrated approach, which begins with the preparation of dishes and gets both guests and crew members directly involved, 4GOODFOOD, has set itself the ambitious objective of reducing food waste on Costa ships by 50 percent by 2020, 10 years ahead of the UN Agenda 2030. Starting Sunday, the New Haven, Hudson and Harlem lines of Metro-North Railroad can expect to see some changes. The new timetables are expected to result in more reliable, dependable and safe service for our customers, said a message on the train services website. Most trains will have an adjusted schedule anywhere from one minute to 16 minutes. To learn about how the service you use might be impacted, you can check the interactive schedule on the Metro-North site to check it on the TrainTime smartphone application. Customers on the New Haven Line will see the most extensive infrastructure work, according to Metro-North. Morning and evening peak train schedules have been lengthened by between one and six minutes. Off-peak and weekend trains will have schedules lengthened by between one and 11 minutes. The New Canaan, Waterbury and Danbury branch trains will see changes between one and 16 minutes. Metro-North said more service will be added for customers, including additional weekday, Saturday and Sunday New Haven Line trains accessible for travel that had previously been restricted between Fordham and Manhattan. During off-peak times, service between Fordham and Manhattan will run roughly four times an hour instead of just twice an hour. Morning peak trains on the New Haven Line will leave initial stations anywhere from one to 10 minutes earlier and have their schedules lengthened by one to six minutes. The New Canaan, Danbury and Waterbury branches will leave one to four minutes earlier and their schedules will be longer by one to three minutes during morning peak. Evening peak trains will leave Grand Central Terminal at the same time but will have longer schedules by one to six minutes. During evening peak, New Canaan and Danbury branches will leave their stations at the same time but have their schedules one to three minutes later. Waterbury Branch trains will be unchanged. Off-peak on these lines will leave their initial station anywhere from 10 minutes earlier to four minutes later and have their schedules one to 11 minutes longer, depending on the length of the overall trip and the time of day. Outbound trains from Grand Central Terminal will be at the same time and have their schedules longer by one to 11 minutes. During off-peak hours, New Canaan, Danbury and Waterbury branch service will leave their stations three to 16 minutes sooner and arrive three to 16 minutes later, depending on the schedule of the mainline connection. Weekend service on the New Haven Line will see inbound trains leaving their initial station up to 10 minutes earlier and the trips will be extended by two to 10 minutes. Outbound trains will leave Grand Central Terminal at the same time and trips will be two to 10 minutes longer. For details on the Hudson and Harlem line changes, click here. Metro-Norths Customer Service Center can be reached by Connecticut residents at 877-690-5114. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can use their preferred service provider for the free 711-relay to reach Metro-North at 511. Cathy Zuraw / Cathy Zuraw MONROE First Selectman Ken Kellogg announced that the town will participate in the states Neighborhood Assistance Act program again this year. The program allows certain businesses to claim a state tax credit for monetary donations made to programs run by tax exempt or municipal agencies. No one is going to turn down $100 million. That made this months announcement by the founder of the worlds largest hedge fund of a massive donation to Connecticuts public schools a major event. But it was not unprecedented. It wasnt long ago that another multibillionaire appeared with leaders of a densely populated Northeastern state to pledge a $100 million gift to public schools. As to how that one worked, the best that can be said is Connecticut can try to learn how to do things better this time around. In 2010, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg came on Oprah Winfreys talk show with Chris Christie, at the time the governor of New Jersey, and Cory Booker, then the mayor of that states largest city, to discuss a $100 million gift Zuckerbergs foundation planned for the Newark public school system. The five-year plan was matched by the same amount from other donors, making for a massive infusion aimed at making over a troubled system. Zuckerberg, Winfrey, Christie and Booker, who as a group could almost make up their own Jeopardy category of People Who Will Never Be President, lavished praise on one another as they talked about what promised to be a transformative gift, with Newarks plan to serve as a national model for reform. It didnt quite work out as planned, and nearly a decade later its not clear what $200 million over five years accomplished. There were some improvements, but also some backsliding. Some measures got better, but many stayed about the same. A troubled school system then, Newark is still in a tough spot. Included in the program were millions of dollars spent on consultants drawing up plans in a boardroom that had little to do with what was happening in the classroom. That makes the specifics of plans for the Connecticut money specifics which do not seem to exist at this point so crucial. Bookers successor as mayor last year mostly dismissed the project on those grounds. You cant just cobble up a bunch of money and drop it in the middle of the street and say, This is going to fix everything, he said. Then as now, the eye-catching numbers looked smaller compared to actual education spending, adding up to about 4 percent of what went into Newark schools on an annual basis. And the Facebook money was going to one city, not spread over many in Connecticut. In this state, the occasion this month was one of those Greenwich-themed get-togethers our governor loves so much, with Ned Lamont and his wife joined on stage at East Hartford High School by Ray and Barbara Dalio, he the founder of the hedge fund Bridgewater and she the operator of the familys charitable foundation. In addition to their $100 million, the plan calls for the same amount of state money plus a further $100 million from other philanthropic sources. A lot has changed in the past decade on the education reform front. Bookers philosophy in Newark of charter schools first, last and always has fallen a bit out of favor, and most of what passed for reform has been exposed as anti-union privatization efforts. Barbara Dalio, in her telling, had in the past directed her education philanthropy in a charter school-friendly direction. To her credit, shes moved on. I realized charter schools have their place and are doing great work, but it really doesnt solve the problem, she said recently, probably overstating on the great work but at least acknowledging the shortfalls of such an approach. For now, the Connecticut plan involves jargon like promises to help advance positive outcomes as quickly and sustainably as possible and to utilize practices with demonstrated positive impact, whatever that means. Already jockeying is underway to ensure that everyone in the state gets a share of whats coming. Under a best-case scenario, this should be thought of as a welcome gift, but not anything more than that. An infusion, even a large one, is not a solution. The plans purported focus on students who are losing touch with school sounds sensible. The best idea is something the governor hinted at this year before quickly backing down as the Wiltons of the world erupted. Education in the state would be best-served by a wholesale makeover of the kind that is never going to happen for political reasons. Maybe some of the $300 million could go toward selling rich towns on that whole regionalization thing? Hugh Bailey is editorial page editor of The New Haven Register and the Connecticut Post. He can be reached at hbailey@hearstmediact.com. Russia hails a tough stance of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in response to the United States pressure on Ankara over its deal on purchasing Russias S-400 missile systems, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" program on Rossiya-1TV channel, TASS reports. "The pressure has been indeed unprecedented. We welcome a rather tough and peremptory position of President Erdogan. We believe that only this position allows us indeed to build a free and sovereign dialogue," Peskov said, commenting on Ankaras statements on the S-400 deal. According to Peskov, there are very few countries in the world, which can act in this sovereign way, and Russia and Turkey are among them. On April 9, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned the Erdogan administration that Ankara wont be eligible for the F-35 manufacture and purchase program following the deployment of Russian S-400 missile systems. In November 2016, reports emerged that Russia and Turkey were negotiating an S-400 missile system supply deal. In September 2017, Moscow confirmed the deal had been signed, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey had already transferred the advance payment. The US is actively trying to cripple Turkeys attempts to purchase Russias S-400 systems. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that she has asked the U.S. Capitol Police to increase its protection of Rep. Ilhan Omar after President Donald Trump tweeted a video of the Minnesota Democrat spliced with footage of the burning twin towers. "Following the President's tweet, I spoke with the Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure that Capitol Police are conducting a security assessment to safeguard Congresswoman Omar, her family and her staff," Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement. "They will continue to monitor and address the threats she faces." President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades will visit Georgia on April 16-18, Agenda.ge reports. This will be a historic visit as the president of Cyprus will come to Georgia for the first time, the governmental administration of Cyprus says. The administration reported that strengthening bilateral relations, investments and trade issues will be on the top of the agenda. UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen is in Damascuson a two-day visit for what he hopes will be "fruitful" consultations regarding the Syrian settlement process, Urdu Point reported. "[It is] very good to be back here in Damascus again. I am looking forward to attending, I hope [what will be], a new round of fruitful discussions tomorrow [April 14]. And hopefully we can talk again after that," Pedersen told reporters upon arrival in the Syrian capital on Saturday. Pedersen will reportedly meet with Syrian governmentofficials and ministers, including Foreign Minister Walid Muallem. During the consultations, the special envoy is expected to address the establishment of the Syrianconstitutional committee as a part of the peace process in the country. Answering the headlines: The New York Times: New York Prosecutors Sometimes Behave Badly. Now They May Be Held to Account Yes, there are some prosecutors who may be over the line here and there, but there are many politicians who are scared out of their wits by district attorneys. Any leg up that these pols may get over said prosecutors that will allow them to sleep maybe just a little bit easier is something that they are obviously all for. Right? Andrew Cuomo, for example, just had quite a scare when two or three of his closest aides were caught and convicted of selling political favors. Of course, those were federal indictments. The governor already has tremendous control over local DAs. Is that control ever enough? When you pass a law giving a governor even more control, it has to have the effect of warning the DAs to stay away. To their credit, the DAs are fighting back. They are led by Albany County District Attorney David Soares, one of the most articulate and decent men I have ever known. Come on, we all know what this is all about. Story: Senator Gillibrands father once worked for accused sex cult NXIVM. Says the story, her father got out and distanced himself years ago. Gillibrand, who has used the Me Too movement to fuel her anemic presidential campaign, has been threatened by the very sword that she has lived by, but what her father did certainly isnt a sin that can be transferred to the daughter. She has also been challenged on alleged Me Too insensitivity and maybe worse by her own staff. Despite her assiduous attempts to get attention, she has been doing badly in the polls. What could be on her mind? Despite my attempts to get Andrew Cuomo and Chuck Schumer to comment on Gillibrands Don Quixote crusade, they just wont bite. Why should they? They aint stupid. After all, it was Schumer who got her the senatorial job in the first place. So few politicians are supporting her that when some political nonentity does, it becomes news. Public radios first-rate reporter, Karen Dewitt, says that the state Legislature is finally getting off its behind and trying to do something about the robocalls we all hate so much. Among other things, they want to give the states attorney general new powers to put a stop to the practice that threatens to drive us all over the emotional top. Its extraordinary that it has taken so long for this to happen. One can only wonder what the answer to this scourge is. I cant believe that these rotten actors are funneling money into the system to support them in driving us all nuts. We pass all kinds of bills, but Republicans and Democrats alike are on the receiving ends of these calls. Their legislative spouses have to be lobbying their mates to Do something! Most legislation that passes goes unnoticed by the larger voting population. Doing something about this would surely gain some attention and appreciation from the electorate, right? Chuck Schumer talks the talk, but can he walk the walk? Newspaper editors and their friends are furious that under new legislation, they may not be permitted to print mug shots of alleged perps who are thought to have committed crimes. Once again, we have to consider that maybe the top politicians can project themselves into that situation. We certainly saw enough pictures of Shelly Silver and Dean Skelos during their long indictment and conviction process. Of course, there is a point to all of this. There are racial implications and just plain matters of fairness. Once those pictures are up there, they never go away, no matter how innocent one turns out to be. Editors, however, say that once the government gets to call what the press can and cant do, we are heading down the slippery slope. Sunday Freeman columnist Alan Chartock is a professor emeritus at the State University of New York, publisher of the Legislative Gazette and CEO of the WAMC Northeast Public Radio Network. Readers can email him at alan@wamc.org. Western liberal model is losing attractiveness MOSCOW, April 12. /TASS/. Multipolarity is about to replace the Western liberal model of development, which is losing its attractiveness, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at his annual meeting with students and professors at the Foreign Ministrys Diplomatic Academy. The Western liberal model of development, which particularly stipulates a partial loss of national sovereignty this is what our Western colleagues aimed at when they invented what they called globalization is losing its attractiveness and is no more viewed as a perfect model for all. Moreover, many people in the very western countries are skeptical about it, Lavrov said. According to him, global development is guided by processes aimed at boosting multipolarity and what we call a polycentric world order. The Russian top diplomat pointed out that the foundation for such a world order was being laid and new centers of economic growth were emerging. In this regard, he mentioned Asian Pacific countries that managed to increase their share of global GDP from 15.9% to 37.7% in the past 20 years. Clearly, multipolarity and the emergence of new centers of power in every way requires efforts to maintain global stability and search for a balance of interests and compromises, so diplomacy should play a leading role here, Lavrov went on to say. Particularly because there are a lot of issues that require generally acceptable solutions. These include regional conflicts, international terrorism, food security and environmental protection. This is why we believe that only diplomacy can help make agreements and reach sustainable decisions that will be accepted by all, he emphasized. In this connection, the Russian foreign minister expressed regret that our Western partners, led by the United States, are reluctant to make agreements on common approaches to resolving issues. The US and its allies are trying to impose their approaches on others, Lavrov noted. They are guided by a clear desire to preserve their centuries-long dominance in global affairs although from the economic and financial standpoint, the US alone or with its allies can no longer resolve all global economic and political issues, he said.In order to preserve their dominance and recover their indisputable authority, they use blackmail and pressure. They dont hesitate to blatantly interfere in the affairs of sovereign states, Lavrov emphasized. Fail to keep up payments on a house or car, or break your employment contract, and see what happens to you. The courts will take the side of the person or company you have wronged, force you to pay up and probably throw in a punishment too. But break a marriage contract and the courts will now take your side and punish anyone who gets in your way, especially anyone who wants to abide by the contract. The person who wants to stay married and refuses to accept the end of the pact, can if he or she resists be dragged by force from the family home, under the ultimate threat of prison. The supposedly Conservative government last week revealed that it is to strip away the last shred of legal protection from the former institution of marriage. You may have said all kinds of things about sticking around, but from now you just need to say It doesnt suit me anymore, and in six months the marriage will be dissolved, no delay. This strikes me as amazing in itself that there is one unique area of law where the delinquent person is rewarded and the dutiful person punished. Youd have thought more people would be interested. But, as so often when really strange things happen in our revolutionary society, nobody notices or cares. The supposedly Conservative government last week revealed that it is to strip away the last shred of legal protection from the former institution of marriage. You may have said all kinds of things about sticking around, but from now you just need to say It doesnt suit me anymore, and in six months the marriage will be dissolved, no delay. The philosopher Sir Roger Scruton is not a friend or an ally of mine. I greatly disagree with him, for instance, about his Cold War view of Russia. And I thought he was foolish to accept even an unpaid post from a Tory government that only wanted to use him as window-dressing. But his sacking from that post, by the Housing Minister James Brokenshire, because of remarks attributed to him by the Left-wing New Statesman, is still shocking. Did Mr Brokenshire (who similarly sacked a conservative doctor from a government body in 2011) call for and obtain a full recording or transcript before acting? Or did he just run away? Sir Roger is unworldly and sometimes obscure, but the idea that he is an anti-Semite, or any other kind of racial bigot, is absurd. Advertisement I understand that some people think this is a good idea, but isnt it a pity that theres no major political organisation in the country which is prepared to stand up for the other point of view? Well, there you are, if you like anything traditional and British, you have no friends at Westminster. Get used to it. Everyone involved will deny this, but the people who pay the real price for this destruction of secure home life are the children. Every statistical measure shows that the breaking of marriage harms them. But they have no voice. It is the adults, liberated from their responsibilities, who write articles in the papers, make the programmes on the radio and TV, and the speeches in Parliament, which claim everything will be fine. It wont be. Our monstrous taxes, and most of our worst social problems from chaotic schools to crime and overstretched hospitals full of old, ill people arise from the very expensive failure of the state to substitute for the stable, solid family which used to be held together by lifelong marriage, and now isnt. Perhaps the simplest, most graphic way of showing that neglect of children is now an epidemic, is last weeks news from Walsall, where an infant school has designated a staff member to change the nappies of five-year-old children because so many pupils are not toilet-trained. These poor children also cannot communicate or hold a pencil properly, let alone use cutlery or dress themselves. What else have they not learned in these vital years? What sort of adults are they going to be? I am not sure I want to be around to find out. A wonderful revolt took place last week against the miserable dumbing-up of the once-entertaining TV quiz programme University Challenge. Instead of asking questions which every educated person might be able to answer, the show now spends an immense amount of time asking highly specialised questions about science, which take ages to read out and which only about one person in 100,000 could even guess at. In the semi-final between Durham and Edinburgh, presenter Jeremy Paxman (whose knowledge of science is, I guess, sketchy) enquired sternly of the Durham team: Give the two-word name of the bacteria from which the following thermo-stable polymerases were first isolated. Eh? I bet he understood that. The Durham team simply refused to pretend they even cared they didnt know, and wisely responded Pass. If others would only do the same thing, the programme might become fun to watch again. In the semi-final between Durham and Edinburgh, presenter Jeremy Paxman (whose knowledge of science is, I guess, sketchy) enquired sternly of the Durham team: Give the two-word name of the bacteria from which the following thermo-stable polymerases were first isolated. A miserable attempt to rewrite the past I used to love museums. I prefer quiet to noise, and enjoy the way old things communicate the real nature of the past. As Thomas Hardy wrote in his marvellous poem Old Furniture: I see the hands of the generations, that owned each shiny familiar thing. They were like huge attics. Nobody was trying to tell you anything. You could just dream a bit. One of my favourites was the Ashmolean in Oxford, which displayed Guy Fawkess lantern, and the overpoweringly lovely Alfred Jewel, once owned by that great King. Theyre still there, but modernisers are hard at work, turning this great collection into a politically correct nursery of equality and diversity. A sad employee has sent me a miserable document, Ashmolean For All, which the museum tells me is genuine. It opens by saying it is central to the Museums Strategic Plan 2018-23 and if that does not make your heart sink, it adds: It is a new policy focused on equity and inclusion. It aims to improve the way the Ashmolean serves, represents and includes diverse communities and individuals. It must evolve to remain relevant to all its potential audiences. Oh, and its all in response to a changing political landscape and awareness of new thinking about the current role of cultural organisations around the world. Therell be decolonisation and searches for coded racial harassment and systemic racism. Go soon, if I were you, before the projects finished. No old, beloved, established thing is now safe from the commissars of political correctness. We are in a slow-motion version of Chinas cultural revolution, and at the end of it hardly anyone will remember who we used to be. This drama is brilliant as a spotlight on failing Britain When Detective Sergeant Lisa Armstrong is assigned to a missing persons investigation, at first it seems like any other. As a Family Liaison Officer, she's trained never to get emotionally involved. But there's something very different about this particular case. With horror Lisa realises she's got a personal connection with this family; one that could compromise her and the investigation. As she grapples to get justice for the grieving family, Lisa discovers it could come at a cost. The plot of ITVs police drama The Bay is ludicrous. I cant even begin to work out who has killed whom or why, though for once it doesnt seem to be all based on child abuse. But the series, which is filmed in Morecambe, is a wonderful spotlight on modern Britain as it actually is the casual swearing, the dreadful schools in which the young endure fear and are corrupted by all kinds of moral slurry on their computers, the expensive new Blair-era public buildings with their nursery colour-schemes. The sort-of heroine (played by Morven Christie, left), a senior police officer, engages in knee-tremblers in alleyways with people shes hardly met. It is also a world in which the old professional middle class has almost completely vanished. Only one minor character speaks in the authoritative BBC tones once associated with this class. And he is a pensioner running the food bank. To me, this gives a sense that theres really nothing underneath any more, and if you fall through a gap, youll fall for ever. If you want to comment on Peter Hitchens, click here Talk that Liz Truss once stepped out with the Prime Ministers Brexit adviser Olly Robbins during their Oxford student days produces a tart response from the Treasury Chief Secretary. We were in the same formal logic class, says Ms Truss. Dog is assured this is a denial not an Oxonian euphemism. Talk that Liz Truss once stepped out with the Prime Ministers Brexit adviser Olly Robbins during their Oxford student days produces a tart response from the Treasury Chief Secretary. Boris Johnson was all set last week for a jolly Easter speaking jaunt to the balmy Bahamas only for the endless Brexit crisis to keep the Commons working for an extra week. Bojo was reduced to addressing his big bucks client via a video link from Westminster and missing out on an allexpenses beach holiday with girlfriend Carrie Symonds. Dogs heart bleeds. Despite boasting he was not trained to lose, Brexiteer and Territorial Army veteran Mark Francois clearly needs work to get fighting fit. The powerfully built Tory MP was overheard telling a chum over pizza that hes hired a personal trainer. Less pizza might help Starlet Lilys lined up for a killer role Lily Collins posing for a portrait in New York. The actress plays Liz Kendall in a new film, no connection to the Labour MP Actress Lily Collins, left, plays Liz Kendall in a new film but the Labour MP will be relieved to know its not about her failed 2015 leadership bid. This Liz Kendall is the girlfriend of American serial killer Ted Bundy in the movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile. That wont stop critics joking the title could be reused if Hollywood ever portrays Corbyns Labour. A Shadow Cabinet meeting on Labours latest Brexit position came to a shuddering halt when Euro MP Richard Corbetts mobile trilled with the ringtone of Beethovens Ode To Joy the EUs anthem. As Brussels-loving Corbett struggled to turn it off, closet Eurosceptic Jeremy Corbyn sighed: I suppose we might as well listen to the whole thing. Rorys short cut to No10. Would-be Corbyn successor Angela Rayner is unmoved by this papers report that Corbynistas actually want fellow Shadow Cabinet member Rebecca Long Bailey to replace the Great Leader. Angela had such a laugh at that, said a friend. She shares a flat in London with Becky and knows shell never stand against her. Dog wouldnt be so sure. Rory's short cut to No10 Diminutive Tory Minister Rory Stewart wasnt joking when he declared himself a potential Tory leadership contender yesterday. But the MP famous for dashing foreign exploits did laugh when reminded Brad Pitt once bought the rights to his life story, with Orlando Bloom mooted to play him. I wanted Danny DeVito, he quipped. Diminutive Tory Minister Rory Stewart wasnt joking when he declared himself a potential Tory leadership contender yesterday. But the MP famous for dashing foreign exploits did laugh when reminded Brad Pitt once bought the rights to his life story Theresa Mays army of young special advisers still sense that if her Government has genuinely hit rock bottom, something is missing. If this was really like the last days of Rome, surely There's nothing quite like a beautifully-prepared Italian meal, but - from the exact formula for bolognese to the perfect way to cook pasta - the authentic way to cook is always the subject of much debate. Giovanni Rana, who has been making pasta since the 1960s, now stocks his own brand of pasta in over 52 countries around the world. The Verona-based pasta specialist and his daughter-in-law Antonella Rana have revealed the secret to capturing the authentic taste of Italian cooking at home. From allowing the sauce to overpower the dish, to using ready-grated cheese, these are the mistakes cooks most commonly make when trying to create the authentic Italian flavour. Italian culinary experts have revealed that cooking pasta until al-dente is not essential to authenticity, and that preferences can vary according to region Giovanni Rana (pictured second from right) and his daughter-in-law Antonella (pictured second from left alongside her husband and their children) have shared advice for making authentic Italian food at home HOW TO COOK PASTA PERFECTLY Speaking about the myth of throwing spaghetti at the wall to check if it's cooked, Antonella said: There are a lot of urban legends about al dente pasta but in Italy not everybody loves al dente pasta. In the North they love it a little softer, into the South they love their pasta almost raw. Id suggest always following the time printed on the packet. Fresh pasta is the quickest. Were talking about just two minutes. 'Compared to spaghetti, macaroni dry pasta takes a lot of time - 10 to 11 minutes. Trust the instructions on the bag, wait for big bubbles, then add salt, start the timer, check every two minutes, then drain and serve. I personally love to drain the pasta 15 seconds before the full cooking time. If its written two minutes, I drain at 1:50 and in the very last 10 seconds I use a mixing bowl to mix the sauce in. This way you dont overcook your pasta. DON'T ADD TOO MUCH SAUCE When you have great fresh filled pasta, the flavour is inside. You just need to add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmigiana Reggiano. If you want to enhance the flavour more then use the sauce, but only in a small spoon. Antonella explained how using the wrong proportion of sauce to pasta can be a giveaway that a cook isnt experienced in making Italian food. When you're speaking about fresh pasta tortellini, the filling has its own taste and power, as Italians we try not to cover it too much with the sauce. 'Especially ricotta and spinach which is so delicate and so pure, that if you add a lot of sauce, you will see the pasta swimming in the sauce. Its not a good sign. In general, the most traditional way to eat fresh filled pasta is to be very respectful of the proportions. The queen is the pasta and the sauce is the tool. Antonella (pictured right with Mr Giovanni) who is responsible for all 25 quick service restaurants, in addition to communication throughout the company which has products stocked in 52 countries urges home cooks never to use tomato ketchup in their sauces NEVER ADD KETCHUP! Five common mistakes home chefs make Overcooking fresh pasta by using the time commonly used for making dry pasta Serving pasta with too much sauce Using tomato ketchup instead of fresh tomatoes in sauce Losing flavour by using already grated cheese Making carbonara with bacon rather than guanciale Advertisement Tomato ketchup for me, means burgers and casual food. In the tomato sauce you can really play with more veggies, for example garlic, onion, carrot, celery or you can play with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. 'You can also play with the fresh herbs such as basil but this is the spirit of tomato sauce, freshness and a light touch. Then grate - from scratch - Parmigiano-Reggiano, 24 or 23 months on top. That is a signature and everyone will think youve lived in Italy. 'If you want to do something more, try to work on doing tomato sauce in the Italian way. Roughly chop onion, garlic, fresh ripe tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. 'Then add fresh basil, this is the most contemporary Italian sauce.' Antonella (pictured right with Mr Giovanni) revealed the traditional way to serve an Italian dinner is pasta first followed by a second cuisine which includes a side of vegetables WHY YOU NEED EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, A BLOCK OF CHEESE AND TWO TYPES OF SALT Extra virgin oil, it's a facilitator and platform that you cant miss, never buy just olive oil as this means the olive fruits have been pressed two, three times and also their bones,' said Antonella. 'When you buy extra virgin it means theyve pressed the olives just once and they press the pulp the colour, flavour, nutrients and everything is better. Perfect wine pairings Pasta with meat: A bold red wine from our region Verona Pasta with vegetables: Soave white wine Pasta with pancetta, or chicken and mozzarella tortelloni: Beer Advertisement 'If you like light flavour buy from the North of Italy, if you like medium body then you go for the centre such as Tuscany. If you like bold, spicy flavour, you buy from Sicily. Always buy parmigiana reggiano in a whole piece where you can see the crust and the stamp. Never buy it already grated, as youve already lost half the flavour. You also need two kinds of salt, the rock one to place in the water before the pasta and flakes to season. When preparing pasta, add the salt when the water is boiling and then only after use the salt flakes. About the pepper, I love the delicate ones because I believe that pepper has to be nuance not the protagonist of the recipe. The last basic is fresh herbs such as basil, thyme and chive. I believe that when you cook with fresh herbs, wash and chop roughly your dish is already king. Mr Giovanni (pictured second from right) says classic Italian dishes have stayed the same throughout generations but now people are more conscious of ensuring they are cooked in the healthiest possible way La Famiglia Rana Spinach & Ricotta tortelloni with cream ham and peas Rana shared an easy spinach & ricotta tortelloni recipe for impressing dinner guests Difficulty: Easy Preparation and cooking time: 5-10 minutes Servings 2 Ingredients 1 pack la Famiglia Rana Spinach & Ricotta Tortelloni 3 oz (75g) shelled peas fresh or frozen / defrosted (9 oz (250 g) fresh peas) 3 oz (75 g) ham sliced and torn 0,5 oz (15 g) butter 6 fl oz (170 ml) cream salt and freshly ground black pepper grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to serve (optional) edible flowers to garnish (optional) Method Blanch peas in salted boiling water for a couple of minutes (more if fresh) and drain. In a non-sticking frying pan melt the butter; add ham and cook for a few minutes until lightly crispy. Heat the cream in another non-sticking frying pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. In the meantime, cook the Tortelloni according to the package instructions and drain, reserving a few spoons of the pasta cooking water. Transfer the pasta to the pan, add ham and peas and stir gently, adding some of the pasta water if you need to loosen the sauce. Divide between 2 plates, season with freshly ground pepper and decorate with edible flowers. Serve with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese alongside. If you are using fresh peas you can garnish the plates with blanched peas in a pod. Wine pairing: Lugana DOC, Ancilla Lugana, 1909, 2016 Advertisement Giovanni Rana pastas are currently available in Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Asda. The brand is expected to release a seafood inspired product soon. Bletchley Park has revealed how the unsung heroes of the top-secret codebreaking operation helped to ensure D-Day was a success. Dozens of men and women worked at break-neck speed in June 1944 and decrypted intelligence in just under three hours on D-Day to pass to commanders in Normandy. In the buildup to the 75th anniversary of the landings, Bletchley Park has used recently declassified information to expose how instrumental codebreakers were in planning the invasion. Now, an immersive film being released on April 11 will show the unsung heroes of the Park - including top codebreaker and 'break in' expert Mavis Batey. Mavis Batey, pictured as a young woman when she working at Bletchley Park, was a 'break in' expert who cracked the Italian Navy's Enigma cipher and also worked on deciphering the Enigma code used by the German secret service Mavis, pictured in 2011, found a way into the Enigma code in 1941, which revealed the Double Cross deception technique was working and ensured the success of the D-Day landings Mavis, who died on Armistice Day at the age of 92 in 2013, was the last survivor of Bletchley's 'break in' experts - people who worked to crack new ciphers that had never been broken before. Her achievements included cracking the Italian Navy's Enigma cipher, leading to a British victory at Matapan - the Royal Navy's first fleet action since Trafalgar. And she crucially found a way into the Enigma code used by the German secret service, a break which enabled the Double Cross deception that ensured the success of the D-Day landings. Mavis met her husband Keith, a mathematician and a leading break-in expert at Bletchley, when he helped her with a particularly difficult codebreaking problem one nightshift. Mavis told The Times: 'We put our heads together and in the calmer light of logic, and much ersatz coffee, solved the problem. 'Dilly [Knox] made no objections to my having sought such help and when I told him I was going to marry the 'clever mathematician from hut 6' he gave us a lovely wedding present.' The codebreaker, right with Keith Batey in 1942, met her mathematician husband when he helped her with a particularly difficult problem one night shift at Bletchley Park Margaret Rock, pictured in 1936, was another key codebreaker who worked with Mavis in 1941 to crack the code used by the German secret service. The Abwehr Enigma was more complex than the standard version, with its machines using four rotors rather than the usual three Author Sinclair McKay interviewed the Bateys about their time at Bletchley Park and relationship. He told the Daily Mail: 'I asked Keith and Mavis Batey, whose eyes met across the Enigma machine, whether the authorities were concerned about their romance, because they worked in different huts, were they worried there might be accidental crossover [of information]. 'And Mrs Batey said actually no, the authorities did everything in their power to encourage the romance, to the extent of setting up special places in the canteen for them.' Mavis, whose maiden name was Lever, was studying German at University College, London, when the war broke out. She broke off her studies and enlisted as a nurse to help the war effort, but was told that she would be more used to Britain as a German linguist. Initially she hoped to be a Mata Hari-esque spy, and would get to adventure into occupied Europe to seduce German officers - but she was disappointed. On D-Day, codebreakers managed to crack codes and send key information to commanders in Normandy in less than three hours. Pictured is the inside of Hut 3 which was the epicentre of top-secret operations at Bletchley on June 6, 1944 A recreation of Hut 3 (above) shows how the men and women worked on codes during World War Two She told the Times: 'I don't think either my legs or my German were good enough because they sent me to the Government Code & Cipher School.' After working in London for a while she was sent to work in the research unit run by Dilly Knox at Bletchley Park. Knox worked with his team on breaking new codes and ciphers that had not been broken by Hut 6, where the German Army and Air Force ciphers were cracked. Mavis' fellow codebreaker Margaret Rock is also featured in the 75th anniversary of D-Day film. Margaret was based at Bletchley Park from April 1940. Her and Mavis collaborated on the breaking of the Engima cipher used by the German secret service in 1941. The women and Knox cracked the Engima code used by the Abwehr, the German secret service. While at Bletchley, Thomas 'Tommy' Flowers designed Colossus, pictured being operated by two Wrens, to process German enciphered telegraph traffic In 1939 there was only around 150 staff, but Bletchley Park, the mansion pictured, rapidly grew. By 1945, 75 per cent of the staff were women and of these six out of ten were in uniform Codebreakers Mavis and Margaret worked with Dilly Knox on breaking the Abwehr Enigma at Bletchley, pictured. Cracking the cipher meant agents could finally confirm the Germans believed the phoney intelligence coming from the Double Cross operation Britain's spies had been able to capture most of the agents sent to the UK and were using them to feed back false information to Germany. But no-one knew whether this so-called Double Cross system was working, whether Germany's commanders had been convinced by the fake intelligence sent back. The Abwehr Enigma was more complex than the standard version, with its machines using four rotors rather than the usual three. They also rotated randomly with no predictable pattern. Mavis worked with Knox and Margaret to test out every possibility and, on December 8, 1941, she broke a message on the link between Berlin and Belgrade, making it possible to reconstruct one of the rotors. Thomas 'Tommy' Flowers, pictured, designed Colossus - the world's first programmable electronic computer - to process German enciphered telegraph traffic Bill Tutte, pictured in the 1950s, worked out the internal structure of the German Lorenz enciphered teleprinter 'Tunny' and devised a way to figure out its wheel patterns That was the clue they needed and, within days, Knox's team had broken the Abwehr Enigma. Shortly afterwards, Mavis cracked a second Abwehr cipher, allowing the agents to finally confirm that the Germans believed the phoney intelligence coming from the Double Cross operation. Also discussed in the film is Thomas 'Tommy' Flowers, who designed Colossus to process German enciphered telegraph traffic, and who was awarded an MBE in 1943. Bill Tutte is another codebreaker who worked at Bletchley Park. He determined the internal structure of German Lorenz enciphered teleprinter 'Tunny' and devised technique for establishing wheel patterns used. D-Day: Interception, Intelligence, Invasion will be housed in the restored Teleprinter Building, where Codebreakers intercepted thousands of enemy messages from secret listening posts across the UK. It opens on 11 April 2019. Elayna Carausu, 26, and her partner Riley Whitelum, 35, have made a career out of circumnavigating the globe on a luxury yacht funded by their YouTube fans. And so, when Elayna gave birth to baby Lenny in January, the globetrotting Australian couple weren't going to let something as small as a newborn get in the way of their adventures. Less than two months after the birth, the couple have already visited Charleston, Florida and The Bahamas with Lenny - and say life is better - albeit busier - than ever. Elayna Carausu (pictured with baby Lenny), 26, and her partner Riley Whitelum, 35, have made a career out of circumnavigating the globe on a luxury yacht funded by their YouTube fans And so, when Elayna gave birth to Lenny, the globetrotting Australian couple weren't going to let something as small as a newborn get in the way of their adventures (the family on board) 'The boat requires a 24-hour watch if we're doing a night sail, but so does Lenny,' Elayna told FEMAIL (pictured on board with baby Lenny) 'The boat requires a 24-hour watch if we're doing a night sail, but so does Lenny,' Elayna told FEMAIL. 'With there being only Riley, Lenny and myself on board, basically right now I am a full-time mama and Riley is a single-handed sailor. 'He keeps watch most of the night setting his timer for every 20 minutes to check for ships. 'I go to bed with Lenny and take care of him until about 4am when Riley needs a solid sleep. 'We are trying to stick to day sails for now because it's a lot easier with a newborn.' 'With there being only Riley, Lenny and myself on board, basically right now I am a full-time mama and Riley is a single-handed sailor,' Elayna said (pictured with Lenny) For the most part, Elayna will look after Lenny while Riley focuses on the sailing (pictured together) however, in the afternoons, Riley will have father-son time while she takes over Elayna (pictured with Lenny) said while life on board has been 'easier than I expected', there have been a few hiccups and she said he suffered from sea sickness at first So what is life like on board when they are sailing? Elayna said while it's been 'easier than I expected', there have been a few hiccups. 'Lenny seems to love sailing, but there was a bit of an unfortunate moment when we moved him on to the boat. 'We left port for the first time in some not so ideal conditions, safe but not ideal. We were sailing out of the channel and had wind against tide.' Elayna said that the waves were huge and their boat was 'momentarily thrown around'. 'On top of all that, we had a huge sea container ship about 50m away from us creating a wake that you could surf. 'Lennon's eyes went cross-eyed and he started crying a lot. We think he was sea sick!' She said, however, that he made a swift recovery and seems to have got used to being on board. 'It can only get better from here!',' she said. Day-to-day life follows a regular pattern for the sailing parents (pictured), who have so far sailed around 500 nautical miles with little Lenny 'We started off in the US and headed down the east coast from Charleston to Florida,' Elayna said (pictured) Elayna said that when they're sailing, she and Riley find Lenny 'sleeps a lot as the motion rocks him to sleep' (pictured with Lenny) 'He loves looking at the water and after we took him for his first swim the other day, he wants to be in it all the time!,' she said (pictured: Riley with Lenny) Day-to-day life follows a regular pattern for the sailing parents, who have so far sailed around 500 nautical miles with little Lenny. 'We started off in the US and headed down the east coast from Charleston to Florida,' Elayna said. 'We then made the jump over to the Bahamas and we're currently anchored by a deserted island.' Elayna said that when they're sailing, she and Riley find Lenny 'sleeps a lot as the motion rocks him to sleep'. 'He loves looking at the water and after we took him for his first swim the other day, he wants to be in it all the time! 'As soon as he starts crawling we'll need to put a harness on him so that he can't wander off for a splash.' Days typically start at around 4am, which is when Lenny likes his first feed, before the family go 'on an adventure in the morning, whether it's sailing or exploring a village on land' (pictured: Elayna and Lenny) 'By late afternoon, I sit down and do some editing on the laptop or attend to important emails while Riley looks after Lenny so that I'm free of distractions,' she said (pictured in Santorini) Days typically start at around 4am, which is when Lenny likes his first feed, before the family go 'on an adventure in the morning, whether it's sailing or exploring a village on land'. 'By late afternoon, I like to sit down and do some editing on the laptop or attend to important emails while Riley looks after Lenny so that I'm free of distractions. 'There is hardly any time to waste just looking at him!'. When it comes to what's next, Elayna said the world quite literally is the couple's oyster - they may head up to Canada to continue the adventure (pictured with Lenny) She said once their baby is a little bit bigger, they will think about routs back to Australia - this time going via the Indian Ocean instead of the Pacific Ocean (pictured: the family) When it comes to what's next, Elayna said the world quite literally is the couple's oyster. 'While Lenny is this small, we're going to hang out in The Bahamas. And come the hurricane season, we'll head up to New York, maybe even as far north as Canada. 'It's all pretty easy sailing around here if you pick your weather right.' She said once their baby is a little bit bigger, they will think about routes back to Australia. 'We've already sailed the Pacific Ocean, so Riley is thinking about the Indian Ocean. Either way, home is where we are and we're happy in just about any location as long as we are together, and there is sunshine and we can swim.' To follow the Sailing La Vagabonde adventure, you can follow their YouTube channel here. Alternatively, you can follow the couple on Instagram here. An Australian mother who had 'tried everything' to cure her little girl's painful eczema has revealed how a simple $49.95 oil eased it in just 12 hours. Kerry Caruana, 36, from the Gold Coast, Queensland, said her daughter Eden, almost two, started suffering severe eczema and psoriasis when she was just seven weeks old. But after applying Glory Oil by Australian brand Eco by Sonya Driver to her daughter's inflamed skin, she couldn't believe how quickly the redness started to disappear. 'Eden had patches on her chest, back and face and her face gets pretty bad. One day her face was so bad that it looked like sunburn,' Ms Caruana told FEMAIL. An Australian mother who had 'tried everything' to cure her little girl's painful eczema has revealed how a simple $49.95 oil eased it in just one day (left before and right the next day) Kerry Caruana (left), 36, from the Gold Coast, Queensland, said her daughter Eden (pictured now), almost two, started suffering severe eczema when she was just seven weeks old 'It was extremely red, hot and so sore for her and she kept pointing to her face and saying "owie" - it was so hard seeing her in pain like that and pointing to it all the time while crying. Whenever she starts to get sore, she comes to me and says "face, face" and points to the oil. 'I tried another "natural" brand specifically designed for eczema and she screamed when it touched her skin so I took it straight off with some water.' To try and ease her daughter's pain, Ms Caruana tried steroid creams, oatmeal baths and cutting out all products with perfume and harsh chemicals but nothing seemed to help for longer than a couple of days. Health professionals also failed to help, telling the frantic mother that Eden would 'likely grow out of it in time and just to keep up with topical steroids'. 'It was extremely red, hot and so sore for her and she kept pointing to her face and saying "owie" - it was so hard seeing her in pain like that,' she said What is in Glory Oil? Inca Inchi: This ancient Peruvian omega abundant super seed oil high in antioxidants and the ultimate anti-ageing & healing ingredient. Acai Fruit Oil: This is an antioxidant powerhouse and helps protect the skin from environmental aggressors and reduces the appearance of ageing and helps to restore moisture balance. Pumpkin Seed Oil: This is rich in vitamin E, zinc, omega 3- and 6- fatty acids as well as antioxidants, therefore it has tremendous benefits for the skin in terms of retaining moisture and fighting free radicals. Advertisement Desperate to find a solution, Ms Caruana, who already used some of the popular Eco by Sonya Driver products, said she recently saw some eczema success stories on the brand's website and decided to try the 'Glory Oil' on Eden. 'Luckily I already had some as I use the whole Eco range on my face and the Glory Oil is my favourite. I put it on her and she didn't scream, she smiled at me and gave me a look like when you put something cooling on a sunburn,' Ms Caruana said. 'Within 30 - 45 minutes the redness had significantly decreased and by the next morning there was only a small pale area of eczema left. 'The Glory Oil keeps her eczema from being inflamed for days and I put more on her maybe three times a week.' Described by the brand as a 'miraculous night and day treatment oil', the all-natural product is designed to reduce the appearance of scars and fine lines and restore skin to its original state Ms Caruana said her little girl is now much happier, has stopped 'crying in pain' all the time and asks for the oil to be applied whenever she feels any pain returning. 'Whenever she starts to get sore, she comes to me and says "face, face" and points to the oil,' Ms Caruana said. 'My advice to any other families dealing with eczema is to reduce or remove any products with perfumes or chemicals from their child's skin care and take a chance on Glory Oil. 'If it doesn't work for your child, the bonus is that you can use it as part of your own night time skin care routine! It's amazing!' She's not the first to rave about the oil, with many Australian adults also using the oil on scars, rosacea, psoriasis and their own eczema flare ups with great success (pictured) She's not the first to rave about the oil, with many Australian adults also using the oil on scars, rosacea, psoriasis and their own eczema flare ups with great success. Described by the brand as a 'miraculous night and day treatment oil', the all-natural product is designed to reduce the appearance of scars and fine lines and restore skin to its original state. It does this using a blend of 'super seeds' including inca inchi, acai and pumpkin seed oil as well as chia seed oil, grape seed oil, Vitamin E, and coconut fruit oil. 'Glory Oil harnesses the phenomenal healing powers of organic super seeds to heal, sooth, reduce sign of ageing and assists in restoring moisture balance to your skin,' the product description reads. 'This specially formulated omega abundant, will help protect, improve and restore all skin types. Certified Organic Omega abundant super seeds blended for your skin's nightly treat!' Advertisement A couple has built a tiny home on wheels for just $90,000, complete with a living area, a 'full-size' kitchen, bathroom, a fireplace and a stairway to the bedroom. Lisa Tranter, 31, and her boyfriend Matt Hobbs, 32, were inspired to downsize by the increasingly popular 'tiny house movement' and created their dream home that's practical, spacious, and packed with everything they need. The couple moved into their house in the Blue Mountains, just west of Sydney, in early December. The pair spent three months building the property, measuring 2.5 metres wide, 9 metres long and 4.3 metres high, on a land they purchased together in a secluded area in July last year. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the duo revealed the benefits of living in a tiny home that takes no more than 30 minutes to clean - as they offered a glimpse inside their space. A couple has built a tiny home on wheels for just $90,000, complete with natural surroundings and outdoor entertaining The property features plenty of storage spaces and a living area with book shelves, a big TV screen and comfortable seating Lisa Tranter, 31, and her boyfriend Matt Hobbs, 32, moved into their spectacular house in the Blue Mountains in December 'Cleaning on a bad day is 30 minutes max. We have no desire or room to fill excess space with things so we arent feeding the consumerist agenda,' the couple said. The pair - who document their tiny house adventures via their Instagram page - said downsizing has helped them save up to $2,000 on electricity a year. 'The bills are tiny,' Lisa said. 'The power with the air conditioning running virtually all the time over summer was about $300 per quarter. The four bedroom house we were in before was about $800 per quarter, with solar already installed so it's a huge saving now. 'Water is about $140. We wanted to see how much we consumed before going off grid, so we could accurately work out how many solar panels or water tanks to put in.' The property with outdoor entertaining measures about 22 square metres on the lower floor, and roughly 10 square metres in the loft space upstairs. The tiny home has been completely decked out with everything they need, including a bed, a bathroom, a fireplace, air conditioning, solar panels for electricity and a 'full-size' kitchen with all the modern amenities. The couple have strategically placed the fridge and oven under the stairway to make some extra storage space. 'We wanted a full-sized kitchen with full-sized appliances, so we built the kitchen around those,' the couple said. 'The bathroom is a space we often use together so we made it large enough that we can both be in there without getting in each others way.' The 'full-size' kitchen has all the modern amenities, including a fridge and oven fitted under the stairs to make extra space The home has been completely decked out with everything they need, including a living area and solar panels for electricity The tiny home has been completely decked out with everything they need, including a kitchen with all the modern amenities Lisa - who's a barista and cafe manager - said building a tiny home was a dream of hers for years. 'I've had had a mild obsession for the last five years, with the intention of buying and building my own tiny home before I met Matt, who I then convinced not too long after we started dating,' she said. And so the couple set out to buy their own block of land with picturesque views of the natural surroundings in the Blue Mountains so they could build their dream home. Matt - who's a plumber by trade but now owns his own bathroom and kitchen renovations company - built their home from scratch over three months. 'The build roughly took three months, and at a rough estimate we would put the cost at around $90,000,' the couple said. 'However, we did a lot of the work ourselves as well as calling in heaps of favours from tradie friends and family.' When Matt is watching TV downstairs, Lisa goes up to the loft where the bedroom is, away from the noise, so she can study The property measures about 22 square metres on the lower floor, and roughly 10 square metres in the loft space upstairs Since moving into the tiny home, the couple said there's only been minor challenges about living in such close proximity to one another. 'Often when I need to study, Matt wants to watch TV. We don't have any doors to close so it's hard to block out the sound,' Lisa said. The couple said they have no plans to move the house on wheels any time soon but they have the option if they ever decide to relocate. 'The block is surrounded by bush, with a protected creek in the gully. It's a very pretty spot, so we have no plans to leave our little oasis,' they said. Four months since moving in, the duo said they are yet to experience anything bad. 'We have yet to encounter a bad thing about it. We have everything we need day to day because we took the time to tailor the house to suit our needs and lifestyles,' Lisa said. The bedroom is located in the loft upstairs, and has giant windows overlooking the surroundings of the Blue Mountains The couple also built a tiny door, so their pet cats Hunter and Chief can run freely from the home into their own space outside The couple said one of the best parts about living in a tiny home is it takes no more than 30 minutes to clean the entire space Lisa said her favourite features of the home are the 'louvered' window in the bathroom, the feature panel over the front door and the floor transition. 'Matt loves the bathroom in general as he was able to try things out that he wouldn't normally have a chance to do with a client bathroom,' she said. For any Australians who are keen to build a tiny home but don't know where to start, the couple said it was very important to know where you're planning to 'park' your property. 'The issue people face is finding a place to actually park their house,' Lisa said. 'If you look at most of the people who actually live in a tiny house, it's often on their families' property or they are renting a spot of land from someone - and it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. 'Those who are lucky like us have the opportunity to own the land they park on and still have that mortgage. 'Next, decide what it is you actually need to live with - often it's less than what you already have. Start to practice some aspects of minimalism, downsize things, throw or give away stuff you haven't used in ages, and avoid buying more things.' We all know the damage infidelity tends to have on relationships. And surprisingly, the subtle things you might be doing without even realising could be counted as 'micro-cheating'. Australian relationship expert Samantha Jayne has revealed exactly what this dating concept means and how to tell if you are guilty about it. 'Micro-cheating is a very grey area and it is not easy to define like full blown cheating,' she told FEMAIL. 'However if you're asking yourself whether you're doing it and there is an element of guilt to your actions then the answer is probably "yes".' Australian relationship expert Samantha Jayne has revealed what exactly micro-cheating is and how to tell if you're guilty of it What actually defines micro-cheating? Samantha said that what defines micro-cheating all depends on an individual's values and boundaries. What one person considers micro-cheating could have zero tolerance for another who might be completely fine with. 'It's important to have an open line of communication with your partner with specific boundaries of what is considered okay and not okay,' she said. 'Often micro-cheating may seem like a bit of innocent flirting with a person outside of your relationship but it can unfortunately ruin your relationship.' 'It's important to have an open line of communication with your partner with specific boundaries of what is considered okay and not okay,' she said What are some signs of micro-cheating? - Reaching out to an ex for emotional support - Becoming too friendly with someone - Going out with a co-worker and not telling your partner - Secretly texting someone - Having private jokes with someone who isn't your partner - Catching up with an 'old flame' behind your partners back - Secretly reaching out to someone you find attractive online Advertisement Samantha said it includes things such as reaching out to an ex for emotional support, growing too friendly with someone and going out with a co-worker and not telling your partner. It doesn't end there as it can also include secretly texting someone, having private jokes, catching up with an old flame behind your partners back and secretly reaching out to someone you're attracted to on social media. 'While you might not be physically intimate with them it could potentially sabotage your relationship, especially if you cross the line of it becoming emotional or physical,' she said. 'This happening isn't surprising as the temptation over time could escalate, especially if there are problems in your own relationship.' Micro-cheating can include secretly texting someone, having private jokes and catching up with an old flame behind your partners back Poll Have you ever micro-cheated? Yes No Have you ever micro-cheated? Yes 209 votes No 163 votes Now share your opinion How can you tell if you are guilty of it? Samantha said micro-cheating all comes down to the intentions behind your behaviour. 'It is important to look at your relationship and why you are reaching out to someone else,' she said. 'If it is from an unmet need in your relationship it is important fix it, have a conversation with your partner, set some clear healthy boundaries and rekindle your connection to avoid the temptation of going outside your relationship.' If you are finding that there is someone else out there you are chatting to that you often think about, Samantha recommends nipping it in the bud before it morphs into something that risks the relationship. Samantha said micro-cheating all comes down to the intentions behind your behaviour She also said it is important to put yourself in your partners shoes, after all, how would you feel if you were in their position? 'Go back to what you value. If you value honesty and integrity then live your life in alignment with these values and go with your gut,' she said. 'Chances are if you are doing something on the sly and feeling guilty about it, it's probably micro-cheating. 'If it was completely innocent you could openly chat to your partner about it without any guilt or problem.' Two sisters who were both diagnosed with the same rare aggressive cancer within weeks of each other have told of their heartbreak that only one of them is likely to beat the killer disease. After finding a lump in her left breast in May 2017, Julia Gailes, 48, from Consett, County Durham, was waiting for test results when her sibling Wendy Moffett, 57, discovered an identical lump in her right boob. Not wanting to worry her little sister, Wendy, from Bishop Auckland, secretly had tests of her own and was diagnosed with the same cancer as Julia, just five weeks later. The pair both had single mastectomies two months apart, and Julia went on to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Julia Gailes, pictured left, and her sister Wendy Moffett, 57, pictured right, were both diagnosed with the same rare aggressive cancer within weeks of each other They supported each other throughout 18 months of treatment, calling regularly and sending text messages to boost each other's spirits. But when Julia received the news she was in remission, Wendy was told she couldn't have chemotherapy due to a weak heart. Just 10 months after her sister was given the all clear, Wendy was informed her cancer was terminal and she had one year to live. Despite their starkly different prognoses, the pair are closer than ever and threw a joint party to celebrate life. Married mum-of-three Julia said: 'It's felt like the luck of the draw - obviously I'd rather we'd not had it, but if I was going to go through this with anyone it's Wendy. 'I can feel well for myself - but knowing that I'm going to be okay when Wendy will not be has been too much to bear.' Wendy (pictured in 1985 stood with sister Julia, who is holding Wendy's daughter Sarah) was informed her cancer was terminal and she had one year to live in January this year 'I didn't think when I was diagnosed that it would be what got me in the end. But at least I've had Julia,' said grandmother-of-four Wendy, a former end of life carer. 'I know it's been hard on Julia, because she's surviving when I'm not. But it's okay. I'm not fed up, I'm not angry, I'm not overly upset - it's just happened.' Shop worker Julia found a lump in her left breast when she happened to brush her hand across it, and was diagnosed later that month. Unbeknownst to her, Wendy was secretly waiting for her biopsy results after finding similar lumps on her right breast following a regular check-up. Though Wendy knew about Julia's diagnosis, she didn't tell her sister she might also have cancer because she didn't want to stress her out during her ordeal. 'I didn't want to alarm her - but we're such close sisters that afterwards I felt silly for not having told her straight away,' explained Wendy. As well as a single mastectomy, Julia went on to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy and is now in remission Five weeks after Julia's diagnosis, in July 2017, Wendy was told that she too had triple negative breast cancer - the exact same strain of the disease. Julia and Wendy, a mum-of-three, are two of 8,000 women in the UK this year alone who will contract the condition, according to Breast Cancer Care. This vein of cancer is not fuelled by oestrogen and progesterone, which means it doesn't respond to hormonal therapy medicines. Triple negative breast cancer cells produce too much of the HER2 protein, meaning that cells divide too quickly and the cancer is more likely to spread and to recur. It can only be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Though Wendy and Julia had genetic tests to see if the disease is hereditary, there's no risk for their children. Julia (pictured left) and Wendy (right) are two of 8,000 women in the UK this year alone who will contract triple negative breast cancer, according to Breast Cancer Care Wendy was treated at Darlington Hospital at the same time that Julia was being treated in Hexham - and both sisters lost one breast each. Julia's breast was removed in December 2017, after she had a failed lumpectomy, while Wendy had her mastectomy in August 2017 because she couldn't have intensive treatment. Julia had an aggressive first round of chemotherapy between May and October in 2017, 15 days radiotherapy in February, and another six months of chemotherapy from March. Wendy had already fought off breast cancer five years earlier, so could only have five days of radiotherapy due to her intense treatment the first time round. She also has dilated cardiomyopathy, which reduces the heart's ability to pump blood - and which stopped her from having chemotherapy. 'Because I'd had that cancer, though, and I'd had the radiotherapy back then, the doctor said I could only really have five days' extra treatment,' she said. Though Wendy and Julia had genetic tests to see if the disease is hereditary, thankfully there's no risk for their children 'My weak heart means I've never had chemo.' Julia went into remission and was declared free of triple negative in March 2018. But Wendy's health took an unfortunate turn for the worst. Just days after her mastectomy in August 2017, she had a massive heart attack. She was rushed to a coronary clinic before being immediately transferred to The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough for one month. Wendy was then fitted with a pacemaker and defibrillator - which she said has set her back enormously and slowed her down. 'Heart failures put everything on hold,' she explained. 'I can't move or stand as much as I used to now. I'll never get back to how I was before.' Wendy found more cancerous growths on her surgical scars and down her back in September 2018. How to check your breasts Look out for: Changes in skin texture for example puckering/dimpling This is why it is so important to feel AND look at you r boobs. Dimpling and puckering of the skin can look similar to orange peel. Swelling in your armpit or around your collarbone It is important to check not just your boob but your upper chest and armpit too, as these areas also contain breast tissue. Nipple discharge This is liquid that comes from the nipple without squeezing it. A sudden, unusual change in shape or shape Most women may naturally have one boob bigger than the other or experience their boobs gradually changing as they get older. Many changes are perfectly normal, however if you notice a sudden, unusual change in size or shape then get it checked out. Nipple inversion and changes in direction All this means is your nipple has become pulled into the boob or looks different to usual. This could be a change in its position or shape. Thats why it is important to pay special attention to your nipple during your regular checks. A rash or crusting of the nipple or surrounding area There are many reasons why your skin could become irritated, especially if you are breast feeding, but if you notice any redness or a rash on the skin and/or around the nipple or any crusting of the nipple, make sure you get it checked out by your doctor. What to feel for: Lumps and thickening Some boobs are naturally lumpy and this can be perfectly normal. The key is to get to know how your boobs feel, so you would notice if any new lumps appear or if your boob starts to feel thicker in one area compared to the rest Constant, unusual pain in your breast or armpit Some breast pain can be perfectly normal, especially around your period. But keep an eye out for any unexplained pain in your breast or your armpit thats there all or almost all of the time Source: CoppaFeel! Advertisement She was diagnosed with secondary cancer - which was 'treatable but incurable' - in October after it spread to her lungs. Doctors said in January this year she was terminal, and she was given 12 months to live. But Wendy has remained positive - and in sisterly style is more worried about her sibling than herself. 'Julia was able to have a round of chemo, followed by a round of radiotherapy, and another round of chemo, and it looks, on that basis, like the treatment obviously worked,' said Wendy. 'But because of what's happened to me, it's something that she will always have hanging over her. 'She'll be thinking, "Will it come back?" I know she's wondering. Wendy, pictured left with brother Nigel and Julia in the pram in 1972, has remained positive - and in true sisterly style is more worried about her sibling than herself 'We've chatted loads about it and at the back of her mind, she knows that she's beaten the cancer - at least, for now. She's thinking a lot about if it grows back, like it did for me. 'I know I would be the same if I had beaten it and Julia was diagnosed with secondary cancer. It's something that you can never put out of your mind.' Julia, who cares for her autistic son Lewis, nine, and her father James, 79, who has vascular dementia, said she checks every day that her tumours haven't returned. 'I'm not confident it won't come back,' said Julia, who has husband Andrew, 50. 'Although they told me that I'm cancer free, I still check along my scars every day for little lumps. 'This particular cancer is so aggressive, and because it returned along Wendy's scar lines I'm checking all the time. While Julia went into remission and was declared free of triple negative in March 2018, Wendy found more cancerous growths on her surgical scars and down her back in September 2018 and is now terminally ill 'Every time I cough, I think there might be a speck in my lungs. I'm petrified. 'I can't go through chemo again. It was horrific. Thinking about the cancer returning moves me to tears.' She's found it hard to accept that Wendy will not survive the same cancer that she has now been declared free of. Julia and Wendy threw a gala in March and raised 5,000 for Breast Cancer Care. Through her Facebook blog, Julia's Jugs' Journey, she raised 2,500. Despite the immense trials she has faced, Wendy is taking each day as it comes. 'There's no rage, I don't feel unlucky - I've accepted it,' explained Wendy. 'My focus is on every month - I like to think that I'm a glass half full person. I won't go down without a fight.' The Princess Royal was shown around some of Ireland's oldest lighthouses during her weekend visit to the capital. Princess Anne, 68, travelled to the Howth district of Dublin where lighthouses have guided ships at Baily since 1667. During the guided tour, she then observed the comparatively younger 19th century Rockabill Lighthouse at Skerries and the Kish Lighthouse off Dublin Bay. The Queen's only daughter sported a navy coat, matching beanie and sunglasses as she explored the city. Princess Anne, 68, travelled to the Howth district of Dublin to see lighthouses during a weekend visit to the Irish capital Hosted by the Commissioners of Irish Lights, Anne met staff and heard about their work providing vital maritime safety services and modern navigation aids at its Dun Laoghaire headquarters. She also toured the navigation vessel, ILV Granuaile during her two-day visit that began on Friday. The mother-of-two was visiting in her role as Master of Trinity House as part of the ongoing 150-year relationship between Irish Lights and the Lighthouse Authorities of Great Britain and Ireland. Irish Lights chief executive Yvonne Shields O'Connor said it was a 'great privilege' to host the royal. The Queen's only daughter sported a navy coat, matching beanie and sunglasses as she explored Dublin. Hosted by the Commissioners of Irish Lights, Anne met staff and heard about their work providing vital maritime safety services and modern navigation aids at its Dun Laoghaire headquarters 'Not only have we a strong historical relationship with Trinity House and Northern Lighthouse Board, we have an essential day-to-day working relationship and warm ties of friendship,' she said. 'I am honoured to have this opportunity to showcase the vital work Irish Lights does, in particular with regard to providing essential safety services through the use of modern technology in visual and electronic navigation aids, as well as our Met and Coastal Data services. She continued: 'While our work is progressive and forward-focused, we are also immeasurably proud of our rich heritage and we are delighted that the Princess Royal's visit has also included a trip to one of the very first lighthouses built by Irish Lights in 1814, the Baily Lighthouse.' 'The Princess Royal is a great champion of the maritime sector and we appreciate her visit as a source of encouragement to our own work and in terms of strengthening the bonds between the three lighthouse authorities.' 'Not only have we a strong historical relationship with Trinity House and Northern Lighthouse Board, we have an essential day-to-day working relationship and warm ties of friendship,' Irish Lights chief executive Yvonne Shields O'Connor said. Pictured, Princess royal being shown around a lighthouse It comes just a day after her granddaughter Mia Tindall was spotted on the shoulder's of Prince William. Mia, five, the daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall, was hoisted aloft by her mums cousin, the Duke of Cambridge, as she made a grab for his ears. Wills appeared to wince as Mia clung on, perhaps fearing that he might end up like his father Prince Charles who is often lampooned for his outsized lugs. Not to be outdone, Mias cousin Princess Charlotte, three, took the high road too, on the shoulders of her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, 37. Kate sported trendy tight black jeans and a Barbour quilted jacket. The Cambridges and Tindalls joined up to watch Zara, a former silver medal Olympian, compete in the trials on Friday. Princess Anne's guided tour (above) comes just a day after her granddaughter Mia Tindall was spotted on the shoulder's of Prince William Like millions of TV viewers, Jan and Alex Walker sat companionably in the living room of their neat four-bedroom house, watching the affair between a Catholic priest and the heroine of the eponymously titled series, Fleabag, unfold. But only those who know them well would have guessed just how strongly this storyline resonated with the married couple who have raised two daughters and are now doting grandparents to 18-month-old Frankie. The Walkers, who will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary in November, once faced the very same dilemma as Fleabag and her 'hot priest' after falling in love back in 1988. Jan and Alex Walker will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary in November. They once faced the very same dilemma as Fleabag and her 'hot priest' after falling in love back in 1988 Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) with her Catholic 'hot priest' (played by Andrew Scott) But, unlike the characters in the BBC series, they chose what they call 'the difficult path'. Alex chose Jan over God, and it led to them spending the rest of their lives together. 'Alex had heard about this storyline so suggested we watch Fleabag and, while it's a great show, it opened up some painful old wounds,' says Jan, her eyes filling with tears as she gives her first newspaper interview. 'I felt horrendously guilty about falling in love with a priest and taking Alex away from his parishioners, who also loved him dearly. We hurt people, including our parents, but we fell in love by accident, never with any malicious intent.' Jan, a 57-year-old PA, vividly recalls her first encounter with Alex back in 1986, when, after teaching an aerobics class in her local church hall in Kendal, Cumbria, she called at the presbytery to settle the hire fee. Alex, who had been ordained six years earlier but was new to the parish, opened the door and ... call it what you will a thunderbolt, Cupid's arrow, an aligning of the planets or divine intervention their lives were thrown wildly off course. Jan, then 24, was taken aback by the dark, good looks of this 31-year-old priest, made all the more attractive by his warm smile. Her feelings were also tinged with guilt and confusion. 'I felt an instant attraction to Alex but couldn't tell anybody how I felt, least of all him,' she says. 'A good Catholic girl, I thought that having such inappropriate thoughts about a man of God would guarantee my place in Hell. For a long time, it was just my guilty secret.' Over the next three years, they socialised regularly hiking, playing squash and even going to the cinema but always, until the latter stages, as part of a wider group made up of some of the younger parishioners. However, one evening after Alex had confided his concerns about his mother's ill health, Jan invited him to her flat with the offer of dinner and a listening ear. When Alex became upset, Jan reached out to comfort him and, overcome by passion, against both of their better judgments, the embrace led to a kiss. The mutual attraction was evident to both of them, but they were terrified of the consequences of giving vent to it. In fact, so determined were they to prevent their love blossoming that Jan offered to move away. Alex wouldn't hear of it, however, and insisted she should stay close to her family while he put in a request for a posting to Peru. In the meantime, they had to stay out of each other's way. For six months, they made a gallant effort, avoiding situations where they might find themselves alone together. 'But it was so hard staying apart,' says Jan. 'Kendal is not a big place and Alex would drive past as I was crossing the road and we would end up looking into each other's eyes and my heart and stomach would flip. Alex Walker left the priesthood (pictured) to marry Jan. Alex agrees that choosing Jan over the priesthood has enabled him to experience the sort of joy he believed he had forsaken when, aged 13, he happily enrolled at Underley Hall boarding school, a junior seminary for boys 'Was it a turn-on that he was this special guy on the altar, not just an average man on the street? No, because I would look at him and feel butterflies in my stomach and then think, 'He's a priest you cannot think of him like that'.' However, their feelings were so overpowering that resistance became futile, and after one of them neither recalls which made contact, Alex visited Jan at her flat and their relationship was consummated. 'Alex has always had a lovely gentle way about him, which is what made him such a great priest, and he held my hand and said: 'It's not going to be easy, but I don't want to be without you and I know that you don't want to be without me,' recalls Jan. 'That first time we made love was beautiful but also very emotional. There were tears not because I didn't want to do it: it was clear we loved each other very much and felt a strong bond. 'I'd had a couple of relationships in which I'd not been treated too well, so I was generally wary of men but I trusted Alex completely. 'However, there was also guilt because we knew we were doing something we shouldn't. I didn't want the night to end and, of course, afterwards there was remorse. 'We were both scared, really scared. Our main fear was of hurting other people. Of course, the Catholic guilt crept in, too: I couldn't help wondering if God had been watching us.' Alex Walker was a Catholic priest who fell in love with, Jan, now his wife of 30 years This anxiety was echoed by the fictional Irish priest, played by Andrew Scott. In the midst of a steamy scene with Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge, also the series' author) which had begun in the confessional box, a painting fell off the wall, something he saw as a message from God, putting paid to their passion. Alex, too, was in turmoil after consummating his relationship with Jan. 'I know it sounds pious, but intercourse can be an expression of genuine love and for us it was something precious and sacred,' he says. 'It was also exhilarating and I was wholly in the moment, but afterwards I felt guilty for giving in to temptation. 'It didn't feel hypocritical because, personally, I'd never had an issue with couples in committed relationships, who intend to marry, having sex. But I wanted to be faithful, truthful and honest to God, as I'd promised I would when I was ordained. I just couldn't because I was deeply in love with someone else. 'God isn't vindictive, he just wants us to be at peace, so I wasn't frightened of incurring his wrath.' Alex decided to ask God for guidance. 'During my prayers one night, I said: 'God, I ask you to minister to me while I'm sleeping and give me a clear indication of what the right thing is for me to do,' recalls Alex. 'And in the morning I woke with an overwhelming feeling of calm, knowing that I needed to follow my heart and be with Jan. 'I called her and said: 'I love you, I want to be with you, I want to marry you' and she started screaming, a mixture of excitement and fear of hurting people we cared about.' Alex spoke to the parish priest, his immediate boss, who, it turned out, already had his suspicions and encouraged him to follow his heart. A leaving date was agreed for a few weeks hence, although Alex was, to his dismay, instructed not to tell his parishioners about his reason for leaving. Without an explanation, he thought they would conclude that he'd had a breakdown, or developed a drink problem, but his greatest fear was that they might assume he had lost his faith. To give his and Jan's family time to get used to the news, Alex moved back in with his parents in Blackpool for several months. They bridged the 55-mile distance between them by meeting at different places en route. And while Jan's father and Alex's mother gave them their immediate blessing, it took her mother who feared being judged by other members of their congregation and his father longer to come around to their relationship. Alex was ordered to see a psychotherapist to ensure he had made his decision with a sound mind before the bishop would consider granting him dispensation to marry in church. However, when this was still not immediately forthcoming, eager to be together, the smitten couple tied the knot at Blackpool register office on November 4, 1989. Although Alex had found paid work with the Citizen's Advice Bureau, money was tight. He had received wages of just 500 a year as a priest and left the church with 56 in his bank account, so friends rallied round to help make their day special. Between them they made Jan's dress, the cake and bouquets, and one even drove Jan to the ceremony in his black Hackney cab. Afterwards, they enjoyed a meal with family and friends at a hotel overlooking the sea. 'It was the most beautiful, intimate wedding we've ever been to,' says Jan. 'Afterwards, we finally felt free to do everyday things that other couples take for granted, like walking around the supermarket holding hands.' A year later, daughter Lucy, now 28 and a mother to Frankie, was born, followed by Sophie, now 26. 'I'll never forget seeing Alex holding our daughters for the first time with a look on his face that said 'Wow, this is my baby',' recalls Jan. 'It's a very special moment for any new parent but it's one he never imagined he would have.' Alex agrees that choosing Jan over the priesthood has enabled him to experience the sort of joy he believed he had forsaken when, aged 13, he happily enrolled at Underley Hall boarding school, a junior seminary for boys. Lucy and Sophie were around five years old when their parents first explained that their daddy used to be a priest. They were unfazed, and it was only when they reached their teenage years that they became embarrassed about friends finding out that their father had once done something 'so geeky'. Alex went on to get a job as a welfare rights officer with Lancashire County Council, and as the couple raised their family in a beautiful town house in Lancaster, only those closest to them knew of their unconventional history. However, behind closed doors, there were reminders everywhere. In a case beneath their bed lies Alex's neatly pressed alb, the white outer-garment he wore as a priest, together with stoles in green, purple red and white, lovingly handmade by a parishioner. His personal copy of the three volume breviary, the official prayer book of the Catholic Church, takes pride of place in Alex's study. Far from wishing that her husband would forget about these trappings of his former life, Jan, like Alex, would love nothing more than for the Catholic Church to allow married priests to be ordained, so that he could once again answer his calling. 'He is such a charismatic person that people are drawn to him and he's always willing to help,' says Jan. 'Friends whose relatives are dying will ask Alex to go to the hospice to sit with them, because he is such a wonderful, calming presence. It's a crying shame when he has so much to give that he's no longer allowed to minister.' Alex, who runs a support group for those considering leaving the priesthood, lives in hope that under Pope Francis, priests may one day be granted the right to marry. However, since Alex was diagnosed in January with advanced prostate cancer, for which he is undergoing chemotherapy and hormone treatment, the couple have become acutely aware that time may not be on their side. 'I still look at Alex's lovely face and feel so grateful that he made the decision to marry me because we have been so happy together,' Jan says, tearing up again. 'Even after all these years, I can't believe how lucky I am that he chose me over the priesthood.' Advertisement It is a moment she feared would never happen. Beaming with motherly pride, Bethan Simpson holds her healthy daughter just weeks after the unborn baby had groundbreaking surgery in the womb to treat spina bifida. She was discharged from hospital last week with baby Elouise who is now kicking and gurgling showing no signs of the condition that could have left her with lifelong disabilities. Despite enduring 20 hospital visits, Mrs Simpson, 26, and her husband Kieron, 28, are so in love with their baby that they are determined to have more children. Looking adoringly at 14-day-old Elouise, Mrs Simpson, a nurse, said: Her legs kick, her toes curl. Bless her, she doesnt even know the impact she has had. Its a miracle, thats the only way I can describe it. We may have been through a lot, but Id do it for Elouise all over again in a heartbeat. Elated: Bethan Simpson (pictured) was discharged from hospital last week with baby Elouise who is now kicking and gurgling The Simpsons began IVF treatment in 2018 after three years trying for a baby. It worked on the second attempt and, overjoyed, they began planning for the new arrival (pictured: Bethan and Kieron Simpson) The Simpsons began IVF treatment in 2018 after three years trying for a baby. It worked on the second attempt and, overjoyed, they began planning for the new arrival. But a midwife at St Peters Hospital in Maldon, Essex, spotted an abnormality during the 20-week scan and said the baby might have spina bifida because the head was not the right size. I was hysterical as soon as she said something was wrong, Mrs Simpson said. I could see it in her face and then she said, Im sorry guys, Im finding something thats not right. The unborn baby was diagnosed with myelomeningocele spina bifida at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford later that day. This occurs when the spine and spinal cord do not develop normally. Instead, the spinal canal remains open along several vertebrae. It leads to nerve damage that can cause paralysis in the legs, loss of bowel or bladder control, and in some cases brain damage. In the UK, about one in 1,000 babies have the condition. The Simpsons, from Burnham-on-Crouch in Essex, were given the option to terminate the pregnancy that day. Mrs Simpson said: They did say it would be a pretty bleak outcome... very bleak. It was such a raw time. Her husband, an engineer, said: It was a pretty stark choice. How could we bring a child into this world with such a poor quality of life? She may not have had the use of her lower limbs as well as dysfunctional bladder and kidneys. The unborn baby was diagnosed with myelomeningocele spina bifida at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford (pictured: Eloise in the womb) It is possible that Elouise could suffer some effects of the spina bifida, but if she does, they are expected to be minimal Two days later they visited a specialist at University College Hospital in London who told them about possibility of groundbreaking surgery. There was a bit of hope in that darkness, Mrs Simpson said. She and Elouise passed a strict set of criteria to be eligible for surgery and the operation took place in January, 25 weeks into her pregnancy. Over five hours a team of 20 medics cut open her womb to reach Elouises spinal cord to help protect it from damage during pregnancy. Mr Simpson said: It didnt sink in that we were going to have a healthy baby until she arrived. Just because she was kicking in the womb didnt mean it would happen outside. She gave birth on April 1 and was told the baby was healthy. I was so elated, she said. We were crying happy tears for about ten minutes. After the birth Elouise went through a series of tests. Each time she passed one it was momentous. Mother and baby were discharged after a week. It is possible that Elouise could suffer some effects of the spina bifida, but if she does, they are expected to be minimal. Some 80 per cent of parents whose unborn babies receive a diagnosis of spina bifida choose to have a termination. But Mrs Simpsons determination has encouraged women around the world to seek alternative options. I received a message from a woman in Italy saying I had given her hope for her own childs diagnosis and that she was no longer going to terminate it, she said. The procedure, which was paid for by charitable funding, is due to become available on the NHS later this year. Mrs Simpson is the fourth British woman to undergo the procedure. TUESDAY, APRIL 2 My Good Morning Britain co-presenter Susanna Halo Reid often strays into Joan of Arc territory during media interviews about our relationship, with martyrdom talk of My tears over nightmare mornings with monster Morgan. Of course, this makes her an even greater heroine among the female liberal intelligentsia for whom Susannas on-air eye-rolls have become an iconic symbol of feminist exasperation at middle-aged male patriarchy. I dont think you see a browbeaten woman next to him, Susanna said. You see someone who gives as good as she gets. He has emboldened me and empowered me. I think its fair to conclude our arranged TV marriage is bedding down nicely So I was pleasantly surprised to read a new chat shes given to GQ magazine, headlined: I AM NOT OPPRESSED BY PIERS. I dont think you see a browbeaten woman next to him, Susanna said. You see someone who gives as good as she gets. He has emboldened me and empowered me. All of which is true, and Ive been as delighted to see her evolve into bad-a** opinionated Reid as the viewers whove been flocking to watch us in record numbers (todays show was the highest-rated in GMB history) and Bafta, who just nominated us for two awards. But it was her next bombshell that ironically, moved me to my own tears. I am loath to say it, Susanna added, but he is a genius. To accompany this unexpected eulogy, there was a cartoon featuring Susanna grinning ecstatically as she held a silver salver containing my naked torso. I think its fair to conclude our arranged TV marriage is bedding down nicely. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3 Following sustained vicious fat- shaming from TV critics, Twitter trolls and even my own work colleagues, Ive decided to take dramatic action to shut them up. I thus announced on GMB today that I have become the countrys first trans-slender, and am forthwith self-identifying as skinny. So anyone who persists in calling me fat will now be guilty of trans-slender-phobia. GMBs director Erron responded by instantly playing the sound of a hippopotamus, as Susanna and Charlotte Hawkins mimicked clomping beasts. Lets see how cocky theyre all feeling when I play the sound of squealing lobsters as theyre boiled alive by Human Resources. THURSDAY, APRIL 4 Legendary BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen publicly revealed this week that hes been suffering from bowel cancer. Weve been good friends for many years, so Ive known about this from when he was first diagnosed back in October. Actually, thats not strictly true. In typical Bowen style, he was told the bad news the day before we were due to meet for one of our infamous long lunches together with other news journalist friends. He turned up for lunch, was his usual hilariously convivial self, and never mentioned a thing until a few days later. Today, we reconvened for the first time since his fateful diagnosis, at my favourite London restaurant, Cambio de Tercio in Chelsea, with Susanna and his former BBC Breakfast co-presenter Sophie Raworth. Jeremys been through months of chemo, but I was pleased to note its had no negative impact on his lunching ability as we gorged on fabulous paella and delicious Spanish wine. I asked him if, as he faced up to his own mortality, it was made easier because he has so often risked his life on the front line as a fearless war correspondent. Yes, he replied. When youve stared death in the face, and it hasnt actually killed you, it does make further encounters with it a little less intimidating! Was being told you had cancer the scariest moment of your life? No. That came during the First Chechen War, in the winter of 1994/5, when the Russians were pounding Grozny with everything they had. At the height of it, Id been interviewing some troops in a square when two jets flew over and blitzed it with cluster bombs. I lay face down in the snow and felt sure I was going to die. Longest 12 seconds of my life. As for why he has such a positive outlook on his condition, Jeremy explained: Ive learnt that sometimes, when you fear the worst, it doesnt happen. Take the 1994 South African election when I, and every correspondent out there, assumed there would be a complete bloodbath. But thanks to Mandela, it never occurred. The power of human courage and spirit can make a massive difference. Yes it can. As we finished our meal with a couple of large medicinal brandies, Jeremy checked his email and chuckled: The NHS has apparently been bombarded with people enquiring about bowel-cancer testing since my interview. Theyre calling it the Bowen Bounce! War reporters are a special breed, few more special, professionally or personally, than Jeremy Bowen. FRIDAY, APRIL 5 Lily Allen has been explaining why she wont come on GMB. Some people think its quite funny, the Piers Morgan attitude he says it how it is. Its not, its rubbish. Im past the point of wanting to go on there and speak with him in a jokey way and have him try to humiliate me. Hmmm. Theres actually a simpler reason the gobbiest woman in pop music wont be appearing on GMB: Ive banned her. SATURDAY, APRIL 6 For every celebrity like Ms Allen who dislikes me, theres a more talented one who doesnt. TV legend Des Lynam emailed to say: Dear Piers, as you know I have become a great admirer of your style of broadcasting, saying what you think, taking on the bigots, and keeping your producers in their place. Modest stillness and humility never did much for audience figures. He wasnt entirely full of praise: Heres one you can whack the producers with; you are using the word right as a verbal tick a bit too much, rather as the youngsters use like. Ironically, Des is right; I do. But he ended on a high: My wife Rose has admitted she thinks you are very fanciable. I cant argue with that, can I? Shes obviously a great judge. Kunene And The King Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon Until Apr 23, 1hr 45 mins Rating: Heres an amazing encounter with two great actors in a terrific new play. Its written by South Africas great theatre star, the 76-year-old John Kani, whose work on stage helped alert the world to the realities of apartheid. You wouldnt notice but he has a prosthetic eye thanks to a police beating. Kani was also the first black Othello in South Africa, joking that at least Ill be able to kiss Desdemona without leaving a smudge. Now the great man teams up with Sir Antony Sher, also originally from South Africa, in a play set in that country today. He plays a medic assigned to provide live-in care to an ageing, semi-alcoholic actor, Jack Morris (Sher), who has accepted the role of King Lear only to discover he has terminal liver cancer. John Kani plays a medic assigned to provide live-in care to an ageing, semi-alcoholic actor, Jack Morris (Sir Antony Sher), who has accepted the role of King Lear Its mostly staged in Jacks flat, where Sher shuffles sordidly about in Crocs, trying to learn his lines, swigging at forbidden bottles of gin hidden in every crevice. A testy, sarcastic old so-and-so, this dying thesp remains loyal to the bad old days of white rule. John Kani is no less good as Lunga Kunene, the neat, intensely dignified carer who gives as good as he gets. What makes the event so special is that its written from bitter experience. When the petulant Jack chucks his soiled underpants in his carers face, Kunenes decades-old anger suddenly erupts like Vesuvius. When the petulant Jack chucks his soiled underpants in his carers face, Kunenes (John Kani) decades-old anger suddenly erupts like Vesuvius He picks up, too, on Morriss phrase you people and all his provoking habits of white dominance. But in this match between patient and carer, the old country versus the new, Shakespeare becomes both referee and healer. The two men find through him a way of meeting each other, equal to equal. Theres a gorgeous scene in which Morris repeats lines from Julius Caesar while Kunene, who remembers them from his schooldays, echoes them in the clicking language of isiXhosa. IT'S A FACT John Kani's actor son Atandwa played a younger version of Kani's Captain America: Civil War character T'Chaka in Black Panter. Advertisement You learn a lot, too, about King Lear, and the plays storm scene is chucked in for good measure. Kanis actors insights into the play which Sher himself has toured around the world have real freshness and clarity. The action is directed with a light touch by South African Janice Honeyman in this co-production with Cape Towns Fugard Theatre. An added treat is the female vocalist Lungiswa Plaatjies, who sings (I dont know what) ravishingly from the gallery. Its a deeply human play: fierce, funny and never cheesy. I cant recommend it too highly. Top Girls Lyttelton Theatre, London Until Jul 20, 2hrs 30mins Rating: This is the play an A-level favourite written in 1982 by Caryl Churchill that opens with female historical figures in a swanky restaurant at a bash hosted by Marlene, an Eighties career woman. Guests include Pope Joan; the 13th-century Japanese courtesan turned nun Lady Nijo; militant hag Dull Gret, who was depicted by Breugel; the intrepid 19th-century traveller Isabella Bird; and Patient Griselda, a symbol of female endurance down the centuries. A group of female historical figures including Patient Griselda (Lucy Ellinson) are invited to a bash in a swanky restaurant hosted by Marlene, an Eighties career woman These brutally abused women natter away, getting plastered on Frascati. Pope Joan even throws up. This is or should be one of the great fantasy scenes in modern theatre. But in Lyndsey Turners oddly lifeless production theres barely a laugh. We get to see Marlene in action played with brassy confidence and shoulder pads by Katherine Kingsley at the shiny offices of the Top Girls agency. But the action only finally comes to life when Marlene visits, in East Anglia, her estranged sister Joyce, expertly played by Lucy Black. We get to see Marlene in action, played with brassy confidence and shoulder pads by Katherine Kingsley (pictured here with Liv Hill as Angie), at the Top Girls agency A boozed-up Marlene waxes lyrical about Thatcherite Britain. Her sister looks daggers. The political divide between them gives their sibling quarrel a blazing, Brexit-like passion. But it comes too late to redeem two hours of experimental stodge that has you wondering how classic this play really is. Toast The Other Palace, London Until Aug 3, 2hrs 10mins Rating: I dont know when you last had a Walnut Whip but they are generously doled out with assorted sweets in Toast, a warming slice of pop-up theatre. Henry Filloux-Bennetts adaptation of TV chef Nigel Slaters memoir-cum-novel starts with nine-year old Nigel helping his adoring mum make jam tarts. This Sixties suburban family try out an exotic new dish called spaghetti bolognese, disastrously overboiling the spag. But then mum dies and paradise is over. Nigels cold father he suspects Nigel of being a nancy boy lashes out at his son, and a brassy new woman moves in. Cue a bitter boy-versus-woman lemon meringue pie bake-off. Henry Filloux-Bennetts adaptation of TV chef Nigel Slaters (Giles Cooper) memoir-cum-novel starts with nine-year old Nigel helping his adoring mum (Lizzie Muncey) make jam tarts Lizzie Muncey and Stephen Ventura play the parents, with Giles Cooper as Nigel. His teenage voyage of gay self-discovery has a note of acid that was welcome as I crunched on my complimentary Parma Violets. The show radiates the young Slaters passion for food and in particular the formative, Sixties cookery of Marguerite Patten. A dramatically slim but rather poignant story of how recipes saved a lad starving from the absence of his mothers love. Where Is Peter Rabbit? Theatre Royal Haymarket, London Until Apr 28, 1hr Rating: Where is Peter Rabbit? You may well ask. Loosely combining five of Beatrix Potters stories, this is a bit of a muddle, and her most famous creation doesnt arrive until near the end. It all looks pretty, with an attractive watercolour-painting set and projections of the original illustrations. The animal puppets are gorgeous, and brought to life with real character and pizzazz by their period-costumed puppeteers. Theres a wickedly dandyish fox, the endearing Jemima Puddle-Duck and a hoppity frog. The one human puppet is terrifying: a little girl who seems to have wandered in from a horror movie. Where Is Peter Rabbit? Loosely combines five of Beatrix Potters stories, this is a bit of a muddle, and her most famous creation (above) doesnt arrive until near the end But overall, the show is far too fussy. The storytelling is confusingly spread between the character of Beatrix Potter, needless voice-overs by Miriam Margolyes and Griff Rhys Jones, and twee songs with lyrics by Alan Ayckbourn. Perhaps overly faithful to the source material, the language is unhelpfully complicated and old-fashioned, while the character of Potter herself is a little pinched and priggish. Holly Williams How Was It For You? Women, Sex, Love And Power In The 1960s Virginia Nicholson Viking 20 Rating: Its bracing to realise that many of the youngsters we most commonly associate with the Sixties David Bailey, Mary Quant, Michael Caine, Diana Rigg are now in their 80s. The renowned social historian Virginia Nicholson interviewed 40 veterans of the Swinging Sixties for her latest book, How Was It For You? One of them now walks with the aid of a Zimmer frame. Another, a former dancer at the racy Raymonds Revuebar in Soho, is now 75 and the owner of a picturesque flint-cobbled pub in a north Norfolk fishing village. Virginia Nicholson writes an entertaining account of the advent of Hugh Hefners Playboy Club in Park Lane in 1966 contains eye-stretching details Strange to say, we are now as distant in time from 1960 as 1960 was from 1901, the year when Queen Victoria died and Elgars Pomp And Circumstance was performed for the very first time. For Nicholson, the Sixties is a decade that has become wrapped in legend. The cliche of the Sixties is that it was a decade whose radiant light show sprinkled everything it touched with stardust, she writes. A time of space travel and utopian dreams, but above all sexual abandonment. She then seeks to overturn this idea. The trouble is that it is a cliche that has been overturned countless times before. For example, Dominic Sandbrook began his history of the Swinging Sixties, White Heat, published in 2006, by remarking that he had lost count of the number of magazine features and newspaper editorials devoted to the supposed decadence or utopianism of the period. He went on to point out that most people in Britain carried on living ordinary lives, bound by drudgery and wages, far removed from the free-for-all glamour of Carnaby Street. Similarly, Francis Wheen started his book The Sixties (1982) by arguing that a corrective is needed to the rose-coloured memories that distance can easily create. And in 1992, in a new preface for his pioneering book The Neophiliacs, Christopher Booker argued that the Sixties have been idealised into a kind of lost golden age. The dream aspect of the Sixties has been preserved, while their darker side has slipped from view. So there has been no shortage of works claiming that the Sixties were not all they have been cracked up to be. Nevertheless, Virginia Nicholson makes a good job of it, concentrating on the way in which women were, more often than not, the victims of the hippy free love ethos, and the unwitting slaves of sexual liberation. In the heart of Swinging London, women were forced to grin and bear it. Joan Bakewell recalls being groped under her desk by the archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler while she was interviewing him live on television. For Virginia Ironside, the permissive society was absolutely grisly for women. I remember the Sixties as an endless round of miserable promiscuity. It often seemed easier, and, believe it or not, more polite, to sleep with a man than to chuck him out of your flat. In her own book about the Sixties, Jenny Diski complained: The idea that rape was having sex with someone who didnt want to do it didnt apply very much in the late Sixties. On the basis that no means no, I was raped several times by men who arrived in my bed and wouldnt take no for an answer. Art schools are often seen as the cradles of Sixties emancipation, but Nicholsons interviewees suggest otherwise. In 1967, when the pop artist Jann Haworth applied to the Slade, she wondered whether she should submit her work, only to be told: We dont really need to see portfolios of the women students. We just need to see their photographs because theyre here to keep the boys happy. Accordingly, Virginia Nicholson describes 1967 as a year of extremes, but, then again, which year isnt? Its as meaningless a phrase as that perennial travel writers cliche that Tokyo, Taunton or Timbuktu is a city of contrasts. Sometimes, she overstates. Can there have been another period in British history when men felt permitted to treat women with such crass contempt? she asks, adding: In 1966, many of the protective fences of gallantry, honour, virtue and chastity had been torn down, leaving a landscape denuded of moral signposting. IT'S A FACT Famous ex-Bunny Girls include Debbie Harry, model Lauren Hutton, Python actress Carol Cleveland and US federal judge Kimba Wood. Advertisement Yet, a hundred years before, there were 80,000 prostitutes in London alone, which suggests that honour and gallantry have long been in short supply. Might not Nicholsons outrage on behalf of women be just as easily applied to those lesser-known Sixties the 1860s? Or how about the Thirties? In her preface to The Thirties: An Intimate History, Juliet Gardiner described the Thirties as a decade that haunts us today with the magnitude of its problems, the paucity of its solutions, the dreadfulness of its ending, while snaring us with the boldness of its political and social experiments, the earnestness of its blueprints, the yearnings of its young and the sheer glamour of its design. This is eerily similar to Nicholsons verdict on the Sixties. Who knows? Perhaps it is impossible to write a book about something as vague and all-embracing as a decade. Contradictions will abound, unless the writer is so crafty as to lack all integrity. Nicholson finds plenty of women who remember the Sixties with a shudder, but is honest enough to include quite a few who recall them with a loving sigh. For instance, her entertaining account of the advent of Hugh Hefners Playboy Club in Park Lane in 1966 contains eye-stretching details, almost unbelievable from todays more puritanical vantage point. Playboy invited Englands most beautiful and charming young ladies to send their photographs to a Bunny Mother. The six winners were then required to wait at table wearing ears, a cotton-wool tail and a tight pink corset. We had a wire brush for our tails and you brushed it till it got bigger and bigger, recalls, a former Bunny Girl, Pat Quinn, who now, we are told, runs a quaint bed-and-breakfast in the south of England. All the Bunny Girls were flown to Chicago to be instructed in the art of the bunny dip, which involved curtseying sexily without spilling a drop of the customers Martini. It was a way of serving the drinks so that the bourbon hit the table before the boobie did! recalls another Bunny Girl. To modern ears, this may all sound very creepy, but Nicholsons interviewees are having none of it. I loved being a rabbit, says Pat, while her colleague Patsy says: I know feminists would be appalled but we didnt feel that way It was a job, it was good pay and all I can tell you is that it was FUN. It really was. Fun, fun, fun. As the book progresses, all the usual suspects Mandy Rice-Davies, Twiggy, Mary Whitehouse, Sindy the doll you love to dress are rounded up, but Nicholson concentrates her benevolent focus on those women the majority who were never described as chicks or birds, because they were out of the swing. A nanny from the Highlands who came to work for a rich family on the Kings Road in Chelsea remembers Scottish dancing at a local church being the highlight of her week. The working-class Edinburgh mother of a Thalidomide baby provides eloquent and moving testimony to a life of great fortitude and real, unswinging, love. One or two small areas in the book are a little wonky. To demonstrate the male domination of television, Nicholson mentions Dads Army, but fails to mention The Liver Birds. And dealing with Till Death Us Do Part, she describes Alf Garnetts wife Else as unfathomably stupid, but that is not how I remember her at all: Alf Garnett would rant in his ignorance about this, that, and the other. Else would then sigh, and retort with a wonderfully crushing put-down before getting back to her ironing. Easter is a big deal at Smith Towers. My eldest daughter celebrates her 14th birthday today and next Sunday, what we cook for our Easter roast is the hottest topic this week. For me its got to be a scrumptious lamb, but which wine will do it justice? For an all-rounder, I love Beaujolais, especially bottles from Moulin-A-Vent or Morgon. Gamay is usually a silky light grape but both of these Crus offer decent depth of flavour and taste. For richer reds, southern French blends such as Minervois or Saint-Chinian are laced with herby aromas locals call garrigue. Off the beaten track, the Corsican red Im recommending from The Wine Society is a corker with lamb Ive already ordered it. Or for a safe choice, good old Spanish Rioja will do the trick, but branch out into Aussie Grenache too for quality and value. Who could have known how many lives Louise Brown would impact? asks Alexandra Heminsley Lesley and John Brown with louise, now 41, at Oldham General Hospital Louise Brown, the first baby born as a result of IVF, arrived to international fascination and hospital corridors lined with policemen. I was just a baby then but its only now, as a mother with a one-year-old son conceived by IVF, that Im aware of how much I owe to her family and the doctors who worked so hard to bring that joy. Physiologist Robert Edwards and his gynaecologist colleague Patrick Steptoe had no idea of the impact their research into fertilising human eggs would have when they began it in the 60s. They were refused a grant by the Medical Research Council and had to operate outside of the NHS, but were convinced they could help couples struggling to conceive. That the procedure worked even once feels miraculous; that it is almost commonplace today is extraordinary. Back then, the process was exceptionally controversial shrouded in secrecy and viewed with intense suspicion, prompting protests and headlines. What came to be an almost magical last chance for many infertile would-be parents was then talked about as immoral in some quarters, including the scientific community. But I am forever grateful they persevered. Everyone who has been through it knows its tough: a physical endurance test and emotional assault course with no guaranteed result. More than 300,000 babies have been born by IVF in the UK since Louise Brown. It is a triumph of hope over suffering; today much of the stigma has lifted. It has even levelled the playing field for many in the LGBT+ community, those with disabilities or undergoing chemotherapy. My son who shares Louises middle name of Joy owes much to those who went before me, who tried new drugs, agreed to invasive procedures and dealt with heartbreak, often in silence as they waited for scientists to refine their treatment. Thank you, from both of us. Martina Navratilova Also that month Fifty years on from the legendary Woodstock festival, Jeannette Kupfermann reveals what it was really like to be there and why it was a uniquely magical moment in history Cheeky! Woodstock festivalgoers shed their inhibitions and much more Having finally fished the photos out of the old fading album, I showed them to my daughter Mina: Im jealous! she exclaimed. You were actually in the coolest place on the planet at the coolest time in history. Well, you and your brother Elias were there, too, even if you dont remember. They had been just four and two at the time and were bundled in the back of our blue VW campervan as we edged our way along muddy back roads to the outer perimeters of the Woodstock festival in 1969. Were you and dad hippies then? Mina asked teasingly. I could hear her thinking, Not you, surely you dont know a thing about pop music beyond Elvis or the Beatles. So how had my late husband Jacques and I landed at the free stage of the Woodstock festival? How did we end up with thousands of other young people sitting in wet clothes in a giant mud bath in upstate New York? Jeannette at the Woodstock festival, 1969: I stripped down to a bikini that was as far as I went The skies may have opened I recall rather terrifying thunder and lightning but there was a definite sense of electricity on the ground, too. Everyone seemed to be on one big high as they shed their inhibitions along with their clothes at what has gone down in history as the grooviest music event ever. We may have had no inkling then of its later cultural significance but it was fun. Aged 28 that August, I was a middle-class girl from Londons Golders Green who loved ballet, books and classical music; Jacques was an American expressionist painter. We had moved to Woodstock in 1965 when I was five months pregnant. Wed both fallen in love with the idyllic village set in mountains and woods, just 90 or so miles from New York City; it seemed an ideal place to raise a family. Everyone was so friendly leaving baby clothes and gifts on our front lawn, eager to spot Elias in the magnificent Marmet pram my mother had brought over on the Queen Mary. (Is that a real English baby carriage? theyd ask. There was an interest in everything English in those days.) Jacques and I may have looked the part with our long hair, headbands and beads; may have eaten macrobiotic brown rice (the craze at the time); gone UFO spotting (ditto), and put up with the cloyingly sweet smell of incense burning everywhere but we were boringly bourgeois when it came to participating in some of the wilder mores of the time. (I didnt smoke, drink or experiment with magic mushrooms.) That said, we were very much part of the Woodstock scene: the constant parties, with Jacques playing folk tunes on his guitar and me a bit of a curiosity as the new English girl on the block. We were interested in New-Age ideas, alternative medicine and getting back to nature. This was the era of handmade everything, at least in Woodstock toys, furniture and, ultimately, even houses, with everyone laying foundations and raising roofs. Like most people around us, we were more counterculture than hippie insisting on everything being natural, from childbirth to unbleached cotton; breastfeeding quite openly, making baby food by hand in a food mill. Even then we were extremely aware of the way mankind was damaging the planet. In these gentler days, love really was in the air The village of Woodstock, where we lived, was actually 60 miles from farmer Max Yasgurs hay field in Bethel, Sullivan County, where the festival took place. It was called Woodstock because its organisers thought it had a bucolic ring to it, plus Woodstock village was where one of its organisers, Michael Lang, as well as Bob Dylan and a host of other musicians lived. Though Woodstock had held smaller festivals from its early days as a small arts and crafts colony at the turn of the 20th century, the inhabitants freaked out at the idea of a massive rock festival. I remember everyone talking about it and resolving not to go anywhere near it, appalled that anything so commercial should mar the artistic reputation of the village. Even Bob Dylan himself didnt want anything to do with it. One of the reasons was that he didnt like the number of hippies turning up outside his home smoking pot and tripping: not the usual eccentric arty Woodstock characters but a new breed of bedraggled kids flocking there from the West Coast, guitars in hand, long skirts trailing. Suddenly Woodstock was where it was at: hippie-dippy central. Word had got round about Cafe Espresso where the likes of Joan Baez and Pete Seeger would sing on a regular basis (Cafe Depresso, some called it). Jeannettes husband Jacques and baby Elias in 1965 the year the family moved to Woodstock Ill never forget how taken aback I was the first time I came across a rather scruffy bespectacled couple in the main street who, without warning, dropped their backpacks, ripped off their clothes and proceeded to go at it hammer and tongs as a small crowd gathered. Id never witnessed anything quite so blatant and in broad daylight with children present! in our pretty, usually quiet village centre; it made me feel almost violated. Although many came to see Dylan, few actually got to glimpse him. I bumped into him quite by chance one winters day in 1967 with deep snow on the ground. Initially I hadnt a clue who he was, but I guessed this rather dazzling figure with a fur hat perched on wild frizzy hair, aquiline nose, shades and dressed spectacularly from head to toe in blonde suede had to be someone. This vision in suede was holding up a big poster announcing a gig. Does anyone know how to put this up? he asked, at which I piped up, Paper cement you can buy it at the art store. Then I looked a little more closely at him and the poster he was holding and, feeling abashed, I mumbled, Youre him and thats your band He nodded, asked who I was, said, See you around and I trudged home through the snow, cheeks flushed, to tell Jacques. The family home in Woodstock, their VW campervan outside When the word got out about the big festival being planned, everyone protested and tried to stop it. No one wanted a big venture on their doorstep, which was probably why in spite of its eventual size Woodstock was strangely noncommercial. It ended up unticketed with few provisions made to feed people, virtually no merchandising and clowns helping the small number of police (yes, actual clowns part of the Hog Farm, a collective of peace activists and entertainers who offered to keep order using cream pies and soda siphons to squirt at people). For the local population it was almost a nonevent. It was certainly not talked about with any of the near-religious fervour that characterised it later on, when many whod been there (or seen the famous documentary released in 1970) started to regard it as the turning point of their lives. It was viewed as a watershed moment in history, a collective love-in that had ushered in the Age of Aquarius a new freedom and a release from all the constrictions of the past (although others would later cast a more jaundiced eye over it, seeing it as a sex, drugs and rock n roll fest a symbol of the breakdown of authority, decency and traditional values). I bumped into Bob Dylan by chance. Youre him, I said. He nodded Jacques and I originally had no intention of going. But the weekend of the festival we were visiting his cousin Helen who was staying in a holiday home in Swan Lake, Sullivan County, just nine miles from Bethel, where those escaping the insufferable New York City humidity sat around the pool and played cards all day. Bored rigid, we both jumped at Helens proposal to look in on the festival. This was easier said than done as the roads were clogged and we decided to bump along fields crosscountry in the VW bus with our cousins and two babes in the back. At least Helen had equipped us better than most with two big salamis, hunks of rye bread and a flask of iced tea. (Jewish mothers saved the day even, it was rumoured, delivering dry clothes for their little darlings sitting in the mud as the skies opened, and the women from the Monticello Jewish Community Centre Womens Auxiliary prepared over 3,000 sandwiches.) Im still not sure how we made it to the periphery of Tent City but once there we decided to enjoy the free stage and various happenings in the woods (juggling, tumbling, stilts, poetry readings plus, of course, the clown carryings-on) rather than attempt to go near the amphitheatre strewn with some 300,000 bodies and more streaming in through the liberated fences covered in peace signs. Ill never forget the stench from the Port-O-San toilets in the steaming heat. I rolled up my bellbottoms and eventually stripped down to a bikini (that was as far as I went though there seemed to be a collective madness for nudity) and splashed around in the Crystal Pond in the nearby woods, then looked for a childrens playground and found it full of adult-sized kids hogging the swings and roundabouts. The whole place seemed to be one big theatre with everyone from a guitarist to a stripper giving an impromptu performance. And you could always watch American flags being burned (remember, this was probably more about ending the Vietnam war than the music) or join in some yoga exercises. Even some of the big stars came down to the free stage to perform. Joan Baez sang with her usual sweet intensity. We Shall Overcome sent everyone into a frenzy, while Swing Low, Sweet Chariot was the highlight for me as Id heard her sing it several times before in the village. Jeannette with Elias: I was a middle-class girl from Golders Green but very much part of the Woodstock scene I was keen to keep the children happy and worried about how we would make our way back. You had to avert your eyes every few minutes to avoid the public lovemaking and there were kids tripping their brains out (mainly floating around spaced out) in the woods. Id seen that near our village too, where a druggy atmosphere had started to take over it was mainly pot and LSD but it bothered me. I certainly did not want my children to be exposed to it, which was one of the reasons we decided in spite of loving much about the Woodstock community to return to England in 1970. I cant claim that living through the festival really changed my life though living in Woodstock certainly did. I totally fitted in with other slightly offbeat free spirits there, and I went on to develop many of my alternative interests later in the UK especially those concerned with healing and natural childbirth. If anything, the Woodstock experience gave me a terrific aversion to violence and hard drugs, because for all their madness these really were gentler days, and in spite of our protest songs, long hair and the odd joint, we were innocents. Whatever its eventual meaning, the saying love and peace was taken literally by most. The atmosphere was good-natured, love genuinely was in the air and its said that some 10,000 marriages resulted from those three days. You only have to compare it to any mass gathering today to see the difference. There was virtually no violence despite very little policing and frustrating conditions. It represented a brief period in time when life and its possibilities seemed endless; when young people thought they could change the world by putting on rainbow finery, singing alongside Joe Cocker and making the peace sign; when optimism and civility in spite of rebellion still reigned. Those were halcyon years for me. I loved our life in Woodstock, where natural beauty, creativity and exciting new ideas all seemed to come together. But the festival itself was ultimately a bit of a blip and a blur a weird and wonderful outing to the woods, with the voices of Janis, Joan and all the others blowing in the wind. The Ghost Orchid is Britain's most endangered plant. It was last seen in 2009 in a Herefordshire woodland An orchid that hasnt been seen since 2009, a plant with 200 purple flowers on its stem and a yellow shoot that cant use sunlight to make food have been named among the UKs rarest flora. British charity Plantlife has identified Britains 11 rarest plants in a campaign to raise awareness of their demise. Conservation efforts have so far focused on encouraging councils to cut roadside verges less often to allow endangered plants to go to seed, as well as encouraging Brits to look out for the elusive flora. The rarest plant in the UK is the Ghost Orchid, which was believed to be extinct for 23 years before being spotted in a Herefordshire woodland in 2009. Its spooky white flower hasnt been seen in the country since. It lives underground feeding off rotting leaves in very dark woodland and produces a pale flower, said Plantlife expert Dr Trevor Dines. Its so rare as its very sensitive to disturbance trampling and nitrogen deposition from rain. It needs to be a very very cold winter for it to appear. The Yellow Birds-nest is Britain's 11th most endangered plant. It is found growing among leaf litter in shaded woodland areas The Twinflower is the UK's ninth most endangered plant and a relic of the ice age Britains second rarest is the Red Helleborine, a woodland orchid that grows a 17-flower 23 inch stem. A loss of dark woodland habitat and its pollinators has left the species in trouble, according to Plantlife, and caused its population to tumble. The Spreading Bellflower, known from only 37 places in the Welsh borders and west Midlands, is Britains third most endangered. Its bright purple flowers used to appear in woodland edges and roadsides from July to November every year, but since woodland coppicing and hedge laying was reduced the plants numbers have plummeted. In the forest of Dean, Trevor only managed to find five plants despite a year of searching. Crested Cow-wheat, which has dazzling pink flowers, is the country's fourth most endangered plant, according to Plantlife. It now only grows in meadows Above are two of the UK's most endangered flowers. The Cotswold Pennycress (left) is the fifth most endangered and the Spreading Bellflower (right) is the third most endangered It comes and goes but the seed will be in the soil, he said. If theres a disturbance it will come up again. Crested Cow-wheat, which sprouts bright purple flowers with yellow lips every year in rocky hillside meadows and roadsides, was next on the list. The plant has been restricted to roadsides in recent years after overgrazing forced it from meadows and woodland management pushed it out of its old home. The Meadow Clary, which produces towers of purple flowers, declined in the 1950s when it was smothered by other plants when there was less animal grazing. It is now seen in 21 areas in southern England, where it was probably accidentally re-introduced from wild seed packets. The Lesser Butterfly-orchid (right) has been lost from 75 per cent of its sites in the UK since records began. The Lady Orchid (left) grows on the edge of woodland and in grassland The Lesser Butterfly-orchid is also struggling along with its hawkmoth pollinators, that help fertilise its seeds. The flower has a spur at the back containing nectar which can only be pollinated by these big insects, and as they decline the plant continues to struggle. The Yellow Birds-nest, a plant that cant make food from sunlight, has been labelled the 11th most endangered in the UK. Only growing in dark leaflitter, it relies on fungus to provide its food. The iconic shoots, that look a bit like bishops hooks, began to decline in the 1930s due to a loss of its vital woodland habitats. The One-flowered Wintergreen (left) grows in pine forests while the Meadow Clary (right) prefers open meadows The Lesser Butterfly-orchid, seen growing here in a meadow, is Britain's tenth most endangered plant. It grows thick stems that produce a head of pink flowers Many of these plants are so endangered due to their specialist nature. Some of us are very gregarious and we go everywhere. We love travelling and exploring and seeing the world. Other people are very conservative in their life and only like living in a particular range of conditions, and not going outside and eating certain meals. The same is with plants,' said Trevor. Some have a wide ecological tolerance so they can occupy lots of areas in Britain, but these are very very rare - they can only occupy certain ecological conditions. Crested Cow-wheat, for example, thats a road verge plant found in Essex on a couple of road verges. If theyve been mown too often then the plant doesnt have a chance to set seed and has now disappeared. A subtle change in management can stop these plants from completely disappearing. The Meadow Clary, and Lesser Butterfly-orchid, also all occur on verges so it shows how important it is to manage them well. UK drinks company Fentimans has launched a menu of cocktails, inspired by the colours and flavours of the rarest plants, to help raise awareness. The Save the Botanicals menu will be launched over the Easter bank holiday at bars in Sheffield, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh and London. A spokesperson for Fentimans said: 'We realise theres a vast amount of plants out there that are under threat and require our help 'We have partnered with PlantLife and some of the UKs best bars to raise awareness of the country's most endangered botanicals through a series of specially curated cocktails, all inspired by these rare species.' New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Friday signed legislation permitting terminally ill patients to end their lives. Murphy, a Democrat, signed the Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act in private. His office would not answer why the signing was not public. The law goes into effect in August. It requires that two doctors sign off on the request, that the patient be deemed an adult resident of New Jersey, who can make such a decision and who voluntarily expresses a wish to die. It requires patients to request the medication twice and says they must be given a chance to rescind the decision. At least one of the requests must be in writing and signed by two witnesses. At least one witness cannot be a relative, entitled to any portion of the person's estate, the owner of the health care facility where the patient is getting treatment or a worker there, or be the patient's doctor. In this photo provided by the New Jersey Office of the Governor, N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy signs the Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act Friday, April 12, 2019 Under the law, patients must administer the drug to themselves, and his or her attending physician would be required to offer other treatment options, including palliative care. Supporters say the law lets qualified patients decide to end their lives in a dignified manner. He earlier indicated he would support the bill, but in a personal statement, Murphy - a lifelong Catholic - revealed that he wrestled with whether to sign the legislation. The state's Catholic Conference testified against the measure. 'I have concluded that, while my faith may lead me to a particular decision for myself, as a public official I cannot deny this alternative to those who may reach a different conclusion,' Murphy wrote. 'I believe this choice is a personal one and, therefore, signing this legislation is the decision that best respects the freedom and humanity of all New Jersey residents.' Patrick Brannigan, the executive director of New Jersey's Catholic Conference, disagreed. In a written statement, Brannigan said he understood the bill's supporters wanted to act out of compassion, but the measure fails that test. 'The finest expression of compassion is loving care that reduces or eliminates physical pain, psychological distress, depression and hopelessness - not providing someone with lethal drugs to end their life,' he said. Under New Jersey's law, only patients who are irreversibly terminally ill and have a prognosis of six months or less to live could acquire medication to end their lives. STATES WHICH ALLOW ASSISTED SUICIDE FOR THE TERMINALLY ILL California Oregon Colorado Hawaii Vermont Washington District of Columbia New Jersey Advertisement Lawmakers have tried since at least 2012 to advance the legislation. The effort got some attention in New Jersey in 2014 when a 29-year-old California woman drew news coverage after she and her husband moved to Portland, Oregon, so she could use that state's law to end her life on her own terms. Brittany Maynard, 29, was terminally ill with brain cancer. Her husband, Dan Diaz, praised New Jersey on Friday, saying residents wouldn't have to leave their homes 'to secure the option of a gentle dying process.' Oregon in 1997 was the first state to provide an end-of-life option. California's law went into effect in 2016. The New Jersey legislation includes measures that legislators called 'safeguards.' Opponents, including the state's Catholic Conference, say that the measure hurts the most vulnerable, and the state should instead work to improve its health care system. 'With the signing of this bill to legalize assisted suicide, many vulnerable New Jerseyans are now at risk of deadly harm through mistakes, coercion, and abuse,' said Matt Valliere, executive director of the Patients Rights Action Fund, an advocacy group opposed to such legislation. The measure passed the Democrat-led Assembly 41-33, with four abstentions. It cleared the Democrat-controlled Senate 21-16. In addition to California and Oregon, Colorado, Hawaii, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia all have similar legislation. Montana does not have a law permitting medically assisted suicide for the terminally ill. However, a 2009 Montana Supreme Court ruling determined that nothing in state law prevented a physician from prescribing such a drug to terminally ill person. Legislation proposing the separation of Chicago from Illinois is intended to spark discussion about the overarching influence of the city in state politics, not actually lead to the creation of the 51st state, according to a central Illinois lawmaker who sponsored the measure. GOP state Rep C.D. Davidsmeyer, the bill 's sponsor, said the proposal would urge US Congress to make the nation's third-largest city its own state, the State Journal-Register reported. 'It's more of a frustration of the policies than the true belief that Chicago and Illinois would be better off as separate states,' Davidsmeyer said. 'I don't believe that Chicago and the state of Illinois should be separated. Our relationship is mutually beneficial.' Chicago needs to recognize how its policies impact rural Illinois, Davidsmeyer added. 'The reality is, the city of Chicago is competing with New York City and LA and San Francisco, and (downstate is) competing against rural Indiana and rural Missouri,' he said. 'The policies that come down from Chicago are actually pushing our economic opportunity away.' Legislation proposing the separation of Chicago from Illinois is intended to spark discussion about the overarching influence of the city in state politics, not actually lead to the creation of the 51st state, according to a central Illinois lawmaker who sponsored the measure (file photo) GOP state Rep Brad Halbrook introduced the proposed measure in February. He co-sponsored a similar proposal last year that failed, and this year's attempt has even less of a chance of succeeding in the Democratic-controlled Legislature. Illinois Gov J.B. Pritzker and the leaders of the state House and Senate are all Democrats from Chicago. Halbrook said the city of 2.7 million people differs ideologically from the rural population downstate on matters such as abortion and gun rights. 'Our traditional family values seem to be under attack at every angle,' Halbrook said. 'We are trying to drive the discussion to get people at the table to say these are not our values down here.' Forming a new state from a portion of a current state requires endorsement from Congress and the state legislature, according to the US Constitution. 'When you have a large population center that seems to control the agenda for the rest of the state, it just kind of creates some issues,' Halbrook said. 'The Constitution gives us a pathway, so we'll see what happens.' Tension between urban and rural areas aren't exclusive to Illinois. The same has occurred in New York and California , according to a paper published last year by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University. John Jackson, a visiting professor at the institute and co-author of the paper, said it's odd that the bitterness has persisted for so long in Illinois. 'We ought to have leaders who get together and coalesce for the good of the state,' Jackson said. 'The idea of this being a total zero-sum kind of game, that mentality "you win, I've got to lose", seems to be the mentality many have. That's just not the case. The state needs to prosper together.' Three young women who took part in a public sex romp in an inner-Brisbane street as children watched on will not be charged over the 'vulgar' act. The women were caught on CCTV cameras on March 3 engaging in lewd sex acts on a James St footpath in Fortitude Valley, in daylight hours. Police claim they have no reason to charge them, despite the public sex being in full view of elderly couples, parents with prams and nearby hospitality workers. The sex act lasted about 10 minutes before the police swooped in on the women. Queensland cops will not be charging three women over a 'vulgar' public sex act in an inner-Brisbane street But instead of charging the almost semi-naked trio, officers - seen in footage addressing one woman with exposed breasts and the second straddling the third - helped them dress and sent them on their way in an Uber. Queensland Law Society president, Bill Potts, said laying charges was at the discretion of police. But he also noted the video evidence would constitute at least a public nuisance offence. 'People are entitled to enjoy their lunch or enjoy the use of public spaces without being forced to watch that type of behaviour,' Mr Potts said. Queensland Law Society president, Bill Potts, said laying charges are at the discretion of police According to a Queensland Police spokesman, the officers had 'nothing they could charged the women with.' 'They did not witness what is by definition willful exposure,' The Courier Mail reported. 'You cannot see the women's genitalia, hence they did not witness an offence.' The police spokeman also said that the police would only investigate if a formal complaint was made. One man who had witnessed the public romp said it was 'completely vulgar.' Another witness revealed that he had seen people get charged for lesser crimes, such as public urination. An Indianapolis-based company has issued a recall for melon products sold in 16 states after being linked to a salmonella outbreak. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday that the recall includes cut watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe produced by Caito Foods LLC. Authorities say 93 people have been sickened, 23 of whom were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. More than 100 brand names of pre-cut, packaged fruit products sold by Caito Foods LLC are subject to the recall (file photo) Walmart and Whole Foods are two of the retailers that carry Caito Foods LLC fruits that are being recalled due to a salmonella outbreak (file photo) The fruit has been sold under various brands or labels at Kroger, Walmart, Trader Joe's, Target and Whole Foods. According to the FDA website, over 100 different brands names are listed as subject to the recall. The affected states are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Health officials advise consumers to check packaging to determine if the melon was distributed by Caito Foods, and, if so, not to eat it. They advise stores to pull the products from shelves. Fruit sits on display inside a Whole Foods Market in New York in this file photo. The various melons and mixed fruit products being recalled can be found in stores 16 states (file photo) 'Because it is possible that products could still be on store shelves, this recall extends to both retailers and consumers,' the FDA posted. 'Consumers should not consume the product and should promptly dispose of any remaining product.' Caito Foods temporarily suspended production and distribution as both the company and the FDA investigate the possible contamination. Salmonella Carrau is 'an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems,' the FDA states, but is also described as rare. An American flag graphic on the side of freshly painted police cars is dividing a small coastal city in Southern California. Some people in Laguna Beach feel the flag design is too aggressive while others are astonished that anyone would object to the American flag, The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday. The city council will decide at its Tuesday meeting whether to keep the logo or choose an alternative. An American flag graphic on the side of freshly painted police cars has created controversy in Laguna Beach, California, as some residents feel the patriotic design is too aggressive while others are astonished that anyone would object to the star-spangled banner Artist Carrie Woodburn said at a March council meeting that it was 'shocking to see the boldness of the design' when the newly painted Ford Explorers rolled out. 'We have such an amazing community of artists here, and I thought the aesthetic didn't really represent our community,' Woodburn said. 'It feels very aggressive.' Designer Chris Prelitz remarked: 'Folks thought it was a SWAT team, federal agents. So it had a very striking, strong impact, so much so that I think there might be some unintended consequences.' But attorney Jennifer Welsh Zeiter said that she found the police cars 'exceptional' and questioned the loyalty of anyone who objected to the American flag display. Critics are so blinded by their hatred of President Donald Trump, she said, 'that they cannot see through their current biases to realize that a police vehicle with the American flag is the ultimate American expression'. City Councilman Peter Blake said he was also caught off-guard by the backlash, telling the LA Times: 'People are screaming that the American flag on a police car is somehow or another ... hurting peoples feelings who might be immigrants or visitors. 'People are actually ridiculous enough to bring up comments about our cop cars having American flags on them.' The city council agreed in February to repaint its all-white squad cars in black and white with the stars and stripes running through the word 'police' on the doors. The police department has 11 squad cars. The proposed graphic that the council unanimously approved in February was a more muted version of the design that now appears on the cars. Laguna Beach has about 23,000 people and is 55 miles south of Los Angeles. A heavily tattooed ex-Bandido bikie is to be deported back home to New Zealand after a stint in jail following a string of violent crimes. Emil Tangaroa, 32, is being held in immigration detention and is expected to be deported this week, leaving his fiancee and three children behind. Tangaroa took to Facebook on Wednesday to thank his partner for sticking by him 'through the good and bad, love you baby'. He is the latest of roughly 200 foreign-born former and current bikies thrown out of Australia in the last 18 months. Emil Tangaroa, 32, is to be deported back home to New Zealand after a stint in jail following a string of violent crimes Tangaroa was one of 27 bikies who stormed a Gold Coast restaurant in the hunt for a gang rival in 2014. A brawl broke out inside the Broadbeach venue in front of horrified customers, resulting in a number of arrests. Furious gang members later made their way to Southport police station and demanded officers release some of their arrested mates. At the time Tangaroa pleaded guilty to rioting and was sentenced to 150 hours community service. Just over a year later he took part in a violent home invasion and was arrested again. In that incident Tangaroa and an accomplice bashed a man in front of his 13-year-old son, demanding money and drug contacts. The attack was slammed as despicable and cowardly by Cairns Supreme Court judge Jim Henry and Tangaroa was sentenced to four years in jail. The ex-Bandido is being held in immigration detention and is expected to be deported this week Tangaroa's upcoming deportation is part of a process started in December 2014, when the Australian government amended its immigration laws. The changes meant Australian visas could be cancelled on the grounds of a strict 'character' test. Foreigners may be deported from the country if they have served 12 months of more in prison of if immigration officials believe they pose a threat to Australia. By 2018, almost 1,300 of those deported were New Zealanders, which amounts to more than half of the total deportations. A baby sleeper linked to more than 30 infant deaths in the US has been recalled in Australia. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will work with Mattel's Fisher Price to recall the company's Rock 'n Play baby sleepers, an ACCC spokeswoman said on Saturday afternoon. The announcement follows the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recalling 4.7 million Fisher-Price Rock 'N Play sleepers - advising parents to immediately stop using the product. A baby sleeper linked to more than 30 infant deaths in the US has been recalled in Australia 'Mattel has confirmed to the ACCC today that it will conduct a voluntary recall of the Fisher Price Rock n play in Australia,' the consumer watchdog said in a statement. 'The ACCC will work with Mattel to publish the recall as soon as possible.' A recent investigation found 32 infants had died while using the sleeper since the product was introduced in 2009. 'Infant fatalities have occurred in Rock 'N Play Sleepers after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side, while unrestrained or under other circumstances,' the US consumer safety agency said. Australia's safe sleep guidelines state a baby should be placed on their back to sleep on a firm, clean and flat mattress with no loose bedding or other items nearby. Jeremy Corbyn has privately expressed concern that evidence of anti-Semitism in Labour has been 'mislaid or ignored', according to reports. The Labour leader made the comments during a secretly recorded meeting with MP Dame Margaret Hodge, the Sunday Times said. Mr Corbyn was speaking in February as he outlined his intention to appoint former Cabinet minister Lord Falconer to review the party's complaints process, the newspaper said. Jeremy Corbyn was spotted leaving his home for a cycle ride today after it emerged that he privately expressed fears that his party had ignored evidence of anti-Semitism The newspaper quoted Mr Corbyn saying: 'The point of him (Falconer) is that he will look at the speed of dealing with cases, the administration of them, and the collation of the evidence before it is put before appropriate panels and things. 'Because I was concerned that evidence was either being mislaid, ignored or not used and that there had to be some better system.' The Labour leader also said he had been the target of abuse, according to the newspaper. It reported Mr Corbyn as saying: 'You see, I get a huge amount of abusive stuff, mostly, some of it's quite threatening, you know, murder and stuff.' Jeremy Corbyn (pictured) expressed concerns that evidence was being ignored or mislaid in a meeting with the Barking MP Former Cabinet minister Lord Falconer has also called for more to be done to tackle anti-Semitism in the party. The ex-lord chancellor, who has been asked by the party leadership to hold an investigation into anti-Semitism, told the BBC: 'I think this is a very, very real threat to the party. 'How can you convince people that you are a serious, moral, decent party if you are anti-Semitic? 'How can you claim to be an alternative Government if you are anti-Semitic? 'We have to do something about it.' A Labour spokesman said the party takes allegations of anti-Semitism seriously. He said: 'This shows Jeremy Corbyn's desire to make procedures as robust and efficient as possible and to rebuild trust with the Jewish community. 'We don't comment on staffing matters. Complaints are being handled in the usual way. 'The Labour Party takes all complaints of anti-Semitism extremely seriously and we are committed to challenging and campaigning against it in all its forms. Lord Falconer (left) was appointed by Mr Corbyn to review Labours complaints process. The leader was heard saying he worried that alleged anti-Semitism was being ignored in a meeting with Margaret Hodge (right) 'All complaints about anti-Semitism are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.' Referring to the recording, a Labour Party source said: 'Before Jennie Formby became general secretary, we were alarmed that at times it seemed that former compliance unit staffers were targeting Jewish activists not in breach of rules, while obstructing action on clear-cut cases of anti-Semitism.' But Corbyn's comments came a year into Formby's tenure. It emerged last week that Formby had secretly suspended an official accused of being a whistleblower on Labour's handling of racism. The news surfaced as Corbyn was busy arguing that the UK should block any attempt to extradite WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange. The recorded remarks came a year into the tenure of the party's general secretary Jennie Formby (pictured with Jeremy Corbyn) The junior Labour Party staff member was stripped of their security pass and escorted off the headquarters on Tuesday. It came after leaked emails revealed that Corbyn had failed to discipline hundreds of party members accused of anti-Semitism. One senior source said that the whistleblower might have committed criminal offences. But the person they identified to The Times was not the paper's whistleblower on Corbyn's latest remarks. And the party member's suspension means that there are now no permanent staff members dealing with alleged racism and misogyny. The party has seconded two members of Corbyn's office to the complaints unit team. Last night a Labour MP told the paper it was 'sickening' that the party leader spent the week defending an alleged rapist as a whistleblower, only to crack down on whistleblowing in his own party. They added that his hypocrisy knows no bounds. 28-year-old Chet Jack Wadsworth Maley had been found guilty of murder and decide to punch his attorney in the head while in court A Tucson man who had just been convicted of murder in the stabbing death of his girlfriend waited until jurors left the courtroom before turning and punching one of his defense lawyers in the side of the head. Sheriff's deputies then wrestled 28-year-old Chet Jack Wadsworth Maley to the floor as additional deputies ran into the courtroom on Friday. When court resumed, Maley wasn't in court while paramedics arrived to tend to his attorney, Craig Kessler. The judge presiding over the case then granted a motion by another defense lawyer to allow public defenders to withdraw as Maley's counsel. They appointed a contracted attorney to represent Maley in his May 13 sentencing in the killing of his girlfriend, 29-year-old Roxanne Ortiz and in an assault case stemming from the courtroom attack. Maley was found guilty in the killing of his girlfriend, 29-year-old Roxanne Ortiz, pictured. Ortiz's autopsy revealed stab wounds to her neck, stomach and side Maley was first arrested in November 2016 hours after stabbing Ortiz. Witnesses saw the couple arguing outside a convenience store before a man fitting Maley's description was caught on surveillance video. Ortiz's autopsy revealed stab wounds to her neck, stomach and side. 'Roxanne's dying breath was 'help me, I'm dying,' Deputy Pima County Attorney Michelle Chamblee said. 'She said it repeatedly as she laid there on the grass bleeding from her neck.' Witnesses saw both Ortiz and Maley arguing at a Tucson Circle K store On Friday, Maley stood quietly while the clerk read out the verdicts in the case. No sooner had the jury left the courtroom, Maley turned and punched Kessler in the side of the head. Deputies immediately wrestled Maley to the ground with their weapons drawn. Deputies raced into the courtroom and attempted to subdue Maley who continued to struggle and resist. Paramedics arrived shortly after to tend to Kessler, who had a large scrape on the left side of his head. A new attorney will be representing Maley when he is finally sentenced next month. Embattled television host Andrew O'Keefe has stepped away from filming his game show to work through personal issues. The 47-year-old former Weekend Sunrise host will take a month away from his professional commitments with The Chase to address his 'emotional exhaustion'. 'Andrew O'Keefe is currently taking some time off from his demanding and busy schedule to regroup and work through some personal issues,' his manager Mark Klemens told The Daily Telegraph. 'Over the past year or so AOK has had to come to terms with his marriage breakdown among a range of other issues. He is emotionally exhausted to say the least and needs this break.' O'Keefe is currently the host of the Australian version of The Chase, and formerly worked on Deal or No Deal. Embattled television host Andrew O'Keefe has stepped away from filming his new show to work through personal issues that have plagued him for years In addition to the breakdown of his marriage, O'Keefe made headlines in March after he lashed out at a photographer while leaving court. O'Keefe was quick to deny he'd hit the photographer. 'Mate, if a photographer chooses to get in the way of my folder, that's the photographer's fault,' he told AAP. The 47-year-old had been pulled over driving a green 1968 MGB Mark II convertible about 40km/h in Old South Head Road, Vaucluse on September 3 last year. The 47-year-old former Weekend Today host will take a month away from his professional commitments to address his 'emotional exhaustion' (Pictured with his estranged wife Eleanor) O'Keefe, the host of the Seven Network's game show The Chase Australia, allegedly struck a news photographer with a folder full of documents when leaving Downing Centre Local Court Asked if the vehicle was registered, O'Keefe said it was in his estranged wife Eleanor's name. The registration had expired one month earlier. O'Keefe, who once worked as an intellectual property lawyer with Allens Arthur Robinson, pleaded guilty in court but explained he did not know the vehicle was unregistered. His current show with network seven, The Chase, will play reruns until he is back in the studio. Woman's Day published images of the then newly-separated TV personality kissing a mystery brunette during a night out in Tasmania in September 2018. The magazine reported that the video was filmed during a period when Andrew was 'partying for 48 hours'. 'I am not the only person who has gone out and had a big night and done things that in the light of day looks little silly,' O'Keefe said of the incident. He separated from his wife Eleanor in late 2017. Andrew O'Keefe, 46, was filmed kissing a mystery brunette woman during a night out in Hobart Jeremy Corbyn is set to take power due to Theresa May's failure to deliver Brexit by March 29, a polling analysis has revealed. A general election would see the Conservative Party losing 59 seats, meaning Mr Corbyn's party would be left the largest in the House of Commons, a Sunday Telegraph poll of polls claimed. President of the British Polling Council Professor Sir John Curtice said Brexiteers had been 'drawn back to either Ukip or Nigel Farage's newly launched Brexit Party'. Jeremy Corbyn could take power due to Theresa May's failure to deliver Brexit by March 29, a polling analysis revealed Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith and Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd are among those who would be at 'high risk' of losing their seats as anger among Tory voters over the Government's 'failure to deliver Brexit' sharpens, experts said. Other potential losses include Zac Goldsmith, Justine Greening and Stephen Crabb. An Electoral Calculus poll of polls, including 8,561 people spoken to between April 2 and 11, found that Labour would become the largest party in the Commons, winning 296 seats to the Conservatives' 259. A general election would see Mrs May's Conservative Party losing 59 seats Electoral Calculus founder Martin Baxter said: 'Theresa May is discovering why David Cameron really held the referendum. 'It wasn't to placate his own Eurosceptic MPs, instead it was to stop Conservative voters defecting to pro-Brexit parties.' Mr Baxter added that process seems to have restarted, with the Tories beginning to suffer for it. The data confirms the findings of another poll, released this weekend, which revealed that support for the Conservatives had sunk to its lowest level in six years - with pro-Leave parties, such as Nigel Farage's new Brexit Party, soaking up much of the dissatisfied voters. A YouGov poll for The Times predicted the Conservatives would win only 28 per cent of the vote in a general election, compared to Labour's estimated 32 per cent. The Brexit Party would score an impressive 8 per cent which, when combined with Mr Farage's former party Ukip on 6 per cent, means the ardently pro-Leave parties would be the country's third largest political force with 14 per cent of the vote. Nigel Farage told a packed auditorium in Birmingham: 'We are lions being led by donkeys' This would increase to a combined total of 29 per cent - 15 for the Brexit Party and 14 for Ukip - in potential European Parliament elections, compared to Labour's 24 per cent and the Tories' 16, according to the poll. Conservative Party lawyers ignited the possibility for a coup against Mrs May within months, as officials advised the party's 1922 Committee that the panel could rewrite the rules that stop MPs carrying out more than one vote of no confidence attempt each year, according to reports. The news comes after Nigel Farage yesterday whipped up hardline Eurosceptics as he vowed his new party would cause an earthquake among 'the career political class', telling a packed auditorium in Birmingham that 'we are lions being led by donkeys'. The former Ukip leader, who turned his back on the party for 'lacking good people', tore into the Government for its handling of Britain's departure, saying: 'I find myself standing here today in my sixth European election campaign. 'I shouldn't be here, you shouldn't be here, this shouldn't be happening, we should have left the European Union. 'But I'm damned if after 25 years I'm going to roll over and let these politicians do this to us! 'So let's fight back! Let's fight back! We won't stand for it! We won't stand for it!' Caycee Bregel, 25, who ran an animal rescue nonprofit out of home south of the Twin Cities, pleaded guilty on Friday to 13 counts of animal cruelty A Minnesota woman who was found to have 64 dead cats, 43 live cats, a 400-pound pig and other animals on her property has been sentenced. Caycee Bregel, 25, who ran an animal rescue nonprofit out of home south of the Twin Cities, pleaded guilty on Friday to 13 counts of animal cruelty. Bregel was ordered to serve 200 hours of community service, two years of probation and 90 days of electronic home monitoring. She must also receive a psychological examination. Bregel will not be permitted to own or care for pets. Court documents say complaints about the pig running loose led investigators to the house. They found numerous cats and dogs in poor health and said they emitted an 'overpowering smell of urine and feces.' Dead cats were found in shallow graves across the backyard, in freezers and refrigerators, and in the garage. The image above shows the unsanitary and unkempt conditions in the home Authorities found numerous cats and dogs in poor health and said they emitted an 'overpowering smell of urine and feces' On one occasion when authorities inspected the home, they found cats inside that were skin and bone. The criminal complaint alleged that Bregel operated a nonprofit called Minnesota Animal Rescue. Starting in 2017, she received animals as a foster partner with the Animal Humane Society, according to KSTP-TV. Between April 27 and May 9, 2018, authorities responded to the home she rented numerous times after neighbors complained of a loose pig. On one occasion when authorities inspected the home, they found cats inside that were skin and bone. Investigators returned to the home and found 43 living cats, 64 dead cats, a live guinea pig, and five live dogs Several animals evaluated by vets at the Animal Humane Society were found to have major health problems Officers also noticed that the home was unsanitary. They found a number of shallow graves in the backyard, which were dug for a number of dead animals. Investigators returned to the home and found 43 living cats, 64 dead cats, a live guinea pig, and five live dogs. Officers also found nine live cats, seven puppies, and a living dog at Bregels rescue business, which was also in Farmington. Several animals evaluated by vets at the Animal Humane Society were found to have major health problems. President Trump lashed out at The New York Times on Saturday over a report which claimed that last week he pressured the new acting head of Homeland Security to close the U.S.-Mexico border to migrants even though he said he would delay the move for a year. The president also took aim in his tweetstorm at the mayor of Oakland and sanctuary cities in the wake of other reports which claimed the administration was considering relocating ICE detainees in Democratic-run towns. Trump tweeted on Saturday: The New York Times Sanctuary Cities/Immigration story today was knowingly wrong on almost every fact. They never call to check for truth. Their sources often dont even exist, a fraud. They will lie & cheat anyway possible to make me look bad. In 6 years they will be gone........ President Trump unleashed a tweetstorm on Saturday in response to a New York Times report about his attempts to curb illegal immigration Trump slammed the Times for a story that was 'wrong on almost every fact' Trump said that the Times had to 'beg their fleeing subscribers for forgiveness' after the 2016 election Trump denied reports claiming that he offered pardons to Homeland Security officials who may get in trouble with the law by turning away asylum seekers at the border Trump also took aim at Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and other 'sanctuary cities' The president demanded that Democrats 'change the immigration laws fast' and that sanctuary cities 'take care of...gang members, drug dealers, human traffickers, and criminals of all shapes, sizes, and kinds' The Times story claimed that Trump leaned on Kevin McAleenan - who took over as acting Homeland Security secretary, succeeding Kirstjen Nielsen - to seal the border with Mexico. Earlier this month, Trump threatened to close the border with Mexico in an effort to keep out migrants seeking to enter the United States. But he took a step back from his threat, as pressure mounted from companies worried that a shutdown would cause chaos to supply chains. Closing the border could disrupt millions of legal crossings and billions of dollars in trade. The Times story claimed that Trump leaned on Kevin McAleenan - who took over as acting Homeland Security secretary - to seal the border with Mexico. Earlier this month, Trump threatened to close the border in an effort to keep out migrants seeking to enter the U.S. Auto companies have been warning the White House privately that it would lead to the idling of U.S. plants within days because they rely on prompt deliveries of components made in Mexico. Last week, it was reported that Trump told McAleenan, who was the head of Customs and Border Protection before he took over DHS in an acting capacity, that he 'would pardon him if he ever went to jail for denying U.S. entry to migrants,' according to CNN. In the next tweet on Saturday, Trump continued his attack on the Times. When I won the Election in 2016, the @nytimes had to beg their fleeing subscribers for forgiveness in that they covered the Election (and me) so badly. They didnt have a clue, it was pathetic. They even apologized to me. But now they are even worse, really corrupt reporting! Trump was referring to the Times' letter to its readers on November 13, 2016 - days after the former New York real estate mogul shocked the world and defeated Hillary Clinton in the elections. In the letter, Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr and executive editor Dean Baquet acknowledged that the newspaper may have underestimated Trump's chances to beat Clinton. Since Trump's election, however, the Times has seen a surge in the number of digital subscribers, contrary to the president's claim on Saturday. In his next tweet, Trump denied a story which appeared in Fridays New York Times claiming that he offered border patrol agents pardons if they were to ever run into legal trouble for turning away asylum seekers. Trump has been unable to stop a surge in migrant arrivals from Central America. The image above shows people in a caravan of migrants from Honduras as they arrive in Tapachula, Mexico The president tweeted: I never offered Pardons to Homeland Security Officials, never ordered anyone to close our Southern Border (although I have the absolute right to do so, and may if Mexico does not apprehend the illegals coming to our Border), and am not frustrated. SANCTUARY CITIES - WHAT AND WHERE Sanctuary cities - and states - are those which in broad terms protect illegal immigrants from deportation by federal authorities. There is no legal definition and no single set of laws - so agreeing which places are sanctuary cities or states is in itself contentious. But broadly, most sanctuary cities say that their police officers do not ask for immigration status, and do not report it to the federal authorities when they detain, arrest or process suspects. Most will also decline to detain illegal immigrants on requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless they are accused of serious crimes. The degree of seriousness varies from place to place. In New York, even a felony is no guarantee that an immigration detainer will be obeyed. California is the biggest single sanctuary area, with local law enforcement agencies banned by state law from using money, personnel or equipment to help federal immigration authorities act against illegal. While critics might say some places are sanctuary cities, local lawmakers often deny it. In Los Angeles, where cops are banned from stopping people solely on suspicion of being illegal, the mayor has rejected the label, and frequently co-operates with immigration agencies. Cities which identify as sanctuary include: Berkeley, California, since 1971 San Francisco, CA Boulder, Colorado Hartford, Connecticut St Petersburg, Florida Chicago, Illinois Urbana, IL Evanston, IL New Orleans, Louisiana Albany, New York Kalamazoo, Michigan Jersey City, New Jersey Newark, New Jersey New York, New York Portland, Oregon Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Seattle, Washington Cities accused of being sanctuary cities because of laws which limit co-operation with ICE, but which deny it include: Los Angeles, California Atlanta, Georgia Portland, Maine Baltimore, Maryland Boston, Massachusetts Detroit, Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Minneapolis, Minnesota Advertisement It is all Fake & Corrupt News! Trump then took aim at Oakland and its mayor, Libby Schaaf. The president tweeted: So interesting to see the Mayor of Oakland and other Sanctuary Cities NOT WANT our currently detained immigrants after release due to the ridiculous court ordered 20 day rule. If they dont want to serve our Nation by taking care of them, why should other cities & towns? The '20 day rule' is a provision currently on the books in U.S. law which says that migrant children - whether accompanied by an adult or not - cannot be detained for more than 20 days. Both the Trump and the Obama administrations have fought the 20-day rule, but to no success, according to CBS News. Trump finally tweeted: 'Democrats must change the Immigration Laws FAST. 'If not, Sanctuary Cities must immediately ACT to take care of the Illegal Immigrants - and this includes Gang Members, Drug Dealers, Human Traffickers, and Criminals of all shapes, sizes and kinds. 'CHANGE THE LAWS NOW!' Schaaf made headlines last year after she tipped off undocumented immigrants about a planned raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In an interview with National Public Radio on Saturday, Schaaf said Oakland would welcome more undocumented immigrants. We know that data proves that undocumented or documented immigrants commit far fewer crimes, Schaaf said. So not only is our community richer and more loving. But it also is safer because we are a sanctuary city and a diverse city...Oakland welcomes all people. Trump said Friday he is seriously considering funneling detained illegal migrants into the self-declared sanctuary cities that oppose his tough immigration policies. Trump's announcement on Twitter reversed a previous White House assurance that the idea - criticized as political retribution against cities led by opposition Democrats - had been dropped. 'Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities,' Trump said. 'The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy - so this should make them very happy!' he tweeted. The Washington Post revealed the proposal, which would mark a new flashpoint in the ever growing political divide over immigration. Trump has staked his presidency on his insistence that the United States is being overrun by migrants and asylum seekers. But opponents, mostly in the Democratic Party, say his push for building more walls on the Mexican border and his almost daily denunciations of migrants as dangerous criminals incite racial hatred. In comments to reporters later, Trump said that he wanted Congress, where the House of Representatives is controlled by Democrats, to tighten visas and streamline the deportation process. Otherwise, he warned, he'll order migrants to be dumped on the sanctuary cities. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf (seen above in this January 2018 file photo) said her city 'welcomes all people' 'If they don't agree we might as well do what they say they want.... We'll bring them to sanctuary city areas and let that particular area take care of it,' he said. 'We can give them an unlimited supply.' And late Friday, he reiterated his call for a 'merit' based immigration system. 'If the Radical Left Democrats all of a sudden don't want the Illegal Migrants in their Sanctuary Cities (no more open arms), why should others be expected to take them into their communities?' he tweeted. Sanctuary cities are places where local authorities - usually Democratic-run - have refused to hand over undocumented immigrants for deportation. San Francisco Mayor London Breed dismissed Trump's proposal. President Trump confirmed a Washington Post report from earlier this week which stated that he considered relocating migrants released from ICE detention in sanctuary cities - even though his White House said the idea had been rejected Trump's tweets also appeared to confirm that the tactic was meant as a way to needle the 'Radical Left' 'This is just another in a long line of scare tactics and half-baked ideas that are just about chasing headlines and distracting people from real issues,' she tweeted. Citing homeland security officials and leaked emails, the Post said White House officials first broached the plan in November, asking several agencies whether members of a caravan of migrants could be arrested at the border and then bussed 'to small- and mid-sized sanctuary cities.' The White House told ICE that the plan was intended to alleviate a shortage of detention space, but would also send a message to Democrats, the Post said. The suggested policy was pushed back within ICE, with a top official saying it was rife with concerns and noting 'there are PR risks as well.' After the White House pressed the issue again earlier this year, ICE rebuffed it as 'inappropriate.' The Post said a White House official and a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said the proposal was no longer under consideration. News of the plan came days after the forced resignation of former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Agency officials identified White House adviser Stephen Miller as being behind the plan House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted the proposed move as 'unworthy' of the presidency 'This was just a suggestion that was floated and rejected, which ended any further discussion,' a White House statement said. One of the centers targeted was the California constituency of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose office on Thursday blasted the plan. 'Using human beings - including little children - as pawns in their warped game to perpetuate fear and demonize immigrants is despicable,' said Pelosi spokeswoman Ashley Etienne. Trump's all-out fight with the Democrats over immigration comes as border agents report being overwhelmed by the number of migrants and people demanding asylum after fleeing violent Central American countries. The number of immigrant detainees in ICE custody has approached 50,000 in recent months, the Post said, an all-time high that has strained the agency's budget. Another of Trump's controversial proposals to resolve the situation has been to shut the border with Mexico temporarily. He backed off the idea after outcry over the likely damaging economic effects. These are tumultuous times. Across Europe and the West, the old political allegiances are disintegrating and populism is on the rise. Comparisons have been made to the 1930s, an era of economic depression and political instability so extreme it became known as the Devils Decade years when the rise of state communism, fascism and appeasement let slip the dogs of war. Yet if it is the political Right, and in particular the Conservative Party, which has been commonly associated with that decade of failed politics and the relentless slide towards conflict, perhaps we should consider, too, the role of the Left. In Britain today, after all, there is great political instability. As in the 1930s, the government lacks a majority. And the country faces, in Jeremy Corbyn, the real prospect of a pacifist, far-Left Prime Minister with a radically different take on Britains place in the world. And, as my research into those dark years of appeasement makes clear, we have been here before. To hear Labour tell the story of the 1930s, its hands are not merely clean, but spotless. As future Labour leader Michael Foot wrote in his vicious 1940 satire Guilty Men, it had been Conservative Ministers who took over a great empire, supreme in arms and secure in liberty and took it to the edge of national annihilation. According to Foot, then a journalist on Lord Beaverbrooks Evening Standard, Labour had in contrast shone during the 1930s as the righteous antithesis of unprincipled Toryism. There was still another England, he wrote in 1943, an England that detested fascism from the day of its birth, that understood that the chief enemy which must be fought was fascism in whatever guise it may appear This was the England of the Left, the England of Labour. Neville Chamberlain, pictured with Adolf Hitler in Munich in 1938 received criticism over his appeasement policy which allowed the Nazis to build up their armed forces From the early 1930s, it was clear Hitler, pictured, was seeking to rebuild Germany's military might and was preparing for war Jeremy Corbyn, pictured addressing a march calling the scrapping of plans to modernise Britain's nuclear deterrent in February 2016, is a pacifist, like the Labour leadership of the 1930s who, like Chamberlain, had no desire to face down Hitler There could be no doubt, in other words, who was to blame for the failures of those years. And in subsequent decades for understandable reasons the policy of appeasement and the blame for the perilous situation in which Britain found herself in the summer of 1940 were laid at the door of the Conservative-dominated National Government in general and the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, in particular. Yet the truth is both more complicated and at times rather different. Indeed, the problem with Foots argument is that if the Labour Party had been allowed to have its way, Britain would have had no weapons with which to confront fascism just as she would be without her nuclear deterrent or the protection of Nato if the current Labour leader were to be allowed free rein in Downing Street. Take the words of the then Labour leader, whiskered Christian socialist George Lansbury, who incidentally bears more than a passing resemblance to his 21st Century successor, Corbyn. Speaking in October 1933, ten months after Hitler had come to power, he said: I would close every recruiting station, disband the Army and disarm the Air Force. I would abolish the whole dreadful equipment of war and say to the world, Do your worst. Revisionist supporters of Chamberlain's appeasement argue the policy gave the RAF time to build much-needed Spitfires and Hurricanes which were invaluable in the Battle of Britain That same month, at its annual conference in Hastings, the Labour Party pledged itself to a policy of war resistance, including a general strike, in the event of conflict, to cripple the economy and bring down the Government. There was, it is true, a considerable spirit of pacifism among the British people in the early 1930s. In February 1933, students at the Oxford Union caused a furore by passing the motion that This House will in no circumstances fight for its King and Country. In October that year, a Labour candidate standing on a disarmament platform was able to overturn a 15,000 Conservative majority at the East Fulham by-election. If there were fewer weapons, so the theory went, there would be fewer wars. Big warships meant big wars, explained the American journalist Walter Lippmann satirically. Smaller warships meant smaller wars. No warships might eventually mean no wars. Pacifism was by no means a Conservative invention. By 1934, however, it was clear that Nazi Germany was rearming and the Government began to take the first tentative steps towards putting Britains defences in order. Did the Labour Party welcome such a move? To read socialist critiques, one would have very much assumed so. Indeed, Foot went so far as to claim that an epitaph of Conservative failures should mark the grave of every Briton killed during the Second World War. Yet Labour opposed the July 1934 air estimates parliamentary recommendations for armament supplies which saw an extra 135,000 granted to the RAF, a minuscule increase. We deny the need for increased air armaments, declared Clement Attlee, deputising for Lansbury, at the time. We deny the proposition that an increased Royal Air Force will make for the peace of the world and we reject altogether the demand for parity [with Germany]. Things were no different three months later when, despite further evidence of large-scale German rearmament, the Labour Conference at Southport reaffirmed its desire to abolish all national armed forces of self-defence against other nations, while Attlee told delegates that the party had absolutely abandoned any idea of nationalist loyalty. A further year later, Attlee was speaking out against the Governments proposal to spend an extra 10 million to meet serious deficiencies in Britains defences, arguing that this would simply exacerbate the arms race. This provoked a furious rejoinder from the Tory grandee Sir Austen Chamberlain (half-brother of the future Prime Minister), who was rather more clear-sighted on the dangers now menacing Britain. He asked Attlee if he would dare repeat such a statement in different circumstances if Britain were at war and London were being bombed. If he does, continued Chamberlain, a former Foreign Secretary, he will be one of the first victims of the war, for he will be strung up by an angry, and justifiably angry, populace to the nearest lamp post. (Those who think our current political discourse is uniquely violent should read the parliamentary debates of the 1930s). There were, of course, powerful elements within the Labour movement who disagreed with the partys pacifist stance. For example, Ernest Bevin, the rhinoceros-like general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union, told Lansbury to stop hawking your conscience around from body to body asking to be told what to do with it. Labour leader in the mid 1930s George Lansbury, left, was opposed to rearmament Later, he said that his former party leader had been going about dressed up in saints clothes for years waiting for martyrdom. Yet the fall of Lansbury and the accession of Clement Attlee to the Labour leadership in October 1935 was not the turning point in Labours pre-war policy that Foot and others liked to claim. Three days after Hitler had reoccupied the Rhineland in 1936, the Labour Party was stating that the safety of this country and the peace of the world would not come from weapons but from adherence to the League of Nations, general disarmament and economic co-operation so as to remove the causes of war. Indeed, the Labour Party would continue to oppose every measure of rearmament in the coming years, despite vociferous denunciations of Chamberlain and his pathetic desire to appease the tyrants and despite clamouring for Britain to do something to assist the Republicans in their struggle against General Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War. Most shocking of all was the way the Labour Party stuck to this policy of refusing to rearm even after Hitler had torn up the Munich Agreement and annexed Czechoslovakia in March 1939. War now appeared highly likely and Chamberlain bowed to pressure from his own party to introduce conscription. Surely this was when the other England, which Foot described, the England of Labour, so committed to fighting fascism, would ditch its outdated commitment to pacifism? Surely now it would support the Government in its efforts to supply the nation with the tools necessary to resist aggression? Not a bit of it. One hundred and forty-five Labour MPs voted against the Military Training Bill five months before the outbreak of the Second World War. I will do all I can to get not only the engineers of the Clyde, but the engineers throughout Britain, to down tools against conscription, declared the Labour MP for Dumbarton Burghs, David Kirkwood, while Aneurin Bevan, later lauded as the midwife of the NHS, asked what argument the Government had to persuade the young men to fight except merely in another squalid attempt to defend themselves against a redistribution of the international swag. So it was not for nothing that members of the Foreign Offices Political Intelligence Department referred to Labour lunatics who wished to attack everyone and voted against rearmament in their list of those who should be considered criminally responsible for the predicament Britain found herself in at the start of the Second World War. That there had been support for Hitler on the British Right in the 1930s including among the aristocracy, the press barons and even the Royal Family is now well known. Few are aware, however, of the suggestion put forward by Britains first Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, that Hitler should visit London some time during the spring of 1934. Today, we have a Labour leader who, in contrast with the majority of his MPs, opposes Nato, opposes our independent nuclear deterrent, opposes the transatlantic alliance and refuses to condemn states that wish us harm, even after they have committed murder on the streets of Salisbury This was, MacDonald told the German Ambassador, a purely personal idea, but he was sure that the Reich Chancellor would receive a most friendly reception in England from the people and the Government. Bearing in mind the growing British outrage at the Nazi persecution of Jews, the suppression of political opponents and the erection of the Dachau concentration camp all of which had become public knowledge it seems a quite extraordinary idea. Another example which demonstrates that the Right did not have a monopoly on poor judgment was the future Labour Cabinet Minister Richard Crossman who, for most of the decade, believed that Hitler intended to introduce socialism to Germany, not fascism. The editor of the Left-wing New Statesman magazine, Kingsley Martin, argued for a policy of Little Englandism including the sacrifice of Eastern and Central Europe, provided that Hitler leave us alone. Labour academic A. L. Rowse would later reflect that not one of the Left intellectuals could republish what they wrote in the Thirties without revealing what idiotic judgments they made about events. The comparisons between Corbyn and Lansbury are inevitable, and not just because of their similar appearance. Just as Corbyn refuses to condemn Vladimir Putin because he opposes so-called Western imperialism, so Lansbury stormed out of the 1933 Labour and Socialist International Conference largely given over to speeches attacking the Nazis on the grounds that the capitalist democracies were 100 per cent to blame for Hitler. In March 1939 German troops invaded Czechoslovakia without any international opposition Later, in 1937, Lansbury visited Hitler and became a member of that extensive club which included Liberal peer the Marquess of Lothian, the National Labour peer Lord Allen of Hurtwood, the former Prime Minister David Lloyd George, and a host of fellow-travellers of the Right to be duped by the German dictator. Lansbury had come to present Hitler with his plan for a peace conference, chaired by the United States. This idea did not land on fertile soil. I almost felt sorry for the old gentleman from England, recalled the Fuhrers interpreter, Paul Schmidt. He seemed wholly unaware of Hitlers lack of interest and clearly regarded the man in khaki sitting opposite him as one of the pacifist idealists whom he had so often met at international gatherings. When Lansbury returned to England, he assured the public that the catastrophe of war would be avoided. He had spoken with Hitler and was firmly convinced that he would not go to war unless pushed into it by others. All he lacked was a piece of paper to brandish. Of course, none of this detracts from the failures of the Conservative Party. The governing party, with a massive majority, they were responsible for the obvious deficiencies in Britains defences as well as the policy of appeasing Hitler, likened by Conservative politician Lord Hugh Cecil to scratching a crocodiles head in the hope of making it purr. Reflecting on the catastrophe that had befallen his country, in September 1939, the Tory MP Richard Law, son of former Prime Minister Bonar Law, could only think of the faults of his own party. Labour was eventually forgiven for its unrealistic and frankly irresponsible stance in the 1930s because in May 1940 after the disastrous failure of the Allied attempt to liberate Norway Labour MPs put country before party and helped ensure the transition from Chamberlain to Churchill. The party then went on to serve loyally and effectively in the war-time coalition All those who were killed last time, all those who are going to be killed now everything wasted through the stubbornness and lack of imagination of a few old men if I ever engage in politics again I shall leave the Conservative Party This theory that its possible to educate the Conservative Party wont hold water. Yet it is important to recognise, as Ernest Bevin told the 1942 Labour Conference, that no party comes clean out of the pre-war policy and, as Quintin Hogg later Lord Hailsham wrote in a rebuttal to Foots Guilty Men, the Left was never right. Today, we have a Labour leader who, in contrast with the majority of his MPs, opposes Nato, opposes our independent nuclear deterrent, opposes the transatlantic alliance and refuses to condemn states that wish us harm, even after they have committed murder on the streets of Salisbury. Is he willing to learn the lessons from the past? Does he even know what they are? Labour was eventually forgiven for its unrealistic and frankly irresponsible stance in the 1930s because in May 1940 after the disastrous failure of the Allied attempt to liberate Norway Labour MPs put country before party and helped ensure the transition from Chamberlain to Churchill. The party then went on to serve loyally and effectively in the war-time coalition. If these circumstances were repeated, who among us can imagine Jeremy Corbyn doing the same? A mother held in Dubai over Facebook posts calling her ex-husband's new wife a 'horse' has revealed how she 'wanted to die'. Laleh Shahravesh, from Richmond, south-west London, returned to Heathrow on Friday morning after she was arrested a month ago. She was greeted by friends and family including her 14-year-old daughter Paris in a moving scene at arrivals on Friday. Ms Shahravesh said her life had flashed before her eyes and she had felt she would rather be dead than endure the ordeal. Laleh Shahravesh, 55, (right) looked tearful as she embraced her 14-year-old daughter Paris (centre) on arrival at Heathrow Airport on Friday after returning from Dubai Laleh Shahravesh pictured in Dubai, revealed she had been at her wits end when she was detained in the UAE The late Pedro dos Santos (left), who was Paris' father, and second wife Samah al Hammadi Ms Shahravesh, 55, told the Sunday People: 'The day before I was told I was free to go I'd given up hope. 'I was suicidal. I felt like I was never going to see my daughter again and sent a message to my sister saying "I can't do this any more". 'I told her, "It's killing me, every day is killing me." I felt so much pain and then I turned off my phone. 'I could see my whole life flashing before my eyes and I just wanted to die. It was torture to me.' Her family, including one of Lelah's sisters, had stood waiting at the airport terminal barrier for over an hour with flowers awaiting her arrival and had refused to talk to waiting journalists. The single mum-of-one had been arrested over the country's strict cyber crime laws but was eventually released on Thursday after paying a 600 fine and getting her passport returned to her. Her daughter Paris - who had been staying with family throughout their ordeal - earlier described her mum's release as 'the best day of my life'. Laleh Shahravesh, wearing dark shades, a black waistcoat over a black-and-white striped top over black trousers, in a tearful embrace with her family at Heathrow Laleh Shahravesh, (pictured right) who'd faced being held in a Dubai jail another week over the post made three years ago in the UK In tearful scenes the family embraced at Heathrow airport on Friday morning. The single mum-of-one had been arrested when she'd arrived in Dubai a month ago over the country's strict cyber crime laws Ms Shahravesh was detained as she visited the United Arab Emirates with her daughter in March for the funeral of ex-husband Pedro Correia Dos Santos, who was Paris's father. Authorities had received a complaint over posts made three years ago and Ms Shahravesh was warned she faced prosecution and up to two years in prison. After discovering her ex-husband had remarried in 2016, Ms Shahravesh called his new wife, Samah Al Hammadi, from Tunisia, a 'horse' on Facebook. The British legal group Detained in Dubai, which supported Laleh Shahravesh, has written to the FCO calling on them to update UAE travel warnings to UK tourists and warn about online postings. The organisation's head, Radha Stirling said: 'We have frequently called upon the FCO to provide more accurate information to Britons about the many risks they face in the UAE which the current advisory does not cover. Laleh Shahravesh (pictured after being released with a fine) was barely able to speak to her daughter as she sobbed uncontrollably to tell her that she was now a free woman 'A British citizen can be prosecuted if they ever visit the UAE, for posting material online in the UK which anyone inside the UAE may deem offensive. 'It is vital for British citizens to be aware before traveling to the UAE that their entire social media history must adhere to UAE standards of acceptable content before they risk entering the country. 'If anyone in the UAE is offended by someone's online content, even if they do not know that person, and even if that person posted the content in a different country; a criminal case can be made and an arrest warrant issued. It is an enormous threat to free speech well beyond the borders of the UAE.' If you have been affected by this story, call The Samaritans at any time, from any phone for FREE. Call 116 123. HMS Talent, pictured, lost seven members of its crew after they tested positive for cocaine as the submarine was about to deploy Seven sailors have been kicked off a Royal Navy hunter killer nuclear submarine after being caught taking cocaine, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. In one of the worst scandals to hit the Navy, the crew members from HMS Talent which is armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles were ordered off the submarine after testing positive while on duty. The sailors attended a drug-fuelled party after the 5,300-ton boat docked at Devonport Naval Base. They failed a compulsory drugs test when they returned to the sub the next day to prepare for a sensitive mission to track Russian submarine movements in the North Sea and the Arctic Circle. When Royal Navy doctors confirmed the results last week, senior officers ordered that they be handed over to military police. Defence sources said HMS Talent had been due to sail from Devonport on Friday, but the 280ft-long boat was last night still at the Plymouth base. The reason for the delay is unclear, but subs require a full complement of crew before going to sea. Typically HMS Talent sails with a crew of 120 to 130 personnel, including 20 officers. The Royal Navy declined to provide the ranks of those who failed the drug tests. A Navy source said last night: This is a major embarrassment for top brass. It takes years to train submariners to perform highly skilled and highly sensitive roles at sea and the Navy has just lost seven guys due to one night of stupidity. HMS Talent launched in 1988 and is designed to attack surface ships, other submarines and land-based enemy installations. The submarine also performs a surveillance role using cameras and thermal imaging periscopes. Its Tomahawk missiles allow submarines from the Astute and Trafalgar class to accurately strike targets on land from a range of about 1,000 miles. The Mail on Sunday revealed in 2013 how the ageing Trafalgar submarines had been issued with Code Red safety warnings after inspectors found radioactive leaks. HMS Talent hit the headlines four years ago when she required 500,000 of repairs after striking an iceberg while tracking Russian submarines. HMS Talent was about to depart Devonport Naval Base when the crew tested positive for drugs The Trafalgars are powered by nuclear reactors and can stay at sea for up to three months. They feature sonar equipment that can hear enemy vessels sailing more than 50 miles away. In 2017, nine sailors were removed from another sub, HMS Vigilant, for taking drugs and senior officers faced claims of having affairs with female crew. Asked about the latest scandal, a Royal Navy spokesman said last night: The Ministry of Defence has a zero-tolerance drugs policy and will not tolerate misuse of drugs by service personnel in any form or at any time. Any personnel caught taking drugs will be discharged. Army's 'Iron Lady' gets tough as soldiers fail drugs test Hundreds of soldiers from 6 Regiment, Royal Logistics Corps (6RLC) face extra training after six of them failed a drugs test. The six who failed the Compulsory Drugs Test (CDT) will also be booted out of the ranks after the Army scrapped its policy of offering second chances to offenders following a campaign by The Mail on Sunday. The troops from the Yorkshire-based regiment expect to be told this week they must attend anti-drug lectures after a crackdown led by a female senior officer dubbed the Armys Iron Lady. On the orders of Lieutenant Colonel Leila Green, they could also face extra inspections. Lt Col Green is understood to have started the crackdown after 6RLC came near the top of a league of shame for units with the most drug users relative to numbers of soldiers in each regiment. The regiments CDT failures are likely to frustrate top brass as they come just a week after the Armys top officer General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith expressed fury over the recent misbehaviour of squaddies. Last night, an RLC source said: The boss Lt Col Green is on a mission to stop her soldiers using drugs and if that means taking up our free time with extra parades and anti-drug training, so be it. Given the state of morale in 6RLC, which is already rock bottom, it is a brave move on her part. Shes like the Iron Lady. The Mail on Sunday has also learned that the soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, seen shooting at Jeremy Corbyns picture during target practice in Afghanistan are to be demoted. Australians are being urged to take advantage of free flu shots ahead of a horror sickness season due to a virus expected to kill more than 4000 people this winter. Health Minister Greg Hunt on Sunday announced a nationwide distribution of the influenza vaccine, available for eligible people at no cost through the Federal Government-funded National Immunisation Program (NIP). More than six million flu shots will be free for Australians aged over 65, indigenous people, pregnant women and those at a greater medical risk of contracting the virus. Experts say the best time to get the jab is at the end of April as the vaccine wears off after three to four months and takes a few weeks to build immunity. As hospitals brace for a horror flu season, the Australian Government has announced free flu shots for at-risk groups through the National Immunisation Program Mr Hunt said it's important Australians get vaccinated each year as the virus changes from year to year. 'Clinical experts have advised that optimal protection against influenza occurs within the first three to four months following vaccination,' he said. 'Getting vaccinated from mid-April allows protection during the peak influenza transmission period, from around June to September in most parts of Australia.' The flu shots are part of the Australian Government's push to lessen the spread of the flu which has devastated communities in recent years. More than 10,000 people caught the flu in March 2019 - 6,827 more than this time last year, according to official data released by the Immunisation Coalition. More than 10,000 Australians caught the flu in March 2019 - almost 7000 more than this time last year In 2017, 1255 people died as a result of the virus, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, said GP Dr Harry Nespolen, president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. 'Because 2017 was a terrible flu season, in 2018 everyone was scared and rushed off for flu shots and we had a relatively mild season [less than 100 deaths were reported],' he told the Daily Telegraph. But as 2018 was 'mild' many people did not build up enough immunity in the community, meaning this year's flu season is expected to be particularly severe, said the Immunisation Coalition's Chair, Professor Robert Booy. 'Last year was so quiet that we didn't build up enough immunity in the community, which means we never achieved 'herd protection',' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'It means many more people will be prone to the flu this year. 'This year, we expect the flu to kill at least 4,000 people which is the same number as deaths from suicide and the road toll combined'. President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Dr Harry Nespolen, said it is vital to get immunised as antibiotics don't work on flu and there are not good antivirals for treating it AUSSIES ELIGIBLE FOR FREE FLU VACCINE - People aged 65 years and over (enhanced vaccine) - Pregnant women - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged six months and older - People aged six months or older with certain medical conditions which put them at risk of severe influenza Advertisement Pregnant women can receive their free vaccine in 2019 at any stage of their pregnancy to protect themselves and their unborn baby or babies. An enhanced vaccine will again be made available for people aged 65 or over, given 75 per cent of influenza-associated deaths in 2018 occurred within that age bracket, according to government figures. The NIP provides free vaccines for eligible people against 17 vaccine-preventable diseases including influenza, hepatitis B, whooping cough, measles and the recent addition of meningococcal ACWY for adolescents. The immunisation rate for five-year-old Aussies is 94.67 per cent, nearing the herd immunity rate of 95 per cent, Mr Hunt said. The Health Minister encouraged those over the age of six months to get vaccinated for the 2019 flu season. A record 11 million Aussies got a flu jab in 2018. Kelly Hardacre, 32, from Essex, owns a gang of eight boisterous dachshunds They are undoubtedly top dog: pedigree hounds whose impeccable lineage is a source of great pride to their devoted owners. But many of Britains ardent dog-lovers are increasingly finding theyve been sold a pup. The rise of canine DNA testing kits is exposing a dubious trade in which breeders pass off mongrels as pure-bred dogs in order to boost their prices. Canine DNA testing kits are now available online and in most pet stores for about 50, and they are hugely popular. Leading DNA brand Wisdom Panel says more than one million dogs have been tested with its kits since it launched in 2007. But while most owners test for fun, others are uncovering a worrying trend. Some experts warn that as many as one in ten dogs sold as pedigree are, in fact, mongrels. Kelly Hardacre, 32, from Essex, owns a gang of eight boisterous dachshunds. Now the ninth most popular breed in the UK, owners pride themselves on their pure-bred small stature and silky coats. Which is why Kelly was disappointed to discover that two of hers are actually cross-breeds. Four-year-old Chester was sold to Kelly and her husband Tommy, 33, as a pure-breed miniature shorthaired dachshund and came with papers from the Kennel Club, the UKs governing body for dogs, confirming his lineage but these later turned out to be fake. Kelly already suspected that another of her pups, Albie, bought from a different breeder, was not a pure dachshund because of his unusual black and white coat. Kelly already suspected that another of her pups, Albie (pictured), bought from a different breeder, was not a pure dachshund because of his unusual black and white coat She used a home DNA swab kit to test both dogs out of curiosity. When the results came in two weeks later, she was shocked to read the findings. It said that Albie is a mix of mini-dachshund, long-haired mini and parson terrier, and that Chester is the same, but also part long-haired standard too, she said. I couldnt believe that Chester had terrier in him and was even more of a mongrel than Albie. Frustratingly, there was nothing she could do because Chesters breeders had been shut down several years previously by the RSPCA for selling unhealthy puppies. Sonal and Dhani Dave, from Harrow, experienced similar disappointment after testing their dog Neo, who had been sold as a pure-bred akita Sonal and Dhani Dave, from Harrow, experienced similar disappointment after testing their dog Neo, who had been sold as a pure-bred akita. Puppies can fetch more than 1,000 each, but Neos sellers were only charging 450. The couple were told the owners were Kennel Club-registered and were promised authentic paperwork by them, although this never materialised. But as Neo grew, they became suspicious of his heritage. He was underweight for an akita, and his tail was short and straight, lacking the characteristic curl. A 75 Wisdom Panel test kit, bought from Pets At Home, confirmed that he was only 50 per cent pedigree. But as Neo grew, they became suspicious of his heritage given that he was underweight for an Akita The remainder of his DNA amounted to 12.5 per cent German shepherd and 12.5 per cent Staffie, while the remaining 25 per cent was such a mixture it was unidentifiable. Again, there was nothing the couple could do. All the sellers online adverts were taken down, mobile numbers were no longer in use and there was no trail left at all, Sonal explained. Solicitor Gary Rycroft, who provides legal advice to BBC consumer show Rip Off Britain, said there were no specific laws around buying pedigree dogs, but that consumer laws apply. The remainder of his DNA amounted to 12.5 per cent German shepherd and 12.5 per cent Staffie, while the remaining 25 per cent was such a mixture it was unidentifiable He explained: Both business and private sellers must sell pets as described. As such, there is the chance that a refund could be issued, although I am not aware of any reported cases of this happening. Some owners are now challenging the Kennel Club to tighten up its rules, which allow breeders and individuals to register dogs as pedigree without DNA testing. Jane Derbyshire-Heal, from Stretford, Greater Manchester, paid 700 for two Italian greyhounds in 2014, registered with the Kennel Club as pedigrees, which turned out to be 25 per cent Chinese crested dogs. Kennel Club Secretary Caroline Kisko said any evidence that breeders were selling mongrels as pedigrees would be investigated immediately and it would take appropriate action She traced the rest of the litter and their descendants and forced the Kennel Club to have them all deregistered. They were very reluctant to acknowledge the obvious truth, she said. My experience with the Kennel Club is that it is very much an old boys club with their focus on finances rather than dog welfare. Jo Amsel, trustee of The Italian Greyhound Rescue Charity, said: I estimate approaching one in ten dogs sold as pedigree is not a pure breed at all. It seems many breeders are being dishonest. She added she believed the club was resistant to introduce testing because it made the majority of its income from puppy registrations. Its revenue would fall significantly if the breeders knowingly selling mongrels as pedigrees could no longer register their puppies. Kennel Club Secretary Caroline Kisko said any evidence that breeders were selling mongrels as pedigrees would be investigated immediately and it would take appropriate action. She added: The extra cost of compulsory DNA testing could drive a substantial number of responsible breeders away from registering their puppies and turn many puppy buyers towards disreputable sources and puppy farms. Is your car due its MOT soon? Think twice before visiting the test centre on a Monday, especially if you drive a white car, warn experts. They examined test data from 121 million cars and discovered the chances of failing the test are higher on Monday than on Friday and Saturday. The academics also found that silver cars are more likely to pass the MOT than any other colour, while white vehicles are the most likely to fail. Silver Mercedes cars have the highst pass rate in MOTs according to new research Their research revealed that Central London is the best place in Britain to have the test, as it has the lowest failure rate, while cities and towns in Scotland, such as Dundee, Kirkcaldy and Aberdeen, see the most cars fail. Economics professors Oleksandr Talavera and Shaun Hargreaves Heap are due to present their findings this week at the Royal Economic Societys annual conference at Warwick University. They studied MOT data on British vehicles between 2005 and 2013 stored on a Ministry of Justice website and came up with a raft of surprising findings. Prof Talavera said he suspects that mechanics tend to pass MOT tests more easily on Friday because of a so-called weekend effect, which encourages workers to give a more positive result, as they may feel pressure that the customer needs to use the car over the weekend, or because they want to finish work early. He said: The failure rate on Monday is usually at 36 per cent nationally. But on Friday, it is more than two per cent less. On Saturday, its five per cent less than Monday. So if the weekend effect can do that, it probably means that if you take your car just before the Christmas or Easter holiday, you are more likely to pass the test. The researchers believe that the reason why a silver car passes its test better than cars of other colour may be because it has become associated with reliability. Researchers found that Mercedes cars have the lowest MOT failure rate, while most cars pass in Central London. Silver cars also have lowest failure rates while white cars are the worst In their paper, the academics explain: A grey or silver car is associated with balance, high quality and reliability and this would be consistent with our evidence that such cars are more likely to receive benefit of the doubt in tests. It is also the logo colour for Mercedes-Benz and Honda, two brands that enjoy a reputation for reliability. Prof Talavera found that a Mercedes vehicle is the most likely to pass its MOT test, compared with any other car with the same mileage and age. Mercedes cars typically have a 15 per cent failure rate, followed by Porsches at 18 per cent, and Lexus at 21 per cent. Conversely, Renaults have the highest fail rate at 45 per cent, followed by Rover at 42 per cent and Alfa Romeo at 41 per cent. Failure rates in Central London were lowest at 20 per cent, followed by the Essex towns of Romford at 26 per cent and Southend-on- Sea at 28 per cent. Where you tend to get fewer garages and more cars, the pass rate is higher, said Prof Talavera. Annual MOT tests were first introduced in Britain in 1960 for vehicles that were more than ten years old. Now, any vehicle over three years old must pass the yearly test. Advertisement The streets of Sudan continue to flood with thousands of protesters as the country faces having its third leader in as many days. Demonstrators marched with national flags outside the army headquarters in the Sudanese capital Khartoum yesterday demanding a civilian body to lead the country's transition to democracy. Sudan's second new military leader vowed on Saturday to 'uproot' deposed president Omar al-Bashir's regime and release protesters, in a bid to placate demonstrators demanding civilian rule. 'I announce the restructuring of state institutions according to the law and pledge to fight corruption and uproot the regime and its symbols,' General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said, a day after he was sworn in to head Sudan's new ruling military council. He also ordered the release of all prisoners jailed by special emergency courts and the immediate lifting of a night-time curfew imposed by the council earlier this week. People chant slogans during a protest outside of the Military headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan, 13 April 2019 The streets of Sudan were flooded with thousands of protesters as the country faced having its third leader in as many days yesterday (pictured: Khartoum, April 13) Sudan's second new military leader vowed on Saturday to 'uproot' deposed president Omar al-Bashir's regime and release protesters, in a bid to placate demonstrators demanding civilian rule (pictured: People chant slogans during a protest outside of the Military headquarters in Khartoum) Career soldier Burhan took the helm of Sudan's transitional military council on Friday when his predecessor General Awad Ibn Ouf - a close aide of ousted veteran president Bashir - quit after little more than 24 hours in power. Burhan also pledged Saturday that individuals implicated in killing protesters would face justice. Dozens of protesters were killed and thousands of activists, opposition leaders and journalists arrested. The police said Friday that 16 people had been killed in live fire in Khartoum alone over the previous two days as NISS agents led a last stand for Bashir before the army intervened. A grab from a broadcast on Sudan TV on April 13, 2019 shows Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Abdulrahman, new chief of Sudan's ruling military council, in the capital Khartoum He also ordered the release of all prisoners jailed by special emergency courts and the immediate lifting of a night-time curfew imposed by the council earlier this week (pictured: Sudanese protestors take selfies with soldiers) Career soldier Burhan took the helm of Sudan's transitional military council on Friday when his predecessor General Awad Ibn Ouf - a close aide of ousted veteran president Bashir - quit after little more than 24 hours in power (pictured: Protestors pictured on April 11) Young Sudanese rally to celebrate after an announcement made by Sudan's new military ruler, outside the army headquarters in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, on April 13 Sudanese demonstrators march with national flags as they gather during a rally demanding a civilian body to lead the transition to democracy In a statement Saturday evening, Burhan said the deputy chief of the NISS was a member of the newly formed 10-member council which also includes the police chief and military figures. Burhan named as the council's deputy Mohammad Hamdan Daglo, who is also known as Himeidti, field commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) counter-insurgency unit, which rights groups have accused of abuses in war-torn Darfur. A photograph published by state news agency SUNA had shown Burhan talking with protesters outside army headquarters on Friday, before his elevation to the top job. Khartoum erupted with joy when Ibn Ouf tendered his resignation on Friday night barely 24 hours after taking the oath of office. But protest organisers urged demonstrators to keep up their week-old vigil outside army headquarters. Ibn Ouf had served as Bashir's defence minister right up to the president's downfall, ending three decades of iron-fisted rule. In this March 29, 2008, file photo, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, left, speaks with Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, center, and Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, right, during the opening session of the Arab Summit in Damascus, Syria According to reports, thousands of Sudanese people demonstrated in front of the Military headquarters in Khartoum demanding that former President Omar al-Bashir face trial A former military intelligence chief, Ibn Ouf remains under US sanctions for his role in the regime's brutal response to a 2003 ethnic minority rebellion in Darfur region. Bashir himself came to power in a 1989 Islamist military coup, toppling an elected government led by Sadiq al-Mahdi. Burhan comes with less baggage from Bashir's deeply unpopular rule than Ibn Ouf. The grass-roots Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) composed of doctors, teachers and engineers, has spearheaded the nationwide protests. While welcoming Ibn Ouf's departure, it demanded that Burhan swiftly 'transfer the powers of the military council to a transitional civilian government' and said it would continue to stage sit-ins to that end. Sudanese defense minister and head of Sudan's military council, Awad Ibn Auf, stepped down a day after leading a military coup that ousted long-time leader Omar al-Bashir Awad Ibn Auf named Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan as his successor. A military-led transitional council will stay in power for two years followed by elections, the army said Bashir remained in custody and his National Congress Party on Saturday urged the military council to release arrested members. 'We consider (the) taking of power by the military council as violating the constitution's legitimacy,' the NCP said in a statement. 'The NCP rejects the detention of its leaders, among them its acting president' Ahmed Harun, it added, calling for their immediate release. Outside the Middle East, the formation of a military government to replace Bashir has met with widespread criticism. The African Union said Bashir's overthrow by the military was 'not the appropriate response to the challenges facing Sudan and the aspirations of its people'. The Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) called for dialogue and a peaceful transition of power, in a joint statement from their summit in Ndjamena, Chad. This file picture dated on November 25, 2018 shows then Sudanese Defence Minister Ahmed Awad Ibn Ouf in Khartoum Sudan's General Abdelfattah Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as 'Hemeti', head of the Rapid Support Forces, is sworn-in as the appointed deputy of Sudan's transitional military council The European Union urged the army to carry out a 'swift' handover to civilian rule, and former colonial ruler Britain said that the two-year transition announced by the military 'is not the answer.' 'We need to see a swift move to an inclusive, representative, civilian leadership,' said Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. But Saudi Arabia backed the transitional military council and promised an aid package including, wheat, medicine and 'petroleum products', the Saudi Press Agency reported Saturday. Members of the military council have sought to reassure foreign diplomats about its intentions. 'This is not a military coup, but taking the side of the people,' the council's political chief Lieutenant General Omar Zain al-Abdin told Arab and African diplomats at a meeting broadcast on state television on Friday. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has longstanding arrest warrants against Bashir for suspected genocide and war crimes during the regime's brutal campaign of repression in Darfur. But the military council has said it would never extradite him or any other Sudanese citizen. Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia also announced on Saturday it supported moves taken by the council and said it was sending an emergency aid package to Khartoum, state news agency SPA reported. 'The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques gave instructions to the concerned authorities in the Kingdom to provide a package of humanitarian aid, including petroleum products, wheat and medicines,' SPA said. White House adviser Ivanka Trump was all smiles on Saturday afternoon as she prepared to head to Africa to promote a global women's initiative she's leading. President Donald Trump's daughter was pictured walking through the airport concourse at Dulles airport just outside of Washington D.C. She is due to visit Ethiopia and Ivory Coast over the next four days and it flying commercial, rather than using a U.S. State Department aircraft. The White House said her schedule includes a women's economic empowerment summit in Ivory Coast as well as site visits and meetings with political leaders, executives and female entrepreneurs in both countries. White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump walks past an airplane as she leaves Dulles airport near Washington D.C. en route to Ethiopia and Ivory Coast Off to Africa: Ivanka Trump will conduct a four-day tour to Ivory Coast and Ethiopia to push her 'women's empowerment' agenda, which is being funded by USAID Ivanka - who will be accompanied by the USAID administrator - issued a statement saying she was 'excited to travel to Africa' Accompanying her will be Mark Green, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. For parts of the trip, they will be joined David Bohigian, acting president of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), as well as Kristalina Georgieva, interim president of the World Bank Group, which is hosting the summit. OPIC provides loans, loan guarantees and political risk insurance, funding projects that stretch across continents and industries. It is Ivanka Trump's first visit to Africa since the White House undertook the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative in February. She said she was 'excited to travel to Africa' to advance the effort. Gerogieva said in a statement that economic empowerment 'can help unleash the enormous potential of women entrepreneurs for job creation and economic growth, especially in Africa.' Ivankas schedule includes a womens economic empowerment summit in Ivory Coast as well as site visits and meetings with political leaders, executives and female entrepreneurs in both countries Ivanka has made womens economic empowerment a centerpiece of her White House portfolio, and has made similar trips to Japan and India The initiative involves the State Department, the National Security Council and other U.S. agencies. It aims to coordinate current programs and develop new ones to assist women in job training, financial support, legal or regulatory reforms and other areas. Ivanka Trump says the goal is to economically empower 50 million women in developing countries by 2025. Money for the effort will come through USAID, which initially set up a $50 million fund using dollars already budgeted. The president's 2020 budget proposal requests $100 million for the initiative, which will also be supported by programs across the government as well as private investment. The White House spending plan would cut overall funding for diplomacy and development. African tour: Melania Trump went to Africa for five days last October, visiting Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and finally Egypt where she was photographed in front of the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Giza Ivanka Trump has made women's economic empowerment a centerpiece of her White House portfolio. She has made a number of international trips, with a focus on these issues, including to Japan and India. Her travel to Africa follows a five-day tour that First Lady Melania Trump made there last year, with a focus on child welfare. However, Ivanka Trump's efforts could be complicated by the President's own remarks after his private comments about 's***hole countries' in Africa and other regions were leaked to journalists. A convicted Al-Qaeda terrorist who had links to the London 7/7 bombers 'applied for a 45-a-week call centre job ringing up members of the public for marketing surveys.' Rangzieb Ahmed, 43, born in Rochdale, was jailed for life at Manchester Crown Court in 2008 for directing terrorism. He is serving his sentence at HMP Lowdham Grange in Nottinghamshire and applied for the call centre job as part of a controversial rehabilitation scheme, it has been reported. Rangzieb Ahmed, who has links to the London 7/7 terrorists, recently applied for a 45-a-week call centre job at HMP Lowdham Grange, where he serving a life sentence Ahmed's application was rejected by prison chiefs. A source told the Daily Star Sunday: 'He went for a job in a call centre. You can ring people up and offer people certain services but the prison authorities said he could not have that job. He complained that other prisoners had that job and said he has a clean record. Rangzieb Ahmed, 43, (pictured) was jailed for life at Manchester Crown Court in 2008 for directing terrorism 'He would have been calling people and doing surveys with the general public asking questions. 'He wanted to do it as it's good money. It is one of the best jobs in the prison.' Ahmed was jailed for life with a minimum term of ten years after the Manchester Crown Court after a jury found him guilty of being a member of Al Qaeda with his associate, Manchester taxi driver Habib Ahmed. The 43-year-old, who was arrested in Pakistan, became the first person in the UK convicted of directing a terrorist organisation. A freedom of information request recently revealed that the extremist received 782,407 in legal fees. The fees include 589,667 for a barrister and lawyers, 121,892 for an appeal against a failed conviction in 2011, as well as 60,435 for a civil action. MP David Davies described the payments as an 'outrage.' A mass rally was held in Kim Il Sung square following the governmental changes in the capital of Pyongyang to celebrate Kim Jon Un. Thousands of uniformed soldiers obediently celebrated as, in an expected move, Kim Jong Un was re-elected as chairman of the State Affairs Commission at a session of North Korea's rubber-stamp legislature that took place on Thursday, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. And for for the first time, state media in North Korea now referred to Kim as 'supreme representative of all the Korean people.' That title was approved by special decree in February, according to the Associated Press, but has not been used publicly until Friday. A mass rally celebrating the re-election of Kim Jong Un as North Korea's leader is held at Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) A mass rally celebrating the re-election of Kim after what experts deem to be the biggest leadership shakeup in years took place in North Korea In one of the biggest leadership shake-ups in years, North Korea named a new nominal head of state and a new premier, and gave leader Kim Jong Un the new title, state media reported on Friday, moves analysts said solidify Kim's grip on power. It's unclear whether the changes will be codified in the constitution, but analysts said the shake-up shows Kim has fully come into his own, eight years after he inherited rule from his father, Kim Jong Il. 'The transition and power consolidation of the Kim Jong Un regime is complete,' said Michael Madden, a nonresident North Korea leadership expert with the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank. 'This is probably the largest party-government shake-up in many years,' he said. Since early 2018 Kim has embarked on a push for economic development and international engagement, including historic summits with the leaders of the United States, China and South Korea. In a message congratulating Kim on his re-election as chairman, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China highly values its friendship with North Korea and is willing to push forward the bilateral relations, China's foreign ministry said on Friday. Choe Ryong Hae was named President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, replacing Kim Yong Nam. The person holding that position is constitutionally considered North Korea's head of state and usually represents the country at diplomatic events, though experts say real power remains concentrated in Kim Jong Un's hands. In this image made from a video taken on Friday, April 12, 2019, by North Korean broadcaster KRT, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un clap hands as he stands to deliver his speech at parliament in Pyongyang, North Korea In this image made from a video taken on Friday, April 12 by North Korean broadcaster KRT, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers his speech at parliament in Pyongyang, North Korea Kim Yong Nam, who was born in 1928, has been one of the longest serving senior officials, having held the position since it was created for him in 1998, Madden said. His replacement, Choe, was subjected to political 're-education' in the past, but in recent years appeared to be gaining more influence since he was promoted in October 2017 to the party's powerful Central Military Commission, South Korean intelligence officials previously said. Choe was one of the three officials sanctioned by the United States in December over allegations of rights abuses. On Thursday President Trump, who has had two summits with Kim to discuss North Korean denuclearization and has expressed his willingness for a third, said Washington would leave sanctions in place. 'I agree with Kim Jong Un of North Korea that our personal relationship remains very good, perhaps the term excellent would be even more accurate, and that a third Summit would be good in that we fully understand where we each stand,' Trump said in a tweet on Saturday morning. 'North Korea has tremendous potential for extraordinary growth, economic success and riches under the leadership of Chairman Kim,' Trump continued. Several officials who have played leading roles in negotiations with the United States were also promoted, including Choe Son Hui, who was named first vice foreign minister and a member of the State Affairs Commission. ECONOMIC REFORMS North Korea also replaced the premier of its cabinet, an official at the center of efforts to jump-start the economy. Leader Kim Jong Un has made economic development the centerpiece of his strategy and told officials this week that building a self-supporting economy would be a blow to the 'hostile forces' that have imposed sanctions on the North Korea. Pak Pong Ju had served his current post as premier since 2013. According to analysts at NK News, a website that monitors North Korea, Pak helped oversee a process of 'radical reform' in the economy that enabled it to survive sanctions. Among those reforms were loosing control of state-run enterprises, allowing them to operate more freely in the market and to seek private investment, according to a 2017 profile of Pak in NK News. Some of those reforms earned the ire of Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il, who led North Korea at the time. But the younger Kim has more openly embraced many of those market changes, and North Korea has sought to ease sanctions and attract more private investment. Pak will now serve as a vice chairman of the ruling party, meaning that those economic reforms are still being embraced, said Hong Min, senior researcher of Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul. 'It means Pak Pong Ju-nomics, or Pak Pong Ju-style economic reform is continuing,' he said. There is little known about Pak's replacement, Kim Jae Ryong, who has been serving as a party leader in Jagang Province, a mountainous area home to some munitions factories. The province is known within North Korea, however, for having a spirit of overcoming hardship, which may fit with Kim Jong Un's message of persevering under sanctions, Hong said. America's only all-male historically black college announced on Saturday that it would admit transgender men for the 2020 school year - but many noticed that the school was in turn banning transitioning female students. Morehouse College in Atlanta announced that the school's board of trustees approved the 'Gender Identity Admissions and Matriculation Policy' on Saturday. 'The Morehouse College Board of Trustees has approved a Gender Identity Policy that will allow individuals who self-identify as men, regardless of the sex assigned to them at birth, to be considered for admission in the nation's only historically black school for men,' the policy reads, according to a release from the school. Morehouse College in Atlanta announced that the school's board of trustees approved the 'Gender Identity Admissions and Matriculation Policy' on Saturday The policy 'will allow individuals who self-identify as men, regardless of the sex assigned to them at birth, to be considered for admission' The new policy applies to students seeking enrollment into the school by the Fall 2020 semester and does not apply to students who applied for beforehand. Morehouse aims to now look into creating diversity and inclusion programs to best facilitate and support the policy. 'In a rapidly changing world that includes a better understanding of gender identity, we're proud to expand our admissions policy to consider trans men who want to be part of an institution that has produced some of the greatest leaders in social justice, politics, business, and the arts for more than 150 years,' said Terrance Dixon, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Morehouse It took the school 15 months of community engagement to best develop the policy and is said to have been a collaborative effort between faculty, staff, students and alumni that were all a part of a task force created by President of Morehouse College, Dr. David A. Thomas. 'In a rapidly changing world that includes a better understanding of gender identity, we're proud to expand our admissions policy to consider trans men who want to be part of an institution that has produced some of the greatest leaders in social justice, politics, business, and the arts for more than 150 years,' said Terrance Dixon, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Morehouse. He added: 'The ratification of this policy affirms the College's commitment to develop men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of leadership and service.' Students who are admitted under the new policy - along with all students going forward - are 'expected to self-identify as men throughout their education at Morehouse.' The school takes it a step further and states that it will continue to reinforce 'masculine pronouns' in its own material. 'Morehouse will continue to use masculine pronouns, the language of brotherhood, and other gendered language that reflects its mission as an institution designed to develop men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of leadership and service,' the policy reads. Students who are admitted under the new policy - along with all students going forward - are 'expected to self-identify as men throughout their education at Morehouse' 'Morehouse will continue to use masculine pronouns, the language of brotherhood, and other gendered language that reflects its mission as an institution designed to develop men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of leadership and service,' the policy states But the policy does assert that students who transition from men to women are no longer eligible to attend the school. Those seeking to remain at the school have to be exempt via a three-person committee that's appointed by the President and involves a written appeal by that student. 'In the event that the impacted student disagrees with the decision of the committee, the student may make a final appeal to the President of Morehouse,' the policy states. It continues: 'Trans women, or individuals who identify as women regardless of the sex assigned to them at birth, will not be considered for admission.' Many on social media took issue with the added measures of the policy, stating that it was clearly 'transmisogynoir' or oppression of black trans women and trans feminine people. Many on social media took issue with the added measures of the policy, stating that it was clearly 'transmisogynoir' or oppression of black trans women and trans feminine people User Tyra Alexis, an alum of Spelman College - a historically black all-female that is seen as the sister school of the college - posted their disdain with how the two schools have handled LGBTQIA folk in the past 'I encourage y'all to read Morehouse's new Trans policy CAREFULLY. This ain't it,' said one alum of the school. 'Any student who who transitions from M to F or begins to self-identify as a woman/femme while at Morehouse will no longer be eligible to matriculate at Morehouse College.' The sentiment was shared by another 'LGBTQ' identified alum who stated: 'The problem is that anyone who self identifies as a woman / femme or transitions from M to F while a student at the institution will no longer be eligible to finish at Morehouse College. It's Trans misogynoir.' User Tyra Alexis, an alum of Spelman College - a historically black all-female that is seen as the sister school of the college - posted their disdain with how the two schools have handled LGBTQIA folk in the past. 'Morehouse can hardly handle (and support) feminine-presenting queer students. i'm eager see a more thorough + specific plan to ensure trans men's well-being before this policy is implemented,' Alexis said in one tweet. A transgender woman who formerly attended the school asked if her student debt could also be expelled In another, the Spelman alum said: 'and, expelling a student for transitioning as a trans woman would only expose them to more physical + emotional harm. if this were to happen mid-semester, how would a trans womanwho is likely to experience violence in all formssurvive before transferring to a different school?' 'I hope Morehouse is well equipped to facilitate and advocate for trans students,' asserted Mel Smith. 'We already know how that shit goes.' A transgender woman who formerly attended the school asked if her student debt could also be expelled. 'Oh yeah, by the way - fairly open secret that i attended morehouse for a bit. left because i ran out of money,' she said. 'I've watched the s***y evolution of their trans student policy. i reckon i'm not shocked that they don't work w/spelman, because why make life easier for trans women.' A transsexual woman currently attending the school - Tatiana Rafael - told Buzzfeed News that she believed the policy to be discriminatory towards trans women students. A transsexual woman currently attending the school - Tatiana Rafael - said that she believed the policy to be discriminatory towards trans women student. Rafael has been 'grandfathered in' to graduate at the school She asserted that she had been 'grandfathered in' before the policy was implemented and has secured graduation for herself. '[I will] make history as the first fully transitioned woman in the school's 152-year history and the first female on the student record since the 1930s to earn a degree,' she said. Rafael was dismayed by the prohibiting of trans women to enroll to the school following her. 'Morehouse is missing a crucial opportunity to become more inclusive by purposefully excluding trans female students,' she added. The schools is home to notable alumni like Martin Luther King Jr, Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee. Bikini-clad women were forced to run for their lives when a kangaroo interrupted their photo shoot at Australia's Candy Shop Mansion. Travers Beynon's girlfriends and other models were seen in footage sprinting from their shoot as the kangaroo made its way through the yard of his Helensvale home on the Gold Coast. The millionaire tobacco tycoon shared the video to his Instagram page, claiming there was a 'Kangaroo attack at the Candy Shop Mansion photo shoot.' Bikini-clad women were forced to run for their lives when a kangaroo interrupted their photo shoot at Australia's Candy Shop Mansion The kangaroo appears to chase the women up toward the safety of the house in the vision, before doubling back in the opposite direction While three brunettes ran in circles around the yard, a blonde model chose to wait out the kangaroo's visit in the pool, earning her the title of 'the smartest' out of the group by Beynon's Instagram followers. Others commented on the moment another woman was unable to open the gate to escape while under pressure, so chose to jump the fence instead. As she hoisted herself over, one of the other women successfully opened the gate, and the rest of the women spilled out of the grassy area to the safety of the patio. The kangaroo appeared to chase the women up toward the house in the vision, before doubling back in the opposite direction. Beynon is considered Australia's answer to Hugh Hefner and is famous for his excessive parties at his home in Helensvale, on the Gold Coast, and often controversial Instagram posts featuring dozens of scantily clad women. One of the woman jumped into the Candy Shop Mansion pool to escape the kangaroo Victoria Police are offering a $350,000 reward to help solve a case where an 18-year-old Melbourne schoolgirl was abducted off the street in South Yarra and raped more than 30 years ago. The teenager had been selling flowers on the night of Friday November 22, 1985 to restaurants and was walking along Chapel Street and sometime after 10pm when she was approached by a man who threatened her and pulled her towards a car with another man inside on Bray Street. She was bound, gagged and blindfolded, driven to an unknown property, and seriously sexually assaulted over a number of hours while still blindfolded. She was then dumped on Yarra Boulevard in Richmond around 1am on Saturday, November 23. Detectives believe three men were involved in the attack. The victim died in 2008. Victoria Police are offering a $350,000 reward to help solve a case where an 18-year-old Melbourne schoolgirl (pictured) was abducted off the street in South Yarra Investigators have filmed a recreation of the victim being grabbed on the street in South Yarra. Officer in charge of the Sexual Crimes Squad, Detective Inspector Steve Wilson, says he believes the reward and re-enactment could prove crucial in solving the case. 'This horrific incident may have happened over 30 years ago, however ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice remains as important to us as ever,' he said. 'I absolutely believe that with the right information, it can be solved.' He said the attack was particularly brutal and would have had a significant effect on the victim. 'Our victim was still at school at the time of the abduction and assault - she was really just a kid,' he said. 'She was studying for her final year exams and ended up delaying them while she coped with the aftermath. 'I think she showed great strength of character to go on with her life the way she did, she lived overseas and was known as a very active person. 'Police are looking for anyone who might have witnessed the incident in Bray Street and can provide information about the men or the vehicle to come forward. The schoolgirl (pictured) was bound, gagged and blindfolded, driven to an unknown property, and raped over a number of hours while still blindfolded He said a past statement given by the victim indicated a man had made direct eye contact with the woman as she was being dragged into the car. Police believe this man could hold valuable information in catching the offenders three decades later. 'From what we've been able to find, he has never spoken to police however we believe he could have information that is crucial to this investigation,' he said. 'We'd also like to speak to anyone out there who has any other information about the incident or who was involved.' One of the victim's female friends spoke with The Herald Sun but chose not to be identified. 'Susan was such a resilient, energetic, vibrant, zany character and personality, she's the kind of person that even though something horrible had happened to her she didn't let it get in the way of living her life to the fullest,' she said. 'She became less trusting of males in her life, she valued sex a whole lot less.' Police are now hunting for a man who made eye contact with the schoolgirl (pictured) moments before she was kidnapped She said the whole ordeal had along lasting effect on her late friend who said she completely changed the way she interacted with males. Detective Inspector Wilson said the attack was particularly brutal and would have had a significant effect on the victim. 'Our victim was still at school at the time of the abduction and assault she was really just a kid,' he said. 'I think she showed great strength of character to go on with her life the way she did, she lived overseas and was known as a very active person.' Police hope the reward will remind the public that police have not given up on solving the case. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Confidently striding through the halls of a busy hospital with her stethoscope around her neck, Batool Albatat looks like any another doctor on rounds. The 29-year-old has helped save lives since she started at The Northern Hospital in Melbourne last year, but she barely even made it to high school alive. Eighteen years ago she was stranded in the middle of the ocean with 130 other desperate asylum seekers drifting aimlessly. Water and food had run out and the teenagers driving the leaky fishing boat had no idea what they were doing even before the engine broke down. They were only saved when Australian Coast Guard officers came across the vessel, and revealed they were miles off course and headed to certain death. Batool Albatat, 29, is a second-year resident at The Northern Hospital in Melbourne 18 years after she arrived in Australia as a refugee from Iraq Dr Albatat's family fled Saddam Hussein's murderous regime in Iraq and crossed into Iran with little more than the clothes on their backs. 'They just had to pack up and go, they just wanted to save their lives and their kids,' she told Daily Mail Australia of her parents' desperation. Her father was an engineer in Basra and owned several houses and plenty of luxury items, all of which they had to leave behind. 'We grew up wealthy, so it was a shock running away and being suddenly poor, crammed into a tiny house with my cousins, uncles, and grandparents,' she said. A few of their extended family made it to Australia as refugees and Dr Albatat's father decided to follow them to give his family a chance at survival. However, people smugglers demanded thousands of dollars for each family member and they could only afford to take the two youngest boys. At the last minute, Dr Albatat's grandfather decided she was too young at age 12 to stay behind and scraped together the cash to fund her trip. 'That decision changed my life dramatically,' Dr Albatat, the fifth of seven siblings, said. 'Saying goodbye was heartbreaking as we didn't know if we would ever see them again. We heard that so many people died trying to get to Australia, but it was our only chance.' She earned a biomedical science degree from La Trobe University before studying medicine at Melbourne University, graduating in 2017 They flew to Malaysia on forged passports and then to Indonesia where they were moved around by smugglers every day to avoid the police. 'Every day for three months were were told we would get on the boat tomorrow, only to be told we couldn't,' Dr Albatat said. 'We ran out of money and for weeks lived on only rice. Sometimes we added sugar to make it easier to eat. Then for the last few days we had nothing to eat. 'There were many other Iraqi people who had been waiting longer, or they paid the smugglers all their money who then took it and ran off.' Eventually they were taken to a beach under the cover of darkness and hid huddled in silence for hours until the boat arrived. The tiny fishing boat was crammed with 60 asylum seekers and looked like it would be lucky to make it off the beach. 'The boat shouldn't even have been travelling, it was old and cracked,' Dr Albatat said. 'As soon as the engine started people started vomiting from the fumes and clouds of smoke the old engine was belching out along with the rocking from the sea.' Dr Albatat was in 2001 stranded on a boat loaded with 130 asylum seekers headed to Australia aged 12 drifting off course and headed for certain death (2001 refugee boat pictured) The young girl woke up after a few hours sleep in the middle of a storm only to be told they were heading back to shore. 'It was a tiny ship in a big storm, there was big waves and rain, we didn't know where we were going, and the boat was sinking.' For two weeks they were marooned on a tiny forested island off the coast of Indonesia living with the local inhabitants. Everyone lived in tree houses because it was too dangerous on the ground where crocodiles and snakes were abundant. 'The local people took turns guarding everyone else through the night so the animals didn't kill them,' Dr Albatat said. 'My mother was crying the whole time about leaving my brother and sisters behind and Dad felt like he'd brought his family out there to die but he had no choice as we couldn't go back and he'd already given the smugglers all his money.' Another boat that left Indonesia about the same time sank and many asylum seekers drowned, with word soon reaching refugees still on shore. 'After we left Indonesia, none of our family knew if we were dead or alive and when they heard a boat sank they started organising funerals for us,' Dr Albatat said. Finally the smugglers arrived with a bigger boat, but crammed more than 130 people on to it so it was just as crowded as before. Working in the busy hospital with her stethoscope around her neck, Dr Albatat looks like any another doctor on rounds Soon after leaving Indonesia, the captain left the boat, leaving it to be piloted by two teenage boys aged 14 who would not be jailed in Australia like an adult would. 'Our lives were depending on two kids who barely knew what they were doing. We had no idea where we were or if we were going the right way all we could see was water around us,' Dr Albatat said. 'By the second day the boys were lost and we were almost out of water, we could only drink a cap-full every few hours. 'Everyone felt like they were going to die and were preparing for the end. Some people got desperate and lit fires on the boat at night hoping someone would see them. 'A storm was coming and the boat was leaking. On the third day a plane flew over but it didn't see us. Everyone lost hope and was crying and praying because we were sure we were going to die.' On the fourth day the engine broke down and the rickety boat was left drifting at the mercy of the wind and waves, nowhere near land. Finally the coast guard arrived after four days at sea and told off the boys driving the boat because they were headed for the middle of the ocean where everyone would have died. The boat was towed to shore and everyone on board was sent to the Christmas Island detention centre. Dr Albatat's family fled Saddam Hussein's murderous regime in Iraq with little more than the clothes on their backs (refugees in her birth town of Basra pictured in the 1990s) Dr Albatat remembers the camp as harrowing, 'like a prison', surrounded by hopeless asylum seekers, including children, awaiting their fate. 'Many people we met on Christmas Island were there for years and had no idea when they would be allowed to leave,' she said. She and her family were lucky and their claims were accepted in just three months. Then they were sent to Melbourne where her cousins lived. Not knowing a word of English, Dr Albatat at first struggled to fit in at school in suburban Australia. 'I only had my cousin to talk to. But when I learned enough English I was able to make friends and sit with everyone else,' she said. The family survived on Centrelink payments while her father learned enough English to get a job and support them. Her mother fell into a deep depression from being without the rest of her children and it was painful to watch her frequently crying. Soon after leaving Indonesia, the captain left the boat, leaving it to be piloted by two teenage boys aged 14 who would not be jailed in Australia like an adult would (2001 asylum seeker boat pictured) After seven years the family was able to get Australian permanent residency and travel back to the Middle East to see those they left behind. 'We didn't all have the internet so we could only communicate with them using expensive calling cards,' Dr Albatat said. Soon after, they got Australian citizenship and were able to bring her brother and sisters to Melbourne and reunite the family in 2008. 'It was an amazing relief to see them safe in Australia after seven years. My mother struggle for so long and she was overjoyed to have the family together again,' she said. By the time Dr Albatat finished school, her English was good enough that she was just like any other graduate. She earned a biomedical science degree from La Trobe University before studying medicine at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 2017. During her studies she worked as a data entry typist at St Vincent's Hospital's pathology department. Dr Albatat said she feels a debt of gratitude to Australia and its people who welcomed her with open arms Then last year she started her internship at The Northern Hospital, and now works as a surgical resident in her second year. 'I love working here, everyone has been very supportive and kind to me,' she said. 'The staff is very multicultural, from all over the world and I get along well with everyone. I've never had any problems being a Muslim.' Even as she celebrates her triumph, she feels a debt of gratitude to Australia and its people who welcomed her with open arms. 'Australia is the only place I call home, I don't think of Iraq as home. I have more (European) Australian friends than Arabic ones and everyone has welcomed me everywhere I've gone,' she said. 'I'm so grateful to have been welcomed into Australia. I wouldn't be where I am today without the opportunities it gave me. 'My sister and brothers didn't have this opportunity until they arrived and they are still far behind.' The family of a man who was murdered by his cellmate in jail 15 years ago feel like they're reliving the nightmare after the death of a prisoner in his cell this week. At just 24, Craig Behr was seven years into his 10 year sentence when he was transferred from Goulburn jail into a cell with Michael Alan Heatley, in Sydney's Long Bay prison. Within half an hour of arriving, he was dead. Heatley admitted to beating Behr to death. He suffered a head injury, inhaled vomit throughout the assault and eventually died when his brain was starved of oxygen. Prior to Behr moving into his cell, Heatley pleaded with officers to keep him away from other prisoners, 9News reported. At just 24, Craig Behr (pictured) was seven years into his 10 year sentence when he was transferred from Goulburn jail into a cell with the man who would go on to kill him He offered them a chilling warning about his 'homicidal tendencies' - something he had also conveyed to a prison psychologist - but said his pleas fell on deaf ears. 'I didn't want to kill him,' Heatley told police after the attack. 'I'm not schizo but I do have a mental problem. I'm homicidal. I've told them that for days. Then they tell me this morning that they're putting this guy with me and I begged them not to but they said they were going to. 'I told them I'd kill him, but they just said I'm full of s**t.' Heatley, who was initially in prison for armed robbery, had an additional 18 years added to his sentence. Craig's brother Stephen Behr said the most recent alleged murder at Silverwater jail (pictured) in Sydney's west was a jolt to the system for the whole family Behr was murdered within minutes of being placed in a new cell at Long Bay prison (pictured) in Sydney Behr's family have since moved on. They sat through the coronial inquest into his death, which concluded 'systemic and individual failures' were responsible for placing him in his killer's cell on March 27, 2004. But his brother Stephen Behr said the most recent alleged murder at Silverwater jail in Sydney's west was a jolt to the system for the whole family. 'Fifteen years later, it's happened all over again,' Mr Behr said. 'When I first heard about it two or three days ago, I was in my office and said 'no, this can't be right. Can this happen again?'' he said. 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 'My mother, who I had to console two days ago, she rang me about ten minutes down the track when she heard it on the news. Mr Behr said 'the memories have come flooding back.' Corrective Services NSW are investigating the latest death, in which 35-year-old Matthew Macguire is accused of killing fellow prisoner Ryan Fennell, 39, on Monday night. Mr Behr said he and his family would be open to speaking with the family of the latest victim. A review into Corrective Services NSW process has been ordered, and Mr Behr said he and his family hope the recommendations won't be ignored. President Trump continued his rant about sanctuary cities on Saturday night, stating California is well known for its 'poor management' and 'high taxes.' Trump took to his Twitter on Saturday night to blast the Golden State as he continued his diatribe against sanctuary cities. 'Just out: The USA has the absolute legal right to have apprehended illegal immigrants transferred to Sanctuary Cities,' Trump claimed. 'We hereby demand that they be taken care of at the highest level, especially by the State of California, which is well known or its poor management & high taxes! President Trump unleashed a tweetstorm on Saturday in response to a New York Times report about his attempts to curb illegal immigration. He slammed California in the latest of the tweets 'Just out: The USA has the absolute legal right to have apprehended illegal immigrants transferred to Sanctuary Cities,' Trump claimed Earlier, Trump lashed out at The New York Times over a report which claimed that last week he pressured the new acting head of Homeland Security to close the U.S.-Mexico border to migrants even though he said he would delay the move for a year. The president also took aim in his tweetstorm at the mayor of Oakland and sanctuary cities in the wake of other reports which claimed the administration was considering relocating ICE detainees in Democratic-run towns. Trump tweeted on Saturday: The New York Times Sanctuary Cities/Immigration story today was knowingly wrong on almost every fact. They never call to check for truth. Their sources often dont even exist, a fraud. They will lie & cheat anyway possible to make me look bad. In 6 years they will be gone........ Trump slammed the Times for a story that was 'wrong on almost every fact' Trump said that the Times had to 'beg their fleeing subscribers for forgiveness' after the 2016 election Trump denied reports claiming that he offered pardons to Homeland Security officials who may get in trouble with the law by turning away asylum seekers at the border Trump also took aim at Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and other 'sanctuary cities' The president demanded that Democrats 'change the immigration laws fast' and that sanctuary cities 'take care of...gang members, drug dealers, human traffickers, and criminals of all shapes, sizes, and kinds' The Times story claimed that Trump leaned on Kevin McAleenan - who took over as acting Homeland Security secretary, succeeding Kirstjen Nielsen - to seal the border with Mexico. Earlier this month, Trump threatened to close the border with Mexico in an effort to keep out migrants seeking to enter the United States. But he took a step back from his threat, as pressure mounted from companies worried that a shutdown would cause chaos to supply chains. Closing the border could disrupt millions of legal crossings and billions of dollars in trade. The Times story claimed that Trump leaned on Kevin McAleenan - who took over as acting Homeland Security secretary - to seal the border with Mexico. Earlier this month, Trump threatened to close the border in an effort to keep out migrants seeking to enter the U.S. Auto companies have been warning the White House privately that it would lead to the idling of U.S. plants within days because they rely on prompt deliveries of components made in Mexico. Last week, it was reported that Trump told McAleenan, who was the head of Customs and Border Protection before he took over DHS in an acting capacity, that he 'would pardon him if he ever went to jail for denying U.S. entry to migrants,' according to CNN. In the next tweet on Saturday, Trump continued his attack on the Times. When I won the Election in 2016, the @nytimes had to beg their fleeing subscribers for forgiveness in that they covered the Election (and me) so badly. They didnt have a clue, it was pathetic. They even apologized to me. But now they are even worse, really corrupt reporting! Trump was referring to the Times' letter to its readers on November 13, 2016 - days after the former New York real estate mogul shocked the world and defeated Hillary Clinton in the elections. In the letter, Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr and executive editor Dean Baquet acknowledged that the newspaper may have underestimated Trump's chances to beat Clinton. Since Trump's election, however, the Times has seen a surge in the number of digital subscribers, contrary to the president's claim on Saturday. In his next tweet, Trump denied a story which appeared in Fridays New York Times claiming that he offered border patrol agents pardons if they were to ever run into legal trouble for turning away asylum seekers. Trump has been unable to stop a surge in migrant arrivals from Central America The president tweeted: I never offered Pardons to Homeland Security Officials, never ordered anyone to close our Southern Border (although I have the absolute right to do so, and may if Mexico does not apprehend the illegals coming to our Border), and am not frustrated. SANCTUARY CITIES - WHAT AND WHERE Sanctuary cities - and states - are those which in broad terms protect illegal immigrants from deportation by federal authorities. There is no legal definition and no single set of laws - so agreeing which places are sanctuary cities or states is in itself contentious. But broadly, most sanctuary cities say that their police officers do not ask for immigration status, and do not report it to the federal authorities when they detain, arrest or process suspects. Most will also decline to detain illegal immigrants on requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless they are accused of serious crimes. The degree of seriousness varies from place to place. In New York, even a felony is no guarantee that an immigration detainer will be obeyed. California is the biggest single sanctuary area, with local law enforcement agencies banned by state law from using money, personnel or equipment to help federal immigration authorities act against illegal. While critics might say some places are sanctuary cities, local lawmakers often deny it. In Los Angeles, where cops are banned from stopping people solely on suspicion of being illegal, the mayor has rejected the label, and frequently co-operates with immigration agencies. Cities which identify as sanctuary include: Berkeley, California, since 1971 San Francisco, CA Boulder, Colorado Hartford, Connecticut St Petersburg, Florida Chicago, Illinois Urbana, IL Evanston, IL New Orleans, Louisiana Albany, New York Kalamazoo, Michigan Jersey City, New Jersey Newark, New Jersey New York, New York Portland, Oregon Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Seattle, Washington Cities accused of being sanctuary cities because of laws which limit co-operation with ICE, but which deny it include: Los Angeles, California Atlanta, Georgia Portland, Maine Baltimore, Maryland Boston, Massachusetts Detroit, Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Minneapolis, Minnesota Advertisement It is all Fake & Corrupt News! Trump then took aim at Oakland and its mayor, Libby Schaaf. The president tweeted: So interesting to see the Mayor of Oakland and other Sanctuary Cities NOT WANT our currently detained immigrants after release due to the ridiculous court ordered 20 day rule. If they dont want to serve our Nation by taking care of them, why should other cities & towns? The '20 day rule' is a provision currently on the books in U.S. law which says that migrant children - whether accompanied by an adult or not - cannot be detained for more than 20 days. Both the Trump and the Obama administrations have fought the 20-day rule, but to no success, according to CBS News. Trump finally tweeted: 'Democrats must change the Immigration Laws FAST. 'If not, Sanctuary Cities must immediately ACT to take care of the Illegal Immigrants - and this includes Gang Members, Drug Dealers, Human Traffickers, and Criminals of all shapes, sizes and kinds. Schaaf made headlines last year after she tipped off undocumented immigrants about a planned raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In an interview with National Public Radio on Saturday, Schaaf said Oakland would welcome more undocumented immigrants. We know that data proves that undocumented or documented immigrants commit far fewer crimes, Schaaf said. So not only is our community richer and more loving. But it also is safer because we are a sanctuary city and a diverse city...Oakland welcomes all people. Trump said Friday he is seriously considering funneling detained illegal migrants into the self-declared sanctuary cities that oppose his tough immigration policies. Trump's announcement on Twitter reversed a previous White House assurance that the idea - criticized as political retribution against cities led by opposition Democrats - had been dropped. 'Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities,' Trump said. 'The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy - so this should make them very happy!' he tweeted. The Washington Post revealed the proposal, which would mark a new flashpoint in the ever growing political divide over immigration. Trump has staked his presidency on his insistence that the United States is being overrun by migrants and asylum seekers. But opponents, mostly in the Democratic Party, say his push for building more walls on the Mexican border and his almost daily denunciations of migrants as dangerous criminals incite racial hatred. In comments to reporters later, Trump said that he wanted Congress, where the House of Representatives is controlled by Democrats, to tighten visas and streamline the deportation process. Otherwise, he warned, he'll order migrants to be dumped on the sanctuary cities. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf (seen above in this January 2018 file photo) said her city 'welcomes all people' 'If they don't agree we might as well do what they say they want.... We'll bring them to sanctuary city areas and let that particular area take care of it,' he said. 'We can give them an unlimited supply.' And late Friday, he reiterated his call for a 'merit' based immigration system. 'If the Radical Left Democrats all of a sudden don't want the Illegal Migrants in their Sanctuary Cities (no more open arms), why should others be expected to take them into their communities?' he tweeted. Sanctuary cities are places where local authorities - usually Democratic-run - have refused to hand over undocumented immigrants for deportation. San Francisco Mayor London Breed dismissed Trump's proposal. President Trump confirmed a Washington Post report from earlier this week which stated that he considered relocating migrants released from ICE detention in sanctuary cities - even though his White House said the idea had been rejected Trump's tweets also appeared to confirm that the tactic was meant as a way to needle the 'Radical Left' 'This is just another in a long line of scare tactics and half-baked ideas that are just about chasing headlines and distracting people from real issues,' she tweeted. Citing homeland security officials and leaked emails, the Post said White House officials first broached the plan in November, asking several agencies whether members of a caravan of migrants could be arrested at the border and then bussed 'to small- and mid-sized sanctuary cities.' The White House told ICE that the plan was intended to alleviate a shortage of detention space, but would also send a message to Democrats, the Post said. The suggested policy was pushed back within ICE, with a top official saying it was rife with concerns and noting 'there are PR risks as well.' After the White House pressed the issue again earlier this year, ICE rebuffed it as 'inappropriate.' The Post said a White House official and a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said the proposal was no longer under consideration. News of the plan came days after the forced resignation of former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Agency officials identified White House adviser Stephen Miller as being behind the plan House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted the proposed move as 'unworthy' of the presidency 'This was just a suggestion that was floated and rejected, which ended any further discussion,' a White House statement said. One of the centers targeted was the California constituency of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose office on Thursday blasted the plan. 'Using human beings - including little children - as pawns in their warped game to perpetuate fear and demonize immigrants is despicable,' said Pelosi spokeswoman Ashley Etienne. Trump's all-out fight with the Democrats over immigration comes as border agents report being overwhelmed by the number of migrants and people demanding asylum after fleeing violent Central American countries. The number of immigrant detainees in ICE custody has approached 50,000 in recent months, the Post said, an all-time high that has strained the agency's budget. Another of Trump's controversial proposals to resolve the situation has been to shut the border with Mexico temporarily. He backed off the idea after outcry over the likely damaging economic effects. A 17-year-old learner driver has been charged after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase in a stolen car while drunk. At about 7pm on Saturday night police received reports that a ute with a trolley trailer attached was stolen from a shopping centre on the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane. Witnesses saw the vehicle leave north along Nicklin Way with the trailer ramps down, dragging along the road and showering other motorists with sparks. Scroll down for video A 17-year-old learner driver has been charged with a string of offences including drink driving after leading police on a high-speed chase along a busy highway A short time later officers from Kawana Waters Station spotted the stolen vehicle and trailer near the Bruce Highway interchange and attempted to intercept. Police were joined by another squad car and motorbike and continued the pursuit. The driver then did an alleged U-turn while travelling south on the Bruce Highway before police were able to get ahead of him and place spikes along the road. After successfully deflating the two front wheels of the ute, the car eventually came to a stop on a busy road as police closed in on him. 'I'm done, i'm done, I'm done,' the teenager could be heard saying as police pulled him from the car. At about 7pm on Saturday night police received calls of that a ute with a shopping trolley trailer attached was allegedly stolen from a shopping centre on the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane 'The ute came to a stop a short distance away and the alleged driver, a 17-year-old Gympie boy, was taken into custody at the scene,' a police statement read. 'The boy allegedly returned a positive roadside breath analysis and was transported to Maroochydore Watchhouse where he produced a BAC of 0.092%.' He was charged with four counts of wilful damage, two counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle and one count each of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. He was also charged with drink driving, evasion, public nuisance, and failing to comply with learner licence provisions. The boy will be dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act. A man who allegedly tried to smuggled a rare and expensive fish into Australia by strapping it around his neck has been arrested by Australian Border Force officers. The Vietnamese national, 34, was selected for baggage examination after arriving at Adelaide airport from a Malaysian flight. When officers began a frisk search of the man he allegedly produced the bag containing the fish. The fish was identified as an endangered Fully Red Asian Arowana by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. A man who allegedly tried to smuggled a rare and expensive fish into Australia by strapping it around his neck has been arrested by Australian Border Force officers The trade of this species is controlled under the international Convention in Trade of Endangered Species, to which Australia is a signatory. Southeast Asia and are popular pets due to the vibrant colours of the different varieties also including the Silver Asian, Blue Malayan, and Gold Crossback. ABF officers arrested the man and he was subsequently granted bail to appear before the Magistrates Court on May 15. The maximum penalty for wildlife trade offences under Australian law is 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to $210,000 for individuals or up to $1,050,000 for corporations. ABF Chief Superintendent, Regional Command SA, Brett Liebich said the ABF will do everything in its power to disrupt and deter the illegal trade of animals. 'The ABF takes the illegal wildlife trade seriously and we will continue to work collaboratively with our partners to detect, disrupt and deter illegal activity at our borders,' he said on Sunday. An anonymous tenant has left a graphic letter in more than 150 mailboxes threatening violence against a barking dog and its owner. The furious neighbour contacted all residents at the Alto Apartment in the Brisbane suburb of Toowong, saying they believed the dog was being mistreated based on its incessant barking. The letter, obtained by news.com.au, initially starts with 25 lines repeating the word 'bark', before the author launches into an expletive-laden tirade against the dog's owner by translating the barks. 'This roughly translates to 1) Help I am in prison! 2) My owner is a f**kwit 3) I want to jump off this building and die,' the letter reads. The furious neighbour contacted all residents at the Alto Apartment (pictured) in the Brisbane suburb of Toowong, stating they believed the dog was being mistreated based on its incessant barking 'I would love to lock you on a balcony for hours on end, with or without food and water for weeks on end and see how you cope,' it said. The author of the note went on to tell the dog's owner they had already contacted the local council, but had thought ahead in case the council would not act on the complaint. 'I will contact channel 7 9 10 human rights animal rights PETA' The author also says they will hire lawyers or QCs to 'stop this evil act from occurring.' 'If council are soft c**ks and can't solve the problem I will go to police.' The neighbour went on to write in bold font: 'I will bring you down.' 'You must not (have) been loved enough as a child or f***ed enough as an adult,' they wrote. The author of the note went on to tell the dog's owner they had already contacted the local council, but had thought ahead in case the council would not act on the complaint (stock) 'You are truly a sick twisted individual and should not be allowed to own pets. You are everything that's wrong in this world.' Despite the author trying to point out the owner's so-called abuse, they then threatened to 'scale the building and throw the dog off'. 'Not onto the train tracks... but into the drive way area so other tenants could see the dog is free from a painful life of abuse'. The furious tenant who penned the letter goes on to assume the owner of the dog is a 'poorer tenant from floors 4 to 10' 'But who knows a lot of rich people are stupid and can't even tie their shoelaces, that's why they are reading this too. Rich wa**er.' The letter finishes with yet another threat, 'At the end of the day I won't be the one in the mental asylum or jail having their a****le played with. You will be.' Terrified tenants have expressed concerns over the anonymous neighbour's rage. Some said they had never even heard a dog barking in the building. Alto Apartments management is allegedly investigating the incident. Former Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has been praised for her 'great sense of humour' after posting a series of hilarious photos of herself enjoying a dagwood dog. The politician took to social media to share cheeky photos of herself at an autumn festival on Sunday afternoon. Ms Lambie, 48, is seen struggling to eat the large fried sausage covered in tomato sauce but she showed off her sense of humour by making light of the unflattering shots. 'You guys know I like my sausage!' she said in a Facebook post that has garnered more than 6,000 likes and nearly 2,000 comments praising her provocative pictures. Former Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie took to social media to share cheeky photos of herself at an autumn festival on Sunday afternoon Ms Lambie is seen struggling to eat the large fried sausage covered in tomato sauce but she showed off her sense of humour by making light of the unflattering photos Her Facebook post has garnered more than 6,000 likes and nearly 2,000 comments praising her sense of humour User Rachel Watson said: Youre funny!! Good giggle, thanks Jacqui!!'' Another said: 'Need more of this totally inappropriate humour, love it, way to go Jacqui!!!..' 'Love your sense of humour...Wouldn't get many other (if any) politicians posting something like this,' user Lee Buck said. 'Lol love to have a drink with you awesome sense of humour,' fan Elijah Finch said. User Keith Richardson joked saying: 'The only politician brave enough to eat a Dagwood dog. Shorten ate a sausage sideways.' Ms Lambie, who served in the Australian Senate from July 2014 until November 2017, resigned after learning she was a dual British citizen. One person said 'need more of this totally inappropriate humour' Ms Lambie, who served in the Australian Senate from July 2014 until November 2017, resigned after learning she was a dual British citizen She also founded her own party called the Jacqui Lambie Network after splitting from the United Palmer Party. This is not the first time Ms Lambie has raised a few eyebrows with her cheeky and risque comments. Shortly after becoming a senator in 2014, she made national headlines when she told Hobart radio personalities her perfect man would have to have 'heaps of cash and they've got to have a package between their legs, let's be honest.' Last year, the mum-of-two allowed a Seven crew to film her getting botox, being schooled in how to use Tinder, and trying out sexy lingerie. The blunt warning that 'smoking kills' is slapped on nearly every cigarette box which is sold in the UK. But the boss of one of the world's largest tobacco firms has said she will not dissuade her own daughters from taking up the habit, despite the glaring health risks. Alison Cooper, 53, is the chief executive of Bristol-based Imperial Brands and one of the only women to lead a FTSE 100 company. But although she is aware of the life-shortening damage that cigarettes can inflict, the mother-of-two is relaxed about her 15 and 23-year-old children smoking. Alison Cooper, 53, is the chief executive of tobacco industry heavyweight, Imperial Brands, and will not dissuade her own daughters from smoking 'I've always tried to bring them up in a way that they make their own choices in life from an informed position', Cooper said when asked about her laid-back approach to smoking, in an interview with the Sunday Times. And pressed if she would be disappointed if they started smoking, she said: 'I dont think disappointment is a good role for a mother at any point in time.' In a market which is constantly adapting and innovating new products, Cooper, who has been at the helm of Imperial Brands since 2010 and enjoys the odd cigar, said she hopes the company will stop selling cigarettes in her lifetime. The dangers of smoking are well-known and at least 40 per cent of cigarette packaging has to clear space to detail the consequences of inhaling the tobacco gases. 'Smokers die younger', 'smoking causes fatal lung cancer' and 'smoking can cause a slow and painful death' are among the phrases which, by law, must be emblazoned on packets. Imperial Brands is best known for its Davidoff and Lambert and Butler cigarettes. Although the number of smokers in the UK is declining year-on-year, there are still an estimated 9.4million and the tobacco industry remains a lucrative market. In 2017, Cooper, pocketed 5.5 million, a dramatic pay rise from 3.6million the year before. Imperial Brands is best known for its Davidoff and Lambert and Butler (pictured) cigarettes Police have issued a warning to social media users about the latest case of fake news doing the rounds on Australian Facebook pages. The dangerous new scam tells a story of a young girl in Queensland, who travels from Toombul to Southport to visit a friend, before being pulled over by criminals posing as police. The post claims women travelling alone do not have to pull over for unmarked police cars. It's the latest bout of fraudulent fake news doing the rounds on Facebook, but it's also been used across the world 'For a woman alone in a car, you do not have to pull over for an UNMARKED car,' the post claims. 'Apparently police have to respect your right to keep going to a "safe" place.' The post then encourages people to to call 112, which will 'direct them straight to police and will work when 000 does not.' Although there have been worse scams online, police have slammed it as 'exceptionally worrying,' the Courier Mail reports. 'Any motorist who believes an unmarked vehicle attempting to intercept them is not a police vehicle is urged to contact local police...,' A Qld Police spokesman told Daily Mail. 'If they fear for their safety, they should call Triple Zero (000).' According to the Australian Government, calling 112 does not provide any benefit over 000. There are also two secondary emergency call service numbers - 112 and 106,' the website said. 'Dialling 112 directs you to the same Triple Zero (000) call service and does not give your call priority over Triple Zero (000). According to the Australian Government , calling 112 does not provide addition benefit over 000 'Triple Zero (000) is Australia's primary telephone number to call for assistance in life threatening or time critical emergency situations,' the website said. Finally, the website warns that using the alternative number will actually put you at a disadvantage. 'Calls to 112 do not go to the head of the queue for emergency services, and it is not true that it is the only number that will work on a mobile phone,' it said. The scam says a young girl in Qld travels from Toombul to Southport to visit a friend, before being pulled over by criminals posing to be police A Queensland Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia that people should always call 000 in emergencies - and in non-emergency situations, call Policelink on 131 444. At first appearance, the story seems legitimate, using accurate locations in Queensalnd as a backup. But despite being shared over 22,000 times, a quick Google search reveals that the same narrative has been used with slight tweaks across the globe. It's also been shared online over the past decade. The names and locations used in the story changes, depending on where the status was posted. Boris Johnson was raised by a chain-smoking nanny who 'became part of the family' while his mother was in and out of hospital with crippling mental health issues. The nanny became the former foreign secretary's 'second mother', while his own was forced to leave the family to be treated for 'galloping' obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression. Boris and his three siblings moved to Brussels with the nanny in the 1970s, who 'steered the long-haired, collapsing Johnson clan' while their mother was ill. Father Stanley relocated them to the Belgian capital after securing a job as a civil servant for the European commission. Boris Johnson was raised by a chain-smoking nanny who 'became part of the family' while his mother was in and out of hospital with crippling mental health issues Mother, Charlotte Johnson Wahl, who was an esteemed artist, was struggling to balance life in a new country, her portrait paintings, four 'precocious' children and OCD But their mother, Charlotte Johnson Wahl, who was an esteemed artist, struggled to balance life in a new country, her portrait paintings, four 'precocious' children and OCD. She was later hospitalised at the Maudsley, a psychiatric hospital in south London, while the nanny stood in as mother to the Johnson siblings. Sister Rachel Johnson wrote in the Sunday Times that her mother was '32, had depression and galloping obsessive compulsive disorder (for which she'd been hospitalised at the Maudsley) and was finding things hard, trying to combine her painting and looking after Alexander (Boris), 10, me, 9, Leo, &, and Joseph, 2.' Hired from Britain's most renowned training school, Norland College, which is favoured by the the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the nanny soon began to 'run everything'. The 22-year-old, who had a 'raspy voice and gurgling laugh', became a real-life Mary Poppins to the youngsters. And the nanny, who was aptly named Mary, 'cut an unforgettable figure' in their household while their mother was being treated in clinics. Sister Rachel Johnson said her mother struggled to balance depression and galloping obsessive compulsive disorder, painting and looking after children Ms Johnson told the publication: 'My mother rotated in and out of clinic, but the show had to go on. "I had to run everything else" Mary tells me, "because there was no one else''. She grew very close to the four boisterous children, who were notorious for being 'rough', and she even took baths with them. Ms Johnson Whal has previously spoken about her struggles with the debilitating mental illness. In a 2015 interview with The Telegraph, the artist said she 'lost it' and 'went bonkers' and had to leave the family to get treated. Doctors said her case as one of the worst they had ever seen, describing how she would 'wash her hands until they bled', the publication reports. In the same year, Ms Johnson Wahl told the Radio Times, she would turn around twice before going into a room, straightened cushions 12 times and hated mess from food. She said: 'Suddenly I had this terror of food on my clothes. Life got impossible. 'With four children you can imagine the amount of mess and food around. And anything like a bit of omelette on my sleeve would completely panic me.' A man extradited from the United States has been charged with the murder of Thai national Wachira 'Mario' Phetmang, whose body was found bound and gagged on the side of a Sydney road. Alex Dion, 38, was charged with the 2018 murder of Mr Phetmang on Sunday after he arrived in Sydney from California under police guard. Mr Phetmang's body was discovered by a truck driver last June bound, gagged and wrapped in plastic, covered in a mattress protector. A man extradited from the United States has been charged with the murder of Thai national Wachira 'Mario' Phetmang (pictured), whose body was found bound and gagged on the side of a Sydney road Alex Dion, 38, was charged with the 2018 murder of Mr Phetmang on Sunday after he arrived in Sydney from California under police guard An autopsy of his body found he suffered more than 20 wounds to his head and had multiple skull fractures. The 33-year-old former cafe and spa worker had been living in Australia for at least the last 10 years, and was a permanent resident at the time of his death. Mr Phetmang was last seen alive on May 25 at a petrol station in the Sydney suburb of South Hurstville. His body was found a fortnight later on Homebush Bay Drive at Sydney Olympic Park. Mr Phetmang's (pictured) body was discovered by a truck driver on Homebush Bay Drive at Sydney Olympic Park, last June Dion, who is a US national, is believed to have left Australia on May 27 - more than a week before the body was found and formal identification was made. Australian authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in September 2018. NSW Police travelled to the US last week to bring Dion back to Australia after he was arrested last year by local authorities for an unrelated matter. He was escorted from the airport to Sydney Police Centre on Sunday and charged with murder. Dion was refused bail and will appear before Central Local Court on Monday. Dion was escorted from the airport to Sydney Police Centre on Sunday and charged with murder Boris Johnson (pictured) is at risk of losing his seat, a study has argued Boris Johnson is at risk of losing his seat in the next general election amid a surge of younger voters, a study has argued. The former foreign secretary could be unseated from his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency due to a demographic shift. The Generation Why? report by centre-Right think-tank Onward found that constituencies with ratios above 1:1 voters aged 20-39 for 60 pluses were likely to be won by parties other than the Tories. 'Some Conservative seats have ratios far higher that the tipping point, suggesting they are vulnerable,' it reads. 'Conservative seats with high ratios include the London seats of Cities of London and Westminster, Hendon, Chelsea and Fulham, and Uxbridge and South Ruislip.' It also found that every generation and ethnic group, including Remain supporters, back curbs on immigration. The policy is supported by 38 per cent of 18-24 year-olds, 68 per cent of over-65s, 40 per cent of Asian voters, 45 per cent of Black voters and 40 per cent of Remain voters. Only 16 per cent of under-35s said they would currently vote for the Conservatives. Just 17 per cent of Tory voters are aged under 45, and only 4 per cent are under 25. The age at which people become more likely to vote Conservative than Labour is now 51, up from 47 at the 2017 election and 34 before that. It comes after claims that Jeremy Corbyn is set to take power due to Theresa May's failure to deliver Brexit by March 29. A general election would see the Conservative Party losing 59 seats, meaning Mr Corbyn's party would be left the largest in the House of Commons, a Sunday Telegraph poll of polls claimed. President of the British Polling Council Professor Sir John Curtice said Brexiteers had been 'drawn back to either Ukip or Nigel Farage's newly launched Brexit Party'. Premier League star Gary Cahill was conned out of 1 million by a financial adviser that offered the defender his services. The Chelsea and ex-England defender even called Stewart Groves a friend and invited him to his wedding in 2013, before the Doncaster native swindled him. The 33-year-old handed the money over to Groves, 36, to invest for him, but he deposited large sums into his own bank account, The Sun reports. Stewart Groves's mug shot. He was jailed for fraud by false misrepresentation for over eight years Groves (right) is now in jail in Doncaster, Yorkshire after Sheffield crown court last month found him guilty of fraud by false misrepresentation. He got an eight-and-a-half year sentence They said Groves offered his expert advice on mortgages, pensions, and property. He is now languishing in jail in Doncaster, Yorkshire after Sheffield crown court last month found him guilty of fraud by false misrepresentation between 2013 and 2015. The case can only be reported now because Groves admitted stealing 150,000 from another investor. Cahill was at the peak of his powers having just joined Chelsea when the stealing began. The Chelsea and ex-England defender even called Stewart Groves a friend and invited him to his wedding in 2013 He moved from Aston Villa for 7 million in 2012 and his wage rocketed under billionaire Roman Ambramovich's regime. In an emotional impact statement, the Chelsea star described his trust issues that were created by Grove's crime. Cahill said: 'Stewart was a good friend. As a result of his actions I have developed extreme trust issues and struggle to make new friends.' Groves pictured in a video for a web design company. He is now believed to be bankrupt The case can only be reported now because Groves admitted stealing 150,000 from another investor Groves, who was beginning an eight-and-a-half year jail term, was also slammed by the judge for feeling sorry for himself. The magistrate said: 'You have shown no remorse at all towards Mr Cahill. It is all, Woe is me.' Groves - who had many famous clients based on referrals - is now believed to be bankrupt. According to a company website where Groves appeared to be a staff member, the 36-year-old left university in 2003 and began a career in financial services. He reportedly worked for Zurich Advice Network before being headhunted by Mayfair-based Berkeley Taylor in 2010. Advertisement Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith says local Conservative associations could boycott the EU elections if the UK is still a part of the bloc next month. The Chingford and Woodford Green MP slammed the Conservative leadership for not following through on its promise to leave on March 29, calling it a 'disaster' for party support. Mr Duncan Smith said the elections are 'impossible to justify'. He ridiculed the notion of campaigning for the May 23 election while at the same time saying British MEPs won't exist in a few months. The Brexiteer has suggested this morning that Tories could stay at home amid opposition to the EU elections He asked Sophy Ridge on Sky News: 'What are you going to say on the doorstep? Vote for me and Ill be gone in three months?' It follows Boris Johnson branding the elections 'ridiculous'. After months of wrangling over how to prevent a hard border in Northern Ireland, Mr Duncan Smith said Brussels knows full well an Irish backstop cannot work and should be scrapped. He suggested that Theresa May's extending of the withdrawal process could kill off the Conservatives at the polls, saying 'extension is death' after the UK was given six more months to negotiate its exit. It comes as polling puts Nigel Farage's newly formed Brexit Party as having the third largest share of the vote, with Labour ahead of the Tories. Jeremy Corbyn is pictured cycling through Islington, North London, today as Labour poll ahead of the Conservative Party The Brexit Party is tipped to hold 15 per cent of EU Election voting intention share just days after its formation. If a general election was called now, ardently pro-Leave parties would be the country's third largest political force with 14 per cent of the vote if a general election was held today. An Electoral Calculus poll of polls, including 8,561 people spoken to between April 2 and 11, found that Labour would become the largest party in the Commons, winning 296 seats to the Conservatives' 259 if a vote was held. Change UK - a breakaway group of MPs who are campaigning for a second referendum - are polling at seven per cent. Yesterday Farage whipped up hardline Eurosceptics into a frenzy today as he vowed his new Brexit Party would cause an earthquake among 'the career political class'. The arch-Leaver told a packed auditorium in Birmingham at the party's first rally that 'we are lions being led by donkeys' as he tried to galvanise his supporters before expected European Parliament contests next month. And the former Ukip leader, who has since turned his back on the party for 'lacking good people', tore into the government for its handling of Britain's departure and also prominent Remainers for refusing to honour the referendum result. He said: 'I find myself standing here today in my sixth European election campaign. 'I shouldn't be here, you shouldn't be here, this shouldn't be happening, we should have left the European Union. 'But I'm damned if after 25 years I'm going to roll over and let these politicians do this to us! So let's fight back! Let's fight back! We won't stand for it! We won't stand for it!' Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage (right) holds up placards with party chairman Richard Tice (left) during the first public rally of their European Parliament election campaign in Birmingham Supporters gather in a hall at the Birmingham ICC at 2pm today for the first rally event, after Farage visited the city's Bullring Indoor Market He also hit back at claims that Brexit has divided the nation and instead blamed fractures on the 'political class' who he claims are ignoring the 2016 vote. To a chorus of deafening boos which Mr Farage said he 'enjoyed', he directly accused former deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg and ex-prime minister Tony Blair of refusing to respect the Leave result. His explosive intervention comes a day after Jacob Rees-Mogg's sister Annunziata, was the party's first star MEP candidate - after she quit the Tories after 35 years. European Parliament elections are likely to happen in the UK on May 23 after Theresa May secured an extension to Britain's departure deadline until October 31. Nathalie Abildgaard, 27, agreed to settle the tribunal case against her former boss at the Australian fund manager IFM Investors on Frida A City analyst has agreed to settle a claim of sexual harassment against her ex-boss hedge fund manager for a 270,000 payout. Nathalie Abildgaard, 27, agreed to settle the tribunal case against her former boss at the Australian fund manager IFM Investors on Friday. Frederic Michel-Verdier, 50, executive director at IFM, was alleged to have repeatedly asked Miss Abildgaard to come back to his hotel room after attending a work celebration at a club in Madrid, Spain. Miss Abildgaard claimed that married Mr Michel-Verdier had said: 'I know more about sex. I can teach you a lot of things'. Mr Michel-Verdier remains employed by the IFM London office and denied all allegations during the case held at the Central London Employment Tribunal in January. IFM is understood to have paid Miss Abildgaard around 270,000 as reported by The Sunday Times, exceeding her original court claim of 236,000. A large proportion of that sum is to be delivered in the form of a donation to the charity set up by Miss Abildgaard to help people facing discrimination or harassment at work. Miss Abildgaard refused to sign a gagging order, a usual feature for women settling sexual harassment claims in the city, telling The Times: 'It was really important to me that I was not gagged. 'I want to raise public awareness about the challenges people face when they've suffered workplace harassment.' Having spent more than 100,000 of her own money in legal fees on the case Miss Abildgaard said she felt employees who were harassed did not have a fair chance. Frederic Michel-Verdier, pictured, denies sexually harassing a younger female colleague during a night out in Madrid last March Speaking about the case she told The Times: 'It's been an exhausting process, incredibly stressful. 'I had to withstand a lot of hostile behaviour from the respondents. 'You're against someone who has almost unlimited resources compared with you. 'It is very isolating too. Before the case became public, I was very alone in it that's a big part of why it is so difficult.' In Miss Abildgaard's witness statement she wrote of how Mr Michel-Verdier was expecting to receive 'longterm incentives' from IFM totalling somewhere between 15m and 20m. A statement from IFM and Miss Abildgaard said: 'Both parties believe the terms of the settlement to be fair, and importantly, do not restrict Ms Abildgaard from discussing the case. All legal proceeding will now cease.' Mr Michel-Verdier, said he was 'appalled' at allegations he sexually harassed a junior colleague and claims he messaged her his hotel room number as a joke, the tribunal heard. Natalie Abildgaard, pictured, alleged Mr Michel-Verdier had stood intimidatingly close to her and sent her his hotel room number while in Madrid and allegedly told her that 'if he was 20 years younger' he would have 'been all over her' The city fund boss, allegedly told his associate at IFM Investments, Miss Abildgaard that if he was '20 years younger I would have been all over you' on a night out in March last year. It is alleged the Frenchman then stood 'inappropriately and intimidatingly' close to Nathalie Abildgaard, 27, and said: 'You do not understand, I'm so much older than you. I know more about sex. I can teach you a lot of things'. He is also said to have sent her messages with his room number and rang her after she left at Bling Bling nightclub in Madrid. One message read: 'Yes 111 come )))' in a reference to his hotel room number. Mr Michel-Verdier said in a witness statement: 'I am appalled that Nathalie has alleged that she understood my WhatsApp message to be an attempt to lure her to my hotel room. 'I regard it as inconceivable that Nathalie genuinely misinterpreted my message, either then or now. 'I do not believe that she could have failed to understand that the word "come" was a joke, referencing the jokes that Nathalie had herself made to the effect that she might "pop in".' He also denied the 'vulgar and inappropriate statements' he is alleged to have made to Miss Abildgaard while they were in the club. The married father-of-one said he would 'never' make sexual advances towards another woman and that the claims have been deeply hurtful for him and his family. Miss Abildgaard resigned from her 94,000-a-year post at the Australian investment fund, which invests billions in infrastructure, just a month later. An anti-abortion group has taken legal action against a university after claiming its views have been censored. Aberdeen University students' association voted by more than 95 per cent to not allow the pro-life group to affiliate after an opponent said the society had a 'history of rape apologism and misogyny'. It has now filed court documents accusing the academic institution of discrimination under the Equality and Human Rights acts. If a society becomes affiliated, it gets access to money for events, campus facilities and can have a stall at freshers' week. It follows the decision of Glasgow University's student union to allow a pro-life society to affiliate after it also took legal action. The pro-abortion society claims it is being censored by Aberdeen University's student union because it is being denied membership due to its views on abortion Alex Mason, 33, who is married with two children and founded the student group Aberdeen Life Ethics Society, told The Sunday Times: 'A section of the student body is leftist in view on this issue. I think this is a culture which is zealous for abortion rights.' He argued that the society's main purpose was to hold 'peaceful' debates on campus about issues including sex-selective abortion. Mason, who is also from Virginia, said that while the group may hold protests near abortion clinics, it would not 'hold up pictures of dead babies or yell and scream at women'. The society first applied for affiliation in April last year and, after that was rejected, it appealed the decision. At a student union meeting this year, more than 95 per cent of students voted to refuse the group affiliation. There was a reportedly heated debate, with strong views from both sides, after the proposal was put forward by fourth year student Derek Gardiner. Aberdeen University said the matter was for the student union when it received a complaint, according to the society The university's student union has a policy of supporting abortion access in Northern Ireland The group, which has 230 Facebook likes and 85 followers on Instagram, said the vote was 'shameful' and a 'public renunciation of free speech and association'. 'In seeking to preserve their own insulation against an opposing viewpoint, they've demonstrated that those who claim to be the most progressive are often the most closed-minded', they said in a statement. 'AUSA may claim to operate as a democracy, but once the majority has used its power to strip rights away from the minority, democracy has devolved into mob rule'. They have asked the University to intervene but, after it replied saying this was a matter for the Student Union, they sent legal notes to the Union's Board of Trustees. A university spokesman said: 'The university is an inclusive community and recognises different beliefs, values and cultures. Student societies and clubs sit with the Aberdeen University Students' Association.' The student union has a policy that calls for access to abortion in Northern Ireland. Glasgow University's student union decided to allow a pro-life group to affiliate after it took legal action. The group's application was rejected in October last year. They submitted an equality complaint arguing that they had been discriminated against on account of their beliefs. When they were still refused, they took legal action. The Equality Act says that an association must not discriminate against a member in the way it affords or denies access to a benefit, facility or service. A driver is fighting for his life after his vintage car erupted into flames on a busy Sydney road. Charles Williamson, 45, was on his way to the Rotary Revival car show in Eastern Creek, when his vehicle swerved into oncoming traffic on King Georges Road, Hurstville, around 6am this morning. 'That car was coming straight for me,' witness Anthony Musumeci said, after the car clipped his fishing boat. A driver, passionate about cars, is now fighting for his life after his vintage car erupted into flames on a busy Sydney road 'I was looking at his headlights... I don't know how I managed to avoid it.' Mr Williamson's beloved Vintage Mazda immediately burst into flames after it clammed into the medium strip, trapping him inside the engulfed vehicle. CCTV footage shows horrified onlookers rush to save the man, risking their own lives. 'Is anyone there?' Mr Musumeci repeatedly yells, as he approaches the flames. Mr Williamson's beloved Vintage Mazda immediately burst into flames after it careered into the medium strip, trapping him inside the engulfed vehicle Mr Williamson had the help from his son (pictured), who was one of the first on the scene, desperately using a hose to try and put out the fire 'I can't get him out!' responded another distressed onlooker. But Mr Williamson had the help from his son, who was one of the first on the scene, desperately using a hose to try and put out the fire. His son was travelling in a separate car, closely behind. It took almost five minutes to pull the unconscious Mr Williamson out of his burning car. But police say it could have been much worse for the dad, if it hadn't been for the brave bystanders. Mr Williamson was headed for the Rotary Revival car show, which boasted of around 500 attendees, where his own vehicle would have taken centre stage throughout the event Instead, he is now fighting for his life with critical burns in Royal North Shore Hospital, after being transferred from St George Hospital 'The onlookers did an exceptional job and without their efforts, the driver of that vehicle would certainly be deceased already,' Chief Inspector Leonard Jones told 9 News. Mr Williamson was headed for the Rotary Revival car show, which boasted of around 500 attendees, where his own vehicle would have taken centre stage throughout the event. But instead, he is now fighting for his life with critical burns in Royal North Shore Hospital, after being transferred from St George Hospital. A NSW Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia that their investigations are still ongoing, but 'speed may be considered a factor in the crash.' A single mother whose life savings disappeared following the collapse of a payment company has been told that police will stop hunting for her missing 462,000 - as the last dregs of her bank account begin to run dry. Pauline Creasey, from Dover, was transferring the funds gathered from the sale of her Algarve holiday home back to the UK through a Portuguese currency firm called Premier FX. But the firm, a longtime sponsor of Channel 4's A Place In The Sun, folded two weeks later when its boss, 54-year-old Peter Rexstrew, suddenly died last summer. After his death, 11million-worth of customers' money vanished and left Pauline's life in tatters. Pauline Creasey, from Dover, lost her life savings following the collapse of a payment company she was using last summer 'My entire life has been thrown upside down by this. I'm devastated. I feel completely let down and don't know where else I can turn', she told the Sunday Times. And Pauline has now been informed that City of London Police's fraud squad are closing her case because they do not have the resources to track down her savings. It comes only a month after the head of the Financial Conduct Authority vowed to find Pauline's money. Pressed by Dover MP Charlie Elphicke about his constituent's case, Andrew Bailey told MPs that 'the first priority is to find the money'. He added: 'The person involved in this is said to be dead. I think its incumbent on his relatives and business partners to tell us where the money is.' Premier FX owner Peter Rexstrew, 54, suddenly died last summer following a reported heart operation The single parent has been told that police will stop hunting for her missing 462,000, as the last dregs of her bank account begin to run dry Pauline, a single parent of one daughter who planned to buy a house with the missing money, is currently living in rented accommodation in Dover, according to KentOnline. As her bank balance dwindles, she reckons she can sustain renting for only six more months. She said: 'I am applying for jobs to keep us going. Yet the money I had, if I hadn't lost it, would have meant buying a house and living rent and mortgage free.' Mr Rexstrew's children, Katy Grogan and Charles Rextrew, reportedly took the company reigns after their father died, but it soon went bust. Local media in Portugal reported that Mr Rextrew died following heart surgery in June last year. Charlie Elphicke (pictured in his Dover constituency) raised Pauline's case with FCA boss Andrew Bailey at Parliament's Treasury Select Committee meeting Whose Line Is It Anyway star Tony Slattery has spoken of how he suffers from bipolar disorder and his battle to 'survive'. At the height of his fame in the 80s and 90s, Tony was a star of the Channel 4 improvisation show and one of the top stand-up comedians in the UK. But his meteoric rise to stardom was blighted with mental health issues and an addiction to drugs and alcohol. Whose Line is It Anyway star Tony Slattery has spoken of his daily battle with bipolar disorder. He is pictured as he looks today Tony is currently on tour, in which he is revisiting his glory in the 80s and 90s with the help of a fan called Allan Lear who is one of his best friends. Tony is pictured as he looks today In the 1990s when he was hugely popular comedian famous for his one liners his 10g of cocaine a day cost him 4,000 a week. Today the years of drugs, alcohol and depression has taken its toll. His once slick black hair is grey and he lives in a rented home in Edgware, North London, having not decided to buy a home when he could afford to. Although he still has a glint in his eye his words rush out and in between sentences there are long pauses. He told The Mirror: 'You wake up and, if you're alive, cool go from there if you can.' 'I could write you a book on bipolarity. 'It's one of those hidden things, it's complicated. That's not to say, 'Oh god, aren't I special'. So many people have it the spectrum is enormous. He said it is hugely important to talk about bipolar disorder. 'But it hugely helps to talk about it to get it out, discuss it.' He says his plans when he turns 60 later this year is to 'survive.' In 2005 he recalled he was given stern advice by comedy legend Julie Walters on the set of movie Ahead of the Class. She said she sat him down and said: 'I think your'e a good actor but there is a sadness inside of you', and that 'he smelt a bit of vodka and should take it easy'. At the height of his fame in the 80s and 90s, Tony was a star of the Channel 4 improvisation show and one of the top stand-up comedian. Tony was invited to be in a do documentary The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, by fellow bipolar sufferer Stephen Fry. He said that Stephen has been 'hugely supportive' and an 'inspiration' to him. He told of a conversation he had with a psychiatrist who he said told him after an hour of examination: 'the thing is Tony, you're mad'. The comedian says he backs a campaign by The Sunday Mirror to end the stigma around mental health. He said 'there used to be a huge stigma'. adding he gets annoyed when 'people talk about happy pills' because they 'don't exist'. The comedian says he backs a campaign by The Sunday Mirror to end the stigma around mental health. He is pictured with fellow Whose Line Is It Anyway stars in his heyday Tony's rise to stardom was blighted with mental health issues and addiction to drugs and alcohol. He is pictured in his heyday Tony lives with his partner Mark Michael Hutchinson who he has been with for 32 years. He said with tears in his eyes Mark is his rock who is 'hugely supportive' and 'authentic'. He added Mark 'means everything to me'. Tony is currently on tour, in which he is revisiting his glory in the 80s and 90s with the help of a fan called Allan Lear who is one of his best friends. The tour which is made up of gigs, a mix of interviews and improvisation, arose after Allan wrote to Tony two years ago asking him to send a 40th birthday card to his wife Erica Lear, who is a huge fan. Tony said Erica and Allan had 'given him a new enthusiasm for life'. Advertisement An album of extraordinarily light-hearted images from the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign will be sold at auction more than 100 years after they were taken. The 11-month campaign against the Ottomans, which ran from February 1915 to January 1916, is regarded as one of Britain's worst military disasters. But in this album of 168 photos soldiers pose naked as they wash their horses, sit on rocks reading Tatler magazine and one Australian gets a haircut from a Turkish prisoner. A staggering 213,000 troops from the Empire were killed during the battle as more than half perished due to sicknesses such as dysentery caused by the unsanitary environment. In one photo, two French generals, one of them Henri Gourard, can even be seen perching on a gun in an almost comic fashion. The photo album is being sold at auction by C & T Auctions, of Ashford, Kent, where it is expected to fetch 900. Tim Harper, specialist at C & T Auctions, said: 'This is an exceptional photo album of the Gallipoli campaign with images of unusually good quality, and there is a real variety to the photos too. 'While some show the unpleasant conditions of the trenches were so many soldiers perished to diseases, others reveal that behind the front line there were moments when the soldiers could take a swim and unwind. But it was certainly not a nice place to be.' The sale takes place on April 24. This remarkable photo shows a soldier inside the muzzle of a 15ins gun on the HMS Queen Elizabeth. Despite the horrors of the battle the soldiers still found time to laugh and joke together Two French generals, including Henri Gourard (right), perch on a gun in an almost comic fashion as they have their photo taken. Gourard led the French Fourth Army at the end of the First World War after losing his right arm during the Dardanelles campaign This Australian soldier is given a haircut by a Turkish prisoner while sitting on a Walker, Harrison and Garthwaites biscuit box sent over to the troops from London Downtime: This group of 12 soldiers enjoy some relaxation time in between fighting. While one soldier enjoys his pipe others have a drink. A few of the men read Tattler to find out news from home in the high society magazine Taking a dip: Soldiers take a break from the heat with their horses in the sea. The men wash their steeds while completely naked as they enjoy a moment away from the battle Surrounded by sandbags this group of six soldiers look at the camera as they prepare for battle. Their cannon is lined up ready to attack the Turkish enemy Dust fills the air as soldiers prepare a British heavy field gun on a cliff top at Helles Bay in Gallipoli, 1915. The guns are lined along the cliff top ready to fire on approaching threats More sobre scenes: This photograph shows the moment wounded Allied soldiers are about the embark on a hospital ship Battleships out at sea: On the coast of Gallipoli ships line up. The Dardanelles campaign was Winston Churchill's strategy as First Lord of the Admiralty to try to end the war early A solider stops to enjoy a drink while five others pass by on horseback as they transport a wagon. Churchill planned to create another front to force Germany to split their army further in order to support the Turkish failed In the trenches: These soldiers are all smiles as they pose for the camera. But this is not a moment of downtime for all as the soldier behind continues busily ignoring the lens. Marching on: These men have pained expressions on their faces as they trudge through the Turkish sun wearing heavy army uniforms Boats taking the wounded from the shore and to ships to receive treatment. The black and white photo shows dozens of soldiers being taken away from the battlefield A British soldier gives a wounded Turkish soldier the last drop of his water. The soldier's arm is in a sling as he takes the cup from his opposition-in-war's hand French soldiers amongst dead and wounded comrades at Seddul-Bahr, a Turkish village. The area was an important Turkish stronghold that guarded the Dardanelles Strait and the shore of the Peninsula of Gallipoli Inside the trenches in Anarata. The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps were on the edge of a cliff with the sea at their backs as the Turks occupying the higher ground. They were forced to dig extensive trenches and endure a semi-subterranean existence of cramped and filthy living and working conditions under constant shellfire A group of soldiers, three smoking pipes, pose for a photo on the sand during a spare moment during the 11-month campaign Arms and ammunition left behind by Turkish forces. The Allied troops gather their finds as they examine the bayonets Submarine crew pose on their vessel. These images have emerged for sale with C & T Auctions, of Ashford, Kent Admiral de Roebuck and his staff are seen saluting General Gourard coming up the gangway of HMS Lord Nelson HMS Majestic in Mudros Bay before she was torpedoed. The pre-dreadnought battle ship was commissioned in 1895. In 1915 she was torpedoed by a U-Boat at Cappes Helles - a total of 49 men died A landing party at Mudros Bay, which was used as an Allied base, commanded by Admiral Rosslyn Wemyss. On October 30, 1918, it was the site of the signing of the Armistice of Mudros, which saw the end of hostilities between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies Claims Julian Assange put faeces on the walls of the Ecuadorian embassy were lies, his lawyer says. Jennifer Robinson, Assange's lawyer, says Ecuador made 'outrageous' claims about Assange's actions while inside the Knightsbridge embassy. She said the claims were fabricated as a pretext to force him out. Ms Robinson told Sky's Ridge on Sunday: 'The first thing to say is Ecuador has been making some outrageous allegations. It's a difficult situation. Scroll down for video. Jennifer Robinson, Assange's lawyer, says claims he smeared faeces on the walls of his apartment in the Knightsbridge embassy were lies used to force him out 'Ecuador has made these allegations to justify the unlawful and extraordinary act of letting police come inside an embassy.' Pushed over the veracity of the allegations, Ms Robinson said: 'That's not true'. He went in to the embassy in 2012 to avoid 'US injustice' rather than Swedish justice, according to Ms Robinson. The Wikileaks founder is facing charges in the US for 'conspiracy to commit computer intrusion' after he published sensitive government documents in 2010. His lawyer claims he 'has cooperated with the Swedish investigation' in to allegations of rape and sexual misconduct. She said: 'This was and is not about avoiding facing Swedish justice. It is about avoiding US injustice. He has cooperated with the Swedish investigation. 'Swedish prosecutors came into the embassy to hear his testimony. After that they closed the case.' Assange lived in the embassy for more than seven years before his arrest on Thursday. Ecuador's president Lenin Moreno accused the Australian of 'discourteous and aggressive behaviour' as he confirmed the south American country had withdrawn his asylum status. Demonstrators protest outside the Ecuadorian consulate on June 20, 2012, when he entered the embassy Rafael Correa, Ecuadorian president when Assange was granted asylum, branded Moreno a traitor. But the country's Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo hit back by claiming Correa had allowed the 47-year-old to get away with some unimaginable behaviour. She said: 'During his stay at the Ecuadorian Embassy, during the government of the former president Rafael Correa, they tolerated things like Mr Assange putting faeces on the walls of the embassy and other types of behaviour of this kind that is far removed from the minimum respect a guest should have in a country which has generously welcomed him.' She did not make it clear if he had used his own faeces or someone else's. Ms Robinson added: 'I've been visiting him for the last seven years. This man has been inside a room with no outside access. Inside the embassy it's become more difficult. 'He stayed inside the embassy for so long because of a real and legitimate fear of US extradition which, as we saw on Thursday, proved to be justifiable fears. 'People can't understand what it would be live to live in a room like that for a very long amount of time. It has not been easy. 'The politics of the case with respect with Ecuador's change of government with Lenin Moreno coming to power and ever since then inside the embassy it's become more and more difficult to the point where Human Rights Watch said was akin to solitary confinement.' Hundreds of trainspotters were left frustrated when a view of the famous Flying Scotsman steam train was blocked by a regular train pulling into a station at the same time. Because the historic train had been delayed, the South West Trains service from Cardiff to Southampton, Hampshire, stopped at the exact moment the hotly anticipated Scotsman came flying through. Around 200 railway enthusiasts, who had come from miles around and waited about 45 minutes for the 96-year-old train at Romsey station in Hampshire, but were left with pictures of standard livery South West Trains carriages instead. Hundreds of trainspotters were left frustrated when a view of the famous Flying Scotsman steam train was blocked by a South West Trains service pulling into Southampton station, in Hampshire, at the same time Photographer Mark Cross, 59, watched the blunder take place at Romsey Station, Hants, at 10.20am. He said: 'As I waited I joked 'if it doesn't hurry up another train is going to come', and then this train started to pull in. 'Lo and behold there was a cloud of steam and the Flying Scotsman flew through the station. 'There were a lot of groans on the left platform - a lot of people were left disappointed. 'They had been waiting there with their equipment, everyone was set up to take pictures of the Scotsman, there were people with stepladders and everything.' The video producer from Romsey added: 'It was over in seconds, the train came flying through. The driver of the South West train probably got a bit of abuse. Around 200 railway enthusiasts, who had come from miles around and waited about 45 minutes for the 96-year-old train, but were left with pictures of standard livery South West Trains carriages instead 'I felt rather sorry for everyone who missed out.' The Flying Scotsman service began in 1862, with its famous name officially adopted in 1923. The locomotive was built in Doncaster in 1923 and became the first on the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), running the express passenger service between Edinburgh and London. Its journey between Edinburgh and London took ten hours and stopped just once - for a half an hour stop for lunch at York. What they were hoping to see: The majestic Flying Scotsman passes through Corfe Castle, in Dorset, in March The train's incredible engineering prowess was demonstrated when it became the first train to break the 100mph barrier in 1934. The National Railway Museum in York bought the locomotive for 2.3million in 2004 before work got under way on its restoration two years later. For its restoration, Flying Scotsman was painted in its original livery of British Rail green and had its nameplates have been reattached. It is currently on a tour of the UK. Three people have been killed and four injured after a plane crashed during takeoff near Mount Everest. A small passenger plane skidded off the runway and smashed into a parked helicopter at the only airport in Nepal's Everest region on Sunday. The crash occurred while the Summit Air plane was trying to take off from Lukla for Kathmandu, said aviation officials. Three people have been killed and four injured after a plane crashed during takeoff near Mount Everest A small passenger plane crashed into a parked helicopter at the only airport in Nepal's Everest region on Sunday The plane skidded off the runaway, hitting the helicopter of Manang Air. Among the dead were the pilot of the plane and two police officers who were near the parked helicopter. The injured were airlifted to Kathmandu by helicopter, Nepal police spokesman Uttam Raj Subedi said. Hoards of people gathered around the aircraft wreckage following the crash as debris was strewn on the ground. Smoke billowed from the crushed metal of both the plane and the helicopter as those injured were carried out on stretchers to be rushed to hospital. Both aircrafts are private airline companies that cater to tourists and Nepalese in the country's remote areas. A civil administrator, Narendra Kumar Rana, said the four passengers and a flight attendant on the plane were safe. The crash occurred while the Summit Air plane was trying to take off from Lukla for Kathmandu The crash occurred while the Summit Air plane was trying to take off from Lukla for Kathmandu, said aviation officials. Following the crash, authorities suspended services at Tenzing Hillary Airport at Lukla, the gateway to Mount Everest. The airport is often referred to as the world's most dangerous because of the short runway and difficult approach. It's open only to helicopters and small fixed-wing aircraft and sits at 9,334 feet. In May 2017, a cargo flight was landing in Lukla when it lost altitude and crashed into a mountain below the runway, killing both pilots. Poor visibility was blamed for the accident. In February, a helicopter flying in bad weather crashed into a mountain in northeastern Nepal, killing all seven people on board, including the country's tourism minister. A group of campaigners protested outside a popular water park last night in a bid to ban a family nude-swimming session. Around 20 people demonstrated by the entrance to Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent at 7pm, with some wearing branded t-shirts. British Naturism launched the swim for adults and children of all ages but faced a backlash from some parents who feared paedophiles may attend. The event encourages visitors to step out of their costumes and swim naked for two hours on April 13. Protesters including paedophile hunters gathered outside Waterworld in Stoke last night The group of around 20 people stand outside the water park, with some wearing branded t-shirts Staffordshire Police were at the park last night to ensure the protest remained peaceful. Protesters Natasha Whitlock and Susan Quinn from Facebook group Paddy's Exposure were the first to arrive and claimed the 'children will be scarred for life'. Ms Whitlock, 59, from Telford said: 'We're from the Facebook group Paddy's Exposure which was set up to expose paedophiles. Natasha Whitlock and Susan Quinn from Paddy's Exposure attended the protest yesterday. They want a ban on children participating 'There's going to be quite a few people coming and possibly some paedophile hunters. 'We are just going to stand and protest against it because it's wrong on so many levels. 'I know people who were able to buy tickets online and no background checks were done. Not all paedophiles are convicted.' She claimed: 'It's exposing kids, anyone can buy tickets online and CCTV cameras won't pick up everything. 'If my children were young I'd never take them to a nudist swim, it should be 18 plus because the children can't give consent. They will be scarred for life.' British Naturism has leapt to the defence of a nude swimming swimming session for adults and children after a petition called for the event to be banned More than 4,000 people have signed a petition calling for children's involvement to be stopped. Emma Hadaway, the creator of the petition, wrote that she is not against naturists but thinks that nude events are a 'massive safeguarding issue'. John Lawrence travelled from Oldham, Greater Manchester, to protest against the swim last night. Protesters John Lawrence, from Oldham, and Michael Coleman, from Stoke, stand by Waterworld last night at around 7pm The 51-year-old said: 'This shouldn't go on. It's children, our children, and we don't want to expose them to this. 'We don't know what background checks are being done to check the sex offenders register, and I don't see how they can check their history.' He claimed: 'I've not been here for long and there's been half a dozen men go in on their own.' And Michael Coleman, 50, from Weston Coyney, Stoke, said: 'I don't think it's right for adults to be parading around naked in front of children, it's immoral. 'I'm not suggesting they're wrong doers, but this could lead to the sexualisation of children. 'If adults are taking their clothes off around children there's a sexual aspect to that.' But Waterworld owner Mo Chaudry hit back at protesters and branded critics of the event as scaremongers. Mo Chaudry, owner of Waterworld, said protesters and the Far Right Britain First had been 'scaremongering' and 'trying to whip up a frenzy' 'Much has been written over the past few weeks about British Naturisms decision to hire Waterworld for a private evening swimming session, he told the Stoke Sentinel. 'We have been unjustly accused of encouraging paedophiles. Far Right protest group Britain First has been trying to whip up a frenzy by handing out inflammatory flyers. 'Some of our staff have even been subjected to unacceptable and unwarranted personal abuse.' He added: 'So its time to set the record straight and get this situation into perspective.' Peter Wright, manager of the legal department at British Naturism, also defended the event. He said every member of the group is strictly vetted and those on the Sex Offenders Register are not permitted to join. He said: 'We have 9,000 members - an increase of 1,000 people since last year - and no-one who is on the sex offenders register is permitted to join. 'Each year, we hold six or seven events and each one is a chance for like-minded people to get together and enjoy themselves. 'Naturism is a philosophical belief in a natural, naked lifestyle, a healthy, wholesome lifestyle shared by millions in Britain and in Europe. 'The events we hold are very carefully managed. There is always a safe-guarding officer at the swims and we work very closely with the police. 'We care for our children just as much as any other sector in society and so it is absurd for anyone to suggest that we would allow them to be abused for any reason.' The embattled son of 2GB shock jock Ray Hadley is expecting his first child with his girlfriend less than a year after the pair became an item. Former policeman Daniel Hadley, 29, and his partner Cass Janes announced on Saturday their first baby in due in mid-May. The expectant mother broke the news of her pregnancy on her Facebook bio, writing: 'Daniel Hadley. baby hads may19'. Ms Janes' mother, Vicki, posted a photo of her daughter cradling her bump to her own social media profile. Dan Hadley is expecting his first child with parnter Cass Janes (left) - who he met last year in a bar Former policeman Daniel Hadley , 29, and his partner Cass Janes (pictured) announced on Saturday their first baby in due in mid-May Hadley Junior has separated from his wife Tahnee Anderson in early 2018, but Janes (pictured) moved into his home mid last year, shortly after Anderson moved out Daniel Hadley separated from his wife Tahnee Anderson in early 2018, with his new partner Ms Janes reportedly moving into his home a few months later. The former policeman - who quit the force last year - met Ms Janes when she was a bartender at The Great Australian Brewery in Sydney's Rouse Hill. Although Ms Janes no longer works there, one of her former co-workers confirmed her pregnancy, The Daily Telegraph reported. In August last year, Hadley was arrested and charged with cocaine possession while off-duty at the same pub he first met Ms Janes. Hadley resigned as a senior constable in September, before his case was dismissed on mental health grounds. Hadley junior told Parramatta Local Court he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. The court heard Hadley junior was being treated for his mental health issues even before he was arrested in the hotel carpark. The magistrate accepted he was suffering from several work-related psychological problems and was undergoing treatment. The charge for possession of cocaine was dismissed under Section 32 of the Mental Health (Forensic Procedures) Act. The expectant mother broke the news of her pregnancy on her Facebook bio, 'Daniel Hadley | baby hads may19' Hadley resigned as a senior constable in September 2018, when he was charged over the small amount of cocaine The pregnancy news comes as Ray Hadley faces a number of claims of bullying from former 2GB colleagues. There's now eight separate issues involving Hadley, which have been raised in the weeks since former 2GB panel operator Chris Bowen took to social media on March 22 to talk about alleged bullying. The first of the new complaints was made on March 25 by a junior staffer - who has reportedly been on leave and is seeing a psychologist. The second came from a senior producer who approached 2GB bosses at the beginning of April. The same week, another senior staff member complained to management alleging that Hadley had made a comment which was defamatory of another staff member. The latest complaint came last week from a production worker for 2GB. Other complaints are 'historic' matters involving digital technician Jesse Perez, rugby league commentator Andrew Moore and commentator John Gibbs. In 2013, Hadley reached a court settlement where he was forced to pay a former staffer a significant amount of money after they secretly recorded a tirade. Advertisement Pope Francis has warned tens of thousands of faithful that giving in to triumphalism and spiritual worldliness is the 'most treacherous temptation threatening the Church'. Scores of worshippers descended on St Peter's Square this morning for the enormous Palm Sunday Mass service as Holy Week celebrations get underway in the Vatican. They crowded to watch the religious leader deliver his homily which cautioned Catholics, including top Church officials, from becoming arrogant. Francis sprinkled holy water over palms and olive branches held by pilgrims and tourists as he led the celebrations in the run up to Easter Sunday - the most important day in the Christian calendar. He said: 'Joyful acclamations at Jesus's entrance into Jerusalem, followed by his humiliation. Festive cries, followed by brutal torture. This twofold mystery accompanies our entrance into Holy Week each year. Scores of worshippers have descended on St Peter's Square for Pope Francis's enormous Palm Sunday Mass which kicks off Holy Week Crowds gather before the start of Francis' Mass, which was attended by tens of thousands of faithful who were eager to hear the Catholic leader speak In his address to the crowds, Francis invited people to pray for peace, especially in the Holy Land and the Middle Eas At the end of the two-hour service, Francis asked the crowd to pray for peace around the world but particularly the Holy Land and the Middle East. After the blessing, the Pope, wearing red robes and cradling a braided palm, joined a procession to an open-air altar to celebrate Mass. By the end of the ceremony rain was starting to fall but the crowd had swelled to 50,000 people, according to security officials. Palm Sunday marks the day the Bible plots Jesus's ride into Jerusalem where he was hailed by the crowd as a Messiah, only to be crucified days later. It also ushers in Holy Week, which includes the Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum to commemorate Jesus' death by crucifixion, which Francis will lead on Good Friday. On Holy Thursday, Francis will travel to the city of Velletri, south of Rome, to wash and kiss the feet of 12 inmates in a prison to commemorate Jesus's gesture of humility toward his apostles on the night before he died. This year is his seventh Easter season since his election in 2013 and he will lead the world's 1.3billion Catholics in an Easter vigil service on Saturday night and on Easter Sunday he will read the traditional 'Urbi et Orbi The pope cautioned against the temptation of 'triumphalism,' which he said feeds itself by 'looking askance at others and constantly judging them inferior, wanting, failures' Francis sprinkled holy water over palms and olive branches held by pilgrims and tourists (pictured) as he led the celebrations in the run up to Easter Sunday Pope Francis greeted cardinals at the end of the Palm Sunday Mass, in which he warned people, including Church officials, from becoming arrogant By the end of the ceremony rain was starting to fall but the crowd had swelled to 50,000 people, according to security officials One of Australia's most notorious child rapists known as 'Mr Cruel' could very well still be alive. He has never been caught or identified One of Australia's most notorious serial rapists known as 'Mr Cruel' could very well still be alive 28 years after terrorising Melbourne, investigators have revealed. The serial predator and suspected killer is believed to be responsible for raping and kidnapping at least a dozen young girls across the city in the late 1980s and early 90s - and to this day has never been caught or identified. Two girls kidnapped by Mr Cruel - Sharon Wills, 10, and Nicola Lynas, 13 - were eventually released, but 13-year-old Karmein Chan's remains were found a year after her abduction. She had been shot three times in the head. Australian Crime Stories revisited the Melbourne schoolgirl's case on the 28th anniversary of her abduction and murder on Sunday night. Karmein's case stood out from all the others because she was the only victim to be killed by the rapist after she was taken. Three days after she vanished, her mother Phyllis Chan issued a desperate plea beamed on live TV around the country. 'Please, release my daughter,' the distraught parent said through uncontrollable tears. Karmein's body was found a year later. Scroll down for video Two girls kidnapped at this time by Mr Cruel - Sharon Wills (far left) ten, and Nicola Lynas (centre) 13, were eventually released, but 13-year-old Karmein Chan's remains were found a year after her abduction Karmein's case stood out from all the others because she was the only victim to be killed by the rapist after she was taken. Her murder also marked the end of Mr Cruel's three-year reign of terror in 1991 - when he fell off the radar and never struck again Her murder also marked the end of Mr Cruel's three-year reign of terror in 1991 - when he fell off the radar and never struck again. NOTORIOUS: MR CRUEL'S REIGN OF TERROR Mr Cruel attacked girls as young as 11 in Melbourne in the 1980s and 1990s. The paedophile has never been identified. August 22, 1987, Lower Plenty: He broke into house in the night, locked the parents in a wardrobe and attacked their 11-year-old daughter December 27, 1988, Ringwood: He broke into a house, tied up the parents and abducted their 10-year-old daughter, releasing her at a school 18 hours later July 3, 1990, Canterbury: He broke into house and abducted a 13-year-old. He drove her to another house where he kept her for 50 hours before release. April 13, 1991 Templestowe: He broke into a house and abducted Karmein Chan, 13. Her body was found a year later. Advertisement 'It doesn't make any sense. Good criminals, offenders, serial offenders, they don't get scared off. They believe, their ego believes they're better than the system, they're better than investigators,' Dr Stephen Barron, psychologist and former police inspector said. Although Mr Cruel had been perceived as a dark, mysterious figure in the public eye, investigators suggested the serial rapist could actually just be 'Mr Average'. Following Karmein's abduction, Australian authorities had sought help from the American FBI - who revealed there was nothing particularly striking about Mr Cruel's profile. He's believed to be between 20 and 50 years old, between 165 and 183cm tall, thin to medium build with a potbelly. He also did not have a distinct accent and was described as quietly spoken. Mr Cruel's weapon of choice was a knife and he was known to wear a balaclava and had taped over his victims' eyes to shield his identity. Other theories suggest Karmein had been bold enough to rip off the tape from her eyes or had pulled Mr Cruel's mask off, revealing his identity and forcing him to kill her. But some investigators say it is unlikely a serial offender would be 'scared off' and believe it is possible Mr Cruel went quiet because he left town to continue his attacks overseas or elsewhere. 'My suspicion is that he probably just left town or he went to jail and died,' criminal psychologist Tim Watson Munro said. Pictured above are Karmein's parents appealing to the public for their daughter to return. Her mother Phyllis Chan issued a desperate plea beamed on live TV around the country Although Mr Cruel had been perceived as a dark, mysterious, figure in the public eye, investigators suggested the serial rapist could actually just be 'Mr Average' 'There were the Hillside Stranglers in Los Angeles. A guy and his cousin were abducting, raping and murdering women in the Hills district of LA, dumping the cadavers on the front lawns of places as all part of the horror show, and it stopped as abruptly as it started. 'He was eventually discovered in Oregon, so, he'd relocated, he'd gone further north, into a different state. It started again.' Although nearly three decades have passed since Mr Cruel's last attack, retired Detective Chris O'Connor said the investigation remains active. Jacob Rees-Mogg has slammed David Lammy after the Labour MP compared him and Boris Johnson to Nazis today. The second referendum campaigner likened the politicians to Hitler in a damning outburst on the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday. And his rant sparked fury among Conservatives who claim the MP for Tottenham has 'lost it' with the comparisons to 'white supremacists'. Now, Rees-Mogg has taken to Twitter to criticise the Labour MP: 'I feel sorry for Mr Lammy, comparing a Parliamentary ginger group with an organisation and creed that killed six million Jewish people makes him look foolish and his comments unbalanced. 'It damages his reputation.' Labour MP David Lammy has compared Jacob-Rees Mogg and Boris Johnson to Nazis in a rant on the Andrew Marr show Rees-Mogg has slammed the Labour MP's comments, taking to Twitter to comment: 'It damages his reputation' Mr Lammy was asked about whether comments he made at a rally last month where he compared the European Research Group (ERG) to the Nazi Party and South African racists were unacceptable. But Mr Lammy said those comparisons were 'not strong enough', and referred to Rees-Mogg retweeting the far-right Alternative for Germany and Boris Johnson meeting Donald Trump's adviser Steve Bannon. He replied: 'In 1938 there were allies who hatched a plan for Hitler to annex part of Czechoslovakia, and Churchill said no, and he stood alone. 'We must not appease. We're in a situation now, and let me just be clear, I'm an ethnic minority. 'We have, in the ERG, in Jacob Rees-Mogg, someone who is happy to put on to his web pages the horrible, racist AfD party, a party that's Islamophobic and on the far right.' Mr Lammy added: 'They're happy to use the phrase 'grand wizard'. KKK is what it evokes to me when I think of that phrase and the Deep South. Asked by Marr if he regrets the comments, Mr Lammy told the BBC: 'I would say that wasn't strong enough' 'I'm sorry, but very, very seriously, of course we should not appease that, of course we should not appease that.' The AfD was founded in 2013 as a Eurosceptic party in Germany, and has since campaigned for tougher immigration laws. Mr Rees-Mogg has previously denied supporting the party. Marr refuted that it was 'dangerous' to accuse the politicians of being similar to Nazi ideology. Asked if he regretted the comments, Mr Lammy told the BBC: 'I'm not backing off on this - never will I back off on this on behalf of my constituents. 'The BBC should not allow this extreme hard-right fascism to flourish.' When Andrew Marr pointed out the Brexiteers were elected as politicians, Mr Lammy said: 'I don't care how elected they were, so were the far right in Germany. 'British soldiers in this country died fighting this thuggery and extremism and here we are in 2019 with people bringing it into the mainstream for their political advantage.' The second referendum campaigner likened the Conservatives figures to Hitler in the damning outburst on the BBC programme on Sunday Mr Lammy added: 'What kind of country are we going to be like if these people are running it?' When it was put to Mr Lammy that he was saying Mr Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson are equivalent to Nazis, Mr Lammy said: 'Ask Boris Johnson why he's hanging out with Steve Bannon.' The furious outburst by Mr Lammy was slammed by Tory MPs who said the Labour veteran's claims were 'bats**t and that they had lost respect for him. Conservative MP Conor Burns said: 'I used to have regard for David Lammy. But this is bats**t. Comparing ERG to Hitler is quite something. Fully lost it.' Mims Davies, the Minister for Civil Society, added: 'Sowing further division costs us greatly - coming together must take precedence.' Mr Lammy later Tweeted: 'I will never back down from calling out links to the extreme right. We must not appease or concede ground, we must call it out for what it is.' The Labour politician has been a staunch campaigner for a second referendum to remain in the EU. A husband accused of strangling and kicking his wife to death when she refused him sex has died after suffering mysterious injuries in prison in Thailand. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has confirmed British man Kevin Smitham's body was found at the base of Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani Central Prison. Smitham, 51, from Nottingham, was awaiting trial for the brutal murder of his Thai wife Kandra Smitham, 29, on April 15 last year. Kevin Smitham, 51, had been staying with wife Kanda Smitham, 29, and their parents in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, during the songkran new year holiday Police arrived and found fitness fanatic Kanda's body - in only underwear - on the ground in front of the family's single-storey home this morning at 6.30am The couple, who had two young children together, had been staying with Mrs Smitham's parents in Ubon Ratchathani, in the northeast of the country, for the Songkran New Year festival. Her body was found under a blanket early on April 16 by shocked neighbours. Police claimed at the time Mr Smitham attacked her, covered her body and then went to bed. The couple had lived together in Pattaya and have two children. Like many people during the Songkran holiday, they were visiting her relatives in the northeastern Isan region. But Kevin Smitham was found at the base of Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani Central Prison in August, the Foreign Office confirmed this week He was arrested and held in custody, but was discovered with fatal injuries close to an outbuilding on the perimeter of the prison in August last year. He died later in hospital but it is not known how he received the injuries. His death has only been publicly confirmed by the FCO this week. An FCO spokesperson said: 'Our staff are providing support and advice to the family of a British man who died in Thailand in August 2018, and they remain in touch with the local authorities.' The couple had lived together in the popular beach resort of Pattaya on the east coast, where Mrs Smitham was a well-known fitness enthusiast who ran a Facebook page with over 28,000 followers. Inspector General Watcharapol Pimwong, Deputy Chief of Staff in the Det Udom district, said at the time: 'I arrived and found a woman lying naked in front of the house and called officials from the rescue foundation. 'The woman was Kandra Smitham, age 29. 'The victim had a blanket covering her. There were many bruises on the face and body. She had been dead for several hours. 'The victim's husband confessed to killing his wife. He said that he did not mean to kill her. 'Last night he and his wife had beer until late at night. He went to sleep in the house. During the drinking and eating, suddenly they started arguing because he wanted to have sex. 'His wife refused and this caused jealousy. He thought that the wife had been courting other men. 'He said he attack her with his foot, kicked her to face and body several times. 'The wife ran away from home and fell in front of the house. He left his wife like that by covering the blanket to cover it. Then went to bed.' Amber Heard's tearful and harrowing description of the violent fight which prompted her to leave Johnny Depp has been obtained by DailyMail.com. In August 2016, Heard sat down with her lawyer and Depp's to give her recollection of the incident and many others as part of their divorce proceedings. Depp, who maintains he never laid a finger on her, was not there. In a newly-released video of that deposition, she is seen crying and struggling to find words to describe the alleged beating. It allegedly took place at their home in Los Angeles on May 21, 2016. In a written statement she filed in court last week to try to dismiss his defamation lawsuit against her, she said she had arranged to meet him at their home to discuss their relationship. Heard had texted and asked their friends, Rocky Pennington and her husband Josh, who were their neighbors, to come over because Depp was becoming 'erratic'. Amber Heard is pictured at her August 2016 deposition describing how Depp 'beat her' and yanked her hair. The video emerged last week as part of ongoing legal proceedings between the pair She also called her friend, gay rights activist Io Tillett Wright, in the hope that she could 'mollify' him. Wright - who has claimed repeatedly to be a witness of him abusing her - was on the phone to Depp and Wright yelled to Heard to get out of the home fearing her safety. 'All I remember is him screaming these expletives at my friend Io and telling her that she could have me now, then he put his arm back and he threw the phone as hard as he could at my face. 'I said, "You hit me."I said, "John you hit me. Honey you've hit me in the eye." 'I start crying and I, he approaches me.... grabs my head, takes a fist full of my hair and said, I hit your eye, huh? Let me see where I hit your eye. What if I pull your hair back? Heard claims Depp threw a phone at her face which hit her in the eye. She is shown acting out how she put her hands up to her face and told him 'John, you've hit my eye' The actress fought back tears as she described how he then approached her and grabbed her by the hair, 'yanking' her off the couch Heard said Depp then swung her by her head, back and forth, while she screamed for help 'He is smacking my face, moving my face and he's got me by the hair and he's, it's hard to describe it's almost like yanking me from side to side with my hair,' she said, gesturing back and forth with her hands. Crying, Heard continued: 'He's still holding on to my head at this time and he said, I don't know if he's trying it grab my face but he's yelling at me, screaming, see how hard I hit you. I am screaming at the top of my lungs, help, help please help.' Tillett Wright was still on the line and had called 911. Heard filed for a restraining order not long after the incident she described. She and Depp are shown in February 2016 Heard said she did not know at the time if he was still listening but that she could 'only hope' she was. She started screaming for help from Depp's security guards, she said, 'even though they never respond'. 'I am screaming as loud as I can,' she said. Her friend, Rocky, entered the apartment with her own key and Depp let go of her, she said. She claims she 'retreated' to a couch and cowered. Depp then allegedly yelled at her: 'Get the f*** up Amber' repeatedly, becoming louder each time he said it. It prompted his security guards to run in and yell 'Boss!', she claimed. Heard also attached pictures of the injuries she says she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband in her legal filings This is one of the clumps of hair left on the ground after Depp pulled it from her hair during a December 2015 fight, she claimed Heard left their apartment and went next door to the adjoining penthouse which her friends lived in. While hiding in there, she said she called her attorney to seek her advice. JOHNNY DEPP'S RESPONSE "A hoax confronted with the reality of evidence requires new lies to sustain itself. Yesterdays filing, made by a woman with a prior arrest and incarceration for domestic abuse, presented Amber Heards new lies." They were referring to Heard's arrest for an incident involving her ex-wife, Tasya van Ree. All the charges against her were dropped and Van Ree said in 2016 that Heard never domestically abused her. Advertisement When police arrived, she declined to tell them what had happened because, she said, she did not want to create an 'international media incident' for either her or Depp. After that incident, Heard filed for a restraining order. Her description of the incident is one of many given in the documents her attorneys filed in court last week. They are trying to get a judge to dismiss Depp's $50million lawsuit against her. He alleges that by writing an op-ed about domestic abuse for The Washington Post, Heard defamed him. She never once referred to him by name and has never publicly aired the allegations of abuse because of a binding agreement that was part of their divorce settlement. The pair divorced in 2017 and Heard was granted a $7million sum which she donated to The Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has released 15 years of tax returns, including her returns for 2018, and the California senator reports that she and her husband had a federal tax bill of about $700,000 on an adjusted gross joint income of about $1.9million last year. The 528-page compilation of documents released Sunday provides the fullest picture of her finances as she pursues a White House bid. Harris reported an income of about $157,000 in 2018 from her job as a senator, as well as about $320,000 in net income as a writer; a book she wrote was published earlier this year. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, earned about $1.5million working as an attorney. Their average effective tax rate has been roughly 32 percent since they got married in 2014. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has released 15 years of tax returns, including her returns for 2018. The California senator is seen speaking to students at a local cafe in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday Harris is the latest Democratic presidential contender to release her taxes. President Donald Trump has continued to refuse to release his since the 2016 presidential campaign, when he became the first nominee in decades to buck the tradition of disclosure. House Democrats are pressing for access to Trump's tax returns, which would give lawmakers far greater insight into the president's business dealings and potential conflicts of interest, as they exercise their oversight role. Harris and her husband reporting giving a small portion of their income - often about one percent to three percent a year - to charitable causes. Harris reported no charitable contributions some years when she was California's attorney general. Her filings can be seen in full here. Harris reports that she and her husband had a federal tax bill of about $700,000 on an adjusted gross joint income of about $1.9million last year The Democrats who are running for president in 2020 have released their tax returns to varying degrees. Sen Kirsten Gillibrand of New York released her 2018 tax return in late March and urged her colleagues to do the same. She was the first Democratic candidate to do so. Gillibrand has released her returns annually since 2012. That year, she released her returns dating back to 2007. Sen Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts released a decade of her tax returns, as well as her 2018 returns. Minnesota Sen Amy Klobuchar this month released 12 years of tax returns, dating to 2006, when she first became a candidate for federal office. Vermont Sen Bernie Sanders, who released just one year of tax returns when he ran for president in 2016, said more than a month ago that he would release a decade's worth of returns. He and his campaign have said they will release his tax returns by Monday's tax filing deadline. Sen Kirsten Gillibrand of New York released her 2018 tax return in late March and urged her colleagues to do the same. Sen Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts also released a decade of her tax returns, as well as her 2018 returns These gruesome pictures show a man who miraculously survived after a long iron road speared through his entire head. Construction worker Sanjay Bahe, 21, was doing some repair work at a construction site when he fell down a well and the rod pierced straight through his head. The young man, from Balaghat in central India, was rushed to B.J. Hospital in nearby Gondia, after the iron rod pierced from the right temporal region of his brain to the left frontal region. Construction worker Sanjay Bahe, 21, was doing some repair work at a construction site when he fell down a well and the rod pierced straight through his head A team of neurosurgeons, lead by Dr Pramod Giri, rushed to perform a gruelling 90-minute surgery to remove the rod, as Sanjay went into a crucial state of hypotension, or low blood pressure. Mr Bahe was resuscitated with blood and blood products and was taken for surgery at the Neuron Hospital. And, miraculously, after an hour and a half of surgery, the rod was removed safely with hardly any bleeding or injury to the surrounding area. The young man, from Balaghat in central India, was rushed to B.J. Hospital in nearby Gondia, after the iron rod pierced from the right temporal region of his brain to the left frontal region A team of neurosurgeouns, lead by Dr Pramod Giri, rushed to perform a gruelling 90-minute surgery to remove the rod, as Sanjay went into a crucial state of hypotension, or low blood pressure Miraculously, after an hour and a half of surgery, the rod was removed safely with hardly any bleeding or injury to the surrounding area Mr Bahe's main blood channels to the brain was preserved by just millimetres, said Dr Giri. He said: 'Giving anaesthesia to the patient in such cases is difficult. We did right by positioning the intubation to maintain vital channels in the brain during the operation.' 'I performed the surgery with all caution so that damage to the surrounding structures shouldn't happen.' The doctor added: 'One complication that can take place in such cases is causing meningitis to the patient. 'Fortunately, he is doing fine after the surgery, and we are also taking care to prevent meningitis.' An X-ray image taken before the operation shows Mr Bahe's astonishing injury An Italian village has commemorated eight US servicemen shot and killed during the Second World War on the 75th anniversary of their deaths. The prisoners of war had been on the run for more than two months before they were shot overlooking Montebuono. Now the residents of that area have come together to honor the men and unveil a new plaque. ABC News reports how more than 20 cars took around 80 people, including NATO representatives from the U.S., U.K. and Canada to the event Saturday. A local band played the national anthem of both the United States and Italy and wreaths were laid. The eight US servicemen had escaped after their unmarked German prisoner of war train had been bombed by U.S. B-26s in January 1944. More than 1,000 allied forces were on the train as it crossed the Allerona Bridge in central Italy and was hit. Between 200 to 600 are thought to have died. As hundreds more were taken to hospital there were also a large number of POWs that escaped, including the men eventually killed. An Italian village has commemorated eight US servicemen shot and killed during the Second World War on the 75th anniversary of their deaths by unveiling a new plaque More than 20 cars took around 80 people, including NATO representatives from the U.S., U.K. and Canada to the event Saturday. A local band played the national anthem of both the United States and Italy as the men were honored The men have been named as PVT Robert C Carnathan, PFC Charles Dyda, PVT Woodrow W Thomas, CPL Paul H Valdez, PFC Ben J Espinosa, PFC George W Kerr, PVT Clarence E Moody and PVT Robert J Rankl Historian Jane Kinrade Dethick told ABC: 'Some were captured that day, some were captured after a week, some were captured after three months and some were never captured.' There is still not much know about about the circumstances of how they were caught but an American airman, whose plane had been shot down, did meet the group three weeks earlier. The eight have been named as PVT Robert C Carnathan, PFC Charles Dyda, PVT Woodrow W Thomas, CPL Paul H Valdez, PFC Ben J Espinosa, PFC George W Kerr, PVT Clarence E Moody and PVT Robert J Rankl. Kinrade Dethick added: 'They gave him their names and addresses and military numbers and when he joined up with Allied troops he told them about the eight. 'All we know is that they were woken up one morning and killed, shot dead by the German military police who had the task of rounding up deserters from the Italian army, partisans and escaped prisoners of war. 'Why they didn't arrest them and take them to their command, which is what normally happened, we do not know because there was nobody else there to tell us. 'They didn't leave us any written records.' The eight US servicemen had escaped after their unmarked German prisoner-of-war train had been bombed by U.S. B-26s in January 1944 More than 1,000 allied forces were on the train as it crossed the Allerona Bridge in central Italy and was hit. Between 200 to 600 are thought to have died The men may have been exposed by someone who told the Germans they were hiding there or they may have fallen into a trap. Locals say they remember hearing the shots and their parents giving the men bread and food. They honor the men each year with the annual pilgrimage. Nello Lucchetti, now 88, was just 13-years-old when he says he remember seeing the men's dead bodies. British veteran Harry Schindler, 97, said we are indebted to the 'thousands of young men who died when they came to Italy to remove a regime'. A cyclist has blasted 'lazy' police staff for parking their vehicles across a cycle lane near their Glasgow headquarters. The commuter said he was forced into rush-hour traffic by several cars blocking the road close to one of Police Scotland's biggest offices. There are cycle symbols on Shawfield Road, which is close to the force's Clyde Gateway administration centre in Dalmarnock, but is not enforced by double yellow lines. Police Scotland staff have parked their cars on a cycle lane on Shawfield Road, just south of the force's Clyde Gateway administration centre in Dalmarnock The row of cars stretches back along the road and blocks off the cycle lane for commuters Police Scotland Clyde Gateway is home to around 1,100 staff at the state-of-the-art office on the banks of the Clyde But the cyclist, who asked not to be named, hit out at 'lazy' police staff for parking irresponsibly and putting him in danger. The fallout has been reported to South Lanarkshire Council - who said it would raise the issue with the force. The cyclist said: 'The council claimed parking is being developed, but having been forced into traffic when a parked car bumped off the kerb, should I have to wait so long due to the priority of laziness?' The council told him: 'It would be seen as bad practice to park in such a manner and may also be seen as obstructive parking by Police Scotland.' The cyclist complained he was forced into rush-hour traffic by several cars blocking the lane The commuter, who asked to remain anonymous, branded the police staff 'lazy' for the parking and said they put him in danger But when informed that police staff were among those responsible, they added: 'Given the information you have provided regarding the motorists who are parking at this locus, I can advise it is our intention to liaise with Police Scotland to hopefully resolve the issue.' Gordon MacKay, the council's head of roads and transportation, said: 'The cycle lanes in this area are advisory. 'Whilst we would always discourage drivers from parking here, there is no traffic regulation order in place to allow enforcement action.' South Lanarkshire Council said the parking was bad practice but added that the lane is only advisory and there is no regulation to enforce it John Donnelly, co-convener of GoBike, the Strathclyde Cycle Campaign, said: 'We often see cars parked on painted cycle lanes. 'That is one of the reasons why we are running a campaign, PaintIsNotProtection. 'We are looking for councils to provide a network of joined-up, protected, segregated cycle lanes. 'This is to enable anyone who wants to use a bike to get around to do so safely.' A spokesman for Police Scotland admitted that 'officers and police staff who work in the Clyde Gateway building are regularly reminded by senior management of the need to park responsibly' A Police Scotland spokesman said: 'Officers and police staff who work in the Clyde Gateway building are regularly reminded by senior management of the need to park responsibly. 'We are aware of the issue in Shawfield Road. 'However, [we] have not received any complaints from members of the public. 'Due to the specific road markings, the lane is not a solely-dedicated cycle lane, thus parking there alone is not an enforceable offence. 'We would urge anyone who wishes to make a complaint to contact Rutherglen Police Station via 101. 'Complaints will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.' Wayne, Autumn and Joseph have been held at their hotel for six days. The US embassy in Laos was informed and is following the case. A local Christian group is trying to help the three. The authorities of the Buddhist country consider Christianity a "foreign religion". The government does not have diplomatic relations with the Holy See. Vientiane (AsiaNews / Rfa) - The Laos authorities have arrested three US citizens in the Sing district (Luang Namtha province) for distributing bibles and other (Protestant) evangelical material. This was denounced by Vision Beyond Borders (Vbb), a Christian organization based in the USA. Identified by their organization only with their names, Wayne, Autumn and Joseph are believed to have been detained at the hotel for six days, after visiting villages in northern Laos to distribute religious material. "It seems that the interrogations are proceeding slowly. [Police officers] They took them to a room and told them they would be back in 10 minutes, but they disappeared for four to five hours, "says Eric Blievernicht, Head of VBB Operations. Blievernicht states that he is aware that the US embassy in Laos has been informed and has been involved in the case; he adds that only the three Americans have been arrested and that there are no Laotians among them. A US State Department spokesman announced last night that he could "confirm the temporary detention and subsequent release of three US citizens in Luang Namtha, Laos". An official from the Luang Namtha Police Department confirms that the three were arrested but denies that they are detained. "What we know about these three individuals is that they are not in custody. Their passports have just been confiscated, "he reports. A local Christian group is trying to help the three. "We have just learned of this and are traveling to the province of Luang Namtha to assist these three Americans," the leader of a church in Vientiane declared on condition of anonymity. Although the Constitution of the Laotian communist regime claims to protect religious freedom, the authorities of the Buddhist country consider Christianity a "foreign religion". In Laos, the Catholic community is a small minority: its faithful number around 45 thousand and represent 0.7% of the country's 7.1 million inhabitants. The situation of the Church in Laos remains delicate, as the government exercises strict control over religions and does not have diplomatic relations with the Holy See. The difficult relations between Church and State are accentuated above all in local governments and among citizens. A British teenager was raped on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean as she enjoyed a holiday with her parents, it is claimed. Regional newspaper Levante EMV said the 17-year-old victim, who was travelling with her parents, told police her sex attacker forced her into his cabin before raping her. An Italian arrested over the alleged rape on the ship, which cannot be named for legal reasons, has been freed on a legal technicality. A British teenager was allegedly raped on cruise ship (pictured) in the Mediterranean as she enjoyed a holiday with her parents, it is claimed. The ship docked at Port Valencia (pictured) at 7.35am and left just after 4pm the same day for Marseille, without the suspect on board but with the British girl and her parents The arrest happened on Thursday when the ship docked in the Spanish city of Valencia after the captain informed port authorities about an incident on board and they alerted police. The suspect, an 18-year-old who is understood to live in Italy, was held as he returned to the Panamanian-flagged vessel following a day tour of Valencia. But he was freed by a duty court in the city - named by Levante EMV as Court of Investigation Number 15 - after the judge concluded he did not have jurisdiction to probe the alleged crime. The newspaper said the unidentified judge will now urge three countries - Panama, the UK where the complainant lives and Italy - to take action. News of the arrest and the detainee's subsequent release - first reported by Levante EMV - has also been reported by other Spanish newspapers. The release has been linked to reforms of Spain's use of the doctrine of universal jurisdiction, with reports in Spain claiming the judge had to let the Italian go because the alleged crime was committed by a foreigner on another foreigner in Panamanian territory and international waters. Levante EMV reported the judge could have claimed jurisdiction over the case only if the Italian man arrested had lived in Spain, and the arrest occurred so the courts could establish if that was the case before discovering through checks he had no residential address in the country. The sex attack is said to have occurred around 5am on Thursday, when the cruise liner was heading from the Majorcan capital Palma to Valencia. The ship docked at Port Valencia at 7.35am and left just after 4pm the same day for Marseille, without the suspect on board but with the British girl and her parents. She was examined at Valencia's La Fe Hospital as part of a rape crimes protocol. DNA tests are also understood to have taken place in the cabin where the sex attack allegedly occurred and on the British girl's clothes so they could be analysed at Valencia's Institute of Forensic Medicine. The detainee is believed to have been released on Thursday night. He has not been named and his whereabouts today was not known. No-one from the courts or the police in Valencia was immediately available for comment. Despite the judge saying that a man was arrested and then released due to a legal technicality, the company that owns the cruise ship, said that it 'cannot comment further' as there is an ongoing investigation. A well-placed source said the 'ship's captain had done everything that was appropriate. She said this included 'making port authorities in Valencia aware' and allowing police to board the vessel so they could search the cabin where the alleged sex attack is said to have occurred' She said the captain also ensured any relevant potential evidence could be taken away. A spokesman for the company said: 'As there is an ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide any additional comment on this matter. 'Any questions can and should be addressed to the relevant authorities. 'Additionally, this is a matter that relates to guests who were travelling on board one of our ships. 'Within this context, our company is fully cooperating with the authorities overseeing this investigation, but is not itself in any way subject to it. 'Finally, please note that contrary to at least one media report, the ship was never held nor released for any 'technicality. 'As we are and never were part to the investigation - beyond our role in cooperating with the authorities - this is simply incorrect.' Spain pioneered the use of the doctrine of universal jurisdiction after it was passed into national law in 1985. The doctrine allowed judges to try certain cases of crimes against humanity that took place in other countries. The best known use of the doctrine occurred in 1998 when Chile's former dictator Augusto Pinochet was briefly arrested in London on an arrest warrant issued by a Spanish judge. It was modified in 2009 and further curbed in 2014. The Spanish government said recently it wanted to re-establish the doctrine and expand the law to take in economic, financial and environmental crimes. Advertisement This is the dramatic moment that armed police open fire on the Mercedes which was 'deliberately rammed into the Ukrainian ambassador's car in London five times'. Officers opened fire to try and stop the man after he had smashed into ambassador Natalia Galibarenko's parked car outside the embassy building in Holland Park, west London, at around 10am yesterday. In a video filmed from a nearby building by witness Darcy Mercier, the armed officers can be heard shouting 'open the door now!' at the man, 40, inside the motionless car, before they fire two shots. This is the dramatic moment that armed police open fire on the Mercedes which was deliberately rammed into the Ukrainian ambassador's car in London five times. In a video filmed from a nearby building by witness Darcy Mercier, the armed officers can be heard shouting 'open the door now!' at the man, 40, inside the motionless car, before they fire two shots. Later in the video, officers appear to fire further shots while one hits the driver's door with a crowbar. They then shout 'the door is open' and the man screams before rolling out of the car onto the floor where he is tasered and arrested. Mr Mercier, who was watching the scene unfold, told the BBC that the man kept driving up and down after arriving in the street before he rammed the ambassador's car. 'A couple officers showed up, they blocked the street and they were trying to talk him out of the car,' he said. Later in the video, officers fire further shots while one hits the driver's door with a crowbar. They then shout 'the door is open' and the man screams before rolling out of the car onto the floor before he is arrested 'He kept driving back and forth in a somewhat threatening manner and the other officers with the firearms showed up. 'From what I saw it looked like they shot out the tyres of the car and that is when they opened the car and tasered him.' This afternoon police announced that the 40-year-old has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act and was taken to hospital for treatment before being taken into custody. A spokesman added that the incident is not being treated as terrorist-related. Officers had opened fire to try and stop the man after he had smashed into ambassador Natalia Galibarenko's parked car outside the embassy building in Holland Park, west London, crashing into it twice at around 10am. Yesterday the man was initially arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of police officers and criminal damage. Bruno Baillavoine, who lives next door to the Embassy in leafy Holland Park, west London, said his wife saw a car parked in the middle of the road 'blaring music out' before they heard two bursts of multiple gunshots. The 65-year-old company director said: 'In the morning, my wife came back from walking the dog at 7.45am. 'She told me about a car in the middle of the road with music blaring out and it's lights flashing. 'She told me it was a silver Mercedes and said 'Do you think we should call somebody?' 'I said 'no, of course not.' But then we heard a noise later on and the dog went crazy. 'I just rushed out. It sounded like a crash, but then my wife heard gunshots. 'We went out and at that time I could see there were police everywhere in big numbers, really big numbers,' he added. Another witness claimed that the car was 'blasting Ukrainian music in some kind of protest against the embassy', after arriving at about 7am. The moment police officers arrest the man outside the Ukrainian embassy in west London this morning after he 'deliberately rammed' his car into the ambassador's parked vehicle twice Witnesses claim that that police officers fired half a dozen shots at the man's car and also used a taser before subduing and arresting him The Ukranian ambassador's vehicle was parked outside the embassy in Holland Park when a silver Mercedes sped towards it A police sniffer dog at the scene near the Ukrainian Embassy in Holland Park, west London where the ambassador's car was rammed into by a Mercedes A statement from the embassy said: 'Around 10am on Saturday 13 April, the official vehicle of the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom was deliberately rammed as it sat parked in front of the Embassy of Ukraine's building. 'The police were called immediately, and the suspect's vehicle was blocked up. Nevertheless, despite the police actions, the attacker hit the Ambassador's car again. Ukraine Ambassador Natalia Galibarenk, pictured, was not in the car at the time 'In response, the police were forced to open fire on the perpetrator's vehicle. The culprit was apprehended and taken to a police station. No one of the Embassy staff were injured. The police are investigating the suspect's identity and motive for the attack.' Emma Slatter, who is Visa's general counsel, watched the scene unfold with her partner David Hinsley, a banker who is also in his 50s. 'We could see two police cars at this end of the road and one about half way down looking the other way,' she said. 'It seems like he was moving erratically or wanting to move away from being boxed in, maybe not realising there were police behind him as well. 'That was when he collided backwards.' Then came gunfire. 'I think I heard about half a dozen shots,' she said. The couple fled from the window in case of a stray bullet until the firing was over. 'I could see police had got the guy out of the car and they had him on the ground,' Ms Slatter continued. 'The police seemed in charge. There were probably about eight to 10 guys in full body armour, some with submachine guns. 'He (the suspect) was stumbling but he wasn't resisting. We thought he might've been shot but there wasn't any evidence of any blood. 'They frogmarched him into the back of the police van,' she said, before the suspect was transferred into an ambulance. Police have sealed off the street near the Ukrainian embassy in west London. Forensic officers comb through the silver Mercedes car outside the Ukrainian embassy in Holland Park, Kensington, London Forensic officers at scene near the Ukrainian Embassy collect bags of evidence and place markers around the car Bruno, 65, whose house is within the police cordon said: 'I heard one police man saying to another 'break the glass' and they broke both windows on the front of the car' There was a heavy police presence at the scene for several hours, with police joined by a forensics team to investigate A woman who works at a nearby shop said she heard shots fired twice between 10am and 11am on Saturday. The woman, who did not wish to be named, said officers arrived 'very quick', adding: 'I saw many police cars coming.' Bruno, 65, whose house is within the police cordon, said: 'I heard one police man saying to another 'break the glass' and they broke both windows on the front of the car. The boot of the silver Mercedes was full of a builder's work bag and several other items, including a shopping bag from H&M The damage to a parked car can be seen by the boot of the Mercedes, which crashed into several parked vehicles outside the embassy Forensic officers suit up as they lay markers in the area surrounding the car while hunting for evidence and a potential motive The scene in Holland Park after shots were fired by police near the Ukrainian embassy to stop the silver Mercedes and its driver Police were forced to fire shots and deploy a taser eventually stopping the vehicle and arresting the man after he drove towards them The Ambassador of Ukraine Mrs Natalia Galibarenko and her husband Oleksandr Naumenko meet Queen Elizabeth II during a private audience at Buckingham Palace in 2012 '[The shot] got me out, I just went out to see what it was then when I realised what was going on I went back inside. 'I heard one gunshot, then the crash of the car, then more gun shots and probably seconds later I was outside.' Another resident, Dan, who lives two doors down, told MailOnline: 'The Mercedes was sat outside with music blaring for hours - from 7:30ish' 'I heard shots and I heard screaming, I thought it had to be some crazy on the street.' The Ukrainian Embassy is on Holland Park, an affluent area in West London. The ambassador's car was deliberately targeted by the driver of a silver vehicle Police attended the scene and took the driver of the car in to custody. It is not known whether the ambassador was in the car at the time of the incident Another neighbour told MailOnline: 'I thought it was just a protest at the Cameroon embassy because they do it every week' A statement from the Ukrainian embassy said the car was deliberately rammed in to twice before police were forced to intervene Chief Superintendent Andy Walker, from the Met's Specialist Firearms Command, said: 'As is standard procedure, an investigation is now ongoing into the discharge of a police firearm during this incident. While this takes place, I would like to pay tribute to the officers involved this morning who responded swiftly to this incident and put themselves in harm's way, as they do every day, to keep the people of London safe.' One witness in the area claimed on social media they had heard up to 10 shots in Holland Park this afternoon. Photos from the scene show a number of police cars and officers in the area. Henry Greenfields, who lives nearby, told MyLondon a neighbour had heard shots fired and then seen police return fire. Another local resident said he had heard 'seven or eight' gunshots. Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan said he was 'very concerned' to hear about the incident, and he has spoken with Ukrainian ambassador Natalia Galibarenko. He tweeted: 'Very concerned to hear of the incident near the Ukrainian Embassy this morning. 'I have just spoken to Ambassador Galibarenko @UkrEmbLondon and am glad to hear that no one was hurt. 'Thanks to the @metpoliceuk for such a swift response.' Stewart McDonald MP member of parliament for Glasgow south & SNP spokesperson for defence gave his 'best wishes' to Natalia Gailibarenko Advertisement Ivanka Trump has kicked off her tour promoting her Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative in Africa. The First Daughter touched down in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, early Sunday and took to Instagram to share photos of her first meeting as the head of WGDPI. Ivanka smiled as she sat and listened to her hosts alongside Mark Green, administrator of the US Agency for International Development. 'Joined @USAIDMarkGreen with the Ethiopian Women in Coffee Association (EWIC) for a great discussion (and coffee cupping!) with inspiring female entrepreneurs,' she wrote in the caption of a three-photo set. 'With @USAID support, they are overcoming lack of access to capital and growing their businesses.' Ivanka is due to visit Ethiopia and Ivory Coast over the next four days and is flying commercial, rather than using a US State Department aircraft. The White House said her schedule includes a women's economic empowerment summit in Ivory Coast as well as site visits and meetings with political leaders, executives and female entrepreneurs in both countries. Ivanka Trump shared photos of her meeting with the Ethiopian Women in Coffee Association on Sunday morning as she kicks off her tour promoting the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative in Africa Kidist Birhanu (left) invites Ivanka to smell the coffee during a coffee ceremony at Dumerso Coffee in Addis Ababa on Sunday The first daughter was all smiles as she chatted with her hosts wearing a pale blue frock Ivanka wrote in the Instagram caption that she had 'a great discussion (and coffee cupping!) with inspiring female entrepreneurs' and Mark Green (second left), administrator of the US Agency for International Development Ivanka carefully sipped coffee from a small cup during the ceremony at Dumerso Coffee For parts of the trip, Ivanka and Green will be joined David Bohigian, acting president of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), as well as Kristalina Georgieva, interim president of the World Bank Group, which is hosting the summit. OPIC provides loans, loan guarantees and political risk insurance, funding projects that stretch across continents and industries. It is Ivanka Trump's first visit to Africa since the White House undertook the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative in February. She said she was 'excited to travel to Africa' to advance the effort. Georgieva said in a statement that economic empowerment 'can help unleash the enormous potential of women entrepreneurs for job creation and economic growth, especially in Africa'. It is Ivanka Trump's first visit to Africa since the White House undertook the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative in February Ivanka laughed as she discussed the coffee industry with fellow female entrepreneurs Ivanka tried her hand at a traditional weaving loom at Moya, a manufacturing center of textile and traditional crafts, with Moya founder Sara Abera (right) on Sunday Ivanka Trump smiles and claps as she is greeted with singing and dancing at Moya, a textile and traditional crafts manufacturing center, Sunday A woman bows while roasting coffee beans as another holds out a bowl of popcorn as they greet Ivanka with Moya founder Sara Abera Ivanka gets help carrying an umbrella during rainfall after attending a coffee ceremony at Dumerso Coffee, Sunday The senior White House adviser shared a couple updates from her trip on her Instagram story A handout photo made available by the US Embassy in Ethiopia on Sunday shows Ivanka at the US Embassy in Addis Ababa. She was greeted by US Ambassador to the African Union Mary Beth Leonard (in picture at center) and US Ambassador to Ethiopia Michael Raynor and was joined by USAID Administrator Mark Green and OPIC Acting President and CEO Dave Bohigian The initiative involves the State Department, the National Security Council and other US agencies. It aims to coordinate current programs and develop new ones to assist women in job training, financial support, legal or regulatory reforms and other areas. Ivanka Trump says the goal is to economically empower 50 million women in developing countries by 2025. Money for the effort will come through USAID, which initially set up a $50million fund using dollars already budgeted. The president's 2020 budget proposal requests $100million for the initiative, which will also be supported by programs across the government as well as private investment. The White House spending plan would cut overall funding for diplomacy and development. Ivanka is seen at Dulles International Airport before her flight to Africa on Saturday afternoon The first daughter issued a statement saying she was 'excited to travel to Africa' Ivankas schedule includes a women's economic empowerment summit in Ivory Coast as well as site visits and meetings with political leaders, executives and female entrepreneurs in both countries Ivanka has made womens economic empowerment a centerpiece of her White House portfolio, and has made similar trips to Japan and India Ivanka Trump has made women's economic empowerment a centerpiece of her White House portfolio. She has made a number of international trips, with a focus on these issues, including to Japan and India. Her travel to Africa follows a five-day tour that First Lady Melania Trump made there last year, with a focus on child welfare. However, Ivanka Trump's efforts could be complicated by the President's own remarks after his private comments about 's***hole countries' in Africa and other regions were leaked to journalists. The 2019 federal election campaign, while still young, has already seen some bizarre and controversial moments. Former senator Jacqui Lambie had some voters in stitches when she bit down on a dagwood dog, while Peter Dutton sparked uproar when he accused his Labor opponent Ali France of using her disability as 'an excuse'. Now, four years on from Tony Abbott notoriously eating a raw onion, it seems he has set a trend among his colleagues. Resources minister Matthew Canavan followed in the footsteps the former prime minister and showcased a bizarre onion-eating video on Twitter during a visit to a Brisbane market on Sunday morning. Scroll down for video Resources minister, Matthew Canavan, has followed in the footsteps of his party's former prime minister and showcased a bizarre onion-eating video on Twitter 'Maybe @TonyAbbottMHR is on to something here... @onionsaust, what do you reckon?' the minister's tweet read. 'Well Ive never done this before, but I have been interested in what it tastes like, so lets see, Canavan said before taking a bite. As he chewed, the Queensland senator nodded his head in approval. 'Well Ive never done this before, but I have been interested in what it tastes like, so lets see, Canavan said before taking a bite 'Yeah, it's not as bad as I thought... maybe it can take off,' he said, while staffers laughed. But it seems the stunt wasn't well received by voters, after his post was inundated with negative comments, slamming and mocking the Queensland senator. One Twitter user suggested: 'I reckon you need a new media adviser.' One Twitter user commented on the post suggesting that Canavan needed a new media advisor One Twitter commentator wrote a comment clearly referencing the occasion Scott Morrison took a lump of coal inside parliament, in 2017 'For my next trick I'm going to bite into a piece of coal. A mate of mine brings his to work now and then,' one Twitter commentator wrote, clearly referencing the occasion Scott Morrison took a lump of coal inside parliament, in 2017. 'That would be hilarious if you haven't spent your entire time selling out farmers who grow things like that to mining companies every time,' said another Twitter user. 'I suggest you get yourself a newer role model! This one and his friends are passed their used by date!' another commented. The National Party senator's tweet was flocked with comments mocking and criticising the stunt The online video wasn't received well from voters despite his own staff laughing in the video Canavan is a part of the coalition's junior partner the National Party, which usually doesn't get much attention during election campaigns, according to The Guardian. In February this year, Tony Abbott opened up about his onion eating incident in 2015. Mr Abbott was touring Woolworths supplier, Charlton Farm Produce near Devonport in Tasmania. He picked up the brown onion during a demonstration of the grading of the post-harvested vegetables. 'I thought the least I could do for someone who is proud of his product as this particular farmer was... was take a chomp, and it was beautiful,' Mr Abbott said. The bizarre eating habits of politicians becomes extremely topical with high public interest around the time of election campaigns. In 2016, opposition leader Bill Shorten was snapped awkwardly biting into a sausage sandwich sideways. More recently, Jacquie Lambie shared a tweet captioned: 'You guys know I like my sausage (laughing emoji) Down at Autumn Festival,' leaving very little to the imagination. In 2016, opposition leader Bill Shorten was snapped awkwardly biting into a sausage sandwich sideways Iraq has begun trial proceedings for nearly 900 Iraqi suspected members of the Islamic State group caught fleeing jihadist territory in neighbouring Syria, a judicial source said on Sunday. They were handed over to Iraqi authorities by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which ousted ISIS from swathes of eastern Syria including territory bordering Iraq. 'We received the interrogation files of nearly 900 Iraqi ISIS members coming from Syria,' the court official said, speaking anonymously because he was not authorised to talk to the media. Around 900 suspected members of ISIS were arrested by authorities while trying to cross into Syria (file photo) 'The specialised terrorism court has begun setting dates for their trial in batches,' the source added. The nearly 900 suspected jihadists were transferred by the SDF to Iraqi custody in recent months as the remnants of IS' once sprawling self-declared 'caliphate' collapsed in neighbouring Syria. Additional Iraqi suspects are in SDF custody and awaiting transferral, a security source said Sunday. 'They will be handed over in batches on the Syrian-Iraqi border. They include very influential leaders, but ISIS had sought to keep them hidden,' the security source said. One of those destined to be handed over was deeply involved in IS' efforts to develop chemical weapons, he said. Iraq has already tried thousands of its own nationals arrested on home soil for joining ISIS - including women - and has sentenced hundreds to death. The country remains in the top five 'executioner' nations in the world, according to an Amnesty International report released last week. The number of death sentences issued by Iraqi courts more than quadrupled from 65 in 2017 to at least 271 in 2018. Hundreds of the suspects will be put on trial in Baghdad over the coming weeks to determine whether they were ISIS members (file photo) But fewer were actually carried out, according to Amnesty, with 52 executions in 2018 compared to 125 in 2017. In addition to locals, Iraq has also tried hundreds of foreigners, condemning many to life in prison and others to death, although no foreign ISIS members have yet been executed. Among those awaiting trial in Baghdad are 12 accused French IS members, who were caught in Syria and transferred to Iraqi custody in February. Baghdad has offered to try all foreign fighters in SDF custody - estimated at around 1,000 - in exchange for millions of dollars, Iraqi government sources have told AFP. Rights groups including Human Rights Watch have criticised these trials, which they say often rely on circumstantial evidence or confessions obtained under torture. Tony Owens, 37, hid in the woods after he smashed into the back of pensioners Cathryn and Raymond Goode's car while travelling at 100mph, killing Mr Goode A dangerous driver has been jailed for killing an 83-year-old pensioner and seriously injuring his wife before hiding from police in the woods. Reckless Tony Owens, 37, was driving at 100mph on the M42 when he hit Cathryn and Raymond Goode's car from behind with such force that Mr Goode was thrown from the vehicle. The 83-year-old former soldier, who served in Egypt and Korea, died at the scene while Mrs Goode, also known as Jane, 74, suffered 11 fractured ribs, a broken thigh bone and broken upper arm in the crash on August 19, 2017. Shockingly, Owens fled the scene and hid in nearby woodland until the next day when he handed himself in to Warwickshire Police. From Birmingham, he was jailed for nine years and banned from driving for ten-and-a-half years at Warwick Crown Court on Friday. Owens, who had no driving licence or insurance, initially entered a not guilty plea to charges of causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving. He made headlines after failing to attend his trial in January, after which police released a mugshot of him which was compared in likeness to Eastenders actor Dean Gaffney. Owens, formerly of Charlbury Avenue, Fordbridge, Birmingham, was arrested on warrant and later admitted both charges. Owens, who does not have a driving licence or insurance, was jailed for nine years and banned from driving for ten-and-a-half years at Warwick Crown Court on Friday Jailing Owens, Judge Anthony Potter told him: 'It is a tragic feature of offences like this that there is nothing I can do that can possibly undo the harm the family of Mr Goode will continue to suffer for many years, and there is nothing you can do to undo the harm you did on that Saturday. 'You, a man with no driving licence and no insurance, and no right to be behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, set off in charge of a vehicle, not just on a B road or an A road, but on a motorway. 'Only you know what speed you were actually doing, but other road-users took note of it, and it was well in excess of the speeds those other people were travelling at. 'The stretch of road is a particularly straight section, and it makes it even more inexplicable that you, at high speed and moving between lanes, should not have seen the vehicle that Cathryn Goode, a healthy and active 74-year-old, was driving. 'You made some attempt to brake, but it was far too little and it was far too late. 'Your vehicle was travelling at such force that it hit the vehicle Cathryn Goode was driving up in the air, and it caused her husband to be thrown from the vehicle. Raymond Goode (pictured) with his wife Cathryn, also known as Jane, was thrown from their car on the M46 between junctions 10 and 11, near Tamworth, when the crash happened 'It killed him and caused her severe injuries which continue to have a significant impact on her. 'Most people in the position you found yourself would have done what they could, however inadequate it might be, to try to attend to Mr and Mrs Goode. You did nothing. 'You ran away in a completely cowardly fashion from the location, and even hours later you were seeking to look after yourself with no apparent concern for Mr and Mrs Goode. 'It is an unpleasant feature that you cast aspersions on her driving, even though you must have known it was you, and you alone, who was responsible for her injuries and the death of her husband.' Observing that Owens had continued to deny the offences until his eventual guilty pleas, the judge added: 'It is hard for me to accept, given the way you have behaved, that you are genuinely remorseful.' The court heard the collision took place at 8.45pm on August 19, 2017, as the Goodes were travelling south on the M42 between junctions 11 and 10 near Tamworth. They were in a gold-coloured Vauxhall Agila being driven by Mrs Goode. The couple, who lived in Spain but had previously run a hairdressing salon in Atherstone, Warks., were returning from there to Coventry, West Mids., where they were due to stay with family. Owens, whose licence had been revoked on medical grounds, was going in the same direction in a Peugeot 307. He had overtaken other drivers at what some of them estimated to be 100mph, the court heard. The Peugeot straddled two lanes, and despite a last-second attempt to brake and swerve, it hit the Goodes' car from behind with such force that the Agila was thrown into the air. As it rolled over, Mr Goode, a former soldier and a keen wildlife photographer, was thrown out, despite having been wearing a seatbelt. He suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the scene. Other drivers stopped to try to help him and Mrs Goode, who suffered injuries including 11 fractured ribs, a broken thigh bone and broken upper arm, but Owens fled from the scene. He ran into nearby woodland where he hid, and the next morning he asked the landowner if he could call his mother. He later handed himself in after washing and changing his clothes. He admitted being the driver of the Peugeot, but denied being responsible for the crash, putting the blame on Mrs Goode. In February of the same year, Owens, had been spoken to after hitting a child while driving the same car, but had escaped prosecution because of an administrative error. The court heard Owens had previous convictions for driving with excess alcohol. In a statement read to the court, Peter Goode, Mr Goode's son, a retired police officer, said the death of his father and his step-mother's 'horrific' injuries had had a heartbreaking impact. David Munro, defending, said: 'The existence of the guilty plea is fundamental to the mitigation. He accepts entire and complete responsibility for the matter. 'In any case of this nature the damage that is caused will last for many, many years - and nothing the defendant can do or say at this stage can go very far to ease that. 'Whatever sentence is passed will not remedy the loss. 'His driving on the night in question cannot be excused, but it is hard to say over what period of time and what distance he drove at high speed, or what that speed was. 'This should simply not have happened. There must have been a complete failure to take notice of the Vauxhall in front of him, and when he did react, it was too little and too late.' Ex-model Kelsey Nichole Turner, 25, is one of three suspects in the Las Vegas murder Two female roommates, including a former Playboy model, have been booked into jail for the murder of a psychiatrist who had been paying their rent, while the model's boyfriend remains at large. Ex-model Kelsey Nichole Turner, 25, who is reportedly pregnant, and casino bartender Diana Nicole Pena, 30, were booked into jail in Las Vegas over the weekend for the March murder of Dr Thomas Kirk Burchard, 71. Turner's boyfriend, 27-year-old Jon Logan Kennison, remains at large. All three are charged with murder and conspiracy to murder. Turner was apprehended in Stockton, California, on March 21, and she was with her child and Kennison, but he wasn't considered a suspect at the time and has since gone to ground. She was extradited to Nevada on Saturday. Pena was arrested on Saturday, but the circumstances of her arrest remain unclear. Burchard's body was found rotting in the trunk of a Mercedes-Benz C300 in a desert outside Las Vegas on March 21. Scroll down for video Dr Thomas Kirk Burchard (left) is believed to have met Turner (right) online, and gave the ex-model some $300,000 over the course of two years, the psychiatrist's girlfriend said Turner's live-in boyfriend Jon Logan Kennison (above) is still at large. A witness said that Turner feared that the doctor would find out about her relationship with Kennison 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. Police say the car was registered to Turner and that all three suspects' fingerprints were found inside the vehicle. Pena's business card from her bartending job at Caesar's Palace was also found inside the car. Burchard, a psychiatrist from Salinas, California, had known Turner for about two years and had given her some $300,000 over that time, the doctor's longtime girlfriend Judy Earp told The Californian. Earp said that Burchard had previously signed a lease for a home in Salinas where Turner had lived with her mother and children before moving to Las Vegas in 2018. 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. In Las Vegas, Turner was living with her boyfriend Kennison as well as Pena and another male roommate, whose name was redacted in warrant affidavits and who moved out after things turned ugly in the home on March 2. Burchard's longtime girlfriend Judy Earp (right) said that Turner told him a 'really sad story.' She added: 'She took the $300,000. I'll just leave it at that.' Turner (above) appeared in Playboy Italia and Maxim, and had told Burchard that she couldn't qualify for a lease because she had bad credit 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 Police say that the doctor traveled from Salinas to Las Vegas on March 1 to visit the ex-model Turner, and paid for the March rent on the home she shared with the other suspects. Cops describe the doctor's relationship with the ex-model as intimate. On March 2, a woman showed up at the home drunk and began arguing with Turner, a witness told police. The psychiatrist Burchard intervened and took the drunk woman on a drive around the block to cool her down. While they were gone, Turner became frantic with worry that the woman would tell Burchard about her boyfriend Kennison, a witness told police. Kennison is also said to have gotten agitated, making violent statements and punching a man who was present while Burchard was away. Police believe the murder occurred on the following day, March 3. On March 4, Turner offered a man $20 to clean up red stains in the home, claiming they were red wine. The man also saw her attempting to use pet-stain remover to clean up the stains. He said Turner never paid him for his cleaning services, and police found extensive blood evidence throughout the house, seemingly concentrated around a mattress in an upstairs bedroom. She was extradited on Saturday and her next court appearance is scheduled for April 16 The roommate who had moved out also returned to see a badly damaged bedroom door, which Turner claimed happened when someone got locked in the room. He said that Turner tried to convince him to clean up the house and replace the broken door using Burchard's credit card. He gathered his belongings and left. The roommate also noticed that the garage reeked of ammonia, which Turner blamed on the cat, and that the kitchen was filled with expensive food, including two prime cuts of steak that had been left out on the counter. Turner, Kennison and Pena all skipped town in the following days, according to police. They all stayed briefly at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino before permanently turning off their phones when the media reported that Burchard's body had been found on March 7, cops said. Turner and Kennison fled for California. Pena's luggage was found abandoned in her room on March 9, when she was scheduled to check out. Kelsey Nichole Turner, 25, faced court in Stockton, California last week before being extradicted to Las Vegas over the weekend Pena's employers at Caesar's Palace told cops that she never showed up for work after March 6, and never called in to explain her absence. Burchard's girlfriend Earp told police that he may have been suffering from early Alzheimer's. 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. '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.' Bernie Sanders ramped up an attack on Donald Trump on Sunday as he campaigned in Lordstown, Ohio, where General Motors has a languishing factory it's likely to close permanently. Sanders attacked 'tough guy' president at forum for his part in the government shutdown earlier this year, family separations at the border and the area plant closure. 'You're really tough on them,' he said sarcastically of Trump's attitude toward corporate America. 'Well let's see how tough you are. Tell General Motors today, no more federal contracts' He said, 'Mr. president, I know how tough you are, snatching babies from the hands of their mothers. Well let's see how tough you are taking on corporate America,' Sanders said. Scroll down for video Bernie Sanders ramped up an attack on Donald Trump on Sunday as he campaigned in Lordstown, Ohio, where General Motors has a languishing factory it's likely to close permanently Sanders said Trump should tell GM no more federal contracts until they restart production at the Lordstown plant Sanders lit into Trump, whose seen here in Lima, Ohio last month, for not doing enough save factory workers' jobs For days, the U.S. Senator vying for the Democratic presidential nomination has been calling Trump a 'pathological liar' in states that went for the Republican throughout the Midwest. He claimed in a Lordstown version of his remarks that Trump is 'not just a pathological liar, but he is a fraud' and a 'demagogue' who's fanning the flames of divisiveness. Sanders said, in response to a question from a woman whose family had been affected by GM's restructuring proposal, 'You're job is to do exactly the opposite, it is to bring people together.' He had been interrupted by a Trump supporter moments before, who screamed loudly that Sanders is a 'socialist' as security carried him out of the venue, the auditorium of the local high school. The man's outburst followed a complaint by another man in the audience that Trump did not come to Lordstown to hear directly from workers losing their jobs. 'He didn't come to visit. He did nothing but come here and lie to these people,' he said. Sanders told him that the federal government 'has a lot of leverage' and it could punish companies like GM by denying them future contracts. He said that profitable plants should not be allowed to 'throw people out on the street' and be rewarded with favorable federal action. Sanders said, in response to a question from a woman whose family had been affected by GM's restructuring proposal, 'You're job is to do exactly the opposite, it is to bring people together' The forum hosted by the American Federation for Teachers' national chapter provided a ready-made opportunity for Sanders to blast big businesses and financial institutions for robbing Peter the factory worker to pay Paul the investor The forum hosted by the American Federation for Teachers' national chapter provided a ready-made opportunity for Sanders to blast big businesses and financial institutions for robbing Peter the factory worker to pay Paul the investor. Sanders said Wall Street's 'illegal actions' in 2007 and 2008 brought about 'the worst economic downturn' since the Great Depression and 'destroyed our economy, resulting in millions of people losing their jobs and their homes,' and despite his opposition in Congress, companies such as GM received $50 billion bailouts. Their thank you is to lay off workers in Lordstown and other factories around the country a decade later, he argued. 'To say the least, that does not show a lot of love and gratitude from Wall Street,' he declared. 'Whether they like it or not, they will be good corporate citizens.' The Lordstown plant that General Motors operated stopped making the Chevy Cruze in March. It has been closed ever since. Workers are hopeful it will be reopened before operations come to a full halt in September. They believe GM may be engaging in scare tactics to get union to back off of their demands. Several said Sunday that they want GM to bring another car to the plant for production. The Lordstown plant that General Motors operated stopped making the Chevy Cruze in March. It has been closed ever since. Workers are hopeful it will be reopened before operations come to a full halt in September GM announced the plant closure last November. It has since pledged to invest $13 billion in U.S. production by 2022. It is inviting the 2,800 Lordstown workers losing their jobs to relocate to open jobs in other factories inside and outside of the state. Katie Fallo told Sanders at the forum that the factory closure could break up her family. Her ex-husband might have to take a job at a factory out of state and would no longer have regular access to his young son, Ben, who she brought with her to the event. She told DailyMail.com after the event that her former spouse is holding out for now. 'I think the hope is that maybe this was a ploy on on Mary Barra's part to get them to give tons of concessions,' she said of the negotiations between GM and the United Auto Workers union. Lordstown layoffs are an area where Sanders and Trump agree on the nature of the problem American companies are shipping jobs overseas to the detriment of U.S. workers and the manufacturing sector. Their recommended approach to the problem, however, is entirely dissimilar and will be put to the test in the upcoming election. Sanders wants to strengthen collective bargaining rights. He said in the Midwest that he wants to stop employers from using 'illegal tactics to make it impossible to form a union' by threatening to fire workers or move the plant to China. He is promising to sign legislation that would guarantee that Americans who work 40 hours a week are not 'living in poverty' with a federal minimum wage hike. The democratic socialist is also promising universal health care that's open to everyone regardless of their employment status. Trump has harangued GM and Barra, the company's CEO, for the Lordstown closure. 'They could have kept General Motors in that gorgeous plant in Lordstown. They could have kept it,' he said at a late March rally in Lima, Ohio. He blasted union leaders and GM as dishonest and told workers they ought to demand that UAW lower their dues. Trump singled out the local UAW head for ridicule. 'Well that's really rich because it's Wall Street and GM and the president's own economic policies that is responsible for what's happening in Lordstown,' said AFT head Randi Weingarten during the Sunday afternoon forum. Trump suggested that GM sell the factory, so another car company could move in, or move up the labor negotiations that are slated for the fall. Jaxx Moncrief, a Lordstown factory worker who retired in 2006, said he wants to see GM bring the production of another car to the Lordstown plant. 'If they sell the plant to a foreign company,' he said, 'the wages are going to be so low, they may not have the people to fill it.' He said that friends and former colleagues who worked in the factor will never have a 30-year career there like he did. 'They'll have to bounce from plant to plant,' he said before Sanders, who he's not yet supporting, spoke to a crowd the campaign put at 430 people. Sanders is on a five-day bus tour of Ohio, Michigan and other states in the Rust Belt. He said Saturday morning in Gary, Indiana - a state that was under Vice President Mike Pence's leadership until a week before the last presidential inauguration- is an example of an area hurt by 'disastrous' trade policies that have continued in the current administration. At a rally in Warren, Michigan on Saturday night, he announced his opposition to Trump's renegotiated trade agreement with Mexico and Canada, which he calls the USMCA instead of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Sanders has been critical of that deal, negotiated while former Democratic President Bill Clinton was in office, as well, but he said that the U.S. can do better than the agreement that Trump's administration signed. He said, 'The NAFTA treaty that Trump renegotiated with Mexico will still allow companies like General Motors to send our jobs to Mexico. So today, I challenge Donald Trump: For once in your life, keep your campaign promises. 'Go back to the drawing board on NAFTA. Do not send this treaty to Congress until it includes strong and swift enforcement mechanisms to raise the wages of workers and to prevent corporations from outsourcing American jobs to Mexico,' the Vermont senator who will have a vote on the final agreement said. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on Sunday slammed members of Congress as not 'smart enough' to read the 10 years of tax returns Democratic lawmakers have requested from President Donald Trump. 'I don't think Congress - particularly not this group of congressmen and women - are smart enough to look through the thousands of pages I would assume that President Trump's taxes will be. My guest is most of them don't do their own taxes. And I certainly don't trust them to look through the decades of success that the president has and determine anything,' she said on 'Fox News Sunday.' She was also clear the president would not hand over his tax reforms. 'The president has been clear from the beginning - as long as his tax are under audit he's not going to release them,' she said. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders slammed members of Congress as not 'smart enough' to read President Trump's tax returns And she attacked the section of law Democrats used to request the president's returns, which is a provision that allows Congress to request tax forms to see how changes to the tax code could affect people's returns. 'This has nothing to do with whether or not they are going to determine policy. This is all about political partisanship. This is a dangerous, dangerous, road,' she said. Rep. Richard Neal, the House Ways and Means Committee chairman, gave the IRS until April 23 to hand over President Trump's returns, telling the tax agency that the law clearly gives Congress a right to them. The government's failure to respond by the deadline could send the dispute into federal court. Neal's demand on Saturday came after the Trump administration asked for more time to consider his initial request last week. Neal, a Massachusetts Democrat, argues that a 1920-era law saying the IRS 'shall furnish' any tax return requested by Congress 'is unambiguous and raises no complicated legal issues' and that the Treasury Department's objections lack merit. Rep. Richard Neal, the House Ways and Means Committee chairman, has given the IRS until April 23 to hand over President Donald Trump's tax returns Trump has said that he will not release his tax returns because he is under audit The letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig is the latest exchange in a tug of war over Trump's returns, which would give lawmakers far greater insight into the president's business dealings and potential conflicts of interest as it exercises its oversight role. Trump declined to provide his tax information as a candidate in 2016 and as president, something party nominees have traditionally done in the name of the transparency. During the campaign, Trump said he wanted to release his returns but said because he was under a routine audit, 'I can't.' Being under audit is no legal bar to anyone releasing his or her returns. And after the November midterm elections, Trump claimed at a news conference that the filings were too complex for people to understand. IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig will have until April 23 to meet the new demand Rep. Richard Neal, the House Ways and Means Committee chairman, wrote the letter Asked repeatedly at a House hearing Tuesday whether any regulation prohibited a taxpayer from disclosing returns when under audit, Rettig responded 'no.' The issue appears sure to end up in federal court. With an eye to a legal challenge, Neal told Rettig that he has two weeks to respond - by 5pm on April 23. If Rettig fails to do so, Neal said he will interpret as denying the request, which could pave the way for a court battle. Neal also seeks the returns through a subpoena. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who oversees the IRS, told Neal this past week that he needs more time to consider the unprecedented demand for Trump's returns and needs to consult with the Justice Department about it. Mnuchin accused lawmakers of seeking Trump's returns for political reasons. But he also acknowledged his 'statutory responsibilities' and that he respects congressional oversight. Some Treasury-watchers observe that Mnuchin's decision to consult with the Justice Department could suggest that Treasury lawyers believe Neal has a legal right to Trump's returns. Neal said Saturday that the administration has no right 'to question or second guess' his motivations. Three lions rescued from 'Europe's worst zoo' are stranded in Albania held in bare, tiled pens just a few metres square. Twelve-year-old Zhaku and his eight-year-old sons, Boby and Lenci, are caught in a bureaucratic wrangle over documents allowing them to leave the country to start a new life. Since October they have been held at Tirana Zoo after being released from a private animal park in southern Albania where they were malnourished and kept in shocking conditions. The father Zhaku (pictured) aged 12, and his two sons Boby and Lenci, both eight, are caged One vet described the small, filthy cages at the park in Fier, sixty miles from the capital, as the worst he had ever seen in Europe. The owner denied cruelty but after reading of the animals' plight on Mail Online, Albania's tourism minister ordered the police to break in and rescue the lions along with ten other animals including a bear, waterbuck and deer. The other animals have been found new homes but the lions are still stuck in Tirana Zoo which itself has a poor reputation and desperately needs improvement. One vet described the small, filthy cages at the park as the worst he had ever seen in Europe Albania's tourism minister ordered the police to break in and rescue the lions from their former home in the south of Albania. They were moved to Tirana Zoo which itself has a bad reputation Zhaku, Boby and Lenci pace up and down their separate, gloomy five metre pens, unable to see each other, looking forlorn and occasionally distressed. The international animal charity, Four Paws, which carried out the rescue last October has had to abandon two attempts to get the lions out of Albania because the authorities are refusing to issue the correct documents. Ioana Dungler, director of Four Paws' wild animals department said: 'This was meant to be a temporary arrangement until we could take the lions to our big cat sanctuary in the Netherlands. Once they recover sufficiently, they would go on to our base at Lionsrock (correct) in South Africa and roam with plenty of space. The pens the lions are holed up in. Documents allowing them to leave the country to start a new life are being held up, meaning the animals are cramped in the cages in Tirana Zoo Members of international organization Four Paws carry a lion out of the local city zoo in Fier 'We've worked successfully with the Albanian authorities in the past and can't understand what the hold up is this time. The lions need some further medical procedures. Lenci has an eye condition. One of our surgeons operated and managed to save his sight but it needs monitoring. 'Tirana Zoo is doing its best but the facilities are just not adequate for big cats. They're becoming more distressed and need to get to a better place quickly.' The Albanian tourism ministry told Mail Online the lions could be held in their tiny cages until September. A spokeswoman said: 'The original owner is claiming compensation in the courts for loss of business. He doesn't want the animals back, but until the court case is resolved the lions cannot leave the country'. Albanian tourism ministry told Mail Online the lions could be held in tiny cages until September. They said: 'Until the court case is resolved the lions cannot leave the country' A 22-year-old student who fell 40 feet from Fordham University's clock tower early Sunday morning has died. The school confirmed Sydney Paige Monfries, from Portland, Oregon, had died in a letter to students Sunday, just weeks before she was due to graduate. School President Joseph McShane wrote: 'It is with great sadness that I report that Sydney Monfries, a senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill, died today after sustaining a fall inside the Keating Clock tower in the early hours of the morning. 'Our hearts go out to Sydneys parents, and her family and friendstheirs is an unimaginable loss, and we share their grief. 'There are no words sufficient to describe the loss of someone so young and full of promise and mere weeks from graduation. Fordham will confer a bachelors degree upon Sydney posthumously, which we will present to her parents at the appropriate time.' Sydney Paige Monfries (pictured), 22, fell 40 feet from Fordham University's Keating Hall clock tower early Sunday morning The New York Police Department said Monfries (pictured) went to the Keating Hall clock tower with her friends around 3am Students from Fordham said Monfries may have been participating in a 'rite of passage' ceremony or event. The tower is seen above The New York Police Department said Monfries went to the Keating Hall clock tower with her friends around 3am. Police said the senior fell while trying to get a better view of the city's skyline. A student named Anne told the New York Post: 'I think they were posting on Instagram when it happened.' Sources say Monfries and her friends were climbing the spiral staircase when she tripped on a landing and fell 40 feet, striking her head on the ground. According to the Post, the back of her head was smashed in and her vitals flat-lined at the scene. Emergency services struggled to move her in the tight space on a stretcher, so instead used a rescue blanket to lift her up and out of a window. Paramedics were able to revive her and rushed her to St Barnabas Hospital in 'extremely critical' condition. First responders said Monfries also suffered injuries to her pelvis. She died after her parents arrived at St Barnabas Hospital with two priests. The school confirmed Sydney Paige Monfries, from Portland, Oregon, had died in a letter to students Sunday The back of Monfries' (pictured) head was smashed in and her vitals flat-lined at the scene. She is seen above posing on the edge of a building in Chicago for an Instagram snap Monfries was a photo intern at InStyle Magazine, and was studying journalism at Fordham University Anna Newell paid tribute to her friend on Instagram, writing: ' You were all so kind and good hearted. You were so smart, pretty and kind just like your momma. Thank you for being an amazing person, I will always remember you. RIP.' Shristina Harrigan added: 'Rest in sweetest peace Sydney. Ill never forget all of our memories back when you lived in NJ and Ill forever cherish them! Rest easy sweet girl.' AJ Newell described Monfries as 'the sweetest soul I have ever met'. According to her LinkedIn page, Monfries was a photo intern at InStyle Magazine, and was studying journalism at Fordham University. Students from Fordham told the Post that Monfries may have been participating in a 'rite of passage' ceremony or event. According to students at the university, seniors climb the tower, touch the bell and take photos outside one of the top windows during the event. None of the other students who went with Monfries were injured. The university said in a statement to students earlier in the day: 'A Fordham student was critically injured in a fall from the clock tower in Keating Hall at approximately 3am on Sunday, April 14, 2019. Monfries was taken to the St Barnabas Hospital in 'extremely critical' condition. None of the other students who went with Monfries were injured 'The student, a senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill, was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, and the student's family has been notified. 'The student apparently climbed into the clock tower with friends. University officials are investigating how the students gained access to the tower.' The Keating Hall tower is off limits to students at the university. In 2013, The Fordham Ram published an article about the gothic granite building and how students are forbidden inside. Students who violate this rule 'would likely face disciplinary action if they entered it'. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said on Sunday President Donald Trump wishes 'no ill will' against Rep. Ilhan Omar but added he is right to call out her comments on the September 11th attacks. 'Certainly the president is wishing no ill will, and certainly not violence towards anyone but the president is absolutely and should be calling out the congresswoman for her not only one time but history of anti-Semitic comments,' Sanders said on ABC's 'This Week.' She decried Omar's description of the 9/11 terror attacks as 'people who did something' as 'abhorrent.' White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said President Trump wishes 'no ill will' against Rep. Ilhan Omar Sanders said Trump was right to criticize Rep. Ilhan Omar (above) over her 9/11 comments 'It's absolutely abhorrent the comments she continues to make and has made and [Democrats] look the other way. I find what her comments to be absolutely disgraceful and unbefitting of a member of Congress and I think that it's a good thing that the president is calling her out for those comments, and the big question is why aren't Democrats doing it as well,' Sanders said. Democrats rushed to defend the freshman lawmaker, who is one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, and said Trump's targeting of Omar could put her life in danger. And Omar herself hit back at the president Saturday in a series of explosive tweets, insisting she remains undeterred by Trump's criticism and will continue to 'fight and defend' democracy against his administration's policies. Omar became the subject of controversy yet again last week after remarks she made last month in reference to the 9/11 terror attacks resurfaced. An outraged Donald Trump tweeted 'WE WILL NEVER FORGET' on Friday night, accompanied by a 43 second video that showed Omar's comment during a speech to the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), interspersed with footage from September 11, 2001. But on Saturday, Omar took to Twitter to speak out against the President's attack, insisting she 'didn't run for Congress to be silent.' 'This country was founded on the ideas of justice, of liberty, of the pursuit of happiness. But these core beliefs are under threat [from the Trump administration]' she wrote. 'Each and every day. We are under threat by an administration that would rather cage children than pass comprehensive immigration reform.' Scroll down for video Omar, who has on several occasions been accused of Antisemitism, said the furor surrounding the comments - which she believes were taken out of context - stem from the fact that she is Muslim, and not white Trump tweeted 'WE WILL NEVER FORGET' with a video that showed Omar's 'some people did something' 9/11 speech intersected with video of the disaster The Minnesota democrat then when on to suggest that Trump would rather show prejudice towards transgender members of the armed forces than 'fight for equality and opportunity for all'. 'I did not run for Congress to be silent. I did not run for Congress to sit on the sidelines,' she added. 'I ran because I believed it was time to restore moral clarity and courage to Congress.' 'No one person no matter how corrupt, inept, or vicious can threaten my unwavering love for America. I stand undeterred to continue fighting for equal opportunity in our pursuit of happiness for all Americans.' Omar concluded her rousing thread by thanking those that continued to stick by her in her fight to establish an 'America we all deserve.' The video shared by Trump on Friday only showed part of Omar's speech and her fellow Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was quick to clap-back at the president's outburst. Ocasio-Cortez branded the tweet a 'dangerous' declaration of prejudice that could possibly incite harm against politician already facing a slew of death threats and abuse. 'Members of Congress have a duty to respond to the President's explicit attack today,' Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Friday evening. '[Ilhan Omar's] life is in danger. For our colleagues to be silent is to be complicit in the outright, dangerous targeting of a member of Congress. We must speak out.' Alongside the rally cry, the New York Democratic also shared a picture of Martin Niemoller's famous poem 'First they came' that was inspired by the Holocaust and hangs on the wall of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC. The poem reads: 'First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for meand there was no one left to speak for me.' On Saturday, Omar took to Twitter with an explosive thread of tweets in response President's attack, insisting she 'didn't run for congress to be silent' AOC tweeted in defense of Omar using Martin Niemoller's famous poem 'First they came' to condemn a tweet of the President's on Friday night Despite the poem sharing similar themes to her tweet, Ocasio-Cortez sparked outrage online among critics who believed her use of Niemoller's famed piece was 'disturbing' in defense of Omar. The outrage stemmed from a number of comments the Somali-American Democrat has made over the past few months regarding Israel. The criticism was first ignited after she suggested US support of the middle-eastern country is 'All about the Benjamins' which many interpreted as a nod to the bigoted trope that rich Jews control the world. 'There's something deeply disturbing about AOC making Holocaust references to defend an open and unrepentant anti-Semite who is merely being criticized,' conservative commentator Ben Shapiro tweeted. Senior editor of the Federalist, David Harasanyi added: 'This is just a shameful attempt to chill speech. It belittles both the real victims of 9/11 and the Holocaust.' However, on Saturday House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rushed to defend Omar and said the president 'shouldn't use the painful images of 9/11 for a political attack.' In a statement released while she was in Germany visiting American troops that 'the memory of 9/11 is sacred ground, and any discussion of it must be done with reverence.' She said 'it is wrong for the president, as commander-in-chief, to fan the flames to make anyone less safe.' Despite the poem sharing similar themes to her tweet, AOC has been widely blasted by critics who believe the Holocaust-origins of 'First They Came...' make the use of it in defense of Omar inappropriate The outrage stems from a number of comments the Somali-American Democrat has made over the past few months regarding Israel In her full speech to CAIR last month, Omar said: 'Far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and frankly, I'm tired of it and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it. 'CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something, and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.' Since the controversial comments resurfaced, Omar has defended what she said, using an example of George W. Bush making similar remarks in the wake of the tragedy and marking the difference in reaction. Omar has said the furor surrounding the comments - which she believes were taken out of context - stem from the fact that she is Muslim, and not white 'Was Bush downplaying the terrorist attack? What if he was a Muslim,' she asked on Twitter. Progressive Democrats, including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, lined up to support Omar. They called the president's behavior 'disgusting' and noted that Omar was already receiving death threats. Sanders said on Saturday: 'Remember, George W. Bush, I didn't have a lot in common with him. 'What did he do a few days after 9/11, he went into a mosque. You remember that? He went into a mosque to say that criminals, terrorists, attacked the United States, not the Muslim community. That's what he did. It's true. We have had a president who for cheap political gain is trying to divide us up, by the color of our skin ... by our religion. 'By God, that is not what a president should - we can disagree, for God's sakes, that's democracy, but you don't have the President of the United States trying to get us to hate undocumented people. You know, that's not what America's supposed to be about.' The Washington Post first noted that Bush once referred to the terrorists as 'the people who knocked these buildings down' in remarks at Ground Zero a few days after the attack. Omar piggybacked on the example in a tweet that linked to the original article. She had said at a fundraiser for CAIR that the organization 'was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties. 'So you can't just say that today someone is looking at me strange and that I am trying to make myself look pleasant. You have to say that this person is looking at me strange, I am not comfortable with it, and I am going to talk to them and ask them why. Because that is the right you have,' she stated. Others took a different interpretation of AOC's use of the poem, with one accusing her of attempting to 'compare the President of the United States to Adolf Hitler' 'Members of Congress have a duty to respond to the President's explicit attack today,' Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Friday, insisting Omar's life is in danger Rep. Ilhan Omar compared her controversial 9/11 comment to one George W. Bush made after the attack, suggesting Friday that he would have faced similar backlash if he were Muslim The remarks earned her new criticism, having already weathered allegations that she's an anti-Semite. 'First Member of Congress to ever describe terrorists who killed thousands of Americans on 9/11 as 'some people who did something,'' GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw said in an accusatory tweet. 'Unbelievable.' Fox & Friends' Brian Kilmeade said on the morning program he co-hosts, 'You have to wonder if she's an American first.' The New York Post on Thursday even went as far as to splash a photograph one of the World Trade Center towers collapsing in a ball of flames, with the banner: 'Rep. Ilhan Omar: 9/11 was 'some people did something.' The Washington Post's fact checker pointed out that Bush once said something similar in a Sept. 14, 2001 speech, when he spoke through a bullhorn at Ground Zero. Bush told rescue workers in an impromptu speech through a bullhorn that the nation mourns victims of the Twin Towers attack. 'I can't hear you!' one told him. Bush said, 'I can hear you! I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people -- and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!' It was part of an intentional effort by Bush not to refer to the attackers as Muslims. Three days after the impromptu speech delivered by bullhorn, Bush visited the Islamic Center of Washington D.C. to condemn attacks on Muslims. He said: 'The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace. They represent evil and war. 'Those who feel like they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don't represent the best of America, they represent the worst of humankind, and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior.' Omar connected the dots on Friday and pointed out in a tweet that Bush did not come under assault for having referred to the attackers as 'people' instead of murderers or terrorists. Bernie Sanders was the first major Democrat to follow in AOC's footsteps on Friday night Elizabeth Warren was next, tweeting after Sanders that she too found Trump's attack 'disgusting' Minnesota's Amy Klobuchar joined her Senate colleagues in supporting Omar hours later. She was careful to note that she does not condone the congresswoman's remarks but found Trump's tweet to be offensive Pelosi said at a news conference shortly after Omar sent the tweet that she had not connected with the congresswoman yet. 'I haven't had the opportunity to speak with her to see the nature of her comment, and as is my custom with colleagues I call them in before I call them out. So I'll look forward to hearing from her,' she said. 'She was in transit, we tried to reach her, she was in transit. So I'll have some comment after I do speak to her.' Democrats were at a retreat in Northern Virginia on Thursday, where the comments, that were revealed in an April 8 video posted to Twitter, were a topic of discussion. Ocasio-Cortez defended her colleague to reporters staking the retreat out. 'We are getting to the level where this is an incitement of violence against progressive women of color,' the New York representative said. Ocasio-Cortez smacked Crenshaw on Twitter for declining to cosponsor the 9/11 Victim's Compensation Fund while having the 'audacity to drum resentment towards Ilhan w/completely out-of-context quotes.' She told the Texas congressman to 'go do something' about Republicans making insensitive comments. Sanders answered her call half-an-hour later. The Vermont senator and 2020 presidential candidate said in a tweet: 'Ilhan Omar is a leader with strength and courage. She won't back down to Trump's racism and hate, and neither will we. The disgusting and dangerous attacks against her must end.' Left-wing Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who's also seeking the presidency, was close behind her 2020 opponent with a tweet that that accused Trump of 'inciting violence against a sitting Congresswomanand an entire group of Americans based on their religion. 'It's disgusting. It's shameful. And any elected leader who refuses to condemn it shares responsibility for it,' the Massachusetts senator wrote. The New York Post even went as far as to splash a photograph one of the World Trade Center towers collapsing in a ball of flames, with the banner: 'Rep. Ilhan Omar: 9/11 was 'some people did something'' Minnesota's Amy Klobuchar joined her Senate colleagues in supporting Omar hours later. She was careful to note that she does not condone the congresswoman's remarks but found Trump's tweet to be offensive. The Democratic presidential candidate who shares her home state with Omar said: 'Someone has already been charged with a serious threat on Congresswoman Omar's life. The video the President chose to send out today will only incite more hate. You can disagree with her wordsas I have done beforebut this video is wrong. Enough.' Other candidates including Beto O'Rourke, Pete Buttigieg and Julian Castro also condemned Trump's attack on Omar. Buttigieg, who served in the U.S. Navy reserve, tweeted: 'I served oversea, at risk to my life, in the struggle against such terrorism. But it can only be fully defeated if we have leaders at home who defuse its capacity to sow hate - hate against Islam or against any number of 'others.' 'The president today made America smaller. It is not enough to condemn him; we must model something better. 'The threats against the life of @IlhanMN make clear what is at stake if we fail to to do this, and to beat back hate in all all its forms.' Omar spoke about threats of violence she had received, as she defended herself against the 'double standards' she said she faces, to Late Show host Stephen Colbert earlier in the week. She that she is 'as American as everyone else' and suffers from anti-Muslim discrimination. Ocasio-Cortez took on Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), who had blasted Omar's comments and circulated a short clip Other candidates including Beto O'Rourke, Pete Buttigieg and Julian Castro also condemned Trump's attack on Omar Last week, police in New York arrested a man for allegedly threatening to 'put a bullet in her [expletive] skull.' She told Colbert: 'I took an oath - I took an oath to the Constitution. I am as American as everyone else is.' The issue of whether to link al Qaeda and other terrorist attacks including 9/11 to Islam became a campaign issue in 2016 when Trump accused former Barack Obama of refusing to call out 'radical Islamic terrorism.' He then leveled the same charge at Hillary Clinton, accusing her of being in 'total denial' for not calling the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, the work of a radical Islamic terrorist. She had tweeted: 'Islam is not our adversary. Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people, and have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism.' Trump said, 'She is in total denial. And her continuing reluctance to ever name the enemy broadcasts weakness across the world.' However, when he made his first foreign trip as president to Saudi Arabia, the home country of a majority of the 9/11 attackers and its mastermind Osama bin Laden, he struck a different note. 'This is not a battle between different faiths, different sects, or different civilizations,' Trump said. 'This is a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life, and decent people of all religions who seek to protect it.' The Conservatives are facing an exodus as up to 40 EU election candidates are believed to be defecting to the Brexit Party. Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage has reportedly received word from 26 MPs that privately said they will vote for his new group. And even more are said to be ditching their Tory MEP campaigns in favour of standing for the Brexit Party. Nigel Farage (left) looks set to drain the Tories of their support, it is claimed, as rumours circulate that eurosceptic Mark Francois (right) could join the party A TV star, high-profile charity figures and politicians from mainstream parties are among possible joiners, The Sun reports. The news comes amid speculation surrounding Mark Francois, vice-chairman of the eurosceptic European Research Group (ERG), who openly encouraged a 'eurosceptic onslaught' in the upcoming elections when speaking to France 24. As many as 56 per cent of people who voted to leave the EU in 2016 say they would vote for Ukip or the Brexit Party, with only 18 per cent saying they would back the Conservatives Mr Farage told the paper: 'After the last three years, many Conservative MPs, councillors and, indeed members, are asking what is the point of their party.' He has laid a 1,000 bet on his party taking more seats in next month's elections than any other party. Annunziate Rees-Mogg (pictured) is among those to have already declared from the Brexit Party Among those to announce their candidacy for the Brexit Party already are Annunziata Rees-Mogg, who is the sister of ERG chairman Jacob. The Tories have also faced defections from MPs who believe that the UK should stay in the EU. Anna Soubry is among three Conservatives who have quit the party to form Change UK, formerly known as The Independent Group. Speculation about who might join the Brexit Party comes as support for the Conservatives is at a six-year low. Only two thirds of Tory voters from the 2017 general election said they would support the party again, and a little more than one third said they would vote for the Tories in European elections, a You Gov poll for The Times claimed. The Brexit Party is tipped to hold 15 per cent of EU Election voting intention share just days after its formation. Electoral Calculus polling says Nigel Farage's newly formed Brexit Party would have the third largest share of the vote, with Labour ahead of the Tories if a general election was called today. Ardently pro-Leave parties would constitute the country's third largest political force with 14 per cent of the vote if a general election was held today. Houston's police chief has slammed an immigration order to deport an 11-year-old Salvadoran girl without her family. 'Yep. The Nazi's enforced their laws as well. You don't separate children from their families! Ever!' Chief Art Acevedo said in a series of tweets on Friday. The chief was referring to Laura Maradiaga, 11, who was given a deportation order last week. 'You'd have to kill me to take my child from me simply because I was trying to get them to a better place for a better tomorrow. I am glad to be on the right side of history,' the chief tweeted. He said the order is 'heart-wrenching' and called on people of faith to 'speak out'. In another tweet, Acevedo made the suggestion to keep the families together 'and if they don't meet asylum requirements deport them as a family unit'. Scroll down for video Houston's police chief, Art Acevedo (pictured), has slammed an immigration order to deport 11-year-old, Laura Maradiaga, of El Salvador without her family 'Yep. The Nazi's enforced their laws as well. You don't separate children from their families! Ever!' Acevedo said in a series of tweets on Friday The chief's tweets came a day after the Houston Chronicle reported that 11-year-old Laura (pictured) was given the deportation order after she was left off a docket for her family's immigration and court appearance 'We need comprehensive immigration reform but both major political parties have failed to address this problem because it gives them an issue to pander to their respective base,' he added. The chief's tweets came a day after the Houston Chronicle reported that 11-year-old Laura was given the deportation order after she was left off a docket for her family's immigration and court appearance. It's unclear how the error was made, but the family has set up a GoFundMe account to raise money to help keep their family together. The family arrived to the US in October and told agents that they were afraid for their safety in El Salvador after a family member testified against a gang member. Laura's mother, Dora Alvarado, told the Chronicle that their family has lost uncles and cousins due to gang retaliation. According to the GoFundMe account, the family has been showing up for every court case and has done their due diligence to make sure they stay in compliance since arriving to the US. 'Earlier in the year one of their court dates got rescheduled because of the government shutdown. Upon returning to court on March 12, 2019 they were notified that 11 year old Laura was not found on the docket,' the account reads. According to the page, the family's translator 'told them that all would be fine and the family should return to their next court date'. It's unclear how the error was made, but the family (pictured) has set up a GoFundMe account to raise money to help keep their family together The family arrived to the US in October and told agents that they were afraid for their safety in El Salvador after a family member testified against a gang member. Laura's mother, Dora Alvarado (right), said their family has lost uncles and cousins due to gang retaliation 'But in late March, the family received a letter but were unaware of the content of the letter because of the language barrier. 'On April 9th the family went to immigration court again where they saw another translator. Upon asking her the contents of the letter the translator gave them the chilling news that Little Laura had been ordered deported,' the GoFundMe reads. The family's lawyer, Silvia Mintz, told the Chronicle that she blames the Justice Department body that oversees immigration court for not taking responsibility for the situation. 'This mistake done by the immigration court has put this family in jeopardy,' Mintz said. 'They will be separated if this is not stopped.' Meanwhile, the White House confirmed Sunday it is looking at ways to transfer undocumented migrants to US sanctuary cities as Democrats accused President Donald Trump of creating 'manufactured chaos' at the US-Mexico border. 'This is an option on the table,' White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in an interview on ABC's This Week. Meanwhile, the White House confirmed Sunday it is looking at ways to transfer undocumented migrants to US sanctuary cities as Democrats accused President Donald Trump of creating 'manufactured chaos' at the US-Mexico border Trump 'heard the idea, he likes it, so -- well, we're looking to see if there are options that make it possible and doing a full and thorough and extensive review,' she said. Sanctuary cities are jurisdictions in 27 US states that limit cooperation between local law enforcement and immigration authorities. Many of the biggest are in Democratic strongholds like San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, giving Trump's threats to launch the policy a menacing partisan edge. The president revived the idea on Twitter and in comments to reporters on Friday, after the White House had said earlier in the week it was off the table. Department of Homeland Security officials were reported to have pushed back against the transfers of undocumented migrants as illegal, impractical and counter-productive. But in a tweet early Sunday, Trump insisted the US has 'the absolute right to have apprehended illegal immigrants transferred to Sanctuary Cities.' 'We hereby demand that they be taken care of at the highest level, especially by the State of California, which is well known (for) its poor management & high taxes!' he posted. Trump has staked his presidency on his insistence that the United States is being overrun by migrants and asylum seekers. But opponents, mostly in the Democratic Party, say his push for building more walls on the Mexican border and his almost daily denunciations of migrants as dangerous criminals incites racial hatred. 'This is again his manufactured chaos that he's created over the last two years on the border,' Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told ABC. Residents still can't move back into almost half the apartments of the Opal Tower - more than three months after hundreds of residents were evacuated. The final rectification works on the tower at Sydey Olympic Park have only just gotten the go-ahead, despite being expected to start last month, The Daily Telegraph reports. A spokeswoman for building company Icon confirmed 169 of the 392 apartments still aren't ready for people to move back in. More than 200 residents of the high rise were evacuated on Christmas Eve last year, when cracks found in the building sparked fears it could collapse. More than 200 residents of the Sydney Olympic Park high rise were evacuated on Christmas Eve last year, when cracks found in the building sparked fears it could collapse The building's owners' corporation has formed a deal with Icon and its Japanese parent company Kajima Corporation to extend the warranty on the 36-storey tower. This is meant to give residents peace of mind and make sure they're covered if any other faults in the building are detected in the future, according to the Owners' corporations chairman Shady Eskander. A statement is set to be released on Monday with the exact details of the warranty, as well as any other deals they have struck up with Icon. A spokeswoman for building company Icon confirmed 169 of the 392 apartments still aren't ready for people to move back in (pictured: residents being offered information two days after they were evacuated from the Opal Tower) It's understood Opal Tower is currently covered under warranty for seven years. So far, residents have been moving back into the tower gradually, with some allowed to return, while others have been back in their homes since January. In the four months since the mass-evacuation, Icon has spent more than $10 million reimbursing residents for accommodation and living expenses since December 31, according to an Icon spokeswoman. Icon has been offering allowances of between $220 a day for one-bedroom apartments and $500 a day for two bedroom apartments. The news comes nearly two months after footage captured by a whistelblower three years ago and obtained by A Current Affair, captured the bungled building work inside the tower, which has been dubbed as 'patch up job' by an insider. In the video an abundance of negligence's were recorded, including one concrete slab between the tenth and eleventh floor which is riddled with cracks. The severe cracks were patched up with filler, while the supporting pillars also appear to be crumbling. But rather than use the filler as a temporary fix, it's believed the area wasn't cut out and replaced but rather the filler held the cracks together while a further 20 storey's were built on top. The final rectification works on the tower at Sydey Olympic Park have only just gotten the go-ahead, despite being expected to start last month An interim report, commissioned by the New South Wales Department of Planning, suggested design and construction problems were the most likely causes of cracking in the apartment building at Sydney Olympic Park. The interim 17-page report ruled out bad weather and poor materials for building faults in the complex with 392 apartments. It instead recommended that steel hob beams, used to reinforce concrete, be repaired and strengthened. Environmental protesters will converge at five locations in London today to cause disruption, block roads and 'shut down the city'. Activists, known as earth marchers, have been making their way in to central London for weeks for the 'International Rebellion'. And many were encouraged to illegally camp in Hyde Park overnight so they can 'come together, form relationships, consolidate plans, and gear up for the days ahead,' according to campaign group Extinction Rebellion. Climate protest group Extinction Rebellion set up camp in London's Hyde park ahead of plans to cause widespread disruption from today From this morning, thousands of people are expected to gather at Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Waterloo Bridge, Piccadilly Circus and Parliament Square to block traffic during a three-day protest. The 'festival' of action will include people's assemblies, performances, talks, workshops and food. Campaigners will be able to attend training sessions 'to make sure everyone is prepared for the mass civil disobedience to follow,' Extinction Rebellion say. From Monday, thousands of people are expected to gather at Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Waterloo Bridge, Piccadilly Circus and Parliament Square to block traffic during a three-day protest Those considering camping in Hyde Park have been warned they could be breaking the law, as doing so without permission is an offence under Royal Parks legislation A spokeswoman for The Royal Parks says Extinction Rebellion have not asked for permission to begin the protest in the park and that camping is not allowed And although the movement is a peaceful one, participants are being warned there is always the possibility of arrest. Those considering camping in Hyde Park have been warned they could be breaking the law, as doing so without permission is an offence under Royal Parks legislation. A spokeswoman for The Royal Parks says Extinction Rebellion have not asked for permission to begin the protest in the park and that camping is not allowed. She said: 'We never allow camping in the parks for reasons of safety, security, lack of welfare facilities and the impact it has on the park. It also removes public space from other park visitors. Police said their operational response 'would be dependent on what if any other issues might be ongoing at the time' Plans for the week of protests include wellbeing talks, training, entertainment and food 'Those camping in the parks are breaking the law. Enforcement of the park regulations is a matter for the Metropolitan Police.' Police said their operational response 'would be dependent on what if any other issues might be ongoing at the time'. Scotland Yard said they have 'appropriate policing plans' in place and that officers will be used from across the force 'to support the public order operation during the coming weeks'. They added: 'We will always provide a proportionate policing plan to balance the right to a peaceful protest, while ensuring that disruption to communities is kept to a minimum. April Stewart, who travelled from Carmarthenshire in Wales for the demonstration, said the prospect of being arrested 'doesn't phase me'. Students attend a demonstration against climate change in Montpellier, southern France, on Friday. Actions and gathering are planned in more than 90 countries to demand the end of the fossil energies and to promote green solutions Authorities have warned protesters could bring traffic to a halt in London as part of their demonstrations The 52-year-old artist said: 'I am not someone who is normally drawn to civil disobedience. I am moved by this cause, by this moment in time that we have to make a difference.' Asked if she thought the Government will take notice, she said: 'I guess that depends how effective we can be in shutting down the city. 'It has to inconvenience them enough, it has to inconvenience the financial system, it has to inconvenience the tourist industry, it has to inconvenience the Government enough to recognise that they need to engage with this.' She said the disruption would mimic disruption they expect will be caused in the future by the effects of climate change and the destruction of the ecosystem. Police advised people travelling around London in the coming days to allow extra time for their journey in the event of road closures and general disruption. Activists gave impassioned speeches on climate change as they gathered in Hyde Park on Sunday The family of a Brit left fighting for his life after being struck down with pneumonia during a dream holiday have launched a desperate plea for him to be flown off an island to a proper hospital. Devastated Becky Mazur, 31, fears her husband Peter, 44, will not see another day as he fights for breath in a clinic in Cape Verde, Africa that does not have the facilities to treat him. The couple initially flew out to the archipelago on April 2, with five-year-old son Oliver, for a two-week family holiday. They were staying in five-star hotel, Rio Touareg, on the island of Boa Vista, where Peter, described as being in good health beforehand, fell ill. Peter Mazur in hospital in Cape Verde. His wife has been fighting to get him transferred by air ambulance to a proper hospital in Gran Canaria Hairdresser Becky, from Felixstowe, Suffolk, says she has now been fighting for five days to get Peter transferred by air ambulance to a proper hospital in Gran Canaria, 930 miles away. But she claims she has had 'no help'- and that the untreated pneumonia has now spread to cover almost Peter's entire left lung. Fighting back the tears, Becky said: 'We have had no help. We have full medical insurance with the Post Office, and I have spent three days calling them, but nobody will sign him off. Peter Mazur with wife Becky and son Oliver on holiday in Cape Verde. Becky claims she has had 'no help' 'The insurance company were meant to sign him off last night, but nobody did, and now we can't contact the man who was looking into it. 'The doctors here are so slow. Nobody has been able to tell us what type of pneumonia it is, and we're in a little pharmacy clinic, so nobody can do anything to help. 'We're locked in here overnight after 5pm. We're living out of a suitcase and eating bread and butter. 'We need to get Pete out of here as soon as possible. I don't know if he'll last another night here.' About five or six days into their holiday, Becky said Peter fainted a couple of times, and became bedbound. Becky said: 'We thought it was a bit of heatstroke. But then I went up from the beach one afternoon to check on him, and his whole body was shaking. 'Some of the hotel staff helped me get him into a wheelchair. But barely any of them speak English. 'At first they told me it was a broken rib. But then I was told he had a lung infection.' Becky added: 'I think it was the air conditioning - because you can get pneumonia through air conditioning.' Becky said Peter fainted a couple of times five or six days into the trip, and became bedbound She said that Peter had been feeling 'absolutely fine' when they flew out to the island resort on April 2. The family were due to fly home this Tuesday but now, Becky does not even know whether Peter will survive that long. She said: 'The staff at this clinic were supposed to inform our insurance company of Pete's condition, but nobody has done that. 'The woman at the insurance company keeps saying she's sorting it out, but nothing is happening. 'His mentality is starting to go now. I just need to get him out of here. He needs to get to Gran Canaria.' Becky has also warned others against taking insurance out with the Post Office. In a Facebook post, she wrote: 'You would think a company as big as the Post Office would be the best bet to use for your insurance. IT IS NOT. 'Think twice about using the Post Office for travel insurance, and before going to remote islands on holiday.' The man who is accused of kidnapping and killing a college student who mistakenly entered his car thinking it was her Uber, has been linked to another kidnapping five months prior, it's been revealed. Nathaniel David Rowland, 24, has been charged with the murder and kidnapping of University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson, 21. He allegedly he locked her in his car and killed on March 29 after she mistakenly entered his vehicle at 2am, thinking it was her ride-share car home. Resurfaced warrants and police documents show he was arrested on October 19, 2018 in Richland County, South Carolina for allegedly trying to sell items stolen during another woman's kidnapping, according to WLTX. Nathaniel David Rowland, 24, (left)who has been charged in the murder and kidnapping of University of South Carolina senior Samantha Josephson, 21, (right) was linked to another kidnapping five months prior A woman told Columbia police that two men carjacked her while she was at a traffic light in Columbia. They physically assaulted her and forced her to drive to an ATM to withdraw money. Then they made her drive to her home where they stole items and left the scene. Cops say that just hours later some of those stolen items - including a Playstation 4 - showed up at a pawn shop. Authorities tracked the stolen items sold at the shop back to Rowland and arrested him. However, there was no indication that Rowland was involved in the carjacking itself. He was charged with obtaining goods under false pretenses valued at $2,000 or less, according to the State Law Enforcement Division. Warrants and police documents show he was arrested on October 19, 2018 in Richland County, South Carolina for allegedly trying to sell items stolen during another woman's kidnapping. Authorities gave no indication that Rowland was involved in the attack itself Surveillance video shows the fateful moment the 21-year-old mistook a car for the Uber she ordered outside a bar in Columbia, South Carolina, on March 29 Surveillance images released by the Columbia Police Department show Josephson wearing an orange shirt and black pants and talking on the phone seconds before she disappeared Rowland currently awaits a bond hearing set for April 22 for the murder and kidnapping charges in the murder of Josephson. Authorities say she died suffering multiple stab wounds with a sharp object to the head, neck, face, upper body, leg and foot. Her body was found dumped in Clarendon County, about 65 miles from where she was last seen. Rowland was arrested at 3am on March 30 after police saw him driving a few blocks from Five Points, the bar where Josephson accidentally entered his car. Rowland currently awaits a bond hearing set for April 22 for the murder and kidnapping charges in the murder of Josephson. Josephson pictured above with her boyfriend Greg Corbishley His parents insist that he is innocent and was at a party at the time of the attack. They say he passed out at the party, woke up and found his car keys in his vehicle - its interior covered in blood. However, authorities say they have surveillance video of Josephson entering Rowland's dark colored car. The night after Josephson's murder cops noticed Rowland's black Chevrolet Impala two blocks from the bar where she was kidnapped and arrested him after a short chase. Gwent Police said 'illegal substances' are being considered in the death of Carson Price Police have said they are linking the death of a 13-year-old boy to 'illegal substances' days after his family asked for help to find the drug dealer who sold him an 'ecstasy pill'. Carson Price was found in Ystrad Mynach park in Caerphilly, south Wales, at 7.20pm, on Friday - two miles from his family home. The schoolboy was taken to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where he was pronounced dead. A post mortem examination is due to be carried out to pinpoint the cause of death. A witness claimed Carson revealed the first name of the person who gave him the pill just before he died. Gwent Police confirmed 'illegal substances' were being considered as a contributing factor to the boy's death, which is being treated as unexplained. Detective Chief Inspector Sam Payne said: 'Although we await official medical confirmation of the cause of death, one of our main lines of inquiry focuses on illegal substances being a contributing factor. 'Specialist officers continue to support Carson's family through this difficult time.' Today, a statement from his family said: 'Carson was bright and caring, kind and loving, he was a cheeky little boy. 'He was the best big brother and was loved and will be missed by so many.' It comes after his mother Tatum Price wrote on Facebook yesterday: 'I'm broken, my life is over. Please help find out who sold these drugs to my son. My life is ruined, my baby gone.' A witness claimed that Carson revealed the first name of the person who gave him the pill just before he died. His grief-stricken mother shared this poignant image of him on Facebook The 13-year-old boy, named locally as Carson Price, was rushed to hospital in Cardiff after he was found unconscious in Ystrad Mynach park, and was later pronounced dead The family pictured together with Carson Price (second left), father Brian (left) and mother Tatum (right) Tributes have been flooding in for the schoolboy. His headmaster, Chris Parry, said the school was 'shocked and devastated at the terrible news'. Heartfelt tributes flooded in for her son, with devastated locals leaving flowers and cards at the scene. One yellow floral tribute left in the park said: 'RIP Carson boy you will be missed. Fly high.' Family friend Kelly Wall said it was 'devastating news' and that Tatum and her partner Brian were 'one of the loveliest couples' she knows. People have been leaving tributes to the schoolboy as Gwent police continued to search the park and said they were treating his death as unexplained Officers have started searching the park, pictured today, and marking out evidence after they said the death was being treated as unexplained Friend Emma Miles also said online: 'We are all thinking of you Tatum and your family at this heartbreaking time.' Chris Parry, his head teacher at Lewis School Pengam, said everyone at the school was 'shocked and devastated at the terrible news'. 'It is with immense sadness that today we have heard the terrible news that one of our pupils has tragically passed away. Officers have been seen marking out possible evidence in Ystrad Mynach park Two schoolgirls embrace each other at Ystrad Mynach park in south Wales A young man pictured coming to leave flowers at the park where the boy was found 'We are all devastated by this tragic loss. 'I'm sure everyone in our community will join with us in sharing our deepest sympathies with the pupils's friends and family at this awful time. 'We will be providing support for pupils in the weeks ahead but in the meantime my thoughts and prayers are with the family. There are no words.' Ystrad Mynach Park was busy with families enjoying the spring sunshine but just meters away, police officers were scanning a patch of woodland for evidence. One dog walker said she was 'shocked' by what had happened. 'This has always been such a peaceful park. 'I can't believe something so terrible has happened here. I'm shocked to be honest with you.' Flowers have been left in the park for the boy, pictured today, after he was rushed to hospital Police have continued to search for evidence in the park and are treating the death as unexplained Police pictured today in the park near where the boy was found, where a crime scene remains in place Another, walking in the park with his young son, said: 'It's truly heartbreaking that something like this could happen. 'My thoughts just go out to the family - I can't imagine what they're going through right now.' Detective Chief Inspector Sam Payne, who is leading the investigation said: 'At this time enquiries are ongoing and the investigation into this young boy's death are still in the early stages. 'Specialists are working to determine the exact cause of death and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.' Gwent police, pictured today, continue to search the park as flower tributes are left for the boy An Instagram-famous couple who came under fire for posing on the edge of an infinity pool have continued to defend the lengths they went to getting the perfect snap. Travel bloggers Kelly Castille, 33, and Kody Workman, 32, who are based in Bali, but are originally from Louisiana and Michigan respectively, insist that they took every precaution while staging the dramatic photo at the Kayon Jungle Resort in Ubud on April 3. The photograph shows Kelly bravely hanging off the edge of a three-story swimming pool while kissing boyfriend Kody who was standing in the water and holding her up by the arms, leaving her legs and torso to dangle freely. The couple responded to the bitter backlash from Instagram followers who have blasted them for seemingly putting their need for likes before their own safety in an email to Fox News on Saturday. 'We arent going to feed into the negativity on this,' they wrote. 'We have received so much love, support, kindness and thoughtful messages from friends, family and our community. This is something we are very happy about, an aspect of this that we find ourselves immensely proud of.' Scroll down for video American travel bloggers Kelly Castille and Kody Workman, who are based in Bali, have responded to the bitter backlash they've faced after posting a photo of themselves posing on the edge of an infinity pool on Instagram last week The adventurous pair insisted they were 'super slow and cautious' when they took the picture of the stunt - and they 'hold ourselves accountable for the decisions that we make' The couple continued: 'Our account is about creativity, photography, kindness, perspective, and above all... positivity. Whether a photo does well or not, whether it is perceived one way or another, is irrelevant to us. 'We post what we love and what we believe showcases our happiness, our adventures, [and] our creativity. 'This has become a bigger deal than we could have ever imagined and we, going forward only wish to discuss positive things and the reality behind the photo.' The adventurous pair have been documenting their travelling pictures under @positravelty and now have more than 99,000 followers. Many critics suggested the stunt was not worth the risk A ferocious debate erupted in the comments section after the photo was posted, with many people blasting the couple's actions as 'dangerous' and 'stupid' and pointing out that they may inspire copy-cats to put themselves in danger by trying to replicate it. Others spoke out to defend their actions however, insisting that they should be allowed to do as they please provided they feel safe. Ironically, the couple addressed this topic in their original caption for the photo, which read: 'Our greatest strength in life, our most important principle, is discernment. Only you can know your body, feel the space around you and understand your capabilities. 'We would all do well to remember this, knowing that not every action, style or path we witness through others is or should be, replicated. 'At the end of the day we are to hold ourselves accountable for the decisions that we make.' After receiving a slew of negative comments, the couple then went on to defend the image, insisting that they were 'super slow and cautious' when setting up the shot, and adding that they had no fear while doing the stunt because they are 'full of trust for each other'. 'It was a blast setting this up,' Kelly said. 'Kody had a very good hold of me. We trust each other entirely. 'It was such an amazing feeling to have this come out exactly as we planned. We are safe and sound.' The pair responded to fans saying they were 'full of trust for each other' when posing for stunt Some critics have responded by saying it was a 'dangerous' picture to take Speaking to Business Insider, Kody also fired back at those who slammed him for allowing Kelly to put herself at greater risk for the shot - while his feet remained safely on the ground. 'What is probably most surprising to any audience is that this photo was actually Kelly's idea,' he said. 'We are both in good shape, we know our bodies and in turn, we know our limits. 'We had faith in each other and trust to pull this off and so we made the choice as a team to shoot it.' The travel blogger went on to insist that the photo might appear much more dangerous to some than it actually is, explaining that there was a 'lip' on the edge of the pool that gave Kelly a 'solid grip'. He added that the stunt 'wasn't a concern for us at all'. But the couple's confidence hasn't stopped people from criticizing their actions in the comments section of the image, with many people labeling them 'stupid' for 'risking their lives'. 'Whether there is a pool at the bottom or not, whether this is the Grand Canyon or not, there will be stupid people who doesnt have enough strength as these two who will wanna have "cool" Instagram photos and try to replicate something like this, and someone could get seriously hurt or worse!' one person wrote. 'I feel like these "influencers" are influencing people to risk their lives for a dangerous photo.' Another said: '[You're] teaching other people how to be stupid and risk their life,' while one person admitted: 'I love the picture but I don't think the risk is worth it. Even if it was her idea.' The couple have more than 99,000 Instagram followers (pictured of Kelly in the Philippines) The adventurous pair have been documenting their travelling pictures under @positravelty Other concerned followers said the stunt 'looks so dangerous' while some urged the couple to avoid taking a similar picture again. 'This picture is beautiful, but please don't do like this anymore, life is too beautiful than lost your life [sic],' one person said. 'Why is the woman always the one risking themselves for pictures... never see a guy hanging over a cliff,' another commented. 'This is such a great pic but kinda scary how you're hanging off there,' one said. Another said: 'Oh my gosh was this not terrifying?!!' Despite the concerns, others praised the couple for taking a 'beautiful' shot. 'This is terrifying, but what a shot,' one said. Another person said: 'That's the definition of trust. Looks beautiful but stay safe.' 'Oh my god so freaking but should admit that the result is amazing,' one person said. Many people said they were nervous just looking at the picture but they were 'amazed' by their brave stunt. 'To be honest, it makes me a bit scared to see that pics but I love the pics,' one said. And another person commented: 'Oh my goodness what a daring shot! Of course you got it perfectly though.' White House press secretary Sarah Sanders denied on Sunday that President Donald Trump told a top border agent he would pardon him if he arrested for enforcing policies to stop immigrants that could run contrary to the law. 'We're a country of laws and we have a president who supports that and is not asking anybody to do anything outside of those bounds. In fact, he's asking Congress to step up and give greater legal standing so they can do more to stop this crisis. No one's trying to skirt the law and certainly not being encouraged by the president to do so,' she said on ABC's 'This Week.' CNN and The New York Times reported last week that the president - during an earlier visit to the border - offered Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan a pardon should he be arrested for enforcing any policy to keep out immigrants that ran afoul of the law. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders denied President Trump offered a pardon to top border patrol agent if he was arrested for stopping immigrants Sanders slammed a source of the story. 'I don't know about you, but CNN isn't usually my first stop for a good source, particularly not when it comes to this president. The president is actually the president trying to enforce laws not go around them,' she said. Sanders said the president has asked border agents to do 'everything they are allowed to do under the law.' 'The president has asked them to do everything they can and everything they are allowed to do under the law, to stop the massive crisis we have at our southern border. It's the same thing he says publicly day in and day out. It's the same thing he says behind closed doors to staff, is figure out how we stop this crisis, how we fix this problem,' she said on 'Fox News Sunday.' Trump also denied the reports in a tweet on Saturday. 'I never offered Pardons to Homeland Security Officials, never ordered anyone to close our Southern Border (although I have the absolute right to do so, and may if Mexico does not apprehend the illegals coming to our Border), and am not 'frustrated.' It is all Fake & Corrupt News!,' he wrote. The president was reported to have told McAleenan he 'would pardon him if he ever went to jail for denying US entry to migrants,' according to the CNN report, which said the comment was paraphrased. President Trump told Border Patrol chief Kevin McAleenan he would pardon him if he were ever jailed for keeping immigrants out of the country, according to an explosive report Trump dangled the offer on his visit last week to the border town of Calexico, amidst a looming top-level staff shakeup and the president's demands to halt a flood of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers coming up through Mexico. The network sourced the report to two officials briefed on the exchange, and said it was unclear if it was intended as a joke. Trump met with McAleenan during a border visit where he railed against immigration and declared the nation 'full.' Trump designated McAleenan actinghead of the Homeland Security Department after the reported conversation PARDON HIM: Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen (C) and commissioner for Customs and Border Patrol Kevin McAleenan (L) walk with U.S. President Donald Trump during a visit to a section of the border wall in Calexico California, U.S., April 5, 2019 President Trump spoke to McAleenan on a visit where he declared the country 'full' The president participated in a roundtable on immigration and border security at the U.S. Border Patrol Calexico Station, saying the U.S. is 'full' and can't handle a sustained influx of illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers Trump made a series of comments at the event where he called for a crackdown, declared an 'emergency,' mentioned those claiming asylum, and otherwise pushed a tough posture. 'The system is full. Can't take you anymore. Whether it's asylum, whether it's anything you want, it's illegal immigration. We can't take you anymore, Trump said. 'We can't take you. Our country is full. Our area is full. The sector is full. Can't take you anymore, I'm sorry. Can't happen. So turn around. That's the way it is,' he said. After mentioning the Border Patrol at the event, Trump mentioned backstage conversations, where he expressed a hint of defeatism about the existing laws. 'And I was telling some of the people before: If it's full, there's nothing you can do about it. We have some horrible court decisions that have been made over the years. It's very unfair and that's the way it is.' 'But the system is full. And when it's full, there's nothing you can do. You have to say, 'I'm sorry, we can't take you.' We've been trying to take people, and I have to disagree with it. We've been trying to take people and you can't do it. You can't do it. So we're going to look at that and we're going to look at it very, very strongly,' Trump said. Trump named McAleenan Acting head of Homeland Security after he forced out Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen. However another official was in line for the slot and also vacated her post. As the acting head, he does not need Senate confirmation, although he could be required to testify before Congress on budget matters or as his role as head of the Border Patrol. This would give lawmakers an opportunity to ask him about the exchange under oath. The report came as Trump confirmed a report that he is considering a plan to send illegal immigrants to 'sanctuary cities,' focusing on political rivals who have criticized his immigration policies. Gordon Ramsay has hit back at a critic after she accused him of cultural appropriation over his new 'fake Chinese' Mayfair restaurant. The chef became embroiled in a row ahead of the opening of his eaterie Lucky Cat as one reviewer alleged there appeared to be no Asian chefs in the kitchen. Now the famously hot-tempered 52-year-old has lashed out over the 'slew of derogatory and offensive social media posts' by food writer Angela Hui. Writing for the London Eater website, she posted a scathing review calling the new venture 'nothing if not a real life Ramsay kitchen nightmare'. However Ramsay took exception at social media messages allegedly sent by Ms Hui in which she targeted the partner of executive chef Ben Orpwood, calling her a 'token Asian wife'. Scroll down for video Gordon Ramsay (left) has hit back at a food critic after she allegedly referred to Executive Chef Ben Orpwood's partner as a 'token Asian wife' on social media Executive Chef Ben Orpwood pictured with his wife, who Ramsay claimed was labelled a 'token Asian' by Ms Hui on social media In an article for the London Eater website food writer Angela Hui (pictured) criticised Ramsay for the experience, describing it as 'nothing if not a real life Ramsay kitchen nightmare' Ramsay said: 'Despite the very positive feedback from guests, there was, regrettably, one offensive response from the night which I have to call out.' He added: 'The slew of derogatory and offensive social media posts that appeared on Angela Hui's social channels, were not professional. 'It is fine to not like my food, but prejudice and insults are not welcome, and Ms Hui's comments around my Executive Chef and his wife, calling her a 'token Asian wife', were personal and hugely disrespectful.' In her online review, Ms Hui wrote: 'The pop-up dinner took place in a futuristic-looking plain white event space called Ice Tank in Soho, which felt more seedy nightclub than Asian eating house. 'Or, perhaps, that is Ramsay's vision of a vibrant (nee 'authentic') Asian eating house.' She added: 'I was the only east Asian person in a room full of 30-40 journalists and chefs.' Ramsay said that the evening itself was a 'warm, buzzing and brilliant night to celebrate what has been a long-time vision for me'. Diners sampled dishes such as mini wagyu pastrami burger with Asian chilli jam and smoked duck breast with plum and Japanese nashi pear. Pictured: Gordon Ramsay with Executive Chef Ben Orpwood at the preview event last week Some social media users were critical of Ramsay for employing non-Asian chefs at his new restaurant Left to right: Gizzi Erskine, Laura Whitmore, Gordon Ramsay, Melissa Hemsley and Isaac Carew at the Lucky Cat preview event in Mayfair last week Two top chefs waded into the row this morning on Good Morning Britain, claiming that cultural appropriation was 'inevitable' in the modern world. Scottish chef Neil Rankin said it would be 'disingenuous' of him to deny being inspired by food from other cultures having lived in 'multi-cultural London'. He said: 'If you're a diner and what authentic food, I would go to Italy or China. Food is like language, it travels and changes. 'As a chef growing up in multi-cultural London, I ate more Italian and Chinese food than British food and being more influence by that, it would be disingenuous of me if I wasn't inspired by that. 'Cultural appropriation is inevitable and it's disingenuous to say you're just going to eat British food for the rest of your life. 'A chef can learn how to cook pasta without living in Italy. To understand the culture, it takes years and years. To cook one dish doesn't take that, you can look it up in three minutes on YouTube.' Pictured: Ramsay with Laura Whitmore and Gizzi Erskin Aldo Zilli, Italian chef who's lived in Britain for 42 years, said it was important for restaurants to employ chefs from the countries where the dishes originated. He added: 'At home you can do whatever you wish. 'But spaghetti Bolognese does not exist in Italy, for example, but people in Britain have been eating it for 40 years, in my house even; my wife makes it still. 'When it comes to real Italian food, it doesn't really exist, as it comes from regions not Italy as a whole. I'm involved in a restaurant chain that employs just Italian chefs. 'You grow up in Italy you grow up with those flavours. I don't think that anyone else outside Italy is going to understand that food but Italian chefs.' But others have also criticised him for his Asian-style eatery. Chinese-American chef George Chen responded to one of Ramsay's posts on Twitter promoting the new venue, saying: 'Is the famous Chef going to curse at his white cooks in Asian or what? 'Every chef has a right to interpret another cuisine but the integrity and culture (read authenticity - albeit I hate that term) needs to be studied in depth and not WHITEwashed for marketing purposes!' Writing in an article for Huffington Post, Asian-American journalist Kimberly Yam said: 'Many people aren't exactly happy with the chef's claim to deliver 'authentic' Asian cuisine at the restaurant, especially without an Asian chef at the helm.' Ramsay has previously been the subject of similar criticism. American journalist Jeff Yang wrote: 'I dig his shows but it's impossible to have an 'authentic Asian restaurant' because Asia is a *continent*, not a cuisine. 'It's like if he said he was opening an 'authentic European restaurant.' He'd get laughed out of town and I hope this does too.' In an Instagram post, Ramsay said: 'Gordon Ramsay Restaurants do not discriminate based on gender, race or beliefs and we don't expect anyone else to. 'I may not agree with all reviews, but if someone is going to be critical, then I expect them to be professional and have some integrity.' White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said on Sunday President Donald Trump likes a plan to dump illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities and Democrats have said they want them there so the proposal could give 'everybody' a win. 'The president likes the idea and Democrats have said they want these individuals into their communities so let's see if it works and everybody gets a win out of it,' she said on ABC's 'This Week.' The president confirmed the policy last week, which he said he was 'strongly' considering, after the Washington Post reported on the plan to send immigrants in custody to the district of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said President Trump likes a plan to dump illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities President Donald Trump said he if the cities want more people he'll give them more Trump also made clear he intends to target the immigrants in U.S. custody in the home-states and districts of his political rivals despite statements by his staff that it was not in the offing. 'California is always saying 'We want more people.' We will give them a lot. We will give them an unlimited supply,' Trump said Friday. Sanders said the White House has explored a number of options to stop illegal immigrants from coming over the U.S.-Mexico border. She added that the sanctuary cities option would not be a top choice. 'We talked about a number of different things over the last two years that we'd love to see happen. Certainly this wouldn't be our first choice because ideally we wouldn't be dealing with the massive influx of illegal immigrants coming across the border, the crisis that we have both from a national security and humanitarian standpoint,' she told ABC News. She then pivoted into blaming the Democrats for the crisis at the border. 'If Democrats would step up and help the president fix the laws, this all could go away, we wouldn't be having this discussion,' she noted. She said if immigrants were released into sanctuary cities it would be because of the Democrats. 'If Democrats continue to be unwilling to do that, then we're going to look at all of our options and we don't want to put all of the burden on one or two border communities. And Democrats have stated time and time again they support open borders, they support sanctuary cities. So, let's spread out some of that burden and let's put it in some of those other locations if that's what they want to see happen and are refusing to actually help fix the problem,' she said. Sanders also pushed back against earlier denials from the White House that staff were exploring the option. 'This was raised at a staff level initially and pushed back on. The president wants us to export again, so that is being done and they're doing a complete and thorough review. But again, the big thing is, if Democrats, including the mayors and members of Congress in these communities want these individuals, they should be helping the president frankly look for solutions to bring them to their communities instead of fighting that president every step of the way,' she said on 'Fox News Sunday.' Trump, in his comments, did not try to disguise politics as a motive for the policy, which he described as a way to strike back at political rivals who have blasted his calls for a border wall and his recent announced cut-off of aid to three Central American countries. 'California, the governor wants to have a lot of people coming, in refugees coming in. A lot of sanctuary cities. Well, we'll give 'em to the sanctuary cities maybe to take care of if, that's the way you want it. Trump described some of the immigrants, who include asylum seekers, as 'very, very bad people.' Then he said of immigration officers: 'They come and they get 'em and they take 'em back and we get 'em the hell out of here. The president then went on a tear about asylum laws, complaining that existing law places limitations on the amount of time people who are apprehended without documents can be held in custody while their claims are pending. 'We will give them an unlimited supply,' Trump said, describing a plan to bus illegal immigrants to 'sanctuary' cities in California and other areas where representatives have attacked his immigration policies Trump has been unable to stop a surge in migrant arrivals from Central America 'The asylum laws are absolutely insane. They come up in many cases, they're rough gang members, in many cases they're people with tremendous crime records and they're given a statement to read by lawyers that stand there waiting for them. 'Read this statement,' and it says, 'I have great fear for my life, I have great fear for being in my country,' Trump said, using a tone suggesting the appeals are not sincere. 'Even though in some cases some of these people are holding their country's flags and waving their country's flags and then they talk about the fear they have of being in the country that they flag they were waving feely,' he said. The president also once again blasted immigrant smugglers known as coyotes. 'Just got back from Texas and some of the ranchers tell me you look at Brooks County, you look at some of the other places some of the ranchers tell me you have bodies lying all over the land where you have coyotes give them a can of soda and they give em a sandwich and they say Houstons 300 miles in that direction and the people dont know what that means,' Trump said. Trump also described how he likes to refer to the immigrants. 'Well bring the illegal what do you call them? The illegals. I call them the illegals. They came across the border illegally,' he said. Earlier this week, he told a similar account saying they gave the immigrants a gallon of water. White House officials have tried to pressure US immigration authorities to release migrants detained at the border into so-called sanctuary cities such as San Francisco to retaliate against President Donald Trump's political adversaries, the Washington Post reported on Thursday Protesters chant during a May Day demonstration outside of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in San Francisco SANCTUARY CITIES - WHAT AND WHERE Sanctuary cities - and states - are those which in broad terms protect illegal immigrants from deportation by federal authorities. There is no legal definition and no single set of laws - so agreeing which places are sanctuary cities or states is in itself contentious. But broadly, most sanctuary cities say that their police officers do not ask for immigration status, and do not report it to the federal authorities when they detain, arrest or process suspects. Most will also decline to detain illegal immigrants on requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless they are accused of serious crimes. The degree of seriousness varies from place to place. In New York, even a felony is no guarantee that an immigration detainer will be obeyed. California is the biggest single sanctuary area, with local law enforcement agencies banned by state law from using money, personnel or equipment to help federal immigration authorities act against illegal. While critics might say some places are sanctuary cities, local lawmakers often deny it. In Los Angeles, where cops are banned from stopping people solely on suspicion of being illegal, the mayor has rejected the label, and frequently co-operates with immigration agencies. Cities which identify as sanctuary include: Berkeley, California, since 1971 San Francisco, CA Boulder, Colorado Hartford, Connecticut St Petersburg, Florida Chicago, Illinois Urbana, IL Evanston, IL New Orleans, Louisiana Albany, New York Kalamazoo, Michigan Jersey City, New Jersey Newark, New Jersey New York, New York Portland, Oregon Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Seattle, Washington Cities accused of being sanctuary cities because of laws which limit co-operation with ICE, but which deny it include: Los Angeles, California Atlanta, Georgia Portland, Maine Baltimore, Maryland Boston, Massachusetts Detroit, Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Minneapolis, Minnesota Advertisement 'That means they cant make it, that means they have no chance, and they die. Its something I never heard, I never heard it to this extent,' Trump said. 'Many people die, and theyll say just head in that direction. And were doing a lot about it. If we had the wall we wouldnt have that. If we had the wall people wouldnt be coming up. The president said earlier he is giving 'strong considerations' to the issue, following a report that top officials were pushing the idea including putting the immigrants into the home district Pelosi, who represents San Francisco. 'Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only,' Trump wrote, confirming a story in the Washington Post, an outlet he often attacks as part of the 'fake news.' 'The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy so this should make them very happy!' Trump wrote. By adding the word 'only,' the president provided a new detail to the plan. Although the paper had reported top aides pushed the idea with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, it did not say sanctuary cities would be the only location where his administration would ship the illegal immigrants. He also took a different tack than the White House, which shortly before his tweet downplayed the idea. 'The idea was briefly and informally raised and quickly rejected, according to a White House statement, the Washington Post reported. A White House statement in the original story said: 'This was a suggestion that was floated and rejected, which ended any further discussion.' White House officials first raised the issue of releasing the illegal immigrants in November as a 'caravan' of Central American migrants approached the southern border, according to the report. Immigration agency officials identified White House senior advisor Stephen Miller as a key figure behind the effort, which occurred as President Donald Trump railed against in influx of illegal immigration and blasted 'catch and release' policies that put immigrants and asylum-seekers on the streets. 'Officials at [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] understood that he was pressing the plan,' the Post reported, in reference to Miller. The powerful aide, who is identified as pushing a purge of top homeland officials, declined to comment, and was not identified in electronic documents that served as the partial basis for the story. Said a congressional investigator who spoke to a whistleblower about the plan: 'It was basically an idea that Miller wanted that nobody else wanted to carry out,' said one congressional investigator who has spoken to one of the whistleblowers. 'What happened here is that Stephen Miller called people at ICE, said if they're going to cut funding, you've got to make sure you're releasing people in Pelosi's district and other congressional districts.' The plans that were discussed involved putting the immigrants in areas associated with Trump's political rivals. While speaking at the conclusion of the Democrats annual retreat Friday in Leesburg, Va., Pelosi scoffed the idea as unfit for the presidency in a nation comprised of immigrants. 'I don't know anything about it,' Pelosi said regarding the idea. 'But again, it's just another notion that is unworthy of the presidency of the United States and disrespectful to the challenges that we face as a country as a people to address who we are: a nation of immigrants.' The Post, which reviewed emails on the issue and spoke to unnamed officials at the Department of Homeland Security, said the White House proposed the measure at least twice in the past six months. A prison officer is 'lucky to be alive' after having his throat cut with a razor blade by an inmate. The man, said to have been a new to the job, was taken to hospital after the attack on Sunday morning at HMP Nottingham. Prison Officers' Association national chairman Mark Fairhurst said the officer received 17 stitches after being attacked with a razor in an 'unprovoked attack'. 'Apparently as soon as his door was unlocked this morning, he attacked the first officer he saw with a razor blade,' Mr Fairhurst said. 'He has cut his neck. The officer has gone to hospital and received 17 stitches. 'At the hospital, staff said he's lucky to be alive as it was very close to the main artery on his neck.' The Ministry of Justice confirmed the male prison officer was treated and released from hospital after the incident at 10am this morning at HMP Nottingham (pictured) He also said that the officer was a new member of staff still on his probationary period. The male officer, who has not been identified, has since been released from hospital. HMP Nottingham is a category B male prison which expanded in 2010 to hold 1,060 prisoners. A Prison Service spokeswoman said: 'A prison officer received hospital treatment after an incident at HMP Nottingham this morning. 'We do not tolerate violence against our hardworking officers which is why we introduced the Assaults on Emergency Workers Act, which ensures perpetrators receive the maximum possible sentence.' In 2018 a watchdog demanded the Government intervene to improve safety at the prison. Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke used a new 'urgent notification' system for the first time to put Justice Secretary David Gauke on notice that immediate action was needed. To help improve stability, the establishment stopped holding young adult inmates for a temporary period. Fifty prisoners aged between 18 and 21 who were at the jail were removed following their next court appearance or earlier. In addition, the prison service prioritised moving category B prisoners out of HMP Nottingham into the high security estate. Under the urgent notification process introduced in November 2017, the Chief Inspector can inform the Secretary of State of any urgent and severe prison problems found during an inspection. Inspectors visited HMP Nottingham in January 2018, the third visit in just over three years. Between the 2016 and 2018 inspections, levels of self-harm had risen 'very significantly' and eight prisoners were believed to have taken their own lives. There were high levels of drugs, violence and assaults, HM Inspectorate of Prisons said at the time. Shocking documents detailing a wave of ISIS attacks across Europe have been discovered on a hard drive dropped by members of the terror group as they fled their last stronghold in Syria earlier this year. The chilling plans are believed to be inspired by the terrorist attack in Paris four years ago, when ISIS killers stormed the Bataclan concert hall and other areas of the city and killed 130 people. Two years later, they committed another atrocity in Manhattan where jihadis crashed into cyclists and runners in the city, killing eight. ISIS are now planning to repeat this horrific attacks in a new wave of atrocities across Europe, including an attack on a high-speed train network in Germany and on an oil pipeline in Switzerland. The planned atrocities were found on a hard drive dropped by members of the terror group as they fled their last stronghold in Syria earlier this year Seen by the Sunday Times, the documents included a letter addressed to ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and co-signed by six ISIS leaders. Even with its stronghold destroyed, the terror group still has international networks which it uses to move fighters over borders and fund operations. The operations include bank robberies, vehicle rammings, assassinations and computer hacking. The documents reveal how a member called Abu Khabab al-Muhajir, who controls two terror cells in Germany and one in Russia, will direct operations abroad. Those attacks will focus on stealing money to fund the terror group. The letter read: 'Killing infidel venture capitalists, hacking banks through bank accounts, bank robberies or robberies of places that are pre-studied. After any operation of this kind, we will send the money as we procure it.' They are believed to have been inspired by the terrorist attacks all over Paris four years ago Chillingly, the terror group is planning on transporting foreign fighters to Europe to carry out the attacks, with Arab, Russian and Caucasian fighters travelling through Turkey from Syria. One commander claimed that two operations would take place 10 and 20 days after the letter was sent, in December of last year. The first operation would target a high-speed train in Germany while another would target an oil pipeline in Basel, Switzerland. Adding weight to these letters, an ISIS flag was found near a Berlin train track a few days after the letter, with the overhead wires damaged. Last month an Iraqi man was arrested in Vienna and accused of sympathising with ISIS and carrying out the attack, though nobody was hurt. 130 people were killed in a series of terror attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015 and the documents suggest similar plans are in the works However, the incident combined with the letters suggests that ISIS is still planning to wreak terror on Europe. One of the documents said: 'We are your soldiers in Europe, we see what the enemies of Allah do to our Muslim brothers in the home of Islam by killing and bombardment and destruction of houses. 'We are under your command and subject to your orders and your sword that which you strike with the enemies of Allah in Europe.' White House counselor Kellyanne Conway charged on Sunday there is trouble in the Democratic ranks with the more moderate membership frustrated with the 'radical freshmen who get all the magazine covers.' Her comments included a veiled jab at freshman Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar, along with a public swipe at Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Conway said she was told this when moderates - such as those Democrats who belong to the Problems Solvers Caucus - came to the White House for meetings. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway charged there is trouble in the Democratic ranks with moderates frustrated with the 'radical freshman' Conway got in a jab at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 'There's a great deal of frustration among some of the rank and file members who represent more moderate districts and, frankly, who represent districts that Donald Trump won in 2016, for example,' she told NBC's 'Meet the Press.' 'They're very frustrated. They've been to the White House. They talk to people like me, quietly, saying that they wish that the radical freshmen who get all the magazine covers and all the ink and air time. I guess they're very upset with the leadership,' she added. She then got in a jab at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 'I think there's trouble in Pelosi paradise,' Conway said. Two freshman House Democrats have rocketed to national stardom thanks to their active social media accounts and tough stance on controversial issues. Freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was on cover of Time and Rep. Ilhan Omar was on cover of Newsweek. Pelosi joined Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, and Rep. Jahana Hayes on cover of Rolling Stone. More than 100 women have been elected to the House last year, most of the Democrats. Pelosi has struggled at times to balance her younger, more liberal members with some of the older moderates who have accumulated decades of power on Capitol Hill. Omar, in particular, came under heavy fire from some fellow Democrats about her claim, later retracted, that moneyed Jews buy the support of U.S. lawmakers via a pro-Israel group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, with a strategy that's 'all about the Benjamins baby.' Freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appeared on the cover of Time Reps. Jahana Hayes, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nancy Pelosi, and Ilhan Omar on the cover of Rolling Stone Rep. Ilhan Omar in particular has brought out the debate among Democrats with some of her comments It led to a furious debate among Democrats about a resolution to condemn her words, which was eventually expanded into a resolution condemning all hate language but Republicans criticized Democrats for not including Omar's name in it. Part of the conflict comes from the freshmen class of 2018 being more younger, more female and more racially diverse. Its membership consisted of several firsts for Congress the first Muslim women, the first Native American women and the first African American women from several states. Even before they were sworn into office, several of new female members were featured in a photo spread in Vanity Fair. Called the 'new wave' by the magazine, the sleek shot features Reps. Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, Deb Haaland, Veronica Escobar, and Sharice Davids. The photo, taken by Martin Schoeller, appears in the January issue of Vanity Fair and was posted online the day before the women take the oath of office. The magazine also features other Democrats who will be influential in the coming year, including incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi and committee chairs who will have the power to subpoena members of President Donald Trump's administration. All six women made history in their own way in the 2018 election. Pressley will become Massachusetts' first black congresswoman. Omar is one of two Muslim women elected to Congress and she will be the first hijab-wearing member of the House. Democrats plan to change the rule banning religious head coverings on the House floor as one of their first acts on Thursday so she can wear her head scarf. Haaland and Davids will be the first Native American women in Congress. Escobar is one of two Hispanic women coming into Congress this year that Texas has ever elected to federal office. Ocasio-Cortez, 29, is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. A Michigan man is suing his parents for $86,000, accusing them of throwing out his massive porn collection worth $29,000 after they compared it to crack cocaine. The unnamed son is said to have fallen out with his mom and dad after moving back into their Grand Haven home in October 2016 following his divorce, federal civil court documents obtained by WXMI show. He was then asked to leave their house, where he had carried out housework in lieu of rent, after ten months when police were called over a reported domestic situation. The man, who now lives in Indiana, says he noticed the valuable porn collection was missing when they delivered his property to him in November 2017. He says the collection worth $28,940 and more than 12 moving boxes full of movies and two boxes of sex toys had been destroyed. In an email to his parents he is said to have written: 'If you had a problem with my belongings, you should have stated that at the time and I would have gone elsewhere. Instead, you choose to keep quiet and behave vindictively.' A man is suing his parents for $86,000 after accusing them of throwing out his massive porn collection worth $29,000 after they compared it crack cocaine, documents show According to court documents his dad replied: 'Believe it or not, one reason for why I destroyed your porn was for your own mental and emotional health. 'I would have done the same if I had found a kilo of crack cocaine. Someday, I hope you will understand.' His dad also alleges his was kicked out of high school and college for selling porn to other students, adding in court documents: 'I also warned you at that time if I ever found pornography in my house again, I would destroy it.' The unnamed son is said to have fallen out with his mom and dad after moving back into their Grand Haven home in October 2016 following his divorce, federal civil court documents show But his dad is said to have argued 'it was for his son's mental and emotional health' 'We counted twelve moving boxes full of pornography plus two boxes of sex toys as you call them. We began that day the process of destroying them and it took quite a while to do so,' court documents show his parents wrote. The porn collector is also said to have called the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office - sending one officer 44 emails listing movies he says were destroyed - but prosecutors refused to press charges. Their identities have not been released as it is a civil case without any criminal charges. An attorney representing the son had no comment when contacted by Fox 17. An insider was probably behind the pre-Christmas chaos at Gatwick Airport after a drone shut the airport for 33 hours, a senior executive and police have admitted. The culprit may even have been inside the complex of Britain's second busiest airport as they brought it to a standstill. Around 140,000 passengers were affected as 1,000 flights were cancelled or diverted, despite a huge operation to catch whoever was responsible. Sussex Police and airport officials believe that the Gatwick drone flier was an airport insider Numerous sightings of drones were reported as police and the military became involved. Four months on, the drone operators have still not been identified and Gatwick's chief operating officer told BBC's Panorama they appeared to have been aware of the airport's procedures. Chris Woodroofe, who was the 'Gold Commander' overseeing the response to the attack, said in his first interview about the crisis: 'It was clear that the drone operators had a link into what was going on at the airport.' They appeared either to be able to see what was happening on the runway or were following the airport's response by eavesdropping on radio or internet connections. Sussex Police told the programme they backed the 'insider' theory, saying it 'was treated as a credible line of enquiry from the earliest stages of the police response'. The force even admitted the operator could have been guiding the drone from a building within the perimeter of the airport. In February, Whitehall sources suggested a disgruntled employee could have been behind the drone attack. One said the pilot 'knew the blind spots for it, where it could not be hit'. The disruption began at 9.03pm on December 19 when flights were grounded after two drones were spotted. It continued until the morning of the 21st. Sussex Police were criticised when drone enthusiast Paul Gait, 47, and his wife Elaine, 54, from nearby Craley, were arrested. About 140,000 people were affected as 1,000 flights were cancelled or diverted during the incident They were held in custody for 36 hours before being released. Mr Woodroofe told Panorama the airport had not overreacted by shutting down, saying it was faced with an unprecedented 'malicious' and 'criminal' attack. Runways must be closed if a drone is present under airport protocol mandates, he said. 'There is absolutely nothing that I would do differently when I look back at the incident because, ultimately, my number one priority has to be to maintain the safety of our passengers and that's what we did,' he added. Gatwick Airport COO Chris Woodroofe said: 'It was clear that the drone operators had a link into what was going on at the airport.' 'And it was terrible that 140,000 people's journeys were disrupted but everyone was safe.' He also denied claims the number of sightings had been exaggerated or the theory there had never been a drone in the area, saying they were reported by 'trusted' people he had worked with for years. No verified photos of the drones were taken. But Sussex Police confirmed it had recorded 130 separate drone sightings by 115 people, all but six of whom were either air traffic control staff and pilots, security personnel and police officers. Gatwick spent 5 million on anti-drone equipment in the days after the attack but Mr Woodroofe defended the airport, saying the government had not approved systems prior to the incident. 'The equipment I have on site today is painted sand yellow because it comes straight from the military environment,' he said. The disruption began at 9.03pm on December 19 and continuued until the morning of December 21 Two sets of drone detection and defeat devices, known as AUDS and made by a consortium of British companies, have been bought by the airport. They are one of two types of drone detection systems deployed by the military at Gatwick on the evening of December 20. Mr Woodroofe added he had confidence in the current protection, which is tested by sending up a drone every day. 'We would know the drone was arriving on site and we'd know where that drone had come from, where it was going to and we'd have a much better chance of catching the perpetrator,' he said. Mr Woodroofe denied that the airport had overreacted by shutting the entire airport down for almost two days He also warned what happened at Gatwick 'could be carried over into other industries and other environments'. Heathrow - Europe's busiest airport - was closed for almost an hour in January after a suspected drone sighting. It came days after Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced measures to combat the threat of drones. They included expanding the no-fly zone for drones around airports from two-thirds of a mile to three miles, a registration scheme for owners and on-the-spot fines for minor offences. BBC Panorama, The Gatwick Drone Attack, is on BBC1 tonight(MON 15th) at 8.30pm. A restaurant in Wisconsin has banned children from dining without parents or adults after a spate of incidents involving disrespectful middle-schoolers. Tom's Drive In in Appleton, Wisconsin, made the decision after groups of youngsters repeatedly treated staff poorly and disrespected the restaurant by vandalizing booths and leaving large messes. While many say the reaction was justified, others have complained that they are punishing the masses for the bad actions of a few. The restaurant has a sign on its front door which reads: 'Due to mistreatment of Tom's Drive In's property, guests and staff, you are no longer allowed inside of the building without parental supervision. Tom's Drive In in Appleton, Wisconsin, made the decision after groups of youngsters repeatedly treated staff poorly 'For those who did not cause any of the incidents, we are sorry for this inconvenience. You may still purchase food through the walk-up window.' It was addressed simply to 'middle school students'. The restaurant's owner later wrote in a Facebook post: 'It is certainly not our goal to exclude anyone from patronizing our restaurants. 'As has been noted here earlier, this is not an isolated incident but a recurring problem. 'We strive to give our management all the tools necessary to provide a hospitable atmosphere for our customers. According to staff, kids left large messes on tables and damaged booths On one occasion, the children scratched the tables leaving these large black marks 'In this case, our manager felt that this was the best solution to provide that consistant (sic) atmosphere that families expect, and we support that decision.' Staff told WFRV that it had become a full time babysitting job keeping an eye on the students during the after-school rush. On one occasion, the kids used needles to tattoo each other and left bloody napkins behind, according to workers. They also carved into booths, leaving large scratches, and wrote on the tables. The casual restaurant sells burgers, hot dogs and ice cream and is popular among youngsters. Two robbers with guns raided a currency exchange shop while pretending to be policemen. The men walked into the shop in Eastwood, north-west Sydney, last month and told a female staff member, 54, and a 31-year-old male customer they were police. One of the men forced the customer to the ground, while the other jumped over the counter and emptied the contents of the safe into a bag. Two robbers (one of them is pictured) with guns raided a currency exchange shop while pretending to be policemen The men (one of them is pictured) walked into the shop in Eastwood, north-west Sydney, last month and told a female staff member, 54, and a 31-year-old male customer they were police He then took the pairs wallets before both men left the store and drove away. Neither witnesses were injured during the incident. Police have released CCTV photos of two men they believe may be able to assist with inquiries. CCTV vision shows the men enter and exit the currency exchange via a staircase from a ground-floor store. One man is described as being of Caucasian appearance, aged in his late 20s, about 182cm tall, with medium-length strawberry blond hair. Another is described as being of Caucasian appearance with a tanned complexion, aged in his late 20s, about 180cm tall, with short black hair, and a trimmed beard. Police have released CCTV photos (pictured) of two men they believe may be able to assist with inquiries Both are depicted wearing black suits with white shirts, black ties, and sunglasses. The raid happened at about 1.20pm on Wednesday 20 March 2019. Detectives urge anyone who may be able to assist to contact Ryde Police Station or Crime Stoppers. Jihadi bride Shamima Begum has been granted legal aid to fight the decision to remove her citizenship, the Mail can reveal today Jihadi bride Shamima Begum has been granted legal aid to fight the decision to remove her citizenship, the Mail can reveal today. In a decision blasted as disgusting and ridiculous by MPs, lawyers have successfully asked for taxpayers cash on her behalf, arguing that Home Secretary Sajid Javids decision was unfair on the 19-year-old Islamic State acolyte. It means taxpayers face a legal bill which could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds to fund the former London schoolgirls fight to come back to the UK. She is currently in a refugee camp in Syria. Last night there was fury at the decision by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), which emerged on the day it was alleged that Begum had stitched suicide bombers into explosive vests. It was also claimed she carried a Kalashnikov rifle and served in a senior role in the ISs morality police as an enforcer of its laws. The British-born schoolgirl left her family in East London to join IS the age of 15 in February 2015. She lived in the Syrian city of Raqqa and married a Dutch jihadi named Yago Riedijk with whom she had three children, all of whom died as infants. After being missing for four years, the teenager resurfaced at a refugee camp earlier this year saying she wanted to come home and pleading to be allowed back. In a dramatic move, Mr Javid ordered that she be stripped of her citizenship in order to protect this country. However, the Mail has now learnt that British taxpayers will help pay for her court battle to return, even though Begum has not applied for legal aid herself, nor formally instructed lawyers. In a decision blasted as disgusting and ridiculous by MPs, lawyers have successfully asked for taxpayers cash on her behalf, arguing that Home Secretary Sajid Javids decision was unfair on the 19-year-old Islamic State acolyte It means taxpayers face a legal bill which could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds to fund the former London schoolgirls fight Although lawyers have not been able to speak to her in the refugee camp, the LAA has apparently accepted that her family can initiate an appeal and apply for funding on her behalf. In an extraordinary twist, two law firms applied for the cash on her behalf, with one claiming it had instructions through a third party, but the LAA agreed to grant the funding only to lawyers instructed by her family. Begum will not be able to attend the case which will be decided by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) because she has been barred from returning to Britain. IS survivors still plotting attacks By Daily Mail reporter Extremists loyal to the all-but-destroyed Islamic State caliphate are still plotting attacks in the West. Documents outlining plans for truck attacks, robberies and new modes of mass-murder atrocities were found on a memory stick dropped by a fighter in Syria this year, The Sunday Times reports. The notes also reveal the decimated groups desperate thirst for further funding. One document details plans of killing infidel venture capitalists, hacking banks through bank accounts, bank robberies or robberies of places that are pre-studied. It adds: After any operation of this kind, we will send the money as we procure it. According to the newspaper, the message was addressed to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and reveals an individual named Abu Khabab al-Muhajir will run foreign operations. It states he already controls two cells in Germany and one in Russia. The document describes the 2015 Paris attacks as an example of future special operations. Advertisement Last night, there was outrage over the decision, particularly from those who had been denied legal aid in other high-profile cases. A relative of one of the four soldiers killed in the Hyde Park bombing said he was disgusted by the move. Mark Tipper, whose brother Trooper Simon Tipper, 19, was killed in the 1982 atrocity, was refused funding to pursue IRA terrorist John Downey in the civil courts, although the decision was later reversed following public outrage. Mr Tipper said: Its absolutely disgusting. You have got someone who has turned their back on their country and supports a terrorist group, then wants to come back and what does the Legal Aid Agency do? Gives her money to fund that fight. Its extraordinary, its totally wrong and it just shows how bad the legal aid system is. Tasnime Akunjee, a lawyer who has represented Begums family since 2015, confirmed that legal aid had been granted after an application was made on March 19. Mr Akunjee launched the appeal against Mr Javids decision but he was unable to take formal instruction from Begum after authorities at the al-Roj refugee camp would not let him see her. He passed the case to renowned human rights solicitor Gareth Peirce, who has represented British clients held outside of the UK such as former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg. Ordinarily, anyone seeking legal aid has to apply in writing or online, filling out a form supplying evidence of eligibility such as bank statements or pay slips to satisfy the means test. But Mr Akunjee said Miss Peirce had satisfied the authorities that the normal documentation could not be provided. Iraq puts 900 nationals on trial By Mail Foreign Service Iraq has started trial proceedings for nearly 900 suspected members of the Islamic State terror group caught fleeing jihadi territory in neighbouring Syria. The Iraqis were handed over to Baghdad authorities by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which ousted IS from swathes of eastern Syria. We received the interrogation files of nearly 900 Iraqi Daesh (IS) members coming from Syria, a court official said. The specialised terrorism court has begun setting dates for their trial in batches. Iraq has already tried thousands of its own nationals arrested on home soil for joining IS including women and has sentenced hundreds to death. The country remains in the top five executioner nations, according to Amnesty International. The number of death sentences issued by Iraqi courts quadrupled from 65 in 2017 to at least 271 last year. Iraq has also tried hundreds of foreigners, condemning many to life in prison and others to death, although no foreign IS members have yet been executed. Advertisement He added: I represent the family who initially brought the case on behalf of Shamima Begum, but the family are not entitled to legal aid the legal aid is for Shamima Begum alone. Even though Begum is no longer a British citizen, legal aid rules state that funding should be available if the case is held in a British court and you have no means to pay. Yesterday, MPs said the ridiculous decision demonstrated the need to reform the legal aid system. Tory MP Philip Davies said: Its absolutely disgusting how we are funding this person who is someone who joined an organisation that wants to destroy our way of life and our country. How she has been allowed to sponge off taxpayers money to get back into a country that she hates is absolutely ridiculous. Tory MP Tim Loughton, former chairman of the home affairs select committee, said: This shows that the Home Secretary was right to strip her of British citizenship. Playing the victim card when she has clearly been an active and willing participant in the most barbaric terrorist organisation in the world has now been exposed for the lie it was and the UK should have nothing to do with her. The Home Office said: We do not comment on individual cases, but any decisions to deprive individuals of their citizenship are based on all available evidence and not taken lightly. A Legal Aid Agency spokesman said last night: We are unable to comment on individual cases. Anybody applying for legal aid in a Special Immigration Appeal Commission case is subject to strict eligibility tests. The villains who got legal aid... and victims denied public cash There has been no shortage of controversy surrounding the legal aid system. Critics say it beggars belief that taxpayers are funding the cases of convicted criminals, foreigners and fugitives while others, such as distraught families, are denied help... The speedboat killer Most recently, the Legal Aid Agency came under attack after it emerged that Jack Shepherd, 31 who went on the run after killing his date on a speedboat trip had been awarded more than 100,000 to mount his defence at trial. He was then handed more from the public purse to appeal his conviction. Justice Secretary David Gauke pledged to investigate the loophole which allowed him to lodge the appeal while at large. Shepherd was finally jailed last week after being extradited from Georgia. Jack Shepherd, 31 who went on the run after killing his date on a speedboat trip Meat Cleaver murderers Michael Adebolajo Michael Adebolajo, 34, and Michael Adebowale, 28, murdered Fusilier Lee Rigby with meat cleavers in Woolwich, south-east London, in May 2013. The pair, who were jailed for life, received 200,000 in legal aid to fund their defences. But Adebolajo appealed against the conviction. Again he lost, this time at a cost to the taxpayer of 50,000. Notorious hate preacher Anjem Choudary, who has received 140,000 in legal aid, supposedly inspired the two killers. Pop star paedophile Paedophile Gary Glitter was also given more than 21,000 in legal aid to fight child sex charges despite being wealthy enough to rent a 2million London home and earning 300,000 a year in royalties. Vile grooming gang Members of an Asian grooming gang who raped, tormented and abused girls as young as 13 were handed more than 1million to unsuccessfully defend criminal charges and fight deportation to Pakistan. Shabir Ahmed, 65 the ringleader of the Rochdale child sex gang was granted 249,707; Abdul Aziz, 44, 195,277; Abdul Rauf, 48, 282,370; Adil Khan, 48, was granted 282,289. But thousands more was also handed to lawyers working to stop the men being sent home. In contrast, scores of others have been denied public money for their legal costs such as the families of those killed in IRA bombings, and parents desperate to help treat their sick little boy... Notorious hate preacher Anjem Choudary, who has received 140,000 in legal aid Bomb victims families Relatives of those killed in the IRA Hyde Park bombing, who applied to the Legal Aid Agency for 317,000 to fund a private prosecution of the chief suspect, John Downey, 65, were also denied cash. Officials said it was not in the public interest to fund their case against Downey, who is accused of murdering four soldiers and injuring 31 in the July 1982 blast. The decision was eventually reversed after a public outcry. Desperate parents Parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates were also denied any legal aid in their case against Great Ormond Street Hospital to take sick 11-month-old son Charlie to the US for experimental therapy. Distraught father The family of schoolgirl Molly Russell, 14, who killed herself after viewing disturbing pictures on Instagram, only won the right for funding for lawyers at her upcoming inquest following a U-turn. Molly took her life six days before her 15th birthday in November 2017 after viewing self-harm and suicide material on social media pages. The Russell family believe that the images Molly saw contributed to her state of mind and eventual death and sought legal aid to ensure that the circumstances around her suicide are thoroughly investigated. Advertisement She was in Isis morality squad... and stitched jihadis into suicide vests By Rebecca Camber, Chief Crime Correspondent for the Daily Mail Shamima Begum was a gun-toting enforcer who stitched suicide bombers into explosive vests in Syria, it was claimed yesterday. The Prime Minister and Home Secretary have been briefed by the intelligence services about claims the Islamic State bride was seen preparing suicide vests for jihadis. Separately, activists also claimed yesterday that the former Bethnal Green schoolgirl carried a Kalashnikov rifle and served in Islamic States morality police as an enforcer of strict laws. She had tried to recruit other women to join the terror group, they claimed. Details of her alleged role in the conflict emerged from information gleaned by allied spy agencies believed to be the CIA and Dutch Military Intelligence from interrogation of Western IS converts. If the allegations prove to be true, it would shatter the illusion that Begum is a blameless housewife who did not participate in the terror groups brutality. The Prime Minister and Home Secretary (pictured) have been briefed by the intelligence services about claims the Islamic State bride was seen preparing suicide vests for jihadis Begums account of her years with the group, which she joined aged 15, is that she was a devoted housewife focused on raising her children, who have died of malnutrition. Her husband Yago Riedijk, a Dutch fighter, said that Begum just sat in the house and that she would pose no danger if allowed back to the UK. But yesterday an altogether different picture was painted for Theresa May and Sajid Javid. A senior intelligence source told the Mail on Sunday: She was involved and her former comrades have grassed her. She was literally stitching the vests, stitching them into the vests. The intelligence was shared at the highest levels of Government following the row over Mr Javids decision to block Begums return. However there are concerns the intelligence may not meet the legal threshold if she were to be put on trial in Britain because of the way it was obtained. An anti-IS activist group Sound and Picture yesterday claimed Begum was paid between 500 and 1,500 a month to serve in ISs morality police, enforcing laws such as womens dress codes. It was said Begum likely ordered the imprisonment and lashing of women in Raqqa in her role in the squad, which had British jihadi bride Sally Jones in its ranks. The revelations could complicate her battle to return to the UK. At the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), which will decide on her case, judges can sit in secret and hear details of intelligence from security agencies such as MI5 or MI6. According to Sound and Picture, whose members lived under the terror groups rule, Begum received military and religious training and worked for several months in al-Hisba, a religious enforcement unit. Founder Aghiad al-Kheder told the Sunday Telegraph: There were lots of European women in the Hisba. Some of them were very harsh and the local population became very scared. Yesterday Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said: If true, these allegations suggest... a good reason to suspect she would be a danger to the UK. Miss Begums father Ahmed Ali said: If she has done anything wrong, she should be brought to England and punished. Almost half of women have delayed life-saving cervical cancer tests because they could not get an appointment at their GP surgery, a poll reveals today. Experts said the procedure was becoming increasing inaccessible due to a shortage of available slots at under-pressure surgeries. More than a quarter of women say they have missed their smear test altogether because they were unable to make a consultation. For a fifth, this had happened multiple times, with some admitting they had waited five years before eventually being screened. Sam Ransom put off having her smear test because she could not get an appointment at the evenings or weekends Almost half of women have delayed life-saving cervical cancer tests because they could not get an appointment at their GP surgery (pictured human papillomavirus screening set) Cervical screening attendance is at its worst level in two decades and just 71 per cent of the eligible population are up-to-date on their tests. Campaigners said women who had finally plucked up the courage to pick up the phone were then put off by the long waits and lack of appointments. Cervical cancer is the most common form of cancer in the under-35s and there are 3,200 new cases in the UK each year, and 1,000 deaths. But this mortality rate would be significantly higher were it not for the NHSs screening programme, which detects abnormal cells before they develop into tumours. Women are invited to have smear tests every three years from the ages of 25 to 49, and then every five years up to the age of 65. But many GP surgeries are understaffed and struggling to meet the needs of their patients, particularly in areas where the population is rising. Experts said the procedure was becoming increasing inaccessible due to a shortage of available slots at under-pressure surgeries (pictured speculum used during examination) Some can only offer smear test clinics on one day a week or only have one nurse to carry them out, who may be on holiday or off sick. Many GP practices have long waiting lists and consultations are frequently cancelled at the last minute, when women have already booked time off work. The survey of 2,037 women, conducted by Jos Cervical Cancer Trust on behalf of the Daily Mail, found that 43 per cent of women had been forced to delay their test at least once because they could not get an appointment. Another 27 per cent said they had missed that years smear test completely because they were unable to make a slot. Among the women who had missed or delayed the procedure, 41 per cent reported waiting a year or more before finally having it done. This included 9 per cent who said they had waited five years or more and 3 per cent who waited more than ten years. Without screening, cervical cancer is extremely difficult to diagnose and there arent usually any symptoms in the early stages. 'I found out I had a tumour after eight-month wait': Woman, 34, reveals she was left infertile after putting off appointment Sam was working long hours as a PA and unwilling to take time off and explain the reason to her male bosses Sam Ransom put off having her smear test because she could not get an appointment at the evenings or weekends. She was working long hours as a PA and unwilling to take time off and explain the reason to her male bosses. The NHS sent her an invitation letter shortly after her 25th birthday in November 2009, but she waited eight months before going for an appointment. When the results came back they showed she had a fast-growing tumour and was also four months pregnant. Miss Ransom was advised to have an abortion as the pregnancy would drastically reduce her survival chances. Tragically, the radiotherapy and chemotherapy left her infertile. Now 34, she is engaged and living in Lordswood, near Chatham, Kent. She said: I put it off due to work commitments and doctors only being open at certain times during the day. Advertisement Often by the time the signs do appear, tumours have spread to other organs. Robert Music, chief executive of Jos Cervical Cancer Trust, said: Women who have taken a long time to pluck up the courage to pick up the phone are then told its four weeks, eight weeks or call back. Theres a worry that theyll get disenchanted, lose confidence and they may not book again. Thats our biggest concern. Weve got this amazing programme which saves 5,000 lives every year but its becoming more and more inaccessible. Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MP for Brighton said: There are very serious concerns that women are finding it very difficult to get an appointment for a smear test and that ministers arent properly addressing this. More than a quarter of women say they have missed their smear test altogether because they were unable to make a consultation Smear tests save lives and ministers cannot ignore this vital question of access. Dr Asha Kasliwal, president of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, said the problem was being worsened by cuts to local sexual health clinics, which used to offer the tests. Many clinics have either closed or no longer offer the tests, meaning women have to go to their GPs. The survey, which involved women aged 25 to 65, found that only 6.5 per cent of respondents could say if their surgery offered screening appointments outside the hours of 9am to 5pm. This is a huge problem as many are reluctant to book time off work or explain precisely why they need to be absent. Last month, the NHS launched its first cervical cancer campaign to try to halt the declining uptake. The awareness drive, run by Public Health England, involved TV and social media adverts which urged women not to be embarrassed about the procedure. But campaigners say the lack of available appointments is a bigger problem than shame or fear. An NHS spokesman said: There are now more GP appointments available than ever before, cancer survival rates are at their highest ever and all girls can also get the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine free from the NHS which helps protect them against cervical cancer. Advertisement Excitedly opening her birthday present at an alfresco family party, the pretty little girl is a study of anticipation. It is so hot that she is barefoot and wears only a pair of shorts. And here she is on another golden day in the park, giggling impishly as she totters around in her striped summer frock; then squatting down on the grass to feed the pigeons under the protective gaze of her mother. These delightful new photographs capture the infant Meghan Markle taking her first steps on the extraordinary journey that has led her from the obscurity of a Los Angeles suburb to the heart of the British establishment. They are among dozens of evocative snapshots contained in a treasured and previously unseen family album shown exclusively to the Daily Mail by Meghans uncle, Joseph Johnson. I wonder what it is? Meghan investigates her large birthday present at an alfresco family party, with the pretty little girl a study of anticipation on what is thought to have been her second birthday Meet the folks: Meghan, with beads in her hair, looks straight at the camera while sitting around the dining table with an adoring father Thomas, half-sister Samantha and half-brother Thomas Jnr, before their relationship turned toxic On Saturday, readers cooed over pictures of her as a baby, including her first-ever photo, taken just hours after her birth on August 4, 1981. Today, from that same enchanting collection, we bring you more intimate images, showing Meghan as a bright, beautiful and mischievous toddler. One rare photo, taken at a celebratory family meal, is particularly revealing. Cradled in her father Thomass bear-like arms he is looking at her adoringly her half-siblings Tom Junior and Samantha, then wholesome-looking teenagers, are seen seated further down the table. As the adults laugh and joke at a table laden with her mother Dorias home-cooked dishes, and drink wine from glass goblets, infant Meghan, a string of beads draped over her tousled hair, radiates contentment and security. Congratulations! Mother Doria sits her toddler on her lap while opening a birthday card at what is believed to be Meghan's second birthday party in a park in LA Feeding time: Meghan concentrates hard as her mother gets the pigeons food ready as they enjoy a day out at a park in LA when she was around one Until now, the perception has been that Meghans childhood was scarred by the acrimony between her parents, who divorced when she was six, and her older sisters jealousy. The truth, as these photos show, appears very different. They depict a family seemingly at ease and united in their adoration for their newest addition. There is no hint of the unedifying rancour and feuding that frequently embarrasses her today. According to Meghans uncle, the camera doesnt lie. She was always a special child, and so happy. She had a lovely and sunny disposition, said Mr Johnson, 69, who is Dorias half-brother. My little cousin: Meghan pokes her tongue out while posing with Uncle Joes son Jason. Her uncle has shared the enchanting photos Shape of things to come: The future fashion icon wears a stylish striped dress as she chases the pigeons in the park in LA He remembers how, when Meghan was young, he and his sons, Jason, Shawn and Jarred, would get together with Thomas Sr, Tom and Samantha, and have fun. And, as the photos also show, Meghan was close to her cousins and remained so. In her teens, she would go for nights out with them in their hometown of Fresno, three hours north of Los Angeles. Any day now, of course, Meghan will become a mum herself, and Mr Johnson is sure she will be every bit as capable and doting as Doria. Though Uncle Joe is yet to meet Harry, having studied him from afar admiring his sensitivity and palpable devotion to Meghan he feels sure the Prince will make a brilliant father, too. For the imminent royal baby, this hitherto unseen snapshot of Meghans upbringing augurs wonderfully well. And perhaps, in a year or so, we will see the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs free-spirited toddler scampering, bare-footed, across the manicured Windsor lawns chasing the pigeons, too. Louisa Akavi, 62, was kidnapped in Idlib, Syria in 2013 The Red Cross has revealed the identities of three hostages kidnapped by ISIS in Syria five years ago in the hope of finally tracking them down. New Zealand-born Louisa Akavi, 62, was traveling in a Red Cross convoy in Idlib, north-western Syria, when she and several other volunteers were taken hostage by gunmen on 13 October 2013. Seven people were snatched from the convoy, and despite four being released the following day, the whereabouts of Ms Akavi and two other volunteers, Alaa Rajab and Nabil Bakdounes, are still unknown. Since the last patch of ISIS resistance in Syria was wiped out last month, the Red Cross has launched an appeal to trace them over fears they may have been executed. The identity of Ms Akavi had remained a secret at the demand of both her employer and the New Zealand government, who warned that mention of her in the media could put her in danger. But on Monday the Red Cross broke cover to name Ms Akavi and appeal for any information that could lead to her being found. 'The past five and a half years have been an extremely difficult time for the families of our three abducted colleagues,' said Dominik Stillhart, ICRC's director of operations. 'Louisa is a true and compassionate humanitarian. Alaa and Nabil were committed colleagues and an integral part of our aid deliveries. She and seven other Red Cross workers were snatched from a convoy near the Syrian city, with four of them being released the next day [file photo] 'We call on anyone with information to please come forward. If our colleagues are still being held, we call for their immediate and unconditional release. 'Following the fall of the last territory held by Islamic State group, we fear there is an extra risk of losing track of Louisa, though we remain hopeful this period will instead open new opportunities for us to learn more about her whereabouts and wellbeing.' Most recently, Ms Akavi was believed to have been spotted in the ISIS stronghold of Sousa in December last year. People who claimed to have been treated by Ms Akavi said she was working as a nurse there. The New York Times reported the agency had information on three other sightings in Abu Kamal in 2016, Raqqa in 2017 and Mayadeen last year. According to the Red Cross, after her capture, ISIS representatives made contact with the aid agency in phone calls, emails and text messages to demand they pay a ransom of $1.1million. They reportedly also requested several ISIS fighters be released and later upped their ransom demands to 20million. After being moved from jail to jail by her captors, the Red Cross discovered in 2014 Ms Akavi was being held at a facility outside Raqqa with more than a dozen prisoners from Europe and North America. American journalist James Foley, who was beheaded by Jihadi John in August 2014, was also said to have been held at the jail. Although many of the hostages were released by ISIS after their governments paid ransoms, Ms Akavi and several other British and American inmates remained there. Ms Akavi is an experienced nurse having carried out 17 field missions with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the New Zealand Red Cross Many of the other prisoners were then executed by ISIS in a series of brutal beheading videos, but Ms Akavi was allowed to live. Akavi family spokesman Tuaine Robati said Ms Akavi was an 'incredibly experienced nurse and aid worker who knew the risks of her job'. 'Our family misses her very much and is concerned for her safety,' Mr Robati said. 'We think about her every day and hope she feels strength in that. We know she's thinking of us, and that she will be worried about us too. 'Our family is incredibly proud of her and of the work she has dedicated her life to. She has true goodness in her heart, that's why she became a nurse. She loves helping people. 'She's been through tough times in her job before, but she's stuck at it because she loves it. 'We miss Louisa very much. We love her, and we just want her home.' A relative of Ms Akavi said the family had a strong presence in the town of Porirua on New Zealand's North Island. 'Maybe all up there's 200 plus of us, men, women and children here in Porirua with that last name. We are all close,' the relative, who wished to remain anonymous, told Daily Mail Australia. 'My late father knew her very well... she has always been overseas working and when home was very private. 'This community is small and the Cook Island community gossips so my family, all of us, are under a lot of strain.' The Red Cross is currently searching the refugee camps of Syria in an effort to find her. 'We call on anyone with information to please come forward. If our colleagues are still being held, we call for their immediate and unconditional release,' Mr. Stillhart added. 'Following the fall of the last territory held by Islamic State group, we fear there is an extra risk of losing track of Louisa, though we remain hopeful this period will instead open new opportunities for us to learn more about her whereabouts and wellbeing. 'We remind everyone that she is a victim of a kidnapping, and a hostage who has been held for many years. 'We are speaking out today to publicly honour and acknowledge Louisa's, Alaa's, and Nabil's hardship and suffering. We also want our three colleagues to know that we've always continued to search for them and we are still trying our hardest to find them. 'We are looking forward to the day we can see them again.' President Trump is likely to win re-election thanks to the strong economy and an uncertain primary race in the Democratic Party, investment giant Goldman Sachs says. Goldman analysts compiled a report which gives the president a narrow advantage over potential rivals for the 2020 general election, which is some 19 months away. According to economists Alec Phillips and Blake Taylor, Trump currently has an edge over any potential Democrat due to the usual advantage enjoyed by incumbents. The advantage of first term incumbency and the relatively strong economic performance ahead of the presidential election suggest that President Trump is more likely to win a second term than the eventual Democratic candidate is to defeat him, the analysis, which was obtained by Bloomberg, found. 'President Trump is more likely to win a second term than the eventual Democratic candidate is to defeat him, according to experts at investment banker Goldman Sachs Goldman experts predict that the U.S. economy will grow 2.5 per cent this year and 2.3 per cent in 2020. That rate of growth should reduce unemployment from 3.7 per cent this year to 3.3 per cent next year, the analysts say. Phillips and Taylor believe that the relatively low unemployment and the rise in income levels are better indicators of how a presidential election will turn out than other factors. Experts will pay particularly close attention to the performance of the economy in the second quarter of next year. Still, the analysts do take into account the fact that Trumps overall approval rating, which is below 50 per cent, means that he is far from a sure thing for re-election. The Goldman analysis predicts that the 2020 election will be a close call, according to Yahoo Finance. President Trump is more likely to win a second term than the eventual Democratic candidate is to defeat him, the Goldman analysts wrote. While we believe the majority of market participants expect President Trump to win a second term, we note that prediction markets point in the opposite direction and imply that the Democratic candidate has a 56% probability of winning and the Republican candidate has a 44% chance. Goldman says that the absence - so far - of a clear frontrunner among Democratic candidates also gives Trump an edge. At this early stage with so many candidates, it is nearly impossible to predict who among the roughly 20 announced and potential Democratic candidates will win the nomination, Phillips and Taylor wrote. That said, we would make two observations. First, while the eventual nominee often trails in the polls in the year before the election, they typically have at least some base of support and poll in the double-digits. Goldman says that the absence - so far - of a clear frontrunner among Democratic candidates also gives Trump an edge. Early polls give an edge to former Vice President Joe Biden (left) and Senator Bernie Sanders (right) of Vermont With such a large pool of candidates, the odds are higher than usual in this election cycle that the eventual Democratic nominee could emerge from further down the list, according to Goldman Sachs. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg (above) announced his candidacy Sunday At the moment, only [Biden and Sanders] poll nationally in double digits. With such a large pool of candidates, the odds are higher than usual in this election cycle that the eventual Democratic nominee could emerge from further down the list, according to Phillips and Taylor. However, even in the crowded 2016 Republican primary, we note that by the time of the first debate then-candidate Trump was polling at over 20%, analysis stated. The economists also note that Trump is more likely to benefit if a third party candidate like former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz jumps into the race. In early head-to-head polling, polls that include potential independent candidate Howard Schultz typically reduce the Democratic vote share by around 2 [percentage points] more than the Republican vote share, the analysis found. Schultz has said he is considering jumping into the race as a third-party centrist, though liberals fear that his relatively dovish views on issues like climate change and immigration could siphon votes away from the Democratic nominee. In early polls, former Vice President Joe Biden has emerged as the favorite to win the Democratic nomination. Biden, 76, is slightly ahead of 77-year-old Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. They are the two clear frontrunners ahead of a crowded field that includes rising star Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana; Senator Kamala Harris of California; Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey; Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York; and former Texas Congresman Beto ORourke. Australian ISIS fighter Khaled Sharrouf's three orphaned children have said they are desperate to come home. Zaynab, 17, Hoda, 15, and Hamza, eight, were taken by their mother from Sydney to join Islamic State in 2014. After the defeat of ISIS last year, they are now in the Al-Hawl refugee camp in northern Syria. The three children, whose parents and two brothers are dead, are begging to be allowed back in to Australia. Zaynab (top left), Hoda (top right), and Humzeh (bottom, middle) are in the Al-Howl camp. Their two brothers (also pictured) are believed to have died in airstrikes Khaled Sharrouf (pictured) became Australia's most notorious home grown terrorist after images circulated of him and his two sons in 2014 embracing their new lifestyle 'I just want to get out of here,' Zaynab told the ABC's Four Corners. The 17-year-old is looking after her daughters Ayesha, three, and Fatima, two, and is about to give birth to her third child while suffering from dysentery and severe anaemia. She said she wanted to flee ISIS sooner but feared being caught and tortured as punishment. 'We've been wanting to come home for a very long time, but we were just scared,' she said. 'For me and my children, I want to live a normal life just like anyone would want to live a normal life.' She said after leaving the last ISIS stronghold of Baghouz, the siblings spent a few nights in the freezing desert before American troops found them and took them to the refugee camp. 'I thought I was going to die from the cold,' she said. Hoda (left), Zaynab (right) and Humzeh (centre) are alive and in the camp. Abdullah (second from left) and Zarqawi (second from right) are believed to have died in airstrikes Australian terrorist Khaled Sharrouf's three orphaned children have been tracked down to a Syrian refugee camp after they fled the last ISIS stronghold. Pictured: Sharrouf with his sons, two of whom died in an airstrike Hoda said she was the first to leave Baghouz before her siblings followed. The 15-year-old, who was shot in the leg 18 months ago, said she kept falling over as she walked up a mountainside and had to be helped to her feet by others fleeing. Poll Should Khaled Sharrouf's orphans be allowed back into Australia? Yes No Undecided Should Khaled Sharrouf's orphans be allowed back into Australia? Yes 417 votes No 802 votes Undecided 153 votes Now share your opinion The children's Sydney-based mother, Tara Nettleton, smuggled them out of Australia after her husband had already left to join the caliphate. Hoda said the children had no say in the matter. 'When my Mum told me we were in Syria I started crying. I asked to go home every five seconds,' she said. The children's maternal grandmother, Karen Nettleton, is trying to help bring them home. Khaled Sharrouf became Australia's most notorious home grown terrorist after images circulated of him and his two sons in 2014 embracing their new lifestyle. In one of the photos, his son Abdullah, then nine, posed with a severed head of a soldier. Khaled Sharrouf's children Daughter Zaynab, 17 - Alive Daughter Hoda, 15 - Alive Son Abdullah - Died aged 12 in 2017 Son Zarqawi - Died aged 11 in 2017 Son Humzeh, eight - Alive Advertisement In 2015, reports emerged that the eldest daughter Zaynab aged 13 married her father's best friend, Mohamed Eloma. Elomar is believed to have died in an airstrike in 2015. Nettleton is believed to have died from complications with an illness in 2016, while Sharrouf and his two eldest sons were believed to have been killed in a targeted airstrike in 2017 near Raqqa. Among nine Australian ISIS families in the Al-Hawl camp, there are 19 children; five of which are under the age of two and another 12 under the age of 10. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has indicated his desire to keep terrorists off Australian soil. 'Australian officials cannot facilitate the safe passage of people out of the conflict zones,' a spokesman for the government said. 'Anyone fighting with or providing support or associating with ISIS or other terrorist groups has committed a serious crime and will face the consequences should they return to Australia. 'The Morrison government is determined to deal with these people as far from our shores as possible and ensure that any who do return do so with forewarning and into the hands of the appropriate agencies.' Randy Vaught, 33, led police on a high speed chase that ended at his mother's house A Mississippi deputy pretended he was dead after being shot at least five times -with two of the bullets hitting his bullet-proof vest. The life of Deputy Daniel Tatum was ultimately saved not only by his protective gear but also his instinct to pretend he had died, ensuring that a gunman who was high on meth would walk away. Deputy Daniel Tatum was wounded on Friday in Marshall County after being shot in the arm, shoulder and leg by a man who later killed himself after a four-hour standoff. Tatum decided to play dead and lay on the ground praying he wouldn't be shot in the head. Instead he was then shot in the chest by the shooter, 33-year-old Randy Vaught, but was saved by the bullet proof vest he was wearing. 'The vest, without any question, saved his life,' Marshall County Sheriff Kenney Dickerson said on Saturday. 'There is no doubt in my mind and unequivocally had he not had that vest on he would have been killed immediately.' Vaught, pictured, ran inside his mother's house closely followed by Deputy Daniel Tatum who was then shot multiple times A four hour standoff then began at the home in Byhalia, Mississippi Sheriff Kenny Dickerson said his officer's life was spared because of his bullet proof vest 'He was very, very lucky, But you know this type of incident happens to law enforcement in everyday life,' Dickerson said. The entire incident began when Tatum spotted Vaught and two friends leaving a drug house and pulled them over, according to Fox News. Vaught sped off when he couldn't produce a driver's license and led deputies on a high-speed chase as he drove to his mother's house, WREG-TV reported. He ran into the home as his friends took off. The friends told police that they had taken meth before Deputy Tatum stopped them. Vaught then barricaded himself inside the home after entering through a back door. When Deputy Tatum opened the door to follow Vaught, he was shot at least five times. During a four-hour standoff, Vaught walked outside the home several times to speak with cops It appeared Vaught might surrender when he pulled out a handgun, dropped to his knees and pulled the trigger on himself, the shadow of which can be seen, right Backup arrived as a stand-off ensued. Tatum was rescued and taken to hospital in Memphis where he underwent surgery. As the hours ticked by, Dickerson and his deputies tried to convince Vaught to surrender. Meanwhile, Vaught began posting messages including apologies to his family on Facebook and told them he was going to surrender. On Facebook, Vaught wrote: 'I love y'all... momma I'm so sorry'. But something in Vaught's mind flipped. At just after 10.30pm Vaught came out of the house, knelt down, and pulled the trigger, shooting himself in the head. Vaught ended up posting a number of rambling messages aimed at his friends and family Dickerson told WMC that he had known Vaught since he was a child. 'From probably six-years-old on up through his teens I saw him almost two or three times a week,' said Dickerson. 'He left a suicide note directed to his mother about what he was going to do and apologizing for it and so forth,' he continued. 'In my honest opinion, had he not been under the influence of drugs or alcohol, I could have talked him out immediately,' Dickerson maintained. Before Vaught killed himself, Dickerson said he mumbled something about asking God to forgive him. Deputies later found a suicide note addressed to Vaught's mother inside the house. Dickerson said Vaught was already out of jail on a $100,000 bond for statutory rape at the time of Friday's shooting. The information watchdog has been accused of infantilising web users, in a draconian new code designed to make the internet safer for children. Web firms will be forced to introduce strict new age checks on their websites or treat all their users as if they are children, under proposals published by the Information Commissioners Office today. The rules are so stringent that critics fear people could end up being forced to demonstrate their age for virtually every website they visit, or have the services that they can access limited as if they are under 18. The information watchdog's new code has been accused of infantilising web users by some experts They may have to log in every time they visit an online shop, browse holidays online or look at commercial news websites, critics argue. Critics also warned that the rules would severely damage the online advertising business, threatening the provision of free web services such as online news websites and chat forums including Mumsnet and TripAdvisor. Companies that do not stick to the code face fines of up to 4 per cent of their global turnover 1.67billion in the case of Facebook. The radical proposals are designed to protect children using the internet, according to the Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham is behind the new laws, which will enforce strict new age checks or treat all users as children Lifelong civil servant behind code Elizabeth Denham risks stepping into controversy with her new code on internet regulation. The Information Commissioner has already made clear she is determined to take on the likes of Facebook. Last autumn she said Mark Zuckerbergs website had passed a tipping point of unlawful behaviour and spoke of her appetite for confrontation. However her attempt to regulate web barons is showing signs of potentially backfiring. With the plans of Home Secretary Sajid Javid to set up an internet regulator under attack over censorship, her childrens code is now in danger of being seen as a bureaucratic threat to people and businesses who rely on the web. Canadian Miss Denham, 59, is a lifelong civil servant with no experience in private commerce or business. Appointed Information Commissioner in Britain in 2016, the history graduate has successfully lobbied for the maximum fine her office can impose to be raised from 500,000 to several million a policy going ahead next year. She made her mark by fining TalkTalk 400,000 for security failings and hit Facebook with a 500,000 bill for its role in the Cambridge Analytica saga. She also moved against the Leave.EU campaign and its backers and in March fined Vote Leave 40,000 for sending unsolicited text messages. The mother of four is married to a retired computer scientist. Advertisement Baroness Kidron a campaigner for child safety online who was instrumental in ensuring the code is backed by law said: For too long we have failed to recognise childrens rights and needs online, with tragic outcomes. I firmly believe in the power of technology to transform lives, be a force for good and rise to the challenge of promoting the rights and safety of our children. But ... it must consider the best interests of children, not simply its own commercial interests. But experts fear the measures could badly backfire. Baroness Beeban Kidron has successfully campaigned for extra restrictions in the data protection bill that pased into law last year Elizabeth Denham was helped by scion of 'leftie royalty' Baroness Kidron of Angel was born into what has been described as old Leftie royalty. Her aunt and uncle, Chanie Rosenberg and Tony Cliff, founded the International Socialists with her father, Michael Kidron, the Marxist economist. Beeban Kidron left school at 16 to work for the photographer Eve Arnold, before enrolling at the National Film School. From there, she charted a career as a director, working on hits such as Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. The 57-year-old crossbench peer, who has two grown-up children, directed InRealLife, a documentary about gaming addiction among teenagers. She successfully campaigned for extra restrictions in the data protection bill that passed into law last year. These changes ensured the code published today is backed by law. Advertisement They said the proposals could make web users data more vulnerable, because their browsing history could potentially be linked to their identity and misused by unscrupulous operators. The Online Harms white paper The extent of the new regulator's powers has not been confirmed, but included in the paper's proposals include: Web firms writing annual reports on the amount of harmful content on their sites Fines for senior managers at firms that seriously break the rules Fines of up to 20million, or 4 per cent of annual turnover, for firms that break the rules The regulator could have offending websites blocked, so they cannot be accessed in the UK Regulatory power to fight fake news Advertisement It would mean internet users could have to give personal information, such as credit card or passport details, to every website they visit, unless it is guaranteed child-friendly, which could be a security risk. Matthew Lesh, of free market think-tank the Adam Smith Institute, said: [The ICO] is an unelected quango introducing draconian limitations on the internet with the threat of massive fines. It is ridiculous to infantilise people and treat everyone as children... It is really up to parents to keep their children safe online. The code, which applies to virtually every website that makes money online, is under consultation. The finalised version will come into force as early as the autumn. The code is the second assault on web firms to be accused of going too far. Last week a row erupted over the Governments Online Harms White Paper, amid fears that it paved the way for totalitarian-style censorship. The document laid out plans for a new internet watchdog which would have the power to block websites from the internet in Britain if they did not adhere to its rules. Tory activists have threatened to boycott European Parliament elections in protest at Theresa Mays decision to delay Brexit. Almost 40 Conservative association chairmen have written to her saying they will not take part because it would be inconsistent and unprincipled to do so. The letter, seen by the Daily Mail, accuses the Prime Minister of breaking solemn pledges to honour the referendum result and leave the EU on time on March 29. Almost 40 Conservative association chairmen have written to Theresa May saying they will not take part because it would be inconsistent and unprincipled to do so It is therefore not surprising that voters [are] mystified and angry that Brexit has not happened. We are already finding it difficult to campaign for the imminent local elections on May 2, they write. The letter says the elections, expected to cost 110million, will be a huge waste of time, money and resources. It adds: The British public have no appetite for European elections and simply want politicians to keep their promises and respect the result of the referendum. 'If European elections go ahead and the Conservative Government carries on regardless, we will not participate. Bid to ban Labour's pro-Brexit hopefuls by Simon Walters A Labour move to ban pro-Brexit candidates standing for the party in the European elections was revealed last night. Labours 20 MEPs, who are all Remainers, have urged Jeremy Corbyn to force all candidates to promise to back calls for a second referendum, party sources claimed. But the move is fiercely opposed by some members of Mr Corbyns shadow cabinet, who fear it will drive Brexiteer Labour voters towards Nigel Farages new Brexit Party or far-Right groups in the May 23 elections. The row was revealed after Richard Corbett, Labours leader in the European parliament, said Mr Corbyn must back a second referendum or confirmatory vote in its Euro elections manifesto. Mr Corbett said: If Labour does not reconfirm its support for a confirmatory public vote on any Brexit deal in its manifesto it will haemorrhage votes. If we offer a confirmatory ballot we could do very well. A leaked Labour document shows its applicants will not even be interviewed face to face. Instead, to save time, they will be picked this week after a brief chat on the phone with a party official. All main parties are choosing candidates for the Euro elections in which 73 MEPs will be chosen. The bid to block candidates who refuse to back a new referendum threatens to open a new front in the Labour civil war. A Labour source said: Our MEPs are all pro-Brussels and do not want to fight alongside anti-Brussels Labour candidates because they say it will show the leadership is facing both ways. It will make writing the manifesto impossible. A total of 17 Labour MEPs have publicly supported the Peoples Vote even though most represent Leave-supporting constituencies. Advertisement The letter has been signed by 36 constituency chairmen from across the country. The threat of a boycott by activists will raise further doubts about the ability of the cash-strapped Tories to compete against Ukip and Nigel Farages new Brexit Party. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith warned that Mrs May was facing a grassroots revolt. He urged her to cancel the vote and take Britain out of the EU without a deal. He told Sky News: I really urge the Prime Minister to be very clear that we are not fighting the European elections. Any idea of doing that is a disaster. If we make that clear today and say we are going to leave, deal or no deal, before the Euro elections then I think the public would start to snap back and say okay, these people mean business and when we do it, thats the moment that well end all of the nonsense from these other peripheral parties. Former party chairman Norman Tebbit yesterday became the latest high-profile figure to warn he might not vote Conservative if the elections go ahead. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he admitted he had been tempted to vote Ukip in the last Euro elections. In the end, I voted Conservative, he said. Now, as I look at the conduct of the Prime Minister, I will find it very hard to do that again. Energy minister Claire Perry yesterday said it was still possible that the elections could be cancelled if Parliament passed a Brexit deal after MPs return from their Easter break. She added: If we can pass a withdrawal agreement in the next three weeks then we will be out and we wont be fighting the European elections and I agree, it seems really silly and daft to be doing that. Mrs Mays deputy David Lidington said talks were progressing with Labour on a possible soft Brexit deal that could still avert the need for the elections. He said the two sides would take stock after Easter before deciding whether a deal is possible. If not, the Government will move to a series of binding votes on other Brexit options, such as a customs union, in a bid to find an approach that can get through Parliament. Mr Duncan Smith warned against allowing Jeremy Corbyn to dictate terms on Brexit, adding that the Labour leader is not fit for government and nor are his policies. Jeremy Corbyns Labour was under pressure last night after the highest-ranking woman in US politics appeared to admonish the party over its anti-Semitism problem. After meeting three former Labour MPs who quit the party, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, declared the importance of standing unequivocally against anti-Semitism wherever it is found. Mrs Pelosi who was instrumental in getting Barack Obamas health care law through the House in 2010 was in London yesterday to meet with Chris Leslie and Mike Gapes, who defected to form The Independent Group, and Ian Austin, who now sits as an independent. She tweeted that they had had an important discussion... to hear their perspective on Brexit [and] why they left the Labour Party. Mrs Pelosi was also due to meet Mr Corbyn last night. Nancy Pelosi said she was pleased to have had a 'candid discussion' with Jeremy Corbyn Her remarks came as Lord Falconer warned that the Labour Partys failure to tackle anti-Semitism was a very real threat to its survival. The former lord chancellor, who has been asked by the party leadership to hold an investigation into anti-Semitism, also said Labour could not be seen as an alternative government unless it is absolutely vigorous and effective in removing people who are anti-Semitic. He said: There is too much a sense that anti-Semitism is not being properly dealt with. I think this is a very, very real threat to the party. How can you convince people that you are a serious, moral, decent party if you are anti-Semitic? How can you claim to be an alternative government if you are anti-Semitic? We have to do something about it. The comments came after The Sunday Times published details of a secretly recorded meeting between Mr Corbyn and Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge in February when he outlined his intention to appoint Lord Falconer to review the partys complaints process. The newspaper quoted Mr Corbyn saying: The point of him [Falconer] is that he will look at the speed of dealing with cases, the administration of them, and the collation of the evidence before it is put before appropriate panels and things. Mrs Pelosi who was instrumental in getting Barack Obamas health care law through the House in 2010 was in London yesterday to meet with Chris Leslie and Mike Gapes, who defected to form The Independent Group, and Ian Austin, who now sits as an independent Because I was concerned that evidence was either being mislaid, ignored or not used and that there had to be some better system. A Labour spokesman said the party takes allegations of anti-Semitism seriously, adding: This shows Jeremy Corbyns desire to make procedures as robust and efficient as possible and to rebuild trust with the Jewish community. We are committed to challenging and campaigning against it in all its forms. All complaints... are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken. Dame Margaret told the BBC: The reason, actually, that I recorded that particular tape was as an insurance policy. I was having a one-to-one meeting with Jeremy Corbyn and, ironically, I didnt want what I said to be misrepresented. Labour MP Ronnie Campbell said taping Mr Corbyn was unacceptable. He said: I think its deplorable that somebody goes to a private meeting with the leader and records the conversation. Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary James Brokenshire will launch a consultation on the proposal Landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants at short notice without good reason under a major housing shake-up to be announced today. Prime Minister Theresa May said the move would end the threat of so-called 'no-fault' evictions which give renters as little as eight weeks' notice to leave if their fixed-term contracts have ended. But landlords have warned that the move could create 'indefinite tenancies by the back door' leading to fewer homes being available in the rental sector. Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary James Brokenshire, who will today launch a consultation, said the Government was taking action because of evidence that the end of tenancies through the Section 21 process is one of the biggest causes of family homelessness. Mrs May said: 'Everyone renting in the private sector has the right to feel secure in their home, settled in their community and able to plan for the future with confidence. 'But millions of responsible tenants could still be uprooted by their landlord with little notice, and often little justification. This is wrong and today we're acting by preventing these unfair evictions.' At present landlords can evict tenants if they are still occupying their property after the fixed-term contract has come to an end without specifying a reason. Prime Minister Theresa May says new system would prevent unfair evictions and help protect vulnerable tenants in the private rental sector [File photo] The proposals would see landlords having to provide a 'concrete, evidenced reason already specified in law' for ending tenancies. Mr Brokenshire said that the move to abolish these particular kinds of evictions will be 'balanced by ensuring responsible landlords can get their property back where they have proper reason to do so.' But David Smith, from the Residential Landlords Association, warned there was a 'serious danger' the proposed reforms could lead to a reduction in the supply of rental properties. He said: 'With the demand for private rented homes continuing to increase, we need the majority of good landlords to have confidence to invest in new homes. 'This means ensuring they can swiftly repossess properties for legitimate reasons such as rent arrears, tenant anti-social behaviour or wanting to sell them. 'For all the talk of greater security for tenants, that will be nothing if the homes to rent are not there in the first place. We call on the Government to act with caution.' The plans come after buy-to-let landlords were hit by a rise in stamp duty for those buying a second home. Richard Lambert, from the National Landlords Association, said: 'Landlords currently have little choice but to use Section 21. 'They have no confidence in the ability or the capacity of the courts to deal with possession claims quickly and surely, regardless of the strength of the landlord's case. 'This change makes the fixed-term meaningless, and so creates a new system of indefinite tenancies by the back door.' A Ministry of Housing spokesman said: 'Court processes will be expedited so landlords are able to swiftly and smoothly regain their property in the rare event of tenants falling into rent arrears or damaging the property.' Shelter chief executive Polly Neate welcomed the plans as 'an outstanding victory for England's 11million private renters'. She said: 'This change will slam the brakes on unstable short-term tenancies and give tenants everywhere a massive boost in security, for which the Government will deserve great credit.' Waste collectors usually require little more than a litter-picker and a few bin bags. But anyone thinking of joining Neptunes Army of Rubbish Cleaners might also want to pack a wetsuit and oxygen tank since they are Britains first charity dedicated to underwater litter-picking. Taking the public-spirited pastime to new depths, NARC has organised more than 1,000 clean-up dives around the coast of Pembrokeshire, west Wales, in the 14 years since it was formed. In that time, volunteers have found all manner of objects while trawling the seabed, including a kitchen sink. Neptune's Army of Rubbish Cleaners are dedicated to underwater litter picking off the coast of Pembrokeshire in Wales NARC's organisers support the Tidy Britain Group's Great British Spring Clean, which is backed by the Daily Mail Its organisers support the Tidy Britain Groups Great British Spring Clean, which is backed by the Daily Mail. NARC aims to raise awareness of the litter in our seas after seeing first hand the devastating impact that rubbish found around the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is having on wildlife. David Jones, who has been with the charity since 2008, said that as well as finding the usual haul of plastic bottles and drinks cans, fish are regularly found in discarded fishing nets. He said the seabed was often thought of as out of sight, out of mind by homeowners, resulting in anything from cars to shopping trolleys and tyres being discovered along the stunning coastline. The 45-year-old, from Haverfordwest, worked as a diving instructor in Thailand, the Cook Islands and New Zealand before settling in Wales. I have been lucky enough to dive in some pretty beautiful places and I would class Pembrokeshire as one of them, he said. We have really important marine animals and seabirds and it is a special place so I wanted to be able to give something back. The team has organised more than 10,000 dives in the 14 years since it was formed The divers have found all manner of objects during their dives, even including a kitchen sink Team member David Jones, who has been with the charity since 2008, said fish are regularly found in discarded fishing nets NARCs five trustees and 20 regular volunteers give talks in schools to educate children about the impact of dropping litter. Mr Jones added: The Great British Spring Clean is great. There has never been so much interest in the environment and litter-picking, which is definitely down to the Blue Planet effect. There has been a step change in the public consciousness and people are really wanting to do something and make a change. Some 536,994 volunteers have now signed up for the Great British Spring Clean, which runs until April 23. More than 4,000 tons of litter has so far been picked up from towns, cities, beaches and the countryside. To sign up, go online to gbspringclean.org. n The president of the Seychelles, Danny Faure, dived to 400ft in a miniature sub to deliver a speech pleading for stronger protection for the worlds oceans. He joined scientists from a British-led charity, the Nekton research institute in Oxford, who have been documenting the health of the Indian Ocean. Mr Faure said: This issue is bigger than all of us and we cannot wait for the next generation to solve it. Guinness axes plastic ring carriers and replaces them with cardboard cases to avoid eco-damage Plastic ring carriers that can pose a threat to Britains wildlife are being removed from packs of Guinness, Harp lager and Smithwicks beer. The canned drinks will instead be sold in recyclable cardboard packs and will prevent 400 tonnes of plastic waste a year. The decision by drinks giant Diageo follows similar moves by Carlsberg and Corona and is further evidence of how big business is taking radical steps to reduce waste as championed by the Daily Mails Turn the Tide on Plastic campaign. The new packs will be sold in Ireland from August and in Britain and other export markets from next summer. From 2017, Diageo committed to phasing out plastic straws and stirrers and single-use plastic bottles from its sites and last year set a target to ensure 100 per cent of plastic used was recyclable, reusable or compostable from 2025. Mark Sandys, its global head of beer, said: This is good news for the brand, for our wider beer portfolio and for the environment. Plastic carriers will be removed from Guinness, Harp lager and Smithwick's beer and will prevent 400 tonnes of plastic waste a year Advertisement We cannot wait for the next generation to solve climate change says President of the Seychelles in world-first speech delivered from the ocean floor in submarine Seychellois President Danny Faure called for stronger protection of the 'beating blue heart of our planet' In a striking speech delivered from deep below the ocean's surface, the Seychelles president made a global plea for stronger protection of the 'beating blue heart of our planet.' President Danny Faure's call for action, the first-ever live speech from an underwater submersible, came from one of the many island nations threatened by global warming. He spoke during a visit to an ambitious British-led science expedition exploring the Indian Ocean depths. Oceans cover over two-thirds of the world's surface but remain, for the most part, uncharted. Mr Faure said: 'We have better maps of Mars than we do of the ocean floor'. The President's speech was during a British-led exploration of the Indian Ocean 'This issue is bigger than all of us, and we cannot wait for the next generation to solve it. We are running out of excuses to not take action, and running out of time,' the president said from a manned submersible 400 feet (121 meters) below the waves, on the seabed off the outer islands of the African nation. Wearing a Seychelles T-shirt and shorts, the president said that the experience was: 'So, so cool'. It made him more determined than ever to speak out for marine protection, he said. 'We just need to do what needs to be done. The scientists have spoken.' The oceans' role in regulating climate and the threats they face are underestimated by many, even though as Mr Faure pointed out they generate 'half of the oxygen we breathe.' He gave the speech while inside a manned submersible that was resting on the seabed off the coast of the Seychelles 400 feet below the surface of the sea By the end of the mission, researchers expect to have conducted over 300 deployments, collected around 1,400 samples and 16 terabytes of data and surveyed about 30 square kilometers (11.5 sq. miles) of seabed using high-resolution multi-beam sonar equipment Scientific missions are crucial in taking stock of underwater ecosystems' health. Small island nations are among the most vulnerable to sea level rise caused by climate change, and some have found creative ways to express their concerns. Mr Faure's speech came a decade after members of the Maldives' Cabinet donned scuba gear and used hand signals at an underwater meeting highlighting global warming's threat to the lowest-lying nation on earth. Land erosion, dying coral reefs and the increased frequency of extreme weather events threaten such countries' existence. During the expedition, marine scientists from the University of Oxford have surveyed underwater life, mapped large areas of the sea floor and gone deep with manned submersibles and underwater drones. Little is known about the watery world below depths of 30 meters, the limit to which a normal scuba diver can go. Operating down to 500 meters, the scientists were the first to explore areas of great diversity where sunlight weakens and the deep ocean begins. By the end of the mission, researchers expect to have conducted over 300 deployments, collected around 1,400 samples and 16 terabytes of data and surveyed about 30 square kilometers (11.5 sq. miles) of seabed using high-resolution multi-beam sonar equipment. The data will be used to help the Seychelles expand its policy of protecting almost a third of its national waters by 2020. The initiative is important for the country's 'blue economy,' an attempt to balance development needs with those of the environment. 'From this depth, I can see the incredible wildlife that needs our protection, and the consequences of damaging this huge ecosystem that has existed for millennia,' Mr Faure said in his speech. 'Over the years, we have created these problems. We can solve them.' Oceans cover over two-thirds of the world's surface but remain, for the most part, uncharted Mr Faure said: 'We have better maps of Mars than we do of the ocean floor'. Currently, only about 5 per cent of the world's oceans are protected. Countries have agreed to increase the area to 10 per cent by 2020. But experts and environmental campaigners say between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of the oceans outside nations' territorial waters should get protected status to ensure marine biodiversity. Researchers hope their findings also will inform ongoing United Nations talks aimed at forging the first high seas conservation treaty, scheduled to conclude this year. Environmental groups argue an international treaty is urgently needed because climate change, overfishing and efforts to mine the seabed for precious minerals are putting unsustainable pressure on marine life that could have devastating consequences for creatures on land as well. Oceans will be one of the seven main themes of this year's U.N. climate summit in Chile in December. While scientists with the Nekton mission are nearing the end of their expedition, much of their work is just beginning. In the next few months, researchers at Oxford will analyse the samples and video surveys and put them together with environmental data. 'When we pull them together we can understand not just what we see in the areas that we've visited but what we might expect in other regions in the Seychelles,' said Lucy Woodall, the mission's chief scientist. This is the first of a half-dozen regions the mission plans to explore before the end of 2022, when scientists will present their research at a summit on the state of the Indian Ocean. Billions of people live along the ocean's shores in Africa and Asia. Benedict Cumberbatch was reportedly slapped by a furious cyclist after his car knocked him off his brand new bike on a country lane. The actor, 42, allegedly caught the arm of the rider, Michael Lawrence, 63, during the collision which took place in Freshwater, Isle Of Wight, last September. Mr Lawrence, affectionately known as Scooby, is said to have got up off the floor and immediately slapped Cumberbatch - before realising he was an A-list star. A friend of the cyclist said that it was 'lucky' Cumberbatch, was not punched, describing Mr Lawrence as 'no shrinking violet.' Benedict Cumberbatch (left) reportedly knocked a man off his new bike while driving along a country lane and moments later was slapped by the cyclist, Michael Lawrence, right They said of the moment of the crash: 'He just put his arm over him and took the full force of the impact on his forearm, which smashed the wing mirror. 'It totally ruptured his arm. There was blood everywhere. 'Scooby dusted himself off and, full of adrenaline, reacted as he knows best by slapping him. 'That posh actor was lucky he didnt throw a punch.' The friend told The Sun: 'Scooby is no shrinking violet and he b****y hurt him by the sounds of it.' Cumberbatch, who got married on the Isle of Wight in 2015, frequently visits the island to see family, and is believed to have a second home there. Despite claims from Cumberbatch's representative's that he doesn't own a Lamborghini, Mr Lawrence reported he had been hit by a Urus 4x4 (pictured) Mr Lawrence reported that he had been hit by a Lamborghini Urus 4x4 in the incident, but the actor's spokesman claims he doesn't own that make of car. Mr Lawrence's friend told The Sun that Cumberbatch accused the cyclist of being in the middle of the road at the time of the collision. Recalling the moment his friend realised he had just slapped the Sherlock star, he told The Sun: 'Scooby said he nearly had a heart attack.' However despite the initial heated encounter, the Dr Strange actor offered the cyclist clothing and bottled water to clean up the blood before offering him a lift to the nearest medical centre. The actor, 42, allegedly caught the arm of the rider, Michael Lawrence, 63, during the incident which took place in the Isle Of White (pictured in the 2016 film Dr Strange where he crashes a Lamborghini Huracan) Cumberbatch is thought to have reported the incident to police on the island but hasn't pressed charges against Mr Lawrence over the slap. The two men swapped numbers and Mr Lawrence is apparently disheartened that he hasn't yet heard from the actor, his friend reports. Mr Lawrence, a retired fisherman, is allegedly thinking about seeking compensation for the incident, where he could reportedly be awarded up to 20,000. MailOnline have contacted Cumberbatch's representative's for comment. Mr Lawrence, affectionately known as Scooby, is claimed to have got up off the floor and immediately slapped Cumberbatch - before realising he was an A-list star (pictured March 2019) When contacted by The Sun Hampshire Police confirmed the incident had been previously reported. Cumberbatch and his wife Sophie, 41, married on the Isle Of Wight on Valentine's Day 2015, have built their own family pad on the island where her mother lives. The couple, who share Christopher, three, and two-year-old Hal, frequently return to the area to visit family. James Trewethie shockingly appeared to hint he would be open to a threesome with co-stars Alex Nation and Brooke Blurton in Bachelor In Paradise's first week. But the show's chief Ciaran Flannery has said the program still aims to be 'respectful' to families and younger viewers. 'We know that the Bachelor franchise is something that younger people enjoy as much as adults,' the executive producer told The Sun-Herald. Scroll down for video Getting close: Bachelor In Paradise's intimate moments so far have included a preview scene of Brooke, 26, and Alex, 27, kissing passionately 'Of course there's romance, we're just a little careful. We want to be respectful of our audiences,' he said in an interview before the show's premiere. TV guidelines mean the show's depictions of sex have to be implied, although children can watch contestants kissing. Bachelor In Paradise's intimate moments so far have included a preview scene of female stars Brooke, 26, and Alex, 27, kissing passionately. Appropriate: But despite James Trewethie shockingly appeared to hint he would be open to a threesome with co-stars, the show's chief Ciaran Flannery has said the program still aims to be 'respectful' to younger audiences And in a uncut nine-minute conversation on Wednesday, Alex and her ex-partner Richie Strahan addressed the very raw reason behind their split. During the conversation, Alex emotionally said: 'I was left alone, to go through something massive that no woman should go through!' Showrunner Ciaran said the hit reality TV was a group viewing experience and aimed to re-create what was going on in living rooms around Australia. 'It's not just an appointment to view - it's become an appointment to view together which is fascinating because it does hark back to an older time,' he said. Bachelor in Paradise's chief executive added the show's high ratings were largely due to social media. He said the growth of the network's social media department was an indicator of just how important the communication method was to the show's popularity. Star Wars Celebration continues in Chicago this weekend, Saturday's slate of panels kicked off with a glimpse at the highly-anticipated Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge theme park attraction. Slated to open at Disneyland in Anaheim, California on May 31, and at Disney World in Orlando, Florida August 31, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will bring back several iconic Star Wars characters. The one-hour panel, hosted by Josh Gad (courtesy of Star Wars Twitter) confirmed that Star Wars characters Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). New panel: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will bring back iconic Star Wars characters, it was revealed at a Star Wars Celebration panel moderated by Josh Gad These characters will be featured in one of the primary attractions at Galaxy's Edge, a ride known as Rise of the Resistance, where guests will be 'captured' by the First Order and go on a mission to escape. Scott Trowbridge, the Creative Executive for Walt Disney Imagineering, was asked directly by Gad if fans will see Kylo, Rey, Finn or Poe, and he confirmed by smiling and nodding. 'If you make it back from the mission, youll be treated like a hero by the Resistance,' Trowbridge said. Mission: 'If you make it back from the mission, youll be treated like a hero by the Resistance,' Scott Trowbridge (above) said It was also confirmed by another panelist, Chris Beatty, the Executive Creative Director for Disney Imagineering, that Frank Oz will return to voice Yoda. And Jim Cummings will return to voice Hondo Ohnaka, the character he voiced in Star Wars Rebels. Paul Reubens will return to lend his voice to DJ Rex, which he voiced on the original Star Tours attraction. Falcon: Trowbridge also confirmed that fans will be able to 'pilot' the Millennium Falcon as part of this experience Trowbridge also confirmed that fans will be able to 'pilot' the Millennium Falcon as part of this experience. 'We're gonna give you the opportunity not just to fly the Millennium Falcon, but to become the flight crew,' Trowbridge said. 'To take those controls for yourself, and to take the fastest ship in the galaxy on a truly interactive mission,' Trowbridge added. Black Spire Outpost: Galaxy's Edge will be set at the Black Spire Outpost, which Trowbridge described as a 'necessary stopping off point' at one point in time, but the place had been in decline, since the advent of hyperspace no longer made it necessary to stop there Galaxy's Edge will be set at the Black Spire Outpost, which Trowbridge described as a 'necessary stopping off point' at one point in time, but the place had been in decline, since the advent of hyperspace no longer made it necessary to stop there. The Black Spire Outpost has now become a place where you will find, 'smugglers, rouge traders, the adventurers, who are looking to crew up on some adventure into wild space.' 'It's an opportunity for you to feel like you can participate in Star Wars, not just be a spectator in the world of Star Wars,' Trowbridge added. Opportunity: 'It's an opportunity for you to feel like you can participate in Star Wars, not just be a spectator in the world of Star Wars,' Trowbridge added There will also be a new Cantina, which will feature an, 'all new droid band,' with brand new music. Fans will get to consume glasses of Butterbeer or even a glass of blue or green milk. It was also revealed during the panel that fans will also get to build their very own lightsaber in Savi's workshop. Victoria proved to be full of shocks on Sunday night, as a shock death helped the royal couple reconcile following an explosive domestic feud. After days of furious exchanges in what could be only described as the 19th Century version of a Twitter feud, it took the tragedy of a cholera outbreak to bring the couple back together. But it was the death of fan favourite character Nancy that left fans of the period drama reeling, as her Happy Ever After with husband Francatelli was tragically cut short. Reconciled: Victoria proved to be full of shocks on Sunday night, as a shock death helped the royal couple reconcile following an explosive domestic feud The episode began with Victoria and Albert barely on speaking terms following their Isle Of Wight clash, exchanging fiercely written words around the issue of Berties schooling. The couple struggled to even muster a greeting as they finally met to greet the visiting foreign ambassadors, before once again arguing on the issue of Alberts decision to travel to Cambridge. In a dramatic scene Victoria tried to display her authority over her husband with another blazing row, but to no avail. Shock: It was the death of fan favourite character Nancy that left fans of the period drama reeling, as her Happy Ever After with husband Francatelli was tragically cut short Meanwhile, London is rocked by the news of a cholera outbreak in Soho, and little-known physician Dr Jon Snow is desperate to find the cause, despite little acknowledgement from his peers. After the Queen is informed, she demands to visit a hospital and meet those who are suffering, once again going against advice, as the disease was at the time viewed to be spreading through the air. In a dark scene, Victoria struggles to make her way through the ward, as she sees how many of her people are suffering, but is offered some reassurance from a sprightly nurse with a pet owl. And in a surprise link for history fans, the nurse is revealed to be a young Florence Nightingale! Illness: London is rocked by the news of a cholera outbreak in Soho, and little-known physician Dr Jon Snow is desperate to find the cause, despite little acknowledgement from his peers Eventually Dr Snow discovers it is a contaminated water pump that is causing the cholera, following the ''a-ha'' that men have been immune as they drink nothing but beer. Meanwhile Nancy and Francatelli are in the early days of their life together, just days away from opening a hotel. Things get even better when they also discover they are expecting a baby, and in an uplifting moment, toast their success with friends Archibald and Abigail. But Nancy is found to be dangerously ill the next day, after drinking a tonic for morning sickness that had been made from the contaminated water pump. Horrendous: Nancy is found to be dangerously ill the next day, after drinking a tonic for morning sickness that had been made from the contaminated water pump As she lies in bed close to death, the Queen finally grants her an audience after ignoring her letter earlier in the episode, and apologises for her immature response, and adds she would be honoured to have baby Francatelli named after her. Nancy dies hours later, leaving her husband, and viewers, utterly heartbroken. It takes this tragedy to finally clear Victorias anger towards her husband, and the couple reconcile following his return from Cambridge. Elsewhere in this episode, Albert began his campaign to be Chancellor of Cambridge University, though faced opposition from his peers and scene-stealer Lord Palmerston. Despite a mixed reaction, the Prince does win the popular vote, but learns a valuable lesson about earning respect with knowledge over position. Meanwhile Feodora continues to worm her way into the royal couple, but this week it is an unnoticeable side-point, as fans seem to be more focused on the dishy footman Joseph, who is continuing to flirt with the Duchess Emma. Victoria continues on Sunday 21st April at 9pm on ITV. He's the name behind such successful shows as American Horror Story and Glee. But Ryan Murphy has revealed that one idea he wasn't able to get off the ground was a season of his FX series Feud, that would focus on the strained relationship between Prince Charles and Princess Diana. 'I thought I was going to [make it] for a while, I just decided that I couldnt find my personal way into it,' the 53-year-old told Us Weekly. His white whale: Ryan Murphy has revealed that one idea he wasn't able to get off the ground was a season of his FX series Feud, that would focus on the strained relationship between Prince Charles and Princess Diana The TV writer, who recently signed a deal with Netflix after a long collaboration with Fox's FX Network, added that the project, 'is on hold right now'. Season one of the FX hit series focused on the Hollywood rivalry between acting legends Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The Hollywood screen sirens were portrayed by Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange, respectively. Charles and Diana: The TV writer, who recently signed a deal with Netflix after a long collaboration with Fox's FX Network, added that the project, 'is on hold right now'. The Prince and Princess seen here in 1981 Meanwhile, Murphy unveiled the first teaser on Wednesday for his FX anthology's ninth season titled 1984, which premieres in the fall. In the cliched clip - set to Billie Eilish's 2016 song Six Feet Under - a masked man wielding a knife stalks a young woman outside a cabin in the woods. The Emmy-winning showrunner was clearly inspired by eighties retro slasher fare such as the Friday the 13th franchise. After five years of online dating, without ever having met in person, Dina Lohan and Jesse Nadler have called it quits. Nadler confirmed to The Blast on Saturday that he broke it off with the 56-year-old Lohan, after a dispute over a Facebook photo. Lohan reportedly, 'went off' on Nadler over a Facebook photo of a friend's book, which she thought was 'about a woman' and caused her to get 'upset.' Split: Dina Lohan has split from her five-year internet boyfriend Jesse Nadler Dispute: Nadler confirmed to The Blast on Saturday that he broke it off with the 56 year old Lohan, after a dispute over a Facebook photo While Lohan tried to call Nadler and apologize, since the book wasn't actually about a woman, Nadler had enough and ended the relationship over the phone. The split comes just a week before Lohan and Nadler were supposed to meet in person for the first time, with Lohan set to fly up to Tiburon, California. He was planning on spending some time with Lohan in Tiburon before driving her to Carmel to propose with an engagement ring and a pair of vintage Tiffany earrings he had already bought her. Calling it quits: While Lohan tried to call Nadler and apologize, since the book wasn't actually about a woman, Nadler had enough and ended the relationship over the phone First meet: The split comes just a week before Lohan and Nadler were supposed to meet in person for the first time, with Lohan set to fly up to Tiburon, California Despite the break-up, Nadler added that he's still in communication with Lohan, so it's possible they could still get back together. Lohan first spoke about the relationship on an episode of Celebrity Big Brother in February, where she told housemate Kandi Burruss that she's been talking to this guy on the phone every day for the past five years. 'I feel like I know him,' Lohan said, adding that they have never even video chatted before but she still swore, 'Im going to marry him.' Exes: While Lohan's ex-husband Michael Lohan was originally worried about Nadler being a 'stalker,' he later told The Blast that they texted for and spoke on the phone While Lohan's ex-husband Michael Lohan was originally worried about Nadler being a 'stalker,' he later told The Blast that they texted for and spoke on the phone. 'Actually, hes a really nice guy with a good heart and I like him, and if he makes Dina happy, Im happy for them,' Michael said. He originally said, 'How she thinks hes a boyfriend is beyond me, but hey, stranger things have happened with Dina,' Michael said. On Michael: 'Actually, hes a really nice guy with a good heart and I like him, and if he makes Dina happy, Im happy for them,' Michael said 'I just hope shes not putting herself in a dangerous position with this guy,' Michael added, before he spoke with Jesse himself. Neither Michael Lohan nor Dina's daughter Lindsay Lohan have commented on the breakup at this time. While Jesse admitted their relationship was 'unorthodox,' he said he was in love with her before this abrupt split. Dangerous: 'I just hope shes not putting herself in a dangerous position with this guy,' Michael added, before he spoke with Jesse himself Former Today show weather presenter Natalia Cooper, 35, became a mother in January to son, Ezra. And on Sunday, the TV star revealed the difficult birth she had with the infant. Speaking to Stellar magazine, she said while she had a relatively quick five-hour labour, little Ezra suffered complications. 'It was really hard to see my baby in that situation': Former Today Show weather girl Natalia Cooper, 35, (pictured) has revealed the difficult birth of her son Ezra in Stellar magazine Natalia and musician husband Carl Fox were told the newborn had fluid on his lungs, and was rushed to special care in the hospital. Talking about the difficult time, Natalia said: 'It was really hard to see my baby in that situation. It was tough.' 'When you get back from your room (from the delivery suite), and you don't have your baby with you, it wasn't what we expected.' 'We assumed the worst': It was discovered the cherubic tot Ezra had fluid on his lungs, with him rushed to special care after his birth. Natalia gave birth to him back in January this year Natalia and her husband Carl went on to say as 'new parents', the unexpected medical emergency had them 'expecting the worst'. The happy-go-lucky TV star went on to explain their son was released four days later, with the couple glad to have their bundle back home. She said the first night was 'the best', as she felt relieved to have a 'happy and healthy' baby in their nursery. Natalia admitted she stare at him constantly in those first few nights at home, and confessed she still catches herself doing it now with her cherubic newborn. Happy, healthy baby: Natalia went on to say she was overjoyed to have a little Ezra home, confessing she still stares at him while he is sleeping. Pictured: Ezra Natalia and Carl welcomed their son Ezra on January 28, and announced the exciting news with an Instagram snap of their newborn swaddled in a hospital blanket. 'It's a boy! Our beautiful son was born late on Monday night. (28.01.19),' Natalia wrote. 'We've named him Ezra and we are completely in love. So thrilled that our family of two is now a trio. We love you gorgeous boy,' she added. In September, Natalia announced her pregnancy and revealed the happy news on the Today show, by sharing an ultrasound of her baby. 'I'm forecasting a lot of sleepless nights for me because my husband Carl (Fox) and I are having a baby': Natalia (pictured) revealed while on the Today Show last September 'I have a long range forecast for February and it has nothing to do with the weather!' she told former host Karl Stefanovic and Georgie Gardner at the time. 'I'm forecasting a lot of sleepless nights for me because my husband Carl (Fox) and I are having a baby.' Natalia surprised her co-stars when she explained she was already halfway through her pregnancy, but had only just started to show. The bubbly weather girl married musician Carl Fox in March 2016, after meeting at a Perth pub more than eight-years-ago. Line of Duty actress Vicky McClure has described the constant battle actors who are not born with wealth are left facing when trying to pursue their careers. The 35-year-old star, who currently plays the undercover specialist Kate Fleming in the popular BBC drama, described how having fewer funds in the bank account limited an aspiring actor's opportunities. The British actress, who is currently starring in series five of the popular television series, went on to say that she would continue to champion those who had not had the easiest start in life. Struggle: Line of Duty actress Vicky McClure has described the constant battle actors who are not born with wealth are left facing when trying to pursue their careers. Speaking to The Sunday Times the British star said an actor was not able to control the situation they were born into. She said: 'I just find if frustrating that if you haven't got funds you haven't got the same opportunities. She added: 'Of course it's not their fault but I'm always going to be championing people who haven't had that easier start because I didn't.' Popular role: The 35-year-old star, who currently plays the undercover specialist Kate Fleming in the popular BBC drama The actress was raised on a council estate in Nottingham before going on to attend a free acting school in her home city. Through her association with director Shame Meadows she rose to fame with a role in his comedy drama A Room for Romeo Brass before going on to appear in This is England and its subsequent TV spin-offs. Describing how she has personally witnessed struggling actors miss out on opportunities simply because they were unable to pay for the train fare, the actress passionately claimed that having money mattered. Happy couple: Vicky is engaged to Welsh actor and producer Jonny Owen (pictured) She continued: 'All actors are fighting the same battles but if you are born into money it is easier.' The star's comments come as she prepares to take on the lead role on Channel 4's I am Nicola which tells the story of a woman stuck in a mentally abusive relationship with her partner. The one-off episode is part of a new, female-led anthology that also stars Samantha Morton and Gemma Chan. She attended the premiere of her new TV series Summer of Rockets on Friday night. And fans of Keeley Hawes will see her character lock lips with co-star Linus Roache in the BBC drama set during Cold War Britain. In new stills of the show it sees the 43-year-old actress in a period costume from the era - a pink coat, a printed shirt with a green scarf, gloves, a small purse and a bonnet on her wavy red tresses. New drama: Fans of Keeley Hawes will see her character lock lips with co-star Linus Roache in the BBC drama set during Cold War Britain She plays Kathleen Shaw, the wife of Richard Shaw MP played by Linus Roache, the son of long-time Coronation Street star William Roache. A still from the drama shows the actors' characters engaged in a passionate kiss in the rain. Speaking about their kiss, she told The Daily Star: 'I don't think anybody is interested in that!' Kiss: The actress and her co-star Linus Roache (pictured), son of long-time Coronation Street star William Roache, will lock lips in a scene where they share a passionate kiss in the rain Chic: Keeley stepped out in an elegant white dress as she attended the premiere of her new TV series Summer of Rockets on Friday night The semi-autobiographical drama centres around the Russian-born Jewish inventor Samuel who is approached by MI5 to spy on friends including Kathleen and Richard. On Friday, Keeley stepped out in an elegant white dress for the premiere of the new drama. Her appearance at the event comes after she revealed that she modelled Julia Montague on real-life politician Amber Rudd, 55. In an interview with the Graham Norton Show, three time BAFTA-nominee Keeley said: 'I watched Amber Rudd a lot for research. Inspired: Keeley's appearance on the red carpet comes after she revealed that she modelled Julia Montague on real-life politician Amber Rudd, 55 (right) 'I actually bumped into her in a restaurant and she told me she really enjoyed the show. She did ask me if I was really dead!' The climatic drama, which saw 10.4 million viewers turn on their televisions to watch the final episode, followed bodyguard David Budd, played by Richard Madden, who is assigned to protect the highly ambitious Julia Montague, played by Keeley Hawes. The jaw-dropping assassination scene of Keeley's character is now among six drama's nominated for the BAFTA's Must-See Moment category. The Australian actor starred in last year's blockbuster smash, Crazy Rich Asians. And now Chris Pang, 34, has revealed the Hollywood flick has improved his career beyond his wildest dreams. Speaking to Sydney Confidential on Sunday, he boasted about being able to turn down films he would have previously struggled to be cast for. Achievement: Australian Chris Pang (pictured) has revealed Crazy Rich Asians has lifted his career so much he can now turn down directors whose films he would have previously paid to be in 'Not too long ago I would have paid to be in the films I am now turning down - now it is like "no, no, I will wait for something better",' he explained. 'I was meeting with some of my cast mates recently and we were saying we are at the point where we have the luxury of picking and choosing gigs,' Chris added. In Crazy Rich Asians, Chris, 34, plays protagonist Nick Young's childhood best friend and is given ample screen time alongside Hollywood stars including Ken Jeong. But the film was not his first break, and his appearance in Australian movie When The War Began was the kick-start to his acting career back in 2010. Career-changing: 'I was meeting with some of my cast mates recently and we were saying we are at the point where we have the luxury of picking and choosing gigs,' he said (pictured right with co-stars Ken Jeong centre and Nico Santos left) Chris played a supporting role in the movie about a group of youths who band together to defend their town from an enemy army. In his latest interview, the Melbourne-born actor said the role took on a particular significance for him. 'The film was so important for me culturally that I am just so happy to be able to connect people together,' he said. Role: In Crazy Rich Asians, Chris, 34, plays protagonist Nick Young's (right) childhood best friend (left) and is given ample screen time alongside Hollywood stars including Ken Jeong Not his first rodeo: Crazy Rich Asians (cast shot with Chris pictured fourth from right) was not his first break, and his appearance in Australian movie When The War Began was the kick-start to his acting career back in 2010 In an interview last year following the release of Crazy Rich Asians, he revealed his break in acting came following a chance encounter in a casting studio. He had been selling phones when he walked into the studio and started a conversation with the staff inside. 'I walked into a casting studio and I was interested in what they do so I was talking to them. They were like, "Can you do a Chinese accent?"' he told the Los Angeles Times. Nicole Kidman blew through four outfits on Saturday when she was spotted filming her upcoming drama series The Undoing on Saturday. In one fraught scene, her co-star Hugh Grant, 58, could be seen leading her character away from a crowd of reporters with flashing cameras. For that moment, Nicole, 52, was decked out in a royal purple dress and darker jacket, adding a pop of contrast with a green print scarf. Tense: Nicole Kidman blew through four outfits on Saturday when she was spotted filming her upcoming drama series The Undoing with Hugh Grant on Saturday In another scene, Nicole slipped into a flowing lime green dress and floral coat, rounding off the ensemble with suede boots. While wearing this outfit, she shot a conversation with legendary actor Donald Sutherland, who went for classic elegance in a suit. Hugh and Nicole will play a husband and wife duo in the HBO drama, which has been penned by Big Little Lies writer David E. Kelley. Nicole was spotted filming with Hugh for the first time this Saturday, as they continue work on their dark new drama. Feeling plum: Nicole, 52, was decked out in a royal purple dress and darker jacket, adding a pop of contrast with a green print scarf Not easy being green! In another scene, Nicole slipped into a flowing lime green dress and floral coat, rounding off the ensemble with suede boots Veteran of the craft: She shot a conversation with legendary actor Donald Sutherland, who went for classic elegance in a suit Glamour: Nicole styled her red locks into loose curls as she filmed scenes for the series Pals: Hugh and Nicole chatted to one another as they waited between takes The Australian Moulin Rouge sported dramatic curls with Hugh during another scene where where they were mobbed by photographers leaving the Federal Court. Nicole oozed sartorial chic as she filmed that sequence in the heart of the Big Apple, sporting a stylish burgundy red coat and grey boots. The Oscar winner's strawberry blonde tresses were styled into corkscrew curls, and she carried her essentials in a matching grey handbag. Meanwhile Hugh was every inch the suave star as he donned a grey coat to film scenes outside the Court. Star cast: Nicole was spotted on-set with Hugh for the first time Saturday, as they filmed scenes for The Undoing Mr and Mrs: The Australian star, 51, sported dramatic curls as she joined the British actor, 58, in a scene where they are mobbed by photographers leaving the Federal Court Tense: In the scene, the pair were mobbed by press and photographers as they exited the courthouse Low-key: In a break from filming, Hugh was also spotted chatting to a member of the crew, as he sipped an ice cold drink Relaxed: This is the first time the British actor has been seen filming with Nicole, as previously their scenes have been separate Style: Nicole oozed sartorial chic as she filmed scenes in the heart of the Big Apple Fashion: She sported a stylish burgundy red coat and grey boots along with a mauve top and grey handbag Later, Nicole had an outfit change, donning a light green jacket with a detailed floral print which she paired with a dark skirt. She also wore a silk baby pink top and added height to her frame with brown heels, completing her look with a matching handbag. The pair join forces with famed Big Little Lies writer Kelley for The Undoing, with Nicole also credited as an executive producing credits. Big roles: Both Hugh (left) and Nicole were hard at work on their next big acting parts, after the highly praised Big Little Lies Happy: Nicole looked in high spirits as she waited between takes on the set of the upcoming flick Ensemble: Later, Nicole had an outfit change, donning a light green jacket with a detailed floral print Fashion: She also wore a baby pink silk top for her second look which she paired with a dark skirt Nicole plays successful therapist Grace Sachs in the series, whose world in upended when husband Jonathan, played by Hugh, goes missing right before she's about to publish her first book. Faced with a series of horrible and shocking revelations, she must dismantle her life and begin a new one with her son. Kelley earned much critical acclaim for his work on Big Little Lies, which scooped the Emmy Award for Best Limited Series. Outfit: Nicole added height to her frame with a pair of dark shoes and accessorised with a matching handbag Epic show: The pair join forces with famed Big Little Lies writer Kelley for The Undoing, with Nicole also credited as an executive producing credits Epic: Nicole plays successful therapist Grace Sachs in the series, whose world in upended when husband Jonathan, played by Hugh, goes missing Dapper duo: Donald Sutherland (left) was also spotted exiting the courthouse with Hugh, as they continued another day of filming for the drama Working hard: The two actors are set to take centre stage in the drama, which has been filming in New York Directed by Bird Box's Susanne Bier, the drama also stars Donald Sutherland, Noah Jupe, Fala Chen, Edgar Ramirez and Lily Rabe. The premium cable project is based on the novel You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz and has yet to receive a release date. Nicole will next be seen in The Goldfinch which follows the tale of a boy who survives a terrorist attack and goes on to become involved in art forgeries. The Goldfinch - which also stars Sarah Paulson and Ansel Elgot - is slated for release in September. Jaw-dropping: Nicole highlighted her trim figure in yet another stylish ensemble, as she exited the courthouse in a tense scene A month and a half after Ryan Seacrest and his girlfriend of three years Shayna Taylor had split, the duo may be back together. Seacrest, 44, and, Taylor, 26, were all smiles when spotted going hiking in Beverly Hills on Saturday afternoon in Beverly Hills. The couple have been off and on before, and when they split in late February, sources from People claimed they were, 'still friendly.' Now an insider has told DailyMail.com that the stars 'are just friends and nothing more.' It was added: 'They are on very good terms and still like spending time together, but there is no romance between them, just friendship.' Ryan and Shayna: Ryan Seacrest goes for a hike with Shayna Taylor, weeks after they broke up, sparking rumors they're back together For the hike Seacrest was wearing a navy blue Under Armor shirt, black Nike running pants and grey Nike running shoes with black Nike socks. He also had on a navy blue hat and black sunglasses, as he prepared for his hike with Taylor. The American Idol host made sure to stay hydrated on his hike, carrying a bottle of water. Taylor was wearing a white v-neck shirt over an orange top, with matching orange stretch pants. All smiles: Seacrest was wearing a navy blue Under Armor shirt, black Nike running pants and grey Nike running shoes with black Nike socks Hydrated host: The American Idol host made sure to stay hydrated on his hike, carrying a bottle of water on his hike The model had her hair tied up in a bun, wearing a pair of sunglasses, with a pair of thin gold chains around her neck. She held her phone in one hand and a large bottle of Essentia water while waving to fans. The pair smiled and waves, seeming to signal happy times. Seacrest and Taylor were first introduced through a friend, with the pair starting dating in March 2013. While they split up in December 2014, they rekindled their romance in 2017, before their split in late February 2019. Hiking fashion: Taylor was wearing a white v-neck shirt over an orange top, with matching orange stretch pants Intro: Seacrest and Taylor were first introduced through a friend, with the pair starting dating in March 2013. Sources claimed that Taylor was ready to tie the knot with Seacrest, but the Live with Ryan and Kelly host wasn't ready to take that leap. 'After three years together, Shayna wanted more out of the relationship,' a source told People. 'It felt like the natural next step for her. She was ready to get married, but Ryan wasnt there yet,' the source said. 'But it got to a point where it made more sense to break up. It had just run its course,' the source added. 'But they are still very close.' Bachelor In Paradise star Vanessa Sunshine failed to receive a rose on Thursday after making it clear she wasn't impressed by any of the show's male suitors. But it might have been a different story had her crush, former Bachelorette contestant Jefferson De La Rosa, had made an appearance. Taking to Instagram for a Q&A on Sunday, the 29 year-old revealed she had hoped to spark a romance with the Sydney-based events manager. 'He was the only one I asked to meet!' Vanessa Sunshine reveals crush on Sophie Monk reject Jefferson De La Rosa (right) and admits she was hoping he would star on Bachelor in Paradise Jefferson was one of the first to be eliminated by Bachelorette Sophie Monk during her 2017 season. Vanessa shared a photo of the suitor from the show, writing: 'Mortified if this man is happily married or something now but this is him, the only person I wrote down and asked to meet.' In a prior clip, Vanessa explained why none of the Bachelor in Paradise suitors were her type. Someone's got a crush: Vanessa shared a clip of herself, writing, 'getting so many questions about who I actually wanted to meet on BIP. She then shared a pic of Jefferson Italian-born Jefferson, 32, is probably best known for 'passing out' during a rose ceremony. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Jefferson for comment. It comes after Vanessa was eliminated from Bachelor in Paradise after the briefest of stints on Thursday. During her memorable time on the show, she received a topless massage from Nathan Favro, which she did not enjoy. Remember that? Italian-born Jefferson, 32 is probably best known for 'passing out' during a rose ceremony. He's pictured sleeping on a couch as Sophie Monk walks by And on Friday, the beauty revealed she had asked Channel Ten executives for a chance to be the next Bachelorette. 'I asked for The Bachelorette,' she told 10Daily. However, she confessed it was too late because producers had already chosen their 'shortlist' - with Gogglebox star Angie Kent ultimately claiming the title. Well that's...romantic! During her memorable time on BIP, Vanessa received a topless massage from Nathan Favro, but wasn't given a rose by any of the seven males on the show Jessika Power has undergone a dramatic cosmetic surgery transformation following her split with Dan Webb. The newly-single Married at First Sight star confessed to having lip fillers on Instagram and revealed she also recently underwent an eyebrow lift to combat dark circles under her eyes. It comes just days after she was seen getting hair extensions, after being dumped by Dan earlier this week. Barbie makeover! Married At First Sight's Jessika Power (right) admitted to having lip fillers and an eye brow lift during an Instagram Q&A on Sunday. She also had hair extensions put in this week During an Instagram Q&A, Jessika was asked whether she has lip fillers - to which she replied: 'Yes! I get lip fillers.' 'I've also had a little bit of a brow lift after the show. 'Cause I have really bad bags and its taken the bags away like the tiniest little bits, it's the best thing I've done, I'm happy.' The secret to her plump pout! Jessika used to have very thin lips and she chose to have fillers injected to make them larger. Pictured left in 2016 and right, earlier this year 'Yes! I get lip fillers': Jessika also added that she got an eye brow lift after the Channel Nine show, revealing it helps with her under eye bags. Pictured left in 2015 and right in May, 2018 Jessika also recently ditched her short blonde locks and debuted a set of flowing long hair extensions last Thursday. The reality stars's flowing tresses appear to now reach just below the length of her waist. And it comes after Jessika's co-star Dan Webb confirmed to Yahoo that he'd dumped her, citing trust issues as the reason. New hair, don't care! Jessika recently swapped her natural locks (left) for a set of flowing long hair extensions (right) this week 'It's done!' It comes after after Dan Webb (right) confirmed he dumped Jessika due to trust issues 'I'm glad I finished it, it's done,' he told the publication. The former rugby player said that Jessika's rumoured tryst with MAFS groom Nic Jovanovic was a major factor in their breakup. The Gold Coast car broker even broke down in tears as he recalled the blonde bride's alleged lies. 'I just wanted to get to the bottom of the whole situation with her and Nic if she flirted with him, didn't flirt with him,' he explained. He is taking on the dark role of Grindr serial killer Stephen Port for disturbing new drama The Barking Murders. And Stephen Merchant looked unrecognisable on location this weekend as he shot scenes for the series alongside co-star Sheridan Smith. Donning a suit and a rucksack, Stephen, 44, showcased a balding head, mirroring the visage of Port - who drugged and murdered four men he met on the dating app between 2014 and 2015. A new direction: Stephen Merchant looked unrecognisable on location this weekend as he shot scenes for disturbing new drama The Barking Murders Shooting the BBC drama at Manchester Crown Court, Stephen was seen in the car park, alongside Sheridan, who will play the mother of Port's first victim Anthony Walgate, Sarah Sak. The actress, 38, put on a much dowdier apparance for the role, in what appeared to be a brunette bobbed wig, a maroon jacket and a yellow blouse. It's thought the scenes being shot were part of Port's trial; the killer famously received a life sentence for drugging and raping male victims to 'satisfy his fetish' for sex with the unconscious. Port killed 21-year-old fellow chef Daniel Whitworth, along with Gabriel Kovari, 22, fashion student Anthony Walgate, 23, and Jack Taylor, 25, a forklift driver from Dagenham. Dark: Shooting the BBC drama in Manchester, Stephen was seen in a car park, alongside Sheridan Smith, who will play the mother of Port's first victim Anthony Walgate, Sarah Sak Serious story: Stephen says he feels compelled to tell the story of how four young lives were lost, at the hands of 'monstrous' serial killer Port (right) Comedy giant: The BBC drama is a stark departure from the actor's usual, popular comedy roles See you in court: The actress, 38, put on a much dowdier apparance for the role, in what appeared to be a brunette bobbed wig, a maroon jacket and a yellow blouse He met all of the men on gay dating app Grindr and killed them using date rape drug GHB before dumping their bodies in the street or his local graveyard in Barking, east London. Sentenced in November 2016, Port got the same term as notorious killers including Fred and Rose West, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, Robert Black and Mark Bridger. And now it is the challenge of former film student Merchant to act out a story that he said 'could not be ignored,' as the drama follows the aftermath of the killings and how Port tried to cover them up. In a stark departure from his usual light-hearted characters, towering 6ft6in actor Stephen had changed his appearance noticeably to take on the menacing air of the Grindr killer. Looking for younger men: Port tried to attract men who were half his age Looking to meet up: Port used his Grindr profile to meet up with male dates The victims: (From left) Daniel Whitworth, Jack Taylor, Anthony Walgate and Gabriel Kovari were all killed by Port He had swept a mop of longer blonde hair into a side-parting, resembling the killer's now-chilling dating app pictures, and was no longer sporting his usual facial hair. Merchant looked more youthful in a hoodie and a T-shirt from a vintage toys and collectibles store, perhaps mimicking the style that Port chose to snare his much younger victims. Who was the Grindr serial killer Stephen Port? Stephen Port, 41, was handed a whole life sentence in 2016 for abusing and killing four men using date rape drugs before dumping their bodies in the street or his local graveyard in Barking, east London. Port had a fetish for sex with the unconscious so drugged and raped his victims to 'satisfy his lust' after meeting them on dating app Grindr. He used GHB - a drug known as liquid ecstasy - which knocked them out cold. For more than three years Port, 41, carried out attacks against 11 men under the age of 26, including the four who died. With each of the murders Port tried to cover his tracks and he even wrote a fake suicide note for Daniel Whitworth and stuffed it into his hand. Scotland Yard was accused of 'institutional homophobia' over its multiple failures to stop Port far earlier - despite repeated warnings of a murderer on the loose. Port was even jailed for perverting the course justice by lying over Mr Walgate's death, but killed when on bail and after being released from prison. The serial killer, who worked as a cook in a bus garage canteen, was finally caught in October 2015 after the family of his fourth victim Jack Taylor carried out their own research and showed police the striking similarities between Mr Taylor's death and the previous three murders. The force is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the drug deaths of 58 gay men in London over four years amid fears they may have also been murdered. Advertisement The actor was carrying a toy tractor in a plastic bag and even though he was clearly in character, subtle hints of his natural sense of humour showed through while he chatted to hair and make-up artists on set. Earlier this year, Stephen explained why he felt compelled to tell the sinister story in a small screen remake. 'This is a story that can't be ignored,' he told Digital Spy. 'How four young lives were lost and their families' brave attempt to uncover what happened.' 'This factual drama will shed light on their story, so it's a privilege to be a part of telling it with the brilliant combination of Jeff Pope, Neil McKay and the BBC.' It's an unexpected move into more serious drama for a beloved actor who is best known for comedy roles in The Office, Extras and a cameo in The Big Bang Theory. Speaking about the transition into factual drama, Stephen told The Evening Standard last March: 'I don't watch comedy, I watch drama or more serious-minded stuff so I'm very pleased to be able to try and do that. 'There are filmmakers I admire from back in the day like Billy Wilder who would do a comedy one movie, a drama the next and then a thriller and they could jump from those different genres. 'I think that's harder to do now but that's something I'd like to try and do.' After his role in Fighting With My Family, a more serious biographical film about a young woman's transformation into a professional wrestler, Stephen said he hoped people would see 'another dimension' to what he does. His new drama, The Barking Murders, now portrays the months after the killings and the fallout for the family. It has also been confirmed that Bodyguard star Stephanie Hyam, Rufus Jones and Cold Feet's Leanne Best will also appear. In the aftermath of Port's killings in 2015, police missed multiple opportunities to catch the killer. A comedy legend: Stephen is famous for hilarious roles in Extras, alongside Ricky Gervais and Shaun Williamson The joker: Stephen played the inimitable Nathan 'Ogmmonster' Oggy in British comedy The Office All four of the men were found dead a short distance from his east London home between 2014 and 2015. It was later revealed that Port had told 'wicked and monstrous lies' about the men found dead that meant their families were told by police that their loved-ones had killed themselves or died accidentally. With each of the murders Port tried to cover his tracks, even going to the extent of writing a fake suicide note for Daniel Whitworth, which was found stuffed it into his hand. One of the most shocking lines read: 'BTW. Please do not blame the guy I was with last night'. Funny man: Stephen branched off into his own comedy Hello Ladies Christmas comedy: Stephen starred in Christmas comedy Click and Collect this year Port was first questioned by British Transport Police on June 4, 2014 when he was found with a collapsed man at Barking station. He was allowed to leave, despite admitting that both he and the man had taken illegal drugs. Three weeks later, Port was the one to call police about Anthony Walgate's death, claiming that he was 'drunk or had a seizure' outside his flat. Jack Taylor, Gabriel Kovari and Daniel Whitworth were all found in the exact same spot, within a mile of Port's home. Daniel Radcliffe is a long way from Hogwarts - Adelaide, Australia to be exact, where he's shooting his latest film, Escape from Pretoria. With the mercury hitting a balmy 28 degrees Celsius, the 29-year-old took a break from his hectic schedule to enjoy some weekend sunshine on Saturday. Stripping down to his blue shorts, the actor went shirtless as he caught some rays shortly before returning to England. Harry Potter's having a puff! Shirtless Daniel Radcliffe (pictured) stripped down to his shorts and smoked an unhealthy a cigarette on a hotel balcony in Adelaide on Saturday Showing off his muscular, pale physique, the British performer casually puffed on an unhealthy cigarette. Looking pensive, he enjoyed the no doubt impressive view from his high rise balcony. Daniel has completely changed his look for the upcoming film, growing a beard and sporting longer hair. Relaxed: Showing off his muscular, pale physique in long blue shorts, the British performer casually puffed away in the sunshine, the mercury hitting a balmy 28 degrees Celsius The Kill Your Darlings star was similarly enjoying the sunshine and another smoke last weekend on another break from filming. Last week, he stripped down to his underwear for a cigarette break on the same balcony. With filming almost completed on Tim Jenkins biopic Escape from Pretoria, Daniel looked fairly relaxed. Hard at work! Daniel is in Adelaide shooting his latest film, Escape from Pretoria. He changed his look for the flick, growing a beard and sporting longer hair. Daniel is pictured on set Escape From Pretoria is inspired by a real-life escape from the brutal Pretoria Maximum Security prison in South Africa 1979. Filming began for the highly anticipated movie at Mitcham train station, in the suburb of Lower Mitcham, Adelaide, four weeks ago. The film is written and directed by Francis Annan and based on Tim Jenkin's autobiography, Inside Out: Escape From Pretoria Prison. Daniel's character Tim and his friend Stephen Lee were two white South Africans branded as 'terrorists' and thrown in jail in 1978. Home and Away star Bonnie Sveen welcomed her identical twin girls, Myrtle Mae and Emerald Lois, with her partner Nathan Gooley, last October. And on Sunday, the power couple flashed their pearly whites while attending the world film premiere for Escape and Evasion on the Gold Coast. The 29-year-old actress and her beau dressed in elegant ensembles while gracing the red carpet. Power couple! Home and Away's Bonnie Sveen (left) and partner Nathan Gooley (right) looked smitten at film premiere for Escape and Evasion on the Gold Coast on Sunday.. just six months after the birth of their identical twin girls Bonnie looked simply sensational in a figure-hugging black dress that featured long sleeves and a high neckline. Ending just below her ankles, Bonnie enhanced the attire by wearing black sky-high heels. She completed the look with a small olive green clutch and accessorised with statement silver drop earrings. All eyes on her! Bonnie looked simply sensational in this figure-hugging black dress that featured long sleeves and a high neckline The stunning blonde kept her silky tresses pulled back into a neat bun, while opting for a natural makeup look. Bonnie flaunted her flawless visage with minimal foundation, a pop of coral blush, nude lipstick and defined eyebrows. Meanwhile, Nathan looked dapper in a dark green T-shirt teamed with a grey blazer and loose-fitting black pants. Details: She completed the look with this small olive green clutch and accessorised with statement silver drop earrings Gorgeous: The stunning blonde kept her silky tresses pulled back into this neat bun, while opting for a natural makeup look Later, Bonnie, who portrayed Rebecca in war drama film Escape and Evasion, was seen posing beside her film co-stars for a snap. And the film premiere comes after Bonnie described welcoming her twin bundles of joy as nothing short of magical in October last year. 'How could I have possibly earned this double miracle in my life?' she gushed to New Idea magazine. Group shot: Later, Bonnie, who portrayed Rebecca in war drama film Escape and Evasion, was seen posing beside her film co-stars for this snap Speaking of motherhood, the star told the publication: 'It's the best. It's definitely far from perfect, but it's the most heart-opening, profound experience I've ever undergone.' Bonnie also revealed the meaning behind her girls' unusual names, explaining that Emerald was inspired by the fictional land of Emerald City in The Wizard Of Oz. Meanwhile, Myrtle was named after Bonnie's favourite Tasmanian tree species as well as her aunt- who's nickname was Myrtle. Picture perfect! It comes after Bonnie welcomed her identical twin girls, Myrtle Mae and Emerald Lois, with her partner Nathan Gooley, last October Myrtle and Emerald were born almost one month premature and spent two weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit at Royal Hobart Hospital. While Bonnie admitted that she struggled to be separated from her newborns, she was quick to praise the 'incredible' nurses that took care of the girls during that time. Now reunited, the family-of-four have settled down in rural Tasmania. He has been dating glamorous banker Nicole Kimpel since 2014. And Antonio Banderas proved the couple are more in love than ever as he walked hand-in-hand with the beauty during the Semana Santa celebrations in Spain. The Shrek actor, 58, put on a dapper display as he stepped out in his native streets of Malaga in a classic black suit and tie on Saturday. Lovebirds: Antonio Banderas proved he is more in love than ever as he walked hand-in-hand with Nicole Kimpel during the Semana Santa celebrations in Spain He completed his sharp look with a white dress shirt and wore black Oxford shoes for the occasion. Nicole, 38, cut an effortlessly glamorous figure in statement black and white striped trousers and a studded leather jacket as she joined her beau for the outing. The pair had stepped out for the Semana Santa - or Holy Week - which is the country's week-long celebration of Easter. Sharp: The Shrek actor, 58, put on a dapper display as he stepped out in his native streets of Malaga in a classic black suit and tie Glam: Nicole, 38, cut an effortlessly glamorous figure in statement black and white striped trousers and a studded leather jacket as she joined her beau for the outing Holy week: The pair had stepped out for Semana Santa - or Holy Week - which is the country's week-long celebration of Easter Religious: Proud Spaniard Antonio Banderas wore a traditional white robe as he took part in the annual Saint Mary of Tears and Favours procession in his native Malaga Proud Spaniard Antonio Banderas has long upheld the tradition of travelling back to his native Malaga to soak up the festivities leading up to Easter. And things were no different this year, when the actor was seen wearing a traditional white robe as he took part in the annual Saint Mary of Tears and Favours procession. The Mask of Zorro actor, who has participated in the procession for many years, also donned an ornate necklace and wicker waist belt as he rang a large silver bell and called out to the congregation inside a church. Watching on: Nicole cuddled up to Antonio as they watched the proceedings unfold Getting involved: The Mask of Zorro actor also donned an ornate necklace and wicker waist belt as he rang a large silver bell Passionate: Antonio called out to the congregation inside a church during the service The procession: The bell signalled the start of the procession which the Interview With The Vampire actor led through the streets of the Andalusian city during Holy Week Smiles all around: Antonio and Nicole smiled as they took part in the celebrations The bell signalled the start of the procession which the Interview With The Vampire actor led through the streets of the Andalusian city during Holy Week. At one point the star, who travelled to the picturesque province with his girlfriend Nicole, also threw on a black hood during the service at San Juan Bautista church during Holy Week celebrations. Antonio, who is part of the Virgin of Tears and Favours brotherhood wore his black hood to ensure attention was firmly focused on the traditional activities. The haunting processions take place each Easter in Spain, with penitents wearing gowns and conical hoods - a tradition that was meant to maintain their anonymity - as they carry life-size effigies of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary through city streets. Donning the hood: At one point the star also threw on a black hood during the service at San Juan Bautista church during Holy Week celebrations Focused: Antonio, who is part of the Virgin of Tears and Favours brotherhood wore his black hood to ensure attention was firmly focused on the traditional activities Signalling the way: The actor appeared to assist in directing the procession Helping out: Antonio adjusted a penitent's hat, called "capirote", inside a church before taking part as a penitent Leading the way: The Spanish actor gave instructions inside the church The actor has been dating girlfriend Nicole since 2014, shortly after his 19-year marriage to actress Melanie Griffith, 60, ended. Antonio's latest outing comes after he revealed he had three stents implanted to widen the narrowed arteries in his heart after a recent health scare. He also admitted he had suffered heart rhythm problems before being rushed to hospital near his Surrey home while exercising. The Desperado star confirmed at a Spanish film festival: 'I suffered a heart attack on January 26. Preparations: Antonio awaited the start of the procession of Our Lady of Tears and Favours Happy: The actor looked happy as he took part in the Easter celebrations The brotherhood: Nazarenes take part in the Lagrimas y Favores (Tears and Favours) brotherhood's Palm Sunday procession during Holy Week 'It was a benign attack, it hasn't caused any permanent damage and now I'm in a recovery period. 'It's something that happens every day to a lot of people. I didn't hide it, but I didn't want it to receive more importance than those suffered by other people.' Antonio can be seen in the upcoming 20th Century Fox movie The New Mutants. The film by director Josh Boone, 39, is scheduled for release on August 2. The actor also has a featured role in the Netflix movie The Laundromat by director Steven Soderbergh, 56, due out in 2019 by the streaming service. Focused: Antonio Banderas looks on, inside a church before taking part as a penitent in the procession through the streets Heavily involved: Antonio and Nicole were at the centre of the action on Sunday He recently revealed that series six of the hit BBC series is in the pipeline. And Martin Compston has taken some down time as he spent the day running errands with his wife Tianna Chanel Flynn on Saturday. The star, 34, who plays the lead role of Anti-Corruption Unit Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott in the Line Of Duty, looked happy and relaxed as he cruised the supermarket with his sweetheart. Supermarket sweep: Martin Compston, 34, looked happy and relaxed with his wife in Las Vegas on Saturday Martin kept it casual in a grey t-shirt that clung to his muscular frame and a pair of navy blue chinos. He strode around Sin City in a pair of Converse all stars trainers for his trip down the shop aisles. Tianna followed suit in black Converse trainers and slung on a pair of denim dungarees and covered up with a sporty jacket. The couple set themselves up for the day by enjoying lunch at American eatery PT Gold, followed by stocking up on supplies at the supermarket. Busy day: Alongside the Line Of Duty actor was his wife Tianna Chanel Flynn Proving that he cannot keep his hands off his wife, Martin playfully grabbed the natural beauty's peachy bottom as she walked in front of him as he played the doting husband and held open the door. The Scottish star and Tianna's trolley was pilled high with water bottles, sparkling flavoured water, an air humidifier and they also treated themselves to a large packet of crisps. Gentleman: Martin played the doing gentleman by holding open the door Cop a feel! The star who plays the lead role of Anti-Corruption Unit Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott grabbed his wife's perky bottom Cheeky! The actor could not keep his hands off his stunning other half Lunch date: The couple set themselves up for the day by enjoying a nice lunch at American eatery PT Gold, followed by stocking up on supplies at the supermarket The pair were also seen loading the shopping into their silver Greenok-plated fiat - seemingly a homage to his hometown. Martin married American actress Tianna in a lavish Scottish ceremony in 2016. Martin and Tianna met in 2013 following the demise of his relationship with girlfriend of five years Stacey McKelvie. The actor recently hinted he may not be returning to his lead role Anti-Corruption Unit Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott for the next season. Appearing on This Morning in March, the star said it had been a 'great' seven or eight years in the role as he thanked TV bosses for a 'job of a lifetime'. Shopping duty: The Scottish star and Tianna's selection in the supermarket suggests that they live a healthy lifestyle with their trolley pilled high with water bottles, sparkling flavoured water and an air humidifier Off-duty: Martin kept it casual in a grey t-shirt that clung to his muscular frame and a pair of navy blue chinos He said: 'I don't know whether I'd be in it. You never know. We've filmed five. We've got six commissioned.' Phil really grilled the star as he pointed out Martin would know whether his character was killed off or if he would reprise his role for the sixth season. Determined not to spoil Line Of Duty for fans, Martin remained tight lipped on whether he will appear in season six but he did say it had been 'a job of a lifetime'. He replied: The audience don't know [if I'll be killed off]. It's a job of a lifetime I've never laughed so much on any set. Day-off: Tianna slung on a pair of denim dungarees and covered up with a sporty jacket Inspector: Martin's other half checked the products over before paying for them Elsewhere, it's been revealed that Line Of Duty has become the biggest show of the year so far, after it garnered 11.4 million for its first episode of the new series last week. The BBC confirmed on Monday that the drama's debut episode of the fifth season gained the staggering viewership numbers over a 4-screen consolidated audience. As a result, the show is now the most watched programme of 2019 so far across all channels, and is the company's most popular show since Bodyguard last year. Mission complete: The couple, who tied the knot in 2016, both wore Converse trainers for their trip down the shopping aisles Piece of home: The pair were also seen loading the shopping into their silver Greenok-plated fiat - seemingly a homage to his hometown Getaway car: Martin and his wife chatted by their car for a while It was also the series' highest rating for an episode ever, and it performed strongly with younger viewers, with 1.5 million 16-34 year olds tuning in. It was revealed by the BBC that this was the biggest number of people within the demographic to watch a programme this year, beaten only by Luther's 1.6 m launch. While Richard Madden and Keeley Hawes' drama, about a bodyguard and his Home Secretary ward, launched with 6.7million viewers in August last year. Partners! The married couple looked happy as they headed home Fit! Martin effortlessly lifted the heavy shopping out of the trolley and into their vehicle Line Of Duty is written by Jed Mercurio, who is also the brains behind BBC's stand-out hit show Bodyguard. After an absence of two years, the hit police procedural now focuses on the travails of AC-12, an anti-corruption squad based at Polk Avenue police station in a nameless northern town, although it is actually filmed in Belfast. Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), Detective Inspector Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) are the leading stars of the drama. She hails from southern Brazil. But Gisele Bundchen looked like every inch the city girl while enjoying some time to herself in New York on Saturday. Trading in the laid-back attire for a leather shearling jacket, Gisele channeled her inner biker girl while making her way through the big city. City girl: Gisele Bundchen looked like every inch the city girl as she enjoyed some time to herself in New York on Saturday The catwalk queen exuded an air of cool confidence while walking down the sidewalk in a pair of classic skinny jeans. She contrasted the edgy jacket with a Chanel cross body purse worn over her shoulder, giving her rugged look a classic touch. Hair cascading down in loose ringlets, Gisele looked gorgeous with minimal makeup upon her complexion and a large pair of sunglasses upon her face. She made her way comfortably through the city wearing a pair of clean white sneakers. She has good jeans: Bundchen rocked a pair of classic blue skinny jeans Gisele is back in New York after promoting her new book Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life in Germany last week. The book recounts her story that began in southern Brazil growing up with five sisters. It was somewhat fate she pursued a career in modelling as she had hoped to become a volleyball player or a veterinarian but instead she was spotted by a scout. A step in the right direction: Bundchen made her way comfortably through the city in white sneakers Gisele first made her mark on the modelling world when she starred in Alexander McQueen's memorable rain-soaked London runway show in the spring of 1998. However, the blonde insisted she was 'not a model' as it was simply a job she did which allowed her to see the world and paid her well. She told VOGUE's Rob Haskell in July: 'I'm not a model. Modeling is a job that I do, a career that I've had. It allowed me to see the world, and I was well paid for it. But it never defined me.' She left her eight-month-old son at home on Sunday afternoon. But, Amy Childs was every inch the doting mum as she held her daughter Polly in her arms to pose for photos at Tiny Pop headquarters in London for the Cookie Monster's Foodie Truck day. The former TOWIE star, 28, and her little girl - who turns two this month - put on a sweet display before enjoying time with the stars of the children's television show. Cute: Amy Childs, 28, was every inch the doting mum as she held her daughter Polly, two in her arms at Tiny Pop HQ in London for the Cookie Monster's Foodie Truck day The reality star nailed casual chic in skin-tight indigo jeans and a baggy navy blue jumper. She finished off her ensemble with a pair of nude loafers and and a large metallic watch. She wore her honeyed locks up in loose tumbling curls and added a neutral foundation to her complexion and a pink gloss to her pout. Polly was dressed in an adorable cream hooded coat over her outfit for the day, completely her look with bow adorned knee-high socks. Cute: The former TOWIE star and her little girl - who turns two this month - put on a sweet display as they posed for photographs Chic: The reality star nailed casual chic in skin-tight indigo jeans and a baggy navy blue jumper Amy welcomed her son to the world with her boyfriend, Ritchie, on September 1 2018. The brunette announced her little one's arrival via Instagram, sharing a sweet picture of her baby sleeping. She added the caption: 'My beautiful son. Welcome to the world darling.... Born Saturday 1st September 4.12am.' Stylish: She finished off her ensemble with a pair of nude loafers and and a large metallic watch, and wore her honeyed locks up in loose tumbling curls Amy confirmed the news she was expecting her second child this time last year just 11 months after welcoming her daughter with ex-boyfriend Bradley Wright. Amy gushed over welcoming a child so close in age to Polly, saying at the time: I absolutely love being a mum! 'I would never have thought Id have two so close together Im crazy... it will only be 16 or 17 months since I gave birth to Polly. Katie Holmes looked to be in great spirits on Sunday morning as she headed out alone in the Soho area of New York City. The 40-year-old Ohio native was modeling a pretty plaid summer dress that was long and exposed her naked back. This sighting comes just days after the ex-wife of Tom Cruise was seen holding hands with longtime beau Jamie Foxx in Los Angeles. Good mood gal: Katie Holmes looked to be in great spirits on Sunday morning as she headed out alone in New York City. The chic dress was baby blue, white and cherry red plaid with wide straps and a belt. The Batman Begins star added high-top Converse sneakers that had pink spray painted on them. And proving she was ready for summer, the mother to Suri Cruise wore tinted sunglasses to keep out the April glare. Errands for one: The 40-year-old Ohio native was modeling a pretty dress that had baby blue, white and cherry red plaid with wide straps and a belt Holmes appeared to be shopping in the SoHo district of Manhattan near Spring Street. She also wore a gold bracelet and held on to a cell phone. At one point she showed off her naked backside as she crossed a street. A bit revealing: At one point she showed off her naked backside as she crossed a street In early April Katie and Jamie, 51, proved they are still solid after almost six years together. They put on a rare display of affection as they went to dinner and a movie with Jamie's daughter Corinne, 25. It is the first time the couple have been pictured together with one of their family members, hinting that their relationship is very much serious. An eyewitness told Dailymail.com that Jamie and Katie walked hand-in-hand together as the trio stopped by the Westfield Century City Mall for a bite to eat and spent four hours there. Longtime loves: In early April Katie and Jamie, 51, proved they are still solid after almost six years together. They put on a rare display of affection as they went to dinner and a movie with Jamie's daughter Corinne, 25. Seen here in 2018 They then made their way back to the Annenberg Space for Photography, where Jamie had parked his Lamborghini, with a quick stop at gelato spot Bacio di Latte for a sweet treat. The threesome looked very much at ease in each other's company, flashing big smiles as they chatted and laughed. With a pal: On April 2 Katie posed with her Mad Money co-star Diane Keaton in Las Vegas The Batman Begins actress was seen in skinny jeans and a cream trench coat along with snakeskin loafers. In contrast, Jamie opted for a sporty look consisting of clingy sweatpants and a white long sleeved top. The Django Unchained star's daughter walked alongside the happy couple in a dark outfit and her hair tied up in a ponytail. Corinne, who Jamie shares with ex-partner Connie Kline, is a model and actress who has represented brands such as Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabbana, Kenneth Cole. She also stars in upcoming thriller 47 Meters Down: The Next Chapter to be released in August. Meanwhile, the couple - who are based on separate coasts; Katie in New York and Jamie in LA - are said to feel strongly about keeping their romance private for the sake of their kids. 'They keep it private and protect it for the most part because they dont want to disrupt either of their families,' a source told Us Weekly. A good mom: Holmes shared this image of her daughter Suri playing with a boy at a refugee camp in Cyprus 'Jamie rarely has her over his house and they mostly hang out separately from their kids.' Katie is mom to daughter Suri, 12, from her marriage to Tom Cruise and Jamie is dad to Corinne and Annalise, nine, from previous relationships. Despite their long-term relationship, the actors are rarely seen together. 'When they can spend time together, they do,' a source told People last week. 'When theyre busy and they cant, they dont. They are two adults who enjoy each others company and have for a long time.' The actors were first seen dancing together in 2013 in the New York area after she divorced Tom Cruise. Stacey Dooley has defended herself in a defiant tweet after her ex Sam Tucknott accused her of dumping him for Strictly dancer Kevin Clifton. The TV presenter, 32, wrote on Monday: 'Anyone with any adult life experience knows there are 2 sides to every story. 'I havent got the time or energy to correct some of the utter nonsense Ive read on here. 'There are two sides to every story': Stacey Dooley defended herself in a defiant tweet posted on Monday, after dumping her ex for Strictly lover Kevin Clifton, (pictured) Hurt: Stacey's ex boyfriend of five years Sam Tucknott, 30, branded Kevin a 'snake' and a 'rat' for sending flirty text messages to Stacey 'Re Sam, I loved him v much and only wish him happiness and success going forward.' Stacey's fans were quick to stick up for her, writing: 'I can only add that I am personally thrilled that you and Kevin are together......Ive been willing it from day one of your dance partnership.' 'Do what makes you happy! You only get one chance on this earth so grab happiness whenever and however it appears. Xx' Nothing bad to say: Stacey also asserted that she had loved her ex Sam very much and had nothing but kind words to say about him 'You have nothing to Justify, especially on here. Your life, live it. All the best.' Stacey had broken her silence over the matter the day before, as she liked a tweet about forgiveness. She recently split from her boyfriend of five years Sam, 30, who branded Kevin a 'snake' and a 'rat' for sending flirty text messages to his ex. It has been alleged that Stacey and Kevin's relationship was an 'open secret' on the Strictly tour. There for her: Stacey received a lot of support from fans after her most recent post Taking to Twitter following an explosive interview Sam gave with the Mail On Sunday, Stacey decided to respond by liking a tweet about forgiveness. The tweet read: 'Forgive not because they deserve forgiveness but because you deserve peace.' It comes as a source on the Strictly tour told The Sun that Stacey frequently angered cast and crew by frequently gushing about Kevin. They said: 'Everyone believed romance was blossoming between them. 'Kevin was a regular feature. Hed cheer on Stacey when he could, then spend time with her and the others at the hotel. Stacey didnt hide the fact she wasnt happy at home and barely mentioned Sam.' The source added that her close relationship with Kevin was said to have raised eyebrows behind the scenes of the show as Stacey was still in a relationship with Sam. Forgive: Stacey took to Twitter the day before, to like a post that read: 'Forgive not because they deserve forgiveness but because you deserve peace' MailOnline has contacted a representative for Stacey for further comment. It comes a day after Sam revealed he had confronted Kevin about his relationship with Stacey during a furious FaceTime call. He told the Mail on Sunday: 'He went white. I just stuck it on him, "You're an absolute rat. How you conducted yourself. Just a slippery, slimy snake." He didn't say a word. He looked petrified. He looked so shocked.' Snake: The personal trainer said he confronted Kevin during a FaceTime call after he discovered flirty text messages sent to his ex 'I am so respectful of [Stacey], but I am gutted and I am disappointed and I feel so let down that she did not have the respect for me to tell me and just come clean.' The fitness fanatic said Kevin - who he referred to as his 'best mate' - has since refused to meet and discuss the relationship 'man-to-man'. He said: 'To have that relationship where you are best buddies, but then you start going cold because you start fancying their girlfriend I hold no respect for him whatsoever. 'He has gone from my best mate wanting to know the ins and outs of what I am up to and then he can't even go out of his way to reply. That's come from guilt.' Old times: Sam said Kevin - who he referred to as his 'best mate' - has since refused to meet and discuss the relationship 'man-to-man' Intense: And Sam, who split from Stacey after a five-year relationship in March, blames the match on the intensive hours Kevin and the journalist spent together on Strictly During the interview, Sam, who split from Stacey after a five-year relationship in March, blamed the potential match on the intensive hours Kevin and the journalist spent together on Strictly. He said all was well in their relationship until mid-November - when Stacey and Kevin were performing in Strictly Come Dancing - and he noticed flirty text messages from the dancer. Sam said a message Stacey received from Kevin one Sunday morning read 'I love dancing with you and spending every minute I can with you'. The personal trainer said: 'Maybe I was too naive. Looking back now all the signs were there that I had lost Stacey, but I kept thinking we had done the hardest bit. Split: Sam said all was well in their relationship until Stacey and Kevin began performing in Strictly Come Dancing Happier times: Sam said a message Stacey received from Kevin one Sunday morning read 'I love dancing with you and spending every minute I can with you' 'I had proved to her for five years that I could cope with her going away for long periods of time because the love I have for her is unconditional.' But by the end of March, the couple had made arrangements to separate and for Stacey to move out of their Brighton home. It was then that Sam discovered a text message from Kevin which he said confirmed to him that they were in a relationship - and he decided to confront the dancer. Former flame: By the end of March, the couple had made arrangements to separate and move out of their Brighton home He said: 'Her phone went and it was Kevin Clifton 'I love you' with a red love heart.' Kevin - who won Strictly with Stacey last year - split from his third wife and co-star Karen in March 2018. Competing on Strictly requires hard work and often draws competitors away from their families, creating rifts between loved ones. This phenomenon is known as the Strictly curse and has led to several divorces and breakups. A series of couples have fallen victim to the curse since the show's inception in 2004, including Natasha Kaplinsky, Ben Cohen, Louise and Jamie Redknapp, and more recently Neil and Katya Jones. The show is also responsible for forming new romances, with lovebirds Giovanni Pernice and Ashley Roberts and Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell embarking on romances following the 2018 series/ Victim: A series of couples have fallen victim to the curse since the show's inception in 2004, including Natasha Kaplinsky, Ben Cohen, Louise and Jamie Redknapp Viewers of The Only Way Is Essex couldn't contain their frustration of viewers on Sunday night. Taking to Twitter in their droves, fans hit out at producers of the ITVBe show for 'clutching at straws' with 'boring,' 'cringeworthy' storylines as TOWIE bosses attempted to integrate new cast members with series regulars. Viewers were initially irked by the 'staged' and 'awkward' flirtations between Liam Gatsby, 30, AKA Blackwell and newbie taxi driver Clare Brockett, 42, and his claim to be attracted to the 'Fit cabbie MILF'. Scroll down for video. CRINGE: Taking to Twitter in their droves on Sunday night, fans hit out at TOWIE producers for 'clutching at straws' with 'cringeworthy' storylines as bosses attempted to integrate new cast members with series regulars (Pictured: Gatsby) The acronym MILF, which stands for mother I'd like to f***, was made popular when used in the 1999 movie American Pie. Trying to justify his sudden attraction to Clare - who is mother to 24-year-old Chloe - Gatsby later told his pals: 'I'm fed up girls now. I actually want a woman. I want a lady.' Watching in disbelief, one viewer Tweeted: 'Gatsby and the taxi driver mum apparently going to have a thing is #towie realllllyyyyy clutching at straws with storylines now.' 'Liam and Claire? Flirty banter? Where? LMFAO' added another fan of the show, while someone else tweeted: 'Cringe Gatsby, cringe.' Staged? Viewers were initially irked by the 'staged' and 'awkward' flirtations between Liam Gatsby, 30, AKA Blackwell and newbie taxi driver Clare Brockett, 42 New love interest? Laim claimed to be attracted to the 'Fit cabbie MILF' but viewers weren't buying it A lady: Trying to justify his sudden attraction to Clare - who is mother to 24-year-old Chloe - Gatsby later told his pals: 'I'm fed up girls now. I actually want a woman. I want a lady' Not buying it: Watching in disbelief, one viewer Tweeted: 'Gatsby and the taxi driver mum apparently going to have a thing is #towie realllllyyyyy clutching at straws with storylines now' Viewers' frustrations grew as they admitted to finding it difficult to become 'invested' in the young new cast members, branding them 'fake' and their scenes 'staged'. In a clear dig at the newbies, one viewer tweeted: 'Bring back the old gang, its not Grange Hill lol #TOWIE.' 'It's hard to care about the new additions to TOWIE and their "storylines" when you aren't invested in them at all and they've been on the show for 2 mins,' wrote someone else. Cringe: 'Liam and Claire? Flirty banter? Where? LMFAO' added another fan of the show, while someone else tweeted: 'Cringe Gatsby, cringe' Fan reaction: Viewers of TOWIE took to social media to vent their frustrations In an attempt to please viewers, show bosses recruited MP Angela Eagle and Michelle Visage for unexpected appearances during the latest episode. But, viewers couldn't help but laugh over Michelle's two-minute cameo as her only purpose was to give Bobby Norris a hug. After a sassy entrance to an event which the TOWIE regular was hosting to draw attention to his campaign to make online homophobic abuse a specific criminal offence, Michelle explained she couldn't stay for his party. After an unexpected romance blossomed between them in Thailand, their budding relationship became the central storyline in TOWIE. But during Sunday night's episode, fans branded Dan Edgar a 'player' as he backtracked on his offer to take Chloe Sims on their first date, after succumbing to pressure from his friend, and allegedly his ex Amber Turner. Viewers were left begging for Amber to return to the ITVBe show and set the story straight, as she took to Twitter during the programme to hint that was has been depicted on the show isn't the truth. Scroll down for video. Player? During Sunday night's episode of TOWIE, fans branded Dan Edgar a 'player' as he backtracked on his offer to take Chloe Sims on their first date During Sunday night's episode of TOWIE, Chloe arrived at Dan's flat at his request. The hunk admitted: 'I wanted to be straight up with you' as he informed her that, although he's asked her on a date, 'even the thought of doing that is playing on my mind.' Clearly irked by his confession, Chloe snapped: 'We go to sleep together, we wake up together. So how is a date more than that?' In an attempt to justify his decision to call off their fledgling romance, Dan blamed being newly single and the pressure from his friends, but Chloe wasn't buying it and insisted: 'There's gotta be another reason.' No way! Viewers were left begging for Dan's ex Amber Turner to return to the ITVBe show and set the story straight, as she took to Twitter to hint that was has been depicted isn't the truth Backtracking: Dan told Chloe: 'I wanted to be straight up with you' as he informed her that, although he's asked her on a date, 'the thought of doing that is playing on my mind' What? Clearly irked by his confession, Chloe snapped: 'We go to sleep together, we wake up together. So how is a date more than that?' Why? In an attempt to justify his decision to call off their fledgling romance, Dan blamed being newly single and the pressure from his friends Heartbreakingly, the blonde beauty admitted: 'I did really fall for you in Thailand. The feelings have got stronger, and I can't switch them off.' Unable to accept his backtracking, and clearly hurt by his decision, she told Dan: 'I was ready to fight for it. 'I deserve more than that.' Viewers took to Twitter slamming Dan for his actions, branding him a 'player' and even 'the UK's biggest f**ckboy.' '#TOWIE Dan is so f**king miserable why would anybody want to go out with him he's the biggest player ever,' tweeted one fan of the show. 'Dan Edgar will always be the UKs biggest f**kboy #TOWIE,' wrote another, while someone else tweeted: 'Dan from TOWIE defines f**kboy.' So sad: Heartbreakingly, the blonde beauty admitted: 'I did really fall for you in Thailand. The feelings have got stronger, and I can't switch them off' It's over! Unable to accept his backtracking, and clearly hurt by his decision, she told Dan: 'I was ready to fight for it. 'I deserve more than that' The ex: During the episode it was also alleged that Dan's ex-girlfriend Amber Turner (pictured) had been calling him to vent her frustration over his fling with Chloe The truth: As TOWIE aired on Sunday night, Amber tweeted: 'Ohh if only people knew the truth,' followed by a laughing face, a frog emoji and a cup of coffee Others insisted that, with Dan's track record of being unable to commit to a relationship, Chloe shouldn't be surprised by what he's done. 'Fair play to Dan for being honest but really, everyone saw that coming, unfortunately for Chloe,' tweeted one fan of the show. 'Chloe acting like victim with this dan situation. You knew what he was like all along love, even before you got involved with him. #TOWIE,' said another. A third person tweeted: 'youre not fighting for this hes just got out of a relationship and you two havent even been on a date yet. chloe love, are you okay?! this is dan edgar were talking about. #TOWIE,' followed by a laughing face. Ouch! Viewers took to Twitter slamming Dan for his actions, branding him a 'player' and even 'the UK's biggest f**ckboy' During the episode it was also alleged that Dan's ex-girlfriend Amber Turner had been calling him to vent her frustration over his fling with Chloe. As TOWIE aired on Sunday night, Amber tweeted: 'Ohh if only people knew the truth,' followed by a laughing face, a frog emoji and a cup of coffee. The claims, and Amber's tweet led viewers to beg for the return of Dan's ex-boyfriend, in order to 'set the record straight.' Not the victim: Others insisted that, with Dan's track record of being unable to commit to a relationship, Chloe shouldn't be surprised by what he's done One person tweeted: 'So ambers ringing up dan and giving him sh*t about Chloe. shell never let go of Dan. Shes proved that since she was in love with him. #TOWIE.' '@AmberTurner_x needs to come back to #towie and put everyone straight... chloe saying Amber is ringing up Dan and hounding him.. i doubt thats why he wants to cool it off.. he's never been into it. Bring Amber back,' wrote another. Someone else tweeted: 'And he's clearly not forcing himself on her. Hurry up and get Amber on the show is all I can say.' Zara Holland looked in high spirits as she continued her sun-soaked trip to Barbados on Sunday. The reality star, 23, donned a multi-coloured patterned bikini with a star print and straps going across her abdomen for the day as she kicked back and relaxed at the luxurious Sandy Lane hotel. Styling her blonde locks into an updo and also sporting a pair of shades, Zara went for a stroll around the resort. Holiday: Zara Holland looked in high spirits as she continued her sun-soaked trip to Barbados on Sunday She also went for a dip in the water, looking in high spirits as she relaxed in the warm temperatures. Zara found fame on Love Island in 2016, 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 from her 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. Style: The reality star, 23, donned a multi-coloured patterned bikini with a star print and straps going across her abdomen for the day Trip: The former Miss Great Britain kicked back and relaxed at the luxurious Sandy Lane hotel Fun: Zara also went for a dip in the water during her day at the hotel Vacation: The TV star showed off her bronzed hue as she made the most of her trip abroad Relaxed: Styling her blonde locks into an updo and also sporting a pair of shades, Zara went for a stroll around the resort 'Love Island called me for the first time in two years [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. Past: Zara found fame on Love Island in 2016, where she controversially lost her Miss Great Britain title after having sex on the show with Alex Bowen Honest: Zara said she 'changed as a person' when her Miss GB title was stripped from her and is still 'haunted' by the repercussions She 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 She added: 'Love Island called me for the first time in two years [after the death of her co-star Sophie Gradon] to ask if I was OK' Warning: Zara said people applying for reality shows 'need to know how serious things can be' '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. For confidential help and support, contact Samaritans on 116 123. Fun in the sun: Zara seemed in good spirits as she strolled along the sand with her phone Tanned and toned: The Love Island starlet was a vision of beauty on the outing When Calls The Heart has been renewed for a seventh season by Hallmark. This despite the network having cut all ties with the show's star, Lori Loughlin, in light of the 54-year-old actress' alleged role in the college admissions scandal. Lori's co-star Erin Krakow made the announcement on the Hallmark Channel on Saturday. Happier times: When Calls The Heart has been renewed for a seventh season by Hallmark. Lori Loughlin seen here in a still from the series 'You've already heard When Calls the Heart will returning with a special two-night event Sunday, May 5 and Monday, May 6,' Krakow said. 'I'm also thrilled to announce When Calls the Heart season 7 coming next year! We can't wait to get back to Hope Valley.' The Hallmark Channel dropped Lori after she and her husband Mossimo Giannulli, a fashion designer, were accused of paying $500,000 to get their two daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella, into the University of Southern California on fake crew team scholarships. Gone girl: The network cut all ties with the show's star, Lori Loughlin, in light of the 54-year-old actress' alleged role in the college admissions scandal. Seen here with husband Mossimo Giannulli earlier this month Torn asunder: Lori's co-star Erin Krakow [L] made the announcement on the Hallmark Channel on Saturday. She and Lori seen here in April last year And Loughlin is said to be 'very concerned' about how entering a guilty plea in the college admissions scandal she's become ensnared in may affect her daughters' reputations and her relationship with them. According to a source, the public's perception of the scam is 'nothing compared to what her daughters think of her. So that is something that has understandably made her less likely to enter a plea,' the unnamed person told People. The scandal arose on March 12 when the US Attorney's Office announced that 50 people including Loughlin, Giannulli and actress Felicity Huffman had allegedly involved in the cheating scandal. In a Massachusetts court this week they were indicted for conspiring to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Loughlin (pictured leaving court on April 3) is said to be worrying how a plea may affect both of her daughters' reputations and her relationship with them Relations are said to be tense in the Giannulli household, with youngest daughter Olivia Jade (left) said to be 'hardly' speaking to her parents and living away from the family home in Bel Air The younger of the two daughters and YouTube star Olivia is said to be 'barely speaking' to either of her parents in the scandal's wake, previous reports have suggested. She has been spotted staying with friends in LA instead of at home with her parents in Bel Air. Huffman has already agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest service services mail fraud, but Loughlin, who faces the same charges, is said to be apprehensive to follow suit. And things got worse for the mother-of-two on Tuesday, after Loughlin and her husband we named among 14 other parents who were indicted on an additional charge of money laundering conspiracy. They now face up to 20 years in prison for each charge against them. Along with her husband Mossimo Giannulli, the have been accused of paying $500,000 to get their two daughters, Olivia Jade (right) and Isabella (left), into the University of Southern California According to a source, Lori thinks the public's perception of the scam is 'nothing compared to what her daughters think of her' The full gravity of the situation is now slowly sinking in for Loughlin, the source claims. 'It's just taking some time for it to sink in that what she was allegedly doing could be considered illegal,' People's source said. 'To her, it wasn't egregious behavior. Was it entitled and perhaps selfish? Perhaps. But she didn't see it as being a legal violation.' The source went on to say that Loughlin has been reluctant to accept a deal from the very beginning because she feels that she 'hasn't done anything that any mom wouldn't have done, if they had the means to do so.' Shameless star Jeremy Allen White is engaged to girlfriend Addison Timlin following an 11-year romance and having daughter Ezer Billie. The 27-year-old bride-to-be coyly flashed her new diamond engagement ring in an Instagram snap on Sunday captioned: 'Mom & Dad.' Timlin also Insta-storied a snap of herself on Sunday breastfeeding their precious six-month-old baby girl beside her friend, Fam actor Blake Lee. Put a ring on it! Shameless star Jeremy Allen White is engaged to girlfriend Addison Timlin following an 11-year romance and having daughter Ezer Billie (pictured January 17) The 27-year-old bride-to-be coyly flashed her new diamond engagement ring in an Instagram snap on Sunday captioned: 'Mom & Dad' The Philadelphia-born beauty and the Brooklyn-born 28-year-old first met on the set of Antonio Campos's 2008 drama Afterschool. Addison and Jeremy then went on to co-star in Olivia Layhee's 14-minute long drama Chasing You in 2017. Fans can next catch White resuming his role as Phillip 'Lip' Ronan Gallagher in the 10th season of Shameless, which premieres in late 2019 on Showtime. The cable network announced Thursday that Noel Fisher (Mickey Milkovich) will definitely be back for season 10 as well as Cameron Monaghan (Ian Gallagher). Mother and child: Timlin also Insta-storied a snap of herself on Sunday breastfeeding their precious six-month-old baby girl beside her friend, Fam actor Blake Lee (R) Betrothed: The Philadelphia-born beauty (L) and the Brooklyn-born 28-year-old (R) first met on the set of Antonio Campos's 2008 drama Afterschool (pictured in 2009) Back for more: Fans can next catch White resuming his role as Phillip 'Lip' Ronan Gallagher in the 10th season of Shameless, which premieres in late 2019 on Showtime Nationals senator Barry O'Sullivan has urged Agriculture Minister David Littleproud to review competition law to stamp out collusion in agriculture. The outspoken Queenslander said not enough had been done to address the issue since an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission investigation into a boycott at a Victorian saleyard in 2015. It was alleged the buyers boycotted the sale at Barnawartha, in the state's northeast, in protest at the saleyards' practice of pre-sale weighing. "It was clear that the majority of the nine were involved in a concerted effort not to turn up on that day and impact on the market place," Senator O'Sullivan told an estimates hearing on Thursday. The ACCC found there was not enough evidence the nine buyers colluded, although they had communicated about the sale. Senator O'Sullivan said the buyers had offered up "bulls*** on bulls***" excuses over why they snubbed the sale. "The dog got the homework. One of them said my mother-in-law wasn't well. Flat tyres. Windscreen wipers not working," he said. He wants Mr Littleproud, a fellow Queensland National Party politician, to consider legislative changes in defining concerted effort or practices in competition law. "You don't need a cellar or cigars to come together and collude," Senator O'Sullivan said. He said big players in markets could follow each other's behaviour without obviously documenting their intention to work together. "All they've got to do is 'I nose what you're doing'," the government senator said, tapping his nose. Senator O'Sullivan is chairing his final session of estimates as chair of the rural and regional affairs committee after losing a pre-selection battle. The environment department tried to retrospectively redact information provided in Freedom of Information requests, senators have heard. The department had given Guardian Australia information regarding the export of exotic and rare birds to a German company that was headed by a convicted criminal. More than 200 birds were given the tick of approval to be exported, the information revealed. Department official Kylie Jonasson admits she didn't expect the Guardian to comply with the new request to destroy or redact information, and the FOI overstepped the mark. "To be quite frank, this was an administrative error of my team that this information was released," she told a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Thursday. "The reality is more information than would normally have been provided has been provided." The department was concerned people could create fake export permits using details in the FOI, Ms Jonasson added. Just weeks out from a federal election, independent MP Cathy McGowan has a message for major parties. "Independents do get things done and any time any one of you says the opposite, the people of rural and regional Australia will remember these words," she told parliament in a valedictory speech on Thursday. "Independents deliver. Marginal seats matter." Ms McGowan is retiring as member for Indi in Victoria's northeast after six years, hoping to pass the baton on to another independent candidate, rural health researcher Helen Haines. "I have run one leg of this relay, and the independent banner carries a precious leg for our future." She first won the seat in 2013, defeating long-serving Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella with a strong grassroots campaign. Her margin increased at the 2016 election, handing Ms Mirabella another loss. The outgoing MP said her community took a huge risk in voting for her on both occasions. But she believes voting for an independent now seems less like a risk and more like choosing a sane, sensible alternative. She thanked those she has worked alongside on the crossbench, holding sway over contentious legislation, such as the Centre Alliance's Rebekha Sharkie and Greens MP Adam Bandt. "May you grow and multiply." Ms McGowan believes in her years in office her community has had its voice heard and the Liberal-National government has been called to account. But she stressed their work is far from done. "All of us need to hold the next government to account," she said. "Don't get mad, get elected." A one-year-old girl was sent home from a Melbourne hospital three times before she died from swallowing a button battery, but a coroner has found medical staff staff provided reasonable care. Doctors had diagnosed Isabelle Rees with an infection but on her fourth visit to hospital she was discovered to have swallowed the small battery, and died soon after in February 2015, following 19 days of ill health. Isabella's parents had earlier raised concerns that she may have swallowed something, but this information did not make it into medical records, coroner Caitlin English said in her inquest findings on Thursday. She found that "the medical care was reasonable", agreeing with the consensus of experts. A Liberal MP has announced funding for local environment groups when applications for the recently-announced program were yet to open. In three now-deleted Facebook posts, Chris Crewther announced a total of $37,500 for three environment groups in his electorate. In the posts, seen by AAP, Mr Crewther writes that he is making the funding announcements alongside Environment Minister Melissa Price. The environment minister features in videos with the Dunkley MP in each post. But government frontbencher Simon Birmingham denied Ms Price was involved. "The minister didn't make any announcements or funding commitments," he told a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Thursday. Department officials did not travel with Ms Price to Mr Crewther's Victorian electorate. Environment Department official Steve Costello said applications were expected to open in September. Each electorate will get $150,000 under the program for environmental projects, which will be nominated by the area's sitting MP. The posts are understood to have been made last month, about a fortnight after the funding program was announced. Outgoing federal parliamentarian Steven Ciobo is the man to ask if you want to know who will come second in an Australian political contest. By his own admission, he has a knack for picking runners-up, dating back to his support for Peter Costello during the Howard government. The Queensland Liberal MP, who is leaving parliament at this year's election after 17-and-a-half years, more recently backed Peter Dutton in his failed bid to become prime minister. "It was like a reverse sleeping beauty fairytale," Mr Ciobo told parliament in his valedictory speech on Thursday. "My kiss would put a person to sleep politically, for 100 years." Mr Ciobo became the Member for Moncrieff in 2001 after a challenging campaign during which his predecessor sued him for defamation for comments made at a branch meeting. He now looks back fondly on his achievements in parliament since 2001. They include campaigning for personal income tax relief and voluntary student unionism and against the coalition's proposed Access Card. He's been a frontbencher for the past six years and thanked successive prime ministers Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison for the opportunities. Mr Ciobo noted he had contributed to a series of international agreements in his most recent role as trade minister. Mr Ciobo, in particular, thanked Health Minister Greg Hunt for his support of HeartKids, an organisation that supports children born with heart defects. His own son Asher is one such child. "This is not about Asher, this is about the families that will follow in our footsteps," he said. "There are so many for whom HeartKids become heart angels." A gun merchant who sold several weapons to the man charged over the Christchurch mosque shooting has told New Zealand lawmakers a proposed firearms ban would "be letting him win". New Zealand parliament is hearing public submissions on its planned laws banning military-style weapons and modifications by the end of next week in response to the March 15 terror attack. David Tipple, who owns weapon shop chain Gun City, said the changes ignored what was wrong, and only a ban on high-capacity magazines was needed. "Understandably, all of us in New Zealand cry out for a solution ... There are no loopholes in the existing law. This happened because he broke numerous laws," he said. "The murderer wanted his actions to restrict all kinds of firearms ... If you pass this law in its present form you will be helping him win." Days after the attack that killed 50, Tipple told media the Australian 28-year-old arrested had bought four weapons from Gun City online, but not the semi-automatic rifles used in the attack. On Thursday, Tipple told the committee he had sold dozens of the weapons used in the attack since. The country's Muslim community has made an impassioned plea for change at the parliamentary committee. Mustafa Farouk, president of the New Zealand Federation of Islamic Associations which represents about 50,000 Muslims, said he hoped the changes were just the first stage of further gun law reform. "I'm not here today to be an expert on weapons," Dr Farouk said. "I'm here to represent some of those people who are not able to be here because they are dead. They were killed using the kind of weapons this legislation is trying to take out of circulation." Earlier the committee heard from former police officer Tim Ashton, who threw his support behind the banning the weapons. Ashton was among the officers who shot dead New Zealand's last mass shooter David Gray after a massacre that killed 13 people in 1990. Gun lobby group Council of Licensed Firearm Owners told lawmakers that emotion had played too much of a role in the speed of the reforms, calling for the process to be slowed. But Police Association president Chris Cahill said delaying was a standard gun lobby strategy and fear was unnecessarily being spread about the ban. "W'ell be failing future New Zealanders if we don't act and act quickly," he said. The bill is expected to return to parliament next week and enshrined in law by April 12. It also bans magazines and any parts that can be used to convert a rifle into a military-style semi-automatic. There are exemptions for .22 "rabbit guns" and small capacity shotguns. Its sole opponent at its first reading was the libertarian ACT party's leader and sole MP, David Seymour. New Zealand's government is still mulling the details of a planned buyback scheme, which will have an estimated cost of up to $NZ200 million ($A192 million). There are an estimated 1.5 million firearms in the country - roughly one for every three citizens and more than double the rate in Australia, but no register for individual weapons. Mutual companies will be better defined and able to raise capital more easily in Australia under fresh laws that have cleared federal parliament. The companies - which are owned by their members, who are often customers rather than shareholders - will now be able to raise capital by using bespoke mutual capital instruments. Co-operative and mutuals groups have said the package will help mutuals compete on a level playing field with other types of firms. The laws, introduced by the coalition and backed by Labor, passed the lower house on Thursday after being given the green light by the Senate. Some mutuals have operated in Australia for almost two centuries, providing banking, insurance and retirement living services. A trial of cashless welfare cards across Western Australia and South Australia has officially been extended for a year, while Cape York will also get the controversial program. Laws put forward by the government cleared federal parliament on Thursday, with Labor's backing. Opposition human services spokeswoman Linda Burney says amendments made by Labor have improved the legislation. "Labor's amendments will mitigate the arbitrary impacts that this card will have on welfare participants," she told the lower house. But the party remains concerned about the card and its rollout. "There simply is no evidence that this card works and the government has botched its own assessment of the card," Ms Burney said. Social Services Minister Paul Fletcher says the card is making a real difference to the lives of thousands of Australians. Extending the trial will help the government keep testing its effectiveness, he said, with a second evaluation now underway. Greens Senator Rachel Siewert earlier said the card "flies in the face of self-determination". She rejected suggestions Labor was in a tough spot and needed to extend the trials to provide people with certainty. The Australian man arrested over a terror attack on two mosques in Christchurch has now been charged with 50 counts of murder, New Zealand police say. Brenton Tarrant, 28, had only been formally charged with a single count of murder following the March 15 attack that killed 50 and injured 50 more. Police on Thursday confirmed they had now laid 50 counts of murder and 39 of attempted murder. Despite labelling the shooting an act of terrorism, authorities had not said whether the former NSW resident would be the first person charged under New Zealand's anti-terror laws ahead of an appearance in the High Court this week. The country's terrorism legislation has in the past proved unwieldy and complex, and legal experts have said terror charges may just complicate the prosecution for no material difference in outcome if Tarrant is convicted. "Other charges are still under consideration," police said on Thursday. Tarrant is being held in New Zealand's only maximum security prison, in Auckland, and has had no access to television, radio, newspapers or visitors. He'll appear in court by video link on Friday, but is not required to enter pleas to the charges. Investors have raised a glass to the Australian Dairy Nutritionals Group as it continues its shift from white milk to infant formula with the $5 million purchase of an offshore powder processing plant The group said the mixing, evaporation and drying plant - which is set to be disassembled and rebuilt at the group's Camperdown Dairy Park site - has the initial capacity to produce 400,000 to 600,000 tins of infant formula each year, with the company hoping to produce its own branded range of organic infant formula by mid-2020. The group did not specify where the plant was currently located, only that the vendor was a producer and exporter of infant formula into the Chinese market that had outgrown the production capacity. Shares in Australian Dairy Nutritionals rose nearly 13 per cent to 14 cents at 1445 AEDT. "The board sees the purchase of this plant as a way to accelerate its entry into the organic infant formula market in a sensibly staged manner without the initial, much higher cost of a large dryer having significantly more capacity," the group told the ASX on Thursday. Australian Dairy Nutritionals it is in the midst of shifting its focus on low margin commodity milk sales in favour of building higher margin brands and sales through organic infant and toddler formula products. In December, the company entered the booming organic formula market by finalising its acquisition of Flahey's Nutritionals for $1.5 million. It said its mixing and drying plant is expected to arrive in Australia in September. The group said the purchase also included a stand-alone cheese making plant, which will be used to produce specialty organic dairy ingredients including organic whey. An Egyptian-Australian man on his way back to Brisbane after more than a year without charge in a Cairo prison is "just a dude" looking forward to some home cooking, his daughter says. Hazem Hamouda, 55, was arrested in January 2018 when he arrived in Egypt for a holiday and was accused of having links to the banned Muslim Brotherhood and spreading falsities online - allegations his family denied. "He's probably going to really dig into some of mum's cooking," Mr Hamouda's daughter, Lamisse Hamouda, 30, said on Thursday of what he will do when he finally lands, at an undisclosed time. Christopher Pyne may not have a "log cabin" story, but he once had to get his own lemon for a gin and tonic. The veteran South Australian MP and Liberal minister gave his final speech in parliament on Thursday, ahead of stepping down at the next election after almost 27 years in federal politics. He admitted to having a "fortunate life", after quoting former US president Franklin D Roosevelt's famous line about the "test of our progress" being "whether we provide enough for those who have little". "I do not have a log cabin story like so many people in this place - but I once did have to get my own lemon for a gin and tonic," he said. "That may or may not qualify." With nine election wins under his belt, Mr Pyne said he was going to "miss the stage" and his fellow MPs. "This place brings out the best of us and the worst in us," he said. "I've seen some truly dreadful people come through here over the last quarter of a century, Mr Speaker. It is true." Since 1993, he was a backbencher for 10 years and a frontbencher for 16, including six years in cabinet. The defence minister paid a special tribute to Australia's military personnel. "To be a minister for defence is to see Australians at their best." He expressed confidence that Prime Minister Scott Morrison would win the election and his replacement in Sturt, staffer James Stevens, would retain the seat. "I've relished the opportunity - thank you, goodbye and good luck," he said, fighting back tears. His Labor counterpart, Tony Burke, paid tribute to him. "The Leader of the House is someone who has always loved the parliament," he said. After a brutal bear market that's stretched 16 long months, Bitcoin enthusiasts are ready to declare that the dreaded "crypto winter" is finally at an end. The price of a Bitcoin spiked over 20 per cent on Tuesday, from around $5800 to over $7000, causing a surge of renewed optimism in digital currencies that have been declared dead time and time again. "I guess we've had a very excited two or three days," said Adrian Przelozny, chief executive of digital currency exchange Independent Reserve in Sydney. "This was an event that a lot of people thought was coming, no one knew when it was coming, but now it's happened." Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies like Ripple and NEO enjoyed a huge-run up during 2017, with Bitcoin increasing in value over twentyfold over the year, leading some fans to spout grandiose visions about the end of "fiat" paper money. The bubble burst in late December 2017 and early 2018, with Bitcoin losing 80 per cent of its value - going from around $27,000 in December 2017 to under $4600 a year later. But while casual Bitcoin buffs resorted to posting memes to cope with the crash, Mr Przelozny said that engineers and regulators have been working to make the space more secure and friendly to institutional investors. "While the price has been depressed, the fundamentals of cryptocurrency has never been stronger than it is right now," he said. Dr Brent Coker, a cryptocurreny enthusiast and internet consumer psychologist with the University of Melbourne, said there were a number of theories as to why the price recently surged. "I don't think anybody really knows," he said. "It was at a critical point really. It was going to pierce that resistance line" or drop further. Dr Coker said he didn't see this as a "dead cat bounce", and was ready to declare the bear market over. "It seems to be very very bullish at the moment," he said. "A lot of people are assuming it's got to get back to $US20,000 before the end of the year." Dr Coker said he personally thought that was unlikely this year - but wouldn't rule it out, either. Estelle didn't feel safe for seven years. Kate once walked the streets at night. And Caroline lived with nuns who couldn't speak her language. The three women from different backgrounds share something they never thought they'd face - homelessness. Dr Caroline Hong rarely shares her story but did on Thursday to promote the annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout. Born into a wealthy Malaysian family, her grandfather died when she was young, which eventually led to the collapse of the family business. "My parents had 10 children and 10 mouths to feed," Dr Hong told AAP in Sydney. "That escalated and poverty ... it was just so fast. From having a chauffeur, a five-story building, a home - into moving from place to place." When Caroline was 12 her father moved away for work leaving her behind, and homeless, for six months. She moved into a temple with Chinese nuns whom she couldn't understand. After moving to Australia she eventually went on to become the first woman to be chief executive of the Australian Dental Association NSW & ACT. She's now the CEO of her own company. For 10 years Dr Hong has taken part in the Sleepout where top business leaders sleep in the cold for one night to raise money for the charity. This year's event will be held on June 20 in Sydney. Estelle, 20, also shared her story on Thursday at the launch of the 2019 Sleepout. Her mother died when she was six and her father battled drugs. Estelle was in and out of rehab and refuges from the age of 13. "There are so many people that are broken out there - you could one day wake up and just lose everything and you could be in that situation," she told AAP. With help, Estelle now has affordable housing, and feels safe "for the first time since I was a little girl". Homelessness came later in life for 46-year-old Kate. She was kicked out of the family home six years ago, leaving two kids behind, the youngest just three. "I wasn't aware it was domestic violence at the time because it wasn't physically abusive, it was more emotionally abusive," she told AAP. Over the course of her relationship, she had financial restrictions put in place, became isolated from family and friends and used alcohol to cope. With no one to turn to, she slept on the streets during the day and wandered Sydney at night as that felt safer. Vinnies helped her moved into a boarding house and she's now fighting to get her children back. "Domestic violence and homelessness do not discriminate and it could happen to anyone," she said. Vinnies spokeswoman Yolanda Saiz says this week's federal budget doesn't acknowledge the growing homelessness problem. More than 116,000 people have no permanent home in Australia, according to the 2016 census. In NSW, the number increased by 37 per cent from 2011 to 2016 to a total of 37,715. Ms Saiz argues the rising cost of living and housing coupled with domestic and family violence is pushing more people onto the streets. "For a country as prosperous as Australia we are evidently getting something wrong." US Vice President Mike Pence harshly criticized Germany and Turkey on NATO's 70th anniversary Tensions soared Wednesday between the United States and two of its NATO partners, Germany and Turkey, marring a 70th birthday celebration for the alliance aimed at showing a united front against a resurgent Russia. Hours before foreign ministers from the 29-member Western alliance opened talks in Washington with a leisurely reception, Vice President Mike Pence delivered a stinging rebuke both to Germany over its level of defense spending and to Turkey for buying a major arms system from Russia. "Germany must do more. And we cannot ensure the defense of the West if our allies grow dependent on Russia," Pence told a think-tank forum on the NATO anniversary. "It is simply unacceptable for Europe's largest economy to continue to ignore the threat of Russian aggression and neglect its own self-defense and our common defense," Pence said. President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced annoyance that few allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are meeting a goal set by the alliance in 2014 to devote two percent of GDP to defense. Germany last month announced that defense spending would slip to 1.25 percent in 2023. Hungry for energy, Germany has also forged ahead with Nord Stream 2, a pipeline that will double the amount of gas it can import from Russia. "If Germany persists in building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, as President Trump said, it could turn Germany's economy into literally a captive of Russia," Pence told the event, held incongruously in a hip new music venue. Pence, however, promised that the United States "is now and will always be Europe's greatest ally" -- a tonal shift from Trump, who has loudly wondered whether it is worth defending smaller NATO members such as Montenegro. Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas says that NATO commitments are about more than defense spending German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said afterward that burden-sharing was about more than expenditure and that NATO was foremost "an alliance of values." Noting that Germany's history made military spending controversial, Maas pointed out that Berlin is the second largest troop contributor to Afghanistan and is constructing a new NATO command center in the city of Ulm. "We in Europe know that we cannot take our security for granted. We have to shoulder responsibility in order to continue safeguarding it, in our own interest," he said. - 'Turkey must choose' - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says there is no turning back from buying a missile defense system from Russia Western powers have also increasingly clashed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist-rooted government, which has cracked down on dissent at home and threatened to strike US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria. On Monday, the United States said it was suspending Turkey's participation in the F-35 fighter-jet program due to Ankara's plans to buy Russia's S-400 missile defense system, raising fears that Moscow could gain data to hone its hardware and shoot down Western aircraft. "Turkey must choose -- does it want to remain a critical partner of the most successful military alliance in the history of the world, or does it want to risk the security of that partnership by making reckless decisions that undermine our alliance?" Pence said. But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu ruled out a change of heart, saying: "The S-400 deal is a done deal and we will not step back from this." The United States has suspended work with Turkey on the F-35 fighter-jet -- a version of which is seen here being used by the Royal Australian Air Force Cavusoglu said Turkey still backed NATO on core concerns and would never recognize Moscow's 2014 takeover of Crimea from Ukraine. "We have been working with Russia," he said. "But it doesn't mean that we are undermining the alliance and we agree with Russia on everything. There is no shift on our foreign policy." He later met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who warned him of "potentially devastating consequences" if Turkey goes ahead with threats to strike Kurdish fighters in Syria. - No 'new Cold War' - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg enjoys applause as he makes the case for the alliance in an address to the US Congress The 70th anniversary comes amid rising concern over Russia, which has supported separatists in Ukraine and Georgia, sought to sway the 2016 US election and was suspected in a poisoning attack in England. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in an address to the US Congress, said the alliance wanted better relations with Russia -- but needed to prepare a strong defense. "We do not want a new arms race. We do not want a new Cold War. But we must not be naive," Stoltenberg said. Stoltenberg appeared to soothe Trump during a White House meeting on Tuesday, crediting the US leader's tough rhetoric with pushing the Europeans and Canada to bolster their defense budgets by $100 billion between 2016 and 2020. Lawmakers repeatedly rose to standing ovations as Stoltenberg hailed the value of the alliance. Map of the NATO member states "NATO has been good for Europe, but NATO has also been good for the United States," he said. "The strength of a nation is not only measured by its economy or the number of its soldiers, but also by the number of its friends. And through NATO, the United States has more friends and allies than any other power." Former US vice president Joe Biden says he will be 'more mindful' in the future about respecting personal space Former US vice president Joe Biden, who is mulling a White House run, said Wednesday after coming under fire over his physical contact with women that he will be "more mindful" in the future about respecting personal space. "Social norms are changing. I understand that, and I've heard what these women are saying," the 76-year-old Biden said in a message on his Twitter account. Several women have gone public in recent days with claims that Biden touched them inappropriately years ago. "Politics to me has always been about making connections, but I will be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future," he said. "That's my responsibility and I will meet it," said Biden, who is considering whether to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. Amy Lappos told Connecticut's Hartford Courant newspaper about an incident at a 2009 political fundraiser which, she said, "wasn't sexual, but he did grab me by the head." Another accuser, former Nevada state lawmaker Lucy Flores, said last week she was "mortified" when Biden planted a "big, slow kiss" on the back of her head as she waited to take the stage at a campaign rally five years ago. Biden came under criticism in 2015 for massaging the shoulders of Ash Carter's wife as her husband was sworn in as secretary of defense. Photographs of that incident have circulated online so frequently that Stephanie Carter posted a column Sunday saying Biden was merely "a close friend helping someone get through a big day, for which I will always be grateful." Biden, in a video which accompanied his Twitter message on Wednesday, said that in his long political career he has "always tried to make a human connection. "That's my responsibility, I think -- I shake hands, I hug people," he said. "Whether they're women, men, young, old, it's the way I've always been," he said. "It's the way I've tried to show I care about them and I'm listening." - 'Connecting with people' - "Social norms are changing, I understand that, and I've heard what these women are saying," the 76-year-old Biden said in a message on his Twitter account The former vice president and longtime Democratic senator from Delaware said he has "never thought of politics as cold and antiseptic. "I've always thought it's about connecting with people," Biden said. "And now it's all about taking selfies together. "Social norms have begun to change. They've shifted, and the boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset and I get it," he said. "I get it." "I hear what they're saying. I understand it. And I'll be much more mindful," he said. Concluding his video, Biden said that he has "worked my whole life to empower women" and to "prevent abuse." Biden has yet to declare his candidacy, but he is already the early favorite to win the Democratic nomination and challenge Donald Trump in next year's election. Several former Republican Senate colleagues have jumped to his defense. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters on Wednesday that Biden is "one of the most decent people I've ever met." "I don't believe for a second that he meant to do anything wrong and I can understand why people took it differently than he meant," Graham said. "Joe Biden is my friend," he said. "I know him very well. Whatever he did it may have been inappropriate but it was not driven by malice or misconduct." Umm Yasser guides a group of hikers through the rugged terrain of South Sinai, where tourism has been hard hit by Egypt's political turmoil Not so long ago, the sight of Umm Yasser clad in a black abaya leading hikers through the intricate trails of the majestic South Sinai mountains would have been unthinkable. But now, along with three other women from the Hamada tribe, she is a guide for "Sinai Trail". Since 2016, the community-backed organisation has been working to bring hiking as a sustainable form of adventure tourism to South Sinai. In Wadi Sahu, a village made up of humble shacks with corrugated iron and recycled scraps, Bedouins are banking on the return of tourism after the tumultuous years since Egypt's 2011 uprising. "The women in this village don't have jobs, this is the only work out here," said Umm Yasser. "I hope more and more tourists come," said the 47-year-old Bedouin sporting plimsolls to navigate around rocky shards. - 'Historic first' - Egyptian tourism took a massive hit after a Russian plane that took off from the Sinai was bombed in an October 2015 terror attack that killed all 224 people on board. North Sinai itself is a flashpoint of deadly violence between security forces and insurgents. But the violence has not dissuaded a steady stream of avid hikers from heading south to take on the challenge of the desert and mountainous landscape. Women from eight Bedouin tribes are working as tour guides for the Sinai Trail Ben Hoffler, a founder of Sinai Trail, said the number of hikers has gone up from 100 in 2016 to 1,000 last year. At the launch, "we had three tribes joining the organisation along 220 kilometres (130 miles) of hiking trail," he said. "Today we have eight tribes and 550 kilometres," said the Londoner who has been living in Egypt for more than a decade. The Sinai Trail cooperative, while respecting Bedouin customs, has since March moved on to women-guided hikes for all-women groups. "It's a historic step," said Hoffler. For the first time, Bedouin women last month led a group of hikers through the territory of the Hamada tribe. The Sinai's rugged scenery has long been popular with hikers, but lack of security has decimated Egypt's tourism industry Theirs is the only one of eight tribes in South Sinai to have agreed so far for women to work as guides. At the bend on a path, Umm Yasser stopped, grabbed a bunch of twigs and lit a fire to heat up some tea as she recounted tales of how she lived as a child in the mountains. "These are the best guides possible," said Tootsie Saada, 55, who works for a development agency in Cairo and took part in a trek. "They are so lively, funny and curious." - 'Men only half of Sinai' - Sinai Trail's four women guides had the blessing of their husbands to start their new jobs on condition they return home every night after work. "We have been doing the Sinai Trail for five years now. Up until this point, 100 percent of those working on this trail were men," said Hoffler. "Men in Sinai obviously know it very well but they are only half of the Sinai." Ibrahim Mosalam Ghanem, a 40-year-old male guide who has been leading groups for the past two years, explained that shaking up centuries of cultural tradition presented its own challenges. The Bedouins of Wadi Sahu live in humble shacks of corrugated iron and recycled scraps "As Bedouins, we have traditions and we respect them," Ghanem said, stressing that he would "never accept" his wife working with a mixed group. Hoffler told AFP it took five years to negotiate a deal for women guides, and he is looking for more women to sign up with tribal consent. "I support this work that the women are doing," said Eid Auda Ali, 53, the husband of one of the four women guides with Sinai Trail. He said it brought much-needed "extra income" to an area where livestock and mining are not enough to support families. Having seen the positive results, Ali who belongs to the Muzeina tribe in Sinai's far south wants others to follow in the footsteps of the Hamadas. Virgin Australia cancels staff travel agreement with Brunei's national carrier over "harsh" sharia law The Australian arm of Richard Branson's Virgin Airlines has cancelled a staff travel agreement with Brunei's national carrier in response to the Asian nation's adoption of sharia law, including the death penalty for gay sex, the airline said Thursday. The agreement allowed Virgin staff to book discounted tickets on Royal Brunei flights for leisure travel. The company, Australia's second-biggest airline after Qantas, sent an email to employees explaining the new Sharia code, which came into effect on Wednesday, applies to Muslims, non-Muslims and foreigners "even when transiting on Brunei-registered aircraft and vessels." "Given the harsh (including death) penalties being introduced for activity that is legal and acceptable in Australia, the myID (staff travel) agreement between Virgin Australia and Royal Brunei has now been terminated effective immediately," said the email, a copy of which was made available to AFP. A separate agreement that allows Royal Brunei to sell seats available on Virgin Australia flights within Australia remains in place, the spokesperson said. Qantas, whose CEO Alan Joyce is one of Australia's most high-profile openly gay business leaders, declined to comment on whether it was reviewing its staff travel deal with Royal Brunei. The tough sharia penal code in the tiny country on tropical Borneo island -- ruled by the all-powerful Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah -- came into force Wednesday following years of delays. The laws, including death by stoning for adultery and gay sex, make Brunei the first place in East or Southeast Asia to have a sharia penal code at a national level, joining several mostly Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia. The decision to push ahead with the punishments has sparked alarm around the world, with the United Nations labelling them a "clear violation" of human rights and celebrities, led by actor George Clooney and pop star Elton John, calling for Brunei-owned hotels to be boycotted. China's Vice Premier Liu He (2nd R) met with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (L) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (2nd L) in Beijing on March 29, 2019 President Donald Trump is set to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Thursday, officials said, signaling that a deal to end a tariff battle between the two countries may be close. Trump will meet Liu, who is also China's top trade negotiator, in the afternoon at the White House, according to an official scheduling note from the president's office. US and Chinese negotiators are working to find a binding agreement to address Trump's complaints about years of unfair treatment of US companies by China, which would allow a rollback of the tariffs hitting businesses in both countries. US officials say that China has been using unfair trade practices for years by heavily subsidizing its companies while snatching the technological know-how of American firms. On March 29, Trump said that negotiations to end the bruising tariffs battle with Beijing were going "very well," but reiterated that he will only accept a "great deal." Trump said that US and Chinese negotiators were close to a deal, but US officials however played down expectations of an imminent agreement. Google "can expect bad press coverage next days in the pro-government media" in Hungary for withdrawing funding for a propaganda-spreading online site, a media watchdog said Google on Wednesday confirmed that it dropped plans to give news grant money to a Hungarian website known as a propaganda platform for the authoritarian government in that country. Origo website parent New Wave Media Group was dropped from a list of those in line to receive grants from a Digital News Innovation Fund program in Europe "to help journalism thrive in the digital age." Independent journalists' organization MediaPowerMonitor last week published online a piece calling into question Google decision to issue a grant of up to 50,000 euros ($56,000) to New Wave Media, which it depicted as a "one of the staunchest supporters of the corrupt regime led by the far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban." "We recently made an initial offer of funding to a range of projects as part of the last round of our Digital News Innovation Fund," Google said in response to an AFP inquiry. "After further review, weve decided not to go ahead with the grant to NWM (New Wave Media)." Nieman Journalism Lab on Wednesday said New Wave Media vanished from the Google news grant list after it asked the internet giant about the concerns raised by MediaPowerMonitor. Supporting a propaganda-spreading media outlet would have been a bad move by Google, according to Gabor Polyak, a Budapest-based analyst with the Mertek media watchdog. "But in the end, the withdrawal of the funding is a brave and spectacular decision," Polyak said. "They can expect bad press coverage next days in the pro-government media." Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko receive greetings from Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako on the 30th anniversary of Akihito's enthronement at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in February 2019 When Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne, he will be taking on a role that has changed almost beyond recognition from its mythological origins. Naruhito will be Japan's 126th emperor, in a line said to stretch back more than 2,600 years. Recent decades have seen the emperor's role recast, as Naruhito's father -- Akihito -- stepped beyond his religious remit to offer not just prayers but also comfort to survivors of Japan's natural disasters. He stunned the nation in 1991 when he rolled up his sleeves and took off his shoes in a shelter to kneel before survivors of a volcanic eruption -- drawing outcry from some nationalist zealots. His more modern approach was once seen as risky, said Yuji Otabe, history professor at Shizuoka University of Welfare. "It was a sort of gamble," Otabe told AFP. "Such an act would have been impossible in the past because the Emperor was regarded as god." But the changes have helped cement Akihito's popularity, with the vast majority of Japanese saying they have "positive feelings" or "respect" for him. The daily life of Japan's emperor "In one era, emperors were like popes and in another they were like czars. Now the Emperor's role can be said to be similar to kings," said Asao Kure, associate professor at Kyoto Sangyo University. "The roles of the emperor have mirrored each era of the country," Kure added. - Enormous power - Tradition holds that Japanese emperors are descended from legendary sun goddess Amaterasu, who imparted the "three treasures" of a mirror, sword and jewels that are a key part of the imperial regalia. In keeping with their mythological status, the "treasures" are kept from public sight and will remain hidden even when handed to Naruhito as he takes the throne. In the early years of Japan's imperial history, emperors were military commanders from powerful families who controlled wealthy settlements. Japanese Emperor Akihito speaks with tsunami survivors at their makeshift shelter in May 2011 Regarded as descendants of Amaterasu, emperors have always played a key role in performing the rites of Japan's native Shinto religion, which venerates deities found in nature. The role of the emperor in governing, however, has varied. Some, like Emperor Tenmu in the seventh century, wielded enormous power. Dubbed "king of kings" by imperial enthusiasts, Tenmu shaped the political system based on ancient law and cemented imperial power. But many other emperors served as little more than puppets or rubber stamps for samurai warriors or ambitious officials from leading families. - 'Long live the emperor' - In the late 1860s, reformists brought in an era of rapid change that turned Japan from a rural backwater into a world power. Compared to the titular heads of state that had come before, the new emperor Meiji -- great-grandfather of outgoing Emperor Akihito -- wielded significant power. Defined as "sacred and inviolable", the emperor was now a father figure to be served and obeyed by his family -- the state. Japan's Emperor Hirohito (L) wearing traditional clothing for his coronation in 1926 and his son Emperor Akihito in traditional costume in 1990 at his enthronement That ideological framework was used by nationalists in the military and government to lead the country into conflict during World War II, when many young soldiers carried out suicide attacks screaming: "Long live the Emperor." When Akihito was born in 1933, the role he was expected to inherit came with full sovereign powers, including dissolving parliament, issuing decrees and commanding the armed forces. All that ended with Japan's defeat in World War II. Then crown prince Akihito listened in tears on August 15, 1945 as his father Hirohito made an unprecedented radio address to announce the shock loss. The future of the imperial household hung in the balance, with some in favour of dissolving the monarchy because of Hirohito's war role. But US General Douglas MacArthur, who led the post-war occupation of Japan, opted to preserve the dynasty while greatly curbing its power, effectively turning the emperor into a figurehead. After World War II, an imperial rescript clarified the emperor should not be regarded as divine, but performing prayers for a successful harvest and national peace is still considered one of his key responsibilities. - Shifting with the times - Akihito embraced the revised role when he took the throne in 1989, and focused on remoulding the monarchy for a democratic age. On top of religious and formal duties such as attending ceremonies and receiving foreign guests, he has advocated for peace even as debate continues on Hirohito's war role. Akihito has also rejected nationalism, expressed "deep remorse" over Japan's past and called for history to be remembered, rather than revised. He has said defining his position as emperor has been an "endless" process, one he now bequeaths to Naruhito. The crown prince has already indicated he will continue reshaping the role, calling for "new royal duties" to fit modern times and saying he hopes, like his father, to be "close to the people". Bardem picked up his Oscar for his chilling turn as a hitman in the Coen brothers' 'No Country for Old Men' He is Spain's best-known actor, but Javier Bardem says he has trouble getting work there. "I work much less in Spain than I would like to," the Oscar-winning star told AFP. "I don't get the scripts because people think I live abroad, or that I would be looking for stratospheric money, which is not true," he added. "If a film has a budget of course I want to be paid, but if not, we can find another way," Bardem said as the Nantes Spanish film festival in western France staged a retrospective of his work. "I am prepared to be flexible," said the actor, who tends to alternate between Hollywood blockbusters like the "Pirates of the Caribbean" and edgier independent European and American films. Bardem, who lives with his wife Penelope Cruz and their two children in a suburb of Madrid, has always been deeply engaged in his homeland. - Activist mother - The son of an activist actress from whom he inherited a passion for leftwing causes, he began his career in the 1990s with directors like Bigas Luna and Pedro Almodovar, who were challenging the country's view of itself after decades of dictatorship. That taste for revolt has never left him. His family played a key role in organising protests against the Iraq war, and he incurred the wrath of the present leader of the rightwing People's Party Pablo Casado for criticising its dismantling of Spain's social security system when it was in power. Bardem's outspoken political views earned him some enemies in Spain's rightwing People's Party Casado branded Bardem an "imbecile" and said he should be "living in Cuba" rather than in Los Angeles. Bardem is used to the rough and tumble of politics. He made his name in Luna's "Jamon, Jamon" playing the ultimate Spanish macho man opposite Cruz in 1992. He insisted that he and Luna were "sending up" the Iberian archetype. "Bigas Luna had a great sense of humour," said the actor, who was an equally chauvinist playboy businessman the following year in "Macho". Yet a quarter of a century on, the behaviour of the Latin male lampooned in those movies has "not changed much", he added. - Macho men - "The macho is still very much there, including in Spanish politics," he said. "Spanish men still say 'I do it because it comes from my balls', (which means I do that because I'm a man), and 'You don't know who you are talking to!'" when they are challenged. "Sadly, sexist violence has risen to alarming levels," he added. Bardem, who turned 50 last month, is not tempted to make the transition to the director's chair -- though he can see why some of his peers are tempted. 'The macho is still very much there, including in Spanish politics' "Playing a role is an enormous act of trust and generosity," he said. "You offer yourself for someone else to work with and manipulate, and not always for the better. I can see how an actor would say, 'Now I want to direct my own work,'" he added. "But directing is much more than that, it's an extraordinarily difficult job. I don't feel I would be able to do it well, and more importantly I don't feel the need to." Bardem has just started shooting on Denis Villeneuve's "Dune", the second time the classic science fiction novel has been adapted for the big screen after David Lynch's 1984 version. Before that he was in British director Sally Potter new film, "Molly", a family drama where he stars alongside Elle Fanning and Salma Hayek. "It was a challenge," he admitted, "because it is a complex story, but talking about a film that is still being cut is hard." Bardem, who won his best supporting actor Oscar for the Coen brothers' "No Country for Old Men", is still very much attached to the "romance" of watching a film in a cinema, "sitting in front of a big screen". That said, he would happily work for a streaming platform if the project was right. "Amazon and Netflix are making the kind of cinema now that the studios refuse to make," he said, pointing to films like Alfonso Cuaron's Oscar-winning "Roma" or Martin Scorsese's forthcoming film, "The Irishman". It took the monk's followers nine months to raise the $80,000 needed for the extravagant cremation - a fortune in one of Asia's poorest countries Thousands of devotees flocked to a mock palace of kaleidoscopic colours in Myanmar this week to dance, sing and pay their final respects at the lavish cremation of a local celebrity monk. Abbot Kay Lar Tha was just 48 when he died last year from leukaemia in Mudon village, in the country's southeast. It took his faithful followers nine months to raise the $80,000 needed for the extravagant cremation -- a fortune in one of Asia's poorest countries, where a third of people live in poverty. Devotees released lanterns during the week-long farewell for celebrity monk, Kay Lar Tha Pilgrims dressed up in their finest clothes to pay homage at a palace constructed for the occasion out of wood and bamboo, costing around $33,000. Several storeys high and decked out in psychedelic colours and bright, flashing neon lights, the sacred building represented heaven, local monk Kay Thu War Da told AFP. "This is the death of a monk who is a hero in our religion and we are all inconsolable about losing him," the 50-year-old shouted above the music in the grounds of Yan Aung Wa Bawzana monastery. The monk's coffin is carried by his followers - some of the thousands who gathered to pay their respects Buddhist leaders wield considerable influence in Myanmar society, providing education for children, weighing in on local disputes and helping raise money for roads and other infrastructure. For seven days, crowds flocked up the stairs of the makeshift palace to catch a glimpse of the abbot's body lying in an open casket, carried by a fluorescent dragon-shaped boat. The body itself lay swathed in scarlet robes with elaborate embroidery, his face covered with a mask. Devotees clamoured to touch the abbot's casket before it was set alight in the cremation room Down below, lines of women in vivid pink costumes and white shawls danced while men in red swayed back and forth, holding aloft the monk's treasured possessions in an ornate shrine. Mon Chan, 21, said he and his fellow dancers had been rehearsing for weeks and were proud to take part in the ceremony. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime event," he said, beaming. Such extravagant funerals for Buddhist-majority Myanmar are rare, though traditions and customs vary widely across the country. Extravagant funerals are rare in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, though traditions and customs vary widely across the country For example, the funeral for a revered monk in nearby Karen State in November was even more exorbitant, coming in at a reported cost of more than $600,000. Devotees see the outlay as a reflection of the monk's prestige. But others reject such opulence. "It's a total waste of money," one Mudon local told AFP angrily, not wanting to give his name. "It's completely unnecessary." Festivities reached their climax Sunday as devotees clamoured to touch the abbot's casket on its journey to the cremation room of his former monastery before it was set alight. As smoke rose into the sky, fireworks exploded overhead and pilgrims released hundreds of twinkling Chinese lanterns before dancing late into the night. -- This story accompanies a photo essay by Ye Aung Thu -- No caption New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed Thursday she paid for a harried mother's groceries in a gesture sure to enhance a reputation already soaring because of her response to the Christchurch mosque attacks. Ardern was reluctant to discuss the incident, revealed on social media, involving a mother-of-two who was ahead of the prime minister at a supermarket checkout when she realised she did not have her purse. "(Ardern) paid for my friends' shopping in the supermarket the other day when she had forgotten her purse and had two screaming kids in tow," Twitter user Helen Burness posted, adding: "like we didn't love her enough". Ardern swiftly wrapped up a media appearance Thursday when asked why she had helped the woman, replying only, "because she was a mum". The 38-year-old had her own daughter Neve last June, becoming only the second prime minister in the world to give birth while in office, and later taking the infant onto the floor of the UN Assembly in New York. She has won widespread praise for her response to the March 15 Christchurch attacks in which a white supremacist gunman is accused of killing 50 Muslims in an atrocity that shook the normally peaceful nation. The New Zealand Herald has described her actions as a mix of "solace and steel" after she donned the hijab while comforting devastated families and also moved swiftly to tighten gun laws. LOS ANGELES (AP) - A man who rode around on a bicycle and slashed the faces and necks of at least nine people in Los Angeles was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of attempted murder, police said. One victim said the man laughed after he cut her. Lenrey Briones was tracked down and taken into custody after police received hundreds of tips, Capt. Dan Randolph said at a news conference. The 19-year-old suspect is believed to be homeless, he said. It wasn't immediately known if Briones has an attorney. The assailant left at least nine victims, including a 13-year-old, with slashing wounds, and detectives were looking for additional victims, officials said. "The suspect instilled fear in this community," Randolph said. A man standing near a bus stop was attacked on Monday, and a woman was cut about a mile (1.6 kilometers) away, police said. They were hospitalized with severe injuries and are expected to survive. This undated photo released by the Los Angeles Police Department shows a person they are seeking in a series of slashing attacks in the city recently. Police say they are trying to find the bicyclist who rides close to people and slashes their faces and is believed to have struck six times since March 2019. Police in a statement said that a man standing near a bus stop was attacked on Monday, April 1, 2019, and a woman was slashed about a mile away. They were hospitalized with severe injuries and are expected to survive. (Los Angeles Police Department via AP) Similar attacks happened in the same area of South Los Angeles on March 20 and in the neighboring cities of South Gate and Lynwood on March 27. Stefany Coboz told KNBC-TV she received a deep gash under her left ear, and the man turned to look at her after the attack. "He started laughing," she said "He laughed." The assailant rode a black and green mountain bike and wielded an unknown type of "edged weapon," police said. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Supporters of a Tennessee death row inmate appealed to Gov. Bill Lee's Christian faith Wednesday, requesting clemency for a prisoner they say was redeemed by Jesus. Don Johnson's clemency petition includes a plea from Cynthia Vaughn, the daughter of the woman Johnson was convicted of killing. Vaughn is also Johnson's stepdaughter. The petition quotes from Vaughn's own letter to the governor in which she describes visiting Johnson in prison in 2012 after not seeing him since she was a little girl. Vaughn said she vented three decades of anger and pain on Johnson, telling him how it felt not to have her mother around when she graduated from high school, got married and had a baby. "The next thing that came out of my mouth changed my life forever," she wrote. "I looked at him, told him I couldn't keep hating him because it was doing nothing but killing me instead of him, and then I said, 'I forgive you.'" In the petition, Vaughn asks to meet with Lee and share her story in person. Pastor Furman Fordham, right, speaks on behalf of death row inmate Don Johnson Wednesday, April 3, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Supporters of Johnson are appealing to Gov. Bill Lee's strong Christian faith in requesting clemency for Johnson, who they say was redeemed by Jesus. At left is Kelley Henry, an assistant federal public defender. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) The petition also emphasizes Johnson's conversion from "a liar, a cheat, a con man and a murderer" to a Seventh Day Adventist Church elder who ministers to other prisoners. Johnson, 68, was convicted of murdering his wife Connie Johnson in 1984 by suffocating her in a Memphis camping center that he managed. He initially blamed the murder on a work-release inmate who confessed to helping dispose of the body and was granted immunity for testifying against Johnson, according to court documents. At a news conference Wednesday announcing the clemency campaign, Pastor Furman Fordham, explained that Johnson's journey to becoming ordained as an elder at the Riverside Seventh Day Adventist Church while serving time on death row began when a now-deceased church member started a Bible study with Johnson 30 years ago. When Fordham came to Nashville in 2006 to lead Riverside, he met Johnson in prison and was amazed to see an inmate leading a religious service. He later met an ex-prisoner who had studied the Bible with Johnson. "It said to me that Don's ministry was moving full circle," Fordham said. The petition makes no claim of innocence, instead saying Johnson was "justly convicted of the murder of his wife." It details the abuse Johnson suffered as a child at the hands of his own stepfather and later in juvenile detention centers, but it says Johnson "does not place blame for his failure of character on anyone but himself." The petition includes excerpts from other letters sent to the governor by people who came to know Johnson through their prison ministry, volunteer work, mentoring and correspondence. "These friends and supporters are adamant that Don's faith is strong, and his reformation is real," it reads. Many of the excerpts mention Johnson's ministry to other prisoners. He also has a ministry outside of prison through a radio and internet show that plays recordings he has made on Sunday mornings on WNAH-1360 AM, according to the petition. Tennessee executed three inmates in 2018 after a nine-year hiatus, during which legal challenges to the state's lethal injection protocols put all executions on hold. Johnson's execution, scheduled May 16, is one of four planned in 2019. Lee, who took office in January, made his Christian faith a central component of his campaign. Previously asked about the four pending executions, Lee said they would be difficult decisions. "The death penalty is the law in Tennessee, and I believe that it's an appropriate law in the most egregious of cases," he said. "But I think we have to look at each case individually, and we'll do so when it's the right time." Kelley Henry, an assistant federal public defender, also attended the news conference Wednesday. She said the clemency petition is Johnson's last chance to avoid execution because he doesn't want to pursue any further legal challenges. She said Johnson told her Wednesday he that he accepts God's will, "but he doesn't feel his work on earth is done yet." In 2010, another Tennessee death row inmate with a similar story of redemption and forgiveness had her sentence commuted by then-Gov. Phil Bredesen. Gaile Owens was convicted of hiring a hit man to murder her husband. She later reconciled with their son Stephen Owens, who publicly pleaded with the governor for mercy. Pastor Charles Fels, left, who is also an attorney, speaks on behalf of death row inmate Don Johnson Wednesday, April 3, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Supporters of Johnson are appealing to Gov. Bill Lee's strong Christian faith in requesting clemency for Johnson, who they say was redeemed by Jesus. At left is Kelley Henry, an assistant federal public defender, and at right is Pastor Furman Fordham. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) Former Vice President Joe Biden acknowledged Wednesday that his tendency toward physical displays of affection and encouragement has made some women uncomfortable, and he promised to be "much more mindful" of respecting personal space. "Social norms have begun to change. They've shifted," the 76-year-old Biden said in a cellphone video posted to Twitter . "And the boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset. And I get it. I get it. I hear what they are saying. I understand." Wearing a suit and open-collared shirt, Biden also teased an announcement of his political plans, promising to "be talking to you about a whole lot of issues." Shortly after the video was released, a union announced Biden would speak at their conference in Washington on Friday. The video was Biden's first direct comment on what has tripped up his preparations to enter the 2020 Democratic presidential campaign. He did not directly apologize but seemed to be seeking to ease some people's discomfort, which has raised questions about whether he could wage an effective campaign. On Friday, former Nevada politician Lucy Flores wrote in New York Magazine that Biden approached her from behind, touched her shoulders and kissed the back of her head in 2014. Since then, another woman has said Biden grabbed her face when he was thanking congressional staff at a 2009 event. On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that three additional women had recounted uncomfortable encounters with Biden. One of them, Vail Kohnert-Yount, said she was a White House intern in the spring of 2013 when she met Biden in the West Wing and, as they chatted, he put his hand on the back of her head and pressed his forehead to hers and called her a "pretty girl." Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the Biden Courage Awards Tuesday, March 26, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) Biden, a former longtime U.S. senator from Delaware, first said in a statement that he did not recall the episode that Flores initially described in the magazine piece and then in subsequent weekend interviews. In the video Wednesday, Biden insisted that what he described as the compassion from where the affection comes will not change and again nodded to the steps he's taking toward running. "But I'll always believe governing - life, for that matter - is about connecting, connecting with people," he said. "That won't change." Biden also said that he would be more careful about his actions in the future. "And I'll be much more mindful. That's my responsibility, my responsibility, and I'll meet it," Biden said. And in so doing, Biden was tacitly acknowledging a nagging concern for some voters: that he cannot adapt. "The idea that I can't adjust to the fact that personal space is important, more important than it's ever been, is just not thinkable," he said in closing. "I will. I will." President Donald Trump, who has been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct (which he denies), was asked Wednesday whether Biden should apologize for the ways he has interacted with women. The president replied, "No, he's going to make his own decisions. He's very capable of making a decision, I assume." A day earlier, Trump taunted Biden at a National Republican Congressional Committee fundraiser, saying, "Our former vice president, I was going to call him. I don't know him well. I was gonna say, 'Welcome to the world, Joe. You having a good time, Joe?'" FILE - In this March 12, 2019, file photo, former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to the International Association of Firefighters at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington. Biden says he does not recall kissing a Nevada political candidate on the back of her head in 2014. The allegation was made in a New York Magazine article written by Lucy Flores, a former Nevada state representative and the 2014 Democratic nominee for Nevada lieutenant governor. Flores says Biden's behavior "made me feel uneasy, gross, and confused."(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) FILE - In this March 13, 2017, file photo, former Vice President Joe Biden, right, embraces University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis during an event to formally launch the Biden Institute, a research and policy center focused on domestic issues at the University of Delaware, in Newark, Del. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) In 2011, 6-year-old Timmothy Pitzen's mother picked him up at school in Illinois, took him to the zoo and a water park, and then killed herself at a hotel, leaving a note in which she said her son was fine but that no one would ever find him. On Wednesday, a 14-year-old boy came forward to tell authorities he is Timmothy. The boy claimed he escaped from two kidnappers in the Cincinnati area and then fled across a bridge into Kentucky. Authorities from Timmothy's hometown of Aurora, Illinois, are now checking out the teenager's story. "We've probably had thousands of tips of him popping up in different areas," Aurora police Sgt. Bill Rowley said. "We have no idea what we're driving down there for. It could be Pitzen. It could be a hoax." Timmothy Pitzen's grandmother, Alana Anderson, told WISN-TV Wednesday that authorities have told the family "very little." This undated photo provided by the Aurora, Ill., Police Department shows missing child, Timmothy Pitzen. Police in the Chicago suburb of Aurora say the department is sending two detectives to the Cincinnati area to investigate a missing child report that could involve the Aurora boy who disappeared in 2011. Aurora Police Sgt. Bill Rowley said Wednesday, April 3, 2019 that the department knows there is a boy involved but they don't know who he is or if he has any connection to the Timmothy Pitzen case. (Aurora Police Department via AP) "We just know a 14-year-old boy was found and went to the police," Anderson said. "We don't want to get our hopes up and our family's hopes up until we know something. We just don't want to get our hopes up. We've had false reports and false hopes before." Police in the Cincinnati suburb of Sharonville wrote in a short incident report that the boy said Wednesday morning that he had "just escaped from two kidnappers" he described as white men with body builder-type physiques. They were in a Ford SUV with Wisconsin license plates and had been staying at a Red Roof Inn. Sharonville police said on the department's Facebook page that the information about the boy's reported escape was received by police in Campbell County, Kentucky. "The City of Sharonville Police Department, like every other police agency in the greater Cincinnati area, was requested to check their Red Roof Inn hotels regarding this incident," the post read. "To the best of our knowledge, we have no information indicating that the missing juvenile was ever in the City of Sharonville." The FBI said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that its offices in Cincinnati and in Louisville, Kentucky, were working on a missing child investigation with Aurora police and police departments in Cincinnati and Newport, Kentucky, and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office in Ohio. The FBI offered no other details. The body of 43-year-old Amy Fry-Pitzen was found on May 15, 2011. Her wrists were slit. Police believe she killed herself at a hotel in Rockford, Illinois, after taking Timmothy to the zoo and a Wisconsin water park. A note she left said Timmothy was fine but that no would ever find him. Police investigating her death said she took steps that suggest she might have dropped her son off with a friend. At the time, police searched for Timmothy in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- China's vehicle outputs and sales in March reached 2,558,000 units and 2,520,000 units, down by 2.73% and 5.18% year on year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). For the first quarter of the year, the vehicle outputs and sales in this country were 6,335,700 units and 6,372,400 units, dropping 9.81% and 11.32% over a year ago respectively. Compared to the 14.94% year-on-year decrease in Jan.-Feb. sales, the negative growth in year-to-date (YTD) sales has been somewhat shrunk. According to the sales data released by some mainstream Chinese automakers, SAIC Motor, Dongfeng Motor Group, Changan Automobile, GAC Group and Geely Auto, whose respective Q1 sales exceeded 120 thousand units, all faced negative growth. Great Wall Motor and BYD maintained their rising momentum. SAIC Motor SAIC Motor saw its Q1 sales apparently slide 15.88% from the previous year to 1,533,005 vehicles, among which the March sales shrank 14% to 558,558 units, the automaker announced on April 10. This was the seventh month in a row for the company facing year-on-year downturn. For the first three months of the year, SAIC-IVECO Hongyan Commercial Vehicle and SAIC Motor-CP accomplished year-on-year sales increase, while the other subsidiaries all suffered negative growth. SAIC GM Wuling Indonesia Co.,Ltd is not available for comparison since it was just included the sales report in January, 2019. SAIC Volkswagen, SAIC-GM-Wuling and SAIC-GM posted year-on-year drop of 8.8%, 25.41% and 13.1% respectively in YTD sales despite their substantial market shares. According to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), SAIC Volkswagen and SAIC-GM were still the champion and the second runner-up by March PV wholesale volume (PV hereby only refers sedan, SUV and MPV) from the previous month. Dongfeng Motor Group In March, Dongfeng Motor Group saw its sales edged up 1.79% year on year. Of that, PV sales edged down 1.26% to 233,907 units, mainly affected by the 22.86% decline of MPV sales. Besides, car and SUV sales in March reached 115,264 units and 102,898 units, falling 0.99% and climbing 2.82% over the previous year respectively. For the first quarter, the automaker faced a year-on-year sales decline of 10.01%. YTD sales of the car, SUV and MPV segments shrank 2.02%, 20.31% and 29.69% respectively. Among subsidiaries, Dongfeng Honda sported the biggest positive growth in March sales with 73,536 vehicles delivered. Two Sino-French joint ventures, Dongfeng Renault and DPCA, were still troubled by severe downturn. Changan Automobile Chongqing Changan Automobile Co.,Ltd (Changan Automobile) announced a year-on-year drop of 26.9% in March sales. For the first three months of the year, the automaker saw its cumulative sales tumble 31.8% year on year to 448,811 units. Compared with the performance in February, all subsidiaries got their sales picked up evidently. However, compared to the sales period a year ago, none of them realized positive growth. Especially, Changan Ford, selling 15,265 cars in March, suffered a plunge of 66.2%. During the first quarter, it sold 36,800 vehicles in total, a year-on-year nosedive of 71.8%. According to the latest sales report, Changan Automobile year-to-date NEV sales reached 11,853 units, among which 5,411 units were sold in March. GAC Group For the first three months, GAC Groups PV sales totaled 493,975 units, slightly falling 2.64% over the previous year. The sales drop should be entirely attributed to the SUV sales performance, which tumbled 26.77% year on year to 203,530 units. However, the sedan and MPV sectors achieved impressive sales growth of 25.11% and 47.74% respectively. GAC Honda gained outstanding year-on-year increase in both March sales and Q1 sales. The YTD sales of the Accord were 52,879 units, among which 20,412 units were sold in March, a year-on-year surge of 47.4%. Besides, the Q1 sales of the Crider, the Vezel, the Fit and the Odyssey reached 36,755 units, 27,035 units, 38,066 units and 7,658 units respectively. GAC Toyota also achieved vigorous growth. The YTD sales of the all-new Camry jumped 21% from the year-ago period to 41,062 units. The Levin family, absorbing the Levin Hybrid E+ last month, had a Jan.-Mar. sales volume of 55,156 units. Geely Auto Geely Auto announced on April 8 that its sales in March reached 124,643 units, climbing 3% year on year and surging 49% month on month. For the first quarter of the year, the automaker has completed 24% of its 1.51 million-unit sales target with 366,588 vehicles delivered in total, a year-on-year drop of 5.1%. In March, the sales of the Emgrand family amounted to 39,649 units, accounting for 32% of total monthly sales. To be specific, the sales of the Geely Emgrand, the Emgrand GL and the Emgrand GS all represented remarkable month-on-month increase, significantly driving the overall performance. The Boyue, with 22,367 units delivered, was crowned the best seller by March sales. Only 2,510 units of Borui series sold last month, while still showing a growth of 23% compared with the previous month. The Geely Jiaji, Geely's first MPV model just hitting the market on March 11, gained a favorable outset with 3,085 vehicles delivered last month. It is worth mentioning that the Jiaji is also China's first plug-in hybrid MPV available for sale. Great Wall Motor Great Wall Motor said that its March sales jumped 16.82% over the year-ago period to 103,090 units. Meanwhile, for the first quarter of 2019, the company has sold 283,842 vehicles, a year-on-year growth of 10.61%. The Haval SUV brand saw its Jan.-Mar. sales evidently rise 17.82% to 70,570 units, among which the sales of the Haval H6 has already surpassed 100,000 units. Thanks to a strong cost-performance, the Haval M6, with 10,192 vehicles delivered in March, obtained a tremendous year-on-year growth of 135%. Besides, the sales of the Haval F7 reached 14,512 units last month, exceeding 10,000 units for four straight months. As a new comer in NEV industry, ORA is rather popular among urban consumers. For the first three month, the NEV brand sold 14,096 vehicles in total. As to March performance, the sales of the ORA iQ and ORA R1 reached 3,029 units and 4,002 units respectively. The ORA R1 Goddess, which is particularly designed for ladies, went on sales at the end of March. BYD BYD Company Limited announced that it sold 46,825 vehicles in March, achieving a year-on-year growth of 8.5% and a month-on-month surge of 74.5%. For the first three months, the carmaker saw its cumulative sales climb 5.19% over a year earlier to 117,578 units. Both March sales and YTD sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) represented remarkable year-on-year increase. In March, BYDs NEV sales shot up 115.6% to 30,075 units. Of that, the sales of new energy passenger vehicles (PVs) showed a marvelous growth of 122.9% thanks to the blooming performance of all-electric PVs, whose March sales skyrocketed 356.5% year on year to 21,308 units. Fuel-burning vehicle sales in March jumped 35% month on month, while plunged 42.7% compared with the same period a year ago. To be specific, the sales of sedans, SUVs and MPVs declined 51.29%, 13.88% and 49.91% year on year respectively to 3,881 units, 5,318 units and 7,551 units. JAC Motors JAC Motors was hit by year-on-year decline of 17.51% and 9.09% in March sales and Q1 sales. Among 16,911 PVs sold last month, 7,475 units, 4,632 units and 4,804 units came from the SUV, MPV and sedan segments respectively, all less than that of a year ago. Especially, the MPV sales were more than halved over the previous year. Export volume in March tumbled 47.21% to 4,538 units, which made the Q1 number aggregated 12,276 units, a slump of 35.46%. The NEV sector presented a substantial growth. The sales of new energy PVs amounted to 6,616 units in March and 15,007 units in Q1, jumping 31.5% and 28.26% respectively. Maggie Smith clutches a pair of glasses throughout her 100-minute monologue in A German Life. She holds them in her right hand mostly, but never puts them on: theyre more decoy than accessory. As Brunhilde Pomsel who worked as a secretary to Goebbels during the war, and whose reminiscences are the basis of this play by Christopher Hampton Smith feints and dithers, quavers around remorse and memory. She never quite lets the memory come into focus. She never puts on the glasses. Pomsel lives in a Munich care home, and Smith spends the play sitting at a table and addressing us, her unseen interviewer. The actor doesnt so much draw us in as literally draw close without us noticing. The wooden floor in Anna Fleischles cunning design inches imperceptibly forward until by the end Smith is at the front of the Bridge Theatres thrust stage. Maggie Smiths voice witty, snide, imperious has always led her arsenal. She slides under lines and then flips them out like pancakes. Instinctively funny, she has to quash our giggles at words like vacuum cleaner. Now 84 and absent from the stage for 12 years Smith teases any anxiety that her memory may not be up to it. Pomsel begins by apologising for her faulty recall, and Smith pulls at pauses, dithers over details, at times sounds as if lines are slipping through her fingers. Are the glasses there in case she needs to reach for the script? Its like watching a tightrope virtuoso deliberately make the wire wobble, yet remain aloft. Pomsel spent much of the war in Goebbels propaganda unit. She is a witness to history who doesnt, cant, recognise what she saw. She didnt read the papers that came across her desk, she says, even though she typed them. Her proudest achievement is not reading a file about the brutal execution of Sophie Scholl, who led an ill-fated resistance movement against Hitler. Details escape her, but she never forgets how much she earned. She joins the party (to secure a job, she says) but is vague about the extent of Jewish persecution. Her best friend disappears, and she doesnt let herself wonder where. What she knew what she allowed herself to know is always lost in the mist. Incomprehensible is a word she falls back on for example, to describe both her first Jewish boss, and a boyfriends articles for the Nazi press. Pomsel boasts of how smart she was at school and how she excelled in shorthand but also insists she was far too stupid to understand politics, even as she was at the heart of the political machine. She declares she decided to tell the truth to her Russian interrogators after the war, only to lie about not really meeting Goebbels even though she had sat beside him at a dinner party in his home. Is she aware of her contradictions? Cant she just put on the damn glasses? Shes a witness to history who wont recognise what she saw The banality of evil may be an over-worked concept. Hannah Arendts phrase, coined to define the petty focus of Hitlers bureaucrat, Adolf Eichmann, itself now risks banality. Here the mundanity of many of Pomsels recollections (canteen chats, mending ladders in stockings) does more than flirt with dullness. She doesnt distinguish between the horrors of genocide and her pleasure in knowing a little woman who can adjust a borrowed outfit. Her work doesnt directly cause death (or does it?), but she contributes to deaths work. Im not sure if the play and Jonathan Kents production are always in command of their ambiguities. Throughout, as the monologues meander becomes pointed towards the wars end, Pomsel will often refer to we. What we thought or felt, or didnt. We sometimes suggests family, or colleagues, or the entire non-Jewish German population. Its another decoy: for every we theres a they, for every us an other. But must the audience become complicit in Pomsels we, her convenient myopia and refusal of remorse? Smith, a revered star, isnt courting approval. Smith has rarely taken on political drama. Shes more often seen in period costume Shakespeare and Restoration drama on stage, Hogwarts and Downton on screen. She is celebrated more for the play of personality than the parsing of ethics. So it seems significant that she for this late stage appearance she selects a role deep in the moral murk. At times, when Pomsel cant but acknowledge the human cost of the Nazi programme, Smith puts anguished hands to her eyes, grasping the glasses tightly. But even so, she doesnt put them on. Photo above by Helen Maybanks Follow David on Twitter: @mrdavidjays NEW YORK (AP) - "Mayor Pete," as he's known to his growing fan base, is running a surprisingly strong and well-funded campaign for president. Lori Lightfoot has just won a landslide victory to become Chicago's mayor. Together, the ascendance of Lightfoot and Pete Buttigieg - the two-term mayor of South Bend, Indiana - highlights the remarkable progress made recently by gay and lesbian politicians, to the point where their sexual orientation is either an asset or a nonissue. Both Lightfoot and Buttigieg have talked comfortably about LGBT issues and their own same-sex marriages. "The real news is not that openly gay candidates are successful, but that being openly gay has become irrelevant," said Richard Socarides, a former Clinton White House adviser on gay issues. "Here are two people with fresh ideas and a new vision for the future," Socarides said. "Voters don't care about their sexual orientation. That's a sea change." It was only in 1998 that Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin became the first openly gay person to gain a seat in the House of Representatives. There are now eight LGBT members of the House, and two in the Senate - Baldwin and Arizona's Kyrsten Sinema, whose bisexuality never became an issue in her closely contested election campaign last year. Lightfoot's victory Tuesday in the third-largest U.S. city, along with lesbian Satya Rhodes-Conway's victory in Madison, Wisconsin, brings the number of LGBT mayors to 37, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which recruits and supports LGBT candidates. In Colorado, Jared Polis was inaugurated in January as the nation's first openly gay governor. This combination of 2019 photos shows newly-elected Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, left; and Democratic presidential candidate, South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Together, the ascendance of Lightfoot and Buttigieg highlights the remarkable recent progress made by gay and lesbian politicians, to the point where their sexual orientation is either an asset or a non-issue. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, Jose Luis Magana) Annise Parker, a lesbian who served three terms as mayor of Houston and is now CEO of the Victory Fund, said LGBT candidates such as Polis and Lightfoot "are achieving positions that cause folks to sit up and take notice." "It's not a fluke or an oddity," she said. "These are dedicated, hardworking public servants who bring a directness and integrity to their service ... They're being open about who they are." Buttigieg - at 37, the youngest prominent contender in the Democratic presidential race - has received rave reviews for many of his public appearances and reported raising $7 million in the first fundraising period of the campaign. His husband, Chasten, has amassed 176,000 Twitter followers with cheerful and sometimes wry commentary about their relationship and their dogs, and has been invited to headline a gala being held Saturday in Houston by the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT rights group. Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said Lightfoot's and Buttigieg's appeal is based on "character, leadership and ideas." Yet Minter also suggested that LGBT candidates may have certain distinctive strengths. "They may be more likely to empathize with others who have experienced discrimination or obstacles," he said. "They may also be more likely to cherish the opportunity to run for office and serve, something other politicians may take for granted." One indicator of the shifts in LGBT politics is that Lightfoot, a former prosecutor, and Buttigieg, a Harvard graduate, Rhodes scholar and Afghanistan war veteran, have not been immune to criticism from some activists. "For many members of the LGBTQ community, a candidate's mere identity as gay or lesbian is not enough," said professor Katherine Franke, who teaches gender and sexuality studies at Columbia University. "Neither Lightfoot nor Buttigieg are particularly progressive in their policy positions on a number of issues," Franke said. "Lightfoot has been criticized for being too pro-prosecution and pro-police in a city that has suffered significant police violence, and Buttigieg has been critiqued for his identification with elites." Thus far, the advancement of LGBT politicians has not been a bipartisan phenomenon. Very few of the nation's top-tier LGBT elected officials have been Republicans, and only a handful of Republicans in Congress have signaled support for the Equality Act, a sweeping LGBT-nondiscrimination measure that has near-unanimous Democratic support. "It's exceedingly frustrating," Parker said. "We'd love to support more candidates in the GOP, but the party of Donald Trump has no place for them. It has chosen to attack the rights and livelihoods of LGBT people to solidify political power." Tyler Deaton of the American Unity Fund, which seeks to boost support for LGBT rights among Republicans, acknowledged in an email that LGBT Democrats "are having an amazing year." "It's a lesson to my fellow Republicans about the electability of LGBTQ candidates," he wrote. "The party needs to look more like the voters, which includes recruiting and elevating more candidates who are women, people of color, religious minorities, and LGBTQ people." The flip side is a boon for the Democratic establishment, which courts financial and political support from LGBT activists and donors. Just last week, two Democratic presidential contenders - Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey - spoke at a West Coast gala held by the Human Rights Campaign. For some LGBT activists, the pace of change - and the greater public acceptance of LGBT candidates - is dramatic. Lawyer Roberta Kaplan reflected that only six years ago she was litigating before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Edie Windsor, who faced an enormous tax bill because she was married to a woman instead of a man. Two years later, in 2015, the high court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. "The traditional Jewish blessing thanks God for keeping us alive, sustaining us, and bringing us to this season," Kaplan said in an email. "That is very much how I feel today when I see news like Lori Lightfoot's victory in Chicago or Pete Buttigieg's candidacy for president." Chicago Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot smiles during a press conference at the Rainbow PUSH organization, Wednesday, April 3, 2019, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nuccio DiNuzzo) South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks to a crowd about his Presidential run during the Democratic monthly breakfast held at the Circle of Friends Community Center in Greenville, S.C. Saturday, March 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro) NEW YORK (AP) - It's simply a "human touch." He's a "warm, affectionate person." ''He hugs everybody." In the days since allegations surfaced of uninvited touching on the part of Joe Biden, several women in politics and beyond have been coming to his defense, vouching for his character and saying it was merely his old-fashioned tactile style at issue - nothing intentional, and certainly nothing sexual. But the nature of the defense, coming frequently but not exclusively from older women, as well as Biden's own assertion that he never felt he was acting inappropriately, raises some uncomfortable questions. Chief among them: If Biden really had no idea what he was doing, is he simply too out of step to be his party's standard-bearer in the #MeToo era? "There's a bit of 'not getting it' when it comes to the gender story here," said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics. "To me, there's been a patronizing quality to this, an alpha male asserting himself physically, that I think is problematic for him." Neither Lucy Flores, the former Nevada politician who described an uncomfortable kiss on the back of her head, nor the other four women who came forward with their own stories before Wednesday have accused the former vice president of sexual harassment. Rather, they've described behavior that made them feel uncomfortable because it invaded their personal space, regardless of Biden's intentions. On Wednesday night, The Washington Post reported that three additional women had recounted uncomfortable encounters with Biden. One of them, Vail Kohnert-Yount, said she was a White House intern in the spring of 2013 when she met Biden in the West Wing and that, as they chatted, he put his hand on the back of her head and pressed his forehead to hers and called her a "pretty girl." FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2012, photo, then-Vice President Joe Biden visits with patrons over lunch at Cruisers Diner in Seaman, Ohio. Biden buddied up with bikers, posed for countless pictures at a pizza place and downed an ice cream cone at a Dairy Queen over the weekend as he toured Ohio. Biden loves Ohio. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) For Biden, of course, the stakes are huge: He's deciding whether to jump into the crowded field for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination - a field that includes a half-dozen women. Fighting to change the narrative, he released a video statement Wednesday, promising to be more mindful of physical boundaries. "Politics to me has always been about making connections, but I will be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future," he said. "I get it." The statement, his second, came as some prominent women and longtime allies came to Biden's defense, none more passionately than former Sen. Jean Carnahan of Missouri. In a series of tweets, she noted Biden's "human touch" and praised the way he consoled her after she lost her husband and son. "It was his empathy and encouragement ... that gave me strength to meet each day," Carnahan, a Democrat, wrote. "Yes, I sometimes got a shoulder pat or even a head kiss. Joe has a deep desire to share in the lives of others." Across the aisle, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine called Biden "just a warm, affectionate person." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, while bluntly counseling him to change his behavior and "pretend you have a cold," said she did not see his behavior as disqualifying him for a presidential run. Beyond politics, Gloria Steinem also had understanding words for Biden, saying in an email to The Associated Press that "I think women are more than smart enough to know that a) Joe Biden is who he is and hugs everybody, b) this was minor compared to most sexual harassment." But the feminist leader immediately added: "We all need to get to a place where bodies are private property and not to be touched without permission." Steinem also noted this was a moment for change on the campaign trail: "When was the last time you saw a female candidate hugging every male supporter?" she mused. "Whatever is going on, it's way too gendered! We need to have the same guidelines for everybody." In his statement, the 76-year-old Biden said he understands the changing "social norms," seeking to ease concerns about whether he is up to adapting to a new era, where what was once considered by some to be charming - a quick compliment on a woman's appearance or a flirtatious hug - is now seen as boundary crossing. Biden's initial comments, insisting that he never knew his behavior was making women uncomfortable, were in themselves troubling to some women. "I keep hearing, 'Well, he's an older man and it's a generational thing,'" said Walsh at Rutgers. "But one of the issues he's going to be confronting as a candidate is a generational question. This may, in fact, point out the generational difference of how he sees women and the way he behaves himself around women." Laura Kelber, 61, a Democratic voter and a screenwriter in New York, takes issue with Biden's focus on his own intentions. Intentions, she said, are not the point. "It's not OK to demean and invade women's space," she said. "It's totally offensive and inappropriate." Kelber said she's proud of younger women for sounding the alert about Biden's physical behavior. But the debate didn't split neatly on generational lines. Meghan McCain called Biden "one of the truly decent and compassionate men in all of politics." The 34-year-old daughter of the late Republican Sen. John McCain is a co-host of "The View," where she and Biden shared an emotional moment during her father's illness. Biden, a friend of the Arizona senator's, was praised at the time for switching seats with another host so he could grasp a weeping McCain's hands as he consoled her. "I feel saddened that people are jumping on this issue just to find dirt," said Rachel Corson, 19. "Someone who is very highly respected in government who might have made a mistake and wasn't clear with his communication ... I find it disheartening that we are looking for something he did wrong." Complicating the debate was the question of a political double standard, given long-standing accusations of sexual misconduct against President Donald Trump and his famous boast, on tape, about groping women. Trump was asked Wednesday whether Biden should apologize for the ways he has interacted with women, and he replied, "No, he's going to make his own decisions. He's very capable of making a decision, I assume." Some feminist advocates have preferred not to comment on the Biden issue because of that perceived double standard, not wanting to criticize either the women expressing discomfort or Biden himself. Some voters, though, had no problem invoking it. "We have a president who grabs crotches, and now we are damning this man?" said Susan Chandler, a 72-year-old retired assistant principal in New Hampshire. Corson, the college student, said she thinks there could be a silver lining to the episode; women may feel bolder about speaking up in situations that perhaps don't rise to the level of harassment but need to be aired nonetheless. "Feeling uncomfortable is never OK," she said. "This may open a window for more people who aren't in the public eye to say, 'Yeah, that happened to me. I felt uncomfortable, and I think it was wrong.'" FILE - In this May 22, 2013 file photo, Newly commissioned officer Erin Talbot, left, poses for a photograph with Vice President Joe Biden during commencement for the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. As former Vice President Biden's camp scrambles to contain any political damage over his past behavior with women, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has some words of advice: Keep your distance. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - U.S. prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against four adults who lived at a New Mexico compound where authorities found the remains of a toddler who was reported missing in Georgia, court documents say. The two men and two women are charged with kidnapping the boy, who authorities say suffered from seizures that went untreated because a leader of the group believed medicine suppressed Muslim beliefs. They could have faced the potential of the death penalty if convicted of abducting 3-year-old Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj because authorities say it resulted in his death. But prosecutors said in a filing ahead of a court hearing Wednesday in Albuquerque that they would not seek capital punishment against Jany Leveille, Hujrah Wahhaj, Subhana Wahhaj and Lucas Morton. They are all members of an extended family, and traveled from Georgia to New Mexico in late 2017 with their children, the now-deceased child and his father, authorities say. A search for the missing boy led authorities in August to raid the group's compound along a remote stretch of desert north of Taos, where they found 11 malnourished children, guns, ammunition, a firing range and the remains of Abdul-Ghani. FILE - This Aug. 13, 2018 pool file photo shows defendants, from left, Jany Leveille, Lucas Morton, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj and Subbannah Wahhaj entering district court in Taos, N.M. U.S. prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against the four adults who lived at a New Mexico compound where authorities found the remains of a toddler who was reported missing in Georgia, court documents say. (Roberto E. Rosales/The Albuquerque Journal via AP, Pool, File) The boy's father, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, who also was arrested at the compound, was not charged in his son's abduction. U.S. law generally does not allow authorities to charge parents with kidnapping their own children, except in international cases. All five suspects also are facing terrorism-related charges amid accusations they conspired to support planned attacks on U.S. law enforcement officers and other government employees. They have pleaded not guilty to all charges and remain in federal custody. The group's attorneys say the five are innocent of the charges. Federal prosecutor George Kraehe said in court Wednesday that prosecutors were still reviewing cellphone records and thousands of emails for any additional evidence. The case is scheduled to go to trial next year. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Officials were struggling Wednesday to find ways for homeowners to afford insurance in fire-prone areas of California and for utilities to survive liability from devastating wildfires that threaten to worsen with climate change. One option on the table is the creation of a new state catastrophe fund backed by tens of billions of dollars. Massively expensive wildfires in 2017 and 2018 partly prompted Pacific Gas & Electric Corp . to file for bankruptcy protection and led to the creation of a five-member board that is considering who should pay for increasingly destructive wildfires. Board members have until July 1 to make their recommendations. Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to outline his plan to address the problem by mid-April. California's recent past "is fraught with wildfires," Chief Deputy Insurance Commissioner Joel Laucher told board members during a meeting in Santa Rosa, where a working class neighborhood was destroyed by wildfires in 2017. "This is the world that insurers are looking at." The danger is making it harder for people to get or afford home insurance, frustrating residents who may have moved decades ago to rural areas in search of cheaper housing in a natural setting. FILE - In this Nov. 9, 2018 file photo, firefighter Jose Corona sprays water as flames from the Camp Fire consume a home in Magalia, Calif. The massively expensive wildfires in 2017-2018 have prompted the creation of a five-member board, that met Wednesday April 3, 2019, to continue to consider who should pay for the increasingly destructive and costly wildfires. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File) Courts and regulators have piled the financial burden of the fires on utilities, leading Moody's Investors Service to downgrade credit ratings for California's three big investor-owned utilities. Courts have ruled that utilities are entirely liable for damage caused by their equipment, even if they followed all safety precautions. Regulators, meanwhile, have saddled utility investors with the legal burden for fires caused by mismanagement of electrical equipment. Moody's on Wednesday issued a report analyzing several possible remedies, including the creation of a state catastrophe fund that it says seems to be the most likely outcome. Creation of a fund "appears to be the reform that is most likely to happen," Moody's said in its analysis. Republican Assemblyman Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley has proposed a wildfire liability insurance fund. A fund could help stabilize utilities, but the extent of the help depends on "unresolved questions" including the size of the fund and how it addresses wildfire costs, Moody's said. Negotiators currently appear to be discussing a fund in the range of $15 billion to $30 billion, Moody's said, adding a larger fund could protect against more fires but could push higher costs onto customers. Under Mayes' bill, public electric utilities as well as investor-owned utilities such as PG&E could participate by paying in money from customers and shareholders. They would be reimbursed for wildfire costs at levels set by state regulators who could consider the extent to which utilities acted properly. The fund managers could also issue bonds secured by fund contributions to help pay wildfire costs. Rolling the cost to utility customers, Moody's said, also raises the question of balancing the interests of customers who live in fire-prone areas with those in lower-risk areas. "We must map out longer-term strategies, not just for the utilities' future, but for California's energy future, to ensure that the cost of climate change doesn't fall on those least able to afford it," Newsom warned in his State of the State speech in January. He convened a "strike team" of financial, bankruptcy and energy experts and hired Guggenheim Partners and the Los Angeles-based O'Melveny law firm to advise him on the proposals he is set to announce in mid-April. California's wildfire risk is so great now that even risk pools or catastrophe bonds aren't attractive to investors, warned Carolyn Kousky, executive director of the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the University of Pennsylvania. "It's not like there's one silver bullet here that's going to solve the problem," she told board members. ___ Associated Press writer Kathleen Ronayne contributed to this story PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - The Latest on Mar-a-Lago (all times local): 6:40 p.m. President Donald Trump is dismissing the arrest of a Chinese woman caught carrying a device containing computer malware at his private Florida club, saying it was "just a fluke situation." Trump told reporters as he met with senior military leaders Wednesday evening that he's "not concerned at all" about the weekend incident at Mar-a-Lago or whether the Chinese might be trying to conduct espionage against him. He contends that "we have very good control." Trump is also commending the Secret Service, saying he "could not be happier" with their conduct and that the result was "good." President Donald Trump, center, flanked by acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, 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, Wednesday, April 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Federal officials are looking into whether the incursion was part of a larger effort to gain access to the president and do potential harm. Senate Democrats are also asking the FBI to investigate potential security vulnerabilities at the club. ___ 6 p.m. Federal officials are looking into whether a Chinese woman arrested at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club with a device containing computer malware was part of a larger effort to gain access to the president and do potential harm. That's according to a U.S. official who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday. The official wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said federal agents are combing through Yujing Zhang's electronics and treating the case as a "credible threat." The 32-year-old was arrested over the weekend while the president was visiting the club in Palm Beach, Florida. Court papers say Zhang was carrying two Chinese passports and had four cellphones, a laptop computer, an external hard drive and a thumb drive containing computer malware. - Michael Balsamo in Washington __ 2 p.m. Senate Democrats are asking the FBI to investigate potential security vulnerabilities at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida after the arrest of a woman carrying two Chinese passports and a device containing computer malware. Chuck Schumer of New York and other Democrats wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday. They said the incident, in their words, "raises very serious questions regarding security vulnerabilities at Mar-a-Lago, which foreign intelligence services have reportedly targeted." The woman, Yujing Zhang, briefly gained access to the club after lying about why she was there. The Democrats previously asked Wray to investigate a Trump campaign donor from Florida who is the founder and onetime owner of a spa that has been implicated in an alleged human-trafficking ring. They said the FBI hasn't responded. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - In return for a promised $2 million payout, federal prosecutors say, the investor who has recently been North Carolina's biggest political donor wanted something from the state's top insurance regulator: go easy on his insurance companies. Now Greg Lindberg is facing bribery and conspiracy charges, and his substantial political donations are under scrutiny. The state Republican Party chairman indicted along with Lindberg, former congressman Robin Hayes, on Wednesday relinquished his party activities to an interim manager until new party elections in June. Lindberg has contributed more than $7 million since 2016 to state and federal candidates and committees, significantly favoring Republican causes. For example, he gave the North Carolina Republican Party almost $1.5 million in 2017 and 2018, and $500,000 to the state's Democrats, according to state campaign finance records. The elected official with potentially the most at risk politically from the indictment is Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, who is gearing up to challenge Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in 2020. Forest has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Forest hasn't received a direct campaign donation from Lindberg, but two political committees supporting him or other Republican statewide candidates have received more than $2.4 million from the Durham businessman since early 2017. Forest has taken credit for that fundraising. Employees for Lindberg's Eli Global LLC and Global Bankers Insurance Group have given more than $11,000 to Forest's campaign committee within the past three years, finance reports show. Forest, who was the featured guest in September 2017 when Global Bankers celebrated its corporate headquarters ribbon-cutting in Durham, called the indicted defendants "friends of mine" but said Tuesday the charges had nothing to do with his campaign. FILE - In this June 3, 2017 file photo North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes speaks during the North Carolina Republican Party State Convention at the Wilmington Convention Center in Wilmington, N.C. Hayes won't seek re-election to the post after all, the former congressman announced Monday, April 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Mike Spencer, File) "These were good guys," Forest said. "This is a bad situation. There's nothing good about this situation that they find themselves in. Obviously, I believe in justice being done, and we need to certainly follow this process and make sure that justice is done." Lindberg gave $1 million in late 2017 to Truth and Prosperity, a super PAC that promoted Forest during his winning 2016 reelection campaign for lieutenant governor, campaign reports show. Truth and Prosperity can receive unlimited amounts of money from individuals or businesses but can't coordinate spending with Forest. Yet state law allows Forest to raise the money for the super PAC. Forest campaign spokesman Hal Weatherman said Forest was never interviewed or questioned by investigators. Forest said that Lindberg never asked him for favors and he has no control over what Truth and Prosperity does with the money. A spokesman for Truth and Prosperity didn't respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday. In the second half of 2017, Lindberg also gave more than $1.4 million to the NC Republican Council of State Committee, an organization backing GOP candidates for statewide executive office like Forest, according to campaign filings. Forest is chairman of the committee, which collected $1.6 million total during the 2017-18 election cycle. A pro-Forest mailer announcing his "exploratory bid' for governor this year was paid by the committee. Sixteen of the 20 Facebook ads the committee purchased featured Forest. Forest said the Council of State committee leaders would have to meet to discuss how to handle Lindberg's donations. Lindberg's money also supported four North Carolina Republicans in the U.S. House. The biggest beneficiary appeared to be Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Walker of Greensboro, whose campaign and committees backing him got more than $230,000. Most of that came from a $150,000 Lindberg contribution in February 2018, the only donation of that size from him listed on the Federal Election Commission website. Federal prosecutors said Lindberg made a $150,000 contribution to a political committee backing "Public Official A" on the same February 2018 date he learned the politician was willing to help sway Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey. Walker's spokesman, Jack Minor, said Tuesday that he couldn't confirm if Walker was "Public Official A," but that Walker was never a target of the investigation. Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that Causey, a Republican, had alerted law enforcement voluntarily to help them uncover what they label a corruption scheme involving those who were indicted. One Democrat Lindberg backed was Causey's predecessor as commissioner, state Democratic Party chairman Wayne Goodwin. Lindberg gave almost $10,000 to Goodwin's unsuccessful 2016 campaign and another $450,000 to a committee that produced pro-Goodwin commercials, state campaign finance records show. Goodwin did not respond to phone and text messages from The Associated Press on Wednesday but had a public relations firm issue a statement confirming that after his re-election defeat, Goodwin did work for Lindberg's companies and other consulting clients. Goodwin said he is not a target of federal prosecutors and sought to distance himself from the kind of money-for-favors Lindberg is accused of seeking from Causey. "I do not recall being asked to take or direct any action to help Greg Lindberg or his companies during my time as Insurance Commissioner and do not recall him or his companies being raised for my review," Goodwin said in a statement. His consulting work involved attending conferences and receptions "to keep dozens of the firm's clients, including Eli Global and Global Bankers Insurance, up-to-date with industry developments and insights," Goodwin said. "My consulting services for Eli Global and Global Bankers Insurance have long since ended." ___ Follow Emery P. Dalesio on Twitter at http://twitter.com/emerydalesio . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/emery%20dalesio . ___ Associated Press writer Jonathan Drew in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report. TOKYO (AP) - Nissan's former Chairman Carlos Ghosn was arrested Thursday morning for a fourth time by Tokyo prosecutors investigating him for alleged financial misconduct while leading the Japanese automaker. Tokyo prosecutors said Ghosn's arrest was on suspicion he diverted $5 million from funds that were being relayed from a Nissan subsidiary to an overseas dealership. Their statement said the money is suspected of going to a company Ghosn virtually ran. Ghosn's whereabouts following his detention were unclear. TV footage showed officials entering Ghosn's apartment in Tokyo, and a car later going to the prosecutors' office, barely a month after Ghosn was released on bail from the earlier arrests. A car with the same license plate was later seen entering the Tokyo Detention Center, where Ghosn spent more than three months following his arrest on Nov. 19. A spokesman for Ghosn issued a statement in which he strongly declared his innocence. The spokesman would not be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. "My arrest this morning is outrageous and arbitrary," Ghosn said in the statement. "It is part of another attempt by some individuals at Nissan to silence me by misleading the prosecutors. Why arrest me except to try to break me? I will not be broken. I am innocent of the groundless charges and accusations against me." Ghosn, 65, was first arrested on charges of under-reporting his compensation. He was rearrested twice in December, including on breach of trust charges. The multiple arrests prolong detentions without trial and are an oft-criticized prosecution tactic in Japan's criminal justice system. A car which is believed to be carrying Nissan former Chairman Carlos Ghosn leaves an apartment building early Thursday, April 4, 2019 in Tokyo. Japanese prosecutors took Nissan's former Chairman Ghosn for questioning Thursday, barely a month after he was released on bail ahead of his trial on financial misconduct charges.(Takuya Inaba/Kyodo News via AP) The prosecutors' statement did not mention Oman, but the allegation appears related to the investigation by Nissan Motor Co.'s French alliance partner Renault about payments in Oman to a major dealership, some of which is suspected of having been channeled for Ghosn's personal use. Ghosn's lawyer Junichiro Hironaka denounced the arrest, stressing that a rearrest during release on bail was unusual. His release on bail in March was unusually quick for Japan, where long detentions without convictions are routine "This is an example of hostage justice," Hironaka told reporters. "This is meant to hurt Mr. Ghosn and give more advantage to the prosecutors' side." Nissan Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa expressed surprise about the arrest, although it had been rumored for days. "So much can happen. I am shocked," he told reporters as he left his home. Ghosn's family expressed worries about another detention, calling it in a statement, "solitary confinement as part of an attempt to force a confession." Ghosn has denied the accusations in the earlier charges. On the allegation of under-reported compensation at Nissan, he has said it involved payments that were never decided or that were to be paid in the future. He has also said Nissan never suffered losses for his personal investments and that allegedly dubious payments in Saudi Arabia were for legitimate services. Ghosn had tweeted he would hold a news conference April 11, where he would tell "the truth" on what was unfolding. A condition for his release on bail included not using the internet, but it is unclear if the authorities are considering the tweet a technical violation. "I am confident that if tried fairly, I will be vindicated," he said in the statement Thursday. "I am determined that the truth will come out. I am confident that if tried fairly, I will be vindicated." The allegations in the most recent arrest cover three money transfer operations from 2015 through last year, according to the prosecutors. Ghosn was a star in the auto industry, having steered Nissan for two decades from the brink of bankruptcy to one of the largest groups in the industry, allied with Renault and smaller Japanese partner Mitsubishi Motors Corp. Nissan declined comment on the criminal proceedings. The company is a co-defendant on the under-reporting of compensation charges. Hironaka said this week that at least two Nissan employees are cooperating with the prosecutors. Several other Nissan officials have been questioned by the prosecutors as part of the investigation. The maker of the March subcompact, Leaf electric car and Infiniti luxury models is holding a shareholders' meeting next week to oust Ghosn from its board. "Nissan's internal investigation has uncovered substantial evidence of blatantly unethical conduct," said company spokesman Nicholas Maxfield. The maximum penalty upon conviction on charges of under-reporting compensation and breach of trust is 15 years in prison. It is unclear when Ghosn's trial may begin. Preparations for trials in Japan routinely take months. ___ Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama On Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/yurikageyama/?hl=en A car which is believed to be carrying Nissan former Chairman Carlos Ghosn leaves an apartment building early Thursday, April 4, 2019 in Tokyo. Japanese prosecutors took Nissan's former Chairman Ghosn for questioning Thursday, barely a month after he was released on bail ahead of his trial on financial misconduct charges.(Takuya Inaba/Kyodo News via AP)/Kyodo News via AP) Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn, center, leaves his lawyer's office in Tokyo, Wednesday, April 3, 2019. Ghosn, facing financial misconduct charges in Japan, says he will hold a news conference on April 11. (Sadayuki Goto/Kyodo News via AP) In this April 3, 2019, file photo, former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn, center, leaves his lawyer's office in Tokyo. Japanese prosecutors took Nissan's former Chairman Ghosn for questioning Thursday, April 4, barely a month after he was released on bail ahead of his trial on financial misconduct charges. (Sadayuki Goto/Kyodo News via AP, File) In this April 3, 2019, photo, former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn returns to his residence in Tokyo. Japanese prosecutors took Ghosn for questioning Thursday, April 4, 2019, barely a month after he was released on bail ahead of his trial on financial misconduct charges. (Mizuki Ikari/Kyodo News via AP) FILE - In this April 20, 2018, file photo, then Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn speaks during an interview in Hong Kong. Japan's court has denied the prosecutor's request to extend detention of ex-Nissan chair Carlos Ghosn. Ghosn, facing financial misconduct charges in Japan, says he will hold a news conference April 11. Ghosn said Wednesday on his new verified Twitter account he is getting ready to tell the truth. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File) In this April 3, 2019 photo, former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn in a car leaves his lawyer's office in Tokyo. Japanese prosecutors took Ghosn for questioning Thursday, April 4, 2019, barely a month after he was released on bail ahead of his trial on financial misconduct charges. (Takuya Inaba/Kyodo News via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump's tax returns (all times local): 6:50 p.m. President Donald Trump says he "would not be inclined" to provide his tax returns in response to a request from a House committee chairman. Rep. Richard Neal, the Democratic chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, on Wednesday formally requested six years of Trump's personal and business tax returns from the IRS. Trump was asked about the request during a White House meeting with military leaders. "Is that all?" he said when he heard it was for six years of returns. "Usually it's 10, so I guess they're giving up." President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual spring dinner in Washington, April 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Trump says: "We're under audit despite what people said. We're working that out." The president says he's been under audit for many years "because the numbers are big and I guess when you have a name, you're audited." __ 6:35 p.m. A House committee chairman has formally requested the IRS provide six years of President Donald Trump's personal and business tax returns as Democrats try to shed light on his complex financial dealings and potential conflicts of interest. The request Wednesday by Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal, who heads the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, is the first such demand for a sitting president's tax information in 45 years. The unprecedented move is likely to set off a huge legal battle between Democrats controlling the House and the Trump administration. Neal made the request in a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, asking for Trump's personal and business returns for 2013 through 2018. NEW YORK (AP) - The House Intelligence Committee wants to interview - and has requested records from - a key planner of President Donald Trump's inauguration, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday, adding to a growing list of inquiries into the funding of the celebratory events. The request was revealed in a letter Trump's inaugural committee received this week from an attorney for the planner, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former adviser to first lady Melania Trump who played a leading role organizing the inaugural parties. The House Intelligence Committee's request was first reported Wednesday by The Wall Street Journal . The letter said that the House committee on March 19 requested Wolkoff provide unspecified records and also submit to a voluntary interview. It also showed that Wolkoff was subpoenaed to testify in early October before a federal grand jury in Manhattan, where federal prosecutors are investigating, among other things, whether foreigners illegally contributed to the inaugural events. The House committee's request was described to The AP by a person familiar with the matter who wasn't authorized to discuss it and spoke on the condition of anonymity. A spokesman for the House Intelligence Committee, Patrick Boland, declined to comment. FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 5, 2016, file photo, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff leaves Trump Tower, in New York. The House Intelligence Committee wants to interview Wolkoff, a key planner of President Donald Trump's inauguration, a person familiar with the request tells The Associated Press. Federal prosecutors are investigating, among other things, whether foreigners illegally contributed to the inaugural events. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) Calls to Wolkoff's residence seeking comment Wednesday rang unanswered. The person familiar with the matter said a sealed court order had prohibited Wolkoff from disclosing the federal subpoena she received for 180 days. The inaugural committee raised an unprecedented $107 million to host events celebrating Trump's inauguration in January 2017 but has drawn mounting scrutiny in recent months. The latest request came about two weeks after the House Judiciary Committee, as part of a broad probe into Trump's activities, asked the inaugural committee for a wide range of financial records. The inaugural committee also has received subpoenas from the attorneys general of New Jersey and Washington, D.C., as well as from federal prosecutors in New York. The committee has maintained its finances were independently audited, and that all funds were spent in accordance with the law. ___ This story has been corrected to show the proper first name spelling of Melania, not Melanie. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed reporting from Washington. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - An autopsy report confirmed that an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who died while in custody of the U.S. Border Patrol on Christmas Eve succumbed to a flu infection - one of two deaths of Central American children in December that raised concerns about the government's ability to care for minors at the southern border. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Examiner released its autopsy findings for Felipe Gomez Alonzo on Wednesday, two days after Guatemalan authorities said they had received a copy of the report disclosing the boy had a rapid, progressive infection that led to organ failure. An autopsy released last week for 7-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin, the other Guatemalan child who died, showed she too had a bacterial infection that quickly led to sepsis and organ failure. Their deaths, just over two weeks apart, came amid a rise in the number of families arriving at the United States' southern border. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has taken to social media in recent days, tweeting that Congress must confront what she called an emergency by giving border and immigration authorities the tools and resources needed to "fulfill our humanitarian and security mission." She visited El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, marking her first stop on a border tour aimed at assessing the surge of migrants and the department's response. "Our system and facilities were never structured to withstand the current influx of immigrants," she said. FILE - This Dec. 12, 2018 file photo provided by Catarina Gomez shows her stepbrother Felipe Gomez Alonzo, 8, near her home in Yalambojoch, Guatemala. An autopsy report confirmed Wednesday, April 3, 2019, that Gomez Alonzo, an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who died while in custody of the U.S. Border Patrol on Christmas Eve, succumbed to a flu infection - one of two deaths of Central American children in December that drew attention to the plight of migrant families at the southern border. (Catarina Gomez via AP, File) Gomez Alonzo and his father, Agustin Gomez, were apprehended by the Border Patrol in mid-December after the family said the two left Guatemala because of the extreme poverty and lack of opportunity they were facing. The father said others from his community had been able to cross the U.S. border with children, and he figured he and his son would have the same luck. Felipe was chosen to go with his father because he was the oldest son. Once in Border Patrol's custody, Gomez Alonzo and his father were taken to several facilities including the processing center at the Paso del Norte port of entry, then the El Paso Border Patrol station. The day before Gomez Alonzo died, they arrived at about 1 a.m. at the Border Patrol station in Alamogordo, New Mexico, about 90 miles (or 145 kilometers) north of the border, according to the agency. Officials said the two were moved there "because of capacity levels" in El Paso. The day Felipe died, a border agent noticed the boy was coughing and had "glossy eyes," and sent him to the hospital, Border Patrol said. He was found to have a 103-degree fever (39.4 degrees Celsius), officials have said. New Mexico medical examiners said in their report that the boy complained of a sore throat, congestion and fever before being taken to the hospital, where he tested positive for flu. He was held for observation for 90 minutes, federal authorities said, before being released with prescriptions for amoxicillin and ibuprofen. But the boy fell sick hours later and was readmitted to the hospital, where he later died. The boy reportedly had become unresponsive on the way to the back to the hospital, medical examiners said. "Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time," Dr. Kurt Nolte, the state's chief medical investigator, said in a statement. New Mexico authorities previously said the boy tested positive for the flu. His autopsy showed he suffered a staph infection in his lungs before the bacteria entered his bloodstream and sepsis set in. A toxicology report released by the medical examiner shows he had Benadryl in his system. Jakelin Caal died Dec. 8 in El Paso, just over a day after she was apprehended by Border Patrol agents with her father after entering the U.S. LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Latest on a man on a bicyclist (all times local): 6:10 p.m. Los Angeles police say the suspect who rode around on a bicycle and slashed the faces of at least nine people is a 19-year-old homeless man. Capt. Dan Randolph says the man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of attempted murder after police received hundreds of tips from residents. Randolph says the suspect has terrorized communities in and around South Los Angeles since last month. The victims, including a 13-year-old, received slashing wounds. At least two people were hospitalized with severe injuries. All are expected to survive. This undated photo released by the Los Angeles Police Department shows a person they are seeking in a series of slashing attacks in the city recently. Police say they are trying to find the bicyclist who rides close to people and slashes their faces and is believed to have struck six times since March 2019. Police in a statement said that a man standing near a bus stop was attacked on Monday, April 1, 2019, and a woman was slashed about a mile away. They were hospitalized with severe injuries and are expected to survive. (Los Angeles Police Department via AP) Stefany Coboz told KNBC-TV she received a deep gash under her left ear, and the man turned and laughed at her after the attack. Police say the assailant rode a mountain bike and carried an unknown type of "edged weapon." ___ 4:30 p.m. Los Angeles police have arrested a suspect they say rode around on a bicycle and slashed the faces of at least six people. Officer Norma Eisenman on Wednesday confirmed the arrest, but she did not immediately have additional details. The slasher is believed to have struck six times since last month. Police said earlier that a man standing near a bus stop was attacked on Monday, and a woman was slashed about a mile (1.6 kilometers) away. They were hospitalized with severe injuries and are expected to survive. Similar attacks happened in the same area of South Los Angeles on March 20 and in the neighboring cities of South Gate and Lynwood on March 27. Police say the assailant rode a mountain bike and wielded an unknown type of "edged weapon." ___ 1:50 p.m. Los Angeles police say they are trying to find a bicyclist who rides close to people and slashes their faces. He is believed to have struck six times since last month. Police in a statement said that a man standing near a bus stop was attacked on Monday and a woman was slashed about a mile (1.6 kilometers) away. They were hospitalized with severe injuries and are expected to survive. Similar attacks happened in the same area of South Los Angeles on March 20 and in the neighboring cities of South Gate and Lynwood on March 27. Police say the assailant has used an unknown type of "edged weapon" and was last seen on a black and green mountain bike. COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) - Three Midwestern Republican governors of states ravaged by recent flooding on Wednesday demanded more authority over management of the Missouri River system. Following a meeting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson were critical of the federal body that manages the river, saying it should prioritize flood control over other goals, such as protecting fish and wildlife habitat. "One thing is clear: Something needs to change," said Parson, who pointed to increasing damage from flooding over the last decade with no solutions in sight. The governors said they plan to work together for that change, even if it means petitioning Congress to give states more authority in river management. Ricketts complained that even when funding for reinforcement of levees is approved, it's often years before the work is actually done. In some cases, flooding repeats before the work even starts. "That permitting process has got to be faster," he said. Reynolds said the governors would be presenting a united front to the federal government in demanding more authority. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, center, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, right, and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, left, participate in a news conference in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Wednesday, April 3, 2019. The news conference took place after the governors of the flood-ravaged Midwestern states met with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials who are facing criticism for the management of the recent floods. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) "We can't continue to do things like build a temporary levee that would protect a community, and after the Corps deems the flood incident over, require them to tear it down," she said Asked whether the Corps indicated it would or could cede some river management decisions to the states, Parson replied, "Well, they listened." Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, also was scheduled to attend but had transportation problems and did not make it. The Corps has said it works to balance all its priorities and that much of the flooding was well out of its control. The agency said that much of the water that created the flooding came from record rains and melting snow that flowed over frozen ground and directly into the river downstream of its dams, all while massive amounts of water filled Missouri River reservoirs and had to be released. On Wednesday, the Corps released numbers showing record March runoff in the upper Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, of 11 million acre feet - nearly 4 million acre feet more than the previous record of 7.3 million set in 1952. The average March upper basin runoff is 2.9 million acre feet, the Corps said. Officials have estimated that the flooding caused nearly $1.4 billion in damage in Nebraska and more than $1.6 billion in Iowa. That includes an estimated $1 billion of damage to farms in both states, where flooding destroyed stored crops, tore up land and equipment and killed livestock. Thousands of homes and businesses have been damaged or destroyed in Nebraska alone. The damage total is expected to grow as more assessments are made. Kansas and Missouri officials are still waiting on damage estimates, although Kansas officials say that state saw flood damage limited to about 31,000 acres of mostly farmland and some stored grain. In Missouri, the surging river caused dozens of levee breaches that inundated about 168,000 acres in Missouri's two hardest-hit counties of Holt and Atchison. Officials have said the March floods could be just the beginning of a rough spring, as hefty snowpack in the northern Plains adds to already swollen rivers and streams. That includes the Mississippi River, which started falling Wednesday in St. Louis as the crest moves downstream. St. Louis closed its floodgates in advance of Tuesday's crest. Although the flooding there isn't classified as major, it closed some roads, including stretches of Missouri 94 and 67. Downstream, the flood fight continues. The Corps said it handed out more than 100,000 sandbags to communities in its St. Louis district, including Clarksville, parts of Jefferson County and Ste. Genevieve. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, left, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, right, and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, center, participate in a news conference in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Wednesday, April 3, 2019. The news conference took place after the governors of the flood-ravaged Midwestern states met with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials who are facing criticism for the management of the recent floods. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts stands before a map of the Missouri River basin during a news conference in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Wednesday, April 3, 2019, with the participation of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson. The news conference took place after the governors of the flood-ravaged Midwestern states met with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials who are facing criticism for the management of the recent floods. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, left, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, center, and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, right, sit in a conference room with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Wednesday, April 3, 2019. The governors of the flood-ravaged Midwestern states met with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials to discuss the management of the recent floods. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, left, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, center, and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, right, sit in a conference room with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Wednesday, April 3, 2019. The governors of the flood-ravaged Midwestern states met with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials to discuss the management of the recent floods. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The United Nations supports the desire of Haiti's leaders to end the U.N. stabilization mission in the country in October and for Haitian authorities to fully assume responsibility for security in the country, the U.N. peacekeeping chief said Wednesday. Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the Security Council that the United Nations trusts "the capacity of the Haitian national police to manage security risks without international operational support." The U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti, known as MINUJUSTH, has been training the national police and helping the government strengthen judicial and legal institutions and monitor human rights since the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti ended on Oct. 15, 2017 after 13 years. Lacroix said that while "the evolution of the situation in Haiti since July has confirmed the political fluidity and economic fragility of the country, we must also not lose sight of the progress made over the years, and most recently the strengthening of the country's institutions with the Haitian national police first and foremost." President Juvenal Moise's administration set off deadly protests in July when officials abruptly announced double-digit increases in the prices for gasoline, diesel and kerosene as part of an agreement with the International Monetary Fund to eliminate fuel subsidies and boost government revenue. Since then, Haiti's largest opposition groups have united in a campaign of protests to push Moise, who is backed by the United States, from office. In his report to the Security Council last month, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the national police force gave a "widely acknowledged professional and effective performance during the demonstrations," showcasing "its capacities in addressing security challenges in the country." "It is my assessment that unless there are mounting challenges to the government's capacity to respond to the crisis, the national police will be able to fully assume responsibility for the security and protection of Haiti by Oct. 15," he said. Guterres recommended that the Security Council gradually phase out MINUJUSTH's mandate over the next six months and approve the establishment of "a small strategic advisory office" to advise the government on specific areas of political reform, elections, justice, corrections, development of the police, reducing community violence and human rights. Lacroix told the council that this proposal would be ideal to meet Haiti's needs at this stage. If the secretary-general's recommendations are approved by the council, he said, the U.N. will withdraw international police and prepare for "a smooth transition." Lacroix called on Security Council members and countries in the region to step up cooperation with Haiti, especially in strengthening its abilities to promote stability and the rule of law. Haiti's Foreign Minister Edmond Bocchit backed the plan to end the MINUJUSTH mission and remove the country from the Security Council's agenda. He told the council that president Moise "has in no way underestimated the difficulties that his administration has to overcome." "The mass protests in recent months have highlighted, if there was any further need to do so, the crucial steps that remain ahead, in particular the urgent need to step up the fight against insecurity and corruption in all its forms, and to improve substantially and without delay, living conditions of all segments of Haiti's population," Bocchit said. He called 2019 "a pivotal year" for the country including ensuring that upcoming elections take place in a peaceful environment within constitutionally established timelines. U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet told the Security Council that "social grievances, corruption and weak institutions constitute major obstacles for the realization of human rights in Haiti." "With about 59 percent of the population estimated to live below the poverty line, the country remains the poorest in the Americas," she said. Poverty creates a fertile environment for criminal activity and for gangs to thrive which contributed to triggering "increasingly violent unrest across Haiti since last July," Bachelet said. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The troubled California utility Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. named a new chief executive and board members Wednesday amid a bankruptcy proceeding. The San Francisco-based utility chose Bill Johnson as its chief executive officer and president and named 10 new board members, including former U.S. ambassadors and members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Johnson is ending a run leading the Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation's largest publicly owned utility, which serves parts of seven southeastern states. PG&E is owned by investors. The utility's "board refreshment" comes as it faces intense scrutiny for its equipment's role in starting devastating California wildfires and its overall approach to safety. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January, saying it couldn't afford potentially tens of billions of dollars in wildfire liability costs. "We have heard the calls for change and have taken action today to ensure that PG&E has the right leadership to bring about real and dynamic change that reinforces our commitment to safety, continuous improvement and operational excellence," the board said in a statement. A board meeting will be held as soon as possible to seat the new board, but all members will be up for election by at an annual shareholders meeting in May. Three current board members are remaining. In this April 18, 2017 photo, Tennessee Valley Authority CEO Bill Johnson answers questions during an interview with The Associated Press in Nashville, Tenn. The troubled California utility has named a new chief executive and board members amid a bankruptcy proceeding. Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. announced Wednesday, April 3, 2019, it has chosen Johnson as its president and named 10 new directors to its board. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) Gov. Gavin Newsom publicly criticized the utility last week, saying its leaders planned to put hedge fund financiers and people with little to no California experience on its new board. His spokesman, Nathan Click, said some changes had been made in the slate announced Wednesday, but the governor still had concerns. "While changes were made in the last few days to augment the safety and government expertise on the board, this proposed board still raises concerns - particularly the large representation of Wall Street interests and most board nominees' lack of relevant California experience," Click said in an emailed statement. California plans to hold the utility "to the highest standards," he said. The board members include several people with energy and utility expertise as well as people with jobs in investment management and bankruptcy expertise. BELTON, Texas (AP) - The Latest on an MMA fighter accused of killing two people and later escaping from a prison van (all times local): 7:30 p.m. A 44-year-old MMA fighter and his girlfriend have been indicted in Texas on capital murder charges in the killings of two people whose bodies were found in a shallow grave in Oklahoma. Bell County District Attorney Henry Garza says the indictments of Cedric Marks and 26-year-old Maya Maxwell were handed down Wednesday for the deaths Jenna Scott and Michael Swearingin. The couple was also charged with tampering with evidence. Marks has previously denied killing the 28-year-old Scott and 32-year-old Swearingin. ___ 2:40 p.m. Investigators say a Texas man was strangled before he was buried in Oklahoma alongside the body of a woman whose MMA fighter ex-boyfriend is suspected in the deaths. Oklahoma's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner released an autopsy report Wednesday saying 32-year-old Michael Swearingin's death was a homicide. Swearingin was found dead Jan. 15 in a shallow grave beside the body of 28-year-old Jenna Scott in Clearview, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) east of Oklahoma City. The Temple, Texas residents were reported missing Jan. 4. The report says Swearingin likely died from asphyxiation due to strangulation. Scott's autopsy hasn't been made public. Court records show Scott's ex-boyfriend, 44-year-old Cedric Marks, is being held on murder charges. Marks prompted a manhunt Feb. 3 when he escaped from a private prison van. He was recaptured nine hours later. PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Police have arrested a man suspected of fatally shooting the son of a high-ranking city police official at a Philadelphia park. Philadelphia police say they arrested 19-year-old Tyquan Atkinson Wednesday evening in connection to the killing of 20-year-old Nicholas Flacco. Police say several fights broke out among women in groups in FDR Park and a woman threatened to "call her man." An armed man later fired twice, left, and then returned 10 to 15 minutes later and shot Flacco, the son of an Internal Affairs commander who was home from college. Police say Atkinson is charged with murder, criminal conspiracy and other charges. It's unclear whether Atkinson has an attorney. A listed number for him couldn't be found Wednesday. TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Two University of Arizona students have been cited after a confrontation with Border Patrol agents visiting the Tucson campus last month. Both students were cited for interference with the peaceful conduct of an educational institution, a misdemeanor offense. One of the two also was cited for threats and intimidation. The students face April 22 court appearances. A coalition of UA professors say the two students were exercising their right to protest, and they have since been getting death threats. The Criminal Justice Association had invited U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to speak March 19. Videos showed students disrupting a presentation by two agents with chants of "murder patrol" and following them down the hall. UA President Robert Robbins says the club had a right to have its presentation uninterrupted. GUATEMALA CITY (AP) - Guatemala's lead prosecutor against impunity who helped put three former presidents and a raft of other officials behind bars said Wednesday that current President Jimmy Morales has made the country's fight against corruption a joke and he fears for his safety. Juan Francisco Sandoval said the office he leads has only a fraction of the investigative power it once had. In an interview with The Associated Press, Sandoval said that Morales' government has done everything to block his investigations into high-level corruption, including of the president himself. Sandoval worked under internationally praised chief prosecutor Thelma Aldana until last May. Aldana now seeks the presidency and was replaced by a new chief prosecutor chosen by Morales. He led corruption investigations against the former presidents Alfonso Portillo, Alvaro Colom and Otto Perez Molina. Sandoval said he hopes to present at least five more high-impact cases by September. "This government has been terrible, disastrous and a joke for the people in the fight against corruption," Sandoval said. He noted the irony since Morales won office with a slogan of "neither corrupt, nor a thief." The 36-year-old prosecutor has led the office for a decade, working closely with the United Nations' anti-corruption mission in Guatemala. Sandoval's office and the U.N. mission have alleged corruption by Morales, but seen their pursuit of charges blocked by the country's congress. Juan Francisco Sandoval, Guatemala's lead prosecutor against impunity, poses for a photo during an interview in Guatemala City, Wednesday, April 3, 2019. Sandoval said President Jimmy Morales' government has done everything possible to block his investigations into high-level corruption, including of the president himself. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) The leader of the U.N. body, Ivan Velasquez, has not been allowed to return to Guatemala and Morales has said he will not renew the mission's mandate when it expires in September. Sandoval himself is under legal fire by the targets of his investigations. There are 18 legal actions against him that seek his imprisonment or firing. Usually accompanied by bodyguards, Sandoval said he fears for his safety and that of his family, but plans to continue working. "I still have hope that things are going to change," he said. MEXICO CITY (AP) - Authorities in the southern Mexico state of Guerrero are investigating an apparent car bombing that caused no injuries, but damaged seven vehicles in a rural town. Guerrero state security spokesman Roberto Alvarez said in a statement Wednesday that investigators determined a gas cylinder had been rigged inside the vehicle that exploded in the town of Xaltianguis, about an hour's drive north of Acapulco. Local media said the explosion occurred near offices of a local community defense force. Violence has occurred sporadically between competing vigilante-like local police forces that have armed themselves against drug cartels. SAN DIEGO (AP) - San Diego County sued Wednesday to overturn the Trump administration's cancellation of an immigration program because the move has led to the quick release of families after they cross the border without allowing time for travel arrangements. The county on the Mexican border said the decision to end the program last October left the county struggling to help some of the thousands of people who effectively have been stranded in the county because they no longer are receiving federal help in reaching relatives or others in other part of the country who could house them. The federal lawsuit called the move "arbitrary and capricious." "The prior policy treated asylum seekers with care and dignity and helped to prevent a dramatic increase in the county's homeless population and accompanying public health concerns and related costs and expenditures," the lawsuit said. Administration officials did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Wednesday night. They have said previously that they are under no legal obligation to provide travel assistance and that growing numbers of family arrivals prevent them from doing so any longer. Families arriving at the border have long been released from U.S. custody and allowed to settle in this country with family or friends while their cases wound their way through the courts, a process that often takes years. The change in October was how quickly it happened. Immigrants from Honduras seeking asylum rest on a cot at Travis Park Church which is serving as a makeshift shelter, Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in downtown San Antonio. The surge of migrants arriving at the southern border has led the Trump administration to dramatically expand a practice it has long mocked as "catch and release." (AP Photo/Eric Gay) President Donald Trump has railed against the practice, tweeting in November that the policy he dubbed "Catch and Release" was over. But in recent months, the number of families crossing into the U.S. has climbed to record highs, pushing the system to what administration officials say is a breaking point. Since Dec. 21, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has set free more than 125,000 people who came into the U.S. as families. Customs and Border Protection is also overloaded, and instead of holding families for up to 72 hours before turning them over to ICE, it has started releasing them directly into the U.S., sometimes so quickly they haven't time to make travel arrangements. Families are given court dates, a head of household is often fitted with an ankle monitor, and they are dropped off at a charity-run shelter or bus station. Relief organizations in some cities are struggling to feed and house the migrants and warning that a public health crisis is taking shape, especially with sick infants and children among the many immigrant families who need medical attention. San Diego County recently opened a shuttered downtown courthouse slated for demolition to house up to 150 asylum seekers. A coalition of religious and civic groups that manages the shelter said it has helped more than 11,000 members of asylum-seeking families since authorities began large-scale releases in late October. "The federal government's negligent approach to those seeking asylum is taking a huge toll on San Diego County taxpayers," Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Dianne Jacob tweeted. "The county has already spent over $1.3 million to address health and safety issues at the asylum shelter. That figure is ballooning by the day." The lawsuit says it wants the restoration of the safe release program, including restoration of federal assistance in reaching their final destinations in the U.S. FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2018 file photo a family of asylum-seekers listens to a volunteer after arriving from an immigration detention center to a shelter in San Diego. San Diego County sued Wednesday, April 3, 2019, to overturn the Trump administration's cancelling of an immigration program that quickly released families after they cross the border without allowing time for travel arrangements. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File) FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2018 file photo, an asylum-seeking boy from Central America runs down a hallway after arriving from an immigration detention center to a shelter in San Diego. San Diego County sued Wednesday, April 3, 2019, to overturn the Trump administration's cancelling of an immigration program that quickly released families after they cross the border without allowing time for travel arrangements. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File) Immigrants from Honduras seeking asylum rest on a cots and play at Travis Park Church which is serving as a make-shift shelter, Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in downtown San Antonio. The surge of migrants arriving at the southern border has led the Trump administration to dramatically expand a practice it has long mocked as "catch and release." (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Immigrants from Central America seeking asylum prepare for bed at Travis Park Church, which is serving as a make-shift shelter, Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in downtown San Antonio. The surge of migrants arriving at the southern border has led the Trump administration to dramatically expand a practice it has long mocked as "catch and release." (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Pastor Gavin Rogers, second from left, prays with an immigrant from Central America seeking asylum who had requested communion while at Travis Park Church which is serving as a make-shift shelter, Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in downtown San Antonio. The surge of migrants arriving at the southern border has led the Trump administration to dramatically expand a practice it has long mocked as "catch and release." (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Immigrants from Central America seeking asylum rest on cots at Travis Park Church which is serving as a make-shift shelter, Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in downtown San Antonio. The surge of migrants arriving at the southern border has led the Trump administration to dramatically expand a practice it has long mocked as "catch and release." (AP Photo/Eric Gay) A young immigrant from Central America traveling with his family and seeking asylum plays at Travis Park Church, which is serving as a make-shift shelter, Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in downtown San Antonio. The surge of migrants arriving at the southern border has led the Trump administration to dramatically expand a practice it has long mocked as "catch and release." (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Immigrants from Honduras seeking asylum rest on a cot at Travis Park Church which is serving as a make-shift shelter, Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in downtown San Antonio. The surge of migrants arriving at the southern border has led the Trump administration to dramatically expand a practice it has long mocked as "catch and release." (AP Photo/Eric Gay) An immigrant from Central America seeking asylum rests on a cot at Travis Park Church which is serving as a make-shift shelter, Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in downtown San Antonio. The surge of migrants arriving at the southern border has led the Trump administration to dramatically expand a practice it has long mocked as "catch and release." (AP Photo/Eric Gay) BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A Montana county may have discriminated against one of its own attorneys by denying the transgender woman access to health care. The Billings Gazette reported Wednesday that the Montana Human Rights Bureau ruled that Yellowstone County unlawfully denied "gender-affirming health care" to Eleanor Andersen Maloney in 2018. The newspaper reports Maloney was a county prosecutor when she was denied a health insurance request for possible elective surgery, although she was still on a waiting list at the time. The newspaper reports the county also sought the return of payments for Maloney's therapist. Yellowstone County has 30 days to respond. The case will move to a formal hearing if an agreement is not reached. Calls by the newspaper to the county seeking comment Wednesday were not returned. ___ Information from: The Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com NEW YORK (AP) - Many job-seekers would no longer face tests for marijuana use under legislation that New York City is likely to enact, taking a novel step as lawmakers and employers around the U.S. grapple with workplace policies about pot. The Democrat-led City Council passed a measure Tuesday that would ban pre-employment testing for the drug, with certain exceptions. Supporters say the measure , which if enacted may be the first of its breadth, would knock down a barrier that blocks people from jobs because of private behavior, not professional ability. And they note that marijuana can show up on a drug test days, or sometimes longer, after the high wears off. "If you ingest weed in whatever manner a month ago, I'm not sure how that prevents you from doing your job now," Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a Democrat who sponsored the proposal, told the council. But some council members and business groups object to what they see as municipal meddling with a valid employment concern. "Private businesses should have the power to determine their own hiring practices - not just in deciding what skills and experience are relevant to certain positions, but also whether the use of a specific drug could have an adverse impact on a prospective employee's ability to perform," Council Republican Leader Steven Matteo said in a statement. FILE - In this March 29, 2019, file photo, a man smokes marijuana at a Spleef NYC canna-cocktail party in New York. Many employers in New York City could no longer require job applicants to be tested for marijuana use under legislation approved this week. The Democrat-led City Council passed a measure Tuesday, April 9, 2019, that would ban pre-employment testing for the drug, with certain exceptions. The law has the support of Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) The measure is awaiting action from Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat. A spokeswoman told The New York Times that City Hall supports the legislation; The Associated Press sent an inquiry Friday seeking to confirm the mayor's position. Drug-testing job applicants became common in the U.S. in the late 1980s, but marijuana screening is getting some reconsideration as the drug has gained legal ground. Most states, including New York, now have legal medicinal marijuana programs, and 10 states and the District of Columbia allow recreational pot use. New York is considering it. Medical marijuana users in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island have won lawsuits in recent years against companies that rescinded job offers or fired workers because of positive tests for pot. A number of businesses around the country have simply stopped marijuana-testing applicants . "In this environment where unemployment is pretty low and where marijuana is becoming ever more socially acceptable ... employers are either philosophically or practically having to take a long, hard look at whether they're even going to screen for pot," said Michael Clarkson, a Boston-based employment lawyer who specializes in drug-testing issues. Some officials also have taken a look at whether businesses should do so. Washington, D.C. prohibits marijuana testing before a job offer is extended (some states apply this standard to all drug testing). Lawmakers in Nevada, where recreational marijuana use is legal, have been considering a proposal that would ban companies from disqualifying job candidates for testing positive for pot. The New York City measure appears to go further by barring businesses from making applicants take marijuana tests at any point before hiring. There are exceptions for police, construction workers, commercial drivers, child care workers and certain others. It doesn't stop employers from testing current workers, or from firing them if they fail. Some civil rights advocates suggest the legislation is too narrow but still commend it. "Overall, it was a good start for prospective employees," said Anthony Posada of the Legal Aid Society's Community Justice Unit. Major testing lab Quest Diagnostics says a small proportion of workforce tests nationally come back positive for marijuana or any other drugs, but the number has been growing in recent years. Including job applicants and hired workers, the positive-test rate for marijuana was 2.8% last year, up from 2.4% in 2014, the Secaucus, New Jersey-based company said Thursday. ___ Jennifer Peltz is a member of AP's marijuana beat team. Follow AP's complete marijuana coverage: https://apnews.com/Marijuana. ___ Information from: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com Two bereaved women who lost loved ones are calling for a full review of the system, arguing the men were let down by Scotlands mental health services. Karen McKeown and Gillian Murray are demanding a review of mental health provision and automatic reviews into suicides if the deceased had contact with the health service in the three months before their death. Ms McKeowns partner, father-of-two Luke Henderson, was unable to get help despite multiple calls to doctors and visiting the NHS about his mental health problems in the week before he died. The uncle of Ms Murray, David Ramsay, killed himself days after begging for help at NHS Tayside but getting told to take his dog for a walk instead. A petition by the two women has gathered 882 signatures and Ms McKeown will give evidence to MSPs on the Public Petitions Committee later on Thursday. Their petition, calling for changes to mental health services in Scotland, urges the Scottish Government to carry out a full review of mental health services across the NHS in Scotland and for mental health provision to be delivered consistently across the country. MSPs will hear evidence from two women who lost loved ones to suicide despite seeking help from mental health services (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Our loved ones Luke Henderson and David Ramsay asked for help a number of times before their deaths, they wrote, adding the pair were let down by the current system. Please sign this important petition as improvements to mental health services will save lives. Karen and Gillian have lost loved ones to suicide and they are courageously campaigning for change. Please sign and share. https://t.co/91bFZU96nw pic.twitter.com/9TLb78fuN6 Monica Lennon MSP (@MonicaLennon7) March 15, 2019 The petition adds: Both men attempted to get help on a number of occasions. Our families expressed concerns to mental health staff that our loved ones were planning to take their own life. Our concerns were dismissed and no help or support was offered to help our families. Both men went on to take their own life. The two women express grievances with mental health assessment tools and out-of-hours crisis support. They also suggest a fatal accident inquiry is carried out for anyone who takes their own life if they were in contact with mental health services up to three months before they died. The man accused of carrying out the Christchurch mosque attacks will face 50 murder charges and 39 attempted murder charges when he makes his second court appearance, New Zealand police said. Police had earlier filed a single, representative murder charge against 28-year-old Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant. He is due to appear via video link during a brief hearing on Friday, and will not be required to enter a plea. Fifty people died in the attacks on two mosques on March 15, while another 50 were injured. Other charges are still under consideration. As the case is before the court, Police is not in a position to comment further. New Zealand Police (@nzpolice) April 4, 2019 Police said in a brief statement that they were considering filing more charges against Tarrant but could not comment further as the case was before the court. Tarrants first court appearance was on the day after the attacks in the Christchurch District Court. His case has now been moved to the High Court due to the seriousness of the charges. Tarrant has reportedly been moved to a high-security prison in Auckland, which is why he will appear via video link. During the scheduled court hearing, media photographs will not be allowed and reporting on the proceedings will be severely restricted under New Zealand law. Mourners carry the casket of Syed Areeb Ahmed, a victim of the Christchurch mosque shootings, during his funeral in Karachi, Pakistan (AP Photo/Fareed Khan) The intent of the law is to avoid the possibility the reporting and images would taint the views of potential jurors before they hear evidence in court. Judge Cameron Mander said in a note that the brief hearing would mainly be about the accused gunmans legal representation. Tarrant earlier dismissed lawyer Richard Peters, who was assigned to represent him during his district court appearance. Mr Peters said Tarrant told him that he wanted to represent himself. The judge said he had received applications from 25 media organisations to take film, photographs or audio recordings of Fridays hearing but had denied all of them. He said reporters could remain throughout and take notes, although would be restricted in what they could report. He said media could still use pixelated images of Tarrant which the district court judge had allowed. Ye Gandhi aur Nehru ka desh hai. Shastri ka kyun nahi? Vivek Agnihotris The Tashkent Files is not just a movie that aims to raise pertinent questions over Indias second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastris mysterious death at Tashkent, in the erstwhile USSR in the freezing January of 1966, but it is also an attempt to accord him a more prominent place in Indias history. As the movie digs into the details of what we know and what we do not know of what happened with Shastri in Tashkent, just about six hours after signing a peace treaty with Pakistans president Ayub Khan, Agnihotri keeps reminding his viewers that the 1965 India-Pakistan war was fought under Shastri. He compels you to question why, in a country where Indira Gandhi came to be called Durga for leading India to a victory over Pakistan in 1971, Shastris feat goes largely unnoticed and hugely uncelebrated? Why, in a country where muscular nationalism is an election issue, the diminutive Shastri is not revered as a hero? Between Nehru and Indira, how did Shastri go missing as a leader of no consequence? The movie doesnt answer who (or what) killed Shastri. But it raises a few key questions. (Photo: Twitter) An Indian Prime Minister died on foreign soil and the country refused his family even a post-mortem with the interim prime minister, Gulzarilal Nanda, later feigning ignorance about Shastris family approaching him with the demand. Shastris family reportedly pointed to cut marks on his body with blood oozing out of the wounds. On seeing patches of blue on the late PMs body, his mother is said to have screamed, Mere bitwa ko jahar de diya (My son has been poisoned). But Shastris body was consigned to the flames without even an attempt made to find out what killed him of course, with full state honours. Agnihotri tries to point to how easy it has been to wipe out Shastri from public memory since with each person politicians, social activists and even historians toeing the line of a convenient truth. He tries to rake up conspiracy theories around ulterior motives in bumping Shastri off by alluding to statements made by KGB spies. In his attempt to jog the public out of its slumber over Shastris death and highlight his contributions to India, Agnihotri lets his characters scream and shout every once in a while though this is his movies biggest weakness. Agnihotri shows how we are caught up in a world of truths, overshadowed by post-truths. (Photo: Twitter) The impact here needs to be created with powerful dialogues, not by screaming into the ears of your audience. The plot is gripping enough for the audience to stay alert and take note of what they ignored or were made to ignore, through a state-sponsored design, as Agnihotri would have us believe. Much like Buddha in a Traffic Jam, Agnihotri in The Tashkent Files too tries to create a doomsday scenario where every soul is sold out and where we do not know how we are being used and manipulated by the proponents of the ideologies we follow. For, Agnihotri, the proponents themselves are being used. In trying to untangle this web of ideology, personal greed and human ambition, Agnihotri ends up leading the viewers away from the central question at hand what happened to Shastri? trying instead to explain how we are caught up in a world of truths, overshadowed by post-truths. There is dramatisation and over-dramatisation of events something the movie makers warn you about in their disclaimers. The movie doesnt answer who (or what) killed Shastri; by dropping crucial clues, it just tells you how India wiped off the contributions of one of its greatest sons. Also Read: The 'Tashkent Files' trailer: Whom will a 'dead PM' help now? There is an intense debate going on in the Wahhabi community better known as the orthodox section of Muslims, as opposed to the moderate Sufis of the Barelvi school as to whether the Ram temple should be allowed at the disputed site in Ayodhya or not. A faction led by Salman Husseini Nadwi, radical cleric of the Lucknow-based Nadwa school that follows Wahhabi tenets, has surprisingly taken a soft line on the issue the faction has advocated that Muslims should allow the temple to be built at the spot, in the greater interests of peace and harmony. Yet, in 2014, Nadwi had congratulated the ISIS founder Aby Bakr Al-Baghdadi on the establishment of the Islamic Caliphate in Iraq-Syria. This was before he condemned ISIS for its un-Islamic and anti-human activities, ostensibly under pressure from fellow Wahhabi preachers. Nadwi is a relative of Ali Mian, alias Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi (who was honoured with the King Faisal International Prize by Saudi Arabia for his services to Wahhabi Islam), a famous Islamic cleric and head of the Nadwa Madrasa in Lucknow. Nadwi is apparently also in close touch with Sri Sri Ravishankar, the spiritual guru of the Art of Living community, who is trying for a negotiated settlement on the Ram Temple issue for many years now. Nadwi has been propagating his thought within the Wahhabi faction by holding meetings and releasing audio-recorded messages on WhatsApp. However, other factions of Wahhabi leaders, which has All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) members like Zafaryab Jilani, Kamal Farooqi and SQR Ilyas among others, oppose the negotiated settlement. The opposition is apparently on the grounds that legally, the spot belongs to Sunni Muslims and conceding it would mean defeat for Muslims and it would whet the appetite of aggressive Hindus for making more such demands. How things fall apart: The Babri Masjid at Ayodhya, demolished on December 6, 1992. (File Photo: Reuters) Interestingly, the pro-Temple Muslim faction is deriving its voice from the famous Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. The treaty is said to have been signed between the Holy Prophet Mohammed in 628 AD and the idol-worshipping Quraish tribe of Mecca, which was preventing the Prophet and his followers (based in Medina) from completing their pilgrimage of the Kaaba in Mecca. The tribe was also opposing the Muslims led by the Prophet. While the Prophets followers were in favour of waging a war against the people of Mecca, the Prophet was inclined towards peace. It could have been for strategic reasons including the benefit of the future spread of Islam. The Prophet then opted for a 10-year treaty with the people of Mecca, giving the Quraish tribe easy terms, which apparently some of the Prophet's followers didnt like initially. Strategic retreat, in my view, not a permanent commitment, as it were, to religious peace After the treaty was signed, the people of Mecca recognised Prophet Mohammeds rule over Medina, and the right of the Muslims to do pilgrimage at Mecca. The treaty is very elaborately explained by Ali Mian Nadwi in a four-page article that was recently carried by the publication The Fragrance of the East, a mouthpiece of Nadwa Madrasaa. The strategy based on the Hudaybiyyah treaty worked for the Muslims. When the Jews attacked the Islamic army under Prophet Mohammed in the period after the treaty, the people of Mecca did not offer support to the Jews, as they had done earlier. The weakened Jews were defeated. Within a few years of the treaty, the people of Mecca themselves accepted Islam against the military might of the Muslims led by the Prophet. Hudaybiyyah today After 9/11, General Musharraf justified Pakistans joining the US-led coalition in the name of the Hudaybiyyah treaty. After 9/11, US President George Bush addressed the world particularly Pakistan and presented the choice, saying, In the war against terror, either you are against us or with us implying that there was no middle path. A shaken Gen Musharraf had then resorted to speaking about the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah in his address to the Pakistanis, justifying his move to join the US-led coalition against terror. He had reportedly said that even the Prophet had to sign the Hudaybiyyah when he was under pressure and that Musharraf was doing the same for the future benefit of Pakistan and Islam. The treaty was also the justification offered by Yasser Arafat to explain his truce with Israel. When Yasser Arafat signed the Palestine Liberation Organisations (PLO) peace accord with Israel in Oslo in 1993, he also tried to justify his actions by citing the precedent of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. In both cases, Musharraf and Arafat tried the same tactic a clandestine message to Muslims, which was unintelligible for non-Muslims. Now, as I see it, Salman Nadwi and other pro-temple Muslim proponents are possibly following the same path. Following is the crux of the audio message that Nadwi has purportedly circulated for Indian Muslims on the issue: 'The sacred duty of the Muslims is to invite people of Hindustan to join Islam by giving Dawat (invite). This is not possible without peace which is necessary for the spread of Islam. That is what Prophet Mohammed had done by signing the treaty of Hudaybiyyah. The subsequent spread of Islam justified it. History shows that Islam has spread faster in times of peace than during the war. The members of the AIMPLB have done harm to Islam with their stand on issues like Ram Temple and the Triple Talaq. To create rancour on the construction of Ram Temple is not beneficial to Islam and Muslims as a long-term strategy. In the same message, he apparently also gives an example from Islamic history as to how a premier mosque in the Middle East was shifted in order to make way for people-friendly developmental work. And more on Ayodhya After Nadwi, another important Muslim to openly suggest the Hudaybiyyah route to solving the Ram Temple tangle is former Kerala high court judge, Justice PK Shamsuddin. In an interview to DNA newspaper, he suggested that even if the Muslims win a court case on the Ram Temple, they should give up the place for lasting peace between two communities. He added that they should accept a separate chunk of land being allotted near the temple for the construction of the mosque, with Hindus promising to respect the status of all other Muslim religious properties in future. The fund for the new mosque should come from the government, he suggested. The Prophet himself acted in a similar manner in the treaty of Hudaybiyyah, he reportedly mentioned. Many Muslim scholars propagate the Treaty of Hudabiyyah as Islam's committments to permanent peace. But this is contested by a large number of non-Islamic scholars of Islam who see it as a strategic retreat and only a committment to peace as part of its path of spreading Islam. In our context, the Ayodhya tangle might certainly see a resolution in times to come. But with references such as these, the real commitment of some Muslim leaders to 'secularism' will remain puzzling to me. Also read: His Wrath Yatra: Why liberal whitewashing of LK Advani today doesn't impress me at all Q. Imran Khan has recently said that if Narendra Modi comes back to power, this will result in better relations between India and Pakistan whats your view? This is how India and Pakistan relations are. We expected things to be different but we never saw it from Narendra Modis side. We formed an alliance with him only so that the focus would be on Kashmir, but that was not to be. Modi always spoke about Pakistan not for peace within the Valley. We were very disappointed with him. The policies of the Congress have been far better vis-a-vis Kashmir. The BJPs policies have annoyed people on the ground. Q. Speaking of which, the J&K govt has said that no civilian traffic will be allowed on the Kashmir highway for two days every week your thoughts? Well, I think this is a very inhuman rule the highway is the only way to connect Kashmir to the mainland. There is a sense of fear in Kashmir now. Our roads to South Asia, Central Asia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, China, all have been closed. So, Kashmir is a land-locked place. The only road which connects the country to the Valley is also closed. You cannot have a road specifically for the army they are in Kashmir to safeguard the people. There is huge resentment against this decision the people are totally against it. The way that peoples hands are being stamped just to cross the highway is nothing but draconian, it is creating a lot of anger amongst the Kashmiris. It also sends a message that every Kashmiri is a suspect and terrorist. There is a trust deficit. It's created the perception that the army is not in the Valley for the people of Kashmir but to fight against the people. 'When BJP was in alliance with us, they wanted to strengthen the status of Kashmir. Now, it's a different tune.' (Source: Author) Q. In your view, is the BJP backing Sajad Lone to be the next chief minister of the state? Yes, they have been trying to do that. The BJP is ruining the institution of democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. Q. BJPs manifesto says they will remove Article 370 and Article 35 A, whats your view on that? When the BJP was in alliance with us, they were in favour of strengthening the status of Kashmir. This was visible in our agenda of alliance. Now, the moment they are out of power, it's different. Q. To keep Sajad Lone and the BJP out, is there a possibility that the PDP-JKNC will form an alliance? Only after the results come out can this picture become real. It all depends on what the election results turn out to be, any alliance with anyone depends on that. Q. Mehbooba Mufti is being criticised for becoming more and more pro-militant. Is this winning her support in Kashmir? This is not winning, but we are ascertaining our reality. There is a lot of fear amongst the locals and thats why we have to say what we have to. We dont care what Delhi thinks. Q. How do you see the emergence of Shah Faesals party? Isnt he a threat to you? His party is a not a threat. Its good that young people should come to mainstream politics. There is a lot of space, people can fill the vacuum. Q. And whats your view on the banning of the Jamaat in Kashmir? Its totally undemocratic. Dissent should be given space in a democracy. This will only drag more people to violence. Also read: Sajad Lone: 'When people like Omar Abdullah talk about the rights of Kashmiris, it only trivialises the issue' Ad Investing Trends What Investors Don't Know: Communist China Could Profit Billions From The World "Going Green." Who controls 80% of the works lithium supply (the most important metal for building EV batteries)? China! And if you're outraged by that fact, then you'll love hearing how this western company is fighting back American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. 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A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in PMOIY, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares. View analyst ratings for Premier Oil or view top-rated stocks. Agilent Technologies, Inc. engages in the provision of application focused solutions for life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets. It operates through the following segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets; Diagnostics and Genomics; and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers application-focused solutions that include instruments and software that enable to identify, quantify, and analyze the physical and biological properties of substances and products, as well as the clinical and life sciences research areas to interrogate samples at the molecular and cellular level. The Diagnostics and Genomics segment consists of activity providing active pharmaceutical ingredients for oligo-based therapeutics, as well as solutions that include reagents, instruments, software and consumables. The Agilent CrossLab segment includes startup, operational, training and compliance support, software as a service, and asset management and consultative services. The company was founded in May 1999 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA. Read More Rogers Communications Inc. operates as a communications and media company in Canada. It operates through three segments: Wireless, Cable, and Media. The company offers mobile Internet access, wireless voice and enhanced voice, device and accessory financing, wireless home phone, device protection, text messaging, e-mail, global voice and data roaming, bridging landline, machine-to-machine and Internet of Things solutions, and advanced wireless solutions for businesses, as well as device delivery services; and postpaid and prepaid services under the Rogers, Fido, and chatr brands to approximately 10.9 million subscribers. It also provides Internet and WiFi services; smart home monitoring services, such as monitoring, security, automation, energy efficiency, and smart control through a smartphone app. In addition, the company offers local and network TV; on-demand television; cloud-based digital video recorders; voice-activated remote controls, and integrated apps; personal video recorders; linear and time-shifted programming; digital specialty channels; 4K television programming; and televised content on smartphones, tablets, and personal computers, as well as operates Ignite TV and Ignite TV app. Further, it provides residential and small business local telephony services; calling features, such as voicemail, call waiting, and long distance; voice, data networking, Internet protocol, and Ethernet services; private networking, Internet, IP voice, and cloud solutions; optical wave and multi-protocol label switching services; IT and network technologies; and cable access network services. The company also owns Toronto Blue Jays and the Rogers Centre event venue; and operates Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet World, Citytv, OMNI, FX (Canada), FXX (Canada), and OLN television networks, as well as 55 AM and FM radio stations. Rogers Communications Inc. was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Read More ConocoPhillips engages in the exploration, production, transportation and marketing of crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, natural gas liquids, and liquefied natural gas on a worldwide basis. It operates through the following geographical segments: Alaska; Lower 48; Canada; Europe, Middle East and North Africa; Asia Pacific; and Other International. The Alaska segment primarily explores for produces, transports and markets crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. The Lower 48 segment consists of operations in the U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico. The Canada segment is comprised of oil sands development in the Athabasca Region of northeastern Alberta and a liquids-rich unconventional play in western Canada. The Europe, Middle East and North Africa segment consists of operations and exploration activities in Norway, the United Kingdom and Libya. The Asia Pacific segment has explorations and product operations in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia. The Other International segment handles exploration activities in Columbia and Argentina. The company was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Houston, TX. Read More American Midstream Partners, LP provides midstream infrastructure that links the producers of natural gas, crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGLs), condensate, and specialty chemicals to various intermediate and end-use markets in the United States and Mexico. Its Gas Gathering and Processing Services segment offers services to producers of natural gas and crude oil, including transporting raw natural gas and crude oil from various receipt points through gathering systems, treating the raw natural gas, processing raw natural gas to separate the NGLs from the natural gas, fractionating NGLs, and selling or delivering pipeline-quality natural gas and NGLs. The company's Liquid Pipelines and Services segment transports, purchases, and sells crude oil. Its Natural Gas Transportation Services segment transports and delivers natural gas from producing wells, receipt points, or pipeline interconnects for shippers, local distribution companies, and utilities, as well as industrial, commercial, and power generation customers. The company's Offshore Pipelines and Services segment gathers and transports natural gas from receipt points to other pipeline interconnects, onshore facilities, and other delivery points. Its Terminalling Services segment provides petroleum products, distillates, chemicals, and agricultural products storage services at its marine terminals for commodity brokers, refiners, and chemical manufacturers. As of May 10, 2018, the company owned approximately 5,100 miles of interstate and intrastate pipelines; gas processing plants and fractionation facilities; an offshore semisubmersible floating production system with nameplate processing capacity of 90 thousand barrels per day of crude oil and 220 million cubic feet per day of natural gas; and terminal sites with approximately 6.7 million barrels of storage capacity. American Midstream GP, LLC serves as the general partner of the company. The company was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Read More In the moment of triumph and in that of the Passion, Jesus rejects the temptation of the Evil One. For today's Youth Day the invitation "to young people and to all" to pray the Rosary for peace, "especially for peace in the Holy Land and the Middle East". Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Following the example of Jesus, who did not succumb to triumphalism in the face of the cheers of the crowd as he entered Jerusalem and faced with the Cross he maintained peace in his heart "a peace that is not detachment, it is not impassivity or superomism, but it is trustful abandonment to the Father . Palm Sunday, when the last moments of the life of Jesus were traced to the Gospel, gave Pope Francis the opportunity to invite the Messiah to follow "on the path of humility and obedience". A road indicated in particular to the many young people present in St. Peter's Square among the 50 thousand people who came for the celebration that Francis began in the center of the square, near the obelisk, where the He blessed palm trees and olive trees. Today is the 34th World Youth Day, on the theme: "I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to Your word (Lk 1: 38). A day that is celebrated at the diocesan level and in fact in the square there were young people from Rome and other dioceses. For the occasion, Francis had a special "Rosary crown" distributed to those who gathered in St. Peter's Square. "These olive wood crowns - he explained before the recital of the Angelus - were made in the Holy Land expressly for the World Youth Meeting in Panama last January and for today. I therefore renew to the young people and to all my appeal to pray the Rosary for peace, especially for peace in the Holy Land and in the Middle East ". Referring to today's Gospel, during his homily Francis spoke of the "Joyful acclamations at Jesus entrance into Jerusalem, followed by his humiliation. Festive cries followed by brutal torture. This twofold mystery accompanies our entrance into Holy Week each year, as reflected in the two characteristic moments of todays celebration: the initial procession with palm branches and the solemn reading of the Passion. Let us enter into this movement, guided by the Holy Spirit, and thus obtain the grace we sought in our opening prayer: to follow in faith our Saviours example of humility, to heed his lesson of patient suffering, and thus to merit a share in his victory over the spirit of evil." "Jesus shows us how to face moments of difficulty and the most insidious of temptations by preserving in our hearts a peace that is neither detachment nor superhuman impassivity, but confident abandonment to the Father and to his saving will, which bestows life and mercy. He shows us this kind of abandonment by spurning, at every point in his earthly ministry, the temptation to do things his way and not in complete obedience to the Father. From the experience of his forty days in the desert to the culmination of his Passion, Jesus rejects this temptation by his obedient trust in the Father." "Today, too, by his entrance into Jerusalem, he shows us the way. For in that event, the evil one, the prince of this world, had a card up his sleeve: the card of triumphalism. Yet the Lord responded by holding fast to his own way, the way of humility. Triumphalism tries to make it to the goal by shortcuts and false compromises. It wants to jump onto the carriage of the winner. It lives off gestures and words that are not forged in the crucible of the cross; it grows by looking askance at others and constantly judging them inferior, wanting, failures... One subtle form of triumphalism is spiritual worldliness, which represents the greatest danger, the most treacherous temptation threatening the Church (De Lubac). Jesus destroyed triumphalism by his Passion." "The Lord truly rejoiced with the people, with those young people who shouted out his name and acclaimed him as King and Messiah. His heart was gladdened to see the enthusiasm and excitement of the poor of Israel. So much so, that, to those Pharisees who asked him to rebuke his disciples for their scandalous acclamations, he replied: If these were silent, the very stones would cry out (Lk 19:40). Humility does not mean denying reality: Jesus really is the Messiah, the King." "Yet at the same time the heart of Jesus was moving on another track, on the sacred path known to him and the Father alone: the path that leads from the form of God to the form of a servant, the path of self-abasement born of obedience unto death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:6-8). He knows that true triumph involves making room for God and that the only way to do that is by stripping oneself, by self-emptying. To remain silent, to pray, to accept humiliation. There is no negotiating with the cross: one either embraces it or rejects it. By his self-abasement, Jesus wanted to open up to us the path of faith and to precede us on that path." "The first to follow him on that path was his mother, Mary, the first disciple. The Blessed Virgin and the saints had to suffer in walking the path of faith and obedience to Gods will. Responding with faith to the harsh and painful events of life entails a particular heaviness of heart (cf. Redemptoris Mater, 17). The night of faith. Yet only from that night do we see the dawn of the resurrection break forth. At the foot of the cross, Mary thought once more of the words that the angel had spoken about her Son: He will be great The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end (Lk 1:32-33). On Golgotha, Mary faced the complete denial of that promise: her Son was dying on a cross like a criminal. In this way, triumphalism, destroyed by the abasement of Jesus, was likewise destroyed in the heart of his Mother. Both kept silent." "In the footsteps of Mary, countless holy men and women have followed Jesus on the path of humility and obedience. Today, World Youth Day, I would like to mention all those young saints, especially the saints next door to us, known only to God; sometimes he likes to surprise us with them. Dear young people, do not be ashamed to show your enthusiasm for Jesus, to shout out that he is alive and that he is your life. Yet at the same time, do not be afraid to follow him on the way of the cross. When you hear that he is asking you to renounce yourselves, to let yourselves be stripped of every security, and to entrust yourselves completely to our Father in heaven, then rejoice and exult! You are on the path of the kingdom of God." "Festive acclamations and brutal torture; the silence of Jesus throughout his Passion is profoundly impressive. He also overcomes the temptation to answer back, to act like a superstar. In moments of darkness and great tribulation, we need to keep silent, to find the courage not to speak, as long as our silence is meek and not full of anger. The meekness of silence will make us appear even weaker, more humble. Then the devil will take courage and come out into the open. We need to resist him in silence, holding our position, but with the same attitude as Jesus. He knows that the battle is between God and the prince of this world, and that what is important is not putting our hand to the sword but remaining firm in faith. It is Gods hour. At the hour that God comes forth to fight, we have to let him take over. Our place of safety will be beneath the mantle of the holy Mother of God. As we wait for the Lord to come and calm the storm (cf. Mt 4:37-41), by our silent witness in prayer we give ourselves and others an accounting for the hope that is within [us] (1 Pet 3:15). This will help us to live in the sacred tension between the memory of the promises made, the suffering present in the cross, and the hope of the resurrection. The following companies are subsidiares of Crown: Adularia Inversiones 2010 S.L., Angleboard Sweden AB, Bates Cargo-Pak ApS, Butimove, CMB Machinery and Technology (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CROWN AP (Thailand) Company Limited, CROWN Aerosols & Promotional Nederland, CROWN Aerosols Italia Srl, CROWN Aerosols Nederland BV, CROWN Aerosols UK Limited, CROWN Americas LLC, CROWN Arabia Can Company Ltd, CROWN Asia Pacific Holdings Pte. Ltd., CROWN Asia Pacific Investments (T) Limited, CROWN Bevcan Espana S.L., CROWN Bevcan France SAS, CROWN Bevcan Slovakia s.r.o., CROWN Bevcan Turkiye Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, CROWN Bevcan and Closures (Thailand) Company Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans (Cambodia) Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans (Dong Nai) Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Beijing Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Changchun Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Danang Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Hangzhou Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Hanoi Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Heshan Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Hong Kong Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Huizhou Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Malaysia Sdn Bhd, CROWN Beverage Cans Nanning Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Putian Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Saigon Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Shanghai Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Sihanoukville Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Singapore Pte. Ltd., CROWN Beverage Cans Ziyang Limited, CROWN Beverage Packaging LLC, CROWN Beverage Packaging Puerto Rico Inc., CROWN Cans Ghana Limited, CROWN China Holdings (Hong Kong) Limited, CROWN Commercial Belgium BVBA, CROWN Commercial France SAS, CROWN Commercial Germany GmbH & Co. KG, CROWN Commercial Hungary Kft, CROWN Commercial Netherlands B.V., CROWN Commercial Vermogensverwaltung GmbH, CROWN Cork & Seal USA Inc., CROWN Embalagens Metalicas da Amazonia S.A., CROWN Emballage France SAS, CROWN Emirates Company Limited, CROWN Envases Mexico S.A. de C.V., CROWN Famosa S.A. de C.V., CROWN Food Packaging (Thailand) Public Company Limited, CROWN Foodcan (Hat Yai) Company Limited, CROWN Foodcan (Nakhon Pathom) Company Limited, CROWN Foodcan Germany GmbH, CROWN Foodcan GmbH, CROWN Imballaggi Italia Srl, CROWN Imgallaggi Italia Srl, CROWN Italy Finance srl, CROWN Khmer Beverage Cans Limited, CROWN Maghreb Can, CROWN Magyarorszag Csomagoloipari KFT, CROWN Metal Packaging Canada Inc., CROWN Metal Packaging Canada LP, CROWN Middle East Can Co. Ltd., CROWN Packaging (Barbados) Limited, CROWN Packaging Holdings LLC, CROWN Packaging Investment (H.K.) Limited, CROWN Packaging Ireland Ltd, CROWN Packaging Jamaica Limited, CROWN Packaging Polska Sp.z.o.o., CROWN Packaging Technology Inc., CROWN Packaging Trinidad Limited, CROWN Packaging UK Limited, CROWN Promotional Packaging UK Ltd, CROWN SIEM, CROWN Senegal, CROWN Societe Malgache d'Emballages Metalliques, CROWN Speciality Packaging BV, CROWN Speciality Packaging Investment Pte. Ltd., CROWN Specialty Packaging UK Ltd, CROWN TCP Beverage Cans Company Limited, CROWN Verpakking Belgie NV, CROWN Verpakking Nederland B.V., Caretex Asia Ltd., CarnaudMetalbox Engineering Ltd, CarnaudMetalbox Food South Africa (Pty) Limited, CarnaudMetalbox Group UK Limited, CarnaudMetalbox Overeseas Limited, CarnaudMetalbox Overseas Limited, Cierres Hermeticos S.A. DE C.V., Constar International, Crown Americas Capital Corp., Crown Americas Capital Corp. II, Crown Americas Capital Corp. III, Crown Americas Capital Corp. IV, Crown Americas Capital Corp. V, Crown Americas Capital Corp. VI, Crown Brasil Holdings Ltda., Crown Canadian Holdings ULC, Crown Closures Spain S.L., Crown Colombiana S.A., Crown Comercial de Envases S.L., Crown Commercial Italy Srl, Crown Commercial Polska Sp. z.o.o., Crown Consultants Inc., Crown Cork & Seal Company (DE) LLC, Crown Cork & Seal Company Inc., Crown Cork & Seal Deutschland Holdings GmbH, Crown Cork & Seal Receivables (DE) Corporation, Crown Cork & Seal de Portugal Embalagens S.A., Crown Cork Kuban, Crown Cork and Seal Receivables II LLC, Crown Developpement SAS, Crown European Holdings, Crown Food Espana S.A.U., Crown Foodcan Turkey Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Crown Hellas Can Packaging SA, Crown Heshan Trading Company Limited, Crown Holdings Italia Srl, Crown Holdings Spain S.L., Crown International Holdings B.V., Crown International Holdings Inc., Crown Luxembourg Holdings, Crown Mexican Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., Crown Overseas Investments B.V., Crown Packaging Commercial UK Limited, Crown Packaging Distribution UK Limited, Crown Packaging European Division GmbH, Crown Packaging European Division Services SAS, Crown Packaging European Holdings GmbH, Crown Packaging Lux I S.a.r.l., Crown Packaging Lux II S.a.r.l., Crown Packaging Lux III S.a.r.l., Crown Packaging Manufacturing UK Limited, Crown Packaging Maroc, Crown Receivables III, Crown Services Iberia, Crown UK Holdings Limited, Crownway Insurance Company, Dacro B.V., EMPAQUE, Fabricas Monterrey S.A. de C.V., Form Koruyucu Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Foshan Continental Can Co. Limited, Foshan Crown Easy-Opening End Co. Limited, Glass & Silice S.A. DE C.V., Globoplastt s.r.o., Gunther S.A.S., Haloila Bulgaria EOOD, Interstrap B.V., Josef Kihlberg AB, Kiwiplan GmbH, Kiwiplan Inc, Lachenmeier ApS, Liljendals Bruk AB, Litec France S.A.S., Mezger Heftsysteme GmbH, Mima Films S.a.r.l., Mima Films Sprl, Mima Packaging Systems S.A.S., Mivisa, Nordic S.A.S., Norsk Signode AS, Oy M. Haloila AB, PT CROWN Beverage Cans Indonesia, Package Design and Manufacturing, Prolatamex S.A. DE C.V., Quandel Verpackungs- und Foerdertechnik GmbH, SMB Schwede Maschinenbau GmbH, SMP Schwede Maschinenbau Weischlitz GmbH, SPG Denmark, SPG France Holdings SAS, SPG Germany Service Management GmbH, SPG Industrial Packaging S.a.r.l, SPG Netherlands B.V., SPG Packaging Ireland Limited, SPG Packaging Systems GmbH, SPG Packaging UK Ltd, Scybele S.A.S., Shippers Europe S.p.r.l., Signode BVBA, Signode Brasileira Ltda, Signode Hong Kong Limited, Signode Industrial Group, Signode Industrial Group AB, Signode Industrial Group Colombia S.A.S., Signode Industrial Group GmbH, Signode Industrial Group Holdings Lux S.a.r.l., Signode Industrial Group Holdings US Inc, Signode Industrial Group Lux S.A., Signode Industrial Group Mexico, Signode Industrial Group Sweden AB, Signode International Holdings LLC, Signode International IP Holdings LLC, Signode International Investment LLC, Signode Kabushiki Kaisha, Signode Korea Inc, Signode NZ Limited, Signode Netherlands B.V., Signode Packaging (Qingdao) Co., Signode Packaging (Shanghai) Co., Signode Packaging Espana S.L., Signode Packaging Group (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Signode Packaging Group Australia Pty Ltd, Signode Packaging Group Canada ULC, Signode Packaging Group NZ, Signode Packaging Systems Limited, Signode Pickling Holding LLC, Signode Polska sp. Z.o.o., Signode Singapore Pte. Ltd., Signode Sweden Holdings AB, Signode System GmbH, Signode System Packaging GmbH & Co. KG, Signode Systems (Thailand) Ltd., Signode US IP Holdings LLC, Silice De Veracruz S.A. DE C. V., Silice Del Istmo S.A. DE C.V., Silices De Veracruz, Societe Civile Immobiliere Rousseau-Ivry, Societe Civile Immobiliere des Baquets, Societe de Participations CarnaudMetalbox, Stopak India Pvt. Ltd, Strapex Austria GmbH, Strapex Embalagem L.d.a., Strapex Holdings Limited, Strapex S.A.S., Strapex Srl, Superior Investments Holdings Pte. Ltd., Superior Multi-Packaging Limited, TopFrame LLC, V.A.C. B.V., Vichisa S.A. de C.V., and Warehouse Automation Iberia S.L.. iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF's stock was trading at $38.50 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EFV shares have increased by 28.5% and is now trading at $49.46. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. Halma plc provides technology solutions in the safety, health, and environmental markets. It operates through four segments: Process Safety, Infrastructure Safety, Environmental & Analysis, and Medical. The Process Safety segment offers specialized interlocks that control critical processes safely; instruments that detect hazardous gases; and explosion protection and corrosion monitoring systems. This segment serves the gas detection, industrial access control, pressure management, and safe storage and transfer markets. The Infrastructure Safety segment provides fire detection systems, specialist fire suppression systems, elevator safety systems, people and vehicle flow technologies, and security sensors. It serves the fire detection and suppression, People and Vehicle Flow, Security Sensors, and elevator markets. The Environmental & Analysis segment offers optical, optoelectronic, and spectral imaging systems; water, air and gases monitoring technologies; and systems for water analysis and treatment. It serves the optical analysis, water analysis and treatment, and environmental monitoring markets. The Medical segment provides critical fluidic components used by medical diagnostics and Original Equipment Manufacturers; laboratory devices and systems that provide information to understand patient health and enable providers to make decisions across the continuum of care; technologies and solutions to enable in-vitro diagnostic systems and life-science discoveries and development; and technologies that enable positive outcomes across clinical specialties. This segment serves the life sciences, health assessment, and therapeutic solutions market. The company was incorporated in 1894 and is headquartered in Amersham, the United Kingdom. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Tyson Foods: APF Legacy Subs LLC, Advance Food Company LLC, AdvancePierre Foods, AdvancePierre Foods Holdings Inc., AdvancePierre Foods Inc., Aidells Sausage Company Inc., Allied Specialty Foods Inc., American Proteins Inc, Artisan Bread Co. LLC, Australian Food Corporation Pty Limited, Australian Food Corporation Trust, BRF, Barber Foods LLC, Bosco's Pizza Co., Bryan Foods Inc., C.S. Grain LLC, C.V. Holdings Inc., CBFA Management Corp., Central Industries Inc., Chefs Pantry LLC, Clovervale Farms LLC, Cobb (Hubei) Breeding Co. Ltd., Cobb (Shanghai) Enterprise Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Cobb Ana Damizlik Tavukculuk Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Cobb Columbia S.A.S., Cobb Europe B.V., Cobb Europe Limited, Cobb Peru (Andina) S.A.C., Cobb-Heritage LLC, Cobb-Vantress Brasil Ltda, Cobb-Vantress Inc., Cobb-Vantress New Zealand Limited, Cobb-Vantress Philippines Inc., Coominya AFC Pty Limited, Coominya AFC Trust, DFG Foods Inc., DFG Foods L.L.C., Don Julio, Egbert LLC, Equity Group - Georgia Division LLC, Equity Group - Kentucky Division LLC, Equity Group Eufaula Division LLC, Equity Meat Corp., Flavor Corp., Flavor Holdings Inc., Foodbrands America Inc., Foodbrands Supply Chain Services Inc., Gallo Salame Inc., Global Employment Services Inc., Grow-Out Credit LLC, Grow-Out Holdings LLC, Haimen Tyson Poultry Development Co. Ltd, Hudson Foods Company, Hudson Midwest Foods Inc., Hybro Genetics Brasil Ltda, IBP Caribbean Inc., IBP Foodservice L.L.C., IBP Inc., International Affiliates & Investment LLC, Jiangsu Tyson Foods Co. Ltd, Keydutch Finance B.V., Keydutch Holdings I LLC, Keydutch Holdings II LLC, Keydutch Investments B.V., Keystone CLJV Holdings Limited, Keystone County House Road LLC, Keystone Foods, Keystone Foods (AP) Limited, Keystone Foods Holdco LLC, Keystone Foods Intermediate LLC, Keystone Foods LLC, Keystone Foods Pty Limited, Keystone Management Inc., Keystone Trading (Shanghai) Company Limited, LD Foods LLC, M & M Express LLC, M&M Restaurant Supply (MI/OH) LLC, MFG (USA) Holdings Inc., Mac Food Services (Malaysia) SDN. BHD., Madison Foods Inc., McKey Food Services (Hong Kong) Limited, McKey Food Services (Shandong) Limited, McKey Food Services (Thailand) Limited, McKey Food Services Limited, McKey Luxembourg Holdings APMEA S.a.r.l., McKey Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., McKey Luxembourg S.a.r.l., McKey VI Holdings Limited, Myung Seung Food Company Ltd., National Comp Care Inc., New Canada Holdings Inc., Oaklawn Capital Corporation, Oaklawn IT Solution Private Limited, Original Philly Holdings Inc., PBX inc., Pierre Holdco Inc., River Valley Ingredients LLC, Rizhao Tyson Foods Co. Ltd, Rizhao Tyson Poultry Co. Ltd, Rural Energy Systems Inc., Sara Lee - Kiwi Holdings LLC, Sara Lee Diversified LLC, Sara Lee Foods LLC, Sara Lee Household & Body Care Malawi Ltd., Sara Lee International LLC, Sara Lee International TM Holdings LLC, Sara Lee Mexicana Holdings Investment L.L.C., Sara Lee TM Holdings LLC, Sara Lee Trademark Holdings Australasia LLC, Saramar L.L.C., Shandong Tyson-Da Long Food Company Limited, Smart Chicken, Southern Family Foods L.L.C., Southwest Products LLC, TF 20 B.V., TF 5201 B.V., TFA Leasing LLC, TFA Opportunity Zone Fund LLC, TFI of California Inc., Tecumseh Poultry LLC, Texas Transfer Inc., The Bruss Company, The Hillshire Brands Company, The IBP Foods Co., The Pork Group Inc., TyNet Corporation, Tyson (Shanghai) Enterprise Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Tyson Americas Holding Sarl, Tyson Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Tyson Breeders Inc., Tyson Chicken Inc., Tyson China Holding 2 Limited, Tyson China Holding 3 Limited, Tyson China Holding Limited, Tyson Deli Inc., Tyson Europe Holding Company, Tyson Farms Inc., Tyson Farms QOZB LLC, Tyson Foods Brasil Investimentos Ltda., Tyson Foods Canada Inc., Tyson Foods Europe (Netherlands) B.V., Tyson Foods Europe GmbH, Tyson Foods France S.A.R.L., Tyson Foods Germany GmbH, Tyson Foods Group Limited, Tyson Foods Holland B.V., Tyson Foods Huadong Development Co. Ltd, Tyson Foods Iberia Alimentos S.L.U., Tyson Foods Italia S.p.A., Tyson Foods Korea, Tyson Foods Netherlands B.V., Tyson Foods Products Limited, Tyson Foods Scotland Europe Limited, Tyson Foods Scotland Sales (Europe) Limited, Tyson Foods UK Limited, Tyson Foods Wrexham Limited, Tyson Foods oosterwolde B.V., Tyson Fresh Meats Inc., Tyson Fresh Meats Sales and Distribution LLC, Tyson Global Holding Sarl, Tyson Hog Markets Inc., Tyson India Holdings Ltd., Tyson International APAC Ltd., Tyson International Company Ltd., Tyson International Holding Company, Tyson International Holding Sarl, Tyson International Service Center Inc., Tyson International Service Center Inc. Asia, Tyson International Service Center Inc. Europe, Tyson Mexican Original Inc., Tyson Mexico Trading Company S. de R.L. de CV., Tyson New Ventures LLC, Tyson Opportunity Zone Fund LLC, Tyson Pet Products Inc., Tyson Poultry Inc., Tyson Prepared Foods Inc., Tyson Processing Services Inc., Tyson Refrigerated Processed Meats Inc., Tyson Sales and Distribution Inc., Tyson Service Center Corp., Tyson Shared Services Inc., Tyson Storm Lake Holdings LLC, Tyson Warehousing Services LLC, Tyson of Wisconsin LLC, Uninex SA, Universal Meats (UK) Limited, WBA Analytical Laboratories Inc., Wilton Foods Inc., Xamol Consultores e Servicos, and Zemco Industries Inc.. The following companies are subsidiares of American Tower: 10 Presidential Way Associates LLC, 3267351 Nova Scotia Company, 3286208 Nova Scotia Company, 3298099 Nova Scotia Company, 52 Eighty LLC, 52 Eighty Partners LLC, 52 Eighty Tower Partners I LLC, ACC Tower Sub LLC, AT Kenya C.V., AT Netherlands C.V., AT Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., AT Sao Paulo C.V., AT Sher Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., AT South America C.V., ATC Africa Holding B.V., ATC Africa Shared Services (Pty) Ltd, ATC Antennas Holding LLC, ATC Antennas LLC, ATC Argentina C.V., ATC Argentina Cooperatief U.A., ATC Argentina Holding LLC, ATC Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ATC Atlantic C.V., ATC Atlantic II B.V., ATC Atlantic III B.V., ATC Backhaul LLC, ATC Brasil Servicos de Conectividades Ltda., ATC Brazil Holding LLC, ATC Brazil I LLC, ATC Brazil II LLC, ATC Burkina Faso S.A., ATC CSR Foundation India, ATC Chile Holding LLC, ATC Colombia B.V., ATC Colombia Holding I LLC, ATC Colombia Holding LLC, ATC Colombia I LLC, ATC EH GmbH & Co. KG, ATC Ecuador Holding LLC, ATC Edge LLC, ATC Ethiopia Infrastructure Development Private Limited Company, ATC Europe B.V., ATC Europe LLC, ATC European Holdings Inc., ATC Fibra de Colombia S.A.S., ATC France Cooperatief U.A., ATC France Holding II SAS, ATC France Holding SAS, ATC France Reseaux SAS, ATC France SAS, ATC France Services SAS, ATC GP GmbH, ATC Germany Holdings GmbH, ATC Germany Services GmbH, ATC Ghana ServiceCo Limited, ATC Global Employment B.V., ATC Heston B.V., ATC Holding Fibra Mexico S. de R.L. DE C.V., ATC IP LLC, ATC India Infrastructure Private Limited, ATC Indoor DAS Holding LLC, ATC Indoor DAS LLC, ATC International Cooperatief U.A., ATC International Financing B.V., ATC International Financing II B.V., ATC International Financing II Holding LLC, ATC International Holding Corp., ATC Iris I LLC, ATC Kenya Operations Limited, ATC Kenya Services Limited, ATC Latin America S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., ATC MIP III REIT Iron Holdings LLC, ATC Managed Sites Holding LLC, ATC Managed Sites LLC, ATC MexHold LLC, ATC Mexico Holding LLC, ATC Niger Wireless Infrastructure S.A., ATC Nigeria C.V., ATC Nigeria Cooperatief U.A., ATC Nigeria Holding LLC, ATC Nigeria Wireless Infrastructure Limited, ATC On Air + LLC, ATC Operations LLC, ATC Outdoor DAS LLC, ATC Paraguay Holding LLC, ATC Paraguay S.R.L., ATC Peru Holding LLC, ATC Polska sp. z o.o., ATC Ponderosa B-I LLC, ATC Ponderosa B-II LLC, ATC Ponderosa K LLC, ATC Ponderosa K-R LLC, ATC Sequoia LLC, ATC Sitios Infraco S.A.S., ATC Sitios de Chile S.A., ATC Sitios de Colombia S.A.S., ATC Sitios del Peru S.R.L., ATC South Africa Investment Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, ATC South Africa Services Pty Ltd, ATC South Africa Wireless Infrastructure (Pty) Ltd, ATC South Africa Wireless Infrastructure II (Pty) Ltd, ATC South America Holding LLC, ATC South LLC, ATC Spain LLC, ATC TRS I LLC, ATC TRS II LLC, ATC TRS III LLC, ATC TRS IV LLC, ATC Tanzania Holding LLC, ATC Telecom Infrastructure Private Limited, ATC Tower (Ghana) Limited, ATC Tower Services LLC, ATC Uganda Limited, ATC Uganda ServiceCo (SMC) Limited, ATC Watertown LLC, ATC WiFi LLC, ATS-Needham LLC, ActiveX Telebroadband Services Private Limited, Adquisiciones y Proyectos Inalambricos S. de R. L. de C.V., Agile Airband Ohio LLC, Agile Connect LLC, Agile IWG Holdings LLC, Agile Network Builders LLC, Agile Networks Indiana LLC, Agile Networks Site Development LLC, Agile Towers LLC, Alternative Networking LLC, American Tower Asset Sub II LLC, American Tower Asset Sub LLC, American Tower Charitable Foundation Inc., American Tower Delaware Corporation, American Tower Depositor Sub LLC, American Tower Guarantor Sub LLC, American Tower Holding Sub II LLC, American Tower Holding Sub LLC, American Tower International Holding I LLC, American Tower International Holding II LLC, American Tower International Inc., American Tower Investments LLC, American Tower LLC, American Tower Management LLC, American Tower Mauritius, American Tower Servicios Fibra S. de R.L. de C.V., American Tower Tanzania Operations Limited, American Tower do Brasil - Cessao de Infraestruturas Ltda., American Tower do Brasil Communicacao Multimidia Ltda., American Towers LLC, BR Towers, Blue Sky Towers Pty Ltd, Blue Transfer Sociedad Anonima, Broadcast Towers LLC, CNC2 Associates LLC, California Tower Inc., Cell Site NewCo II LLC, Cell Tower Lease Acquisition LLC, Central States Tower Holdings LLC, Colo ATL LLC, Colo Atl, Communications Properties Inc., Comunicaciones y Consumos S.A., Connectivity Infrastructure Services Limited, DCS Tower Sub LLC, Eaton, Eaton Towers (Lilongwe) Limited, Eaton Towers Ghana (M) Limited, Eaton Towers Ghana Limited, Eaton Towers Holdings Limited, Eaton Towers Kenya Limited, Eaton Towers Limited, Eaton Towers Niger S.A., Eaton Towers Uganda Limited, Essar Telecom Infrastructure, Eure-et-Loir Reseaux Mobiles SAS, GTP Acquisition Partners I LLC, GTP Acquisition Partners II LLC, GTP Acquisition Partners III LLC, GTP Costa Rica Finance LLC, GTP Infrastructure I LLC, GTP Infrastructure II LLC, GTP Infrastructure III LLC, GTP Investments LLC, GTP LATAM Holdings B.V., GTP LatAm Holdings Cooperatieve U.A., GTP Operations CR S.R.L., GTP South Acquisitions II LLC, GTP Structures I LLC, GTP Structures II LLC, GTP TRS I LLC, GTP Torres CR S.R.L., GTP Towers I LLC, GTP Towers II LLC, GTP Towers III LLC, GTP Towers IV LLC, GTP Towers IX LLC, GTP Towers V LLC, GTP Towers VII LLC, GTP Towers VIII LLC, GTPI HoldCo LLC, Ghana Tower InterCo B.V., Global Tower Assets III LLC, Global Tower Assets LLC, Global Tower Holdings LLC, Global Tower LLC, Global Tower Partners, Global Tower Services LLC, Gondola Tower Holdings LLC, Grain HoldCo LLC, Grain HoldCo Parent LLC, GrainComm I LLC, GrainComm II LLC, GrainComm III LLC, GrainComm LLC, GrainComm Marketing LLC, GrainComm V LLC, Haysville Towers LLC, IW Equipment LLC, IWD Equipment LLC, IWG Holdings LLC, IWG II Holdings LLC, IWG II LLC, IWG Miami LLC, IWG Towers Assets I LLC, IWG Towers Assets II LLC, IWG-TLA Australia Pty Ltd., IWG-TLA Canada Corp., IWG-TLA Encanto 1 LLC, IWG-TLA Encanto 2 LLC, IWG-TLA Encanto 3 LLC, IWG-TLA Encanto LLC, IWG-TLA Holdings LLC, IWG-TLA Media 2 LLC, IWG-TLA Media LLC, IWG-TLA Telecom LLC, IWL-TLA Telecom 2 LLC, Idaho Tower Company LLC, InSite (BCEC) LLC, InSite (MBTA) LLC, InSite Borrower LLC, InSite Co-Issuer Corp., InSite Guarantor LLC, InSite Hawaii LLC, InSite Issuer LLC, InSite Licensing LLC, InSite Towers Development 2 LLC, InSite Towers Development LLC, InSite Towers International 2 LLC, InSite Towers International Development LLC, InSite Towers International LLC, InSite Towers LLC, InSite Towers of Puerto Rico LLC, InSite Wireless Development LLC, InSite Wireless Group, InSite Wireless Group LLC, Insite Wireless LLC, Invisible IWG Holdings LLC, Invisible Towers LLC, JT Communications LLC, LAP Inmobiliaria Limitada, LAP Inmobiliaria S.R.L., LL B Sheet 1 LLC, Lap do Brasil Empreendimentos Imobiliarios Ltda, Lease Advisors-AU PTY LTD, Loxel SAS, MATC Digital S. de R.L. de C.V., MATC Infraestructura S. de R.L. de C.V., MATC Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., MC New Macland Properties LLC, MCSU Properties LLC, MHB Tower Rentals of America LLC, MIP III Iron Holdings LLC, MIP III U.S. Iron LLC, Microwave Inc., Municipal Bay LLC, Municipal-Bay Holdings LLC, New Towers LLC, PCS Structures Towers LLC, R-CAL I LLC, RSA Media Inc., Repeater Communications Group I LLC, Repeater Communications Group II LLC, Repeater Communications Group III LLC, Repeater Communications Group IV LLC, Repeater Communications Group LLC, Repeater Communications Group V LLC, Repeater Communications Group VI LLC, Repeater Communications Group of New York LLC, Repeater IWG Holdings LLC, Richland Towers LLC, Signum/IWG Tower Corp., Southeast Network Access Point LLC, SpectraSite Communications, SpectraSite Communications LLC, SpectraSite LLC, T8 Ulysses Site Management LLC, TLA PR-1 LLC, TLA PR-2 LLC, Telecom Lease Advisors Management 2 LLC, Tower Management Inc., Towers of America L.L.L.P., Transcend Infrastructure Holdings Pte. Ltd., Transcend Towers Infrastructure (Philippines) Inc., Turris Sites Development Corp., Turris Sites IWG Corp, Tysons II DAS LLC, UNIsite, Uganda Tower Interco B.V., Ulysses Asset Sub I LLC, Ulysses Asset Sub II LLC, UniSite LLC, UniSite/Omnipoint FL Tower Venture LLC, UniSite/Omnipoint NE Tower Venture LLC, UniSite/Omnipoint PA Tower Venture LLC, Vangard Wireless LLC, Verus Management One LLC, Viom Networks, and Virdi IWG Holdings LLC. The following companies are subsidiares of Jabil: AOC Technologies Co. Ltd., AOC Technologies Inc., Badger Technologies LLC, Celetronix, Celetronix India Private Limited, Celetronix USA Inc., Clothing Plus Hong Kong Ltd., Clothing Plus MBU Oy, Clothing Plus Zhejiang Ltd., Clothing+, Eco.logic Brands Inc., Ecologic Brands, F-I Holding Company, GET Manufacturing, Green Point Electronic Technology Co. Ltd., Green Point Precision Electronic Co. Ltd., Green Point Precision Sdn. Bhd., Green Point Technology Co. Ltd., Green Prosperity Co. Ltd., Greenam Electricity (Proprietary) Limited, JCI Funding Ireland Designated Activity Company, JCI Labuan Limited, JN Global Holdings C.V., Jabil AMS LLC, Jabil Advanced Mechanical Solutions Inc., Jabil Advanced Mechanical Solutions de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil C.M. S.r.l., Jabil Canada Corporation, Jabil Chihuahua Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Circuit Austria GmbH, Jabil Circuit Belgium N.V., Jabil Circuit Cayman L.P., Jabil Circuit China Limited, Jabil Circuit Co. Ltd., Jabil Circuit Financial II Inc., Jabil Circuit Holdings Limited, Jabil Circuit Hong Kong Limited, Jabil Circuit Hungary Contract Manufacturing Services Ltd., Jabil Circuit Inc., Jabil Circuit India Private Limited, Jabil Circuit Investment Co. Ltd, Jabil Circuit Italia S.r.l., Jabil Circuit Limited, Jabil Circuit Ltd., Jabil Circuit Luxembourg II S.a r.l., Jabil Circuit Luxembourg S.a r.l., Jabil Circuit Netherlands B.V., Jabil Circuit Pte. Ltd., Jabil Circuit SAS, Jabil Circuit Sdn Bhd, Jabil Circuit Technology LLC, Jabil Circuit Ukraine Limited, Jabil Circuit de Chihuahua S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Circuit de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Circuit of Michigan Inc., Jabil Consulting Limited Liability Company, Jabil DR S.R.L., Jabil Defense and Aerospace Services LLC, Jabil Denmark Aps, Jabil Dutch Mexico B.V., Jabil EMS Switzerland GmbH, Jabil Electronics Co. Ltd., Jabil Energy Ltd., Jabil Green Point Precision Electronics Co. Ltd., Jabil Green Point Technology Co. Ltd., Jabil Guadalajara Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Healthcare DR S.R.L., Jabil Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Holdings Ltd., Jabil Hungary LP Services Limited Liability Company, Jabil India Manufacturing Private Limited, Jabil Industrial do Brasil Ltda., Jabil International Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil International Treasury Pte. Ltd, Jabil Investment Pte. Ltd., Jabil Israel Ltd., Jabil Japan Inc., Jabil Korea International Limited, Jabil Limited Liability Company, Jabil Mexico Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Mexico Investment S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Monterrey S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Nypro Holding LLC, Jabil Nypro I LLC, Jabil Nypro II LLC, Jabil Nypro International B.V., Jabil Optics Germany GmbH, Jabil Poland Sp. z.o.o., Jabil Precision Industry Co. Ltd., Jabil Science and Telecommunication Trading Co. Ltd., Jabil Sdn Bhd, Jabil Services Korea Limited, Jabil Silver Creek Inc., Jabil South Africa (Pty) LTD, Jabil Switzerland Manufacturing GmbH, Jabil Technology Co. Ltd, Jabil Technology and Trading Co. Ltd., Jabil Torres S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Tuttlingen Manufacturing GmbH, Jabil Umkirch Manufacturing GmbH, Jabil Vietnam Company Limited, Jabil do Brasil Industria Eletroeletronica Ltda., Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices, Kasalis, Kasalis Inc., Kuatro Technologies, Kuatro Ukraine LLC, Manna Renewable Energy Investments Two (Pty) Ltd, NP Medical Inc., NPA de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Nypro, Nypro Alabama LLC, Nypro Atlanta LLC, Nypro China Holdings Limited, Nypro DR LLC, Nypro Deutschland GmbH, Nypro France SAS, Nypro Guadalajara S.A. de C.V., Nypro Healthcare Baja Inc., Nypro Healthcare GmbH, Nypro Healthcare LLC, Nypro Inc., Nypro Iowa Inc., Nypro Limited, Nypro Monterrey Management S. de R.L. de C.V., Nypro Plastics & Metal Products Co. Ltd., Nypro Plastics & Molding Products Co. Ltd., Nypro Puerto Rico Inc., Nypro Research and Developments Limited, Nypro Spain Holding S.L.U., Nypro de Amazonia, Nypro de la Frontera S. de R.L. de C.V., NyproMold Chicago Inc., NyproMold Inc., NyproMold Investment Corp., PT Jabil Circuit Indonesia, Plasticast Hungary Kft., Plasticos Castella S.A.U., Radius Chicago LLC, Radius Hong Kong Limited, Radius Product Development Inc., Roosevelt Insurance Company Ltd., S.M.R. Metal Ltd., Shay Motion Ltd., Shemer Group, Shemer Motion (2009) Ltd., Taiwan Green Point Enterprises, Taiwan Green Point Enterprises Co. Ltd., Telmar Network Technology, TrueTech, Westing Green Plastic Co. Ltd, Wolfe Engineering, Wolfe Engineering Co. Ltd., and Yen Investments 140 (Proprietary) Limited. Glencore plc produces, refines, processes, stores, transports, and markets metals and minerals, and energy products in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. It operates through two segments, Marketing Activities and Industrial Activities. The company produces and markets copper, cobalt, nickel, zinc, lead, chrome ore, ferrochrome, vanadium, alumina, aluminum, tin, and iron ore. It also engages in the oil exploration/production, distribution, storage, and bunkering activities; and offers coal, crude oil and oil products, refined products, and natural gas. The company markets and distributes physical commodities sourced from third party producers and its production to industrial consumers in the battery, electronic, construction, automotive, steel, energy, and oil industries. It also provides financing, logistics, and other services to producers and consumers of commodities. The company was formerly known as Glencore Xstrata plc and changed its name to Glencore plc in May 2014. Glencore plc was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Baar, Switzerland. Read More iShares MSCI Germany ETF's stock was trading at $23.17 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWG stock has increased by 40.8% and is now trading at $32.62. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. Los Andes Copper Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, acquires, explores, and develops copper deposits in the Americas. It operates through Mineral Exploration and Hydroelectric Project segments. The company holds 100% interest in the Vizcachitas copper, molybdenum, and silver porphyry project located to the north of Santiago, Region V, Chile. It is also involved in the development of a hydroelectric project. Los Andes Copper Ltd. was incorporated in 1983 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Read More Mandom Corporation manufactures and sells cosmetics, perfumes, and quasi-drugs in Japan, Indonesia, and internationally. The company offers a range of products, including men's everyday grooming products, as well as general fashion items, such as hair styling, skin care, and body care products; and hair coloring, scalp care, and face care products under the Gatsby and Lucido brands. It also provides a range of women's grooming and fashion items comprising hair styling, body care, and beauty products that include make-up and skin care items, as well as hair coloring and treatment products under the Bifesta, Pixy, Lucido-L, and Pucelle brands. In addition, the company offers professional-use products and technologies to hair salons through distributors. Further, it provides insurance agency, travel, and general services. The company sells its products to drug stores and convenience stores through distributors. The company was formerly known as Tancho Corporation and changed its name to Mandom Corporation in April 1971. Mandom Corporation was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Osaka, Japan. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.: 2235158 Alberta Limited, A.J. Amer Agency, AHC Digital LLC, AIX Limited, AJG Coal LLC, AJG Financial Services LLC, AJG Meadows LLC, AJG North America ULC, AJG RCF LLC, AJGRMS of Louisiana LLC, ARM RE Ltda., AVIATION INSURANCE SERVICES, AVRECO, Ace IRM Insurance Broking Group, Acumus Holdings Limited, Acumus Interco Limited, Acumus Ltd, Adams & Associates International, Adaptive Marketing LLC, Adco General Corporation, Advanced Benefit Advisors, Aequus Trade Credit, Affinity Marketing Group, Ahrold Fay Rosenberg, Aires Consulting Group, Alesco Risk Management Services Limited, Alize Limited, Allied Claims Administration Inc., Alternative Market Specialists, Altman & Cronin Benefit Consultants, American Freedom Carriers Inc., American Security Services Corp., American Wholesalers Underwriting Ltd, Andrew-Anthony Insurance Agency, Anthony Hodges Consulting Limited, Antrobus Investments Limited, AquaSurance, Argentis, Argentis Financial Group Limited, Argentis Financial Management Limited, Argus Benefits, Armstrong/Robitaille/Riegle, Artex (SAC) Limited, Artex Cedar Hill, Artex Corporate Services (Malta) Limited, Artex Corporate Services Limited, Artex Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Artex Holdings (Malta) Limited, Artex Insurance (Guernsey) PCC Limited, Artex Insurance (Tennessee) PCCIC Inc., Artex Insurance Brokers (Malta) PCC Limited, Artex Insurance ICC Limited, Artex Intermediaries Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (Bermuda) Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (Cayman) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (Gibraltar) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (Guernsey) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (International) Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (Malta) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (UK) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions Inc., Arthur J Gallagher (Norway) Holdings AS, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AUS) Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (Bermuda) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (Illinois), Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Insurance Brokers of California Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher (Aus) Pty Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher (Bermuda) Holding Partnership, Arthur J. Gallagher (Life Solutions) Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher (U.S.) LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher (UK) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Asesoria S.A.C., Arthur J. Gallagher Australasia Holdings Pty Ltd., Arthur J. Gallagher Brokerage & Risk Management Services LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Broking (NZ) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Financial Services Professionals Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Group Quebec ULC, Arthur J. Gallagher Holdings (UK) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Latin America LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Management (Bermuda) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Real Estate Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services (Hawaii) Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services of Utah Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher School Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Service Company LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Services (UK) Ltd, Ashmore & Associates Insurance Agency, Atlantic Risk Management Corp., Atrex Insurance (Cayman) SPC Limited, Avantek Pty Ltd, Axe Insurance PCC Limited, BIS Insurance Services, Baker - Tillys employment benefits solutions, Ballard Benefit Works, Bankers Financial Benefits, Barmore Insurance Agency, Behnke & Co. Inc., Bellisle Pty Ltd, Belmont Associates Consultants, Belmont Insurance Holdings Limited, Belmont International, Belmont International Limited, Benefit Development Group, Benefit Management Group, BenefitLink Resource Group, Benefits Planning & Insurance Agency, Benefits Unlimited, Bennett & Shade Co., Bergvall Marine, Bergvall Marine A.S., Besselman & Little Agency, Big Savings Insurance Agency Inc., Blenheim Park Ltd, Blenheim Park Services Limited, Blue Holdings Pty Ltd, Blue Horizon Insurance Services, Blue Water Benefits, BluePeak Advisors, Blueleaf Consulting Pty Ltd., Bluewater Incorporated Cell Insurance Company, Bollinger Inc., Bollinger Insurance Services Inc., Bowen Miclette Britt & Merry of Arkansas Inc., Brendis & Brendis, Brim AB, Broker Benefit Services, Brokerage Professionals, Brown Hobbs & McMurray Insurance, Bultman/Bell Associates Inc., Burkwald & Associates, Burns-Fazzi Brock & Associates, Bushong Insurance Associates, C&B Consulting Group, CGM Gallagher Insruance Brokers (Trinidad & Tobago) Limited, CJM Solutions Inc., CMA Solutions LLC, Cairnstone Financial, California Insurance Center, Capital Bauer Insurance Agency, Capitol Benefits Group, Capsicum CRLA LLP, Capsicum Re Brasil Participacoes Ltda, Capsicum Re Latin America Corretora De Resseguros Ltda, Capsicum Reinsurance Brokers Bermuda Limited, Capsicum Reinsurance Brokers Miami Inc., Carefree Marketing Inc., Carpenter Cammack & Associates, Cashan & Co., Castle Insurance Associates, Centennial Insurance Agency, Charity First Insurance Services Inc., Charles Allen Agency, Charter Lakes Insurance Agency, Chris Schroeder Insurance, Christie-Phoenix, Cintran Claims Canada Limited, Classic Insurance Services, Cleaveland Insurance Group, Cohen & Lord Insurance Brokers, Cohn Financial Group, Coleman Group Holdings Limited, Coleman Holdings Limited, College and University Scholastic Excess Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Commercial Insurance Brokers, Complete Benefit Alliance, Complete Financial Balance, Complete Financial Balance Pty Ltd, Consolidated Casualty Specialties LLC, Construction Risk Solutions, Contego Underwriting Limited, Contego Underwriting Ltd, Continental Excess & Surplus, Convergence Risk Services Ltd, Copper Mountain Assurance Inc., Cornwall & Stevens Co., Corporate Benefit Advisors, Corporate Life Consultants, Countrywide Accident Assistance Limited, Coverdell & Company Inc., Coverdell Canada Corporation, Cowles and Connell, Craig M. Ferguson & Co., Crist Elliott Machette Insurance Services, Crombie Lockwood (NZ) Limited, Davis-Poston & Associates, Denman Consulting Services, Detlefs Johnson & Partners, DiBrina Group, Dickinson & Associates, Discount Development Services L.L.C., Discovery Benefit Solutions, Dodson-Bateman & Co., Donald P. Pipino Co. Ltd., E. S. Susanin Inc., EHE Holdings LLC, EHS Holdings Limited, Elantis Premium Funding (NZ) Limited, Elantis Premium Funding Limited, Elite Benefits Insurance Marketing Services, Employee Benefits Analysis Corp., Employee Benefits of The Carolinas, Encore Insurance & Bonding, Everett James, Evolution Risk Services Limited, Evolution Technology Services Limited, Evolution Underwriting Group, Evolution Underwriting Group Limited, Evolution Underwriting Limited, Excel Insurance Services, FYI Direct Canada Corporation, FYI Direct LLC, Farallone Pacific Insurance Services, Fenchurch Faris Limited, Fidelity Benefits & Insurance Services, Financial Profiles Inc., Finergy Solutions Pty Ltd, First Agency, First Iowa Insurance Agency, First Premium Inc., First Premium Insurance Group, Fish & Schulkamp, Fishermans Insurance Services, Foley Healthcare Limited, Fortress Financial Solutions Pty Ltd, Fortress Insurance LLC, Foundation Strategies, Fox Lawson & Associates, Franklin-Case Agency LLC, Fraser MacAndrew Ryan Limited, Friary Intermediate Limited, Fuller & O'Brien, G.S. Chapman & Associates Insurance Brokers, G.S. Levine Insurance Services, GBS (Australia) Holdings Pty Ltd, GBS Administrators Inc., GBS Insurance and Financial Services Inc., GBS Retirement Services Inc., GBS Specialty Markets LLC, GGB Finance 1 Limited, GGB Finance 2 Limited, GGB Finance 3 Limited, GGB Finance 4 Limited, GPL Assurance, GPL Assurance Inc., Gabor Insurance Services, Gale Smith & Co. Inc., Gallagher (Bermuda) Insurance Solutions Ltd., Gallagher - Grace/Mayer Insurance Agency, Gallagher Bassett Aires Inc., Gallagher Bassett Canada Inc., Gallagher Bassett Insurance Services Ltd., Gallagher Bassett International Ltd., Gallagher Bassett NZ Pty Ltd., Gallagher Bassett Services Inc. , Gallagher Bassett Services Pty Ltd., Gallagher Bassett Services Workers Compensation Victoria Pty Ltd., Gallagher Benefit Services (Canada) Group Inc., Gallagher Benefit Services (Holdings) Limited, Gallagher Benefit Services Inc., Gallagher Benefit Services Management Company Limited, Gallagher Benefit Services Pty Ltd, Gallagher Benefits Consulting Limited, Gallagher Bomford Couch Wilson, Gallagher Burgess, Gallagher Canada Acquisition Corporation, Gallagher Caribbean Group Limited, Gallagher Clean Energy LLC, Gallagher Communications Limited, Gallagher Community Clinic RPG LLC, Gallagher Consulting Ltda, Gallagher Corporate Services LLC, Gallagher Coyle, Gallagher CyberRisk, Gallagher Energy Risk Services Inc., Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC, Gallagher Holdings (UK) Limited, Gallagher Holdings Bermuda Company Limited, Gallagher Holdings Four (UK) Limited, Gallagher Holdings Three (UK) Limited, Gallagher Insurance Brokers (Barbados) Limited, Gallagher Insurance Brokers (St. Kitts & Nevis) Limited, Gallagher Insurance Brokers (St. Lucia) Limited, Gallagher Insurance Brokers (St. Vincent) Limited, Gallagher Insurance Brokers Jamaica Limited, Gallagher International Cash Management s.r.l., Gallagher International Holdings (US) Inc., Gallagher Investment Advisors LLC, Gallagher Inwest Group, Gallagher Koster, Gallagher Lambert Group, Gallagher Madison Risk & Insurance Services, Gallagher Mauritius Holdings, Gallagher Mississippi Brokerage LLC, Gallagher RE Colombia Ltda Corredores de Reaseguros SA, Gallagher Risk & Reward Limited, Gallagher Risk Group LLC, Gallagher Risk Placements Pty Ltd, Gallagher SKS, Gallagher Service Center LLP, Gallagher-Tarantino, Galtney Group, Game Day Insurance Inc., Gardner & White Corp., Gardner Marine Agency, Garza Long Group, Gatehouse Consulting Limited, Gault Armstrong Kemble Pty Ltd, Gault Armstrong SARL, Giles Group, Giles Holdings Limited, Giles Insurance Brokers, Gillis Ellis & Baker Inc., Goodman Insurance Agency, Grandy Pratt Co., Greenseed Alternative Mangaers Platform Ltd, Grossman & Associates, Group Benefits of Arkansas, Group Insurance Associates, Gruppo Marcucci, HLG Holdings Limited, HMG-PCMS Limited, HPF Investments LLC, HR Owen Insurance Services Limited, Hagan Newkirk Financial Services, Hagedorn & Company, Hardman & Howell Benefits, Harlequin Insurance PCC Limited, Hartstein Associates Inc., Healthcare Professionals Purchasing Group LLC, Healthcare Risk Solutions, Heath Lambert Group Ltd., Heath Lambert Limited, Heath Lambert Overseas Limited, Heiser Insurance Agency, Henderson Phillips Fine Arts Insurance, Herbruck Alder & Co., Heritage Insurance Brokers (CI) Limited, Hesse & Partner AG, Hesse Consulting, Hexagon ICC Limited, Hexagon Insurance PCC Limited, Hill Chesson & Woody, Hogan Insurance Services, Home & Travel Limited, Honour Point Limited, Horseshoe Corporate Services Ltd, Horseshoe Fund Services (Cayman) Ltd, Horseshoe Fund Services Ltd, Horseshoe Fund Services USA Inc., Horseshoe ILS Services UK Ltd, Horseshoe Insurance Advisors US LLC, Horseshoe Insurance Advisory Ltd., Horseshoe Insurance Services Holdings Ltd, Horseshoe Insurance Services Holdings US Inc., Horseshoe Management (Gibraltar) Limited, Horseshoe Management (Ireland) Ltd, Horseshoe Management Ltd., Horseshoe PCC Limited, Horseshoe Re Limited, Horseshoe Services (Cayman) Ltd, Horseshoe Services (Pty) Ltd, Horton Insurance Agency, Housing Authorities Services Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Human Resource Management Systems, I-Protect Underwriting Pty Ltd, IBIS Advisors, IBS Reinsurance Singapore Pte Ltd, ILS Fund Services Ltd., ISG International, ITI Solutions, Igloo Insurance PCC Limited, Independent Benefit Services, Independent Fiduciary Services, Ink Underwriting Agencies Limited, InsSync Group Pty Ltd, Inspire Underwriting Limited, Instrat Insurance Brokers, Instrat Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd, Instrat Integration Holdco Pty Ltd, Insurance Acquisitions Holdings Limited, Insurance Associates Inc., Insurance Dialogue Limited, Insurance Dialogue Ltd., Insurance Plans Agency, Insurance Plus Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Insurance Point, Insurance Risk Managers of Missouri Inc., Insure My Villa Limited, Insure Pty Ltd, Integrated Healthcare Strategies, InterNational Insurance Group, InterPacific Underwriting Agencies, Intermountain Financial Benefits, Interstate Insurance Underwriters, JPGAC LLC, James F. Reda & Associates, James R. Weir Insurance Agency, Jenkins and Associates, Joe E. Martin Inc., John P. Woods Co. Inc., Jones Brown, Jones Brown Group Inc., Jones Brown Insurance Solutions Inc., Joseph Distel, Joseph James & Associates Insurance Agency, Just Landlords Insurance Services Ltd, KDC Associates, KRW Insurance Agency, Kahl Insurance Services, Kaler Carney Liffler & Co. Inc., Kane Group - Insurance Management Operations, Kelly Financial, Kent Kent & Tingle and RBS, Keyser Benefits Corp., Kingspark Enterprises Pty Ltd, L&R Benefits, LSG Insurance Partners, Learn About Money Limited, Lewis & Associates Insurance Brokers, Leystone Insurance & Financial, Life Plans Unlimited, Lincoln Financial Management, Longfellow Financial, Lucas Fettes Limited, Lucas Fettes and Partners Limited, Lutgert Insurance, MA Underwriting Pty Ltd, MDM Insurance Associates, MG Advanced Coal Technologies-1 LLC, MGA Insurance Services, MRS Holdings Ltd., Madison Scott & Associates, Managed Healthcare Solutions, Mannequin Insurance PCC Limited, Marchetti Robertson & Brickell Insurance, Marine Insurance Service, Martin Gordon & Jones Inc., McDowall Associates Human Resource Consultants, McIntyre Risk Management, McLean Insurance Agency, McNeary, McPherson Benefits Group, McRory & Co., Mecacem Insurance SPC Ltd, MedInsights Inc., Melton Insurance Associates, Memberworks Canada LLC, Merit Insurance, Metcom Excess, Metzler Bros. Insurance, Meyers-Reynolds & Associates, Mid America Group, Midwest Surety Services, Mike Henry Insurance Brokers, Mike Henry Insurance Brokers Limited, Mike Henry Insurance Funding Limited, Miller Buettner & Parrott, Miller-Harrison Insurance Services, Milne Alexander Pty Ltd, Minvielle & Chastanet Insurance Brokers, Monument Insurance (NZ) Limited, Monument Llc, Monument Premium Funding Limited, Mortgage Insurance Agency, Murphy Consultants, Mutual Insurance Services, NationAir Aviation Insurance, National Administration Co., National Ethics Association, National Transportation Adjusters, Nelson/Monarch Insurance Services, Nicoud Insurance Services, NiiS/Apex Group Holdings, Nonprofit Insurance Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Noraxis Capital Corp, Nordic Forsakring & Riskhantering AB, North Alabama Insurance, Nourse Insurance Brokers, O'Gorman & Young, OAMPS (UK) Limited, OAMPS Gault Armstrong Pty Ltd, OAMPS Limited, OAMPS Special Risks Ltd, Offshore Market Placements Limited, Optimum Talent, Orb Financial Services, Orb Financial Services Limited, Osprey Insurance Brokers Limited, Oval Group, Oval Healthcare Limited, Oval Insurance Broking Limited, Oval Limited, Oval Management Services Limited, Oxygen Insurance Managers, P2 Group, PEN Insurance Management Advisors Ltd, PT IBS Insurance Broking Service, Pacific Insurance Agency, Palmer Atlantic Insurance, Palmer Atlantic Insurance Ltd, Palmer Atlantic Risk Services Ltd., Park Row Associates, Parkstar Enterprises Pty Ltd, Parmia Pty Ltd, PartnerSource, Pastel Holding (NZ) Company, Pastel Holdings Pty Limited, Pastel Purchaser (NZ) Limited, Pastel Purchaser Pty Limited, Pavey Group Holdings (UK) Limited, Pavey Group Holdings Limited, Pavey Group Limited, Pearson Dunn Insurance Inc., Pen Underwriting Canada Limited, Pen Underwriting Group Pty. Ltd., Pen Underwriting Limited, Pen Underwriting Pty Ltd, Persing Dyckman & Toynbee Inc., Personal Advice Services Pty Ltd, Petty Burton Associates, Pointer Insurance Agency, Portmore Insurance Brokers (Wilshire) Limited, Portmore Insurance Brokers Limited, Potter-Holden & Co., Powell Insurance Agency, Premier Insurance Services Inc., Premier Risk Services, Premium Finance Corporation, Preston-Patterson, ProSource Financial, Professional Agents Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Professional Claims Managers, Proinova AB, Proinova Agency AB, Pronto California Agency LLC, Pronto California General Agency LLC, Pronto Florida Claims LLC, Pronto Florida General Agency LLC, Pronto Franchise LLC, Pronto General Agency Ltd, Pronto General Agency Management LLC, Pronto Holdco Inc., Pronto Holding California LLC, Pronto Holding Florida LLC, Pronto Insurance Agency of Laredo Inc., Pronto Premium Finance LLC, Property & Commercial Ltd., Property Insurance Initatives Limited, Property and Commercial Limited, Protected Insurance Company, Protection Plan Association Inc., Protek Group Limited, Providium Consulting Group, Ptarmigan Underwriting Agency Limited, Ptarmigan Underwriting UK Limited, Purple Bridge Claims Management Limited, Purple Bridge Finance Limited, Purple Bridge Group Limited, Purple Bridge Investments Limited, Purple Bridge Online Services Limited, Purple Bridge Publishing Limited, Quantum Underwriting Solutions Limited, Quillco 226 Limited, Quillco 227 Limited, R. L. Youngdahl & Associates, R.G. Speno Inc., R.W. Scobie, RA Rossborough (Guernsey) Ltd., RA Rossborough (Insurance Brokers) Ltd, REGENCY Group inc., RGA Referencing Limited, RGA Underwriting Limited, RIL Administrators (Guernsey) Ltd., RJ Dutton Inc., RSM Insurance Services Limited, Reassurance Holdings Inc., Rebholz Insurance Agency, Reid Manson Ltd., Reimbursement Services, Rentguard Limited, Reward Management Limited, Reynolds & Rodar Insurance Group, Riley & Associates, Rio 587 Limited, Rio 588 Limited, Risk & Reward Group, Risk Management Partners Limited, Risk Placement Services Inc., Risk Planners, Risk Services (NW) Limited, Risk Services (NW) Ltd., Risk Solutions Group Limited, Robert A. Schneider Agency, Robert Keith & Associates, Roberts & Roberts Insurance Service, Robinson-Adams Insurance, Rossborough Healthcare International Ltd, Rossborough Insurance (IOM) Ltd., Rossborough Insurance Services Ltd. (Jersey), S. A. Freerks & Associates, SEG Insurance Ltd, SGB-NIA Insurance Brokers, SHILLING Ltd, SKANCO International, SMERI AB, SRS Underwriting Pty Ltd, Secure Enterprises Pty Ltd, Securitas Re, Sellers Group, Sentinel Indemnity LLC, Septagon Insurance PCC Limited, Shuford Insurance Agency, Sigma II Insurance Agency, Sinclair Billard and Weld Limited, Sobieski & Bradley, Solid Benefit Guidance, Spanjers Insurance Agency, Spataro Insurance Agency, Specialised Broking Associates, Specialty Risk, Stackhouse Poland, Stackhouse Poland Bidco Limited, Stackhouse Poland Group Limited, Stackhouse Poland Holdings Limited, Stackhouse Poland Midco Limited, Stackouse Poland Limited, Stanton Group, Stark Johnson & Stinson Inc., Steel Agency, Strata Solicitors Ltd, Strategic Health Plans Corp., Strathearn Insurance Brokers, Strathearn Insurance Brokers (Qld) Trading Trust, Strathern Insurance Group Pty Ltd, Strathern Integration Holdco Pty Ltd, Strathern Unit Trust, Strong Financial Resources, Summit Insurance Group, Sunday and Associates, Sunderland Insurance Services, Super Advice Corporate Services Pty Ltd, Taylor Benefits, Texas Insurance Agency, Texas Insurance Managers, The BeneTex Group, The Buchholz Planning, The Chapman Group, The Commonwealth Consulting Group, The Daniels Group Inc., The EHE Group LLC, The EHE Insurance Agency LLC, The Eagle Insurance Agency LLC, The Eriksen Group, The Forker Company, The Gleason Agency, The Great Lakes Agency, The HR Group, The Hawk Agency, The Human Capital Group, The Lance Group, The Levitt/Kristan Co., The MW Bagnall Company, The Old Greenwich Consulting Group, The Parks Johnson Agency, The Plus Companies Inc., The Presidio Group, The Producers Choice, The Rains Group, The Splinter Group, The Titan Group, The Treiber Group, The Woodsmall Companies Inc., Title & Covenant Brokers Ltd., Title Investments Limited, Tom Sherwin Insurance Agency, Total Reward Group, Total Rewards Group (Holdings) Limited, Towle Agency, Transwestern, Tri-State General Insurance Agency, Triad Insurance Agency, Triad USA, Tribeca Strategic Advisors, Trinder & Norwood, Trip Mate, Trissel Graham & Toole, Tropp & Co., Tudor Risk Services, Tyloma Holdings Limited, Uni-Care Inc., Unison Inc., Universico Group, Unoccupied Direct Limited, V2V Holdings LLC, VEBA Service Group, Vasek Insurance Services Limited, Velo ACU LLC, Velo Holdings Inc., Verbag AG., Vertrue LLC, Victory Insurance Agency, Vincent L. Braband Insurance, Vital Benefits, Voluntary Benefits Solutions, W. E. Kingsley Co. Inc., WM. W. George & Associates, Walker Taylor Agency, Welling Associates, Wesfarmers Insurance - Insurance Brokerage Operations, Western Benefit Solutions, White & Company Insurance, Whitehaven Insurance Group, William Gallagher Associates Insurance Brokers, William H. Connolly & Co., Williams Insurance Agency Inc., Williams-Manny Insurance Group, Winn & Company Insurance Brokers, Wischmeyer Benefit Partners, Woodbrook Underwriting Agencies, Woods & Grooms, WorkCare Northwest, Worksite Communications, Y. S. Liedman & Associates, YOA Capsicum Reinsurance Broker Limited, Zenor Limited, Zuber Insurance Agency, and e3 Financial. Baker Hughes, a GE company provides integrated oilfield products, services, and digital solutions worldwide. Its Oilfield Services segment offers drilling, wireline, evaluation, completion, production, and intervention services; and drilling and completions fluids, completions tools and systems, wellbore intervention tools and services, artificial lift systems, pressure pumping systems, and oilfield and industrial chemicals for integrated oil and natural gas, and oilfield service companies. The company's Oilfield Equipment segment designs and manufactures products and services, including pressure control equipment and services, subsea production systems and services, drilling equipment, and flexible pipeline systems; and onshore and offshore drilling and production systems, and equipment for floating production platforms, as well as provides a range of services related to onshore and offshore drilling activities. Its Turbomachinery & Process Solutions segment provides equipment and related services for mechanical-drive, compression, and power-generation applications across the oil and gas industry, as well as products and services to serve the downstream segments of industry. Its product portfolio includes drivers, compressors, and turnkey solutions; and pumps, valves, and compressed natural gas and small-scale liquefied natural gas solutions. This segment serves upstream, midstream, onshore and offshore, industrial, engineering, procurement, and construction companies. The company's Digital Solutions segment provides sensor-based measurement, non-destructive testing and inspection, turbine, generator and plant controls, and condition monitoring, as well as pipeline integrity solutions for a range of industries, including oil and gas, power generation, aerospace, metals, and transportation. It serves through direct and indirect channels. The company is based in Houston, Texas. Baker Hughes, a GE company is a subsidiary of General Electric Company. Read More Schaeffler AG, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells precision components and systems for automotive and industrial applications in Europe, the Americas, China, and the Asia Pacific. The company's Automotive OEM division offers engine systems, including rolling bearing solutions, belt and chain drive products, valve train components, and systems for variable valve trains; and transmission systems, such as torsion and vibration dampers, clutches and double clutch systems, torque converters, CVT components, lightweight differentials, bearing solutions, and synchronizing and gearshift components. This division also provides chassis systems comprising wheel bearings, bearing solutions, steering components, electromechanical actuators for roll stabilizers, and power-assisted steering systems; and hybrid and electrical drive systems that include hybrid modules, electrical axle drives, and electrical wheel hub drives. Its Automotive Aftermarket division offers repair solutions for passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, heavy commercial vehicles, and tractors, as well as supporting services. The company's Industrial division provides components and systems. This division serves customers in the mobility, energy and raw materials, production machinery, aerospace, and industrial distribution. It has a strategic partnership with Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. The company was formerly known as INA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mit beschrAnkter Haftung and changed its name to Schaeffler AG in October 2014. The company was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Schaeffler AG is a subsidiary of IHO Verwaltungs GmbH. Read More You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close The following companies are subsidiares of UnitedHealth Group: 1031387 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, 1070715 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, 1st Avenue Pharmacy Inc., 310 Canyon Medical, 310 Canyon Medical LLC, 4C MSO LLC, 4C Medical Group PLC, 5995 Minnetonka LLC, ABCO International Holdings LLC, ACN Group IPA of New York, ACN Group IPA of New York Inc., ACN Group of California, ACN Group of California Inc., AHJV, AHJV MSO, AHN Accontable Care Organization LLC, AHN Central Services LLC, AHN Target Holdings LLC, AMIL International, AMIL International S.a.r.l., APS Assistencia Personalizada a Saude Ltda., ARC Infusion, ASC Holdings of New Jersey LLC, ASC Network LLC, ASI Global, ASI Global LLC, Access Administrators Inc., Access HealthSource Administrators Inc., Access HealthSource Inc., Access I.V., Administradora Clinica La Colina S.A.S., Administradora Country S.A., Administradora Medica Centromed S.A., Advanced Care, Advanced Care Pharmacy, Advanced Pharma Inc., Advanced Surgery Center of Clifton LLC, Advanced Surgical Hospital LLC, Advantage Care Network Inc., Advocate Condell Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Advocate Sherman Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Advocate Southwest Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Advocate-SCA Partners LLC, Alere Health, Alere Health Improvement Company, Alere Healthcare of Illinois, Alere Wellbeing, Alere Wellology, Alere of New York, Aliansalud Entidad Promotora de Salud S.A., All Savers Insurance Company, All Savers Life Insurance Company of California, Alliance Surgical Center LLC, Aloha Surgical Center LLC, Ambient Healthcare, Ambient Healthcare Inc., Ambient Healthcare of Central Florida, Ambient Healthcare of Georgia, Ambient Healthcare of Northeast Florida, Ambient Healthcare of S. Florida, Ambient Healthcare of West Florida, Ambient Holdings, Ambient Holdings Inc., Ambient Nursing Services, AmeriChoice, AmeriChoice Corporation, AmeriChoice Health Services, AmeriChoice of Connecticut, AmeriChoice of New Jersey, AmeriChoice of New Jersey Inc., American Health Network of Indiana Care Organization LLC, American Health Network of Indiana II LLC, American Health Network of Indiana LLC, American Health Network of Ohio Care Organization LLC, American Health Network of Ohio II LLC, American Health Network of Ohio LLC, Amico Saude Ltda., Amil, Amil Assistencia Medica Internacional S.A., Amil Lifesciences Participacoes Ltda., Antelope Valley Surgery Center L.P., Analisis Clinicos ML S.A.C., Apothecary Holdings Inc., Apothecary Shop of Phoenix Inc., AppleCare Medical Management, AppleCare Medical Management LLC, Aquitania Chilean Holding SpA, Arise Physician Group, Arizona Physicians IPA, Arizona Physicians IPA Inc., AssuranceRx, AssuranceRx LLC, Athens ASC Holdings LLC, Audax Health Solutions, Audax Health Solutions LLC, Austin Center for Outpatient Surgery L.P., Avella Patient Access Program Inc., Avella Specialty Pharmacy, Avella of Austin Inc., Avella of Columbus Inc., Avella of Deer Valley Inc., Avella of Denver Inc., Avella of Gilbert Inc., Avella of Las Vegas II Inc., Avella of Orlando Inc., Avella of Phoenix III Inc., Avella of Sacramento Inc., Avella of Scottsdale Inc., Avella of St. Louis Inc., Avella of Tampa LLC, Avella of Tucson II Inc., Avella of Tucson Inc., Aveta Arizona, Aveta Health Solutions Inc., Aveta Inc., Aveta Kansas City, Aveta Tennessee, AxelaCare Health Solutions, AxelaCare Intermediate Holdings, AxelaCare Intermediate Holdings LLC, AxelaCare LLC, B.R.A.S.S. Partnership in Commendam, Banmedica Colombia SpA, Banmedica Internacional SpA, Banmedica S.A., Beach Surgical Holdings III LLC, Behavioral Healthcare Options, Behavioral Healthcare Options Inc., Belleville Surgical Center Ltd. an Illinois Limited Partnership, Benefit Administration for the Self Employed L.L.C., Benefitter Insurance Solutions Inc., Birmingham Outpatient Surgical Center LLC, Blackstone Valley Surgicare GP LLC, Blue Ridge GP LLC, Bordeaux (Barbados) Holdings I SRL, Bordeaux (Barbados) Holdings II SRL, Bordeaux (Barbados) Holdings III SRL, Bordeaux Holding SpA, Bordeaux International Holdings Inc., Bordeaux UK Holdings I Limited, Bordeaux UK Holdings II Limited, Bordeaux UK Holdings III Limited, Bosque Medical Center Ltda., Brandon Ambulatory Surgery Center LC, BriovaRx, BriovaRx, BriovaRx Infusion Services, BriovaRx Infusion Services 102 LLC, BriovaRx Infusion Services 200 Inc., BriovaRx Infusion Services 204 Inc., BriovaRx Infusion Services 209 Inc., BriovaRx Infusion Services 305 LLC, BriovaRx Infusion Services 402 LLC, BriovaRx Infusion Services Inc., BriovaRx Specialty LLC, BriovaRx of California, BriovaRx of California Inc., BriovaRx of Florida, BriovaRx of Florida Inc., BriovaRx of Georgia, BriovaRx of Georgia LLC, BriovaRx of Hawaii, BriovaRx of Indiana, BriovaRx of Louisiana, BriovaRx of Louisiana L.L.C., BriovaRx of Maine, BriovaRx of Maine Inc., BriovaRx of Massachusetts, BriovaRx of Massachusetts LLC, BriovaRx of Nevada, BriovaRx of New York, BriovaRx of New York Inc., BriovaRx of Texas, BriovaRx of Texas Inc., CDC Holdings Colombia S.A.S., CLISA Clinica de Santo Antonio S.A., CMO Centro Medico de Oftalmologia S/S Ltda., CMS Central de Manipulacao e Servicos Farmaceuticos S.A., CNIC Health Solutions Inc., COI Participacoes S.A., COI Clinicas Oncologicas Integradas S.A., Cabin Enterprises LLC, Cabin Holdings LLC, California MedTrans Network IPA LLC, California MedTrans Network MSO LLC, California Medical Group Insurance Company Risk Retention Group, Camp Hill-SCA Centers LLC, Capital City Medical Group L.L.C., Cardio Management, Cardio Management Inc., Care Improvement Plus Group Management, Care Improvement Plus Group Management LLC, Care Improvement Plus South Central Insurance Company, Care Improvement Plus Wisconsin Insurance Company, Care Improvement Plus of Texas Insurance Company, Casa de Saude Santa Therezinha Ltda., Casa de Saude Santa Therezinha S.A., Castle Rock SurgiCenter LLC, Catalyst360, Catalyst360 LLC, Catamaran Finance (Ireland) Unlimited Company, Catamaran Health Solutions, Catamaran Holdings I, Catamaran IPA III, Catamaran Mail, Catamaran PBM of Illinois II, Catamaran PBM of Puerto Rico, Catamaran PD of Pennsylvania, Catamaran PD of Puerto Rico, Catamaran Rebate Management, Catamaran S.a.r.l., Catamaran Senior Services, Catamaran of Pennsylvania, Cedar Park Surgery Center LLC, Cemed Care - Empressa de Atendimento Clinico Geral Ltda., Cemed Care Empresa de Atendimento Clinico Geral Ltda., Central Indiana Care Organization LLC, Central Ohio Care Organization LLC, Central de Compras SpA, CentriHealth Corporation, CentriHealth UK Limited, CentrifyHealth LLC, Centro Medico Hospitalar Pitangueiras Ltda., Centro Medico Odontologico Americano S.A.C., Centro Medico PJ Ltda., Centro de Entrenamiento en Reanimacion y Prevencion Limitada (CERP), Centro de Servicios Compartidos Banmedica S.A., Centromed Quilpue S.A., Centros Medicos y Dentales Multimed Ltda., Centurion Casualty Company, Channel Islands Surgicenter L.P., Channel Islands Surgicenter Properties LLC, Charleston Surgery Properties LLC, Charlotte-SC LLC, Childrens Surgery Center LLC, ChinaGate (Hong Kong) Limited, ChinaGate Company Limited, Citrus Regional Surgery Center L.P., Clinica Oftalmologica Danilo de Castro Sociedade Simples, Clinical Partners of Colorado Springs LLC, Clinica Alameda S.A., Clinica Bio Bio S.A., Clinica Ciudad del Mar S.A., Clinica Davila y Servicios Medicos S.A., Clinica Medico Cirurgica de Santa Tecla S.A., Clinica San Borja (La Esperanza del Peru S.A.), Clinica San Felipe S.A., Clinica Santa Maria S.A., Clinica Sanchez Ferrer S.A., Clinica Vespucio S.A., Clinica del Country S.A., Coachella Valley Physicians of PrimeCare, Coachella Valley Physicians of PrimeCare Inc., Coalition For Advanced Pharmacy Services, Coalition for Advanced Pharmacy Services Inc., Coastal Physicians Management Inc., Collaborative Care Holdings, Collaborative Care Holdings LLC, Collaborative Care Services, Collaborative Care Services Inc., Collaborative Care Solutions, Collaborative Realty, Collaborative Realty LLC, Colmedica Medicina Prepagada, Colonial Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Colorado Innovative Physician Solutions Inc., Colorado Springs Surgery Center Ltd., Comfort Care Transportation, Comfort Care Transportation LLC, Commonwealth Administrators, Connecticut Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Connecticut Surgery Properties LLC, Connecticut Surgical Center LLC, Connextions, Connextions HCI, Constructora e Inmobiliaria Magapoq S.A., Consumer Wellness Solutions Inc., Country Scan Ltda., Crescent Drug Corp., Cypress Care, Cypress Care Inc., DBP Services of New York IPA, DBP Services of New York IPA Inc., DTC Surgery Center LLC, DWIC of Tampa Bay, DWIC of Tampa Bay Inc., DaVita Magan Management Inc., Danbury Surgical Center L.P., Day-Op Surgery Consulting Company, Day-Op Surgery Consulting Company LLC, Definity Health, Dental Benefit Providers, Dental Benefit Providers Inc., Dental Benefit Providers of California, Dental Benefit Providers of California Inc., Dental Benefit Providers of Illinois, Dental Benefit Providers of Illinois Inc., Derry Surgical Center LLC, Diagnostico Ecotomografico Centromed Ltda., Diasnostico por Imagenes Centromed Ltda., Dilab Medicina Nuclear Ltda., Diplomat Pharmacy, Distance Learning Network, Distance Learning Network Inc., Doctor + S.A.C., Dry Creek Surgery Center LLC, Dublin Surgery Center LLC, Duncan Printing Services, Duncan Printing Services LLC, E Street Endoscopy LLC, ELG FZE, EP Campus I, EP Campus I LLC, East Brunswick Surgery Center LLC, Electronic Network Systems, Electronic Network Systems Inc., Elual Participacoes S.A., Empire Physician Management Company, Empire Physician Management Company LLC, Employers Health Choice PPO Inc., Empremedica S. A., Endoscopy Center Affiliates Inc., Enterprise Life Insurance Company, Equian, Equian LLC, Equian Parent Corp., Esho Empresa de Servicos Hospitalares S.A., Etho Empresa de Tecnologia Hospitalar Ltda., Evercare Collaborative Solutions, Evercare Collaborative Solutions Inc., Everett MSO Inc., Excellion Servicos Biomedicos Ltda., Excellion Servicos Biomedicos S.A., Excelsior Insurance Brokerage Inc., Executive Health Resources, Executive Health Resources Inc., Executive Surgery Center LLC, Eye Clinic Oftalmologia Clinico Cirurgica e Diagnostico Ltda., FMG Holdings, FMG Holdings LLC, FOR HEALTH OF ARIZONA, Family Health Care Services, Family Home Hospice, Family Home Hospice Inc., First Rx Specialty & Mail Services, Florida MedTrans Network LLC, Florida MedTrans Network MSO LLC, For Health, For Health Inc., For Health of Arizona Inc., Fortified Provider Network Inc., Fortify Technologies Asia LLC, Fortify Technologies LLC, Foundation Financial Services Inc., Franklin Surgical Center LLC, Freedom Life Insurance Company of America, Freeway Surgicenter of Houston LLC, Frontier MEDEX Limited, Frontier Medex Tanzania Limited, FrontierMEDEX, FrontierMEDEX (RMS), FrontierMEDEX (RMS) Inc., FrontierMEDEX Government Services, FrontierMEDEX Government Services LLC, FrontierMEDEX Inc., FrontierMEDEX Kenya Limited, FrontierMEDEX US, FrontierMEDEX US Inc., Fundacion Banmedica, GRANTS PASS SURGERY CENTER LLC, Gadsden Surgery Center LLC, Gadsden Surgery Center Ltd., Gainesville Surgery Center L.P., Gainesville Surgery Properties LLC, Genoa, Genoa Healthcare Inc., Genoa Healthcare LLC, Genoa QoL Wholesale LLC, Genoa Technology (Canada) Inc., Genoa Technology Inc., Genoa Telepsychiatry Inc., Genoa of Arkansas LLC, Glenwood Surgical Center L.P., Glenwood-SC Inc., Golden Outlook, Golden Outlook Inc., Golden Rule Financial Corporation, Golden Rule Insurance Company, Golden Triangle Surgicenter L.P., Grapevine Finance LLC, Greater Hartford ASC LLC, Grove Place Surgery Center L.L.C., Guardian Health Systems Limited Partnership, H&W Indemnity (SPC), H&W Indemnity (SPC) Ltd., H.I. Investments Holding Company LLC, HCP ACO California LLC, HCP ACO Nevada LLC, HCentive Technology India Private Limited, HMI NewCo LLC, Harken Health Insurance Company, Hayes-Strub LLC, Health Business Systems, Health Care-ONE Insurance Agency Inc., Health Inventures Employment Solutions LLC, Health Inventures LLC, Health Net Insurance of New York, Health Net Services (Bermuda) Ltd., Health Plan of Nevada, Health Plan of Nevada Inc., Health Technology Analysts Pty Limited, HealthAllies, HealthAllies Inc., HealthCare Partners ASC-LB LLC, HealthCare Partners Management Services California LLC, HealthCare Partners RE LLC, HealthFirst IPA Inc., HealthMarkets Group Inc., HealthMarkets Inc., HealthMarkets Insurance Agency Inc., HealthMarkets LLC, HealthMarkets NewCo Inc., HealthMarkets Services Inc., HealthSCOPE Holdings Inc., HealthScope Benefits Inc., Healthcare Partners Plan of Nevada Inc., Healthcare Solutions Inc., Heartland Heart and Vascular LLC, Help S.A., Help Service S.A., Highlands Ranch Healthcare, Highlands Ranch Healthcare LLC, Home Care I.V. of Bend, Home Infusion With Heart, Home Medical S.A., Hospice Inspiris Holdings, Hospice Inspiris Holdings Inc., Hospitais Associados de Pernambuco Ltda., Hospital Alvorada de Taguatinga Ltda., Hospital Ana Costa S.A., Hospital Maternidade Promater Ltda., Hospital Samaritano de Sao Paulo Ltda., Hospital Santa Helena S.A., Hospital de Clinicas de Jacarepagua Ltda., Humedica, Humedica Inc., Hygeia Corporation, Hygeia Corporation (Canada), Hygeia Corporation (DE), Hygeia Corporation (Ontario), INOV8 Surgical at Memorial City LLC, INSPIRIS of New York IPA, INSPIRIS of New York Management, INSPIRIS of New York Management Inc., INSPIRIS of Texas Physician Group, IRX Financing I LLC, Illinois Independent Care Network, Imed Star Servicos de Desempenho Organizacional Ltda., Impel Consulting Experts, Impel Consulting Experts L.L.C., Impel Management Services L.L.C., Indian River Surgery Center Ltd., Indian River Surgery Properties LLC, Indiana Care Organization LLC, Infusource, Ingram & Associates, Ingram & Associates LLC, Inmobiliaria Apoquindo 3001 S.A., Inmobiliaria Apoquindo 3600 Ltda., Inmobiliaria Apoquindo S.A., Inmobiliaria Clinica Santa Maria S.A., Inmobiliaria Vinamed Ltda., Inmobiliaria e Inversiones Alameda S.A., Inspiris, Inspiris Inc., Inspiris Services Company, Inspiris of Tennessee, Instituto do Radium de Cammpinas Ltda, International Psychological Services Pty Limited, Inversiones Clinicas Santa Maria S.A., Isapre Banmedica S.A., Isapre Vida Tres S.A., Johnston Surgicare L.P., Joliet Surgery Center Limited Partnership, LHI, Laboratorio ROE S.A., Laboratorios Medicos Amed Quilpue S.A., LifePrint Health, LifePrint Health Inc., LifeStyles Marketing Group Inc., LifeWell Ltd. Co., Lifeprint Accountable Care Organization, Lifeprint Accountable Care Organization LLC, Lifeprint East, Lifeprint East Inc., Logistics Health Inc., Lotten-Eyes Oftalmologia Clinica e Cirurgica Ltda., Louisville S.C. Ltd., Louisville-SC Properties Inc., Loyola Ambulatory Surgery Center at Oakbrook Inc., Lusiadas - Parcerias Cascais S.A., Lusiadas A.C.E., Lusiadas S.A., Lusiadas SGPS S.A., MAMSI Insurance Resources, MAMSI Life and Health Insurance Company, MD Ops, MD Ops Inc., MD-Individual Practice Association, MD-Individual Practice Association Inc., ME AHS UC LLC, MEDEX Insurance Services, MEDEX Insurance Services Inc., MGH/SCA LLC, MHC Real Estate Holdings, MHC Real Estate Holdings LLC, MIAMI SURGERY CENTER LLC, MSLA Management LLC, MXMD Centros De Cancer, Mamoeco Mamografia e Ecografia Centro de Diagnostico, Managed Physical Network, Managed Physical Network Inc., March Holdings, March Holdings Inc., March Vision Care, March Vision Care Inc., Marin Surgery Holdings Inc., Maryland Ambulatory Centers, Maryland-SCA Centers LLC, Massachusetts Assurance Company Ltd. PIC, Massachusetts Avenue Surgery Center LLC, Mat-Rx Development, Mat-Rx Fort Worth GP, MedExpress Development, MedExpress Development LLC, MedExpress Urgent Care Alabama LLC, MedExpress Urgent Care Inc. - Ohio, MedExpress Urgent Care Maine Inc., MedExpress Urgent Care New Hampshire Inc., MedExpress Urgent Care of Boynton Beach, MedExpress Urgent Care of Boynton Beach LLC, MedSynergies, MedSynergies LLC, MedSynergies North Texas, Medalliance Net Ltda, Medalliance Net Ltda., Medica Health Plans of Florida, Medica Health Plans of Florida Inc., Medica HealthCare Plans, Medica HealthCare Plans Inc., Medical Clinic of North Texas PLLC, Medical Hilfe S.A., Medical Preparatory School of Allied Health, Medical Support Los Angeles Inc., Medical Surgical Centers of America Inc., Medical Transportation Services, Medical Transportation Services LLC, Medication Management Systems Inc., Melbourne Surgery Center LLC, Memorial City Holdings LLC, Memorial City Partners LLC, Memphis-SC LLC, Memphis-SP LLC, Mesquite Liberty LLC, Metro I Stone Management, Metropolitan Medical Partners LLC, Metropolitan Medical Transportation IPA LLC, Mid Atlantic Medical Services, Mid-West National Life Insurance Company of Tennessee, Midwest Center for Day Surgery LLC, Mile High SurgiCenter LLC, Mississippi Surgery Holdings LLC, Mississippi Surgical Center Limited Partnership, Mobile Medical Professionals, Modern Medical Inc., Monarch Management Services, Monarch Management Services Inc., Montgomery Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Mountain View Medical Group LLC, Mt. Pleasant Surgery Center L.P., Multiangio Ltda., Muskogee Surgical Investors LLC, Mustang Razorback Holdings, Mustang Razorback Holdings Inc., My Wellness Solutions LLC, NAMM Holdings, NAMM Holdings Inc., NSC Fayetteville LLC, NSC Greensboro LLC, NSC Lancaster LLC, NSC Seattle Inc., NSC Upland LLC, Nashville-SCA Surgery Centers Inc., National Foundation Life Insurance Company, National MedTrans LLC, National Pacific Dental, National Pacific Dental Inc., National Surgery Centers LLC, Neighborhood Health Partnership, Neighborhood Health Partnership Inc., Netwerkes, Netwerkes LLC, Nevada Medical Services LLC, Nevada Pacific Dental, New Orleans Regional Physician Hospital Organization L.L.C., New West Physicians Inc., Newton Holdings LLC, North American Medical Management - Illinois, North American Medical Management California, North American Medical Management California Inc., North Puget Sound Center for Sleep Disorders LLC, North Puget Sound Oncology Equipment Leasing Company LLC, Northern Nevada Health Network, Northern Nevada Health Network Inc., Northern Rockies Surgicenter Inc., Northwest Surgicare LLC, Northwest Surgicare Ltd., Nutritional/Parenteral Home Care, Nutritional/Parenteral Home Care of Huntsville, OC Cardiology Practice Partners LLC, OSB Tecnologia e Servicos de Suporte Ltda., Omesa S.A., OmniClaim LLC, Oncocare S.A.C., OneNet PPO, OneNet PPO LLC, Optimum Choice, Optimum Choice Inc., Optum, Optum Bank, Optum Bank Inc., Optum Biometrics, Optum Biometrics Inc., Optum Care Inc., Optum Care Services Company, Optum Clinical Services, Optum Clinics Holdings, Optum Clinics Holdings Inc., Optum Clinics Intermediate Holdings, Optum Clinics Intermediate Holdings Inc., Optum Digital Health Holdings LLC, Optum Finance (Ireland) Unlimited Company, Optum Global Finance (Ireland) Unlimited Company, Optum Global Solutions (India) Private Limited, Optum Global Solutions (Philippines), Optum Global Solutions (Philippines) Inc., Optum Global Solutions International B.V., Optum Government Solutions, Optum Government Solutions Inc., Optum Growth Partners LLC, Optum Health & Technology (Australia) Pty Ltd, Optum Health & Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, Optum Health & Technology (India) Private Limited, Optum Health & Technology (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Optum Health & Technology (UK) Limited, Optum Health & Technology (US), Optum Health & Technology (US) LLC, Optum Health & Technology FZ-LLC, Optum Health & Technology Holdings (US), Optum Health & Technology Holdings (US) Inc., Optum Health & Technology Servicos do Brasil Ltda., Optum Health Services (Canada) Ltd., Optum Health Solutions (Australia) Pty Ltd, Optum Health Solutions (UK) Limited, Optum Health and Technology FZ-LLC, Optum Healthcare of Illinois, Optum Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services, Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services LLC, Optum Inc., Optum Infusion Services 100 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 101 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 103 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 201 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 202 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 203 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 205 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 206 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 207 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 208 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 301 LP, Optum Infusion Services 302 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 308 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 401 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 403 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 404 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 501 Inc., Optum Insurance of Ohio, Optum Insurance of Ohio Inc., Optum Labs, Optum Labs Dimensions, Optum Labs Dimensions Inc., Optum Labs Inc., Optum Labs International (UK) Ltd., Optum Life Sciences (Canada) Inc., Optum Management Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Optum Management Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Optum Networks of New Jersey Inc., Optum Nevada Accountable Care Organization LLC, Optum Operations (Ireland) Unlimited Company, Optum Palliative and Hospice Care, Optum Palliative and Hospice Care Inc., Optum Palliative and Hospice Care of Pennsylvania, Optum Palliative and Hospice Care of Pennsylvania Inc., Optum Palliative and Hospice Care of Texas, Optum Palliative and Hospice Care of Texas Inc., Optum Perks LLC, Optum Pharmacy 701 LLC, Optum Pharmacy 702 LLC, Optum Pharmacy 703 LLC, Optum Pharmacy 705 LLC, Optum Public Sector Solutions, Optum Public Sector Solutions Inc., Optum Rocket, Optum Rocket Inc., Optum Senior Services LLC, Optum Services, Optum Services (Ireland) Limited, Optum Services (Puerto Rico) LLC, Optum Services Inc., Optum Solutions UK Holdings Limited, Optum Solutions do Brasil Tecnologia e Servicos de Suporte Ltda., Optum Technology, Optum Technology LLC, Optum UK Solutions Group Limited, Optum Women's and Children's Health, Optum Women's and Children's Health LLC, Optum of New York Inc., Optum360, Optum360 LLC, Optum360 Services, Optum360 Services Inc., Optum360 Solutions LLC, OptumCare ACO Florida LLC, OptumCare ACO Holdings LLC, OptumCare ACO New Mexico LLC, OptumCare Clinical Trials LLC, OptumCare Colorado ASC LLC, OptumCare Colorado LLC, OptumCare Colorado Springs LLC, OptumCare Endoscopy Center New Mexico LLC, OptumCare Florida CI LLC, OptumCare Florida LLC, OptumCare Health Plan of California Inc., OptumCare Holdings Colorado LLC, OptumCare Holdings LLC, OptumCare Holdings New Mexico LLC, OptumCare Management LLC, OptumCare New Mexico LLC, OptumCare New York IPA Inc., OptumCare South Florida LLC, OptumHealth Care Solutions, OptumHealth Care Solutions LLC, OptumHealth Financial Services, OptumHealth Financial Services Inc., OptumHealth Holdings, OptumHealth Holdings LLC, OptumHealth International B.V., OptumInsight, OptumInsight Holdings, OptumInsight Holdings LLC, OptumInsight Inc., OptumInsight India Private Limited, OptumInsight Life Sciences, OptumInsight Life Sciences Inc., OptumRx, OptumRx Administrative Services, OptumRx Administrative Services LLC, OptumRx Discount Card Services, OptumRx Discount Card Services LLC, OptumRx Group Holdings, OptumRx Group Holdings Inc., OptumRx Health Solutions LLC, OptumRx Holdings, OptumRx Holdings I LLC, OptumRx Holdings LLC, OptumRx Home Delivery of Illinois, OptumRx Home Delivery of Ohio, OptumRx Home Delivery of Ohio LLC, OptumRx IPA III Inc., OptumRx Inc., OptumRx NY IPA, OptumRx NY IPA Inc., OptumRx PBM of Illinois, OptumRx PBM of Illinois Inc., OptumRx PBM of Maryland, OptumRx PBM of Maryland LLC, OptumRx PBM of Pennsylvania, OptumRx PBM of Pennsylvania LLC, OptumRx PBM of Puerto Rico LLC, OptumRx PBM of Wisconsin, OptumRx PBM of Wisconsin LLC, OptumRx PD of Maryland, OptumRx PD of Pennsylvania LLC, OptumRx Pharmacy, OptumRx Pharmacy Inc., OptumRx Pharmacy of Nevada, OptumRx Pharmacy of Nevada Inc., OptumRx of Pennsylvania LLC, OptumServe Technology Services Inc., Orlando Center for Outpatient Surgery L.P., OrthoNet Holdings, OrthoNet Holdings Inc., OrthoNet LLC, OrthoNet New York IPA, OrthoNet New York IPA Inc., OrthoNet Services, OrthoNet Services Inc., OrthoNet West, OrthoNet West Inc., OrthoNet of the Mid-Atlantic, OrthoNet of the South, OrthoNet of the South Inc., Ovations, Ovations Inc., Oxford Benefit Management, Oxford Benefit Management Inc., Oxford Health Insurance, Oxford Health Insurance Inc., Oxford Health Plans (CT), Oxford Health Plans (CT) Inc., Oxford Health Plans (NJ), Oxford Health Plans (NJ) Inc., Oxford Health Plans (NY), Oxford Health Plans (NY) Inc., Oxford Health Plans LLC, P2 Lower Acquisition, P2P Link LLC, PCCCV, PCCCV Inc., PCN DE Corp., PHC Subsidiary Holdings, PHC Subsidiary Holdings LLC, PHYS Holding Corp., PHYSICIANS DAY SURGERY CENTER LLC, PMI Acquisition, PMI Acquisition LLC, PMSI, PMSI Holdco II, PMSI Holdings, PMSI Holdings LLC, PMSI LLC, PMSI Settlement Solutions, PMSI Settlement Solutions LLC, POMCO Inc., POMCO Network Inc., PPH Holdings LLC, PacifiCare Health Systems, PacifiCare Life Assurance Company, PacifiCare Life and Health Insurance Company, PacifiCare of Arizona, PacifiCare of Arizona Inc., PacifiCare of Colorado, PacifiCare of Colorado Inc., PacifiCare of Nevada, PacifiCare of Nevada Inc., Pacific Casualty Company Inc., Pacifico S.A. Entidad Prestadora de Salud, Paoli Ambulatory Surgery Center, Paoli Surgery Center L.P., Parkway Surgery Center LLC, Pasteur Plaza Surgery Center GP Inc., PatientsLikeMe, PatientsLikeMe LLC, Patrimonio Autonomo Nueva Clinica - PANC., Payment Resolution Services, Payment Resolution Services LLC, Peoples Health, Peoples Health Inc., Pharmaceutical Care Network, Pharmacy Review Services, Pharmacy Software Holdco Inc., PhyServe Holdings, Physician Alliance of the Rockies LLC, Physician Care Partners, Physicians Health Choice of Texas, Physicians Health Choice of Texas LLC, Physicians Health Plan of Maryland, Physicians Health Plan of Maryland Inc., Physicians Plaza Holdings LLC, Plano de Saude Ana Costa Ltda., Plus One Health Management Puerto Rico, Plus One Health Management Puerto Rico Inc., Plus One Holdings, Plus One Holdings Inc., Polar II Fundo de Investimento em Participacoes, Polar II Fundo de Investimento em Participacoes Multiestrategia, Polo Holdco, Polo Holdco LLC, Pomerado Outpatient Surgical Center Inc., Pomerado Outpatient Surgical Center L.P., Precision Dialing Services Inc., Preferred Care Partners, Preferred Care Partners Holding, Preferred Care Partners Holding Corp., Preferred Care Partners Inc., Preferred Care Partners Medical Group, Preferred Care Partners Medical Group Inc., Premier Choice ACO, Premier Choice ACO Inc., Premier Surgery Center of Louisville L.P., Prime Health, Prime Health Inc., PrimeCare Medical Network, PrimeCare Medical Network Inc., PrimeCare of Citrus Valley, PrimeCare of Citrus Valley Inc., PrimeCare of Corona, PrimeCare of Corona Inc., PrimeCare of Hemet Valley, PrimeCare of Hemet Valley Inc., PrimeCare of Inland Valley, PrimeCare of Inland Valley Inc., PrimeCare of Moreno Valley, PrimeCare of Moreno Valley Inc., PrimeCare of Redlands, PrimeCare of Redlands Inc., PrimeCare of Riverside, PrimeCare of Riverside Inc., PrimeCare of San Bernardino, PrimeCare of San Bernardino Inc., PrimeCare of Sun City, PrimeCare of Sun City Inc., PrimeCare of Temecula, PrimeCare of Temecula Inc., ProHEALTH Fitness of Lake Success, ProHEALTH Fitness of Lake Success LLC, ProHEALTH Medical Management LLC, ProHealth Medical Management, ProHealth Physicians, ProHealth Physicians ACO, ProHealth Physicians ACO LLC, ProHealth Physicians Inc., ProHealth Proton Center Management, ProHealth Proton Center Management LLC, Procura Management, Procura Management Inc., Progressive Enterprises Holdings, Progressive Enterprises Holdings Inc., Progressive Medical, Progressive Medical LLC, Progressive Solutions, Promotora Country S.A., Pronetics Health Care Group, Pronounced Health Solutions Inc., Prosemedic S.A.C., Prospero Management Services LLC, Pueblo-SCA Surgery Center LLC, Pulse Platform LLC, QoL Acquisition Holdings Corp., Quality Software Services, QuarterMaster Newco LLC, R&H Family Fitness Unlimited LLC, Rally Health, Rally Health Inc., Real Appeal Inc., Recaudacion y Cobranzas Honodav Ltda., Redlands Ambulatory Surgery Center, Redlands-SCA Surgery Centers Inc., Reliant MSO LLC, Research Surgical Center LLC, River Valley ASC LLC, Riverside Electronic Healthcare Resources Inc., Riverside Medical Management, Riverside Medical Management LLC, Riverside Surgical Center of Meadowlands LLC, Riverside Surgical Center of Newark LLC, Rocky Mountain Health Maintenance Organization Incorporated, Rocky Mountain HealthCare Options Inc., SC Affiliates LLC, SCA Alaska Surgery Center inc., SCA Athens LLC, SCA Austin Holdings LLC, SCA BOSC Holdings LLC, SCA California Surgical Holdings LLC, SCA Capital LLC, SCA Cedar Park Holdings LLC, SCA Clifton LLC, SCA Danbury Surgical Center LLC, SCA Development LLC, SCA EHSC Holdings LLC, SCA EWASC Holdings LLC, SCA Hays Holdings LLC, SCA Heartland Holdings LLC, SCA HoldCo Inc., SCA Holding Company Inc., SCA Holdings Inc., SCA IEC Holdings LLC, SCA Indiana Holdings LLC, SCA Nashville ASC LLC, SCA Pacific Holdings Inc., SCA Pennsylvania Holdings LLC, SCA Premier Surgery Center of Louisville LLC, SCA ROCS Holdings LLC, SCA Rockledge JV LLC, SCA SSC Holdings LLC, SCA SSSC Holdings LLC, SCA Sage Medical LLC, SCA Sage Medical MSO LLC, SCA Southwestern PA LLC, SCA Specialists of Florida LLC, SCA Stonegate Holdings LLC, SCA Surgery Center of Cullman LLC, SCA Surgery Holdings LLC, SCA Surgery Partners LLC, SCA Surgicare of Laguna Hills LLC, SCA Teammate Support Network, SCA eCode Solutions Private Limited, SCA of Clarksville Inc., SCA-Albuquerque Surgery Properties Inc., SCA-Alliance LLC, SCA-Anne Arundel LLC, SCA-Applecare Partners LLC, SCA-Bethesda LLC, SCA-Blue Ridge LLC, SCA-Bonita Springs LLC, SCA-Brandon LLC, SCA-Castle Rock LLC, SCA-Central Florida LLC, SCA-Charleston LLC, SCA-Chatham LLC, SCA-Chevy Chase LLC, SCA-Citrus Inc., SCA-Colorado Springs LLC, SCA-Connecticut Partners LLC, SCA-DRY CREEK LLC, SCA-Davenport LLC, SCA-Denver LLC, SCA-Denver Physicians Holdings LLC, SCA-Derry LLC, SCA-Doral LLC, SCA-Downey LLC, SCA-Dublin LLC, SCA-Encinitas Inc., SCA-Eugene Inc., SCA-First Coast LLC, SCA-Florence LLC, SCA-Fort Collins Inc., SCA-Fort Walton Inc., SCA-Franklin LLC, SCA-Frederick LLC, SCA-Freeway Holdings LLC, SCA-Ft. Myers LLC, SCA-GRANTS PASS LLC, SCA-Gainesville LLC, SCA-Gladiolus LLC, SCA-Grove Place LLC, SCA-Hagerstown LLC, SCA-Hamden LLC, SCA-Hilton Head LLC, SCA-Honolulu LLC, SCA-Houston Executive LLC, SCA-IT Holdings LLC, SCA-Illinois LLC, SCA-JPM Holdings LLC, SCA-Kissing Camels Holdings LLC, SCA-MC VBP Inc., SCA-Main Street LLC, SCA-Marina del Rey LLC, SCA-Mecklenburg Development Corp., SCA-Memorial City LLC, SCA-Merritt LLC, SCA-Midlands LLC, SCA-Midway Management LLC, SCA-Mobile LLC, SCA-Mokena LLC, SCA-Mokena Properties LLC, SCA-Morris County LLC, SCA-Mt. Pleasant LLC, SCA-ND VBP Inc., SCA-Naperville LLC, SCA-Naples LLC, SCA-New Jersey LLC, SCA-Newport Beach LLC, SCA-Northeast Georgia Health LLC, SCA-PORTLAND LLC, SCA-Palm Beach LLC, SCA-Palm Beach MSO Holdings LLC, SCA-Paoli LLC, SCA-Phoenix LLC, SCA-Pocono LLC, SCA-Practice Partners Holdings LLC, SCA-River Valley LLC, SCA-Riverside LLC, SCA-Riverside Partners LLC, SCA-Rockville LLC, SCA-Sacred Heart Holdings LLC, SCA-San Diego Inc., SCA-San Luis Obispo LLC, SCA-Sand Lake LLC, SCA-Santa Rosa Inc., SCA-Shelby Development Corp., SCA-Somerset LLC, SCA-South Jersey LLC, SCA-Sparta LLC, SCA-Spartanburg Holdings LLC, SCA-St. Louis LLC, SCA-St. Lucie LLC, SCA-SurgiCare LLC, SCA-Swiftpath LLC, SCA-VERTA LLC, SCA-Wake Forest LLC, SCA-Western Connecticut LLC, SCA-Westover Hills LLC, SCA-Wilmington LLC, SCA-Wilson LLC, SCA-Winchester LLC, SCA-Winter Park Inc., SCA-Woodlands Holdings LLC, SCAI Holdings LLC, SCP Specialty Infusion, SCP Specialty Infusion LLC, SHC Atlanta LLC, SHC Austin Inc., SHC Hawthorn Inc., SHC Melbourne Inc., SPINETRACK 20/20 Inc., SRPS LLC, SXC Comet, Sacred Heart ASC LLC, Saden S.A., Salem Surgery Center LLC, Salveo Specialty Pharmacy, Salveo Specialty Pharmacy Inc., Sand Lake SurgiCenter LLC, Santa Cruz Endoscopy Center LLC, Santa Helena Assistencia Medica S.A., Santos Administracao e Participacoes S.A., Savvysherpa Administrative Services LLC, Savvysherpa Asia Inc., Savvysherpa LLC, Scanner Centromed S.A., ScripNet, ScriptSwitch Limited, Seisa Servicos Integrados de Saude Ltda., Senate Street Surgery Center LLC, Senior Benefits L.L.C., Senior Care Partners, Serquinox Holdings LLC, Serquinox LLC, Servicios Integrados de Salud Ltda., Servicios Medicos Amed Quilpue S.A., Servicios Medicos Bio Bio Limitada, Servicios Medicos Ciudad del Mar Ltda., Servicios Medicos Santa Maria Limitada, Servicios Medicos Vespucio Ltda., Servicios de Entrenamiento en Competencias Clinicas Ltda., SharedClarity LLC, Shelby Surgery Properties Inc., Sierra Health Services, Sierra Health Services Inc, Sierra Health Services Inc., Sierra Health and Life Insurance Company, Sierra Health and Life Insurance Company Inc., Sierra Health-Care Options, Sierra Health-Care Options Inc., Sierra Home Medical Products, Sierra Home Medical Products Inc., Sierra Nevada Administrators, Sierra Nevada Administrators Inc., Sirona Infusion, Sistema de Administracion Hospitalaria S.A.C., Small Business Insurance Advisors Inc., Sobam Centro Medico Hospitalar S.A., Sociedad Editorial para la Ciencia Limitada., Sociedad de Inversiones Santa Maria S.A., Somerset Outpatient Surgery L.L.C., Southwest Medical Associates, Southwest Medical Associates Inc., Southwest Michigan Health Network Inc., Southwest Surgery Center LLC, Southwest Surgical Center of Bakersfield L.P., Space Coast Surgical Center Ltd., Specialists in Urology Surgery Center LLC, Specialized Pharmaceuticals Inc., Specialty Benefits, Specialty Benefits LLC, Spectera, Spectera Inc., Spectera of New York IPA, Spectera of New York IPA Inc., Spotlite, Spotlite Inc., St. Cloud Surgical Center LLC, StoneRiver P2P Link, StoneRiver Pharmacy Solutions, Stonegate Surgery Center L.P., Streamlines Health LLC, Summit Home Infusion, SunSurgery LLC, Surgery Center Holding LLC, Surgery Center at Cherry Creek LLC, Surgery Center at Kissing Camels LLC, Surgery Center of Boca Raton Inc., Surgery Center of Clarksville L.P., Surgery Center of Colorado Springs LLC, Surgery Center of Des Moines LLC, Surgery Center of Easton LLC, Surgery Center of Ellicott City Inc., Surgery Center of Louisville LLC, Surgery Center of Maui LLC, Surgery Center of Muskogee LLC, Surgery Center of Rockville L.L.C., Surgery Center of Southern Pines LLC, Surgery Center of Spokane LLC, Surgery Center of Summerlin LLC, Surgery Center of The Woodlands LLC, Surgery Center of Vero Beach Inc., Surgery Center of Wilmington LLC, Surgery Center of Wilmington Properties LLC, Surgery Centers of Des Moines Ltd. an Iowa Limited Partnership, Surgery Centers-West Holdings LLC, Surgical Care Affiliates, Surgical Care Affiliates LLC, Surgical Care Affiliates Political Action Committee, Surgical Care Partners of Melbourne LLC, Surgical Center of South Jersey Limited Partnership, Surgical Center of Tuscaloosa Holdings LLC, Surgical Health LLC, Surgical Health of Orlando LLC, Surgical Hospital Holdings of Oklahoma LLC, Surgicare LLC, Surgicare of Belleville LLC, Surgicare of Jackson LLC, Surgicare of Joliet Inc., Surgicare of La Veta Inc., Surgicare of Minneapolis LLC, Surgicare of Mobile LLC, Surgicare of Oceanside Inc., Surgicare of Owensboro LLC, Surgicare of Salem LLC, Surgicenters of Southern California Inc., Symphonix Health Holdings, Symphonix Health Holdings LLC, Symphonix Health Insurance, Symphonix Health Insurance Inc., THE SURGICAL CENTER OF THE TREASURE COAST L.L.C., TeamMD Holdings Inc., TeamMD Iowa Inc., TeamMD Physicians of Texas Inc., TeamUP Insurance Services Inc., Tecnologias de Informacion en Salud S.A., The Advisory Board (Chile) SpA, The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company, The Lewin Group, The Lewin Group Inc., The Magan Medical Group, The Outpatient Surgery Center of Hilton Head LLC, The Polyclinic MSO LLC, Thomas Johnson Surgery Center LLC, Thousand Oaks Endoscopy Center LLC, Three Rivers Holdings, Three Rivers Holdings Inc., Three Rivers Surgical Care L.P., Tmesys, Tmesys LLC, Topimagem Diagnostico por Imagem Ltda., Touchpoint Health Plan, Trails Edge Surgery Center LLC, Travel Express Incorporated, TriMed LLC, Trinity Infusion, Trio Motion LLC, Tucson Arizona Surgical Center LLC, U.S. Behavioral Health Plan, U.S. Behavioral Health Plan California, UHC Finance (Ireland) Unlimited Company, UHC Global Health Services BC Ltd., UHC International Services, UHC International Services Inc., UHC of California, UHCG Holdings (Ireland) Limited, UHCG Services (Ireland) Limited, UHCG FZE, UHG Brasil Participacoes S.A., UHIC Holdings, UHIC Holdings Inc., UICI Funding Corp. 2, UMR, UMR Inc., USHEALTH Academy Inc., USHEALTH Administrators LLC, USHEALTH Advisors L.L.C., USHEALTH Career Agency Inc., USHEALTH Funding Inc., USHEALTH Group Inc., USMD Administrative Services, USMD Administrative Services L.L.C., USMD Affiliated Services, USMD CT (Mo), USMD Cancer Treatment Centers, USMD Cancer Treatment Centers GP, USMD Diagnostic Services, USMD Holdings, USMD Holdings Inc., USMD Inc., USMD PPM, USMD PPM LLC, USMD of Arlington GP, Ultima Rx, Unidad Medica Diagnostico S.A., Unimerica Insurance Company, Unimerica Life Insurance Company of New York, Unison Administrative Services, Unison Health Plan of Delaware, Unison Health Plan of Delaware Inc., United Behavioral Health, United Behavioral Health of New York I.P.A., United Behavioral Health of New York I.P.A. Inc., United Group Reinsurance Inc., United Health Foundation, United HealthCare, United HealthCare Services Inc., United Management Services Inc., United Resource Networks IPA of New York, United Resource Networks IPA of New York Inc., UnitedHealth Advisors, UnitedHealth Advisors LLC, UnitedHealth Group Finance Inc., UnitedHealth Group Global Healthcare Services Limited, UnitedHealth Group Global Services, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated, UnitedHealth Group Information Services Private Limited, UnitedHealth Group International Finance (Ireland) Unlimited Company, UnitedHealth Group International GP, UnitedHealth Group International L.P., UnitedHealth International, UnitedHealth International Inc., UnitedHealth Military & Veterans Services, UnitedHealth Military & Veterans Services LLC, UnitedHealth UK Limited, UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealthcare Benefits Plan of California, UnitedHealthcare Benefits of Texas, UnitedHealthcare Benefits of Texas Inc., UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of California, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of California Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Georgia, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Georgia Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Ohio, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Ohio Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Texas, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Texas L.L.C., UnitedHealthcare Consulting & Assistance Service (Beijing) Co., UnitedHealthcare Consulting & Assistance Service (Beijing) Co. Ltd., UnitedHealthcare Europe S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare Europe S.a.r.l., UnitedHealthcare Global Canada Limited, UnitedHealthcare Global Medical (UK) Limited, UnitedHealthcare Inc., UnitedHealthcare India Private Limited, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of Illinois, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of New York, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of the River Valley, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Designated Activity Company, UnitedHealthcare Integrated Services, UnitedHealthcare Integrated Services Inc., UnitedHealthcare International Asia, UnitedHealthcare International Asia LLC, UnitedHealthcare International I B.V., UnitedHealthcare International I S.a.r.l., UnitedHealthcare International II B.V., UnitedHealthcare International II S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International II S.a.r.l., UnitedHealthcare International III B.V., UnitedHealthcare International III S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International III S.a.r.l., UnitedHealthcare International IV S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International IV S.a.r.l., UnitedHealthcare International V S.a.r.l., UnitedHealthcare International VI S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International VII S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International VIII S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International X S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance Company, UnitedHealthcare Plan of the River Valley, UnitedHealthcare Plan of the River Valley Inc., UnitedHealthcare Service LLC, UnitedHealthcare Services Company of the River Valley, UnitedHealthcare Specialty Benefits, UnitedHealthcare Specialty Benefits LLC, UnitedHealthcare of Alabama, UnitedHealthcare of Alabama Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Arizona, UnitedHealthcare of Arizona Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Arkansas, UnitedHealthcare of Arkansas Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Colorado, UnitedHealthcare of Colorado Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Florida, UnitedHealthcare of Florida Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, UnitedHealthcare of Georgia Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Illinois, UnitedHealthcare of Illinois Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Kentucky, UnitedHealthcare of Kentucky Ltd., UnitedHealthcare of Louisiana, UnitedHealthcare of Louisiana Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Mississippi, UnitedHealthcare of Mississippi Inc., UnitedHealthcare of New England, UnitedHealthcare of New England Inc., UnitedHealthcare of New Mexico, UnitedHealthcare of New Mexico Inc., UnitedHealthcare of New York, UnitedHealthcare of New York Inc., UnitedHealthcare of North Carolina, UnitedHealthcare of North Carolina Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Ohio, UnitedHealthcare of Ohio Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Oklahoma, UnitedHealthcare of Oklahoma Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Oregon, UnitedHealthcare of Oregon Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Pennsylvania, UnitedHealthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., UnitedHealthcare of South Carolina Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Texas, UnitedHealthcare of Texas Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Utah, UnitedHealthcare of Utah Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Washington, UnitedHealthcare of Washington Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin, UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin Inc., UnitedHealthcare of the Mid-Atlantic, UnitedHealthcare of the Mid-Atlantic Inc., UnitedHealthcare of the Midlands, UnitedHealthcare of the Midlands Inc., UnitedHealthcare of the Midwest, UnitedHealthcare of the Midwest Inc., UpFront Insurance Agency LLC, Upland Holdings LLC, Upland Outpatient Surgical Center L.P., Urgent Care Holdings, Urgent Care Holdings Inc., Urgent Care MSO, Urgent Care MSO LLC, Urology Associates of North Texas, Urology Associates of North Texas P.L.L.C., VERTA MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC, Valley Hospital L.L.C., Valley Physicians Network, Valley Physicians Network Inc., Vida Tres Internacional S.A., Vidaintegra S.A., Vivify Health Canada Inc., Vivify Health Inc., WESTMED Practice Partners LLC, Wauwatosa Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Wauwatosa Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Wayland Square Surgicare Acquisition L.P., Wayland Square Surgicare GP Inc., WebInsure Benefits LLC, WellMed Medical Management, WellMed Medical Management Inc., WellMed Medical Management of Florida, WellMed Medical Management of Florida Inc., WellMed Networks DFW, West Coast Endoscopy Holdings LLC, Western Connecticut Orthopedic Surgical Center LLC, WillowB Labs LLC, Wilmington ASC LLC, Winchester Endoscopy LLC, Winter Park LLC, XLHealth Corporation, XLHealth Corporation India Private Limited, Your Health Options Insurance Services, Your Health Options Insurance Services Inc., Your Partner in Health Services, divvyDOSE, eCode Solutions LLC, gethealthinsurance.com Agency Inc., hCentive Inc., inPharmative, inPharmative Inc., and ppoONE. The following companies are subsidiares of Sysco: 2234829 Alberta ULC, 2234842 Alberta ULC, A. M. Briggs Inc., A.M. Briggs, Almacen Fiscal Frionet Caldera S.A., Almacen Fiscal Frionet Limon S.A., Appert's Foodservice, Arnotts (Fruit) Limited, Asian Foods, Bahamas Food Holdings Limited, Bahamas Food Services Limited, Brake Bros, Brake Bros Foodservice Ireland Limited, Brake Bros. Foodservice Limited, Brake Bros. Holding I Limited, Brake Bros. Ltd., Brakes Foodservice NI Limited, Buchy Food Service, Buckhead Beef Co., Buckhead Meat & Seafood of Houston Inc., Buckhead Meat Company, Buckhead Meat Midwest Inc., Buckhead Meat of Dallas Inc., Buckhead Meat of Denver Inc., Buckhead Meat of San Antonio LP, Buzztable Inc., CAKE Corporation, Central Seafood Co., Christys Wine & Spirits Limited, Clafra Aktiebolag, Colorado Boxed Beef Co - Specialty meat-cutting division, Corporacion Frionet Sociedad Anonima, Crossgar Foodservice, Crossgar Foodservice Limited, Crown I Enterprises Inc., Cucina Acquisitions (UK) Limited, Cucina Finance (UK) Limited, Cucina French Holdings Limited, Cucina Fresh Finance Limited, Cucina Fresh Investments Limited, Cucina Lux Investments Limited, Curleys Quality Foods Limited (Third Party), Davigel Belgilux S.A., Davigel Espana S.A., Desert Meats & Provisions, Distagro, Doerle Food Service, Doughtie's Foods Inc., Dust Bowl City LLC, Eko Fagel Fisk o mittemellan AB, Enclave Insurance Company, Enclave Parkway Association Inc., Enclave Properties LLC, European Imports, European Imports Inc., Figg Inc., Freedman Meats, Freedman Meats Inc., Freedman-KB Inc., Fresh Direct (UK) Limited, Fresh Direct Group Limited, Fresh Direct Limited, Fresh Holdings Limited, FreshPoint, FreshPoint Arizona Inc., FreshPoint Atlanta Inc., FreshPoint California Inc., FreshPoint Central California Inc., FreshPoint Central Florida Inc., FreshPoint Connecticut LLC, FreshPoint Dallas Inc., FreshPoint Denver Inc., FreshPoint Hawaii LLC, FreshPoint Inc., FreshPoint Las Vegas Inc., FreshPoint North Carolina Inc., FreshPoint North Florida Inc., FreshPoint Oklahoma City LLC, FreshPoint Pompano Real Estate LLC, FreshPoint Puerto Rico LLC, FreshPoint San Francisco Inc., FreshPoint South Florida Inc., FreshPoint South Texas Inc., FreshPoint Southern California Inc., FreshPoint Tomato LLC, FreshPoint Vancouver Ltd., Freshfayre Limited, Fruktservice i Helsingborg AB, GHS Classic Drinks Limited, Gilchrist & Soames Inc., Gilchrist & Soames UK Limited, Guest Packaging LLC, Guest Supply, Guest Supply Asia Limited, Guest Supply Singapore Pte. Ltd., International Food Group, Isakssons Frukt & Gront AB, J & M Wholesale Meats, J. Kings Food Service Professionals, J. Kings Food Service Professionals Inc., Kent Frozen Foods, Les Ateliers Du Gout, Liquid Assets Limited, M&J Seafood Holdings Limited, M&J Seafood Limited, Manchester Mills LLC, Mayca Autoservicio S.A., Mayca Distribuidores S.A., Menigo Foodservice AB, Mitshim Etatu Supply LP, Newport Meat Company, Newport Meat Northern California Inc., Newport Meat Pacific Northwest Inc., Newport Meat Southern California Inc., Newport Meat of Nevada Inc., North Star Holding Corporation, North Star Seafood, North Star Seafood Acquisition Corporation, North Star Seafood LLC, PFS de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Palisades Ranch Inc., Pallas Foods, Pallas Foods Farm Fresh Unlimited Company, Pallas Foods Unlimited Company, Pauleys Produce Limited, Promotora del Servicios S.A. de C.V., Restaurangakdemien AB, Restaurant of Tomorrow Inc., Rohan Viandes Elaboration SAS, SMS Bermuda Holdings, SMS GPC International Limited, SMS GPC International Resources Limited, SMS Global Holdings S.a.r.l., SMS International Resources Ireland Unlimited Company, SMS Lux Holdings LLC, SOTF LLC, SYY Netherlands C.V., SYY Panama S. de R.L., Serca Foodservice, Servicestyckarna I Johannes AB, Servicios Ameriserve S.A. de C.V., Shenzhen Guest Supply Trading Co. Limited, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) Bianchi Montegut, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) De Boiseau, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) De Garcelles, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) J.D. Lanjouan, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) Le Dauphin, Specialty Meat Holdings LLC, Stockflag Limited, Stockholms Fiskauktion AB, Supplies on the Fly, Sysco Albany LLC, Sysco Asian Foods Inc., Sysco Atlanta LLC, Sysco Autoservicio S.A., Sysco Baltimore LLC, Sysco Baraboo LLC, Sysco Bermuda Partners L.P., Sysco Boston LLC, Sysco Canada Holdings S.a.r.l., Sysco Canada Inc., Sysco Central Alabama LLC, Sysco Central California Inc., Sysco Central Florida Inc., Sysco Central Illinois Inc., Sysco Central Pennsylvania LLC, Sysco Charlotte LLC, Sysco Chicago Inc., Sysco Cincinnati LLC, Sysco Cleveland Inc., Sysco Columbia LLC, Sysco Connecticut LLC, Sysco Corporation, Sysco Corporation Director's Deferred Compensation Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Employee's 401(k) Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Executive Deferred Compensation Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Good Government Committee Inc., Sysco Corporation Retirement Trust, Sysco Corporation Supplemental Executive Retirement Trust, Sysco Corporation Supplemental Unemployment Benefits Plan Trust, Sysco Detroit LLC, Sysco Disaster Relief Foundation Inc., Sysco EI VI S. s.r.l., Sysco EU II S.a.r.l., Sysco EU III S.a.r.l., Sysco EU IV Capital Unlimited Company, Sysco EU IV S. s.r.l.., Sysco EU V S. s.r.l., Sysco Eastern Maryland LLC, Sysco Eastern Wisconsin LLC, Sysco Foundation Inc., Sysco France Holding SAS, Sysco France SAS, Sysco George Town II LLC, Sysco George Town Limited S. s.r.l.., Sysco Global Finance LLC, Sysco Global Finance LLP, Sysco Global Holdings B.V., Sysco Global Resources LLC, Sysco Global Services LLC, Sysco Grand Cayman Company, Sysco Grand Cayman II Company, Sysco Grand Cayman III Company, Sysco Grand Rapids LLC, Sysco Guernsey Limited, Sysco Guest Supply Canada Inc., Sysco Guest Supply Europe Goods Wholesalers LLC, Sysco Guest Supply Europe Limited, Sysco Guest Supply LLC, Sysco Gulf Coast LLC, Sysco Hampton Roads Inc., Sysco Hawaii Inc., Sysco Holdings II LLC, Sysco Holdings LLC, Sysco Indianapolis LLC, Sysco International Food Group Inc., Sysco International Inc., Sysco Iowa Inc., Sysco Jackson LLC, Sysco Jacksonville Inc., Sysco Kansas City Inc., Sysco Knoxville LLC, Sysco Labs Europe Limited, Sysco Labs Pvt. Ltd., Sysco Leasing LLC, Sysco Lincoln Inc., Sysco Lincoln Transportation Company Inc., Sysco Long Island LLC, Sysco Los Angeles Inc., Sysco Louisville Inc., Sysco Memphis LLC, Sysco Merchandising and Supply Chain Services Canada Inc., Sysco Merchandising and Supply Chain Services Inc., Sysco Metro New York LLC, Sysco Minnesota Inc., Sysco Montana Inc., Sysco Nashville LLC, Sysco Netherlands Partners LLC, Sysco North Central Florida Inc., Sysco North Dakota Inc., Sysco Northern New England Inc., Sysco Philadelphia LLC, Sysco Pittsburgh LLC, Sysco Portland Inc., Sysco Raleigh LLC, Sysco Resources Services LLC, Sysco Riverside Inc., Sysco Sacramento Inc., Sysco San Diego Inc., Sysco San Francisco Inc., Sysco Seattle Inc., Sysco South Florida Inc., Sysco Southeast Florida LLC, Sysco Spain Holdings SLU, Sysco Spokane Inc., Sysco St. Louis LLC, Sysco Syracuse LLC, Sysco Technologies Cayman Ltd., Sysco Technologies LLC, Sysco UK Holdings Limited, Sysco UK Limited, Sysco UK Partners LLP, Sysco USA I Inc., Sysco USA II LLC, Sysco USA III LLC, Sysco Ventura Inc., Sysco Ventures Inc., Sysco Virginia LLC, Sysco West Coast Florida Inc., Sysco Western Minnesota Inc., The SYGMA Network Inc., Upsys, Victua SAS, Walker Foods Inc., Waugh Foods, and Wild Harvest Limited. Women politicians of all national parties were jubilant when the Bill on 33 per cent reservation of seats in the parliament was introduced on March 9, 2010 in Rajya Sabha and also got passed. For the 17th Lok Sabha election, major political parties have again shied away from fielding women. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress, two of the biggest political outfits in the country, have given less than 12 per cent seats to women. Under-representation of women in seat distribution for candidature in the Upper and Lower Houses of the Parliament of India and for Legislative Assemblies and Legislative Councils of the state government has been debated in SAARC countries time and again. Our neighbouring countries have womens quota in parliament as follows: Bangladesh - 13 per cent (2008), Pakistan - 17.5 per cent (2002) and Nepal - 33 per cent (2016). It is interesting that same national-level male politicians who supported 33 per cent reserved seats for women in the Panchayati Raj institutions in 1993 and in the recent years it increased to 50 per cent in more than 19 states have expressed their outrage against the reservation of 33 per cent seats for women in the Legislative Assembly and in the Parliament. They are using the same arguments as our colonial masters used against the native then, i.e. women will not be able to govern as they are inexperienced. Justification given by mainstream political parties for not fielding women as candidates for Parliamentary seats is that undeserving and inexperienced women from influential families, mostly from upper class and upper caste backgrounds who are under the control of their fathers, husbands and brothers, will come to power and would not make meaningful contribution in politics nor will they do anything for the development of their respective constituencies. But, is not this true for male candidates also who benefit from the dynastic policy of political parties? All political parties ignore women foot soldiers who have dedicated 20-30-40 best years of their lives for party work such as mobilisation on the issues of regional or national importance; door-to-door campaigning for party rallies; public meetings; demonstrations; jail bharo; picketing; day-to-day activities of the organisation; community work; networking; writing press releases, leaflets, pamphlets and circulars in short from writing to fighting; when selection of candidates for Legislative Assemblies or Parliamentary seats are done. What women party workers lack is not win-ability but the backing of money and muscle power. Women politicians of all national parties were jubilant when the Bill on 33 per cent reservation of seats in the parliament was introduced on March 9, 2010 in Rajya Sabha and also got passed. But Lok Sabha did not pass it. Not only that, but their own political parties, even when headed by women, did not give party tickets to seasoned women political workers for the 16th Lok Sabha Election in 2014. For the 17th Lok Sabha election, only the All India Trinamul Congress and Biju Janata Dal have given more than 1/3rd of tickets to their women candidates. The major national parties have not kept their promise as the table below reveals. Women activists in social movements are politically articulate, have courage of conviction to fight for their agenda. They command credibility and social respectability for their sincerely, Spartan lifestyle and solidarity towards the marginalised sections. But most of them shun electoral politics as they find it too murky and under the control of toxic and misogynistic patriarchs. Enormous use of money and muscle power to win election also make political life difficult for women. It is in this context that the demand of 33 per cent reservation of seats for women in the Parliament and State Assemblies becomes extremely important for deepening of democracy for which passage of Women's Reservation Bill by Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies and at least 1/3rd reserved seats for women in all internal committees of political parties are imperative. The womens rights organisations in India are campaigning for their demands of 33 per cent reservation of seats for women in the Parliament and legislature, universalisation of education and public health, gender responsive budgeting, land/property/housing rights, implementation of the law to prevent sexual harassment at workplace, code of conduct with regard to use misogynist language from public platform, gender sensitive criminal justice system, support to women survivors of violence, safety of women in the streets-bus stations-railways and support services such as night shelter, toilet blocks at all public places, day care centre for children, special provision livelihood needs for single women-widows and divorcees, deserted, women with disabilities and transgender women. But who will promote women's agenda? The writer is Professor, Advanced Centre for Women's Studies, School of Development Studies, TISS, Mumbai "Total original cost of implementation of the 1424 projects was Rs 18,17,469.76 crore and their anticipated completion cost is likely to be Rs 21,33,649.81 crore, which reflects overall cost overruns of Rs 3,16,180.05 crore (17.40 per cent of original cost)," the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation's latest report for December 2018 said. (Representative Image) New Delhi: As many as 344 infrastructure projects, each worth Rs 150 crore or more, have shown cost overruns to the tune of over Rs 3.16 lakh crore owing to delays and other reasons, a report said. "Total original cost of implementation of the 1424 projects was Rs 18,17,469.76 crore and their anticipated completion cost is likely to be Rs 21,33,649.81 crore, which reflects overall cost overruns of Rs 3,16,180.05 crore (17.40 per cent of original cost)," the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation's latest report for December 2018 said. The ministry monitors infrastructure projects worth Rs 150 crore and above. Of these 1,424 projects, 344 reported cost overruns and 384 time escalation. According to the report, the expenditure incurred on these projects till December 2018 was Rs 8,06,997.78 crore, which is 37.82 per cent of the anticipated cost of the projects. However, it said the number of delayed projects decreases to 326 if delay is calculated on the basis of latest schedule of completion. For 686 projects, neither the year of commissioning nor the tentative gestation period has been reported. Out of 384 delayed projects, 113 projects have overall delay in the range of 1 to 12 months, 61 are delayed by 13 to 24 months, 101 reflect delay of 25 to 60 months and 109 projects show 61 months and above delay. The average time overrun in these 384 delayed projects is 44.78 months. The brief reasons for time overruns, as reported by various project implementing agencies, are delays in land acquisition, forest clearance and supply of equipment. Besides, there are other reasons like fund constraints, geological surprises, geo-mining conditions, slow progress in civil works, shortage of labour, inadequate mobilisation by the contractor, Maoist problems, court cases, contractual issues, ROU/ROW (right of use/right of way) problems, law and order situation, among others, the report said. It also observed that project agencies are not reporting revised cost estimates and commissioning schedules for many projects, which suggests that time/cost overrun figures are under-reported. Mumbai has been the world's busiest single-runway airport handling close to 1,000 flights a day for the third year in a row in 2018. (Photo: PTI) Mumbai: The Mumbai city airport leads Dubai and Tokyo by a wide margin in private jet departures at around 1,516 outbound aircraft movements in 2018, which is 8.28 per cent higher than the Gulf city at 1,400, and 20 per cent over those in the Japanese capital at 1,202, finds a report. Mumbai has been the world's busiest single-runway airport handling close to 1,000 flights a day for the third year in a row in 2018, after Gatwick near London, while the Dubai airport is the world's largest aviation hub. The top rank is held by New York, thanks to the city being home to the world's largest number of rich people, with 66,968 private jet departures in 2018, while Mumbai is ranked 146, according to a study on the travel trends of ultra-high networth individuals by Knight Frank. The nation's financial capital is home to the maximum number of the rich in the country. Country-wise, North America has the highest number of active business jets at 13,685, followed by Europe, Russia, and the CIS (ex-Soviet republics) countries at 2,879 each. Britain, France, the UAE, and Germany are the other top destinations, according to the study. The study finds that proximity and season are the key factors for the rich to choose their travel destinations. Accordingly, most Americans visit Canada or Mexico, while Australians head towards New Zealand. Similarly, June is the most favoured time for travel aboard for both the Americans and the French, while for the British it is April. As per depositories data, FPIs invested a net amount of Rs 13,308.78 crore in equities and pulled out Rs 2,212.08 crore from the debt segment during April 1-12, taking the total net investment to Rs 11,096.70 crore. New Delhi: Foreign investors have pumped in a net sum of Rs 11,096 crore into the Indian capital markets in April so far, driven by global and domestic factors. Foreign portfolio investors (FPI) were net buyers for the previous two months as well, infusing a net sum of Rs 11,182 crore in February and Rs 45,981 crore in March. Prior to that, FPIs had pulled out a net Rs 5,360 crore from the capital markets (both equity and debt) in January. As per depositories data, FPIs invested a net amount of Rs 13,308.78 crore in equities and pulled out Rs 2,212.08 crore from the debt segment during April 1-12, taking the total net investment to Rs 11,096.70 crore. "We are seeing this positive rally since February largely due to the rising confidence in having a stable government post elections. The fear of economic slowdown in the developed world has increased prospects of foreign money in the Indian market," said Harsh Jain, COO at Groww. A dovish stance by central banks globally has also contributed to this trend, analysts said. "The foreign inflows since February are due to the shift in stance on monetary policy outlook by various central banks globally. This along with an expectation of a positive outcome from the US-China trade agreement bolstered the risk-on sentiments among foreign investors," said Himanshu Srivastava, senior research analyst, manager research at Morningstar. However, India is not the only country benefitting from the global factors as the trend is similar in other emerging markets as well. India is in the midst of general elections and any surprise on the political or economic growth front could potentially reverse the ongoing trend, he added. Rating: Director: Vivek Agnihotri Cast: Mithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Tripathy, Shweta Prasad, Pallavi Joshi, Mandira Bedi, Rajesh Verma, Prashant Gupta It is difficult for even a diehard movie buff like yours truly to think of one kind thing to say about this politically motivated film that asks the question that we all wanted to ask but didn't know where to go. Who killed our second prime minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, while he was attending an important summit in Tashkent? Did he die a natural death. or or was he bumped off by... hint. When the second in a hierarchy dies, the third gets to take over. Got that? Now revel in the tides of tyrannical intrigue. Vivek Agnihotri brings together a formidable cast of ever-credible actors, which includes his wife Pallavi Joshi playing a wheelchair-bound historian with no qualms about factual distortions, struggling here to look convincing spewing conspiracy theories that would make even Subramanian Swamy blush. Using actors with a powerful voice, Agnihotri unleashes the most unbelievable theories about how and why Shastri died. Some of the accomplished players, such as Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Tripathi, are wasted. Others such as Prashant Gupta and Prakash Belawadi struggle with lines that even the best orators in the world would find hard to inject with conviction. It starts off as a blind examination of a clean and honest prime minister's death and ends with broad and slanderous remarks about Indian leaders accepting suitcases filled with currency notes from international agencies which want to control (the word used in the film is colonise) India. The conspiracy theory lashes out at every politician weve grown up respecting, except Shastri, and his one follower in contemporary politics who believes in clean and mass-friendly governance. Guess who? Not that the narrative is not without its episodes of enlightened storytelling. Getting Shweta Basu Prasad to play the central character of a fakenews gatherer desperate to get a real scoop to save her job, is a clever device to show how good intentions can, and often are, born in the lap of muck. When she is not busy hamming, Shweta is quite effective in a pert, precocious, kind of way. But the zeal to embrace the films dubious politics gets the better of her judgment .The same goes for the distinguished cast. Actors known to be unfailingly effective find themselves being placed on slippery ground as they struggle with their lines of pick-axe bravado. A large part of the narrative is restricted to a room where members of a committee mull over the possibility of Shastri's murder in Tashkent. Everybody goes into spasms of self-generated anxiety, lending to the proceedings an aura of arrested eeriness. At one point Mithun Chakraborty, in what is clearly his moment of glory, gets up and goes around labelling every member of the committee a terrorist for peddling self-interest in the name of nationalism. It made me wonder. What would we call cinema that propounds dangerous propaganda, intellectualises googled gossip and validates Chinese (or in this case, Russian) whispers for its own reasons? Shastri is deadagain. Long live Shastri. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tagged the actors Nagarjuna and Mohan Lal in a tweet a few days ago in which he requested them to create awareness about voting. He explained that since the two actors are influential personalities and have a vast reach, they would encourage people across the country to vote. In his reply to Mr Modi, Nagarjuna said, Thank you for your kind words, sir. We believe in democracy and we will surely vote. (sic). However, it looks like the actor did not franchise his vote in the recently concluded parliamentary elections in Telangana. Although his wife Amala, son Naga Chaitanya, and daughter-in-law Samantha, all cast their votes, Nag did not turn up at all. He had already confirmed the dates for the Portugal leg of his forthcoming film Manmadhudu 2s shoot and therefore, left without casting his vote, a source informed. Its ironic because just one day before the elections, he wrote in a tweet, Every 5 years, we get to choose our leaders and celebrate democracy! Its time to vote! (sic). While many come down to their respective states from other cities and even from abroad to cast their vote, Nag did not exercise his franchise even after the Prime Minister himself requested him to vote. Both the specialists agree that during the spiritual fasting season, patients tend to stop or modify medications during fasting on their own. COIMBATORE: With the holy month of Ramadan beginning today, (Sunday), city-based dialectologists advise those suffering from diabetes to consult a doctor in order to manage the condition. On eve of Ramadan, Consultant Physician and Diabetologist Royal Care Super Specialty Hospital Dr S. Arun and Consultant Diabetologist at GRN Diabetic Centre Dr S. Gokularamanan share with DC that the prevalence of (Muslim) diabetic patients in the region is approximately 15 per cent to 20 per cent. Both the specialists agree that during the spiritual fasting season, patients tend to stop or modify medications during fasting on their own. Instead the two specialists advise patients suffering from type II diabetes to visit a doctor and have medications modified. On other complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis, dehydration and hyperglycemia which all may aggravate during fasting in patients suffering from the condition, both the specialists recommend that patients with cardiac complication or renal complication strictly do not attempt fasting due to the complications. A patient suffering from diabetes should not undertake spiritual fasting without consulting a doctor. The patient should plan a visit to the doctor six to eight weeks ahead of the scheduled fasting period to get an overall assessment to decide his or her risks during fasting. For such patients, it is important to choose healthy options while breaking fast, regular monitoring of sugars at home with a glucometer, learning to identify symptoms of high or low sugars are crucial during the fast, Dr S. Gokularamanan said. On the potential health hazards among diabetes patients undertaking fasting Dr. S. Arun added, with diabetic patients deciding to fast, the importance of practical diabetes and spiritual fasting guidance becomes evident. Potential health hazards include hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, dehydration and acute metabolic complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis. During fasting our bodys system goes through a lot and that depends on the length of the continuous fasting. When we fast the body initially uses stored sources of glucose and then later it breaks down body fat to use the next source of energy. It is important to keep a tap on your blood glucose levels as the chances are that during fasting your blood glucose levels may drop too low. It is advisable to keep your doctor informed if you decide to fast. INS Kozhikode was commissioned on 19 December 1988 at Riga (erstwhile USSR) was the sixth and the last of the modified NATYA class of minesweeper. Visakhapatnam: Indian Naval Ship Kozhikode was decommissioned in a solemn yet grand ceremony conducted at Naval Jetty Visakhapatnam on Saturday. Vice-Admiral S.N. Ghormade, Eastern Naval Command attended as the chief guest for the occasion. The ship gracefully retired as operational ship after three decades of glorious service in the Indian Navy. Cmde Samir Advani (Retd) commissioning Commanding Officer was the Guest of Honour for the decommissioning ceremony that was attended by 16 erstwhile Commanding Officers, Officers and sailors who have served on board the ship Vice-Admiral Ghormade paid tribute to the crew of the ship and highlighted the contributions of the ship to the countrys maritime security and her participation in various operations ranging over three decades. It was a poignant moment for those witnessing the ensign of the warship being lowered for the last time, as the ceremonial guard on board, gave the vessel a final salute as a tribute to three decades of glorious service rendered by the ship. INS Kozhikode was commissioned on 19 December 1988 at Riga (erstwhile USSR) was the sixth and the last of the modified NATYA class of minesweeper. Named after the historic port of Calicut, which was also the epitome in Indias maritime history, the ship was an integral part of the 21 Mine Counter Measures Squadron, based under ENC at Visakhapatnam. 'In 2015, the NGT instructed the Delhi government to relocate the scrap industry in Mayapuri. For four years, the Kejriwal government didnt do anything about it', Hardeep Singh Puri. (Photo: ANI) New Delhi: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday called the Mayapuri sealing drive violence a failure of the Delhi government, particularly of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. This is a failure of the Delhi government and particularly of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He bears complete responsibility of this, including of the violence that took place during the sealing drive, Puri told ANI. The issue is very straight forward, the matter is between the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Delhi government. In 2015, the NGT instructed the Delhi government to relocate the scrap industry in Mayapuri. For four years, the Kejriwal government didnt do anything about it, he said. Puri added that the pollution plan by the NGT has to be implemented by the Delhi governments concerned department; the Centre and MCD have no role to play in this. The statements from the Union Minister come after clashes broke out on Saturday between locals and police personnel in the Mayapuri area after MCD officials began to seal illegal factories following the NGT order. Because of their inaction, the tribunal got agitated and called the Chief Secretary of the Delhi government and ordered him to take immediate action. I do not want to comment on the NGT ruling because it is a court. But if it was my department, I would have told the concerned officer to tell the court that the Model Code of Conduct is in force, hence they should not take any action as of now, Puri said. He added, They tried to take some action and violence broke out, there was resistance. The authorities should have given a notice first. Puri also advised Kejriwal to work out a rehabilitation plan in consultation with the department of pollution and take it to the NGT so that the matter could be resolved amicably. Arvind Kejriwal should realise that pollution is his subject, the air that the people of Delhi breathe is solely his responsibility, he concluded. Videos of the incident show protesters pelting stones and clashing with the police. Several police personnel, including an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), were injured in the clashes, the police said. "A sealing drive was started today by SDM Delhi Cantt along with the staff of MCD and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) in Mayapuri scrap market in pursuance of NGT orders. The local scrap dealers started protesting against the sealing and then got violent and resorted to stone pelting. 14 persons, including SDM, DPCC employees and Police personnel including an ACP rank officer have been injured. A case has been registered in the matter, " reads a Delhi Police statement. RTI activist Ajay Dubey had sought details related to search operations conducted by the Income Tax department from the Lokayukta. (Photo: File) Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta has refused to share details on search operations conducted by the Income Tax department against corrupt public servants of the state government citing an exemption clause under the RTI Act. RTI activist Ajay Dubey had sought details related to search operations conducted by the Income Tax department from the Lokayukta. He had also sought details of corruption cases registered by it since July 2017 among other information. In its reply, the Lokayukta said the information sought is in question-answer format. Therefore, it cannot be given. It also cited Section 2 (F) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act and said the desired details do not constitute information mentioned in the transparency law. The information thus cannot be constructed and cannot be given, the Lokayukta said. The section describes information" as any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, log books, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force. To a query on sharing details on information given by the Income Tax department related to the search operations conducted against corrupt government employees, it said the information cannot be made public as its investigating arm Special Police Establishment (SPE) was exempt under the transparency law from disclosing such details. The Income Tax department shares details of search operations conducted against corrupt government employees with the Lokayukta of the state concerned so that it can also act against them. The Lokayukta has adopted anti-transparency attitude by blocking access to the information sought, Dubey said. The Income Tax department recently carried out raids at over 50 locations, including in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, against close aides of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on charges of tax evasion and hawala transactions. Searches have detected wide spread and well-organized 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 press release issued by the Income Tax department in Delhi on April 8 had said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Deputy CM O. Panneerselvam and other leaders at an election campaign rally for the Lok Sabha elections, in Andipatti, on Saturday. (PTI) Chennai: Its almost two years since her suicide for failing in NEET and now Anitha of Ariyalur has become the soul of the UPA campaign in Tamil Nadu, with everyone on the poll podium using her tragedy for whipping the AIADMK-BJP coalition as being insensitive not only to the broken dreams of that poor Dalit girl but also towards the aspirations of lakhs of rural students. NEET was the prime talking point in all the four poll rallies that Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressed in Tamil Nadu on Friday (April 12). Anithas tragedy was his main missile aimed at the BJP-AIADMK coalition. Pointing to the assurance scripted in his poll manifesto that the continuance of NEET would be left to individual states and the Centre would not impose it on the country, Rahul declared, We will not allow another suicide to happen due to NEET. If you read our manifesto, youll find a line in her (Anitha) memory. The line says, we will not impose NEET on the youngsters of this state. It seems like a small line in the manifesto but it is actually an expression of the people of Tamil Nadu, said the Congress chief. His close aide and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram pushed the blade deeper into the enemy when he tweeted on Saturday, in Tamil, telling the students and their parents it has now become easier to decide who they should vote on April 18 since both sides have made their positions clear on NEET. There would be no NEET if the Congress forms the Government and NEET will continue if its going to be BJP Government, cautioned PC. His assertion was made possible by the statement from Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, made at a media conference at the BJP state headquarters Kamalalayam around the same time that Rahul was firing NEET from his hip. Insisting that NEET is here to stay, Goyal had said, We will try to convince the AIADMK on this. The BJP senior is in charge of his partys affairs in Tamil Nadu. For the AIADMK, which has been pretending until then that NEET is not a poll issue, Goyals statement came like a bombshell. Its campaigners tried their best to deflect the attack by harping on other issues. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, AIADMK convener O Panneerselvam and the rest of the robust speakers went to great lengths praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and insisting hes the only hope for India if the people must live safe from extremist threat and enjoy development through his many visionary projects. They, in particular, hailed his efforts in bringing back IAF pilot Abhinandan of Tamil Nadu from Pakistani custody in good health and in such short time. And of course there have been multitude of other issues for the saffron team to hit back at the DMK-Congress. For instance, Stalin remains the lone advocate of Rahul as PM in the Mahagathbandhan and the leadership question looms large over the rival camp, argue the AIADMK and BJP leaders. Prime Minister Modi used this weapon to good effect at his two poll rallies-at Andipatti and Ramanathapuram-on Saturday, telling the audience that Stalin got no support to his Rahul-as-PM slogan because everyone there is in the queue to become the PM. With all kinds of charges flying between the two main rival campaign platforms, it remains to be seen how NEET as an issue would influence the TN voter on April 18. Pakistan used heavy weaponry over 100 times during these violations,GOC16 Corps, Lieutenant General Paramjit Singh told media here. (Photo: ANI) Rajouri: As many as 513 ceasefire violations by Pakistan have taken place along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir after the Indian Air Force's air strike on terror launch pads in Pakistan, the Indian Army said on Saturday. The air strike by India came two weeks after the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives. The Army said Pakistan also used heavy weaponry like mortars and artillery guns over 100 times during the said time period. "513 ceasefire violations by Pakistan have taken place along the Line of Control, in the last one and a half month. Pakistan used heavy weaponry over 100 times during these violations," GOC16 Corps, Lieutenant General Paramjit Singh told media here. "Whenever Pakistan carries out such violations, we also retaliate effectively. As per our sources, Pakistan Army has suffered five to six times more casualties than the casualties on the Indian side," Singh added. On February 26, IAF fighter jets targetted JeM's advance training camp in Pakistan's Balakot. Islamabad retaliated by attempting to target Indian military installations the next day. However, the IAF thwarted its attempted. India, after the aerial strikes, had said that it killed a large number of terrorists. However, Pakistan said India's claim was "reckless" while stating that it will respond at the time and place of its choosing. New Delhi: The Delhi CM claimed that people were losing faith in EVMs and election procedures. This was raising a questionmark on the countrys democratic structure, he added. Congress leader and senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the Opposition parties would approach the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the EC to count at least 50 per cent of VVPAT slips with EVMs in every Assembly segment. Mr Singhvi said the Opposition parties would carry out a nationwide campaign on the issue of discrepancies in EVMs and alleged that the EC was not doing enough to address the issue of EVMs malfunctioning. Another senior lawyer and top Congress leader Kapil Sibal said: If the EC will ignore this issue, then we will take other measures. We will not sit quietly. We will approach the Supreme Court. This demand by Opposition parties comes in the peak election season. The first of seven phases of the Lok Sabha polls was held on April 11, and the next one is due on April 18. All the Opposition parties have been demanding that the votes polled through EVMs be verified with at least 50 per cent voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPATs). A VVPAT is intended as an independent verification system for voting machines designed to allow voters to verify that their vote was recorded correctly, and will help detect any possible election fraud or malfunction of EVMs. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. Guwahati: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi who on Sunday held a roadshow in Silchar for Sushmita Dev, called up on the people to chose a new government very carefully. Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government for withdrawing various special status granted to North-Eastern states, Ms Gandhi said, No one is more sensible than the public, and you have the power to choose. You are the only ones who can decide who is a good leader and who is not. While addressing a gathering at the end of a roadshow, Ms Gandhi also regretted, The strategies and intentions of the government that has been ruling for the last five years are erroneous. After coming to power BJP has removed the special status which Congress had given to the Northeast. In Silchar a trade hub was going to be set up under United Progressive Alliance (UPA) governments Look East policy but BJP dropped that too, which means its strategies and intentions are bad, she added. Taking a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party, Ms Gandhi said, BJP advertises itself so perfectly that whenever you watch television, open a newspaper or a tiffin in a train, you will see their faces. Taking Prime Minister head on, Ms Gandhi said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi doesnt have time to visit his constituency Varanasi but has time to visit America, Pakistan and several other countries. She also asked then people to vote for Sushmita Dev. I came here for Sushmita. She has the kind of determination that Indira Gandhi had and she wants to work for you wholeheartedly. Sushmita is always there to speak up for you. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with BJP parliamentary candidate from Rampur Jaya Prada and other leaders, at an election rally in Moradabad on Sunday (Photo: AP) Srinagar: Predicting a landslide victory for the ruling BJP in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that there is a powerful wave in favour of the saffron party which is all set to win thrice the seats that Congress will get. Addressing an election rally in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Modi also hit out at the Congress for raising doubts on the Balakot airstrikes, its failure to prevent atrocities against Kashmiri Pandits and corruption in defence deals. Ive seen a powerful wave in favour of the BJP... according to opinion polls and surveys, the BJP will get thrice the seats that the Congress will win, he said while campaigning for minister of state in PMO Jitendra Singh, who is seeking re-election from Udhampur. Mr Modi slammed the Congress for raising doubts on the Balakot airstrikes and said that the Opposition party has never trusted the valour of the Armed Forces. The Congress never trusts valour of the Indian Armed Force. They raise doubts on IAF strikes, he said, adding, For the Congress, the Army is only a way of earning money. Lashing out at the Congress, the Prime Minister said, The Congress is infected with germs. The Grand Old Partys manifesto promises that AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) will be removed from the state if they come to power to demoralise the security forces. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. Salem: The AIADMK is red-faced again. And again its because of the guffawing of the big ally, the BJP, which seems pretty much innocent of the Tamil sensitivities. This time its the honest concern of the Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari for the farmers along the Chennai-Salem expressway that has done in the AIADMK and its barely three days from poll time. Campaigning for the AIADMK candidate KRS Saravanan in Salem on Sunday, Gadkari said the Chennai-Salem Green Express Highway is of prime importance for the development in the region and it would be accomplished after holding discussions to enlighten the farmers on its true value. We have given the farmers more than the market value as compensation for the land taken for this project, yet they went to court. The High Court has given a stay. Still its a very important project and our Chief Minister (Edappadi Palaniswami) is constantly pursuing this. I am sure that we will resolve the issue pretty soon after discussions with the farmers and we will fulfil your dream of making this Green Expressway between Chennai and Salem, he said. While the BJP seniors rhetoric stunned the AIADMK allies, both on the Salem dais and elsewhere electioneering, it sure gave yet another shot of energy for the rival DMK-Congress campaigners already celebrating the honesty of Union Minister Piyush Goyal who asserted on Friday (April 12) that NEET would not be scrapped and his party would convince its ally AIADMK that has sought temporary exemption for TN students from this entrance test for medical seats. Just as Goyals argument that NEET saved the students from the hefty capitation fees charged by the private medical colleges went over the heads of the screaming anti-NEET activists, not toforget the thrilled rivals celebrating the new missile, Gadkaris reasoning that the Expressway is important for development and the affected farmers got more money than the market value, fell flat. The DMK-Congress team stepped up their attack that the saffron party has always been insensitive towards Tamil sentiments and vital needs, and that the AIADMK remains mum because its slavish towards the dispensation headed by Narendra Modi. Goyal said he would speak to AIADMK and convince them on NEET and now Gadkari says he will speak to the farmers and convince them on the Expressway. On the whole, the BJP leaders do not seem to care for the Tamil voter, perhaps because they are convinced they will not score in the election here, says political analyst Dr Kasturi Kantharaj. I think Chief Minister Edappadi must be hoping he will not have to suffer further shocks from more BJP guests dropping in, says the medial practitioner, pointing out that Goyal had said TN government did not seek scrapping of NEET but only wanted the students to be allowed to take the test in Tamil, which has been done. The rival campaigners are quick to pounce on the Gadkari guffaw, as they point out that the court had not merely stayed the project but also entirely scrapped it by asking the government to return the lands to the farmers while slamming the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for claiming the project would benefit the population along the road. The judges also faulted the feasibility report for the project and observed it seemed more like a cut-paste job since there were irrelevant references to China and Bengaluru in it. Alappuzha: The Congress leaders are joining the BJP like they change clothes owing to the partys lack of a strong policy on communalism, according to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The Congress leaders dont think that they have to be different from the BJP on communal politics. This has led to its state leaders and former ministers joining the BJP, said Mr Vijayan addressing an election rally at Edathua for Chittayam Gopa-kumar, LDF candidate in Mavelikata constituency, on Saturday. Though the Congress emerged as the single largest party in the Goa election, the BJP formed the government with the support of Congress legislators, he said. In Tripura, the state Congress president and MLAs switched over to the BJP side. Eight MLAs in Gujarat got BJP membership recently. In Kerala, the Congress had to declare that one of its candidates would not leave the party, he said. Accusing the UPA-II government of formulating anti-farmer policies, Mr Vijayan said the BJP which came to power by promising better Minimum Supp-ort Price (MSP) was giving the farmers bullets instead of MSP. The Congress, which practises dual standard on communal politics, cant be expected to bring in equal justice. When Babri Masjid was brought down, the Congress or its PM did not say a word. Has the Congress ever condemned murders in the name of cows? The MP Chief Minister is now taking the credit for banning cow slaughter, he said. Mr Viijayan alleged that the Congress did not respond when the Modi government made triple talaq a criminal offence. BJP president Amit Shah says the examination of citizenship (Nati-onal Register of Citiz-ens) will be extended across the country. As of now citizenship is offered to those who belong to the religion that the RSS approves. The Congress does not want to question the RSS policy that the rest of the people should leave the country, he pointed out. He added that the Congress and the BJP were equally responsible for the present situation in Kashmir. Congress general secretary and the partys star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi on Sunday held a roadshow in Silchar for MP Sushmita Dev, who has been fielded from the Silchar parliamentary constituency. (Photo: File) Silchar: Congress general secretary and the partys star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi on Sunday held a roadshow in Silchar for MP Sushmita Dev, who has been fielded from the Silchar parliamentary constituency. Speaking at the rally, Priyanka Gandhi said, I came here for Sushmita. She has the kind of determination that Indira Gandhi had and she wants to work for you wholeheartedly. Sushmita is always there to speak up for you. Gandhi added, No one is more sensible than the public, and you have the power to choose. You are the only ones who can decide who is a good leader and who is not. Hitting out at the BJP-led central government, Gandhi said, The strategies and intentions of the government that has been ruling for the last five years are erroneous. After coming to power BJP has removed the special status which Congress had given to the Northeast. In Silchar a trade hub was going to be set up under UPA governments Look East policy but BJP dropped that too, which means its strategies and intentions are bad, she added. BJP advertises itself so perfectly that whenever you watch television, open a newspaper or a tiffin in a train, you will see their faces, said Gandhi. She also added that PM Modi doesnt have time to visit his constituency Varanasi but has time to visit America, Pakistan and several other countries. After the first phase of polling on April 11, Assam will vote in two more phases on April 18 and 23. The counting of votes will be done on May 23. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analysis etc all. Happy reading Kottayam: Union home minister Rajnath Singh said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan owes an explanation to the people in the context of the amicus curiae report describing the floods in Kerala last year as a man-made disaster. Addressing an election rally organised by the NDA in Kottayam on Saturday, Mr Singh asked the people to use the elections as an opportunity to raise the question to the CM. Accusing the UDF and the LDF of pursuing communal politics, he called upon the Left parties to end the culture of political violence in the state. If we return to power, the Kerala government will be pressured to end the political clashes forever. This is not the time for clashes and murder but development, he said. He asked the Opposition parties not to create fear among the minority communities. You can present India in two ways either as a rogue nation or as a prosperous country. It is up to the common man to decide, he added. Singh highlighted the welfare initiatives of the Modi government, including the health insurance scheme, free gas connection and the farmers pension scheme. Under this government, the country has grown to become a true global power, which is now ranked as the sixth largest economic power, he said. Regarding the candidature of P.C. Thomas, Mr Singh said if elected, Thomas, a senior Parlia-ment member and a former Union minister, will play a crucial role in the next NDA government. He also promised to consider the demands raised by Thomas for stabilising the price of natural rubber, expansion of the Kollam-Theni national highway and extension of the Kochi Metro rail to Kottayam. BJP district president N.Hari and BDJS leader A.G.Thankappan were also present on the occasion. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. Regional parties alone cannot form the government on their own after the Lok Sabh polls and will have to take the help of the Congress, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda asserted here on Sunday. (Photo: File) Bengaluru: Regional parties alone cannot form the government on their own after the Lok Sabh polls and will have to take the help of the Congress, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda asserted here on Sunday. Speaking to reporters in Tumakuru, from where he is contesting the election, he said differences were there between many regional parties, but he believed they alone could not form the government without the help of the Congress, which is a national party. He said regional parties should set aside their differences if they wished to end the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "All the regional parties should join the national party Congress if they want to see the end of Modis rule, who is out to destroy the political system in the country," the JD(S) supremo said. In this context he cited the example of Karnataka, where his party JD(S) has forged an alliance with Congress to keep the BJP out of power. To a question,Gowda said he was contesting the election, not with any political ambition, but to contribute to the nation "in this difficult situation." "I am contesting the election not for any political ambition, but to contribute my bit to the nation in this difficult situation," he said. The former prime minister offered regional parties his help to bring all of them together in order to forge a strong alliance. Gowdas two grandsons Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Prajwal Revanna are also contesting the Lok Sabha election from Mandya and Hassan respectively. While Nikhil is chief minister H D Kumaraswamys son, Prajwal is Karnataka PWD minister H D Revannas son. New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday asked the Election Commission to probe the presence and transportation of a suspicious black trunk in Prime Minister Narendra Modis helicopter during his visit to Chitradurg in Karnataka for election campaign. Asking the PM to come clean on the contents of the black trunk, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said the partys Karnataka unit has already filed a complaint with the Election Commission in this regard. Mr Modi had addressed an election rally in Karnatakas Chitradurga on April 9. We saw there were three more choppers escorting the Prime Ministers helicopter. After landing, a black trunk was taken out and whisked away in a private car which was not part of the SPG carcade, he alleged. Suggesting that there was cash stashed in the trunk, Mr Sharma asked, What was there in the trunk? If there was no cash in it, let an inquiry be held. At a press briefing in the national capital, the party also played a video clip claiming that the purported trunk, after being unloaded from the PMs helicopter, was shipped to a private Innova car, that Mr Sharma alleged was not a part of the SPG carcade and taken away. The Congress leader also asked the PM to give an account of his five-year rule to the people of the country as a tribute to Dr B.R. Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. The PM is trying to control and change the narrative because he has no courage the face real issues. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. Vijayawada, New Delhi: AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said his technology adviser Hari Prasad Vemuru, to whose presence at a meeting the Election Commission had objected on Saturday, was a whistle-blower and not a thief. On Saturday, we met the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and showed him how EVMs were not functioning properly. He (Mr Prasad) was called for discussion in the fight for transparency. He is a whistle-blower. He has not committed theft, Mr Naidu told mediapersons in the Capital. I know technology. I have been promoting technology in the country. We should become masters of technology and not slaves of it, he added. In a letter to the TD, the Election Commission on Saturday had questioned how a person with criminal antecedents could be part of the delegation led by Nr Naidu. The poll panel said Mr Prasad was involved in a criminal case regarding alleged theft of an EVM in 2010. In its reply, the TD said no chargesheet was filed against Mr Prasad in the last nine years. The EC had even invited Mr Hari Prasad to participate in the first field trial of VVPATs in Delhi on July 21, 2011. He had attended several other meetings of the EC in the last nine years, it said, adding that instead of focusing on the issue, the poll panel was trying to avoid addressing the situation. At the press conference in Delhi, Mr Hari Prasad made a presentation on how EVMs were not working properly. The machines which are claimed to be secure are not functioning as per the manual. The manual says the voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) slip has to be displayed for seven seconds and then cut and drop into the box but it was not happening, he said. Showing a video which captured different functioning of three EVM machines two from two constituencies in Andhra Pradesh and one from a demonstration given by the EC he said: Certain code has been changed or manipulated showcasing the differences in display time. The EC is not answering this. Leaders of over 20 Opposition parties, including the Congress, TD, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party, CPI, CPM and the Trinamul were present at the press conference. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. CHENNAI: DMK chief M. K. Stalin has accused the Narendra Modi government of misusing the central agencies to 'sustain' the AIADMK in power. 'The Income-Tax raids in Vellore have been a planned move against the DMK. It was aimed at helping the AIADMK to continue in power. If we get majority in the Assembly then this government will collapse,' Stalin said while campaigning in Vellore on Sunday. He also claimed that Mr Modi targeted the DMK "misusing the I-T department" to protect his ally, the AIADMK. But this April 18 election will see the fall of the AIADMK government here and the BJP at the Centre and a new government will be in place in Delhi under the Congress, Mr Stalin asserted. The I-T raids on a godown belonging to DMK treasurer Duraimurugan's associate at Katpadi in neighbouring Vellore yielded about `11.5 crore packed in gunny bags and suspected to be meant for bribing voters in the Lok Sabha poll. Duraimurugans son Kathir Anand is the party candidate for the Vellore seat. The currency notes were found packed in small covers with ward numbers and contact details written on them. Officials packed them in 19 carton boxes, a tourist bag, and bundled the covers in a gunny bag. New Delhi: Union steel minister Chaudhary Birender Singh on Sunday said he has offered to resign from the cabinet and from Rajya Sabha. The move came following the selection of his son Brijendra Singhs name as the BJPs candidate from Hisar in Haryana. The announcement was made by the minister and senior Haryana leader at his official residence in the national capital. The Union minister said he had informed BJP president Amit Shah about his offer to resign, with which he wants to send across a message of anti-dynastic politics as his son has got the Lok Sabha ticket. Brijendra Singh, is an IAS officer of the Assam cadre from the 1998 batch. Brijender quit the IAS and joined the BJP recently. In 2016, the minister was shifted to steel ministry from the ministry of rural development, panchayati raj and drinking water and sanitation. Mr Singh had joined BJP in 2014 after his over four-decade-old association with the Congress party. Earlier on Sunday, the BJP released the 20th list of candidates for Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan for the ongoing general elections. The BJP has announced two candidates for Haryana, three for Madhya Pradesh and one candidate for Rajasthan in the list. The party also named one candidate for by-elections to the Uluberia Purba assembly constituency in West Bengal. Lok Sabha elections are being held from April 11 and will go on till May 19 in seven phases. Counting of votes will take place on May 23. Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samiti working president K.T. Rama Rao on Sunday asked why the Election Commission had not questioned the BJP when it withdrew Rs 8 crore from a bank in violation of norms. At an interaction with mediapersons at Telangana Bhavan, he said he was surprised that the Income-Tax department had given a clean chit to the BJPs Telangana state unit after Rs 8 crore was withdrawn from a bank. The police had found a party functionary transporting the money, which he said he had withdrawn by cheque from a bank. Moving on to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Mr Rama Rao said he took exception to Telangana state Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy being called pet dogs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said he could also call Mr Naidu a pet dog of Mr Modi for his four-and-a-half years association with him. He said that Mr Rao and Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy had behaved in a dignified manner as they had cultural values. He also ridiculed Mr Naidus accusation of EVM tampering. Having to live inside the Ecuadorean embassy in the UK for seven years may have been an assault on his basic human rights, but WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assanges arrest in London is an assault on the freedom of speech and the press. WikiLeaks gained prominence in April 2010 when it published a classified US military video showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters that killed a dozen people in Baghdad, including two Reuters news staff. Four months later, in August 2010, the Swedish Prosecutors Office issued an arrest warrant for Assange on allegations of rape and sexual assault. In December 2010, Assange was arrested in London, appeared in court, remained in custody for a week, and then got bail. In 2012, the UKs Supreme Court refused Assanges appeal against his extradition to Sweden. And in June 2012, Assange sought political asylum at the embassy of Ecuador in London. Sweden dropped the assault charges as it could not extradite Assange. The newly elected Ecuadorean President, Lenin Moreno, restricted Assanges liberties even at the embassy: no Internet, no journalism and no visitors. Now, Morena, having cancelled Assanges asylum, invited the British police, on April 11, 2019, to arrest him. Assange was arrested for failing to surrender to the court, a punishable offence in the UK. Once out of the embassy, Assange was further arrested on a US warrant. He did not walk out of the embassy but was carried by police officers. Assange looked frail, weak and old. Assange appeared before a UK magistrate within a couple of hours of his arrest. He remains in custody, and will appear before the court on May 2. The punishment for bail jumping, a minor charge, is up to one year in prison. But the great threat to supporters of Assange, and to supporters of a free press and free speech, will heighten if Assange is extradited to the US where he could face, according to Nils Melzer, UN special rapporteur on torture, real risk of serious violations of his human rights, including his freedom of expression, his right to a fair trial and prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The indictment of Assange is a threat to journalism and anyone who values freedom of the press. The core thesis of the indictment is that he was encouraging Chelsea Manning, formerly in the US Army, to provide classified documents, and that he helped Manning maintain anonymity. Let me mention just one charge alleged against Assange. The US Department of Justice alleges that Assange was knowingly receiving such classified records from Manning for the purpose of disclosing them on the WikiLeaks website. Is that not a definition of journalism? Journalists have an obligation to seek information and to take steps to protect their sources. If Assange is charged for this, it jeopardises how journalists conduct investigative journalism. The charge against Assange is not new. But having considered the evidence, the Department of Justice during the Obama administration could not justify charging Assange without being accused of threatening press freedom. The Trump administration, though, has stepped up its pursuit of Assange. Manning spent seven years in prison and was released in 2017. Now, Manning has been imprisoned again for refusing to testify against WikiLeaks. What does Assanges arrest and possible extradition mean for the freedom of the press? First, remember Assange is an Australian (his Ecuadorean citizenship has been currently suspended) and not a US citizen. If Assange is extradited and charged, it creates a serious precedent against journalists and activists around the world. Second, Assange is a journalist and a publisher. Previously, the US indicted sources and whistleblowers under the espionage act, but now wants to indict a journalist. If publishers and journalists are indicted, that means that journalists and editors could be charged for doing their job. Third, Assange and Manning are charged for exposing American war crimes in Iraq. They ought to be supported in their work. He is neither a hero nor a devil, Noam Chomsky said about Assange, but a person who is doing his civic responsibility. Shouldnt the authorities be held to account for not allowing him to discharge it? By arrangement with Dawn The April 2019 election victory is a remarkable one for Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Having won his fourth campaign in a row, this victory affirms the extent to which he has conflated his own persona with the position he has held uninterrupted for the last 10 years. There were certainly signs of Netanyahu fatigue during the campaign. Former Israeli Defence Forces chief Benny Gantz had got into the electoral fray just three months earlier and still ran neck-and-neck with Mr Netanyahu throughout the campaign. And, of course, Mr Netanyahu was carrying the burden of possible criminal indictments for bribery, fraud and breach of trust by the attorney-general. Mr Netanyahus Likud party got over a million votes, an Israeli record for a single party, and obtained 36 seats in the 120-member Knesset, just one more than Mr Gantzs Blue and White party. But, where Mr Netanyahu scores over his rival is his ability to bring into his coalition almost all the right-wing groups the ultra-right as well as the religious parties five of them with just four to eight seats between each of them will give the Prime Minister 29 seats altogether, providing him with an unassailable majority with 65 seats. Mr Netanyahu has projected himself as a hardline, no-compromise leader, openly privileging Jews over Arabs, advocating force to combat Palestinian aspirations, and generally opposing all avenues for the promotion of the peace process. During his rule, the peace process has been neutralised, Israels own Peace Now movement has ceased to exist, and there has been a steady encroachment of settlements in the occupied areas, alongside annexation into Israel when required. Condemning his opponents as soft and feeble lefties, he stated proudly during the recent campaign that he was making Israel a world force not through compromises, but by radiating power, pride, commitment. According to Israeli writer Akiva Eldar, Mr Netanyahu has over 10 years sowed deep fear and hatred in the minds of ordinary Israelis that is almost impossible to uproot. Another Israeli commentator Raphael Ahren, writing in the Times of Israel, has noted that in this election religion and racial prejudice played a key role in ensuring right-wing victory. Religious parties freely invoked faith and even promised a place in heaven to those who voted for them. Mr Netanyahu ranted about Mr Gantz putting together a left-wing government, backed by Arabs. He proudly justified the use of hidden cameras by his supporters in Arab polling stations, suggesting that Arabs were more capable of electoral fraud than other voters. Clearly, Mr Netanyahu had in US President Donald Trump an effective campaign manager after announcing the shift of the US embassy to Jerusalem last year, just two weeks before polls, Mr Trump accepted Israels annexation of the Golan Heights, signing his proclamation to this effect at a formal event at the White House on March 25, with a beaming Mr Netanyahu standing behind Mr Trump and applauding vigorously. Thus inspired, on April 7, two days before voting day, Mr Netanyahu said that after his victory he would annex to Israel all Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The campaign was centred around the Prime Minister, with committed supporters enthusiastically extolling his achievements. All references to Mr Netanyahus corruption were rubbished on the basis of his security record, while criticisms that he was divisive and embraced bigots were responded to with the riposte lefties. In fact, given Mr Netanyahus standing, the Opposition could barely muster the courage to criticise the Prime Minister or even suggest an alternative programme to deal with pressing matters confronting the country. Thus, Gil Troy has said in the Jerusalem Post that both the campaign and the results are depressing no interesting vision for the nation was put across, nor was there any discussion on working with Palestinians and ways to achieve real security for the nation. What do four more years of Mr Netanyahu bode for Israel and the region? First, there are doubts that he will actually have four years: in July, he will get a chance to respond to the criminal charges after which the attorney-general will decide whether to go in for a criminal trial. This might require the Prime Minister to step down, though his supporters believe he will brazen it out and continue as Prime Minister and defence minister while court proceedings continue. But criminal proceedings could break his coalition, with rivals within the government pressing their claims. If the government collapses, we could even see elections within a year. However, some observers have suggested that Mr Netanyahu could attempt to appease his partners by going in for large-scale annexations of the occupied territories in return for a law that grants him immunity from criminal proceedings. The next challenge before Mr Netanyahu will be the announcement of the US deal of the century to address Palestinian aspirations. This detailed plan is expected to be released very soon, possibly just after government formation. It could largely serve Israels interests by providing for the annexation to Israel of large parts of the West Bank. However, there are indications that it could propose detachment of some suburbs of east Jerusalem to be the capital of the Palestinian state, which is likely to be anathema for Mr Netanyahu and his right-wing colleagues. Finally, there are suggestions that Mr Netanyahu may succeed in his divide-and-rule approach to the Palestinians by annexing much of the West Bank and looking at a deal with the Hamas in Gaza. In terms of this agreement, Hamas would give up confrontation and violence in return for removal of its terrorist branding and the ongoing blockade, backed by massive international investments to develop ports, airports, industrial zones, fisheries, etc. This will ensure that Mr Netanyahu does not need to participate in any peace discussions with the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, which he continues to stigmatise as a supporter of terrorists. Mr Netanyahus main challenges lie ahead of him. Israeli commentator Ben Caspit has described him as the greatest of Israels political magicians of all time. In the coming months, this magician will need all his skill in this the second campaign to retain power gained at the polls. However, even without waiting for the conclusion of the Lokayukta case, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) had compulsorily retired the 1995-batch officer in August last year. Former IPS officer Mayank Jain has put the Madhya Pradesh and Central governments in a peculiar dilemma. Five years after he was suspended following raids by the Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta special police establishment officials in a disproportionate assets case, the corruption watchdog has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute him and filed a closure case. However, even without waiting for the conclusion of the Lokayukta case, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) had compulsorily retired the 1995-batch officer in August last year. The Lokayuktas report has put the authorities in a fix since the officer will have to be restored to his post after the allegations against him fell through. Oddly, sources say, Mr Jain is averse to returning to the police service after being forcibly retired. Apparently, he is a qualified orthopaedic surgeon and considers his stint in the IPS as a closed chapter. Destination China The government will post customs intelligence officers in China in its effort to check black money, trade-based money laundering and other financial frauds after several such incidents have come to knowledge. Sources say the finance ministry has initiated the process to select officers for two posts of the customs overseas intelligence network (Coin) in the Indian Embassy in Beijing and in the consulate general of India at Guangzhou. The move was begun by the directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) to curtail incidents of trade-based money laundering and other financial frauds originating from China. Coin officers are usually mandated to pass on intelligence or information gathered from their respective positing stations overseas to help Indian intelligence agencies, mainly DRI, check trade-related frauds. In the past, customs authorities in India have detected a few cases of smuggling to and from China. Coin officers have been posted in several countries, including Nepal, Singapore, Brussels, the US and the UK, to help Indian authorities check smuggling, sources say. The selection process involves concurrence by the ministry of external affairs and final approval by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-headed appointments committee of the Cabinet, they said. A high-level committee comprising the chairperson, two members of the central board of indirect taxes and customs (CBIC) and the director general of DRI will interview the officers. The CBIC will then recommend a panel of three officers for each post to the finance minister before it is forwarded to the ministry of external affairs for its concurrence followed by reference to the appointments committee of the Cabinet for final approval. Targeting opponents The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) finds itself in a bind. It has cracked a case of alleged bribery by officials of the naval dockyard in Vishakhapatnam. But it cannot go ahead and arrest the accused as the Andhra Pradesh government has withdrawn its consent to the CBI to operate in the state. Since he broke off with the NDA government last year, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu had been alleging that the Centre was misusing agencies like the CBI to target political opponents. The first phase of the seven-phased Lok Sabha elections is over and the BJP says it feels proud on being called a nationalist party and that development and nationalism are synonymous. In an interview to YOJNA GUSAI, Union minority affairs minister MUKHTAR ABBAS NAQVI called the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh gunahon ka gathbandhan (alliance of crimes) and asked Congress president Rahul Gandhi to work really hard and mature before challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a debate. The election season has finally begun and the first phase of polling is over. Will the BJPs performance in this phase be the same as it was in 2014? Not just in the first phase, our party will perform very well in almost all the (seven) phases. Our assessment shows that the BJP is ahead in almost all the parliamentary seats because voters trust our leadership and the performance of the Modi government. The Narendra Modi-led NDA not only performed but also reformed the functioning of the government to achieve good governance. The five years performance of the Central government is our main poll plank and our promise that the wheel of development will continue to roll is the core of our manifesto in which people have full faith. There is no policy paralysis or power brokers who are running the government, its the people of the country through Mr Modi who are running the government. Ye perform, reform aur transform karne wali sarkar hai. Though your party always says that you are seeking a second term over the development issue, but your party leaders, including the top leadership, seem to be emphasising too much on the nationalism issue. Your opponents are criticising you for misusing the nationalism issue for electoral gains. Even your manifesto had a heavy dose of nationalism. For us nationalism and development are linked. If you ignore one, you cannot achieve the other. Nationalism and development are synonymous. We feel proud that people call us a nationalist party. No one should have any problem if the BJP focuses on nationalism or nationalist issues. But your opponents claim that you profess nationalism because your partys performance report is poor. Development was a dikhava (facade) for the earlier government and their allies, but the BJP-led NDAs report card is exemplary. We followed our motto of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas and Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat to the T. Our work for the youth, women, gaon, garib aur kisan have not only strengthened peoples faith in us but given us strength. A development-oriented atmosphere was created, whether it was rural electrification, LPG connectivity, houses for all, skill development, incentives to own a home in urban areas, robust infrastructure bringing down the rural-urban divide and also strengthening Indias image internationally just a few examples to show our development report card. Are you contesting the Oppositions allegation that you failed on delivering on your 2014 poll promises? If you recall, checking corruption was our number one promise and when the BJP-led NDA came to power, the first decision taken by the Union Cabinet was to set up a court-monitored SIT to check the generation of black money. During the Congress-led UPA regime, corruption was an aam baat (common thing). There was a time when the common man lost count of the number of corruption cases as they kept erupting. Who would have brought that (Christian) Michel to India over the AugustaWestland VVIP chopper scam? Compare it to how (Ottavio) Quattrocchi mamas (uncles) accounts were defreezed and a red corner notice against him withdrawn and the manner in which he left the country that proved that the then government was helping him. This government not only showed its commitment to act against corruption but brought people involved in such cases. Even those who have run away will be brought back. This government is not run by big liaisoning officers like the erstwhile government. If you recall how the onion crisis, the pulses crisis, the diesel crisis and the urea crisis used to be annual features, the Modi-led government cracked a whip on hoarding and black-marketing to make sure that people do not suffer. Your partys manifesto was labelled jhansa patra (document of deception) and a bubble of lies by the Congress, which claims that its Nyuntam Aay Yojana (Nyay) will be a gamechanger. It is the people who will decide who deceived them and who they have faith in. The Congress own manifesto is a lafaaji ka lollipop (document full of bluff) and dynasty ki dirty deeng (dynastys dirty boast). But then even the Congress knows that it is not coming to power so it can promise anything and everything. The mention of Article 370 and 35-A drew a sharp reaction from your former allies and Jammu and Kashmirs satraps the National Conference and the PDP. In fact, Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP, with whom you had formed your first government in the state and later snapped ties with, asserted that if Article 370 is revoked, it will end the accession of J&K and the state will be free from India. Both Mehbooba Mufti and her friends, (Farroq and Omar) Abdullahs, are right. Ye to pucca hai ki Kashmir azaad hoga par wo azaad hoga terrorism se, wo azaad hoga separatism ki mentality se, aur terrorism aur separatism ke dost Mufti aur Abdullahs se (it is certain that Kashmir will be free but it will be free from terrorism, separatism and the friends of terrorism and separatism Ms Mufti and the Abdullahs). Article 370 is a hurdle in the development path in the state. Why should a state or a region suffer because the self-proclaimed custodians of the region do not want the state to prosper? Article 370 will be annulled and this is what the people of the state want. You said development is the main focus of your partys campaigning but then some of your leaders seem to be trying to polarise the electorate with their Ali-Bajrangbali remarks. The BJP believes in free and fair elections unlike some of our opponents, who went to Wayanad and held the flag of the Muslim League in one hand and the agenda of the Jaamat-e-Islami in the other. The Muslim League is the same organisation which was responsible for the Partition of the country. The Jaamat-e-Islami is a banned organisation and the entire country knows of its involvement in suspicious activities. The Jaamat-e-Islami issued a fatwa against casting votes for the BJP. Fatwon ki dukaan chal rahi hai aur kuch parties fatwae kharidne main lage hue hain (opponents are buying fatwas against the BJP). Who is trying to polarise the elections now? We never sought a fatwa against anyone. We believe in fair and free elections and trust the voters. Many political analysts believe that the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in UP could damage your prospects in the state where you won 71 parliamentary seats in 2014. Well, in any alliance 2x2 is never 4. This is not the first time that UP is witnessing an experiment of an alliance. Remember how the Congress and the SP formed an alliance in 2017 for the Assembly elections and everyone knows the results (BJP won 325 of the total 403 seats). Another gunahon ka gathbandhan is ready this time which has no chemistry. For an alliance to be successful, the arithemetic, chemistry and physics of the participants should match. In 2014, Rahul Gandhi was the vice-president of the Congress. In December 2017 he became the party president and that month his partys performance in Gujarat Assembly polls and later winning key states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh has shown that the Opposition is in a resurgent mode. Well, all I can say is that ever since Rahul Gandhi took over as the party president, he has turned from a pappu to a gappu. Wo gapp zyada karte hain (he boasts a lot). He wants to debate against the PM but we remember how he had once predicted an earthquake when he spoke in Parliament. Everyone knows where the earthquake came finally. He speaks like a non-serious and an immature person. You (Mr Gandhi) want to debate with the PM who has not taken a single day off in the last five years while you picnicked for four-and-a-half years. You will really have to work hard and also become mature if you want to debate with Mr Modi. Other than the Hindi-heartland, how will your partys performance be in Odisha, West Bengal and in the southern states? In both Odisha and West Bengal, the BJP is in a direct contest with the ruling parties, the BJD and the TMC respectively. The way Mamata Banerjee (the TMC supremo and West Bengal CM) is behaving, it shows how panicked she is. The TMC has failed the state completely and so has the BJD. We will perform well in the southern region as well. This was a week of commemorations. The week began with the premiere of the biopic/documentary Kaifinama on the poet and lyricist Kaifi Azmi at the Asian Film Festival. Shabana Azmi, his daughter, has been working hard on his commemoration with books, events and now this very moving film. The event was held at Bafta, where filmmaker Sangeeta Dutta conducted a dialogue between Shabana and Sudeep Sen, a poet himself, who has translated Kaifis poems into English. It was like a jugalbandi with Shabana reciting the original Urdu poem and Sudeep reading his English version. We also saw the same poems feature in the film, so it was poignant. The large audience was full of Urdu afficionados and film buffs. It is a special film for me too as it contains excerpts from a documentary I had shot on Shabana at least two decades ago. This was used in the film specially as it depicted a building in which Kaifi and other progressive poets lived together in Mumbai. This was an example of communal living, under the strict rules of the Communist Party so that all the residents shared what they had with limited money and limited space. But Shabana remembered it as being a very happy space where children grew up securely in and out of homes where they were welcome. Poets like Ali Sardar Jafri also lived there but unfortunately now, like so much else of our heritage it has been erased from memory and that building has been pulled down. So this footage was some of the last remaining memories of that time as Shabana walked us through Red Hall. The rest of the week has been occupied by Jallianwala Bagh commemorations, and we are really satisfied that all the lobbying and pushing for recognition for this day, despite the preoccupation of the two governments in the UK and in India, has worked. India is in the midst of elections and the UK is in the midst of Brexit but the event was not forgotten. Last Tuesday there was a debate in the Westminster Hall a forum for MPs to have open-ended debates away from the main chamber. But this debate obviously does not have the same meaning and importance than if the debate were held within the House of Commons main chambers. Bob Blackman, an MP with a large number of Indians in his constituency, introduced the topic, expressing his own sorrow over what happened a century back and many MPs took part. There was a helpful statement by Mark Field, a junior minister in the FCO about the UKs awareness of the horrific event. But then on Wednesday, in the midst of all her Brexit troubles, Theresa May made a statement just before Prime Ministers Questions about the UKs deep regret over the massacre. While many were disappointed that she did not give a full, wholehearted apology the signs were apparent that this was not going to happen. For it has been often discussed that an apology would carry financial implications or payouts. For me this entire reluctance by the British government seems a little strange: none of the descendants of the massacres victims that I spoke to during my research on my book on the massacre ever said they awaited any financial benefits from the apology. But while Britain missed an opportunity to prove significantly that it was no longer the same racist regime it was in 1919 it was reassuring to see that they were, in other ways, trying to make a special effort to remember those who were martyred in 1919. On Friday, the Indian high commissioner, Ruchi Ghanashyam, opened an exhibition, Punjab Under Siege: Jallianwala Bagh, 1919 (put together by the Partition Museum, Amritsar and the Manchester Museum) at the Nehru Centre, London. This was followed by a panel discussion on it moderated by Lord Meghnad Desai in which the discussants included Esme Ward, the director of the Manchester Museum and Satnam Sanghera, a well-known journalist who has made a film for Channel 4 on Jallianwala Bagh which was shown on the anniversary date. (And incidentally I was also interviewed for the film). The previous day, a much larger version of the exhibition had opened at the Manchester Museum also in collaboration with the Partition Museum, Amritsar. Over 400 people attended and the exhibition was well covered by the Indian and the British media. This is an exhibition which has been curated in India and then worked upon by the team at the Manchester Museum who have supported the project wholeheartedly. They are expecting large crowds through the year especially since this is a story of undivided Punjab and both Indians and Pakistanis are likely to visit since Manchester is neutral territory. Incidentally, those who visit should also pick up the khadi marigold to wear anytime through the commemoration year made in memory of the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh and to honour Mahatma Gandhi whose 150th birth anniversary it is this year. A capsule exhibition on this has also opened at the Birmingham Library. And by the way Britain is slowly learning about the pains of Partition. Do you think we will ever Brexit? The jury is out on that NASA will select the best photos from around the world to showcase them later in videos and composite images. NASA is heading to celebrate Earth Day 2019 in a new way. The space agency has launched a new social media event to see how others (non-scientists or astronauts) see the Earth. As part of the #PictureEarth event on April 22, 2019, which marks Earth Day, NASA is inviting everyone to post a close-up photo of their favourite natural features of the planet, such as crashing waves, ancient trees, blooming flowers, or stunning sunsets. NASA explains on the official blog that users can upload the photo on April 22 and use the hashtag #PictureEarth. If you are participating, be sure to include the location where the photo was taken in the description across social media channels including Instagram, Twitter, and NASAs Earth Facebook event page. NASA will select the best photos from around the world to showcase them later in videos and composite images. The agency will also share some of the most stunning images of Earth from space. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Moreno had finally decided to kick Assange out after getting wind of a WikiLeaks plot to blackmail him by publishing compromising documents. (Photo: AP) Huddled at a home in Ecuadors capital, President Lenin Morenos aides anxiously awaited word in the middle of the night on an operation that would soon make headlines around the world: the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange inside the countrys London embassy. Over the course of nearly seven years, the Australian hacker had all but worn out his welcome at the embassy with antics that included late-night skateboarding, harassing the staff and smearing his feces on the walls, according to Ecuadorian officials. Moreno had finally decided to kick Assange out after getting wind of a WikiLeaks plot to blackmail him by publishing compromising documents, according to a senior government official who wasnt authorised to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity. An incensed Moreno gave British authorities 36 hours to execute the raid Assanges critics had long been demanding. Now, the presidents aides looked nervously at their watches. Most of Ecuador, including Moreno himself, was asleep. As Morenos 4 a.m. deadline approached, they heard nothing. We were waiting and waiting and thought, Wow, somethings wrong, said the official. Then we got the call. Assange had been dragged without incident from the embassy to face hacking charges in the US Weve ended the asylum of this spoiled brat, Moreno crowed later in the day on April 11, in a fiery speech. The move to extract one of the worlds most high-profile fugitives came about relatively quickly after years of what officials portrayed as obnoxious and ungracious behaviour by their houseguest. Moreno, a 66-year-old who uses a wheelchair after being shot and paralysed from the waist down in a 1998 robbery, is usually a jovial figure. But the still-under-investigation blackmail plot marked one more in a string of escalating personal attacks against him. Days before, Moreno had accused WikiLeaks of spreading damaging personal documents and photos, including several that showed him eating lobster in bed. The president is a very calm person, said the senior official, who was involved in the raids coordination. But when he gets angry he can be very determined. Ecuador gave Assange asylum inside the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over sex crime accusations. On a summer day, Assange moved into the compound near Londons upscale Harrods department store for what most thought would be a short stay. Instead, the cramped quarters, where a small office was converted into a bedroom, became a permanent address. Some regarded it as essentially a jail. Former President Rafael Correa, whose government granted Assange refuge, had been a fierce supporter of the silver-haired computer expert. Correa saw him as a digital-age Robin Hood taking on big government and corporations. But Assange got off to a bad start with Moreno after he won the presidency in 2017, angering the chief of state with comments on Twitter ridiculing a losing candidate who had threatened to expel him. Over the years, one high-ranking official said, Assanges room at the embassy had become a sovereign territory within a sovereign territory that none of the staff at No. 3 Hans Crescent could enter. Embassy staff complained he smelled bad from going weeks without a shower. He also played loud music at all hours, walked around in his underwear and verbally abused the staff, officials said. Feeding and sheltering him cost an estimated USD 1 million a year, authorities said. After making his decision Tuesday afternoon, Moreno ordered his top aides to coordinate with Britains ambassador to Ecuador, Katherine Ward, to carry out a raid within 36 hours. While his British counterparts requested more time, Moreno insisted on executing Assanges expulsion swiftly. He didnt want word of the operation to leak or to rouse suspicions of US involvement, the senior official said. Before dawn Thursday, a group of five close aides to Moreno gathered at a Quito home to await word. The appointed hour came and went without any news. Finally, shortly thereafter, Ecuadors ambassador to Britain, Jaime Marchan, called to say that Assange was in British custody. The aides quietly celebrated and then called to wake up the president. According to the official, the operation went off without a hitch. The Ecuadorian ambassador asked Assange to come to his office, and Assange was read a government statement announcing his expulsion. Unarmed British police officers then hauled the bearded and shouting Assange out of the embassy. At that point, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnssons cellphone rang. An aide to Assange who had witnessed the raid was calling to inform Hrafnsson. Its horrible news, Hrafnsson said later. The only worry Ecuadorian officials had at the time of the raid was a vague threat by Assange several months earlier that he would activate a device that would cause major consequences to the embassy if they ever tried to expel him. It was never clear if the device, described as a button, was real and capable of actual physical damage, or simply metaphorical. British intelligence was made aware of the threat and made sure Assange wasnt allowed to return to his room once the raid began. In the US, the Justice Department promptly announced charges accusing Assange of conspiring with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to hack into a Pentagon computer. Assanges critics and authorities in Britain and the United States praised Moreno for a decision they said will ensure he is held accountable for both jumping bail in the sex-crime case and publishing a trove of confidential US government documents. Others, including Morenos one-time ally, Correa, assailed him, saying that even though Assange may have violated the terms of his asylum and was a costly burden, thats no excuse for throwing him to the lions. Moreno stood firm. From now on well be more careful in giving asylum to people who are really worth it, he said. And not miserable hackers whose only goal is to destabilise governments. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. The issue has fuelled an online debate and protests on some coding platforms, where workers have swapped examples of excessive overtime demands at some companies. Alibaba Group founder and billionaire Jack Ma has defended the grueling overtime work culture at many of Chinas tech companies, calling it a huge blessing for young workers. The e-commerce magnate weighed into a debate about work-life balance and the overtime hours demanded by some companies as the sector slows after years of breakneck growth. In a speech to Alibaba employees, Ma defended the industrys 996 work schedule, which refers to the 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. workday, six days a week. I personally think that being able to work 996 is a huge blessing, he said in remarks posted on the companys WeChat account. Many companies and many people dont have the opportunity to work 996, Ma said. If you dont work 996 when you are young, when can you ever work 996? The issue has fuelled an online debate and protests on some coding platforms, where workers have swapped examples of excessive overtime demands at some companies. Ma, a former English teacher who co-founded Alibaba in 1999 and has become one of Chinas richest people, said he and early employees regularly worked long hours. In this world, everyone wants success, wants a nice life, wants to be respected, Ma said. Let me ask everyone, if you dont put out more time and energy than others, how can you achieve the success you want? Ma referred to the tech industry today where some people are without jobs, or working at companies in search of revenue or facing closure. Compared to them, up to this day, I still feel lucky, I dont regret (working 12 hour days), I would never change this part of me, he said. This month activists on Microsofts GitHub, the online code repository site, launched a project titled 996.ICU where tech workers listed Alibaba among the companies ranked as having some of the worst working conditions. On Thursday, an opinion piece published in a state newspaper argued that 996 violated Chinas Labor Law, which stipulates that average work hours cannot exceed 40 hours a week. Creating a corporate culture of encouraged overtime will not only not help a business core competitiveness, it might inhibit and damage a companys ability to innovate, the unnamed author wrote in the Peoples Daily. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Disney+s interface appears similar to that of Netflix with personalisation of user profiles, recommended content, search capabilities and parental controls. (Photo: Representational Image/AFP) Shares of Walt Disney Co touched an all-time high on April 12; after Wall Street analysts said the aggressive pricing of its new video streaming service could help it better compete with Netflix Inc. Netflixs shares fell about four per cent after Disney priced its streaming service, Disney+, at USD 6.99 per month, below the video streaming pioneers basic plan of USD 8.99. Investors find a lot of promise in Disneys offerings because its well positioned to fight the likes of Netflix for consumers money, said Clement Thibault, an analyst at global financial markets platform Investing.com. Shares of Disney jumped 10 per cent to USD 128.26, adding USD 21 billion to the companys market capitalisation of USD 209 billion. J.P. Morgan analysts also noted that Disney+s interface appears similar to that of Netflix with personalisation of user profiles, recommended content, search capabilities and parental controls. Disney+ will launch on November 12, in the United States, featuring content from a host of Disney brands including Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar as well as recently acquired Fox properties such as The Simpsons and National Geographic programming. Disney said it expects to attract between 60 million and 90 million subscribers and achieve profitability in the fiscal year 2024. It plans to plough a little over USD 1 billion in cash to finance original programming in fiscal 2020 and about USD 2 billion by 2024. Its still very early on, but the streaming war has officially begun. By fighting back with a competitive offering, Disney at least gives itself a chance to win in the streaming industry, rather than just losing user after user to other streaming services, Thibault said. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Inmate Nicholas Rotunda Allen, 39, received the phone from someone not incarcerated at the prison and used a caller ID spoofing app to make the call look like it is from Louisiana where the alleged victim lives. (Photo: ANI) An inmate in Georgias Jimmy Autry State Prison has been charged with allegedly carrying out phone scam from inside of cell using a contraband mobile phone and impersonating a deputy US marshal to demand the victim a USD 5,500 fine for missing jury duty. Inmate Nicholas Rotunda Allen, 39, received the phone from someone not incarcerated at the prison and used a caller ID spoofing app to make the call look like it is from Louisiana where the alleged victim lives, Fast Company reported. Allen told the victim to purchase USD 5,500 in Green dot prepaid cards to have an arrest warrant dismissed. If Allen is convicted on the single wire fraud charge, he could face up to five more years in prison and a fine of up to USD 250,000. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Trump said last week a conclusion in the talks was probably 'four weeks' away. (Photo:AP) Washington: US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Saturday that trade talks with China were nearing conclusion. Since January, shuttle diplomacy between Washington and Beijing to resolve their nine-month trade war has dragged on longer than officials had expected. Both sides have continued to express cautious optimism without predicting success. "It is more important to get it right than have arbitrary date," Mnuchin told reporters. But "I'm hopeful we're getting close to the final round of concluding issues." He spoke on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, which end this weekend. A sticking point in the talks has been American officials' insistence that any final agreement have teeth -- and that they retain the ability to impose fresh tariffs should Beijing backslide on its commitments. Mnuchin declined to get into details on Saturday. "There are certain commitments the United States is making in this agreement and there are certain commitments that China is making," he said. "And I would expect that the enforcement mechanism works in both directions." "This is a very, very detailed agreement, covering issues that have never been dealt with before," Mnuchin added, noting that the text currently had seven chapters. "So this is way beyond anything that would have looked like a bilateral investment treaty." Trump said last week a conclusion in the talks was probably "four weeks" away but since discussions began earlier this year to end the nine-month trade war, the finish line has repeatedly slipped further into the future. India is hopeful it will avoid US sanctions over its purchase of Russia's S-400 missile system, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told AFP. New Delhi has been "heard and understood" by the US administration over its accord to buy the S-400 missile defence system for $5.2 billion, the minister said in an interview this week. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in October, defying US warnings of sanctions on countries buying Russian military equipment. The sanctions were part of measures to punish Moscow for its actions in Ukraine in 2014. President Donald Trump's administration imposed sanctions on China's military last year over Beijing's purchase of the S-400 and other military hardware. It has also warned NATO member Turkey of sanctions for buying the S-400, and has suspended Turkey's participation in a US jet programme. Sitharaman told AFP that Washington has taken on board that India, bordering both Pakistan and China, needed arms from Russia, and others, to remain a "strong partner". Negotiations with Moscow, a longstanding supplier to India's military, on the S-400 began before the US sanctions were introduced, she said. "In the case of S-400 we have explained ourselves well... That has been heard and understood," Sitharaman said. "They have appreciated the point of view put forward." Asked if she was confident that India would avoid sanctions, Sitharaman said: "Yes I hope so." Before the deal was inked, Washington poured cold water on India's efforts to obtain a waiver from the US Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Upgrades in arms systems "including the S-400 air and missile defense system" would be a particular focus for CAATSA, a US State Department spokesperson was quoted as saying by India's PTI news agency. But Randall Schriver, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, told a hearing in March that Washington wanted to "work through" the problem, calling India "an important emerging strategic partner." He added however that India's contract with Russia has not been completed and that the US was "very keen to see (India) make an alternative choice (to the S-400) and we are working with them to provide potential alternatives." Washington is in a tricky position with India. It wants to bolster ties with the Asian giant to counter China's assertiveness, a trend which has also rattled New Delhi. In 2017 India and China had a military standoff over a Himalayan plateau claimed by both Beijing and Bhutan, a close ally of India. Since then China and India have sought to patch up relations, including at a meeting between Modi and President Xi Jinping at Wuhan, China in April 2018. "Sometimes there are differences and you have a face-off," Sitharaman said. "But our attempt, particularly after the prime minister's Wuhan meet with the Chinese president, our attempt has been that these differences... cannot be allowed to become disputes." But China has also made inroads in Sri Lanka and the Maldives -- countries that India considers to be in its sphere of influence -- through its One Belt, One Road Initiative (OBOR), also known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). India has particular concerns about a series of projects passing through Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a disputed territory which was the fuse for a new military flare-up between Pakistan and India in February. China has also blocked efforts to put on UN sanctions blacklist the leader of a Pakistan-based militant group that claimed a suicide bombing in India-administered Kashmir on February 14 that killed 40 Indian paramilitary troops. New Delhi has reportedly declined a Chinese invitation to take part in an OBOR forum in China later this month. "Areas which are ours legally, which are under illegal occupation of Pakistan, are the ones which are becoming part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor," Sitharaman said. "So having made that position very clear, we have not participated in anything to do with OBOR, and we stick to that position," she said. Prominent BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje, 52, who is popularly known as Shobhakka across Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency, is busy meeting booth-level workers and campaigning continuously as the Lok Sabha election is just a few days away. She is seeking re-election to Lok Sabha this time. Despite her tight schedule of campaigning and meeting the party workers, she showed no signs of weariness when Harsha of DH spoke to her, during her visit to Moodbettu and Ambalpady Shakti Kendras in Udupi district. Excerpts from the interview: The election is just a few days away. Whats your strategy now? The partys traditional practice of seeking votes through the door-to-door campaign will be intensified. There will be no huge rallies. We are seeking votes on the need to continue the development programmes. You will not be voting in your constituency this time also? I have enrolled my name in the voters list in Bengaluru for the sake of convenience. The oppositions charge that I am an outsider is baseless. I stay in a rented house in Udupi and remain accessible to all. I am not financially strong to own houses wherever I go. Not just Congress, even NGOs are also sending messages on social media making an appeal to voters not to cast vote in favour of the absentee MP. It is true that I could not visit the constituency more often as I was made the general secretary of state BJP. I was also a member of the Standing Committee on Empowerment of Women, Defence and the Joint Committee on the Right to Fair Compensation. But I have used all my influence to get more funds for my constituency. Thus, I was able to get Rs 569 crore, including Rs 285 crore for Udupi under Central Road Fund (CRF), the states only Sakhi Centre in Udupi, Passport Office in Kundapur and RK Skill Development College. The construction of GTTC building in Uppuru is being completed and the classes will begin soon. Is the future bright when no candidate was reelected for the second time since 1998? I am confident about breaking the 21-year-old record. If re-elected, what are your plans for your constituency? I will ensure that the doubling of railway tracks is completed on the Konkan route. We will build flyovers and underpasses wherever needed on NH 66. We will draw water from Varuna and ensure 24x7 water supply to the residents of Udupi. A spice or pepper park will be set up in Chikamagaluru. Pete Buttegieg is happening. Hes everybodys favorite mayor, and even though he has yet to announce his candidacy for president, every cable show wants him front and center. Mayor Pete is pretty impressive. Combat veteran, Rhodes scholar, young, respectful but feisty. And gay. In fact, Pete Buttegieg is a gay man married to another gay man. Yes, the mayor with the name no one can pronounce is a cool dude. You can almost hear them in the Manhattan sushi bars murmuring: He could be the next Obama, the next thing, the first gay married president. And up until a few days ago, I thought the Indiana native was a decent man, particularly when compared to the outrageously offensive, motley crew of Democratic presidential hopefuls. He seemed to be tethered to reality, not afraid of the Sorority Girls (Rachida, Ilhan and Alexandria) and much kinder, and more respectful than Donald Trump (which is an admittedly low threshold.) But then he decided to do what he implored us not to do: use his sexual orientation as a reason to elect him. Let me explain. From the beginning, Mayor Pete has downplayed the importance of his gayness. Thats not to say he hid it, not by a long shot. One of the first things we learned about Buttegieg is that he was married to a man, which is kind of a clue. He spoke movingly of his attempts to repress his sexual identity, and the ultimate realization that this was an intrinsic part of his nature: If you had offered me a pill to make me straight, I wouldve swallowed it before you had time to give me a sip of water, he said. Its hard to face the truth that there were times in my life when, if you had shown me exactly what it was inside me that made me gay, I would have cut it out with a knife. And when he was goaded by some commentators to take the low road and, for example, attack Chick-fil-A because of its owners position on gay marriage, he refused to take the bait and said, I do not approve of their politics, but I kind of approve of their chicken. Thats the way a grown-up would speak, not someone beholden to the identity fascists out there who wanted him to reject the company because of its politics. Mayor Pete wasnt saying Poultry over Party but he was saying that there are some battles too insignificant to fight. And the combat veteran understands that better than perhaps anyone. I was very impressed by his ability to withstand the assault of the LGBT purists. But someone must have gotten to him, because before long, the man who was able to stare down the diversity Nazis started taking a page out of their playbook. Case in point: the stealth attack on Mike Pence. Buttegieg is the mayor of South Bend, which happens to be in the state of Indiana. Before becoming Donald Trumps vice president, Mike Pence was the governor of that state. The two knew each other, and while I doubt they shared a beer and a Chick-fil-A sandwich on weekends, they clearly had open lines of communication. Thats why what Mayor Pete did to former Governor Mike is pretty cowardly, disrespectful and an example that the toxic fumes of identity politics have infected even the most rational and well-meaning Democrats. The not-yet-announced-married-to-a-man-chicken-eating-scholar-warrior-presidential hopeful-guy criticized the notoriously-conservative-Christian-not-on-board-with-the-LGBT-agenda-second-in-line-to-Trump guy by implying that he was a bigot and un-Christian for not supporting gay marriage, or any other aspect of the LGBT lifestyle. In noting that his marriage to his husband, Chasten, made him more spiritual (which is fine) he took a hit at Pence (which is not fine:) Thats the thing that I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand. That if you have a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator. That holier-than-thou attitude is rich, particularly since Pence has been nothing but complimentary of Buttegieg the man. Apparently, though, if you can get a few political points by throwing a friend under the bus, you do it. Thats the Democratic way. I know that people will remind me about Pences support for gay conversion therapy, which is unfortunate and which no one should support, even in the name of religious freedom. Its pretty well established that you cannot pray the gay away. But it is obvious that Mayor Pete, that sweet and charming hail fellow well met who says all the right things and packages himself as a tolerant friendly guy, is really a charlatan when it comes to respecting religious differences. If you happen to belong to a faith that tells you traditional marriage and nuclear families are the path to God, you are uniformly considered a bigot and unworthy of respect. Heck, forget about respect. Youre not even worthy of being left alone. The point is this: Pete Buttegieg is perfectly entitled to talk about how wonderful it is that he finally accepted his homosexuality, and how that makes him a better person. Good for him. What he is not entitled to do is play the Im A Better Christian Than Thou game, one that conservatives have always been accused of playing, and get a pat on the back for his tolerance. Hes not tolerant. Hes not even particularly courageous. In fact, he has something in common with that sandwich he kind of likes. SALT LAKE CITY The viral sensation Old Town Road by Lil Nas X is officially making an impact in the country music scene. Billboard reports that the song debuted at No. 53 on the Country Airplay chart, receiving an audience gain of 2,655% in week-over-week. The country airplay chart measures both the number of times a song was played on a country radio station and the projected audience that the song has reached, according to Uproxx. The song has a 1 million audience from 140 plays on 35 reports, which account for 148 different stations, according to Billboard. Almost all the plays for song occur during the daytime drive. Billboard reports that 78 plays came from Friday to Sunday after a remix of the song with Billy Ray Cyrus dropped last week. A station in Wisconsin, WMAD, played the song 14 times between 6 a.m. and midnight during the past week, according to Billboard. WMAD program director Katie Kruz said the station loves the Billy Ray Cyrus remix for country listeners. "If it's country enough for Billy Ray Cyrus, it's country enough for me," she said. "The rest of the (country panel) might not be playing it, but they have it stuck in their heads as they read this." "It's fun. It's 2019. Listener response over the weekend has been positive, for the most part. We posted it on our socials and, just like anything, there are some naysayers, but most people are loving the song and telling us that they cannot get it out of their heads." The song, which skyrocketed after being played on the app TikTok, already reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Flashback: Last week, Rolling Stone reported that Billboard yanked the song from country charts because the song which blends hip hop and country wasnt country enough. Billboard did not announce the decision publicly. However, it released a statement to Rolling Stone, which said, upon further review, it was determined that Old Town Road by Lil Nas X does not currently merit inclusion on Billboards country charts. When determining genres, a few factors are examined, but first and foremost is musical composition. While Old Town Road incorporates references to country and cowboy imagery, it does not embrace enough elements of todays country music to chart in its current version. Cyrus, who released a remix on April 9, said the song is definitely a country one, according to The Washington Post. I loved the song the first time I heard it. Country music fans decide what they like. Not critics or anyone else, Cyrus said in a statement, according to The Washington Post. Waylon Jennings once told me every once in a while the industry outlaws someone because theyre different. Country music fans dont need to be defined by critics. Ive always said, dont think inside the box, dont think outside the box. Think like there is no box. So, Im honored to collaborate with Lil Nas X on Old Town Road.'" Regardless of its staying power as a country song, the popular hit flirts between country and hip-hop, according to The Atlantic. But, because of its popularity, Old Town Road proves that the genre of pop is always changing. According to The Atlantic, the song breaks down walls and opens doors to new types of content. Its a sign that pop, hip-hop and country can always change. SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City Councilwoman Erin Mendenhall is set to launch her campaign for mayor Sunday, entering a field of candidates now teeming with at least 10 hopefuls. Mendenhall, after spending six years on the City Council and a handful of community councils, says it's her leadership experience that sets her apart from the other candidates. "I know how to make hard decisions at the city, how to bring the community into that conversation, and how to take bold steps to get us where we need to as a city," Mendenhall told the Deseret News in an interview Saturday. "And I have a history of doing that." Whether it was the controversy surrounding the siting of the homeless resource centers, the decision to raise sales taxes last year, or the fight over the Utah Inland Port Authority, Mendenhall has been in the thick of it all and she says that shows what kind of leader she'd be as mayor. "It's hard to site homeless resource centers. It's hard to raise taxes. It's hard to make impacts in the community. It's also wonderful to make impacts in the community, and I've had almost six years of experience working with the community to make the kind of changes we need to get to where we want to be," Mendenhall said. Asked if those tough issues could hurt her campaign, Mendenhall said it's a "harder battle" to prove a track record without any evidence but now she has the record to show "what kind of leader I am." The most recent hot-button issue at City Hall has been the state-versus-city war over the Utah Inland Port Authority. After Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski halted negotiations when she said it became apparent the state had no intentions to return the city's municipal powers, Mendenhall as Council chairwoman stepped in to keep the city at the negotiating table. "We had scorched earth with the state, and they were rolling ahead with an atrocious piece of legislation that I made a seat for the table for our residents," Mendenhall said. "That legislation still isn't perfect, but as long as there is a conversation about the inland port, I want a seat at that table." The day before her campaign launch slated for 3 p.m. Sunday at the Salt Lake Center for Science Education, 1440 W. Goodwin Avenue Mendenhall mingled with fellow Democrats on Saturday at the Salt Lake County Democratic Party convention at Butler Middle School. Like other candidates, Mendenhall set up a booth with campaign signs to lobby for votes joining a race that's already months in, even though the primary election is still about four months away. The filing period doesn't even close until June. Up against other heavy hitters including current and former state lawmakers, Mendenhall points to her "hands-on experience that other candidates don't have." As chairwoman of the state's Air Quality Board and co-founder of Breathe Utah, Mendenhall said air quality is the "lens" that guides all of her decision making. "That's my bread and butter," she said. She said her focus through that air quality lens will be on further expanding affordable housing and transportation while building a strong economy with an emphasis on the tech industry. She said if she wins the mayoral seat, she'll push for Salt Lake City to step into the tech arena an area she said Utah's capital has been missing out on because it doesn't have an "ecosystem to exist in Salt Lake City's economy." "We've watched technology slip through our fingers," Mendenhall said. "We have an opportunity to not take from Silicon Slopes, but to catch and cultivate that talent here in Salt Lake City and create that lifespan of opportunity for the tech industry that is right now going everywhere else in the state but here." Mendenhall also highlighted her role in helping to improve city streets after she helped push for voters approval of the $87 million bond to invest in city roads, as well as a proposal to put $21 million of city funds towards affordable housing efforts. Other candidates include Sen. Luz Escamilla; former Sen. Jim Dabakis; former Salt Lake City Councilman Stan Penfold; Christian Harrison, former Downtown Community Council chairman; businessman David Ibarra; and David Garbett, former executive director of the Pioneer Park Coalition. Aaron Johnson, a veteran; Richard Goldberger, a freelance journalist; and former Salt Lake City Council candidate Carol Rogozinski have also opened personal campaign committees. SAN DIEGO A federal appeals court put a judge's order on hold Friday shortly before it would have stopped the Trump administration from forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases move through U.S. courts. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked the lower court ruling from taking effect. The three-judge panel set a Tuesday deadline for civil liberties groups to submit arguments on why the asylum policy should be on hold and a Wednesday deadline for the government to argue why it should remain in place. Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco ruled Monday to halt the unprecedented change to the U.S. asylum system while the groups' lawsuit moves forward. He said the policy violates U.S. law by failing to evaluate dangers migrants face in Mexico. The government called the ruling erroneous and said it endangers the public during a humanitarian crisis at the southern border. It wants the 9th Circuit to keep the policy in place while the lawsuit is litigated, which is expected to take months and possibly years. Immigration attorneys argued that the policy was putting the lives of asylum seekers at risk by forcing them to wait in violence-plagued Mexico and said Seeborg's ruling was already having an effect. Since the judge issued his order, immigration officials stopped returning asylum seekers south of the border after they attended their hearings in the United States, lawyers said. "I haven't heard of anyone who's been sent back since the judge's order on Monday," American Civil Liberties Union attorney Judy Rabinovitz said. She added later that she was hopeful Seeborg's ruling will go into effect in the end. The order marked another defeat to President Donald Trump's intent to radically alter U.S. immigration policies. Families seeking asylum typically have been released in the U.S. with notices to appear in court. The new policy started in January at the nation's busiest border crossing in San Diego and the government was starting to expand it. At a Wednesday hearing in El Paso, Texas, Nicolas Palazzo, an attorney for Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, told a judge that his Salvadoran client feared returning to Mexico. The man was allowed to remain in the United States, signaling a change in the practice. The Mexican government says more than 1,300 people were returned to Mexico under the program. A lawsuit by 11 Central Americans and legal advocacy groups argues that the policy puts the lives of asylum seekers at risk by forcing them to stay in Mexico, where crime and drug violence are prevalent. 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. ___ Melley reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat in El Paso contributed to this report. SALT LAKE CITY Speed and inexperience may have contributed to a fatal motorcycle crash in Davis County on Saturday, according to the Utah Highway Patrol. About 5:10 p.m., a motorcycle rider went off the Legacy Parkway and crashed into a power box, said UHP Sgt. Jacob Cox. There were no witnesses to the crash. Cox said a nearby resident heard the crash, looked out the window, "saw a cloud of dust" and called 911. The rider, Michael Frederickson, 36, was pronounced dead at the scene. Cox said the man did not have a motorcycle endorsement, meaning he had not completed a rider safety course. Based on preliminary investigation, he said speed may also have been a factor. PARK CITY A drunken argument between two brothers at a Summit County ski resort hotel ended in gunfire and one man injured early Sunday. Christopher Leahy Head, 32, of South Jordan, was booked into the Summit County Jail about 3 a.m. for investigation of attempted murder, two counts of felony discharge of a firearm, five counts of reckless endangerment, three counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, carrying a weapon while under the influence of alcohol, and intoxication Summit County Sheriff's deputies and Park City police were called to the Westgate Hotel, 3000 W. Canyons Resort Drive, by Head's 35-year-old brother who reported that "Christopher Head shot at him multiple times, striking him once in the right buttocks," according to a Summit County Jail report. The brother was taken to a hospital in Salt Lake City to be treated for his injury. Police went to the room where Head was staying and took him into custody without incident, the report states. "While in the hotel room I observed a handgun on the living room table, two spent shell casings as well as a bullet hole on the wall next to the washing machine. I also observed several droplets of blood on the floor in the living room," the arresting deputy noted in the report. Investigators interviewing witnesses learned that Head and his brother were arguing because the brother wanted to leave, the report states. All adults in the room were drinking at the time, according to the report. That's when "Christopher pulled out a gun and began shooting," according to the report. Several children, ages 14, 2 and 3 weeks, were asleep or nearby when the shots were fired, the report states. Head does not have any significant criminal history in Utah, according to court records. He was being held Sunday on $100,000 bail. CAIRO Organizers of the protests in Sudan that forced longtime President Omar al-Bashir from office held a second day of talks Sunday with the ruling military council after urging the military to "immediately and unconditionally" hand power to a transitional civilian government that would rule for four years. Omer el-Digair, leader of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party, told the protests at a sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum after Saturday's meeting that the atmosphere had been "positive." He said talks would focus on submitting the organizers' demands and transition plan, and that they are calling for dissolving al-Bashir's ruling National Congress Party. "We demanded restructuring the current security apparatus," el-Digair said. "We do not need a security apparatus that detains people and shuts off newspapers." Following the talks, an army spokesman said the military council had begun to overhaul the security organizations and that the political opposition would be allowed to name a civilian prime minister and Cabinet, but not a president. In televised remarks, Lt. Gen. Shamseldin Kibashi also said the military would not break up the demonstrations that have continued outside the military headquarters. These moves were unlikely to satisfy protesters' demands for full civilian rule. The Sudanese Professionals Association, which has spearheaded the protests, posted a nine-point list of demands earlier in the day. The list includes prosecuting those behind the Islamist-backed military coup in 1989, disbanding all pro-government unions, freezing the assets of top officials in al-Bashir's government and dismissing all top judges and prosecutors. The political parties and movements behind the four months of protests said in a joint statement late Saturday that they will remain in the streets until their demands are met. They said the handover to civilian rule would be the "first step toward the fall of the regime." The army has appointed a military council that it says will rule for two years or less while elections are being organized. The council met Saturday with a delegation of protest organizers. The military overthrew al-Bashir on Thursday, ending his nearly 30-year reign and placing him under house arrest in the capital, Khartoum. The protesters fear that the military, which is dominated by al-Bashir appointees, will cling to power or select one of its own to succeed him. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates meanwhile issued statements in support of Sudan's transitional military council. Saudi Arabia said it "stands by the Sudanese people" and called on all Sudanese "to give priority to the national interest" of their country. The UAE called on the Sudanese "to work for protecting legitimacy and ensuring a peaceful transfer of power." Saudi King Salman ordered an unspecified package of aid for Sudan that includes petroleum products, wheat and medicine. In separate statements issued late Saturday, Saudi Arabia and the UAE specifically expressed support for Sudan's transitional council formed by the military. The UAE said it welcomed the swearing-in of Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan on Friday as head of that council. Burhan assumed leadership of the military council the day after al-Bashir's ouster after protesters objected to its being led by Gen. Awad ibn Ouf, who was seen as being too close to al-Bashir. The military announced Sunday that ibn Ouf had retired. In remarks broadcast on state TV, Burhan said Saturday the council has invited "all spectrums of Sudanese people for dialogue." He said he was lifting the nighttime curfew imposed Thursday, which was to last for a month, and declared the immediate release of all those detained and tried during the wave of unrest that began in December. Al-Bashir imposed a state of emergency in February, banning unauthorized public gatherings and granting sweeping powers to the police in an effort to quash the protests. Dozens of people were killed in clashes between police and protesters, and hundreds were tried before emergency courts. The protesters have modeled their movement on the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011 that swept leaders from power in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen. They have incorporated many of its slogans, and established a sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum earlier this month. Those uprisings left a mixed legacy, with only Tunisia emerging as a democracy. In Egypt, the military overthrew an elected but divisive Islamist president in 2013 and authorities have since cracked down hard on dissent. Yemen slid into civil war, and Libya is on the verge of another major conflict as militias fight for control of the capital, Tripoli. HARRISVILLE, Weber County A 28-year-old man who was shot by Harrisville police after allegedly refusing to drop two knives he was holding was shot nine times, according to a search warrant affidavit. On March 23, officers from Harrisville, Pleasant View and North Ogden police responded to a domestic violence call at 2510 N. Charleston Ave. According to a search warrant filed in 2nd District Court and body camera videofrom an officer recently released by Harrisville police, the first arriving officers found the front door slightly ajar and noted it appeared to be damaged. When the officers opened the door, a knife was visible on the floor. The officers then called out to see if anyone was inside, according to the video. After a few moments, Jamal Samuel Bell comes out from a hallway holding a knife in each hand and begins walking toward the officers. The officers are seen in the video using a Taser, which does not work. An officer then warns Bell several times that he will shoot him if doesn't drop the knives and continues to advance on the officers. Three officers fired at least 15 shots in quick succession, according to police. The newly unsealed search warrant affidavit states "Jamal had received at least nine gunshot wounds in and around his body. "These wounds were to, but are not limited to: the left arm and hand, upper and lower abdomen, right upper and lower leg, and right foot," the warrant states. As of Sunday, Bell, who at last word was still in the hospital, had not been charged. Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting the YWCA's Women in Jeopardy program at 801-537-8600, or the confidential statewide Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online at udvc.org. UTAH STATE PRISON In 1999, Natalie Golub was emotional as she pleaded with a judge to give her husband's killer life in prison without the possibility of parole. "You took my baby's father, and you took my husband, and I'll never forgive you for that," she told Russell Eugene Bisner during sentencing. Last week, as Golub, who has since re-married and is now Natalie Brown, addressed a member of the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole during Bisner's first parole hearing, it was evident that her emotional wounds were still as fresh as they were 20 years ago. "I am begging you from the bottom of my heart, please dont let him out, Brown said in tears, in a recording of the April 9 hearing. "Hes a monster. Hes a horrible individual." On Jan. 6, 1999, Bisner, then 19, and three friends met Darby Golub, 19, in a Smith's store parking lot, 2039 E. 9400 South, in Sandy, allegedly to settle a drug debt. Bisner and Golub were friends. Golub showed up at the parking lot with a rifle which his family claimed he was going to give to Bisner as collateral for the $350 he owed him. At some point during the confrontation, Bisner picked up the rifle and fired six rounds at Golub as he was running away and trying to get back into his truck. One round struck Golub in the back of his head, killing him. Bisner was convicted of murder and aggravated robbery, both first-degree felonies, and sentenced to a combined 11 years to life in prison. At the time of the shooting, Brown was 17 and just two months earlier had given birth to Golub's child. At Bisner's parole hearing, Cameron Golub addressed the board. "My dad was taken from me when I was 2 months old. Him being 19, he was not given the chance to live. He was not given the chance to make better choices and start his life with his family, he said. "Just because you had the nerve to pick up a gun that wasnt even yours and pull the trigger. Not once, not twice, but six times. "The only way I could see my dad was at a graveyard or in pictures. I never got the chance to know him," Golub continued. "I never even got to call him dad." Golub does not believe Bisner can blame drugs or youth for his actions, and does not believe he should be paroled. "Hopefully you can sit and think about it just like I do, every single day of my life, he said. Likewise, an emotional Brown began her comments when she took her seat behind Bisner by stating, "I dont even like looking at the back of his head." Brown said she raised her children to never use the word "hate" because of the weight it carries. "I always told them, Dont say that you hate somebody unless you really actually hate them or hate something. And I hate that man. I hate him from the bottom of my heart, she told parole board member Clark Harms of Bisner. Inmates are not allowed to look at victims or their families while they are talking. Brown said she wished Bisner could turn around and see her son and how much he looks like his father and that "that face would haunt him for rest of his life." When it was his turn to talk, Bisner, now 40, said it was "excruciating" to hear the words of Darby Golub's family. He said the hardest part was knowing that Cameron someone he held when he was an infant had to grow up without a father. "What on earth was going through your mind?" Harms asked Bisner about his decision to shoot when Golub was already running away. Bisner, who had taken LSD, marijuana and alcohol that night, said everything happened so fast that he still doesn't understand why he did it, only that anger and adrenaline took over. "I cant say what possessed me to pick up the gun and fire, whether it was anger, frustration, fear. I dont know what my motivations were. I have a hard time even understanding even now. But I repeatedly fired until the gun was empty, he said. "Theres never a day that doesnt go by that I dont think about all the pain Ive caused. My choices that night were purely selfish. "I dont think in my heart I meant to kill him. It was just a very, very bad situation that went wrong real quick, he said. "Honestly, Ive pondered that this whole time. I never have understood why I did it, why I began pulling the trigger." Bisner said he was raised in a good home, but starting at age 13 he found himself frequently in juvenile court. "I dont know why that I chose to disregard all my family values that my mother instilled. But I think it was pure selfishness and greed, he said. Today, Bisner points to his successes while in prison, and told Harms he is a better person because of the lessons he has learned while incarcerated. "Im hoping theres redemption, he said. "I want to be able to show (my family) that all their love of me isnt lost. That I can still be a human being and make the right choices in the wrong situations." Harms called the decision the board has to make "very weighty." The full five member board is expected to decide whether to grant parole or schedule another hearing by the end of the month. SALT LAKE CITY As the annual Utah Education Association convention fades away, some Utah school districts are looking at eliminating or shortening their fall breaks. Calendar changes reflect other requests such as a push by families to end the school year by Memorial Day or lengthen other school breaks. After voting to take a break from its annual convention in 2018, UEA leaders took a year to consider alternatives in the face of declining attendance at the fall meeting. UEA President Heidi Matthews said the board of directors took a hard look at "meeting the needs of members and being responsive to what they need." What they needed most, Matthews said, was an opportunity to rest and recharge, a point buttressed by a Utah Education Policy Center report that identified emotional exhaustion, stress and burnout as top reasons teachers leave the profession. "We listened," Matthews said. The board decided to no longer conduct its annual convention but is planning regional activities and using technology to reach its members. With the fall convention off the table, some school districts have considered eliminating or shortening what in most Wasatch Front districts has been a two-day break from school. The Granite School Board recently adopted a calendar for the 2020-21 school year that has no fall recess, although there is one Friday in October that students are excused from attendance. The board considered two options presented by it calendar committee. More than 10,000 people responded to the district's preference survey. In the past, Granite District had a shorter spring break than other districts and there has been pushback about that, said Granite School District spokesman Ben Horsley. Many respondents want the school year to end by Memorial Day. The way the proposed 2020-21 calendar worked out, school was scheduled the Monday and Tuesday before the start of the winter break. For that year, at least, it made more sense to forego a two-day fall break and instead give teachers and student two full weeks off for winter recess. "I think our board is open to having fall breaks in the future. It seemed convenient on that year's calendar we were working on," he said. For the 2020-21 academic year at least, the district plans some outreach so families accustomed to the two-day break understand there will be only one school day in October 2020 that student attendance is not required. Earlier this week, the Salt Lake City Board of Education reviewed proposed academic calendars for years through the 2022-23 school year. According to a districtwide survey, the preferred options for the three academic years had no fall breaks but included a two-week winter recess, a week off for spring break with a late August start and completion of the school year in early June. However, school communities were not presented a calendar option that included a fall break. Board member Kristi Swett said the three options presented to patrons stirred "a really great conversation in all my schools. What kept coming up was, 'Why wasn't there a fall break. Why wasn't it on any of the options?' " Board member Michael Nemelka said 14,000 people expressed preference for Option 1 each of the three years, which had no fall break and an earlier end to the school year. "What's two lousy, stinking days? I can't believe it. It's beginning to get ridiculous, I'm sorry," he said. The board voted 6-1 to reject the proposed calendars; reassemble the calendar committee and request options that includes a fall break. Nemelka voted against the motion. Attendance at the Utah Education Association has suffered a slow erosion, said Matthews. Over the years, school districts' changes to fall break schedules made it impossible for those educators to attend the UEA convention because they weren't uniform statewide. Historically, the convention was a key provider of professional development for teachers. School districts paid teachers for at least one day of the two-day event. Over time that changed, too. In 2007, even calling the fall break "UEA weekend" went to the wayside after the Utah Legislature passed a bill that "prohibits school calendars and publications from referring to the name of any teacher organization in reference to any break in the school calendar." Yangyang Zhou and Quan Jiang studying in the US on student visas reportedly scammed Apple by submitting over thousands of fake iPhones and getting them replaced under Apples warranty scheme. Two engineering students in the US reportedly swindled Apple out of thousands of dollars. As per a report by The Oregonian, two students named Yangyang Zhou and Quan Jiang imported thousands of fake Apple iPhones and sent them to Apple for replacement. The two apparently received the counterfeit iPhone shipments from China and sent them back to Apple again after getting them replaced from Apple by stating that they wouldn't power on, exploiting the companys replacement warranty policy. Zhou and Jiangs contact in China sold the original iPhones off at a standard price and paid a cut of the profit to them. As per the report, Federal agents in Portland commenced investigating the import of counterfeit shipments in April 2017, after the U.S Customs and Border Protection seized five such shipments from Hong Kong. A Homeland Security agent identified Jiang as one of the alleged importers of fake phones and interviewed him. Jiang reportedly denied knowing that the phones were knock-offs and said that he received 20 to 30 iPhones regularly from his associate in China and submitted them as they didnt turn on and sent the repaired phones back to him. His associate back in China paid Jiangs mother in lieu of his labor and efforts, who deposited it in an account that the student accessed from the US. Jiang is said to have submitted 2,000 units in 2017 to Apple for warranty repairs, sometimes by walking into an Apple store and at times by raising service support online and shipping it to Apple. Adrian Punderson, an Apple representative, said that the company checks every device for authenticity before performing repairs and sometimes rejects them if they are not genuine, the report states. Jiang apparently had 3,069 iPhone warranty claims by either his name, email, address or IP address, all citing the reason that the device wouldn't power on. Apple replaced 1,493 of these phones and rejected the rest, which reportedly cost the company $895,800 (Rs 6 crores approx). Apples engineers were unable to find out whether the devices were fake since they wouldnt power on, the report states. As The Verge points out, Apple apparently doesnt ask for proof of purchase. Additionally, the company sent Jiang cease-and-desist notices to Jiangs address, to which he didnt respond. Jiang reportedly said that he never received any notification from Apple that the phones being returned by him were counterfeit. Both Zhou and Jian remain out of custody. Zhou recently completed his engineering at the Oregon State University and appeared before the U.S. District Court in Portland. Jiang is being monitored by GPS. Jiang was studying engineering last spring at Linn Benton Community College. This is not the first time someone has tried to con a conglomerate into shelling out money. A previous report claimed that a Lithuanian man duped Google and Facebook by producing fake invoices. The companies paid up the fake invoices worth $122 million without realising that the invoices listed things they didnt even order. Related Reads: Man steals $122 million from Google and Facebook by producing fake invoices Man steals $122 million from Google and Facebook by producing fake invoices Microsoft has revealed that hackers had access to some Outlook email accounts, leaving email addresses, folder names, and subject lines of emails vulnerable. Microsoft has revealed that Outlook.com was compromised for almost 3 months - January 1 to March 28, 2019 - giving hackers unauthorised access to email accounts. The Redmond-based tech giant has revealed that a support agents credentials were compromised for its web mail service enabling individuals outside of Microsoft to access email accounts. The company says that hackers could access email addresses, contacts, folder names and subject lines of emails. The contents of emails as well as attachments were not accessible though, the company said in a statement to The Verge. Microsoft says that it immediately disabled the compromised credentials once it found out about the breach. The company has not revealed details of how many accounts were compromised and how the accessed information was used. The company has warned users saying, As a result, you may be receiving phishing emails or other spam mail. Users have been warned not to open emails from any misleading domain names and to keep their financial information safe in case a dubious email asks for it. The Microsoft statement goes on to say that users current login credentials have not been affected by the breach. However, users are advised to change their passwords to remain out of caution. The company has also started notifying some users whose email addresses were compromised. Please be assured that Microsoft takes data protection very seriously and has engaged its internal security and privacy teams in the investigation and resolution of the issue, as well as additional hardening of systems and processes to prevent such recurrence, said the company. The latest incident comes close on the heels of a security researcher pleading guilty to hacking into Microsoft and Nintendo. A 24-year old researcher gained access to Microsofts servers in 2017 using stolen company credentials. He then remotely accessed Microsofts networks for three weeks by uploading a web shell. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau said that the company's TV project has come the furthest till date. He called it a smart display and highlighted that the remote is outdated. OnePlus is looking to expand beyond smartphones. Last we heard from the company about a new product line was back in September 2018 when the OnePlus TV was first teased. This was quickly followed by a contest where the company asked fans to name the OnePlus TV in return for some prizes. However, since then, there has been little news of the OnePlus TV or any other non-smartphone product that the company might be working on. Fast forward to now and speaking to students of the European Institute of Design (IED) at Milan, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has revealed a number of interesting future plans and a general direction that the company is hoping to grow in. At the event, Lau spoke about foldable smartphones and that OnePlus does not see them as viable products right now. According to him, foldable phones provide no new functionality over existing smartphones and that even though foldable screens have potential, they are not suited to the smartphone space. Lau explained that the screen curvature on these phones is too wide and they are too thick. For the time being, OnePlus wants to steer clear of foldable phones and Lau said that the company would get there eventually, but not just yet. Lau then went on to detail OnePlus' TV plans. The CEO said that the TV space has not seen any innovation in the past 20 years and that he prefers calling the OnePlus TV a "smart display". According to Lau, remote controls are dated and that he imagines a screen that is always ready and anticipates a user's needs. Here, Lau injected the cocept of Artificial Intelligence, saying that the same would make things more intiutive. OnePlus is working towards bringing AI to its televisions but Lau said it is too early to reveal any concrete information. On OnePlus' automotive plans, Lau said that the company would not want to build cars, but instead, it is interested in the in-car technology space. Lau specifically said that the company could look at possibilities around a super virtual assistant keeping 5G connectivity in mind. In terms of office gadgets, Lau did not really reveal much, but he said that OnePlus is looking to enter that space and that PCs are a fundamental piece in a cloud connected era. Source The Most Extensive and Reliable Source of Information Related to the Mexican Drugs Cartels. You will not find this level of coverage anywhere else, join us! Send information, pictures or videos, you remain 100% anonymous. Envia fotos, videos, notas, enlaces o informacion todo 100% Anonimo. Borderland Beat? We love to have you in our team, send Sol Prendido or HEARST an email! Want to be a contributor or citizen reporter forBorderland Beat?We love to have you in our team, sendoran email! WARNING: Posts may contain strong violent material, discretion is advised. COMMENTS: We do not publish all comments, and we do not publish comments immediately. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. CLOVIS A joint investigation between local and federal law enforcement agencies resulted in the arrest since Tuesday of nine out of 11 people with warrants related to illegal narcotics and firearms, according to a Clovis police news release. Clovis Police Chief Doug Ford announced Friday evening that Operation Street Sweeper commenced around 6 a.m. on April 9. He said it involved CPD, Portales Police Department, the Region V Narcotic Task Force, New Mexico State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Office and the Office of U.S. Customers Air and Marine Operations. Ford declined to specify names and charges, citing the ongoing investigation which is still taking place with the agents. PORTALES - What was once Douglas and Cheryl Walker's home now looks like "another planet" after the fire. That was the latter's impression after visiting their scorched land Thursday as residents continue to take stock of the disaster in the area a day earlier. At least three people were injured, four homes were lost and 1,800 acres were burnt Wednesday in eastern New Mexico as strong winds once again ripped through the region. Much of the damage was in Roosevelt County, where the "267 Fire" began that afternoon about eight miles southwest of Portales and "burned within about two miles of the city limits," according to the city's fire chief. "The fire was so hot it just basically scalped the ground of any vegetation," Gary Nuckols told The News. "It left nothing but sand, and with the winds we had (Wednesday), between the smoke and the sand the visibility was maybe six feet." Firefighters from across Curry and Roosevelt counties and others from as far as Lincoln County worked alongside dirt-moving equipment and had the fire under control within about three hours from its 1 p.m. inception. Officials said the cause is still under investigation. "We were jumping from one thing to another that day and have to go back and revisit them," Clovis Fire Chief Mike Nolen told The News on Friday. "No matter what the cause of the fires, definitely the excessive winds fanned the fires to make them worse." The 267 Fire "completely destroyed" four structures "that were occupied homes," said Nuckols, who was unsure exactly how many other residents evacuated their properties nearby. In Portales, two buildings were designated as emergency shelter sites, but organizers said only a few families came inside either location. Officials speculated that others found relief with friends and family in nearby safe places. Cheryl Walker said she was visiting her mother in Clovis when her husband Douglas had to evacuate himself and their two cats from their longtime residence on South Roosevelt Road Y, which was one of the four homes destroyed in the fire. "I should be more upset, but it's just my personality," she told The News on Thursday evening. "If (Douglas Walker) had fallen, I can't think about that. ... Everything else is replaceable." The Walkers were staying at a motel in Portales that evening and Cheryl sat down in the lobby with American Red Cross volunteers offering blankets, supplies and other support in the wake of the disaster. Cheryl Walker said she "really never imagined a fire" at their property since her husband, a Vietnam veteran and retired soil conservation service employee, "always kept the range grass mowed." The couple were in talks Thursday with their insurance provider, Cheryl Walker said, but certain items like photographs and other "memories" were irretrievably lost. The house dates back to 1947 and the two had lived there since 1991. Tim Mitchell also met Thursday evening with Red Cross representatives. He said he spent at least two hours Wednesday afternoon trying to fight back the blaze from his own property on SRRY, but ultimately had to flee with his dog Dexter once the fire began to consume his house. Before that, Mitchell said he wore eye goggles and multiple face masks trying to pile dirt or douse water on advancing flames. All the while he took periodic calls from friends urging him to leave sooner and get himself to safety. Mitchell told The News he stayed because he thought he had a chance at holding it off. "I was running on pure adrenaline the whole time," he said. Mitchell was treated briefly for smoke inhalation - one of two injuries Nuckols identified from the fire - and also used a nebulizer loaned to him Wednesday night by a friend. He visited a clinic Thursday morning for more treatment and said that evening he was feeling "right as rain." Samuel Bernal, co-captain of ARC's Disaster Assistance Team for Curry/Roosevelt county, told The News on Thursday that the agency was still waiting to be contacted by individuals from the two other homes destroyed in the fire. In addition to the homes owned by Mitchell and the Walkers on SRRY, Nuckols said one home each was lost on SRRW and at Moore's Manor. All four locations are between New Mexico 267 (after which the fire is named) and SRR6, and all residents evacuated in time, he said. One firefighter "sustained some minor burns to his nose and one cheekbone," but was treated and released "in about an hour," Nuckols said. At least one other injury was identified from almost the same time Wednesday in Clovis, when a woman drove her car into a truck near the bottom of the New Mexico 467 overpass. That collision occurred at 2:21 p.m. and was attributed to "no visibility" from blowing sand, officials said. The road was closed there between Brady and U.S. 60/70/84 until about 6 p.m. Nolen said the driver was transported from the scene with what was "considered a serious injury at that time," but he did not have an update on her condition on Friday morning. Moments after that collision, Nolen himself joined other responders from agencies including Texico, Melrose and Cannon Air Force Base to attend to the 267 Fire. One Clovis fire engine lost a bottom radiator hose while attempting to reach that fire on the west side and was out of commission the rest of that day. Shortly prior, a Curry County Sheriff vehicle responding to the crash at NM 467 "was exposed to substantial amounts of blowing dirt during the wind storm, which caused some engine malfunction," Sheriff Wesley Waller told The News. For Clovis firefighters, their day's activity kicked off earlier Wednesday afternoon with five units dispatched just before 1 p.m. to a fire at a dairy on the 1300 block of Curry Road 7. There were no injuries there or livestock killed, Nolen said, but there may have been some "hot-footed cows out there for a while." Nuckols said the 267 Fire on Wednesday was among the most significant he's seen in over 20 years. "I've seen about four fires like this in my career," he said. "This magnitude, with the dynamics we saw on this fire and the absolute danger that it presented not only to the first responders but to the civilians that lived in the area." It may have taken three hours to get the 267 Fire substantially controlled, but responders were on scene well into that night and witnesses reported seeing scattered, isolated burns among the ruins even into Thursday. "We're slowly getting it back together. I think everybody is still trying to get the dirt out of them," Nolen said. "It's been pure hell trying to get the cow poop out of my eyes since (Wednesday) night." Most Americans are happy with their current insurance, but they may have no idea what it is costing them Let me start with some truisms. America cannot go on being the only rich country on earth that lets tens of millions of its citizens go without insurance or enough health insurance. We cannot go on spending more on health care than any other nation by a mile while receiving far worse results. From almost any angle, a snapshot of Americans health care system is vile: Now, Im going to get controversial. I agree with Bernie Sanders that #MedicareForAll is a moral and economic necessity. But I see two huge flaws in how this necessary transformation of our health care system is being sold. Shaming people as soulless defenders of private insurers, even when they are people with disabilities whose life is at stake whenever there is any change to how medical care is provide, does little win over new converts. I share your antipathy toward insurers, as do millions of Americans who have personally confronted a bureaucracy more concerned with dollars than lives. But the uninsured, the sick, and those of us who have been abused by the industry dont need to be won over. The tens of millions of Americans with employer-provided insurance do. Medicare for All polls well, 56% of Americans at least somewhat favored it in a January Kaiser Foundation poll. And any crowd of progressives erupts in joy at the mere mention of these three words. But you know what polls even better than Medicare for All? The insurance people have now. At least three in four Americans have consistently rated the quality of their healthcare positively, ranging from 76% to 83%, over the past 18 years, Gallup reported in December of last year. Smaller majorities have described their coverage as excellent or good since 2001, ranging from 63% to 72%. Know what polls about as well as peoples current health insurance, according to a recent Kaiser Foundation poll? Various plans that allow people buy into Medicare. Donald Trump says he wants to make 2020 about health care. His plan will be some version of every GOP health care plan which have almost all cut $1.5 trillion from Medicare and Medicaid while uninsuring nearly 20 million and allowing insurers to price people with pre-exisiting conditions out of the market. Basically, this is the before Obamacare but worse plan. The basic Democratic premise that won the 2018 elections was keep the ACA and improve it. Adding the ability for some or all Americans to buy into Medicare is a vast improvement over the current system. The Medicare for America proposal, for instance, would be a massive improvement to the current system. It goes beyond a public option, which only would be available for Americans who buy insurance in the state marketplaces, to offer Medicare to anyone, including employers. Enacting this massive reform would be a historic victory given the hundreds of millions private insurers will spend to stop it. Insurers will be spending even more to take a strong Medicare for All proposal, which would make private insurance all but irrelevant, off the table. This is why the argument for a true remaking of our health care system has to be the best political campaign of our lifetime. It has to sell people on giving up something most people are quite happy with employer insurance. Fortunately, this argument should not be tough if we focus on the security, dignity and freedom Medicare for All provides all of which are the exact opposite of what employer-provided insurance offers. The premiums we pay have to be uncovered and revealed for the wage-consuming tax they are. Employer-sponsored insurance premiums have jumped dramatically in the last 20 years, from almost $6,000 in 1999 to more than $18,000 in 2016, Marketwatch reported. That means our premiums have tripled while our wages have remained stagnant. You havent got a raise in decades because your raises went to your health insurer. Meanwhile, theres a pretty good chance you wont even have the plan youre overpaying for next year. Beyond surviving Trumps criminal authoritarianism, health care is the issue of our time. If the Democratic Party doesnt find a way to remove the holes, failings, and cruelties of our health care system which were diminished but in no way removed by the Affordable Care Act it will not survive. The rising costs of insurance which undermine any hope of economic stability understated cause of the continual decline of American life expectancy. This dire situation makes it easy to relate with those who are disgusted by anyone who is willing to settle for less than Medicare for All right now. But disgust and poll numbers arent enough. We need to prove that people will be better off without their employer-provided insurance. And any argument about the future of our health care system must prioritize the concerns of Americans with disabilities and pre-exisiting conditions who have the most to lose if the changes do not go well. To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet - a "portal" that hams think of as the first place to go for information, to exchange ideas, and be part of whats happening with ham radio on the Internet. eHam.net provides recognition and enjoyment to the people who use, contribute, and build the site. This project involves a management team of volunteers who each take a topic of interest and manage it with passion. The site will stand above all other ham radio sites by employing the latest technology and professional design/programming standards, developed by a team of community programmers who contribute their skills to the effort. The site will be something of which everyone involved can be proud to say they were a part. We welcome your comments. The eHam.net Team, Revision 07/2020. 4 killed in flash flooding: Pakistan Four members of the same family killed when their car was caught by the flash flood in Balochistan. At least four members of the same family were killed and a woman injured when a car was caught by flash flooding in southwestern Pakistan late Saturday night, local media said. 4 DEAD "The flood in the Khanai Baba River hit the car of Abdul Noman, a resident of the Kuchlak area, when he was on his way to attend a wedding in the Khanozai area" of Balochistan, reported local broadcaster Geo News. Noman and his three grandsons were swept away in a flash flood, and their bodies were later recovered from flood waters. However, a woman was saved by rescuers and taken to the hospital in injured condition. This was the second set of casualties from flash floods over the weekend, as earlier at least eight women and children were killed in northwestern Pakistan when their car was swept away. According to state meteorologists, the cloud systems that entered Pakistan from Iran caused heavy rain in areas of southern and northwestern Pakistan, causing flash floods on Friday and Saturday. In a statement, state meteorologists predicted more rain and thunderstorm in various areas of Balochistan over the next two to three days. Mike Pompeo says US won't quit fight in Venezuela Washington is pressuring Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down and urging more countries to join the coalition supporting opposition leader Juan Guaido. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday defended sanctions on Venezuela and said the United States would not quit the fight in the socialist-run Latin American nation which is spiraling into deepening economic and political crisis. "THE US AND ITS ALLIES WILL NOT QUIT THIS FLIGHT" Pompeo is on a three-day trip to Chile, Paraguay and Peru, a clutch of fast-growing countries in a region where Washingtons concerns are focused on Chinas growing presence as well as the Venezuelan crisis. The United States and its allies will not quit this fight, he said during an event in Chilean capital Santiago, adding that the country would keep supporting Venezuelans courageously standing up for democracy in their home country. Washington is pressuring President Nicolas Maduro to step down and urging more countries to join the coalition supporting opposition leader Juan Guaido. South America has seen a political shift in recent years toward the right, and most nations have backed Guaido. Its a historic opportunity when you have all but a handful of countries that are truly market-driven, democratic in ways that you havent had in South America for decades, Pompeo told reporters earlier en route to Santiago, where he met with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera. Pompeo will travel later on Friday to Paraguay, the first visit by a US secretary of state to the country since 1965, a gesture experts say underscores US commitment to the region. On Sunday he is set to visit Cucuta, a Colombian border city receiving significant numbers of Venezuelan migrants fleeing hunger and violence in their homeland. Regime airstrike injures five civilians in Idlib Five civilians were injured in a regime airstrike in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, according to the White Helmets civil defense agency on Sunday. The overnight attack targeted the towns of Urum al-Jawz and Bsanqul and Jabal al-Arabaeen, which overlooks the town of Ariha, it said. THE ATTACK CONTINUE White Helmets said three children were among those injured in the attack. In September, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression would be strictly prohibited. Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected severity. WASHINGTON, D.C., April 14, 2019 -- After watching YouTube videos of people supercooling water in a bottle and then triggering it to freeze by banging it, something about this concept solidified for Matthew M. Szydagis, an assistant professor of physics at the University at Albany, State University at New York, especially when he saw it again during the Disney movie "Frozen." During the 2019 American Physical Society April Meeting in Denver, Szydagis will describe how this inspired him to explore whether a subatomic particle like dark matter can trigger the freezing of supercooled water. Read more at https://arxiv.org/pdf/1807.09253.pdf. "All of my work is motivated by the search for dark matter, a form of matter we're sure is out there because we can observe its indirect gravitational effects," Szydagis said. "It makes up a significant fraction of the universe, but we have yet to uncover direct, conclusive and unambiguous evidence of it within the lab." If water is clean enough -- low in impurities, such as dust particulates -- and placed in a smooth enough container, Szydagis explained, it can be cooled below its freezing point of 0 C (32 F) without freezing. "This is called 'supercooling' and is similar to how water can be easily superheated in the microwave, essentially heated above its boiling point without actually boiling. It's simply the reverse," he said. "The water ends up, in either of these cases, in a state known as 'metastability,' neither unstable nor quite stable either." A disturbance can trigger the phase transition, freezing and crystallization, in this case. "This isn't ordinary freezing, and it forms white snow instead of clear ice," he added. "We cooled liquid water to as cold as -20 C (-4 F). in our lab without it freezing. It isn't the same as freezing point depression, like when you salt your sidewalk, because the water was pure and not contaminated with impurities on purpose." The group demonstrated that certain forms of particles hitting the water can microscopically (subatomically) cause it to freeze if it's supercooled first. "Some particles like neutrons can even scatter multiple times within the water," Szydagis said. "We were able to show this not only with commercially available sources of particles, but also a Fiestaware 'radioactive red' plate with orange uranium-based paint from the 1950s." They created a new detector based on the supercooled water, dubbed the "snowball chamber" because that matches well with "bubble" and "cloud" chambers, which are technologies from the early- to mid-20th century that use boiling and condensation. Supercooled water certainly isn't new; it's been studied for numerous decades by chemists and condensed matter physicists, down to -40 C (-40 F). There are even publications about it dating back more than 100 years old. "But we managed to discover a new property of supercooled water," Szydagis said. "To our great surprise, we found that some particles (neutrons) but not others (gamma rays) trigger freezing. Since this is basic research that has never been done before, there was no guarantee it would work. It was a 'let's try it and see' approach -- the scientific method in its most basic form. Not only do we have a new detector of fundamental particles, but potentially of dark matter because neutrons are thought to emulate it." The group envisions numerous other potential implications for their discovery, including detecting nuclear weapons in cargo for homeland security, understanding cloud formation, and providing clues as to how certain mammalian species hibernate, supercooling their blood somehow. ### The presentation, "The Snowball Chamber: Using Supercooled Water to Search for Low-Mass Dark Matter," will take place at 2:54 p.m. MT, Sunday, April 14, in room Governor's Square 11 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. ABSTRACT: http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/APR19/Session/J09.8 USEFUL LINKS Register as Press: https://goo.gl/forms/7l15SaH0GOAbhBgR2 Main Press Page: https://www.aps.org/meetings/april/press.cfm Main Meeting Page: https://www.aps.org/meetings/april/ Hotel Information: https://www.aps.org/meetings/april/hotel-travel.cfm PRESS REGISTRATION APS will provide free registration to all staff journalists representing media organizations, professional freelance journalists on assignment, and student journalists who are attending the meeting for the express purpose of gathering and reporting news and information. Press registration grants full access to all scientific sessions, to the press room, and to the press conferences. We will also provide complimentary press registration to university press officers, PIOs and other professional media relations staff. Press registration grants full access to all scientific sessions, to the press room, and to the press conferences. Press credentials are approved at the sole discretion of APS. For press related questions about the APS April Meeting, email . PRESS CONFERENCES A series of press conferences will be held during the meeting at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. The press conferences will be live webcast, and members of the media who are unable to attend the meeting in person may register to view the live webcasts at https://www.apswebcasting.com. ABOUT APS The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy, and international activities. APS represents over 55,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and throughout the world. Society offices are located in College Park, Maryland (Headquarters), Ridge, New York, and Washington, D.C. https://www.aps.org/ GBP/NZD UPDATE #2: Following a sluggish start, the Pound to New Zealand Dollar exchange rate picked up amid reports that cross-party Brexit talks are making progress with Sterling peaking at a session high of NZ$1.94161 before trimming gains to find support at NZ$1.935 overnight. Into Tuesday's session, GBPNZD was last seen trading at NZ$1.93619 ahead of key economic data releases. Up first, we'll see the latest UK labour market statistics with average earnings expected to have accelerated to a growth rate of 3.5% (3m/y) while unemployment is forecast to have remained at a multi-decade low of 3.9%. Later in the session, Statistics New Zealand are due to release their quarterly CPI figure with price inflation forecast to have edged up from 0.1% in Q4 2018 to 0.3% for Q1 2019. GBP/NZD UPDATE: Having dipped to a 12-day low in late Friday trading on resurgent risk-appetite, the Pound to New Zealand Dollar exchange rate failed to make any headway above the NZ$1.934 level in early Monday trading with Sterling last seen trading at NZ$1.93390 Signs of a stabilisation within the Chinese economy, continued reports of progress in regards to US-China trade talks, upbeat Euro zone industrial production figures and a robust start to US earnings reason all contributed to an environment of risk-on appetite late last week, supporting the commodity and Chinese-exposed Kiwi against a basket of peers. The week ahead holds a number of potentially high impact releases for the cross. With a high dependence on dairy exports, Tuesday's Global Dairy Trade Price Index will be a key focal point for Kiwi traders. Quarterly headline inflation figures are also due with CPI (q/q) forecast to print a modest increase of 0.3%. For the Sterling, the latest Office for National Statistics labour market figures are due, with wages forecast to have accelerated at 3.5%, ahead of Wednesday's price inflation releases and Thursday's retail sales numbers. Pound New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) Exchange Rate Slips on Increase in Risk Appetite On Tuesday, the Pound to New Zealand Dollar exchange rate fell following a downbeat half-yearly assessment of the global economy from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF said a no-deal Brexit would risk a two-year UK recession, dampening sentiment in Sterling. On Wednesday data revealed that UK GDP rose to a higher-than-forecast 0.2% in February despite expectations that the economy would remain stagnant. UK manufacturing levels rose to its highest since April 2008 as production surged by 0.9%. On Wednesday, the New Zealand Food Price Index rose by a lower-than-forecast 0.5% which dampened sentiment in the Kiwi. Meanwhile, on Wednesday evening during an emergency European Union summit the UK was offered a six-month delay to Brexit. The Halloween extension prevented the UK crashing out of the EU last Friday without a deal. However, the Pound was left unimpressed on Thursday with the new Brexit developments. While a no-deal was temporarily prevented the move has prolonged the political uncertainty in the UK. The New Zealand business PMI slipped from 53.4 to 51.9 in March despite markets largely expecting this figure to rise. However, on Friday data revealed that the Chinese trade surplus widened significantly in March encouraging investors to jump back into the risk-sensitive New Zealand Dollar. This increase in risk appetite allowed the Kiwi to edge up against Sterling at the end of last weeks session. GBP/NZD Exchange Rate Outlook: Will Pound Sterling Slide as UK Unemployment Rises? This Tuesday the Pound (GBP) could fall against the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) following the release of the ILO unemployment rate. If UK unemployment rises to 4% in February from the previous low of 3.9%, it could weigh on Sterling. Also due for release on Tuesday is the UK average earnings data, which is expected to rise by 3.2% compared to the previous rise of 3.4%. If wages rise by 3.2%, this would be the smallest rise in five months which could dampen sentiment in the Pound. Looking ahead to Wednesday the UK Consumer Price Index (CPI) is due to be released. If CPI rises by 1.6% as forecast compared to Februarys rise of 1.9%, the Pound New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) exchange rate could slide. Will Disappointing Dairy Prices Weigh on the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) Exchange Rates? Looking ahead to Tuesday, the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) could slip against the Pound (GBP) following the release of the Global Dairy Trade Price Index. If dairy prices slide by -0.5% as forecast compared to the previous rise of 0.8%, the Kiwi could fall. Late on Tuesday, New Zealands Consumer Price Index (CPI) is also due for release. If CPI rises by an annual rate of 1.8% during Q1 2019 compared to a rise of 1.9% during the last quarter of 2018, the Pound New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) exchange rate could rise. - Today's interbank spot: The Pound to US Dollar exchange rate is -0.03% lower @ $1.30955 - See Latest Cable Outlook: "GBP To USD Exchange Rates Keep Climbing Despite Brexit Jitters UPDATE #2: The Pound to Dollar exchange rates climbed at the start of this week, with the pairing climbing back above $1.31 as demand for the safe-haven Greenback slumped. This comes amid rising optimism that the US and China may be close to closing a trade deal, which helped to bolster market risk appetite on Monday. Taking advantage of the US Dollars weakness, the Pound was aided by upbeat comments from UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt regarding the progress of cross-party Brexit talks. UPDATE #1: The Pound-to-US-Dollar exchange rates crept higher through the Asian session before partially trimming gains ahead of the Eruopean session. Upbeat Chinese and European data on Friday prompted a return to risk-on sentiment, weighing slightly on the Greenback while the overnight release of the latest Rightmove House Price Index, printing 1.1% up from a prior 0.4% increase, saw the Sterling start the weekly session on a positive footing. Exchange Rates UK Research Desk bring together all the latest exchange rates forecasts for the Pound-Dollar from the top FX financial institutions. Hantec Markets - Continued consolidation amid lack of directional bias "The convergence of the two trend lines is now a key issue for Cable. The four month uptrend is supportive at $1.3025 whilst the four week downtrend is resistance at $1.3125. Once more the downtrend limited the market on Friday as this period of consolidation continues. "There is the slightest of negative biases on daily momentum, but this is countered on the hourly chart and there is very little to be considered directional on Cable for now. The key floor remains the $1.3000 support which has consistently been defended in recent weeks. "A shade of dollar correction today means that the market is ticking higher, but certainly not enough to believe the market will be above to take a view. The becalmed nature of the chart suggests that continued consolidation is most likely. Key levels remain a close below $1.3000 or above $1.3200." Lloyds Commercial Banking - Risks tilted to range lows "Prices remain in the current 1.3000/1.2950 to 1.3180 range. Concrete Brexit news is now needed to shift us out of this sideways process. Intra-day studies are in bear mode, so the risks are tilted for a drift towards the range lows. However, a decline through 1.2950 is needed to open a deeper retracement towards 1.2650-1.2440, while a break of 1.3180 and then 1.34 is needed to see a more positive extension towards 1.36-1.3650. Our underlying technical studies remain constructive, but a move above 1.3400 is needed to give us higher conviction that we are entering into a new upper medium-term range between 1.30 and key long-term resistance around 1.45. 1.36-1.3650 and 1.39-1.45 are notable resistance areas within that range." Scotiabank - Soft Brexit or No Brexit front-runners stabilise Pound Sterling "The GBP remains stable against the USD as markets continue to digest this weeks Brexit punt; the delay to October effectively means the recent stasis in the UK economy, monetary policy and exchange rate is likely to extend for months more a depressing prospect. The good news for the UK is that no-deal exit risks are diminishing rapidly; a soft Brexit or no Brexit now figure as the more likely outcomes, even if PM May still thinks she can get her deal over the line in the next few weeks. Negative tail risks have receded but the uncertainty about what sort of relationship the UK will have with the EU remains. Market may yet recalibrate the outlook for the GBP a little more positively, given reduced downside risks but gains are likely to stay relatively modest in the near term." Maybank - Buy the GBP/USD dips "GBP was steady overnight in absence of brexit headlines. GBP was last seen at 1.3070 levels. Bearish momentum on daily chart shows early signs of fading while stochastics is showing tentative signs of turning from near-oversold conditions. Recovery could be on the horizon. Close above 1.3090 (50 DMA) could put GBP closer to 1.3150 (21 DMA), and 1.3280 levels. Immediate support at 1.30, 1.2970 (200 DMA). Bias remains to buy dips as fear of hard brexit has receded. Taking stock of recent brexit development, EU is said to offer PM May brexit delay until 31st Oct with a review to be held in Jun to take stock of progress. Note that this compromised date is longer than PM Mays request for 30th Jun but shorter than Tusks proposal for Apr-2020. Now this raises question if a snap elections could be called to overturn PM May (GBP-negative) or if a second referendum could be held in time (possibly GBP-positive). Focus is also on the outcome of the technical discussion between Conservative and Labour parties. We continue to argue that soft, delayed brexit is a base case scenario and that forms the basis to buy GBP on dips as no-deal brexit is less likely to take place (parliament passed a law designed to ensure UK does not leave the EU without a deal) and the extension of brexit is likely to be a given." BK Asset Management - key factors forecast to "keep a cap on cable" "After all is said and done UK still faces the same three choices a hard Brexit under WTO rules, a possible 2nd referendum that could overturn Article 50 or some sort of a customs union that would leave the issue of the Irish border unresolved. Cable held steady under the 1.3100 figure but showed little sign of life. Finally, the six-month delay could prove to be positive for UK economy as it may provide a boost in spending from a more confident UK consumer, but regardless of pick up in data, the BOE is likely to remain stationary erring on the side of caution as the risks of hard Brexit remain. All of this is likely to keep a cap on cable unless some genuine political breakthrough is achieved." AFEX - Pound Sterling tipped to fall "BoE governor, Carney, encouraged sterling sales in late US trading as he said that UK business had stalled since the 2016 referendum. He continued that there has been issues of slowing trade and investment, which has influenced productivity, and he finished by noting that business uncertainty in the UK had been through the roof. When taking a long-term view of the UK, it is very apparent that the UK is in the midst of a political crisis. The country is divided, and Parliament is currently unable to deliver the referendum result and leave the EU. Important day-to-day decisions are not being taken, as the UK tries to gain consensus over how to achieve Brexit, and both the Labour and Conservative parties are splitting. The UK has just been given another six months to try and resolve this crisis. Why would any investor buy UK assets at the moment? As for sterling, what cant go up must come down." Turnaround efforts in the San Antonio Independent School District have drawn state and national attention but also opposition, and candidates for three board seats are sharply divided over Superintendent Pedro Martinezs policies. Martinez swept into SAISD in 2015 with an ambitious five-year plan that trustees have supported unanimously. In 2017, he still had the general backing of the teachers union and of board incumbents and challengers alike. What a difference last year made. Starting that spring, the SAISD board laid off 132 teachers to deal with a budget crunch, then brought in a New York-based charter network to take over a failing elementary school. The districts relationship with the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel quickly unraveled. Suspicion and uncertainty have grown and the union is now a vocal opponent of SAISD leadership and policies. I havent seen worse, said board President Patti Radle, who is seeking a third term. Some candidates are questioning the districts big investment in magnet programs and high-performing academies, a strategy to reverse years of declining enrollment. Radle and other candidates are committed to that priority and are running on SAISDs improved academic performance. After nearly failing to meet state standards two years in a row, SAISD got a C under the states new accountability system, and officials say its on track to earn a B this year. Voters will choose trustees in three single-member districts to serve four-year terms. Early voting begins April 22. District 2 The boards longest-serving member, District 2 trustee James Howard, is not seeking re-election after 21 years representing the East Side. Four candidates want to replace him: Darrell The Voice Boyce, 40, a pastor; Christopher Green, 36, a teacher in SAISD; Alicia Monica Perry, 39, who works in the records and registration department at St. Philips College; and Royce Sully Sullivan, 42, a home health care companion. All four say SAISD needs to increase transparency, get community input earlier about planned changes and promote neighborhood schools to compete with charters. Boyce said he was concerned about school closures and partnerships with external organizations such as Democracy Prep Public Schools, the charter network that now operates Stewart Elementary. At this point, Boyce said, hed vote against renewing the superintendents contract. He is very bright, but he could use the knowledge that he has to create curriculum that works in San Antonio, instead of duplicating curriculum from other places hes been, Boyce said. Green has taught for five years, two of them in SAISD, where he teaches sixth-and seventh-grade English at Rhodes Elementary School. Hes a master teacher, one of an elite group that SAISD pays extra to work with the most at-risk students. Green said he has seen consistent progress under Martinez higher expectations, academic growth and more resources. Hes in the teachers union but its leaders dont speak for him or many of his colleagues, he said. Its not to say its all been rainbows and fairy tales, Green said, adding that SAISD should increase support for first-generation college students, early childhood education, advanced middle school courses and the restorative justice method of discipline. Green said he is not on a slate with any other candidate, but his responses to a union questionnaire closely matched those of District 6 trustee Christina Martinez. Both said they likely consulted the same advisers. Green said he was busy teaching and community organizing and could have done a better job about personalizing my responses. Perry, a native of New Orleans, moved to San Antonio after Hurricane Katrina hit. Her husband, Walter Perry, is running for City Council. Six of their seven children are in SAISD schools. The teachers union has endorsed Perry, who often speaks of how charters have completely replaced traditional public schools in her hometown. She said SAISDs in-district charters that attract wealthier students from other districts and its willingness to partner with external charter networks gave her a sense of deja vu. On ExpressNews.com: SAISD approves nonprofits to run 18 schools I saw exactly what happened when charter schools took over, Perry told the Express-News editorial board at a meeting with Boyce and Sullivan. I cant go to my high school like these gentlemen can go to Sam Houston, and rally their people and talk about that pride, because my school is gone, and thats what I dont want to see happen in our communities. Perry went to the community meetings Superintendent Martinez held shortly after he arrived, but he has since emphasized open-enrollment choice schools at the expense of neighborhood campuses, she said. He had chips and dip and crackers and juice, but he hoodwinked a lot of us (into) thinking that we would get those same resources those other schools have, Perry said. Choice schools are doing well but our classrooms still have projectors that dont work or our libraries dont have enough books, and hes been here long enough to see that. Sullivan, who said outgoing trustee Howard is working on his campaign, praised Martinezs ideas but said the superintendent is not effectively communicating. Before shuttering District 2 schools, Martinez held town hall meetings but the invitations didnt mention the closures, Sullivan said. If youre gonna start off with chips and dips, then you got to end with chips and dips, Sullivan said. Were tired of being handed the plan. We want to be a part of the plan. On ExpressNews.com: SAISD candidate got probation Sullivans campaign has been dogged by child abuse allegations. He was indicted nine years ago in Jefferson County on two felony counts of injury to a child, but both were reduced to misdemeanor disorderly conduct for displaying a firearm. He received deferred adjudication probation. District 5 Radle, 71, has run a social services nonprofit since 1972 on the West Side, which she represented for two terms on the City Council. Her teaching career included 12 years in SAISD. Her opponent, Janell Rubio, 38, has three daughters in SAISD schools, two of them third-generation Lanier High School Voks, she said. The teachers union endorsed Rubio, but Radle has the name recognition. Rubio, who is unemployed and working on an online criminal justice and business management degree from Colorado Technical University, said people call her the other candidate. Radle said Martinezs efforts were inspiring and she wants to support his innovations. But she disputed the unions characterization of the board as a rubber stamp, adding, Its not like he doesnt get pushback from board members. In the past year, Radle has presided over meetings packed with teachers and others who shouted trustees down and promised to vote them out of office. But when she visits schools, she hears support from teachers, principals and parents, she said. There are some people who are making this a backlash election but also a lot of people who are grateful for what is happening, grateful for the opportunity for their kids, Radle said. Rubio said Martinez has not given straight answers to questions from the community. She criticized the Democracy Prep contract. Theyre trying to get rid of the issues instead of trying to fix them, she said. Thats fine if they bring them in to help the students, but not to take over our schools. District 6 Christina Martinez, 39, vice president of external relations for Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas, is running for a full term after being appointed two years ago when trustee Olga Hernandez resigned. She faces Chris Castro, 41, an assistant principal at Nimitz Middle School in North East ISD and a former principal at three SAISD campuses, and Eduardo M. Torres, 19, a recent Edison High School graduate now attending the University of Texas at San Antonio. Martinez attended Catholic schools growing up and has three children in SAISD, including an 11-grader at Edison. Shes running to empower parents, she said, and defended the superintendent, to whom she is not related. I think hes a bold, visionary leader carrying out what the board has asked him to do. And we cant wait any longer, Martinez said. There is a sense of urgency. Both her opponents praised the superintendent for taking action to improve an underperforming district, but said he and the board needed to support neighborhood schools as much as the specialized ones. The teachers union has endorsed Torres, who said his family has lived on Hermosa Drive for three generations except for a brief move to North East ISD. He has a 1-year-old daughter. Torres said gentrification is pushing people out, which means adults his age are not likely to see their children attend their alma maters. The board cant do much about that, he said, but creating choice schools with charter operators, to attract out-of-district children and out-of-district families to increase district enrollment, is probably not the best way. Yeah, it brings more money back to the district, but that does nothing for the kids who are in those neighborhood schools, he said. Castro graduated from Brackenridge High School, where he later served as principal, and has a daughter at an SAISD elementary school. He has been an educator for 18 years. I think its important that there be a person on the board who understands the nuances and the daily challenges of the schools, Castro said. I think its important that there be an independent, experienced voice. He also was principal at the Twain and Rhodes middle schools the latter when a district police officer was fired three years ago after a video of him throwing a 12-year-old girl to the ground there went viral. Castro said he was in a meeting during the incident and didnt learn of it until days later. The officer obviously made a poor choice and an assistant principal also was fired, he said. Alia Malik covers several school districts and the Alamo Colleges District in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | amalik@express-news.net | Twitter: @AliaAtSAEN LAREDO Beneath a morning sun that hovered over the international bridge, the most famous cellist in the world placed his bow upon four delicate strings, and began to play. Its full and majestic, said Karen Valdez, 15, surrounded by several hundred other onlookers. And you feel such peace. Yo-Yo Ma, 63, a cellist for nearly as long as his age, is on a two-year, six-continent, 36-concert tour performing Johann Sebastian Bachs six suites for cello. After stopping in San Antonio on Friday night, which included a surprise encore performance with conjunto artist Flaco Jimenez, he came to Laredo and Nuevo Laredo on Saturday to promote the border regions role in uniting, not dividing, two countrys cultures. Ive lived my life at the border between cultures, between disciplines, between musics, said the 19-time Grammy award-winner. And I believe that you have a unique culture that actually is empathetic to both sides, and to even many more sides, he added. People from other places need to listen to you. Deep, smooth notes reverberated across the sparkling Rio Grande, which was just feet away, and rose high above the heads in the crowd as pedestrians moved to and fro on the bridge between U.S. and Mexico. They were heading to work, doing groceries, visiting loved ones, their shadows floating in the dark green water below. Over $200 billion in trade passes between these two border cities annually. Last year, 37 percent of the $612 billion in exports and imports between U.S. and Mexico came through Laredos three international bridges. The bridge is also a port of entry, one of the many along the border where asylum-seekers and other immigrants can go to request entry into the United States. A country is not a hotel. And its not full, said Ma before his performance Saturday morning. In culture, as you all know as you did, and do, and will do - in culture, we build bridges, not walls. As the U.S. political scene grows ever divided between immigration security concerns and humanitarian concerns, waves of Central American families seeking asylum continue to arrive in record numbers. Officers were recently reassigned from Laredos ports to the Rio Grande Valley, which needed help to process the surge. As a result, Laredo, the busiest inland port in the nation, has experienced hours-long wait times at its bridges. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, announced that 100 of the 545 officers that were reassigned are expected to return to their port duties this weekend, with another 125 getting substituted out the following weekend. President Trump has threatened to close off the border in recent weeks, in an attempt to prevent more asylum-seekers from entering the United States, a suggestion that rocked the business community that relies on Mexico-U.S. trade. Anybody that understands business, you dont cut off the supply chain of thousands of companies in the United States, Cuellar said in a call with reporters. On either side of this bridge are shelters for migrants the ones who are waiting their turn in Nuevo Laredo to get processed legally through a U.S. port, and the ones who were apprehended on U.S. territory and released at a Laredo bus stop. What does Laredo have? It doesnt have any more than the bridge, the river, the mall. But I think the bridge is the window, the door for many people that come from other countries and cultures. And they bring with them a hope to achieve their dreams, said Viridiana Rivera, Karens mother. Living here in Laredo, thats so close to Mexico, your mind opens more to understand more people. It humanizes them. Many of the residents in Laredo are from Mexico, and some have houses on both sides of the border. They share a similar heritage, and in some ways, the border region itself with its unique blend of cultures that exists North and South of the river is whats distinct from the rest of the two countries. People throw sweet 16s and quinceaneras, you go to a restaurant and theyre speaking English and Spanish, said Isabella Balli, 17, of Laredo. Everything is just brought together here. Hours after his first performance, Ma appeared again, this time in the Plaza Juarez, only a block away from that same international bridge, but on the Mexican side. This music is like this bridge: It unites, it doesnt divide, said Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz, standing next to Nuevo Laredo Mayor Enrique Rivas Cuellar and Ma. We forget, and we focus on the beautiful, on the good, on care, on love. Amparo Hernandez, 34, and her husband, Jose Flores, 34, were among a couple of hundred people listening to Ma at the plaza. They both said they found the music peaceful. Its something anyone can appreciate regardless of their class, Hernandez said. Having an artist of this caliber here in Nuevo Laredo I have never seen it. Despite the presence of a translator, who was ready with a microphone, Ma read his words to the crowd in Spanish from his cell phone, evoking smiles of endearment from the mostly Spanish-speaking crowd. Gusts of wind carried the smell of carnitas and fried food from makeshift stands set up along the plaza into the outdoors venue of chairs and a small stage where Ma played. The classical Bach blended with the sounds of the Mexican city: horns honked, traffic officers whistles pierced the air, birds in the trees twittered animatedly. Do you hear the song of the birds right now? Ma said afterward to the audience. We have human problems, and birds have different problems I dont know what they are. But they are free to fly anywhere. For us, I think freedom can mean many things, he said, such as freedom of thought, of safety, of love. And then he dedicated his last song, Pablo Casals Song of the Birds, to his audience. This piece Id like to play for you, citizens of Nuevo Laredo, is for the inner freedom that you feel, he said, which for each person is different. The one freedom that keeps you so strong. 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 The water was cool and smooth as glass. After a prayer, family and friends watched from a base camp along the Mustang Island shoreline as Troy Jessee swam across the bay. Days before, rough waves rose over his head during practice swims. But on this day there were no signs of jellyfish, sharks nor squalls of bad weather. His support team paddled nearby in a kayak, various assist boats and a surfboard. Jessees biggest fear was failure, but he had a good rhythm with his strokes during his two-hour swim in the 65-degree water. And his thoughts about his goal were as clear as the water: raising funds to pay for a Habitat for Humanity San Antonio home for a local family. On Oct. 27, 2018, Jessee, owner of Troy M. Jessee Construction, swam 3.5 miles from San Jose Island to Key Allegro Island, for the Big Swim, an event that raised more than $88,000 to build a home in Lenwood Heights on the West Side. On Saturday morning, the house was one of 14 homes dedicated at the subdivision,. Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio, a faith based, nonprofit organization works with low-income families to build affordable homes at no profit and zero interest. For the past 25 years, Jessee worked with his church, Trinity Baptist Church, to sponsor new houses and help give homeowners life skills and accountability. In September 2018, he met with Habitat staff to hear his plan of using his long-distance swimming skills to raise $80,000 to build a home. His training consisted of swimming in a pool, three times a week, and three open-water swims in Boerne Lake. Habitat for Humanity San Antonio Vice President Stephanie Wiese said her organization has worked with churches and businesses but never with someone who led his own fundraising campaign like Jessee. Hes pretty amazing, she said. Ive met a lot of donors, but he truly did this out of the goodness of his heart. It was a great partnership. Thunder rumbled as dignitaries and families thanked volunteers and sponsors at the edge of a viewing platform just feet away from the Big Swim house. Jessee watched as his pastor, D. Leslie Hollon, led the dedication of the 14 new homes. He stood among hundreds of volunteers, near the front porch of the new domicile as a light drizzle began to fall. He was surrounded by squares of sod, stacked on a pallet, and several wheelbarrows filled with tools his team used to landscape the yard earlier that morning. Dark clouds churned overhead as families stepped to a microphone and expressed their appreciation, some overcome with emotion. As they struggled to find words to express their feelings, the crowd applauded as a sign of support. Aram Villarin, 24, flanked by his wife, Rosario Delgado, 27, and their three children, thanked Jessee, the Big Swim team and Habitat staff for their new start. The Villarin family put in almost 400 hours of sweat equity, the labor that new home owners invest in the building of their home. Aram Villarin said moving into the one-story home was a new chapter for his family. This is like Im accomplishing a goal, he said. Were all excited. The endeavor was done from conception to the end, within 60 days, said Patrice Cole, project administrator and Big Swim team member. Cole recalled he started at dawn, just as the sun started to rise in the sky. It was a pretty amazing undertaking, she said. Everything was perfect. As the dedication ceremony ended, heavy rain showers began and Jessee and the Villarin family sought cover on the front porch of the home. Villarins three children, Walter, 10, Aubree, 6, and Aram, 5, joined their parents and Jessee for a photo. Then they joined relatives inside of the Habitat home that was financed by donors who supported Jessees Big Swim campaign. Its not just benevolence, he said of the homes. Its so good to work alongside them, talk to them and mentor them. They feel appreciated, like they have a new life. Vincent T. Davis is a reporter in the Greater San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | vtdavis@express-news.net | Twitter: @vincentdavis Electric scooter riders in San Antonio are learning painfully that they may have little recourse against the rental companies for any accident-related damages and injuries. Thats because the companies have shielded themselves via the very novella-length payment agreements users must accept on their smart phones to use the e-scooters. The click-to-agree clauses for Lime renters which the Express-News recently reported would take more than 250 cellphone screens to read fully forces riders to settle all disputes through confidential binding arbitration, effectively giving up their right to sue in court. This is the latest example of a disturbing trend in consumer, service and workplace agreements that exempt corporations and their chieftains from the legal process established by the Constitutions Seventh Amendment. Instead, consumers are required to pursue their claims through arbitration, in which companies can choose a venue, select a familiar arbitrator and prevent potential class-action suits from arising. Perhaps we shouldnt be so quick to click the I Agree button, but most consumers have little recourse except to submit to these terms in which arbitration claims are handled in private and theres no right of appeal. Whats discouraging is that the practice is only becoming more common. In 1992, only 2 percent of employees were subject to forced arbitration clauses in workplace agreements, but that has jumped to 55 percent today. Not only do workers win just 21 percent of the time in these arbitrated disputes, but also the award amount was three times smaller than cases decided at trial, according to Cornell University researchers. In addition to skewing toward employers, these private arbitrations keep sexual harassment or racial discrimination complaints from public scrutiny. The restrictions also are common in consumer services contracts for credit cards, utilities, checking accounts and debit cards, as well as for payday loans, private student loans and auto loans. The American Board of Trial Advocates, or ABOTA, a legal advocacy and civics educational organization that manages the website saveourjuries.org, consists of both plaintiffs and defense lawyers working for fairness and integrity in our civil justice system. We recognize that arbitration can be a viable alternative in certain fields where parties have equal bargaining power and the financial resources to afford the extra costs. Our concern, however, is when consumers and employees sign away their rights, either unknowingly or because the disparity in negotiating power leaves them no choice. The civil justice system has led to important improvements in education, product safety, medical care, the environment and other areas that touch our lives every day. Having these disputes settled in open court, for all to see, with the evidence vetted by both sides, offers unrivaled protection for Americans. Some businesses and state and federal elected officials are taking notice. Earlier this year, Google said it would no longer force employees to settle certain disputes with the company in private arbitration, including sexual harassment and assault. More recently, the FAIR (Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal) Act was introduced in Congress, legislation that ABOTA sees as an important step in leveling the playing field. It would bar predispute arbitration agreements and class-action waivers in consumer rights, employment, antitrust and civil rights cases. As the Express-News reported, the wave of rental scooters and bikes has deepened worries about mandatory arbitration, a legal straitjacket slapped on riders by quick-profit businesses that may ignore safety concerns. At ABOTA, were rolling out a new platform on the Save Our Juries website that explains (in plain language) what forced arbitration clauses mean. We are encouraging the public to call on Congress to support the FAIR Act. And in San Antonio, share your concerns with the City Council, which regulates these e-businesses. In the fight for consumer rights, everyone deserves unhindered access to the courts. Grace Weatherly is president of the Texas-American Board of Trial Advocates. We recommend District 8 City Councilman Manny Pelaez for reelection. But this recommendation comes with some caveats. He supported excluding Chick-fil-A from the San Antonio International Airport, noting some people view it as a symbol of hate. Others voted the same way, but these are harsh words for which he later apologized. He said he was wrong. He once was supportive of the citys Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, but Pelaez has since backed off that support, citing too many unknowns about costs and impacts to business. Council has delayed its vote on the plan until November because of those unknowns and lack of consensus. Pelaezs comments during council discussion about demolishing the old Beacon Hill Elementary building were off-putting and rude. He called San Antonio Independent School District officials tacky and accused them of using students as props. He said SAISD Superintendent Pedro Martinez was peddling exagerrations and hyperbole. This view was painfully myopic. Parents and many neighbors wanted the building to go so kids could play in the school field. So, why the bomb throwing? Simply, Pelaez gets our recommendation because the two challengers in this race offer no compelling reason to make a change. Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe is a political consultant and precinct chair in the Democratic Party who retired from Wells Fargo. She would be the citys first tansgender council representative. Tony Valdivia, a USAA analyst, is making his second run for this seat, and he also ran a write-in campaign for president in 2016. Both challengers are engaged in the issues and expressed an earnest desire to serve this community. But neither match Pelaezs policy understanding or his invaluable legal expertise. Weve been rough on Pelaez in this recommendation because we want him to improve to be a leader, not a divider but he has many strengths. He has, so far, unrealized potential. He is a labor attorney who served as chair of the Brooks City Base Development Authority and also as a trustee for VIA Metropolitan Transit. There is a reason why he is the chair of the ad-hoc Committee on Paid Sick Leave, and he can be especially good navigating thorny city-state issues. He is responsive to his constituents, and acutely aware of concerns about traffic congestion and the need for transit solutions across the community. And even though he put his foot in his mouth on Chick-fil-A, he was also big enough to own up to the mistake. Passover is about celebrating the blessing of living in freedom, and sharing the idea that its a basic human right. Its also about recognizing there are still people who arent free, and that we everyone must continue working to rectify that horror. The ideas behind Passover resonate with people of all ages and all nationalities, says Rabbi Laurie Gold, of Temple Beth Elohim, in Brewster, N.Y. We celebrate the fact that we, the Israelites, were slaves in Egypt for many generations, and with Gods help and Moses and many other people, we were freed. I think people recognize there is always the potential for Jews or any group to not be free. During the Passover Seder, the ritual portion of our dinner, were told to imagine that we, ourselves, were slaves in Egypt. Doing so is a way to empathize with those slaves and to understand its a very great feeling, a primal, exciting feeling to go from slavery to freedom. If youve ever been to a Passover Seder, you know the story of how God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt is shared aloud, to be passed on to future generations. It also reminds us not to take freedom for granted, or by extension, not to take any of the blessings we have for granted. At many Seders shes attended, Gold says the leader has usually taken time to talk about how other people are still not free in our world. Back in the 60s and 70s, Jews in Russia were not free to practice their religion and were not free to leave their country. Sexual trafficking, another form of slavery, is still going on, too, she says. I try not to get political, but I cant help but think of people in cages down at the border (between the United States and Mexico). They are certainly not free. Regardless of your politics, this is a reminder that people are not free. According to the Torah, every year we are supposed to remember the story of Passover, Gold says. In my mind, it is amazing that almost 4,000 years later we are following that commandment to remember it ... I think its pretty cool, and miraculous, too. Sharing part of the story, Gold says a fter the Israelites were freed (following a series of plagues) and were fleeing Egypt, the Egyptians decided to chase them. They came to the Sea of Reeds, she says, noting it was not the Red Sea, as many have said. When the water parted, the Jews were able to go through the dry land, or at least the muddy land. But when the Egyptians followed, the water fell and they drowned. Gold says its important to point out, we are not supposed to rejoice in the suffering of our enemies, even though theyd enslaved the Jews and were going to do it again. Its a wonderful idea to follow because if we do not rejoice in the pain of our enemies, it makes us a kinder people. It doesnt mean we should not protect ourselves and beware of our enemies, but enjoying their suffering is another level, and not something we should do. This is a great lesson to teach people, she says. Its kind of like what former first lady Michelle Obama has said, When they go low, we go high. Another way to make the Seder more meaningful, she says, is to talk about how the Hebrew word for Egypt, Mitzrayim, means narrow place, and if you look at a map of Egypt, youll see its narrow. Gold says near the close of her Seders, she sometimes points out to people that if theres a narrow place in their life (something constrictive/uncomfortable) that they want to get through, like conquering an addiction or being brave enough to chase their dreams, it can be good to talk about it. And they should remember the Israelites were able to escape their narrow place of spiritual and physical bondage, so it may not be easy, but it can happen. I dont turn it into a therapy group, but sometimes we do this near the end of the Seder when people are comfortable and feeling its a safe space to talk, she says. As for making the Seder more engaging for children, Gold says when the story is shared at Temple Beth Elohim they sometimes use props, such as little plastic frogs, to represent the plague of frogs one of 10 plagues that occurred before the Egyptians freed the Israelites. We have these plastic frogs and throw them up in the air. I also have finger puppets for all 10 plagues and I wear them. Sometimes I let the kids wear them. Seder means order and the reason its called a Seder is because the prayers which are said are in a certain order. Specific foods are also eaten, some of which are symbols that help tell the Passover story. The story is read from a book called the Haggadah, a Hebrew word for the telling. Among the symbolic foods on the Seder plate are an egg, to suggest rebirth, and salt water, to represent the tears of the slaves. Theres also charoset, a delicious mixture of chopped apples, nuts and wine, meant to resemble the mortar slaves used to build pyramids. (In countries where there are no apples, apricots or other fruits are used). Each item is discussed to bring the story alive, Gold says. Another reason people love Passover is because its like Thanksgiving. People want an excuse to come together. So many people live across the country; some of my relatives are in California. People try to come together to be with loved ones for Passover. Its a great excuse to be with family. Passover begins at sundown on Friday. Temple Beth Elohim will have a Seder on the second night of Passover, Saturday, April 20, and all are welcome, regardless of religious affiliation. It will be a celebration of freedom with spirited singing and a delicious meal prepared by Ledley Caterers. For pricing and other details, call 845-279-4585 ext. 1, or email templebethelohim@comcast.net . Linda Tuccio-Koonz is a staff writer. lkoonz@newstimes.com; Twitter: @LindaTKoonz Contributed Photo / Contributed Photo BRIDGEPORT A 5-year-old and several others were hit by a vehicle in the city Saturday, according to police officials. Reports indicate it happened around 3:25 p.m. BRIDGEPORT The citys police union is turning to federal court in an attempt to allow 11 of the 19 officers named in an Office of Internal Affairs report to face discipline by the police chief instead of Bridgeports Police Commission. The commission, which oversees hearings for any officer found to have violated department policy through an internal affairs investigation, has already denied the request. Sgt. Chuck Paris, president of the union for the Bridgeport Police Department, said the union filed an injunction in federal court to have a judge decide who should discipline the officers. Paris said the union would appear in court in an upcoming open session to give its position, and that the citys legal representatives could rebut the unions standpoint on behalf of the commission. Paris said he has been president for nine years and involved with the union for 22 years, said has never seen a ruling like this go to federal court before. We havent done this before not with a Barros complaint, he said. A Barros complaint is any civilian complaint against officers. The term, known formally as the Barros Decree, began in 1973 with an established policy for the public to file complaints against police. The decree requires an Office of Internal Affairs investigation into the incident in question. There were two Barros complaints in this case, filed on Oct. 23, 2017 by two men arrested at a party on Colorado Avenue two days earlier. Their complaints, later supplemented by video footage, detailed what the men said was was excessive force by officers who responded to the party after a noise complaint. The excessive force continued, the two claimed, in the police departments booking area, after eight people were arrested. Police Chief Armando Perez requested the Office of Internal Affairs investigation into the actions of the officers involved, with an initial specific focus on Officer Thomas Lattanzio and Sgt. Paul Scillia. It took more than a year for investigators to compile the 405-page report into the actions of 17 police officers and two civilian detention officers at the scene of the party and in booking at police headquarters, where eight partygoers were taken after their arrests to be processed and formally charged. The Police Commission is expecting all available officers two committed suicide before the investigation report was released to the public and another has since retired to have hearings in front of the panel. Daniel Roach, chairman of the Police Commission, said the union wanted the officers to be subject only to discipline by Perez. Basically, (the union is) claiming that theyre not subject to discipline hearings from the board because these officers werent the subject of the citizens complaints, Roach said. But the commission and Bridgeports city attorney ruled that even though those officers werent specifically named in the citizens complaints, they still had to be present for a hearing. If the investigation leads to other aspects that bring in other officers, they are subject to hearings in front of the board as a result of those investigations stemming from a citizens complaint, Roach said. Paris said the union sees it differently. Their position is they still believe it should still be held in front of the Board of Police Commissioners, and we respectfully disagree, he said. Perez said in a previous interview he could not comment on the actions of the union. Hearings for the other officers named in the investigation are set to begin in early May, Roach said. He said the proceedings would be similar to what goes on in a courtroom: opening statements, witness statements, rebuttals and closing arguments. Each hearing could last up to three days, Roach said; some might take just one or two. Officers have the chance to appeal any decision the board makes to the state, Roach said, but discipline would start immediately, even during such an appeal. The internal affairs report details the night of Oct. 21, 2017, in various ways, providing a timeline and reports from the officers involved including some who were not cited for misconduct. The report illustrates department policy violations, including excessive force, inaccurate reporting of the events of that evening and, for those higher-ranking officers involved, failure to supervise. While the probe was ongoing, Lattanzio and Sgt. Mark Belinkie died by suicide. Lattanzio took his own life on Dec. 4, 2017, and Belinkie on March 2 of this year. There has been no link established between their deaths and the investigation. Lattanzio was found by the internal affairs investigation to have used excessive force and to have been untruthful in reporting the events of that evening. Belinkie was found to not have provided medical attention to an injured person in booking, and to have failed to supervise. Lt. Robert Sapiro, found to have failed to supervise officers that night, retired in March after being promoted to captain. The internal affairs officer in charge of the investigation, Lt. Brian Dickerson, was transferred to a position with less stress in March. GREENWICH The number of Greenwich Public School students who qualify for free- or reduced-price lunches continues to grow, yet almost half of them are not eating the school-provided meals. The questions town Food Service Committee members have is: Why? And: What are these kids eating instead? Is it that theyre not buying at all and bringing food from home? Is it that they dont like the food, and buy chips and cookies? Parent Teacher Association Council member Nerlyn Pierson said this week. You would think theyre eating something. For the last year, a group of parents has renewed a decades-long effort to make changes to the food the schools Food Services Department serves. Concurrently, the Food Services Committee, comprised of the department, school and finance board members, RTM representatives and parents, is exploring contracting with an outside service to handle food operations, a move that could require one or more schools to go off the National School Lunch Plan, which reimburses the district for every meal served. The number of children who participate in the free- or reduced-price lunch program, and how frequently, are sticking points Board of Education members want the committee to address before April 25, when the board could vote on selecting a school to pilot an outside food preparation service. Participation rates About 20 percent of the student population qualifies for free- or reduced-price lunch, or just more than 1,900 kids. That number has increased by 229 kids from June 2016 to December 2018, but the percentage of those students who take noontime meals sits around 56 percent, committee members say. We can do better than 56 percent, BOE member Lauren Rabin said during a meeting of the Food Services Committee this week. Increasing participation is a struggle Greenwich shares with other school districts in Connecticut, said Food Services Director John Hopkins. Even districts where everybody eats for free struggle to get participation into the mid-80s, he said. Students are directly certified based on Medicaid eligibility, which does not necessarily translate to food insecurity, Hopkins said Friday. Also, he said, participation is higher in the elementary schools with the highest population of students eligible for free- or reduced-price lunches New Lebanon, Hamilton Avenue and Julian Curtiss, he said. Of students who qualified for free lunches, Hamilton Avenue had a 72 percent participation rate; Julian Curtiss, 76 percent; and New Lebanon, 67. Students who qualified for reduced-price lunches in the same schools participated at rates of: 73 percent, 71 percent and 65 percent, respectively. Those are the schools youd be concerned about, he said. I guess the sense is that everybody there is participating. The department has tried giving students incentives to get lunch: a free cookie, or in years past, pencil toppers and stickers. But most of those efforts and the like came to an halt. The department no longer rewards meal purchases with sugar, and the trinket system ended years ago because custodians found stickers everywhere, he said. What can we do is to promote ourselves in terms of food and food products, he said. Participation can increase in other ways: If the principal talks up the program, for example, or by making sure the lines move quickly and properly and the food is displayed well. A meal of snacks Committee members hypothesized if the eligible kids are not taking a lunch, they might be bringing food from home or, finding school options unappetizing, buying a la carte options or snacks instead. The PTAC Health and Wellness committee investigated how this plays out at the building level, Pierson said. There is a huge disparity between schools, she said. It creates a bad system because some principals are keen on no sugar, and some dont really care. Snacks can include an array of chips, granola bars, cookies and an assortment of ice cream bars, frozen yogurts and sherbets, according to the district website. Individual school principals can decide which of these are available daily and which are only available once a week for their buildings, Hopkins said. Choosing snacks over a meal will affect student performance, said RTM member Abbe Large. Im connecting (the snacks they eat) to what the BOE is trying to close, which is the achievement gap, which has a direct correlation to what the children are putting into their body, Large said. jo.kroeker@hearstmediact.com GREENWICH Greenwich churchgoers celebrated Palm Sunday with an outdoor blessing of the palms ceremony before Mass at St. Mary Church. Congregants gathered outside in the churchs plaza for a song and prayers, along with the blessing of the palms before proceeding inside for Mass. Scene More than 800 friends and supporters attended the annual luncheon to benefit Fairfield Countys Community Foundations Fund for Women & Girls, held at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich last week. Former Greenwich resident and actress Tracee Ellis Ross, daughter of Greenwich resident and Motown diva Diana Ross, served as keynote speaker. The event raised nearly $600,000 to support of economically secure, safe and healthy women and girls throughout the county. Established in 1998 by a small group of visionary women, the fund pioneered by Anne Leonhardt has invested over $7 million in sustainable solutions, and is now New Englands largest womens fund. In honor of her legacy, the second Anne S. Leonhardt Award was given to long-standing supporter Vicki Craver for her community leadership and philanthropic efforts to strengthen Fairfield County. Net proceeds from the event will benefit The Fund for Women & Girls programmatic work, including the Family Economic Security Program at Housatonic Community College. Out there New Covenant Centers 15th annual celebrity breakfast takes place on Wednesday, April 24 at Woodway Country Club on Hoyt Street in Darien. The celebrity breakfast begins at 7 a.m. with networking coffee followed by breakfast with keynote speaker Bobby Valentine. For more info and tickets go to www.NCCCelebrityBreakfast2019.eventbrite.com or call Leisa Hinds-Simpson at 203-964-8228, ext 409, or sLHinds-Simpson@ccfc-ct.org. Out there Music mogul Tommy Mottola has sold his Greenwich home on John Street for $14.8 million. The lakefront estate that he shared with his wife, Mexican recording artist and actress Thalia, is neighbor to his friend, fashion guru Tommy Hilfiger. Scene St. Judes Give to Live Gala takes place from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, May 17, at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y. The event honoring the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital will feature cocktails, hors doeuvres, a seated dinner, live and silent auctions and dancing. Money raised at the event will help ensure that families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food. Treatments pioneered at St. Jude have saved the lives of more than 80 percent of U.S. childhood cancer patients. For tickets and more info, go to stjude.org/givetolivegala or call Caroline Sparico at 212-379-1600. Out there DOURO, at 363 Greenwich Ave. is preparing to open at its new location at 253 Greenwich Ave., the former site of Morellos. Stay tuned. Scene The Center for HOPE 2019 Annual Luncheon co-chaired by Darien residents Anne Goodnow and Joy Hoffman, takes place on Wednesday, May 8, at Wee Burn Beach Club in Rowayton. Renowned author Mary Cregan will serve as guest speaker at the event, which will honor longtime Family Centers board member, former board chair and Darien resident Jan Dilenschneider with the Ray of HOPE Award. Cregan will speak of her new book, The Scar: A Personal History of Depression and Recovery, her inspirational story of overcoming mental illness and the tenacity she found to rebuild her life. Proceeds will benefit the Center for HOPE and The Den for Grieving Kids. The Family Centers programs offer counseling and support to residents of lower Fairfield County coping with loss, critical illness and life-altering circumstance. For tickets ($125 includes a copy of Cregans book) and more info, go to www.familycenters.org/product/Center-for-HOPE-Luncheon or contact Laurie Molner at lmolner@familycenters.org. Out there The Greenwich Chamber of Commerce holds its annual Business Showcase on Thursday, April 25, at the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center on Harding Road in Old Greenwich. The public is invited to the showcase, one of the biggest networking events of the year, to view and meet with over 70 local businesses. It will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and include wine, food, raffles and a special membership drive. For more info and tickets ($20 members/$30 nonmembers), go to www.greenwichchamber.com, send an email to greenwichchamber@greenwichchamber.com or call 203-869-3500. Scene Grammy-nominated comedian Robert Kline is performing at the Bedford Playhouse on Old Post Road in nearby Bedford, N.Y., at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18, followed by a reception at 8:30 p.m. For tickets and more info, go to https://bedfordplayhouse.org/special_events/an-evening-with-robert-klein/. And thats all for now. Later Got a tip? Seen a celebrity? Email Susie Costaregni at thedish2@yahoo.com. The following companies are subsidiares of V.F.: 1994 Inc. Ltd., 530 Park Ave 10-F LLC, 530 Park Ave 14-H LLC, ALL'CROWN SA, Administradora Mexicana de Servicios S de RL de CV, Administradora de Servicios Honduras S.A., Altra Footwear, Altra LLC, C.C.R.L. LLC, Chapter 4 Corp, Cherry SAS, Ciliegia Srl, Corporacion Distribiduidora de Dickies S de RL de CV, Cutler de Mexico SA, Czech Distribution Services s.r.o., DSI Enterprises LLC, Dickies de Honduras SA de CV, Dickies de Parras S de RL de CV, EAGLE CREEK EUROPE LIMITED, Eagle Creek, Eagle Creek Inc., GFYS LLC, GREENSPORT MONTE BIANCO, Horace Small, INVERSIONES INMOBILIARIES AUSTRALES SA, INVERSIONES VF CHILE DOS LTDA, INVERSIONES VF CHILE LTDA, IW Apparel LLC, IW Holdings LLC, IW Panama Trading S. de R.L., IceBreaker, Icebreaker Apparel LLC, Icebreaker Australia Pty, Icebreaker Australia Retail Pty, Icebreaker Europe Limited, Icebreaker Holdings Limited, Icebreaker Licensing LLC, Icebreaker Limited, Icebreaker Merino Clothing Europe Ltd., Icebreaker New Zealand Limited, Icebreaker Pure Merino GmbH, Imagewear Apparel Corp., Industrial Laundry Services LLC, Industrias Coahuila de Zaragosa S de RL de CV, JanSport Apparel Corp., Kipling Apparel Corp., Kipling Belgium, Kipling Holdings LLC, Kirsche GmbH, Kodiak Group Holdings CO., Lee Bell Inc., Lucy, Lucy Apparel LLC, Majestic Athletic Official Store, Mo Industries Holdings, NII Sales - Texas LLC, Napapijri, North East Rig-Out Limited, North Elm Properties LLC, RED KAP DE MEXICO S DE RL DE CV, RKI HONDURAS S de RL, Reef Holdings Corporation, Rock & Republic, SERVICIOS Y PROMOCIONES TEXTILES LTDA, South Cone, South Cone Inc, Supreme, Supreme Holdings Inc., Supreme Intermediate Holdings Inc., T.I. Venture Group Inc, TBL INVESTMENTS HOLDING GMBH, TBL Licensing LLC, THE NORTH FACE ITALY SRL, THE NORTH FACE SAGL, THE RECREATIONAL FOOTWEAR CO., TIMBERLAND EUROPE BV, TIMBERLAND HK TRADING LTD., TIMBERLAND LUXEMBOURG HOLDING ASIA S.A.R.L., TIMBERLAND UK LTD., The North Face, The North Face Apparel Corp, Timberland, Timberland Asia LLC, Timberland IDC Ltd., Timberland International LLC, VANS MADEIRA LDA, VANS SPAIN SL, VF (J) FRANCE SAS, VF (J) NEDERLAND BV, VF (J) NETHERLANDS SERVICES BV, VF APPAREL PORTUGAL LDA, VF ASIA LTD, VF Apollo Investments Limited, VF Apollo Singapore Pte. Ltd., VF Asia Sourcing Ltd, VF Austria GMBH, VF BRANDS MALAYSIA SDN BHD, VF BRANDS TAIWAN LTD., VF Belgium BV, VF Brands Pte. Ltd., VF CH Apollo Sagl, VF CH Holdings GmbH, VF CH Imagewear Canada GmbH, VF CH MEXICO INVESTMENTS SAGL, VF CH-MEX Holdings LLC, VF CHINA LTD., VF CIS LLC, VF COMERCIALIZADORA LTDA, VF CZECH SERVICES SRO, VF CZECH SRO, VF Corporation, VF DE ARGENTINA SA, VF DO BRAZIL LTDA, VF EGE GIYIM SANAYI VE TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI, VF EUROPE BV, VF GERMANY TEXTILE-HANDELS GMBH, VF Germany Services GMBH, VF HELLAS EPE, VF HOLDING SAGL, VF HOLDINGS MEXICO LLC, VF Hong Kong Limited, VF IB Holdings LLC, VF IMAGEWEAR DE MEXICO S DE RL DE CV, VF IMAGEWEAR MAJESTIC (UK) LTD, VF INTERNATIONAL SAGL, VF INVESTIMENTOS DO BRAZIL LTDA, VF IP Holdings LLC, VF ISRAEL (APPAREL) LTD, VF ITALIA SRL, VF ITALY SERVICES SRL, VF Imagewear Canada Co., VF Imagewear Inc, VF Intellectual Property Services Inc, VF International Holding GmbH, VF Investments Holding GmbH, VF Investments Netherlands BV, VF JEANSWEAR ARGENTINA SRL, VF JEANSWEAR ESPANA SL, VF Japan KK, VF KOREA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, VF LUXEMBOURG SARL, VF Management Service Italy S.r.l., VF NL Holdings CV, VF NL Imagewear B.V., VF NORTHERN EUROPE LIMITED, VF NORTHERN EUROPE SERVICES LIMITED, VF Norway AS, VF OUTDOOR (CANADA) CO, VF OUTDOOR MEXICO S DE RL DE CV, VF OUTDOOR SERVICES S DE RL DE CV, VF Outdoor LLC, VF PANAMA SOURCING SERVICES S. 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DE CV, VF SHANGHAI SOURCING LIMITED, VF SOURCING THAILAND LTD, VF Scandinavia ApS, VF Services LLC, VF Servicios de Guatemala Srl, VF Servicios de Nicaragua Srl., VF Shanghai Enterprise Company, VF Shanghai Limited, VF Singapore Overseas Services Pte Ltd, VF Solutions LLC, VF Sourcing India Private Limited, VF Sweden AB, VF Switzerland Enterprises GmbH, VF Taiwan Limited, VF Transglobal GmbH, VF Treasury Services LLC, VFSE Investments LLC, VFSLA Commercial Services LLC, VFSLA Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Vans, Vans Inc, W-D APPAREL COMPANY LLC, W-D Licensing LLC, WD Europe SAS, WD Supply Holding Limited (HK), Walls Cayman Limited, Walls Holding Company LLC, Walls Industries LLC, Williamson Industries Ltd., Williamson-Dickie APAC Holding Company Ltd., Williamson-Dickie Apparel Trading (Shanghai) Ltd., Williamson-Dickie Canada Co., Williamson-Dickie Europe GmbH, Williamson-Dickie Europe Holdings Ltd., Williamson-Dickie Europe Ltd., Williamson-Dickie HK Holding Company Ltd., Williamson-Dickie Holding Co-Mexico S de RL de CV, Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company LLC, Williamson-Dickie Middle East FZE, Wooster GK, Workwear Sourcing S. de R.L., World Jeans VF Asia Ltd, Worldwide Workwear Ltd., and Ying Tao Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.. by Matthew Terelle | Sat, Apr 13th 7:44pm EDT Minnesota Twins DH Nelson Cruz went 0-for-2 with two walks and two strikeouts in a 4-3 win over the Tigers on Saturday. Fantasy Impact: Cruz is happy to be back playing American League teams after his team played five straight games in National League parks, forcing the designated hitter to sit out. Saturday's game marked his first start since April 3. Overall, Cruz has a .316 average, one homer, two runs, and six RBI in 19 at-bats. Make sure to get him active if you had him benched over the past week. Sign up and get 10% off Sign up for early sale access, new in, promotions and more Womenswear Menswear Get updates by Email SMS Sign Up By subscribing you agree with our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. To opt out, click unsubscribe at the bottom of our emails 2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. 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This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. Oo-la-la! Seen here is Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor in a romantic pose Reportedly, the duo was shooting for a romantic number on the sets of Saaho. Update On Saaho.. Reportedly, the makers of Saaho are approaching the final stages of the film's shoot and very soon, they will be starting promoting the film. Prabhas Introduction Scene We also hear that Prabhas' introduction in Saaho will be high on action and it will blow movie-goers' mind. For the unversed, Hollywood stunt choreographer Kenny Bates has designed the stunts. A new schedule of the film will begin soon in Mumbai. Shraddhas Character In Film Shraddha Kapoor, who will be making her debut in Telugu films with Saaho, is going to play an important character' from whose perspective the film is going to be narrated. Saahos Release Date Saaho, which also casts Jackie Shroff, Chunky Pandey, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Mandira Bedi in the key roles, is scheduled to release on August 15, 2019. Hop out of your electric car and click a button on your smart key Instead of struggling to manoeuvre your car into a tiny space, you sit back, relax and watch your empty car effortlessly move into a parking slot all of its own accord Such a scenario is no longer science fiction; partially automated electric vehicles became a reality a few years back They are largely for the wealthy as they can each cost at least $80,000 and, sometimes, double that or more sums that are not easily affordable for most people However, in the eyes of He Xiaopeng, the electric vehicle (EV) market should encompass a broader group of people And that... BEIJING and SHANGHAI, April 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With an electronic laser light show to get the evening started and an impressive tech-inspired button push to end the night, China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) has launched the China leg of its 25th Anniversary Celebration with parallel ceremonies in both Beijing and Shanghai. The launch followed an alumni-led CSR forum in the capital, and throughout the entire day there was a recurring theme of CEIBS' role in educating business leaders who go beyond financial success to achieve global significance. CEIBS' commitment to educating responsible business leaders was reaffirmed by the school's President Li Mingjun in his welcome speech to those gathered at the school's Beijing Campus, and broadcast live to a packed auditorium at the school's flagship Shanghai Campus. "We want to develop business leaders who can make a positive impact on the society," he said. While sharing highlights from his 30-year journey with CEIBS, renowned economist and CEIBS Honorary Professor Wu Jinglian noted that "social responsibility has become a very important part of CEIBS' mission statement." And in his look ahead at CEIBS' future, President (European) Dipak Jain told the audience that, "there is a much bigger journey, one that is about making a difference in other parts of the world." In addition to the school leadership's inclusion of CSR at the organization's strategic level, CEIBS alumni have also made it a major focus. It is the theme for all their upcoming annual meetings and today's CSR forum served as the backdrop for the release of CEIBS' second annual CSR report, a joint project between the school's faculty and alumni. Along with the strong CSR theme, today's launch was also an opportunity to reminisce and look ahead to the future. In his speech President Li also spoke about the challenges and accomplishments of the last quarter century, during which the school - a successful joint venture between China and the EU - has played a major role in strengthening the relationship between both sides. He also looked ahead to the role CEIBS will play in shaping the future of the global economy. "With China's increasing global status and the deepening integration of its economy with the rest of the world, the focus of global management education is also shifting to China," he said. "CEIBS will continue to shoulder important missions in the future. Today, I hope as we all relive the path that CEIBS has travelled, we will also embrace - and move forward with - the school's time-honoured traditions." Meanwhile President (European) Jain shared the school's plans to - while maintaining its focus on China - enhance its international visibility, build a strong presence in the US through partnerships with other schools and companies and strengthen its European and African initiatives. The next eight months of anniversary celebrations will span 11 cities across 4 continents and is expected to help boost the school's visibility outside of China. Today's dual-city celebration follows the international anniversary launch in Ghana on April 9, which included a signature CEIBS 1+1 Lecture at the school's Accra Campus. In the coming months, there will be 5 major conferences overseas. The first of these will take place on May 15 in Boston, USA, and will explore the topic of the increasingly important digital economy. On July 5, a special Munich Forum will focus on how China and Germany can work together in the context of changing consumer needs and the technological revolution. Then, on July 12, CEIBS will host a Roundtable Workshop in Brussels, where a carefully selected group of participants will discuss Sino-EU economic cooperation. These are just some of the activities planned to mark the CEIBS 25th Anniversary Celebration in Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America, before culminating in a closing ceremony at CEIBS' flagship Shanghai campus in November. The theme of the eight-month-long celebration is China Essence, Global Significance. For more details about CEIBS 25th Anniversary Celebration visit http://www.ceibs.edu/special/25/en/index.html About CEIBS China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) is among the top international business schools in Asia, where it is the only one to have simultaneously made it to the Financial Times' top 5 list of global MBA and EMBA programmes. CEIBS has more than 22,000 alumni from over 80 countries worldwide, and over the last 25 years has provided a broad range of management programmes to more than 160,000 executives both at home and abroad. It also offers a Finance MBA, Hospitality EMBA and a wide range of Executive Education programmes. With a faculty team that has extensive China knowledge and global insight, CEIBS is uniquely equipped to nurture business leaders, at every stage of their careers, preparing them to make a global impact. An unrivalled China expert, CEIBS is guided by the concept of China Depth, Global Breadth. This is tangibly reflected in the school's activities and operations at its 5 campuses across 3 continents. CEIBS has campuses in Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen in China, as well as Zurich in Switzerland, and Accra in Ghana. PHOTOS: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/871310/CEIBS_Stage.jpg https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/871311/CEIBS_President_Speech.jpg https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/871312/CEIBS_European_President.jpg https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/871313/CEIBS_Wu_Jinglian_Speech.jpg https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/871314/CEIBS_Alumni_President.jpg https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/871315/CEIBS_Vice_President.jpg PUBLICIS GROUPE TO ACQUIRE EPSILON PARIS, April 14 2019 -Publicis Groupe (Euronext Paris: FR0000130577, CAC 40) today announced it has entered into an agreement with Alliance Data Systems Corporation (NYSE: ADS) under which Publicis Groupe will acquire Alliance Data's Epsilon business for a net purchase price of $3.95 billion after tax step-up (total cash consideration of $4.40bn) and build a strategic partnership with Alliance Data remaining business. This acquisition will accelerate the implementation of Publicis' strategy to become the preferred transformation partner for its clients. The Directoire (Management Board) and the Conseil de Surveillance (Supervisory Board) of Publicis Groupe have unanimously approved this transaction considering it a one-time opportunity to seize, given the evolution of the industry and the implying transformation of marketing solutions. Arthur Sadoun, Chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, said: "Our clients are facing increasing pressure from the rise in consumer expectations, the mainstreaming of direct-to-consumer brands and new data regulations. The only response is to deliver personalized experiences at scale. They have to transform to meet this new market imperative. With the acquisition of Epsilon, Publicis Groupe is bringing the necessary technology, expertise and the talent to complement our offer in creativity, media and business transformation, and help our clients leapfrog their competition and grow profitably. In 2018 with an unprecedented run of major New Business wins, we demonstrated that we have the right model to be the preferred partner of our clients in their transformation. This acquisition will accelerate its implementation, turbo-charge our game changers and help us grow faster by offering an even more end-to-end solution to our clients. With this critical move, we are going further, faster and deeper in our own transformation, becoming a leader in this data-led, digital-first world. It's a one-time opportunity, with very compelling financial terms and delivering double-digit accretion of Headline EPS and Free Cash Flow from Year 1 (2020). We are thrilled to welcome Epsilon's remarkable teams and look forward to working together for our clients and growing our relationship with Alliance Data." Edward J. Heffernan, Alliance Data Systems' President and CEO, said: "I'm pleased to say today's announcement represents a trifecta win for Alliance Data, Epsilon and Publicis Groupe. The announcement of this transaction represents the culmination of an extensive assessment of strategic options for our Epsilon business. With this transaction, we have found what we believe to be the right home for Epsilon's technology, data assets and associates. Publicis Groupe will be the ideal cultural and strategic fit for Epsilon and its Conversant business, and will help drive Publicis Groupe's own transformation in today's data-driven digital world. Furthermore, the unique relationships that have been cultivated between Epsilon and our other Alliance Data businesses will remain intact, and we look forward to working with Publicis Groupe to develop an even broader relationship promoting mutual and sustainable growth going forward." Maurice Levy, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Publicis, said: "The Conseil de Surveillance has thoroughly and carefully reviewed this transaction and has approved it unanimously considering that it would be good for all stakeholders. For the clients: it will accelerate the transformation of Publicis making it a more relevant and more competitive partner. For the talents: in a highly competitive environment for talents, Publicis will be in a position to benefit from a remarkable leadership team, 3 700 data scientists and great technology teams and artificial intelligence experts. For our shareholders: the transaction, which was not planned, has great merits from a financial point of view. The price is fair, the transaction is headline EPS and Free Cash Flow accretive at double digit level, it gives a stronger profile of growth and a new and better balanced mix of product and revenues. Therefore, it will generate value creation that will greatly benefit our shareholders. The Conseil de Surveillance has been convinced by the approach of the Directoire and its Chairman and CEO, Arthur Sadoun, on the integration. The plan is reasonable and should lead to a seamless integration with great potential in growth and cost synergies. We are confident that the plan will deliver the expected results on services, growth and synergies." Epsilon: a technology leader maximizing the value of its clients' data at scale Headquartered in the US, Epsilon is a unique technology and platform company focusing on maximizing the value of its clients' data. In 2018, Epsilon generated $1.9 billion of net revenue (3), 97% in the United States. Epsilon employs approximately 9,000 employees, including 3,700 data scientists and 2,000 Bangalore-based technology delivery experts. Epsilon's expertise spans across the entire data lifecycle from client's first-party raw data to personalized marketing campaigns, using technology, data and platforms to: Onboard client first-party data using Epsilon's proprietary software suite (CRM, email and loyalty programs) to create a clean, normalized and organized data set Enrich client's first-party data with Epsilon proprietary data assets (demographic and contact, behavioral and transactional, online and offline data) Build unique ID customer profiles based on enriched data and Artificial Intelligence for segmentation and analytics Activate data to deliver personalized multichannel campaigns at scale with measurement and real-time optimization Epsilon's success is evidenced by the endorsement of its blue chip clients: Epsilon has gained the trust of at least 7 out of the 10 largest US companies across various sectors including Auto, Retail, Financial Services, CPG and Media In addition, its top 50 clients have an average tenure of 14 years and have generated an 8% yearly growth on average over the last two years, demonstrating the significant client benefits delivered by Epsilon. Epsilon has built its assets in technology, data and platforms at an impressive scale. For example, its loyalty software serves 600 million accounts, it has more than 250 million unique consumers identified in the US, and its proprietary platforms Conversant handle 1 billion updates every 5 minutes allowing to further improve messaging based on consumer insights on a real time basis. Epsilon has developed extremely strong artificial intelligence capabilities allowing consumer behavior predictions. In a world where data privacy is paramount, Epsilon remains at the forefront of consumer privacy, cybersecurity and risk management compliance matters. Bryan Kennedy, CEO of Epsilon, said: "We are thrilled to join the Publicis Groupe family. During extensive discussions with the Publicis leadership team during the recent review process, we found powerful common ground, including shared values and a strong vision for the future of data-driven, digital-first marketing. Our discussions illuminated the unmistakable market opportunity that combining our complementary offerings would represent. I strongly believe that joining Publicis will benefit Epsilon and Conversant's people and bring great value and new opportunity to the clients we serve." An acceleration of Publicis strategy to become the preferred partner to clients in their transformation In today's fast changing environment, clients are shifting their investments towards data/technology-driven marketing solutions which allow them to foster customer engagement, support growth and reduce costs. Publicis has set a clear ambition to combine creativity, data and technology to address its clients' needs and become a leader in marketing and business transformation. This model has been gaining momentum as exemplified by Publicis Groupe's #1 position in New Business ranking in 2018 and the growth of its "Game Changers". Today, the acquisition of Epsilon is a one-time opportunity to accelerate the implementation of Publicis' strategy to deliver personalized experience at scale. With Epsilon at the core, Publicis will become the first player to offer a unique end-to-end services to its clients. It will result in enhanced growth of its existing businesses while opening up new opportunities in an enlarged $1.5 trillon industry. Epsilon will fuel the entire Publicis organization, complementing its existing Solutions and boosting its Game Changers: On the creative side, Epsilon assets will bring customer insights to improve ideation and build more relevant campaigns. By powering the Dynamic Creative Engine, Publicis will go one step further to adapt to real time context of customers (who they are, what they do, what they buy) On the media side, the connection between Epsilon's data sets and Publicis Media's billions of touchpoints will provide superior intelligence to build consumer IDs, segment audiences and maximize media buying ROI by accurately measuring and optimizing campaigns in real time On the Digital Business Transformation side, Epsilon will allow Publicis to deliver deep proprietary customer insights to further optimize clients' business model Conversely, Epsilon's potential will be fully unlocked within Publicis Groupe, thanks to well identified value creation levers. In particular, Epsilon will benefit from Publicis' client portfolio and global reach to expand further in the U.S. and overseas. Publicis also intends to replicate the success of Epsilon's unique Auto platform to other verticals (such as Health, Financial Services, Telecommunications, Retail). Compelling transaction terms with attractive shareholder value creation Under the terms of the agreed transaction, Publicis Groupe will acquire Epsilon for a cash consideration of $4.40 billion, representing a net purchase price of $3.95 billion after deducting the benefit of acquisition-related tax step-up. This implies an 8.2x multiple, based on a 2018 Adjusted EBITDA (1) of $485m. The transaction will be double digit accretive to Publicis' headline EPS and Free Cash Flow per share (2) from year one (2020). As an illustration, based on 2018 Pro-Forma figures, headline EPS accretion would equal +12.5% (4) and FCF accretion +16.5% (5), excluding any transaction-related synergies. Publicis remains committed to its 45% dividend payout ratio and will put on hold its share repurchase program in the context of this acquisition. The transaction will be fully financed with debt and cash on hand, maintaining a financial profile in line with current BBB+ / Baa2 ratings, with full deleveraging four years after completion of the transaction. The transaction remains subject to customary approvals and is expected to close in Q3 2019. Advisors Allen & Company LLC, BNP Paribas, Citi and J.P. Morgan acted as financial advisors and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is serving as legal advisor to Publicis Groupe. Conference calls On Monday, April 15, 2019, at 8:00 AM CET/2:00 AM ET and at 2:00 PM CET/8:00 AM ET, Publicis Groupe and Epsilon will host webcast presentations to discuss the transaction. Links to the webcast and accompanying documents will be available on Publicis Groupe's Investor Relations website. This press release contains inside information within the meaning of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) N 596/2014 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 75,000 professionals. www.publicisgroupe.com (http://www.publicisgroupe.com) | Twitter:@PublicisGroupe | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/PublicisGroupe) | Viva la Difference! Contacts Publicis Groupe Clement Leonarduzzi Corporate Communications + 33 (0) 6 79 27 47 31 clement.leonarduzzi@publicisconsultants.com (mailto:clement.leonarduzzi@publicisconsultants.com) Sabrina Pittea / Karen Lim Corporate Communications + 33 (0)1 44 43 76 91 / 78 61 sabrina.pittea@publicisgroupe.com (mailto:sabrina.pittea@publicisgroupe.com) Alessandra Girolami Investor Relations + 33 (0)1 44 43 77 88 alessandra.girolami@publicisgroupe.com (mailto:alessandra.girolami@publicisgroupe.com) Chi-Chung Lo Investor Relations + 33 (0)1 44 43 66 69 chi-chung.lo@publicisgroupe.com (mailto:chi-chung.lo@publicisgroupe.com) Disclaimer Certain information contained in this document, other than historical information, may constitute forward-looking statements or unaudited financial forecasts. These forward-looking statements and forecasts are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These forward-looking statements and forecasts are presented as at the date of this document and, other than as required by applicable law, Publicis Groupe does not assume any obligation to update them to reflect new information or events or for any other reason. Publicis Groupe urges you carefully to consider the risk factors that may affect its business, as set out in the Registration Document filed with the French Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF) and which is available on the website of Publicis Groupe (www.publicisgroupe.com (http://www.publicisgroupe.com/)), including an unfavorable economic climate, an extremely competitive market sector, the possibility that our clients could seek to terminate their contracts with us at short notice, the fact that a substantial part of the Group's revenue is derived from certain key clients, conflicts of interest between advertisers active in the same sector, the Group's dependence on its directors and employees, laws and regulations which apply to the Group's business, legal action brought against the Group based on allegations that certain of the Group's commercials are deceptive or misleading or that the products of certain clients are defective, the strategy of growing through acquisitions, the depreciation of goodwill and assets listed on the Group's balance sheet, the Group's presence in emerging markets, exposure to liquidity risk, a drop in the Group's credit rating and exposure to the risks of financial markets. 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: Publicis Groupe via Globenewswire For Ambedkar, the constitutional pillars of liberty, equality and fraternity could operate only in a trinity and could not be divorced from each other. If BR Ambedkar, Dalit leader and architect of the Indian Constitution, were alive today as the 90-crore strong electorate votes to elect its next set of leaders who would govern the country, he would be surprised and disappointed to know how the words in his last address to the Constituent Assembly more than 70 years ago still ring true, even on his 128th birth anniversary. Bhimrao Ambedkar, born on 14 April 1891 to an austere and religious Mahar family in Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, fought his way through the entrenched oppression of belonging to a lower-caste family to become a lawyer, political leader, economist, torchbearer of the anti-caste movement and one of Indias greatest liberal, intellectual thinkers. April, it is said, is the cruelest month, and today, India is at the crossroads as rising communal violence, hatred, murders of journalists, activists and intellectuals, and systematic undermining of institutions form the backdrop to the ongoing seven-phase general election. In such a heated atmosphere, Ambedkars lifelong fight for an equal and independent India ridden of the caste system seems like a distant dream flailing to survive. Placing creed before country In his final speech to the Constituent Assembly on 25 November, 1949, Ambedkar expressed his anxiety about India losing her independence for the second time due to the treachery of some of her own people. He went on to say that his fear was deepened by the realisation of the fact that the country will have several political parties with opposing political creeds. Will Indians place the country above their creed or will they place creed above country? I do not know. But this much is certain, that if the parties place creed above country, our independence will be put in jeopardy a second time and probably be lost forever, he had said. Looking at this from todays perspective, the ruling political party (BJP), under the aegis of its ideological fountainhead RSS, seems to be leaving no stone unturned to establish a Hindu rashtra, sidelining minority communities in the process. Union minister and BJP leader Maneka Gandhis recent comment in Sultanpur that Muslims should vote for her, otherwise she would not be inclined to respond to their requests, shows the erosion of Indias democracy. If anything, the idea of what constitutes a democracy has been distorted under the present central government to such an extent that it is being projected as a give-and-take-relation, thus going against Ambedkars ideals. Annihilating the caste system Caste continues to play a crucial, deciding factor in determining the fate of candidates in elections in a large number of states in India, be it in local, Assembly or parliamentary polls. Be it the Jats of Haryana, Meenas and Rajputs of Rajasthan, Lingayats of Karnataka or Brahmins, political parties play according to the caste arithmetic at hand. For Ambedkar, caste was not a division of labour; it was a division of labourers. Even as an economic organisation, caste was a harmful institution. His problem with Hinduism was that blind belief in shastras was the root cause of the caste system in India. For him, the caste system went against the idea of a nation and was anti-national in principle. He called upon Hindus to annihilate caste and set up a new social order of equality, liberty and fraternity, similar to the principles of a democracy. Towards the end of his life, his growing alienation with Hinduism led him to embrace Buddhism, along with his followers. Liberty, equality and fraternity For Ambedkar, the constitutional pillars of liberty, equality and fraternity could operate only in a trinity and could not be divorced from each other. We still live in an unequal society, where the wealth of the nine richest Indians is equivalent to the bottom 50 percent of the population. In the absence of an equal social system, liberty produces supremacy of a few over the many and kills individual initiative, according to Ambedkar. One of the things we see being eroded is the idea of fraternity of Indians being one people. The threat is more real when BJP chief Amit Shah says that the BJP will enforce the National Register of Citizens, and promises to remove all infiltrators except Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs, if voted to power for a second consecutive term. This constant effort to polarise the masses, accentuate the differences between communities and religions in a country as diverse as India goes against the idea of fraternity. Hero worship Citing John Stuart Mill, Ambedkar warned of the dangers of laying our liberties at the feet of even a great man, or to trust him with power which enables them to subvert their institutions. For a long time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been posited by the BJP as the hero, the messiah our country needed. Earlier, Indira Gandhi had a similar cult-like following at a nationwide level. The unprecedented rise of social media has only helped cement this bhakti towards Modi. In BJP rallies across the country, people are asked to vote for Modi by voting for the saffron party candidate. Ambedkar also said that bhakti in religion leads to salvation, but in politics, it is a sure road to degradation and eventual dictatorship in a democracy. Ambedkar also said that political democracy should be made into a social democracy, adding that the contradictions between the two should be resolved, else they will undermine democracy itself. Erosion of constitutional morality As the Indian social fabric becomes increasingly fragmented, the basic tenets of the Constitution, including secularism, are being challenged. One of Ambedkars pleas was to maintain constitutional morality at any given time. According to him, if India were to maintain its democracy, the first thing to be done is to hold fast to the constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives. Abandoning constitutional morality would open the gates to anarchy, a state we seem to be descending into. Mob lynchings in Una, Alwar, Ajmer, Muzaffarnagar and Dadri and the rise of gau rakshaks are evidence of rising intolerance in the past five years. People are taking the law into their own hands to justify their point of view. In fact, Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde has said that the BJP is here to change the Constitution and called being secular a new fad. Appropriating Ambedkar Politics is not possible without invoking historic figures that have left an indelible mark on Indias landscape. Keeping this in mind, the appropriation of Ambedkar by several political parties, including the BJP, which ideologically differs from his worldview, is not surprising. This strategy is used as a means to neutralise the ideological threat they pose. Last year, the Uttar Pradesh government attempted to appropriate him as a Hindu icon and decided to mention Ambedkars middle name Ramji in all references to him in the states official correspondence. However, the NDA governments celebration of Ambedkar indicates only a superficial embrace of the man, rather than a commitment to bringing in social reform, as he espoused in his writings. Dalit community a political orphan Most political parties treat Dalits as political orphans due to the lack of a unifying face across the nation, as Ambedkar once was. His relevance is amplified by the fact that there is no Dalit leader with a pan-Indian appeal and presence. The community appears to be leaderless, which leads to political parties competing to bring them under their banner, thus reducing them to a vote bank. For mainstream political parties, the presence of Ambedkar as a Dalit icon is required as their own leaders have failed to provide social justice to the community. Pseudo nationalism Ambedkars idea of nationalism was freedom from social inequality and untouchability. He wanted to broaden the social base of Indian nationalism by rejecting Brahminical imperialism under the caste system. I am of the opinion that in believing that we are a nation, we are cherishing a great delusion, he had said. How can people divided into several thousands of castes be a nation? The sooner we realise that we are not as yet a nation in the social and psychological sense of the world, the better for us. For then only we shall realise the necessity of becoming a nation and seriously think of ways and means of realising the goal. However, in the present context, nationalism has been reduced to not questioning anything the government in power does. It is invoked in a forceful manner, spreading fear among the people. Ambedkar hated hereditary, dynastic rule and a one-party system. Both the Congress and BJP have been guilty of this at different points of time. He warned that despotism does not cease to despotism because it is elective. The real guarantee against despotism is to confront it with the possibility of its dethronement, of its being laid low, of its being superseded by a rival party. Whether this happens in the ongoing Lok Sabha election is yet to be seen. Ambedkar, commonly known as Babasaheb, dedicated his life to working for the upliftment of untouchables, women, and labourers. On the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanati on Sunday, or Bhim Jayanti, President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to Dalit social reformer and father of the Indian Constitution Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar on his 128th Birth Anniversary. "Homage to Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. An icon of our nation and chief architect of the Constitution, Dr Ambedkar waged a life-long struggle for a modern India, free of caste and other prejudices, ensuring equal rights for women and weaker sections," the president said. Homage to Dr B.R. Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. An icon of our nation, and Chief Architect of the Constitution, Dr Ambedkar waged a life-long struggle for a modern India free of caste and other prejudices, ensuring equal rights for women and weaker sections #PresidentKovind President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) April 14, 2019 The prime minister tweeted in Hindi, saying: "I pay my homage to the chief architect of the Indian Constitution and a person who has worked for social justice Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. Jai Hind!" Modi also paid a tribute to the social reformist in Twitter video. . ! pic.twitter.com/KIZVJC725r Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 14, 2019 The Congress also paid tribute to Ambedkar and urged everyone to work towards a "just and equal India" like he did. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was the architect of our Constitution & also the driving force behind our greatest institutions. Today, on #AmbedkarJayanti, let us strive together to work towards a just and equal India. pic.twitter.com/AhJAUAPYYT Congress (@INCIndia) April 14, 2019 Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah praised the 'Father of the Constitution' for his "unparalleled" contribution to uplift the marginalised society. I add my own words of tribute to the father of the constitution, the constitution of India which is the bedrock of J&Ks special status. His contribution to uplifting & giving a voice to Dalits & the most marginalised is unparalleled in Indian history. #AmbedkarJayanti https://t.co/mplH4qrLn9 Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 14, 2019 Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, state minister Priyank Kharge and other leaders also their paid their tributes. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot laid flowers at a statue of "Babasaheb" in Jaipur on his 128th Birth Anniversary. Ambedkar, commonly known as Babasaheb, dedicated his life to working for the uplift of untouchables, women and labourers. He also campaigned against the social discrimination of Dalits and inspired the Dalit Buddhist Movement in 1956. Born into a poor Dalit family on 14 April 1891, Ambedkar became independent India's first law minister, the principal architect of the Constitution of India and a founding father of the Republic of India. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1990. With inputs from ANI Born into a poor Dalit family on 14 April 1891, Ambedkar became independent India's first law minister, the principal architect of the Constitution of India and a founding father of the Republic of India. Ahmedabad (Gujarat): Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday paid tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar in Ambedkar on his 128th birth anniversary. After paying homage, Fadnavis alleged that in the past, Congress governments did nothing to preserve the memories of Ambedkar whereas BJP has restored many key places related to the Dalit leader. "I am also delighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made utmost attempts to preserve not only thoughts but also memories of Dr BR Ambedkar. There was a long pending demand of making a memorial at the place where Ambedkar breathed his last but, the past Congress government didn't acquire even an inch of that place. After I became the chief minister, we got land worth Rs 3,600 crore within three days. Now the construction work is ongoing and by 2020 a grand memorial will be built. The way this government has restored the key places related to BR Ambedkar, be it in Alipur or London, is really significant," Fadnavis told reporters in Ahmedabad. He went on to praise the social reformist, saying that the constitution made by Ambedkar brought equality in the country and gave everyone a right to live freely. "I believe India's constitution is best in the country," he added. Fadnavis asserted that his party will perform well in the Lok Sabha elections, adding that this time, BJP will win more seats than it did in 2014. He also outlined that BJP has done well for preserving rights of the Scheduled Castes. "Whenever there was a need to take decisions for the welfare of the scheduled caste or scheduled tribe, this government has always performed well. The government even made a law to preserve rights of the scheduled caste after a Supreme Court decision." Today marks the 128th birth anniversary of Ambedkar and is referred to as Ambedkar Jayanti or Bhim Jayanti. Born into a poor Dalit family on 14 April 1891, Ambedkar became independent India's first law minister, the principal architect of the Constitution of India and a founding father of the Republic of India. Ambedkar, commonly known as Babasaheb, dedicated his life to working for the upliftment of untouchables, women, and labourers. Congress demanded a probe into the alleged transportation of a 'suspicious black trunk' in Narendra Modi's helicopter during his visit to Chitradurg in Karnataka New Delhi: The Congress Sunday demanded a probe into the alleged transportation of a "suspicious black trunk" in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helicopter during his visit to Chitradurg in Karnataka for poll campaign. Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma asked the prime minister to come clean and said the Election Commission should inquire into the contents of the "trunk". He said the Congress' Karnataka unit has already filed a complaint with the Election Commission in this regard. The prime minister had addressed an election rally in Karnataka's Chitradurga on 9 April. "We saw there were three more choppers escorting the prime minister's helicopter. After landing, a black trunk was taken out and whisked away in a private car which was not part of the SPG carcade," he alleged. Sharma suggested there was cash stashed in the trunk. "What was there in the trunk. If there was no cash in it, let there an inquiry be held." The party also played a video clip claiming that the purported trunk, after being unloaded from the PM's helicopter, was shipped to a private Innova car, that Sharma alleged was not a part of the SPG carcade, and taken away. Sharma also asked Modi to give an account of his five-year rule to the people of the country as a tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. "The Prime Minister is trying to control and change the narrative because he has no courage the face real issues," he alleged. Raising the issue of Rafale, Sharma asked Modi to make public the minutes of a meeting held last year between him and former French president Francois Hollande on the fighter jet deal. "Why is he (PM) silent on his role in Rafale scam? Make the minutes of the meeting between Prime Minister and former French president Francois Hollande on the Rafale deal public by tomorrow. As there has been a controversy, it would help settle it once for all," he said. The Prime Minister in his "desperation to win has done enormous disservice to the nation by dragging in the Armed Forces for Partisan political propaganda", Sharma further alleged. "Seeking votes for the courageous action and sacrifices of our soldiers is an unpardonable transgression and also an insult to the Armed forces who defend the motherland under the tricolour and not under one person or party. The Indian Army belongs to the Republic of India," he said. Sharma also slammed BJP leader and Union minister General VK Singh (Retd). "There is Prime Minister's defence and his apology minister including one of his ministers, who should have been made literate in the military history of the country. I am referring to retired General VK Singh, he said - Indira Gandhi benefitted electorally from the Bangladesh war." "Is he ignorant of history when he himself was a commissioned officer?" Sharma asked. "To reeducate him, these are the facts: General Singh got commissioned in June 1970, Smt Indira Gandhi recorded a massive electoral win in March 1971 and India won the 13-day war with Pakistan on 16 December 1971. VK Singh should extend an unconditional apology," he said. Today's top stories: Narendra Modi will address a total of three rallies in Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, Rahul Gandhi cancels public meeting in West Bengal's Siliguri after denial of permission to land helicopter, and more Poll watch: Modi to campaign in UP, Kashmir; JD(U) to release manifesto Prime Minister Narendra Modi will keep up the campaign for the second phase of the Lok Sabha election with three rallies on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua and Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh and Moradabad. Moreover, BJP's Bihar ally JD(U) is likely to release its manifesto on Sunday. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi will address a rally in Assam's Silchar, however, Congress president Rahul Gandhi was forced to cancel his public rally scheduled for Sunday in West Bengal's Siliguri after the state authority denied permission for his helicopter to land at the venue. Senior Congress leader and the party's Darjeeling Lok Sabha candidate Shankar Malakar said he had sought permission for Rahul's chopper to land at the police ground on 14 April, the police denied permission. "We had to cancel the rally as we didn't get the permission," Malakar said. Siliguri police commissioner BL Meena confirmed that the Congress had sought permission to land a helicopter at the police ground. "We denied permission for that specific ground. There are some rules due to which it was not allowed. But they didn't come up with any alternative venue," Meena said. Amid the blame game, the infighting in Bengal Congress came out in the open as state Congress president Somen Mitra said he was not aware of Rahul's rally. An Opposition all-party press conference is also scheduled for Sunday, reports said, adding that representatives of nearly all political parties will be present. Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu will take lead in the press conference, while Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Congress leader Kapil Sibal will also be present. EC questions TDP about including 'EVM thief' in visiting delegation The Election Commission has written to the Telugu Desam Party asking how a person with criminal antecedents could be part of the delegation led by its chief N Chandrababu Naidu during his visit to the poll panel on Saturday. The commission, in its letter, said when Naidu visited, he was accompanied by one Hari Prasad, who has repeatedly raised various technical issues regarding the functioning of EVMs and claimed to have technical expertise in the field. The letter said it was decided that Prasad would get a detailed briefing from the technical team of the Election Commission. "However, when this technical person came, it turned out that he was Hari Prasad, who was involved in a criminal case regarding alleged theft of EVM machines in 2010, on which an FIR was filed... Whatever may be the eventual outcome of the investigation, it would be appreciated that such antecedents do not inspire confidence. "This is completely intriguing as to how a so-called technical expert with these antecedents was allowed to be part of the delegation led by N Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and president of the TDP," read the letter from the poll panel addressed to the TDP legal cell. The Andhra Pradesh chief minister met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora in Delhi and submitted a memorandum alleging that a large number of EVMs malfunctioned during polling in the state on Thursday and inadequate security led to incidents of violence. IPL 2019 : KKR to face CSK challenge; SRH to take on high-flying DC Table-toppers Chennai Super Kings will look to complete the double against Kolkata Knight Riders, when the two teams clash in first of the two games to be played on Sunday. In the second fixture, Sunrisers Hyderabad will host Delhi Capitals. The Shreyas Iyer side will hope to extend their winning run against sixth-placed Sunrisers. Regular captain Kane Williamson is expected to return for the encounter. Google adds ticket-booking feature in India Google has reportedly rolled out an in-search movie ticketing feature, which allows users to directly book tickets from Google Search. The feature is available for both iOS and Android devices as well as on Google Assistant. The search engine giant has reportedly partnered with Paytm, BookMyShow and INOX for the service, and when booking, users are directed to the respective website or apps to complete the purchase. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel had directed the chief secretary and the chairman and member secretary, Delhi Pollution Control Committee, to respond why they should not be jailed and prosecuted if illegal activities were not stopped and people kept suffering on account of illegal activities. New Delhi: Around 14 officials, including an ACP, were injured after clashes broke out between security personnel and local scrap dealers during a sealing drive in west Delhi's Mayapuri area Saturday, leading to a political slugfest between the ruling AAP and the BJP. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) shared a video on Twitter purportedly showing security personnel resorting to stone pelting, which Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal dubbed as "extremely shameful". "It is extremely shameful that the citizens are being treated in this manner by the Centre. The trader community has always supported the BJP with money as well as with votes. But in return, the Centre-led police brutally beat up the traders sending a clear message that they do not want the community's support in the upcoming polls," the chief minister tweeted. Horrifying!!! General Dyer Modi's police brutally pelting stones on the citizens in Mayapuri, Delhi. #GeneralDyerModi pic.twitter.com/vIFP3RUb1Y AAP (@AamAadmiParty) April 13, 2019 Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit also "condemned" the use of force by police and blamed the Centre and BJP-led civic bodies for sealing. BJP leader and Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri said the violence was due to the "failure" of the Kejriwal government and that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order to seal the polluting units in Mayapuri came only after the AAP dispensation's "inaction" in relocating the scrap industry. On Saturday morning, a sealing drive was started by the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Delhi Cantonment, along with the staff of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) in the Mayapuri scrap market in pursuance of the NGT order, a senior police official said. "Some scrap dealers started protesting against the sealing. They got violent and resorted to stone pelting. Security personnel retaliated with baton-charge but did not pelt stones on the protestors," the police official added. The sealing drive came after the NGT slammed the Delhi government Thursday for not acting against illegal scrap industries in Mayapuri that cause pollution. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel had directed the chief secretary and the chairman and member secretary, Delhi Pollution Control Committee, to respond why they should not be jailed and prosecuted if illegal activities were not stopped and people kept suffering on account of illegal activities. The green panel has also ordered the officials to appear before it on 3 May with a compliance report. "Sealing drive was carried out following the directions of the NGT," a senior Revenue Department official of the Delhi government said. Police said 14 officials - the SDM, an ACP, three DPCC employees and nine police personnel, including those of the Indo-Tibetan Police Force - sustained injuries in the incident and had to be taken to a hospital. On the ground, the situation remained tense. Several scrap dealers said the sealing was started without giving prior intimation to the traders. A number of scrap dealers even gathered outside the Mayapuri police station. "The NGT has given a blanket order without distinguishing between polluting units and scrap dealers. Of the notices given to 812 units, only 30 units lead to pollution," a scrap dealer said, requesting anonymity. Another trader said the order was passed by the NGT without doing a proper survey of units leading to pollution. A third trader said the sealing was conducted while traders were performing a puja on the account of 'navratra' which irked a few of them. One of the largest scrap markets of Asia, Mayauri, located between the Delhi Cantonment and west Delhi's Hari Nagar, has more than 2,000 small and big units. The incident also gave ammo to the political parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls scheduled in the national capital on 12 May. Terming the incident as "horrific", the AAP hit out at the Centre by drawing a comparison with the Jallianwallah Bagh massacre, whose centenary is being observed on Saturday. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place in Amritsar during the Baisakhi festival on April 13, 1919, when troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer opened fire at a crowd of people holding a pro-independence demonstration, leaving several dead and scores injured. "Horrifying! General Dyer Modi's police brutally pelting stones on the citizens in Mayapuri, Delhi," the AAP tweeted Saturday and shared a video clip purportedly showing the incident. Union minister Puri said Kejriwal bears the entire responsibility of the violence as his government did not come up with a proper rehabilitation plan for Mayapuri's scrap units. On Kejriwal blaming the Centre for the incident, Puri said, "The chief minister was a lair." Two days after the Election Commission directed that all recorded programmes displayed on NaMo TV be pre-certified, the BJP wrote to the Delhi poll body that 'documentary content' has been removed from the channel. New Delhi: Two days after the Election Commission directed that all recorded programmes displayed on NaMo TV be pre-certified, the BJP on Saturday wrote to the Delhi poll body that "documentary content" has been removed from the channel, officials said. An official of the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer's office said the BJP replied in the afternoon and said they will not run any content that was "not certified" or "returned" by the media certification and monitoring committee (MCMC). The party also said the documentary content that was being earlier aired by the channel is not being aired anymore. The CEO's office on Saturday also directed the party to ensure that all videos played on NaMo TV bear the certification number given by it. Officials at the CEO office said that parties only specify whether the content is for social media or TV and not whether it will go on any particular channel. Keeping this in mind, the party has been directed to ensure that the content played on NaMo TV bears the certification ID. The Election Commission had on Thursday said since NaMo TV was sponsored by the BJP, all recorded programmes displayed on the platform should be pre-certified by media certification and monitoring committee of Delhi and all political publicity contents displayed without pre-certification be removed immediately. Following the directive, the CEO of Delhi wrote to the BJP to ensure that all political content not approved be removed. "As a precautionary measure, two officials have been deployed to watch NaMo TV and monitor its content," officials had said. An official said political parties usually submit audiovisual content for pre-certification, without specifying on which platform it will be aired. The content may be aired during a rally or on the party's website, he said. After the Congress filed a complaint with the poll panel about the channel disturbing the level playing field, the Election Commission had asked the Delhi CEO to file a report on the issue. The Delhi CEO approved the logo of NaMo TV, which the BJP said was part of the NaMo App that it owns, but did not "certify" the content as it contained old speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A new secular paradigm should not be afraid to admit Hindu and Muslim identities have deep roots Editor's Note: This article first appeared in Issue 12 of Firstpost print. In contemporary India there are few problems as intractable as that of Hindu-Muslim conflict. From 1950 to 1995, over 7,000 Indians, overwhelmingly Muslim, died in communal rioting. The 1980s in particular witnessed an upsurge in Hindu nationalist politics that led to the 1992 destruction of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya and the Gujarat riots of 2002. Since the 2014 electoral victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India has witnessed more instances of sectarianism including beef bans, cow-protection vigilantism, and anti-Muslim mob lynchings. Much of this violence against Muslims has been waged as revenge for supposed historical wrongs meted out to the Hindu community. In the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Hindus suffered more than a thousand years of slavery during the medieval and then colonial era. Scholars either associated with or sympathetic to Hindutva have made a number of similar assertions: that in the past, millions of Hindus were forcibly converted to Islam or killed, and that Muslim invaders destroyed as many as 60,000 temples. Most of these statements are either exaggerated or blatantly false, but because the BJP government controls what narratives appear in textbooks, they have circulated them as fact. Historians and social scientists have responded to these controversies by trying to set the record straight. In doing so, they generally espouse what might be called a secular paradigm of Indian history: one that minimises the impact of religion and religious identity in the medieval era, underscores the depth of syncretic relations between groups, and assigns most violence to political and not religious motivations. There is much to be sympathetic of in the secular view, not least its underlying motivation to defuse sectarian grievances in contemporary India. But unfortunately, the secular paradigm has its own problems and is in serious need of revision. In particular, there are three issues that have been tendentious for scholars: the origins of Hindu and Muslim identities, the depth of Hindu-Muslim cultural encounters, and interpreting historical violence. What is needed now is a new secular paradigm. Hindu-Muslim Identities Scholars often respond to the claim that medieval India featured significant religious violence by arguing that Hindu and Muslim identities, at least in their modern form, did not exist in the past. How could the invaders of north India be categorised as Muslims when the most common terms used to describe them were Turks or Yavanas the latter also used to describe the Greeks? And how could kings like Shivaji be called Hindu when this term only referred to geography i.e., those born east of the Indus River? Scholars in the secular camp are much more likely to focus on the British colonial period in considering the origins of Hindu and Muslim identities. It was the British who instituted the first national census in 1871, forcing communities to identify as belonging to either one religion or the other, which colonial officials viewed as diametrically opposed groups. By jumping so quickly to accentuate the colonial period, however, secularists make a bold but tenuous claim: they suggest that Hinduism and Islam, two august religious traditions, were largely constructed by Europeans. How is it that Judaism is taken to be 5,000 years old, and Christianity 2,000 years old, but Hindus and Muslims in India had little self-conception before the census of 1871? In seeking to solve one problem the origins of religious communities in India secularists inadvertently cause another one an ethnocentric view of Indian history. Sometimes it is suggested that only those sympathetic to Hindutva believe in the precolonial origins of Hindu and Muslim identities. But this is not true. Many academics, such as the religious studies scholars David Lorenzen and Andrew Nicholson, have written nuanced work about how Hindu and Muslim identities formed during the medieval period. Diana Eck has similarly highlighted how Hinduism by all accounts, a diverse and decentralised religion throughout history had a sacred geography of rivers and holy sites that connected adherents across the subcontinent. A new secular paradigm should not be afraid to admit that Hindu and Muslim identities have deep roots. This does not lead to a slippery slope that sees, for example, Hinduisms origins in the Indus Valley Civilisation. Rather, it accepts that the process of religious identity construction occurred over a long period of time, and was more than an imposition by Western authorities. Hindu-Muslim Cultural Encounters While it seems like Hindus and Muslims are constantly at odds in modern India, secularists harken back to a more peaceful age. They emphasise that for most of Indian history, Hindus and Muslims were not at each others throats. They especially focus on the depth of cross-cultural interaction between religious communities in the past for example, spotlighting Emperor Akbars patronage of Hindu arts, Dara Shikohs translation of the Upanishads, or the cosmopolitan culture of the supposedly Hindu empire of Vijayanagar. But there are limitations to what all this tells us. Yes, it is true that most Hindus and Muslims lived together, traded, and governed in peace for much of the time. But this misses a fundamental point about the study of ethnic conflict: that even in the most ethnically-divided societies, moments of violence are intermittent and rare. Examples of intergroup cooperation from the past, therefore, do nothing to disprove the occurrence of sectarian bloodshed. If we were to delve into medieval European history, for example, we would find countless examples of interfaith cooperation between Christians and Jews, and that such encounters were the norm rather than the exception. But in spite of this fact, it is the exceptional moments the pogroms, ghettos, and expulsions that remain the most salient. A second problem is that many of the syncretic encounters underscored by scholars occurred at very elite levels. While it may be fascinating to learn about the Hindu princes that married Muslim princesses, this tells us very little about everyday life, or the vast bulk of the population. The pluralistic court cultures may have been just that: elite interactions that did not filter down to the level of rural society, where most Hindus and Muslim practised endogamy, and retained a distinct set of cultures, norms, and habits. A new secular paradigm would recognise why violence in the past, even if it was rare, should not be dismissed as anomalous, or worse yet sanitised. We can celebrate the depth of Hindu-Muslim cultural interactions without ignoring the long-lasting impact of violence that did occur. Religious or Political Violence Whenever the demolition of temples and mosques, or wars between ostensibly Hindu and Muslim polities, are mentioned, secular scholars usually argue that these conflicts were political and not religious. The destruction of a mosque may have been nothing more than a victory rite. Similarly, the demolition of a temple may have been to steal its golden idols. Moreover, Hindus served in Muslim armies and vice-versa, so how could these conflicts have been religious in nature? This area is perhaps the part of the secularist paradigm that is most deeply in need of revision. First, how does one differentiate between a religious and a political act? This presupposes that there is some fine line between the two, and seems based on a Christian-inspired idea of separation between sacred and secular realms. But in both Hinduism and Islam, it is not always clear what is religious and what is political. Most kings in Hindu-majority polities referenced Hindu tenets or particular Hindu deities as a means of legitimation. Similarly, Islam combined together religion and politics from the start, as Muhammad was both a religious and political leader. And as for the claim that Hindus and Muslims serving their religious counterparts disproves a religious motivation, by this logic we would assume that Hindus and Muslims serving in the British Indian Army means that colonial rulers were benevolent and supported by the populace. This is clearly a problematic view of history. The other problem with this view is how quickly secularists are willing to overlook the stated motivations of medieval rulers themselves. When a Muslim ruler like Mahmud of Ghazni, for instance, issues a proclamation that mentions destroying thousands of temples, secularists usually respond that this is mere hagiography and not historical fact. And they are right: the total number of temples destroyed by any of these rulers is likely much smaller than the number they profess. But secularists should ask themselves: why would a ruler emphasise the desecration of holy sites at all? Clearly the idea of idolatry had some kind of emotional resonance or ability to motivate behaviour, and we must, in these instances, take religion seriously as a cause of violence. A new secular paradigm would find a way to think more deeply about the role religion played in medieval India, especially when it appears again and again as a source of motivation behind violent acts. Simply dismissing all violence as political does not take religion seriously as an identity, system of belief, and object of inquiry. Nor, from a true secularist perspective, is it necessary to minimise the role of religion and religious identity in fermenting intergroup tensions and hostility in the historical past. By contrast, such observations can only strengthen the need for new, secular forms of identification and loyalty in the present day. Conclusion Our point is not to bury the secular paradigm but to fix it. In order to offer a credible alternative to Hindutva history, new ways of thinking about the past are necessary, including according more weight to the importance of religion and religious identity. To do so is not to sanctify or legitimise acts of sectarian violence in the past but rather, to see them in a context that can help us better understand sectarian violence today. That means understanding the precolonial origins of religious identities, the extent and importance of cross-cultural transmission, and, finally, the role religion plays in motivating violence. Only by recognising these factors can we offer not only a rejoinder to Hindutva history, but also come closer to understanding how to stop contemporary bloodshed. (Ajay Verghese is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Riverside, while Roberto Foa is author of a doctoral thesis at Harvard University on Indian precolonial regimes) A dissatisfied educated youth population can impact the social, economic and religious fabric of a society like Indias Editor's Note: This article first appeared in Issue 12 of Firstpost print. When Vineet Chauhan graduated from Neelkanth Institute of Engineering and Technology, Meerut, with a B.Tech in 2016, he did not think that he would be looking forward so keenly to the 2019 general elections. Working for the local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate his family has long been a supporter of the party in his village in western Uttar Pradeshs Kairana parliamentary constituency has given a bit of structure to his days, which are otherwise spent in some pursuit of meaning. I dont know what it is to be busy. Outside of my student life, I have never known what it is to have important work to do, says 25-year-old Chauhan who has been looking for a job, but with no luck. Everyone from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been working hard to reach out to Indias first-time voters, promising employment and entrepreneurial opportunity. But underemployed, under-educated, Indias Timepass Generation has become cynical about politics and is putting its faith in TikTok and tequila shots. There are 55 million people in the labour force with a graduate or higher degree, according to the State of Working India, 2018 report, released by the Centre for Sustainable Employment at Azim Premji University. Almost one in six is unemployed and Chauhan falls in this category. The facts, terrifying in their starkness, just keep piling up. Unemployment in the category of people with a graduate or higher degree is three times the national average. And more than 60 percent of the unemployed are in the 15-25 age group. The problem is as much the unavailability of jobs as the kind of employment opportunities that this workforce feels are commensurate with their skills and degrees. Chauhan has travelled from Meerut to Delhi to Chandigarh in search of a job, but at best, he was offered entry-level positions at private companies at a starting salary of Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000. His family spent upwards of Rs 5 lakh on his graduation. Everyone keeps asking me, What are you doing? Lage hue hain bas (Im trying), he says. In 2004-05, Craig Jeffrey, director of the Australia India Institute in Melbourne, worked with a large number of young people who had acquired qualifications but been unable to secure work and lacked the skills to start businesses or find lucrative jobs in the private sector. Jeffrey, in an email interview to Firstpost, describes these young people as being in a limbo, stuck somehow between the modern and traditional, urban and rural, childhood and adulthood. During the course of his research, he came across one word over and over again, timepass. It became the title of his book, Timepass: Youth, Class and the Politics of Waiting in India. At 46, Vijendra Singh is a little older than the people Jeffrey would have interviewed for his book, but he understands the phenomenon all too well. Only he doesnt call it timepass. Samay pathra sa gaya hai, he says, the closest approximation of which is that time has fossilised for him. He holds a diploma in engineering but never got down to looking for work as the family came into money during the property boom in Ghaziabad. We did the usual things: build a big house, buy big cars. Then money ran out. ALSO READ: Lack of jobs is a very real challenge Singhs day begins at dawn with a game of badminton with other men of his village. Then we sit and chat. Politics? Sure, he chuckles. The conversation usually centres on who drank what last night, who will drink what tonight. Then we nap. Then we go for a walk. Then people assemble and start drinking. I realised later in life that youngsters need jobs to keep them grounded. It gives you your identity. Singh is a native of Sadopur village, in Ghaziabad. He and neighbour Jagbir Singh run the Ambition Library, which is akin to a study centre for the local youth. The idea was to provide a space for youngsters to prepare for government exams rather than while away time in the village. A lot of people active in student political groups come from this area. They would pile these boys up in jeeps every time they needed some muscle flexing in Delhi. The centre is meant as an alternative to all of this, says Vijendra. Girls and boys from various academic backgrounds come to the centre. From MBAs to B.Com graduates, they are all there, everyday, in a bid to crack government service exams because that is where the real job security lies. I am an MBA and even worked in a private firm for some time. But I was being paid a pittance and the workload was too much, says Bhim Singh Nagar. He is hoping to clear the SSC exams in June. The truth of the matter is that even if you are a Group D employee, it is better than earning 1 lakh in a private company, says Aakash Nagar (no relation to Bhim Singh). Aakash has a B.Tech degree from the Hi-Tech Institute of Engineering and Technology, Ghaziabad. He is a remarkably self-aware 22-year-old with strong views on the education system. Quality education in this country is of very low quality. He is under no illusion about the value of his engineering degree or what he may have learnt in the classroom. There is no push on understanding but rather about getting the degree. And colleges dont help you in getting a job. The engineering college boom in India was triggered by government education loans. The proliferation of institutes with next to no quality control has long been an area of concern. According to the National Employability Report Engineers, 2019, prepared by Aspiring Minds, only 3.84 per cent of Indias engineers are employable in software-related jobs. And while India may be under the impression that Silicon Valley runs on engineers trained here, the US has a much higher proportion of engineers, almost four times, who have good programming skills. MBAs are not far behind. A study by ASSOCHAM had found that only 7 per cent of Indias business school graduates are employable. The Annual State of Education Report, 2017, established that quality of education in the 14-18 age group of Indian students remains a matter of grave concern. We have generations that are growing up into an aspirational life but we are not able to guarantee a standard of living for them. Be it school level or higher, we are not doing well. Our failure to provide for the youth of the country can lead to social unrest. We may as well be sitting on a ticking time bomb, says professor Amit Basole, an economist at the Azim Premji University. By 2020, India is expected to be the youngest nation in the world with half of its population under the age of 25. It is this section that will shape the future of the country. But their own future remains uncertain. Pushpendra Singh, a 29-year-old with an M.Com degree had made up his mind in school itself that he wanted a private job. He comes from a family of farmers and, while they were never poor, money was always a concern. He ticked all the boxes he thought were needed to do well: a degree, an additional skill course. But that wasnt enough. I was working in a sugar factory in Nagpur at a salary of 15,000 out of which rent alone was 5,000. I wasnt saving any money and eventually had to return home. Home is a village some distance away from Bareilly. He apologises for the way he speaks, a patina of local dialect with Hindi thrown in. I used to speak like city people when I studied in Bareilly. Now, I talk like everyone else in the village, he says ruefully. Singh understands the concept of timepass very well though he says not all days are like that. There are seasons when we are busy and then there are seasons when we are not. Playing cards and going to neighbouring villages to meet relatives are the two principal ways in which he and other young men in the locality spend their time. The elders taunt us, ask us why are we not working, why are we doing tapribaazi (goofing off). Its humiliating but I dont have an answer for it. An increasingly dissatisfied educated youth population will have a big impact on the social, economic and religious fabric of a society like Indias. The recent agitation by Jats and Patidars, traditionally well-off communities, for reservation can be seen through this lens. In the Ambition Library centre, for instance, there is deep resentment against caste-based reservation with students feeling that it should be stopped once a family has managed to lift itself up by the bootstraps. We dont get a foot in the door otherwise, says Aakash. Unemployment and underemployment, especially after the NSSO data leak, had the potential to be the biggest electoral issue for these elections but neither the government nor the Opposition is interested in highlighting it. The youth of the country, on the other hand, feels completely abandoned, says Anupam (who goes by only one name) of Swaraj India. The party has started a Yuva Halla Bol campaign against the SSC paper leak that also works with young people on issues of unemployment. While unemployment has become a simmering concern, Anupam is right when he says that the mainstream political parties arent really addressing it. The Congress in its manifesto has promised a new ministry of industry, services and employment apart from filling in all the 20 lakh vacancies in government jobs. The BJP has not made any concrete claims, for its part, but has vowed to increase investment for job creation. But how will the issue end up impacting voting behaviour of the unemployed youth in the coming weeks? Voting behaviour still seems to be dictated by caste concerns rather than economic ones. Most of the people interviewed by Firstpost did not seem to hold the government or any party directly responsible for the mess they find themselves in. In the current cycle of elections, the unemployment issue has manifested itself in rallies for reservation. Political mobilisation still follows caste lines, says Basole. Lack of employment can bring about a strong sense of dislocation as well as identity crises, particularly in a society as hierarchical as India where secure, sustained employment is often seen as a ticket out of penury. Increasingly, this has also started impacting the wedding prospects of young men, with most families and girls preferring a stable government job as opposed to farming or even private sector employment. Faced with the lack of all these factors, can caste and religious identities start taking hold, leading to unrest? Youth bulge and its impact on society has been a subject of much research with one extreme view, as posited by German demographer Gunnar Heinsohn, stating that there are links between violence and an increasingly young population. This theory, however, has been contested. Professor Jeffrey feels that there is also evidence to show that educated unemployed or underemployed young people can play constructive rolesthe world has changed so much since middle-aged Indians were growing up. In this context, young people in their twenties often play a key role as a type of intermediary generation. They advise their younger peers on issues such as career choices, education, health care, relationshipsyoung people act under the radar to assist youth in their neighbourhoods. A prime example of this would be someone like Ashish Patwa, a resident of Gorakhpur. Patwa holds several degrees (BA, MA, B.Ed, I have done it all) but works in his fathers cotton store as he says he never had good enough grades to really qualify for anything. I advise young men on career options and choices quite a bit. My degrees give me a certain standing in society and I do feel that they have expanded my horizon. The leaked NSSO data reveals that unemployment in India was at a 45- year high of 6.1 per cent in 2017-18. In such a scenario, Vineet Chauhan is hoping that his involvement with the local politician may lead to employment opportunities before existential crisis swallows him whole. Everyone needs astitva (a sense of being). Without work, life is meaningless. Rain was reported from various parts of Mumbai on Sunday evening, giving much-needed relief to the city from the scorching April heat. Rain was reported from various parts of Mumbai on Sunday evening, giving much-needed relief to the city from the scorching April heat. Rain and hail was also reported from other parts of Maharashtra, including Pune, Satara and Aurangabad. A report in The Hindu quoted an official from the Regional Meteorological Centre, Mumbai as saying that this is due to "wind discontinuation in northern Karnataka, as well as the high temperature which has touched 44 degrees in some parts of Maharashtra. Earlier, Skymet Weather had also predicted the possibility of a downpour in Mumbai on 15 and 16 April. Mumbai has seen warm weather for several days, with maximum temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius. As many as 513 ceasefire violations by Pakistan have taken place along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir after the Indian Air Force's air strike on terror launch pads in Pakistan, the Indian Army said on Saturday Rajouri: As many as 513 ceasefire violations by Pakistan have taken place along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir after the Indian Air Force's air strike on terror launch pads in Pakistan, the Indian Army said on Saturday. The air strike by India came two weeks after the 14 February Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives. The army said Pakistan also used heavy weaponry like mortars and artillery guns over 100 times during the said time period. "513 ceasefire violations by Pakistan have taken place along the Line of Control, in the last one and a half month. Pakistan used heavy weaponry over 100 times during these violations," GOC16 Corps, Lieutenant General Paramjit Singh told reporters. "Whenever Pakistan carries out such violations, we also retaliate effectively. As per our sources, Pakistan Army has suffered five to six times more casualties than the casualties on the Indian side," Singh added. On 26 February, IAF fighter jets targetted terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad's advance training camp in Pakistan's Balakot. Islamabad retaliated by attempting to target Indian military installations the next day. However, the IAF thwarted its attempted. India, after the aerial strikes, had said that it killed a large number of terrorists. However, Pakistan said India's claim was "reckless" while stating that it will respond at the time and place of its choosing. In Rajasthan, the shock of demonetisation and GST, along with the lingering effects of RERA Act, have contributed to a slowdown in the real estate sector. 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 *** Jaipur: In Rajasthan, the shock of demonetisation and GST, along with the lingering effects of the enactment of Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) Act and the ban on illegal sand mining, have all contributed to a slowdown in the real estate sector, traditionally one of the bigger employment providers. RERA is meant to regulate the real estate market and protect homeowners from dubious dealers. While the industry has welcomed regulation, teething troubles with RERA have exasperated the larger slowdown. Apart from the unorganised sector, which has taken a hit across the country, the working class associated with the sector is also bearing the brunt of these upheavals. "Investors have stopped putting money in real estate since 2017 as they do not see any returns," said Surendra Shah, a city-based Chartered Accountant. Banks have reduced funding for builders by over 50 percent due to unsold inventories and less cash flow. The recession in the real estate sector is causing acute rural distress because most of the labour was engaged in construction and are now out of work. There is a huge crisis in real estate in Rajasthan, said Preetosh Kumawat, a city-based civil engineer. The industry was mostly cash-based. Now with demonetisation and GST, builders cannot take cash from buyers, so less construction is happening. Nearly 80 percent of new civil engineers are looking for government jobs or have shifted to other fields in the last three years. Their salaries are also not as per expectations, Preetosh added. With educated civil engineers facing unemployment, the plight of unskilled daily wage workers can be imagined. Jai Prakash Ramawat, a city-based contractor, pointed out that not only has hiring dropped, the labourers wages have also taken a hit. A year back, I used to hire about 2,000 labourers every day for 10-12 projects running simultaneously across the city. Now I hire just 1,000-1,200 labourers per day. A group of severe cost-cutting measures is another factor adding to unemployment. Where earlier, we used to hire three people, we hire one now, said Mohit Jain, a Jaipur-based builder. "The industry is now forced to optimise its use of resources. We can no longer afford to keep a worker when there is no work, earlier we could." Auctions for projects by the Jaipur Development Authority are also down. Auctions have not taken place as there is no liquidity, said Umang Sawalka, managing director, Shivgyan Group. Sales have also slowed leading to unused inventory. One ban on top of another The Government of India enacted the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 with the aim to bring more transparency in the existing system and protect the interests of home buyers. All the provisions of the Act came into force in Rajasthan in May 2017, only the third state at the time to have implemented it after Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. A month later, the then Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje launched the website and it became mandatory for all the builders and real estate agents to register on the website and upload details of all ongoing projects. Consumers wishing to register their complaints against a real estate company/project can do so with the regulatory authority, even if the company has not registered on the portal. The implementation of RERA led to the dissolution of several small and unregulated builders who were solely working on cash. Such builders would sometimes announce project but stall them past several deadlines but now, under RERA, they have to deliver the project on the date they have promised. This had an impact on the number of new projects. While the industry has welcomed RERA, it has perhaps come at a bad time, compounding other major disturbances to the ecosystem. Like, with bajri ban in place (the Supreme Court had banned sand mining in 41 blocks across Rajasthan in November 2017 as they were being run without adequate environmental clearances), builders are using stone dust as an alternative. Stone dust is a common source in metro-cities but is now being used in Rajasthan, said Sawalka. But skilled labour that knows how to use stone dust is not easily available. And no one wants to hire unskilled labour for this. Every builder and contractor says the number of projects, big and small, has come down. Even the number of personal homes being built is down. Also, individuals want their homes to be built using sand, the mining of which is now banned. So, workers who used to work in sand mining are now unemployed, Ramawat added. Labour and manpower issues, like stringent labour laws, are leading to mechanisation, which is further denting the labour market Construction is one of the largest employers after agriculture and there is a recession in construction, said Anand Mishra, managing director, Trimurty Builders, a Jaipur-based building company. Though post RERA, things are improving, many developers have left the market, Mishra added. For Mukesh Saini, 19, who arrives at the Ajmer Road flyover in Jaipur at 8.30 every morning looking for casual labour, this means he now has to wait in vain. About 200 labourers gather every day at such spots, called chauktis, waiting to be hired by contractors for Rs 350-400 a day. Saini, an eighth-class pass, hasnt found work for the past 10 days but remains hopeful as he arrives there without fail every morning. Hailing from Karauli district, he came to Jaipur after his father passed away. I have been a daily wage labourer for the last three years, said Saini. Earlier, I would get work 25 days a month. But now, it is barely 15 days a month. It has become difficult to pay my room rent of Rs 2,000 per month. The one bigha of land his family owns in the village provides no income. There is no water, how can I grow crops? asks Saini, who has a mentally ill mother to support. Now, here also, there is no money. I do not know where to go. We sit here at the labour hub all day most of the time, and sometimes go at half the rate if we get work in the second half of the day, said Monu Rao, 20. Some labourers come from nearby villages and towns every morning while many others have chosen to live in the city, four to five labourers to a room, hoping to get enough work to support the families they left behind in their village. Rajasthan loves job talk before elections Unemployment is reaching alarming proportions in the state. Real estate and construction, gems and stone and sand quarrying used to be the biggest employers in the informal sector. But all sectors have been hit equally hard, causing high unemployment. A February 2019 report by the Ministry of Labour and Employment indicates overall unemployment of 75.79 lakh such workers across the country out of which eight percent, or 6.03 lakh workers, are in Rajasthan. Job creation and self-employment have been a major promise during elections for the last two terms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his election campaigns in 2014, had promised one crore job creation every year for the next five years. In addition to this, Rajasthan's former chief minister, Vasundhara Raje, during state elections in 2018, claimed to have created 15 lakh jobs in the state. This was, however, heavily countered by PCC chief, Sachin Pilot, who called the claim 'a white lie'. Furthermore, Congress had promised to work on job creation and farmer issues during the first 100 days of its rule in Rajasthan. "The policies by NDA government were such that employment generation did not happen. The GDP has also been low, and they manipulated the debt series to showcase that the GDP has grown. Further, policies like demonetisation and GST resulted in layoffs. There has been job destruction in place of job creation. About 10 million youth, who were earlier working, is currently unemployed. Employment generation and the boost to MSMEs will be part of the manifesto on Congress this election," said Archana Sharma, state vice president, Congress. Several months down the line, labourers like Kamal, 36 who works on installing sewage pipes continue to earn far less than the bare minimum of Rs 50,000 per year which families like his need to survive, he says. Yesterday, my child asked me for ten rupees to buy a packet of biscuits as there was less food. I have been unemployed for the last five days. I could not give him ten rupees and milk is also expensive, said a tearful Kamal. Kamals work continues to be dangerous but now, more people are available to do it for less. I go down 20-25 feet with a person holding me from the surface, he says. Digging one khadda takes 1-2 days, and I have two children. Tell me, what will they get if anything happens to me?" Sadly, the labourers woes dont end there. Even if someone hires them at the chauktis, there is no guarantee that they will get paid at the end of the day. There are some areas from where employers who are not willing to pay come to hire us, said Girraj Mali, a 28-year-old labourer from Lalitpura. We mostly avoid going to those areas but sometimes do if there is no other work. The police do not help us at such times, saying we did not ask you to go and work for this person or ask for a bribe. (The author is a Jaipur-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters) 'Ram Navami rallies are a part of our tradition. We are carrying arms to protect ourselves,' Dilip Ghosh claimed while leading a processing in West Bengal. Kolkata: Hundreds of Ram Navami rallies, including some armed rallies, were taken out by the BJP and VHP in various parts of West Bengal Saturday, drawing sharp criticism from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The saffron outfits were seen waving swords and maces in some of the armed rallies. The police said they were looking into the matter as no permission was granted for armed rallies. Apart from the BJP, right-wing Hindu outfits such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, Hindu Jagaran Manch also organised hundreds of rallies as they celebrated Ram Navami on a massive scale across the state. The rallies were taken out in West Midnapore, Purulia, Jhargram, Bankura, Howrah, Kolkata and in North and South 24 Parganas districts, among others, officials said. At Kharagpur in West Midnapore, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh took out Ram Navami rallies and was seen displaying swords and maces. "Ram Navami rallies are a part of our tradition. We are carrying arms to protect ourselves. It has nothing to do with elections. If the TMC has a problem with armed rallies, they should change their thought process," Ghosh said when asked why he took out rallies with swords and maces. If carrying weapons means breaking the code, weapons of jawans and Goddess Kali should also be taken away. People who are not men enough speak of all these things, he claimed. BJP's Jadavpur candidate Anupam Hazra, who had recently switched over from Trinomool Congress, also participated in a procession in his constituency. BJP's Kolkata North constituency candidate and BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha too took out Ram Navami rally in his constituency. Mamata, while addressing a rally at Siliguri, criticised the BJP for taking out armed rallies and said they were trying to "sell religion" for political advantage. The Kolkata Police said no political, apolitical and religious organisations are allowed to carry out bike rallies in the city. The BJP was denied permission to take out bike rallies across Kolkata on the occasion of Ram Navami. However, normal rallies by the party and VHP were allowed. The West Bengal Police also denied the party permission to carry arms at the Ram Navami rallies. At some places, there was a scuffle between police officials and BJP workers after they were stopped from taking out bike rallies. The VHP, which planned as many as 700 rallies in the state on the occasion of Ram Navami, took out several rallies in South Bengal. "We received permission for the rallies. We will abide by the direction of the police and no one will carry arms during Ram Navami rallies conducted by us," VHP organisational general secretary (eastern region) Sachindranath Sinha said. The VHP said it has plans to conduct Ram Navami rallies in various other parts of the state on Sunday, too. The Trinamool Congress also took out unarmed Ram Navami rallies in various parts of the state. TMC Lok Sabha candidates Diptendu Adhikari from Tamluk Lok Sabha seat and Mumtaz Sanghamitra from Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha seat also participated in Ram Navami rallies in their respective constituencies. TMC MLA Smita Bakshi is scheduled to take out such a rally in North Kolkata on Sunday. The Trinamool Congress alleged that the BJP violated the Model Code of Conduct by taking out Ram Navami rallies. "Model Code of Conduct is under effect. Taking out armed Ram Navami rallies is a violation of this. Why is the Election Commission silent now? Had someone else taken out such rally, the poll panel would have issued show cause notices. Actually Dilip Ghosh is a zero and is trying to be a hero," TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said. Later, while replying to a query, Vivek Dubey, special police observer appointed by the Election Commission for Bengal, said it was the duty of the state administration to look into the permission for Ram Navami rallies. The state election commission has nothing to do with it. The district administration will look into it, he said. Farooq Abdullah accused Modi of 'flaring up' tension with Pakistan to 'hide his misrule', and sought an inquiry into the Pulwama attack. Srinagar: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said this parliamentary election will decide whether Jammu and Kashmir will be "able to remain a part of the Union with dignity". Addressing election meetings in at Babademb in Khanyar and Kangan in Ganderbal, Abdullah, who is contesting from the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, said people have to vote to preserve the country's secular disposition, integrity and unity. "This election shall decide if the state of Jammu and Kashmir is able to remain a part of the Union with dignity. The people of state are directly fighting the BJP and their cronies here through ballot to protect of their identity," he said. "This election will decide if we are able to live with our neighbouring country in peace. The general elections are also significant since it is a direct fight between falsehood and truth. However, no matter how much they try, falsehood is bound to perish," the NC president said. Abdullah also said the ongoing general elections will decide if the people of the country, irrespective of their caste and creed, are able to live with dignity. "So, it is imperative for all of us to make our choice correctly," he said. Alleging that Jammu and Kashmir was "facing immense onslaught" from all sides, the former Union minister said, "Today, forces inimical to our special status and identity are also trying to distort our history." He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has failed on all fronts. "He is a failed prime minister of a failed government. He has failed on every conceivable matrix. Not to talk about the promises he made in the run-up to the 2014 elections. He has put into abyss what good was achieved by the previous government. "Why is he (Modi) shying away from answering what he was able to achieve during his stint in power? The other day, Congress leader Kapil Sibal revealed a Rs 3 lakh crore currency racket involving the BJP. Not just that, people are seeking answers from him (prime minister) on Rafael deal," Abdullah said. He accused Modi of "flaring up" tension with Pakistan to "hide his misrule" and sought an inquiry into the Pulwama terror attack that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel. "I earnestly insist a thorough inquiry into the incident that killed 40 CRPF men on the JammuSrinagar highway. Unfortunately, Modi is milking the post-Pulwama situation and Balakot (anti-terror airstrikes) to extreme levels to hide his misrule and misgovernance. "However, he cannot befool the intelligent masses of the country with his sophistry and gimmickry. He stands no chance, Abdullah said. How educated does a leader have to be and what is the consequence of lack of intellectual exposure? The Congress is making fun of the fact that Smriti Irani did not go to college. How educated does a leader have to be and what is the consequence of lack of intellectual exposure? The Congress is making fun of the fact that Union minister Smriti Irani did not go to college. She joined a correspondence course but did not complete it, which could mean she had no interest in furthering her education. Irani is smart, and her lack of formal education does not appear to have hindered her progress. But one can judge her quality only from her policy interventions, which not many of us have any idea about. There is no shame in not having gone to college, but Irani got into trouble because she had made misleading if not outright false claims of having studied at Yale University. One could highlight that the Congress' dynasty is not particularly qualified either in the educational sense. Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi went to England to study at Cambridge, but he failed his exams and did not get a degree. His brother Sanjay failed to graduate even from high school, after which he dropped out to take up a course in automobile repairs. It is shocking that such a person had so much power and allowed a big say in policy by his mother. Maneka Gandhi, Sanjay's wife, married him when she was 18, and therefore, she does not have a proper education either. Her qualifications submitted to the Lok Sabha say she only went to school. Sonia Gandhi did not have a college education either. Her studies ended at the age of 18, and she also married early. Indira Gandhi, too, did not have a degree. However, Rahul Gandhi's political detractors may call him 'Pappu', but he seems academically bright. He has a Masters in Philosophy in Development Economics from Trinity College, Cambridge his great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru's alma mater. Nehru graduated with a third class and was not a good student, making Rahul the most educated individual in the Gandhi family. The most famous Prime Minister of Britain Winston Churchill did not go to college and did not have a formal education. This is remarkable as he was both a historian and a novelist and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953. Another British prime minister who left school at 16 and did not go to college was John Major, whom older readers will remember as Margaret Thatcher's successor. As many as 11 British prime ministers were not college graduates. Coming back to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi left home and his wife at the age of 17 and did not go to college. He pursued a correspondence course, though there is controversy over the authenticity of the documents he produced on this. Despite his lack of formal education, his political skills are obvious. However, there is one crucial flaw he does not engage deeply with policy material the way Manmohan Singh or Barack Obama did. In one of his interviews, Modi had described how he works: "Three or four days after I became Chief Minister of Gujarat, the chief secretary came to me. He brought a heap of files this tall (gesturing about three feet high). They must have weighed 15 or 20 kilograms. The peon left them on my table. The chief secretary sat and told me, 'This is the file for Narmada.' I can remember Narmada, but there were three other files. The chief secretary said, 'These are on Gujarat's vital and sensitive issues. Take the time out to read them. You may need to speak on and take a position on these issues and address them at any time.'" "I kept looking up and down at the height of the stack three or four times. I told, 'You leave these here and we shall meet in a few days.'" "I did not open these files. They stayed where they were. A voice told me that I could not work through academics study (sic). I can't do that. That voice came from within. I told the three officers who were working with me that 'the chief secretary had given these to me. I will not be able to read so much. First, you people make me understand what masala (sic) the files contain. If I begin to read all this material, there will be no end to it. It is not in my nature (prakruti) to read files.'" "Three or four days later, the chief secretary returned. I told him: 'Tell me what the important things are in these files.' He did so and I said, 'This much is sufficient for me, you can take the files back.' Sine then, I have never had to be briefed on these issues, and it's been 13 years." "I had such an ability that I was able to grasp the granularity of the issues. Such things left an impact on the officers. I don't argue. I am a good listener. Don't go by my reputation outside. I listen a lot. I can say today that if in my development, reading played a 30 percent role, then listening had a 70 percent role. What I hear, I analyse and classify the 'maal' (sic) in various boxes in my mind. This takes me no time, and when needed, I can retrieve it. I have been able to develop this extra method (vidha)." "Even today, if my officers show me some paper, I say: 'Tell me what's in it in two minutes. For me two minutes is sufficient for a 10-page document. This skill is something I have developed.'" Unfortunately, this is not appropriate when you're running a large and complex nation. One hopes that in his second term, Modi spends more time reading serious policy material even if it bores him or is against his nature. Deve Gowda, known as Appaji in the family circles, has had to do a lot of tightrope walking to balance ambitions within the family. Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, the patriarch of dynasty politics in India, has never been defensive about brazenly promoting his family members in politics over the last three decades, which has culminated in his son HD Kumaraswamy becoming the chief minister of Karnataka for the second time, despite his party barely winning 38 seats in the Assembly. However, Deve Gowda may have bitten off more than he could chew this time by simultaneously fielding his two grandsons for parliamentary elections, while not hiding his own ambition to take a shot at the prime ministers post for the second time. The people of Karnataka are shocked at the way the Gowda clan is spreading its tentacles, albeit in the name of democracy: While Gowdas younger son HD Kumaraswamy is the chief minister of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government and older son, HD Revanna is in charge of the powerful PWD department in the same ministry, and two grandsons, Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Prajwal Revanna, are making their debut from Mandya and Hassan Lok Sabha constituencies respectively. At 86 years, Deve Gowda too is contesting from Tumakuru constituency, hoping for a 1996-type miracle, when he was chosen as prime minister of a rag-tag National Front government a post he held for 10 months and 20 days. Completing the growing political tree of the family are Gowdas two daughters-in-law: Anitha Kumaraswamy, currently an MLA from Ramanagara and Bhavani Revanna, a zilla panchayat member and a prospective president of the zilla panchayat from Hassan. Gowdas close relative, DC Thammanna, whose son is married to Deve Gowdas daughter, is transport minister in the Kumaraswamy government. Deve Gowda, known as Appaji in the family circles, has had to do a lot of tightrope walking to balance ambitions within the family. Gowda saw great potential in Prajwal Revanna to carry the family baton and encouraged him to nurse the Belur Assembly constituency in Hassan district over the last 3-4 years. When the May 2018 Assembly elections were announced, Prajwal was all but nominated as JD(S) candidate from Belur, but reportedly, Anitha and Kumaraswamy did not like Prajwal stealing a march over their own son, Nikhil, and stalled it. Desperate to enter politics, Prajwal moved to Hunsur and then to Rajajeshwarinagar, but when Gowda failed to clinch either of the seats for him, Prajwal openly declared at a public meeting, Im disgusted at the suitcase culture prevailing in my party. A shocked and saddened Gowda promised Prajwal that he would vacate the Hassan Lok Sabha seat in 2019 and there was no stopping Prajwal this time, as Bhavani and Revanna stood firmly behind him in the family arguments. Not to be outdone, Kumaraswamy decided to field Nikhil from Mandya, having already projected him as a promising actor in two family productions. With two Vokkaliga strongholds taken by his grandsons, Deve Gowda had to haggle with coalition partner Congress for a suitable constituency for himself: he toyed among Mysuru, Tumakuru and Bengaluru North constituencies and finally settled for Tumakuru, going by the caste combination in the constituency. As Tumakuru had a sitting Congress MP in SP Muddahanumegowda, who initially protested, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had to intervene to ensure that Gowda had his way. As the election campaign has progressed over the last three weeks, the Gowda family has found itself at the receiving end of public anger over its dynastic politics, and now suddenly, from a position of immense strength, none of the three seats appears to be safe. In all three constituencies, the local Congress leaders and workers have turned against the JD(S), either abstaining from campaigning or working for the opponents. Gowdas effort to bring state level leaders from both the parties on the same platform to make a show of "unity" has failed to percolate to the cadres. Hassan, for instance, would have been a cakewalk for Deve Gowda as he has represented it five times in the Lok Sabha and multiple times in the Assembly. The last time he was defeated in Hassan was in 1999, when G Puttaswamy Gowda of the Congress triumphed over him. In the 2018 Assembly polls, JD(S) cornered six of the eight segments by substantial margins and with its principal rival, the Congress, turning into an ally after the formation of the coalition government, the Hassan Lok Sabha seat looked well and truly locked for the JD(S). However, in a dramatic turn of events on the last day of filing nominations, A Manju of the Congress who had fought Deve Gowda in 2014 switched sides and became the BJP candidate. Manju, who had left the BJP in 2004 to join the Congress and also become a minister in the Siddaramaiah government, is a combative politician who has a reputation of fighting the Gowda familys domination of the district. Besides the BJP, Manju says that at least 80 percent of Congress party workers have joined his campaign as they are resentful of the party leadership "surrendering" to Deve Gowdas family. Manju had obtained 4.09 lakh votes against Deve Gowdas 5.09 lakh votes in 2014, and CH Vijayashankar of the BJP had secured 1.65 lakh votes. Now that Deve Gowda is not contesting this time, Im confident that I will get more than 50 percent of the Vokkaliga votes, besides the Lingayat, the Dalit and the OBC votesI see the Modi wave stronger than last time, and Im confident of winning from Mandya, Manju told this correspondent. Prajwal Revanna, on the other hand, is banking on his grandfathers legacy and the work his father HD Revanna has done in the district, having been an MLA for five terms as also the in-charge minister. Addressing a moderate gathering at Anekere, he said, I dont want to criticise my opponent as Im contesting on my own strength. But, look at Manju, he has hopped from one party to another for the sake of money and power. Who will vote for such a person? The people of Hassan, of course, will decide on 18 April whom to vote for when Karnataka goes for the first phase of polling. Walking into the sunset, LK Advani is forced to confront the ruthless, unscrupulous and inexorable course of history and politics Editor's Note: This article first appeared in Issue 12 of Firstpost print. I am growing old and it is time for the younger generation to step forward. BJP president LK Advani, then 68, will go on to repeat these words during the 35-day Suraj (good governance) Yatra of 1996 but his party would hear nothing of it. A few weeks earlier, Advani had been chargesheeted in a hawala case, accused of receiving slush funds. At the partys Ashoka Road headquarters in Delhi, the atmosphere was tense as senior leaders gathered for a meeting late January. Advani had resigned as the Lok Sabha member from Gandhinagar, much against the wishes of party colleagues. He also vowed not to contest an election till cleared of the charges, forcing the BJP to field his friend and party senior Atal Bihari Vajpayee from Gandhinagar for that years national election. Party general secretary KN Govindacharya hailed Advanis move as a great gesture which will internalise values of ethical and moral rectitude within the party. This was Advani at the pinnacle of his political career, a leader who thought nothing of sacrificing personal ambitions for the party he had helped built from scratch. A leader who put party before self. Fast forward to March 2019. The BJPs first list names party president Amit Shah as its Gandhinagar candidate for the April-May Lok Sabha election, signalling the end of the electoral journey for 91-year-old Advani. On 4 April, Advani broke his silence in a telling blog post. In reiterating the BJPs predominant principle of nation first, party next and self last, Advani chose not to mention his Gandhinagar successor, Shah. The bitterness is hard to miss as he asks the party to introspect and not to see political rivals as enemies. As the BJP gears up for another poll battle, aiming for a famous win, the man who made it possible is now a diminished leader, way past his glory days but unwilling to accept the changed reality. The timing of the blog post, in which he also says that the party never looked at its adversaries as anti-nationals, is not lost on anyone. Coming in the middle of an intense and highly polarised campaign, Advanis musings are timed to embarrass the party. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his protege, moved swiftly to take the sting out of the veiled attack by endorsing Advanis message through a tweet. But rivals saw an opening. The insult to the patriarch, they said, was yet another example of Modis dictatorial attitude. But only if they knew, or cared to remember, that Advani was often accused of unilateralism and that, too, by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological parent of the BJP. In the BJP, as well as its forerunner, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), Advanis exercised complete control and that, too, for decades -- from 1970s to 2013. His position as undisputed leader took a knock for the first time in 2004, after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance couldnt retain power. Voters just didnt take shine to the BJP even though Advani led an aggressive campaign. So tight was his grip over the party that Advani assumed the role of the Leader of the Opposition, pushing aside an ageing and frail Vajpayee in a carefully orchestrated move by his lieutenants. The two were good friends but the relationship was tested. Vajpayee went on to be the prime minister, which Advani was forced to support. The year 2004 marked a turning point for Advani. He was suddenly a man in a hurry. He managed to upset the Sangh Parivar when he usurped the BJP presidents position vacated by M Venkaiah Naidu. Advani was not only the leader of the Opposition but also the BJP chief, defying the partys one man, one post principle. I dont see any rancour. On the other hand, my position is strengthened by holding both the posts, he had said when asked by this writer if he knew of the bitterness his decision had caused. His control of the party was complete but cracks were appearing elsewhere. He began facing hostility from Sangh Parivar constituents. He had a run-in with the founder of RSSs trade union wing, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, who refused to interact with him. Ashok Singhal, whose Vishva Hindu Parishad virtually laid the ground for Advanis Ram Rath Yatra that catapulted BJP to the national stage, was equally bitter. Singhal refused to share stage with Advani at a dharm sansad (religious congregation) of Hindu saints and leaders at Haridwar soon after the 2004 defeat. The strain between the Sangh Parivar and Advani was there for everyone to see. Yet, Advani, an astute politician and strategist, completely misread the signs. He was confident of overriding any challenge. After all, he was the BJP chief and the younger generation of leaders he had groomed was in awe of him. It was this confidence, or hubris if you would, that saw him make arguably the biggest mistake of his political career. During a visit to his birthplace of Karachi in June, 2005, Advani described Pakistans founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah as a secular leader and an ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity. His attempt to reinvent himself and soften his hardline image backfired spectacularly. The BJP, still coming to terms with the poll defeat, was stunned and struggled to explain its chiefs change of heart. Not just the party, Advani, too, was in for a shock. He thought the party would play along. But as the crisis snowballed, Advani asked his junior party colleagues to hold a press conference to defend his statement. Sushma Swaraj refused. The RSS, already upset with his transgressions, pinned him down by engineering a chorus of protest from leaders like Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie. Upset over lack of support, Advani on his return handed over his resignation letter to BJP general secretary (organisation) Sanjay Joshi. Though aware of his clout, the RSS and the BJP Generation Next decided to ease out Advani until Narendra Modi, the-then Gujarat chief minister, intervened. Modi prevailed and Advani continued as the BJP chief for another year before passing on the baton to Rajnath Singh in 2006. Vajpayee and Jaswant Singh, too, played down Advanis Jinnah remark. The damage, however, was done. At the national executive in Chennai, which came before he relinquished charge, Advani alluded to RSS interference in the BJP and suggested it desist the temptation. That was harsh coming from someone who had grown up in the Sangh. Advani was 14 when he joined the RSS. After Chennai, it was downhill all the way. But, Advani was never the one to give up easily and fought for every inch of political space. Much of his clout was lost but he was still Advani, the man who had pushed the BJP from the margins to the centre stage of Indian politics. When the 2009 general election came, the Sangh Parivar coined the Advani for PM slogan, looking to draw a contrast between a powerful prime ministerial candidate against a weak Manmohan Singh. Even before the first vote was cast, Advani had lost the perception game. His flip-flops, including the Jinnah comment, had battered his strongman image. The BJP lost and Swaraj, another of his proteges, was the Leader of the Opposition in the new Lok Sabha. But, Advani was not done. He got himself appointed the chairman of the BJPs parliamentary party, along the lines of a similar position created in the Congress for Sonia Gandhi. In October 2011, he made another attempt to burnish his credentials of a popular leader. He launched another nationwide rath yatra from Chhapra, in Bihar, which was flagged off by chief minister Nitish Kumar. Advani chose Bihar instead of Gujarat, as he tried to play Kumar against Modi to prove his wider acceptability within the NDA fold, which would have brought him closer to the big prize: prime ministership. The yatra didnt do much for him, but he continued to dominate the BJP till 2013. Then he made the mistake of not attending the partys national executive at Goa, where Modi was picked to lead the campaign for the 2014 election. The Modi era had dawned. Advani persisted with resistance to the shift, even when Modi was proposed as the prime ministerial candidate. But the Modi wave not only swept away the Opposition but also the Advani era as the BJP won a majority on its own for the first time. The partys decision to name Shah and not Advani from Gandhinagar is the corollary of gradual marginalisation of the leader who redrew Indias political landscape by defining it along pseudo-secularism and minoritism lines. Advani was not only the BJPs longest-serving president but also the most powerful. He was ruthless too. The first decision he took as the Bharatiya Jana Sangh chief was to sack its former president Balraj Madhok for working against party interest. His pairing with Vajpayee was formidable and the duo practically ran the party. Advani was instrumental in convincing the RSS leadership to allow the BJSs merger with the Janata Party to join the Morarji Desai government in 1977. His role as information minister in the Janata Party government was much appreciated. He, along with Vajpayee, again took the lead in breaking away from the Janata Party on the issue of dual membership allegiance to the government or the Sangh Parivar and anti-RSS stance of socialist colleagues. The BJP was born on April 6, 1980, with the RSS as its ideological parent. Though Vajpayee was the first BJP chief, Advani was considered ideologically closer to the RSS. Unlike Vajpayee, Advanis politics was perfectly in sync with that of the RSS. Even his unilateralism was seen as aligned with the greater goal of the Sangh Parivar. He was seen as disciplinarian, no-nonsense and a complete party man. The impression conformed to the Sangh Parivars credo of primacy to organisation over individual. In his autobiography My Nation My Life, which came out in 2008, Advani says, I am also troubled by the fact that this spirit of camaraderie and mutual trust, idealistic and goal-oriented approach to party work, is something that has got diluted over the years. His words almost echoed a passage in the 1940 novel Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler. Protagonist Rubashov, who played a vital role in the Bolshevik revolution, says, The party is the embodiment of the revolutionary idea in the history. History knows no scruples and no hesitation. Inert and unerring, she flows towards her goal. At every bend in her course, she leaves the mud which she carries and corpses of the drowned. History knows her way. She makes no mistakes. He who has not absolute faith in history does not belong in the partys ranks. Rubashov is eventually executed for treason by a regime that espoused the cause of proletarian dictatorship. History is ruthless and individuals, irrespective of their stature, are but a footnote. Advanis marginalisation is nothing but the march of time. The Sangh Parivar, too, has its own code for people and events. At their meetings, RSS volunteers often sing Manushya tu bada mahan hai, an ode to human strength and greatness. But, at the same time, they are reminded about human fragility and fallibility. So, to err is perfectly human. And that is the lens through which Advani will be examined. His indiscretions will go down as transient and will count for little when weighed against his contribution to the Sangh Parivar. History, at least that of the Sangh Parivar, will be kind to Advani. There is no disputing his place in its pantheon. 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. Auto refresh feeds 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. EC has written to the Telugu Desam Party asking how a person with criminal antecedents could be a part of a delegation led by its chief N Chandrababu Naidu during his visit to the poll panel on Saturday. New Delhi: The Election Commission has written to the Telugu Desam Party asking how a person with criminal antecedents could be a part of a delegation led by its chief N Chandrababu Naidu during his visit to the poll panel on Saturday. The Election Commission in its letter has said when Naidu visited, he was accompanied by one Hari Prasad who repeatedly raised various technical issues regarding the functioning of EVMs and claimed that he had the technical expertise in the field. The letter stated that it was decided that Prasad would get a detailed briefing from the technical team of the Election Commission. "However, when this technical person came it turned out that he was Hari Prasad who was involved in a criminal case regarding alleged theft of EVM machine in 2010 which an FIR was filed...Whatever maybe the eventual outcome of the investigation, it would be appreciated that such antecedents do not inspire confidence. "This is completely intriguing as to how a so called technical expert with these antecedents was allowed to be part of the delegation led by N Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and President, TDP," the letter from Election Commission, addressed to the president of the party's legal cell, said. The Andhra Pradesh chief minister met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora here and submitted a memorandum alleging that a large number of EVMs malfunctioned during polling in the state on Thursday and inadequate security led to incidents of violence. Surendran and his party are not ready to leave Sabarimala in the election, despite a bar on invoking the names of Lord Ayyappa in the polls. Kalavathi was scared when she was asked to join a group of relatives and friends to go to Sabarimala in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala for Vishukani darshan at the Lord Ayyappa temple on 15 April. The 32-year-old woman from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu found her fears misplaced when she found none to block her at the Nilakkal base camp on the eve of the Vishu, the Malayalam New Year day. This was not the case six months ago, when workers of right-wing outfits forced the women who between 10 and 50 years of age to return. The protesters had also taken position at other entry points and the entire hillock to ensure that no menstruating women entered the temple. The protests following the 28 September Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all ages to enter the temple turned violent most when the temple was opened for the monthly puja and during the main pilgrim season. Hundreds of people, including police and media personnel, had come under attack from the self-styled guardians of the customs and traditions of the temple. Kalavathi was afraid to visit Sabarimala as she had read reports about the violence. However, she was relieved when she did not find any protesters in the vicinity of Sabarimala when they arrived as Nilakkal. Police personnel posted at the base camp said that protesters belonging to all political hues had disappeared from the hill shrine following the announcement of the election. They seem to have abandoned Ayyappa for the sake of votes. It is now clear that all the drama that Sabarimala witnessed after the Supreme Court passed the order was political, said an officer who did not want to be identified. Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary K Surendran, who was at the forefront of the protests, is now the BJP candidate in the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency. When asked why they have dropped the vigil at Sabarimala, he said they did not feel the need for the same as the Left Front government itself had abandoned their decision to take women of the forbidden age to Sabarimala. We had entered the scene after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan appeared adamant in implementing the apex court verdict. He has realised the folly of his decision and has refrained from taking young women to the hill shrine. Therefore, there is no need for us to guard the temple now, he said. Surendran said that the protests they organised had also created awareness among the devotees about the evil designs of the government. They themselves are coming forward to protect the customs and traditions of the temple without anybody prompting them, he added. However, Surendran and his party are not ready to leave Sabarimala in the election, despite a bar on invoking the names of Lord Ayyappa in the election by the Election Commission. Womens entry into the temple is the single largest issue of Surendran at Pathanamthitta, which is a Congress bastion. Without mentioning the name of the deity, Surendran has been seeking votes for Ayyappan. I know you have gathered here braving the scorching summer heat not because of your love for me. I dont need to tell you who has brought you here. Please vote for him and teach the Left a lesson, Surendran told a moderate crowd of men and women who had gathered near Konni, 40 kms from Nilakkal, to greet him. Before he reached the spot, the local leaders described him as a 'martyr'. They pointed out that 242 cases slapped by the Kerala police against him in connection with the Sabarimala issue was part of the governments attempt to silence those fighting for the rights of the faithful. If the faithful consider the personal struggle waged by him in defending the customs and traditions of the Sabarimala temple genuine, K Surendran should win the election hands down. However, it is no cake walk for the BJP candidate. Many of the faithful have started realising that the aggressive stand that Surendran and his party had taken against the LDF governments attempt to implement the apex court verdict was not borne out of genuine concern for faith but aimed at political capital. The Nair Service Society (NSS), a community organisation of the upper caste Nairs that appreciated the support given by the Sangh Parivar in opposing the entry of young women in the temple, has chosen not to reciprocate the support in the political arena. The organisation that holds sway over the 14 percent Nair population in the district has decided to continue with its policy of maintaining equi-distance from both the Left and the Right. Sabarimala Karma Samithi patron Swami Chidanandapuris call to the Ayyappa devotees to vote for the Congress-led United Democratic Fronts candidates in constituencies where the NDA is weak has also come as a setback to the BJPs efforts to use the issue to strengthen the party base in the state. Though the opinion on social media was intended to ensure the defeat of the LDF, senior BJP leaders fear that the confusion it creates will affect the partys prospects in marginal seats. BJP was counting on the support of NSS for the victory of Surendran at Pathanamthitta. Sources in the organisation said that the NSS leadership was not happy with the way Surendran, in particular, and the saffron party in general dragged the issue into the streets. NSS' official journal Service accused all political parties of trying to use Sabarimala for their electoral gains. The NSS journal also doubts the sincerity of the BJP in finding a legal solution to the issue. In its editorial, Service said that the party had tried to prevent women on the streets instead of paying attention to the legal matters. The NSS leadership is also not impressed by the promise given by the BJP in its election manifesto to secure constitutional protection on issues related to faith and belief since it did nothing to fulfil its promise regarding the Ram temple at Ayodhya during its term. He said that the BJP cannot fool the people in Kerala with such empty words. BJP can win the seat only if it is able to pool the votes of the entire majority community, which accounts for about 57 percent of the population in the district. None expects the entire Hindu votes to fall in the BJP kitty since a substantial chunk of them have been traditional supporters of UDF and LDF and it wont be easy for them to change political affiliations based on one issue. I know what the government has done at Sabarimala was not right. I am also hurt by the haste with which the government tried to implement the SC verdict. However, I cannot think of changing my political affiliation as I and my family have been supporting the Communist Party of India from my childhood. I will vote for the party candidate this time too, said Govinga Pillai, a 75-year-old trader near Konni. However, his wife Lalitha said she would not vote for the CPM this time. But she has not been able to decide whether to vote for BJP or Congress. She said many of her friends in the area were also confused like her. We will take a decision after seeing the campaign, said Lalitha. Congress has been winning the seat ever since the constituency was carved out in 2009 with the support of a section of the Nair community and the minorities, who account for 43 percent of the population. However, party candidate Anto Antonys victory margin saw a drop from 1,11,206 votes in 2009 to 56,191 votes in 2014. This was mainly due to an improved showing by the BJP, which increased its vote share from 7.08 percent to 15.98 percent votes during the period. A swing in minority votes in the 2016 Assembly election saw the LDF winning four Assembly segments. However, the Congress camp expects that the moderate sections of the majority community will support the UDF, making Antos victory easy. The LDF camp is pinning their hope on the progressive sections of the society. A tour across the constituency, comprising four Assembly segments in Pathanamthitta district and two in Kottayam district, show their number too short for a victory for Veena George, the LDF candidate. The fight in Pathanamthitta is between BJP and the Congress. It is too early to predict who will have the last laugh in this extremely close fight. The BJP, with its 'noxious agenda of banishing Muslims' wants to divide India, Mehbooba Mufti said in response to Narendra Modi's remarks in Kathua. Srinagar: The BJP, with its "noxious agenda" of "banishing" Muslims and minorities wants to "divide" the country, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said on Sunday as she hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks at a rally in Kathua in Jammu region of the state. At an election rally in Kathua, the prime minister slammed the Abdullahs and Muftis, saying the two families "ruined" three generations of Jammu and Kashmir and he will not allow them to "divide" India. "Abdullah family and Mufti family destroyed lives of three generations of Jammu and Kashmir. The bright future of Jammu and Kashmir can be ensured only after their departure. They can bring their entire clan into field, can abuse Modi as much as they want, but they won't be able to divide this nation," he said, adding that for the better future of the state, they need to be voted out. The prime minister was referring to National Conference leader Omar Abdullah's demand for a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir. However, Mehbooba, the former chief minister of the state, whose party was in power from 2015 to 2018 in an alliance with the BJP, said the prime minister bashes political families before the elections and then sends envoys to stitch alliances with them afterwards. "Why does the PM bash political families pre elections and then send his envoys to stitch alliances with the very same parties? The NC in 99 and PDP in 2015. Why do they choose power over Article 370 then? The BJP, with its noxious agenda of banishing Muslims and minorities, wants to divide India," the PDP president wrote on Twitter. Modi also targeted the Congress for the migration of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley and said his government was committed to settle the displaced community in their native places and that work has started in this direction. Narendra Modi, at the BJP Kathua rally, slammed the Abdullahs and Muftis, saying the two families had 'ruined' three generations of Jammu and Kashmir. Kathua: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday slammed the Abdullahs and Muftis, saying two families had "ruined" three generations of Jammu and Kashmir and he will not allow them to "divide" India. The prime minister was referring to National Conference leader Omar Abdullah's demand for a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir. The Abdullah and Mufti families have "ruined" three generations in the state. "They laid siege to the state for three generations. For the better future of the state, they need to be voted out," he told a public rally in Kathua. The bright future of Jammu and Kashmir can be ensured only after their departure. They can bring their entire clan into the field, can abuse Modi as much as they want, but they won't be able to divide this nation, the prime minister said. Campaigning for Minister of State for the PMO Jitendra Singh, who is seeking re-election from the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat, the prime minister said people in Jammu and Kashmir voted in large numbers in the first phase of the polls and "rattled" terrorist leaders, opportunists and demoralised the "mahamilavat" alliance. Modi said, "You have proven the strength of democracy in India, in the first phase of elections". Lashing out at the Congress, the prime minister said, "Congress had been infected with germs. The grand old party's manifesto promise that AFSPA will be removed from the state if they come to power to demoralise the security forces". "Can a patriot speak like this? Shouldn't our security forces have a safety net," he asked people at the rally. Modi accused the Congress of politicising the Jallianwala Bagh Centenary. "The vice president was at Jallianwala Bagh for the government event. He paid tribute to martyrs but the Congress chief minister was not there", he said, claiming that nationalism was an insult for the Opposition. The Punjab chief minister, he said, had insulted the Jallianwala Bagh memorial by not attending the government's memorial on the day of the centenary. Modi said he can understand the kind of pressure on Amarinder Singh. "I have known Captain Amaridner Singh for a long time. I have never raised a question on his patriotism. I can understand the kind of pressure that must have been put on him for this kind of 'parivar bhakti", Modi said. Referring to doubts raised by the Congress on the 2016 surgical strikes and IAF strikes in Balakot, he claimed that the Congress has never trusted the Indian armed forces. "For the Congress, the army is only a way of earning money," Modi said. Hitting out at the Congress for the migration of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley, Modi said the BJP is committed to bring the community back to their land. "The policies of Congress were responsible for Kashmiri Pandits leaving their homes in the Valley", he said. "The Congress was so concerned about their vote bank that they pretended not to see atrocities against my Kashmiri Pandit brothers and sisters." The prime minister also referred to the 1984 Sikh riots and said the Congress was betraying the people by promising "nyay" (justice). Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Sunday said he will not contest again from Chamundeshwari assembly constituency Bengaluru: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Sunday said he will not contest again from Chamundeshwari assembly constituency in Mysuru, where he had tasted defeat during the May 2018 assembly polls. "I appeal to you with folded hands...I will not contest from this constituency once again, I'm making it clear. You all should work together for the development of this constituency," he said. Speaking at the joint election campaign in Jayapaura of Chamundeshwari assembly segment in Mysore, he said, "This constituency should develop. I have won here five times; this constituency gave me political birth." Siddarmaiah, the then sitting Chief Minister, had lost the 2018 assembly polls in Chamundeshwari to JD(S) GT Deve Gowda by a margin of over 36,042 votes. He however won Badami, the other constituency in North Karnataka from where he had contested. Making his debut in the Assembly in 1983, Siddaramaiah got elected from Chamundeshwari on a Lok Dal Party ticket, He has won five times from this constituency and thrice tasted defeat. In 2006, he won the Chamundeshwari bypoll on a Congress ticket by a wafer thin margin of 257 votes against JD(S) candidate in one of the bitterest poll battles in the state. The results then were crucial for Siddaramaiah to score political points over his bete noire JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, after being expelled from the party. After neighboring Varuna became a constituency in 2008 following delimitation, Siddarmaiah represented it till he vacated the seat for his son DrYatindra in the assembly polls last year and went back to his old constituency of Chamundeshwari. Interestingly Siddarmaiah Sunday shared the stage after a long gap with old time friend turned rival GT Deve Gowda, who defeated him in the assembly polls, to campaign for coalition candidate CH Vijayashankar of Congress for the April 18 Lok Sabha polls. Congress and JD(S) joined hands to form the government after the December 7 2018 assembly polls after the election threw up a hung verdict and decided to face the Lok Sabha polls together. According to the seat sharing arrangement, Congress is contesting in 21 seats and JD(S) in seven. Congress managed to secure Mysore Lok Sabha seat as Siddaramaiah was adamant about not ceding it to JD(S), which was also demanding the constituency, under GT Deve Gowda's leadership. The former Chief Minister appealed to both Congress and JD(S) workers to defeat the BJP in Lok Sabha polls. Sitting MP Prathap Simha is the BJP candidate from Mysore. Siddaramaiah had earlier indicated that 2018 would be his last election. Naveen Patnaik alleged that the BJP was afraid of announcing the name of its leader in Odisha, also taking a dig at the saffron party's 'double engine' slogan. Bhubaneswar: Odisha chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Saturday asked the BJP to name its chief ministerial candidate for the state. "The people of Odisha want to know who is the BJP's chief ministerial candidate, from where s/he is contesting the elections," Patnaik said, addressing an election meeting at Daspalla under Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituency, which is going to polls in the second phase on 18 April. Alleging that the BJP was afraid of announcing the name of its leader in Odisha, he also took a dig at the saffron party's "double engine" slogan. Patnaik was referring to BJP leaders' frequent call to the people of Odisha to ensure a "double engine" government (the government in Odisha as well as in Delhi) for better development of the state. "That Delhi engine did not come to the state when people were encountering calamities like cyclone and floods. Though the Delhi engine came after calamities, it went to Andhra Pradesh and not to Odisha," the chief minister said. Earlier, Patnaik had alleged that the BJP-led NDA government did not provide adequate assistance to cyclone-hit Odisha, even as it helped neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. "This Delhi engine will leave the state after the elections. Where is BJP's Odisha engine?" he asked. "The four and half crore of people in Odisha are my family, and I will serve them till the last breath," Patnaik said. Addressing another election rally in Aska in Ganjam district, he said the people of the locality will create a history this time by electing women self-help group (WSHG) member Pramila Bisoi to the Lok Sabha. Apart from fielding a WSHG member as its candidate for the Aska Lok Sabha seat, BJD also has four other women candidates contesting from various Assembly segments in the same parliamentary constituency. "You (the people of Aska) are going to create a history by electing a WSHG member to the Lok Sabha and send four women to the state assembly," Patnaik said. Alleging that both the Opposition BJP and the Congress have fielded "criminal elements" as candidates in Ganjam district, the chief minister said he will not allow breach of peace in the region. Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters that the people of Odisha are the leaders of BJP in the state. "All of them are chief ministerial candidates," he said. BJP state vice-president Samir Mohanty said: "I am happy that Naveen babu wants to know about the BJP's CM candidate after the first phase of polling. He has got an indication that the BJP is all set to form government in the state." The second phase of polling will be held on 18 April in Bargarh, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Kandhamal and Aska Lok Sabha segments, along with 35 Assembly constituencies under their jurisdictions. As a symbol of the woes of Britain's Brexit-era democracy, it could hardly be bettered. London: As a symbol of the woes of Britain's Brexit-era democracy, it could hardly be bettered. Lawmakers had to be sent home in mid-debate last week when water from a burst pipe began gushing into the House of Commons chamber. The image perfectly illustrates Parliament's problem as it tries to solve the puzzle that is Brexit. On the outside, the UK institution is resplendent, a world-famous symbol of democracy sitting majestically on the River Thames. On the inside, it's decrepit and increasingly unfit for use. The hidden flaws in Britain's political system have been laid bare and televised worldwide since voters chose, almost three years ago, to leave the European Union. Decision-making has ground to a standstill, even as business leaders and residents alike cry out for certainty. Many Britons feel a mix of frustration, fascination and shame at the ongoing political chaos. So do politicians on both sides of the Brexit divide. "I am ashamed to be a member of this Parliament," said pro-EU Liberal Democrat lawmaker Norman Lamb after lawmakers once again failed to find a way forward on Brexit. Bill Cash, a pro-Brexit Conservative, said this week that Britain had been "humiliated" by failing to leave the EU on time. The last few months in Parliament, as lawmakers repeatedly tried and failed to agree on a roadmap for Britain's departure, have produced close votes, late nights and high drama. It's a political soap opera that has sent the viewership of Parliament's live-streaming website soaring and made an international celebrity of House of Commons Speaker John Bercow, with his bellowing cries of "Orderrrrr" and "The ayes have it!" But all the sound and fury signifies not much. Britain is no further out the EU door or clearer about its post-Brexit direction than it was at the start of the year. A divorce agreement struck between Prime Minister Theresa May's government and EU late in 2018 lays out the terms of an orderly UK departure and promising close future ties. Since January, Parliament has rejected it three times. Pro-Brexit lawmakers won't vote for it because they favour a more definitive break with the bloc. Pro-EU politicians reject it because they think it's a poor substitute for EU membership. Parliament has also voted on other options including leaving without a deal and holding a new referendum on Britain's EU membership. And twice lawmakers have rejected them all. To avoid a chaotic no-deal departure that could devastate an economy already weighed down by Brexit uncertainty, May has twice gone to the EU asking for more time. Despite the bloc's increasing exasperation at Britain, it has twice agreed, delaying Brexit Day first from 29 March to 12 April and then again until 31 October. British businesses breathed a sigh of relief, but feared the respite would be temporary unless politicians can resolve a political crisis that been building since the surprise result of the 2016 Brexit referendum. Amid widespread mistrust in politicians, a feeling that had been growing for years, voters opted to leave the EU against the advice of the government, most economists and major business groups. Britain's political system has proven itself ill-equipped to implement the demand. May's Conservative minority government does not have a majority of seats in Parliament a rare occurrence in Britain and struggles to deliver its policies. The country's two main parties, Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party, are both internally divided over Brexit and have begun to fray, with more than a dozen lawmakers quitting in recent months to sit as independents. Pro-EU backbench lawmakers have gone to war with the government, seizing control of the parliamentary timetable to hold debates and votes on Brexit. Pro-Brexit Conservatives have demanded that May resign for failing to take Britain out of the EU. In this environment, Parliament's stressed, exhausted politicians and their staff are frankly relieved at the 10-day Easter break that began on Friday. The prime minister has implored them to relax, reflect and come back ready to strike a Brexit compromise. In the meantime, May's government is still holding talks with Labour in hopes of finding common ground. But there are few signs of any emerging consensus. Brexiteers in the Conservative Party are still plotting to remove May and replace her with a more strongly pro-Brexit leader, such as former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Pro-EU politicians are still hoping to secure a new referendum on Brexit that could deliver a mandate for Britain to stay in the bloc. Labour craves a national election, despite the risk that voters could decide to punish all politicians amid exasperation over the Brexit debacle. There is no end in sight to the Brexit drama, which has left observers around the world scratching their heads and sometimes chuckling at Britain's plight. Richard Ashworth, a British member of the European parliament, told EU colleagues that Brexit had had produced "a sad nation, divided like never before, and a House of Commons in crisis." "Let Brexit stand as a cautionary tale to the people of Europe," he warned. But some observers feel sympathy as Britain so publicly struggles with deep, divisive questions about its values and place in the world questions that are not confined to the UK. "Parliament is representing the divisions in our county," said Anand Menon, director of the UK in a Changing Europe think-tank. "It's brutal. It's horrible. It's inconclusive. It's democratic politics at its most visceral. "Among international observers I speak to, there is a sense of, 'There but for the grace of God go I.'" Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) shareholders have plenty of reasons to be optimistic. Shares of the big drugmaker are up 15% over the last 12 months, well above the return of the S&P 500 index. Pfizer's dividend yield of nearly 3.4% looks also should bring smiles to investors' faces. And the company arguably has its strongest pipeline in years. But the future won't necessarily be a cakewalk for Pfizer. There are several potential obstacles that could cause the big pharma company to stumble. Here are the three greatest risks that Pfizer faces. 1. Major healthcare system changes Perhaps the most significant of all the risks for Pfizer is the possibility of major upheaval in the U.S. healthcare system. Politicians in both parties have made drugmakers the targets of their wrath. Lawmakers are especially focusing on drug price increases they consider to be unwarranted. It's not surprising then that Pfizer attracted criticism when it announced price increases for 41 of its drugs effective Jan. 15. Investment firm Leerink conducted a study that found Pfizer was one of the major pharmaceutical companies most dependent on drug price increases to spur revenue growth. That could be problematic if big changes are made that hamper Pfizer's ability to boost prices for its drugs. Then there's the potential for single-payer healthcare in the United States. The Medicare-for-All proposal by Sen. Bernie Sanders would radically change the dynamics for many companies in the healthcare sector. Drugmakers would negotiate only with the federal government on drug prices. That would almost certainly mean Pfizer wouldn't be able to charge as much for its drugs. 2. Slowing sales for top drugs Sales for Pfizer's top drugs could slip even if there aren't huge changes in the U.S. healthcare system. Actually, you can bet that sales for several of the company's blockbuster drugs will fall. Lyrica, which made $4.6 billion in 2018, loses patent exclusivity this year. Enbrel already faces competition from biosimilars in Europes. Competition could present problems for other Pfizer drugs as well. The company is counting on breast cancer drug Ibrance to be a growth driver for years to come. But Ibrance faces a big challenger with Eli Lilly's Verzenio. Several drugmakers also have promising drugs that could be on the market within the next few years. Pfizer's biggest-selling product right now is pneumococcal vaccine Prevnar 13. But Merck aims to take Prevnar 13 head-on with its V114 that's currently in late-stage clinical studies and could potentially win FDA approval next year. 3. Significant pipeline setbacks Every biopharmaceutical company faces the risks of pipeline failures. Pfizer is no exception. If you look at Pfizer's pipeline, you'll find that six of its late-stage programs are evaluating Bavencio in treating various types of cancer. But Pfizer and its partner, Merck KGaA, which is based in Germany and is a different company from the U.S.-based Merck, already announced one late-stage failure for the immunotherapy in treating lung cancer. That doesn't mean other phase 3 studies will flop, but it underscores the risk Pfizer faces. Pipeline setbacks can also come in the form of an FDA decision against approval for a drug. Pfizer had such an experience a year ago, when the FDA rejected approval of the company's biosimilar to Herceptin. While the company subsequently obtained approval for the biosimilar last month, the year-long delay hurt. Putting the risks in perspective Investors shouldn't ignore the risks Pfizer faces. They're real, and they could potentially cause the big pharma stock to underperform over the next few years. At the same time, though, these risks should also be put in perspective. Pfizer has successfully navigated major changes to the U.S. healthcare system before. Even though the company raised prices on 41 of its drugs this year, Pfizer has adjusted to the new political dynamics and expects the net impact on revenue to be minimal. Also, the implementation of a single-payer healthcare system in the U.S. faces an uphill battle. And while Pfizer could be hurt by competition for its top drugs or pipeline setbacks for key candidates, the company's product lineup and pipeline are well diversified. No product currently generates more than 11% of total revenue. Pfizer's pipeline includes around 100 programs, 26 of which are in late-stage development. Investing always comes with risks. But there's no reason for Pfizer's risks to diminish investors' optimism about the company's long-term prospects. The Permian Basin is a gift that keeps on giving. Oil producers have pumped out an astounding 30 billion barrels from the region since its discovery in 1921. However, an estimated 46 billion barrels of recoverable oil remain on the Delaware Basin side alone. The region has decades of growth ahead. An oil growth engine of epic proportions Oil output in the Permian currently averages around 3.85 million barrels per day (BPD), according to data from midstream giant Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD). However, it's set to grow by nearly 1 million BPD over the next year and should reach almost 8 million BPD by 2025. That's an incredible 107% increase for what's already one of the largest oil fields in the world. One of the many companies driving this growth is ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM). The oil giant is currently using the Permian Basin as one of the main fuels driving its strategy to more than double its earnings and cash flow by 2025. The region is turning out to be even better than Exxon had hoped. The company now expects to pump out 1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2024, 80% more than its prior forecast. That's leading Exxon to spearhead pipeline projects so that it has the infrastructure needed to move this oil toward its refineries along the Gulf Coast. That led it to team up with Plains All American Pipelines (NASDAQ:PAA) to build the 1 million BPD Wink-to-Webster project. That pipeline is one of many Permian-focused oil infrastructure projects that Plains All American Pipelines and others currently have under way to improve the flow of crude out of the Permian. Oil isn't the only liquid coming out of the Permian While oil grabs all the headlines, it's not the only valuable liquid coming out of Permian wells. The region is also a key supplier of natural gas liquids (NGLs). The Permian currently pumps out 1.6 million barrels of NGLs per day, which is about 30% of the country's output. That number is on track to surge more than 113% by 2025, according to Enterprise Products Partners' forecast. That's leading companies like Enterprise to build the infrastructure to transport and process these valuable liquids. The company recently finished construction on its Shin Oak pipeline, which moves raw NGLs to its fractionation hub in Mont Belvieu, Texas. Those facilities separate the NGL stream into pure components (ethane, propane, butane, and natural gasoline). They then flow to petrochemical plants operated by ExxonMobil and others, which turn them into plastics and other more valuable products. Don't forget about all the gas Another often overlooked energy commodity from the Permian is natural gas. The region currently produces 10 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), which is about 11% of the country's output. Drillers are unlocking so much gas that they need to burn some of it off, since there aren't enough pipelines to move it out of the region. That should change later this year, when Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) and its partners finish the Gulf Coast Express pipeline. The $1.75 billion-project will move 2 Bcf/d toward the coast. Kinder Morgan is following it up with an even larger one backed by ExxonMobil. The Permian Highway Pipeline, which will cost $2.1 billion and move 2.1 Bcf/d, should come online in October 2020. The region, however, will need more gas-related infrastructure since its output is on track to top 21 Bcf/d by 2021, a 110% increase from the current rate. That's why Exxon is working with another midstream company on a new regional line. Meanwhile, Kinder Morgan and others have their sights set on building more long-haul pipelines out of the region as well as other gas-related infrastructure. These pipelines will move this gas to petrochemical complexes along the Gulf Coast as well as export it to Mexico and through liquified natural gas facilities. A high-octane growth region The Permian Basin has been fueling oil companies for nearly a century. However, it still has plenty of growth ahead, given the view that the region's output will more than double by 2025. That fast-paced growth is why investors should consider adding high-quality Permian-focused stocks to their portfolio. In this rapidly developing topic, we aim to provide you with the ability to share your experiences, questions and news with us. Simply choose one of the options below and your story may be featured in this section. Learn More Essential Businesses Share Your Story Ask Questions Submit News Subscribe Photo: Contributed A Tesla crashed into a power pole in Okanagan Falls Saturday. A Tesla crashed into a power pole in Okanagan Falls Saturday afternoon after the driver swerved out of the way of two runaway wheels that had come off a transport truck. The crash, which knocked out power to several homes in the area, occurred at about 4 p.m. on Highway 97 near the bridge in Okanagan Falls. A firefighter who attended the scene said the Tesla was driving southbound, entering the town, when a set of dually wheels came off the rear of the oncoming truck, and rolled towards the car. The Tesla tried to avoid the tires and they hit the hydro pole, the man said. He said the people in the Tesla suffered only minor injuries in the crash. They were lucky, he said. In addition to emergency crews, Fortis attended the scene and restored power to the area. It's unclear what caused the wheels to come off the truck. Photo: DriveBC Snow covered the Okanagan Connector just after 8 p.m. Saturday. The snow is falling on the local mountain passes Saturday night. Environment Canada issued a special weather statement Friday, calling for spring snow at higher elevations. That statement remains in effect Saturday night, and five to ten centimetres are forecast to fall on the Okanagan Connector, the Coquihalla and the Kootenay Pass summits. Judging by the DriveBC webcams, snow began falling at the Pennask Summit, at 1,700 metres elevation, just after 5 p.m., and the Connector was covered by 8:15 p.m. Snow is also covering the Coquihalla Summit. The snow level is expected to be at 800 metres through the night. Galveston, TX (77553) Today Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 78F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low around 70F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Photo: www.sa4christ.com Salmon Arm Church of Christ. UPDATE 7:56 a.m. A former foster child of a Salmon Arm, British Columbia shooting victim is remembering Gordon Parmenter as the man who helped him discover his potential. The foster child, who can't be named, has identified Parmenter as the man shot to death Sunday at a church in Salmon Arm, about 100 kilometres north of Kelowna. Salmon Arm RCMP confirm the shooting, which also seriously injured a second man in the church before other parishioners wrestled a 25-year-old man to the ground and held him until police arrived. In a statement to The Canadian Press, the former foster child says he lived with Parmenter and his wife Peggy from 2012 or 2013 until he aged out of the system in 2017. The statement says without Parmenter's help, he would never have completed high school, discovered his love of music or continued to college, adding that he wept for an hour upon learning of the death. Charges are pending and police say the suspect knew at least one of the victims, but they note that the attack was not religiously motivated, nor has it created any ongoing risk to public safety. -with files from Canadian Press UPDATE: 5:45 p.m. Police say the suspect in a fatal shooting at a church in Salmon Arm was not religiously motivated. Church of Christ in Salmon Arm was hosting an event when a man allegedly entered the church and shot two of the parishioners. Officers rushed to the scene just after 10:30 a.m. and immediately determined that two individuals were seriously wounded and required urgent medical assistance. Paramedics were called to the church for two patients and they transported one man to hospital by air ambulance in stable condition. One individual was declared deceased at the scene. Condolences have poured in online identifying the deceased as Gordon Parmenter, an elder at the church. A 25-year-old man was wrestled to the ground by a number of parishioners and a rifle was seized. He remains in police custody with charges pending. "While the investigation is in the preliminary stages, there is no information to suggest there are any ongoing threats to public safety, said Sgt. Scott West. Police have determined that at least one of the victims was known to the suspect, and it is not believed at this time the event was religiously motivated. RCMP have notified the BC Coroners Service and the next of kin notifications have been completed. No information is being released by police about the victims at this time. Salmon Arm RCMP, with the assistance of the Southeast District Major Crime Unit, are conducting the investigation. Victim Services support has also been called in to assist with those impacted by the incident. UPDATE: 4:45 p.m. Condolences are pouring in online for an elder at a church in Salmon Arm after a shooting occurred in the small town. Paramedics were called to the Church of Christ just after 10:30 a.m. on Sunday for two patients and they transported one man to hospital by air ambulance. Reports indicate that Gordon Parmenter has died on Sunday. No words to express our sorrow! Many, many prayers being lifted up for all of you! Gordon was a great man, said one person on Facebook. Our hearts are shattered. Another person said their hearts are heavy with the news. Our prayers are with the Parmenter family and all the congregation who witnessed this tragedy, said another person. The churchs website says Parmenter was married to a woman named Peggy and together they have four children and numerous grandchildren. One person is in custody at this time and police say the investigation is still in the early stages. Photo: Contributed UPDATE: 1:30 p.m. Police are now providing more details about a serious incident that unfolded at a church in Salmon Arm on Sunday. Cpl. Chris Manseau tells Castanet a man has been taken into custody after a "possible shooting" at a church. The area is contained and we have an indication (that) there is no active or ongoing threat, said Manseau. Paramedics were called to the Church of Christ just after 10:30 a.m. on Sunday and say they transported one man to hospital by air ambulance. We had two patients and we transported one, said Amy Robertson, spokesperson for BC Emergency Health Services. Witnesses from the scene said people were visibly upset and crying outside the church. A lot of crying, and obviously upset people, said one witness. "I overheard several people behind the RCMP tape say it was a shooting. RCMP have not confirmed if there was a shooting at the scene. BC Ambulance would not provide any further details about the injuries. We are at the very early stages of the investigation and will provide an update later today, said Manseau. UPDATE: 12:30 p.m. Police are investigating after an incident at a church in Salmon Arm on Sunday. One person was taken from the scene to hospital by air ambulance and officers have surrounded the Salmon Arm Church of Christ. Witnesses at the scene describe people are visibly upset and crying outside the church. Castanet spoke with an officer at the Salmon Arm RCMP detachment who said they are currently investigating at the scene of the church and will provide more details when they are finished. ORIGINAL: 11:50 a.m. An air ambulance helicopter has landed in Salmon Arm on Sunday morning and police have surrounded a church. Witnesses on scene say the MedEvac landed in Blackburn Park and paramedics entered the Salmon Arm Church of Christ. One victim was seen being removed from the church and placed in the air ambulance. Unconfirmed reports indicate there might have been a shooting, but RCMP have not confirmed. A lot of crying, and obviously upset people outside the church, said one witness. "I overheard several people behind the RCMP tape say it was a shooting." Castanet will update once more information becomes available. US Charges Chinese Intruder Arrested at Mar-a-Lago With Lying, Illegal Entry Sputnik News 00:57 13.04.2019 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) US authorities have formally charged Yujing Zhang the Chinese woman arrested trying to enter Mar-a-Lago last month with lying to a federal agent and entering restricted property without permission, according to published reports on Friday. The indictment does not include espionage charges, despite the authorities continuing to treat her case as a national-security matter, sources familiar with an ongoing counterintelligence investigation told the Miami Herald. Zhang possessed Chinese passports and a flash drive containing malware when arrested late last month, and police found a signal locator capable of detecting hidden cameras, other electronic devices and thousands of dollars in cash in her hotel room, federal prosecutors said earlier. Zhang, 33, could face up to five years in prison for lying to a US federal officer, one year for entering restricted grounds and as much as $350,000 in fines, according to court documents cited by the report. US Senator Elizabeth Warren in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General's office called for a probe of President Donald Trump's firing of Secret Service Director Randolph Alles in light of the recent breach at Mar-a-Lago. Warren said the Mar-a-Lago incident involving a possible Chinese spy and Alles firing raise concerns of how the White House is handling security matters at the resort and elsewhere. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders has said Alles would step down and be replaced by James Murray, a career member of the Secret Service. The Secret Service falls within DHS control. Trump purchased the Mar-a-Lago property in 1985. It has since been dubbed the Southern White House. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sudan's Ibn Auf steps down after deadly protests against military rule Iran Press TV Sat Apr 13, 2019 01:11AM Sudanese Defense Minister General Awad Ibn Auf has resigned as the head of the country's ruling military council after tens of thousands of people took part in deadly rallies to demand a civilian-led transition of power. The top general, who had led the coup that ousted long-serving Omar al-Bashir, made the announcement in a speech broadcast live on state television. "I, the head of the military council, announce I am giving up the post," Ibn Auf said on Friday, one day after he was sworn in as the head of a transitional military council. "This is for the benefit of our nation, without having to look at special interests, big or small that may impede its progress," he said in a brief statement."I would like to recommend that you work together and reach a solution very speedily." He also named Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Burhan, Bashir's Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces, as his successor. On Bashir's status, it is now clear that he is under arrest but the military hierarchy has dismissed categorically any move to extradite him to face international criminal charges at The Hague. Protesters in Khartoum greeted the move with "ululations and cheers", media reports said. "People are celebrating on the streets; they are saying that they managed to topple President Omar al-Bashir after four months of protests and less than 48 hours after the military council took over, they managed to bring down Ibn Auf, too," Al Jazeera reported. Auf was sworn in as the chief of the new military council on Thursday. He declared a three-month state of emergency and imposed a one-month curfew from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. In reaction, the people who had packed the streets of Khartoum to celebrate Bashir's removal after months of demonstrations, returned to the streets - this time to demand a civilian government. However, media reports suggest that the transitional government's crackdown on the protests and sit-ins on Thursday and Friday has resulted in the deaths of at least 16 people and injuries of 20 others. According to a statement by a Sudanese police spokesman released early on Saturday, these people were killed or wounded by stray bullets fired at these gatherings. Government buildings and private property were also attacked, spokesman Hashem Ali added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address WHO demands protection of health workers, facilities amid Gaza protests Iran Press TV Sat Apr 13, 2019 02:33PM The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for the protection of Palestinian paramedics and medical facilities in the Gaza Strip in the wake of mass protests along the fence separating the besieged coastal enclave and the Israeli-occupied territories. WHO said on Saturday that it had recorded an unprecedented 446 attacks on health workers in the Gaza Strip ever since anti-occupation protests started in the sliver early last year, the official Palestinian Wafa news agency reported. These attacks had resulted in the deaths of 3 health workers and injured 731 others, it said. A total of 104 ambulances and six other forms of health transport, in addition to five health facilities and one hospital, had been damaged as well, it added. WHO further noted that health workers faced substantial obstacles to carry out their work as they might get struck or their access to injured protesters was hampered. Additionally, being witness to such events could significantly affect the mental health of health workers and their work, it said. Palestinians have held weekly rallies along the Gaza border to protest the siege on the enclave and demand the right for refugees to return to their homes they fled during the 1948 creation of Israel. More than 270 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces ever since anti-occupation protest rallies began in the Gaza Strip on March 30, 2018. Over 16,000 Palestinians have also sustained injuries. The Gaza clashes reached their peak on May 14, 2018, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe), which coincided with a US decision to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds. On June 13, 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, sponsored by Turkey and Algeria, which condemned Israel for Palestinian civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip. The resolution, which had been put forward on behalf of Arab and Muslim countries, garnered a strong majority of 120 votes in the 193-member assembly, with 8 votes against and 45 abstentions. The resolution called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to make proposals within 60 days "on ways and means for ensuring the safety, protection, and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation," including "recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism." It also called for "immediate steps towards ending the closure and the restrictions imposed by Israel on movement and access into and out of the Gaza Strip." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sudanese keep up pressure for civilian rule after coup leader resigns Iran Press TV Sat Apr 13, 2019 10:34AM Sudanese people have remained in the streets in the capital Khartoum to push for a civilian rule after Defense Minister Awad Ibn Auf resigned as the head of the ruling military council. Auf stepped down as head of the transitional military council late Friday, a day after Sudan's military announced that it had unseated President Omar al-Bashir following almost four months of protests. Auf named the general inspector of the armed forces, General Abdel Fattah Burhan, as his successor. Protesters said on Saturday they would keep up pressure for civilian rule, a day after thousands defied a curfew to gather outside the army headquarters in Khartoum. They also resumed celebrations after Auf's resignation, chanting "The second has fallen!". The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), the main organizer of the protests, called for the demonstrations to continue on Saturday. "Today, we continue the march to finish the victory for our victorious revolution," the SPA said in a statement. "We assert that our revolution is continuing and will not retreat or deviate from its path until we achieve ... our people's legitimate demands of handing over power to a civilian government," it added. Head of National Intelligence and Security Service resigns Also on Saturday, Salih Ghosh resigned from his post as the head of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS). The transitional military council said the chief of the transitional military council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, had accepted the resignation of Ghosh. The council has announced a two-year transition period to civilian rule. Addressing the UN Security Council, Sudan's UN Deputy Ambassador Yasir Abdelsalam said that the military council would support an inclusive civilian-led government. The head of the military council's political committee, Omar Zain al-Abideen, also said they would hold a dialogue with various political groups to reach a solution. Bashir, 75, who ruled over 30 years, took power in a coup in 1989. He had said that he would only move aside for another army officer or at the ballot box. The protests against Bashir initially erupted on December 19, 2018, in the face of a government decision to triple the price of bread. The demonstrations quickly turned into a mass movement across the country against the president, and finally led to his ouster on Thursday. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taliban announce spring offensive in Afghanistan amid peace talks with US Iran Press TV Sat Apr 13, 2019 10:18AM The Taliban militant group has announced the beginning of its spring offensive in Afghanistan despite involvement in peace talks with the United States. The Taliban said Operation Fath will be conducted across Afghanistan with the aim of what the militant group claimed was "eradicating occupation" and "cleansing our Muslim homeland from invasion and corruption." In constant fight with Afghan government forces, the group also opposes the continued presence of US forces that have invaded the country since late 2001. The announcement came as judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) rejected a request by the court's prosecutor to probe atrocities committed by US forces in Afghanistan. Hours after the Friday announcement, a large number of Taliban militants stormed the Shirzad district center in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar and put heavy pressure on government forces. "The enemy still seeks to attain its malicious objectives through the use of force," the Taliban said in an apparent reference to Afghan government troops. It also called on Afghan soldiers, police and other pro-government forces to join them at the onset of the spring offensive as "our Jihadi obligation has not yet ended." Qais Mangal, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman, denounced the Taliban threat as mere propaganda. "The Taliban will not reach their vicious goals and their operations will be defeated like previous years," he said. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced his government's own spring offensive, dubbed Operation Khalid, against the militant group last month. Clashes have intensified in Afghanistan's northern, northeastern and southern parts and the situation is expected to escalate as the weather gets warmer. In a recent encounter on Monday night, at least eight members of the Afghan police lost their lives in an attack by the Taliban in northern Balkh province. Three US Marines were also killed on Monday in a Taliban roadside bomb attack at Bagram air base north of the Afghan city. The latest round of peace talks between US and Taliban officials wrapped up last month, with both sides citing progress. The Taliban have reiterated opposition to direct talks with President Ghani's administration in Kabul. However, Ghani has repeatedly stressed that no peace deal between the Taliban and the US could be finalized without involving his government. Another round of negotiations are expected to take place later this month in Qatar, where the Taliban have a political office, and will include representatives from a variety of Afghan groups. The Taliban have said it plans to meet soon with an Afghan delegation at a peace conference and the government in Kabul has vowed to lift travel restrictions for some Taliban officials for the meeting. The Taliban's five-year rule over at least three quarters of Afghanistan came to an end following the US invasion in 2001 but 18 years on, Washington is seeking truce with the militants, who still control larges swathes of land in the country. US President Donald Trump has announced in the past that he would reduce the number of US forces in Afghanistan. The Taliban have said the US promised them to withdraw half of its troops although the timing for the pullout has not been finalized. US forces have remained bogged down in Afghanistan through the presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now Trump. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Brazil's Bolsonaro admits working with US to oust Maduro Iran Press TV Sat Apr 13, 2019 06:34AM President Nicolas Maduro has compared Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler for working with the US on a military coup in Venezuela. Bolsonaro on Friday made no effort to hide the fact that his government was working with the administration of US President Donald Trump to bring down President Maduro. "It is our intention and that of the Americans that there is a rift in the army, because it is they who still support Maduro," Bolsonaro said in an interview with the main Brazilian radio station, Jovem Pan. "It is the armed forces that decide whether a country lives in a democracy or in a dictatorship," he added. Maduro reacted to the remarks by calling on the Brazilian military to take action against Bolsonaro, whom he described as a "fascist pigeon" and a "Hitler imitator." "I call on the military forces of Brazil to cut off the madness of Jair Bolsonaro and his threat of war against Venezuela," he added. In an apparent break from his boss, Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao said he was not supporting a military intervention to solve the political crisis in Venezuela. This is not the first time Maduro is comparing Bolsonaro to Hitler. He called the far-right president as "the Hitler of modern era" in January, when Brazil sided with the Trump administration in recognizing Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaido as the "interim president" of Venezuela while Maduro's elected government was in place. Guaido plunged Venezuela into political turmoil by rejecting the outcome of the May 2018 election, which saw Maduro win a second six-year term. Bolsonaro, who is also known as "Trump of the tropics," met his American counterpart in Washington in March. During the meeting, Trump reiterated that he kept "all options"on the table to topple the socialist government of Maduro, including military action. Besides open threats of war, Washington has also imposed economic sanctions on the oil-rich country. Earlier this year, it confiscated Venezuela's state oil assets based in the US to channel them to Guaido. Maduro has blasted Trump for adopting an "extremist, unwise and improper" position against Venezuela, saying that Washington has never been concerned with "democracy" or "humanitarian crisis" in Venezuela and is rather eyeing the country's wealth and rich energy resources. On Friday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended sanctions on the South American nation, saying during an event in Chilean capital Santiago that America would not "quit the fight" against Maduro. Earlier in the day, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions on four shipping companies and nine ships transporting oil from Venezuela. The Treasury said in a statement that Venezuela's oil sector continued "to provide a lifeline to" what the department called "the illegitimate regime" of Maduro. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump warns ICC against prosecuting Americans, Israelis for war crimes Iran Press TV Sat Apr 13, 2019 05:50AM US President Donald Trump has warned the International Criminal Court (ICC) of "swift and vigorous response" if the Hague-based tribunal investigates Americans and Israelis for war crimes. Trump issued the warning on Friday after ICC judges rejected a request by the court's prosecutor to probe atrocities committed by US forces in Afghanistan. Trump hailed the unusual ruling as a "major international victory," claiming that the Americans and Israelis should be immune from ICC prosecution. "Since the creation of the ICC, the United States has consistently declined to join the court because of its broad, unaccountable prosecutorial powers; the threat it poses to American national sovereignty; and other deficiencies that render it illegitimate," he said. "Any attempt to target American, Israeli, or allied personnel for prosecution will be met with a swift and vigorous response," he added. Amnesty International denounced the ICC's decision as a "shocking abandonment of victims" that would "weaken the court's already questionable credibility." Biraj Patnaik, South Asia Director at Amnesty International, stressed that the ruling would be seen as a "craven capitulation to Washington's bullying." Last month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the US would withdraw or revoke visas for ICC staff who prosecute American troops in Afghanistan as well as their allied personnel, including Israelis. He also warned about potential economic sanctions "if the ICC does not change its course." US National Security Adviser John Bolton had also threatened to revoke the visas of ICC personnel if the court pursued charges against members of the US military over crimes in Afghanistan. Earlier this month, the US revoked ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda's visa as part of a crackdown on the ICC. The ICC has been examining abuses committed by all parties in the Afghan war for more than a decade. In November 2017, Bensouda sought authorization to open an inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, including in states where the CIA held prisoners. The ICC is also investigating Israeli atrocities in the West Bank and Gaza, including the demolition of Palestinian property and eviction of the Palestinians from the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds. Neither the US nor Israel are ICC members. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taliban Fighters Attack Kunduz Outskirts, Violence in Kabul, Day After Spring Offensive Announced April 13, 2019 Taliban fighters attacked the outskirts of a northern Afghan city and bomb blasts were reported in the capital, Kabul, a day after the Taliban launched their annual spring offensive. The violence on April 13 comes as the United States continues to push for a peace settlement with the Taliban, with a new round of talks scheduled later this month in Qatar. In the city of Kunduz, Naeem Mangal, head of the regional hospital, told the AFP news agency that at least eight people were killed and 62 wounded in fighting on the city's limits. In Kabul, meanwhile, a central police station came under attack when two hand grenades were thrown at a military vehicle -- the first major incident of its kind in weeks. Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said at least one person was killed and six others wounded. No one immediately claimed responsibility. In the western province of Ghor, at least seven members of Afghan security forces were killed in a Taliban ambush, the provincial governor's spokesman, Abdul Hai Khatibi, said. And a truck bomb attack was reported in eastern Nangarhar province late on April 12. A spokesman for the provincial governor, Ataullah Khogyani, said two Afghan troops had been killed, along with 27 Taliban fighters. The spring offensive traditionally marks the start of the so-called fighting season, though fighting nowadays continues unabated throughout the year. In a statement released in five languages on April 12, the Taliban said the fighting would continue while foreign forces remain in Afghanistan. Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special envoy who is spearheading Washington's push for a peace settlement, called the Taliban announcement "reckless." The Taliban have long refused to speak officially with Kabul, calling the government a "puppet" of the West. Based on reporting by AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan- taliban-fighters-attack-kunduz-violence--kabul- spring-offensive/29879183.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Thousands Rally In Belgrade In Latest Protest Targeting Vucic By RFE/RL April 13, 2019 BELGRADE -- Thousands of Serbian protesters have jammed a central Belgrade square in what organizers hoped would be the biggest outpouring of opposition to President Aleksandar Vucic in months. Riot police faced off with the demonstrators who gathered on April 13 outside parliament as part of the protest organized by a loose coalition of 30 opposition groups, political parties, and activists. Crowds chanted "Vucic, go away!" as speakers took to a stage to criticize the Serbian leadership. "Mr. President, in order for Serbia to return to its constitution, you have to do what the citizens are asking for. Resign!" said Zoran Ivosevic, a former Supreme Court judge. The Interior Ministry estimated that around 7,300 people had participated in the Belgrade rally. There was no immediate word on protests in other cities. Members of Vucic's conservative party, meanwhile, barricaded themselves inside the parliament building, saying they were trying to thwart a forceful takeover by "fascists and thugs." Since December, Serbs have been taking to the streets of Belgrade and elsewhere weekly to protest what they say is Vucic's autocratic rule, growing press restrictions, and other problems in the country. The demonstrations began in December after leftist opposition leader Borko Stefanovic was brutally beaten up by masked attackers. Vucic later mocked the demonstrations, saying he wouldn't fulfill the demands "even if five million of you come out." Since then, government opponents have rallied every Saturday under the slogan "1 out of 5 million." Protesters have also vented anger at state broadcasters RTS and RTV. Last month, a group of demonstrators broke into the RTS headquarters, trying to get their demands read out on air. But police eventually cleared the building after scuffles. Long a nationalist, Vucic has attempted to remake himself as a pro-European Union reformer while seeking to maintain good relations with traditional ally Russia. Vucic reportedly plans to rally his supporters in Belgrade on April 19 in an effort to counter the rising opposition protests. With reporting by Balkan Insight and AP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-major-protests -belgrade-vucic/29878801.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi Arabia Backs Sudanese Military Council, Vows Aid Package - Reports Sputnik News 23:39 13.04.2019(updated 00:05 14.04.2019) Riyadh has expressed its support to the Sudanese transitional military council and the latter's measures to stabilize the revolution-torn country, according to the Saudi state-run news agency, cited by Reuters. Among other measures, Saudi Arabia has announced the delivery of an aid package to Sudan including wheat, medicine and petroleum products. According to the Saudi Press Agency, Riyadh has backed the council's views for the future of Sudan and expressed hope that these steps would lead to security and stability in the country. The Sudanese council was established Thursday after the military toppled long-time President Omar Bashir. On the same day, Defense Minister Mohammed Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf was sworn in as the nation's head. On Friday, however, Auf resigned and al-Burhan, who has served as the inspector general of the Sudanese Armed Forces, was sworn in as the new head of the transition military council. The Sudanese Rapid Support Forces said in a statement shared with Sputnik that it would call for the creation of a transitional council to include not only military personnel but also civilian officials, in the wake of the military takeover. However, the Sudanese opposition demanded earlier that the Military Council immediately transfer power to a civilian government. Moreover, Sudan's former ruling National Congress Party (NCP) demanded on Saturday that the military council, which took over after this week's coup, release toppled president Bashir and other senior members. The NCP said the military's action would only slow a peaceful transition and void a national charter that was adopted by a majority of parties. It demanded that Burhan give equal rights to all political forces and bring those who attacked its regional offices to justice. Meanwhile, the head of Sudan's ruling transitional military council announced on Saturday the termination of a nationwide state of emergency. The coup in the African country followed months of anti-government protests initially sparked by an acute economic situation, subsequently growing into a nationwide campaign against strongman Bashir, who was in power for almost 30 years. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sudan's Former Ruling Party Demands Freedom for Leaders Sputnik News 20:26 13.04.2019 KHARTOUM (Sputnik) - Sudan's former ruling National Congress Party demanded on Saturday that the military council, which took over after this week's coup, release toppled president Omar Bashir and other senior members. "We consider the military council's actions an unconstitutional power grab. The NCP rejects the arrest of its leaders, its acting president and many other senior members and demands their immediate release," it said in a statement. Bashir was ousted and arrested by the military on Thursday. It set up a transitional council headed by Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan, who promised to cede power to a civil government in two years' time. The NCP said the military's action would only slow down peaceful transition and void a national charter that was adopted by the majority of parties. It demanded that Burhan give equal rights to all political forces and bring those who attacked its regional offices to justice. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemeni Parliament Meets for First Time Since Beginning of War - Reports Sputnik News 19:50 13.04.2019 DOHA (Sputnik) - Yemen's parliament met on Saturday in Hadhramaut Governorate's city of Seiyun for the first time since the war erupted in the country in 2015, Al Arabiya reported. Al Arabiya broadcaster reported that President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and a number of Yemeni government officials attended the parliamentary meeting. Only 141 out of 301 members of the Yemeni parliament attended the meeting, according to the broadcaster. While addressing the meeting, the president accused the Shiite Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, of derailing the peace process in the country and violating agreements concluded in Stockholm. Yemen has been locked in a conflict between the government forces led by the president and the Houthi rebels. A Saudi-led coalition has been conducting strikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015. In December, Yemen's warring parties participated in the UN-sponsored talks in Stockholm. The consultations ended with the sides reaching an agreement on an immediate ceasefire in Al Hudaydah, which is Yemen's key port on the Red Sea. They also agreed on a mutual redeployment of forces to specific locations outside Al Hudaydah and pledged to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid from and to the port city. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Amphibious Ship Tests New 'Carrier' Mode in Drills With Philippines Report Sputnik News 17:21 13.04.2019 The American military vessel was earlier spotted passing through the disputed waters of the South China Sea despite numerous demands from China, who has a significant military presence in the region, calling for the US to stop such "provocations". The US Marine Corps have been testing a concept of a so-called "Lightning Carrier" during joint drills with the Philippines military, Business Insider reported. The idea of this concept is to load an America-class amphibious assault ship, such as the USS Wasp currently participating in these drills, with 10 or even more F-35 Lightning II jets twice the amount normally loaded on such vessels. "The experiments led to the realization that this is an option [] I think the Marine Corps may be realizing that this is the best use of their large amphibious assault ships. I think you are going to see more and more deployments like that", Bryan Clark, a naval affairs expert told the media outlet. US Marines are planning to use such "Lightning Carriers" as a supplement for big navy carriers. According to a Marines Corps spokesman, they will take full advantage of the amphibious assault ship as a sea base, but at the same time will provide a significant air force with strike capabilities. In comparison to regular carriers, "Lightning Carriers" have a significantly smaller effective range, when they counter naval and aerial aggression or conduct strikes. This downside is caused by the need to use the F-35B modification, suited for short take-offs and vertical landing necessary on amphibious ships' decks. "B" modification has a smaller operational range and effective payload than the F-35C a modification used on US Navy carriers. Another drawback of "Lightning Carriers" is that they can carry far less fighter jets than supercarriers can. Although they can theoretically be fitted to house up to 16-20 F-35s, the number pales in comparison to over 75 jets that can be carried by Gerald R. Ford class carriers. The drills are part of US-Philippine exercises, which reportedly carried out drills regarding the possible recapture of a smaller island with joint forces. The Philippines control several islands in South China Sea, whose waters are contested by several states, including China. Earlier on 6 April, the amphibious assault ship, USS Wasp, was spotted in the sea's waters, despite Beijing continuously insisting that Washington must stop sending military ships to the region, calling such acts "provocations". Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Afghan President Slams Taliban's Announcement of Spring Offensive Sputnik News 14:43 13.04.2019 MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Afghan Presidential Palace has lambasted the announcement by the Taliban of a new spring offensive, calling it "illegitimate". The authorities urged the movement to engage in peace talks. "The Afghan government is ready to defend every corner of the country but it once again calls on the Taliban leadership to stop the illegitimate and imposed war and nod to the unconditional invitation of the Afghan government and people for peace talks," the statement said as quoted by the Tolo News broadcaster. US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad also condemned the Taliban announcement on Friday, calling it "reckless." The aforementioned announcement by the Taliban said that it would undertake a spring offensive despite being part of the ongoing US-led peace talks for Afghanistan. The goal of the Taliban's Operation Fath "victory" in Arabic is to cleanse Afghanistan from invasion and corruption, the movement reportedly said. Crisis in Afghanistan Afghanistan has long been ravaged by war and political instability, but the two main opponents, the Afghan government and the Taliban, have been making efforts toward achieving peace by holding indirect talks. The Taliban emerged in 1994 at the height of a civil war in Afghanistan. The group held power in most of the country between 1996 and 2001; during this period, it introduced Islamic Sharia law. The Taliban was ousted from power by a US-led coalition in 2001 and has since then been waging a guerrilla war against the Kabul-based government, and NATO forces in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan. According to Russia's envoy to Afghanistan, the militants control at least 50 per cent of Afghanistan's territory and their ranks include from 3,500 to 10,000 Daesh fighters, who regularly carry out terror attacks across the country. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Boeing Awarded $14 Billion US Defence Contract Amid 737 MAX Controversy Sputnik News 14:13 13.04.2019 This is the second multi-billion US military contract that the company has received following the global grounding of its civilian 737 MAX model in wake of two deadly aviation accidents involving the airliners over the course of five months. American aerospace giant Boeing has received a $14.3 billion contract with the US Air Force to modify, modernise, engineer, sustain, and test the weapon systems for the Rockwell B-1 Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers. According to a statement by the Department of Defence (DoD), the systems will allow the bombers to increase their survivability against air defences and their ability to successfully carry out missions. "This B-1/B-52 Flexible Acquisition and Sustainment contract provides for the upcoming modernization and sustainment efforts to increase lethality, enhance survivability, improve supportability, and increase responsiveness", the statement read. The work set to be carried out under the contract was not further specified, but will last until 2029. Earlier, Boeing was awarded a three-year contract to modernise 78 US Navy F/A-18 Block II Super Hornets to the Block III model for approximately $4 billion on 20 March 2019. The aerospace giant received both contracts following the global grounding of its civilian 737 MAX model due to concerns that it could have a critical flaw that may have led to two airplane crashes in five months. An investigation has shown that a fault in the 737 MAX's anti-stall system could have caused the crash of the Ethiopian Airways and Lion Air planes, which together claimed the lives of 346 people. The anti-stall system, called the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), is designed to lower the airplane's nose if its angle of attack becomes too steep. One of the proposed explanations suggests that the two crashed Boeings had a faulty angle of attack sensor, forcing MCAS to kick in and lower the plane's nose when it was not needed, eventually sending it into an uncontrolled dive. Boeing has since released a statement saying that the company has modified the MCAS software, making it less persistent in its attempts to affect a plane's behaviour. The aerospace giant added that it had successfully tested the updated system in some 100 test flights. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sudan's Military Council Cancels State of Emergency Sputnik News 13:44 13.04.2019(updated 21:25 13.04.2019) The statement comes after earlier this week the armed forces dismissed the government and detained over 100 officials, including Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who had been governing the country for almost 30 years. New head of the military council Lieutenant General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan cancelled the state of emergency and night-time curfew in the country. He also announced the release of all political prisoners in Sudan, vowing to "uproot the former regime". According to the general, the council will govern for two years and then cede power to civilian authorities. Earlier in the day, Salah Gosh, the director of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), has decided to resign, Sudanese TV reported on Saturday. "The chief of the transitional military council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has accepted the resignation of the chief of NISS", the official statement of the military said. Later, head of Sudan's rapid support forces Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo was appointed as the deputy of the country's transitional military council. The news comes just a day after the previous head of the transitional council, Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf, decided to quit, appointing al-Burhan, the army chief of staff, as his successor. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pompeo Confirms Military Intervention in Venezuela Is Possible Option Sputnik News 11:41 13.04.2019 The Latin American country has been mired in a political crisis since January 2019 when parliamentarian Juan Guaido proclaimed himself Venezuela's interim president. The US has been his vocal and financial supporter, trying to force elected president Nicolas Maduro to step down and criticising China and Russia for backing him. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told the Chilean broadcaster Mega TV that every single tool for what he described as US efforts "to restore democracy" in Venezuela remains on the table. He confirmed that military intervention is still an option amid the ongoing political crisis in which Washington has backed self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido and denounced Nicolas Maduro. According to him "every single tool, every single option remains on the table" even though the Lima Group of Latin American countries has rejected such a scenario and the US lacks support for such a measure from the United Nations Security Council. "We've made clear our goal is to convince Maduro it is time to leave. We're going to leave every option on the table to use to achieve that objective", he said, noting, however, that the "work is diligent to find a diplomatic, political resolution to save the people from Venezuela from the Cubans, the Russians, and this tyrant Nicolas Maduro". When he was asked if the end of this year is Washington's deadline for Maduro to step down, he expressed hope that the legitimate Venezuelan president would leave "much sooner than that". At the same time, he admitted that China and Russia's support for Venezuela makes Maduro's exit more difficult. He insisted that Russia "intervened without authority" without the "consent of the Venezuelan people" to support Maduro, whom he branded "the former leader of Venezuela". "So it's quite hypocrisy when nations like those in the OAS [Organisation of American States] and Lima Group get accused of intervening in Venezuela when the Russians have troops on the ground, and more importantly, when you really have a state that was turned over as a security matter to the Cubans long ago", Pompeo claimed, slamming Moscow as "a hostile power". Moscow earlier rebuffed criticism, voiced by the US and several other states, over the arrival of Russian servicemen in Venezuela, arguing that it had acted "on an absolutely legitimate and legal basis". Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has rejected the allegation that Moscow is trying to create a "second Syria" in Venezuela and cited a 2001 agreement signed by Hugo Chavez and ratified by the national parliament as a legal basis for the move. "We have transferred military equipment to Venezuela in accordance with this agreement. This requires maintenance. The time to carry out the maintenance has come. That's it", Lavrov said. Venezuela has been embroiled in a severe political crisis since January. Along with other Western countries, the US has been a vocal and material supporter of Juan Guaido, a parliamentarian who proclaimed himself Venezuela's interim president, denouncing Maduro's administration as undemocratic and calling for Maduro's ouster. At the same time, numerous states, including Russia, China, and Turkey have refused to do so and have instead supported the constitutionally elected president, Nicolas Maduro, slamming the broad Western support for Guaido. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pompeo Says Netanyahu's Vow to Annex West Bank Will Not Harm Mideast Peace Plan Sputnik News 03:51 13.04.2019(updated 07:43 13.04.2019) WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he does not believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's vows to annex the West Bank will hurt the US-led Mideast peace process. "I don't, I think that the vision we'll lay out is going to represent a significant change from the model that's been used", Pompeo said on Friday when asked by CNN if he has any concerns that Netanyahu's statement may potentially hurt US efforts to propose a two-state solution. Earlier on Friday, US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel and Congressmen Ted Deutch, Brad Schneider, and Nita Lowey said in a joint press release that they are concerned Netanyahu's statement could be detrimental to achieving peace in the Middle East. Relations between the Israelis and the Palestinians have been strained for decades. The Palestinians are seeking diplomatic recognition for an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government refuses to recognise an independent Palestinian political and diplomatic entity, and builds settlements in the occupied areas, despite objections from the United Nations. The Gaza border area, moreover, has been a scene of violent clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli military since last March, when the Palestinians launched an anti-Israeli campaign, dubbed the Great March of Return. On 6 April, Netanyahu pledged to annex settlements in the West Bank if he secures another term as prime minister in Israel's parliamentary elections on 9 April. Netanyahu has said that he has already started coalition talks with right-wing parties to form a government in Israel. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ministerial for the "U.S.-Caribbean Resilience Partnership" Fact Sheet Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC April 13, 2019 On April 12, Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan led an interagency team of United States senior officials and experts to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) headquarters in Miami, Florida, where he hosted ministers and disaster management officials from 18 Caribbean countries, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, and the Regional Security System to launch the new "U.S.-Caribbean Resilience Partnership." The "U.S.-Caribbean Resilience Partnership" will strengthen the U.S.-Caribbean relationship and advance our shared interests in achieving greater resilience to natural disasters. The Partnership involves the following initiatives: Understanding Risk and Enabling Action Weather Information-Sharing and Storm Surge Mapping: The United States, through funding provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will roll out storm surge mapping to additional countries in the Caribbean, enabling governments to assess and mitigate flooding risks from tropical cyclones and tsunamis. The United States, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will continue to offer weather information sharing capabilities with Caribbean countries. The United States, through funding provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will roll out storm surge mapping to additional countries in the Caribbean, enabling governments to assess and mitigate flooding risks from tropical cyclones and tsunamis. The United States, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will continue to offer weather information sharing capabilities with Caribbean countries. Space Technologies for Risk Reduction and Resilience: The United States, through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will make geospatial information openly accessible, understandable, and readily useable with Caribbean partners to ensure the region's decision-makers and stakeholders have the tools necessary to implement sustainable resilience policies. S. and Caribbean officials will continue high-level policy dialogues and collaboration on the use of Earth observation tools to build resilience and reduce risk during the Understanding Risk: Caribbean Conference in Barbados, May 27, and a NASA-led workshop on vulnerability and exposure of infrastructure in Puerto Rico, August 6-8. The United States will be an active partner when Jamaica hosts the first United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) Americas and Caribbean Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction meeting in 2020. The United States, through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will make geospatial information openly accessible, understandable, and readily useable with Caribbean partners to ensure the region's decision-makers and stakeholders have the tools necessary to implement sustainable resilience policies. S. and Caribbean officials will continue high-level policy dialogues and collaboration on the use of Earth observation tools to build resilience and reduce risk during the Understanding Risk: Caribbean Conference in Barbados, May 27, and a NASA-led workshop on vulnerability and exposure of infrastructure in Puerto Rico, August 6-8. The United States will be an active partner when Jamaica hosts the first United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) Americas and Caribbean Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction meeting in 2020. Monitoring Terrestrial Hazards: The United States, through USAID and in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), will offer technical assistance to the University of the West Indies' Seismic Research Center for Dominica and other Caribbean nations to build technical skills in monitoring volcanoes via the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program. This assistance will help Caribbean countries continue improving their ability to provide early warning. The United States supports resilience to terrestrial hazards through the installation of seismic stations for the Caribbean Tsunami Early Warning System, as well as technical consultations and capacity building on coastal inundation and erosion hazards. Building Resilient Communities Empowering Local Community Resilience: The United States, through the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), plans to provide $650,000 in grants to eastern Caribbean community organizations to improve disaster mitigation and resilience. The United States, through the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), plans to provide $650,000 in grants to eastern Caribbean community organizations to improve disaster mitigation and resilience. Planning Smarter, Responding Better: The United States, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), committed to sharing best practices and lessons learned from its recovery efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and other parts of the United States recently impacted by hurricanes. Information sharing will include the use of industry standards and building codes to build back and improve the resilience of disaster-impacted facilities and infrastructure. The United States, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), committed to sharing best practices and lessons learned from its recovery efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and other parts of the United States recently impacted by hurricanes. Information sharing will include the use of industry standards and building codes to build back and improve the resilience of disaster-impacted facilities and infrastructure. Network Resilience: The United States, through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), committed to share with its Caribbean regulatory counterparts best practices in emergency communications and disaster preparedness. The United States, through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), committed to share with its Caribbean regulatory counterparts best practices in emergency communications and disaster preparedness. Resilient Energy Systems: Under the Caribbean Energy Security Initiative (CESI), the Departmentof State is working toward resilient, cost-effective, and secure energy re-development efforts in support of disaster recovery in Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica. Building on this effort, U.S. and Caribbean officials announced the Advancing Caribbean Energy Resilience (ACER) Workshop to be organized by the Department of Energy in partnership with the Department of State and theOrganization of American States (OAS) in Puerto Rico, May 2-3. The ACER workshop will further advance energy resilience in the Caribbean and bring together technical experts and regional policymakers to learn about tools for powering critical infrastructure and microgrids. Improving Disaster Response U.S. Assistance to the Caribbean: The United States, through USAID, will offer skills development training to the Caribbean Red Cross National Societies and to their volunteers. The United States will also work with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and Regional Security System to strengthen regional response capabilities. Ongoing USAID programs in the Caribbean help islands prepare for their annual hurricane seasons. USAID maintains prepositioned emergency supplies in Florida, Texas, and Haiti. USAID has trained on-call local disaster relief staff and consultants that monitor and collect information on potential disasters in the Caribbean and enable the U.S. government to respond immediately should a country request assistance. The United States, through USAID, will offer skills development training to the Caribbean Red Cross National Societies and to their volunteers. The United States will also work with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and Regional Security System to strengthen regional response capabilities. Ongoing USAID programs in the Caribbean help islands prepare for their annual hurricane seasons. USAID maintains prepositioned emergency supplies in Florida, Texas, and Haiti. USAID has trained on-call local disaster relief staff and consultants that monitor and collect information on potential disasters in the Caribbean and enable the U.S. government to respond immediately should a country request assistance. Civil-Military Coordination and Training: In addition to sharing best practices in military and civilian disaster response, SOUTHCOM officials announced U.S. participation in the establishment of a Multi-National Caribbean Coordination Center in Barbados that will support information sharing and coordination among allied partners when responding to disasters in the Caribbean. The Coordination Center will support the Caribbean-focused Tradewinds Exercise in June to train over 600 Caribbean military and security personnel in responding to natural disasters and land and maritime threats. This exercise will also incorporate civilian authorities in a disaster simulation planning exercise. On behalf of the United States, the Deputy Secretary and a representative of the Regional Security System signed an End Use Agreement, which outlined a new plan for cooperative activities to help build the defense and security of the eastern Caribbean region. In addition to sharing best practices in military and civilian disaster response, SOUTHCOM officials announced U.S. participation in the establishment of a Multi-National Caribbean Coordination Center in Barbados that will support information sharing and coordination among allied partners when responding to disasters in the Caribbean. The Coordination Center will support the Caribbean-focused Tradewinds Exercise in June to train over 600 Caribbean military and security personnel in responding to natural disasters and land and maritime threats. This exercise will also incorporate civilian authorities in a disaster simulation planning exercise. On behalf of the United States, the Deputy Secretary and a representative of the Regional Security System signed an End Use Agreement, which outlined a new plan for cooperative activities to help build the defense and security of the eastern Caribbean region. Civil Aviation in the Caribbean in Time of Disaster: The United States and participating Caribbean countries signed a declaration of intent to expand civil aviation cooperation to promote the resumption of critical services quickly after a disaster. The declaration of intent specifically calls for the creation of a disaster resilience-planning group, the "Caribbean Aviation Resilience and Recovery Group," to share information and lessons learned for recovery from disaster events, and to enhance partnerships and communication mechanisms to mitigate vulnerabilities and strengthen recovery efforts in Caribbean aviation. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will work with aviation partners in the Caribbean to achieve the goals of the declaration of intent. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Convening of Parliament in Yemen Press Statement Morgan Ortagus Department Spokesperson Washington, DC April 13, 2019 The United States congratulates Yemeni parliamentarians who convened today for the first time since 2014. This is an important step taken by the Yemeni government to reinvigorate legitimate government institutions, resume progress on implementing the National Dialogue Conference outcomes, and complete the peaceful transition of power envisioned by the GCC Initiative. A reinvigorated Yemeni parliament will play an important role in advancing political and national reconciliation so the Republic of Yemen government, and all political parties, can better focus on meeting the needs of the Yemeni people. We fully support the parliamentarians and encourage them to honor the principles of honesty, integrity, transparency, accountability, and rule of law as they undertake their important responsibilities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Joint Base Charleston delivers humanitarian aid to the Caribbean By Staff Sgt. Della Creech, 315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs / Published April 13, 2019 BASSETERRE, St. Kitts and Nevis (AFNS) -- A C-17 Globemaster III joint aircrew from the 315th and 437th Airlift wing's from Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, delivered about 10,000 pounds of humanitarian aid April 6, to St. Kitts-Nevis. These condensed missions provide active duty Airman and reservist alike the opportunity to accomplish required training, as well as the opportunity to give back through the humanitarian mission. "This is a win-win," said Senior Master Sgt. Ken Hundemer, a 317th Airlift Squadron loadmaster from JB Charleston. Hundemer works as the Denton Program manager in Charleston, South Carolina, in his civilian life as well. The aid was coordinated through the Denton Program, enacted in 1985, that provides non-governmental agencies, international organizations and private voluntary donors the opportunity use military aircrafts when there is space available to transport humanitarian aid. According to the Denton application, it is estimated 13,000 St. Kittitian households are classified as poor, with approximately 25 percent of the population generating less than $53 of weekly income. "Seeing the smiles on the people's faces when they receive the meals make it all worthwhile," said Chris Findlay, aid partner and Source Global Purchasing and Logistics CEO and president in Mount Pleasant, S.C., who was on hand to help accept the delivery. These food packets will provide 70,000 safe and nutrition enriched meals to 5,952 men, women and children of St. Kitts and Nevis, as stated by the community-based organizations of ATime4US Foundation, Inc., Mickey's HOPE, and the Ministry of Social Services and Community Development. In addition to providing aid to those in need, the mission provided the opportunity for a joint aircrew to obtain required mission training. "This is an excellent opportunity to enhance the Air Force's training mission, as well as meeting the humanitarian aspect," Hundemer said. Capt. Amanda Harman, a 14th AS C-17 pilot from JB Charleston, received cross-ocean training, which is mandatory for pilots to accomplish at least twice a year. Cross-ocean training is normally conducted on a longer timeline of five to 10 days, but this mission allowed Harman the opportunity to accomplish it in two days. Missions like this improve efficiency of Airmen and increase the opportunities for unique training. "I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to train with the experienced pilots of the (315th AW) and I look forward to future missions," Harman said. All in all, this joint mission impacted the lives of nearly 6,000 Caribbean citizens through JB Charleston Airmen answering the call for humanitarian aid and aid partners with a passion to serve. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pompeo Talks to VOA About Venezuela, Iran, Nicaragua By VOA News April 13, 2019 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says of Venezuela's leadership that "the people have spoken" and they have forcefully rejected President Nicolas Maduro and his regime. While visiting Paraguay on Saturday, the top U.S. diplomat spoke with Voice of America about the United States' approach to the South American country, which is in a leadership crisis. Pompeo called the election that Maduro claims to have won a "sham" election, and he noted that 54 nations have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's true president. "Maduro and his henchmen have destroyed this nation," Pompeo said. He said Maduro's missteps were the reason Guaido had been entrusted with the power to "truly deliver ... democracy and prosperity." Questioned about whether Iran has some presence in Latin America, Pompeo said, "There's no doubt. Iranian money remains in South America ... supporting Hezbollah, supporting transnational criminal organizations, supporting efforts at terrorism throughout the region." He added, "We see Iran for what it is: the world's largest state sponsor of terror. That's a global threat." He clarified earlier statements about Chinese involvement in South America, saying, "We want China to thrive and prosper. Here's what we don't want, especially in South America: We don't want China to just show up with bags full of money and bribe officials ... we don't want corrupt activity." Explaining the Trump administration's decision to cut funding for Central American countries Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, Pompeo said, "We saw that those countries weren't doing what needed to be done to prevent this enormous migration challenge, this crisis that the United States has at its southern border." He said when those countries develop systems to keep their citizens from journeying to the United States border, Washington would reconsider. Nicaragua's future And regarding Nicaragua, which is also embroiled in turmoil, Pompeo said, "We want the Nicaraguan people to have all the great things that they're entitled to, that they so desperately want, and [President Daniel] Ortega and his wife both need to change their ways in order to give Nicaragua that very opportunity." Earlier, Pompeo met with the president of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benitez, for a discussion focusing on Venezuela, human rights, transnational crime and strengthening democracy in the region. Paraguay's Foreign Minister Luis Castiglioni spoke with reporters Saturday about the meeting between Pompeo and Benitez. Later in the day, Pompeo was to travel to Peru, and on Sunday he is to continue to the Colombian border town of Cucuta to visit with Venezuelan refugees. On Friday, Pompeo urged the people of South America to resist offers of investment and aid from U.S. economic competitors China and Russia, saying the United States is a better friend and investment partner to its regional neighbors. Speaking Friday in Santiago, Chile, Pompeo said the United States believes this is a time of opportunity for South America "to cement a future of democracy, prosperity, and peace for this hemisphere. ... The chance is ours to seize or squander." Pompeo warned that China and Russia, both of whom have invested in South American countries, bring corrosion and corruption to the economy, pointing out a dam project in Ecuador, financed by Chinese money, that has not been successful. "The dam was supposed to solve Ecuador's energy needs and help lift the country out of poverty," he said. "But now the dam runs at half-capacity. ...Nearly every top official involved in the dam's construction is either imprisoned or sentenced on bribery charges." He accused Russia of escalating unrest in Venezuela by propping up the regime of Nicolas Maduro and sending soldiers to establish a training center. "We shouldn't stand for Russia escalating an already precarious situation in these ways," he said. He also said Russia has sold arms and opened a police training center in Nicaragua. "The results of Russia's involvement in Nicaragua, to put it mildly, aren't good," Pompeo said. In contrast, Pompeo said the United States is establishing fair trade agreements with South American nations, facilitating regional cooperation, and supporting Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who is fighting for control of the nation. "We'll continue to isolate Maduro," Pompeo said. "Just this week the Organization of American States voted to give Juan Guaido's ambassador a seat at the table. This is good news." Pompeo said in a television interview with Chile's Mega TV Friday that a U.S. military intervention in Venezuela remains an option. "We will restore democracy," he said. "Juan Guaido is the proper leader of his country. And we'll be with him today, we'll be with him the day that Maduro leaves, and we'll be with him in the days thereafter to begin to rebuild Venezuela." Earlier, Pompeo met with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera to discuss bilateral cooperation, regional investment, and the political situations in Venezuela and Nicaragua. Pompeo told reporters the United States will work with Chile and other partners like it to stand up to the Nicaraguan regime. Regarding Venezuela, Pompeo said the U.S. and its allies, such as Chile, "will not quit this fight." He said they will continue to stand up for democracy. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Politics Aside, Algeria Faces Huge Economic Challenge By Lisa Bryant April 13, 2019 The tens of thousands of protesters who have taken to the streets for an eighth straight week aren't the only crisis roiling Algeria. Helping to drive the unrest in Africa's largest nationand posing a serious challenge to any future government is the economy. Two months of mass demonstrations continued Friday, as Algerians pushed for a broader overhaul of the country's system, despite elections set for July 4 by newly appointed interim leader, Abdelkader Bensalah. The protests have been largely peaceful, although there were some clashes reported this time along with scores of arrests, and police used water cannons and teargas in the capital Algiers. "Bensalah, clear off, FLN clear off," protesters chanted, referring to Algeria's ruling party. But many are also calling for a fundamental reboot of the country's ailing, energy dependent economy that has failed to diversify and deliver jobs to its majority-young population. The unrest, in turn, is adding to Algeria's economic headaches, analysts say. "The economy is not in good shape," said Paris-based Algerian analyst Alexandre Kateb. "The protests are the last straw, but the economic problems go deeper than that." Critics have long accused a power elite surrounding former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika of mismanagement and corruption, arguing a large chunk of the wealth is pocketed by a privileged minority. But for years, Algeria's oil- and gas-rich economy served as a salve for a restless nation, helping to bankroll housing and other social subsidies. It may be one explanation, some sayalong with the country's devastating 1990s civil warwhy the broader Arab Spring uprising of 2011 failed to take off in Algeria. Falling oil prices But plummeting oil prices several years later helped to thin wallets and sharpen grassroots anger. Today, more than one-quarter of people under 25 are unemployed, and many Algerians work in the country's vast informal sector. Successive governments have failed to privatize and capitalize on promising sectors for development such as tourism and agro-industry. Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund downgraded the country's 2019 forecasted growth to 2.3 percent, from a previous 2.7 percent last October. "The main motivation is still political," analyst Kateb said of the protests. "But if the economic situation was better, probably the momentum would be less important. We would not have seen the magnitude of the protests that we see now." In the immediate future, Algeria's economic woes may take a back seat. Besides the popular uprising at home, the current rulers must also keep an eye on regional hotspots, including neighboring Libya. "From an interim government perspective, it's just about maintaining stability and avoiding any real crisis beyond where we are at the moment," said Adel Hamaizia, a North Africa expert for London-based think-tank Chatham House. "But whoever comes in really has to finally lead an ambitious economic program," he added, "which helps Algeria realize its potential, develop an independent private sector, diversify, and attract investment on the correct terms." Those challenges are daunting. The ruling National Liberation Front or FLN party, in power since independence, has had little incentive to change a status quo that benefited them, many analysts say. Algeria's business climate has been a turn-off for foreign investors. A case in point: a rule stipulating 51 percent of company shares must be owned by in-country nationals or businesses. Although energy production continued to chug on during Algeria's so called "black decade" of violence in the 1990s, further growth stalled. When he came to power in 1999, Bouteflika was credited for ushering in peace. At the beginning, analyst Kateb said, the former president also tried to reform the economy. "I think he really wanted to give more freedom to entrepreneurs, he really tried to privatize the system," Kateb said, adding subsequent financial scandals and the global financial crisis ended hope for change. Inertia and bureaucracy Kateb, who later served as an economic advisor to ex-prime minister Abelmalek Sellal, said subsequent reform efforts also stalled. "If you don't change the whole functioning of the system," he said, "whatever you do at the margins will be completely absorbed by this inertia and black hole of government bureaucracy." If July elections go through as planned, Algerians will be strongly pushing for economic deliverables. "I'm sure the many of the slogans are going to be centered around anti-corruption, inclusive growth, economic justice, diversification, and job creation," said Hamaizia of Chatham House. For the moment, there appear few clear candidates to champion such causes. Both the country's ruling FLN and traditional opposition parties are largely discredited in the eyes of many Algerians. Earlier this week, however, the interior ministry announced licenses for 10 new political parties, Reuters news agency reported, citing Algeria's Ennahar TV channel. Analyst Kateb believes the country needs a technocratic government to steer through needed changes, at least over the next few years. He believes there is no lack of talent to staff it, both in Algeria and abroad, where thousands of young professionals have flocked in recent decades for lack of opportunities at home. "Now they're not really considered," Kateb said, "and this has to change." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Venezuelan Militia to Become Part of National Bolivarian Armed Forces - Maduro Sputnik News 02:27 14.04.2019 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Venezuela will amend its legislation in order to make the militia a part of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said in his address on Sunday. "Comandante Chavez has dreamed of a powerful and great militia [] The militia will receive a constitutional rank as a full-fledged part of the country's Armed Forces", Maduro said adding that the legislation would be amended for this move. Earlier this month, Maduro said that the number of Venezuelan militia officers would be increased from 2.1 million to 3 million by December of 2019. The decision comes on the heels of a deep political crisis in Venezuela, which has recently entered its third month. In January, US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido illegally declared himself interim president of Venezuela after disputing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's reelection victory in May. Washington immediately endorsed Guaido and called on Maduro to step down. Constitutionally elected 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 Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela. US President Donald Trump has hinted that US military intervention in Venezuela was "an option". Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UK starts implementing controversial legislation on terror zone presence Iran Press TV Sat Apr 13, 2019 12:35PM A controversial legislation enabling the UK government to jail people travelling to war-torn countries like Iraq and Syria have become effective as campaigners express deep concerns that the new laws could lead to the imprisonment of journalists and press freedom activists. The Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 came into effect on Friday against the backdrop of calls on the government to limit its "vague" definition of terror offense so that it would not affect the work of journalists present in war-ton countries or working on materials related to those areas. Under the new law, people travelling to areas designated by interior ministry (Home Office) as terror zones could face up to 10 years in prison. Border guards will also have the power to stop and search individuals without suspicion and simply because they want to tackle "hostile state" activity. Viewing of terrorist-linked material online could also be criminalized under the new legislation. Rights campaigners and press freedom watchdogs have earlier warned about the implications of the new law for people who may wrongly be caught without any wrongdoing. They have warned that journalists, for example, could simply be stopped during their domestic flights and be prosecuted if they avoid answering questions or refuse to hand over materials. The UK government has defended the legislation as necessary to prevent terrorist attacks by nationals who return to the country from areas of militancy in the Middle East. Official estimates suggest that nearly one thousand individuals "of national security concern" have travelled to Syria over the past several years to join terrorist groups fighting against the government. Some 40 percent of those people have returned to the UK while about 20 percent have been killed overseas, according to the data. The Interior ministry has also decided to revoke the citizenship of several nationals over their presence in Syria and parts of Iraq, a move which has sparked massive criticism from the opposition and activist who believe the government simply seeks to abandon nationals in conflict zones to dodge any future responsibility. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Says Two Suspected IS Militants Killed In Raid By Current Time April 13, 2019 Russia's Investigative Committee says two suspected members of the extremist Islamic State group have been "liquidated" in a security operation in central Russia. Two explosive devices and other bomb-making material were among items seized in the raid in Tyumen, the Investigative Committee said in a statement on April 13 cited by the Interfax news agency. Late on April 12, Interfax and TASS reported that an "antiterrorist operation" was under way in the city, with streets cordoned off near the apartment block where the suspected IS militants were reportedly holed up. People in the vicinity were also evacuated. Photos of the massive security presence late on April 12 including armored carriers -- circulated on Twitter. Recordings of what were described as gunfire in the area late on April 12 also circulated on Twitter. The Investigative Committee said the two suspects had been "plotting terror attacks in the region." With reporting by Interfax and TASS Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-islamic-state- supporters-killed/29878511.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Beresheet 2: Israeli SpaceIL Announces New Mission to Land Spacecraft on Moon Sputnik News 21:12 13.04.2019 TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - Morris Kahn, a billionaire who founded Israeli firm SpaceIL, announced on Saturday a new mission to land the world's first privately-funded spacecraft on the Moon. "In the light of all the support, I got from all over the world I decided that we are going to establish Beresheet 2. We are going to build a new spacecraft, we are going to put it on the moon and complete the mission", Kahn said. In a video address shared by SpaceIl on Twitter, the Israeli-South American tycoon said a task force would meet for a sit-down first thing on Sunday morning to plan the project and begin the work. The Beresheet mission ended in a disappointment after the spacecraft crashed on the lunar surface on 11 April after its main engine failed. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kim Jong-un says 3rd summit with Trump possible on certain conditions Global Times Source:Xinhua Published: 2019/4/13 15:57:21 Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said he is willing to meet the US president again on certain conditions, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday. Kim made the remarks in his policy speech marking the First Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) on Friday, a day before he was re-elected as chairman of the DPRK's State Affairs Commission (SAC). "If the United States adopts a correct posture and comes to the third DPRK-US summit with a certain methodology that can be shared with us, we can think of holding one more (round of) talks," Kim said. "It is necessary for both sides not to table their unilateral demands but find out a constructive solution to meet each other's interests." The top leader said he will "wait for a bold decision" from Trump "with patience till the end of this year." In his speech, Kim blamed the United States for only considering its own interests during the second DPRK-US Summit in Vietnam's Hanoi this February. This has led the DPRK to question Trump's willingness to improve relations with the DPRK. Kim, while stressing the importance of solving problems through dialogue and negotiations, also underlined that he does not accept "the American style of dialogue" which imposes the United States' unilateral demands upon its dialogue partner. Kim said the United States is hinting at holding a third DPRK-US Summit, but what happened in Hanoi "is not inviting" to the DPRK. However, Kim also mentioned his good relations with Trump. "As President Trump keeps saying, the personal ties between me and him are not hostile like the relations between the two countries and we still maintain good relations." At the end of the speech, Kim said he hoped that the United States would decide wisely and that the confrontation between the two countries will be brought to a complete stop. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North's Kim says US must stop 'way of calculation', gives deadline Iran Press TV Sat Apr 13, 2019 12:33AM North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says the United States has raised the risk of returning to past tensions after the collapse of his second summit with President Donald Trump, stressing that yet another meeting between the two leaders is only possible if Washington comes with the right attitude. The North's official KCNA news agency on Saturday quoted Kim as making the remarks, two days after Trump floated the idea of holding a potential third nuclear summit with the North's leader. "What is needed is for the US to stop its current way of calculation, and come to us with a new calculation," Kim was quoted as saying in a speech to the Supreme People's Assembly on Friday. He also said that he would wait "until the end of this year" for Washington to decide. Back in late February, Trump and Kim reached an impasse at their second face-to-face denuclearization talks in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, with Washington demanding full disarmament and Pyongyang demanding economic incentives through partial lifting harsh sanctions. The second summit in fact did collapse when the American president abruptly walked away from the talks without reaching a deal or even issuing a final statement. Trump claimed that he quit the talks because Kim demanded to lift all economic sanctions as a prerequisite to denuclearization. However, Pyongyang quickly responded that it had never asked for the removal of all sanctions, but only the partial removal of them. In June last year, the two leaders met at a historic summit for the first time in Singapore, where they agreed to work toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Subsequent diplomacy between the two sides, however, made little progress, mainly because Washington refused to lift its crippling sanctions. "The second DPRK-US summit in Hanoi in February raised strong questions about whether the steps we took under our strategic decision were right, and gave us a sense of caution about whether the US is even really trying to improve the DPRK-US relationship," Kim added, using the initials of North Korea's full name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The North's leader also said that Washington came with "completely unrealizable plans" to Hanoi and that the US was "not really ready to sit with us face-to-face and solve the problem." "By that sort of thinking, the US will not be able to move us one iota even if they sat with us a hundred, thousand times, and will not be able to get what it wants at all," Kim stressed. The North Korean leader further blamed the US for continuing "to ignore the basic way of the new DPRK-US relations, including withdrawing hostile policies." Kim also warned that the White House mistakenly believes that "if they pressure us to the maximum, they can subdue us", stressing that he had no interest in a third summit if it is a repeat of Hanoi. The North's leader also noted that his relations with Trump remained excellent. So far, Pyongyang has taken several steps toward the goal by suspending missile and nuclear testing, demolishing at least one nuclear test site, and agreeing to allow international inspectors into a missile engine test facility. The US, however, has insisted that sanctions on the North must remain in place until it completely and irreversibly dismantles its nuclear program. The collapse of the Hanoi summit also disappointed US-ally South Korea, which has been improving relations with the North since early 2018. Moon, who acts as a go-between in diplomacy involving Washington and Pyongyang, flew to Washington earlier this week in his third official visit to the US with the objective of helping put denuclearization talks with North Korea back on track after the Hanoi failed summit. Despite the fact that that the situation on the Korean Peninsula had significantly improved following a number of high-level talks last year between Pyongyang and Seoul, as well as Washington, the North is still subject to harsh international sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North Korea Vows to Continue Military Buildup to Repel Possible Invasion Sputnik News 13:15 13.04.2019 TOKYO (Sputnik) - North Korea will continue increasing its military capabilities in the face of persisting risks to its sovereignty, the nation's leader, Kim Jong-un, said in a statement published by state media. "We have to always keep in mind that peace can be ensured only by powerful military capabilities, and firmly maintain the principle of self-defence and keep increasing the defence capabilities of the country", he said, as quoted by the KCNA news agency. Kim called North Korea's military independence "a powerful treasured sword for defending the sovereignty", warning that the climate of peace in the Korean peninsula might not last. "The climate of peace that began settling in the Korean peninsula is not durable and the hostile forces' attempt at invasion of the DPRK has not gone", he said, using an acronym for North Korea. The statement comes after US President Donald Trump and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in held talks in Washington, confirming that both nations aim to achieve "fully verified denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and establishing a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula". At the same time, Trump claimed that Seoul agreed to purchase a significant amount of US military equipment, including jet fighters and missiles. Previously, Pyongyang has repeatedly accused the United States and its allies of plotting to invade the North. In a major detente last year, US President Donald Trump said he would downsize joint drills with South Korea but his second talks with Kim on denuclearisation broke down in February. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kim Jong Un Calls on US to Stop Its 'Way of Calculation' - Report Sputnik News 01:08 13.04.2019(updated 01:40 13.04.2019) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the breakdown in talks with the United States has raised the risk of returning to past tensions, highlighting that he is interested in another meeting with US President Donald Trump only if the US stops "its current way of calculation", according to Reuters, which cited the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "What is needed is for the US to stop its current way of calculation, and come to us with a new calculation," Kim said in a speech on Friday, Reuters reported, citing KCNA, North Korea's state media outlet. The DPRK leader also noted that he will wait for the United States to decide "until the end of this year." During a budget speech at the second day session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly meeting on Friday, Kim also noted that his relations with Trump remain excellent, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported, citing KCNA. The second meeting between Trump and Kim, which was held in Vietnam in February, collapsed as they left Hanoi without a deal or even a final statement. Trump at the time told reporters that Pyongyang "wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety" and that "we couldn't do that". The two heads of state held their first-ever meeting in June 2018 in Singapore, which ended with a four-point declaration that paved the way toward renewed bilateral relations between the two countries and initiated denuclearisation talks, among other goals. Despite the fact that that the situation on the Korean Peninsula had significantly improved following a series of high-level talks last year between North Korea and South Korea, as well as the United States, the country is still subject to international sanctions. In early March, several US think tanks and Yonhap reported that satellite pictures showed the restoration of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station at Tongchang-ri, which North Korea pledged to dismantle after its summit with the United States in Singapore. Trump said at the time he would be very disappointed in Kim if those reports turned out to be true. The North Korean side has reportedly neither confirmed nor refuted this information. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran Envoy Threatens Action on the Ground to Any US Move Against IRGC in Gulf Sputnik News 13:10 12.04.2019 Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington has designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, prompting Tehran to retaliate by declaring the US CENTCOM and related forces a terrorist group. Speaking with CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Thursday, Iran's Ambassador to the UK Hamid Baeidinejad warned that any US military moves against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) would be "forcefully retaliated". "If they dare to implement those instructions that the IRGC is a terrorist organisation if they move to counter the IRGC, they would see how forcefully they would be retaliated on the ground", he said, adding that blacklisting the IRGC was empty rhetoric. Baeidinejad elaborated that it would be unreasonable of the United States to take any action against the IRGC since it can affect the position of American troops in the Persian Gulf: "The reality is the US forces are now in the region, so logically no there are concerns even within the US establishment for naming the IRGC as a terrorist organisation because now it can have a very immediate impact over the situation the US forces have in the region", he said. The diplomat continued by saying that the IRGC should be rewarded for its efforts in rooting out Daesh* in Syria and Iraq rather than be listed as a terrorist organisation by the US something which, he said, was a "pre-election gift" to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Baeidinejad's interview comes on the heels of US President Donald Trump's decision to designate the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group on 8 April. "This unprecedented step 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. The IRGC is the Iranian government's primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign", Trump's statement read. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added on Monday that the decision would take effect in a week and encouraged the international community to follow suit. As a retaliatory measure, Iran's Supreme Security Council designated the US CENTCOM and related forces as a terrorist organisation. "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 organisations, considers this groundless measure the main danger to peace and security in the region and around the world", the council's statement read, as quoted by local media. The US decision, which marked the first time that Washington has formally labelled another country's military as a terrorist group, received strong backing from Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister called Trump his "dear friend" while thanking POTUS 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 tweeted. The IRGC was already under US sanctions: the Treasury Department slapped restrictions on the Revolutionary Guards in 2017 under a 9/11-era executive order that George W. Bush's administration used to block financing to terrorist groups. Washington has accused the IRGC of providing assistance to the Syrian military and backing the activities of Hezbollah and Hamas, which the United States and some of its ally classify as terrorists. *Daesh, also known as ISIS/IS/Islamic State, is a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The WGA told its 15,000 members Friday to send dismissal letters to agencies at the same time that it announced that negotiations for a new franchise agreement with agencies had collapsed: "In this situation there are two actions required of all members: First, do not allow a non-franchised agent to represent you with respect to any future WGA-covered work. Second, notify your agency in a written form letter that they cannot represent you until they sign the Code of Conduct." Commander calls US blacklisting of IRGC as foolish decision Iran Press TV Sat Apr 13, 2019 08:34PM A senior commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has blasted the United States for blacklisting the elite Iranian military force as a foolish decision. Brigadier General Hossein Salami said on Saturday that the US itself was a main sponsor of terrorism and has always supported tortures around the world despite laying claims on democracy. Salami, the second-in-command of the IRGC, made the remarks while visiting the flooded regions in southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan where the Iranian military forces have been assisting the locals in affected towns and villages. His comments came several days after the White House announced its plans for designating the IRGC as a terrorist entity, a first time the US blacklists a military force of another country. The move has sparked global outrage with many countries calling it unreasonable. Critics inside the US have also warned the administration of President Donald Trump about the ramifications of the move for US forces in the Middle East. Salami said Iran has been a victim of terrorism since the victory of Islamic Revolution in the country in 1979, adding that the designation of the IRGC as terrorist should be viewed as a "foolish decision". Responding to Trump's blacklisting of the IRGC, Iran has reciprocated by designating the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the portion of the US military responsible for protecting American security interests in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, as a terrorist organization. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic has also vowed that it would "spare no effort" in fighting the "terrorist" American forces operating in West Asia region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran, Iraq and Syria considering transnational railway project: Report Iran Press TV Sat Apr 13, 2019 08:29AM Iraq says negotiations are underway with Iran and Syria to develop a transnational railway line linking the three countries. Iraqi Republic Railways Company chief Salib al-Hussaini said a summit will be held between the countries to further discuss the matter, the Arabic-language al-Sumeria news website reported on Friday. The comments made on the sidelines of the joint Syrian-Iraqi committee held in Damascus came a week after Iranian First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri spoke of an initiative to link the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean. "We will connect the Persian Gulf from Iraq to Syria and the Mediterranean via railway and road," said Jahangiri, making reference to the construction of a railway linking the Iranian Shalamcheh border region to the Iraqi city of Basra. The Shalamcheh-Basra railway project is estimated to cost 2.22 billion rials and can link Iran to Syria via Iraq. Speaking last December, Director General of the Railway and Technical Structures Department at the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (RAI) Mohammad Mousavi said Iran was planning to build a movable railway bridge over the Arvand river as part of the Shalamcheh-Basra project. Mousavi said the project would effectively link the Iranian cities of Khorramshahr and Abadan along with the Imam Khomeini Port to the Iraqi city. The railway project was agreed to last month when Iran and Iraq signed five memorandums of understanding for the expansion of bilateral cooperation in various economic and healthcare sectors. Observers have described the new agreements as a sign of Baghdad's serious intention of not being "party to the system of sanctions against Iran" as Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi said earlier in February. Iraq heavily depends on Iran for everything from food to machinery, electricity, natural gas, fruits and vegetables. Last year, Iran exported $8.7 billion worth of commodities to Iraq, overtaking Turkey with $7.3 billion of exports. President Hassan Rouhani said last week that Iran and Iraq had plans to expand bilateral trade volume to $20 billion in the future. Iran and Syria also signed a series of "historic" agreements earlier this year, including a "long-term strategic economic cooperation" deal described as a sign of changing realities in the Middle East. Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis said the "historic" agreements covered cooperation in fields of industry, trade and agriculture. He called the agreement "a message to the world on the reality of Syrian-Iranian cooperation." Iraq and Syria have been expanding political and economic ties with Iran as they seek assistance in the post-war reconstruction of their countries which had large swathes of their territories overrun by foreign-backed terrorist outfits in the past years. Iran has been offering military advisory support to Iraq and Syria at the request of their governments, enabling their forces to speed up gains on various fronts against the terrorist groups. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudis Pledged Support to Libyan Haftar Offensive to Seize Tripoli - Reports Sputnik News 21:15 12.04.2019(updated 21:36 12.04.2019) WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar received a pledge from Saudi Arabia of tens of millions of dollars to bankroll a military offensive to seize the capital of Tripoli and oust the nation's internationally recognised government, according to a report published by the Wall Street Journal on Friday. Saudi Arabia promised tens of millions of dollars to help pay for the operation, senior advisers to the Saudi government told the Wall Street Journal. The offer came during a visit to Saudi Arabia that was just one of several meetings Haftar had with foreign dignitaries in the weeks and days before he began the military campaign on April 4, the report said. While the United States and the European Union have called on Haftar to avoid military conflict, other powers have provided weapons, funds and other support that have aided Haftar's quest to take control of the oil-rich Libya, the report said. Haftar leads the strongest of multiple armed factions that have carved up much of eastern Libya following a US- and EU-backed Islamist uprising that overthrew and killed long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Haftar is attempting to unify Libya by replacing the internally recognized Government of National Accord, which is based in Tripoli, but exercises little authority beyond the capital, according to published reports. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address What You Need to Know About Libyan Oil as Conflict Flares Up Sputnik News 18:34 12.04.2019(updated 18:35 12.04.2019) In light of the renewed tensions between the eastern and western parts of Libya, much seems to be at stake if the North African country plunges into further chaos. Almost eight years after the demise of Libya's long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi, the country is divided into two parts east and west that are controlled by rival governments. As an OPEC member, Libya was put in a volatile position as a fragile peace between the two sides took hold, and the fighting resumed in Tripoli last week. Just this week, a spokesperson for the Libyan National Army (LNA) headed by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who governs the eastern part, warned of a possibility of terrorist attacks on the so-called Oil Crescent after accusing the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli of collaborating with terrorist groups. Even though major oilfields and terminals are far from clashes, since they are mainly in the east and south of the country, history has shown that any battles in Libya could have a dramatic impact on oil production. Who Controls Libya's Oil? The country's oil revenues and foreign reserves have been managed by the Tripoli-based GNA, although the situation has been complicated by the fact that the LNA led by Haftar managed to seize oil fields in the south and in the east of the OPEC country. After capturing the oil fields, Haftar allowed the oil exports to be managed by the Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation, but from that moment on, the LNA has controlled all oil terminals and fields in the country's east, which account for roughly two-thirds of Libya's total output. Even as the LNA solidified its control over the oil fields, oil revenue, which saw an 80 percent surge in 2018, kept flowing to the Tripoli-based central bank. The eastern part then decided to set up parallel versions of both the National Oil Company and Central Bank only in Benghazi, to try to control some of Libya's oil exports. Haftar's forces have on a multitude of occasions tried to gain international recognition for these institutions, but failed to do so. How Were Oil Exports Affected? Over the past two years, Haftar made an attempt to use his control of export terminals as leverage to gain more clout over the Tripoli-based Central Bank. In June 2018, Libya's crude shipments were halted for weeks after Haftar seized two terminals in the east from the National Oil Corporation in Tripoli and declared that he would reopen them only if the central bank governor was replaced. Haftar demanded an audit to determine where the bank's oil income was being spent, and accused it of funding the Islamist militias that attack his forces. After Haftar transferred the terminals to a rival authority in Benghazi from the Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation, exports dropped by 800,000 barrels a day, and the country lost roughly $1 billion before he handed them back. The Benghazi-based government made a similar attempt to bypass the Tripoli government in April 2016, but their envisaged sale of 300,000 barrels of crude was stopped by the UN Security Council (UNSC). Is There an Alternative Export System? Despite Haftar's efforts to take control of the country's oil revenue, a UNSC resolution bans oil sales involving the rival administration in the east independently from the Tripoli-based institutions. At the height of the June 2018 crisis, the Presidential Council of the GNA stated that the "affiliated NOC in Tripoli is the sole legitimate entity responsible for running the Libyan oil according to mechanisms and laws in force. The oil revenues are sent to the Central Bank of Libya to meet all Libyans' needs, solve crises, and manage the affairs of all areas in the country without discrimination". While it remains to be seen how the developments around oil revenue are going to unfold, it's worth recalling a 2009 oil plan championed by Gaddafi. At the time, the head of state proposed disbanding the government and allowing Libya's oil wealth to flow straight to the people. The scheme, which he insisted was the only way to rid Libya of entrenched corruption, was, however, met with widespread opposition from senior officials. According to the NOC, the average oil production in Libya amounted to 1.5 million barrels per day in 2010, while five years later it was only 500,000 barrels per day, making up only a third of the amount of crude oil before the outbreak of the Arab Spring. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Eastern Libya Air Force Strikes Military Camp Near Oil Facility - Reports Sputnik News 16:26 12.04.2019(updated 16:54 12.04.2019) A day earlier, aviation from the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar conducted an airstrike against a military base controlled by the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli. A military aircraft from the eastern Libyan forces has attacked a military camp of a force allied to the internationally recognised government near the western town of Zuwara, Reuters reported citing an eastern military source and residents. According to reports, the air strike is the closest yet to an oil and gas facility located nearby since the beginning of the offensive. The attack comes after Libyan parliament head Aguila Saleh Issa told Sputnik that Libya had notified the UN Security Council that Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar's troops, in their offensive on Tripoli, would not attack the country's civilian population. The situation in the region escalated last week, when the Libyan National Army (LNA) headed by Khalifa Haftar began an offensive to oust what he called terrorist forces in the country's capital. In the wake of the offensive, Italian energy company Eni reportedly decided to withdraw all its Italian national staff from Libya, announcing the evacuation of Italian employees from the Al-Wafa and El Feel oilfields, as well as the capital Tripoli. The forces loyal to the UN-backed Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) announced a counteroffensive on 7 April, the so-called Volcano of Rage, to repel the National Army. Libya has been suffering from unrest since 2011, when its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was brought down and killed. Since then the country has been separated between two rival governments, with an elected parliament governing the country's east and the UN- and EU-backed GNA ruling the west from Tripoli. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi Arabia funded Libya rebels push toward capital: Report Iran Press TV Sat Apr 13, 2019 10:24PM Libyan rebel commander General Khalifa Haftar has been directly supported by Saudi Arabia in his new campaign to seize control of the capital Tripoli, a new report has shown. The Wall Street Journal said Haftar, who leads the so-called Libyan National Army, had been ensured of massive funds from Saudi Arabia during a trip to the kingdom before he started his push to seize control of Tripoli on April 4. The report cited sources close to the Saudi government as saying that senior officials in Riyadh, including Saudi's intelligence chief and interior minister, had offered tens of millions to Haftar to pay for his bloody operation. They said Haftar accepted the offer which could guarantee the support of tribal leaders and enable him to recruit and pay fighters. "We were quite generous," said an advisor to the Saudi government, according to the WSJ. The newspaper also confirmed that Haftar had met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to the kingdom. The revelations comes against the backdrop of previous reports showing that Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, have been assisting Haftar and a rebel administration based in east of the country in their efforts to oppose an internationally-backed government in Tripoli. "Haftar would not be a player today without the foreign support he has received ... The last few months, pretty much everyone jumped on the Haftar train," said Wolfram Lacher, a Libya expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, in comment provided to the WSJ. Libya has been beset by violence since the overthrow of long-time dictator Muammar Ghaddafi in 2011 which came through an intervention by the NATO military alliance. A patchwork of militant groups based in east of the country have resisted United Nations efforts to establish a government of national unity. The United States and major powers in Europe have expressed their support for the Tripoli-based government while they have also received and met Haftar on several occasions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Haftar uses jets to bomb Tripoli as troops bogged down Iran Press TV Sat Apr 13, 2019 07:18AM Forces loyal to renegade field marshal Khalifa Haftar have deployed warplanes to hit Western-backed government positions in Tripoli, forcing more civilians to flee the Libyan capital. Warplanes bombed the camp of a force allied to the Government of National Accord (GNA), administered by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, near the town of Zuwara in Tripoli and toward the Tunisian border. Haftar's Eastern Libyan forces are bogged down in street battles in a push to seize the capital. Witnesses said an LNA warplane flown by Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) also attacked Mitiga Airport, the Libyan capital's only functioning airport, evading anti-aircraft guns that opened fire in response. Explosions and gunfire echoed through the capital, with more than 8,000 people fleeing fighting, the United Nations said. UN tallies indicated that a week of battles had killed 75 people mainly fighters from both sides of the conflict but also 17 civilians and wounded another 323. Some 13,625 people have also been forced out of their homes. "Displacements from areas affected by the clashes in and around Tripoli continue to surge," UN spokesman Rheal Leblanc told reporters in Geneva. Aside from those who have fled, Leblanc said that "many families remain stranded inside conflict affected areas," with safety fears rising and supplies running short. The UN health agency also warned of outbreaks of tuberculosis, measles and diarrhea due to poor sanitation, especially among those displaced. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi appealed in a statement on Friday for urgent evacuation of 1,500 refugees and migrants caught in the conflict, saying the risks to their lives "are growing by the hour." Over the past years, Libya has been serving as a major transit point for refugees and asylum seekers pouring into Europe from war-inflicted countries in Africa and the Middle East. There has been heavy fighting near Tripoli since Haftar's forces launched an assault last week to seize the capital city. Libya has been the scene of increasing violence since 2011, when former dictator Muammar Gaddafi was killed in a popular uprising that coincided with a NATO military intervention. 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 Western government of Sarraj. Haftar's forces, who are backed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, have overtaken several oil fields and towns in recent days but face stiff resistance from forces loyal to the GNA near Tripoli, where they have been stopped. The situation is deadlocked, and fighting continues despite international calls for an end to hostilities. The UN plans to hold a conference later this month in the Libyan city of Ghadames to discuss a political solution to the conflict. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Libyan Parliament Calls on World Community to Lift Ban on Arms Deliveries to LNA Sputnik News 22:01 13.04.2019(updated 22:02 13.04.2019) BENGHAZI (Sputnik) - The Libyan parliament, controlling the eastern part of the country, on 13 April demanded the world community to lift a ban on arms supply to the Libyan National Army (LNA), which is conducting an offensive on Tripoli, a representative of the parliament told Sputnik. "The Libyan parliament demanded that the international community lift the ban on the supply of weapons to the LNA", the representative said. The representative noted that lawmakers also demanded to halt "foreign interference of those parties, which do not strive for peace and stability in Libya". The statement comes after the parliament met earlier in the day for the first time since the election in 2014 not in its home city of Tobruk, but in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi. Two governments compete to be the sole legitimate authority in Libya one in the eastern part of the country controlled by the parliament elected in 2014 and backed by the LNA and UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) that is based in Tripoli and governs Libya's western part. LNA Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar has undertaken an offensive to retake Tripoli from the GNA-backed forces and has recaptured a number of settlements on its way to the capital. Forces loyal to the GNA announced a counteroffensive on Sunday, dubbed Volcano of Rage, to repel the LNA. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Libyan Government of National Accord Accuses Haftar Forces of School Shelling Sputnik News 02:59 14.04.2019 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), which controls the western parts of Libya, has accused the Libyan National Army (LNA) that is headed by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar of shelling a school in southern Tripoli. "We strongly condemn the shelling of a school in the Ain Zara area and consider it to be another war crime against civilians", the GNA Presidential Council said in a statement, released on Twitter. According to local media reports, no one was injured in the airstrike, but the administration of the school had to relocate refugees, hosted at the school. Last week, Haftar ordered an offensive to retake Tripoli from the GNA-backed forces. The LNA has already recaptured a number of settlements on its way to the capital, including the Tripoli International Airport, located around 20 miles away from the capital. The forces loyal to the GNA have announced a counteroffensive, dubbed Volcano of Rage, to repel LNA. Libya has been suffering from unrest since 2011, when its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed. Since then the country has been divided between two rival governments, with an elected parliament governing the country's east and the UN- and EU-backed GNA ruling the west from Tripoli. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Frigate Admiral Gorshkov Enters South China Sea Sputnik News 15:12 13.04.2019(updated 15:49 13.04.2019) Ships from the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet and the Philippine Navy are holding naval drills in the South China Sea, Russian Pacific Fleet spokesman Nikolai Voskresensky has said in a statement. The frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" completed passage of the Malacca and Singapore Straits and has entered the South China Sea, the head of the Sevflot press service, 1st Rank Captain Vadim Serga has stated. "The Russian frigate Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Gorshkov, who heads the squadron of warships and support vessels for the Northern Fleet on a long voyage, completed the passage of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore and entered the South China Sea", Serga told reporters. According to Serga, the Russian ship is headed for the Chinese port of Qingdao on the Shandong Peninsula where the 70th anniversary of the naval forces of the People's Liberation Army of China will be celebrated on 23 April. The "Admiral Gorshkov's" crew is preparing to participate in the celebrations dedicated to this date. The frigate is being escorted by the salvage tug "Nikolay Chiker", the "Elbrus" multifunctional material and technical support vessel, and the sea tanker "Kama", he said. A detachment of ships and vessels from the Sevflot led by the frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" set out on a long voyage on 26 February. For the lead frigate this is the first cruise in its history. The ship's crew made ports of call in Djibouti and Colombo, Sri Lanka. Since the beginning of the voyage, the frigate has covered more than 11,000 nautical miles and carried out several general shipboard exercises regarding the defence of a detachment of ships and the use of rocket weapons. Earlier in the day, Russia's Admiral Vinogradov and Admiral Tributs destroyers, as well as the tanker Irkut, concluded their unofficial visit to the Philippines capital Manila. Russian Pacific Fleet ships have been in Manila since 8 April. "After leaving the port, the ships of the Pacific Fleet and the Navy of the Philippines started drills in the South China Sea, during which joint tactical manoeuvring and communication are being practised", Voskresensky said. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address No matter what hes discussing and though he maintains a somewhat stolid demeanor, Segura always seems genuinely happy, almost downright giddy just below the surface, to be on a stage with a microphone in his hand. This constant good humor belies some of his outrage at the world, and also gives the proceedings a more lighthearted feel than they might otherwise have. Segura is a master of keeping the audience on his side, even when hes trying to paint himself as the jerk in any given situation. Russian Navy Conducted Black Sea Training Amid NATO Naval Exercise in Same Area Sputnik News 06:51 13.04.2019 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian warships entered the Black Sea for carrying out warfare and training tasks during NATO's Sea Shield naval drills, the press service of the Russian Black Sea Fleet said in a statement on Saturday. "The warships of the Black Sea Fleet left their home base to enter the fleet group in the Black Sea. The detachment of ships sailed to predefined areas where it will control and monitor the situation underwater, above the surface and in the air", the statement read. It added that the group subsequently returned to its home base and began carrying out its routine exercises "against the backdrop of the NATO Sea Shield 2019 drills which were good support for the Black Sea Fleet forces in practicing their warfare skills in real-world conditions", the statement pointed out. The Russian Defence Ministry said Monday that the Russian Black Sea Fleet had put its vessels on duty over possible emergency situations related to NATO's Sea Shield 2019 naval drills. "In order to promptly respond to possible abnormal situations, the Black Sea Fleet is carrying out a set of measures to monitor the actions of NATO ships. Reconnaissance ships, naval strike groups, Bastion and Bal coastal missile systems and naval aviation aircraft have been put on duty in the designated areas of the Black Sea", the ministry said in a statement on Monday. The Romanian-led NATO drills were carried out in the Black Sea on 5-12 April. According to NATO, the exercise "involved more than 20 ships and crews from Romania, Bulgaria, Canada, Greece, the Netherlands and Turkey, as well as Maritime Patrol Aircraft from the United States and Turkey". Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said earlier that increase of NATO activities in the Black Sea entails risks to the security of the entire region. "Our positions are clear: any NATO efforts in the Black Sea region are senseless from a military point of view. They will not strengthen the security of either the region or NATO itself, but will be associated with additional military risks", the diplomat said. Russia is ready for any changes in the military security in the Black Sea region and will take additional defense measures if necessary, Grushko added. Meanwhile US Envoy to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison has said that Washington was working on a package of measures that included air surveillance and more NATO ships going into the Black Sea. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Plan B: Moscow Can Counter Possible Banking Sanctions - Russian Finance Minister Sputnik News 05:40 13.04.2019 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said Moscow had a strategy for countering the possible sanctions against its state-owned banks and public debt. "Of course, this all is unpleasant. Of course, we are making preparations. We have a plan B just in case these sanctions are introduced. I always say that if there are sanctions against state-owned banks the government and the [Central] Bank have tools and all the capacities to, first and foremost, support all clients; ensure all the transactions with them are conducted; provide cash and cashless transitions both in dollars and in the national currency. Both the Central Bank and the government will engage in this [process]. We will react [to the situation]", Siluanov said. The official argued that such sanctions were aimed at destabilizing the situation in Russia. Siluanov noted the Russian economy faced two major risks restrictions concerning public debt and five state-owned banks. The minister added that Russia had instruments, including reserve funds, to support the economy in case foreign investors do not invest in the country as a result of the sanctions. On Friday, Siluanov met with reporters after the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Washington. The minister said investors had been asking him about the consequences of the possible introduction of sanctions against the Russian banking sector. Over the past years, US lawmakers have been seeking to introduce sanctions targeting Russia's banks and public debt. In the latest attempt, a bill, introduced by Senators Chris Van Hollen and Marco Rubio in early April, seeks to block assets of Russian defence firms and to prohibit transactions involving Russian sovereign debt, including governmental bonds. Since 2014, when the Ukrainian crisis erupted and Crimea rejoined Russia as a result of a referendum, the United States and other western countries have introduced several rounds of sanctions against Moscow, claiming it had a role in the conflict and opposing the reunification. Russia denied its involvement in the Ukrainian conflict and insisted that the Crimean referendum was carried out in line with international norms. Moreover, Moscow responded by introducing an embargo on food products originating from the countries that targeted it with sanctions. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian S-500 Air Defence System Almost Ready Deputy Air Force Commander Sputnik News 00:17 13.04.2019(updated 04:49 13.04.2019) The Russian Armed Forces will soon begin receiving a number of the newest air defence systems, a top Aerospace Forces officer said. Speaking to the official armed forces newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda, Aerospace Forces Deputy Commander Lieutenant General Yuri Grekhov disclosed that the development of the S-500, the successor to the S-300 and S-400 air defence systems has reached its final stage, as has the development of a number of radar systems. He also disclosed that the Armed Forces will soon begin receiving the S-350 systems as well. The S-350 is tasked with "defence of administrative-political centres, most important objects and regions of the country, armed forces groups, from massive air strikes, including tactical and operative-tactical ballistic missiles," Grekhov said, adding that the system has already passed the state's testing. "Every weapon system I mentioned is unique in its own way and is designed to solve a wide spectrum of tasks to ensure reliable aerospace defence of our country," Grekhov said. According to Grekhov, all the weapon systems are built from Russian-made components and feature maximum automatization of all processes in conjunction with ease of use and maintenance. The S-500, the S-350 and the new radars feature high mobility and are able to deploy to and function in unprepared positions, he said. When asked about the percentage of cutting-edge systems in the Russian military, Grekhov said he estimates it makes up about 70 percent, adding that several more Russian air defence regiments will switch to the S-400 this year. However, 90 percent of systems used by the Moscow Region and Central Economic Region air defences are modern. While the S-500's specifications remain classified, the system is reportedly able to destroy targets up to 600 kilometres away; it is also believed to be able to track and simultaneously strike up to 10 ballistic targets moving at speeds up to 7 km/s (approximately Mach 20). Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syria's air defenses intercept Israeli missiles fired at Hama military base Iran Press TV Sat Apr 13, 2019 02:23AM Damascus says its air defenses have intercepted some of the Israeli missiles fired at a Syrian military base near the city of Hama, while the remaining missiles hitting the target have destroyed several buildings and injured three Syrian soldiers. Syrian state media reported that Israeli aircraft carried out the strike near the town of Masyaf in the central Hama province early on Saturday morning. Explosions were heard throughout the countryside around the provincial capital. Syria's official state news agency SANA said the Israeli attack, which was carried out from Lebanese air space, destroyed several buildings and wounded three people. The Israeli regime launches airstrikes on the Syrian territory from time to time. Such aggressive moves are usually viewed as attempts to prop up terrorist groups suffering defeats at the hands of Syrian government forces. On March 27, the Israeli regime launched multiple missile attacks on Shaykh Najjar industrial city located 10 km northeast of Syria's Aleppo. The Syrian TV said the majority of those missiles had been intercepted by the Arab country's air defense, and those that hit their targets only caused material damage. Israel used to be very careful with its operations over Syria after Russia equipped Damascus with the advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles in October 2018. However, US President Donald Trump's recent decision to recognize the "Israeli sovereignty" over the Syrian territories of Golan Heights has seemingly emboldened Tel Aviv to launch new aggression on the Arab country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Suspected Israeli Air Strike Targets Syrian Military Site April 13, 2019 A suspected Israeli air strike on a military site in central Syria early on April 13 wounded six soldiers and destroyed several buildings, Syria's state news agency SANA reported. A military official told SANA that Israeli targeted a military academy near the town of Masyaf in Hama Province. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Israeli air trikes hit three targets, wounding 17 Syrian soldiers. It said there were also deaths, but it was not immediately clear how many were killed and whether they were Iranians or Iran-sponsored fighters. The Israeli military declined to comment. Israel does not usually comment on reports concerning its air strikes in neighboring Syria, though it has recently acknowledged striking Iranian targets there. Iran is a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has sent military advisers, as well as thousands of fighters from across the region, to help his forces in the eight-year conflict. Based on reporting by AP and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/suspected- israeli-air-strike-targets-syrian- military-site/29879158.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China has no right to represent Taiwan at Interpol: MOFA ROC Central News Agency 2019/04/13 21:27:56 Taipei, April 13 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) called Saturday for the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to invite Taiwan to participate in its general assembly this year, stressing that China has no right to represent Taiwan. Taiwan, officially designated the Republic of China (ROC), was a member state of Interpol until 1984, when the People's Republic of China (PRC) was admitted into the world body. Taiwan decided to withdraw after Interpol sought to change the country's official name from the ROC to "China Taiwan." Responding to media reports suggesting that Interpol has again declined to invite Taiwan to the annual event, MOFA spokesman Andrew Lee () said that "Taiwan is not part of China and the latter has no right to represent the country on the international stage." Only the democratically elected government of the country can be responsible for the wellbeing of Taiwan's 23 million people, Lee said. Combating transnational crime has no political boundaries, MOFA said, urging Interpol to uphold a neutral stance and not exclude Taiwan from the international organization due to political interference. Taiwan's desire to take part in Interpol is right and just and has gained support from its allies and like-minded countries, the ministry said, noting that MOFA will continue to work with the National Police Agency to push for Taiwan's participation. Established in 1923, Interpol is the world's largest international police organization, with 192 member countries. According to foreign media reports, the 88th Interpol General Assembly is scheduled to be held in Chile in October. (By Elaine Hou and Ko Lin) Enditem/J NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Interview: U.S. Ambassador Reaffirms Support For Ukraine's Integrity, Calls On Russia To Talk By RFE/RL's Russian Service April 13, 2019 The U.S. ambassador to Russia said Washington was committed to defending Ukraine's territorial integrity, saying the issue of Moscow's annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine was "a core part of our estrangement with Russia." In an interview with RFE/RL's Russian Service published on April 13, Jon Huntsman also called on Russia to "engage in a helpful process that will allow the people of Ukraine to see their nation restored." "We do care deeply about the territorial integrity of Ukraine, which has been badly violated," Huntsman said. "[Moscow's 2014] annexation of Crimea and the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine it has not been resolved. Nothing has been done in terms of positive steps toward recreating the contours of a whole and free Ukraine." "It is time to get to the negotiating table and find some solutions, which has not been the case for the last many years," he added. Huntsman's comments come just over five years after Russia seized the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and then annexed it, a move that has been rejected by the overwhelming majority of United Nations members. In April 2014, the month after the Crimea annexation, armed men began seizing key buildings in parts of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, and a full-blown war broke out shortly thereafter. Diplomats and journalists have documented Russia's backing for the fighters, who have battled Ukrainian government-backed forces. More than 13,000 people have died. The United States, the European Union, and others imposed economic sanctions against Russia following the annexation and the outbreak of fighting, sanctions that remain in place despite indications from U.S. President Donald Trump that he might consider easing them. Sanctions Consensus Huntsman said that maintaining sanctions against Russia is one of the few matters on which both major U.S. political parties agree. "This issue, in the United States Senate, has united almost 100 percent of Republicans and Democrats," he said. The International Criminal Court ruled in November 2016 that the war in eastern Ukraine was "an international armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation." In addition to Crimea and the Donbas conflict, Huntsman cited the conclusions of the U.S. intelligence community that Russia sought to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. And he cited the case of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, whose 2009 death in a Russian prison led to the passage of a U.S. law that has infuriated the Kremlin. "People uniformly in Congress feel very strongly about these issues and how we should respond," he said. Support For NATO Huntsman also affirmed U.S. support for NATO, saying that it protects "the freedom and liberties of almost a billion people who share common values." "NATO will continue to build and to shift and to figure out how best it can maintain its role and its posture maintaining stability in the region," he said. "It is a very important deterrent force." Trump has been critical of NATO, complaining that the United States is bearing too much of the alliance's financial burden. He's also questioned NATO's most important element: that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all 29 members. "I only see successes when I look at NATO," Huntsman said. "It is there for a reason, and I think a billion people are very grateful and appreciative that the peace and freedoms of so many people have been protected as a result of this most-successful collective security organization." Huntsman also addressed the case of two Americans facing criminal charges in Russia. He called on Moscow to present its evidence in the case of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 on suspicion of espionage. He denies the accusations. The ambassador lauded a Moscow court's April 11 decision to move U.S. investment banker Michael Calvey, who faces embezzlement charges, to house arrest. A renowned investor, Calvey has built his private equity firm, Baring Vostok, into a billion-dollar management company with stakes in dozens of businesses, including Russia's largest online search engine, Yandex. "We hope, as I know his family does, that this is resolved as quickly as possible," Huntsman said. Written by Robert Coalson based on interview conducted by Irina Lagunina. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-u-s- ambassador-huntsman-reaffirms-support-ukraine-s- integrity-talks/29878614.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PERTH, Western Australia, April 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Perseus Mining Limited (Perseus or the Company) (TSX & ASX: PRU) ) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an underwriting agreement (Agreement) with Canaccord Genuity (Australia) Limited (Canaccord) and Hartleys Limited (Hartleys) to jointly underwrite the exercise of 102,538,227 Perseus warrants expiring on April 19, 2019 and exercisable at A$0.44 each. In April 2016, Perseus issued 143,050,770 warrants exercisable at $0.44 per warrant at any time within a period of three years to the shareholders of Amara Mining plc as part consideration for their shares in that company. Since that date, approximately 40.5 million warrants have either been or are in the process of being exercised by holders. Under the arrangement, Canaccord and Hartleys (acting as Joint Lead Managers) guarantee the exercise of any of the outstanding 102,538,227 warrants that are not exercised by the warrant owners prior to their expiry. The total amount that could potentially be raised from the exercise of the underwritten warrants is approximately A$45 million (before expenses). Canaccord and Hartleys, who acted as joint lead managers, joint underwriters and joint bookrunners to the underwriting, received significant demand from large international and domestic institutional investors, including several existing Perseus shareholders, to sub-underwriter the exercise of the warrants. Funding from the warrants strengthens Perseuss balance sheet, and together with the recently announced US$150 million corporate debt facility, existing cash and future cash flows, ensures that Perseus is well positioned to fund the development of its third gold mine, the Yaoure Gold Mine in Cote dIvoire, as well as further exploration activities and other growth initiatives. Underwriting Details Settlement of the shares to be issued under this underwriting Agreement is expected to occur on or about April 30, 2019. The Agreement contains standard termination provisions for an agreement of this nature, including that an underwriter may terminate the Agreement if the US$ gold price, the ASX/S&P 300 Metals and Mining Index or the ASX S&P/ASX Small Resources Index, is at close of trading on ASX for two consecutive business days before the Shortfall Settlement Date, at a level which is 10% or more below its respective level as at close of trading on April 10, 2019. Canaccord and Hartleys are collectively entitled to receive a management and selling fee of 0.67% of the Gross Amount and an underwriting fee of 2.7% of the Gross Amount, with such fees being apportioned equally between Canaccord and Hartleys.1 Perseuss Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Mr Jeff Quartermaine, commented: The proceeds from the warrant underwriting add to Perseuss financial capacity as the Company embarks on the next phase of growth involving amongst other things, the development of our third mine, Yaoure. The significant demand from investors to sub-underwrite the warrant exercise pursuant to this underwriting arrangement, demonstrates the strong support for the Companys strategic plan to produce over 500,000 ounces of gold per year at an all-in site cost of less than US$850 per ounce from 2022. To discuss any aspect of this announcement, please contact: Managing Director: Jeff Quartermaine at telephone +61 8 6144 1700 or email jeff.quartermaine@perseusmining.com General Manager BD & IR: Andrew Grove at telephone +61 8 6144 1700 or email andrew.grove@perseusmining.com Media Relations: Nathan Ryan at telephone +61 4 20 582 887 or email nathan.ryan@nwrcommunications.com.au Summary Information The following disclaimer applies to this announcement and any information contained in it (the Information). The Information in this announcement is of general background and does not purport to be complete. It should be read in conjunction with Perseus's other periodic and continuous disclosure announcements lodged with ASX Limited, which are available at www.asx.com.au. You are advised to read this disclaimer carefully before reading or making any other use of this announcement or any Information contained in this announcement. In accepting this announcement, you agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions including any modifications to them. Competent Person Statement All production targets for Edikan, Sissingue and Yaoure referred to in this report are underpinned by estimated Ore Reserves which have been prepared by competent persons in accordance with the requirements of the JORC Code. The information in this report that relates to the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimates for the EGM deposits was first reported by the Company in compliance with the JORC Code 2012 and NI43-101 in a market announcement released on 29 August 2018. The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affect the information in that market release and that all material assumptions underpinning those estimates and the production targets, or the forecast financial information derived therefrom, continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company further confirms that material assumptions underpinning the estimates of Ore Reserves described in Technical Report Central Ashanti Gold Project, Ghana dated 30 May 2011 continue to apply. The information in this report that relates to Mineral Resources for Sissingue was first reported by the Company in compliance with the JORC Code 2012 and NI43-101 in a market announcement released on 15 December 2016 and includes an update for depletion as at 30 June 2018 as well as an adjustment of the model constrained to a US$1,800/oz pit shell which were reported in a market announcement on 29 August 2018. The information in this report that relates to Mineral Resources for Fimbiasso was first reported by the Company in compliance with the JORC Code 2012 and NI43-101 in a market announcement released on 20 February 2017 and includes an adjustment of the model constrained to a US$1,800/oz pit shell which was reported in a market announcement on 29 August 2018. The information in this report that relates to Ore Reserves for Sissingue and Fimbiasso was first reported by the Company in compliance with the JORC Code 2012 and NI43-101 in a market announcement released on 31 March 2017 and includes an update for depletion as at 30 June 2018 which was reported in a market announcement on 29 August 2018. The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affect the information in these market releases and that all material assumptions underpinning those estimates and the production targets, or the forecast financial information derived therefrom, continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company further confirms that material assumptions underpinning the estimates of Ore Reserves described in Technical Report Sissingue Gold Project, Cote dIvoire dated 29 May 2015 continue to apply. The information in this report in relation to Yaoure Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimates was first reported by the Company in compliance with the JORC Code 2012 and NI43-101 in a market announcement on 3 November 2017. The Company confirms that all material assumptions underpinning those estimates and the production targets, or the forecast financial information derived therefrom, in that market release continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company further confirms that material assumptions underpinning the estimates of Ore Reserves described in Technical Report Yaoure Gold Project, Cote dIvoire dated 18 December 2017 continue to apply. Forward Looking Statements This announcement may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on Perseuss expectations and beliefs concerning future events. Forward looking statements are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Perseus, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. Perseus makes no undertaking to subsequently update or revise the forward-looking statements made in this announcement, to reflect the circumstances or events after the date of this announcement. Not for release to US wire services or distribution in the United States This announcement has been prepared for publication in Australia and may not be released to US wire services or distributed in the United States. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Any securities described in this announcement have not been, and will not be, registered under the US Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States except in transactions exempt from, or not subject to, the registration requirements of the US Securities Act and applicable US state securities laws. 1 The Gross Amount is calculated as the total number of warrants not exercised at the date of the Agreement, multiplied by the exercise price of A$0.44 per warrant, being A$45,116,820. Peak Academy fellow Jerraud Colemans mapping. Benjamin Rasmussen this is what an innovator looks like: White-haired, dressed in light blue scrubs and wearing a pair of sneakers, Tara Morse works as an animal care supervisor. Each day, she conducts about a dozen examinations of new dogs and cats that arrive at the Denver Animal Shelter. Not long ago, Morse came up with a simple idea to save her agency about $75,000 a year.When pets get reclaimed by their owners, theyre usually collected in fewer than 15 days. After that, the owners rarely turn up. Yet city and county policy dictated that the agency hold animals for 30 days before trying to place them in another home. The longer they stayed, the more their health deteriorated. And as their health worsened, their chances of being adopted dropped as well. Morse recommended a new policy of 15 days. The result was just what Morse had predicted: cheaper, more effective care.Morse was putting to use skills she learned at the Denver Peak Academy, a city-run training program, housed within the mayors budget office, that teaches municipal employees analytical methods to improve their daily work. Graduates apply those lessons toward improvements within their home agencies. The academy functions as a school for government innovation, though head instructor Brian Elms quibbles with the term, especially when applied to solutions as low tech and commonsense as the one Morse proposed. Its just a good idea, Elms says. Is it an innovation? I dont know what else you call it.Cities throughout the country are creating offices tasked with spurring innovation. But the Peak Academy represents a different strain. Instead of looking for better results through data analytics, new technology or paid consultants, Denver is turning to its ground-level employees for simple, straightforward reforms. More than a suggestion box, the academy provides a structured ongoing process for soliciting new ideas and making sure they happen.So far about 2,000 employees from 25 city agencies have undergone at least the basic two-day training from the academy. Nearly 300 have taken the weeklong course, which requires graduates to generate at least three ideas that would make their departments run more smoothly.While the program costs about $750,000 a year, including the salaries of the eight-person staff running the academy, the budget office claims the city has already saved about $3 million by implementing the ideas of academy alumni. If every alumni proposal were in place today, the academy says that the annual cost savings would be closer to $12 million.Among the 50 or so finished projects, most are small-bore in nature. Take, for example, a suggestion by Amber Vancil, a Peak Academy graduate and accountant in the Department of Public Works. Vancil noticed that the wastewater division used certified mail to warn residents that the city intended to place a lien on their property for unpaid utility bills. By shifting to first-class mail, she saved the city an estimated $46,000 per year. Its baby steps, says Jerraud Coleman, another academy graduate and a permit technician in the public works department. Colemans latest project involves a shift to paperless residential parking permits. If we do a million of these small innovations, he says, we can make a great impact.with a campaign promise by Mayor Michael Hancock in 2011. What he had in mind was a performance division modeled after Baltimores CitiStat, a management improvement program that uses data to hold agencies accountable for their work. But CitiStat is centralized and top-down, and Dave Edinger, the man Hancock tapped to be his chief performance officer, argued that a top-down program was unlikely to yield results in Denver.City workers, Edinger believed, werent ready for further scrutiny and demands from management. In the past few years, the city had cut 680 positions from its workforce, added furlough days and asked employees to contribute more to their pensions and health insurance. Morale was very low, says Hancock, thinking back to the beginning of his term. They needed something to feel like they could take control.Edinger teamed up with Scotty Martin, the citys process improvement manager, to create the Peak Academy. To encourage participation among city employees, the team promised that no one would lose their jobs as a result of efficiencies they proposed through the academy. Employees jobs might change, but not their employment status. That decision has been critical for getting government workers to embrace the program. You go down the road of employee-led innovation, Edinger says, you better make that guarantee.For the curriculum, they borrowed heavily from the Lean business management model pioneered by Toyota. In car manufacturing, the Lean method involves a meticulous review of production lines in order to eliminate steps that a customer wouldnt consider important and wouldnt be willing to pay for. The goal is to save money and time without sacrificing quality.The main local hospital, Denver Health, already used Lean management, so the city had a nearby example to follow. Because the city had a $94 million budget shortfall in Hancocks first year as mayor, whatever training materials the academy used had to be free. Although Edinger and Martin modified the Lean approach to suit the citys needs, the basic lesson plans and exercises were derived from free websites.Any municipal employee can volunteer for training, either the shorter green-belt course or the more intensive black-belt course. The city pays employees their regular salary during the training and issues a certificate once theyre finished. Afterward, graduates often host one-off improvement events within their home agencies, helping coworkers and supervisors find ways to fix backlogs and improve workflow.In the academy, trainees learn several ways to identify problems and propose solutions. One is a value stream analysis, in which an employee strings together sticky notes for every step of a process, such as reviewing and approving parking permit applications. The final version of the analysis not only shows how much time it takes to complete the process, but which steps could be eliminated. Like many of the tools taught in the academy, a value stream analysis relies on graphics to help agency staff see and understand the problem.When Animal Care Supervisor Morse proposed reducing the number of days the shelter holds animals, she used another Lean tool called an A3, which explains how things currently work, why something needs to change and what the ideal target state would be. The A3 is an example of how workers are learning to make logical, evidence-based arguments for reform. Theres no secret to the sauce, Elms says. We wanted to teach a foundation where everyone could use the same language to attack a problem.Municipal governments have long had performance improvement systems in place, but rarely with front-line workers conducting evaluations of their own agencies and then suggesting changes. With citystat programs, an analyst from the mayors office applies pressure from outside the agency. Likewise, with a city audit, a team of independent analysts studies an agency and publishes a report with recommendations for improvement. Even if they came up with the same solutions, says Barry Hendges, a Peak Academy graduate from the human services department, you wouldnt have the same buy-in.its likely to face a few serious challenges, some of which have begun to emerge in its first two years. One is selection bias. The government workers who undergo the academy training are volunteers. While the academy has recorded impressive results, its not yet clear whether the early recruits were influenced by the program, or were people already brimming with reform ideas who merely needed a channel for communicating them.If its the latter, then there may be limitations to the academys reach. What happens when somebody reluctantly enters training at a supervisors direction, but has no real interest in taking on extra work once theyve graduated? One recent graduate said she felt coerced by her manager to take the training and did not want to proceed with the innovations she presented at the end of the week. In such cases, the academy may have to formulate a plan to win over workers uninterested in change, or accept that it can only empower those who already want help.Perhaps the biggest question for the future viability of the program involves its leadership. The academy owes its origins to a trio of dedicated managers who enjoy the mayors full backing. With Edinger and Martinwho founded the academy but now monitor its progress from a distanceElms trades book recommendations on leadership and management, looking for new sources of inspiration to guide their work, a habit thats rubbed off on the rest of the Peak Academy staff. Were nerds, Elms says with pride. Graduates paste giant process maps on their office walls, admitting they now scrutinize their ordinary routines with efficiency-tinted goggles. Almost everything you do is a processgetting dressed, making coffee, Elms says. It really changes your entire life, not just your work life. Would the enthusiasm still be there without Elms presence? Thats an open question.Mayor Hancock asserts that the academy isnt really an initiative that can die with his administration because it has already created a cultural shift in the workplace. I dont see it as a program, Hancock says. I see it as a value. Yet those who champion the training say the academys success is linked with the mayors support. Mid-level managers are willing to accept their employees reform ideas in part because theyre products of the mayors initiative. When another mayor takes office, its not clear that the program will survive.Regardless of whether the Peak Academy achieves the scale and longevity that its founders seek, it has already extended beyond Denver city government. Within its first two years, the academy received about 30 requests for training slots from city and state agencies in Kansas, New York, Texas and 11 municipalities within Colorado. Ashley Hand, the chief innovation officer for Kansas City, Mo., underwent Denvers training and now wants to establish her own version of the Peak Academy. What appeals to Hand about the Denver model of innovation is its focus on people rather than tools. Cities such as Boston, New York and San Francisco have become national leaders in innovation, but their brand is more technologically focused. Denver is spending its money on giving its front-line workers new ways to solve problems. Putting these skills in the hands of staff at all levels, Hand says, thats extremely powerful. (TNS) As approximately 1,700 households and businesses remained without electricity in Mower and Freeborn counties Saturday morning, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said many in the state are likely unaware of the devastation caused by this weeks storm.If you have power at your house, the snow is going to be melted probably by tomorrow or whatever, so it appears like nothing really happened, but this was pretty catastrophic, he said, noting power outages had wide-ranging impacts from personal medical needs to large-scale farming operations.Walz was in Austin Saturday morning to meet with Minnesota National Guard members and sheriffs from Mower and Freeborn counties, as well as those tasked with returning power to the businesses and homes throughout the area.Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services CEO Jim Krueger said 500 broken or damaged utility poles left 8,200 customers without power at one point. The co-op covers most of the two counties, with the exception of Austin and a handful of other areas.As of Saturday morning, only two towns remained completely cutoff from power Elkton, with 145 residents, and Lyle, with 550 residents. Krueger said crews were working to make repairs with the hope that both towns would have power by the end of the day.Then, what remains is the tougher rural areas, he said, noting the co-ops 25 linemen are being augmented by 125 others on loan from utility providers in four states.In addition to linemen, Mower and Freeborn counties are still relying on help from the National Guards 224th Transportation Company, with teams providing coverage at 22 traffic-control points aimed at keeping residents away from downed power lines and other hazards.Were still committed to the mission, said Maj. Gen. Jon Jensen, the state Guards senior leader.Capt. Robert Moccia, commander of the Austin-based 224th, said the work started less than five hours after the request was made Thursday, with 134 guardsmen responding by that evening.Mower County Sheriff Steve Sandvik said the added manpower is likely responsible for helping ensure no lives were lost amid the downed poles. While barricades were erected, he said many blew into nearby fields, and the county lacked the numbers needed to warn drivers of potential hazards.We do not have a plethora of bodies to draw from, he said.Freeborn County Sheriff Kurt Freitag echoed the appreciation. We had just about all our fire departments out, he said, noting it still wasnt enough to provide around-the-clock coverage and keep people safe.Walz said the decision to deploy the National Guard wasnt difficult, which is why the response was so swift.If its coming from you, and you are telling us you need it, were right there, he told the sheriffs and other county officials gathered at the Austin Armory.With the deployment came a state emergency declaration, which will trigger support for covering costs related to the storm.This will be very expensive, Krueger said. We havent even begun to estimate it.Walz said a past storm points to a cost of roughly $10,000 per downed utility pole. With 500 poles affected, that would put the price at $5 million.However, what that would cover is unclear.Krueger said it could be in the ballpark of the entire cost related to the storm, but Joe Kelly, the states emergency management director, said the cost could be higher once responders' overtime is factored in, along with costs related to the Guard deployment.He said the impact is compounded by earlier flooding and other weather events, which he said hell include in a report to the Federal Emergency Management Agency when seeking additional support for covering costs.Walz said he also hopes to pitch the need for a national declaration to President Trump when he visits Minnesota on Monday.Kelly said funds will be found to support the local effort.There will be help, whether FEMA gets involved or not, he said, noting his agency will work to determine the final cost once all the work is completed and power is restored throughout the two counties.Walz said the help that has already arrived and the financial assistance that is expected is typical for the state, where neighbors help neighbors.Its not misplaced pride, he said. Minnesota does this very well.2019 the Post-BulletinVisit the Post-Bulletin at www.postbulletin.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The average American household receives just 10 pieces of personal mail per year, not counting holiday cards and invitations. That figure stands in stark contrast to the hundreds of alerts and infodumps that define our digital landscape, exchanges that are often banal and uncivil. Cards require more time to compose than electronic messages. They are also slower to arrive, giving both writer and recipient a chance to tap into patience or gratitude. And snail mail is in fact a feat of innovation: Consider that USPS manages to deliver 187.8 million parcels across the country every day (a number that dwarfs Amazon Primes shipments). Bush pilots fly letters to the edge of Alaska, and mules carry handwritten cards to the Havasupai Indian Reservation at the bottom of Grand Canyon. New technologies have left few occasions for people to practice everyday literary arts, but old technologies are live with them. GREENWICH The towns aggressive pursuit of owed back taxes has brought in more than $1 million, as 16 delinquent taxpayers have paid in full. But that is only the tip of a deep iceberg as Tax Collector Howard Richman said more than 100 delinquent payments still have to be collected, a sum of $6 million to $7 million. Richman said if those payments are not made, properties will be put up for a tax sale by the town in either August or September. The tax collector sent notice to delinquent taxpayers early last month, giving them a March 15 deadline to pay what they owe. The result was $1.14 million received as of Friday, Richman said. Thats money that was owed to the town and wouldnt have come in otherwise, Richman said. If delinquent notices had not gone out, it would not have been paid. We have heard from people who just forgot to pay and have now paid and settled the accounts and we have heard from people whose parents were supposed to pay and there were oversights that have now been corrected by being paid. That was not done out of malice. Sometimes they just forgot. Properties still in arrears range from small homes to large backcountry manors. Some of the delinquent notices sent out last month were returned as undeliverable, Richman said. For those taxpayers, his office will do additional research into how to reach the property owners. Of the 120 identified delinquent taxpayers, there have been approximately 80 cases with no response of any kind. An attorney specializing in tax sales will be retained to work with the town over the next months to research the titles for delinquent properties. If those properties have not been paid in full, they will be part of the tax sale, which will occur sometime in the summer, Richman said. But we dont want to do this. The plan is not to sell anyones houses. We want people to pay the taxes that they owe. These are people who owe anywhere from one year all the way to 15 years. The tax collector said he hopes the threat of a sale will get owners to act. The money is going to come to the town either way, whether its from them paying their taxes or from the tax sale taking place, he said. Property owners who still owe will next get a demand for payment from the hired attorney. Richman said once those demand notices go out, it will take about four to six weeks to determine whether the tax sale will be necessary. The delinquent taxpayers will have an April 30 deadline after the demand letters are received. Richman said payment instructions will be posted online at www.greenwichct.gov. There also will be information posted about tax sales. Years ago former Tax Collector Lou Caravella took a similar step to collect unpaid taxes. Pictures and descriptions of delinquent properties were displayed in the lobby of Town Hall letting people know what they had a chance to bid on. Ultimately the public pressure worked and no properties ended up being sold. But even if bills are not paid and the properties are put up for sale, Richman said the owners will still have the chance to get them back. Theyll just have to pay more. If a tax sale takes place, the original owners will have six months to reclaim their property by paying the tax and paying the winning bidder one and a half percent per month interest on the winning bid. No one is being thrown out of their house fast, Richman said. There is ample notice. Everybody is being treated fairly here. Anyone who has a tax bill should have paid that tax bill. We just want what is owed to the town. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com Rich Saltzman and Pat OHara, both of Stamford, joined other anglers on opening day of the Trout fishing season, fishing the Mianus River on Saturday in Stamford. The pair joined other fishermen in braving the cold, wet morning to cast their fly fishing lines, hoping to catch some of the brown, brook and rainbow trout that is common in the river. GREENWICH A high school senior from Greenwich is bringing a very modern approach to the ancient pastime of coin collection. Christian Hartch, 18, was given a small collectors book for pennies by his father, Greg, when he was 5. Hes been obsessed with numismatics, the study of coins, ever since, and brought his enthusiasm to thousands of followers on YouTube. It was the humble 1-cent penny that started Hartch on his path as a coin collector. That got me really interested, he recalled. The hobby stuck with me. ... Theres a lot of different aspects to it, learning about it is fun, theres history, and different trends. And theyre valuable, so you have to understand the market and what makes it valuable. Hartch was watching YouTube a few years ago when he had a revelation why not shoot his own videos on coin-collecting? Since August 2017, Hartch, a senior at Brunswick School, has been posting dozens of hours of footage, and his Treasure Town series has attracted some 18,000 subscribers. He discusses various coin series, runs a trivia contest, addresses questions from viewers and talks about common mistakes in the field of collecting. Its a way to connect, and it gets more people into coin collecting, the high school senior said. And its a fun community. For his own collection, Hartch is a fan of U.S. classic commemorative silver half-dollars, which were minted from 1892 to 1954 and offer a window into the nations past. The art on these coins is outstanding. Nice relief, theyve been well struck, they stand out from your average coinage, the young collector said. Hartch is well-read on the subject of numismatics, and hes also gained plenty of first-hand knowledge in the business side of the field. He was the very first customer through the doors at The Happy Coin in Cos Cob when the coin shop opened in 2014. The owner of the store was pleasantly surprised to welcome an adolescent coin-collector to the shop. I was thrilled, because there arent a lot of young people involved, said Christopher Moran. A lot of young people are less interested in history, and the history of money. Through the years, Hartch progressed from being a collector and enthusiast to an employee of the store. He has very strong attention to detail, very strong work ethic. Very sharp, and motivated to learn, said Moran. He is equally impressed by Hartchs digital and broadcasting abilities. I kind of see Christian as an ambassador to numismatics, because of his unique ability to present a coin series in a video format, Moran said. Everyone wants to watch something on YouTube, its where everyones eyeballs are, its a very popular format. It promotes numismatics in a nice delivery. Hartch, a resident of central Greenwich, is always looking to learn more about the field. In June, as a result of winning a scholarship from the Professional Numismatists Guild, he will study with numismatics experts in Colorado Springs, Colo. Ill be able to study with really renowned people in the coin industry, Im going to be learning a lot, he said. Im really thankful. The young scholar will be attending Princeton University this fall, and he is interested in studying the subject of ancient and medieval coins. From his start as a collector of shiny 1-cent pennies, he wants to delve ever more deeply into the intersection of wealth, beauty, history, archaeology and economics that are all tied up in one little metal package. Theres that indescribable thing, he said, that you cant put your finger on. rmarchant@greenwichtime.com NEW HAVEN There is at least one topic that mayoral rivals Toni Harp and Justin Elicker agree on: welcome immigrants. The issue is at the forefront as President Donald Trump continues to threaten to send immigrants, fleeing violence in Central America to so-called sanctuary cities, of which New Haven is one. He always comes up with solutions that dont solve the problem. Anyone who wants to live in New Haven, any way that they come, as long as they want to be law abiding citizens and make a life for themselves here and their families, we welcome them, Harp said. Trump has tweeted about this several times, only to be contradicted by the Department of Homeland Security that the proposal had been considered but was quickly discarded. On Saturday however, he tweeted again that that was his plan. Homeland Security is opposed given the prohibitive cost of transporting people, as well as on questions of legality. Sanctuary cities limit the cooperation of police in assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement in deporting undocumented immigrants. I think it is a threat to try to leverage the speaker of the House, threatening to send them to San Francisco. It is what I consider silly playground stuff. Lets get some real solutions to the problems that we have. Lets get these departments, that are supposed to work on these issues, working. He is making it difficult for them to work because he has pushed everybody out. Stop being juvenile, Harp said. She does not believe it will become a policy, but if that is his solution and this country puts up with it and people want to live here and want to be our friends and neighbors, build a life here, we are welcoming everybody, the mayor assured them. Elicker had a similar message and added that the policies in New Haven should be strengthened in protecting undocumented immigrants. New Haven, for instance in 2007 became the first city in the nation to offer identification cards to all residents regardless of immigration status. We need to be much more proactive at pushing back on the rhetoric coming from Washington, to stand up for the values that are important for our country, he said. He was critical of Harp and didnt think she offered strong leadership when there were community meetings after Trump was elected and New Haven residents were deciding how to respond to him. The mayor however, has been a visible supporter of the many immigrants here who have been targeted by ICE as advocates helped them seek sanctuary here. As he was canvassing in the Dixwell neighborhood on Saturday, Elicker talked to Ebony McClease who was upset that Trump was threatening to use the migrants seeking asylum here as pawns to punish sanctuary cities. What is happening? she asked in disbelief. My response is we welcome them because this is a time where we are defining our values as a nation and if the president is not going to step up, and reinforce the values that many of us, I think, have had for a long time, then city leadership has to step up, Elicker said. He added that the citys rules on not assisting ICE in deporting the undocumented, unless they are guilty of serious crimes, should be strengthened. Elicker said New Haven is not fully a sanctuary city because it lacks legislation that says people from the Board of Education cant cooperate with ICE, leaving a loophole. That is not right, he said. In response to President Trump, I say lets welcome people to New Haven because that is who we are and that is the kind of country we need to be. If our president is not going to be that way, we are going to show individually as city leaders, that New Haven will. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577. 521 Roslyn Road, Kenilworth: $5,750,000 | Listed: Nov. 12, 2021 This eight-bedroom home has five full bathrooms, three half-baths, carved marble fireplaces and a three-season porch. The kitchen is equipped with a double oven, hardwood floors and granite counters and is located next to the butlers pantry and breakfast room. The dining and living rooms have coffered ceilings, hardwood floors and leaded windows, and the office offers views of the private yard. The primary bedroom suite has a separate dressing room, a walk-in closet and a bathroom. The remaining bedrooms have custom moldings and millwork. A mudroom and a two-bedroom, two-bathroom coach house with a four-car garage complete this home. Agent: Amy Rowe, Engel & Volkers, 847-372-6389 *Some listing photos are virtually staged, meaning they have been digitally altered to represent different furnishing or decorating options. To feature your luxury listing of $800,000 or more in Chicago Tribunes Dream Homes, send listing information and high-res photos to ctc-realestate@chicagotribune.com. Join our Chicago Dream Homes Facebook group for more luxury listings and real estate news. Published on 2019/04/14 | Source The Constitutional Court on Thursday finally overturned Korea's widely ignored abortion ban. The bench ruled by a majority of 7:2 that the current law, which dates from 1953 and bans abortion at any stage of pregnancy, is unconstitutional because it violates the rights of pregnant women. Advertisement The case was brought by a woman who had an abortion and the doctor who performed it after they were punished in a rare instance of the law being enforced. The National Assembly has until next year to revise the law, so with all necessary procedures abortion will probably become legal in Korea in 2021. The Constitutional Court last upheld the ban in 2012. At the time the main sticking points were the right of a fetus to life and the right of a pregnant women to choose, and the court ruled that the fetus' right to life takes precedence. But this time the court accepted the argument that a fetus' right to life is an "abstract" principle while the danger of violating a woman's right to choose is concrete. The court also ruled that the law is outdated because in reality some 170,000 abortions are performed in Korea every year and the ban could prompt pregnant women to seek unsafe abortions. The court said women are paying exorbitant fees for abortions and are unable to claim compensation for problems after surgery. The law has also caused many teens and impoverished women to abandon their babies after giving birth to them. At present, the only cases where abortion is legal is when fetuses have genetic abnormalities or were conceived as a result of rape. But the court capped abortion at the 22nd week of pregnancy, which is more or less the international standard. A court spokesman said the reason is that babies born prematurely after that time have been known to survive. Even under current law the cutoff point for legal abortions is 24 weeks. The National Assembly will decide the exact timeframe. The ruling is expected to lead to many people who were found guilty of violating the abortion law to be absolved or pardoned. Women's rights groups cheered the court's decision, calling it a "landmark ruling", but some religious groups expressed "deep regret". Published on 2019/04/14 | Source The floor leaders of Korea's five political parties pose at Gimpo International Airport on Wednesday. /Newsis The floor leaders of Korea's five main political parties attended an event in Shanghai on Wednesday celebrating the 100th anniversary of the government-in-exile. Advertisement In a press conference at Gimpo International Airport before they flew out, they vowed to look back at the past century and take this occasion to come together to create a better country for the next 100 years. On Thursday evening, another centennial event will take place in Seoul as well. Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress on Wednesday passed a bipartisan resolution recognizing the provisional government as the foundation of modern Korea for the first time. It says, it "recognizes the formation of the Provisional Government 100 years ago as fundamental to the vibrancy, success and prosperity of [Korea's] democracy today". Published on 2019/04/14 | Source More than 40 percent of women giving birth in Korea still opt for Caesarean sections, according to a study. Advertisement 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. Read this article in Korean By Vasia Orion | Published on 2019/04/13 Get ready for the heebiest of jeebies, at least if you're as disturbed by the dark side of organized religion, and pseudoreligion, as I am. "Save Me 2" has some intense new goodies, and we have a generally promotion-heavy week for Dramaland. Advertisement Come All Ye Furious Religious themes past shamanism are still a fresh topic in Korean drama, but while I welcomed "Save Me", I was worried the appeal might not carry over to "Save Me 2". After a short time with its promotional materials, that worry is starting to dissipate, rejuvenating my appetite for the genre. The series has released main posters, a character trailer and making-of stills from it, and there's just enough about them to bring back that excitement. "Save Me 2" premieres on May 8th, and I'll be following it. Upcoming Drama Goodies "Abyss" has new character posters and stills of Kim Sa-rang, while "One Spring Night" has released a set of stills for Han Ji-min, and a set for Jung Hae-in. "The Secret Life of My Secretary" has a fourth teaser and stills, while "Voice 3" has released a 2-person video. "The Nokdu Flower" has dropped character posters and a teaser, "Different Dreams" has a stylish new poster, and "Arthdal Chronicles" has made a flashy entrance. In casting news, "Catch the Ghost!" has its cute duo, and "WATCHER" gets its angsty leads, while Nana has confirmed "Justice", and "Perfume" gets Jo Han-chul. Followed Dramas "Possessed" has me by the feels, and I'm finally tackling some new shows as well. "Confession - Drama" is intriguing, "The Banker" is constantly punishing antagonists for our pleasure, and "Special Labor Inspector, Mr. Jo" is a larger than life hero I absolutely love. Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings' Published on 2019/04/14 | Source The Seoul Metropolitan Government wants to help the North Korean capital of Pyongyang improve the water quality of the Taedong River that runs through it. Advertisement The city on Wednesday said it has launched a committee that will help with the task. The first step is to modernize Pyongyang's water supply and drainage system. "It's a humanitarian project to ensure access to clean drinking water, which is at the core of the UN's sustainable development goals", a city official said. The committee consists of eight civilian experts and four city officials. The city has earmarked W1 billion for the project from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund (US$1=W1,140). A preliminary survey and consultation are planned for this year. Some W210 million will be spent on equipment to check water quality and detect leaks. But the equipment cannot be delivered to Pyongyang under current UN sanctions, so Seoul needs to apply for an exemption through the Unification Ministry, just as South Korea did for a survey of inter-Korean railways last year. Critics said this is no time for the city government to spend money and time helping Pyongyang when its own water and sewage pipes are in dire need of an overhaul. Some 71.1 percent of the city's sewage and drainage pipes are more than 20 years old, according to the city government, and some 32.1 percent were laid 50 years or more ago. The project seems at any rate rather immature. The city government claimed it will serve as a role model for other local governments' cooperation with the North, but the relevant laws do not recognize local governments as parties to exchange and cooperation with the North. And when a member of the committee asked who its North Korean counterpart will be, committee chief Hwang Bang-yeol admitted, "We haven't gotten that far yet. We're thinking of using the Inter-Korean Liaison Office as a communication channel". It is not even clear whether North Korea will respond. No work has been done at the liaison office since Pyongyang unilaterally pulled out all staff last month after the collapse of the U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi, though a handful have since returned. Nor is the exemption likely to be granted. "Equipment needed to improve water quality is capable of causing chemical reactions and can easily be diverted to military purposes", said Prof. Nam Sung-wook of Korea University. "It seems that the city is just randomly throwing out ideas because relations with North Korea are deteriorating". South Africa: Ministers discuss operating hours at Oshoek/Ngwenya Border Post Extending the operating hours of the Oshoek/Ngwenya Border Post to 24 hours has been discussed by the Ministers of Home Affairs from South Africa and the Kingdom of Eswatini. This follows a meeting that was held on Friday by the Minister of Home Affairs Dr Siyabonga Cwele and his Eswatini counterpart, Her Royal Highness Princess Lindiwe Dlamini. The Ministers discussed issues of mutual interest, in particular around migration and trade at the Oshoek/Ngwenya Border Post. The main issues discussed were the re-establishment of formal dialogue mechanisms between the two countries and considering modalities around extending the operating hours of the Oshoek/Ngwenya Border Post to 24 hours, a joint statement by the Ministers of Home Affairs from South Africa and Eswatini said. The Oshoek/Ngwenya Border Post is the busiest border post between the two countries and is also the busiest land trade port, accounting for R1.7 billion a year. We are focused on contributing to growing the economies of both countries. The volumes of both people and trade moving through the port justifies considering extending the operating hours. Extended office hours would also help to reduce accidents because our people will not have to rush to reach the border post, said the Minister said in statement on Sunday. Cwele said in the short-term, it may be quicker to extend operating hours in the morning, from 6am instead of 7am. The Kingdom of Eswatini proposed that a formal dialogue mechanism between the two countries on Home Affairs matters be re-established. I am reliably informed that there used to be quarterly meetings between Home affairs officials of both countries. This meetings were very useful and could be used as a platform to address ongoing and emerging such as informal crossings, study permits, medical visas, and extension of border operational hours. It is therefore, my considered view and humble plea that these quarterly meetings be revived as a matter of urgency, Princess Dlamini said. The Ministers agreed to reinstate quarterly meetings of senior officials to keep track of commitments made and the implementation of areas of agreement. Overstayers Another area of discussion was the issue of Overstayers, or people who are in either country for a period longer than the time granted on entry more especially those staying on medical conditions. The Ministers agreed to use the Diplomatic Missions to reduce this phenomenon by having the nationals alerting their Diplomatic Missions if circumstances forces them to stay longer in either country. The Diplomatic Missions will then work with Home Affairs officials to assist in such instances. Princess Dlamini was also pleased with her counterpart that they have established a mobile solution where sickly individuals can be assisted by either a relative to attain an online visa without visiting the Home Affairs offices. The Ministers agreed to ensure that the people coming in to the counties are documented and use official lines like the ports of entry, the statement said. Easter Period The Ministers also monitored the state of readiness of the port ahead of the Easter Period. The Oshoek/Ngwenya Port of Entry will operate for 24 hours from 18-21 April 2019. The Ministers expressed satisfaction about the plans and the preparations for this busy period. The meeting was also attended by the SA High Commissioner to Swaziland, Members of Eswatini Parliament, Councillors of the Chief Albert Luthuli Local Municipality, senior managers of both governments from the departments of Home Affairs, Police, Revenue Service as well as Agriculture. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-04-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. But part of his so-called closure, hes always insisted, was getting the chance to express his gratitude to those responsible for keeping the casualty count on that day from being so much higher. A month ago when Pratt held its company Celebration of Life memorial for those who had died in February, Mora was honored to meet and hug Marco Gomez, the first police officer wounded during the shoot-out and who he saw being taken from the building after he was injured. 2010 Baumann was appointed CFO of Bayer. In 2014 he became a chairmen, in charge of strategy and portfolio management. In 2016 he became CEO. Hier geht es zur deutschen Version des Essays. As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it. Europe should take this astute statement by the writer Antoine de Saint Exupery to heart. Instead, in the European Union, we too often adopt an attitude that does not enable the future, but hinders it. An attitude that views globalization and competition not as catalysts and drivers of prosperity, but as threats. That seeks to defend past achievements rather than pursue new opportunities. An attitude that asks What could go wrong? instead of What can we achieve with this? This kind of climate does not help innovation thrive and inventors flourish. And as it also poses a risk to our prosperity in Europe, it burdens and challenges our continent. We need a prosperous Europe and we must not jeopardize the successes of European unity. Jetzt die besten Jobs finden und per E-Mail benachrichtigt werden. Europe is deeply skeptical of technological advances. In the Technik-Radar 2018 survey undertaken in Germany, only one quarter of those surveyed held the opinion that technology solves more problems than it creates. That helps explain why, more than anywhere else in the world, Europeans have reservations about vaccines, a technology that has contributed enormously to global health. In some European countries, one third of the population doubts the safety of vaccines. On the other end of the spectrum, countries like Bangladesh are home to virtually no vaccination skeptics. This contrast suggests that Europeans have become so accustomed to the blessings of progress that they are less and less appreciative of them. About the person Early years Werner Baumann was born in Krefeld, Germany, on October 6, 1962. After studying economics at RWTH Aachen University and the University of Cologne, he joined Bayer in 1988. His first duties were in the Corporate Finance Department in Leverkusen. In 1991 he transferred to Bayer Hispania Comercial in Barcelona, Spain, to take up a position as controller, becoming assistant to the managing director in 1995.One year later, he moved to Bayer Corporation in Tarrytown, New York, latterly heading up the global Business Planning & Administration organization of the Diagnostics Business Group. The Manager In July 2002, Baumann returned to Germany to become a member of the Executive Committee and Head of Central Administration & Organization at Bayer Health Care. In October 2003, he was appointed a member of the Board of Management of the newly formed subgroup Bayer Health Care AG, also serving as that companys Labor Director. As a member of the Board of Management and Labor Director of Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Berlin, Germany, from 2006 through September 2009, he actively participated in this companys integration into the former Health Care subgroup. The CSO Effective January 1, 2010, Baumann was Chief Financial Officer of Bayer AG. From October 1, 2014, until his appointment as Chairman of the Board of Management, he was Chief Strategy and Portfolio Officer and also responsible for the Europe, Middle East and Africa Region. Between April and the end of December 2015,Baumann was additionally Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer Health Care AG. Thats why people feel they can afford to reject genetic engineering inagriculture. Nearly 70 percent of Germans consider the targeted genetic modification of crops to be risky although genetically modified plants are verifiably safe for people and the environment. As a result of this skepticism about technology, Europe is losing ground as a center of innovation and conceding technological progress to others. Make no mistake: The digital future is being written in California. When it comes to artificial intelligence, the next great leap for digitalization, Europe is being left behind by the United States and China. The situation is no better in another groundbreaking field: CRISPR/Cas andother new breeding technologies. With the help of this advancement, conventional breeding can be supplemented and in some cases replaced bymuch faster and more precise methods with identical results. We could breed plants that produce a higher yield, are more resilient in drought conditions, have more valuable nutrients or do not contain certain allergens. These technologies could help feed our growing population and make more efficient use of natural resources. And because the technology is relatively simple and cheap, it would be a valuable asset for mid-sized seed companiesand smaller research institutes. Europe is well-positioned to play a leading role in this field but a recent decision by the European Court of Justice stands in the way. Last year the court decided that CRISPR/Cas and similar methods must be classified asgenetic engineering and regulated according to the same stringent standards. With the stroke of a pen, this promising technology is at risk of being driven abroad. In some cases, its already happening. There is no objective reason to so stringently regulate plants bred this way. They do not contain any foreign genes and are no different from traditionally bred plants. The ball is now in the politicians court. It is their task to advance social discourse and create the legal framework that makes it possible to further develop this technology in Europe. Otherwise the message to the rest of the world will once again be that we have no ambitions of playing a role. When it comes to CRISPR/Cas and new breeding methods, others will assume the task of solving future problems. The successful products, growth and jobs of tomorrow will be created elsewhere. So what needs to happen to ensure that Europe once again becomes aleading, competitive center of innovation? The to-do list ranges from rapidly expanding the digital infrastructure to better financing of childrens daycare, schools and universities. But three things should be at the very top of the agenda. Dieser Gastbeitrag stammt aus diesem Buch: Sven Afhuppe, Thomas Sigmund (Hg.): Europa kann es besser Wie unser Kontinent zu neuer Starke findet. Ein Weckruf der Wirtschaft Herder Verlag 2019, 240 Seiten, 20 Euro ISBN 978-3-451-39360-0 Erschienen am 15. April 2019 Das Buch bei Amazon bestellen. First: Brexit. The United Kingdoms withdrawal from the European Union is amajor setback for the EUs innovation capability. After all, the United Kingdomis one of Europes most innovative countries, with outstanding universities and research institutes. Among major EU countries, it performs the best in most innovation rankings. The EU needs to strive to achieve the closest possible integration with the United Kingdom in the post-Brexit future not just economically, but also in science and research. Second: venture capital. The United States has shown everyone how its done. Venture capital is extremely important when it comes to turning scientific findings and ideas into successful companies. Other regions, including Europe, are catching up but the gap remains significant. Venture capital investment totaled 63.8 billion in the United States in 2017 in Europe it was 15.6 billion, less than one quarter of that figure. Germany spent only about 1.1 billion in this area. According to one study, 21 of the 50 cities that invest most heavily in start-ups are located in the United States, while 15 are found in Asia and only eight in Europe. Theres only one conclusion to be drawn from these numbers: Europe must do more to ensure that the implementation of promising ideas doesnt fail for lack of money. Thats why the underlying conditions for raising venture capital in Europe urgently need to be improved. Through venture capital investment, innovation is generated decentrally fromthe bottom up and can drive much more progress than governmental efforts.Programs such as Europe 2020, the EU growth strategy, and the follow-upprogram Horizon Europe can certainly act as valuable stimuli if they arecleverly designed. But thats not enough. The speed of innovation found in places like Silicon Valley cannot be orchestrated from Brussels or any other capital city. Third, and this is the most important point: What Europe needs most is a cultural transformation and a change in mindset. We need to abandon our discouraging fixation on potential risks and move toward a courageous, purposeful culture of opportunities and possibilities. Of course, it is good and right for technological progress to be accompanied by a comprehensive and critical public debate. And it is important that this debate is reflected in a regulatory framework for technological development that accounts for potential concerns and where necessary establishes guidelines. Yet it is crucial that this public debate is conducted objectively and that regulatory decisions are taken on the basis of sound scientific findings. Unfortunately, we are currently a long way from this ideal in the EU. Debates are emotionally charged and often have little to do with the current state of expertise. This stokes fear. That fear is reflected in restrictive regulations thatdo not help, but rather hinder, technological advances. An over emphasis on the precautionary principle smothers the greatest opportunities from the outset. The most important achievement of humanity over the past decades and centuries would likely never have been possible with this attitude. We have escaped from misery. In contrast to the widespread perception that everything is getting worse, today we live in the best world there has ever been. In 1800, average global life expectancy was 31 years today it is 72. Back then 44 percent of children died before their fifth birthday. Today the figure is just 4 percent. In 1970, 28 percent of the population still suffered from hunger. Today this number is just 11 percent, despite the fact that the worlds population has since increased by more than 3.8 billion. These statistics could go on and on. They paint a clear picture: That life has improved, and not worsened, in practically all areas. This is a triumph of the Enlightenment, an idea that originally arose in Europe. It placed the potential of people and science on center stage. Europe should orient itself on this idea and maintain this tradition: a Europe of science and technology, a Europe of inventors, a creative experimental laboratory that gave the world the printing press and the piano, the microscope and the steam engine, antibiotics andc ars, the airbag and the mp3 player, where the worlds first computer was built. These figures are not just proof of progress they also show how much is yetto be done. Wouldnt it be tremendous to finally achieve victory over diseases such as cancer or Alzheimers just as we did with smallpox, which was eradicated in 1977? Or to eliminate hunger, which still plagues 800 million people around the world? We dont know whether we will ever be successful in this endeavor because we cannot predict the future. But we can enable it for more and more people. Hier geht es zur deutschen Version des Essays. SCULPTOR Clive Duncan has often featured in the pages of the Henley Standard for his artwork. Now the Shiplake artist has created a piece of work celebrating another of the areas creative types an old drinking acquaintance, George Harrison. The Beatles guitarist, who died in 2001, aged 58, lived in Friar Park, off Gravel Hill, Henley, and sometimes shared a beer and a conversation with Mr Duncan at the Baskerville pub in Shiplake. The portrait sculpture, made of bronze, shows the musician with the long hair he sported for much of his later life. It took Mr Duncan four months to complete. The piece will be on display at the annual exhibition of the Society of Portrait Sculptors at La Galleria in Pall Mall in June. Mr Duncan, 74, has lived in Shiplake for almost 50 years and first met Harrison at the village pub in the late Eighties when the star judged a talent contest. He said: He used the pubs in Henley and had a few favourites and he came to the Baskerville here in Shiplake several times. The pub was packed solid it was not far off Christmas and we got chatting over a beer. We went on and on until throwing out time, all about things like his spiritual beliefs and understanding of different faiths. He had a very good mind for that sort of thing. After a couple of hours we got into what I did and thats when he made a wry comment that I should come and work for him. He gave me his personal phone number. Despite being invited to view the Friar Park estate, Mr Duncan opted not to go in case it appeared that he was trying to hang on to the star. He said: I was suddenly aware that I didnt want to seem like a sycophant to get work so I didnt go. This was my fault and I did later explain to his wife that I was reticent because a lot of people hang on the coat-tails of these superstars. It was my loss he wanted to show me around. It does seem perverse to break off what could have been a much stronger friendship. I saw him a few other times in different places and always said hello and had a chat. Mr Duncan, whose late wife Janet was also an artist, has previously made casts of other famous people including author and screenwriter Sir John Mortimer, who lived in Turville, and Myfanwy Piper, the opera librettist and wife of Fawley artist John Piper. After deciding that he wanted to immortalise the Beatle in bronze, his plans were put on hold after Harrison was attacked at home in 1999 and his subsequent battle with cancer. Mr Duncan said: He spent masses of time abroad and then this awful business at his house happened. After that I didnt feel I had any business to bother them. He was very nearly murdered. He got ill after that and I didnt think it appropriate at all. It wasnt until almost 17 years after Harrisons death that Mr Duncan revisited the idea and found the memories of his friend were still fresh. Mr Duncan said: It was a kneejerk. I thought, Ill do this now, its the right time and I sent a photo to Olivia [Harrisons widow]. I had previously written to them and got a nice letter back when George died. If you look at pictures of George Harrison, there are so many aspects of his face and hair that make people think of him in different ways. Sometimes he had long hair and beard, other times his hair was very short. My period is the late Eighties and early Nineties. That was the only period where I could say I had a real memory of him, not only of his features but the attitude and character. He did have quite a serious expression for most of the time I remember. He knitted his eyebrows and had very strong, powerful dark eyes. The piece made itself in a way, the memories were so fresh. Mr Duncan first made the design in clay before making a plaster of Paris cast which he coloured. It then went to the Arch Bronze Foundry in Putney, where further moulds and casts were made before the final version was cast in bronze. The sculpture was completed in December and is now being held in storage in London ahead of the exhibition. Mr Duncan says he is happy with the final result of the long-lived project. He said: Im pleased with it. Im a pretty ruthless self-critic but in this case it has worked quite well. A sculptor can feel in their work a kind of dialogue. If it feels as dead as a dodo it has not worked but at other times you get a sort of electric shock off it and you know youre on the ball. The school initially had 10 sets of goggles, so students had to share, but a grant from the Lila and Violet Zaranti Foundation in Rosemont will help pay for at least 20 more sets. Students who wore glasses sometimes found the goggles uncomfortable so had the option of using an I-PAD with augmented reality, which displays the same scenes but not in 3-D. From left, checking in, in green, are siblings and event participants Jaina Bartusch, 8, a third-grader of Mundelein and Olivia Bartusch, 10, a fourth-grader, at the seventh-annual Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center Race to Zero on April 14, 2019 at Independence Grove in Libertyville. (Karie Angell Luc/News-Sun) As COVID hospitalizations rise, Hogan preps state for surge The governor of Maryland on Wednesday announced additional steps to coordinate hospitals across the state as COVID-19 cases surge again. Clement said hes focusing on the story of Mary Magdalene and the women who found the empty tomb. From that story, Clement said he hopes people will think about the place that women have in ministry and faith, as well as the foundation of Christianity with the empty tomb and the resurrection. Clement sees it as a positive message of eternal life for the world we live in today, he said. This kind of behavior cannot and will not be tolerated. We, as officers, are held to a higher standard, as well we should be, and our community should expect nothing less, Williams said. This incident is not indicative of every officer, but does put a stain on us all. I use the palms to make table arrangements for Easter so I can look at the palms on my table, Marquett said. I will add flowers and make different arrangements. I also take palms to my friend who is in the Oak Trace retirement home as she cant get out. This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services, to personalize ads and to analyze traffic. Information about your use of this site is shared with Google. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies. Learn more here Grand Prize Winner: Donna Rickey Blog Winners: A Song for her Enemies by Sherri Stewart: Mary Ann Hake Spies & Sweethearts by Linda Shenton Matchett: Connie Ruggles Sword of Trust by DebbieLynn Costello: Brenda Walters Justice for Julia by Donna Schlachter: Natalya Lakhno Party Prize winners: Sherri Stewarts Winners A Song for her Enemies: Angie Pool Bottle of Dutch Syrup: Carol Koch Alscheff Corrie ten Boom book: Deb Gramie Burgess Linda Shenton Matchetts winners: $5.00 gift card to online retailer or choice (Kobo, B&N, AppleBooks, Amazon): Karen Hadley A Bride for Seamus: Carol Osterhouse Wotring DebbieLynn Costellos winners: Sword of the Matchmaker: Melissa Planas Sword of Forgiveness: Paty Hinojosa Gomez Shattered Memories: Charlene Zall Capodice Sword of the Perfect Bride: Licha Haney Donna Schlachters winner: Leather Journal: Lisa Turley GIVEAWAY RULES Winners must leave their email address and will be notified by email and the winners name will be announced in the days comments. No one under 18 can enter our giveaways. No purchase is necessary. All winners have one week to claim their prize. USA shipping only. Offer void where prohibited. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Satellites, drones and pest-detecting cameras are making their way into rice paddies in China's major farming province as the country modernizes its agriculture, experts said. A satellite can produce images of a 200 square km field in just half an hour and offer information such as growth, yield and seedling emergence rate of the crops, said Qu Chunlai, with Changguang Satellite Technology Co. Ltd. The company's Jilin-1 satellite are widely applied in agriculture and forestry in northeast China's Jilin Province. "The remote sensing satellite captures images of the vegetation and forms data according to the proportion of different wavelengths of light the plants reflect," Qu said. So far, several counties in the province have set up zones piloting the method. The changing faming methods in the small counties in China's rice powerhouse underline the marriage of cutting-edge technology and traditional farming powered by efforts of both private and public sectors. Apart from companies like Changguang, local scientific research institutes are joining the race to digitalize farming. A whirring drone carrying a camera flew over fields in the city of Gongzhuling in Jilin. Unlike normal cameras, the one mounted on the drone gathers data. Called a multispectral camera, the camera weighs just 190 g. It is connected to software and shares data on crop growth, as well as disease and pest conditions. In the past, farmers mainly relied on experience to understand the growth of crops by observing their colors. "The method may not be precise, and the camera offers a more direct way," said Zhang Junqiang, developer of the camera and associate researcher at the Changchun Institute of Optical Precision Machinery and Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The software can even offer farmers prescriptions for pest control based on data gathered on the camera, Zhang said. Like Zhang, scientists have also been developing a series of agricultural monitoring methods in the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agro-ecology of CAS. Liu Huanjun, a researcher at the institute, said that farmers can dynamically monitor soil and crop conditions as well as the yield, on their phones, and get customized guidance through technolgy developed by the institute. "With the wide application of technology, more farmers are liberating themselves from toil," Liu said. "Smart agriculture is gradually taking root in the fields." In a bid to fulfill its long standing demand and commitment towards Hindu community living in Pakistan, the federal government has decided to restore and reopen over 400 Hindu temples across the country in phases and hand it over to minority Hindus. Temple converted into Madrassas As history tells us, majority of Hindus dwelling in Pakistan crossed the border and settled in India during the partition. Although, Hindus who stayed back, failed to visit temple as the lands where takenover by locals. Some temple lands ended up turning into Madrassa. For the betterment of Hindu- community, The Imran Khan-led Pakistan government announced that they will reclaim the temples, restore them and give them back to the Hindus. A gesture of social harmony & peace Two temples per year As Pakistan government has shown its interest in restoring 400 temples, since there are large number of temples, they will restore two temples per year, and will start with the temples in Sialkot and Peshawar. Sialkot has a functioning Jagannath temple and a 1000 year old Shivalaya Teja Singh temple. Soon after the Babri Masjid demolition, The Shivalaya Teja Singh temple was attacked by a mob and is still abandoned. A survey conducted by All-Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement (APHRM) across the country found that while 428 Hindu temple existed on the soil of Pakistan, however, 408 of them were converted into restaurant, schools, government offices, and toy stores post 1990. As per Pakistan government survey recently, at least 11 temples in Sindh, four in Punjab, three in Balochistan and two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were operational in 2019. Attempt to improve relationship with neighbors Experts believes that these latest attempts are made to mend the bridge between Indian and Pakistan. Imran Khan further nodded to open the gates for Karatarpur Sahib corridor to aid Indians to vist Guru Nanaks birthplace. Source : The Logical Indian India is facing a severe risk from climate change. A recent report by Chirag Dhara, a climate physicist, shows that over the past 170 years, temperature around Kolkata rose by about 1.2 degrees Celsius. Add the high humidity in the region, and it becomes the countrys most heat-stressed part. The mighty Himalayan range is expected to lose 36% of its glacier volumes by 2100 as per the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development report prepared under the Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme. The same report also dispels the myth that climate change has the highest impact on rural communities. In northern India, cities are choking on pollution. As India faces multiple threats from climate change and biodiversity loss, it becomes increasingly important for the countrys political parties to make these election issues. A look at the manifestos of the bigger political parties for the recently-concluded state elections in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Telangana brings out key gaps. Agriculture, water, food security, health and infrastructure make up the most prominent challenges the political parties want to address if voted to power. While biodiversity is integral to agriculture, water, human well-being, health and food security, it finds no space in the countrys election arena. Some hints of political will on the issue of nature could be seen in the Congresss Chhattisgarh manifesto, which speaks of the need for inclusion of intergenerational equity within the state policies to ensure sustainability of natural resources for future generations. Now that the Congress is in power in the state, it remains to be seen how many of these commitments will be fulfilled. As for the upcoming elections in India, political parties must understand the countrys long-term needs. They can no longer talk about a single river, without talking about river-basin and watershed management; or agriculture and food security without the need to protect birds, bats and bees responsible for pollination as well as various microorganisms responsible for our revival of soil health; or health without committing to cleaner energy and air as well as better public transport. Citizens must come together to build a peoples manifesto, which calls for action on biodiversity loss and climate change. The future of our food, water and land depends on our vote in this election. Only if biodiversity conservation becomes a national agenda will India be able to protect its people from poverty, inequality and injustice. Richa Tyagi heads law and governance, WWF-India The views expressed are personal Bollywood couple, actors Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, were spotted with their Brahmastra director Ayan Mukerji, heading to producer Karan Johars house on Saturday. Pictures of the trio have been shared online. Alia wore a white and yellow top, while Ranbir wore a light blue T-shirt and a cap. Both were sitting in the back seat of their car, while Ayan was sitting shotgun. Only a few hours previously, Alia and her Kalank co-stars Varun Dhawan and Aditya Roy Kapur were spotted at the Mumbai airport, returning after a round of promotions in New Delhi. Kalank is a period drama, also produced by Karan. Alia in a recent interview to Mid-Day said that she shot both films simultaneously, which was very difficult. I was shooting Brahmastra and Kalank simultaneously, some days were just impossible to get by, she said. Its not easy to live up to (director Abhishek Varmans) vision. In an earlier interview, also to Mid-Day, Alia had said, Ranbir and I have always maintained that Brahmastra is not a superhero film; it is a mystical fantasy drama. There is no reference [for comparison]. Its a new film that is emerging from our industry. It could be a film that will make this industry proud and put us on a global pedestal. I dont want to blow my own trumpet, but theres immense faith in Ayans vision. While Ranbir and Alia are spotted together more often now, they prefer keeping their relationship a private matter. In an interview to Hindustan Times, Alia had said, Its not as if a relationship is an achievement. It is just a part and a very important part of my life. Its seamless as well as beautiful, and should be celebrated when it has to be. Right now, it should just be left on its own and kind of kept in a corner where it can stay safe and warm. Also read: Alia Bhatt on working with boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor: His eyes are so honest, you cant give a dishonest performance Kalank is out on April 17, and Brahmastra has been slated for a December release. Alia will then move on to her south debut RRR, her father Mahesh Bhatts Sadak 2, and Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Inshallah, opposite Salman Khan. Ranbir has gangster drama Shamshera in the pipeline. Follow @htshowbiz for more Actor Sara Ali Khan has shared pictures from her trip to New York City, where she is wandering the streets and lazing in the sun. Sara has shared several posts on Instagram this week. The first post shows Sara and a friend posing at popular tourist spots in the city, such as the Brooklyn Bridge, where they take in the skyline. Sara also posed at her alma mater, Columbia University. The second one shows Sara posing in Greenwich Village in both colour and black and white. Not all those who wander are lost, she captioned the post, and added in the hashtags that shes majorly missing her mother, Amrita Singh. The first picture shows Sara sitting on the curb, with graffiti that reads, Found child, will wait in Louis Vuitton. The most recent post shows Sara lounging in the sunshine, sipping a hot beverage out of a white cup. This is probably where shes staying in the city. Sara, who made her film debut in 2018 with Abhishek Kapoors Kedarnath, said in a recent interview that acting is her passion. She said, When you are four and you dream of becoming a heroine, then it is a different thing. We dont really know what we want at that age. You grow up and when you are eight, you see movies, and you feel more sure about it. Then you go to Columbia University, spend your fathers money and come back with a degree and if you still want to be an actor, then it is not a hobby (chaska), it is your passion (shiddat). There is a different intensity and seriousness to it. You start preparing after that. Also read: Sara Ali Khan replaces Disha Patani for a brand endorsement, may team up with Virat Kohli for an ad Sara followed up Kedarnath with the blockbuster hit Simmba, directed by Rohit Shetty and starring Ranveer Singh in the lead role. She is currently filming director Imtiaz Alis Love Aaj Kal follow-up, tentatively titled Aaj Kal. The film also stars Kartik Aaryan and is scheduled for a Valentines Day, 2020 release. Follow @htshowbiz for more National award-winning actress Shweta Basu Prasad, portraying a journalist in the film The Tashkent Files, has said searching for truth can, at time, cost life as the powerful tend to suppress voices. The Tashkent Files, released on Friday, revolves around the mysterious death of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966, soon after signing the Tashkent Agreement between India and Pakistan to end the 1965 war. Also read: Ananya Panday has a curfew time, reveals dad Chunky Ragini (Shwetas character) starts the investigation into the Shastris mysterious death because she was looking for a scoop and wanted to prove herself to the organisation. But deeper she delved into it, she felt determined to know the truth behind the death. But eventually she realised truth-seeking is highly costly in India, Shweta said. According to her, the practice of honest journalism has been suppressed by the powerful. If some gets fearless, he/she disappears and could eventually get killed. The 28-year-old actress admitted that she did not know much about Shastris life before getting on board for the film. In school we really do not get to read much about him and thats why we do not know much. Its good that our generation is raising questions. Unless we question the narrative will not change. Why even after 53 years, no one knows how Shastriji died? the actress wondered. Directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the film also features Naseeruddin Shah, Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi and Pankaj Tripathi. On working with the veteran actors, Shweta said, I worked with Naseer uncle in Iqbal. Later I did a short film with him. I did a film titled Ek Nadir Galpo: Tale of a River with Mithunda. Working with them again was great. These people are icons. One can learn so much just by observing them on set. I am really lucky, said the actress who started her Bollywood journey with Shabana Azmi- starrer Makdee. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow @htshowbiz for more There is such a thing as Not done. And such a thing as Simply not done. Who decides that? Who tells us Dont! That is simply not done? Where are the rules for that not-done-ness laid down? No one, and nowhere. It is ones own conscience that tells us what is being contemplated or being done is not on, wrong, unethical. There are no rules to that sense, no codes to guide us. But there it is, that sense of a line that is not to be crossed, a norm that is not to be flouted. Similarly, there is such a thing as rightly done, natural, right. Who has set that rightness ? Where is it laid down that such and such is the right thing to do ? No one and nowhere. Except in ones instinct for doing right. Just as certain migratory birds have an instinct for finding and flying in the right flight path without any leader or guide, no memory of previous journeys, no map. Respect for ones seniors is one such natural instinct. And pride in the armed forces is another. Many years ago, I was among many at least 50 others in the tea lounge of New Delhis India International Centre. A healthy scepticism is in the air there, always. Both words are important healthy and scepticism. There is nothing low there, nothing even remotely malign. But no one there is the kind who can be taken for a ride. No one there who can be fooled. Everyone is, to put it in Tamil, vishayam terinjavar or in Hindi , samajhdar aware of things. That 50-something strong gathering was sipping warm beverages and eating snacks, each in her or his own world, when an elderly gentleman entered the lounge. Tall, erect, be-turbaned. Almost everyone recognised him and everyone in one moment, one natural instant, simply stood up young and once-young, man and woman, academic, activist, writer, artist, homemaker, every single one. Respect is not taught. It just comes. Arjan Singh, Marshal of the Indian Air Force, former Chief of our Air Force, one of the heroes of the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965, decorated with the Padma Vibhushan, appointed to diplomatic and public offices, post-retirement but, above all, loved and respected for being the young Wing Commander who on August 15, 1947, as acting group captain, led the first fly-past of RIAF aircraft over the Red Fort in Delhi, had come with his wife, Teji Sigh. The great man smiled and waved his hand in acknowledgment and then, as anyone else coming in, settled down with his wife for refreshments. And everyone in the lounge sat down too. Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh DFC would have turned 100 years today. A lovely thing had just happened. Pride in the armed forces, in the security forces, men and now women as well, who lay their lives on the line for us, for the country, is not taught. It just comes. And so when I read our prime minister saying at an election rally in Latur, Maharashtra, to first-time voters to dedicate their vote to the Air Force which carried out the air strikes at Balakot and to those jawans who were martyred in Pulawama, I was in disbelief. Dedicate votes to the air force and to jawans? Did they perform their duty, lay down their lives for someone to ask someone for votes? That sentence meant who will deny it? dedicate your vote to me. Not done, I said to myself. Simply, simply not done. Here are bravehearts laying their lives on the line for our country and their daring, their training, their striving, is used to seek votes. A lal salam to the CPI(M) for taking this up with the Election Commission of India (EC), as a violation of its directive to parties to refrain from invoking the armed forces for seeking votes. If as is only expected of the EC it reproaches the prime minister for this blatant exploitation of a national sentiment, the EC will do itself proud, the Armed Forces a service. This year is the 20th anniversary of the Kargil war. Also of the general elections to the 13th Lok Sabha. The celebration of gallantry that year was sought by some not by Prime Minister Vajpayee to be conflated with the campaign for votes, the nations patriotic pulse made to beat to a political tune. Religious organisations rushed to hospitals to give valuable gifts to injured personnel and also religious books. The Army, noticing this, asked them to desist. We owe it to the great Marshal of the Air Force today, his centenary day, to say Sir, it will not happen converting valour to votes will simply not be done. Jai Hind! Gopalkrishna Gandhi is distinguished professor of history and politics, Ashoka University The views expressed are personal An alert prahari, a security guard trained by the Delhi Police under their community police scheme, foiled a house robbery bid in south Delhis Vasant Kunj and helped the police arrest an armed robber. The police recovered a pistol, some lock breaking tools and stolen mobile phones from the suspects. The police said five cases were solved with the arrest of the robber, identified as 22-year-old Sheikh Rahim, a resident of Jahangirpuri. His two associates managed to flee when the police chased them at Nelson Mandela Marg. Deputy commissioner of police (southwest) Devender Arya said on Wednesday moring, BD Prasad, a security guard deployed in C-9 block of Vasant Kunj and also a Prahari enrolled with thePolice, spotted three men roaming suspiciously. As he tried to stop them, the trio started running away. Prasad immediately alerted the beat police staff . Police personnel from the Vasant Kunj North police station swung into action and managed to nab Rahim, said Arya. Lakshmi, one of Delhis two remaining elephants, will finally have a home in the wild. She will be shifted to the first wildlife rescue-cum-rehabilitation centre, which will be developed by the Delhi governments forest department, at the Asola wildlife sanctuary in South Delhi to house injured or sick animals. The national capital does not have any infrastructure in place for housing rescued animals or for providing them medical care and has so far been relying on non-government organisations to take care of them. Forty-one-year-old Lakshmi was diagnosed with herpes, a zoonotic viral disease, in February 2018. She will soon be shifted to a new enclosure that will be built for her. Four of the citys six elephants have found new homes in Gujarat and Rajasthan, but Lakshmi was left behind because of the disease. The other remaining elephant, Moti, may soon be moved to Haryana, talks for which are underway with the state forest department Lakshmi will be a permanent resident of the rehabilitation centre, which will only provide temporary accommodation and care to other animals that will be released in the wild, officials in the Delhi governments forest department said. Herpes is infectious and can be transmitted to other species,the reason why she found no takers, the officials said on condition of anonymity. We had written to several states asking them to take the two elephants. In case of Lakshmi, who is suffering from the disease, we could not find any takers, a senior official said. We have asked the deputy conservator of forest (south) to prepare a plan for rehabilitation of the elephant, as it had to be seized. An estimate has to be prepared for constructing an enclosure for her. The elephant will be kept and treated there permanently. For other animals, it will serve as a temporary home, the official said. Upto five enclosures will be built in a stretch of about 2 acres in the Asola sanctuary for temporarily housing injured or sickly animals. A number of wild animals such as neelgai and deer are rescued from urban areas throughout the year. The centre will provide them immediate medical care. We are also making a proposal for hiring a veterinarian and staff on a contract basis who will be available at the sanctuary for looking after the rescued animals, the official said. The department may write to the Central Zoo Authority seeking suggestions on setting up the rescue centre. Moti didnt have any takers after the Delhi governments forest department had issued a seizure notice to the elephants owners in the city in August last year. Elephants had to be shifted out of Delhi because the city does not provide a natural habitat to house these animals. In 2016, the Delhi high court had asked the forest department to seize these animals and rehabilitate them. Having a rehabilitation facility for wildlife animals could be a better arrangement for animals in distress. However, in case of elephants, which are the biggest nomadic animals, an enclosure is not enough, said Fayaz Khudsar, scientist in-charge at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park. But in this case, it will save the animals from commercial exploitation. Also, the animals rescued will be given proper food and healthcare, which will ensure their survival. Delhis trading community, considered a traditional vote bank of the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), is now seeking to play an active role in decision-making at the national level. Upset over the alleged lack of attention to their concerns, especially the sealing of commercial units, the right-leaning traders associations want the BJP to field a trader from the Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituency in the Lok Sabha elections. The traders, which form a substantial portion of Delhis electorate, say their issues have not been highlighted in Parliament by the seven MPs. The community plays decisive role in two parliamentary seatsChandni Chowk and New Delhi, presently represented by Harsh Vardhan and Meenakshi Lekhi, respectively. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has requested the BJPs senior leadership to field its general secretary, Praveen Khandelwal, from Chandni Chowk. Khandelwal had unsuccessfully contested the assembly election from Chandni Chowk in 2008. Traders say the sealing drive, started on the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committees orders in December 2017, has hit them hard. Over 6,000 commercial units had been sealed in the drive. Though the BJP-led central government decided to amend the Master Plan of Delhi-2021 to give them some relief, it was not approved by the apex court. Traders say their demand for an ordinance to stop sealing fell on deaf ears. There are about 19 lakh traders in Delhi and provide employment to nearly 30 lakh people but their concerns have not been a priority, Khandelwal claims. Sealing is a major issue. In the last decade or more, our concerns such as sealing, Delhi Rent Act, Foreign Direct Investment, e-commerce, etc., have never been raised in Parliament. The MPs have not taken our issues seriously and presented them effectively. We have never been consulted on important policy matter, he said. In the last two years, traders say they suffered a lot because of demonetisation, GST and sealing. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress are now targeting the BJP on these three issues, especially in trader-dominated areas. AAP has fielded Brijesh Goyal, a trader leader, from the New Delhi seat. Former Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, who will contest from New Delhi, too, has been actively campaigning in the constituency to galvanise their support. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari denied the allegations: It is not true that MPs didnt present the problem of traders in Parliament. Meenakshi Lekhi and Maheish Girri had raised the issues. I had staged a protest. How can he say that we didnt do anything? We got 12 major amendments done in the Master Plan to provide relief to traders. Union ministers Harsh Vardhan and Vijay Goel and leader of the opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta are some of the prominent faces of the community. But the trader community now wants to move from being a silent supporter to an active member and say it is time for them to be part of policy-making process. Traders know the problems faced by the community. They can effectively take up the issues. The community needs public representative who are easily accessible, he said. The shift in party politics in Delhi has also led to a feeling of neglect. The Delhi BJP, which always has been headed by members of Punjabi and Bania communities, is today headed by Manoj Tiwari, a Poorvanchali leader. It was a departure from the past. The party recognised that Poorvanchalis plays a dominant role in Delhi politics, said a senior BJP leader on condition of anonymity. The Delhi Police on Saturday said they had busted a gang of extortionists who used to honey trap rich men and made objectionable videos to blackmail them for money. Two members of the gang were arrested in the last two days from south Delhi. A 25-year-old woman from a West Asian country, who was used to trap men from affluent families, and four others, including 45-year-old gang leader Jahangir alias Shekhu, are still absconding, police said. Police said the gang blackmailed around a dozen men from Delhi and extorted more than 2 crore from them in less than a year. The victims include a reputed doctor, a hotelier, an architect, a bakery shop owner, two air-conditioner (AC) showroom owners, two builders, one real estate developer and a travel agent. Barring the doctor, who filed a case a couple of months ago, the other men never informed the police or their family members. Almost all of them were paying extortion amounts in instalments out of fear of being exposed. Eight men filed complaints after we told them their identities will be kept a secret, said a senior police officer. The arrested men are Noor Mohammad alias Aslam,38, and Mahender,33, both from south Delhi. The police had announced a R20,000 reward on Aslams arrest, as he was wanted in the case filed by the doctor. Deputy commissioner of police (special cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said the doctor told the police that in early October 2018, a woman from a West Asian country came to one a charitable health centres he visited for treatment. She frequented the clinic and became friendly with him. Once, Kushwah said, the woman pretended that she was unwell and requested the doctor to come to her Delhis Zakir Nagar rented flat to examine her. The DCP said they got intimate and her associates filmed them with miniature cameras fitted in the TV set-top box. A few days later, the doctor received a clip of the film and an extortion demand of R20 lakh . The doctor paid a few lakhs of rupees. But when the demands increased, he filed the case, police said. Aslam was caught near Nehru Place on Thursday on a tip-off. His interrogation led to Mahenders arrest from Okhla Mandi the next day. Apart from extorting cash, the gang members asked the victims to leave their debit cards at assigned places and made them share the passwords. The cards were later returned, said an investigator, requesting anonymity. Chinese authorities will tighten the supervision of the use of the country's medical insurance funds to ensure the safety and efficiency of the funds, according to the National Healthcare Security Administration. According to a draft regulation issued by the administration to solicit public opinions, the use of such funds must be put under strict supervision to protect the legitimate rights and interests of relevant parties. The draft asked relevant authorities to exercise supervision over hospitals, pharmacies, doctors, pharmacists and beneficiaries under the insurance program and stipulated methods and content of the supervision. Violators will be subjected to punishments ranging from a warning, confiscation of illegal gains and fines to suspension or termination of service qualifications or contracts as well as placing them on a credit blacklist. Other punishments include suspension of practices and revocation of practice licenses or even criminal penalties. The administration last month exposed cases of hospitals involved in medical insurance fraud such as paying kickbacks to village doctors to "buy" patients, over-treating and over-checking patients, booking fake expenditures and using fake invoices to defraud medical insurance funds. There is a certain logic to representative democracy. Candidates and political parties present their programmes and vision to their constituents; they build wide social coalitions; voters have their say and elect a representative; the leader then becomes a leader of the entire constituency, those who voted for him and those who did not, and keeps his doors open, delivers services, articulates and channels their grievances, and delivers to all without any sense of discrimination. Maneka Gandhi, Union minister and the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJPs) candidate from the Sultanpur Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh (UP), addressed a Muslim gathering and made a set of statements which overturns this idea behind representative democracy entirely. She indicated to the community she would win the seat, with or without their votes; if she won without their votes, she would get to know through studying the voting pattern in their booth; and if they had not voted for her, but came to her to get work done, they should not expect much for she is not large hearted enough to do so for people who did not support her. First, while one could treat Ms Gandhis claims of victory before the voting as bluster that all candidates typically engage in, she used this rhetoric of triumphalism to almost blackmail the Muslims in the gathering to vote for her. Voters are free agents and can choose who they wish to vote for, without fear. Two, the fact that this happened in a Muslim gathering is no coincidence. The BJPs politics of exclusion has meant that Muslims do not, largely, vote for the party; in this election in UP, the community is expected to widely support the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance. Ms Gandhis statement is addressed to Muslims at large -- and almost amounts to political intimidation. And three, Ms Gandhi, despite being an experienced Member of Parliament, lacks a sense of what leadership means. Whether a constituent voted for her or not is irrelevant to her duties as a representative of that constituency. Her statements are out of line, and deserve the widest condemnation. A 16-year-old girl allegedly committed suicide in Uttarakhands Haridwar on Sunday, three days after she had filed a rape complaint against another minor, a police official familiar with the matter said. According to police, the Class 10 student was raped for over a year on the pretext of marriage by the absconding accused, who was booked under the relevant Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) sections on Thursday. Both of them [the victim and the accused] were from the same neighbourhood. The boy was raping her on the pretext of marriage for over a year. The accused had promised to elope with the deceased on April 10, however, he failed to turn up, police inspector Pradeep Chauhan said. Chauhan said the girl committed suicide on Sunday afternoon by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her house. During the initial investigation, police found a suicide note in which the girl named the boy. Now, more sections could be added in the case, the inspector added. A five-year-old boy fell into a bore well in Agaryala village Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday afternoon. Rescue operations began after the district administration and Mathura police were informed. The boy, Praveen, had accompanied his mother, Surjo, a farm labourer, to harvest the farm owned by Hukum Singh. The incident happened when Praveen and two other children were playing on the field, which is under the jurisdiction of Shergarh police station. The borewell had been dug earlier and they covered it with a sack. However, when the children were playing near the borewell, the sack allegedly shifted and Praveen fell in to the borewell believed to be 100 feet deep. When the other children cried for help, the villagers gathered and informed the police, said Aditya Shukla, the Superintendent of Police Rural for Mathura. During the rescue operations, the child was provided oxygen. A team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been called in. Arrangements to provide oxygen in bore well have been made, Shukla said. A JCB has been brought in to dig near the borewell, officials said. The child has also been provided with juice and biscuits. We sent a CCTV camera down the bore well. We saw the boy clinging on a pipe descending through the bore well. All efforts are on to save the child, Shukla said. A unit of the Army has also been called in, people familiar with the development said. Recently, the operations to pull out an eight-year-old girl from 60-foot bore well in Uttar Pradeshs Farrukhabad district were called off after experts suggested that nearby houses had developed cracks and could cave in if digging was not stopped. Last Friday, and before that, schoolgoers in the National Capital Region (and other places) went on a climate strike, inspired by Swedish youth activist Greta Thunberg. I was glad that students were being a part of the campaign, rather than staying at home and waiting for others to act. But the strike has to be accompanied with a lot of back-up action by the strikers. A significant number though not all of them were what one might call wealthy, or at least, privileged. They asked for more responsibility from government on climate change and environmental issues per se. Heres what I would like to ask them to do: Cut down on their consumption, and that of their communities. Anyone who went on that strike would be hollow if they still ate meat, or if they are not pushing their entire families to use less private transportation. These are the young people who should also refuse to sit in a diesel-powered car. Thats not all. Many of the strikers are at an age when peer pressure matters. They have to be the peers who make having less cool. In turn, they also have to resist the much greater pressure to get new gadgets, clothes and consume more per se. It is futile to blame without also being the change you want to see. Sure, the big policies are outside many peoples hands and one must raise ones voice. But one has to also live with much less, more responsibly. (Founder and Director,Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group) BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday accused NCP chief Sharad Pawar of spreading falsehoods, claiming that he was doing so because of his partys falling fortunes and family fights over seats. Shahs barb was in reaction to Pawars claim that late BJP leader Manohar Parrikar quit defence ministry because he did not agree with the Rafale jet deal. Being a former Defence Minister yourself, one expected better from you Pawar Sahab! Your partys falling fortunes and family fights over seats is making you nervous and spread falsehoods, Shah said in a tweet. The BJP chief added, Talking of quitting, remember why you quit Congress and what you did thereafter? Shah was apparently referring to Pawar quitting the Congress in 1999 after raking up Sonia Gandhis foreign origins and her credentials to lead the party. Pawar formed Nationalist Congress Party but soon joined hands with the Congress to form government in Maharashtra. Recently Pawan had claimed that Parrikar returned to Goa and quit as defence minister as he did not agree with the Rafale deal, in which the opposition has alleged corruption. Parrikar, who died last month of cancer, had said that he always wanted to work in Goa. He returned as the states chief minister after the assembly polls in 2017 amid demands by BJPs allies that he should be leading the alliance government. Author Amish Tripathi has been selected as the next director of the Nehru Centre, the cultural wing of the Indian high commission in London, according to two people with knowledge of the developments. Considered a flagship centre of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), the Nehru Centre, established in London in 1992, has previously been directed by actor-director-playwright Girish Karnad and diplomats such as Gopalkrishna Gandhi and Pawan Varma. Tripathi (44) is likely to take over in May, the New Delhi-based people aware of the selection process said. Author of several bestsellers, Tripathi is among individuals with similar profiles that are in the process of being appointed directors of Indian cultural centres in various countries, one of the people quoted above said. Interviews for these key posts were conducted early this year. The Nehru Centres previous director was career diplomat Srinivas Gotru, who oversaw a range of cultural activities in London and elsewhere during the India-UK Year of Culture 2017. He recently returned to New Delhi. Gotru said in his last message as director: This year is going to be special because of two important anniversaries: the 550th birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru, Shri Guru Nanak Devji and the 150th birth anniversary of Father of the Indian Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. The High Commission and the Nehru Centre will celebrate both these anniversaries through a series of events...I bid you farewell as this is likely to be my last message as the director...I have completed a fulfilling tenure of over three years and it is now time to move on, he added. Tripathis background in writing and marketing is likely to enhance the profile of the Nehru Centre, which organises a busy schedule of activities, showcasing Indian music, dance and theatre, besides exhibitions, lectures, illustrated talks, book launches, film screenings, seminars and round-tables. Tripathi declined a comment when approached for a response on the matter. Located near Hyde Park in central London, the centre has launched several books by Indian and British authors and promoted the participation of British authors in Indian literary festivals. It also serves as a catalyst and facilitator in promoting interaction among cultural bodies in the two countries. The Congress Sunday demanded a thorough probe into the alleged transportation of a suspicious black trunk in Prime Minister Narendra Modis helicopter during his visit to Chitradurg in Karnataka. Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma asked the prime minister to come clean on the issue and said the EC should inquire into the contents of the trunk. He said the Congress Karnataka unit has already filed a complaint with the EC in this regard. We saw there were three more choppers escorting the prime ministers helicopter. After landing, a black trunk was taken out and whisked away in a private car which was not part of the SPG cascade, he alleged. Sharma also asked Modi to give an account of his five-year rule to the people of the country. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor any other leader of the National Democratic Alliance wanted to politicise armed forces and there was nothing wrong in talking about the political will giving freedom to the forces to take action as they deem fit. At an informal interactive session here, she said the opposition had been constantly coming up with the allegation that armed forces were being politicised. Nobody wants to politicise the armed forces, not particularly myself or Prime Minister or anybody from here (government). We dont want to politicise the armed forces, she said. Sitharaman sought to know whether it was wrong to compare how weak the government of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was in 2008 post the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and how strong the Modi government was now in 2019 after the February 14 terror attack in Pulwama. The political will, based on sound intelligence information, gave freedom to the armed forces to take necessary action as they deemed fit. Is it wrong to say it? That is not politicisation of the armed forces, the defence minister asserted. The opposition has been objecting to PM Modi and other BJP leaders referring to the IAFs strikes on a Balakot terror camp during election rallies. The Congress on Friday moved the Election Commission against Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah for allegedly dragging the armed forces in the political domain by using them to seek votes. If Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could apologise for the Komagata Maru incident in 1914, why the British government cant do so for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, wondered delegates from India at a commemoration event in the UK Parliament on Saturday. The event, organised by Indian-origin members of the House of Lords, Raj Loomba and Meghnad Desai and the Jallianwala Bagh Centenary Committee, rounded off a series of events in the UK to mark the centenary of the massacre considered by historians as a turning point in Indias freedom struggle. Vikramjit Singh Sahney of World Punjabi Organisation said, If Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can formally apologise for Komagata Maru, why cant the British apologise for the Jallianwallah Bagh massacre. These were the same Punjabis who fought for them in World War I. The event was held in the backdrop of Prime Minister Theresa May, ministers and representatives of the UK government reiterating deep regret for the incident, but falling short of the demand for an apology. Mays brief statement in the House of Commons, however, was seen as a step forward in the discourse of Jallianwala Bagh. Loomba said that it needs to be investigated if the order to fire at an unarmed gathering on the fateful day was given from the top of the administration or was one decided by General R Dyer himself. Indian high commissioner Ruchi Ghanshyam said the incident had shaken the soul of India, but also highlighted the historical strategic partnership between Britain and India. Manjit Singh GK, chief patron of the centenary committee, highlighted atrocities committed in history and narrated individual sufferings of the Amritsar massacre. He said the British wanted to suppress the Indian masses but the tragedy intensified the freedom struggle. Channel 4 telecast a documentary by journalist Satnam Sanghera, while The Guardian dwelt on the massacre in an editorial titled: Time to see ourselves as others see us. The editorial said: It is rare for a Conservative prime minister to express regret for any aspect of British imperial history. So the fact that Mrs May said anything at all was noteworthy: first, as a sign of continuing official unease at the highest level about the events of 1919 and second, as a recognition of the effect the massacre still exerts on the British-Indian relationship to this day. It added: The reluctance to apologise has many strands. They include concerns about precedent, legal consequences and claims for reparations. But the reluctance to look back dispassionately, understandable in some respects, is a national burden. It means Britain can fail to face historical facts, question ourselves as a modern nation and think about complexity. It can mean we fail to see ourselves as others see us. These are enduring issues, which cannot be brushed aside just because they are sometimes exploited opportunistically. At least 13 people have been arrested days after they purportedly forced a tribal woman to carry her husband on her shoulders around the village as a punishment for having an alleged extramarital affair, in Jhabua district, 341 km southwest of Bhopal, police said on Sunday. The accused tribals, include the womans husband and the village sarpanchs husband, said additional superintendent of police Vijay Dabar. They were booked for voluntarily causing hurt, assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code. #WATCH Madhya Pradesh: Villagers force a woman to carry her husband on her shoulders as a punishment in Devigarh, Jhabua allegedly for marrying a man from a different caste. (12.4.19) pic.twitter.com/aNUKG4qX7p ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2019 According to police, the incident took place at a village on Friday but the video emerged on social media on Saturday, alerting the officials in the district headquarters. The accused were arrested within 24 hours. The victim was punished for allegedly eloping with another man. While she was carrying her husband, the entire village followed and mocked her, pulled her clothes and thrashed her with sticks. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON At a tea stall on the Sambalpur-Sonepur road in Odisha, Deendayal Dash describes Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a global leader and goes on to talk about what the PM did to Pakistan. The surgical strike and then after Pulwama, the air strikes took place, the resident of Sindhol village says, referring to the September 2016 strike on terrorist camps across the Line of Control days after the Uri attack and the February 2019 air strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Pakistans Balakot following the suicide car bombing of a bus carrying paramilitary troopers. Dashs is not a lone voice in rural Odisha. In Dendupadar village, standing metres away from Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, a small businessman who sells Sambalpuri sarees narrates how posters of the victims of Pulwama were pasted on the walls of the village and a candlelight march was organised at the gram panchayat to pay homage to them. Modi ji has shown he is a tough administrator. the businessman, who requested that his name be withheld, said. Nationalism, anti-Pakistan rhetoric and Modis image as a decisive leader have made quite an impression in the hinterland of Odisha, giving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) room to lift its electoral fortunes in the state where simultaneous elections are being held to 21 Lok Sabha and 147 assembly constituencies. Even so, at the start of a cruel summer in the coastal state, the BJPs prospects are seen to be swinging between an improvement in its margins and actually winning more seats in a state where Odishas favourite leader and chief minister Naveen Patnaik won 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats for the BJD five years ago. The BJP won just one. BJD won 44% of the popular votes and the Congress 26% in 2014; the BJP was third with a 22% vote share. With the Congresss position seemingly weakening since, the BJP could benefit by reaping more anti-Congress and anti-BJD votes this time around. As a senior BJD MP put it, Our chances are better in triangular fights but if its BJP versus the BJD, anything can happen. All About Modi The BJP looks much stronger in western Odisha, the partys main bastion in the state, riding on national issues and the image of Modi as a tough and decisive leader, thanks to the social medias penetration into the far-flung rural interiors of Odisha. On a roadshow, Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, one of the four BJD MPs who has been chosen to stand for re-election to the Lok Sabha, is confronted by angry villagers. As his Ford Endeavour stops at Kalatikra village, some people complain about not receiving old-age pension. Some say they havent received payments under the Kalia scheme, which promises 25,000 as farm assistance to small farmers over five agricultural seasons to pay for inputs like seeds, fertilisers and pesticides There are a lot of local issues that affect the MPs chances. We have done exceedingly well in social schemes such as Biju pakka ghar (similar to the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna) and Kalia but some people are making this battle Modi versus me, says the Balangir MP, with a tinge of tension in his voice, as he breaks bread with the locals at Bahupali. Suresh Pujari, the BJP candidate in neighbouring Bargarh, says Modis popularity is like a tsunami. This time people will vote for India, the security of India, he says, as his supporters get ready for the next rally. This time, parliament election would overshadow the assembly polls as people have seen that we are capable of tackling Pak-sponsored terrorism. Also, PM Modi launched more than 130 pro-poor schemes in the last five years. The enthusiasm in the BJP camp and the tension in the BJD quarters is palpable. Yet, between the BJPs victory and defeat stands one man: Naveen Patnaik. The Patnaik factor In Bargarh, our Prasanna Acharya would have lost for sure. But Naveen babu decided to contest in one of the assembly seats (Bijepur). Things have changed now, said a senior BJD leader, who is contesting a coastal seat, requesting anonymity. Just as Dash is upbeat about Modi, he is equally clear that Naveen babu is the best CM. And Naveen Patnaik himself moving to a western Odisha seat apart from his stronghold of Hinjili has sent a strong message to BJD cadre to get their act together. From the car driver to the local tea stall owner, there is no doubting the popularity Patnaik enjoys in a state where he has completed 19 years in power. There are 70 lakh self-help groups now in Odisha. We find a large number of women attending the meetings. They understand nothing but Naveen and the conch symbol. Late Biju Patnaik (Naveens father) gave 33% quota for women in local bodies, Naveen babu made it 50 %, says Bhartruhari Mahtab, BJDs floor leader in the 16th Lok Sabha. The BJD is also banking on a chance factor: that the states 83% rural voters would possibly not make a distinction between the assembly and parliament polls when they press the button on the electronic voting machine. Yes, some educated people might make the distinction, but we hope that a large section of the rural masses will opt for the same symbol in parliament as well as assembly polls, said a senior BJD leader on condition of anonymity. The people of Odisha like Patnaik because of his honesty, and the chief minister enjoys an advantage in the absence of an effective opposition leader who can replace him, according to former vice chancellor of Berhampur University Aditya Prasad Padhi. He added: The negative factor is that he has ruled for 19 long years. Look at Balangir, its irrigation facility is still below 10 %. Some farmers are happy with Kalia but instead of providing irrigation, Naveen has gone for short-cut solutions. The Communist Party of India ( Maoist), mired in its worst leadership crisis and confronting a slump in its influence in states such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha where it once held sway, may shift to safer locations to revive the movement, according to a study conducted by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to mark the golden jubilee of left-wing extremism in India. CRPF, the leading internal security force of the country, has noticed the Maoists beginning to expand to new areas such as the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) tri-junction and the Kerala-Karnataka-Tamil Nadu tri-junction, said the study, titled Countering MaoismWay Ahead. The groups future plans include creating a base at the Simplipal sanctuary near the West Bengal-Jharkhand-Odisha tri-junction, the study added. ... there are probabilities that it may again shift its location to lesser combative locations as perceived in their various documents including central committee meetings minutes, said the CRPF analysis, a copy of which has been reviewed by Hindustan Times. To the surprise of intelligence and security agencies, there are some undocumented activities (of Maoists) in Uttarakhand as well, according to the analysis. Its true that Maoists have been trying to find new places for their activities but all their efforts are being thwarted through coordinated efforts. The Maoists are feeling the pressure as the area under their influence is shrinking every day, CRPF director general Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar said. CPI (Maoist) was formed in 2004 through a merger of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), the Peoples War Group and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI). In India, left-wing insurgency, inspired by Mao Zedong and his slogan, political power grows out of the barrel of a gun, dates back to the late 1960s. Known as the Naxalite movement, it takes its name from the West Bengal village of Naxalbari, where a peasant uprising broke out in 1967 and spread to other parts of the country. Its true that Maoists have been trying to find new safe havens and operational space. Of course, their efforts have been blocked by the government and security forces, internal security expert Ajay Sahni said. He added that most of the senior leaders in the CPI (Maoist) had been arrested or had surrendered while the second line of leadership lacked sufficient ideological commitment. Core areas held by Maoists have diminished vastly because of a coordinated counter-insurgency strategy, operations deep inside the jungle based on real-time intelligence and the use of modern technology like drones, two CRPF officers said on condition of anonymity. The number of districts where Maoists wield influence is 90 in 11 states, compared to 126 districts in April 2018, according to home ministry data. Violence linked to the Maoist movement is limited to just 54 districts out of the 90. Maoist activities such as planting of explosives, ambushing security forces and recruitment of tribespeople are restricted to the Abujmarh forest area of Chhattisgarh, Bastar and the Andhra-Odisha Border. Very few cadre of the CPI (Maoist) are in Bihar and Jharkhand. Surrender of many senior Maoist leaders such as Tech Ramanna and Pahad Singh has affected the morale of Maoists negatively whereas we are also witnessing shrinkage in the security vacuum areas, the CRPF says about the movement in Chhattisgarh, the area worst affected by LWE. This has been noticed especially in South Sukma where our forces are achieving deeper penetration with longer stay in the zone without any contact which explains the apprehensions of their strongest military formation in fighting pitched battles. Even so, the study says, the expansion of Maoists in the MMC tri-junction will continue for the next five years. The study predicts that in Jharkhand and Bihar, where armed Maoists once had a heavy presence, their influence will decline even more in the next five years. It foresees the rise of splinter groups that often compete with the Maoists in extorting funds. Many CPI (Maoist) members will cross over to the splinter groups, it says, as security forces seek to clear the Burha-Pahad area of Jharkhand from Maoist influence. The CRPF foresees a decline in the armed strength of Maoists in Odisha in the next few years. The Chhattisgarhi cadre of the CPI (Maoist) makes up a majority of its armed strength in Odisha, which is fuelling discontent among local cadre, it adds. According to the CRPF analysis, there is very little probability that the Maoist movement will die down in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. But the group wont be able to rebuild its base in the states because of the proactive role of the police in combating it. The Andhra-Telangana Maoist leaders limit their activities to the Chhattisgarh and Odisha borders and in the next five years, they will confine their activities to only procurement of logistic supplies and recruitment. Major operations by security forces in Maharashtras Gadchiroli have rendered Maoists helpless and incapable to recoup in that region, the CRPF study says. On alternative strategies to deal with Maoists, the CRPF study bats for long-term deployment of security forces even after unrest subsides in some areas so that a dormant Maoist movement dies a natural death. In other words, we need forces to stay in the area till memories of Maoism are erased from institutional memories of the population as this is the only effective way of avoiding revival of any insurgency, it adds. CRPF also asks the government to use the leadership crisis in CPI (Maoist) to place deep sources in the organisation. CPI Maoist is currently undergoing a phase of leadership crisis where their senior leaders have crossed 60 years age bracket and there is dearth of young intellectual blood to enter forest. As party is always considered above military formation, they are vehemently searching for students who agree with their ideology and are willing to enter the forest. Thus, this offers us a rare opportunity to exploit this moment and place deep sources inside the organisation which may be utilised later when they rise as leaders of the party. The finalisation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement within this year and enhanced regional connectivity figured in the Asean-India senior officials meeting, which finalised a calendar of joint activities for 2019. The members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are keen on the early finalisation of RCEP which is being negotiated since 2013. Busaya Mathelin, permanent secretary for foreign affairs of Thailand, the current chair of Asean, said in a tweet that the two sides, during the talks, reaffirmed their commitment to advance Strategic Partnership, enhance regional connectivity, promote trade & investment and finalize RCEP this year. A statement issued by the external affairs ministry made no reference to RCEP and said the meeting, held during April 11-12, reviewed the strategic partnership and its future direction. The officials also assessed the progress in cooperation in political-security, economic and socio-cultural issues. The negotiations on RCEP were last year extended into 2019 as the parties the 10 Asean states and their six partners, India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand were unable to reach an agreement on key issues. Indian industry and the government have reservations on joining RCEP, mainly because it will bring the country into a free trade relationship with China and worsen a trade deficit of more than $60 billion. The meeting, co-chaired by Mathelin and Vijay Thakur Singh, secretary (east) in the external affairs ministry, also decided to give impetus to all forms of Asean-India connectivity. In this regard, the officials welcomed the commissioning of the ERIA study on the trilateral highway and its extension to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and a proposal on formation of digital villages in Asean states. The officials agreed to deepen maritime cooperation through a variety of measures, including enhanced collaboration in the blue economy sub-sector, and to boost cooperation in renewable energy, including holding a conference on the topic this year. Pakistan has released another 100 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture amidst tensions between the two countries after the Pulwama terror attack. The fishermen released on Saturday were part the second batch of 360 Indian prisoners Pakistan has announced to set free in four phases this month. Pakistan had released first batch of 100 Indian fishermen on April 7. Another 100 Indian fishermen were released from Malir Jail in Karachi as a goodwill gesture, officials said. They were being taken to Lahore through train where they would be handed over to the Indian authorities at Wagah border on Monday. The fishermen were arrested for fishing illegally in Pakistani waters during various operations. Pakistan had released first batch of 100 Indian fishermen on April 7. Another 100 will be freed on April 22 and the process will be completed on April 29 when 55 fishermen and 5 prisoners shall be released. Pakistan and India frequently arrest fishermen as there is no clear demarcation of the maritime border in the Arabian Sea and these fishermen do not have boats equipped with the technology to know their precise location. Owing to the lengthy and slow bureaucratic and legal procedures, the fishermen usually remain in jail for several months and sometimes years. Pakistans announcement to release the fishermen came amidst escalating tensions between India and Pakistan after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama district on February 14. India launched a counter-terror operation against a JeM training camp in Balakot in Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. A war of words on the legacy and work of Bhimrao Ambedkar broke out on Tuesday, coinciding with the birth anniversary of the late leader who is considered the architect of the Indian Constitution. Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress of insulting Ambedkar and not giving him his due even as Congress president Rahul Gandhi, in a veiled dig at the Centre, said those who weaken the principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity are doing a disservice to Ambedkars memory. At an election rally in Aligarh, Modi spoke at length about the contribution of Ambedkar, Indias first law and justice minister who campaigned against discrimination against Dalits and untouchability. Because of Ambedkar, a person from scheduled caste has become President (Ram Nath Kovind) and another from a farmers family has become the Vice-President (Venkaiah Naidu), Modi said. Thanks to Babasahebs Constitution, a chaiwala (tea-seller) is holding the PMs post, Modi said, referring to himself. We should not forget what was done to BabasahebThe social circumstances in which Babasaheb attained such great heights, were extraordinary and unprecedented. This is a reason why the Congress could not tolerate Babasheb, the Prime Minister said, referring the term the late leaders supporters use to describe him. On Twitter, Gandhi, too, paid tributes to Ambedkar and said, On Dr Babasaheb Ambedkars jayanti, let us re-dedicate ourselves to the 4 universal values of JUSTICE, LIBERTY, EQUALITY & FRATERNITY enshrined in our Constitution. Those who pay him tributes on this day, while insidiously weakening these values, do his memory disservice. His sister and Congress general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, alleged there were attempts to destroy the Constitution. At a road show in Assams Silchar, Priyanka Gandhi said the Constitution was not being respected today. It is Mahapurush (great man) Ambedkarjis birth anniversary. He laid the foundation of this country through the Constitution. Today, you are seeing that the Constitution is not respected and an attempt is being made to destroy it, she said. In New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma asked Modi to give an account of his five-year rule to the people of the country as a tribute to Ambedkar. The PM is trying to control and change the narrative because he has no courage to face real issues, he alleged. Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati, who has a significant support base among Dalits, hit out at ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shahs alleged remark that her party remembered Ambedkar only during elections. Mayawati tweeted: The statement of BJP chief Amit Shah that the BSP remembers Babasaheb Ambedkar only during elections is untrue and mischievous. She said the BSP was inspired by Ambedkar, and her party was working for the welfare of all sections of the society. BJP leaders have now forgotten development, black money, corruption, poverty, unemployment and farmers. Now they have started raking up patriotism and national security, she tweeted. In Gujarat, Shah, participated in a road show in Kalol assembly segment where he paid tributes to Ambedkar. (With agency inputs) The Sabarimala Karma Samiti, an apex body of various Hindu organisations opposing the September 28 verdict on the hill temple, began its hymn- chanting protest outside the state secretariat on Saturday seeking the withdrawal of cases against its workers. It alleged that the police were hounding its workers and most of them could not carry out their routine activities due to innumerable cases. After the Supreme Court verdict, which allowed women of all ages to worship at the temple, the state had witnessed widespread violence. At the height of the agitation three months ago, more than 10,000 people were booked. Most of them have been booked under non-bailable offences for chanting hymns. The police crackdown on believers is continuing. Some workers are facing 30 to 40 cases at different places. We want the government to withdraw these trumped up cases, said Samiti leader K S Sasikala. The state had observed a shutdown when she was arrested last November on her way to the temple. She said sacrifices of devotees wont be wasted and their Samiti would strengthen its stir in the coming days. However, opponents said it was a move aimed at helping BJP candidates and to keep the Sabarimala pot boiling. It shows Sabarimala failed to make much impact in the campaign. So BJP leaders are pushing the Samiti to the war path again, a senior leader of the ruling CPI (M) said. Sniffing an opportunity, the BJP, a distant third runner in the state, is using the emotional issue to its hilt for political dividends. Senior leaders of the Sangh Parivar said the Samiti was forced to hit the streets again after its struggle failed to reflect in the ongoing poll campaigning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who addressed a rally in north Keralas Kozhikkode on Friday made it clear that Sabarimala remained the partys main poll plank in the state. Without mentioning the temples name, he said his party was committed to protect the age-old beliefs and customs of the people. He said in the name of a verdict some forces were trying to trample traditions of a large chunk of the people and promised Constitutional protection to them. BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai said the party would not follow the state electoral officers instructions to avoid mentioning Sabarimala during the campaign. It is an issue that affected a large number of people. How can we omit it completely? We will raise it, he said. The party candidate from Thrissur, Suresh Gopi, also an actor and Rajya Sabha MP, is in trouble for invoking the deity of the temple during the campaigning. Had it not been for Princess Diana, Naresh Gujrals garment export firm would, perhaps, have remained just one of many. But a pattern of Scottish checks caught Dianas fancy and she wore a Gujral dress on a visit to Australia. With that she broke a golden rule that the British royal family, when travelling abroad, would only wear clothes made in the UK. This dress had been designed and made in India by SPAN, a company that Gujral founded when he, as he puts it, had nothing better to do. Dianas choice sparked controversy but it helped Gujrals label immensely. SPAN became the Indian brand that once dressed Princess Diana. Also Watch | Different Strokes I Akali Dal MP Naresh Gujral on dressing Princess Diana Counted among Indias better-known politicians, Gujral was hell bent on making his millions before settling down in politics: I wanted to make money: lots of it. It was a dream I was chasing, he says. It took a few years, but when he actually gave his mother wads of currency notes to buy a new car, she got suspicious. She told my father to check what I was actually doing and where I got the money, he says. It took her quite a while to believe that that kind of money could be earned. Naresh was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. In fact, he had seen his family struggle, as many post-Partition refugees then did. He started out as a solo chartered accountant with a one-room office, where he installed an air-conditioner that did not work and a phone that never rang. It was actually a dummy phone because it was not easy to get a phone connection in those days, he says. But these props were important to give the impression that we were in business. The truth is the ramshackle office was more of an adda, or den, for his friends. Had it not been for an income-tax raid at a friends house, Naresh would perhaps have remained an accountant without work. He was roped in to check the books and that is where his first few hundreds came from, until of course he took a detour and partnered with a garment exporter. I knew nothing about clothes except that I was good with colours and instinctively knew what would work. More importantly, I knew that in the clothes business, you could make it big, he says. And he did. Within three years, he made his first million rupees. It was his yuppie moment. The day his finance officer said they had a surplus of 2 lakh in the bank, Naresh bought a first-class ticket around the world and took a two-month break. He wasnt yet 30. Naresh, currently a Rajya Sabha MP, is perhaps the least-known in a family of well-known people: his father, Inder Kumar Gujral, was former Prime Minister of India; his uncle Satish Gujral is an eminent painter; and his grandfather, Avtar Narain Gujral, was member of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. Naresh knew that it would be politics for him too, but not before he made his millions. Today, he is easily among the richest politicians in India and lives in a posh home in Lutyens Delhi. Politics taught him to give up fancy shoes, trendy clothes and branded ties. All that went to his staff. As a politician I learnt to dress down, he says, so now I dress very simply. Young social activists Mukesh Sharma alias Malaudh, Amandeep Kaur, Bhupinder Singh Longowal and Paramjit Kaur have deliberately chosen to marry inter-caste aiming to demolish caste taboo in the Malwa region, where Dalits have been fighting for 33% share of common land. Their agitation has evoked sharp opposition from upper caste landlords. Born a Brahmin, 32 year-old Malaudh has been fighting for Dalit rights in the region for a decade. He married Amandeep, 31, in 2016, who belongs to a backward caste and has been advocating womens empowerment. My parents asked me to marry anyone except a Dalit or a lower caste, but when they perceived my stand they initially opposed it, but agreed later, said Malaudh. President of a Dalit rights group, Zameen Prapti Sangarsh Committee (ZPCS), Malaudh encouraged friends and even helped many couples to marry inter-caste. He said, The caste system is a social division by people belonging to the same race. This can be eradicated through inter-caste marriages and new generations will have a new genome. Interestingly, the couple have named their 2-year-old daughter Raavi without a surname. My daughter is neither a Sikh nor a Brahmin and will live without religious and caste taboos, said Amandeep, who is an M.Phil from Punjab University Patiala in Punjabi. Similarly, 34-year-old Bhupinder Longowal, a Jat-Sikh from Longowal town, is a farmer activist, who tied the knot with Paramjit Kaur, 32, a Dalit from Patran in 2014. Kaur works with ZPSC and spends most of her time in activism, while her husband looks after their 4-year-old daughter Sachinder Kaur. I decided during graduation that I wouldnt marry within my caste. Though there was a little attraction between us, the ideological affinity played a strong role, as we wanted to break the caste system with a revolutionary step, said Paramjit, who is a post graduate in political science. Longowal said, Sikhism is against casteism, but these boys have faced a tough time for their decisions. Mukal Bawa, district welfare officer Sangrur, said the department has received 29 applications in the past two years, for financial assistance from couples who have married inter-caste, as the government gives Rs 30,000 assistance to such couples. Gujarat water supply minister Kunvarji Bavaliya was caught on camera Saturday telling a group of women who complained about drinking water woes in their village that they should have voted for him. After the video, shot on mobile camera, went viral, the minister said the question came from uneducated women and had been prompted by local politics. Bavaliya quit the Congress last year to join the BJP and was made a cabinet minister. He won the ensuing Assembly by-election to Jasdan, which falls in Rajkot Lok Sabha constituency. Campaigning for the BJP candidate at Kanesara village, he faced a group of angry villagers, most of them women, who complained that only half the village gets drinking water. To which, the minister said only 55 per cent of the villagers had voted for him last time. I have the entire water resources ministry, I am in the government, and if required, I can sanction crores of rupees to arrange water supply to the village, he said. When I contested the election this time, I got only 55 per cent votes. Why didnt you all come together to vote for me? he asked. When questioned by reporters later, Bavaliya defended his remarks, saying the protesters were uneducated women, and local politics prompted them to ask the question. He also said that the complaint was not about his ministry, but the local panchayat. I told them this is a panchayat issue and does not concern my ministry, he said. Congress leader Hardik Patel lambasted Bavaliya. If somebody did not vote for the BJP and voted for other party, shouldnt they be given basic amenities? This is vindictive politics, Patel said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday targeted the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party for practising caste-based politics and said the current Lok Sabha elections will ensure the end of both the parties and their brand of politics. Voters have said in 2014 that they do not want caste based politics. People want development. In 2017 also people gave that message. But they dont want to accept the truth. Now they will be forced to buy locks from Aligarh to close their shop, Modi said at an election rally in Aligarh. He also held the two parties responsible for lawlessness in western Uttar Pradesh in earlier years. Western Uttar Pradesh was burning and innocents were being targeted by criminals. Who saved criminals of Muzaffarnagar riot? Voters in western UP have understood those politicians were not truthful. Modi said the Opposition was cut off from reality. Also read: Busy with naamdaar: PM Modi jabs Amarinder Singh for skipping Jallianwala Bagh event Mahamilawat (opposition alliance) has pounced to Modi to abuse him after first phase of voting as they know they are losing. Modi praised Babasaheb Ambedkar, the architect of Indias Constitution, saying it was his vision that enabled a chaiwala like him to become prime minister. We should not forget what was done to Ambedkar. Congress never tolerated Ambedkar. He also targeted the Congress and accused the grand old party of adopting a family first policy and said its dream of wresting back power will remain a dream. Congress destroyed Uttar Pradesh.... Those dreaming of becoming prime minister are day dreaming, he said. Ram Prasad Sharma is 107. But the former village headmans age has not dampened his enthusiasm for the biggest festival of democracy. He has voted in 16 polls since the first Lok Sabha election in 1952. And he is raring to exercise his franchise again, even though he is hard of hearing and walks with difficulty. My legs are weak, but I will go in my car (up to the distance permitted) along with my sons and cast my vote in the 17th Lok Sabha election, says Sharma with a child-like twinkle in his eyes. Agra will go to the polls on April 18 in the second phase. He recalls, When I went to vote in the first Lok Sabha election in 1952, there was no need for a voter ID card. My name was mentioned on the voter list. On the basis of that, I was allowed to vote. Sharma, known as the grand old man of Semra village in Khandoli block of Agra district, is the patriarch of a family of 70 members. His village is 20 kilometres from Agra city. There was a pro-Congress wave and a feeling of nationalism was palpable in the first Lok Sabha election, he reminisces. I voted for the Indian National Congress (INC) candidate and he won the election, he says. He also brings up his own tryst with electoral politics. After the death of my elder brother, who was pradhan of the village, in 1956, I was elected the village head unopposed. I remained the pradhan without contesting anymore elections till 1980, he says. In 1980, one Balbir Singh of the village contested against me, but I won by 233 votes, he says, visibly delighted to be talking about his success. After completing my term in 1985, I opted out of elections and preferred to enjoy myself at home, says Sharma, who is still addressed as pradhanji by many villagers. Such is his popularity in the village that residents often enquire about his health as he relaxes on a cot in a house in the fields. When asked about the present-day political leaders, he says, Nowadays, promises are made, but not fulfilled. In my time, leaders were honest and determined to work for the people. They were easily approachable. But now it is rare to find such politicians, he says. His son Satish Kumar Sharma says, My father has seen all the elections held in independent India. He is in good health, considering his age. The son also makes no secret of his fathers love for laddoos and the fact that the centenarian can eat a hearty meal even now. He has two besan laddoos for breakfast in summer and two methi laddos in winter, says Satish. Little wonder, the poll season has whetted the Semra village patriarchs appetite for voting again. Photo Caption: Former village pradhan Ram Prasad Sharma with his son Satish Sharma at his house at Semra village in Etmadpur tehsil of Agra district. In the midst of campaigning in Assam for the crucial 14 Lok Sabha seats, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal of the Bharatiya Janata Party party spoke to Hindustan Times on a range of issues, from the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) to the recent incident of violence when a mob beat up and then forced a Muslim man to eat pork. Edited excerpts: Q: Assam is under the ArmedForces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Would you advocate a re-look now that peace has largely returned? A: Of course, there is peace and that is why Rs 50,000 crore worth of investments were made after Advantage Assam the global investors summit [held last year]. We have to always be alert in this region for the security of the country... It is a different matter that it (AFSPA) could be withdrawn also strategically Q: As chief minister, do you have a message on the attack on a man in the state who was waylaid by a mob recently and thrashed (and forced to eat pork)? A: Six persons have been picked up. We will not leave any culprit. This is a secular nation. Principle of secularism will be strictly followed That is the order of our Prime Minister Narendra ModiWe condemn this kind of incident. Q: People see the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill as an attack on the diversity and identity of the region. Is it an issue in these elections? A: Our manifesto has clarified the apprehensions and fears in the minds of the people in Assam and the North-east We will take everyone into confidence. We will discuss [this important issue] with all stakeholders. After thorough consultation we will arrive at a consensus [On Thursday] Modiji again said [that the party will implement] Clause 6 [of the Assam Accord of 1985, which provides constitutional and administrative safeguards for the cultural, linguistic, social identity of Assamese people] . A high level committee with clear terms of reference has been formed the first time. Congress did not do anything for 40 years. Q: Were you happy when the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) was introduced in Parliament given your stand on foreigners? A: What is the chief ministers dharma? To ensure security of the people, their self pride. When I saw that I can ensure this, then what is the worry? Modiji cares about Assam and the North-east. Q: Dont the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the CAB contradict each other? A: No, they dont [contradict each other]. The NRCs main purpose is to detect illegal migrants in the state of Assam. So, the NRC will complete the first D of Clause 5 (of the Assam Accord), detection. If there is any government which has given importance to Assam Accord it is the Modi government. In a small state like ours, out of five lakh government employees, 55,000 devoted night and day to update the NRC It disturbed other work in villages. The Assam government and the government of India will complete the NRC under the supervision and deadline of the Supreme Court. Earlier, Congress, Left (parties), and intellectuals spread misinformation because of which people came out on streets. Q: What will happen to those who are out of the NRC? A: Let us complete the first D,detection. Then we will think about the other two Ds, deletion (from electoral rolls) and deportation. They will be discussed by Government of India at an appropriate time. The Assam chief secretary recently accepted in Supreme Court of the failure to deport people. Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday said it was time for him to pack his bags. The people have very well understood in the past five years that whatever he promised was a bunch of lie. He only showed lovely dreams to the people and this time NaMo is going and Jai Bhim is coming, Maya, who was addressing a joint rally of SP-BSP-RLP alliance in Badaun, said. Mayawati also thanked chief minister Adityanath Yogi for discovering the cast of Lord Hanuman. It is an honour for us that Yogiji gave us this important information (that Hanumanji is a Dalit). Ab Ali bhi humare hain aur Bajrang Bali bhi (now we have both Ali and Bajrang Bali on our side.) People of Bajrang Balis caste (Dalit) had already shunned BJP and Congress and their (Muslims and Dalits) coming together will bring good results for the alliance, she said. Recently Yogi stirred a controversy with his statement Agar Congress, SP, BSP ko Ali par vishwas hai toh hume Bajrang Bali par vishwas hai (If Congress, SP, BSP have faith in Ali, we have faith in Bajrang Bali). Maya also appealed to Muslims not to fall in the traps of BJP and Congress. Ever since Independence, nothing much has changed for Muslims in the country. Successive governments (at the centre) did nothing for their welfare and upliftment and even did not implement the recommendations of the Sachar Committee. So, it is my appeal to you not to fall in their traps and vote for the alliance, she said. Mayawati accused the BJP for doing caste-based politics. Modi made Achhe Din promises to the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, Muslims, farmers and others but not even one fourth of his promises were fulfilled. Now he has come up with a new `jumla of chawkidar, she said. As the people showed the exit door to Congress because of its poor polices, BJP is also going to lose this elections because of its jumlebaazi and false promises, she said. This time, the coalition is going to give a new PM to the country. You should vote for the coalition to get rid of dictatorship in the interest of the country, she said. Hitting out at the governments recent decision of 10 per cent reservation to the poor of the general category, Maya said this is not going to help anyone. Besides, a conspiracy is also been hatched to end reservation of SC and ST people, she alleged. Speaking at the rally, SP president Akhilesh Yadav said the poor, the farmers and the youths were not going to forgive Modi for his false promises. No one is happy with this government -- the poor, farmers, youths, everyone is feeling cheated. It is time to snatch away the chowki (post) of the chawkidar and teach him a lesson, Yadav said. Last time Modi came as a chai wallah and this time he has come as chawkidar. However, he does not know that the people have recognized him and his jumlas, and will be voting the alliance to power, Yadav added. The leaders were in Badaun to campaign for alliance candidate from Aonla (Ruchiveera), Badaun (sitting MP Dharmendra Kashyap) and Etah (Devendra Yadav). Chandrababu Naidus Telugu Desam Party and the Election Commission are involved in a war of words over performance of electronic voting machines in the Andhra Pradesh assembly polls. The poll panel wrote a letter to TDP on Saturday evening, hours after the Andhra CM met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, asking how a person involved in the alleged theft of EVM machines could be a part of Naidus delegation. The TDP replied that there was no chargesheet filed against the leader and the poll panel was trying to avoid addressing the situation. Chandrababu Naidu, Arvind Kejriwal and other opposition leaders are expected to meet in Delhi on Sunday to discuss about transparency in elections and faulty EVMs. Also read: Revert to ballots: Chandrababu Naidu to EC two days after Andhra polls In its letter, the Election Commission said that Chandrababu Naidu was accompanied by Hari Prasad who is accused of EVM theft. The poll panel said it completely intriguing how Prasad was allowed to be part of the delegation. It turned out that Hari Prasad was involved in a criminal case regarding alleged theft of EVM machine in 2010 ON which an FIR was filed...Whatever maybe the eventual outcome of the investigation, it would be appreciated that such antecedents do not inspire confidence, the letter said. During his meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner on Saturday, He demanded that the Election Commission should revert to the system of recording votes through ballot papers and stop the use of electronic voting machines in polls. He said there are doubts regarding reliability of the EVMs. Pension to famers and small businessmen will boost their self esteem: PM Modi As of our manifesto, we have promised pension to every small farmer and shopkeeper. The scheme will make sure these traders and farmers are not dependent on anyone for their financial needs. The scheme will boost their self esteem: PM Modi in Uttar Pradeshs Moradabad PM Modi questions SP-BSP alliance Mayawati has joined hands with people who once used to threaten to give her same treatment what Saddam Hussain got in his last days. Same goes with Akhilesh, he was gone so low for politics that he forgot Mayawati suggested treatment at Mental centre for Mulayam Singh: PM Modi in Uttar Pradesh I am Gaali proof now: PM Modi Mayawati and Akhilesh have been abusing me, but abuses have been hurdled at me for over two decades now. I am Gaali proof now: PM Modi in Uttar Pradesh SP-BSP lack vision for development: PM Modi SP-BSP has not yet showcased their vision for a better nation, they do not even have a vision for a better India, how will they take India towards development without the vision: PM Modi in Uttar Pradeshs Moradabad PM Modi appreciates NDAs foreign policy Foreign policies of NDA government helped India to get new allies, whole was standing with us when we decided to launch surgical strikes on Terrorism: PM Modi in Moradabad Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses poll rally in Moradabad Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses poll rally in Uttar Pradeshs Moradabad Government companies to purchase 25% requirements from Cottage industries: PM Modi We have decided that government companies will purchase 25 percent from cottage industry run by small businessmen of the country. GM scheme promises to purchase from small make without broker: PM Modi in Aligarh PM is accountable for bad then he must be credited for good also: PM Modi in Aligarh If in case there was any casualty in surgical strikes or air strikes, then who would have been responsible? I knew I am accountable if there is any harm to our soldiers, but the opposition cannot give credits to us for good work: PM Modi in Aligarh People who are not contesting on even 40 seats, dream to be PM: PM Modi in Aligarh Taking a jibe on SP-BSP alliance, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred them as people who are not contesting on 40 seats but dream of becoming Prime Minister. SP-BSP has miscalculated the election maths: PM Modi SP-BSP has miscalculated the election maths, after elections the alliance will be forced to shut their shops and buy locks from Aligarh: PM Modi in Aligarh PM Modi without naming blames SP-BSP for western UP riots Prime Minister Narendra Modi reminds Muzaffarnagar riot in Aligarh, without naming blames SP-BSP for the riot. Due to Ambedkars efforts, a chaiwala is PM now, says Modi It is the blessings of Baba Saheb Ambedkar that a chai is PM today : Prime Minister Narendra Modi in UPs Aligarh Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses poll rally in Uttar Pradeshs Aligarh PM Modi addresses poll rally in Uttar Pradeshs Aligarh. Opposition to demand count of at least 50% paper trail of VVPAT in Supreme Court Abhishek Singhvi, Congress: Names of Lakhs of voters are deleted online without physical verification. There is a long list the parties have given to EC. It has become even more necessary to count at least 50% of the paper trail of VVPAT. We will demand the same in Supreme Court. Abhishek Singhvi, Congress: Names of Lakhs of voters are deleted online without physical verification. There is a long list the parties have given to EC. It has become even more necessary to count at least 50% of the paper trail of VVPAT. We will demand the same in Supreme Court. pic.twitter.com/8afjSxBqOc ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 Congress attacks claims fault in EVMs Abhishek Singhvi, Congress, at Oppositions press conference: Questions were raised after the 1st phase of election,we dont think EC is paying adequate attention. If you press the button before X Party,vote goes to Y party. VVPAT displays only for 3 seconds, instead of 7 seconds, reports ANI. Abhishek Singhvi, Congress, at Opposition's press conference: Questions were raised after the 1st phase of election,we don't think EC is paying adequate attention. If you press the button before X Party,vote goes to Y party. VVPAT displays only for 3 seconds, instead of 7 seconds pic.twitter.com/78qLE0QlZ7 ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 Priyanka Gandhi attacks PM Modi from Assam PM Modi toured the world over, but did not spend even minutes with any family in Varanasi in five years: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Assam. Priyanka Gandhi holds road show in Assam Assam: Congress General Secretary for eastern UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra campaigns for partys MP candidate from Silchar parliamentary constituency Sushmita Dev, reports news agency ANI. Assam: Congress General Secretary for eastern UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra campaigns for party's MP candidate from Silchar parliamentary constituency Sushmita Dev. pic.twitter.com/aZwB0sQHe1 ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 Names of 25 lakh voters got deleted, all EC did was apologise: Chandrababu Naidu 25 lakh voters got their names deleted from the voters list, but all Election Commission did was apologise. The demands to go back to ballot papers are not new, EC must pay attention to them: Chandrababu Naidu Many nations returned to ballots papers, we must also: Chandrababu Naidu Many nations have returned back to paper trials even after adopting EVMs then why cannot we go back to ballot papers: Chandrababu Naidu at opposition leaders meet Paper trail indispensable for EVMs: Chandrababu Naidu after opposition meet Opposition leaders meet in Delhi, raise doubts over faulty EVMs . Chandrababu Naidu says only paper trail can restore peoples believe in the voting process. Mehbooba Mufti counters PM Modis nepotism remark Why does PM bash political families pre elections & then sends his envoys to stitch alliances with the very same parties? NC in 99 & PDP in 2015. Why do they choose power over Article 370 then ? BJP with its noxious agenda of banishing Muslims & minorities wants to divide India: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti tweeted. Why does PM bash political families pre elections & then sends his envoys to stitch alliances with the very same parties? NC in 99 & PDP in 2015. Why do they choose power over Article 370 then ? BJP with its noxious agenda of banishing Muslims & minorities wants to divide India https://t.co/8vNDz6WmjJ Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) April 14, 2019 NDA government brought better infrastructure in J&K: PM Modi NDA government has brought AIIMS, engineering colleges and better infrastructure for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who were waiting for these facilities for over 60 years: PM Modi in J&Ks Kathua NYAY scheme a big bluff: PM Modi NYAY scheme a bluff, Congress cannot deliver justice to the Kashmiri Pandits or the victims of 1984 sikh riots: PM Modi Congress after Mahatma Gandhi a different Congress: PM Modi Congress after Mahatma Gandhi is a different Congress, they are contaminated now. They want to remove armed forces from the Kashmir. Congress wants to sit and talk with the terrorists, we will not tolerate all this: PM Modi J&K exploited by Mufti and Abdullah families: PM Modi in J&Ks Kathua Jammu and Kashmir has been exploited by the families of Mufti and Abdullah, these two families have brought Kashmir to such bad shape. I challenge them to bring their entire family in the polls, BJP will defeat all of them for the betterment of Kashmir: PM Modi End of nepotism in politics, is real tribute to Ambedkar: PM Modi Dr. BR Ambedkar had always believed that nepotism will bring problems for the country, he wanted to bring down the nepotism so every Indian can achieve heights in new fields: PM Modi Earlier Pak issued fake warning, now leaders of J&K are issuing: PM Modi Earlier Pakistan used to issue warning of Nuclear weapon, now leaders of J&K have been issuing warning of two Prime Ministers in India but they dont know, like we debunked the fake warnings of Pakistan, we will do it with the warning of these leaders: PM Modi Congress believe Armed forces are medium to earn money: PM Modi Congress has seen Armed forces as a medium to earn money, they always keep an eye on the defence deals : PM Modi Congress has always doubted valour of Armed Forces: PM Modi Every Indian feels pride when we talk about Surgical strikes and air strikes, but opposition, especially Congress has some problems with these words. Congress have doubts on the valour of our Armed forces. This is why they never allowed Armed forces to take strong steps against Terrorists: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi targets Amarinder Singh for skipping Jallianwala Bagh event Vice President who is not affiliated to any political party, but he went to Jallianwala Bagh to pay homage to martyr, but the Congress Chief Minister Amrinder Singh skipped the event for political reason: PM Modi Stronger wave for BJP in 2019, than 2014: PM Modi Wave in 2019 is stronger than 2014, BJP will get triple seats than Congress: PM Modi in J&K Heavy voter turnout reply to those who support Pakistan: PM Modi IN the first phase of elections people have turned in huge numbers to cast their votes, this proves that people of India have given apt reply to the alliance and those who side with Pakistan: PM Modi PM Modi addresses poll rally in J&K Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses public meeting in Kathua, Jammu & Kashmir. Priyanka Gandhi campaigning in Silchar will make our win easier: Cong general secretary Priyanka Gandhi coming and campaigning in Silchar will make our win easier, said Abhijit Pal, general secretary, Congress, Cachar district committee. Amid the uncertainty over an alliance with the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal Sunday said his party will do anything to save the country from Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. The AAP supremo was addressing a press conference here after a meeting of opposition parties to discuss the issue of EVM malfunctioning in the ongoing parliamentary election. ALSO READ: Lok Sabha elections 2019: Congress still ready for alliance if AAP sticks to Delhi The country is in danger. We will do anything to save it. Our effort to save the country from Narendra Modi and Amit Shah will continue, Kejriwal said. Congress leaders and senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who were also present on the occasion, however, dodged questions on an alliance with the AAP and threw the ball in Kejriwals court saying, He knows better. You ask him about the alliance. He knows better than us, Sibal said, even as Congress leader and senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, You know the stand of Congress. The alliance was almost done in Delhi but linking it with other states is not right. The uncertainty over an alliance between the AAP and the Congress has been continuing for some time now. The talks between the two sides derailed after they failed to reach an agreement over seat-sharing in Delhi and Haryana. Congress in-charge for Delhi P C Chacko had said on Friday that the Congress would go it alone in Delhi since the AAP had taken an impractical stand. AAP leader and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia although said Saturday that his party was ready to form an alliance with the Congress in Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh but it would not agree for a tie-up just in the national capital. Leaders from 23 opposition parties announced on Sunday they will approach the Supreme Court to demand a minimum of 50% of votes cast in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections be verified with a paper trail, ratcheting up criticism of electronic voting machines (EVM) just three days after polling began. Representatives of the Congress, the Telugu Desam Party, Samajwadi Party, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Left parties, among others, said in Delhi that a large number of EVMs had malfunctioned during the first phase of polling on April 11, and that to restore the credibility of the electoral system, at least half the votes cast had to be checked with the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system. We are going to politely seek politically in the country through a campaign and legally in the court that at least a 50% sample check is of vital importance. Otherwise a serious question mark arises on the process, said senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, adding that the top court had in principle accepted the Oppositions argument. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called it an absurd excuse, and said the opposition parties were involved in self deception. Under VVPAT, a paper slip is generated showing the serial number, name and symbol of the candidate a voter has chosen, and displayed through a transparent screen for seven seconds before getting cut and deposited in a box. In a ruling last Monday, the Supreme Court asked the Election Commission (EC) to increase random matching of EVMs to VVPAT slips from one to five in a constituency. The decision had come on a petition by leaders from 21 opposition parties that had demanded 50% VVPAT verification. Questions were raised after the first phase of elections, we dont think the EC is paying adequate attention. If you press the button before X party, vote goes to Y party. VVPAT displays only for 3 seconds, instead of 7 seconds, Singhvi said. Currently, a five-member team, including the returning officer, selects the EVMs where the vote count will be matched with paper slips. The EC did not immediately respond. The EC has come under heavy political fire from opposition parties since the end of the first phase last Thursday, especially from Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, whose Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is fighting to retain control of Andhra Pradesh, the state with the largest chunk of Lok Sabha seats in the first phase. The state is also holding simultaneous assembly elections. Naidu claimed that 25% to 30% of the EVMs malfunctioned during the first half of the day, which led to polling going on till the early morning hours of Friday in some booths. Is this democracy? Naidu asked. On the day of voting, several people had taken to social media saying they were unable to vote because of EVM malfunction or because their names had allegedly been deleted from the voter rolls. Naidu said that the opposition parties would go for a fresh petition or a review petition. He said the results should be announced after counting 50 % of VVPAT. Why are the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] and its allies opposing the decision? They have to answer now. Why is the election commission not acting impartially? Ultimately, We are left with the court. Again, we will appeal to the court. We will ask the Supreme Court to do justice, to save democracy, Naidu said. The BJP dismissed these concerns and asked if EVMs were inaccurate then how the Congress won recent elections in the Hindi heartland. It is a very convenient excuse to blame it on the machine. Now there is a paper record in addition to electronic record which gives confidence to the voting process. These parties are indulging in collective self-deception. They have a problem only when they are losing. In the just concluded Andhra Pradesh elections, nearly 3 crore people voted and no one complained that the paper trail was not working properly. These attempts at questioning the voting process are just bogus attempts to find excuses, said BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao. To be sure, in a press conference the night of April 11, the poll watchdog had said the percentage of EVM units replaced was 0.73 %, the percentage of EVM control units replaced was 0.61% and the percentage of VVPATs replaced was 1.70%. In the Supreme Court, the EC had said that increasing the number of VVPATs would increase the role of manual counting, thereby leading to errors, and that it would lead to a logistical delay in counting and declaring the results. If you can see your cell phones, every six months you change it because the technology is changing. But here, for the last so many years, the same EVMs [have been used], added Naidu. We are raising doubts about the EVMs. The confidence of the voter can only be restored through paper trail machines. He met chief election commissioner Sunil Arora on Saturday but indicated that the meeting did not yield a resolution. EVMs were first used for a nationwide election in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls. In a letter to the TDPs legal cell on Saturday after the meeting, the EC said it did not find appropriate to interact with the one of the technical experts the TDP team presented Hari Prasad who the poll watchdog said was involved in a criminal case regarding alleged theft of EVM machine in 2010. The EC further said that any other expert in the field was free to interact on Monday. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party accused the EC of not paying heed to the complaints of EVM manipulation. The machines are not faulty but they are programmed like that. When they are detected, it is said the machine was faulty. It cannot be that every time a machine was found faulty, the votes invariably go to BJP. I am an engineer, understand technology. Have you ever seen TVs or refrigerators developing faults on such a scale? Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said EVMs could be manipulated and it could even be demonstrated. We will need a machine for it, he said. The government and the EC have both denied that EVMs can be hacked, and the poll watchdog even held a so-called hackathon in 2017. Naidu also accused the EC of inaccuracies in its affidavit to the apex court, and pointed out that a number of developed countries such as Germany and the Netherlands had gone back to paper ballots. They are saying [it will take] six days to count an assembly segment. Is it fair? We were in paper ballot. It used to take 12 hours to 18 hours, or maximum 24 hours. I contested first election in 1978, only paper ballots. It is very simple also. It is a simple slip, at the top name of the candidate and symbol. You want to segregate, it is not much time. You can also count at the same time, it is very easy. Fifty six-year-old TTV Dhinakaran is the big disruptor in Tamil politics that had for long settled into the easy rhythm of a two-party system. Dhinakaran, a nephew of VK Sasikala, the longtime aide of late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, can potentially help the opposition alliance led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) with not only a big slice of the 39 Lok Sabha (LS) seats, but also the chance to form a new government in the state. In the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) family-feud post Jayalalithaas death, Dhinakaran and Sasikala, who is currently serving a jail sentence, were ejected. Court rulings confirmed the Election Commissions decision to allot the AIADMKs two leaves symbol to the faction led by chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami (known as EPS) and his deputy, O Panneerselvam (known as OPS). Now, with his new outfit Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) and his own poll symbol of a gift box, the EPS-OPS-led AIADMK government is in Dhinakarans crosshairs. If he can restrict the AIADMK to less than eight seats in the 22 assembly bypolls to be held alongside the LS elections on April 18, a change in the state government would be inevitable. Thevar power Dhinakaran is a Thevar, one of Tamil Nadus most influential backward classes, that is numerically concentrated in the central, eastern (the Cauvery delta) and southern parts of the state. If Dhinakaran can prise away about 10% of AIADMK votes in these parts, it would make life easy for the DMK-led alliance. If he makes a bigger dent across the state, the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance could face a rout. The AIADMK under both founder MG Ramachandran and successor Jayalalithaa had assiduously cultivated the Thevar vote bank. Of the 36 assembly seats dominated by Thevars in the southern districts of Madurai, Theni, Dindugal, Sivaganga, Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram, the AIADMK won 23 in 2016. OPS, also a Thevar, was trusted by Jayalalithaa enough to be appointed chief minister twice when she had to step down on account of court convictions in corruption cases. Short and doughy, Dhinakaran has made Chinese-collar shirts and rimless glasses his trademark attire. In campaign meetings, he employs the wry Cauvery delta humour he absorbed growing up in the town of Tiruthuraipoondi. Dhinakarans unflappable manner in the face of questions about the ongoing cases against him and the many income tax raids has earned him many young admirers. At a roadside rally in Periyakulam in Theni district, where OPS son Raveendranath Kumar is the AIADMK LS contestant, Dhinakaran likens the current AIADMK to a party run by evil Duryodhanas. Arent these leaders, who once prostrated before Amma and Chinnamma [Sasikala] , ashamed to call {Prime Minister Narendra} Modi their daddy? he asks. Meanwhile, a couple of party workers request him to name their new born girls, a long-standing tradition among Dravidian party workers. Name them after Amma and Chinnamma, he declares to even louder cheers. A bitter harvest The 2019 election campaign has been wrenching for AIADMK workers. For the older generation, its deja vu. They are reminded of the 1989 mid-term assembly elections in the aftermath of party founder MG Ramachandrans (MGR) death, when the party had split. His political aide J Jayalalithaa and widow Janaki both staked a claim to MGRs political legacy. While Jayalalithaa eventually prevailed, the battle was bruising. For the younger lot, primed to fight arch foes DMK, squaring up against members of Dhinakarans party, who till recently were colleagues, or happen to be relatives, puts them in a quandary. Tamil Selvan, 52, of Thanjavur has been a loyal AIADMK man since the party was formed. Besides running a small legal documentation business near the Thanjavur district court campus, he doubled as the AIADMK-owned Jaya TVs bureau chief until 2017. I cant tell you how painful the split has been. Contestants from both AIADMK and AMMK are my close friends. I cant bear to see those who were fellow party men till yesterday, trading abuses and helping DMK in the process, he says. He thinks Dhinakarans chances of sinking the mothership, despite his party symbol being relatively new, are rather bright. Selvakumar, 30, who runs a juice shop next to OPS tea shop in Periyakulam, comes from a family of AIADMK workers. He is also a party youth wing head of a ward. His elder brother has defected to the Dhinakaran faction. Yesterday, seeing the scale of Dhinakarans meeting here, I was envious of my brother. I wish we were on the same side. Perhaps, a change will be for the better. Leaders like OPS have fattened themselves but done nothing for the people. When Dhinakaran was the MP from Periyakulam between 1999 and 2004, he was proactive. You can still see his name on the plaques of many of the public works, he says. Years of poor rainfall and lack of new irrigation projects have hit the local economy, based almost entirely on agriculture. If I hadnt quit agriculture, I wouldnt be leading a happy life, says SV Rajaram, the head of Theni district Naidu Association. The Naidus form a sizable Telugu-speaking minority in the region. Rajaram is happy to leave his 60-acre holding fallow and says he has made a profitable switch to real estate and money-lending. The dissatisfaction with OPS notwithstanding, Theni district and adjoining regions are traditional AIADMK bastions. Affection for DMK is hard to find. After all, both MGR and Jayalalithaa represented the Andipatti assembly constituency in the district. In Jakkampatti, a weaving hamlet nearby famous for its sarees, women rendered jobless due to power looms closing down, have a new source of income during election season. Given Andipattis symbolic significance, all parties are keen to stage a show of might here. The going rate for attending political roadshows that occur every second day is Rs 300. But we will only vote two-leaves [AIADMKs symbol], says shop owner Pandiyan, 48. Cash and carry Besides his caste cachet, Dhinakarans opponents fear his ability to splash the cash. In the high profile bypoll for the RK Nagar assembly in north Chennai in 2017, after the death of incumbent MLA Jayalalithaa, Dhinakaran won by a huge margin. He defeated his AIADMK rival by over 40,000 votes; the DMK candidate lost his deposit. His opponents attributed the victory to his offering cash and other inducements to RK Nagar voters. In Tamil Nadu, Dhinakaran has become synonymous with the votes-for-cash strategy. That charge makes his supporters prickly. Muthukumar, an AMMK leader in Thanjavur unleashes a volley of invectives at the media, especially English-language outlets. You only make jokes about our party symbol [gift box] and deliberately erase the huge crowds at his meeting from your photographs. We will soon teach you a lesson, he rages. According to Dhinakaran loyalists, the many IT raids and Enforcement Directorate investigations into his finances have made it hard for him to deploy money power. Despite being a direct beneficiary of Dhinakarans dissent, the DMK in the Cauvery delta and southern districts seems unnerved by his growing popularity. The party fears he could eat into some of its own votes, especially Muslims whose numbers are significant here his only ally in the elections is the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), a Muslim outfit. Tiruvarur assembly seat, one of the 22 seats seeing bypolls, was vacated by the death of DMK chief M Karunanidhi, and DMK supporters claim that Dhinakarans party is PM Narendra Modis sleeper cell. For Dhinakaran, the best measure of success may not lie in the number of seats he can win but his capacity to give the AIADMK a bloody nose. And then, when the assembly elections arrive in 2021, Chinnamma would be back from the Bengaluru prison. Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who quit BJP to fight from Patna Sahib on a Congress ticket, Saturday scoffed at the saffron partys claim that the seat has been its stronghold and said he would have loved to fight Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the seat. Let them (BJP) live in fools paradise ... Voters of Patna Sahib will teach them a lesson, Sinha, popularly known as Bihari Babu, said. He cited the victories of Congress and RJD nominees in the past from the prestigious Bihar seat, from where he is seeking re-election for the third straight time, to deride BJPs claim. There was news in some quarters that Modi himself will enter the fray from Patna Sahib on a second seat in addition to Varansi ... What happened?...I would have loved to take on him on the seat, Sinha, also known as Shotgun told PTI. Sinha, a Modi baiter, will take on Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, a four-term Rajya Sabha member fielded by BJP, in the Patna Sahib seat. This will be the first time that Prasad will be contesting in a Lok Sabha election. Sinha himself has served two terms in the Rajya Sabha previously and had been a member of the union council of ministers headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Also read: Congress fields Shatrughan Sinha from Patna Sahib hours after he joins party The flamboyant MP brushed off Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modis recent statement that even American President Donald Trump if he were to contest from Patna Sahib would lose to BJP. All these are said in frustration to keep Modi and Amit Shah in good humour while hiding the situation prevailing on the ground. Without naming Sushil Modi, the actor-politician said instead of fielding a person (Prasad) who cannot even win the municipal corporation election he himself (Sushil Modi) should have crossed swords with me. The Bollywood actor, who was inspired by Loknayak Jayprakash Narayan to join politics and was introduced to BJP in the mid-80s by Nanaji Deshmukh, joined Congress last week after fight with the present leadership of the saffron party over being sidelined since the 2015 Bihar assembly polls. On his arrival here Friday on his first tour of his Lok Sabha constituency after joining Congress, Sinha was given a rousing welcome at the state party headquarters at Sadaqat Ashram and he expressed confidence that he will retain the seat for a third time with a record margin. Fighting on a BJP ticket, he had trounced famous Bhojpuri actor Kunal, who was fielded by Congress from the seat, in 2014. In the 2009 Lok Sabha he had defeated fellow Bollywood colleague and Congress candidate Sekhar Suman. Also read: Honble outgoing Sirji: Shatrughan Sinhas latest jibe at PM Modi Elaborating on his contention that non-BJP leaders had won the Patna Sahib seat as well in the past, he mentioned Ramkripal Yadav, a former RJD leader who had defeated the BJP nominee. Yadav is now in BJP and in the fray from neighbouring Patliputra seat. He also recounted the win by C P Thakur on a Congress ticket from the seat, that comprise the capital city of Patna and stretches to Patna Sahib, the birth place of Guru Nanak. Even CPI leader Ramavatar Shastri had won from the Patna seat, before its bifurcation into Patna Sahib and Patliputra in 2009, thrice in the past, Sinha said. Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat has six assembly constituencies under it out of which five are held by BJP at present and a lone one by RJD. Sinha trashed allegations that he has been an absentee in the Patna Sahib consituency and never cared for people who had voted for him. Go and see my record ... I have spend 106 per cent from my MPLAD fund ... Its available on the net, he said. History sheeter Santosh Gopal Nair, who was arrested in Pune on Thursday for a bid to rob a jewellery store, owns a 44-room chawl in Andheris MIDC area. Located at Malpa Dongri, the chawl is named Sheela Nair, after his mother, said the police. Although Nair dropped out of school, his elder son studies at an engineering college in Pune, while his younger son studies at a junior college in the city. Nair started committing house break-ins and thefts at 16. He got into the habit as there were several jewellery shops behind his house, said police. After operating alone for a decade, Nair then formed a team of six people called Nair gang. Since then, he has been arrested in several cases, but continues to commit thefts after being let out. Akbar Pathan, deputy commissioner of police, said, He was arrested in several cases in Mumbai and Thane. In 2014, he was arrested after being caught red-handed robbing a jewellery shop in Jogeshwari. However, he got out on bail and continued committing thefts. Explaining his modus operandi, a crime branch official said, After committing thefts, Nair would leave the city for a few months. He would rent homes in cities such as Pune, Solapur, Alibaug and Palghar to evade arrest. Sometimes, he went to his native place in Kerala. On Thursday, he was arrested from Pune for allegedly trying to loot a jewellery shop in Dahisar on March 8, 2004. While police had managed to arrest four of his aides and seize their weapons, Nair had fled the spot. According to police, the habitual offender has been booked in 131 cases so far, including 79 at MIDC police station, 11 at Andheri police station, nine at Dahisar station, seven at Goregaon station and two at Oshiwara station. Nair has also been booked by crime branch units 10 and 12 in multiple cases. With monsoon still a couple of months away, the dwindling water stock in drought-hit Marathwada has set alarm bells ringing. The region has only 5.5% water stock left in its reservoirs, with many of them, including the biggest Jayakwadi Dam, having dried up. The state government in October had declared drought in 151 tehsils spread across 26 districts of Maharashtra, after less than average rainfall last year. The eight districts of Marathwada, which mostly comprise agricultural land, were among the worst hit. The nine major reservoirs Paithan (Jayakwadi), Manjara, Majalgaon, Yeldari, Siddeshwar, Lower Manar, Lower Terna, Lower Dudhana and Sina Kolegaon in Marathwada have just 0.7% water stock left (dead water stock that cant be used). Of the nine, only Lower Manar in Nan-ded has 20.63% water stock left. In April last year, these reservoirs had more than 40% water stock left. The region also has 81 medium and 838 minor reservoirs, which have 10.27% and 10.21% water stock left respectively. The situation is expected to worsen, as with rising temperatures, evaporation of water is set to increase. The state has now deployed around 2,185 tankers every day to supply drinking water to the affected villages in the region. We are facing severe water scarcity this year owing to less rainfall. The state has given powers to all district collectors to take decisions at their level in order to deal with the crisis. We do not want people to suffer owing to a delay in decision-making, said Girish Mahajan, state water resources minister. The state has allowed to deploy water tankers in any number to provide relief to people. We have also adopted temporary water supply schemes.... Officials said Aurangabad, Beed and Jalna are the worst-affected districts in the region. The last round of rainfall registered in the district (Aurangabad) was in August. We received only 53% rainfall last year. In 2017, it [rainfall] was just 62%, so the situation in Aurangabad is worse compared to other districts, said a senior official from the Aurangabad district collectorate, which has adopted around 25 temporary water supply schemes. Currently, 924 tankers have been deployed to supply water to 625 villages in the district and the number is set to increase. We are struggling to get water for the tankers and have to request other districts to allow us to use water from their reservoirs. For instance, we are getting water from the Gangapur reservoir at Vaijapur of Nashik district, said Ashok Ghuge, executive engineer, water supply department, Aurangabad Zilla Parishad. The 9th World Marathi Sahitya Sammelan will be held at Angkor Wat, Cambodia, from August 25 to 29. The theme for this years marathi literary meet is archaeology. Organised by World Marathi Parishad, 250 people have already registered for it. The reason for choosing Angkor Wat is that there is lot of Hindu philosophy in the temples. Many such temples built in the 12th and 13th centuries hold stories about how a Hindu King Surya Varman built these temples, said Nilesh Gaikwad, president, World Marathi Parishad in a press conference. This meet will be held in collaboration with Shivsangh Pratishthan. Earlier meets have been held in Andaman, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Mauritius, Bhutan, Bali and Dubai. The idea is to connect with Maharashtrians across the global, and open the world of Marathi literature to the people, said Gaikwad. A US Congressional panel has set a new deadline for the federal income tax department for turning over President Donald Trumps income tax returns for the last six years after it missed the last one and the tussle could possibly reach the Supreme Court. The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) has failed to provide the requested return and return information despite an unambiguous legal obligation to do so, Richard E Neal, head of the Democratic-led House committee on ways and means, wrote in a letter to the IRS commissioner Saturday. I expect a reply from the IRS by 5:00 p.m. on April 23, 2019. Please know that, if you fail to comply, your failure will be interpreted as a denial of my request. The revenue department, which reports to the US treasury, is in no mood to comply, taking the lead from the White House which has unequivocally said it will never allow for the Presidents tax returns to be turned over to congress No, never, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney has said. Trump also addressed the issue in an exchange with reporters. He denied he is required to hand over his tax returns by law. And claimed he would have released them if he was not under audit and that he is currently under audit. This has been his excuse since the time he jumped in the presidential race in 2016, for breaking with a decades-long tradition of US presidents and nominees releasing their tax returns. The Democratic-led House of Representatives is determined, however, to bring the President, his family and his businesses under more scrutiny. The judiciary panel, for instance, has launched a sweeping probe of the president for alleged abuse of power, corruption and obstruction of justice. They have now sought his tax returns. With the administration determined to deny the request, experts say only courts can now resolve the issue. And it will not be easy for them either, as provisions cited by the House panel for seeking the returns have rarely been contested before. It's rare that the outcome of any country's local government elections is so eagerly awaited at global level. But this is just what happened on March 31, when Turkish citizens voted to elect their municipal representatives. The hotly contested results from the polls are still being debated on TV and at local election tribunals. But the bigger picture is emerging: Cracks have appeared in the armor of the once-invincible leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) competed under the banner of the People's Alliance and won more than 52% of votes, with the AKP getting about 44%. The Nation Alliance of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the IYI Party came in second. Indicative results showed that opposition candidates pocketed the key mayoral slots in the capital Ankara and are leading in Istanbul, the largest city and economic hub. The opposition alliance has also maintained a hold on the third-largest city of Izmir, which was already ruled by the CHP. At the same time, the margin of victory in Istanbul is slim, at 0.5%, and a recount and appeal process is in progress. The loss of Istanbul would indeed be painful for Erdogan, as it has served as his bastion. He used his performance as former mayor of the city to catapult himself to the national level and eventually climb to the top. The AKP and its predecessor have controlled Istanbul since mid-1994. The loss of Ankara is also a blow for the AKP, which has won every election in the capital since 2002. The two largest urban centers provided the platform for religious right to transform the secular political landscape in favor of Erdogan and the AKP. The polls show that the Turkish people might be fed up with the "strongman syndrome" that has become a dominant phenomenon in global politics, as several countries in the recent past have opted to side with strong national leaders. Most of these leaders use nationalistic and religious sentiments to bend opinion in their favor. Populism provides a crest to ride the domestic political storm, create an aura of heroism and rule by drawing on history and silencing opposition. In case of Turkey, after coming to power, Erdogan mixed the glorious past with economic growth to cement his position. In the process, he also slowly chipped away at the traditional power of the military establishment to strengthen his base. Fearing the tilting balance of power, the military decided to take it back, reaching a climax in 2016 when disgruntled soldiers and officers tried to pack up democracy by force. Instead of leaving the ground, Erdogan faced the challenge of the coup-makers. The response from his supporters was tremendous and the president won. Erdogan saved democracy and the country from sliding backwards. But he fell out with U.S. when he blamed an Islamic preacher living in the States for the coup and demanded his extradition. Mutual ties were further strained due to disagreements over Syria and Turkey's decision to buy the S-400 defense system from Russia. Lately, the president has come under fresh pressure due to the economy taking a dive, shaking people's confidence in the prowess of their leader of the last 16 years. It is immaterial that the alliance led by AKP still won the majority; the main takeaway is that the opposition polled more votes than before. Erdogan was not directly contesting, but he led the campaign. That is why the election results are being judged by the votes polled against parties led by Erdogan. Though Erdogan is seen as a tough politician who has weathered several storms, it would be quite a feat at this point to revive his fortune and win back the confidence of voters who stood by the opposition parties. Local elections may not be the most accurate yardstick to measure the popularity of a national leader, but still, the outcome should be taken as warning to Erdogan that he needs to rebuild the economy in order to remain relevant by 2023. There is one more dimension of these elections. Despite divisive campaigns and complaints lodged against the results, the polls were by and large fair and credible. Turkey has come out stronger, and has shown that the stability of institutions matter to them as a nation. Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. Flash Portugal has expressed willingness to host up to 10 of the 64 migrants stranded in the Mediterranean Sea, the Portuguese Ministry of Internal Administration said on Saturday. On the sideline of the fifth Portugal-Cape Verde Summit here on Saturday, Portuguese Minister of Internal Administration Eduardo Cabrita told reporters that his country has been active in finding a solution to the migration issue facing the EU countries. "This is another participation of Portugal in an 'ad hoc' solution for drifting vessels in the Mediterranean. Portugal once again participates in what we have called coalitions of goodwill, in this case with Germany, France and Luxembourg," he said. Cabrita recalled that, since last summer, "the Portuguese position has been to participate in all these exceptional situations." "This has marked our approach to the issue of migration, but always saying that this is not the way to solve this situation," he said, adding that Portugal believes that a "permanent solution at European level" is needed in articulation with the European Commission. The minister said that the procedure previously used will be repeated and the 10 migrants will arrive in Portugal "within two weeks to a month". The Ministry of Internal Administration said in a statement earlier on Saturday that it had already conveyed this intention to the government of Malta, following the cooperation agreement reached between Portugal, Germany, France and Luxembourg, with the coordination of the European Commission. Portugal is "taking on its commitment to solidarity and European cooperation in the field of migration by actively participating in all reception processes," said the statement. The Portuguese government "continues to defend an integrated, stable and permanent European solution to meet the migratory challenge," the statement said. European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos, on twitter, welcomed the agreement reached by Portugal, Germany, France and Luxembourg to host the 64 migrants. The ship, belonging to the German Sea-Eye organization, had been "stuck" for several days in the Mediterranean, with no port to dock after both Italy and Malta refused to allow the entry of 64 migrants -- 50 men, 12 women and 2 children. Flash The militant Islamic State (IS) on Saturday claimed the attack on a vegetable and fruit market in Quetta in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, which left 20 people dead and 48 others injured. The militant group said in a statement that one of its members carried out the suicide attack, killing and injuring at least 70 Shiite community members and Pakistani troops. There was no official confirmation from the Pakistani side yet. Provincial Home Minister Mir Zia Ullah Langau told local media that at least 20 people, including a soldier of paramilitary troops Frontier Corps (FC) and two children, were killed while 48 others, including four FC personnel, got injured in Friday's attack. Deputy Inspector General of Quetta Police Abdul Razzaq Cheema said the blast targeted the Hazara community of minority Shiite Muslims, and at least eight people from Hazara community were among the killed. Shortly after the attack, the Hazara community members including women and children staged a sit-in which continued on Saturday, demanding better security measures from the government. The protesters demand that the government implement an effective security plan and ensure protection of the community. The Senate Standing Committee on Interior also sought a report from the Interior Ministry on the action taken so far against terrorists and banned outfits involved in Hazara killings. The committee voiced serious concern over the Quetta blast and continued killings of members of the Hazara community. Jeanette Shaw is director of quality and sustainability for Powers Brown Architecture, a 20-year-old firm that has designed projects ranging from one of the nations largest industrial buildings northwest of Houston to one of the citys newest high-rise condos with views of the Galleria and downtown. The Houston-based firm, founded by principal and Chief Executive Jeffrey Brown, played a key role in Daikin Industries Texas Technology Center, a single-story building with 4.3 million square feet under one roof. The building is occupied by Daikin division Goodman Manufacturings heating and cooling products business. Closer in, its sleek 34-story Arabella condo tower opened last year as a new landmark inside the West Loop 610 near the River Oaks District. It has offices in Washington, D.C., Denver and Canada. Shaw, a member of the Construction Quality Executives Council, which promotes quality in the construction industry, will present a lecture on quality programs for the AIA Conference on Architecture in Las Vegas in June. The Orange, Texas native and University of Houston graduate recently sat down with the Chronicle to discuss her work. Q: What does a director of quality and sustainability do? A: Im an architect and an interior designer, and at Powers Brown I manage our quality program. That includes developing our standards of how we draw, and what we draw. We have a training program for employees, sort of a mentorship program. We also check all of the drawing sets that our office produces globally. Part of our quality program is Building Information Modeling. I manage all the BIM strategies and how we use BIM to enhance quality. Q: What is Building Information Modeling? A: Its the way we draw now, which is drawing in 3-D. Everything is developed in three dimensions by all the architects and all the engineers. And then they take all those 3-D models and put them into one model, and then you can track conflicts before construction gets started. So you can see if theres a duct that goes through a beam, youve got to move a duct in that conflict. Q: That must also help in the field. A: It even gets more enhanced when a contractor knows how to use the BIM. Certain contractors are using BIM in the field with their tablets. It saves on rework and costs and helps with your schedules if everybodys using it the right way. Theres a design aspect of it as well. Were live-modeling in a meeting with a client, where you can animate it. Q: Your firm is known for office and industrial projects, but has also been involved in high-profile residential buildings. Are quality considerations the same for different types of projects? A: The way we run it is the same for any type of project, but each project is going to have its own challenges. A high-rise would have more complex considerations for quality than a shell industrial building. A shell industrial building is going to be very repetitive. The quality in that is more about standardizing the process. The quality on the high-rise is going to be more day-to-day involvement by senior staff in the training and reviewing details and reviewing coordination items. Q: What are the biggest mistakes you see? A: Its lack of experience most of the time when people make mistakes. Its not understanding construction sequencing and methods. Q: What are the most common conflicts that come up in a building design? A: The most common conflict generally deals with coordination between trades that would be structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing and how they mix with each other. But also details. Making sure the design is communicated to the contractor exactly how you want it built. Its You need a trim piece here because this material and this material are meeting. You have to explain it to them how you want it to look. The architects arent thinking 10 steps ahead about how they want it built. Q: What kinds of changes have you seen in construction methods? A: The best example I can think of is the way they do curtain wall now. Windows use to be built on site. Now they fabricate them in a shop and bring them on site. It helps control processes better. Theres been a lot of automation coming into play. Its been done in a shop, not in the field. Q: Why did you get into architecture? A: My dad was an engineer. I always enjoyed understanding how things went together, but I didnt have an engineer-only mind. Architecture looks at all of the facets of something. You get to see the engineering, you get to see the design and then you get to see how all of that melds together. That was more interesting to me than engineering. Q: What led you to this position? A: Like most people that graduate architecture school, I wanted to be a designer. I realized two or three months in that it was awful. There are not a lot of people that are talented enough to be designers. In college, I had four months to do my project. In the real world, design is on demand. In the real world, you get a call I need a design for my building and I need it Friday and youve got three days. Q: Whats the key message you want to get through at your presentation in Las Vegas? A: I want architects to know quality is one of the most important things our industry may be overlooking. Its understanding that quality is about how you get from A to B without a bunch of costs incurring to you and to the owner and to the contractor because your drawings are incomplete or inaccurate or just wrong. Thats really the challenge. A lot of people dont correlate that quality equals money to you as architect. katherine.feser@chron.com twitter.com/kfeser About noon most days, the Lieber Institute for Brain Developmentin East Baltimore gets a case - that is, a brain. It arrives in an inconspicuous red cooler. Almost immediately, resident neuropathologist Rahul Bharadwaj gets to work, carefully inspecting it for any abnormalities, such as tumors or lesions. Often, the brains come from the Maryland Medical Examiner's Office, just a 15-minute drive across town. On other days, they are flown in - packed on dry ice - from around the country. Since opening in 2011, the institute has amassed more than 3,000 of these post-mortem brains that they are studying to better understand the biological mechanisms behind such neuropsychiatric disorders as schizophrenia, major depression, substance abuse, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. About 100 brain banks exist across the country for all sorts of brain diseases. But Lieber, founded with the support and funding of a wealthy couple whose daughter suffered a psychotic break in her 20s, is the biggest collection dedicated specifically to mental conditions. Current therapies for neuropsychiatric disorders - antipsychotics and antidepressants - treat symptoms rather than the underlying cause of illness, which remains largely unknown. And while they can be lifesaving for certain people, they can cause unpleasant and sometimes serious side effects. In some cases, they won't work at all. Most of these drugs were also discovered by accident. Lieber's goal is to unravel what happens biologically in the brain to make these conditions occur and then to develop therapies to treat these conditions at their root cause, or even prevent them from happening in the first place. "Most of us have some of the variations in the human genome that are associated with psychiatric problems," says Daniel Weinberger, director and chief executive of the institute. More than 100 genetic variants have been identified as possibly related to schizophrenia, and about 30 variants have been linked to bipolar disorder. What's not known is how having one of these genetic variants or a group of them alters the structure and function of the brain - and why some people who harbor these variants don't develop mental illness while others do. Researchers think a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental risk factors changes the brain's chemistry in people with various neuropsychiatric disorders, causing imbalances in neurotransmitters, important chemicals that send messages to nerve cells in the brain. "Once we understand some of these genetic risk mechanisms, then we can start thinking about what molecular pathways seem to be perturbed," says Thomas Hyde, Lieber's chief medical officer. "The key is to find new therapeutics and then figure out which is the best target population for those therapeutics to work in." Lieber researchers first do a physical examination of the brains, then carefully slice them into sections that can be more easily studied. DNA, RNA and proteins are extracted and analyzed to identify genetic mutations and observe how genes are expressed in different cells. Using a technique called laser capture microdissection, they can isolate specific brain cells from a mixed population. Other experiments in the lab involve taking a sample of cells from the dura, the outer membrane that coats the brain, and reprogram them into stem cells, which can then be differentiated into neurons. Scientists want to observe whether neurons from brains with neuropsychiatric disorders act differently than ones from healthy brains. Through this research, the institute has identified what it believes is a handful of promising drug candidates, including one for traumatic brain injury and another for a rare form of autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder. Researchers hope these experimental drugs will move into human clinical trials within the next two years Most of the Lieber Institute's brains come from people who have died unexpectedly, often by suicide or drug overdose. After a physical examination of the brains, investigators interview family members and pore over medical records to make a post-mortem diagnosis, a process that can take three to six months after they get a brain. The morning hours leading up to a case are a flurry of activity. The institute gets a call from one of four partner medical examiner's offices - in Maryland, Michigan, North Dakota or Santa Clara County, California - after an autopsy has been performed at those sites. Medical examiners are tasked with investigating deaths that are suspicious or of public interest. They determine the cause of death and whether the case might be a good fit for the Lieber Institute. At that point, it's Hyde's job to contact next of kin and ask permission to use their loved one's brain for research. Hyde has a small window of time in which to get that consent - just one to three hours. But often, he's successful. More than 60 percent of family members asked agree to brain donation. "We try to be very sensitive and not too intrusive," Hyde says. "To me, it's remarkable that, given the sudden loss of a loved one, people are so generous with the tissue donations." The Lieber team needs that tissue to be as intact as possible to study it. And since tissue starts to degrade immediately after death, researchers try to obtain brains within 24 to 36 hours. Once a family consents, the brain is flash frozen on site and sent to the Lieber Institute, along with a few vials of the person's blood and a small piece of the dura. Once a brain arrives, it is ushered into a small, well-lit room and placed on a white marble slab for the dissection. Bharadwaj and research assistant Sam Allen don protective blue suits, blue shoe covers and plastic gloves to prevent any contamination. After examining a brain, Bharadwaj delicately cuts it into slices, to expose certain parts - such as the amygdala, the almond-shaped mass of neurons located deep in each hemisphere that serves as the brain's emotion-processing centers. Abnormal functioning of the amygdala has been found in some patients with depression, PTSD and phobias. Sometimes, brain abnormalities can be seen with the naked eye, but often, scientists need to look at smaller brain sections under a microscope to observe how brain cells and tissue might look different compared with healthy brains The slices are photographed and numbered so that researchers can reference them later. After that, Allen places the brains slices over dry ice, which freezes them quickly. They're then packaged in plastic zip-locked bags and sent to the basement of the building. There, the precious tissues are stored in industrial-sized freezers set at minus-80 degrees. Lieber not only boasts the biggest collection of brains with a confirmed diagnosis of PTSD, but it also has a collection of about 600 brains from African Americans with and without neuropsychiatric disorders - the largest such repository. Barbara Lipska, director of the Human Brain Collection Core at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Md., says it's important to study brains from people of diverse backgrounds because most of the genetic information collected so far has been from people of European heritage. "We know that there are differences in the frequencies of certain genetic mutations in people of different races." Research suggests that neuropsychiatric diseases occur 20 percent more in African Americans than in people of European descent, and some of that may be due to specific genetic risk factors. Lieber is launching an initiative to study these genetic differences in African Americans. The blood that's collected, along with brain tissue, is used for DNA sequencing - a process in which researchers determine the full readout of a person's genetic code. It was once thought that a person has the same DNA throughout all of the cells in their body. But that hypothesis doesn't seem to hold up in the brain. Researchers are finding that certain genetic changes - deletions and duplications of DNA - may appear only in neurons in the brain, not in the rest of the cells in the body. Michael McConnell, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the University of Virginia, is investigating what role these deletions and duplications of DNA, called copy number variants, play in neuropsychiatric disease. He has been studying brains in the Lieber collection to explore this mystery, pulling out single cells from brain tissue and profiling their DNA. McConnell says he thinks these copy number variants might have an effect on neurotransmitters, raising the risk of neuropsychiatric disease. And because brain cells stick around in the body for much longer than other cells, these variants could be with people for most of their lives. This is where brains prove invaluable. Most genetic studies of neuropsychiatric disorders have looked at only blood, not brain cells. These blood-based studies have turned up two kinds of genetic variants: ones that are common in a lot of people but seem to have a small effect on neuropsychiatric disease, and rare ones that are found in only a small number of people with these disorders. "Maybe if we look at the brain we'll find that they're not as rare as we think they are," McConnell says. If a certain variant is in a big enough chunk of the population, "it's worth making a drug to try." Sen. Kamala Harris released 15 years of her tax returns Sunday, showing that she and her husband earned almost $1.9 million in 2018. Most of the adjusted gross income of $1,884,319 in 2018 reported by Harris, D-Calif., came from her husband Doug Emhoff's earnings as a lawyer. Harris reported $157,352 in Senate salary and $320,125 in net profit from the memoir she released before announcing her campaign. The returns released Sunday covered every year that Harris, a former attorney general of California and district attorney of San Francisco, has served in elective office. Harris and Emhoff have filed jointly since they were married in 2014. Emhoff has reported more than $1 million in income in every year since, and the couple has paid more than $2 million combined in federal taxes. Harris' income has been relatively consistent since she began serving as San Francisco's top prosecutor in 2004, then as attorney general from 2011 until 2017, the year she joined the U.S. Senate. Harris joins Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, as well as Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, in making tax returns public as part of their Democratic presidential campaigns. Warren has released 11 years of her returns, Gillibrand and Klobuchar 12. Harris' household income places her in the upper tier of candidates who have shared their returns so far. Warren's 2018 returns revealed roughly $900,000 in combined income for her and her husband. Gillibrand's filing included her $167,000 Senate salary and $50,000 in book proceeds. Klobuchar released her tax returns through 2017, and reported less than $300,000 in combined income for her and her husband that year. Inslee's 2018 return reported an adjusted gross income of $202,912. After Inslee released his tax returns, he appeared on the "Fox and Friends" morning show to urge President Donald Trump to do the same. Inslee's calls to Trump highlight the impetus for Democratic candidates to release their returns sooner than later: Trump has bucked decades of tradition by refusing to release his returns. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. - an outspoken critic of Trump's secrecy on the matter - also has vowed to release his tax returns by Monday. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, former congressman Beto O'Rourke of Texas and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg have yet to release their financial documents. Warren has introduced legislation that would require candidates for president and vice president to release at least eight years of tax returns. Former Vice President Joe Biden, who is expected to join the 2020 field soon, previously released his tax returns from 1998 to 2015. President Donald Trump's proposal for a "deal of the century" to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict promises practical improvements in the lives of Palestinians but is likely to stop short of ensuring a separate, fully sovereign Palestinian state, according to people familiar with the main elements of the effort. The White House is expected to roll out its long-anticipated peace package later this spring or by early summer, after more than two years of effort by Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Officials have kept details of the plan secret, but comments from Kushner and other U.S. officials suggest that it does away with statehood as the starting premise of peace efforts as it has been over the past two decades. The plan would represent Trump's effort to put his own stamp on diplomacy to resolve a conflict that has festered since 1948, and it is likely to focus heavily on Israeli security concerns. Trump has told friends he wants to upend traditional assumptions about how to resolve the conflict, but unlike in his unorthodox personal diplomacy with North Korea, Trump has largely outsourced the Middle East peace effort to his son-in-law. Most analysts give Kushner little chance of success where decades of U.S.-backed efforts have failed. His prospects are worsened by the perception among European and some Arab leaders that Trump has shown his cards through a series of actions favorable to Israel. Arab officials familiar with Kushner's sales pitches said he has offered no specifics but suggested that the plan turned on economic opportunities for Palestinians and an enshrining of Israeli control of disputed territory. Kushner and other U.S. officials have linked peace and economic development to Arab recognition of Israel and acceptance of a version of the status quo on Palestinian "autonomy," as opposed to "sovereignty," people who have spoken with the Kushner team said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's promise on the eve of his re-election last week to annex some Jewish settlements in the West Bank added to the perception among diplomats and analysts that the Trump administration will greenlight broad Israeli control over disputed land. "What we've tried to do is figure out what is a realistic and what is a fair solution to the issues here in 2019 that can enable people to live better lives," Kushner said in a rare interview with Sky News Arabia as he sought Arab support on a visit to the region in February. "We believe we have a plan that is fair, realistic and implementable that will enable people to live better lives," a senior White House official said Friday. "We looked at past efforts and solicited ideas from both sides and partners in the region with the recognition that what has been tried in the past has not worked. Thus, we have taken an unconventional approach founded on not hiding from reality, but instead speaking truth." Netanyahu has promised to consider the plan, which Trump has said will ask concessions of both sides. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said the Americans are biased, but a chief adviser said last week that the Palestinians will not reject the Trump plan out of hand. Trump lawyer Jason D. Greenblatt, who would be the lead U.S. negotiator for talks, tweeted a direct appeal to Palestinian leaders last week. "To the PA: Our plan will greatly improve Palestinian lives & create something very different than what exists," Greenblatt wrote. "It's a realistic plan to thrive/prosper even if it means compromises. It's not a 'sell out' - if the plan isn't realistic, no one can deliver it." Kushner described the plan as having four pillars: freedom, respect, security and opportunity. "We want people to be able to have the freedom of opportunity, the freedom of religion, the freedom to worship, regardless of your faith," Kushner said in the Sky News interview. "We want all people to have dignity and to respect each other" and "be able to better their lives and not allow their grandfather's conflict to hijack their children's future," he said in a reference to Palestinian demands. "And the final one is security," Kushner said, a clear reference to the chief Israeli demand for any settlement of the seven-decade conflict. The Palestinian Authority cut off all official contact with the Trump administration in December 2017 when Trump followed through on a campaign promise to declare Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Kushner and Greenblatt have called the Palestinian boycott shortsighted in discussions with Arab and European nations whose financial and political backing they seek. But Kushner has also pointed to the Jerusalem decision as a potential selling point, telling a Saudi audience in February that Trump keeps his word and can thus be a trustworthy broker for peace. That Feb. 26 meeting in Riyadh included Saudi intellectuals and columnists as well as government officials, and the participants were chosen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, one person familiar with the session said. The prince has forged a close relationship with Kushner and is seen as more supportive of the peace plan than is his father, King Salman. "He did listen to critical points and questions but wasn't willing to think about criticism and was defensive," the person familiar with the session said. "He seemed to have been surprised when he learned that the majority of people in the room were critical of his plan and told him that King Salman emphasized the rights of the Palestinians," the person said. Although Trump had said in September that he expected a rollout within four months, U.S. officials reset the timeline when it became clear that Netanyahu would call early elections. The plan will wait at least until after Netanyahu forms a government, and probably also until after both the Passover and Ramadan observances. "We are still weighing a variety of factors," one U.S. official said. "Timing is still being worked out, and no decision has been made at this time as to when we are going to roll it out." The U.S. official requested anonymity to discuss plans for the still-secret package. Some Arab and Israeli officials familiar with discussions around the package also requested anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose contents of confidential meetings. Netanyahu, a close Trump confidant, appears to have support from enough political parties to form a governing coalition over the coming weeks. Right-wing parties that support expansion of Jewish settlements and opposed concessions to Palestinians are likely to be a sizable component, leading some analysts to declare that the election means the end of a "two-state solution." Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said Israel is waiting like everybody else for details of the U.S. ideas. "We will welcome it, we will look at it. We are open-minded," Danon said in an interview. "Unlike the Palestinians, we do respect the work that was done by the team, and we will be willing to look at it and speak about it. The Palestinians say exactly the opposite - they say we don't want to speak with the Israelis and we don't want to see the plan that was drafted by the U.S." The package is expected to call for tens of billions of dollars in aid and investment in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the two areas where most Palestinians live, and billions more to Egypt and Jordan, the two Arab states that have made peace with Israel. "What we have found is that all the conflict does is keep people from having the opportunity to do commerce and to have opportunity and improve their lives," Kushner said in the interview. "Hopefully, if we can resolve this issue we will be able to see a lot more opportunity for the Palestinian people, for the Israeli people and the people throughout the region." Kushner has been less keen to discuss the U.S. financial contribution, analysts said, and it is not clear whether Congress would back any large-scale U.S. spending toward a deal that did not promise Palestinian statehood. Wealthy Persian Gulf states "were asked to support financially the economic part," during Kushner's latest tour, said Ghaith al-Omari, a former Palestinian Authority adviser who is now an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "In polite terms the answer they gave was, 'First tell us what we are supposed to pay for,' Omari said. "There were no commitments." U.S. officials have said the package is not a buy-off of Palestinian claims. "The economic plan only works if the region supports it. This is a very important part of the overall equation," the senior U.S. official said. "But this is not a so-called economic peace. We are taking very seriously both aspects of this, the political, which deals with all the core issues, and the economic," the official said. The core issues are generally understood to include borders, Palestinian claims to land in what is now Israel and the status of contested Jerusalem. In the most recent negotiations under three U.S. presidents, those issues have been elements of proposals to establish a separate Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, and that was what was meant when U.S. negotiators talked about a political settlement. This time, it is not clear what the United States means. "We understand that if the political aspect of it is not solid, the economic aspect is meaningless. But at the same time, the political aspect will not succeed without a proper economic plan," the U.S. official said. Ilan Goldenberg, who was chief of staff to the lead U.S. negotiator in the last failed effort under President Barack Obama, said that he agrees with Kushner's strategy to put a detailed set of proposals at the outset of any negotiations but that he still expects that package to be a nonstarter. "I think this plan is dead on arrival," said Goldenberg, who directs the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. "The biggest concern is if the plan is heavily biased toward Israel, which is what we expect, and they put it down and the Palestinians reject it, then it becomes a predicate to move toward annexation." COTULLA Nine decades after he taught poor Mexican-American children here during a year off from college, Lyndon Baines Johnson returned to take his rightful place at the Welhausen School. As schoolchildren sang, How do you do, Mr. Johnson, how are you? just as they had way back then at the start of each school day, an oversized bronze statue of LBJ as a young man was unveiled at the entrance. With more than 500 people looking on, Luci Baines Johnson, the ex-presidents daughter, sculptor Armando Hinojosa and others yanked on the ropes and removed the red cloth cover. We are very proud. I started crying. I know he was here with us, said Maria Herrera, 73, of Brownsville, speaking about her father, Hilario Perez, who was one of Johnsons students in 1928-29. While none of those taught by LBJ are known to be living, dozens of their descendants from near and far attended the Saturday morning ceremony, as did a full roster of VIPs including Chief U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia from San Antonio. Likely coming the farthest, from the nations capital, was Frank Brogan, an assistant secretary of education, who brought a congratulatory letter from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Also participating were a color guard from the naval air station in Kingsville and the Texas State University Bobcat Marching Band. Welcome to my barrio, said Leodoro Martinez, the master of ceremonies, to kick things off, prompting laughter from the crowd. Warming things up was the high school band, Mariachi Cotulleno, which knocked out a rousing version of Yellow Rose of Texas, followed by Zacatecas and other tunes. In his remarks, Mayor Javier Garcia said, A man walked among us and all he wanted to do was help. His way was through education to defeat poverty, segregation and any roadblock you would meet in life. It was clear that a great friendship lives between the Johnson family and Cotulla. The adoring crowd applauded Luci Baines Johnson at almost every turn, and she returned the affection. On behalf of generations of Johnsons, I come to thank you for the inspiration you gave my father, she said. It would please him so much to see that the Cotulla he loved and never forgot has chosen to remember him. It touches me to tears, she added. In her prepared remarks, she drew a straight line between her fathers year in Cotulla, where he learned about bigotry and want, and the monumental civil rights legislation passed under his leadership 40 years later. Somehow you never forget what poverty can do when you see it in the scars on the hopeful face of a young child, she said, quoting her fathers address to a joint session of Congress in 1965. I never thought in 1928 that I would be standing her in 1965. It never occurred to me in my fondest dreams that I might have the chance to help the sons and daughters of those students, and to help people like them all over this country. But now I do have the chance, and Ill let you in on a little secret. I mean to use it, LBJ had said. Of the recognition given Saturday to LBJs fateful year in her city, Cotulla, City Councilwoman Mary Koraleski said, Its been a long time coming. When he came here, we were so poor, she added. Its a totally different town now, and we plan to grow and prosper for all of our citizens. The quick, slick action of three Democrat commissioners in rushing the appointment of Lesley Briones to a momentarily vacant post, not only riled Republican commissioners, it riled me, a Democrat who believes in open government and transparency. Having practiced at the well respected firm of Vinson & Elkins where I once worked, Briones is obviously qualified. So what was the rush? Was there fear of a more qualified applicant stepping forward? There should have been public notice of the vacancy, an opportunity for interested individuals to apply, a time for public comment. Commissioners Court is not a private club and the county judiciary is not (nor should it be) an insiders social organization like a fraternity or sorority, playing with the publics judicial system. Talk about a rush to judgment! Jim Greenwood, Houston Lawmakers take note Regarding New Zealands new gun laws get final assent to take effect (Chron.com, Thursday): Less than a month after the worst mass shooting in its countrys history, the government of New Zealand has taken action to ban the sale and ownership of assault weapons. By comparison, it has been 20 years since the mass shooting in Columbine when 13 people were killed. Even though poll after poll shows that Americans are in favor of common-sense common sense gun reforms, Americas leaders fail to act on this issue. While Americas leaders offer their thoughts and prayers after each shooting, the government of New Zealand has taken strong and decisive action. The day of the shooting, New Zealands Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, promised that gun reforms would be made. A month later, she showed that she can deliver on her promises. Americas leaders at the state and national level can and should learn from the example set by New Zealand. Bill Meyer, Kingwood You are here: World Flash Sudan's opposition Freedom and Change Alliance on Saturday demanded the transitional military council involve civilians in a joint presidential council. The alliance made the call during its meeting with Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's Transitional Military Council. "We demanded the participation of civilians in the transitional presidential council in addition to a civilian government," Omer Al-Digair, a member of the alliance, told reporters. The alliance will present a list to the chairman of the military council on Sunday, he added. Al-Digair also said the alliance asked the council to restructure the security body and bring all people involved in corruption and killing of protesters to fair trial. Earlier in the day, Al-Burhan voiced in a statement his commitment to forming a two-year transitional civilian government. Regarding Assange charged with conspiracy by U.S. (Nation/World, Friday): The arrest of Julian Assange is an assault upon the First Amendment of the U.S Constitution. Assange, via his newssite WikiLeaks, publishes information provided by whistleblowers. The New York Times, Washington Post and other outlets have also published such sourced information. Just two classic examples in the past have been the Pentagon Papers and information leading to the Watergate scandal. No government has a right to maintain the secrecy of its illegal activities, corruption or war crimes such as the collateral murder video which Chelsea Manning provided to Assange. All journalists should rise up in protest of Assanges arrest, for it is meant to silence them and keep them in line even if they are provided with information of wrongdoing on the part of their government. If the U.S., Britain, Russia, China, etc., do not want to be tarnished by whistleblowers, then they should stop with the criminal activity. Shaun Smith, Houston Drive forward Regarding Outlook dims for electric vehicles (Front page, Friday): In noting Trump is freezing automakers MPG requirements in 2020, the story quotes EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler: There is growing evidence automakers cannot comply with the trajectory of (efficiency) standards. Standards need to be achievable. Im sick and tired of that same old company line being towed. When we pushed for safer cars, Detroit said the public would never pay the added costs of seat belts and airbags. Anti-lock braking systems? Same thing. Better bumpers and crash zones? Somehow we always manage to accept it while innovation and technology makes it happen. When it comes to mileage, however, that depends on how fickle we are as drivers, buying small and efficient when gas is high and loading up on trucks and SUVs when prices drop. If were truly going to tackle climate change and greenhouse gasses, the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards must be enforced! Despite the hand-wringing by Detroit, it always seems to get done, and were better off for it! David Kelly, Spring Electric cars Im happy the president is restoring some freedom of choice in buying an automobile. Only one of the many articles Ive read on electric vehicles mentions the enormous increase in generating capacity requirements to recharge them. Nor the amount of fossil fuels burned to supply the required capacity. Internal combustion engines remain the most efficient power currently available for our transportation needs, despite all the propaganda touting battery power. Batteries have to be recharged, and for now, that means burning fossil fuels. Bryant Reed, La Porte Air problem Regarding The era of job-killing regulations is over (Front page, Thursday): When I saw the headline, I honestly felt nauseated. What good are jobs if we are all sick from the polluted air and water? What good are jobs if we dont protect the planets resources so that future generations can survive here? What is the matter with us that we cannot see beyond our own pocketbooks? When you live in Houston, it doesnt take scientific expertise to recognize a problem all you have to do is look at the plume of black smoke in the air or the shine of jet fuel in the bayou to know that if we dont have regulations, well have a lot more to worry about than finding a job. Joanna Friesen, Houston Regarding Asylum-seekers sent to Mexico wait in tumult (Front page, Wednesday): Our so-called representatives in Congress are engulfed in an endless fight to control our borders and control guns. The president has declared an emergency to deal with the issue of border control because it is causing several problems, such as murders and human trafficking. While the nation is debating the control of the border, all of us are forgetting the other equally damaging issue is the arbitrary killing of innocent people including small children by those who have guns in their hands. At a recent gathering of my friends who were from both parties, a question was asked if Democrats would give up their position on border control to allow the construction of a wall or something similar, if Republicans would give up their stand on gun control and allow some sort of restrictions to sell them. There was a stunning silence, and nobody ventured to answer. This is why we are not able to solve either one of the issues. It is time we send a message to Congress to stop being party politicians and behave like statesmen, keeping the American citizens interests. Raju Nandagiri, Sugar Land Heads, jocks and kickers Regarding Pot skeptic (Letters, April 7): The writer asks to see FDA proof of marijuanas safety. But what about alcohol and tobacco, both of which have killed thousands, if not millions? Does he want to prohibit adults purchase and use of these substances? Cannabis has been used as an herbal remedy for centuries. The fight over the legalization of marijuana is at root a cultural fight. When baby boomers like me were growing up in Texas, there were the heads, jocks, and kickers. The former frequently took pot in their pursuit of happiness while the latter two were often proud alcohol drinkers. But that did not stop the jocks and kickers from thinking they were morally superior to the heads. And vice versa. Now, we older, retired boomers are only asking for the right to do the same thing liquor drinkers and tobacco users have been doing for a long time: Take marijuana for our own personal comfort in the privacy of our homes without the inconvenience and stigma of being criminals. Paul L. Rowe, Houston Shrink the post office Regarding Postal Service to issue stamp honoring George H.W. Bush (Newsmakers, April 9): While such is well-intentioned and deserving, many of us would much prefer to see the U.S. Postal Service significantly cutting costs and increasing efficiencies, instead of adding costs. Robert L. Gabler, Kingwood Let them pray Regarding Texas bans clergy from executions after Supreme Court ruling (City/State, April 4): A prison should allow any religious freedoms, even if the religion is one the prison staff does not agree with, because it is constitutionally stated that all persons have a right to religious freedoms. If a prisoner is going to get executed, that person has the right to have his spiritual adviser in the room to comfort him before he is put to death. The prison staff not allowing Patrick Murphy to have his Buddhist spiritual adviser and the state of Alabma not allowing a Muslim inmate to have his adviser in the execution room is a violation of the First Amendment right that protects religious freedoms. Texas and Alabama not allowing this is unconstitutional and not right. Christopher Moskosky, Houston As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. ADVERTISE Hypebot & MusicThinkTank With the internet and digital technologies driving rapid change within the music industry, articles about new releases and who has been hired and fired are no longer enough. Our up to the minute industry news alongside insightful commentary helps our readers sift through the rumors and developments to find the information they need to keep their businesses moving forward. 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Polanco Melo announced that she would set up a commission to conduct a survey to identify the most relevant topics on which academic exchanges will be articulated to contribute to knowledge creation. In addition, Ariosto Rojas and Luesmil Castor agreed on the need to create a Chair of Caribbean Studies and Comparative Literature as part of the exchange between the two universities. At the end of his visit, Rector Deshommes said he was satisfied with his visit and thanked the UASD for the support it has always given to Haitian nationals. S/ iciHaiti First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Karen Pence to Honor the Armed Forces in a Visit to Fort Bragg Fort Bragg, North Carolina - On Monday morning, First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Karen Pence will travel to Fort Bragg, home of the Airborne and Army Special Operations, in Fayetteville, North Carolina to visit with Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines. Mrs. Trump and Mrs. Pence will receive demonstrations of special operations capabilities, tour the base facilities, and receive a briefing on the selection and training of Americas most elite special operators. In recognition of the month of the military child, Mrs. Trump and Mrs. Pence will also visit with students at the middle school located on Fort Bragg. Before departing, Mrs. Trump will deliver remarks to military personnel and families, thanking them for their service to, and sacrifices for, our country. Our military is the embodiment of our Nations spirit and the protector of our freedoms, said First Lady Melania Trump. I am looking forward to learning more about the incredible work that our brave men and women in uniform perform on a daily basis. I am also eager to meet with their children and spouses who sacrifice in ways large and small so that the American people are safe. Our nations military service members and their families deserve our care and respect, Second Lady Karen Pence said. I am always honored to have the opportunity to spend time with those who serve and work tirelessly to protect our freedoms. I am looking forward to our visit to Fort Bragg to offer support and encouragement to our Armed Forces and their families, who also serve. Vice President Pence After Touring the U.S.-Mexico Border Nogales, Arizona - Remarks by Vice President Pence After Touring the U.S.-Mexico Border: THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Chief. CHIEF VILLAREAL: Thanks for coming out. THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, were delighted. And I want to thank the Deputy Commissioner for being here. I want to thank the Chief. I want to thank all the extraordinary men and women of Border Patrol. Thank you for your service. PARTICIPANT: Thank you, sir. THE VICE PRESIDENT: Were with you. The President has made it clear that were going to continue to stand with you to give you the resources, to give you the physical barriers you need to do your job. Were going to continue to call on the Congress, particularly call on the Democrats in Congress, to step up and recognize what you all deal with every day: that these are the men and women that are putting their lives on the line every day in the midst of this unprecedented crisis on our southern border. I want you all to know that we understand it, we appreciate it. The American people are grateful for what you do each and every day. But its time for Democrats in Congress to step up, work with Republicans, close the loopholes in our border that are driving this crisis this humanitarian and security crisis that you all are dealing with each and every day. I just want to pledge to each and every one of you that were going to take the message back from the border. Were going to carry it back. That its time for Congress to act. We know you do your job every day and the American people are grateful. The President and I are rolling our sleeves up every day to make sure that you have the resources you need, and the barriers you need, and the support that you need. Were calling on the Democrats in Congress to recognize that we have an absolute crisis at our southern border. The time has come to work with Republicans to close the loopholes and end the incredible flow of illegal immigration that is burdening our system today. And it is not just a crisis of illegal immigration; it is a crisis of national security. Because as the Chief explained to me, as all of you know as you deploy to deal with people coming across the border in large groups, here and all across our southern border, more than 4,000 this last Tuesday the reality is that drug cartels, criminal organizations use the vulnerability of our border and the deployment of our personnel as a way to bring dangerous individuals and drugs into our country. So I just want you to know we get it, and were here to say its time that Congress got it. Its time that Congress got to work and did their job. Now, we wouldnt be able to do this without what you do every day, but I have to tell you the President and I couldnt be more grateful for state leaders like Governor Doug Ducey. And, Governor, I want to thank you for the way that youve stood up for border security. I want to thank you for the way youve been a partner with this administration. And these are your constituents here in the Tucson Sector and the Yuma Sector. And I want to thank you for your strong stand and welcome you to make it work. GOVERNOR DUCEY: Well, I want to say thank you, Mr. Vice President, for coming to Arizona, for coming to the border and seeing the situation thats happening on the ground. I want to say thanks to the President for his commitment to border security and helping people understand that this is national security. I also want to say thank you to the brave women and women of our Customs and Border Patrol, our border agents. Chief, thank you for the briefing today. CHIEF VILLAREAL: Yes, sir. GOVERNOR DUCEY: And we all need to call on Congress to close these loopholes. This is not a partisan issue. Its not a Republican or Democrat issue. This is an issue of public safety, border security, and national security, and not just for Arizona, but for the entire country. The drug cartels, the human smuggling, the child sex trafficking, the drug epidemic thats happening with fentanyl and heroin and methamphetamine. Im proud of so much of whats happening in Arizona. Im not proud that this dangerous poison is coming across our southern border. So I join you and the President in calling on Congress to quit playing games, to close these loopholes, and to act. THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Governor. Thank you so much for your support. And thats our message. But I want you to know that your courage and your example every day is recognized by the American people. From the President all across this country, we appreciate what you do. We appreciate what your families do. Thats why the President took the strong stand in the month of January to get you the resources you need to build a wall. And we know that walls work. You all know that better than anybody else. You got your additional resources to deal with the ports of entry and other infrastructure and support for additional personnel. But while we heard on many on Capitol Hill say that this was a manufactured crisis over the last six months, the reality is, today, that literally tens of thousands are making their way from Central America and putting an unprecedented burden on our system that represents both a humanitarian and a security crisis. And I want to promise all of you were going to go back, were going to report about your work here today, but were going to say that youre doing your job; the President is doing his job. Its time the Democrats in Congress did their job and came together with Republicans, closed the loopholes that are driving this humanitarian and security crisis at our border. And thats my promise to each and every one of you. Okay? Any questions? (Applause.) PARTICIPANT: Thank you. THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Press, got any questions? Q I have a question. THE VICE PRESIDENT: Go ahead. Q In the last week, theres been some talk about restarting family separations at the border. Could you help clarify whats happening with that? THE VICE PRESIDENT: I think that President Trump made it clear that were not considering restarting family separation. What were doing is calling on Congress to do their job. Whats happening today and these Border Patrol agents see it every day is that drug cartels and human traffickers, principally in Central America, are taking cash in exchange for taking vulnerable families a vast majority of which is now this migration crisis vulnerable families up the peninsula, the long and dangerous journey to enter our country illegally. Theyre doing it because of our porous border and because of the loopholes in our laws. And the reality is the numbers speak for themselves. Literally hundreds of thousands more than 100,000 in the month of March are coming across our border illegally. I was told, along the southern border, 4,300 people came into our country illegally just this last Tuesday. That is an unprecedented number. They are predominantly families and unaccompanied minors. Our system was never designed to deal with that. These men and women are here to protect the American people and enforce our laws, enforce our borders. But this enormous flow, this humanitarian crisis being driven by human traffickers, has got to stop. So what weve got to do, we got to continue to build a wall, we got to continue to give these courageous men and women the resources they need to do their job. But Congress has got to act to close the loopholes that human traffickers use to entice people to make the long and dangerous journey north. And thats what were going to continue to fight for. Q Can you be more specific about the loopholes which loopholes youd like to close? Or are you talking about actually changing laws? THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, human traffickers use catch and release, broadly, as a promise to people in Central America that, if they come here, if they can make their way through too often porous borders to come into our country, that they can stay. The reality is, our asylum system today allows people to be apprehended, detained for a short period of time. The court date is set, and more than 90 percent of the people never show up for their court date. So catch and release has to end. We also have to have the capacity to amend court decisions that essentially require us to release minors in a set period of time. And we dont want to do family separation, but amending the Flores decision the Flores Agreement through the legislative process to give our border agents and Customs and Border Patrol more time for detention to be able to process people through our system will make a difference. And lastly, we need to make it possible for us to return individuals, who are apprehended from Central American countries, back to those countries the way we can with Mexico today. And the truth is that were able to apprehend individuals from Mexico, process them, and return them to Mexico. But individuals that come from Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala we cant return them to their countries without a change in the law. Those are all the kinds of things. But Congress knows what needs to be done. Its just Democrats in Congress have got to step up and be willing to do it. And it all begins by recognizing that we have a crisis on our southern border. And so were going to go back, were going to continue to work, but with members of both political parties and leaders of both political parties, until we close these loopholes and end the ability of human traffickers to entice people with the promise of coming into our country illegally and vanishing into the United States. Thats the system we have today. Thats a broken system, and its whats driving the crisis at our border. And make no mistake about it: As these families migrate north what the Deputy Commissioner said, what the Chief said, what Border Patrol agents point out to me is as these agents deploy to a section of the border to deal with caravans coming north, or families and unaccompanied minors in other areas of the border, we have dangerous individuals and more drugs that are pouring into the United States. So this is humanitarian crisis but its also a national security crisis. And the President and I are absolutely determined, with the tenacity that President Trump showed this last January to stand firm until this Congress closes the loopholes and ends the magnet of our broken asylum system in this country for human traffickers to exploit and take advantage of families. Thank you. Secretary of State Pompeo's Meeting With President Abdo Benitez of Paraguay Washington, DC - Today, Secretary Michael R. Pompeo met with President Mario Abdo Benitez in Asuncion, Paraguay. They affirmed a commitment to deepen the vibrant partnership between the United States and Paraguay, rooted in our shared democratic values. Secretary Pompeo commended Paraguay for its leadership in the region to promote the restoration of democracy in Venezuela. The leaders highlighted the importance of working together to promote security, prosperity, and democracy across the region, including combatting transnational crime and terrorist financing in the Tri-Border Area. Secretary Pompeo also recognized Paraguays strong commitment to increase transparency and fight corruption. The Secretary and President Abdo Benitez discussed Paraguays continued efforts to strengthen its relationship with Taiwan, and the importance of maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, including diplomatic recognition. An analysis of more than 1 billion phone calls placed during 2018 suggests there's a very good reason not to answer the phone tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow specifically. At least, don't answer any calls coming in from numbers that you don't recognize. The reason is that during 2018, the number-1 day by far for what the researchers call "negative robocalls," meaning scam, fraudulent or nuisance robocalls, was April 17. What was so special about April 17? Last year, it was Tax Day--which is normally on April 15 but sometimes gets push a day or two back if the 15th happens to fall on a weekend or a holiday. This year, no such luck. Tax Day is tomorrow: April 15. 143 million nusiance and high-risk calls The data analysis was released earlier this year by Transaction Network Services, Inc. (TNS), which describes itself as a supplier of networking and integrated data services. "Nearly 143 million nuisance and high-risk calls were placed on Tax Day 2018, as scammers often pose as the IRS in an attempt to trick taxpayers into providing money or personal information," the firm said in a press release. Given that the population of the U.S. is about 329 million, this means about 43 percent of Americans were targeted with at least one "negative robocall" on Tax Day last year. Unfortunately, TNS predicts that the problem will be even more acute this year. "Scammers are seizing on residual taxpayer confusion from the government shutdown," a company spokesperson said, "and TNS has already tracked multiple tax filing and IRS related robocall scams in the initial weeks of this year." Add to that simply the fact that as many as 45 percent of all incoming calls to mobile phones are now expected to be coming from spam or other negative dialers and robocalls, and it paints an ugly if unsurprising picture. Also: Tuesdays I'm going to assume that most of the people reading this article are unlikely to fall for the types of tax-related scams and tricks involved in these calls. But calls targeting immigrant communities, the elderly, and other less sophisticated targets abound. Among the other takeaways from the TNS study: Notwithstanding the fact that Tax Day is on a Monday this year, in general Tuesdays are the worst for negative robocalls. Sunday had the fewest. April is the worst month for robocalls in general, constituting 10 percent of the traffic. December is better: only 6 percent. The worst place to live if you want to avoid negative robocalls: South Carolina, which gets the most of them. Its neighbors North Carolina and Georgia were #2 and #3 on that list. Finally, the city with the most incoming negative robocalls during 2018 was San Diego, while Kansas City was on the other side of the list: the city from which the most negative robocalls were made in in 2018. I quit my new job after one just day. This was a "real job," with a six-figure salary and a legitimate career path, and I'd beaten hundreds of other applicants to land it. I'm still not exactly proud of the experience. However, it was absolutely the right decision, and I'm sharing the story now, years later, because I imagine it might help someone else in a similar position. Here's what happened, plus how quitting affected my career and the lessons I learned that I can share with you now. The background The story starts in early 2009. I was finishing a book project and living in Washington, but it was also the height of the Great Recession, and I craved a steady paycheck. I saw that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs was hiring attorneys at its headquarters. I'm a lawyer (I hadn't practiced law in a while, but I still kept my bar license), and a military veteran. Maybe it would be a fit for a while. I applied and heard nothing back, but then a few months later the job was advertised again. I resubmitted my application. Then, I learned that a friend of mine was dating a woman who worked in the office I'd applied to. I asked if she'd put in a good word for me. This time, I got an interview in August, a job offer in September, and a start date in October. However, the whole process had taken eight or nine months, from first application to start date. During that time my personal situation changed quite a bit. Then, within hours of arriving on Day 1, I knew I'd made a big mistake. 11 years, 4 months and 22 days The Department of Veterans Affairs does important work. But it's a giant government bureaucracy. One thing I should have admitted to myself: I do not thrive in bureaucracy. My first task that day was to attend new-employee orientation. I remember one speaker made a crack about knowing exactly how much time he had left before retirement. Then some of the other speakers picked up on him, introducing themselves like: Hi, I'm Jane Smith. I have 11 years, four months, and 22 days until retirement. I'm here to talk about information security. One after the other. It was black humor, sure, but they all seemed so down on their situation and resigned to their fates. I really felt bad for them. Later, I settled into my shared office, where the desk was covered with a huge stack of files that I was supposed to start working on. When I stepped out for a cup of coffee that afternoon, somebody commented that I took 10 minutes longer than we were allowed. Oh, man, I thought. Just one day, and I was already chafing. Plus, I'd still have to go home each evening and work on edits for my latest book. This wasn't going to work. I steeled myself for the tough conversation I knew I was going to have to have. Day 2 The next morning, I arrived at work at 7 a.m, to be sure to catch my new boss first thing. I thanked him for the opportunity, but told him I would not be staying. "As bad as I feel about quitting," I said, my voice shaking, "if I don't do this now, we'll probably be having this conversation in six months. At least now, you still have a stack of resumes from people who would be a better fit." I knew that there had been hundreds of applicants, so this seemed likely. I also remember I added: "Could I get a mulligan?" meaning go back in time as if I'd never accepted the job--not even accepting pay for the one day I'd spent in the office. That was it. It wasn't even 7:30 a.m. on Day 2, and I was on my way home for good. The aftermath My first priority afterward was an apology phone call to the employee who had highlighted my application for me. Then, I got down to business. I had my savings, but I'd been assuming I'd be getting this paycheck. So, economic fear lit a fire under me. I'd had a lot of unsolicited requests to work as a ghostwriter over the years, mostly from people who'd read some of my books and articles. I hadn't really thought of this as a business before--but now, I started accepting clients for the first time. Some of the work was fascinating, other parts less so, but it more than paid the bills. Eventually, I built it into a real, lucrative business that could be done from anywhere. And, that business ultimately led to quite a few other opportunities, including my job at Some Spider, where I just celebrated my four-year work anniversary, and this column on Inc.com. It traces its history back to 2012, when the top editor here (he's now the CEO of Inc.com's parent company) recruited me after reading one of the books I'd collaborated on. So if you ever find yourself quickly realizing your new job was a big mistake... To be clear, quitting a job soon after starting is risky. A lot of people will tell you that you should wait it out and see if things improve. I'm not saying they're never right, but it would have been the wrong choice in my situation. So, even though I hope you never need this advice, here's what I'd say to do if you accept a new job and realize quickly that it's a bad fit: 1. Don't wait. If you're 100 percent certain you're not going to last at a new job, I think it's better to make the decision and act quickly. It's better for you, and it's better for the employer, who at least hasn't yet invested much time and money in you. However, in retrospect, I am glad I came in on Day 2 and gave the news in person--rather than just sending an email or making a phone call. 2. Accept that some people won't like you. Most of us like to be liked, but it's hard to do this and not leave a bad impression. However, sticking around because you don't want to be disliked for leaving seems like a recipe for failure. Besides, your co-workers probably aren't going to think much more highly of you in that case anyway. Better to rip off the Band-Aid, so to speak, and let them ultimately meet some new co-workers. 3. Accept that it doesn't look good. I've never written about this before, because it's normally not the kind of thing you brag about. However, "now it can be told," so to speak. It's been almost a decade, and besides, I've been very successful working at other jobs and business for years--both before and after this weird experience. Even if you don't include the short tenure job on your resume or your LinkedIn profile (why would you? I don't), here's one thing I've learned: You'll likely work twice as hard at whatever you do wind up doing afterward, because you'll appreciate the opportunities more. 4. Ultimately, you'll be forgotten. It might take a little bit of time, but like most things in life, your quick-quit will ultimately be forgotten. Or at least your name will be forgotten, if not the story itself. The woman who helped me when I applied for this job reached out to me on LinkedIn recently. It was nice to hear from her, and I had to ask what happened after I left so quickly. "You became a little bit of office lore," she said, laughing, the kind of story that gets told over drinks at an after-work happy hour. "But it was always with good humor." I have no problem with that. How could I? She also added: "I absolutely understand why you had to do it." 5. Plan as best you can, and work your tail off. I can think of one situation that might have made me stick around longer at this job: if I had already become a parent, and if I'd been counting on the salary and health insurance for my family's sake. I still would have been plotting quickly to move on, but I probably would not have done it quite so fast. In real life, several more years passed before my daughter was born, so that wasn't an issue for me at the time. Overall, quitting quickly was a very tough thing to do, but I'm much happier and more successful than I would have been otherwise. Also, I was extremely motivated to make my business work afterward. And without the flexibility of that business, it would have been hard for me to pack up and move to New York quickly, when I later got together with my future wife. So it was the right decision for other reasons, too. Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek. Here's one thing I know about airlines. When there's a customer service issue that makes the airline look bad, the airline wants it to go away as soon as possible. Which makes the story told by Mark Westpfahl so curious. The St. Paul history teacher took to Twitter earlier this month to declare that American Airlines had bumped him from a Washington D.C. to Minneapolis flight, thereby separating him from the 16 schoolkids he was chaperoning back home: Well, @AmericanAir overbooked our flight.... and guess who can't fly. Yup. Me. My name was pulled. So, my trusted best friend chaperone will be on the flight with our #CHCougars alone. Westpfahl says he was given a $525 voucher, sent to a motel and, after more flights were overbooked, had to fly back the next day. He then posted a note from the airline which said, in part, that the bumping was due to a change of aircraft. Moreover, the American Airlines customer service representative explained: I am sorry that as a result of your not having seat assignments at the time you arrived at the gate and you were ultimately denied boarding since the flight was oversold and the gate agents had not received any volunteers. Yes, it involved a lengthier explanation of how American ranks those in danger of bumping. It still suggested the bumping may not have b voluntary. Update on my @AmericanAir situation. I feel like they are apologizing... but at the same time, don't really apologize. I'm not as concerned about rerouting me w/a layover, or that it delayed me. I'm more concerned that you pulled a chaperone of 16 middle schoolers. pic.twitter.com/oNbB3UyikJ -- Mark J. Westpfahl (@MarkJWestpfahl) April 9, 2019 The curious part came, then, when I contacted American Airlines. I asked whether the airline had a rule about chaperones. An airline spokesperson told me: We by policy don't involuntary deny boarding to unaccompanied minors and/or chaperones with minors. So what could have happened here? The note from American to Westpfahl does suggest he was denied boarding. This is where American Airlines offered a curious twist: According to our records, and after we consulted with our team in Washington D.C. as well, he volunteered. As part of that process, he received compensation as a volunteer in addition to American paying for his hotel accommodation for the night and meals. We always seek volunteers before we deny boarding to a passenger. Ah. Oh. But what about the alleged involuntary bumping? American told me: Our report also says that the two chaperones discussed the voluntary compensation offer before accepting. For his part Westpfahl insists: American apologized and acknowledged that it was an 'involuntary denied boarding.' So what, then, about the note that seemed to agree with Westpfahl's version? American told me: That is a standard message that explains voluntary vs involuntarily denied boarding. Regardless, we have spoken to Mr. Westpfahl, and we will provide him the involuntarily denied boarding compensation instead. However, we do stand by our agents who state that he discussed this matter with the other chaperone, before volunteering to take the compensation. Airlines have learned, since United's David Dao debacle, that bumping is rarely a good idea. They've increased compensation to those who volunteer. In one case, United offered $10,000. (Stunningly, the passenger took it.) Airlines have concluded the expense is worth it, relative to the cost of public opprobrium. Yet here we're left with American choosing to fight its corner, while a nominee for Minnesota's teacher of the year declares he was actively separated from his 8 to 11-year-olds. Somewhere, I fear, there may have been a miscommunication. We can all be a hero at least one time. Getty Images Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek. We're all selling ourselves these days. We clutch our phones, post photos of our glamorous lives on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. In that order. We are, after all, all brands, right? Of course, there may be a severe editing of the truth, but the art of the sell is about emotions not facts. The reverse side of all this comes when others present us on social media. Who could fail to chuckle, then, when a humane side of American Airlines CEO Doug Parker emerged on Instagram? No, it wasn't because Parker wanted to show off his latest business suit -- one that doesn't itch at all. Instead, he posed for one of his airline's Flight Attendants, Maddie Peters, after she did the sort of thing Flight Attendants never, ever want to do. She explained: I was serving drinks during boarding to the first class cabin. I had a full tray with drinks on it, when the passenger in front of me stops in the aisle and backs up. He bumps into the tray and the drinks go flying. Guys I have worked for American Airlines for 4 years, and not once have I ever spilt a drink on a passenger. Guess who they land on. Half of them went all over me, the other half in Doug's lap. I WAS MORTIFIED. I wanted to drop dead right there in the aisle. (Like am I still employed?!) I can imagine one or two senior executives might have got their underwear in a twist and uttered words they shouldn't. I seem to remember one at Korean Air did a little worse than that. Instead, Parker understood and cheerily posed for selfie with Peters. Parker's not often been known as someone with the touchy-feely talent. Especially the feely part. For a long time, he couldn't even understand why he should bother flying the airliner's newest and most uncomfortable plane -- the ill-fated Boeing 737 MAX. Yet here he is, appearing for all the world like an understanding sort. I wonder if some of the unions still negotiating with him might like to use this moment to take advantage. His counterpart at JetBlue, Robin Hayes, was also seemingly caught unawares. This time by a passenger. Investment manager Joe Chase happened to be on a JetBlue flight, when he espied Hayes sitting in Economy Class and doing a few other things too. For Chase, this seemed like perfect LinkedIn fodder: CEO Robin Hayes got on the mic on my flight today to give away a couple tickets to random passengers by playing 'seat bingo'. When returning to his seat (flying economy) he walked down the aisle of the plane collecting trash from passengers. No job is below the CEO! You'd think every business leader would look at this and see humility, decency and even intelligent leadership. You'd also think the perfect meal was dental floss and gruel. On LinkedIn, several business leaders seemed quite appalled by Hayes's display. Sample from Angik Sarkar, CEO of Waylo Price Prediction: Unless this was a publicity stunt, this was a pretty bad use of a CEO's time. A CEO is paid to make sure the company hits financial goals. Picking up trash when there are others for the job, is a bad use of his time. As other LinkedIners pointed out how the media had picked up this story, Sarkar then clarified his thoughts: A company is like a living body. Every job/function is equally important. But, each of them have different deliverables. In my opinion, any work hours, not spent towards hitting those deliverables is a bad use of time. However, as some of you pointed out, I missed that Robin's gesture dominated news cycles, raised NPS and employee morale, which are part of an airline CEO's deliverables. The tech industry. Dear Lord. There are (many) days when it seems like a good thing to shut the whole thing down. Yet Sarkar wasn't alone in his sniffing. Mee Warren, SVP at Two Sigma Investments opined: I don't understand this post. Why should this impress me? I'll pass on that question and go to D K Sabharwal, CEO of Abacus Management Consultants: I think he just got carried away a bit -- if not lot! [sic] Why he picked this trash cleaning job - and broadcasted it -- is an awful brownie! I mean he did this because he could stomp on the crew's job territory! Likewise can a trash cleaner in the airline ever dream of stomping in the board and flying decisions as a CEO? I mean can ever someone stomp above his level similarly into a role and send a similar message? If no -- then this act is not fair!! There was more. Sam Hardwick, director at Progressive Learning Ltd offered: I'm sure the CEO does this every time he flies such a genuine and real thing to do - I think not! So you see, even when you're being a good, decent, human leader, not everyone will be impressed. Which is a pity, but there you go. I must end, though, on a more understanding note. This, from Maxim Zakhartchenko, strategic sourcing manager at Wyndham Destinations: This is real leadership driven by example! You can clearly see how this forms a positive and productive environment in the corporation. Forcing a smile when youre unhappy is taxing at the best of times, but its even worse if its one of your job requirements. While a bit of chirpiness obviously goes a long way in every field, for those working in customer services, smiling can be a fundamental part of your role. This means there might be times when you have to conceal how youre really feeling, which a new study suggests may make you more inclined to heavy drinking once the need to smile is over for the day. A group of researchers at Penn State University in Pennsylvania and the University of Buffalo in New York monitored the drinking habits of 1,592 volunteers who work in public-facing roles, such as teaching, nursing, or jobs in the food service. The team used data from the National Survey of Work Stress and Health, which includes information on nearly 3,000 Americans that is acquired via phone interviews. Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China Show all 20 1 /20 Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China An employee enters a train in the Huawei's Ox Horn campus at Songshan Lake in Dongguan Reuters Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China A worker cleans a waterway as office buildings are seen at Huawei's new Ox Horn Research and Development campus in Dongguan, near shenzen Getty Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China An area of Huawei's Ox Horn campus modelled after Cesky Krumlov in Czech Republic Getty Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China The real Cesky Krumlov in Czech Republic Getty Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China Employees sleep in their cubicle in the research and development area after lunch at the Bantian campus in Shenzhen Getty Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China An area of Huawei's Ox Horn campus modelled after Heidelberg in Germany Getty Images Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China Employees play basketball on a court within the staff housing complex at the end of the workday at the Bantian campus in Shenzhen Getty Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China A replica of the Karl Theodor Bridge in Huawei's Ox Horn campus Getty Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China The real Karl Theodor Bridge in Heidelberg, Germany Getty Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China Huawei's Ox Horn campus at Songshan Lake in Dongguan Reuters Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China Employees ride the bus home at the end of the workday from the company's Bantian campus in Shenzhen Getty Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China Huawei workers eat their subsidised lunch in one of many large cafeterias at the company's Bantian campus in Shenzhen Getty Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China Reception staff walk in front of a large screen showcasing different technologies in the foyer of a building used for high profile customer visits at the campus in Shenzen Getty Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China An employee reads in the staff library on a break at the company's Bantian campus in Shenzhen Getty Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China An area of Huawei's new Ox Horn campus modelled after a European City Getty Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China Servers are seen inside Huawei's factory campus in Dongguan Reuters Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China The conductor waits for a train in the Huawei's Ox Horn campus at Songshan Lake in Dongguan Reuters Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China A general view shows the research and development centre at Huawei's Ox Horn campus AFP/Getty Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China Employees works on a mobile phone production line at Huawei's factory campus in Dongguan Reuters Inside Huawei's new campus for workers in China An office building on the Huawei campus in Dongguan AFP/Getty The data included information on how often volunteers in the survey felt the need to fake or suppress emotions, how impulsive they are and how much autonomy they feel they have in the workplace. The researchers found that employees who interacted with the public more tended to drink more after work compared to those who didnt. They also identified a strong link between faking or suppressing emotions and heavy drinking habits. In light of the findings, the studys lead author Alicia Grandey, professor of psychology at Penn State, said employers might want to examine the consequences of service with a smile policies that require employees to smile at all times. Smiling as part of your job sounds like a really positive thing, but doing it all day can be draining, Grandey said. In these jobs, theres also often money tied to showing positive emotions and holding back negative feelings. Money gives you a motivation to override your natural tendencies, but doing it all day can be wearing." Grandey explained that previous studies have found links between service workers and drinking problems but that up until now the reasons for this were unknown. Faking and suppressing emotions with customers was related to drinking beyond the stress of the job or feeling negatively, she said of her findings. It wasnt just feeling badly that makes them reach for a drink. Instead, the more they have to control negative emotions at work, the less they are able to control their alcohol intake after work. The study was published in the Journal of Occupational Health. Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among women in the UK under the age of 35 after breast and skin cancer. In the majority of cases, the cancer only develops if the patient is infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 or 18. This virus is mainly transmitted between people having vaginal, anal or oral sex. At some point in their lives, four in five people will be infected by HPV strains as many as 14 can cause cancer. According to recent studies, other cancers heavily linked to HPV infections include head-and-neck, vulvo-vaginal and anal. In an effort to reduce rates of cervical cancer, a number of countries launched immunisation programmes in the late 2000s, starting with Austria in 2006. The UK and its devolved governments launched a school immunisation programme in 2008 to vaccinate all girls aged 12-13. To speed up the time lag associated with achieving the benefits of vaccination, they also kicked off a three-year catch-up programme for girls aged up to 18 years. A decade on, we are finally able to publish the first results. The data relates to Scotland, since it was cervically screening women from the age of 20 until 2016 before falling into line with the minimum age of 25 used in the rest of the UK. This meant that Scotland obtained screening data for the 2008-09 cohort before the change in screening age. Scotland also has very detailed information about uptake rates, which have been very high: running to approximately 90 per cent in Scotland for the routinely vaccinated girls and 65 per cent for the older girls vaccinated as part of the catch-up programme. Recommended Everything you need to know about cervical cancer screening For the first time, we can now confirm that the vaccination programme has begun to profoundly alter the prevalence of HPV 16 and 18 among Scottish women and presumably elsewhere as well. The study My team performed an eight-year study of the women eligible for the Scottish national vaccination and cervical screening programmes. We looked at their vaccination status, year of birth, indicators of deprivation and whether they lived in urban or rural areas. Using complex statistical modelling, we were able to calculate the effect of vaccination on cervical pre-cancer. Though not all pre-cancer becomes cancer, all cancer requires pre-cancer. Cervical pre-cancer occurs quicker than cancer and therefore this focus has allowed us to see the impact of the vaccine earlier. Among women born in 1995-96 the first group to go through the regular vaccination programme in 2008-09 there has been an 88 per cent reduction in rates of cervical pre-cancer. This is a fall in incidence from 1.44 per cent to 0.17 per cent. Administration of HPV vaccine prevents multiple cancers (iStockphoto) Not only that; women born in these years who had not received the vaccine were also less likely to develop cervical pre-cancer. This was because the high vaccine uptake meant that HPV incidence was much lower in their age group, thanks to a phenomenon known as herd protection. This is particularly good news, since this group is also less likely to attend cervical screenings. The findings clearly show that the routine HPV vaccination programme for girls aged 12-13 has been a resounding success. This is consistent with the fact that we have also seen a big fall in high-risk HPV infection in Scotland in recent years. The obvious conclusion is that we are going to see far fewer cases of cervical cancer in years to come. From September, the UK is going to extend the vaccination programme to boys becoming one of numerous countries to do so. This is in response to the fact that rates of head-and-neck cancer are rising in men: approximately 60 per cent of head-and-neck cancer is associated with HPV16 infection, and should therefore be mostly preventable through vaccination. This programme should also mean that high-risk HPV infections among the population should be eliminated more quickly, which should have knock-on benefits for rates of HPV-driven cancers. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Meanwhile, in parts of Canada, HPV vaccinations are now being offered to uninfected women as part of the cervical screening process. This may protect older women from developing cervical cancer. This process may be adopted internationally, including the UK. When we look at the picture as a whole, eliminating the HPV virus, and making huge inroads into the various cancers that it can catalyse, is now becoming a realistic possibility. Kevin Pollock is a senior research fellow at Glasgow Caldonian University. This article originally appeared on The Conversation The father of a popular Instagram traveller who fell ill in Thailand has said his daughter is becoming "weaker by the hour" after he was told she has a "serious brain infection". Rebekah Fulton is currently in hospital in Phuket with her father, James Geddes, who is attempting to raise 25,000 to get her back to the UK. Mr Geddes has previously said a senior doctor was concerned that an initial ear infection may have transferred to her brain and could require emergency surgery. "Rebekahs condition is very complex and I have been told that its a serious brain infection," he told The Independent today. However, he added that the test results will not be confirmed until Tuesday. "There are still test results to be confirmed and that will be Tuesday as the tests are CSF cultures to identify the bacteria," he said. "Rebekah is becoming weaker by the hour." Mr Geddes has said that his daughter is in an extremely distressing condition and requires sedation on a regular basis to stay calm. He said he has also struggled to communicate with medical staff at the hospital due to the language barrier. After flying to Thailand to support her, Mr Geddes set up a fundraising campaign which has raised nearly 20,000 of its 25,000 target. He has said his daughter is too ill to fly on a commercial flight. Ms Fulton, who is originally from Paisley, Renfrewshire, had been travelling around Asia and Australia. She was in Thailand on a non-visitor visa when she fell ill as she was expecting to start work soon, according to her father, and she reportedly would have been eligible for medical care with her work permit, which was due to be granted this week. Paul Masterton, who is Mr Geddes local MP, has contacted the foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt for assistance. He said: This is a horrendous situation for any parent to have to deal with. My office have spoken to the family and the FCO and I have been in touch with the foreign secretary this afternoon. We need to get Rebekah home. A Foreign Office spokesperson said consular staff were offering advice and support to Ms Fulton's family. Mr Geddes said he was contacted by a member of the British Embassy yesterday who allegedly told him the embassy would be closed for Songkran, the Thai New Year's holiday, and would not open again until Tuesday. He described the response as "totally unacceptable and a week too late". Julian Assanges lawyer has denied the Wikileaks founder smeared excrement on the walls of the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Jennifer Robinson insisted it was not true that Assange had put faeces on the walls of the embassy, as claimed this week by the South American nations interior minister. She told Skys Sophy Ridge on Sunday: Ecuador has been making some pretty outrageous allegations over the past few days to justify what was an unlawful and extraordinary act in allowing British police to come inside an embassy. Its a difficult situation he has been inside a room for more than seven years ... in quite difficult circumstances. Its not been easy. Meanwhile, Wikileaks tweeted that Mr Assanges cat, Michi, was safe after its owner was forcibly removed from the embassy on Thursday. Assange asked his lawyers to rescue [the cat] from embassy threats in mid-October, said the Twitter post, which vowed the pair would be reunited in freedom. Great to smell fresh air says freed Assange Show all 2 1 /2 Great to smell fresh air says freed Assange Great to smell fresh air says freed Assange 517881.bin LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images Great to smell fresh air says freed Assange 517701.bin Getty Images The cat was given to Assange by his children four years into his seven-year stay at the embassy. It became a social media sensation after being pictured wearing a tie in the window of the consulate, and had appeared in photos with Assange on Twitter and Instagram accounts with the handle @EmbassyCat. Wikileaks tweeted a video of Michi looking at a television showing footage of Assanges arrest. The Wikileaks founder, 47, faces up to 12 months in jail in the UK for breaching his bail conditions. The US government has requested his extradition to stand trial for obtaining classified information from former intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. Assange may also face a request from Swedish prosecutors for him to face trial over rape allegations dating back to 2010. His lawyer said if Sweden did make an extradition request, they would seek assurances that he would not be sent on to the US after that case had been dealt with. If Sweden makes and extradition request we will certainly be asking for same assurances as before... the same as we sought in 2010, Ms Robinson said. She stressed that her client was not above the law and had offered his testimony to Swedish prosecutors. The concern was not about facing Swedish justice, it was the risk of facing American injustice, she added. I think this case has been politicised. He has embarrassed the US military-industrial complex, he has embarrassed the CIA. High profile US politicians have called for him to be killed by drone strike. We will fight this extradition request in the courts, so it is a matter for the British courts now. Ecuadors interior minister, Maria Paula Romo, had said Assange began to act aggressively as his mental and physical health deteriorated during his long stay in the embassy. She claimed he had been allowed to do things like put faeces on the walls of the embassy and other behaviours of that nature. Julian Assange's father has called for the Wikileaks founder to be allowed to return to his home country of Australia. John Shipton, who lives in Melbourne, urged his prime minister, Scott Morrison, to help bring his son back from the UK. Assange remains in custody following his arrest at the Ecuadorian embassy in London on Thursday. The 47-year-old not only faces up to a year in prison for breaching his bail terms in the UK, but also a potential trial in the US for obtaining classified information from former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. However Mr Shipton told News Corp Australia that Mr Morrison and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) should in a nuanced way do something. It can be resolved simply to the satisfaction of all, he said. There has been some talk in a meeting between a senator and a senior DFAT official to extradite Julian to Australia. Key moments for Julian Assange Show all 9 1 /9 Key moments for Julian Assange Key moments for Julian Assange The situation today Assange was arrested after Metropolitan Police officers were invited into the Ecuadorian embassy on April 11 2019. How did it come to this? Ruptly TV Key moments for Julian Assange The break Assange shows the front page of the Guardian on July 26 2010, the day that they broke the story of the thousands of military files leaked by WikiLeaks AFP/Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Wanted A warrant for Assange's arrest was issued in August 2010 for counts of rape and molestation in Sweden AFP/Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Ruling The UK's Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that Assange should be extradited to Sweden to face trial Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Sanctuary Following the ruling, Assange was given asylum by the Ecuadorian governement over fears that his human rights would be violated if he were extradited, he has since remained in the embassy in London Getty Key moments for Julian Assange A friend in Pam Friend Pamela Anderson delivers lunch to Assange at the embassy in October 2016. She has since spoken against his arrest Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Arbitrarily detained A UN panel found in 2016 that Assange had been arbitrarily detained and that he had not been able to claim his full right to asylum. It urged Sweden to withdraw the charges against him Getty Key moments for Julian Assange The cat ultimatum Last year, the Ecuadorian embassy threatened to revoke Assange's internet access unless he stopped making political statements online and started taking better care of James, his pet cat. Assange accused Ecuador of violating his rights Reuters Key moments for Julian Assange Arrest Assange was arrested on April 11 2019. Ecuador revoked his asylum status and invited the Metropolitan Police in to the embassy to arrest him. Reuters The Australian prime minister has previously said Assange will have consular assistance available to him but will not get special treatment. Mr Shipton also expressed shock at the appearance of his son in footage of his arrest. I saw him, the way they dragged him down the steps, the coppers he didnt look good, he added. Im 74 and I look better than him and hes 47. Its such a shock. Recommended Jeremy Corbyn says Julian Assange should answer questions over rape Assange may also face a competing extradition request from Sweden over rape allegations which date back to 2010. That investigation was dropped in 2017 because the Wikileaks founder was still holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy. More than 70 British MPs have signed a letter urging the home secretary Sajid Javid to ensure Assange faces Swedish authorities if they request his extradition. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has said Assange should not be extradited to the US, told Sky News: If there are allegations which Julian Assange needs to answer of sexual issues, sexual attacks that may or may not have taken place in Sweden, then its a matter for the courts to decide. But, I do think he should answer those questions. My objection was to his extradition to the United States because I do believe that WikiLeaks told us the truth about what was actually happening in Afghanistan and in Iraq. The Swedish rape allegation has a limitation period which expires in August 2020 and prosecutors in Sweden have confirmed that they are looking into the case. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Additional reporting by Press Association Teachers suffered a catalogue of appalling treatment at the hands of employers last year, a union has claimed. Millions of pounds in compensation was paid to teachers who faced attacks from pupils, injuries and discrimination in the workplace, latest figures show. Five-figure sums were brokered for those on the end of the worst treatment. One 54-year-old disabled member of teaching staff received 45,000 after being dismissed for querying the failure to put in place reasonable adjustments to enable him to do his job. He had multiple disabilities, including a form of arthritis, hypertension, gout and diabetes, which the employer was aware of. "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 The teacher had requested a trolley to aid his mobility, for disabled parking bays to be kept free for those with disabilities, the removal of classroom equipment which was in his way and for an interactive whiteboard, large wireless keyboard and stool to be provided for his classroom. The employer started an investigation into his alleged conduct and he was eventually dismissed via the schools disciplinary procedure. The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) also secured 10,000 for a 33-year-old member from South Yorkshire who was racially abused by students at her school more than a dozen times over the course of 18 months. It said 14.9m was secured from teachers employers for its members in the past 12 months. In 2018, NASUWT experienced an increase in cases relating to unlawful discrimination by employers towards members. Trump Jr says 'you don't have to be indoctrinated by these loser teachers that are trying to sell you on socialism from birth' at Trump rally These included cases where members had been subjected to discriminatory practices around pregnancy-related and flexible-working requests, the failure to make reasonable adjustments for members with a disability, race discrimination and discrimination based on age, sexual orientation and religion or belief. In one case, 9,611 was secured from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority for a 57-year-old member who was assaulted by a pupil known to demonstrate aggressive behaviour. The pupil blocked the West Midlands teachers entrance to her classroom and then shoved her into a wall, causing a lower back injury and bruising to her ribs. The incident left the member with PTSD, vertigo and tremors. Chris Keates, NASUWT general secretary, said: Whilst the NASUWT has been successful in securing record compensation for members, the fact is that behind these figures is a catalogue of appalling treatment teachers have suffered at the hands of their employer. Philip Hammond hits back at teachers who attacked his Budget In most cases the money awarded does not compensate for the fact that a teachers physical or mental health may have been affected and they can no longer work in their chosen profession. Too many employers adopt an anything goes style of management and believe they can act with impunity as the government fails to take any action to secure compliance with employment law, allowing poor employment practices to flourish as a result of the excessive freedoms and flexibilities it has given to schools. These figures mask the anxiety, stress and distress many teachers will have suffered at the hands of their employers before seeking our help. But they also represent what we believe is only the tip of the iceberg. There is no doubt that many more will have been driven out of the profession without proper redress for poor, discriminatory or unfair treatment because they were too fearful or stressed to come forward or believed nothing could be done. She said that by publicising the figures, the union hoped to encourage any member facing discrimination to seek help. The global compensation figures were released ahead of the NASUWTs annual conference at the ICC in Belfast from 19 April. Press Association Labour MP David Lammy has insisted his comparison of hardline Brexiteer Conservatives with Nazis and advocates of South African apartheid wasnt strong enough. Presented with his remarks last month at a Peoples Vote march for a second referendum, the senior MP defended his views, and once again hit out at members of the European Research Group (ERG) of Brexit-supporting MPs within the Tory party. Im just looking over there at Winston Churchill, he said at the rally in March. On the 30 September 1938 he stood in parliament and said we would not appease Hitler. Im looking across to Nelson Mandela, who would not give in to apartheid. We say, we will not give into the ERG. Will not appease. Asked on the BBCs Andrew Marr Show whether it was an unacceptable comparison, Mr Lammy replied: I would say that it wasnt strong enough. Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Nigel Farage speaks at the launch of his new Brexit Party's campaign for the European elections Reuters Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Brexit Party candidate Annunziata Rees-Mogg, sister of Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, speaks at the launch AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures A supporter waits for Farage to speak AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Supporters wait for Farage to speak AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage's socks Reuters Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage and prospective candidate Annunziata Rees-Mogg wait at the launch AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Supporters listen as Farage speaks AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Free T-shirts for all attendees AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Posters on the seats for supporters of the Brexit Party AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures A safety sign is pictured AFP/Getty He continued: In 1938 there were allies who hatched a plan for Hitler to annex part of Czechoslovakia, and Churchill said no, and he stood alone. We must not appease. Were in a situation now, and let me just be clear, Im an ethnic minority. We have, in the ERG, in Jacob Rees-Mogg, someone who is happy to put on to his web pages the horrible, racist AfD party, a party thats Islamophobic and on the far right. Im sorry, but very, very seriously, of course we should not appease that, of course we should not appease that, he added. His remarks regarding Mr Rees-Mogg came after the senior Brexiteer faced widespread condemnation for quoting the leader of the far-right German party, the AfD. The organisation has provoked outrage in the country with its stance on race and religion, and last year called for Islam-free schools. Mr Rees-Mogg, who has previously denied supporting the AfD, told The Independent on Sunday: Mr Lammy lessens his arguments by the use of such foolish language. It trivialises any comments he may make. When it was put to Mr Lammy that he was saying Mr Rees-Mogg and former foreign secretary Boris Johnson are equivalent to Nazis, Mr Lammy said: Ask Boris Johnson why hes hanging out with Steve Bannon. Senior US Democrat Nancy Pelosi has met with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, saying they discussed issues including Brexit and antisemitism. The speaker of the House of Representatives said she had a candid discussion with the opposition leader on Sunday at the beginning of her trip to the UK and Ireland. Pleased to have had a candid discussion with [Jeremy Corbyn] today about the direction of Brexit, Northern Ireland, Nato, acting boldly on climate, protecting human rights, and the necessity of forcefully confronting anti-Semitism & Islamophobia, Ms Pelosi wrote on Twitter. Mr Corbyn described the meeting as open and wide ranging. We discussed the need to protect the Good Friday Agreement, take action on inequality and the climate crisis, confront racism and promote peace, the Labour leader said on Twitter. Protests against Labour antisemitism Show all 14 1 /14 Protests against Labour antisemitism Protests against Labour antisemitism Protesters clashed during the demonstration Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism Members of the Jewish community hold a protest against Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn and antisemitism in the Labour Party AFP/Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism Protesters hold placards and flags during a demonstration, organised by the British Board of Jewish Deputies for those who oppose antisemitism, in Parliament Square Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism Hundreds of people gathered in Parliament Square to protest against antisemitism in the Labour Party EPA Protests against Labour antisemitism Labour MP Luciana Berger speaks during the protest PA Protests against Labour antisemitism A protester blows through a shofar during the demonstration Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism Members of London's Jewish community protest in support of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn outside parliament EPA Protests against Labour antisemitism Labour MP John Mann speaks during a protest against antisemitism PA Protests against Labour antisemitism People protest against antisemitism in the Labour Party as Jewish community leaders have launched a scathing attack on Jeremy Corbyn, claiming he has sided with antisemites again and again PA Protests against Labour antisemitism Labour politicians Stella Creasy and Chuka Umunna leave after attending the demonstration Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism A pro-Jeremy Corbyn protester holds a placard during a counter-protest Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism A support of the Labour Party hold up a placard during the demonstration Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism Jeremy Corbyn supporters during the demo Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism A protester holds up a sign reading For the many, not the Jew AFP Although Ms Pelosi specifically mentioned antisemitism in her post, the Labour leader did not do so in his. The Labour Party has struggled with reports of antisemitism among members over the last few years. A spokesperson for Labour told The Independent the meeting had been arranged for a short while. Ms Pelosi, whose visit to the UK and Ireland is primarily focused on Brexit, also met with defected Labour MPs from the newly formed party Change UK. The 79-year-old said she had an important discussion with the politicians, who have been critical of Mr Corbyn, about why they left Labour. Important discussion with former Labour Party MPs [Mike Gapes], [Chris Leslie], [Ian Austin] to hear their perspective on Brexit, why they left the Labour Party, and the importance of standing unequivocally against antisemitism wherever it is found, she said. All three MPs posted on social media about the meeting and referred to the issue of antisemitism. US House Speaker Pelosi leads pro-Nato delegation to Brussels Owen Jones, the British political commentator and activist, accused Ms Pelosi of mocking the Labour Party by meeting with its former MPs. The British Labour Party is being openly trolled by a US establishment hack who wont even defend [Ilhan Omar] as she is savaged by a racist President and his Muslim hating allies, he said. Ms Omar, a Muslim Democratic congresswoman, made a speech last month about Islamophobia in the US after 9/11. She is currently being criticised by right-wing US politicians, including Donald Trump, for her comments. On Saturday Ms Pelosi said she had taken steps to ensure the congresswomans safety after Mr Trump retweeted a video attacking the Minnesota representative. She will meet with government ministers on Monday as she continues her UK visit. Theresa May should stand down as prime minister as early as next month and avoid the utter disaster of the Conservatives taking part in the European elections, the former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has insisted. As a slew of opinion polls provided grim reading for the Tories, the senior Brexiteer said dozens of party associations had written to the prime minister making clear they are not prepared to fight Euro elections on 23 May. Mr Duncan Smiths remarks came after the chancellor Philip Hammond hinted Ms May could remain in office until October the new deadline for the Brexit negotiations to conclude. The prime minister has previously made clear she will resign once the first phase formally cutting ties with the EU is delivered, and Conservative sources made clear her departure is tied to this, rather than a particular timetable. But speaking on Sky Newss Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Mr Duncan Smith said: I know that the prime minister has already said shes going. She said she would go as and when the agreement was ratified which was looking at around about May, June. I think those dates still stand. Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Nigel Farage speaks at the launch of his new Brexit Party's campaign for the European elections Reuters Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Brexit Party candidate Annunziata Rees-Mogg, sister of Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, speaks at the launch AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures A supporter waits for Farage to speak AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Supporters wait for Farage to speak AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage's socks Reuters Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage and prospective candidate Annunziata Rees-Mogg wait at the launch AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Supporters listen as Farage speaks AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Free T-shirts for all attendees AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Posters on the seats for supporters of the Brexit Party AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures A safety sign is pictured AFP/Getty I think that what the PM has to do is aim everything now towards departure before the Euros [elections], which would then allow her to step away having done what she said she would do, getting the UK out of the European Union one way or the other, and then we can have another leadership election and pick a new leader which is the way it has to be. He blamed a series of concerning polls regarding the partys prospects at a general election on the delay to Brexit agreed at the EU emergency summit in Brussels. It was on the 29th when we didnt leave thats when this has all gone wrong. Up until then people were prepared to give Theresa May the benefit of the doubt, he said. The big problem was as soon as we didnt leave you could see all the poll ratings start to crash. On participation in the European elections on 23 May something the UK is legally bound to take part in if a Brexit deal is not agreed by the date of the election Mr Duncan Smith added: It would be a disaster for the country. What are you going to say on the doorstep? Vote for me and Ill be gone in three months. It doesnt make any sense. I always campaign for Conservative candidates but I absolutely do not want to campaign on the Euro elections ticket which would be almost impossible to justify. His remarks on Ms Mays leadership of the party came as two former chairmen of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs raised the possibility of a change in rules governing challenges to any leader. Under the current a system, a move against a Tory leader can only be brought once in a 12-month period. It means MPs in the party cannot attempt to topple Ms May again until December a year on since she successfully saw off a bid by Brexiteers. Lord Spicer and Lord Hamilton wrote in The Sunday Telegraph: Conservative MPs are responsible for their party. If they wish to change these rules there is nothing standing in their way. Chair of the 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady also told the newspaper: It is my understanding that the rules could in future be changed by the agreement of the 1922 executive. He added that it was less certain that it would be possible to change the rules during the current period of grace which was initiated with the triggering of a confidence vote on 12 December last year. Speaking on Friday, Mr Hammond said: The prime minister has said that she will leave once she has done the deal and taken us out of the European Union. The chancellor said that as far as he was aware she doesnt have any intention of leaving until that deal is done, adding: So, she is a person with a strong sense of duty. She feels that she has got a duty, and an obligation to the British people to deliver Brexit and she will certainly want to make good on that obligation. Ukip leader Gerard Batten has described a rape tweet sent by one of his partys election candidates to Labour MP Jess Phillips as satire. Carl Benjamin was announced as a European Parliament candidate for the South West England constituency this week following what Mr Batten claimed was an exhaustive process. In 2016, Mr Benjamin tweeted I wouldnt even rape you to Ms Phillips after she spoke of being sent rape threats. Mr Batten defended the post on BBC Ones The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, saying: I think this was satire. He described the candidate as a classical liberal and a proponent of free speech. Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Nigel Farage speaks at the launch of his new Brexit Party's campaign for the European elections Reuters Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Brexit Party candidate Annunziata Rees-Mogg, sister of Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, speaks at the launch AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures A supporter waits for Farage to speak AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Supporters wait for Farage to speak AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage's socks Reuters Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage and prospective candidate Annunziata Rees-Mogg wait at the launch AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Supporters listen as Farage speaks AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Free T-shirts for all attendees AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Posters on the seats for supporters of the Brexit Party AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures A safety sign is pictured AFP/Getty The Ukip leader said: I dont know the exact context of that and I certainly dont condone any remarks like that, but he is not a bad person as hes being portrayed. He is a proponent of free speech. The context that he said it was satire against the people he was saying it about. He wasnt actually making a literal statement. Mr Benjamin a vlogger who posts online under the name Sargon of Akkad has close to 1 million subscribers to his YouTube channel, on which he posts videos criticising feminism, left-wing politics and the EU. He sent the tweet to Ms Phillips after the Labour politician wrote on Twitter: People talking about raping me isnt fun, but has become somewhat par for the course. Following Mr Benjamins tweet, Ms Phillips said she was bombarded with 600-odd notifications talking about my rape in one night. Carl Benjamin has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on his channel (YouTube) After Mr Battens defence of the candidate on Sunday, Ms Phillips said her husband had asked her: Is this man satire? A spokesman for Ukip had previously condemned Mr Benjamins rape comments, telling The Independent at the time he joined the party that the exchange with Ms Phillips was unpleasant. The Ukip leader was also asked today whether he hated Islam, the religion he has called a death cult. I do not like the ideology, the literalist interpretation of Islam, he said. I know lots of people in this country who do take a literal interpretation of Islam. I think thats the worrying thing. He also defended his proposal that mosque building should be banned in the UK. What I have said in the past is that we should not allow planning permission for mosques until they allow planning permission in Islamic countries for churches, Hindu temples and other forms of religion. Mr Batten took over Ukip last year during a tumultuous period following the departure of Nigel Farage. The party has shifted towards the far right under his leadership and in November he appointed the anti-Muslim activist known as Tommy Robinson as an adviser. Mr Farage, who launched his new Brexit Party earlier this week, has criticised his old party as being linked to extremism, violence, criminal records and thuggery. Deep below the oceans surface on Sunday, the president of the Seychelles made a plea for stronger protection of the beating blue heart of our planet. In the first live speech from an underwater submersible, President Danny Faure called for the world to stop polluting seas and for better protection of marine life. The Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands off the east coast of Africa, is one of the many island nations threatened by global warming. Mr Faure was speaking during a visit to an ambitious British-led science expedition exploring the Indian Ocean from a manned submersible 400ft below the ocean surface. Oceans cover more than two-thirds of the worlds surface but for the most part remain uncharted. Mr Faure said we have better maps of Mars than we do of the ocean floor. The president said: This issue is bigger than all of us, and we cannot wait for the next generation to solve it. We are running out of excuses to not take action, and running out of time. Tens of thousands of children protest climate catastrophe Show all 8 1 /8 Tens of thousands of children protest climate catastrophe Tens of thousands of children protest climate catastrophe Students attend the YouthStrike4Climate demonstration against climate change in Parliament Square, central London AFP/Getty Images Tens of thousands of children protest climate catastrophe Students attend the YouthStrike4Climate demonstration against climate change in Parliament Square, central London AFP/Getty Images Tens of thousands of children protest climate catastrophe Students attend the YouthStrike4Climate demonstration against climate change in Parliament Square, central London AFP/Getty Images Tens of thousands of children protest climate catastrophe Students attend the YouthStrike4Climate demonstration against climate change in Parliament Square, central London Getty Images Tens of thousands of children protest climate catastrophe Students attend the YouthStrike4Climate demonstration against climate change in Parliament Square, central London AFP/Getty Images Tens of thousands of children protest climate catastrophe Students attend the YouthStrike4Climate demonstration against climate change in Parliament Square, central London AFP/Getty Images Tens of thousands of children protest climate catastrophe Students attend the YouthStrike4Climate demonstration against climate change in Parliament Square, central London Reuters Tens of thousands of children protest climate catastrophe Students attend the YouthStrike4Climate demonstration against climate change in Parliament Square, central London REUTERS Wearing shorts and a T-shirt saying Seychelles, the president later said the underwater experience was so, so cool what biodiversity. He said it made him more determined than ever to speak out for marine protection, adding: We just need to do what needs to be done. The scientists have spoken. The oceans role in regulating climate and the threats they face are underestimated by many, even though they generate half of the oxygen we breathe, as Mr Faure pointed out. Scientific missions are crucial in taking stock of underwater ecosystems health. Recommended Scientists urge UN to create protected zone across third of oceans Small island nations are among the most vulnerable to sea level rise caused by climate change. Land erosion, dying coral reefs and the increased frequency of extreme weather events threaten their existence. In the expedition, University of Oxford scientists have been surveying underwater life, mapping large areas of the sea floor and using underwater drones. Operating as far down as 1,640ft, the scientists have been the first to explore areas of great diversity where sunlight weakens and the deep ocean begins. President Faure delivers his underwater speech (Nekton via AP) (Nekton/AP) By the end of the mission, researchers expect to have collected around 1,400 samples and 16 terabytes of data. They will have surveyed about 25,000 sq meters of seabed, using high-resolution multi-beam sonar equipment. The data will be used to help the Seychelles expand its policy of protecting almost a third of its national waters by 2020. The initiative is important for the countrys blue economy, an attempt to balance development needs with those of the environment. Extinction Rebellion activists chant whilst semi-naked during Brexit debate in attempt 'to get politicians to act on Climate and Ecological Crisis' From this depth, I can see the incredible wildlife that needs our protection, and the consequences of damaging this huge ecosystem that has existed for millennia, Mr Faure said in his speech. Over the years, we have created these problems. We can solve them. Currently, only about 5 per cent of the worlds oceans are protected. Countries have agreed to increase the area to 10 per cent by 2020. But experts and environmental campaigners say between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of the oceans outside nations territorial waters should be protected to ensure marine biodiversity. Researchers hope their findings also will inform ongoing UN talks aimed at forging the first high seas conservation treaty, scheduled to conclude this year. Environmental groups argue an international treaty is urgently needed because climate change, overfishing and efforts to mine the seabed for precious minerals are putting unsustainable pressure on marine life that could have devastating consequences for creatures on land as well. Oceans will be one of the seven main themes of this years UN climate summit in Chile in December. While scientists are nearing the end of their expedition, their work is just beginning. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events In the next few months, they will have to collate and analyse their research. When we pull them together, we can understand not just what we see in the areas that weve visited but what we might expect in other regions in the Seychelles, said Lucy Woodall, the missions chief scientist. This is the first of half a dozen regions the mission plans to explore before the end of 2022, when scientists will present their research at a summit on the state of the Indian Ocean. Associated Press Jair Bolsonaro, Brazils far-right president, has responded to criticism after saying he could forgive but not forget the crimes of the Holocaust. The 64-year-old made the comments while addressing a group of Brazilian evangelical Christians on Thursday. We can forgive, but we cant forget. Thats my phrase, the president said at the event. Those who forget their past are condemned not to have a future. There was no immediate response to Mr Bolsonaros comments from Benjamin Netanyahu, the right-wing Israeli president who has cultivated ties with the controversial Brazilian leader. Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Show all 8 1 /8 Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency A man holds an inflatable figure of jailed former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as supporters of far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro celebrate in front of the National Congress in Brasilia, after the former army captain won Brazil's presidential election AFP/Getty Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Supporters of the left-wing presidential candidate for the Workers Party (PT), Fernando Haddad, react in Rio AFP/Getty Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Police officers patrol the streets during a gathering of supporters of the left-wing presidential candidate for the Workers Party AFP/Getty Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Fernando Haddad, presidential candidate of Brazil's leftist Workers Party (PT), is kissed by his wife Ana Estela Haddad Reuters Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency EPA Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency AFP/Getty Images Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency AFP/Getty Images Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency REUTERS But Israels president Reuven Rivlin, whose role is mostly ceremonial, commented on the controversy on Twitter. We will always oppose those who deny the truth or those who wish to expunge our memory not individuals or groups, not party leaders or prime ministers, he wrote. We will never forgive and never forget. The Jewish people will always fight anti-semitism and xenophobia. Political leaders are responsible for shaping the future. Historians describe the past and research what happened. Neither one should stray into the territory of the other. Following the backlash, Mr Bolsonaro issued a statement through Yossi Shelley, Israels ambassador to Brazil. To the people of Israel I wrote in the guestbook of the Yad Vashem museum in Jerusalem: Those who forget their past are doomed to not have a future, the Brazilian leader said. Therefore, any other interpretation is only in the interest of those who want to push me away from my Jewish friends. Forgiveness is something personal, my speech was never meant to be used in a historical context, especially one where millions of innocent people were murdered in a cruel genocide. Six million Jewish people were murdered by Germanys Nazi regime during the Second World War as part of Adolf Hitlers campaign of extermination. Mr Bolsonaro had previously raised eyebrows when he falsely claimed the Nazis had been leftists while visiting Israel earlier this month. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events He made the comments after a tour of the Holocaust memorial Yad Vadshem. It is no ones place to decide who can be forgiven and whether there should be forgiveness for the crimes of the Holocaust, a spokesperson for the site said on Saturday. Additional reporting by agencies Donald Trump Jr has liked tweets calling Ilhan Omar's politics "not American" and suggesting the Democrat has "no allegiance" to the US. Following his father's attacks on the Congresswoman over her remarks on the 9/11 terror attacks, he shared several critical quotes. One retweet from Donald Trump supporter Will Chamberlain, called Ms Omar - who is a US citizen but came to America as a child refugee from Somalia - "a walking advertisement for more restrictive immigration and refugee policies". "Nothing about her public statements indicates that she has any meaningful allegiance to this country or its people," it added. "Her politics are sectarian, not American." Mr Trump also accused people reporting death threats against Ms Omar of "telling one side of the story", while sharing numerous critical tweets. Muslim soldiers to visit schools to try to counter Islamophobia Show all 2 1 /2 Muslim soldiers to visit schools to try to counter Islamophobia Muslim soldiers to visit schools to try to counter Islamophobia 9-Lee-Rigby-EPA.jpg EPA Muslim soldiers to visit schools to try to counter Islamophobia 9-Lee-Rigby-PA.jpg PA While speaking on Islamophobia, had said CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognised that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties. The American political right quickly weaponised her wording and the president shared a video of the speech cut with 9/11 footage. Ms Omar said she would "defend democracy" as criticism continued on Saturday. "This country was founded on the ideas of justice, of liberty, of the pursuit of happiness. But these core beliefs are under threat," she wrote on Twitter. "No one person no matter how corrupt, inept, or vicious can threaten my unwavering love for America. I stand undeterred to continue fighting for equal opportunity in our pursuit of happiness for all Americans." Ilhan Omar hit back at Donald Trump after he shared a video criticising her comments about the 9/11 terror attacks. I did not run for Congress to be silent, the Democrat representative for Minnesota tweeted, before vowing to fight and to defend our democracy. Ms Omar, who was one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, said: No one person no matter how corrupt, inept, or vicious can threaten my unwavering love for America. I stand undeterred to continue fighting for equal opportunity in our pursuit of happiness for all Americans. The congresswoman has faced increasing attacks since the US president shared footage showing Ms Omar referring to 9/11 as some people did something, adding the caption We will never forget!. Republicans have accused her of downplaying the terror attacks, and Mr Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr have both either retweeted or liked comments describing Ms Omar as a sick monster and not American. In her response, Ms Omar wrote: This country was founded on the ideas of justice, of liberty, of the pursuit of happiness. But these core beliefs are under threat. Each and every day. We are under threat by an administration that would rather cage children than pass comprehensive immigration reform. An administration that would rather give billionaires tax breaks than provide a little cushion for working people. An administration that would rather attack fellow Americans who are transgender and wear our countrys uniform than fight for equality and opportunity for all. I did not run for Congress to be silent. I did not run for Congress to sit on the sidelines. I ran because I believed it was time to restore moral clarity and courage to Congress. To fight and to defend our democracy. Thank you for standing with me against an administration that ran on banning Muslims from this country to fight for the America we all deserve. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders as well as congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were among the Democrats to declare their support for Ms Omar. The president is inciting violence against a sitting congresswoman and an entire group of Americans based on their religion, Ms Warren said. Its disgusting. Its shameful. And any elected leader who refuses to condemn it shares responsibility for it. Texas Democrat Beto ORourke said: The presidents actions are an incitement to violence against representative Omar and muslim Americans across the country. There is a cost and consequence to this rhetoric. Members of both parties must stand together and condemn the presidents dangerous actions. Mr Trump's actions come just days after a man was arrested for phoning up Ms Omars office and threatening to put a bullet in her skull. Ms Omar has previously been accused of antisemitism over comments she made about the pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Donald Trump has unleashed a series of angry tweets attacking The New York Times over a report claiming he was thinking about sending undocumented immigrants into so-called sanctuary cities represented by Democrats. The president accused the newspaper of failing to call to check for truth, only for White House correspondent Maggie Haberman to explain the Times had in fact emailed his press team three times for comment and [the] press office acknowledged receipt of emails. The newspaper claimed the idea of releasing immigrants detained by federal agencies into cities which had previously offered protection from deportation had been considered by the White House. Although Mr Trump said the story was knowingly wrong on almost every fact, he appeared to confirm and validate its truth with his own tweets. He wrote: Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only. 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range Show all 6 1 /6 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range The mug 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range The tee 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range The tee 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range The can cooler 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range The tee 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range The can cooler The president insisted the newspaper was guilty of really corrupt reporting, stating: They will lie & cheat anyway possible to make me look bad. In 6 years they will be gone. His other late night-tweets on Saturday suggested Mr Trump has refused to give up on the idea of sending migrants to sanctuary cities. He claimed the nation had the absolute legal right to have apprehended illegal immigrants transferred. The president attacked the Mayor of Oakland Libby Schaaf after she criticised the idea as an outrageous abuse of power. Mr Trump tweeted: So interesting to see the Mayor of Oakland and other Sanctuary Cities NOT WANT our currently detained immigrants after release due to the ridiculous court ordered 20 day rule. He added: Just out: The USA has the absolute legal right to have apprehended illegal immigrants transferred to Sanctuary Cities. Ms Schaaf later responded by telling the president to stop fanning hate and division. Despite Mr Trumps threatening tweets on the subject, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said the idea of sending released immigrants to particular US cities had been raised and dismissed. This was a suggestion that was floated and rejected, which ended any further discussion, said a DHS spokesman. The plan discussed by Mr Trump would face major financial and legal issues. Flights chartered by ICE cost about $7,785 (around 6,000) per flight hour, according to the agency, and require multiple members of staff, including an in-flight medical professional. It is also unclear how long the immigrants would stay in these cities because they are required to provide an address to federal authorities typically of a family member as a condition of their release. Its illogical, said Angela Chan, policy director and senior attorney with the San Francisco-based Asian Law Caucus. Its just alarming that they are spending so much effort and so much time to engage in political theatre. Additional reporting by AP White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has claimed members of Congress are not smart enough to understand Donald Trumps finances after Democrats formally requested the presidents tax returns. When Fox News host Chris Wallace asked whether Mr Trump will order the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to defy Congresss request, Ms Sanders refused to give a clear answer. She instead went on to criticise congressional Democrats. This is all about political partisanship, Ms Sanders said. This is a dangerous, dangerous road and frankly Chris, I dont think Congress, particularly not this group of Congressman and woman, is smart enough to look through the thousands of pages that I would assume president Trumps taxes will be. 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 My guess is most of them dont do their own taxes and I certainly dont trust them to look through the decades of success that the president has and determine anything, she added. House Democrats have set a deadline of 23 April for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to turn over several years of Mr Trumps personal and business tax documents. Mr Trump broke from political convention during the 2016 presidential campaign by refusing to release his tax returns. Recommended Senior Democrat sets Trump new deadline for releasing his tax returns In contrast, Hillary Clinton has released tax returns from 2000 to 2015 . Ms Sanders comments come as Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris released 15 years worth of tax documents. The records show Ms Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff, have paid more than $2.2m (1.7m) in federal taxes over the past five years, according to her campaign. Ms Harris has followed fellow Democratic candidates Kirsten Gillibrand and Elizabeth Warren by releasing her tax returns. Senator Bernie Sanders has also said he will release his tax filings after he described himself as a millionaire earlier this week. Mr Sanders has dismissed suggestions that his newfound wealth, which is believed to have come from book sales following his 2016 campaign, undermines his political message. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has claimed Donald Trump was simply joking when he repeatedly praised WikiLeaks and declared his love of the platform. Ms Sanders, during an appearance on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, defended the president when questioned over his claim he knows nothing about WikiLeaks in the wake of the arrest of Julian Assange. Look clearly the president was making a joke during the 2016 campaign, certainly we take this seriously, Ms Sanders said. WikiLeaks became major player in the 2016 election after stolen emails from Mr Trumps political rivals campaign were published on the website. Emails from the Democratic National Committee were also published. I love WikiLeaks, Mr Trump said during a rally in October 2016. Wikileaks' Julian Assange refused bail Show all 2 1 /2 Wikileaks' Julian Assange refused bail Wikileaks' Julian Assange refused bail 511641.bin Getty Images Wikileaks' Julian Assange refused bail 507721.bin AFP/ GETTY IMAGES Ms Sanders continued to claim that the Trump administration deserves credit for Mr Assanges arrest in London, and said that the current president is the first president to take WikiLeaks alleged crimes seriously. The Obama administration was heavily critical of Mr Assange, but ultimately declined to charge him out of concern for the implications of those charges for press freedoms in the US. The former Army intelligence analyst who leaked thousands of US government documents to WikiLeaks, Chelsea Manning, was tried and sentenced to prison time during the Obama administration, but Barack Obama commuted her sentence before leaving office after seven years of detention. Our administration is the only one thats done anything about it. Lets not forget that the reason Julian Assange is being looked at is because of the engagement that he had with Chelsea Manning, Ms Sanders told Mr Wallace on Sunday. That individual is the person that the Obama administration actually commuted their sentence. Were the only ones who have taken this whole process seriously, and actually doing something to solve the problem, she continued. Assange has been accused by the US government of conspiring to help Ms Manning to break into Department of Defense databases, so that those documents could then be published on WikiLeaks. 'I told you so' Julian Assange's lawyer relays message from the Wikileaks founder He was separately convicted of skipping bail in the UK by fleeing to London's Ecuadorian embassy to avoid a Swedish arrest warrant in 2012. Assage faces years in a British prison in an upcoming legal battle over the attempt to extradite him to the US. It was supposed to be a harmless liaison, starting as it sometimes did: an attractive profile on a gay site, a few messages about nothing much at all, an exchange of photos, and an agreement to meet. Sergei, 38, surname withheld, says he felt something wasnt quite right about his date when they met in Shabolovka in Moscows southeastern suburbs. But it was only when the pair came home, entered the flat, and two assailants jumped out from behind the curtains that he started to realise how badly wrong things had gone. The men announced to Sergei that his date was, in fact, a minor even though his profile and appearance suggested he was at least 20. The attackers gave their victim a frightening ultimatum: 20,000 rubles (250) or be outed as a poof and reported as a paedophile. Sergei was lucky that a 20-year army career meant he could stand up to the men physically. After an hour, he managed to persuade them to go outside so he could try to get money from a cashpoint. From there, he ran. His story is one of several crimes committed against gay men in Moscow over the last month. The Independent was able to speak to three of the targeted men. They suggested that gangs operating in the capital had identified gay men as easy and silent victims. The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe Show all 15 1 /15 The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe 15. Italy Getty Images The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe 14. Macedonia The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe 13. Poland Getty Images The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe 12. Liechtenstein The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe 11. Lithuania The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe 10. Latvia This content is subject to copyright. The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe 9. San Marino The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe 8. Moldova The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe 7. Belarus Getty Images The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe 6. Ukraine Getty Images The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe 5. Monaco The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe 4. Turkey Getty Images The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe 3. Armenia The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe 2. Russia Getty Images The top 15 worst countries to be gay in Europe 1. Azerbaijan Getty/AFP The mechanism is almost always the same. Handsome young men entrap unwitting victims on dating apps and other gay sites. They lure victims to an apartment, where several other gang members are waiting. The assailants film their victim, extort money and threaten them with outing or worse. Usually, the victims pay up for a quiet life. On the occasions that they dont, things can end brutally. While an unwelcome reminder of the difficulties of being gay in Russia, these incidents are not an entirely new phenomenon or even the worst examples of homophobia. Chechnya aside, the peak of anti-gay violence in Russia came about four years ago, when groups led by the nationalist Maxim Martsinkevich (aka The Hatchet) entrapped, beat and humiliated dozens of gay men on camera. Martsinkevich and his Occupy Pedophilia gang operated on the heels of the Kremlins 2013 infamous anti-gay law. But Martsinkevich and his crew were always less concerned with money than with serving a warped ideology. Activists say the vast majority of the more recent attacks have been economic in their aims. When its clear homophobic crimes are at play, the state does everything to avoid prosecution Igor Kochetkov, Russian LGBT Network That does not mean there have not been victims of violence. On several occasions, young men have been found in pools of blood following apparent robbery attempts, and without obvious signs of forced entry. But todays gangs do tend to be less violent, and instead use the taboo of homosexuality in society to keep the crimes as hidden as possible. Its an effective enough strategy, says Igor Kochetkov, the head of the Russian LGBT Network, a prominent advocacy group. People are reluctant to go to the police because they dont want to reveal their orientation, he says. And the regular homophobic statements from officials dont exactly encourage them. Recommended Russia reinstates yoga into prisons following claims it turned inmates The Russian court system is not set up to help them, the activist says. When the odd case does reach court, it is usually processed as hooliganism or robbery; the hate element is never included as an aggravating factor. When Martsinkevich was finally arrested and jailed in late 2014, for example, it was for a racist video. No mention was made of the anti-gay aspects of his extremism. When its clear homophobic crimes are at play, such as what happened in Chechnya, the state does everything to avoid prosecution, says Kochetkov. According to Andrei Petrov, programme director of the LGBT+ advocacy group Stimul, a lack of successful prosecutions is allowing the problem of date extortion to become more widespread. In a survey conducted by his organisation in 2018, one in five members of the LGBT+ community reported that they had been victims of such hate crimes. Only a similar percentage report the crimes to police, and even fewer are properly investigated. Given the lack of progress in Russian courts, Stimul has decided to try their luck with the European Court of Human Rights. Their test case, which dates from 2017, follows the familiar pattern. The victim, Yevgeny, 39, surname withheld, answered a profile on a love.mail.ru, a well-known dating site. He sent his picture; the other party sent his, and the pair agreed to meet by a block of flats in Moscows suburbs. Again, there were warning signs. The date said his name was Dima in messages, but introduced himself as Danila. But regardless, Yevgeny agreed to go upstairs to the flat. There, a gang of eight men were waiting. They made sure Yevgenys quick date instead ended in a heavy beating, a request for money, and a threat to call the police for paedophilia. Eventually, Yevgeny plucked up the courage to report the crime to the police. But since then, two years have passed without progress, with investigators refusing to open a criminal investigation. I believe the police were covering them up, Yevgeny says. Ive no doubt the guys think they are completely untouchable. Activists and victims allege the Russian governments own homophobia has fuelled the extortion business. The reason why these guys are getting away with it is because they are on the same side, says Sergei. One thing gives birth to another. They know they are doing the states work. A Bosnian Serb leader has falsely claimed that the Srebrenica massacre, in which more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed, is a fabricated myth. Milorad Dodik, who heads Bosnias multi-ethnic joint presidency, said the massacre was something that does not exist, at a conference discussing war crimes committed during the Bosnian conflict. Bosnian Serb troops killed the Muslim men and boys after capturing the eastern town of Srebrenica on 11 July 1995. The victims bodies were thrown into mass graves in the following days. The International Court of Justice and the UN war crimes court for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague have ruled that the killings were genocide. Bosnia: the nation left behind Show all 18 1 /18 Bosnia: the nation left behind Bosnia: the nation left behind 508489.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508483.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508484.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508485.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508486.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508487.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508488.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508492.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508493.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508471.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508469.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508468.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508470.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508472.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508496.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508481.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508482.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508467.bin ANDY SPYRA [Bosnian Muslims] did not have a myth, so they decided to construct one around Srebrenica, Mr Dodik said on Friday. Radovan Karadzic, the political leader of Bosnias Serbs in the 1992-95 war and Ratko Mladic, who served as the groups military leader, have both been sentenced to life in prison for the genocide and other war crimes. More than 100,000 people died in the Bosnian conflict, while millions were left homeless. Despite this Mr Dodik has repeatedly downplayed the Srebrenica massacre, which was one of the most brutal slaughters in Europe since the Second World War. Other Bosnian Serb politicians have also denied that genocide was ever committed, including Mladen Grujicic, the current mayor of Srebrenica. Bosnian Serbs have also set up a commission aimed at establishing the truth of what occurred. Muslims in Bosnia have condemned Mr Dodiks comments. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Srebrenica is a court-proven fact, just as [it] is a court-proven fact that the military and political leadership of the Bosnian Serbs have been convicted of a joint criminal enterprise and genocide, said Ramiz Salkic, a Bosnian Muslim official. Those are historic facts, not a myth. And that is what Dodik should tell his people. Over 6,600 Srebrenica victims have been identified but experts are still excavating the victims bodies from hidden mass graves. Researchers have used DNA analysis to put the bodies back together after perpetrators, trying to hide their war crimes, scattered victims remains across many miles. Additional reporting by agencies Jet Airways, the Indian carrier mired in debt, appears to have shut down completely. The airline claims on its website to be operating 48 domestic flights on both Sunday 14 and Monday 15 April. But the flight status shown for all these departures, and dozens more, indicates that they are all cancelled. The flight data service FlightRadar24 does not record any Jet Airways departures from the airlines main base, Mumbai. The National Aviators Guild, which represents more than 1,100 Indian pilots for Jet Airways, says they will refuse to work from Monday onwards though with no planes operating this appears to be an empty gesture. The vast majority of the airlines fleet has been returned to the leasing companies that own the aircraft. On Friday Jet Airways said it was cancelling all international services for the weekend, up to and including Monday 15 April. Passengers were invited to assume that the two daily flights from Heathrow to Mumbai, and once-a-day operation to Delhi, would resume on Tuesday. Jet Airways is using social media to assure passengers hoping to fly that its services will be operating as normal. On Twitter, Sandeep Sharma asked the airline: Can you tell me status of my flight to London on 26th April through 9W 118? Jet Airways responded: The flight is operating as per the schedule. But The Independent has made a series of test bookings on both Jet Airways UK routes, from Delhi and Mumbai to Heathrow, all the way through to the end of the reservation horizon in March 2020. None is shown as available. Instead, a message reads: Sorry. There are no flights available that meet your request. please try an alternative date. On Friday a slot swap request was made to transfer Jet Airways permits to take off and land at Heathrow to Etihad Airways, its part-owner. The three daily slot pairs are now shown as being used for flights to and from Etihads Abu Dhabi base. Last month, Jet Airways sold a daily pair of Heathrow slots intended for its third Mumbai service to the US carrier, Delta, which will use them for services to Detroit. Jet also abandoned its short-lived link between Manchester and Mumbai. The airline has suspended all bookings to Bangkok, Colombo, Kathmandu, Singapore and Hong Kong. Slot trading: the document showing permission to take of and land at Heathrow transferred from Jet Airways (9W) to Delta (DL) (ACL) Jet Airways believed to have debts in excess of 80bn rupees (885m). It is seeking 15bn rupees (165m) in emergency funding to allow it to continue flying. On Monday creditors led by the State Bank of India will discuss expressions of interest from private-equity investors, Indias National Investment and Infrastructure Fund and Etihad. But with each day of total or near-total grounding, the prospects for resurrecting the airline look increasingly remote. A spokesperson for the airline said: Jet Airways has cancelled its international operations from 12-15 April 2019. The airline is working to minimise guest inconvenience using its 24x7 contact centre, guest relations and the social media response teams, to handle schedule adjustments, in line with defined regulatory guidelines, including offering reaccommodation choices or extending applicable refunds as the situation warrants. Under European air passengers rights rules, Jet Airways is obliged to buy tickets on other airlines for travellers booked from London, and book hotels and provide meals in the interim. The airline cannot simply offer seats on its own future flights because of the stipulation that passengers on cancelled flights are entitled to rerouting, under comparable transport conditions, to their final destination at the earliest opportunity. In addition, it is obliged to pay 600 in compensation to each passenger. The Jet Airways spokesperson said: The airlines management and its key stakeholders including its consortium of lenders, continue to work closely towards resolving the current situation. The airline regrets the inconvenience caused to its guests. In Theresa Mays world, there is no appetite for a Final Say referendum in this country, or for democracy of any kind really. The British people just want her to get the Brexit job done so she can sail off into the sunset and claim her place in history. A few bricks through recalcitrant MPs windows and well be there. Her gaslighting is deeply offensive, but its also depressingly commonplace. There are plenty of others who indulge in it. The UKs potential participation in the European elections on 23 May has been much discussed, but so far it has largely been in terms of the impact Nigel Farages nasty new Brexit Party might have on the Tory vote. A strong showing on Farages part may serve to intensify the focus of the two main parties on courting or appeasing a relatively small number of mostly elderly Brexit-backing voters, despite the polling evidence that shows we have become a Remainer Now nation. Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Nigel Farage speaks at the launch of his new Brexit Party's campaign for the European elections Reuters Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Brexit Party candidate Annunziata Rees-Mogg, sister of Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, speaks at the launch AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures A supporter waits for Farage to speak AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Supporters wait for Farage to speak AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage's socks Reuters Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage and prospective candidate Annunziata Rees-Mogg wait at the launch AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Supporters listen as Farage speaks AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Free T-shirts for all attendees AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Posters on the seats for supporters of the Brexit Party AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures A safety sign is pictured AFP/Getty If a European parliament vote takes place in this country, it is vitally important that backers of a Final Say not only turn out, but also that they back parties that are fully supportive of one, regardless of whom they would choose in a general election. A show of strength is called for. But which party to back? Hardline Brexiteers have two options: Farages lot or an even more unpleasant (if thats possible) Ukip. The choice for those backing a referendum is harder. With Labours leadership still equivocating, they have in England the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and possibly Change UK/The Independent Group, assuming its attempt to register as a new party with the Electoral Commission is successful. In Scotland, the situation is further complicated by the stance of voters on a different referendum: a second go at whether Scotland should exit the UK, which will play a role in whether or not they support the SNP, another Final Say-backing party. In Wales, Plaid Cymru is in the mix. This diversity of parties presents a problem. The UK elects its MEPs via a system of proportional representation which ought (in theory) to eliminate the need for tactical voting. Except that its not that simple. Its still easy to waste a vote in Britains big multi-member European constituencies in which parties submit lists of candidates for us to vote for, and seats are allocated based on how many they receive in each region. Take Scotland. Believe it or not, it returned a Ukip MEP in 2014 after the party secured 10.46 per cent of the vote in its single constituency (he now backs the Brexit Party). But the Greens (8 per cent) and the Liberal Democrats (7 per cent) were left out in the cold. Nationally, the Lib Dems received just under 1.1 million votes, but secured just the one MEP (in the southeast). The Greens, with 1.26 million, managed three. The Tories polled three times that, but took more than six times (19) the number of seats. The SNP, which stood only in Scotland, got two seats for its 390,000 votes. Im not a psephologist, but with Change UK in the mix, referendum-backing parties could do quite well in terms of votes but still look like losers when it comes to the number of seats, in contrast to Farages Brexit Party. He could easily lose the election but win the narrative. That could serve to further heighten the two main parties focus on appeasing its voters. Tactical voting would seem to be called for. But how to go about doing that? In England, its possible to foresee something of a revival for the Lib Dems. While their current poll ratings arent great, theyre a lot better than the dismal 7 per cent they achieved at the last European elections. In 2009 they took 13.7 per cent of the vote nationally, which was good for 11 seats. With 100,000-plus members, and an election-fighting infrastructure in place, they could do quite well. In polls, their support has ranged between 8 and 12 per cent. The Greens, meanwhile, register at between 3 and 5 per cent. But these polls are focused on Westminster voting intentions. People have proven much more inclined to vote for smaller parties in European elections. The difficulty with tactical voting in support of a Final Say is that it asks the voter to get a read on what might be the best option in their multi-member constituency. Thats a lot more complicated than it is with a Westminster election. For example, should I, in the London constituency, back the Lib Dems or would it be more sensible to lend my vote to the Greens, who have one of the capitals eight seats and might enjoy an incumbency advantage? Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events One way forward for those politicians genuinely concerned about the future of this country, and its citizens, might perhaps be for them to consider forming a Final Say list: a temporary electoral pact between referendum-backing parties, which would have the benefit of a clear and simple message. Thats something that Farage offers, and it helps him no end. Its probably a pipe dream, I know. The difficulties such an idea would present are considerable. But the new MEPs may only have their seats for a few weeks in the absence of a miracle. A rare positive of the current depressing situation has been the way sensible MPs have been able to forge alliances across the House of Commons in the national interest. It would be nice to think this could be extended to cover what could be one of the wildest, weirdest, but also most important elections in years. Assuming, that is, that it takes place. More than 35 cars parked overnight in Co Cork as first-time buyers with young families competed to buy one of 27 properties - all selling out within an hour. Buyers queued in their cars overnight on Friday in a bid to secure properties at the new Heathfield estate in Ballincollig, just outside Cork city. The houses - priced at 325,000 for a three-bed and 375,000 for a four-bed semi - sold out within in an hour. And Savills agent, Catherine McAuliffe, said shed never witnessed anything like this in Co Cork before. Ms McAuliffe, director of residential sales in Cork, said: We didnt expect the turnout ourselves, certainly not people queuing overnight. But its about location - this is Ballincollig, on the edge of city, with access to the ring round round the city, so basically thats access to everywhere quickly. All 27 properties sold out in an hour on Saturday. Demand is obviously driven potentially by the fact the Help to Buy Scheme is coming to an end. We dont have may first-time buyer houses in Cork city, or close to city, so I think this was really driven by demand. A lot of people are loan approved and are just waiting for that type of product to come along, especially in that particular area. I havent seen it before - I have heard of a couple of sites who had two or three cars (queuing overnight) but nothing like what weve seen this weekend, to be honest. People took to social networks to criticise the site of cars parking overnight in Cork - something extremely unusual outside Dublin. Woody Manning took to Facebook to write: This is absolutely shocking. How do people with young families have a chance? Alan ONeill wrote: People are working mental hours, sacrificing their lives just to pay back some bank mortgage. Who can afford a 350,000 for a house...why are people bowing to the demands of society and the economy, feeling the need to sleep in their cars, to view a house? While Aisling Doyle wrote: The Celtic Tiger is back againimagine being in your car (overnight) sitting in the dark, in cold weather, not being able to move out of fear of losing your place in the queue. Im sorry for anyone sitting in their car (overnight)...working the hours they do, to save to buy a home...this genuinely goes against Irish culture. Its not funny, its not to be taken lightly...where will we be in five years. Ms McAuliffe said she felt the houses were a good price. You can certainly buy cheaper than that but I think it was the location thats really driven it, she added. They are very nice houses, Ballincollig is its own town, in its own right, on the edge of the city, with good access to everywhere. A lot of buyers are living locally. The buyers were young families, first-time buyers, probably 70 pc were first time buyers. The next release of houses (in this development) will be in the Summer this year but the houses selling now wont be ready til next year. Fine Gael councillor for Ballincollig, Derry Canty, said: I saw the cars there myself. Buyers wouldn't be on the site (overnight) unless they were able to afford the properties, so its fair enough. Ballincollig is a growing town, were near Cork city and theres good schools and amenities and great city access. Theres four housing schemes going on in Ballincollig at the moment. I wish whoever bought the houses well and hopefully theyll be happy and settle down in Ballincollig. The Help to Buy scheme is available until December 31 this year. Last year the Irish Independent reported that the Government initiative which offers tax breaks of up to 20,000 had been blamed for inflating property prices during the housing crisis. Critics also said the scheme was benefiting only house buyers at the higher end of the market. A repatriation charity has succeeded in bringing home to Ireland the remains of 700 people in just six years. Speaking on RTE Radio One this morning, the founders of the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust explained how this weekend marked the 700th case of transporting the remains of a person who died overseas to Ireland. Eithne and Colin set up the charity after their son Kevin was killed in a hit and run at 26 years of age in New York in 2013. Once it arises on your own door, you notice it. You probably wouldnt have noticed the amount of Irish people dying abroad but once it comes to your own door, you notice, Colin told presenter Miriam OCallaghan. This year alone, its been about 70 and were only in April, added Eithne Bell. It can cost up to 10,000 to transport a body home to Ireland. We take quite a few people home from England its generally 1,000 - 2,000. From Europe, it could be 4,000 - 6,000. In Thailand, youre up to 7,000 - 8,000, if you go to Australia, its around 8,000. America is quite expensive, its generally between 8,000 and 10,000, Colin explained. We have a network now of experience and if a family contacts us we can say look you dont have to do another thing well look after everything and well pay for it as well, he said. The charity does not receive any government funding and sustains itself on donations from the public. When an Irish person dies abroad, it reaches out to the family and offers to help with financial costs. The founders explained how in many cases, families will then set out to fundraise as a sign of gratitude for the trust. Whenever youre in that situation, you understand how other people feel and theyre all helping the next families that are going to get the news, said Eithne. The fact we dont need funding from the government, says so much for the Irish community. Even today there are three or four fundraisers going on in Ireland somewhere for us, added Colin. Its nearly self-generating the difference for families, not compelled to do it, but most families feel that they are compelled to do some kind of fundraiser to keep their loved ones memory alive, said Eithne. The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust was set up in 2013 when Colin and Eithnes son, Kevin, was killed in New York. The local community of Newry came together and held a number of fundraisers in order to help bring Kevins body back to Ireland, raising 150,000. I suppose that was the start of it, a couple of weeks after Kevins funeral we heard of a young fella from Carryduff in Belfast had been killed in Thailand, so we contacted the parents and said we have this money well pay to bring your son home, remembered Colin. We kept reaching out and then we said, look, well make this Kevins legacy, he added. Young people with severe mental health problems are being admitted to adult psychiatric wards (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Children with severe mental health problems are being admitted to adult psychiatric wards, due to a lack of age-appropriate facilities. Concerned parents in Co. Wexford say they are currently in a living hell, with one doctor resigning in protest, as the countys Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) continue to deplete. Ray Shannon, a single father, whose 16 year-old son first attempted suicide at 14, says his child is being denied essential treatment. At one point was forced to travel over 200km to Cork to try and have him assessed. The suicide attempt was terrifying, a scary experience. Hes bipolar and was hearing voices telling him to harm himself, Mr Shannon said. We were actually waiting for an emergency CAMHS appointment to see a psychiatrist and it was in that time he tried to hang himself. Expand Close Parents in Wexford have organized a rally on May 4 calling for CAMHS beds in the county. Credit: Ray / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Parents in Wexford have organized a rally on May 4 calling for CAMHS beds in the county. Credit: Ray He was taken to Wexford General Hospital for five weeks as the county has no childrens CAMHS beds. When he was admitted, we were told it could be 13 weeks before a CAMHS bed became available elsewhere, and while in Wexford General, he tried to hurt himself again. Wexford General is not set up to treat children with mental health problems, so he was transferred to St John of God in Dublin. Ray has three other children, who he was forced to leave with family members when he made the over 90 minute journey almost daily to see his son at St John of God psychiatric hospital, where he was admitted for five weeks. In some cases, children from Wexford are also sent to the Department of Psychiatry at University Hospital Waterford, which is an adult mental health facility, and cannot provide age-appropriate care. There has been no full-time psychologist in Wexford since Dr Kieran Moores resignation in July, and the county is now serviced by a doctor who conducts emergency appointments, travelling from Galway two days a week. It took him hitting rock bottom before anyone would take any notice - he went through hell in WaterfordSandra Mulhall Sandra Mulhall, a widow, says her 16 year-old sons condition has severely deteriorated after being kept in an adult facility. I had been trying for a number of years to get help for Adam, and he was brought to the adult psychiatric ward in Waterford twice, she said. We had full time carers, but Adam had an outburst, he tried to stab me and tried to cut his own wrists, so the carers left due to safety concerns. He was assessed, and when the doctor said he had to go back to hospital, Adam was handcuffed and taken in a van to Waterford Hospital against his will. He was kept there for a month over Christmas. It took him hitting rock bottom before anyone would take any notice. He went through hell in Waterford. The Mental Health Commission (MHC) published a report in 2018, that found children continue to be admitted to adult mental health facilities deemed inappropriate to their needs. A Department of Health spokesman said: There are widely acknowledged difficulties in recruiting and retaining specialist CAMHS staff, particularly consultant psychiatrists. Recruitment efforts continue, including local and international advertising. A CAMHS Consultant post has recently been filled in North Wexford and there is currently one post vacant in south Wexford. A rally calling for more CAMHS beds in Wexford has been organised for May 4. Threat of no deal still looms: UK Prime Minister Theresa May will still need to get a deal through the House of Commons despite this latest extension UK Chancellor Philip Hammond has said that while the "immediate threat" of a no-deal Brexit has been taken off the table, it has not been fully removed. Mr Hammond also said it was very likely that the idea of a second Brexit referendum would be put to parliament at some point, but time was tight before October when Britain is due to leave the EU. The chancellor spoke as he attended meetings at the International Monetary Fund in Washington. He told reporters: "No deal as an immediate threat is off the table. Clearly we could have been in a very different place today. But it hasn't been removed altogether. It continues to exist. We are managing down the risks of no deal. "Nobody should be under any illusion that if we were ever to get to no deal, it would be a very uncomfortable place, both for the UK, for its impact on the European Union and hence the global economy." Mr Hammond also sounded a positive note over the talks between Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. "I think we are in with a good chance of being able to reach an agreement on the way forward in the next few weeks. We are in discussion with the Labour Party," he said. "We agree on quite a lot. The Labour Party is clear that we have to deliver Brexit. It is clear that we have to end free movement. We have some disagreements on priorities and approach beyond that, but we agree on fundamentals. "I remain optimistic that over the next couple of months we will get a deal done. "It's no secret that the Labour Party regard a customs union as a negotiating objective for them. Putting it on the table is not the same as having it agreed. We haven't set red lines. Everything is up for discussion." Mr Hammond also said that the focus of the British government is to get a Brexit deal agreed in parliament. He said that the possibility of a second Brexit referendum was unlikely given the timeframe. He added: "You might argue that having an extension to the end of October creates that possibility. "But if, in a couple of months' time, we are taking a bill through parliament, then probably you are going to be struggling. Even if you wanted to organise a referendum, you would probably be struggling to do it in the time available. "I don't think the decision the (European) Council made on Wednesday night makes it any more or less likely that that will happen. That in the end is an issue about parliament and parliamentary numbers, and where the Labour Party ends up on this, as the Labour Party itself is deeply divided on this issue and at some point it will have to decide on where it stands. "Our challenge now and our focus is to get a deal that we can get through parliament agreed as quickly as possible... shut down the uncertainty so we can unleash the very large stock of potential investment that is hanging over the UK economy in suspended animation while people wait to see how this pans out." Meanwhile, the sister of Conservative Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg has been announced as a candidate for Nigel Farage's Brexit Party in the European elections. Mr Farage launched his new party in Coventry yesterday. Annunziata Rees-Mogg was introduced on stage to speak as a supporter of the new Brexit Party. She said: "I'm here today in sadness. "Our democracy has been so betrayed that I have felt the need to be here." She added: "I joined the Conservative Party in 1984 and this is not a decision I have made lightly - to leave a party for which I have fought at every election since 1987, from Maggie Thatcher through to Theresa May." Our girls have found a new screen to look at and it's a struggle to drag them away. Thankfully, it's a good screen, as far as we are concerned. It's the monitor for our new solar photovoltaic (PV) system. The monitor shows pictorially how much energy is currently being generated, how much is going to the battery or from it, and how much is flowing to/from the grid. The figures are constantly changing. The energy generated first satisfies any electrical demand in the house. Any excess goes to the battery, then heating water in the immersion. If there is any more left, it goes to the grid. The kids are not the only ones who are mesmerised by it. We too check it every time we pass by. It has also made us more conscious of our energy usage. In fact, it has actually started to change our behaviour. Perhaps the best way of explaining this is by way of the following remark by my dear husband, as he walked into the kitchen one day last week: "Sorry, honey, I can't do the ironing you scheduled for me (as if!), because the sun has gone in." So, to make the best use of the system, we are learning that heavy-use appliances should be used during daylight hours and also sequentially. This is not always possible but it's a good aspiration. We did consider thermal panels, which heat water. But the house has been added to at different times so there are a few different ways of heating water which are not integrated. Solar PV produces electricity, so can be used to power anything electrical. The downside of this is that either the energy has to be used when it is being generated or stored for use at another time. Electricity is not easy to store, and batteries are expensive. The PV panels take up a fair bit of roof space. From an aesthetic point of view, we were hesitant to put them on the house so were lucky that there is a shed nearby with the same south/south-east aspect. We had two reasons for installing solar power: to reduce our electricity bill and, perhaps more importantly, to reduce our environmental impact. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is offering grants of 700 per kW of installed power, up to a maximum of 4kW, plus 1,000 for a 2.4kWh battery, on houses built before 2011. The cost for a 3kW system would be in the region of 7-8,000 (less the grant). Our job was done by a Tipperary-based company SolarCo. We went for a 6kW, plus the battery, which cost almost 11,000, and qualifies for the full grant of 3,800. So it's not cheap. The financial return on thermal panels is reckoned to be about six years, those on PVs about twice that. We're promised that maintenance is minimal. But there is an even bigger barrier to the widespread uptake of solar energy technology, as any excess electricity not used in the house is currently exported to the grid for free. In the UK, by contrast, ordinary houseowners can make a nice few quid out of selling their excess. I personally would be happy just to be able to get credit for the excess produced. A recent report from the European think tank CE Delft found that almost half of EU citizens could produce almost half of the EU's energy by 2050. But our government is slow to take action. However, a private members' bill, the Microgeneration Support Scheme Bill 2017, has put forward by Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley. It would allow households, farms and community groups to receive payment for excess power they generate from renewable energy sources. I've heard that it will be next year at least before its enacted. Homeware chain Homesavers is to invest an additional 10m into its business as it bids to become a nationwide retailer. The company, which is headed up by former Iceland Ireland chief executive Tom Keogh, plans on opening more than 20 stores this year and trebling its workforce to 1,200. Homesavers will next open in Wexford, Nenagh, Tallaght, and Dundalk. Further plans are also in place for sites in Limerick, Monaghan, Galway, and Cork. Keogh, who also spent time heading up the Gala Retail chain, said the landscape for retailing in Ireland had "permanently changed". "Our ambition is to be a nationwide brand. A rapid expansion plan saw us open 12 stores in the last eight months and a further 20 stores will open in 2019 at which point we will have a presence in 22 counties," he said. "Our planned stores trend toward the larger store format and our locations are a mixture of retail parks and High Street to provide our customers with a variety of options." The company's expansion plan has been backed by Bank of Ireland, which has granted the company 10m in debt facilities. Keogh said that the new investment will support the creation of another 800 jobs by the end of the year. "Gone are the days when people will pay premium prices for everyday goods, they expect to be able to buy quality products for a reasonable price," Keogh said. "The consumers' continued focus on value and choice is more prevalent than ever and this is what Homesavers strive to deliver on." He said that by the end of the year, the business will have invested more than 20m in total into its expansion so far. Finance minister Paschal Donohoe has told the Dail that his officials were closely examining a proposal from the gambling industry. Photo: Frank McGrath Online bookies could face a 20pc tax on gross profits as the Government seeks EU approval for a new two-tier betting tax plan. According to industry sources, a review of the decision to double betting tax to 2pc of turnover is now focusing on a dual-tax system that would see traditional betting shops pay 10pc tax on gross profit. The proposal originated from the industry itself, which has warned of significant job losses and shop closures as a result of the doubling in betting tax on turnover. While the review is ongoing, it is understood that officials have already been told by the EU that there is no issue with the proposal in principle, although further detail will be required. A spokesman for the Department of Finance said that a number of submissions and options on betting tax were being considered and the review is still under way. However, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe recently told the Dail that his officials were closely examining a proposal from the gambling industry. Several sources said it was a two-tier approach. "During the course of the Finance Bill process I agreed to review an alternative proposal put forward by the betting sector, and I acknowledge that small independent bookmakers may have difficulty competing with larger bookmakers," he said in response to a question from Fianna Fail deputy Robert Troy. "My officials are now considering this proposal. We are considering whether it is compatible with a core element of EU rules, and will set out our analysis of this and options in respect of it in papers of the Tax Strategy Group, which should be published in July." According to industry sources, 15 betting shops have closed since the start of the year due to the increase of the betting tax. Payment of tax for the first quarter is due from the industry this week and there is anger that further action in relation to the new tax is now unlikely until July. CEO of Boylesports Conor Gray said: "BoyleSports and indeed the entire indigenous Irish retail sector have been dealt a tax change that has meant that we are now operating our business in a fashion that is not sustainable in the medium or long term." While independent betting shops have been very critical of the betting tax hike, there is public support for the industry to pay more tax. Independent Alliance Minister John Halligan previously said the extra revenue from the tax should be ring-fenced for gambling addiction services. Q My wife and I emigrated to Australia four years ago but will be returning to Ireland next month. We had private health insurance with VHI before we left but, as we've been away since 2015, we haven't had private health insurance for about four years now. My wife is in the early stages of pregnancy and so we want to return to Ireland to have our baby there. If we take out private health insurance in Ireland when we return, will we be covered for maternity for our first child? Also, I was recently diagnosed with a heart condition which will require regular hospital and medical attention when I return home. Again, if I take out private health insurance when we return to Ireland, will I be covered right away, given that I was with VHI for many years before we left for Australia? This treatment is necessary but expensive. If my VHI doesn't cover it, will the public system? John, Co Kildare If your private health insurance lapses by more than 13 weeks, then all insurers in Ireland will treat you as a new member again on rejoining - irrespective of how long you were insured previously. The waiting period for any services relating to maternity is a year and, given that your wife is already pregnant, she will not be able to use private health insurance for this pregnancy. However, she can still use the public health system for maternity services and while there will be no private accommodation or choice of consultant, the care is good and she will incur no charges. Also, any newborn child can then be added to your private health insurance policy from the date of birth free of charge (until the next renewal date of the policy) and the child will be on cover immediately with no waiting periods to serve. On the question of the existing heart complaint, there is no good news here either as all insurers will apply a five-year restriction to any pre-existing conditions present on you signing up to private health insurance when you return home. Depending on the plan selected, you may be entitled to reclaim between 50pc and 75pc of any outpatient costs such as consultants' fees, GP costs and so on, even for the pre-existing condition. During this five-year period, you will still be entitled to access medical treatment in our public hospitals for the heart condition - but you will be prioritised or triaged based on medical need, which could mean being placed on a waiting list for non-essential treatment. Waiting periods Q I have been on private medical aid in South Africa for many years. If I move to Ireland, will I still have the five-year waiting period for my pre-existing conditions? I had breast cancer six years ago and need annual mammograms, scans and other tests. I also have a few other things that need six-monthly blood tests and so on - and if I have to pay for all that, I will not manage. I don't think I will qualify for a medical card. Cindy, South Africa Unfortunately, the full five-year pre-existing restriction will apply to any inpatient (where you stay in a hospital overnight) or day case treatment (where you don't stay in hospital overnight) for any medical condition that is present on you joining private health insurance in Ireland. As insurers here are not permitted to apply a risk rating to a premium when underwriting a new member, the only protection they have under our community-rating system is these waiting periods. Even if a new member holds 'gold-plated' cover while abroad, the health insurers here are not required to recognise this to provide continuity of cover. The only possible exception is where reciprocal arrangements exist - most insurers will recognise cover through VHI International, Bupa International may be recognised by Laya Healthcare and Allianz Worldwide Care may be recognised by Irish Life Health. On a positive note, this five-year restriction does not apply to outpatient expenses such as scans, consultations and other diagnostics. (Outpatient treatment is where you don't have to stay in a hospital overnight.) If you join a good corporate plan, you may be able to reclaim between 50pc and 75pc of these costs immediately on joining or after six months (depending on the insurer), even for pre-existing conditions. Soon-to-be emigrant Q I will soon be emigrating to Dubai for a few years to take up a teaching post there. I'm worried about the impact which this could have on my private health insurance when I return. I'm in my mid-30s now and have had private health insurance since I was 25. Is there anything I can do to avoid getting hit with private health insurance loadings - or long waiting periods for cover - when I return to Ireland in five years? I've heard that some of the Irish insurers offer international plans - can I escape the loadings and avoid reserving waiting periods by getting one of those plans? Sorcha, north Co Dublin The good news is that you should be able to avoid any age loadings or waiting periods on your return to Ireland. On the issue of age loadings, these will normally apply to any person who is over the age of 34 and rejoining Irish private health insurance. However, as you held continuous cover since you were 25, you will get full credit for this on your return, which should offset any loadings that may apply. Even if you held no cover previously, there is a clause in the legislation which will give you credit for time spent abroad which can be offset against any age loadings - but only if you take out private health insurance within nine months of returning to Ireland. On the issue of waiting periods, you may be able to avoid these on your return by switching to an international healthcare policy which is recognised by the insurers here - as long as you do this prior to emigrating to Dubai. Essentially, you would be transferring from your domestic healthcare plan to the international plan and then switch back to an equivalent domestic plan on your return to Ireland. For example, VHI members can transfer to a VHI International plan which I understand is recognised by all health insurers here. Irish Life Health members may be able to avail of continuity of cover by transferring to Allianz Worldwide Care. Laya members may be able to do likewise with Bupa International. While these international healthcare plans offer excellent overall cover, they may be more expensive than a domestic policy. Therefore, it is essential that all terms and conditions of the international policy are checked with the insurer prior to joining - especially regarding the continuity of cover guarantee on returning to Ireland. Dermot Goode is a health insurance expert with totalhealthcover.ie Email your questions to lmcbride@independent.ie or write to Your Questions, Sunday Independent Business, 27-32 Talbot Street, Dublin 1. While we will endeavour to place your questions with the most appropriate expert for your query, this column is not intended to replace professional advice. Q: We are thinking about trading up our family home in Co Limerick to be a little closer to the city. We are not in negative equity and have seen suitable properties for around 250,000. Our house is valued at 191,000. We have a balance of 91,000 left on our current mortgage. How much can we borrow as a second-time buyers, and what other costs do we need to consider in selling our home? A: A big challenge facing second-time buyers is getting the property chain to work for them. If you are relying on the equity in your current home as your deposit in your new home, banks will want you to sell your home before they will let you draw down a new mortgage, according to Joey Sheehan, head of credit at MyMortgages.ie. Even if they do approve the mortgage in advance, you will have to wait until your own home is sold before you can successfully complete the purchase of your new property, as you will need the funds for a deposit. Based on your figures, you are facing a surplus of 100,000 on the sale of your home, bearing in mind any solicitor's and estate agent's fees that will need to be deducted from that. As a second-time buyer Central Bank rules dictate that you are required to have a 20pc deposit on your new mortgage. Therefore, you could either borrow the full 80pc of the value of the new property, or you could choose to use some or all of proceeds of the sale of your own home to acquire more equity in your new property. Q: I am a landlord of a three-bed property in Cork. In January I submitted an "escape of oil" claim to my insurer, which has been declined on the basis that my tenant was letting two rooms in the house through Airbnb. I had no knowledge that this was going on. How did the insurer know? A: Airbnb activity is treated as a commercial interest from an insurance and Revenue perspective. This means the use of the property stands outside the terms and conditions of a standard home insurance contract, according to Deirdre McCarthy of Insuremyhouse.ie. Insurers take a hard line on this, and will dispute or deny claims if they find out the space was being used in this manner. Insurers are becoming increasingly savvy when it comes to researching claims, often checking Airbnb and other letting sites for properties on which a claim has been made. For tenants who wish to sub-let a rented property, the onus is on them to negotiate with their landlord, and get the property approved for Airbnb use. This is something which you will have to take up with your tenant. In the case that, as a landlord, you would want to extend your insurance policy to cover for Airbnb use, there are a few options. One is to opt for a more commercial policy. However, this can be expensive. Another option is to make use of a specific add-on to the current policy which will cater for Airbnb use. Ms McCarthy says her firm has come to an agreement on such a policy extension with several of its insurers. Homeowners need to be clear that if they, or a tenant, decide to rent out their home in part or in full via Airbnb, they must notify their insurer. Q: I took out one of the basic health insurance plans in April 2015. I am 38 now and am thinking of upgrading my cover. What budget should I be considering to have a good standard of cover in place? A: A good corporate plan is the recommendation of Dermot Goode of TotalHealthCover.ie. This is because these plans cover all public and standard private hospitals including limited cover for the high-tech hospitals in Dublin for major cardiac procedures as well. They tend to have low excesses for private hospital treatment and many of them also include guaranteed refunds on out-patient expenses, with no excess to pay first. For example, many offer 50pc refunds on expenses such as GP, physiotherapy, consultants' fees and many more. These plans will cost between 1,100 and 1,200 for the year compared with around 500 on the entry-level plans. But Mr Goode says corporate plans tend to be far better. If these are of interest, he recommends you check out the Irish Life Health 4D Health 2 scheme at 1,213, the Laya Simply Connect plan at 1,133, and the VHI PMI 0710 at 1,188. Don't worry about the plan names, as corporate plans are available to all consumers. If you're relying on equity in your home as a deposit in your new home, banks will want you to sell your home before they will let you draw down a new mortgage. Corporate health plans tend to have low excesses for private hospital treatment and many also include refunds on out-patient expenses, with no excess to pay first. If you are a manufacturer of your own products, take time to ensure that your own people and your customers are well-armed with all of the great attributes which make you different from others in the marketplace. Stock image Alan O'Neill, author of Premium is the New Black, is managing director of Kara Change Management, specialists in strategy, culture and people development. Go tokara.ie In my early career, I worked in the jewellery business. For many customers, there was a mystique around how to judge the value of watches, jewellery and silverware. I can't tell you how many times I saw customers weighing a watch or a silver-plated teapot in their hand. There was something of an urban myth that made people think the heavier the product, the better the quality. While that was true for precious metals and gemstones, it just wasn't true for watches, costume jewellery and silverware. I remember selling EPNS (electro-plated nickel silver) tea-sets made in India. They were about a third of the price of their English competitors. One reason was that the silver plating was many microns thinner. The heavy nickel base gave the illusion of quality and they sold in truckloads. With sterling (solid) silver tea-sets on the other hand, weight was an indicator of value. The point is that in that particular industry, customers often did not know what the true determinant of quality was. They were totally reliant on their assumptions and what they were or were not told by the salesperson. This phenomenon is not exclusive to the jewellery sector. I have seen this across industry with clients in B2C, B2B and the service sector. The business risk of poor product knowledge Nowadays, with Google and smartphones, customers are much better informed. They do their research on the spot or in advance, and will have no issue with challenging a salesperson with their knowledge. Despite their research they can still get it wrong, and I therefore believe it puts product knowledge to the fore when selling to a questioning customer. If a salesperson cannot answer questions effectively and with confidence, two factors are at stake - one is that the salesperson might feel inadequate as a result, the other is that customers might not buy. King Koil is a long-established premium bed and mattress brand, with products made by hand in Co Kildare since 1982. Employing 300 people, King Koil is known for back care comfort, being endorsed by the chiropractor community, and its prominence in five-star Irish hotels. Conor Stapleton is the marketing manager and he explained a few things to me about beds and mattresses. Like many other ill-informed customers, I thought firmness was an indication of quality - but of course our bodies are not flat and, instead, King Koil has innovated with mattresses which adapt to our shape and weight, with improved temperature control and breathability. Now that may sound like a mouthful. But if that was explained to a customer, it would surely inspire them to buy. After all, in a world where consumers might only buy a mattress every 10 years, they are unlikely to stay abreast of technological advances in that field. Then when they do research in advance of purchasing, they probably just skim what they read for the key points. The challenge for this and every company is to be sure to find a way to inform customers of what makes your products so special. If you don't, customers will resort to their own assumptions of value and may get it very wrong. Tips on how to use great product knowledge to drive sales 1 Revisit the features of each of your products Features are the basic list of characteristics of your product which describe its attributes. Examples of a feature in a mattress might include 'open cell visco', or 'made in Ireland'. 2 Features alone do not inspire customers to buy. Benefits do Benefits are what the product will do for the customer - what need it fulfils. Therefore, for each feature, identify its matching benefits. When the customer understands the benefits, they are more likely to be inspired to buy. 3 Some of your attributes may overlap with your competitors So consider which of your features and benefits you can claim to be different to your competitors'. They are the ones to put a particular focus on in your sales pitch. 4 Learn and rehearse a scripted non-robotic way of explaining your product to your customers There is a significant phrase to ensure you match features with their matching benefits. It goes like this: "It has foam wall encasement, which means that you get edge to edge non-sag sleep comfort." Another example is: "Made in Ireland, which means that it is locally produced by expert craftsmen." 5 Don't just repeat from a feature-driven spec sheet If you have a range of collateral or brochures to support your range of products, be careful not to just list off a feature-driven specification sheet. If you can, word the narrative in your collateral to include matching benefits where you can. The last word These steps will do a lot to help you drive sales - but it doesn't stop there. Regardless of whether you're a B2B or B2C business, you need to train all of your people who interact with customers. Arm them with enough knowledge to build their confidence and trust with your customers. Your suppliers will help you with this, as they too will see the value in a better-informed salesperson. If you are a manufacturer of your own products, take time to ensure that your own people and your customers are well-armed with all of the great attributes which make you different from others in the marketplace. Amazon Echo is now used in thousands of Irish kitchens and bedrooms Amazon is listening to our conversations. And it's not just the AI in its Echo smart speakers. It emerged last week that some of its staff are tasked with listening to what we say to Alexa, Amazon's voice system. This includes misfires, where Alexa accidentally listens to us without a trigger word being used. Echos are now used in tens of thousands of Irish kitchens and bedrooms. Amazon has been very secretive about this listening. But thanks to a Bloomberg investigation, the company admitted that its staff listen to some voice recordings to help improve its artificial intelligence. The rationale is that a human worker can, for example, correct the system when it gets a word wrong due to a strong regional accent. But that's not all the workers hear. Some of them told Bloomberg that they hear disturbing things, like assaults. But they're told not to report it or do anything about it because the audio files are supposed to be private. There are a whole host of issues that crop up around this. Is it okay for Amazon staff to physically listen to our voice commands, even if it's just for quality control? And on that, do we believe them that it's just for quality control? Finally, a broader, thornier associated issue: what responsibility, if any, does a platform have if one of its staff detects that something like a sexual assault has occurred? On the general question of Amazon workers physically listening to some voice requests, this shouldn't really come as a surprise. It's not really possible to significantly improve a voice-recognition system without a human, at some point, checking its progress. That means comparing what Alexa thinks it hears with what it actually hears. And that means listening to the original audio file. This shouldn't be controversial. But because Amazon has been so evasive about admitting this in plain English, it is. Just like Facebook's problems with combating widely held suspicions that it secretly records us through phones (it doesn't, as Mark Zuckerberg told me when I asked him directly in Dublin two weeks ago), Amazon is now opening up the stage for all sorts of half-truths and conspiracy theories. "We use your requests to Alexa to train our speech recognition and natural language understanding systems," says Amazon's small print, without specifying that it's a human listening in, or anything about the process that this entails. Seeing as it's so secretive about this, other obvious questions now arise: is Amazon using these audio files for any other purpose, such as to add extra detail to the customer profile it already has on you (from your use of Amazon and the web, among other sources)? We know from patents the company has filed that it is considering a future where it can detect a hundred (or a thousand, or a million) different trigger words instead of just one ('Alexa') as an activation trigger. Does the explanation that Amazon provides cover use of your Echo request for researching and developing such technology further? Legally, it probably does. (A data protection regulator might form a different view.) The third question is a much more basic one, and not to be laid solely at the door of Amazon. According to the original Bloomberg report on this issue, a number of Amazon staff tasked with listening to the recordings said they picked up what they thought was a sexual assault. Having raised the issue with the company, they say they were told that it wasn't Amazon's place to interfere. Instead, staff were told that they were allowed to share their experience in the internal chat room as a way of relieving stress. Here's the thing: when does a platform have a responsibility to take action on something illegal or wrong if a channel is private? Where is the line between privacy and safety? It's a little unfair to expect Amazon to have a clear answer for this, just as it's unrealistic to place the same legal or moral burden on Apple or Facebook or Google. In Ireland, like everywhere else, this question tends to split public opinion down the middle. We're appalled that tech platforms can host violent or criminal material. But we're also outraged if the tech company monitors our communications too closely, which is one direct way of stopping, say, child abuse imagery. Encryption entrenches the paradox. On a service like WhatsApp, encryption is our guarantee of privacy and freedom from big brother (and advertisers). But it also means that Facebook can do little to stop thousands of Irish people forwarding obscene or illegal material to one another. A recent example of this occurred earlier this year in the aftermath of a fatal car crash on Dublin's M50 motorway. Within hours, graphic images from the crash scene were being WhatsApped and texted around Ireland. The circulation of the image was such that the gardai and the family of the crash victim had to issue public appeals to stop forwarding the images. Just like Amazon staff hearing evidence of a sexual assault being committed, the logical question presents itself: what is the role of a network (like WhatsApp) to step in and halt the forwarding of such images? And whatever about offensive or obscene imagery, what about illegal imagery, such as child abuse? Rightly or wrongly, we prioritise privacy over safety. Vodafone and Eir are not asked to use voice-recognition technology to protect against a terrorist or paedophile using their phone networks. Neither is Virgin held responsible for illegal uploads on its broadband (even though music and movie networks still think telecom firms are somehow responsible for content because they 'allow access' to the internet). Amazon is probably treated the same way. But a little more transparency from it over its plans for our voice files would be welcome. The deal is the biggest takeover in the oil and gas industry since Shell's 47bn purchase of BG Group in 2015, according to Bloomberg data. Stock Image Chevron has agreed to buy Anadarko Petroleum in a $33bn (29.1bn) deal that adds US shale oil and African liquefied natural gas and puts it in the top ranks of the world's largest energy companies. The takeover, the industry's sixth-largest, puts Chevron neck-and-neck with the oil and gas production of Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell, both of which have dominated Big Oil over the past decade. Measured by cash flow, Chevron said it would have generated a combined $36.5bn with Anadarko last year, slightly ahead of Exxon's $36bn. "Chevron now joins the ranks of the ultra majors," Roy Martin, an analyst at Wood Mackenzie, said in a note. The $65 per-share stock-and-cash deal sees Chevron doubling down on its expansion into the fast-expanding Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico, while also increasing its exposure to liquefied natural gas with Anadarko's project in Mozambique. The new company will sell $15bn to $20bn of assets from 2020 to 2022 to reduce debt and return cash to investors. Chevron shares fell on the deal, dropping as much as 5.4pc in New York on Friday. Anadarko rose as much as 35pc to $63.23. CNBC reported that Occidental Petroleum had bid more than $70 a share for Anadarko, citing unidentified people, and is now considering its options. The transaction is the biggest strategic move yet for Michael Wirth, the 58-year-old chemical engineer who became Chevron's chief executive officer just 14 months ago. He has quickly shaken up the company by announcing an aggressive expansion plan for the Permian. "We will now see Chevron emerging as the clear leader among all Permian players, both in terms of production growth and as a cost leader," said Per Magnus Nysveen, head of research at consultant Rystad Energy AS in Oslo. Anadarko, based in The Woodlands, Texas, has long been speculated about as a takeover target for the world's big oil companies, offering a suite of assets including its massive LNG development in Mozambique that's racing against an Exxon project to be the first operating in the country. The deal is the biggest takeover in the oil and gas industry since Shell's 47bn purchase of BG Group in 2015, according to Bloomberg data. Widening the measure to include chemicals and state-owned companies, both would be eclipsed by Saudi Aramco's $69bn acquisition of a majority stake in local petrochemical company Sabic this year. The premium is high compared with most other acquisitions of oil companies valued at more than $1bn. The average premium in such transactions was 11pc last year and 22pc in 2017, according to data. Bloomberg Efforts to crack down on money laundering across the Nordic and Baltic states have taken a more aggressive turn. Estonia's state prosecutor is expanding an investigation into Danske Bank to include Swedbank of Sweden. Meanwhile, the accounting firms Ernst & Young and KPMG were both reported to the police in Denmark amid allegations they failed to respond to red flags tied to possible money laundering. The development comes as officials struggle to reset their public image against a backdrop of spiralling dirty-money scandals. A picture has formed in which criminals from the Soviet Union often sought out the Baltic units of Nordic banks to channel funds into the West. Since it was revealed last year, Danske's 203bn Estonian laundering saga has exploded to engulf multiple other firms. Swedbank, which from its base in Stockholm dominates the financial markets of the Baltics, is the latest to find itself the target of probes which investors fear will lead to hefty fines. Estonia's state prosecutor may decide to open a separate investigation into Swedbank, depending on what it finds through the current probe, according to spokeswoman Olja Kivistik. The prosecutor based its decision on information in a criminal complaint from Hermitage Capital Management co-founder Bill Browder. The financier, who's made a career of chasing money launderers, says that roughly $1trn in questionable Russian funds is either already inside the EU, or trying to get in, much of it via the Baltic region. The probes "probably should be tied together because some of the money flowed from Danske Bank to Swedbank," Browder said. "Many of the banks in Estonia were sending money to one another, and so it's quite logical to combine these cases." Swedbank had tried to play down allegations but was forced to backtrack after Sweden's main broadcaster, SVT, published a series of allegations. Bloomberg US President Donald Trump considered nominating his daughter Ivanka Trump for a variety of jobs including one at the World Bank, according to a new interview. "I even thought of Ivanka for the World Bank," Trump told The Atlantic magazine. "She would've been great at that because she's very good with numbers." Trump said that he has thought of his daughter, who works in the White House as an assistant to the president, for several different positions, including United Nations ambassador, but has been dissuaded because of the appearance of nepotism. "She would've been great at the United Nations, as an example," Trump said, adding that his oldest daughter is "a natural diplomat." If he did nominate her, Trump said, "they'd say nepotism, when it would've had nothing to do with nepotism. But she would've been incredible." New World Bank president David Malpass, who was nominated by Trump in February, is a loyal supporter who had been sharply critical of China and called for a shake-up of the global economic order. No other countries proposed any candidates to challenge Malpass, making his selection by the board all but assured. Malpass, who was approved last week as chief of the development lender, has put an emphasis on worldwide economic growth and said he sees no need for a restructuring there. The position of World Bank president has historically gone to an American, while a European has led its sister organisation, the International Monetary Fund. Some observers have called for the bank to appoint a non-American in recognition of the growing clout of markets such as China and India. Bloomberg Naomi Campbell has said she will never discuss her personal life when probed about her rumoured romance with singer Liam Payne. The supermodel, 48, has been romantically linked to the One Direction star, 25, since he was pictured outside of her New York apartment around Valentines Day. Campbell said she prefers to keep that side of her life away from the spotlight as she appeared on ITVs The Jonathan Ross Show alongside an eager Gemma Collins, who was thrilled to be in the company of the catwalk star. Expand Close (L-R) James Acaster, Naomi Campbell, Gemma Collins, Harry Redknapp, Dido and John Barnes on The Jonathan Ross Show (ITV) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (L-R) James Acaster, Naomi Campbell, Gemma Collins, Harry Redknapp, Dido and John Barnes on The Jonathan Ross Show (ITV) Asked by Ross about being with Payne, Campbell smiled and said: And? I never discuss my personal life. Another name? Ross mentioned Canadian rapper Drake, to which she replied: I never discuss my personal life. I mean, its crazy its like one day its one person, the next day its another. Who is tomorrow? Thats what I want to know For me, I laugh. The stories are incredible, its humorous I just get on with my life. Fashion star Campbell was also involved in a brief chat with The Only Way Is Essex and Dancing On Ice star Collins. Speaking about the word diva, a term used to describe both herself and the reality TV star, Campbell said: I dont like that word. Never have. It just gives the wrong perception. Video of the Day Collins told her: I embrace it, Im all for it We should celebrate ourselves, Naomi I am so honoured to be sitting here next to you. Im just so not cool right now. You are my Queen, Naomi. Later in the conversation, Collins likened herself to Campbell, when the model said that she is able to basically erase Naomi when she is working, because she is just a blank canvas for designers. Collins, 38, often refers to her TV alter-ego as The GC, and said that she and Campbell have that in common. Expand Close Gemma Collins (David Parry/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Gemma Collins (David Parry/PA) Campbell also discussed her Fashion For Relief project, the charitable organisation that raises funds for environmental and humanitarian causes, and stars including Beyonce and Diddy who have been involved in previous events. Collins interjected: If you ever want the GC, shell do it. Campbell said: Well weve done it in London, so yes. I dont know when the next one in London will be, but weve done it all over the world. The supermodel told Ross that she might ask him to walk in one of the Fashion For Relief catwalk shows when it returns to the UK and Collins said: Dont forget me, Naomi. I would love for you to teach me to walk like a supermodel. Campbell replied: I havent forgotten about you, GC. Harry Redknapp, John Barnes, Dido and James Acaster also appear on The Jonathan Ross Show, which airs Saturday March 9 at 9.20pm on ITV. From a sea slug that looks like Daenerys to a death toll that takes your breath away, Rebecca Hawkes and Amy Blumsom lift the lid on some of the fantasy shows secrets 1. Its been banned by the Turkish military In 2014, it was reported that Game Of Thrones had been banned in military schools in Turkey to protect young people from sexual exploitation, pornography, exhibitionism, abuse, harassment and all negative behaviours. 2. Theres a real-life equivalent to Valyrian steel In Westeros, the very best blades are forged from a super-strong yet incredibly light substance known as Valyrian steel. Intriguingly, it seems George RR Martin based Valyrian steel on a real-life alloy known as Damascus steel. It was also known for its super-strong, super-sharp qualities, and for its distinctive rippled surface. 3. In 2013, HBO and Firebox teamed up to sell life-size replicas of the Iron Throne Expand Close Britain's Queen Elizabeth looks at the Iron Throne as she meets members of the cast on the set of the television show Game of Thrones in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast, Northern Ireland, REUTERS/Phil Noble / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Britain's Queen Elizabeth looks at the Iron Throne as she meets members of the cast on the set of the television show Game of Thrones in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast, Northern Ireland, REUTERS/Phil Noble Made of fibreglass and resin, the 159kg replicas were 7 feet 2 inches tall, 5 feet 11 inches deep, and 5 feet 5 inches wide and were priced at 20,000 (23,180). 4. The houses have been turned into brands Ever imagined what itd be like if Game Of Thrones was set in the modern day world, and all the warring Westerosi families were corporations? Stock photography company Shutterstock has taken the idea and run with it, creating A Game Of Brands. The dragon-riding Targaryens have now become an airline; the debt-paying Lannisters are envisaged as an investment company; and the worthy, resilient Starks run an outdoor clothing line. Video of the Day 5. Daenerys is also the Mother of Sea Slugs In 2013, three marine biologists discovered a new species of sea slug off the coast of Brazil. They were struck by the similarity between its yellow fronds and the silvery braids of Daenerys Targaryen. In honour of the warrior queen and her title among the Dothraki, the team named their new find Tritonia khaleesi. 6. The swords all have blood grooves Expand Close David O'Brien with one of the swords. Photo: Mark Condren / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp David O'Brien with one of the swords. Photo: Mark Condren All of the hand-forged steel blades are given the same lengthways grooves as real-life swords; the dips are commonly known as blood grooves or fullers. According to popular belief, these grooves allowed blood to escape from an enemys body, making it easier for the sword to be pulled out. However, some historians suggest that the innovation was instead simply designed to make the sword lighter. 7. George RR Martin had his post stolen Back in 2011, Martin complained that a postal worker had apparently stolen some scripts that had been mailed to him. Referencing a character from the series, Martin appealed to his readers to look out for copies on eBay: Like Bloodraven, I have a thousand eyes and one. So lets keep em all peeled, boys and girls. But the stolen scripts have never turned up. 8. The dragons were inspired by geese and cats Expand Close Dungeons and dragons: Game Of Thrones (which stars Emilia Clarke as dragon queen Daenerys) owes a great debt to Norse mythology / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dungeons and dragons: Game Of Thrones (which stars Emilia Clarke as dragon queen Daenerys) owes a great debt to Norse mythology As anyone who has been attacked by a flock of them can attest, geese can be pretty threatening. Speaking about how he created the movement for Daeneryss dragons, effects supervisor Sven Martin said: We looked at big goose animals when they are on the ground, how they play with their wings. For the scenes where the giant lizards are more relaxed, Martin explained that he wanted Daenerys to seem almost maternal towards her favourite dragon, Drogon. When shes stroking him, he said, he should be a little bit like a cat. Aww. 9. Jon Snow wouldnt really be able to climb The Wall Experienced mountaineer and Game Of Thrones fan Katie Mills has criticised the poor execution of the scenes in season three in which Kit Haringtons character Jon Snow and a group of Wildlings climb The Wall. Speaking about the moment where Jon slips and falls, Mills said: Jon would yank the person above him off, who would in turn yank the next person off, and then the leader off, and theyd all be dangling from the ice hook with the rope taut. 10. Its the most pirated show in the world According to the filesharing website TorrentFreak, more people are illegally downloading Game Of Thrones than any other show. In 2012, public BitTorrent trackers showed that one episode was illegally downloaded about 4,280,000 times. 11. There have been 150,966 on-screen deaths (so far) Expand Close Ned Stark sitting on the Iron Throne. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ned Stark sitting on the Iron Throne. The show isnt exactly known for being a gentle, violence-free zone but you might still be surprised at just how many on-screen deaths it has managed to squeeze in. According to one YouTube video-maker, who has made a compilation documenting all the carnage, there have been 150,966 to date. This includes, we hasten to add, not just all the extras but animals, too. 12. You can take a Game Of Thrones course at Harvard Want to make like Samwell Tarly and immerse yourself in the history of the Seven Kingdoms? You can now study Game Of Thrones at Harvard University. That said, its worth noting that the introductory course is less about immersing yourself in Westerosi lore, and more about using Game of Thrones as a lens to explore the public perception of Medieval history. 13. Jon Snow met Jon Snow To clarify, Jon Snow, man of the Nights Watch, has met Jon Snow, man of... Channel 4 news. In a video interview, the veteran news anchor dons a cloak and sword and comes face to face with Kit Harington, who plays his Game Of Thrones namesake. The pair discuss how George RR Martin might have chosen the name: I dont know ... it might very well have come from you, Jon, says Harington. 14. Adult movie stars have joined the cast For season four, the shows producers cast a number of porn actresses, including Jessica Jensen and Samantha Bentley, who both played prostitutes on the show. Australian amateur porn actress Aeryn Walker was also cast as one of the loathsome Crasters many wives. 15. There were 70 ways to say Hodor Expand Close Hodor and Bran in series two (HBO Enterprises) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Hodor and Bran in series two (HBO Enterprises) According to Kristian Nairn, the 6ft 10in actor (and club DJ) renowned for playing the gentle giant who can speak only his own name, there are about 70 different ways of saying Hodor. In an interview with Vulture, Nairn said: Theres angry Hodor, happy Hodor, sad Hodor, frightened Hodor, curious Hodor, bashful Hodor, sheepish Hodor ... and naked Hodor. 16. Madonna once stole the Khaleesis real costume In 2014, Madonna decided to dress as Daenerys for Purim, a holiday dubbed the Jewish Halloween. Being Madonna, she contacted the shows producers to see if she could borrow the actual Khaleesi costume, rather than having to go to all the trouble of making her own. Producers were happy to oblige. 17. Kit Haringtons buttocks are fake Expand Close Kit Harington achieved worldwide fame while playing Jon Snow in Game Of Thrones (HBO/Sky/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kit Harington achieved worldwide fame while playing Jon Snow in Game Of Thrones (HBO/Sky/PA) Remember when the show gave us a glimpse of Jon Snow from behind, back when he and Ygritte were exploring the caves and, ahem, each other in season three? Well, that wasnt Kit Haringtons real bottom. In an interview, Harington revealed: The only time you saw my ass, it wasnt my ass. It wasnt a prosthetic bum either, but a crew member, who gamely stepped in after a broken ankle left Harington unable to film. 18. The Mountain eats a whopping great 11,489 calories a day The character, who returned to the show last season in super-creepy Frankenmountain form as Cerseis probably not-quite-alive protector, is played by Icelander Hafthor Julius Bjornsson. He eats almost three dozen eggs, 1.5kg of potatoes and nearly a kilo of beef a day to maintain his 6 feet 9 inches, 17-stone build. 19. What do George RR Martin and Beyonce have in common? They both have dragon eggs When George RR Martin married long-term partner Parris McBride in 2011, prop designer Gemma Jackson gave him one of Daeneryss dragon eggs as a wedding gift. According to Emilia Clarke, Jay Z bought one of the other prop dragon eggs for his wife Beyonce. 20. Jon Snows fur comes from Ikea Expand Close IKEA Kodlby rug / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp IKEA Kodlby rug Game Of Thrones may have a budget of around $10m (8.9m)per episode, but just like the rest of us, it still relies on that mainstay of frugality Ikea. Designer Michele Clapton revealed in a 2016 interview at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles that several of the fur capes worn by men of the Nights Watch are actually Ikea rugs. The Government has been accused of ignoring the needs of soldiers as new figures show the Department of Defence has made savings of almost 140m over the past five years. This has allowed the Department to return more than 92m to the Exchequer since 2014. Officials in the Department have attributed the cost savings to permanent Defence Force personnel numbers dropping below the recommended 9,500 officers. However, the cost savings come against a background of disquiet among serving soldiers and their families about allowances and salaries. They have complained about relying on social protection payments and family income supplements to complement their salaries. PDFORRA, the body representing permanent members of the Defence Forces, says the salaries on offer, aligned with the cost savings at the department, creates a "deep sense of disenfranchisement" among soldiers. Its general secretary, Gerard Guinan, said these figures represent "the cause of the current crisis in recruitment and retention within the Defence Forces" with staff numbers now below 8,500. The Wives and Partners of the Defence Forces (WPDF) group said the needs of soldiers are being ignored and said the money could be put to use within the Department instead of being returned to the Exchequer. WPDF spokeswoman Sarah Walshe said: "You have homeless soldiers and their families couch surfing, staying with friends and families because the cost of rent is soaring. "They are being absolutely ignored. It is so frustrating. "What is not regarded in the recruitment crisis is that our family members, who are still serving, are carrying the weight for the staff who have left the forces." Figures obtained by Fianna Fail defence spokesperson Jack Chambers shows the department made savings of 138.9m between 2014 and the end of last year. This enabled 92.3m to be returned to the Exchequer. Mr Chambers accused Defence Minister Paul Kehoe of being a "silent lamb at the Cabinet table". "This reveals the complete mismanagement of the Defence Forces by the Minister who should be arguing and demanding every last cent available so he can improve pay and conditions for the men and women who serve our country in order to properly tackle the haemorrhaging of personnel that are leaving every week. "These figures show that Defence Forces personnel, the worst paid in the public service, are in effect bailing out other departments which blow their budgets every year." Pay scales in the defence forces start at 27,000 including allowances. The Minister said savings returned to the Exchequer included 50m in reimbursements from the UN. Mr Kehoe claimed Fianna Fail does not understand how public finances are managed. "The Defence Forces is fully funded for 9,500 personnel, but as we are not at the established strength, it is inevitable that not all of that money will be used. "Rates of pay, which are a matter for the Minister for Public Expenditure, are determined as part of public service pay agreements." A boy must leave the home he shares with his mother and grandmother in England and move to live with his father in Northern Ireland, a family court judge in London has decided. The youngster, who is not yet 10, has been at the centre of a family court battle between his separated parents for six years. Three years ago a judge had ruled that he should be in his mother's care. But another judge has reviewed the case and decided the youngster should live with his father. Judge Robin Tolson felt the boy's relationship with his father was being undermined by his mother and his mother's mother. His grandmother felt that his father was "irresponsible". She had called his father a "bad man" in front of him, the judge concluded. Judge Tolson had analysed the case at a private family court hearing in London. Detail has emerged after the boy's mother unsuccessfully challenged Judge Tolson's ruling at a public appeal hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London. Appeal judge Sir Andrew McFarlane said none of the woman's complaints about Judge Tolson's decision could be sustained. Sir Andrew said, in a ruling on the case, that the boy could not be identified in media reports. Women make up less than 5pc of apprenticeships in Ireland. Stock picture Women make up less than 5pc of apprentices in Ireland, with just 400 females training in schemes out of 15,500, according to new figures obtained by the Sunday Independent. This reveals a dramatic contrast with the situation in the UK where around half of all apprentices are female. Snobbery in Ireland may be partly to blame. Also, the limited range of occupations in Ireland that allow entry through apprenticeships is a major cause of the huge disparity of training opportunities between Ireland and Britain. Parents may not have considered encouraging their daughters to seek apprenticeships because they may consider learning a trade to be less desirable than 'white-collar' office-based employment. "There may a snob element to it but that is what we are trying to change," said Fianna Fail education spokesperson Thomas Byrne. "We need to change attitudes by showing that you can now get a degree through an apprenticeship," he told the Sunday Independent. It is hoped the number of young women getting apprenticeships will rise steeply with new initiatives like the insurance practitioner apprenticeship which leads to a Level 8 master's degree qualification. There is also a financial services apprenticeship at Level 7 primary degree standard becoming available in Ireland. In Britain, a large proportion of all occupations can be accessed through apprenticeships. Efforts are under way to give young Irish people more pathways into employment through a wider range of apprenticeships. New types of apprenticeships are the key to addressing the huge gender gap in Ireland, said Byrne. "A real problem is that parents particularly, and young people themselves, don't see apprenticeships as equivalent to degrees when, in fact, they are. Some of them, anyway. "The new insurance apprenticeship is a Level 8 degree that can be got at Sligo Institute of Technology. "What we are looking for, and it hasn't happened yet, is a massive expansion of the types of jobs that are considered for apprenticeships," he added. "What is holding this up, too, is that employers are not coming forward. The companies are sitting back instead of calling out for apprenticeships in their areas. They need to contact Solas." There is a serious skills shortage in the construction sector. Traditional apprenticeship numbers were suffering because of the changed nature of the industry, Byrne said. "You don't have, to the same extent, the very large companies building houses that have the capacity for apprenticeships. We need the big PLCs involved in housing to come on board with apprenticeships. Sub-contractors don't really have the capacity to do it. So that's a huge part of the problem in the construction trade." He said the Government only managed to hit a quarter of its modest apprenticeship targets last year. And an acute shortage of chefs in restaurants is worsening by more than 3,000 every year. Among the proposals in a Fianna Fail policy document are for more apprenticeships in the public sector and for companies like Facebook, Amazon and Google that already offer apprenticeships in other countries "to do the same in Ireland", he said. Shauna Dunlop, director of apprenticeship and work-based learning at Solas, the State training agency, told this newspaper that some 5,500 employers in Ireland are involved in apprenticeships. She said the Ireland Skills Live Show in Dublin showcasing apprenticeships recently was a great success with more than 12,000 people attending, mostly secondary school pupils. About 30 new apprenticeship categories are being rolled out by Solas. She believes an accounts technician apprenticeship will be one of the new roles which will attract more female applicants. She said there are female bursaries available to employers. She did not believe it was time yet to encourage gender quotas in the sector. There is also a need to attract more people from diverse backgrounds, she said. "Of course, apprentices begin earning money straight away, which is another advantage," she said, adding that more information on the expanding number of apprenticeships available is on apprenticeships.ie. 'Uncle Vincent and Uncle Paul" were vital in bringing charitable assistance to Brendan O'Carroll's cash-strapped family during his childhood in Dublin, the comedian has revealed. The 175th anniversary of the St Vincent de Paul was celebrated yesterday at a national event attended by President Michael D Higgins and more than 1,000 members of the charity. The comedy star, busy with opening a Mrs Brown's Boys show in Manchester, sent a video message to the event at the Convention Centre in Dublin. Each Christmas, O'Carroll and his wife Jenny donate around 150,000 through the charity's East Region to help families in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow. Extra funds are also donated from the Mrs Brown's Boys Christmas shows in Dublin. Speaking to the Sunday Independent, O'Carroll said his mother was widowed with 11 children when the family was living in a council house in Finglas in the 1960s. "In those lean times, we wouldn't have survived without the St Vincent de Paul," he said. "If it wasn't for my 'Uncle Vincent and Uncle Paul' calling on a Thursday night, we probably would have had nothing. "I was the youngest of 11 children. We never felt we were poor because everybody around us was in exactly the same boat. We were in a council house in Finglas and we thought we were just the same as everybody else. "I never felt poor but, having said that, in later years my mother made me aware of the fact that the ESB bill would have been covered by St Vincent de Paul at times, the gas bill would have been covered by the St Vincent de Paul at times, even sometimes the rent. Because you are talking about a widow with 11 kids. It's not easy. "My mother always made me promise if I ever came into a situation where I was in a position to give back, to make sure and give back." Brendan's mother Maureen was a Labour TD for Dublin North Central when he was born but lost her seat. In 1964, the family were living in a council house when Brendan's father Gerard died. He said: "I was just after my ninth birthday when my father died. I went in to see him in hospital on the day of my birthday and he gave me five shillings, two half-crowns, and he asked me what I was going to do with them. I said I was going to buy two more pigeons. "He was a master cabinetmaker so he said: 'When I get out of this hospital, I'm going to build you the best loft in Finglas'. And I knew he would because he was a brilliant carpenter. So I was delighted. Then, 10 days later, he died. When my mother told me, a thing that crossed my mind was 'What about me f***ing loft'. He suffered from mesothelioma from inhaling asbestos fibres. My mother must have known that his death was on the horizon but I don't know if he knew. I never asked. "I had brothers and sisters a lot older than me so some of them started to work then and they were bringing in some housekeeping money. During that lean time we wouldn't have survived without the Vincent de Paul for a number of years. Then I started to bring in a few bob myself then." Speaking of his joy at being able to assist people through St Vincent de Paul, he said: "When it comes to Christmas dinners, we wanted to give St Vincent de Paul the opportunity not just to give people something to help them over the Christmas but to give them the experience of the Christmas as well. "So it wasn't just a question of why don't we deliver a turkey and ham and a Christmas cake and some goodies to the house, it was why don't we just give them the money to go and get that. So, what we do in conjunction with Dunnes Stores, we give them a shopping card and they are able to go and have the whole shopping experience, pick their own turkey, pick their own ham, pick their own box of biscuits. "If you can make a difference in someone's life through your own livelihood, it's a wonderful, wonderful thing. And everyone can make a difference. Even the smallest donation makes a difference." The Irish section of the Society of St Vincent de Paul was set up in Dublin in 1844 and has helped the poor of Ireland from the Famine to the present day. A network of almost 11,500 volunteers throughout Ireland visit and assist families in strict confidence. The Society also runs 227 charity shops; 10 hostels; seven resource centres; five holiday centres and over 800 social housing units. President Michael D Higgins, meets Bernie Hogan, right and Theresa Cotter, members of St Michans Conference, at the St Vincent de Paul 175th anniversary celebration at the Convention Centre PHOTO: Damien Eagers President Michael D Higgins has spoken about the need for "human connection" in the digital age. The President called on people to make time to meet and talk to tackle Ireland's crisis of loneliness. Speaking at a celebration of 175 years of the Society of St Vincent de Paul at Dublin's Convention Centre yesterday, he said: "Society has a huge problem of loneliness, human contact is more important than ever." Mr Higgins added: "How we meet and speak to each other matters. We live at a time where more and more of our interactions with others are encountered in a digital space, be it laptops, tablets or phones." He highlighted the positive impact of the internet, but said digital life presents challenges. "There is no denying the practical contribution of the digital world, particularly for those who are increasingly 'time poor' and who may struggle to balance work and family commitments within a day that is never quite long enough," he said. "Despite all of the technological advances, human contact is something that defines us as a people, be it through conversations, face-to-face interactions or simply taking the time to have a chat." Research has shown that loneliness can lead to illness and a 50pc increased risk of early death - while holding a loved one's hand, cuddling and visiting friends and family are as important to our wellbeing as drinking more water and exercise. Mr Higgins was speaking as the Society of St Vincent de Paul held a day of thanksgiving to mark the anniversary of its foundation in Ireland. Mr Higgins praised the charity's work: "May I also acknowledge the tremendous work the Society of St Vincent de Paul does, week-in week-out, in supporting people, communities and disadvantaged groups all over Ireland. With over 1,200 Conferences and 11,000 volunteers working in eight regions, this is indeed an exceptional network of solidarity, compassion and care providing support to those in need. I would like to thank each and every one of you for your dedication and your commitment to others." Other guests speakers included Regina Doherty, Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, and Kilkenny hurling manager Brian Cody. In a message to politicians, SVP national president Kieran Stafford said: "Despite the constant commentary that 'the economy is booming' we know that the rising tide is not lifting all the boats, in fact, we see that many we visit are sunk and if it were not for our support would also be bereft of hope." Mr Higgins said people were facing "a myriad of challenges" in Ireland. He said: "Their lives can be affected by low income and the effects of debt, unemployment, educational disadvantage, poor health, relationship breakdown, bereavement, addiction, violence, loneliness, disabilities, overwhelming caring responsibilities and other challenges." Pointing to the growing inequality gap between rich and poor, Mr Higgins said: "Despite the measures that may suggest an improvement in our economy, there are still too many people in Ireland struggling, too many living in consistent poverty. This has to change. "We need to continue the work to make Ireland a more equal place to live and to work; where caring for each other and our children, older people and people with disabilities is a core value and supported; where individuals, families and communities can participate fully in work and society; and where a strong economy helps to support the kind of society that we wish to live in." Last year the World Economic Forum highlighted Ireland's "soaring wealth inequality". The country was placed eighth out of 30 in the organisation's Inclusive Development Index. The report found that although median living standards had risen modestly, Ireland was faced with "high income inequality and soaring wealth inequality". Last month the number of homeless people in the State climbed above 10,000 for the first time. The Department of Housing showed 6,480 adults and 3,784 children/dependants accessed emergency accommodation during the week beginning February 18, a total of 10,264 people. The Fr Peter McVerry Trust pointed out that the figures did not include people sleeping rough, people couch surfing, homeless people in hospitals and prisons, those in direct provision centres, and homeless households in domestic violence refuges. The Dublin Regional Homelessness Executive (DRHE) has accused the Children's Ombudsman of "sensationalising" the plight of people living in family hubs ahead of the launch of a major report. DRHE director Eileen Gleeson wrote to Dr Niall Muldoon, of the Ombudsman for Children's Office, to complain about the launch of the No Place Like Home project which takes place this week. The event will involve child actors playing the role of homeless children living in family hubs, which the Government introduced to help alleviate the pressure on social housing caused by the homelessness crisis. In her letter, Ms Gleeson was critical of Mr Muldoon's proposal to stage an "interactive experience" of life in a family hub. She said the Ombudsman was "sensationalising what is an emotive subject". The No Place Like Home event follows a lengthy consultation involving both the DRHE and the Children's Ombudsman. Parents and children living in the emergency housing were interviewed as part of the project. The child actors will relay the stories told to staff from the Children's Ombudsman during the consultation. The event takes place on Thursday in Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin. In a statement to the Sunday Independent, Dr Muldoon defended his decision to stage the experience of homeless children using actors as part of the event. "As part of the launch of No Place Like Home, children's writings and drawings will be displayed, and the words of the children who took part in the consultation will be spoken by actors," he said. "All of the content of this interactive launch will come directly from the report and the identities of the children will be protected. "This consultation is the first time that we have heard directly from children living in family hubs. "It is my statutory obligation to ensure children's voices are heard and their views are considered. This report is designed to ensure the voices of this cohort of children are heard by all." A DRHE spokesperson said it would not be commenting on Ms Gleeson's letter to Dr Muldoon. Family hubs were introduced by former housing minister and current Tanaiste Simon Coveney, who pledged to remove homeless families from hotels and B&Bs by July 1, 2017. However, he was forced to admit this was not achievable and the Government has yet to achieve the objective almost two years later. In March, the number of children sleeping in hotel rooms and family hubs reached 3,784. Hubs are considered emergency accommodation but are designed to be more familyfriendly than hotels or B&Bs. They generally include play areas for children and cooking and laundry facilities for families. However, they are not a long-term solution for anyone struggling to find accommodation. There are around 20 family hubs in Dublin, overseen by charities and private businesses in co-operation with the DRHE. FAI interim Chief Executive Rea Walshe, President Donal Conway and Executive Vice-President John Delaney arrive at Leinster House to attend a meeting of the Oireachtas sport committee to discuss the FAIs governance and challenges. Photo: Frank McGrath A second club was left waiting for prize money and grant payments owed to it by the FAI when former chief executive John Delaney gave a 100,000 loan to the embattled association, documents seen by the Sunday Independent show. Bray Wanderers contacted the FAI in March 2017 seeking to access 22,000 it was owed in outstanding prize money, Uefa youth development funding and other grants. It was left waiting more than five weeks for partial payment. Emails and accounting documents show the FAI told Bray there were issues with the financial interactions with clubs. Less than a month after Mr Delaney gave the association a 100,000 "bridging loan", the FAI's then director of finance, Eamon Breen, told Bray: "I will address the matter of more regular reconciliations being provided to clubs. Please allow me some time to design an efficient internal process for this to happen." Dundalk FC also encountered delays accessing funding through the FAI at the same time as Bray and referees were engaged in a dispute as they sought assurances match expenses would be paid on time. Expand Close Bray Wanderers ex-chairman Denis OConnor. Picture: Courtpix / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Bray Wanderers ex-chairman Denis OConnor. Picture: Courtpix Another Premier Division club told the Sunday Independent yesterday it regularly has had issues with securing prize money from the FAI. An email from Breen shows the FAI sought to write off 10,000 of the 22,000 owed to Bray against affiliation fees the club was due to pay later in the year. Initially it only paid 12,000 of what was due to the Co Wicklow club. Gerry Mulvey was one of the club's majority shareholders in 2017. He told the Sunday Independent the additional 10,000 was eventually paid but only after Bray said it was unhappy with the arrangement laid out by the FAI. "The money was never going to solve all of the club's problems but you would have thought it would have been more forthcoming from them [the FAI]," he said. Expand Close John Delaney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp John Delaney Financial statements seen by the Sunday Independent show the club was due 21,881.40 from the FAI at the end of 2016. They show the club was liable for bills to the FAI totalling 32,977. This sum included two instalments of 10,000 and 7,000 to cover Bray's fees to be affiliated with the FAI and a further 11,590 to cover referee fees during the 2016 season. However, these costs were offset against money owed to Bray from the FAI. This included 34,591 Bray was due from Uefa to cover youth development costs. Bray was due 19,500 from the FAI in prize money for finishing sixth in the 2016 SSE Airtricity League and a 945 grant for travel expenses. When these sums were reconciled with money Bray owed to the FAI for yellow and red card fines and other fees, the club was 21,881.40 in the black. Emails seen by the Sunday Independent show Bray's then chairman, Denis O'Connor, wrote to FAI accountant Yvonne Tsang seeking payment details on March 24, 2017, as the club sought to draw down funding. This came just five days before Dundalk contacted the association seeking 300,000 to cover the costs needed to upgrade its artificial pitch. Dundalk received a series of staggered payments from the FAI over the next month. Bray were not paid until May. Last week, Mr Delaney told the Oireachtas Sport Committee he had an internal finance meeting at the FAI with Ms Tsang and Mr Breen on April 25, 2017. "I was advised at this meeting that if all cheques and FAI bank transfers issued to third parties at that time were presented for payment, that the FAI would exceed its overdraft limit of 1.5m on its bank accounts with the Bank of Ireland," he said. Mr Delaney then offered to write a cheque for 100,000 "as a precautionary measure" and told Breen to lodge the cheque if it was clear the association's overdraft was going to be exceeded. The following day, Mr Delaney received a phone call saying the funds were needed and would be paid back. Two days after Mr Delaney wrote the cheque, Bray contacted the FAI again about the money it was owed. Emails show Bray's FAI accounts were not reconciled until May 18, 2017. Five days after the accounts were reconciled, Mr Breen wrote to Bray. He said 12,000 would be paid directly to the club and "10k allocated against" the affiliation fee Bray was due to pay later in the year. The FAI was contacted by the Sunday Independent but it failed to comment. Bray Wanderers chairman Niall O'Driscoll said League of Ireland clubs find it difficult to manage cash-flow. "Any improvement in the systems that help that will always be welcomed," he added. "There is no doubt there is a growing unease and concern among many peoplearound the issue of immigration. Our view is very simple, there needs to be sustainable levels of immigration in this country, it needs to be managed. There needs to be some link between the capacity of the country and the numbers of people coming in. If there's not, there's going to be hardship for indigenous and newcomers alike." These views on immigration were stated by the leader of a political party last weekend. You might be forgiven for thinking that the source was Nigel Farage, of the new Brexit party in the UK; or Matteo Salvini, of Italy's far right Lega Nord; or Marine Le Pen, of the National Rally (formerly the National Front) in France; or Geert Wilders, of the Party of Freedom, in the Netherlands. These individuals have all been to the forefront of the immigration debate in their respective countries, both responding to, and exploiting, the wave of anti-immigrant sentiment that has swept across the European continent. But these words were not uttered on foreign soil. They were spoken by Peadar Toibin, leader of Aontu, Ireland's newest political party, at its national launch in Dublin. Since the outbreak of the current wave of populism lapping Europe's shores, Ireland has stood alone as one of the few European states to resist its advances. Right-wing populist parties have emerged in most European countries, not just in those with a history of xenophobia and extremism, but even in the more traditionally liberal Dutch and Scandinavian societies. Although Ireland has historically had a more conservative (and at times authoritarian) political culture than many of its European counterparts, there remains no competitive right-wing populist party in the Irish political system. The few movements fitting this profile, such as Immigration Control Platform and Identity Ireland, can be described at best as fringe, or, more realistically, irrelevant. When populism began to spread across Europe in the late 1990s and 2000s, the reasons given for its absence in Ireland included the lack of immigration into the country and the relatively benign financial conditions. The first obstacle changed with the expansion of the EU, as workers arrived from central and eastern Europe. The second obstacle disappeared once the crash happened. Perfect conditions, you would have thought, for the emergence of a right-wing populist party, with the new presence of an easy scapegoat for fewer employment opportunities. According to the last census, there are now more than 500,000 non-Irish citizens living in Ireland, drawn from more than 200 nations. While to some this might seem a large figure, it represents just 15pc of the population, a relatively low proportion compared to the equivalent figures in other European countries. But this hasn't prevented a change in our opinion of immigration. A report on attitudes to diversity in Ireland by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in 2018 found that Ireland's image of a 'Cead Mile Failte' country is not quite the reality. In general, Irish attitudes to immigration were fairly positive during the Celtic Tiger years; they dipped considerably during the recession, but have not returned to pre-bust levels. The ESRI report, using data from a cross-European survey, found that in 2002, 80pc in Ireland were in favour of immigrants of the same race or ethnicity coming to this country. This fell to below 60pc in 2010 in the middle of the crash, and remained this low even as the economy began to recover. Likewise, in 2002, 65pc were in favour of members of a different ethnicity coming to Ireland, but this too fell to 52pc in 2010, and has fallen further since. This pattern of a declining level of tolerance to the admission of immigrants goes against the trend experienced elsewhere in western Europe, where the pattern has been of an increasing tolerance to immigration. So, while in 2002 the Irish figures in favour of immigration of either same or different races were more than 10 percentage points ahead of the European average, we have now gone in the opposite direction and fallen 10 points behind our European neighbours. Strikingly, these differences are particularly pronounced for two minorities that have been the subject of xenophobic and racist treatment across Europe - Muslims and Roma gypsies. Only 40pc in Ireland believe that Muslims should be allowed to come and live here, while only 25pc are in favour of members of the Roma community moving to Ireland. These figures are significantly behind the comparative European average, at 54 and 44pc respectively (from a sample of 10 western European countries). For example, in Sweden 80pc were in favour of allowing in both these minorities. The Cead Mile Failte, it seems, does not extend to all. Given these growing negative attitudes towards immigration in Ireland, it seems reasonable to wonder why an anti-immigrant populist party hasn't emerged here yet. It's not as if the Irish electorate doesn't want a new party. In opinion polls leading up to the last election, one in two voters regularly stated that they were in favour of a new challenger to the status quo. But not necessarily in the guise that they emerged. The two new parties to contest the last election, the Social Democrats and Renua, both struggled to make an electoral impact. Despite all the media attention afforded to the latter, Renua didn't win a single seat, as it failed to shake off its anti-abortion image. So, our appetite for a new party hasn't been satiated. Is Aontu the answer? One immediate problem for the party is that its origins are quite similar to Renua, being founded by a TD not acquiescing to his party's pro-abortion position. And we know what happened to that party. Surely Peadar Toibin has learned something from the experience of Lucinda Creighton and does not want Aontu to be Renua 2.0? Is this why he has moved the party from abortion to immigration? Toibin's former colleagues in Sinn Fein certainly think so. The Donegal TD Pearse Doherty said of Toibin: "He never expressed any of those sentiments when he was a member of Sinn Fein. He is seeing the rise of this across Europe and some of it was being expressed in our presidential election. He is no fool. He knew exactly what he was doing." If what Doherty says is true, is Toibin's strategy the correct one? Is immigration the answer to avoiding Renua's fate? As an issue, immigration has occasionally flared up during election contests, such as over the 2004 citizenship referendum, or at last year's presidential election. But the plain truth is that ideology, for better or worse, does not decide Irish elections, and neither do single-issue campaigns, no matter how important they might seem. Irish electoral history is littered with examples of the glorious failures of ideological parties and single-issue campaigns, from Kevin Boland's Aontacht Eireann in the 1970s, to the pro-life candidates in the 1990s. As an electorate, we might occasionally like to embrace single issues during referendum campaigns, or when promoted by the occasional independent. But history shows that we tend to reject parties or politicians that go down this path. And there's little reason to suspect anything has changed. So, while Peadar Toibin and Aontu may think they are on to something by courting our increasingly ambivalent attitudes to immigration, experience would suggest otherwise. As a nation we may be embracing some of the xenophobic attitudes towards immigrants seen more explicitly in other European countries, but, perhaps paradoxically, we don't want our political parties to do so. Dr Liam Weeks is director of the MSc Government & Politics at University College Cork. Sinead getting a visit from Paige during her first long stint in hospital (Dec 2018) Little Miss Paige, Stuart and Sinead before her diagnosis Sinead Lowndes wants to use the opportunity to encourage people to become organ donors Sinead, Stuart and Paige on their wedding day in February A young woman has told of her shock when she was diagnosed of a rare condition just weeks before her wedding day. Sinead Lowndes (29) is now waiting to receive several organ transplants. Proud mum of Paige, Sinead was diagnosed with Budd Chiari Syndrome, which leaves her prone to blood clots, last November. The syndrome affects approximately one in a million adults worldwide. She now needs a liver and small bowel transplant and, as a double organ transplant cannot be done in Ireland, Sinead is moving her young family to the UK as she awaits her operation. Expand Close Little Miss Paige, Stuart and Sinead before her diagnosis / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Little Miss Paige, Stuart and Sinead before her diagnosis Speaking to Independent.ie, Dublin woman Sinead said she first visited the doctor in November after she had pains in her stomach and looked bloated. It was a very, very big shock, she said. Expand Close Sinead Lowndes wants to use the opportunity to encourage people to become organ donors / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinead Lowndes wants to use the opportunity to encourage people to become organ donors "I had a pain in my tummy and I was very bloated, I looked about six or seven months pregnant. My GP was fantastic and told me to go to A+E." Sinead was told by doctors that she would need a liver transplant and postponed her wedding until February. Expand Close Sinead Lowndes pictured with her daughter Paige / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinead Lowndes pictured with her daughter Paige "We had to delay the wedding but thats only a very materialistic thing, we enjoyed our day and it was a great time but it was very ironic, as three days later, I had pains again," she said. A blood clot in her bowel was found. She was told that she as well as a liver transplant, she also needed a small bowel transplant. The young woman, who is currently in hospital in St Vincents in Dublin, now must relocate to Cambridge in order to have her operations there, as double transplants cannot be performed in Ireland. "Theres a lack of bowel specialists here but theres no need for it here as its so rare. When we move to Cambridge, Ill have routine assessments for the small bowel. Expand Close Sinead getting a visit from Paige during her first long stint in hospital (Dec 2018) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinead getting a visit from Paige during her first long stint in hospital (Dec 2018) "Were holding on to the hope that Ill just need the liver transplant and not the bowel. "I want to highlight the importance of becoming an organ donor," she continued. Expand Close Stuart, Sinead and daughter Paige / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Stuart, Sinead and daughter Paige "Theres always somebody worse off than you and seeing the people in the corridors here, everyone should think about becoming an organ donor." Sinead said she hopes she wont have to stay in the UK for longer than a year. Her sister Michelle Ross and a friend launched a GoFundMe fundraiser last Friday, which raised 67,680 of its 60,000 goal in a single day. Donations will help pay for Sinead's family accommodation, as well as cover medical bills. "Im speechless and I dont even know what to say, I just cant believe it," she said, speaking of people's generosity. "I am literally blown away by all of the support from family and friends, I would have always said theyre generous. "I cant believe that people who dont know me have gone out of their way to share the fundraiser and to donate," she added. I've just been measured up for a new pillow. Once you get used to the concept, it's no odder than being measured for a pair of shoes. Basically, you stand with your back to a machine with your arms crossed, each hand resting on the opposite shoulder (this made me feel a bit like I was getting measured for a coffin). The machine measures the distance between your shoulder and your head, and calculates the size of pillow that will fit you best. The modestly named Simplex-Genius Pillow Measuring System was invented by a British osteopath, Kulwinder Bajwa, who noticed that a lot of his clients had misaligned spines due to using unsuitable pillows. Ideally, a pillow will keep your head in straight alignment - not propped up or tilting down - while you sleep. The Simplex-genius system is based on a premise so obvious that you wonder why nobody had thought of it before. Different sized pillows suit different sized people. If it's the right size, you only need one (if you've always slept with two pillows, you've never had one that fits). On previous occasions, I have shopped for pillows by buying a double pack. One for each of us. But a pillow that fits one person may leave the other spending the whole night fluffing and plumping in despair. That's not going to benefit sleep in either half of the double bed. Last year, all of Harvey Norman's stores in Ireland and Northern Ireland installed the system in their Sleep Studios (that's the part of the shop that sells beds, mattresses, pillows and the like). Harvey Norman's Sleep Studio has pillows in five different sizes. I'm a size 2. Once measured, you choose what type of pillow you prefer. The options are: fibre; memory foam; gel; and down & feather. I curled up in sleep position on one of their beds and tried their pillows, one at a time, like Goldilocks, until I found one that was just right. It was a gel pillow (85) and it feels like you're resting your head on cool, damp, sand. Because I loved the gel pillow so much, I assumed that I'd also love a gel mattress. First I tried the Pure Gel 23 mattress (1,399 for a standard double). Then I tried the Pure Gel 25 (1,539). I'm a warm sleeper and gel mattresses are great for temperature control so, on paper, this brand was perfect for me. In practice, not so much. In mattresses, as in other aspects of life, the thing you think you want and the thing you really want can be very different. Then I tried the King Koil Mighty Original Double and didn't want to get off it. The price is a bit of a shocker, though. If I were to buy a King Koil Mighty Original for my super king-sized bed, it would set me back 2,279. That's a mighty expensive mattress. "There are two things you should always spend your money on," says Tracy Hollian of Harvey Norman. "A good bed and a good pair of shoes. If you're not in one, you're in the other." That's coming from a woman who's in the business of selling mattresses, but I have to admit that she has a point. I've read, and probably written, many an interiors article about the role of the bedroom as a sanctuary. Now, as I learn more about the relationship between interior design and sleep, that seems a pretty superficial approach. Ideally, the bedroom should be a sanctuary but, for people who associate it with sleepless nights, it can be a scary and threatening place. Not a sanctuary at all! I met Dr Guy Meadows, Clinical Director of the Sleep School in the UK and an expert in insomnia, on a recent trip to Ikea in Dublin. He had come over to run clinics to help the co-workers solve their sleep issues, and to talk to the odd journalist. First, he outlined the basic rules of sleep hygiene: comfort, light, temperature, noise and air quality. The bed should be comfortable, the room quiet and well ventilated, cool and dark. And don't check the time on your phone. "As humans, we are solar powered," he says. "That blast of light will really wake you up." So that's the rule book. Then he throws it out. "In an attempt to help our insomniacs sleep, we are giving them a list of things to do. But all those rules are keeping them awake! Don't drink coffee! Don't drink alcohol! Eliminate light and noise! Never read in bed! Very soon, the bedroom becomes a place of stress and struggle, filled with technology that is meant to help you sleep. This is an environment where insomnia thrives." If you find yourself desperately securing the edges of your black-out blind with gaffer tape to eliminate every scrap of light, you may have a problem that design can't fix. "We are in the midst of an insomnia epidemic," Meadows explains. An estimated third of British adults suffer from chronic insomnia and we have to assume that the Irish aren't far behind. For many of these, the rituals that are intended to help them sleep are only making it worse. "Insomnia is a vicious cycle. The more you try to get a good night's sleep, the harder it becomes, until you realise that it's 6am. You accept that you're awake and stop trying to fight it, and then you go heavily to sleep until the alarm wakes you at 7." That point of acceptance is the starting point of Meadows' therapeutic process. When it comes to insomnia, design can only help you so far. Sleep tech, which is beyond the scope of this article, can be helpful (it can also be a head wreck, so choose carefully). The right pillow and the right mattress can help too. If your sleeping partner likes to be enveloped in cosy snugness, but you prefer to stay cool at night, consider two single duvets of different weights. Ikea's Kallkrasse duvet (from 45 for a single) comes in 4 tog, 7.5 tog, and 13.5 options. An aloe vera (8.50) or Spathiphyllum (3 to 24) potted plant will clear the air. The Tretur block-out roller blind (35) from Ikea can help eliminate the light. But none of these are a solution to sleeplessness in themselves. Decorating your bedroom in a way you find relaxing is a really smart move. A cluttered untidy bedroom is the enemy of sleep. But, as with pillows, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. See harveynorman.ie; ikea.com/ie; and thesleepschool.org Of all Julian Assange's undoubted talents, maybe his greatest gift is the ability to make enemies. He trusts, likes and respects almost no one. He falls out with his friends and disgusts his opponents. Now that he has been dragged kicking and shouting from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London - where he was, by all accounts, the house guest from hell - he may find that he has few allies in the world outside. Many conservatives despise him for supposedly imperilling national security. Liberals will never forgive him for what he did to Hillary Clinton. Numerous journalists - perhaps the majority - scoff at his effrontery in identifying as one of them. Women can never forget the never-settled claims of sexual coercion in Sweden. He is an information anarchist - dumping vast oceans of material into cyberspace with barely a thought for the consequences. He's often portrayed as a useful idiot to Putin, an enabler to Trump. He jumped bail in Britain, costing his too-trusting supporters a small fortune in surrendered sureties. He is rude, aggressive, pompous, self-regarding, unreasonable and even - or so say multiple sources - smelly. There is, in short, much not to love about Julian Assange. He and I collaborated on the release of military and diplomatic documents relating to the Iraq War when I was editing The Guardian in 2010 and 2011. We spectacularly fell out. Another party to the publication was The New York Times under its executive editor then, Bill Keller. They fell out. He hired author Andrew O'Hagan as a ghostwriter. Spoiler alert: They fell out. Part of the problem was a deeply ingrained mistrust of mainstream media. Who decreed that they got to be the gatekeepers of information? He veered between contempt for us and a grudging acceptance that we were a necessary evil. Within the space of an hour, he could go from shouting tantrums to cool-headed strategic planning. But we were not alone in finding him an impossible partner. And yet. The laws protecting free speech should not depend on the loveability, mental health or personal hygiene of those in the firing line. And Assange is now very much a target - being threatened with extradition to America to face charges relating to his collaboration with the source of the 2010 WikiLeaks revelations, Chelsea (nee Bradley) Manning. It may be that we have to suspend our complicated feelings about the man and consider the implications for free expression. It is interesting what Assange is not being charged with - at least for now. To have prosecuted him for the substantive content of the stream of Manning-sourced articles - about war, torture, murder and dissembling - would have reopened many cans of worms that too many people would doubtless prefer remained forgotten. And if Assange was in the dock, why not the editors of The Guardian, The New York Times, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, The Hindu, El Pais and numerous others? There was a genuine public interest in publishing details of the killing of civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq. And in the American authorities' turning a blind eye to systemic torture and murder by its Iraqi allies in 2009. Any mainstream news organisation would have gladly broken the news disclosed in the 2010 "collateral murder" video, with its footage from an Apache helicopter showing the killing of a dozen innocent people, including two Reuters news staffers. It would be difficult to explain why Assange alone should be singled out for his role in the joint publications - much as I personally disapproved of him subsequently spewing out unredacted classified material across the internet. But he is not - at least not yet - charged with being the agent of a foreign power or of placing lives in jeopardy. No, the charge against Assange appears to be more modest, punishable by up to five years in prison. The unsealed grand jury indictment boils down to two claims, neither of them new: one, that Assange conspired with Manning to try to get hold of more material, even after she had leaked hundreds of thousands of classified documents; and two, that Assange attempted - unsuccessfully, it seems - to crack a government password. The benign explanation is that he sought to help Manning avoid detection as the source of the material she was downloading. Others accuse him of hacking, pure and simple. Some will deplore the act of a reporter in trying to corrupt a source into imparting a nation's secrets - though Assange, as an Australian, owes no more allegiance to the US than an American journalist would in trying to elicit the secrets of India or the Germans. But many journalists would acknowledge that they had encouraged sources to come up with more documents. And most reporters would see it as their sacred duty to help protect a source. What are the implications of successfully prosecuting such behaviour? To James Goodale, the veteran lawyer who helped The Times defend the Pentagon Papers from the Nixon administration's hot pursuit in 1971, the precedent would be devastating. "Should Trump's Justice Department succeed in prosecuting Assange," he wrote in Harper's last month, "the only safe course of action for a reporter would be to receive information from a leaker passively." Goodale quotes the long-time investigative reporter Seymour Hersh as telling him that he obtains classified information through a process of "seduction," in which he spends time trying to induce the source into giving up the information. "If he isn't allowed to do that," he says, "it's the end of national security reporting." Goodale worries that courts could end up routinely examining the efforts of reporters to obtain information, thereby potentially criminalising much reporting. If such a framing of reporters' behaviour persisted, "the result would be doubt in every case... it will mean that the government has created the equivalent of the UK Official Secrets Act - through judicial fiat, without any legislative action". So why the muted response to the threat against Assange? Goodale speculates that the reason more editors and reporters don't leap to his support is because they don't consider him a "proper" journalist. In a sense, they are right. Assange is a shape-shifter - part publisher, part impresario, part source, part activist, part anarchist, part whistleblower, part nihilist. And, that new 21st Century creature, part journalist. Assange does - sometimes - carry out the function of a journalist and thus should benefit from First Amendment protection, just the same as "real" reporters. Of course, the rather weak allegations against him may be bolstered by more disturbing charges, as United States officials seek to strengthen the case for extradition. We should judge each by its own merit. But for the moment, journalists should look beyond Assange's erratic character and capacity for making enemies, and look at the underlying issue the indictment raises. "If the prosecution succeeds," warns Goodale, "investigative reporting based on classified information will be given a near death blow." That's a narrow issue for journalists. But it should matter for a more general public. All around the world, repressive regimes are successfully reducing the glare of scrutiny that the press used to shine on them. If we believe that daylight is a necessary condition for democracy - that good societies can't function without transparency and an agreed-upon factual basis for debate and governance - then the defence of investigative reporters, however difficult or even wrong-headed those individuals may be, is important. Alan Rusbridger is a former editor-in-chief of The Guardian. He is principal of Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford and chairs the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism Washington Post In 1916 we took over the GPO and proclaimed the republic. In 1918 we voted for the republic. From 1919 to 1921, we fought a war of independence in the name of the republic. We took a break for a year or so to have a row amongst ourselves; then we fought a civil war over the failure to put the republic into the treaty we'd signed with the British. Twenty-six years after that, in 1949, a Fine Gael Taoiseach declared we were finally a republic, and passed legislation to that effect. At which point, the Fianna Fail opposition leader claimed that we'd actually been a republic from when he was Taoiseach, in the mid-1930s. Given all this, we might conclude that this notion we have of ourselves as a republic is and always was a pretty big deal. We might conclude that the republic was very, very important to us. There's a problem, though. While the word "republic" was freely used, there's no evidence of any great political debate on what the shape and content of the republic might look like. The urge to simply break free from England is understandable. Ireland was a wholly-owned subsidiary of an arrogant, cruel and careless empire run by inbred aristocrats. The parents and grandparents of those alive in 1916 had lived through the horrors of the famine, when the government in London had priorities it considered more important than a million people dying of starvation. The empire's lord lieutenant in this country, the Earl of Clarendon, said that Ireland "was sacrificed to the London corn dealers". The government's chief adviser on statistics, Sir Robert Giffen, noted that Ireland paid the empire 7m a year in taxes, when it, by right, ought to pay only half that. Quite reasonably, the nationalists wanted the Brits out. The desire for a "republic" was understood mostly as merely a rejection of the empire - and "republic" was just another word for separatism. And, although the word was flung about loosely, the desire to break with the empire - full stop - remained stronger than the desire to create a particular form of society. One extraordinary incident illustrates this. On the first day of the 1916 Rising, in the GPO, Patrick Pearse, Joe Plunkett and Desmond FitzGerald discussed possible outcomes to the rebellion. Pearse and Plunkett were executed - but FitzGerald later wrote about the discussion. Pearse, he said, was open to the possibility that the Germans would provide Ireland with Prince Joachim, youngest son of the Kaiser, to become our king. This was shortly after Pearse proclaimed the republic in front of the GPO. It's a fairly broad definition of a republic that includes the coronation of a 26-year-old layabout prince. Two documents give us an idealistic notion of what the leaders of the revolutionary movement meant by the republic. The Proclamation was ahead of its time, in its notions of fairness and equality, of "religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens". Its very deliberate use of "Irishmen and Irishwomen" signalled solidarity with the ideals of the suffragettes. In a world of monarchies and empires, where voting was a novelty and where trade unions were still struggling for basic rights, this was heady stuff. The Democratic Programme of the first Dail was likewise idealistic: "It shall be the first duty of the Government of the Republic to make provision for the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of the children, to secure that no child shall suffer hunger or cold from lack of food, clothing or shelter". Again, in a world of free markets and contempt for the losers, this was stirring idealism. The Proclamation was influenced by the socialism and feminism of James Connolly. The Labour Party he left behind influenced the Democratic Programme. But these were just documents. However we might admire them, documents mean little unless they are brought to life by a political movement that can win mass support to turn aspirations into concrete social change. And there was no such movement. The leaders who survived the revolution were the most conservative. Connolly left behind a Labour Party, but it was already shrinking to its eventual role as a prop for the larger parties. The civil war was fought over the technical language of the treaty. There was no battle of differing visions - what the argument came down to was: fight on, or take this compromise. Almost certainly, fighting on would have ended in crushing defeat, reducing even further the British concessions. From the savagery of the civil war came the two entities that became Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, the two wings of the same party that have come back together in today's cartel arrangement, designed to maintain their virtual monopoly of the political field. The Proclamation became revered and ignored; the Democratic Programme never became the basis for political organising, it remained a mere idealistic wishlist. The idealism of the two documents was lost. By 1937, the independent part of Ireland had a new Constitution, written by conservative politicians, who had to run each clause past the Catholic hierarchy, for approval. The deep religious emotions of the Catholic people had been leveraged by the hierarchy, to achieve a virtual coalition alongside whichever of the two parties got the most votes at elections. This form of party-Church governance was never in anyone's manifesto, but it was the reality of power. If you dared antagonise the bishops they'd denounce you, with devastating consequences at the ballot box. The feminism reflected in the Proclamation was forgotten. From the Magdalene Laundries to forced retirement from work if they married, women were treated with a contempt not even the inbred aristocrats had dared employ. The bishops deemed the children of unmarried women to be "illegitimate" and that was the word put into legislation. Since the births weren't legitimate, such mothers were not true mothers. The children were stolen, imprisoned in "homes", mistreated - and eventually some were sold off to rich Americans. The grand phrases of the Proclamation, which lauded equality and fairness, gave way to a pinched, aggressive paternalism. The aim was to shepherd us from birth to death with the minimum amount of sin - and the bishops had a very wide interpretation of sin. The lack of clarity, from the beginning, about the kind of Ireland we were building in place of the old regime, allowed the Catholic Church and the conservative politicians to define the new Ireland. Much of the politics of the years after de Valera won the election in 1932 involved tweaking reality to scrape away bits of the old British political infrastructure that survived the change of power. The fact that we weren't formally a republic gave the dissident IRA of the day a reason to exist. And it irritated the politicians. We weren't one thing or the other, and that reminded them of their failure. When Fine Gael eventually declared the republic, in 1949, it didn't change anything. The coalition continued between the unelected bishops and one or other of the dominant parties. The first crack in that undeclared but very real system of government came shortly afterwards, when the bishops stopped the Mother and Child scheme. It was a sensible health reform, first mooted by Fianna Fail, but the bishops feared that State involvement in health would reduce their own control. When the health minister Noel Browne published the correspondence from the bishops, showing them giving orders to the politicians, the reality of the system of undeclared coalition governance was made clear. It was the beginning of the end. Eventually, the bishops' own behaviour undermined their dominance, and that unspoken coalition between the Catholic Church and political parties was broken. The notion of the republic helped create the revolution against the British. The failure to get the republic mentioned in the Treaty, and the hangover of some of the trappings of British rule, made the lost republic a romantic ideal, for some. The idealism that propelled some within the revolution died off, and the notion of the republic became just a word. The declaration in 1949 was ill-planned, provoked by a snub to the Taoiseach of the day - it meant nothing to the lives of the citizens, but none of that mattered. We got to declare yet again that we were a republic. Donogh O'Malley died at the age of 47, in 1968. He was a Fianna Fail chancer. He was one of the lads - hard drinking, arrogant and sometimes obnoxious. Hugely ambitious, he was trying to make a name for himself so he'd have a shot at becoming Taoiseach when Sean Lemass retired. He was also one of the most useful politicians in the history of the State. O'Malley's achievements as Minister for Education (in office for less than two years, until he keeled over with a heart attack) helped change this country immeasurably for the better. That's him in that unusual Allianz insurance ad campaign. It shows him behaving boldly and with courage - which was true, but only part of the story. I thought of O'Malley while I was watching online some of the John Delaney farce at the Oireachtas Committee on Sport. It was one of those times when you find your head sinking as you wonder how in hell our political class has become so ineffectual. What that Oireachtas Committee needed was a bit of the Donogh O'Malley spirit - someone who'd snarl in the general direction of the FAI delegation, as they made it clear they'd nothing enlightening to say. And tell them to go, just go - just eff off out of here, you're stinking the place up. In more diplomatic language - we needed someone to tell the FAI that their behaviour suggested there might be something going on they didn't want us to know about. Therefore the committee would recommend that the State totally and permanently disengage from the association. Instead, for hours politicians asked questions they knew would not get straightforward answers. Meanwhile, the political parties were stoking up their electoral machines, looking for our votes for their candidates in the Euro elections and the local government elections. That's what we need: a fresh mandate for politicians to sit quietly while John Delaney refuses to answer questions. More conservative politicians who'll express horror at the housing disaster and the health chaos. And then tweak feeble schemes designed to encourage the private sector - which thrives only on profit - to refrain from extracting maximum profit, and act just a little in the public interest. Oddly enough, that hasn't worked. Not one fresh idea will come from these people. Not one effective policy. Here's why Donogh O'Malley was so significant that he features in an ad campaign by an insurance company 50 years after his death. And here's why we're getting another generation of ineffectual politicians who'll mouth the right words and achieve nothing. In 1916, Volunteer Harry Colley, trapped in Dublin's inner city, said to hell with it and charged a British barricade. They shot lumps out of him. A British army doctor gave him half an hour to live. Forty years later Harry was still clinging to a Dail seat. Paddy Beegan and Gerry Bartley, too, got their Dail reward for shifting the Brits. Through the 1950s they were still in the Dail, as were the likes of Sean MacEntee, Bob Briscoe and Dan Breen. Volunteer Dickie Gogan didn't retire from politics until the late 1970s. They risked their lives, no one begrudged them the honour - but the country was stagnant, closed off and looking back. When a new generation of politicians got into office, led by Donogh O'Malley, Charlie Haughey and Brian Lenihan, they had decades of stagnancy to clear away. O'Malley declared the failure to educate our people to be a "dark stain on the national conscience". But it wasn't just morally wrong - it was holding the country back. Only the small, inbred middle class could afford education, and there weren't enough brainy people among their offspring. If Ireland was to become anything more than a backwater, it needed to create an educated working class. And that meant free second level - and since the country was in such trouble that it had to be done, O'Malley simply announced it. We need it - make it so. He staked his career on the decision. It changed the country and we're still reaping the rewards. Haughey became corrupt. His generation of politicians became cynical. Today, we've got professional politicians, for whom looking after the constituency - and protecting the seat - is their job. That entails obeying the party line. They do as they're told, even though they know their policies are screwing the lives of the children of people forced out of the housing market. Even though their policies are ruining the plans of young people who want to start families and contribute to the future. Housing? Health? Politicians can't rise to such problems. They can't even put manners on the FAI - an outfit into which we've poured millions. As in O'Malley's time, bold decisions and courage are needed. Instead, rich investors are making fortunes, as they gloat that this is the kind of housing market they dreamed of dominating. This Government has made Ireland the best little country in which to screw millions out of a screaming market. We're governed by a class of conservatives who genuflect to the private sector - it's part of their DNA, they can't help it. Nothing can be done directly, the private sector must take command of every project. This is the gospel according to FG/FF. The problems today are as gigantic as the one facing Donogh O'Malley - he had the guts to ask himself how could it be solved. He had a report - commissioned by a predecessor, Paddy Hillery - that recommended reforms. O'Malley told his department he wanted free second-level education implemented. Full stop. He created a rural school bus system, he set up Regional Technical Colleges. Today, ministers run everything through committees; they hire private sector consultants, pay them millions to assess and reassess and provide tonnes of material that can cover the minister's ass. First priority: the buck mustn't stop with the minister. Usually, the forest of consultants and the complexity of private sector contracts ensure that we couldn't find the buck with a metal detector. I clicked off the Delaney farce. Just then, my letterbox made a snapping noise and an expensive election leaflet dropped into my hallway. It had a photo of a youngfella, in what looks like his Confirmation suit. Oh, great, just what this country needs - yet another generation of Haugheys. It's Cathal, from the Butter Wouldn't Melt generation. The aspiring politicians are all over the place - on the sides of buses, with shiny new cars emblazoned with party colours and photos of the candidates. They remind us that there are many stupid people amongst us who will vote for the party with the shiniest cars and the buses with the biggest smiles. And, then, enter stage right, the grinning, ingratiating face of Peter Casey, the man who just wants us to elect him to something. Anything. The Presidency. The Dail. The European Parliament. Letterkenny County Council. The Steering Committee of the Sacred Heart Choral Society. Peter wants to be elected to something, anything. The man seems to have a visceral need for validation. Let's elect the poor, needy bugger to some unfortunate body that'll have to listen to him failing to finish a sentence for the entirety of his tenure. When we need a Donogh, we're stuck with an Eoghan and a couple of Simons. And, God help us, a Peter. Drew Harris's first six months behind the Garda Commissioner's desk in the Phoenix Park have been a bumpy ride. Not least because of the bizarre bollard incident which saw an unmarked PSNI 4x4 vehicle, carrying the Commissioner, damaged as it was entering Garda Headquarters. After days of press coverage, the commissioner was forced to issue not one, but two statements, outlining exactly what happened. In the final press release, they said a "newly installed bollard malfunctioned" and caught the underside of the vehicle the Commissioner was travelling in. Could happen to anyone, and pride was the only thing that was properly damaged. But it wasn't really about the damage done to either the Commissioner or the jeep bringing him back to Dublin after a weekend in Northern Ireland. What raised eyebrows was the fact that the Commissioner of An Garda Siochana was being chauffeured around the Republic of Ireland by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. It was not widely reported, but the PSNI jeep was accompanied on the journey from the North by a Garda Emergency Response Unit vehicle. It's not clear if it was also accompanied on its way back to the North. Most reasonable people on the island of Ireland are all for cross-border cooperation by both police forces, but similarly they believe there are lines that should not be crossed. The fact the former Deputy Chief Constable is being ferried around the South by his former colleagues is undoubtedly a departure from general protocol - simply because Mr Harris is the first PSNI man to oversee gardai. However, arrangements have been in place since 2013 which allow armed PSNI officers travel in Ireland and gardai in Northern Ireland under some circumstances. The relevant authorities have to be informed ahead of any operation, as was the case two weeks ago. There is also a serious high-level threat to the Commissioner from dissident republicans who would see any attack on Mr Harris as a major coup for their demented campaigns of terror. However, the incident has rankled with some serving and retired members of the force. A senior serving officer told the Sunday Independent: "The Commissioner needs to realise he is now a member of An Garda Siochana." Justice Minister, Charlie Flanagan, was quick to defend Mr Harris last week and is known to be a firm supporter of the new Commissioner. Mr Harris has certainly endeared himself to the Taoiseach and ministers right across Government since he was appointed. Ministers are impressed by the fact he can make hard decisions, without fear or favour, because of the distance between him and his fellow officers. In the Phoenix Park he is not surrounded by Assistant Commissioners who he passed out alongside in Templemore College, or served with in Tallaght Garda Station. The culture within in the force, which was bred by the collegial nature of the job, was to take people with you when you moved up the rungs of the ladder. When you become a superintendent, you make sure to appoint some of your pals as sergeants or inspectors. Naturally, people wanted to be supported by those they trusted when they are in positions of power. But it led to undue favouritism when it came to appointments. A lot of this has changed in recent years with the establishment of the Policing Authority, but appointments still have to be signed off by the Commissioner. As Mr Harris is surrounded by people he has known only for the past few months, it makes it far easier for him to make decisions based on merit. It also allows him make unpopular operational decisions, which in the past would have been met with resistance by senior officers. For example, he decided to cut the Garda overtime budget just before Christmas, which was not a popular move among officers of all ranks. But the Government was delighted. Here was a Commissioner trying to control the Force's finances and reduce the need for a supplementary budget for unnecessary overtime. Of course, the Garda representative bodies would say this will stifle investigations into serious crimes. Rank-and-file gardai on the lower end of the pay scale are also unhappy with loss of income. In the upper echelons of the force, Mr Harris is still an enigma to the Assistant Commissioners who roam his court. They don't know what to make of him, and there is a belief that's exactly how the Commissioner wants it. The Cabinet of Assistant Commissioners, who serve below Mr Harris, have been notoriously cliquey in recent history. In-fighting and back-biting plagued the tenure of Noirin O'Sullivan, and the latter half of Martin Callinan's career. Mr Harris also likes to move quickly when there was a tendency under other commissioners to long-finger difficult issues. Not unlike the Government-proposed policy changes would spend months, if not years, being examined by committees. Reports would be drafted and reconsidered by another committee before being ignored. A few weeks ago, Mr Harris decided gardai should be allowed to wear turbans or head scarves if they so wished. The decision was made and the policy was announced. However, his judgment has been called into question on some occasions. The decision to suspend Assistant Commissioner, Fintan Fanning, pending the outcome of a Garda Ombudsman investigation, seemed rash. The well-respected Mr Fanning, who was the most senior member of the force to ever be suspended, took High Court action against Mr Harris over the suspension. But he was cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) before the case was heard. This case hasn't gone away, and the Commissioner may have to answer some awkward questions at a later date. Mr Harris is taking a no-nonsense approach to garda discipline and there will undoubtedly be casualties along the way. Recently, he dismissed the outcome of a disciplinary review of a garda, who was filmed engaging in a sex act on the bonnet of a garda car. It had been recommended that he be fined, but the Commissioner insisted he should resign or be dismissed. He has also put on hold the promotion of several gardai who are the subject of ongoing Gsoc inquiries. "He's going to lose the dressing room with some of his puritan behaviour," another source added. Mr Harris faces the difficult balancing act of forcing through his reforms of a police force recovering from years of controversy while not losing the dressing room, as he implements his shake-up of An Garda Siochana. Adrian O'Neill, Irish ambassador to the UK, had a letter in The Spectator last week complaining about a "snide and hostile" article by Robert Hardman, querying why the Irish Government refuses to rejoin the English-speaking Commonwealth it left 70 years ago, yet has recently enthusiastically embraced junior status in the French-speaking Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). The Spectator was certainly harsh on "little Leo", whom the writer thought was sticking two fingers up to Brexit Britain and sucking up to Emmanuel Macron and the rest of "the top gang in the EU playground", because he'll need support when pressure within the EU to harmonise corporation tax becomes a threat to the Irish economy. But the Irish position vis-a-vis the Commonwealth is incomprehensible. Revisiting our departure in 1949, I've been very struck by what a contrast that event was with Brexit, which, whatever you think about it, has been an extraordinary exhibition of democracy in action. I've occasionally made to Irish audiences the case for rejoining the Commonwealth, but the reaction has been mostly indifference tinged with Anglophobia. Ireland's relationship with the world outside Europe and the US seems to interest few of its inhabitants. Yet with Brexit, the British public has been energised politically, and people who never showed the slightest interest in politics heatedly debate the virtues and limitations of global free trade, control of borders, customs unions and backstops. Against this backdrop, looking at how Ireland came to leave the Commonwealth, it seemed more bizarre than ever that such an important decision should have been taken more than 3,000 miles away from home and without any consultation of the cabinet, let alone the Irish people. In government in the 1930s and 1940s, Eamon de Valera had chipped away at the last vestiges of the British Crown's role. Ireland ceased to attend the Commonwealth, and by January 1948 he had a draft bill to repeal the 1937 External Relations Act that had kept the king as a figurehead in relations with other states. Fine Gael party policy was to maintain the link with the Commonwealth and when it came to the general election in 1948 there was no mention of quitting it in any manifesto - except that of the Clann na Poblachta, whose leader Sean MacBride was an ex-chief of staff of the IRA. Winning 10 seats, MacBride exacted a heavy price for going into coalition with Fine Gael, including blocking for nomination as taoiseach Richard Mulcahy, its leader, because of his hard-line record in the Civil War. So a successful lawyer without ministerial experience, John A Costello, took the Taoiseach's job, with MacBride becoming Minister of External Affairs. The telegram MacBride wrote to the Pope when he took up his ministry is a fascinating glimpse of the thinking of a pious Catholic republican socialist, who offered "to repose at the feet of Your Holiness the assurance of our filial loyalty and our devotion to Your August Person, as well as our firm resolve to be guided in all our work by the teaching of Christ and to strive for the attainment of a social order in Ireland based on Christian principles". Along with that went his determination for absolute freedom from any entanglement with the UK. Although he had agreed to park his anti-Commonwealth policy, MacBride was intent on pursuing it. His opportunity came in September 1948, when Costello travelled to the Canadian Bar Association to speak about the Irish link with the Commonwealth. MacBride issued a press release quoting selectively from the Costello speech that led to the Sunday Independent headline 'External Relations Act to go', and put pressure on him in a phone conversation that night. Asked at a press conference if he was intending to repeal the Act, Costello said yes, but mentioned the possibility of some kind of associate membership. Featured on the front pages of Irish newspapers, this surprised members of his cabinet as well as the British government, with whom there was a convention that on such matters of mutual interest Britain and Ireland should hold private consultations before taking decisions. Within a few days, MacBride had drafted a repeal bill. There was pressure from the British on Ireland to change course, but minds were set and on April 18 the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 came into law. In saying that Eire ceased to be "part of His Majesty's dominions", it broke the rules of the Commonwealth. Only a few weeks later, the rules were changed to allow republics to join the Commonwealth without declaring allegiance to the monarchy. India accepted and Ireland rejected the invitation to join under these rules. Without consulting the Irish government, the British parliament then passed the Ireland Act 1949 which guaranteed the constitutional and territorial integrity of Northern Ireland. In a recent article, Leo Varadkar wrote of four occasions when Ireland had "travelled a different route to Britain": independence, leaving the Commonwealth, breaking the link with sterling and joining the euro. "On all occasions, we emerged stronger and more prosperous," he said. Hmmm. The jury is still out on the euro, but it would, I think, see little justification for staying out of the Commonwealth of Nations. Leaving was unnecessary. Is it simply false pride that's keeping us out? The Taoiseach is dedicated to vastly increasing the Irish global footprint. How could it not be a brilliant networking opportunity if we became a full member of an organisation of 2.4bn people in 53 sovereign, equal, independent English-speaking nations dedicated to promoting co-operation, democracy and human rights - in many of which, like Australia and Canada, the Irish diaspora thrive. In what spirit of self-harm do we continue to deny our sportspeople the right to participate around the world in the Commonwealth Games? In what sane world is it better to be a junior member of an organisation most of whose full members are small African states, many with appalling human rights records, which is primarily dedicated to favouring the spread of French language, culture and power around the world? The Spectator may have been unkind. But it was right. Researchers noted that as well as better short-term memory, the primates' brains also took longer to develop and had a similar development pattern to that of human brains. Stock photo Scientists in China have placed human genes into the brains of monkeys - apparently making the primates more intelligent, according to a new study. The animals performed better in a short-term memory test, and had quicker reaction times compared with normal monkeys, according to an article about the research published in the National Science Review, a Beijing-based journal. The research was led by the Kunming Institute of Zoology and was intended to examine the genetic basis of the human brain and the evolution of human cognition. Researchers implanted MCPH1, a gene which they think may play an important part in human brain development, into the brains of 11 rhesus macaque monkeys. In doing this they created "transgenic monkeys". The scientists involved said it was the first time such an experiment had been used to understand "the genetic basis of human brain origin". Researchers noted that as well as better short-term memory, the primates' brains also took longer to develop and had a similar development pattern to that of human brains. The experiment has generated significant backlash from scientists in the West, who have criticised what they see as an unethical experiment. "You just go to the Planet of the Apes immediately in the popular imagination," said Jacqueline Glover, a bioethicist at the University of Colorado. "To humanise them is to cause harm. Where would they live? And what would they do? Do not create a being that can't have a meaningful life, in any context." In January 2019, scientists in China cloned a group of five gene-edited macaque monkeys, in an experiment designed to help researchers understand human diseases. At the time bioethicists criticised the approach, as some of the cloned monkeys and embryos survived for only a few days. Primate research is tightly controlled, meaning it is unlikely such techniques will be widely applied. Another Chinese researcher - the disgraced Prof He Jiankui - faced global condemnation after he told the world he had created the first gene-edited babies in November 2018. Independent Shamima Begum, the east London schoolgirl who fled to Syria, served in the Islamic State's "morality police" and also tried to recruit other young women to join the jihadist group, well-placed sources have told reporters. She was allowed to carry a Kalashnikov rifle and earned a reputation as a strict "enforcer" of Isil's laws, such as women's dress codes, sources claimed. The claims are at odds with Begum's own account of her years with the group, which she joined at age 15. Begum, now aged 19, has insisted she was never involved in Isil's brutality but spent her time in Syria as a devoted housewife to a jihadist. Begum, whose discovery in a refugee camp in northern Syria in February caused public outcry in the UK, said she concentrated on bringing up her children, who later died of malnutrition. Her husband, Yago Riedijk, a Dutch fighter, said that Begum just "sat in the house" and that she would pose no danger if allowed back to the UK. Expand Close Shamima Begum / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Shamima Begum But reporters have since been able to piece together a different account of Begum's life inside the world's most brutal terrorist organisation, and one which could complicate any possible return to the West. She has been stripped of her British citizenship, but lawyers are planning a legal challenge to overturn the decision. Details of her alleged role in Isil have come from two separate sources, including an anti-Isil activist group Sound and Picture, whose members lived under the jihadists' rule and closely followed its members. Some of the details have been confirmed by Western intelligence agencies, which is understood to be looking into the allegations as part of a criminal inquiry. According to Sound and Picture, Ms Begum arrived in Syria after crossing the Turkey border in February 2015. She was then taken, along with two other Bethnal Green schoolgirls, to the central city of Raqqa, which had become the capital of Isil's self-declared caliphate. They were sent to a "madhafa" or guesthouse for single women, where she was married. Activists then claim that she then enrolled in al-Tala'ia camp just south of the Euphrates in Raqqa province, and stayed for three months receiving "military and religious training." After that, she and Amira Abase and Kadiza Sultana, the other two Bethnal Green girls, are said to have graduated to the Khansaa Battalion, a notorious all-female "police squad" which had other British members in its ranks, including Muslim convert Sally Jones. Begum is then alleged to have worked for several months in al-Hisba, Isil's religious enforcement unit. Most of the women in the Hisba took up roles on a voluntary basis and the position gave them an elevated status. "There were lots of young European women in the Hisba," Aghiad al-Kheder, founder of Sound and Picture, told reporters. "Some of them were very harsh and the local population became very scared." He said Begum carried a Kalashnikov rifle and had a reputation for being strict on women she thought were behaving in a "non-Islamic" way, according to Isil's punitive rules. He believes that in her role, which paid between 550 and 1,650 a month, she likely ordered the imprisonment and lashing of women in Raqqa. During her time in Isil, she is also thought to have been actively trying to recruit other women across Europe. Reporters were also shown messages reportedly sent by Begum to a number of girls, including a teenager from Austria in mid-2015. She used the pseudonym "Umm Asma" before changing it to "Umm Ahmed" (which means Mother of Ahmed). "Don't believe any of the bad things you hear about Dawla [the State], it's fake. You have everything you want here," she told one girl. "And we can help find you a good-looking husband." Begum and Riedijk moved from Raqqa to Deir Ezzor in early 2017 just as the city was coming under assault from Western-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and while she was pregnant with their first child. It was after the birth that she was said to have transferred from the Hisba to the women's "military police", remaining with them, Mr Kheder said, "until the end". The couple was among the last to leave Isil territory, counting themselves among the most hardcore supporters. Begum admitted she had chances to leave but did not take them. She said she "respected" the decision made by Amira Abase and Sharmeena Begum, a fourth London schoolgirl, to stay, saying she only surrendered out of concern for her unborn baby. Begum said the two were still alive when she left the final pocket of Baghuz, which fell in March. However, their names are not on recent camp registration documents seen by reporters, raising the prospect they may have been killed in fighting. Counterterrorism police are now trying to build cases against many of the Britons in the eventuality they are allowed home. Telegraph Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] Shamima Begum was a member of the Isis morality police, a feared group which enforced the terror organisations strict interpretation of Islamic law, according to reports. The 19-year-old British citizen, who fled her home in Bethnal Green four years ago with two other schoolgirls, has claimed that she was only a housewife during her time living with the group in Syria. But according to a report in The Sunday Telegraph she played a much more active role in the organisations reign of terror as a member of the hisba which metes out punishment to those found flouting Isis laws on how to dress and behave. One activist quoted by the newspaper said Begum had been seen holding an automatic weapon and shouting at Syrian women in the city of Raqqa for wearing brightly coloured shoes. Expand Close Shamima Begum (PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Shamima Begum (PA) Members of our group from Raqqa knew her well, said Aghiad al-Kheder, an activist from Deir ez-Zor who founded an anti-Isis collective that published information about Isis crimes from sources on the ground. There were lots of young European women in the hisba. Some of them were very harsh and the local population became very scared. There were separate allegations that Begum stitched suicide bombers into explosive vests, so they could not be removed without detonating. The Mail on Sunday reported that the prime minister and home secretary had been briefed on intelligence received by the CIA and Dutch military intelligence. Expand Close (left to right) 15-year-old Amira Abase, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Shamima Begum before catching a flight to Turkey in 2015 to join the Islamic State group Credit: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (left to right) 15-year-old Amira Abase, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Shamima Begum before catching a flight to Turkey in 2015 to join the Islamic State group Credit: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire The allegations were made by other westerners who joined Isis, but have not been verified. They emerged after a warning by the United Nations that jihadi bride stereotypes were causing female Isis recruits to be dangerously underestimated by global security services. Expand Close East London schoolgirl Shamima Begum Credit: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp East London schoolgirl Shamima Begum Credit: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire Men and women emerging from the terrorist groups former territories have largely denied any wrongdoing or claimed coercion, and their true activities are hard to verify. Isis gave women roles as recruiters, radicalisers and enablers of jihad, and officially permitted them to fight in defence of the caliphate. Expand Close Shamima Begum / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Shamima Begum Begum has been stuck in a displacement camp for months after being detained while leaving Isis territory. The teenager arrived heavily pregnant at al-Hol camp in February, and gave birth shortly after. But her newborn son, named Jarrah, died from a lung infection last month. It was her third child to have died during her time living in the caliphate. Expand Close Radicalised: Londoner Shamima Begum (19) and baby son Jarrah during an interview with ITN in a Syrian refugee camp on Wednesday. Photo: PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Radicalised: Londoner Shamima Begum (19) and baby son Jarrah during an interview with ITN in a Syrian refugee camp on Wednesday. Photo: PA The home secretary, Sajid Javid, stripped Begum of her citizenship and pledged to block British citizens suspected of joining Isis from returning to the UK where possible. Ms Begums family lawyer, Tasnime Akunjee, visited al-Hol camp in March in an attempt to gain her signature for a legal challenge against the removal of her British nationality. He claimed the move had made her effectively stateless and Bangladesh denied she was a dual national, but Mr Javid has denied breaking international law. Mr Akunjee was not permitted to visit Begum by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who are guarding thousands of Isis fighters, female recruits and their children after driving the group out of its former territories. The signature was needed for an appeal to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, which has found previous government attempts to strip extremists British citizenship unlawful. The family is proceeding with a separate judicial review of Mr Javids decision. Mr Akunjee told The Independent that the death of Begums baby may form part of the case against the government. The death of the child goes to the proportionality of the original decision and whether that was a real risk, which we believe it was, and then it happened, he added. Mr Akunjee has not yet responded to the reports of Begums alleged activities in Syria. The attention on her case has sparked a debate over how the UK should deal with British citizens who went to join Isis. Only one in 10 of around 400 jihadis who returned from Syria and Iraq have been prosecuted, and the government has increasingly resorted to citizenship deprivation as a means to prevent their return. Begum and the two friends she travelled to Syria with had been interviewed by the police after a fourth friend from Bethnal Green Academy fled to join Isis months before. Terri Nicholson, a former Metropolitan Police counterterrorism officer, said officers spent tremendous effort on trying to stop people travelling to Syria in the first place. Ms Nicholson acknowledged there were a lot of unknowns to balance when removing extremists citizenship, following warnings that the practice can effectively set terrorists free in warzones without any monitoring. Stratolaunch, a giant six-engine aircraft with the worldOs longest wingspan , makes its historic first flight from the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, Calif., Saturday, April 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Hartman) Stratolaunch, a giant six-engine aircraft with the worldOs longest wingspan , makes its historic first flight from the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, Calif., Saturday, April 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Hartman) Stratolaunch, a giant six-engine aircraft with the worldOs longest wingspan , makes its historic first flight from the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, Calif., Saturday, April 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Hartman) The world's largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems, takes off on its first test flight in Mojave, California, U.S. April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Gene Blevins The world's largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems, takes off on its first test flight in Mojave, California, U.S. April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Gene Blevins The world's largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems, takes off on its first test flight in Mojave, California, U.S. April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Gene Blevins Heavy black smoke rises from one of the six engines starting, before the first test flight of the world's largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems, in Mojave, California, U.S. April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Gene Blevins The world's largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems, makes its first test flight in Mojave, California, U.S. April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Gene Blevins The world's largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems, lands during its first test flight in Mojave, California, U.S. April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Gene Blevins The world's largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems, makes its first test flight in Mojave, California, U.S. April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Gene Blevins A giant aircraft with the world's longest wingspan has landed after its first ever flight. The twin-fuselage Stratolaunch jet landed two hours after taking off from Mojave Air and Space Port in California. The company said the jet hit altitudes of up to 17,000 feet above the Mojave Desert while performance and handling qualities were evaluated. CEO Jean Floyd said the aircraft made a "spectacular" landing, adding it was amazing to "watch this majestic bird take flight". Expand Close The world's largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems, makes its first test flight in Mojave, California, U.S. April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Gene Blevins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The world's largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems, makes its first test flight in Mojave, California, U.S. April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Gene Blevins Established by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, Stratolaunch is vying to be a contender in the satellite launch market. Mr Allen died in October 2018. The aircraft is designed to release rockets attached to the centre of its enormous wing, which stretches 385 feet from tip to tip. Expand Close The world's largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems, takes off on its first test flight in Mojave, California, U.S. April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Gene Blevins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The world's largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems, takes off on its first test flight in Mojave, California, U.S. April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Gene Blevins Sydney Brenner, who has died aged 92, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2002, with John Sulston and Robert Horvitz, for their pioneering study in the 1970s on how specific genes regulate organ growth and cell death. Their discoveries shed new light on the development of diseases including Aids, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and strokes. The story of how the three men won the most important prize in science goes back to the 1960s when Brenner, then at the Medical Research Council's (MRC) laboratories in Cambridge, had the idea of studying the millimetre-long transparent nematode worm, Caenorhabditis elegans, in order to understand how genes control development from a fertilised egg. Decades of work had made the Drosophila fruit fly a standard organism for geneticists, but the fly's brain was too complicated for Brenner's purpose. He wanted an organism with a nervous system so simple that he could compute its behaviour from knowledge of the interconnections between its nerve cells. Brenner reasoned that C elegans - which consists of just 959 cells at maturity and can easily be observed with a microscope, was the perfect subject for a study of how a complete organism can be made from the genetic code of DNA. The plan was, first, "to get the wiring diagram" of the nervous system, and then to trace the lineage of each cell in the adult back through the development to the fertilised egg. Brenner's colleagues at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge were sceptical. Jim Watson, the co-discoverer of the DNA double helix, said the project was too ambitious - and in fact computing the worm's nervous system was one of Brenner's less than entirely successful ideas. After 14 years, his student John White succeeded in reconstructing the wiring diagram of the worm's brain, but its 5,000 interconnections proved too complex for further analysis. The C elegans project bore fruit in other ways, however. In 1969 Brenner recruited John Sulston, a young postdoctoral researcher, to his team and, five years later, brought in Professor Horvitz, originally from Chicago, a mathematically trained economist with an appetite for hard data. Together, the pair mapped the precise lines of descent by which the 959 cells of the adult are generated from the single cell of the egg - an extraordinary achievement. In a series of scientific publications beginning in 1976, Sulston not only mapped the lineage of every nematode cell, he also described the visible steps in programmed cell death and demonstrated the first genetic mutations involved. Horvitz built on his colleagues' insights with a series of elegant experiments in which he identified the first two "death genes", ced-3 and ced-4, which play a critical role in programmed cell death, showing that the human genome also contains a ced-3-like gene. The studies of C elegans led to a fundamental reappraisal of the importance of genes in the death of certain cells during normal development, helping scientists to understand the mechanisms of disease and giving scientists hope that they could tackle the human genome. In Aids, neurodegenerative diseases, stroke and heart attacks, cells are lost as a result of excessive cell death; meanwhile autoimmune conditions and cancer are characterised by a reduction in cell death, leading to the survival of cells normally destined to die. "Without doubt," Brenner said in his Nobel lecture, "the fourth winner of the Nobel Prize this year is Caenorhabditis elegans; it deserves all of the honour but, of course, it will not be able to share the monetary award." Sydney Brenner was born on January 13, 1927 in the small town of Germiston, South Africa, to Jewish parents who had emigrated there from Europe, his mother from Latvia and his father, a cobbler, from Lithuania. Educated at Germiston High School, he was inspired with an interest in biology by a book in the public library entitled The Science of Life. As he was too poor to buy a copy, he reported the book missing and paid a small fine. At the University of Witwatersrand he read Medicine, though his true passion was biology and he completed a master's dissertation on the chromosomes of the small insectivore, Elephantulus, so named because of its trunk-like proboscis. Brenner moved to Britain to take a DPhil at Exeter College, Oxford, on the workings of bacterial cells under the famously eccentric physical chemist Sir Cyril Hinshelwood. Hinshelwood had no time for genetics and constructed experiments for Brenner which aimed to prove that the workings of a bacterial cell could be understood in terms of chemical kinetics. Brenner knew that this was impossible and carried out his own experiments that proved the importance of mutation. He claimed to have converted Hinshelwood to his point of view, though observers noted that while the great man would reluctantly accept the evidence for a time, he always retreated to his old position. On a visit to Cambridge in 1953 Brenner met James Watson and Francis Crick, who had just discovered the structure of DNA. Crick liked Brenner's acerbic wit and in 1956 invited him to work at the Cavendish Laboratory and the MRC's new Laboratory of Molecular Biology, where, for 20 years, he and Crick would share an office and work together examining the properties of DNA. Among other things they established that amino acids - the building blocks of proteins - are coded by sequences of three DNA units. By deleting DNA units from bacteria, they showed that only after three units had been deleted in proximity did the DNA message come back into correct phase, proving that the units must be translated three at a time. Brenner later coined the term "codon" for a coding triplet. In 1960, with Matthew Meselson of Harvard and Francois Jacob of the Pasteur Institute, Brenner proved the existence of messenger-RNA, the transcript that carries the genetic message from DNA to the cell's protein-making factories. In 1964 he began his work on C elegans. In 1976 Crick left Cambridge and molecular biology for America and neurobiology, and in 1979 Max Perutz retired as chairman of the MRC laboratory and Brenner was chosen as his replacement. On his motorcycle the evening two days before he started, he spotted a wallet in the road and took it to the police station. Riding sedately home, he was struck by a taxi emerging from a side street. Both his legs were badly broken, as a result of which he subsequently required walking sticks. But Brenner was temperamentally ill-suited to the director's job, not being a natural administrator or a politician. "You become a mediator between two impossible groups," he once said, "the monsters above and the idiots below." His template reply to invitations to meetings was: "Dear X, I regret I am unable to accept your invitation as I find I cannot attend your meeting. Yours sincerely..." Aaron Klug replaced him in 1986. In the mid-1980s Brenner decided to move on to general problems of genome research and started working for a part of each year at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, where Crick and other colleagues had already moved. Later, in 1996, he founded the Molecular Sciences Institute in Berkeley, California, before appointment as Distinguished Professor at the Salk Institute in La Jolla. In 2005 he was appointed president of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. In the 1990s a new project began to take shape. As DNA sequencing progressed, it became clear that some 97pc of the human genome is "junk" DNA, material that does not code for genes and has no apparent function other than to confuse researchers. After discovering that the fugu, or puffer, fish has virtually no junk DNA, Brenner conceived the idea of sequencing the fish's genome so as to find the genes more quickly and develop a basis of comparison with the human genome. It was not easy to obtain funding, but in October 2000 he persuaded Trevor Hawkins of the American Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute to collaborate with the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Singapore in sequencing the fugu genome. This was jointly completed a year later. As well as his scientific interests, Brenner was a great reader and collector of books and an entertaining, if waspish, mimic and storyteller. He had a passion for words and wordplay - in a riff on Avogadro's number, he invented "Avocado's number", defining it as "the number of atoms in a guacamole". He also had an aversion to modern conveniences such as emails and photocopiers. He once asked a student who had a large Xerox bill whether he had tried "neuroxing" some of the papers. The student asked what he meant. Brenner replied: "It's a very easy and cheap process. You hold the page in front of your eyes and let it go through them into the brain." For many years he wrote an elegant and playful column called 'Loose Ends' in the journal Current Biology, later changing the name to 'False Starts' when it was moved to the front of the publication. Brenner was appointed a Companion of Honour in 1986. In 1952 he married May Balkind (nee Covitz), an educational psychologist, who died in 2010. He is survived by their son and two daughters. A stepson died last year. Sydney Brenner died on April 5. Telegraph Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] Serbias state television has announced that Mirjana Markovic, the widow of former leader Slobodan Milosevic, has died in Russia. She was 76. The RTS report said Markovic died Sunday in a hospital. Milosevics SPS party sent condolences to the family. There were no officials details about the cause of death, but Serbian media said she died of pneumonia after several recent surgeries. Markovic was the leader of a neo-Communist party during Milosevics rule in Serbia in the 1990s, a coalition partner with a major influence on her husband. She fled Serbia in 2003 after Milosevic was ousted from power in a popular revolt and handed over to the UN court in The Hague, Netherlands, where he faced a genocide trial for his role in the Balkan wars of the 1990s. He died in jail there in 2006 before a verdict. After Milosevic was ousted from power in a popular revolt in 2000, Markovic was sought for questioning over the killing of Milosevics political opponents during his autocratic rule in the 1990s. In 2005, Serbian authorities asked for her extradition, but Moscow refused, saying she had been granted political asylum. Though she was never formally charged, it was widely suspected that Markovic played a role in the assassination in 1999 of prominent Belgrade newspaper editor Slavko Curuvija, who was gunned down during the NATO bombing of Serbia. Markovic had publicly accused him of supporting the military alliance attacks. A Serbian court recently convicted four ex-state security members of the murder but without saying who ordered it. She was known for her diaries published in local newspapers that often predicted future political moves and events. The former Serbian first ladys notes were written in a poetic, flowery style that contrasted with her ruthless behaviour toward her husbands political opponents. A Serbian appeals court recently overturned a one-year prison sentence for Markovic and ordered a retrial for abuse of position in 2000 for helping allocate a state-owned apartment to her grandsons nanny. Markovic had worked a professor of sociology at the University of Belgrade. She is survived by her son and a daughter. In a path breaking development, a team of Spanish and Greek doctors announced birth of baby with the help of DNAs from three people. This can be of a lot of help tackle infertility; however, the treatment has sparked an ethical debate. The baby was conceived with the help an egg from the infertile mother, fathers sperm and another womans egg by transferring the genetic material with chromosomes from the mothers egg to the egg of the second woman while her own genetic material was removed in the process. It has been hailed as next big thing in the medical sciences. shutterstock/Representational Image This technique was used earlier in Mexico in 2016 when the DNA-switching technique to avoid transmission of a mothers hereditary to her child. But this for the first time in Greece that an IVF (in vitro fertilisation) technique using DNA from three people. The baby was born on Thursday and weighed at 2.96 kilos. The mother of the child is a 32-year-old Greek woman who earlier had several unsuccessful attempts at IVF, Greece's Institute of Life said in a statement. The news agency AFP reported. Institute of Life president Dr Panagiotis Psathas, stated: "Today, for the first time in the world, a woman's inalienable right to become a mother with her own genetic material became a reality. gettyimages "As Greek scientists, we are very proud to announce an international innovation in assisted reproduction, and we are now in a position to make it possible for women with multiple IVF failures or rare mitochondrial genetic diseases to have a healthy child." Dr Psathas added: "Our commitment is to continue to help even more couples facing fertility issues to have children with their own DNA, without having recourse to egg donors." Dr Nuno Costa-Borges, Dr Psathas scientific collaborator of the Institute of Life also hailed the news. "The completely successful and safe implementation of the Maternal Spindle Transfer method - for the first time in medical history - is a revolution in assisted reproduction," Dr Costa-Borges said. He added that "this exceptional result will help countless women to realise their dream of becoming mothers with their own genetic material." The Mexican case was however different from the Greek as the mother, in that case, had been suffering from Leigh syndrome which is a rare illness which affects the developing nervous system and can be fatal to the child, The woman had lost two of her children due to this syndrome. Though the use of the triple DNA technique raises some ethical issues. Tim Child, the professor at Oxford University and medical director of the Fertility Partnership expressed some concerns. "I'm concerned that there's no proven need for the patient to have her genetic material removed from her eggs and transferred into the eggs of a donor. "The risks of the technique aren't entirely known, though may be considered acceptable if being used to treat mitochondrial disease, but not in this situation," said Child. 1865 was still a year where Indian women struggled with social norms that often forced them to take a backseat. Child marriages were prevalent, women were not allowed to get an education and most of them had to bear children before turning eighteen. On 31st March of 1865, Yamuna was born and she was destined to open doors of opportunities for the Indian women who had been oppressed for centuries. Yamuna was just nine when she was married off to a postal clerk who was twenty years her senior and a widower. However, her husband Gopalrao Joshi was a man whose views were far too progressive for the time in which he lived. While most husbands would beat up their wives for not doing household chores properly, Gopalrao would often be spotted beating Yamuna for not spending enough time studying. He started calling her Anandi and years later, this is the name the world would remember Yamuna by. pinterest At the young age of fourteen, Anandi gave birth to a baby boy but soon lost him. This was probably the point at which Anandi decided to study medicine. This was also a time when infant mortality rate in India was high. Most babies would be delivered at home, putting the young mothers as well as their infants at great risk of disease and death. Medical care for women in India were practically absent. Anandi made it her lifes mission to not just become a doctor but use her knowledge to provide better medical care to women, especially those who were in the child-bearing age. Her husband fully supported her idea of becoming a doctor and wanted her to change the course of history for Indian women by becoming a doctor. However, it was while he was posted in Kolkata that Anandi became unwell. She felt weak, suffered from headaches and occasional fever. Soon, Gopalrao was posted to Serampore but Anandis health didnt approve. wikipedia To add to the couples troubles, the society didnt accept the fact that Anandi wanted to study further. The couple were isolated and treated with hostility. However, this wasnt going to deter the couple. Anandi then spoke at Serampore College with the community and explained the reason she wanted to become a doctor. She, through her words, emphasised on the need for women doctors in India. She was of the belief that women doctors could take better care of women. Her heartwarming speech which laid bare the need for female physicians in India gained publicity and she got financial help from all across the country. In spite of her health, Gopalrao decided that Anandi would travel to the US alone on a ship. Once she was in the US, she wrote to the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, which was the second women's medical program in the world. She got admitted and at the age of nineteen, she had started her medical training. However, her health still hadnt improved. This still didnt stop her from getting her degree on the basis of her thesis the topic for which was "Obstetrics among the Aryan Hindoos." She used knowledge from Ayurvedic texts and combined it with her medical training to write a paper on obstetric practices in India. pinterest She graduated and Queen Victoria sent her a congratulatory letter! The princely state of Kolhapur went on to appoint her as the physician-in-charge of the female ward of the local Albert Edward Hospital. From the little girl married off at the age of nine due to social practices to the woman who broke away from social traditions to live alone in a foreign country only to come back with a much-coveted medical degree, Anandi Gopalrao Joshi hadnt just made a personal transformation but a historic one. However, she contracted tuberculosis and passed away just a couple of days before turning 22. However, she left behind a rich legacy and made India proud. The Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences, a non-governmental organization from Lucknow, has been awarding the Anandibai Joshi Award for Medicine to honour her contributions to the medical field in India. The Government of Maharashtra has established a fellowship in her name for young women working on womens health, making sure that women like her are encouraged. Today, there are books written on her and documentaries that track her life. wikipedia In India, women constituted 51% of the students joining medical in 2014-15. Indian women doctors have made history with their research and skills. In 1984, Dr. Indira Hinduja successfully delivered Indias first IVF baby. Dr. Firuza Parikh gave not just India but South-East Asia the first baby to be conceived using Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection. And these are only a couple of examples of how much Indian women doctors have done. These, however, are the tangible measures of her legacy. The unspoken legacy and the one that cant be measured is the one which has encouraged thousands of Indian women to take up medicine. Today, it isnt so strange to see a female doctor taking rounds of a ward. Ever since its inception, Aadhaar has been consistently in the news for breach of data and other privacy concerns, even though the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) the nodal agency of the world's biggest biometric database continues to vouch for is security. One of the biggest concerns many right to privacy advocates had raised is how private companies including telecom service providers, banks payment wallets and even e-commerce site have been collecting Aadhaar data of users in the name of KYC compliance. BCCL Despite a Supreme Court order making it clear that Aadhaar cannot be mandatory for services like new mobile connection and bank accounts, companies still continue to demand it from users. Even as this continues a revelation by UIDAI that a private tech company had access to over Aadhaar data and Voter ID of 7.82 crore individuals from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana has raised some serious questions. BCCL UIDAI on Saturday filed a police complaint against a technology firm IT Grids (India) alleging it was in possession of Aadhaar data of over 7.8 crore residents of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. What makes the entire episode even murkier is that IT Grids is the same company that Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) hired to develop its app, Seva Mitra. IT Grids reportedly used its access to Seva Mitra in which users were asked to provide their Aadhaar deals to verify beneficiaries of welfare schemes. AFP/ REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE The company was storing the data in a removable storage device which is a violation of the Aadhaar Act. According to forensic officials, the structure and size of the database in possession of IT Grids was similar to that of UIDAI. UIDAI in its complaint stated that IT Grids could have used the Aadhaar data for voter profiling of crores of users in the two states. There are times when theres hardly any difference between family politics and party politics. Team India All-rounder Ravindra Jadejas family is probably having the same moment as his family members have chosen different political parties to go with in the ongoing elections for Lok Sabha. TNN If the reports are to be believed, just a few weeks after Jadejas wife Rivaba Solanki joined Amit Shah-led Bhartiya Janta Party, two important members from his family have joined Congress. According to reports, Jadejas father Anirudhsinh Jadeja and Naynaba joined the Congress in Kalavad city of Jamnagar district. They did so in the presence of firebrand Patidar leader Hardik Patel. His family, is apparently unhappy with BJP over not fulfilling the promises made to the people in 2014. TNN Earlier, Mrs Jadeja joined the BJP five months after she was appointed the chief of womens wing of Karni Sena that had protested the release of Hindi movie Padmavaat. His personality, his identity, the way he has led the nation, his vision for the country and the identity of Hindustan he has carved out in the world, it is a matter of pride for every citizen, she told The Indian Express. Jadeja is currently representing Chennai SUper Kings in the ongoing edition of the India Premier League. It is election time in the worlds largest democracy, and everyones glued to their screens to get the latest update in the biggest political extravaganza in half a decade. When it comes to India, quite a few people take election day as an excuse to sit back at home and follow the election process rather than go out and exercise their right to franchise. By not choosing to go to their polling booth and vote, they make it hard to ensure better governance in the country. Reuters Here are five very strong reasons why every eligible Indian adult should vote in this election and play an active part in choosing their representatives. 1. Celebration of democracy Democracy does not come easy. Its not a natural right of any individual. People have to fight to earn this privilege to choose their representatives. bccl/representational image Right from the beginning, when the idea first came to the mind of the Greeks, who invented the idea of democracy thousands of years ago, the right to choose the representatives was not given to everyone. It was a time when the majority of the population was slaves. Also Greek thinkers, including Plato and Aristotle, thought of democracy as a system of rule by the masses at the expense of wisdom and property. It was seen as a mob rule. Gradually, everyone, including women were given the right to choose their government and democracy became the most accepted form of the government everywhere in the world. 2. Decide and discard the government Democracy gives us a chance to change the government if we dont like the way it functions. A country like India, where a government is responsible to uphold the principles of the constitution, which addresses every single community, it is important for the government to not remain partial towards any group. BCCL If any particular government is found to be undermining the constitution at the state or national level, people have the chance to unite and discard that government for the next five years at least. This is quite a big lesson for the political parties who seek popular support to form the government. Political parties make promises to people regarding their well being during their five year tenure, after every five years, there is a chance to ask questions on the promises made and reject their claims. This is where democracy scores over any other form of government. 3. Anyone can contest India has a political system where anyone above 25 years of age can contest election with a party as well as an independent candidate. You dont have to belong to a particular family to be able to contest elections. Although India has several political families across the country who encourage their sons and daughters to join politics and take advantage of the already existing political support, however, people who wish to contest polls can do that as independent candidates. AFP All they need is a strong political agenda to help and convince the people. The rest depends on the electoral process. Next time if you think that all the candidates in your constituency have nothing new to offer, just through your hat in the ring -- you will find many supporters if your ideas are fresh and offer a strong alternative. 4. We are neither authoritarian nor a monarchical state With all its debatable limitations, India sets a shining example of a working democracy for the rest of the world. In India, people choose their representatives at every level, right from Panchayats (local level) to the Prime Minister of India. With 900 million registered voters in 2019, India has been able to secure its democratic values for the last seven decades. Only once our democracy was compromised during the 1975-77 emergency announced by Indira Gandhi. Otherwise, before and after those two years, the Indian voters have made sure that democracy remains supreme in the country no matter how popular the ruler is at the centre. AFP We Indians must also be thankful to our elders who ensured that we didnt become a monarchy like many Middle Eastern countries. When the British left India, there were many Royal families ruling different parts of India, but our leaders decided that we will live as a unified country and choose our rulers by voting for them. If the royals wanted to rule the country they could contest elections. Some of the politicians in India are from royal families but they are equal to other candidates when it comes to political participation. Its where India and its democracy stand apart. 5. Learning is a continuous process A simple calculation tells us that roughly an individual votes between 8-10 times in their lifetime. These are not merely opportunities to vote but a chance to develop a good understanding of a lot of issues. bccl/representational image We begin voting at the age of 18 and there are times when we make very naive choices which affect us and also our fellow citizens. We may support a party that is not progressive, we may follow leaders who are divisive, but as we understand certain issues and the politics behind them, we tend to rally behind other leaders and political parties as we grow wiser with age. The maturity in our thoughts may either make us change our political beliefs or at times toughens our stand on some issue. It all happens during the lifetime of a voter and democracy is the only form of government that gives us a fair chance to make amends. Therefore, as voters and potential politicians we must preserve the democratic values so that we can make our choices whenever we want. bccl/representational image A new government will be formed in just over a month after seven rounds of voting in India. No matter who we are and where we are, we must keep in mind that democracy is a great gift despite being criticised for its limitations time and again. Therefore, we have to celebrate it whenever we get a chance. Happy voting! #ITCounts is an Indiatimes initiative to move beyond the noise and the name-calling and focus on issues that really matter to our generation. We aim to be more about migration, pollution, LGBTQ rights, women's issues and healthcare than about Pakistan, political posturing and trolling. If you have any suggestions/inputs/feedback or advice please hit us up at kabeer.sharma@timesinternet.in/ When Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the enthusiastic crowd at the Nehru Maidan here on Saturday, in the sea of supporters was a fan who stood out. For, he had quit a job in Australia just to ensure he could cast his vote here and see his favourite leader back as Prime Minister for the second term. TOI Sudhindraa Hebbaar, 41, a screening officer at the Sydney Airport, quit his job of one-and-a-half years after he realised he was not able to extend his leave due to huge passenger traffic. I got leave from April 5 to April 12 and could not extend my leave as the airport experiences heavy rush due to Easter and Ramzan. I badly wanted to vote and I decided to put in my papers and fly back home, Sudhindraa, a resident of Surathkal, told STOI. This MBA graduate said, In Sydney, Ive been working with people from across the globe, including Europeans and Pakistanis. Im proud every time they say India has a great future. I attribute this success and changing image of India to the Prime Minister. Obviously, I cannot go to the border to protect my motherland. The least I can do is exercise my right and my duty to vote. As regards the job, I am a Permanent Residency card-holder in Australia (his wife is a Fiji-Australian) and I have worked at Sydney Trains before working at the airport. Finding another job shouldnt be an issue, Sudhindraa said with a smile. AFP/Representational Image Interestingly, he first flew to Australia on April 17, 2014, the day Karnataka went to the Lok Sabha polls in a single phase. A responsible citizen that he is, he cast his vote at the polling booth in Hosabettu just after 7am before he embarked on a nine-hour journey to Bengaluru, from where he left for Sydney that night. He has decided to stay back in Mangaluru till the elections results on May 23, after which hell fly back and scout for a new job. In another appalling case which presents the abysmal state of women security in India, a 35-year-old woman in Deoria, UP was set ablaze after she resisted rape attempt by a local youth on Saturday morning. The police said that the woman had gone to attend nature's call with her two minor children when a man allegedly tried to rape her. Representational Image After woman started shouting for help, the man allegedly poured petrol on her and set her on fire. The woman suffered 90 percent burns and the children who tried to save their mother by dousing the fire, have also suffered burn injuries. All three of them are in the hospital and receiving treatment, told doctors. The accused whose name is Rajbhar alias Tarzon is at large. Reuters/Representational Image The police said that in her statement to the police, the victim said that the accused had tried to molest her earlier as well and she had lodged her complaint but the police didn't act. A case under Sections 376 (punishment for rape), 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) and 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) has been lodged and two teams have been formed to search for the accused, a police official told News 18. If we don't act now, it will be very late. Climate change is ruing our planet at a very fast pace and unless strong efforts are made, we won't be able to do anything. The Seychelles president has tried to do his bit by urging the international community to wake up. President Danny Faures call for action, the first-ever live speech from an underwater submersible, comes from one of the many island nations threatened by global warming. AP The president is speaking during a visit to an ambitious British-led science expedition exploring the Indian Ocean depths. Oceans cover over two-thirds of the worlds surface but remain, for the most part, uncharted. Faures speech says that This issue is bigger than all of us, and we cannot wait for the next generation to solve it. We are running out of excuses to not take action, and running out of time. With inputs from AP. Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district is one of the worst-hit Naxal regions in the country. Naxalites are known for blowing up everything from roads to bridges and even schools. Given this, Namrata Jains achievement is commendable! 25-year-old Namrata has got 12th rank in the civil services exam, the result of which was declared recently by the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC). According to PTI, Namrata hails from Geedam town in Dantewada, ranked 99 in the 2016 civil services exam. UPSC Civil services examination 2018 final result out Namrata Jain from Naxal-affected chhattisgarh Dantewada secures all India rank 12 in civil services exam 2018-19. Congratulations @madhusudan_abvp @ABVPVoice @shriniwas_hr @narendramodi @jAiswalpallavi9 pic.twitter.com/hYlsAl0LjX Chaukidar Ajay Yadav (@AjayYad86162778) April 5, 2019 She got Indian Police Service and is undergoing training at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad. "I always wanted to be a collector. When I was in Class 8, a woman officer had come to my school. Later I was told she was the collector. I was quite impressed by her. At that time, I had decided to become a collector," Jain told PTI. "The place I come from is badly affected by Naxalism. People there lack basic facility like education. I want to serve the people of my state," added Jain. She also said that bringing development to Dantewada could be the best way to check Naxalism there. Twitter Her father is a local businessman and her mother is a housewife, while her brother aspires to become a chartered accountant. The result of the Civil Services examination 2018 was declared on April 5, 2019. A total of 759 candidates were recommended for different government services. Kanishak Kataria, a B.Tech from IIT Bombay, has topped the civil services examination 2018. The civil services examination is conducted annually by the UPSC in three stages - preliminary, main and interview - to select officers for Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service among others. A bizarre incident happened in Florida when three naked young women were spotted in a car. The three were later arrested after an hour-long chase by the police officers. The police officers chased the naked women for over 33 kilometers before managing to ram their vehicles off the road, finally leading to their arrest. According to the media reports, the naked trio was initially spotted at a car rest stop, applying suntan lotion. When the police officers arrived on the scene, the girls said they were air -drying after a shower. (Air-drying, seriously?) Pasco County Sheriffs Office During the chase, the trio also drove the wrong way and tried to drive over a trooper, according to the highway patrol. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the driver was later identified as 18-year-old Oasis Shakira McLeod and the passengers as 19-year-old Jeniyah McLeod and Cecilia Eunique Young. All three will now face charges that include assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, fleeing to elude and indecent exposure. If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here. Submit We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form California Gov. Gavin Newsom gave legislators just three months to address a multibillion-dollar wildfire liability problem that has forced the states largest power company, PG&E Corp., into bankruptcy and threatens the same fate for its other utilities. The governor issued a report Friday outlining possible solutions for how costs for destructive wildfires will be covered, including a possible fund that utilities can tap into, that sent the clearest signal yet that the state will move to keep its power companies solvent. He called for legislation to be passed before lawmakers take a month-long summer recess on July 12, sending shares of PG&E and its peers soaring. It was made known two weeks ago that Newsom was also drafting plans to respond to wildfires more broadly, and his proposal has been expected. The wide-ranging report gave Wall Street optimism that California will work with utilities to solve an intractable problem: who pays for wildfires as climate change threatens to make them deadlier and more frequent. Now, the task of developing a concrete approach falls to lawmakers, who need to work quickly as another fire season nears. There were a lot of positives for utility investors in the report, said Travis Miller, an analyst for Morningstar Inc. Still, the governor does have an aggressive timeline that might not match up with the timeline of other stakeholders. The stakes are high for utilities, which under California law are held responsible for fire costs if their equipment is found to be the cause, even if they werent negligent. San Francisco-based PG&E filed for bankruptcy in January, facing an estimated $30 billion in liabilities after two straight years of devastating blazes. Edison Internationals Southern California Edison utility and Sempra Energys San Diego Gas & Electric have both seen their credit downgraded due to the risks and face junk status within months without a fix from the state. We all have a burden and a responsibility to assume the costs, Newsom, a Democrat, said in a news conference Friday after the reports release. As a result of the wildfires, he said, We are in a very precarious state. PG&E jumped 21 percent to $23.08, its highest close since Jan. 24. Edison surged 7.2 percent, and Sempra gained 1.4 percent. While he called for action to aid utilities, Newsom wasnt shy in addressing PG&Es culpability during a press conference. He raised the idea, on several occasions, of a possible government takeover should PG&E continue to be bad actors and mislead the state. Newsom noted that, in the report, there is a word that drives shivers up peoples spines: Its called municipalization. And, he said, If they dont get it done. We will get it done. Weve heard and are embracing the calls for change, PG&E said in a statement. We are committed to resolving wildfire victims claims fairly and expeditiously, continuing to deliver safe and reliable energy to our customers, and supporting the states bold clean energy goals. Newsoms report outlines policy options that include a catastrophic wildfire fund utilities could use for liabilities and a liquidity fund. It doesnt make an outright recommendation on whether the state should kill its legal doctrine, known as inverse condemnation, that holds utilities liable for damages. But it does suggest that lawmakers consider changing the doctrine to a fault-based standard that would make utilities responsible if there was misconduct involved. Also recommended in the report: Reform the California Public Utilities Commission that oversees power companies. The state can take no options off the table in the PG&E bankruptcy case, including municipalization of all or part of operations; breaking up PG&Es territory into smaller markets; and focusing its operations on pipes and wires. Consider creating a state power-buying agency to backstop utilities. Weigh a liquidity fund that would provide bridge financing to pay for fire claims while regulators weigh whether ratepayers should pick up costs. Utility shareholders and ratepayers may pay for the fund. Explore a catastrophic wildfire fund that would help utilities immediately pay for damages if they face massive liabilities. Shareholders could contribute, and insurance companies would agree to cap claims. Still, much work is left to be done if Newsoms deadline is to be met. His teams report recommended that a blue-ribbon wildfire commission, lawmakers and the governors staff continue to work over the next two months to develop a solution. Newsoms party holds a super majority in Sacramento. It looks like hes leaving all the heavy lifting to the legislature, said Paul Patterson, a utility analyst at Glenrock Associates. Its easy to outline the questions, its much harder to come up with answers that are executable. Key lawmakers pledged to work with him, with Senate President Toni Atkins saying legislators will dive into the details of the report in the coming weeks. Advocacy group Consumer Watchdog meanwhile said a PG&E bailout shouldnt be buried in the fine print of legislative action. While Californias utilities rallied, Moodys Investors Service said the impact on the companies credit remains to be seen. The report represents concrete progress toward options for managing wildfire risk a credit positive, the ratings company said. While Moodys said none of the reports suggestions alone would mitigate utility risk, combined, the strategies start to exhibit more promise. At the end of the day, we need stability in our utilities to keep the lights on, said California Assemblyman Chris Holden, who helped write legislation last year assisting utilities. The Personal Insurance Federation of California said the state should prioritize efforts to reduce fire risk, protect homeowners rights to recover damages, and create a special fund to address costs associated with utility-caused wildfires. Related: Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Topics California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Legislation Wildfire MoneyGram vs. Western Union: An Overview In this world of ubiquitous ATMs, tap-to-pay checkout, and automated bank deposits, there are still times when it is necessary to hand over or collect actual cash. That is why money-transfer services like MoneyGram and Western Union have tens of thousands of agents in cities and towns around the world. Money-sending services can be a lifesaver. You may feel it is unlikely you will ever be broke and stranded in a bus station in Bengaluru, needing your spouse to send cash, but stranger things have happenedand not just when you are traveling abroad. How about when your child who is studying at a Canadian university needs you to send the rent depositpronto? More routinely, money-transfer companies provide banking services like money transfers, money orders, and bill payments to people who do not have bank accounts. In the United States and Canada, many customers are new immigrants who send money regularly to family members in their home countries. Outside the United States, it is even easier to find a nearby agent for MoneyGram (MGI) or Western Union (WU), or both. Cash is still king in many countries, and, in developing nations, many people do not have bank accounts. Key Takeaways Moneygram and Western Union are both popular services for wiring money around the globe. The many pricing variables make it impossible to state whether Western Union or MoneyGram is the best, or even cheapest, service available. Check fee calculators available on both company's websites to determine the exact cost based on where you are sending the money to and from, using what medium, and if exchange rate fees apply. Western Union Western Union is the larger of the two companies and has instant name recognition around the world, thanks to its one-time monopoly of the telegraph business. Sending telegrams was officially discontinued only in 2006, but by then Western Union had moved on to new ventures. It has about 500,000 locations in over 200 countries around the world. Customers can send money by phone, through the Western Union website, or in person. Fees can be steep or cheap, depending on a long list of factors, including the form of payment used, how fast the money is delivered, whether it is paid in cash or wired to a bank, where it is sent from, and where it is delivered. For international transfers, the exchange rate adds another element of uncertainty to the cost. For domestic transfers, if you pay cash at a Western Union agent and the recipient picks it up in cash, the cost for a $200 transfer is around $12.50. If you have the funds withdrawn from your online bank account, it costs $11.00 to send cash in June 2021. Bank-to-bank transfers are only $0.99. Using a credit card or debit card to send cash costs more and depends upon the amount being sent. Western Union's international transfer fees can vary widely. For example, you are in the United States and want to deliver $500 to someone in Mexico in June 2021 and you have the funds withdrawn from your online bank account, and the recipient picks it up in cash, it costs $5.00. (It costs $8.00 for a cash-to-cash transfer.) If using a debit, the same transaction costs $7.00. Credit card fees are higher. The same transaction is free for a bank-to-bank transfer or $2.99 for using a debit card or $17.49 for using a credit card to pay money into a bank account. However, charges for this same transaction to Ireland range from $5.00 to $21.50, and, to China, charges range from $7.00 to $102.00. MoneyGram MoneyGram is Western Unions biggest rival, and its domestic transfer fees closely match its competitors. It charges around $1.99 in June 2021 if paying from an online bank account and $1.99 to $4.99 if paying with a debit or credit card for transferring up to $300 within the United States. After $300, prices for debit and credit cards rise an additional $1 per $100 transferred. MoneyGram built its reputation on international money transfers. As of 2021, it had nearly 380,000 payment locations worldwide. Special Considerations One drawback of sending cash through these services is that they open or close with the stores business hours. You may have to stick it out at the bus station until the next morning before your family can send you that emergency cash. The biggest drawback of any money-transfer service is the vulnerability of its customers to fraud. A request from a stranger for payment via cash transfer is usually a fraud. Since the recipient is untraceable, it is the modern equivalent of stuffing a wad of unmarked bills into an envelope and leaving it in a public place on instructions from a stranger. A driver has been arrested after breaking a number of road traffic offences in Dublin yesterday. At around 3pm, the gardai were alerted of a car driving dangerously at the M7 roadworks. The driver of the Volkswagen Polo failed to stop for officers before crashing into a barrier at City West. It then emerged the motorist had no licence, no insurance, no NCT or tax and was arrested on suspicion of drink driving. Gardai are investigating after shots were fired at a house in Dublin last night. A house at Cappagh Drive in Finglas was targetted at around 10.50pm. A man has been released after being held as part of a murder investigation in Dublin. John Gibson was gunned down at Citywest Shopping Centre around a year-and-a-half ago. Leaked WhatsApp messages show Fine Gael encouraged activists to send in 'tricky questions' to a radio station interviewing Michael Martin. The station insists the questions were not posed to the Fianna Fail leader, during the 20-minute interview on Friday. The party activists were told avoid using email addresses with either Fine Gael or Young Fine Gael in them. However, a Fine Gael TD thinks it's common practice for political parties to organise texts and questions for political opponents in media interviews. "I always think these things happen across all parties," said Dublin TD Noel Rock who added he is not part of such a group. "Whenever I see the text lines light up it does always seem there is a sharp political angle to some of the more critical texts and tweets I recieve." Update: Elisha Carroll has been found safe and well. Earlier: Gardai are seeking the public's help tracing a 14-year-old girl missing from Co Wicklow. Elisha Carroll is missing from her home in Blessington, Co Wicklow. She was last seen on April 10. Elisha is described as 5'5", of medium build with short brown hair. When last seen she was wearing jeans, a red and black shirt and a navy jacket. Anyone with information is asked to contact Blessington Garda Station on 045 857620. Although undermined by its structure, and debatable points presented as unchallenged truths, Deborah Lipstadts book exposing bigotry and hate suffered by Jews is an essential read, writes Ronan Breathnach. Between 1941 and 1945, more than a third of all of the Jews in the world were systematically murdered with the aid of European governments, police, and the general public. Though not the only group targeted by the Third Reich and its collaborators, the vitriol directed toward Europes Jews was unique in its pitch and commonality. From France across to Poland, Hungary, and elsewhere, the Nazis found eager support for their Final Solution. As vivid and harrowing evidence of the Holocaust emerged, the Western world was finally forced to contend with the antisemitism that had been flourishing across Christendom since before the Reformation. Societies began to tackle their own bigotry and name antisemitism as the unacceptable prejudice that it is. Overturning millenia of hate is no easy feat, however, and the promise to never forget has not been upheld. Today up to a third of Europeans admit to having little or no knowledge of the Holocaust, and growing numbers of Americans underestimate the number of Jews murdered by the Nazis and their co-conspirators. All of this makes Deborah Lipstadts new book, Antisemitism: Here and Now, an important and timely reminder of the continued presence and impact of this oldest hatred. Deborah Lipstadt has structured her latest book as a Socratic dialogue between the author and two fictional characters. Picture: Elisabetta A Villa/WireImage Known by most for her victory over the Holocaust-denying David Irving in a high-profile libel case, Professor Lipstadt has a long and distinguished career dedicated to the study of Jewish history, the Holocaust, and the rise of Holocaust denial. Akin to her now famous Denying the Holocaust, Lipstadts latest work is a history of the present that, as the title indicates, explores the resurgence of antisemitism in the United States and Europe. Unlike the books that came before, however, Antisemitism possesses an air of intimacy and urgency. This is a lot more than a historians recording of events or challenge against academic fraud. As Lipstadt makes clear in her opening Notes to the Reader, this book deals with the very real violence and hatred targeted at the people of her faith and which she herself has seen emerge: it is what many people are doing, saying, and facing now. The timeliness of the book is its strongest selling point. Across its 304 pages, Antisemitism shows how, far from perishing with the Nuremberg trials, the demonising of Jews has persisted and reemerged across the political spectrum. So much so that armed guards are needed to protect the doors of Europes synagogues while neo-Nazis march in American streets and Jews hide their kippahs for fear of attack. As Lipstadt argues with fierce detail, the tolerance for antisemitism and support for open antisemites among leading political figures from the right and left has emboldened white nationalists, Islamic extremists, and others who target and demonise Jews. This has allowed violent behaviour, seen as utterly abhorrent in the wake of the second world war, to reemerge on the streets of countries like America, France, and, of all places, Germany. Antisemitism shines a light on the bigoted hate and persecution being suffered by Jews around the world and should be read for this reason alone. Yet the book isnt that well written. Borrowing from the likes of Stoker and Plato, it takes the form of a Socratic dialogue between Lipstadt and the fictional characters Abigail, a Jewish student, and Joe, a Gentile academic colleague. Each chapter sees the three correspond in an effort to define what exactly antisemitism is, and what can be done to tackle it. Started reading @deborahlipstadt's book on antisemitism an hour ago and I'm already around 70 pages in. A provocative page-turner, it explores the rise in antisemitism on both the Corbyn left and Trumpian right. See it, buy it, read it. pic.twitter.com/zeTqvzE8Bf Tim Patten (@TimRobinPatten) March 31, 2019 The formulaic structure and lack of depth in the characters turns this letter writing from a narrative tool into an annoying distraction. Most chapters follow the same structure: a brief letter from Joe or Abigail, or sometimes both, will ask about a recent event or particular aspect of antisemitism, to which Lipstadt will write a long and detailed response. This over-simplistic call and response sees the book fall between two stools. Absent of any character development or narrative arc, Lipstadts letters lack the natural flow of other correspondence-based books, like Dracula, and serves only to break up her natural academic flow. Worse still, there is little to no real engagement between the three characters outside of niceties and platitudes. This makes Joe and Abigail come across as empty vessels from which Lipstadt can spring onto her next point. In this way, the letters not only disrupt what would otherwise be a strong academic analysis, they detract from the weight of Lipstadts arguments with hollow interactions that risk coming across as self-congratulating cheerleading. This at times sees her project debatable points as unchallenged truths. We see this best in Lipstadts criticism of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. While rightly identifying the antisemitism that motivates many involved in this movement and the problems inherent in a boycott, she goes too far in painting, as wrong, boycotting itself. The success of legislative efforts to stop commercial boycotts, that Lipstadt appears to condone, deny a powerful political tool to those who would seek to peacefully pressure Israel into ending controversial policies, such as the extension of settlements into the West Bank. There are strong criticisms to be made against the BDS movement and the efforts to toxify Israel, that Lipstadt does a good job in laying out. But, in penning a range of harmonious voices that accept boycotts against Israel as inherently bad and ignoring the complexity of the movement and the role such tactics played in forcing South Africa to end apartheid, she undermines her own position and argument. Simply put, the unchallenging exchanges between the three academically-inclined letter writers come across as contrived and flat. Outside of the constructed correspondence, however, Lipstadt is in her element. Disinterested in pandering to any audience, she makes it clear that some readers may find themselves agreeing with me at one point and being outraged by what I say at another. Any question of this being an empty promise quickly dissipates as she shifts from highlighting the dangers of the alt-right and Donald Trumps retweeting of white nationalists, to skewering the toleration of antisemitism among progressive movements, such as the British Labour Party. Even the Jewish nation fails to escape Lipstadts criticism. In the final chapters she takes the Israeli government to task over their ties with nationalist administrations who trade in antisemitic rhetoric and are attempting to whitewash their own atrocious history. Lipstadt isnt slow in admonishing Israel or Benjamin Netanyahu for offering absolution to figures like Viktor Orban or Polands Law and Justice Party despite protests from local Jewish communities. Though Lipstadt tackles antisemitism in all walks of life from the Islamic extremists that hide behind the suffering of Palestinians to the modern neo-nazis who march with polo shirts and tiki torches her greatest accomplishment is in highlighting the subtle discrimination that has persisted across Europe and the US, on both ends of the political spectrum. This emphasis forces everyone to consider their own role in the long-running, and continuing, persecution of the Jewish people. It is no accident of history that Ireland accepted so few refugees from Hitlers Germany and that the Jewish communities of this island quietly fell away in Catholic Ireland. Antisemitism is an important and necessary read, if a bit too contrived in style. Antisemitism: Here and Now, Deborah Lipstadt Scribe, 16.99 Bounded to the west by Lamb Island and the minute Inishglass Islands, Abbey Island can be reached in just a few steps across the beach at Derrynane, Co Kerry. Sand dunes protect its eastern flank but the west is occasionally battered by raging seas. However, this 30-hectare island has more strings to its bow than accessibility. Derrynane, Co. Kerry Oilean na Mainstreach is named for Ahamore Abbey on the island and was the inspiration for the chapel built by one of Irelands greatest leaders, the Liberator himself, Daniel OConnell, adjacent to the family mansion just 1km away. OConnells ancestral home at Derrynane House was where he planned his political campaigns, including that which led to Catholic emancipation in 1829, allowing Catholics to run for election to Westminster. As a young man, OConnell studied in France, absorbing the ideas of the revolutionary times, and went on to study law at Lincolns Inn in London before eventually being called to the bar in Dublin in 1798. The abiding principles of the Revolution, namely liberte, egalite, fraternite, would inspire OConnell to seek the same ideals for Irish people under the yoke of British rule. The Catholic Emancipation Act was largely down to his perseverance and allowed Catholics to enter civic institutions previously barred to them. OConnell received many visitors to Derrynane, not only from the political sphere in Dublin. International visitors included the French Count de Montalambert and German prince Puckler Muskau. The host gave legendary dinner parties where the humbug of political charlatans was dissected along with choice steaks. They would hunt hare in the mountains and take walks in the woods. It is likely that OConnells guests crossed the beach to visit Abbey Island and strolled around to take in the views of the harbour, including the comparatively huge Scariff Island and its satellite Deenish, a few kilometres further out to sea. Daniel O'Connell An early monastic settlement on the island was probably founded by St Finan, who is also thought to have founded the monastery on Skellig Michael and Church Island on Lough Currane at Waterville. In the 10th Century, Ahamore Abbey was built at the site, later falling into ruin. OConnells wife Mary is interred in the familys tomb beside the abbey, along with his grandparents and uncle, known as Hunting Cap. OConnell himself died in Genoa in 1847 and is interred in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin. Abbey Island is still used as a burial site, with several relatively recent burials. Kerry County Council has provided an extension to the abbey graveyard, located a few hundred metres away. It is a poignant sight to see the coffins of deceased people shouldered across the beach to their final resting places. Abbey Island also holds the grave of the Famine poet Tomas Rua O Suilleabhain, who having recorded the peoples suffering in the Great Hunger, himself succumbed to death by starvation. His best-known work is entitled Amhran na Leabhar and relates a scholars pain at the loss of his library. O Suilleabhains books were being brought by boat from Derrynane to Portmagee, adjacent to Valentia Island, when the boat sank on one of the many reefs that throng the harbour. And sad as the loss of O Suilleabhains books was, without their loss there would have been no song to enter the Irish traditional canon. Of the sturdy craft, lost at Owen Finn, Sad was my heart for the ship that failed; Better this land had it survived the gale. In A Short History of Irish Traditional Music, Gearoid O hAllmhurain encapsulates the importance of the story of O Suilleabhains books and indicates the literature to which students had access: The poem gives a rare insight into the texts used by the hedge schoolmaster Euclid, Cato, the New Testament, the Psalter of Cashel and Keatings History of Ireland. OConnells library was equally impressive. According to the museum dedicated to OConnells life in his former dwelling there are examples of the rare Kerry Lily (Simethis planifolia) on Abbey Island. Eileen Madden has run Pro Musica since 1982 when she took over from McCullough Pigott, after they decided to let their Cork operation go. There were 11 music shops in Cork when Madden started in the business. Most of them have since closed their doors. Despite floods and challenging trading conditions, Maddens music emporium spread over three floors at the premises on Oliver Plunkett St continues to open its doors to musicians from all layers of Cork citys diverse music scene. No trip to Cork city is complete for music lovers without a peep into this cornucopia of music and Eileens cheery greeting when you step through the doors remains a reassuring constant in a changing retail landscape. How did you get into the business? I worked here part time while I was a student at the School of Music when it was McCullough Pigott. When I graduated in 1980, I started working here fulltime but I had my visas sorted to go to South Africa and I had two jobs lined up there. Boosey and Hawkes had their main publishing house in Johannesburg and I also had a position as cellist in the Radio Symphony Orchestra. When the manager left , I was next in line so I stepped up to manage. At that time business was not good. This end of Oliver Plunkett St. was dead. There was a one arm bandit shop two doors up and it was a red light area. Then there was a flood. In the end, McCullough Pigott decided to pull out at the start of 1982. I approached them to rent me the ground floor. My rent was 12,000 a year. Two years later, I bought the premises outright. How has the business changed? It was tough at the start but it is much tougher now. Expenses are shooting up and profit margins have shrunk. We have to sell three times the amount of stock and have three times the amount of storage hence we had to go to the expense of taking on a big warehouse in Carrigaline. You have to have it in stock, you have to match the online price and you have to have the staff. We have an online shop on our website and we post a lot of books all over the world. Business in Cork is being killed by our city fathers in the way the city council has enforced the car ban. You have to be out now by three o clock. From the first week of January, Ive noticed that at ten to three business literally stops. What has helped you stay in business? It is the customer service and the repeat business, that is what we hang on to. You might come in for a book and come back later and buy a cello. Then you might trade it in for a bigger or better cello. That and the fact that we sell everything. We do repairs. If we were just selling guitars and keyboards-Forget it! Being in business for so long, I have built up a huge rapport with all the big name like Fender, Martin Taylor. They are not dealing with anybody new now. I go to a lot of teachers conferences. It is a big part of the business. They are the young blood and it does pay off to make those connections. It helps that I own the premises. If I was paying rent of 40 or 50 grand, I wouldnt be making the cut. I have a great staff of 13 people and my son Luke has followed me into the business. Eileen Dennehy has been working with since I started in 1984. Give us a tour Downstairs we have our books and accessories. These are our big sellers. Upstairs on the first floor, we have our rock shop. We carry the high end guitar brands They tend to be weekend sales. We also have our drums, keyboards and synths and amplifiers. On the top floor we have all our string instruments, brass and wind instruments. We are one of the largest stockists of brass and woodwind in Ireland. Celebrity Customers? I was coming in to work one day and my door was blocked by these heavy guys who looked like bodyguards. I thought there had been an accident or something. They said You cant go in. Bono is in there buying a harmonica. Has it been rewarding? I love it! I love the people. It is a great business and every day is a different day. I meet a lot of stone mad people. A lot of musicians are eccentric and a lot of eccentrics are musicians. You get up in the morning ready to start all over again. There is no room for depression in this business. The Dail is set to debate the establishment of a special committee to conduct hearings into the possible health effects of toxic chemical exposure among Air Corps personnel, after two years of revelations in the Irish Examiner, with TDs expected to back the investigation before the summer. Joe Leogue looks at what has brought us to this point. Later this Dail term, opposition politicians will back a motion calling for a special committee to conduct relevant hearings into the matter of the health effects of toxic chemical exposure among Air Corps personnel, based on international evidence and a survey of former and serving Air Corps personnel, and provide a report and recommendations to the Dail. It also calls for measures, including medical cards, to address the health needs of personnel that have been exposed to hazardous chemicals, and extend these measures to any civilians affected and to students who may be affected while on work experience. The move comes years after whistleblower allegations, court cases, and revelations in this newspaper that have prompted many questions. There are some who believe those in positions of power are happy to leave those questions unanswered. Those who believe that Air Corps technicians are seriously ill because they suffered undue exposure to harmful chemicals while working in Casement Aerodrome say the Government response to their concerns can be summed up by three Ds. Delay. Deny. Die. Delay any meaningful investigation into their claims; deny there is an issue; and finally, wait for these sick troublemakers to die and stop rocking the boat. Truth be told, nothing the Government or successive ministers for defence have done in recent years would dispel anyone of that notion. In fact, the States indifferent approach to this matter only reinforces the belief that yet again, whistle-blowers in this country are seen as an annoyance to be ignored at best, and at worst victimised. It is the mounting frustration at this inaction that has prompted Sinn Fein to propose its motion, and for other opposition parties to indicate they will back the inquiry. Delay It is now over three years since whistleblowers lifted the lid on issues in Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel. Five years have passed since the first personal injury claim against the State was lodged in the High Court. It is three years since whistleblowers lifted the lid on issues at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, but inaction at official level has followed. The Irish Examiner reports that first highlighted these issues were published over two years ago. With some exceptions, very little progress has been made in addressing the concerning matters at the heart of this scandal in the intervening period. Writing in this newspaper last year, columnist Michael Clifford noted how there are two categories of inquiry frequently undertaken by a State agency or government organ. The standard inquiry is designed to find out whether something went wrong, how it happened, and who may be responsible, he wrote. The other category frequently used, we shall refer to as the Mickey Mouse inquiry. This is designed to respond to a controversy. Turning over stones and digging for information is not the primary function of a Mickey Mouse inquiry. Instead, the main focus is to present the inquiry as an exhibit to show that something, anything, is being done, he said. Mr Clifford was referring to an inquiry into allegations by a Prison Service whistle-blower and recalled the initial attempts to investigate issues raised by Sergeant Maurice McCabe. But he could easily have been referring to the lip service the Government has paid to serious allegations raised by Air Corps whistle-blowers, some ex-Defence Forces, and one still serving. For example, three years have passed since one of the whistleblowers told the Department of Defence that health and safety reports that raised concerns about conditions in Baldonnel were destroyed in a bid to cover up how much the authorities knew about the hazardous working environment. Not once in the past three years has the department asked that whistleblower for any further information on that allegation. In fact, the department didnt even look for the documents in question until over a year after it received the protected disclosure and even then, it only did so because Sinn Fein TD Aengus O Snodaigh raised the allegations in the Dail. The department looked for the reports and, lo and behold, they cant be found. That documents that have allegedly been destroyed as part of a cover-up now cant be found might set alarm bells ringing with some people. But not with Junior Defence Minister Paul Kehoe. Mr Kehoe asked the Defence Forces why the reports cant be found. The Defence Forces told him they think they were misplaced, but theyre not sure. He is happy to take this answer at face value, and has ruled out any independent investigation. Nothing to see here. Meanwhile, aware of the optics of doing absolutely nothing, the minister went about commissioning an inquiry into the other whistleblower allegations of unsafe working conditions. Christopher OToole was appointed to look into some but not all allegations made by whistleblowers. His report did nothing to contradict the claims made by the whistleblowers but, through no fault of his own, Mr OToole did little to shed light on the situation. Early on in his report, he warned that he was not in a position to consider the substances in use or any implications for human health arising from such use as these issues are outside my competence. Having considered the allegations made by the three informants, it is my view that a review of the kind envisaged by the terms of reference set out above is impractical and I therefore can only comment in general terms on the safety regime, he said. But his report does contain one key line: A problem has arisen in relation to the issues raised by the three informants because appropriate records to demonstrate compliance are not readily available. Records that demonstrate a lack of compliance do exist, however. In 2015, the whistleblowers also tipped off the Health and Safety Authority, which inspected Baldonnel and found the protections for those working with chemicals were lacking. It threatened legal action against the Air Corps unless it implemented changes and its recommendations included the most basic health and safety measures, such as providing protective clothing and equipment for workers. But the more significant documentation came from within the Air Corps itself. It admitted that it may not have done enough to protect staff from exposure to a cancer-causing chemical so dangerous the Defence Forces ceased using it in 2007. In 2014, with the State facing legal action from former technicians, the Air Corps conducted internal investigations into its own track record. The Irish Examiner has previously revealed the findings of the Air Corps own report on its use of Triklone N, a vapour degreaser used to clean engine parts, that contains trichloroethylene, a known carcinogen. The dangers of trichloroethylene, or TCE, are so significant that the Environmental Protection Agency in the US has earmarked it to be banned in vapour degreasing and as an aerosol degreaser. In New Zealand, an ex-navy serviceman received compensation for Parkinsons after his condition was linked with his use of TCE. Last year, Samsung apologised to workers in its facilities who developed fatal illnesses after they were exposed to TCE and other chemicals also used by the Irish Air Corps. As for its own use of TCE, the Air Corps itself admitted: No records show that personal protective equipment was made available to staff No records exist suggesting that any training on the dangers of using Triklone N took place Work areas were not segregated and doors to adjoining areas were left open Workers tea room and meeting areas were located in an adjoining area, raising the risk of food being contaminated Workers clothes could have been contaminated as lockers were located in the immediate area where the chemical was used No records exist that indicate the extractor fans in use in the workshop were adequate for ventilating the area The report also raises concerns about a heater in the engine assembly area, which it states would have caused a risk of contaminating other areas of the same building by circulating the chemical. The report concludes with the following: The question posed should be: Was everything reasonably practicable done to ensure personnel safety and health at the time? However, despite being tasked with examining the Air Corps safety record, Mr OToole was never given a copy of this report by the Air Corps. Mr Kehoe has told the Dail that the report is legally privileged as part of the States defence against the cases taken by the ill former workers. We are in a situation whereby a reviewer tasked with investigating whether workers in the Air Corps were unduly exposed to dangerous chemicals was denied access to a report that says workers in the Air Corps may have been unduly exposed to dangerous chemicals. A quick search on KildareStreet.com shows Kehoe has used the phrase the health and welfare of the men and women of the Defence Forces is a high priority for me some 60 times in speeches and answers to parliamentary questions in the past two and a half years. His actions lack the urgency to support such an oft-repeated claim. Mr Kehoe has sat on the findings of the OToole report for over a year now. Despite seeking the whistle-blowers feedback on its scant findings, they have heard nothing more as to what will happen next. Opposition TD attempts to seek clarity as to what happens now is met with vague lip service, usually delivered with the line, the health and welfare of the men and women of the Defence Forces is a high priority for me. Nothing to see here. Frustrated with years of inaction, a group of men in hazmat suits the kind Air Corps staff should have been given have picketed Kehoes constituency office. Deny If only those foreign governments or Samsung had the medical advice on hand here in Ireland. Perhaps they would have held tough and refused compensation to their sick workers if theyd heard this suggestion by an Irish doctor: As a medical doctor, it is not possible for me to say if exposure to chemicals caused all or any of these illnesses because they are commonplace in the community at large. If it was one specific illness resulting from a known chemical that caused such an illness, that would be one thing. These are not the allegations that are being made, however, Dr Leo Varadkar told the Dail in February 2018. However, the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry would not support Dr Varadkars view that we should be looking out for one specific illness resulting from a known chemical in the Air Corps case. It says there is sufficient evidence to be sure that exposure to TCE is causation for kidney cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and cardiac defects. They say the evidence is sufficient to conclude that a causal relationship is likely between exposure to TCE and leukaemia, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, end-stage renal disease, Parkinsons disease, and scleroderma. The agency says there are 21 different health effects including various cancers, miscarriages, and birth defects that have been found in at least one study that evaluated exposure to TCE and/or PCE. Aside from that list of life-changing illnesses arising from exposure to TCE, it is worth bearing in mind that this was not the only chemical used in Baldonnel. One whistleblower told this newspaper that workers were exposed to as many as five of the same substances at those at the centre of the Samsung scandal. Varadkar and Kehoes stock answer to date is that there should be no examination of any connection between conditions in Baldonnel until the seven ongoing court cases are resolved. The first of these was lodged five years ago, and the State Claims Agency has fought these cases tooth and nail. One of the men was awarded a discovery order which compelled the Defence Forces to furnish him with a list of the chemicals he was asked to use in his time in the Air Corps. In granting the discovery order in 2016, Mr Justice Paul McDermott ruled that the quantities and dates of purchase and use of chemicals and mixtures and the safety data concerning their handling, application, and use form a highly relevant and important part of the case. Having regard to the nature of the case made, I am satisfied that the plaintiff will suffer serious disadvantage in the preparation and presentation of his case if the relevant records sought under these categories are not made the subject of a discovery order, he said. The State Claims Agency took a case to the Court of Appeal last year and won arguing a full discovery of this category which required all records concerning chemicals in use at the aerodrome was unnecessarily wide and would impose too heavy a burden. Last November, the head of the State Claims Agency appeared before the Public Accounts Committee and was asked a pertinent question he has yet to answer. Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy asked how it is possible the SCA can mount a defence of the Air Corps health and safety record in the courts, when the OToole report found no evidence of compliance, and the Health and Safety Authority found standards were lacking. SCA director Ciaran Breen could not answer that question at the meeting but said he would revert to Ms Murphy with an answer. Some six months later, she is still waiting. The SCA has a copy of the Air Corps report on TCE exposure. It is unlikely it will introduce the document in its court defence, and Mr Kehoe repeatedly refuses to discuss its findings as it is legally privileged. Nothing to see here. The denial rises to Cabinet level also. In 2017, when this newspaper reported that frustrated whistleblowers had unsuccessfully attempted to speak with the then-defence minister Simon Coveney, he denied any knowledge of their requests to meet him. In January 2017, Mr Coveney told Irish Examiner political editor Daniel McConnell that he was not aware of there being any problem with hearing from, or talking to, or understanding the concerns that whistle-blowers may have. A week later, we published text messages from Regina Doherty to one of the whistle-blowers, that showed she made representations on his behalf to Mr Coveney. Die Is it possible that these illnesses are a coincidence? Yes. Could it be the case that there is no direct correlation between the chronic sickness suffered by former Air Corps staff and their working environment? Absolutely. But the evidence to date what is known about the chemicals used in Baldonnel, the international precedents, the HSA inspection, the internal Air Corps memo all these support the argument that at the very least, the possibility that conditions in Baldonnel have made people sick is worth a proper investigation. What is known about chemicals used in Baldonnel, international precedents, an HSA inspection, and an internal Air Corps memo all support the argument that the possibility that conditions at the aerodrome made people sick is worth proper investigation. Picture: Nick Bradshaw However, this is a question the Government wont ask because it fears the answer. It need not be this way. Australia went through a major scandal when scores of its Air Force maintenance staff were found to be ill as a result of their working environment. That scandal first emerged among a group of specialist staff who had a specific job, but the issue spread to Air Force staff who had exposures to a wider range of substances. And yet in Australia, while those Air Force personnel involved in the health study have a higher rate of chronic illnesses than the general population, their mortality rate from those illnesses is actually lower. Why? Because the Australian government conducted an investigation, found a connection, and subsequently those affected knew the early warning signs, their doctors knew what to look out for, and earlier intervention was made possible. There appears to be little appetite in Ireland to even investigate whether the same could possibly be happening here, despite the obvious potential benefits to a number of citizens. Speaking privately, one of those who is seriously ill and who is before the court has admitted he believes he will be in the ground before his case reaches any sort of conclusion. President Xis repression of Muslim minorities is redolent of the Soviet Unions gulag and will foster a new generation of Islamist domestic terrorists, says Brahma Chellaney FOR two years, China has waged a campaign of unparalleled repression against its Islamic minorities, having incarcerated an estimated one-sixth of the adult Muslim population of the Xinjiang region at one point or another. Yet, with the exception of a recent tweet from US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, calling on China to end its repression, the international community has remained mute. In its reliance on mass detention, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has followed the Soviet Unions example. But Chinas concentration camps and detention centres are far larger and more technologically advanced than their Soviet precursors, and their purpose is to indoctrinate not just political dissidents, but an entire community of faith. China has detained more than one million #Uighurs, ethnic #Kazakhs, and other #Muslim minorities in internment camps in #Xinjiang since April 2017. The U.S. stands with them and their family members. China must release all those arbitrarily detained and end its repression. Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) March 27, 2019 Although independent researchers and human-rights groups have raised awareness of practices such as force-feeding Muslims alcohol and pork, the Chinese authorities have continued their assault on Islam with impunity. Even as Chinas security agencies pursue Uighurs and other Muslims as far afield as Turkey, Chinese leaders and companies involved in the persecution have not faced international sanctions or incurred any other costs. Chief among the culprits, of course, is Chinese president, Xi Jinping, who, in 2014, ordered the policy change that set the stage for todays repression of ethnic Uighurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Hui, and members of other Muslim groups. The forcible assimilation of Muslims into the countrys dominant Han culture is apparently a cornerstone of Xiism or Xi Jinping Thought the grand ism that Xi has introduced to overshadow the influence of Marxism and Maoism in China. To oversee this large-scale deprogramming of Islamic identities, Xi, who has amassed more power than any Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, reassigned the notorious CPC enforcer Chen Quanguo, from Tibet, to Xinjiang, and elevated him to the all-powerful Politburo. Chinese president, Xi Jinping Though Chens record of overseeing human-rights abuses is well-known, Donald Trumps US administration has yet to act on a bipartisan commissions 2018 recommendation that Chen and other Chinese officials managing the gulag policy be sanctioned. Financial and trade interests, not to mention the threat of Chinese retribution, have deterred most countries from condemning Chinas anti-Muslim policies. With the exception of Turkey, even predominantly Muslim countries that were quick to condemn Myanmar for its treatment of Rohingya Muslims have remained conspicuously silent on China. While Pakistans military-backed prime minister, Imran Khan, has feigned ignorance about the Xinjiang crackdown, Saudi Arabias powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has defended Chinas right to police terrorism. Emboldened by the muted international response, China has stepped up its drive to sinicize Xinjiang by demolishing Muslim neighbourhoods. In Urumqi and other cities, once-bustling Uighur districts have been replaced with heavily policed zones purged of Islamic culture. The irony is that while China justifies its re-education hospitals as necessary to cleanse Muslim minds at home of extremist thoughts, it is effectively supporting Islamist terrorism abroad. For example, China has repeatedly blocked UN sanctions against Masood Azhar, the head of the Pakistan-based, UN-designated terrorist group responsible for carrying out serial attacks in India, including on parliament and, most recently, on a paramilitary police convoy. As Pompeo tweeted: The world cannot afford Chinas shameful hypocrisy toward Muslims. On one hand, China abuses more than a million Muslims at home, but, on the other, it protects violent Islamic terrorist groups from sanctions at the UN. An added irony is that while China still harps on its century of humiliation at the hands of foreign imperial powers, it has for decades presided over the mass humiliation of minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet. The world cannot afford Chinas shameful hypocrisy toward Muslims. On one hand, China abuses more than a million Muslims at home, but on the other it protects violent Islamic terrorist groups from sanctions at the UN. Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) March 27, 2019 Ominously, by systematically degrading Muslim populations, it could be inspiring white supremacists and other Islamaphobes around the world. For example, the Australian extremist arrested for the recent twin mosque massacres in Christchurch, New Zealand, declared an affinity for Chinas political and social values. There has been a good deal of reporting about how China has turned Xinjiang into a laboratory for Xis Orwellian surveillance ambitions. Less known is how Xis trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative is being used as a catalyst for the crackdown. According to Chinese authorities, the establishment of a surveillance state is necessary to prevent unrest in the province at the heart of the BRIs overland route. Like Marxism-Leninism, Nazism, Stalinism, and Maoism, which left millions of people dead, Xiism promises to impose significant long-term costs on untold numbers of innocent people. It is the impetus behind Chinas ruthless targeting of minority cultures and communities, as well as its aggressive expansion into international waters and introduction of digital totalitarianism. Thanks to Xiism, the worlds largest, strongest, and oldest autocracy finds itself at a crossroads. As the Peoples Republic of China approaches its 70th birthday, its economy is slowing amid escalating capital flight, trade disruptions, and the emigration of wealthy Chinese. The Chinese technology champion Huaweis international travails augur difficult times ahead. The last thing China needs right now is more enemies. Yet Xi has used his unbridled power to expand Chinas global footprint and lay bare his imperial ambitions. His repression of Muslim minorities may or may not lead to international action against China. But it will almost certainly spawn a new generation of Islamist terrorists, compounding Chinas internal-security challenges. Chinas domestic security budget is already larger than its bloated defence budget, which makes it second only to the United States in terms of military spending. The Soviet Union once held the same position until it collapsed. Brahma Chellaney, professor of strategic studies at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research and fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin, is the author of nine books, including Asian Juggernaut, Water: Asias New Battleground, and Water, Peace, and War: Confronting the Global Water Crisis. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been warned to give clear backing to a second EU referendum, or risk losing millions of pro-EU voters. The party is split on what to do about Brexit, as are the Conservatives. Richard Corbett, who leads Labour's MEPs in Brussels, has spoken to the Observer newspaper. Mr Corbett warned that voters could desert the party in the EU election unless it committed to a public vote. He told The Observer: "If Labour does not re-confirm its support for a confirmatory public vote on any Brexit deal in its manifesto then it will haemorrhage votes to parties who do have a clear message. If on the other hand, we do offer clarity and a confirmatory ballot we could do very well." Former Labour foreign secretary Margaret Beckett echoed his calls, saying a "lack of clarity" could cost the party not only in the EU election, but in the next general election too. She told the paper: "It is very important that there is a clear message about where Labour stands and what Labour is offering. In my view that clear and simple message should be that there should be a confirmatory vote of the British people." The SNP's Westminster leader, Ian Blackford has said that Mr Corbyn must stop wasting time and commit to supporting another vote on Brexit. Mr Blackford said it would be "unforgivable" for Labour to avoid another referendum on EU membership, and he warned against pushing through a Brexit deal that ends freedom of movement and removes single market access. Earlier this week, the EU granted a further extension to Article 50 and the UK is now set to depart on October 31. Mr Blackford said: "Talks have been ongoing between both the Tory Government and Labour Party for over a week but not a single compromise has been tabled. "Instead of wasting more time, Labour must make clear to the Tories that the answer to the Brexit deadlock is to put the decision back to the people. "It is no secret that the Labour leader has ducked and dived on the issue of a second EU referendum, but at this crucial crossroads it is high time Jeremy Corbyn commits to putting a second referendum on the table as the only way forward. "In 2016, Labour backed Remain and the Tories' Brexit policy has failed - so there is no mandate for any outcome they may reach if it is not put back to the people." "It would be unforgivable if Labour side-stepped a second EU referendum in the talks and instead pushed through a deal that would drag Scotland out of the single market and end freedom of movement - which will hit our public services and cost thousands of jobs. "Westminster is failing Scotland and it is becoming clearer each day that the only real way to safeguard our interests is through independence." Birthday wishes Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun. Happy Birthday Wishes Ron Gauci: "The governments reaction shows a complete lack of understanding of the modern economy and the role of ICT in underpinning economic growth." The speed at which two crucial pieces of technology-related legislation have passed through Parliament has alarmed the Australian Information Industry Association which has called for more consultation between government and industry. The AIIA, the peak member body for the ICT industry, said in a statement that the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act 2018 better known as the encryption law was passed on 6 December 2018, and more recently amendments to Australia's Criminal Code were passed in the wake of the massacre of 50 Muslims in a Christchurch mosque on 15 March. AIIA chief executive Ron Gauci said more dialogues was needed between the government and industry to ensure that whatever laws were passed kept pace with the development of technology. "The governments reaction shows a complete lack of understanding of the modern economy and the role of ICT in underpinning economic growth," he said. "The unintended consequences of both pieces of legislation, and the damage to the Australian digital sector and multinational companies operating in Australia are yet to be understood." Gauci pointed out that amendments proposed by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security had not been revisited since the encryption law was passed. And the Criminal Code amendments had been rushed through on 5 April with no consultation with industry. In the case of the Assistance and Access Act, a consultation process was undertaken," Gauci admitted. "However, the speed at which the Bill was introduced in parliament seven business days after public consultations closed suggests that very little consideration was given to the over 344 public submissions. Critically, both sets of legislation fail to establish clear processes for companies to follow. Without greater dialogue between the digital industry and government, and the departments that serve the government of the day, we will continue to see implementation of regulatory frameworks that are out of step with technological developments. After the encryption law was passed, another review was begun by the PJCIS but in its report, dated 3 April, it made no recommendations for any changes, merely kicking the law down the road for a review by the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, Dr James Renwick, who has been asked to review the law and report back by 1 March 2020. China has told Australia that its restrictions on 5G technology are discriminatory and likely to have broken global trade rules drafted by the World Trade Organisation. The exchange, reported by Reuters, took place at the WTO in Geneva on Friday, with Beijing's representative to the organisation's Council on Trade in Goods saying steps taken by countries to restrict 5G technology had a big effect on international trade. The Chinese representative also said that such measures would not help in better cyber security but would only serve to isolate countries technologically. Australia banned the use of equipment from Huawei Technologies in its 5G networks last August, citing risks to national security. 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. In its statement issued in August, Canberra made no mention of either Huawei, or another Chinese firm, ZTE Corporation, whose products were subject to a similar ban. The Chinese diplomat at the WTO said Australia had not made official any reasons for the ban which seemed to have taken effect well before the law in question was promulgated on 18 September 2018. Country-specific and discriminatory restriction measures can not address the concerns on cyber security, nor make anyone safe, but only disrupt the global industrial chain, and make the country itself isolated from the application of better technology, the Chinese representative told the meeting. WTO rules prohibit any member country from discriminating against other members and preventing imports from any one country. However, "national security" can be cited to obtain an exemption though this method of evading a rule was not practised as WTO officials feared it would become common practice. A WTO ruling clarified that, apart from war and the arms business, national security meant a situation of armed conflict, or of latent armed conflict, or of heightened tension or crisis, or of general instability engulfing or surrounding a state". The results from the 2018 Norton LifeLock Cyber Safety have revealed some startlingly sober stats that Australians shouldn't ignore, given the money lost and time wasted in trying to recover from the very real threat of cyber crime. Over the last year, Norton reports that "almost one in three Australians (30%) experienced cyber crime and 55% of the population say it is at least somewhat likely they will experience cyber crime in the next year. "These are some of the key findings from the 2018 Norton LifeLock Cyber Safety Insights Report, an online survey conducted in Australia by The Harris Poll in October 2018 among 1,002 adults 18+ and released today from Norton LifeLock. "As a result of cyber crime in the past year, the average Aussie lost an estimated AU$240 and spent almost 7 hours (6.6 hours) trying to resolve the resulting issues, such as replacing devices or recovering lost files or money; with almost one in three (31%) needing a week or longer dealing with the problem. "The Norton LifeLock Cyber Safety Insights Report also estimates Australians lost 37 million hours and $1.3 billion as an impact of cyber crime in the past year." These include: 26% of people have detected malicious software on a computer, Wi-Fi network smartphone, tablet, smart home or other connected device. 14% detected unauthorised access on an online banking of other financial account. 12% detected unauthorised access on an email account. In todays connected world, Norton tells us that "businesses are prime targets for cyber attacks and unintentional missteps can result in critical exposure of consumers sensitive personal information. Nearly three in four (73%) Australians are more alarmed than ever about their privacy. "As a nation, Australia does not have an overwhelming sense of trust in providers to manage and protect personal data with a mere one in five respondents trusting government (20%) and financial services (20%) a lot, and we have the least amount of trust in social media providers at only four%. In fact, one in five (17%) respondents have gone so far as to delete a social media account due to privacy concerns in the past 12 months. "Conversely, Australians want control of their privacy, but without hassle or cost. Eighty-nine% of respondents claim they want to do more to protect their privacy, yet the majority will accept certain risks to their online privacy to make life more convenient (68%). "Perhaps in the pursuit of convenience, respondents also claim they are willing to freely give or sell companies personal information such as identification information (15% would give for free, 19% would sell), internet search history (16% would give for free, 30% would sell) and location (19% would give for free, 32% would sell)." In the age of information sharing, Norton explains that "control is now at the heart of societys privacy paradox from which organisations should have it, to what consequences organisations should face when it is mishandled. 98% of respondents claim it is an important requirement for organisations to give customers the ability to control how their personal data is used. "Furthermore, 61% of respondents say it is absolutely essential for organisations to give consumers a way to report misuse of their personal data. Yet for many Australians, personal accountability for their own personal data is deterred by the pulling of a purse string, with the majority not willing to pay organisations to secure their personal data. "In fact, less than one fifth of respondents (19%) are willing to pay a social media provider to ensure protection of personal information, ranking lower than retailers and online shopping sites (24%), healthcare providers and institutions (27%) and financial institutions (27%)." What does Norton say are "best practices Australians can follow to help protect against online threats?" These are: Safeguard yourself: To help protect your devices and information from the latest online threats, use a robust multi-platform security solution, such as Norton Security Premium, and update it regularly. To help protect your devices and information from the latest online threats, use a robust multi-platform security solution, such as Norton Security Premium, and update it regularly. Never open suspicious-looking emails: Cyber criminals send fake emails or texts that may look legitimate. The links in these emails or texts contain malicious software that can download malware and spyware. The software may be able to mine your computer for personal information, which is then sent to a remote computer where the attacker could sell the information on the dark web or use the information to commit identity theft. Cyber criminals send fake emails or texts that may look legitimate. The links in these emails or texts contain malicious software that can download malware and spyware. The software may be able to mine your computer for personal information, which is then sent to a remote computer where the attacker could sell the information on the dark web or use the information to commit identity theft. Make use of a VPN on public Wi-Fi: Many public Wi-Fi connections are unencrypted. This could give cyber criminals a chance to snoop on data being sent and received by your device. If there are software vulnerabilities on your device, attackers can inject malware to help them gain access to your data. In some cases, attackers create fake Wi-Fi hotspots purporting to be legitimate networks. Many public Wi-Fi connections are unencrypted. This could give cyber criminals a chance to snoop on data being sent and received by your device. If there are software vulnerabilities on your device, attackers can inject malware to help them gain access to your data. In some cases, attackers create fake Wi-Fi hotspots purporting to be legitimate networks. Own your online presence: Carefully read the terms and conditions before opening an account or downloading an application, including social media accounts. Be sure to set the privacy and security settings on web services and devices to your comfort level for information sharing. Carefully read the terms and conditions before opening an account or downloading an application, including social media accounts. Be sure to set the privacy and security settings on web services and devices to your comfort level for information sharing. Get two steps ahead and manage your passwords: Switch on two-step verification or multi-factor authentication wherever offered to prevent unauthorised access to your online accounts. Always change the default passwords to something strong and unique on your devices, services, and Wi-Fi networks. Switch on two-step verification or multi-factor authentication wherever offered to prevent unauthorised access to your online accounts. Always change the default passwords to something strong and unique on your devices, services, and Wi-Fi networks. Educate your child about online safety: Dont just tell them to be careful online, show them how. Spend time with your child online and guide them through how to have a positive relationship with technology. Be cautious of over-sharing your childs life on social media: You are creating your childs digital identity. Ensure your social media posts present your child in a positive way. Mark Gorrie, Territory Manager and Cyber Security expert for Norton by Symantec A/NZ said: Our research shows that each Australian stands to lose hundreds of dollars each year as a result of cyber crime, with over half the population falling victim to its affects in their life time. "The time is now for Australians to take proactive onus over their online identity and practice safe internet behaviours to protect themselves and their family in our increasingly digital world. "Our cyber safety is inherently tied to trust, the transmission, collection, and storage of our personal information has never been greater than it is today. For the most part, Australians are aware that our data is being collected by websites, social media sites, our apps, and smart home devices. "Yet many people dont yet understand the value of their personal information, nor understand who is responsible for keeping it secure and confidential, putting themselves at risk of cyber crime. More about the real impact of cyber crime and how consumers can protect their privacy, identity, and digital information is available in the full report. The Australian Signals Directorate has ascertained that hackers who breached the networks of the Australian Parliament and those of three main political parties Liberal, Labor and National are nation-state actors, but the agency's director-general, Mike Burgess, has said he cannot name the country involved in a public forum. Burgess told the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee on 5 April that the attackers had exfiltrated a small amount of data. Asked whether the ASD had identified whether it was a state actor, Burgess said: "The level of sophistication here leads us to believe it has to be a state actor. That's our assessment. Of course, that could still be just a very, very clever individual, but we think that's highly unlikely." He said the question of calling out any country for the attack was a matter for the government, once the ASD had presented its assessment. In response to a question as to whether any confidential correspondence or information had been compromised, Burgess said: "There was a small amount of data taken; none of that was deemed sensitive, but the assessment of that is a matter for the parliament themselves." The intrusion was made public on 8 February. On 24 March, the ASD told iTWire in response to queries that the investigation was still ongoing. Burgess told the parliamentary panel that the damage assessment from the intrusion had been completed and the intruder or intruders had been fully evicted. Questioned about whether any country would be called out for being behind the attack, Burgess replied: "Attribution is a really difficult thing, so tying it down to a particular country, a particular organisation, and perhaps particular individuals, is a piece of work that takes considerable time. Even if we got to that point, whether that got called out or not is a matter for other organisations the government not for the Australian Signals Directorate. "I would say, though, that if you do get to the point of knowing who it is, sometimes you have an option of calling it out, and the Australian Government has taken action previously to call out state actors for known problems that's an intent to call out inappropriate behaviour. "Sometimes, however, there might be other reasons why you don't call it out, but I'll end with attribution: to get to the point where you could prove it in a court of law is terribly difficult." There were competing claims at the time of the breach, with some organisations, like the ABC, blaming China, while Resecurity, a security outfit in the US, blamed Iran. Resecurity said an Iranian-linked entity had been responsible for the network attack, adding that it had informed the ASD about its findings and claiming the agency had confirmed this attribution. But the credentials of Resecurity came under question shortly thereafter, with journalists and technical researchers both citing what they saw as irregularities about its approach. The firm had also blamed Iran for a network attack on multinational software company, Citrix Systems. A Russian court fined Facebook 3000 roubles for ignoring local data protection laws just A$65. However, this may be the start of much bigger problems for Facebook, leading to being banned from Russia. Russia started the process in September 2015 with the enactment of data localisation laws. This legislation required that the data of Russian citizens must be stored on servers within Russia. Based on these rules, LinkedIn was banned some two years ago. Late last year, Russian Internet watchdog Roskomnadzor notified both Twitter and Facebook requesting information about the location of servers that store the personal data of citizens. Roskomnadzor (the Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Telecom, Information Technologies, and Mass Communications) is the local authority that, amongst other roles, maintains a list of websites banned in Russia. Roskomnadzor gave both Twitter and Facebook one month to reply, however no response was received. Thus Moscow's Tagansky District Court imposed 3,000 Rubles fine on Twitter last week and the same on Facebook yesterday (Australian time). Three thousand roubles was the minimum fine available to the judge, while the maximum was 5000 for violating Article 19.7 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation "failure to provide information." Clearly, this fine was not imposed for violating the data localisation requirements, only for refusing to provide the requested information. However, this is now a first step in a legal process which could-well lead to both Twitter and Facebook being banned in Russia. Such limits are slowly being enacted in "less liberal" countries around the world. As an example, both China and Iran have enacted similar requirements for data localisation that would force "critical information infrastructure operators", as China refers to them, to store citizens' data within the nation's borders. HIGHLIGHTS Scoping Study completed for Xanadus Kharmagtai Open Pit Copper and Gold Project, confirms the Companys strategy to explore for high-value large copper porphyry systems in Mongolia; Based on results, the Company will progress additional drilling at the project and proceed with more advanced mining studies; The Scoping Study was focussed on open pit mining only and should be considered an interim study leaving a great deal of potential upside development opportunity; The Scoping Study identifies important opportunities for further upside both from extending the life of the open pit mine, assessing higher-grade underground options and evaluating oxide gold potential near surface at several locations; and Underground mining targeting the high-grade Stockwork Hill and Copper Hill deposits has not been considered in this study but represents a clear and compelling path to further value creation and the ability to expand into a larger project within the current and any future Mineral Resource upgrade. SCOPING STUDY PARAMETERS CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS The Scoping Study referred to in this announcement has been undertaken to determine the potential viability of an open pit mine with a conventional milling and flotation circuit to produce multiple metal concentrates. The Scoping Study is a preliminary technical and economic study based on low-level technical and economic assessments that are not sufficient to support the estimation of Ore Reserves. Further evaluation and appropriate studies are required before the Company will be able to estimate any Ore Reserves or provide any assurance of an economic development. Having regard to ASX Listing Rules Guidance Note 31 Reporting on Mining Activities (ASX GN31), the Company does not disclose in this announcement any production targets, forecast financial information or income-based valuations related to the Scoping Study, but instead the Company discloses appropriate information of a technical nature to ensure that the market is properly informed of the Companys prospects. Accordingly, the Company hereby makes certain aspirational statements and discloses the parts of the Scoping Study that do not contain production targets. The aspirational statements are based on the Companys current expectations of future results or events and should not be solely relied upon by investors when making investment decisions. The Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Resources 2012 (JORC Code) (issued by the Joint Ore Reserves Committee), and the Canadian National Instrument (NI) 43-101, compliant Mineral Resource estimate issued by the Company in its ASX/TSX Announcement on 31 October 2018, forms the basis for the Scoping Study that is the subject of this Announcement. Conceptual modelling of the Kharmagtai open pit, considered in the Scoping Study, originates from Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources. There is a low level of geological confidence associated with Inferred Mineral Resources and there is no certainty that further exploration will result in the determination of Indicated Mineral Resources. The Scoping Study is based on the material assumptions outlined within this Announcement (particularly Pages 23-25). While the Company considers that all material assumptions are based upon reasonable grounds, there is no certainty that they will prove to be correct or that the range of outcomes indicated by the Scoping Study will be achieved. To achieve the range of outcomes indicated, there would be a requirement to raise significant additional funding to support the development. Investors should note that there is no certainty that Xanadu and its partners will be able to raise that amount of funding when needed. It is also possible that such funding may only be available on terms that may be dilutive to or otherwise affect the value of Xanadus existing shares. It is also possible that Xanadu could pursue other value realisation strategies such as a sale or partial sale of its interest in the Kharmagtai Project. If it does, this could materially reduce Xanadus proportionate interest in the Kharmagtai Project. This Announcement contains forward-looking statements. Xanadu has concluded that it has a reasonable basis for providing these forward-looking statements and believes that it has a reasonable basis to expect that it will be able to fund development of the project. However, a number of factors could cause actual results or expectations to differ materially from the results expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Given the uncertainties involved, investors should not make any investment decisions based solely upon the results of the Scoping Study. As the Company is dual listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), the work required to complete the Scoping Study is required to comply with the JORC Code. It should be noted that the levels for disclosure and the nomenclature used is different in other jurisdictions. SUMMARY - KHARMAGTAI OPEN PIT PROJECT TORONTO, April 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xanadu Mines Ltd (ASX: XAM, TSX: XAM) (Xanadu or the Company) is pleased to report that it has completed an interim Scoping Study (Scoping Study or the Study) to assess the economic viability of the near-surface copper and gold mineralisation from the Companys Kharmagtai Project in Mongolia. This Study is based upon the current Indicated and Inferred resources. The Study was commissioned to assess the potential economics of a standalone open cut mine accessing value from the Mineral Resource Estimate as it now exists. It does not consider any value that may be generated using underground mining techniques, or oxide gold potential (refer to Xanadus ASX/TSX announcement dated 20 March 2019) nor from possible expansion in the resource stemming from the current evaluation drilling programmes. The project economics are highly encouraging and highlight Xanadus Kharmagtai Projects potential to become a robust, high margin, rapid payback, long life and low strip ratio copper-gold mine in Mongolia at 10-year average copper and gold prices. The Scoping Study has been prepared by CSA Global Pty Ltd (CSA Global) with input from reputable industry consultants O2 Mining Limited and the Company. The findings of the Scoping Study are positive with a recommendation that the project be progressed to the Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS) level. The Scoping Study suggests that mining could occur in three deposit areas; Stockwork Hill, Copper Hill and White Hill. The deposits have been optimised using the Lerch-Grossman algorithm and initially will be mined as three separate pits but will ultimately result in two large open pits (Figure 1). The optimised open pit designs extend to a maximum vertical depth of approximately 380m and the largest final pit (Stockwork Hill and White Hill combined) would be 2.1km in length and 1.3km in width. The project was modelled assuming a processing facility of 20 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) capacity would be constructed at site to process the mineralisation. The Study is based on Indicated Mineral Resources and Inferred Mineral Resources. It should be noted there is a low level of geological confidence associated with Inferred Mineral Resources and there is no certainty that further exploration work will result in the determination of Indicated Mineral Resources or that the production target will be realised. The mineralisation at Kharmagtai is best described as a mineralised copper-gold porphyry system. These types of deposit are an economic source of copper on every continent and account for a significant proportion of global copper production. As such, they have been well studied resulting in well understood generic models which provide guidance on the types and distribution of mineralisation within them. The deposits are generally large (to very Large), relatively low grade (0.25% Cu to 1%Cu), polymetallic (Au, Ag, Mo) and the mineralisation is relatively uniformly distributed throughout the large intrusive bodies that host them. The mineralisation occurs in vein stockworks and as disseminated sulphides. Because of their large size and relatively uniform grade distribution and once they have been discovered, they are relatively easy to evaluate by iteratively more-dense drilling campaigns. The current Mineral Resource, although mostly Inferred, has been well delineated with drilling. Given the nature of the mineralisation and the style of deposit the Company is confident that as Infill drilling is conducted it will confirm the continuity of grade and mineralisation and improve the confidence in the resources to the extent that would allow a higher classification. The Kharmagtai open pit Scoping Study indicates there is the potential to economically extract approximately 51% of mineralisation from within the Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources (refer to Xanadus ASX/TSX announcement dated 31 October 2018) using open cut mining and the material assumptions (Table 1) used in the Study. The Company notes that all three currently defined deposits are open at depth and along strike and are the subject of current and planned drilling programs. To reflect the inclusion of Inferred resources, uncertainty over future pricing environments, the likely variability in material assumptions supporting the Study and the level of study the Company has taken a conservative approach with the inputs to the study and the disclosure of the results. Considering the above and guidance provided by ASX GN 31, the Company believes it is not appropriate to report the financial metrics such as internal rates for return, net present values or net cashflows at this time. Other material assumptions for the study and key in put assumptions for the study are presented in this release. Throughout this Announcement, any dollar values are US Dollar (US$) values, unless otherwise stated. The input metal pricing for the study is US$3.00 per pound copper and US$1300 Oz gold. These values are a conservative representation of the ten-year average of official London Metal Exchange (LME) prices for copper and London Bullion Market Association for gold, which are US$3.05 per pound Cu and US$1,315 per Oz Au respectively. Xanadus Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Dr Andrew Stewart, said The open pit Scoping Study clearly demonstrates that the Kharmagtai copper-gold project is one of the leading development assets globally today. The Scoping Study indicates the potential to develop a low-strip ratio open pit mining operation in an accelerated time frame, with rapid payback of the life-of-mine infrastructure for future open pit and underground mining operations. Whatever lens you look through, whether it is value, strip ratio, cost, mine life, production profile or scalability, we believe Kharmagtai has the potential to be an outstanding project. Importantly, the Study identifies many opportunities for further upside that will improve project economics both from extending the life of the open pit mine and targeting the high-grade Stockwork Hill and Copper Hill underground resources which represent a clear and compelling path to value creation and the ability to expand into a larger resource. Excellent oxide gold recoveries at Golden Eagle complement the existing copper-gold resources and represent the opportunity for a low cost, high-value gold leach operation which could be run early in the development life of Kharmagtai, injecting significant cash into the project to offset the cost of developing a large-scale copper-gold deposit. Whilst the current resource provides an excellent platform for the Company to join the ranks of copper producers in the coming years, we believe that the exploration potential holds significant value for shareholders. We are excited with recent drilling (KHDDH488) below the Stockwork Hill deposit which has demonstrated the existence of a significant new zone of bornite gold-rich porphyry mineralisation along strike and at depth of the current open pit resource. In addition, we are currently having success with our Mineral Resource evaluation drilling at the new Zaara discovery and Golden Eagle oxide gold prospect. We are very confident that these results will provide the basis for a significant increase in the size and grade of the overall Kharmagtai deposit and have a positive impact on ongoing economic studies. Table 1. Key Scoping Study Input Assumptions Parameters Units Estimated Values Processing Maximum processing constraint Mtpa 20 Metal Recovery Copper (average) % 86.6 Gold (average) % 70.9 Concentrate transport cost US$/t 25 Payablity Cu % 96 Payability Au % 90 Smelting Charge Cu US$.dmt 90 Refining Charge Au US$/Payable Oz 5 Preproduction Capital Cost Estimates Open pit mining capital (mining fleet, pre-strip) US$ million 115 Surface Infrastructure (camp, workshop, power, magazine, water, tailings) US$ million 61 Processing US$ million 209 Indirects (owner cost, EPCM) US$ million 44 Contingency US$ million 55 Total Initial Capital US$ million 484 Sustaining Capital US$ million 194 Environmental US$ million 5 Total Capital US$ million 683 NOTES: Estimates are based upon the Kharmagtai open pit mining operations only. The Scoping Study excludes the production potential from the Zaara copper-gold deposit, Golden Eagle Oxide, underground sources of mineable material, and further near surface open pit resources. Estimates presented in Table 1 are on the basis of a 100% project interest. Xanadu holds a 76% participating interest in the project through a contractual joint venture. The Mineral Resource Estimate reported in accordance with JORC (2012) and NI 43-101 and announced by the Company on 31 October 2018 forms the basis of the mining and financial estimates referred to in the Announcement. Technical and economic estimates in the Scoping Study are based on low level technical and economic assessments (+/- 35% accuracy) that are not sufficient to support the estimation of Ore Reserves OVERVIEW OF KHARMAGTAI SCOPING STUDY Geology and Mineralisation Mineralisation at Kharmagtai is associated with multiple porphyritic intrusive stocks of diorite to monzodiorite in composition. Copper and gold are hosted within the sulphide minerals chalcopyrite and bornite associated with porphyry style veining and found as disseminations throughout the rock mass. The Scoping Study focuses on three zones of mineralisation, the Stockwork Hill, White Hill and Copper Hill deposits on which the upgraded resource estimate for Kharmagtai was based (refer to Xanadus ASX/TSX announcement dated 31 October 2018). Mineral Resources The Mineral Resource that forms the basis of the Scoping Study is unchanged from that announced by the Company on 31 October 2018 (and presented in an NI 43-101 report lodged on SEDAR in October 2018). The Mineral Resource Estimate was reported in accordance with JORC (2012) and NI 43-101 and demonstrates that the mineralisation is robust and continuous with over 22% of the resource classified in the Indicated Mineral Resource category. Recent drilling over the last two years has significantly advanced the understanding of the deposit geology and the relationships between lithology, alteration, structure and mineralisation. Table 2 below provides a summary of the Mineral Resources as presented in the 31 October 2018 Mineral Resource report. Table 2. Interim Kharmagtai Mineral Resource Estimate (valid as at 31 October 2018) Deposit Classification Tonnes Grades Contained Metal Mt CuEq, % Cu, % Au, g/t CuEq, Kt Cu, Kt Au, Koz White Hill Indicated 45.2 0.42 0.30 0.23 189 135 340 Stockwork Hill 74.4 0.59 0.38 0.41 441 286 972 Copper Hill 9.7 0.76 0.48 0.54 73 47 167 Total Indicated 129.3 0.54 0.36 0.36 703 468 1,479 White Hill Inferred 412.8 0.40 0.31 0.17 1,653 1,299 2,227 Stockwork Hill 55.4 0.47 0.30 0.34 263 167 601 Copper Hill 0.7 0.39 0.31 0.16 3 2 4 Total Inferred 468.9 0.41 0.31 0.19 1,919 1,468 2,832 Notes: Mineral Resources are classified according to Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM) Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (10 May 2014). Mineral Resources for open pit mining are estimated within the limits of an ultimate pit shell. Mineral Resources for underground mining are estimated outside the limits of ultimate pit shell. A cut-off grade of 0.3% CuEq has been applied for open pit mineral resources. A cut-off grade of 0.5% CuEq has been applied for underground mineral resources. Dry bulk density values of 2.65 t/m3 for oxide zones; 2.76, 2.74, 2.73 and 2.71 t/m3 for country rocks, 2.78, 2.80, 2.77, 2.81 and 2.76 t/m3 for porphyries and 2.76 t/m3 for andesite dyke were used for the model cells. CuEq was calculated using conversion factor 0.62097 for gold. Metal prices were US$3.1 /lb for copper and US$1320 /oz for gold, recoveries 70% for gold and 85% for copper (82.35% relative gold to copper recovery), copper equivalent formula applied: CuEq = Cu + Au * 0.62097 * 0.8235. Rows and columns may not add up exactly due to rounding. Mining The Scoping Study has focused on mining sulphide mineralisation from three adjacent open pits. Mining is based on bulk open pit mining techniques using standard drill and blast, load, haul, crusher feed by an owner operator mining fleet. Pits have been designed to a depth of 200m at Stockwork Hill, 380m at White Hill and at 160m for Copper Hill. Mining is planned to be staged with the initial focus on higher-grade material to improve project economics. Waste material is to be stockpiled directly adjacent to the pit and tailings to be stored within a tailings facility adjacent to the pit. The flat terrain provides several favourable areas for both waste and tailings facilities within proximity to the deposits (Figure 2). Optimisation of the Mineral Resource block model was completed using the Lerch-Grossman algorithm within Mindsight Software. The optimised pits were then scheduled, and pit designs were applied resulting in four phases of mining at White hill, two phases at Stockwork Hill and a single phase at Copper Hill (Figure 1). Mining will commence at Copper Hill targeting high-grade material, while the pre-strip is initiated for the White Hill and Stock Work Hill areas. When the prestrip is complete mining will proceed in phases accessing mineralisation from all three deposits. As can be seen in Figure 3, the majority of material throughout the mine life is derived from White Hill. The study aimed to access the highest-grade material in the early years and targeted the Indicated Mineral Resources. This caused higher than normal grades for years one and two which then stabilises to a reasonably consistent grade over time reflecting the consistent nature of the mineralisation within this large well-mineralised porphyry system. Processing The Scoping Study assumes that mined mineralisation would be treated using a standard crushing-milling-flotation process plant and would result in the production of a filtered copper-gold concentrate. Laboratory scale metallurgical work has been conducted on samples of mineralization likely to be processed at Kharmagtai, and this work indicates that copper recoveries of 90.9% and 85.7% plus gold recoveries of 76% and 69.1% for Copper Hill and White Hill respectively are suitable for this Scoping Study. Additional metallurgical characterisation and flotation testwork work is currently underway to further define metallurgical performance of the various geometallurgical domains within the project. Table 3. Process plant recoveries used Copper Hill White Hill Recoveries Copper (%) Gold (%) Copper (%) Gold (%) 90.9 76.0 85.7 69.1 Final concentrate grades vary with mineralisation style and head grade, but on average will run between 26% Cu and 22.5% Cu and will not contain penalty levels of deleterious elements. The basis for these results was reported publically in the NI43-101 Technical Report filed on SEDAR in October 2018. In summary, a program of preliminary metallurgical testwork was completed by G&T Metallurgical Services (Kamloops, Canada) on a batch of nine composite samples from Mongolia. The samples were reported at that time to have originated from an untested region of the Oyu Tolgoi deposit; however, Xanadu has confirmed that five of the nine composite samples did in fact originate from the region now described as Kharmagtai (Table 4.) Table 4. 2008 testwork samples and originating location Sample ID Mass (kg) Description % Cu g/t Au % Fe % S % Cuox g/t F AT 001 17.2 Altan Tolgoi (now named Stockwork Hill) 0.53 1.62 7.55 3.17 0.062 525 AT 002 28.5 1.58 2.15 6.05 1.92 0.025 415 AT 003 15.4 0.57 0.46 4.48 0.42 0.329 585 TS 001 16.8 Tsagaan Sudal (White Hill) 0.25 0.24 0.25 1.94 0.01 368 ZU 001 20.7 Zesen Uul (Copper Hill) 1.4 2.18 7.45 1.52 0.152 225 MET 001 36.2 Oyu Tolgoi samples 0.76 0.42 8.75 2.16 0.004 2,502 MET 002 38.2 0.56 2.46 2.38 2.47 0.002 1,405 MET 003 41.3 0.47 1.13 4.47 0.72 0.005 3,098 MET 004 38.5 0.47 0.18 2.17 2.12 0.003 1,754 The MET 001 to MET 004 samples were from the Oyu Tolgoi deposit and were not used in the Study. Samples AT001-003, TS001 and ZU001 formed the basis for the Scoping Study recoveries. The assays in Table 4 highlight some noteworthy characteristics: AT 001 has a relatively high pyrite to copper ratio which could be detrimental to performance; AT 003 has a relatively high proportion of oxide copper minerals which will negatively impact copper recovery in a sulphide flotation process; Gold content is generally good, except in AT 003 and TS 001, which are both below 0.6 g/t; and Fluorine content is generally acceptable, with all samples grading less than 600 g/t F. Flotation testwork on these samples consisted of a series of batch rougher and cleaner tests. No locked cycle testing was completed. The cleaner test flowsheet and range of test conditions is given in Figure 6. In this work, Aerophine 3418A was used as a selective copper sulphide collector and MIBC (Methyl Iso Butyl Carbinol) was used as a flotation frother. Pulp pH was adjusted in the cleaner circuit using lime to increase pH to a point where only moderate pyrite flotation would be expected. Insufficient work was conducted in this preliminary program to really optimise flotation conditions. Saleable copper concentrates were achieved for all composites with average contents of approximately 30% copper. At these concentrate levels, the recovery of copper ranged between 75% and 90%, although AT 003 achieved only 30% recovery due to the elevated levels of oxide copper mineralisation in this composite. Grade vs recovery curves for the five composites are illustrated in Figure 7. It is important to note that as these tests are batch tests, the cleaner tails streams are not recirculated, and thus these metal units have no chance to report to final concentrate. The locked cycle test addresses this issue and would normally result in an increase in grade or recovery of 1-2% over the batch results. The process plant envisaged for this project is illustrated in Figure 6 above. The flowsheet is very straightforward and uses proven technology for all process steps, including gyratory crushing, SAG & ball milling, rougher, scavenger and cleaner flotation, tailing and concentrate dewatering, plus tailing pumping and storage. The mineralization is judged to be of relatively low abrasion index and medium to high hardness. Reagent usage is straightforward. Capital costs for the processing facility were estimated using a scoping level process design and equipment selection in conjunction with equipment supply quotations from a reputable Chinese contractor. To this data the costs for equipment installation, civil & earthworks, steelwork, platework, piping, electrical and instrumentation disciplines were calculated. The total direct CAPEX for the processing plant is estimated to cost US$229M, with a cost breakdown in Table 6. Indirect capital cost items such as contractor mobilization, critical spares purchase, first fills (reagents and grinding balls), commissioning and other preproduction items were estimated using factors from the direct capital total. Indirect capital costs add another US$37.5M to the CAPEX and contingency adds a further $43.2M for a total processing plant capital cost of $309.7M Operating costs for processing at 20Mtpa are estimated to be US$5.03 per tonne, with a breakdown as illustrated in Figure 9. Table 6. Process capital costs summary (minus indirects and contingency) Item Cost (US$ Million) Civil & Earthworks 25 Mechanical Equipment 100 Steelwork/Platework 35 Piping 21 Electrical 30 Buildings 18 Total $229 Capital Costs The capital costs for the project have been developed based on indicative quotes for major mechanical equipment, benchmarking against similar projects globally and from CSA Globals database of recent project work. The estimates have been built up using industry standard methods and is valid as at Q1 2019. The key capital items include the processing plant at US$232M, Mining and pre-stripping capital US$214M, Surface Infrastructure (power, water, roads, camp, workshop and tailings) US$108M, Environmental Costs US$5M and Overall Contingency of US$74M.Total capital for the project including sustaining capital amounts to US$683 million. We have estimated a Contingency over all aspects of the project development to be in the order of US$74M. In some cases where pricing is less certain, a contingency up to 25% has been applied, in other areas where pricing is more confident, contingency applied is as low as 5%. The project benefits from its location 10km from the national grid for power and similar distance the national road network. The area is almost uninhabited, and the terrain is gently undulating which makes siting of mining and related infrastructure straightforward. Royalty and Taxation regime in Mongolia Economic evaluation of the project has been completed using a discounted cash flow methodology using the 20Mtpa processing capacity as a basis. The project has been modelled using the current royalty and taxation regime in Mongolia which is outlined in Mongolias Mining Law. There are currently discussions underway in government regarding changes to some of the taxation and royalty rates to lower levels, however, as at the time of writing Mongolia has a staged corporate tax rate, as per the below: MNT 0 - 3 billion is taxed at 10% MNT 3 billion plus is taxed at 25% Royalty rates in Mongolia differ depending on the mineral being extracted and the level of purification, the market price and where it is processed. In the case of gold, it attracts a 5% standard royalty an additional 5% surcharge royalty based on the prevailing gold price at USD$1300. Copper has a similar system where there is a base 5% royalty however, the surtax rates are much higher when selling concentrates; for example, at US$3.00 per lb of copper an additional 12% royalty will apply (Table 7). Table 7. Royalty summary Commodity Flat Royalty (%) Royalty Surcharge (%) Total Royalty (%) Copper 5 % 12 % 17 % Gold 5 % 5 % 10 % As it stands, the Mongolian Mining Law provides a facility to negotiate better taxation and royalty terms for significant development projects and based on this study Kharmagtai would fall into that category. Two examples where foreign invested companies have been able to negotiate such agreements are Ivanhoe Mines Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold Project and Centerra Golds Boroo gold Project. Both companies successfully negotiated a flat 5% royalty rate on the minerals being produced. Given the potential scale of the Kharmagtai development demonstrated in this study it is likely that a similar agreement could be negotiated as the project moves closer to development. As such, the Company believes it is appropriate to show the economic returns for both the current taxation and royalty basis and what a negotiated reduction could look like to ensure that investors are fully aware of the impact of such an agreement; should it be negotiated. Sensitivity Analysis As part of the economic assessment of the project a series of sensitivity analyses were undertaken to assess the effect of fluctuations in metal pricing, capital cost and operating costs. Each of these variables were tested in ranges of +/- 30% to assess the effect on the economics of the project. The results indicated the Project is most sensitive to metal pricing. As the project develops it is likely the operating company would seek to negotiate more favourable royalty terms, as has been done by other mining companies in Mongolia. Should such negotiations be successful, and the operator is able to negotiate the same terms as those at the Oyu Tolgoi or Boroo projects it could result in a 5% flat royalty. As expected, this has strongly positive impact on the post-tax economics of the project. As part of the Scoping study a flat 5% royalty rate was modelled while keeping all other inputs to the cashflow mode the same. The results of this work demonstrated a strong case to move forward negotiations as a priority as the project becomes even more robust. NEXT STEPS The Study identifies serval important opportunities for further upside opportunities that will improve the project. Key next step programs include: Continue resource evaluation drilling targeting additional infill drilling Copper Hill, White Hill and Stockwork Hill to upgrade inferred material to Indicated material and to expand the resources. A higher resource category will allow a higher confidence in the economic assessment in future studies (this work is in progress). Continue to evaluate the near surface oxide gold Exploration Targets recognised by the Company at Golden Eagle and Stockwork Hill. Aim to convert the Exploration Target to Mineral Resources, so it can be included in future mining studies (in progress). Look to complete an updated Mineral Resource estimate to capture recent evaluation drilling at Zaara. Golden Eagle, Copper Hill, Stockwork Hill and Copper Hill. Infill drilling below the current resources targeting the high-grade mineralisation at Stockwork Hill where high-grade bornite has recently been reported and at Copper Hill deposits. Complete conceptual mining studies to investigate the underground Mining potential of areas outside of the open cut areas to assist in targeting drilling. Metallurgical test work is in progress to refine the recoveries of copper and gold reporting to concentrate. Complete comminution studies on relevant samples to inform future, more detailed mining studies. Complete Geometallurgical characterisation of the deposit to aid more detailed mine planning in subsequent studies. Progress towards a PFS level study to define Ore reserves for the project and improve the reliability of the economic assessment of the project. For further information, please contact: Andrew Stewart Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer T: +612 8280 7497 M: +976 9999 9211 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. www.xanadumines.com ABOUT XANADU MINES LIMITED The Kharmagtai copper-gold project is in Omnogovi Province, approximately 420km southeast of Ulaanbaatar. It is within the South Gobi porphyry copper province which hosts most of the known porphyry deposits in the South Gobi region of Mongolia, including the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold operations (120km south), the Tsagaan Suvarga porphyry copper-molybdenum development (170km east) and Xanadus Oyut Ulaan porphyry copper-gold exploration project (260km northeast). Kharmagtai is close to good infrastructure, with sealed roads from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanazagad within 70km of the project and an existing powerline from Tsogttsetsii to Manlai within eyesight of the project. A power plant is planned for the coal mine at Tsogttsetsii (70km from Kharmagtai) with rail lines planned from Tsogttsetsii to the Chinese border town of Ganqimaodao. The project has a granted 30-year mining licence and a registered water resource. DISCLAIMER This ASX/TSX release has been prepared by Xanadu Mines Ltd and neither the ASX or the TSX, nor their regulation service providers accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements contained in this press release, including information as to the future financial or operating performance of Xanadu and its projects may also include statements which are forwardlooking statements that may include, amongst other things, statements regarding targets, estimates and assumptions in respect of mineral reserves and mineral resources and anticipated grades and recovery rates, production and prices, recovery costs and results, capital expenditures and are or may be based on assumptions and estimates related to future technical, economic, market, political, social and other conditions. These forwardlooking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Xanadu, are inherently subject to significant technical, business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results reflected in such forwardlooking statements. Xanadu disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly or release any revisions to any forwardlooking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, circumstances or results or otherwise after todays date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, other than required by the Corporations Act and ASX and TSX Listing Rules. The words believe, expect, anticipate, indicate, contemplate, target, plan, intends, continue, budget, estimate, may, will, schedule and similar expressions identify forwardlooking statements. All forwardlooking statements made in this press release are qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements. Investors are cautioned that forwardlooking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forwardlooking statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. CAUTIONARY NOTE TO INVESTORS OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA This news release has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Australia, which differ from the securities laws other jurisdictions. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource and reserve estimates included in this press release have been prepared in accordance with JORC Code 2012 which establishes standards for all public disclosure for mining companies on the ASX. Australian standards, including the JORC Code 2012, differ significantly from other jurisdictions. Investors outside of Australia are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits will ever be converted into reserves. Investors should also understand it cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Australian 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. As such this disclosure should be read in the context of Australian disclosure standards and should not be published or referred to in jurisdictions outside of Australia. COMPETENT-QUALIFIED PERSON STATEMENT The Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (the JORC Code 2012) sets out minimum standards, recommendations and guidelines for Public Reporting in Australasia of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves. The Information contained in this announcement has been presented in accordance with the JORC Code 2012. The information in this announcement that relates to Mineral Resources is based on information compiled by Dmitry Pertel who is responsible for the Mineral Resource estimate. Mr Pertel is a full-time employee of CSA Global and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, has sufficient experience relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity he is undertaking to qualify as the Qualified Person as defined in the CIM Guidelines and National Instrument 43-101. Mr Pertel consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on this information in the form and context in which it appears. The information in this report that relates to the Scoping Study is based, and fairly reflects, information compiled by Gordon Zurowski, P.Eng is a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario, Canada. Mr Zurowski is employed by CSA Global, independent resource industry consultants. Mr Zurowski has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves. Mr Zurowski consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears. The information in this announcement that relates to metallurgical test work is based on a summary of results compiled by Andrew Holloway who is responsible for metallurgical and process engineering aspects of the project. Mr. Holloway, who is a principal of AGP Mining Consultants Inc. (Toronto, Canada) and is a Professional Engineer in Ontario, Canada, has sufficient experience relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity he is undertaking to qualify as the Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves and the National Instrument 43-101. Mr Holloway consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on this information in the form and context in which it appears. The information in this announcement that relates to exploration results is based on information compiled by Dr Andrew Stewart who is responsible for the exploration data, comments on exploration target sizes, QA/QC and geological interpretation and information. Dr Stewart, who is an employee of Xanadu and is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Geoscientists, has sufficient experience relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity he is undertaking to qualify as the Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves and the National Instrument 43-101. Dr Stewart consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on this information in the form and context in which it appears. COPPER EQUIVALENT CALCULATIONS The copper equivalent (CuEq) calculation used in the Mineral Resources represents the total metal value for each metal, multiplied by the conversion factor, summed and expressed in equivalent copper percentage. The copper equivalent calculation is intended as an indicative value only. The copper equivalent was calculated using conversion factor 0.62097 for gold. Metal prices were US$3.1 /lb for copper and US$1320 /oz for gold, recoveries 70% for gold and 85% for copper (82.35% relative gold to copper recovery), copper equivalent formula applied: CuEq = Cu + Au * 0.62097 * 0.8235. DEFINITIONS Term Meaning Au Gold Kharmagtai Group of deposits comprising Copper Hill, Stockwork Hill and White Hill Cu Copper CuEq Copper equivalent CSA Global CSA Global Pty Ltd Indicated Indicated Mineral Resource in accordance with the JORC 2012 edition and 43:101 Inferred Inferred Mineral Resource in accordance with the JORC 2012 edition and 43:101 LOM Life of Mine M Metres Mt Million tonnes. Also used as Mtpa where referring to per annum metrics NSR Net Smelter Royalty Oz Troy Ounces RC Refining Costs RL Resource Line. Used to define the depth of a pit shell e.g. 750mRL ROM Run of Mine Strip Ratio Ratio of waste to ore T Tonnes. Also used as tpa or t/a where referring to per annum metrics XAM Xanadu Mines Ltd. Also referred to as the Company APPENDIX 1. KEY COMPONENTS OF KHARMAGTAI PROJECT SCOPING STUDY BACKGROUND Xanadu Mines Kharmagtai copper-gold project is located approx. 420 kilometres southeast of Ulaanbaatar and approx. 100 kilometres northwest of Rio Tintos Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine. Xanadu currently has a 76.5% interest in the project through an 85% interest in its joint-venture company Mongol Metals LLC, which has a 90% interest in the project. This area of Mongolia contains several major mineral deposits. The Kharmagtai project is located 120 km north of the Oyu Tolgoi porphyry copper-gold project, 150 km west of the Tsagaan Suvarga copper deposit, and 60 km north of the Tavan Tolgoi coal deposit (Figure 10). Road access to the area follows a paved road from Ulaanbaatar requiring six hours of travel time, with the last 1.5 hours on approximately 60 km of unsealed roads. The soum (sub-province) centre of Tsogttsetsii is situated approximately 60 km southwest of the Project area and is serviced by daily flights from Ulaanbaatar requiring 45 minutes travel time. GEOLOGY Outcrop throughout the Kharmagtai district is sparse with Quaternary sand forming a thin cover over most of the district (Figure 11). The current geological understanding is derived mainly from diamond drilling, supported by mapping of localised outcrop and trenches. Copper-gold mineralisation at Kharmagtai is hosted within the Lower Carboniferous Kharmagtai Igneous Complex (KIC), which was emplaced into a Late Devonian volcano-sedimentary sequence (Kharmagtai Volcanic Group). The Kharmagtai Volcanic Group has a minimum stratigraphic thickness of 1,500 m and dominates the western part of the district. The true thickness of the succession is poorly constrained, due to structural and alteration complexities. The volcanic group predominantly comprises hornblende-phyric andesite interbedded with poorly sorted breccia and finely laminated volcaniclastic units. The KIC is characterised by a composite porphyritic diorite to monzodiorite intrusive complex characterised by a high-K calc-alkaline island arc geochemical signature. The complex covers approximately 56 km2, extending from White Hill in the west, to Wolf prospect in the east. The intrusive complex is predominately composed of diorite, quartz-diorite and monzodiorite intrusions, with granodiorite and syenite on its eastern margin. Intrusions appear to become more evolved the further east they are in the igneous complex. Early-mineral intrusions are typically equigranular stocks, or weakly mineralised dark-grey to black diorite, that have been cut by a series of quartz diorite porphyry pipes and dykes of early- and inter-mineral timing. The dimensions of the composite mineralised pipes at Kharmagtai are around 100200 m in diameter, with vertical extents up 1 km. Unidirectional solidification textures (UST), such as crenulated quartz layers, brain rock and vein dykes typically occur in most of the mineralised intrusions, indicating an intimate relationship between intrusive emplacement, volatile exsolution and mineralisation. The final intrusive phase comprises plagioclase-phyric andesite dykes that were emplaced along northwest-trending shear zones (Figure 2). A large proportion (70%) of the Property is covered by young sediments, with an average thickness of 35 m and a maximum thickness of 85 m. These cover sediments comprise basal conglomerate overlain by red-brown clays of probable Cretaceous age with an upper layer of Quaternary colluvium (sand, gravel and clay). RESOURCE MODEL The Mineral Resource Estimate used in the Scoping Study was announced on the 30th October 2018. The Mineral Resource Estimate is summarized in Table 2. The Mineral Resources are quoted above 0.3% CuEq cut-off within a conceptual constraining wireframe. The parameters used to generate an optimised ultimate open pit shell are provided in Table 6. The drill hole collar plan and conceptual pit outlines are shown in Figure 12 and the drill hole data used within the resource is summarized in Table 7. Table 6: Constraining Pit Parameters used for Resource Estimate (See note) Parameters Units Value 1. Mining Ore mining cost $/t 2.49 Waste mining cost $/t 2.49 Mining losses % 0 Mining dilution % 5 2. Processing Processing cost (including G&A costs) g/t 4.2 Processing recovery: Gold % 70 Copper % 85 3. Pricing Elements price: Gold $/oz 1,320 Copper $/t 6,834 Selling cost for Au $/oz 4 Selling cost for Cu $/t 1,030 4. Other to optimization SG parameters t/m3 2.75 General pit slopes 50 Note: these values were not used in the scoping study they were only used to demonstrate the case for eventual economic extraction Table 7: Drill Hole Summary Timing Reverse Circulation Metres Diamond Core Metres RC and Diamond Metres Trenches Metres Drilling <2015 155 24553 252 88511.1 0 0 106 39774 Drilling >2015+ 68 13107 116 57876.7 22 5323.1 17 5618 Total 223 37660 368 146387.8 22 5323.1 123 45392 ESTIMATION METHODOLOGY A block model was created to encompass the full extent of the Kharmagtai deposits (White Hill, Copper Hill and Stockwork Hill - other exploration areas were excluded). The block model used a parent cell size of 20 m(E) x 20 m(N) x 20 m(RL) with sub-celling to 4 m(E) x 4 m(N) x 4 m(RL) to maintain the resolution of the wireframed geological domains and rock types. An empty block model was created within the closed wireframe models for the geological domains, rock types, barren dykes, level of veining (stockwork) and breccia. The model was also coded according to the oxide zones. Each modelled geological domain was assigned several unique codes in the model file (geology, veining and breccia). The block model was then restricted below the topography surface. Copper and gold grade values were interpolated into the empty block models separately for each modelled geological domain of the deposits using the Ordinary Kriging method. The Ordinary Kriging method was performed at different search radii until all cells were interpolated. The search radii were determined for each domain based on the parameters of the modelled semi-variogram ranges averaged for each direction for copper and gold. The blocks were interpolated using only assay composites restricted by the corresponding domain for each deposit. When model cells were estimated using radii not exceeding the full semi-variogram ranges, a restriction of at least three samples from at least two drill holes or trenches was applied to increase the reliability of the estimates. Ore Reserves are not reported so this is not applicable to this report. Sudans second new military leader in as many days vowed Saturday to uproot deposed president Omar al-Bashirs regime and release protesters, in a bid to placate demonstrators demanding civilian rule. I announce the restructuring of state institutions according to the law and pledge to fight corruption and uproot the regime and its symbols, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said, a day after he was sworn in to head Sudans new ruling military council. He also ordered the release of all prisoners jailed by special emergency courts and the immediate lifting of a night-time curfew imposed by the council earlier this week. Career soldier Burhan took the helm of Sudans transitional military council on Friday when his predecessor General Awad Ibn Ouf a close aide of ousted veteran president Bashir quit after little more than 24 hours in power. Burhan also pledged Saturday that individuals involved in the killing of protesters would face justice. His initial announcements indicated he wanted to show the tens of thousands of protesters on the streets that he is not part of the regimes old guard and was genuinely committed to reform. The new leader also on Saturday accepted the resignation of the head of the feared National Intelligence and Security Service, Salah Abdallah Mohammed Salih widely known as Salih Ghosh the military council announced. Salih Ghosh had overseen a sweeping crackdown led by NISS agents against protesters taking part in four months of mass demonstrations that led to the toppling of Bashir in a palace coup by the army on Thursday. Demand for civilian rule Dozens of protesters were killed and thousands of activists, opposition leaders and journalists arrested. The police said Friday that 16 people had been killed in live fire in Khartoum alone over the previous two days as NISS agents led a desperate last stand for Bashir before the army intervened. A photograph published by state news agency SUNA had shown Burhan talking with protesters outside army headquarters on Friday, before his elevation to the top job. Khartoum erupted with joy when Ibn Ouf tendered his resignation on Friday night barely 24 hours after taking the oath of office. Car horns sounded as jubilant crowds streamed out of their homes chanting: It fell again, it fell again. But the organisers of the mass protests called on demonstrators to keep up their week-old vigil outside army headquarters. Ibn Ouf had served as Bashirs defence minister right up to the presidents downfall, after three decades of iron-fisted rule. A former military intelligence chief, Ibn Ouf remains under US sanctions for his role in the regimes brutal response to an ethnic minority rebellion which erupted in the western region of Darfur in 2003. Bashir himself came to power in a 1989 Islamist military coup, which toppled an elected government led by Sadiq al-Mahdi. Burhan is a career soldier who comes with less baggage from Bashirs deeply unpopular rule than Ibn Ouf. The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), whose grass-roots membership of doctors, teachers and engineers have spearheaded the nationwide protests, hailed Ibn Oufs departure as a victory of the peoples will. But it demanded that Burhan swiftly transfer the powers of the military council to a transitional civilian government. If this does not happen we will continue with our sit-in in front of the army headquarters and other towns, the SPA said in a statement. Violating the constitution Bashir remained in custody and his National Congress Party on Saturday called on the military council to release arrested personnel. We consider (the) taking of power by the military council as violating the constitutions legitimacy, the NCP said in a statement. The NCP rejects the detention of its leaders, among them its acting president Ahmed Harun, it added, calling for their immediate release. Outside the Middle East, the formation of a military government to replace Bashir has met with widespread criticism. The African Union said Bashirs overthrow by the military was not the appropriate response to the challenges facing Sudan and the aspirations of its people. The European Union urged the army to carry out a swift handover to civilian rule. Former colonial ruler Britain said that the two-year transition announced by the military is not the answer. We need to see a swift move to an inclusive, representative, civilian leadership, said Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Members of the military council have sought to reassure foreign diplomats about its intentions. This is not a military coup, but taking the side of the people, the councils political chief Lieutenant General Omar Zain al-Abdin told Arab and African diplomats at a meeting broadcast on state television on Friday. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has long standing arrest warrants against Bashir for suspected genocide and war crimes during the regimes brutal campaign of repression in Darfur. But the military council has said it would never extradite him or any other Sudanese citizen. Sudanese protest organisers have presented demands to the countrys new military rulers, urging the creation of a civilian government, the group spearheading demonstrations said. Thousands remained encamped outside Khartoums army headquarters overnight to keep up the pressure on a military council that took power after ousting veteran leader Omar al-Bashir on Thursday. A 10-member delegation representing the protesters delivered their demands during talks late Saturday, according to a statement by umbrella group the Alliance for Freedom and Change. We will continue our sit-in until all our demands are met, including the formation of a fully civilian government, one of the alliances leaders, Omar al-Degier, said in the statement. The umbrella group insists that civilian representatives should be accepted onto the military council, and that a fully civilian government should be formed to run day-to-day affairs. We surely want our demands to be met, but both sides will have to be flexible to reach a deal, said a protester who spent the night at the army complex. Burhan talks the talk On Saturday, the new chief of the military council General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan vowed to dismantle Bashirs regime and lifted a night time curfew with immediate effect. Burhan also pledged that individuals implicated in killing protesters would face justice and that protesters detained under a state of emergency imposed by Bashir during his final weeks in power would be freed. He took the oath of office on Friday after his predecessor General Awad Ibn Ouf stepped down little more than 24 hours after ousting Bashir. Tens of thousands of people have massed outside the army headquarters since April 6, initially to urge the armed forces to back their demand that Bashir be removed. Burhan comes with less baggage from Bashirs deeply unpopular rule than Ibn Ouf. But while celebrating the fall of Bashir and then Ibn Ouf a defence minister and long-time close aide of the deposed president protesters remain cautious. Degier said their demands include restructuring the countrys feared National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), whose chief Salih Ghosh resigned on Saturday. Rights group Amnesty International on Saturday urged the military council to examine Ghoshs actions during a crackdown against protesters during the final weeks of Bashirs rule. It is crucial that Sudans new authorities investigate Salah Ghoshs role in the killings of scores of Sudanese protesters over the past four months, said Amnestys regional director Sarah Jackson. Gulf allies voice support The newly formed 10-member transitional council contains several faces from Bashirs regime. On Saturday evening, the new military ruler named NISS deputy head Jalaluddin Sheikh to the council. He also nominated Mohammad Hamdan Daglo known as Himeidti a field commander for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) counter-insurgency unit, which rights groups have accused of abuses in war-torn Darfur. One of the protesters taking part in the sit-in outside the army headquarters said he was ambivalent about Himeidtis appointment. We dont have many options they (the RSF) have guns, they have money, said Mohamed, who gave only his first name for security reasons. Himeidti was part of the crimes that happened previously but at least now he is on the side of the people, he added. Key regional power-brokers Saudi Arabia and the UAE voiced backing for the transitional council. Burhans nomination reflects the ambitions of the brotherly people of Sudan for security, stability and development, UAE state news agency WAM said. Saudi Arabia has promised an aid package, the Saudi Press Agency reported Saturday. Sudan is part of a UAE and Saudi-led military coalition fighting Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen. That marked a dramatic shift by Khartoum, aligning itself with the Gulf Arab monarchies and dropping close ties with their arch-rival Iran. The International Criminal Court has longstanding arrest warrants against Bashir for suspected war crimes during the regimes brutal campaign of repression in Darfur, where a decade-and-a-half of conflict has killed 300,000 people. Amnesty demanded Saturday the deposed president be handed over to the Court. But the military council has said it would never extradite Bashir or any other Sudanese citizen. The widow of late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, often dubbed the Lady Macbeth of the Balkans, has died in Russia at the age of 76, a friend told AFP on Sunday. I can confirm that unfortunately Mira Markovic passed away, Milutin Mrkonjic, once a close associate of Milosevic and a family friend said by telephone, giving no details. Local media reported that Markovic died in a Moscow hospital. In 2003, Markovic who was known to have a huge influence on her husband left Serbia, where she was charged with abuse of power and was suspected of cigarette smuggling and political assassination. In 2008, Russia granted both her and her son Marko Milosevic political asylum after Serbia issued an international arrest warrant for them in connection with alleged cigarette smuggling. Slobodan Milosevic died in a prison cell in March 2006 while on trial for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity before the UN war crimes court for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague for his key role in the 1990s wars that tore the Balkans apart. Sudans military rulers must immediately transfer power to a new civilian government which should then bring ousted leader Omar al-Bashir to justice, the group that spearheaded protests against him said Sunday. We are calling on the military council to immediately transfer power to a civilian government, the Sudanese Professionals Association said. In a statement, it called on the next transitional government and the armed forces to bring Bashir and all the chiefs of the National Intelligence and Security Service to justice. The SPA demanded that those who carried out the 1989 coup that brought Bashir to power after ousting a democratically elected government must be brought to justice. Those who committed crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur, the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile must face justice, it said. Bashir is wanted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court for genocide and crimes against humanity for his alleged role in the conflict in Darfur. He denies the charges. The acting president of Bashirs National Congress Party, Ahmed Harun, is also wanted by ICC for genocide and crimes against humanity. The SPA said all properties that belonged to the National Congress Party be confiscated along with the partys bank accounts until evidence of corruption is found. We also call on the release of soldiers and officers who took the side of the revolution, it added. MEDFORD, OR -- Monday is the beginning of Disaster Preparedness Week hosted by Red Cross and the Allstate Foundation. Allstate agencies are distributing 10,000 disaster kits throughout the Northwest. About 2,000 of those will be available in Oregon. To help prepare for wildfire season. Plus Allstate it is donating 50,000 dollars to the Oregon Red Cross to help prepare for wildfire season. People who live in Medford can pick up their disaster preparedness starter kit at any participating Allstate agency. Allstate says you can also do these three steps to prepare you and your family. 1) Build a disaster preparedness kit with: 1. Water (one gallon per person, per day) 2. Ready-to-eat, nonperishable food (for family members and pets) 3. Battery-powered or hand-crank radio 4. Flashlight 5. First-aid kit 6. Whistle (to signal for help) 7. Dust mask, plastic sheeting and duct tape 8. Antiseptic and plastic garbage bags with ties (for sanitation) 9. Wrench or pliers 10. Local maps (to locate emergency services and shelters) 11. Extra batteries 12. Prescription medication(s) 2) Create a household emergency evacuation plan: 1. Emergency contact names and numbers mobile and landline. As an extra precaution, everyone in your family should program In Case of Emergency, or ICE, contacts in their mobile phones so emergency personnel can contact them if needed. 2. Family meeting place in your neighborhood and an alternative meeting place in the region 3. Personal details for each family member (date of birth, important medical information, recent photos) 4. Addresses and phone numbers of the places family members frequent on a regular basis (work, school) 5. Contact information for medical providers (doctors, pharmacist, veterinarian) 6. Important medical and insurance information, including photocopies of your medical insurance card(s) 7. For a fill-in-the-blank household emergency plan and cards to download, print and keep close at hand, visit www.ready.gov/make-a-plan. 3) Help your community get ready for a disaster. SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- The community came together Saturday to support a local teen who was hit by an alleged drunk driver last year. The Loyal Order of Moose in Springfield hosted a silent auction and bingo day with all funds raised going to the family of Jimmy Holland. Jimmy was hit by an alleged drunk driver near Harrisburg in December and lost his leg. Doors opened at 11 Saturday morning and they are expecting people to come out all day in support. Mark Holland, who owns the Moose Lodge, says this is the second event they've hosted and that the community always shows up. "It feels great to us that they're all here. They jump in. When we're doing this we never have a shortage of volunteers coming in to help. A bunch of the local businesses donate," Holland said. Jimmy was in attendance for a portion of the event. The last time they hosted a bingo night to raise money for Jimmy they raised over $6,000 and they said they will continue to host events raising money for his recovery. They will be having bingo games until 8 tonight and invite the whole community to come out and help support a local family. South Korea was awarded a $1.02 billion contract to deliver three 1,400-ton submarines to Indonesia, according to multiple press reports. Seoul's Defense Acquisition Program Administration took part in the signing ceremony in Bandung, Indonesia. The deal was signed between South Korean company Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering and the Indonesian government, Newsis reported Friday. The 1,400-ton submarine the South Korean firm will be building for Indonesia is expected to be an upgraded version of the 1,200-ton Type 209 submarine in use in the South Korean navy, according to the report. The Type 209 is a class of diesel-electric attack submarine. The submarine Daewoo is to build will accommodate 40 crewmembers and include eight launchers capable of shooting torpedoes, mines and missiles. The submarines will be delivered to Indonesia by the first half of 2026 and a product of joint construction at PT PAL Indonesia, a shipyard. The contract is the first submarine deal South Korea has been awarded since 2011, when Seoul supplied Jakarta with three submarines. DAPA head Wang Jung-hong said Friday the two countries "once again made mutual reciprocal defense cooperation." Wang also asked Indonesia for "support for the success" of the KFX/IFX fighter aircraft program, a joint venture. News 1 reported Indonesia is a key partner for South Korea, under President Moon Jae-in's New Southern Policy. A source at DAPA told News 1 the government and "related agencies" cooperated closely to obtain the contract. (UPI) By Lee Min-hyung President Moon Jae-in will begin an eight-day trip to three Central Asian countries next week, seeking enhanced ties in economic and political affairs, Cheong Wa Dae said. Starting from Tuesday, Moon will make state visits to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan where he hopes to strengthen strategic partnerships, the presidential house said Sunday. Moon will focus on sharing his New Northern Policy initiative represented by revitalizing economic exchanges with the Central Asian countries. Moon believes improved relations with these countries will also help establish a fresh mood for peace on the Korean Peninsula. For three days from Tuesday, Moon will visit Turkmenistan, where he will meet President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and discuss practical measures for bilateral prosperity and sustainable growth. Moon will then visit Uzbekistan and meet President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Moon will stay there for four days until April 21 and hold a series of meetings to upgrade the relationships. Moon's final stop will be Kazakhstan, where he will hold a summit with new President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Both sides will discuss ways to improve bilateral relations. "President Moon's trip to the three Central Asian countries will give momentum for Korea to further tighten amicable relationships with them and lay the foundation for future partnerships by forming a bond of sympathy on the New Northern Policy initiative," a Cheong Wa Dae official said. Gloria Yoder lives in Flat Rock, Illinois. She likes to cook, bake, garden and being a mom! Readers can send her mail at P.O. Box 157, Middletown, Ohio 45042. For more recipes and information about the Amish lifestyle go to amish365.com. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Windy. Showers this morning with clearing during the afternoon hours. Morning high of 63F with temps falling sharply to near 40. Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low 27F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Trial of Julian Assange -- Who is the Pontius Pilate of Easter 2019? In dramatic anticipation of emergence of a Church of Julian 15 April 2019 | Draft -- / -- Produced to commemorate the arrest and indictment of Julian Assange (London, 11 April 2019). The subsequent development of the argument is presented separately (Crowdsourcing Just Punishment for Julian Assange -- in faithful Christian retribution for daring to speak truth to power, 2020) with a separate indication of web resources (Extradition and Trial of Julian Assange: web resources, 2020). Dramatisation? The ejection of Julian Assange from his refuge of seven years in the Embassy of Ecuador in London in the Easter week of 2019, followed immediately by his arrest by UK authorities, offers the occasion for extensive commentary. Many will celebrate that event in terms of due legal process, many will deplore it as inappropriate -- given the truths of global significance whose dissemination he enabled through WikiLeaks (Explainer: what charges does Julian Assange face, and what's likely to happen next? The Conversation, 12 October 2019; John Pilger, The Assange Arrest is a Warning From History, CounterPunch, 12 April 2019; Ylenia Gostoli, What the 'pursuit of Assange' means for press freedom. Al Jazeera, 13 April 2019; The Observer view on extraditing Julian Assange, The Guardian, 14 April 2019). How better to complement these more conventional commentaries than with a reflection on the drama of the situation in the light of the inspiring story for Christians associated with Easter -- with which the arrest has been so coincidentally timed? One justification for that framing is offered by the perspective of an international lawyer (John Whitehead, From Jesus Christ to Julian Assange: when Dissidents become Enemies of the State, Information Clearing House, 17 April 2019). The argument here is also supported by the view of Church leaders (Patsy McGarry, Current attitudes to truth are similar to those of Pontius Pilate, church leaders say, The Irish Times, 10 April 2017). How then to consider the dynamics of the situation as a drama? Who is taking on the Easter roles -- as periodically considered in Oberammergau, known for its 380-year tradition of Easter Passion Plays every ten years, and for its NATO School? Could Assange's legal difficulties in Sweden be understood to derive from a "passion play"? Who are then the dramatis personae, as in any play? Clearly in revisiting the original Christian drama, there is a case for imaginative creativity and poetic licence. The elements of the narrative, and its actors, call for reinterpretation, however controversial -- to engender a new story with elements as offensive to the practice of human values as that of Easter. Pontius Pilate? If it is Julian Assange who is the focus of the legal process, who then is to be understood as taking on the key role of Pontius Pilate in service to that process? Potential Christian candidates positioning themselves for that role, are the following -- especially in light of the comments they have already made: Rhetorical framings as a drama: From the start, others have referred rhetorically to WikiLeaks events as a "drama", but without framing its dimensions as such: Exploration as a psychodrama? Previous reflections in more specific dramatic terms, to elicit more fundamental learnings, include: As previously argued, myth provides a degree of coherence for many which "rational" discourse can no longer provide for any but the few (Relevance of Mythopoeic Insights to Global Challenges, 2009; The "Dark Riders" of Social Change: a challenge for any Fellowship of the Ring, 2002; Enacting Transformative Integral Thinking through Playful Elegance, 2010). Understanding the fall of the USSR merits exploration in dramatic terms (Gorbachev as Dramaturge: lessons on social transformation for international organizations, 1992). Justification from an imperial perspective? As with Imperial Rome, the USA proudly defends many disputed official initiatives as being lawful. These include extraordinary rendition, imprisonment without trial, enhanced interrogation, targeted assassination, and invasive surveillance of privacy. They are all framed as legitimate measures of self-defence. Their legitimacy has been questioned from a wider perspective, notably by Larry Siems (The Torture Report: what the documents say about America's post-9/11 torture program, 2012) and by Philippe Sands (Lawless World: America and the Making and Breaking of Global Rules, 2005; Torture Team: Rumsfeld's Memo and the Betrayal of American Values, 2008). The matter has been considered before the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal, based on the Nuremberg Charter (Deborah Dupre, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld war criminals verdict Enforcement Phase begins US War Crimes, Examiner.com, 15 May 2012; Yvonne Ridley, Bush Convicted of War Crimes in Absentia, Foreign Policy Journal, 12 May 2012). Given the possible fate of Julian Assange within the US legal system for having allegedly endangered the lives of agents worldwide, it is appropriate to compare that eventuality with the house arrest of Lieutenant William Calley Jr, the only person convicted for the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam. Between 347 and 504 unarmed people were killed by a U.S. Army platoon. The previous effort to imagine the Historical legacy of Barack Obama: Pontius Pilatus XXI? (2013), as mentioned above, considered how Barack Obama was embodying the role of Pontius Pilate in the ongoing drama regarding the higher truths to which Manning-Assange-Snowden appeal and give expression. Given that Donald Trump might now be understood to have token on that role, he can clearly best play out the role of Pilate by maximizing the sense of injustice through emphasizing the legality of the proceedings deployed. The vindictive pretrial initiatives with respect to each of them already makes ever more clearly evident the vacuous nature of the appeals to the letter of the ("Christian") law by which it is hoped to prosecute them -- if their assassinations are not otherwise ensured. Envisaging other elements in the dramatic tale? Given its potential global symbolic significance, possibilities might include: Requisite iconic "special effects"? As considered in greater detail in the earlier argument, in the light of the universal Christian appreciation of the cross as an appropriate symbol of the pain inflicted by authority on Jesus as a truth-teller, the question is what contemporary technology could now best embody the official attitude of the USA to emergent truth. Use of an electric chair might be seen as resembling too closely iconic images of the seated Abraham Lincoln. Some configuration of needles used in that mode of execution might resemble too closely a daily habit of too many American voters. Inspiration for the central symbol of environments in which truth is celebrated in the future might be more imaginatively associated with a combination of the iconic imagery of the popular Star Wars series and the use of waterboarding -- as a seemingly painless preferred modality in the official quest for truth in the USA. As with Jesus on the cross, a degree of elegance needs to be embodied in the imagery for purpose of display. A basis for reflection on the possibility is offered by the character Han Solo, appropriately described by Star Wars creator George Lucas as: a loner who realizes the importance of being part of a group and helping for the common good. The series is widely known for its celebration of a transcendent "Force" -- a binding, metaphysical, and ubiquitous power. The widely known Star Wars drama has been used by John Ringland in a tabulated comparison as reproduced below Two Perspectives on the US / Assange Issue (2019) (reproduced with permission from John Ringland) Truth Wars: the Empire strikes back Security Wars: protecting the Homeland There is a disturbance in the Truth! There is a disturbance in our Security! The Empire has launched operation Neo McCarthyism and dispatched Darth Trump to destroy Julian FactLeaker and the order of the Wiki Knights. The Homeland has launched operation Restore Order and dispatched Emperor Trump to neutralise the threat from Julian Traitor and the Espionage Cult The whole galaxy is in peril! The galaxy will be restored to order! Our hero has been captured by minions of the Empire on a compliant planet called Neo Britannia. The criminal has been detained by friends of the Homeland on an allied planet called Neo Britannia. Soon their arcane rituals will be complete and he will be delivered into the clutches of the Empire and a dire fate. Soon their due process will be complete and he will be delivered into the custody of the Homeland and brought to justice. The Wiki Knights and the scattered Resistance fight valiantly against great odds. The Espionage Cult aid scattered dissidents will not remain a threat for long. All noble beings everywhere steel their resolve and renew their connection to the Truth - their integrity. A minority of dissidents are stubbornly recalcitrant and remain a security threat -- the fanatics. It will take great integrity to push back the lies -- the dark side -- and re-establish Truth throughout the galaxy. The most fanatical amongst them generate fake news -- conspiracy theories -- undermining legitimate authority throughout the galaxy. Can they succeed? Will the people of the galaxy rise to the challenge or will they succumb to operation Neo McCarthyism? Will they get away with this? Will the fanatics attack us or will operation Restore Order bring them to justice? Stay tuned for more ... Stay tuned for more ... In the Star Wars drama, under the orders of Darth Vader, Solo is captured and sealed in carbonite for delivery to Jabba the Hutt -- a process somewhat reminiscent of that desired by US authorities with respect to Assange and Snowden. Manning could already be understood to have long been placed in a form of stasis in anticipation of his show trial. Through incarceration, permanent stasis is now vigorously sought for all three. The practices of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility are also indicative of a form of painful legal stasis officially favoured by the US -- a form of living death -- contrasting strangely with the values embodied in a widely known song (Guantanamera) in celebration of a woman from that area. The "triumvirate" of Manning-Assange-Snowden could be embodied in a single image, resembling that of Han Solo sealed in carbonite (as in a tombstone). This could be appropriately and elegantly displayed under a flow of water in centres in which truth is celebrated in the distant future --- echoing the enhanced interrogation to which the triumvirate are likely to be subjected under the orders of Pontius Pilate XXI. Focal animation of future symbolic celebration of transcendental truth? (tentatively based on an iconic image from Star Wars of Han Solo in carbonite, embellished by a water feature, recalling a method of discovering the truth officially favoured in the USA) Wookieepedia: the Star Wars wiki Animation developed from iconic image inWookieepedia: the Star Wars wiki In December 2013, 11 armed men identifying themselves as federal police broke into Anabel Hernandezs house on a day she happened to be out. The Mexican journalist had long faced threats for investigating her governments ties to drug cartels but decided to finally leave the country, she writes in her book, A Massacre in Mexico: The True Story Behind the Missing Forty-Three Students. She didnt stay away for long. As a journalism fellow at UC Berkeley, Hernandez became fixated on the September 2014 disappearance of 43 students who had been studying at a teachers college in Ayotzinapa, a rural town in southern Mexico. These students and their peers had hijacked buses to attend a demonstration in Mexico City. They were intercepted by police, who began shooting at the buses and ultimately abducted 43 of the students. They were never seen again. Mexican authorities under then-President Enrique Pena Nieto concluded that local police handed the students to a drug cartel that killed them and burned their bodies in a trash dump. Advertisement When I started to read the news and I started to hear this version that the government was giving, I didnt think it was logical, Hernandez told the The Times following a Spanish-language panel at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Saturday about her book, which was published in English in 2018. A small band of criminals takes the decision to attack these students? 1 / 52 Get Lit Words Ignite poet Khamal Iwvanyanwu shares his poetry with passersby at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC on Sunday. The group is based in Koreatown. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 2 / 52 Maria Recarte, of South Los Angeles, enjoys a Sunday afternoon with family and a book at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 3 / 52 Lincoln Choi, 2, of Los Angeles shows his enthusiasm as members from the Urban Voices Project perform at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC on Sunday. The project includes current and former residents of skid row. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 4 / 52 Members of the Urban Voices Project, which includes current and former residents of skid row, perform at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC on Sunday. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 5 / 52 People walk around the USC campus at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Sunday. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 52 Markey Torres, 5, and Sophie Torres, 4, both of Los Angeles, make a book purchase at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC on Sunday. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 7 / 52 Get Lit Words Ignite poets C.E Oldham, from left, Tyris Winter, Khamal Iwvanyanwu and Mila Cudas break into a group poem for passersby at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC on Sunday. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 8 / 52 Times critic Mary McNamara, left, interviews former first daughter Chelsea Clinton, author of the childrens environment book Dont Let Them Disappear, at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC on Sunday. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 9 / 52 Leo Barba, 4, watches family members try on paper mache heads at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC on Sunday. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 10 / 52 Michelle Mauk, left, reads a pop-up book with her son Milo Armes, 6, during the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 52 Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton, author of the childrens environment book Dont Let Them Disappear, made an appearance at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 12 / 52 UC President and former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano discusses her book How Safe Are We: Homeland Security Since 9/11" with L.A. Times Managing Editor Scott Kraft at the Festival of Books at USC on Sunday. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 13 / 52 Le Petit Cirque contortionist Lila Woodard, 13, of Santa Barbara folds herself into a clear box at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC on Sunday. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 14 / 52 Author and actress Amber Tamblyn, author of Era of Ignition: Coming of Age in a Time of Rage and Revolution, speaks during the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books held at USC. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 52 Hasan Paul, 12, peeks into a book for sale during the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 52 People browse books for sale during the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 52 Justine Bateman, author of Fame: The Hijacking of Reality, is interviewed during the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 52 Shiri Davy, left, with Stefani Bulsara, who wrote Radio Gaga. Bulsara wears a CD-covered dress to reflect the books musical theme at the independent author pavilion at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 19 / 52 Kevin Tominaga holds his daughters Lana and Kaya Tominaga, left and right, who watch USCs band perform during the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 52 Samantha Ruzon, of USCs Color Guard, performs during the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 52 Fernando Grimaldo and Elaine Karaelias relax with a copy of Inca Gods and Aliens by Bruce Noon at the Los Angeles Festival of Books at USC. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 22 / 52 Mexican journalist and author Anabel Hernandez talks about A Massacre In Mexico: The True Story Behind the Missing Forty-Three Students, at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 23 / 52 Molly Ash, right, tidies the books at the Book Soup booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 24 / 52 Indie musician Maddie Ross performs at the USC stage at the Los Angeles Festival of Books at USC. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 25 / 52 Biani Martinez Romero, 8, of Los Angeles, watches a virtual-reality movie at the Save L.A. Cougars booth at the Festival of Books at USC. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 26 / 52 Times columnists Chris Erskine, from left, Robin Abcarian, Steve Lopez and Frank Shyong speak on a panel during the L.A. Times Festival of Books. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 52 Valerie Jarrett, former White House senior advisor to President Obama and author of Finding My Voice, is interviewed by the Times White House editor Jackie Calmes at the L.A. Times Ideas Exchange during the Festival of Books. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 28 / 52 Jostin Soto Garcia reads a wall of comments at the L.A. Times Festival of Books at USC. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 52 People pack the USC campus at the L.A. Times Festival of Books. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 52 Erica Reyes, of Silverlake, reads Death Wins a Goldfish, at the L.A. Times Festival of Books at USC. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 52 Hanif Abdurraqib, center, speak during the Drop the Beat: Writing About Music panel along with Greg Mack, Times writer Gerrick D. Kennedy and Will Ashton at the annual L.A. Times Festival of Books. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 52 Valerie Jarrett, former senior White House advisor under President Obama and author of Finding My Voice, is interviewed by Times White House editor Jackie Calmes at the L.A. Times Ideas Exchange during the Festival of Books at USC. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 33 / 52 Attendees laugh with Sandra Cisneros during her appearance at the Festival of Books on Saturday at USC. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 34 / 52 Author Sandra Cisneros drew a crowd during her appearance at the Festival of Books on Saturday at USC. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 35 / 52 Noah McCown, 3, of Glendale, gets a kiss from a marionette during the Festival of Books on Saturday at USC. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 36 / 52 Sophia Tesfalem, 12, gets her face painted by USC Public Safety Cadet Amy Ramirez, 14, during the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Saturday at USC. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 52 Sisters Mia and Diana Palma peruse books for sale during the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Saturday at USC. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 52 Lili Anolik, author of Hollywoods Eve, takes part in a panel discussion titled Los Angeles: The People and Places during the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Saturday at USC. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 39 / 52 Jonah Legere, and Shannon Legere of Long Beach read Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes, together during the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at University of Southern California on Saturday, April 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 52 People pack the USC campus for the L.A. Times Festival of Books on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 52 Author Andrea Beaty takes questions from children in the audience at the L.A. Times Festival of Books at USC on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 52 Judi Rivera of Whittier operates a printing press making a copy of the first issue of the Los Angeles Daily Times at the L.A. Times Festival of Books at USC on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 52 USC student Caroline Sharp, 19, opens a book she just purchased at the L.A. Times Festival of Books on the USC campus Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 52 Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the Los Angeles Times, speaks at the L.A. Times Festival of Books at USC on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 52 Actor Joshua Molina and Alana Newhouse, author of the cookbook The 100 Most Jewish Foods: A Highly Debatable List, at the L.A. Times Festival of Books at USC on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 52 Children are mesmerized as a figure from the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre performs at the L.A. Times Festival of Books at USC on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 52 People pack the L.A. Times Festival of Books at USC on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 52 Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, right, and executive editor Norm Pearlstine on the main stage at the L.A. Times Festival of Books at USC on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 52 William Deverell leads a panel discussion titled Los Angeles: The People and Places That Shaped a City at the L.A. Times Festival of Books at USC on Saturday. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 50 / 52 Times columnist Robin Abcarian, left, speaks with authors Roxane Gay and Laurie Halse Anderson at the Bovard Auditorium during the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 52 Japanese author and illustrator Sunny Seki talks with Jade Monge, 10, at the L.A. Times Festival of Books at USC on Saturday. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 52 / 52 Andrew Sanchez of Los Angeles and Misha Ponnuraju of San Bernadino browse the shelvesat the L.A. Times Festival of Books at USC on Saturday. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) Despite the risk, Hernandez returned to Mexico every month for two years to investigate the case. Hernandezs book and reports from international investigators contend that the government conducted a flawed investigation based on testimonies from tortured suspects. While the government claimed that only local officials were involved in the attack, Hernandez writes in her book that federal police knew of the initial assault against the students as it was happening. During the book festival talk, she raised a motive for the massacre: The students had unwittingly hijacked two buses carrying millions of dollars worth of heroin. A military operation was ordered to recover the drugs following orders from a mafia leader. This case is emblematic because it shows, No. 1, the method of forced disappearance that exists in Mexico, she said. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in December announced the creation of a truth commission to re-investigate the case. Mexicos violence continues to increase, with 2019 looking like it may be the most violent in Mexicos modern history, on track to exceed last years 33,369 killings. Tatiana Estrada, an audience member of Hernandezs L.A. Times En Espanol stage panel at USC, asked Hernandez how the Mexican diaspora should respond to the constant violence. What should citizens do? she asked. Living here, we also have to participate. Hernandez reminded her that after the massacre, Mexicans around the world had burst into protest. We need to raise our collective voice, saying, Hey, government, we havent forgotten the 43 we want to know what happened, where they are, she said. We want the responsible in jail. When Sandra Cisneros stepped onto the main stage at the L.A. Times Festival of Books on Saturday afternoon, she greeted the audience in Spanish first, with a microphone in one hand and a violet hand fan in the other. Gracias a todos! Bienvenidos! For the monolingual, she translated it to: Hello, thank you to all and welcome! And get with the program. Its the new millennium. You need to learn more than one language. Any other language will do, but in this part of the world its very good to have Spanish. Cisneros, the writer whos built a home in the canon of contemporary American literature and in the imaginations of readers, spoke with Times staff writer Esmeralda Bermudez on USCs campus. Advertisement She made her literary debut in 1980 with the poetry chapbook Bad Boys. Four years later, she published The House on Mango Street, a coming-of-age novel about a teenage Mexican American girl in Chicago. The novel, translated into more than 20 languages, has sold millions of copies. L.A. Times Festival of Books is this weekend. Heres everything you need to know before you go Some of her other books include a short-story collection, Woman Hollering Creek, the novel Caramelo, a picture book called Have You Seen Marie? and the memoir A House of My Own: Stories from My Life. Sandra Cisneros drew a large crowd during her appearance at the Festival of Books at USC. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) The 64-year-old, who said she feels she is in the strongest period of her life, has racked up multiple prestigious awards and fellowships. Her most recent accolade is the 2019 International PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature. During Saturdays conversation, Cisneros discussed past work as well as her latest publication Puro Amor, a bilingual chapbook, illustrated with Cisneros original line drawings. The short story is based on Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera with characters named Mister and Missus Rivera, who live in la casa azul (the blue house) with macaws, monkeys, iguanas and hairless dogs. The chapbook is an imaginative look into their daily life and the pure love of their pets. RELATED: Full Festival of Books coverage Like Missus Rivera, Cisneros also feels strongly about her dog. Things of the spirit trees, clouds, dogs, cats they would nurture me much better than the men who saw me as a sexual object, who destroyed a part of me. It took me a long time to heal and become aware, Cisneros said. Elena Poniatowska, an author whom Cisneros calls the Mexican grand dame of letters and her mentor, influenced her choice to center the book on Kahlo. In a lecture, Poniatowska pointed out many noteworthy women who are rarely known. There is a whole generation [of women] post revolution. Frida was one of many wild, brave, artistic women, Cisneros said. During the audience Q&A portion, a high school sophomore asked Cisneros how her work is necessary and relevant to women today. Women in 1920s and 30s Mexico were much more outrageous than women are now. We need to read and find our womens history, our Latina history, Cisneros said. If we knew our history, we would be very empowered. I try in the work that I do to shed a light on historical figures and people that Im interested in. The L.A. Times Festival of Books continues through Sunday on the USC campus. Toyota is closely monitoring breakdowns in the electrical power system of some Prius models, as failures continue to mount across the nation despite a 2014 safety recall that was supposed to fix the problem, according to Toyota documents reviewed by The Times. Dear Liz: Im 64, single, and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I still work full time but due to my health, its getting harder to do. I have a 401(k) from this job. Im just wondering how smart would it be, all things considered, to retire now and collect Social Security since the chances of my living another two to four years dont seem high. What are your thoughts? Answer: A large body of research shows most people are better off delaying Social Security. Your situation may be one of the exceptions, or it may not be. A man age 65 in the U.S. can expect to live, on average, to 84, according to the Social Security Administration. A woman age 65 can expect to live, on average, to nearly 87. Thats beyond the typical break even point, where the benefits of larger Social Security checks for life outweigh the cost of missed checks from not claiming earlier. But most people shouldnt base their claiming strategy on break-even points alone. Dying too soon and not being able to get the maximum payout from Social Security is certainly a risk. But a much bigger risk is longevity. The longer you live, the higher the odds of running short of money and having to get by on Social Security alone. Advertisement Those risks are greater than many people think. A 65-year-old man has a 20% chance of living to age 90, while a 65-year-old woman has a 32% chance, according to the Society of Actuaries. If the man and woman are married, theres a 45% chance that one will live to age 90. Thats why its so important for the higher earner in a marriage to put off claiming as long as possible, since doing so will generate a bigger check for the survivor to live on. (Single people also are exhorted to delay claiming, since they will be living on just one check, rather than two.) People with more education and higher incomes tend to live longer than average, while those in poor health obviously can have shorter life expectancies. A terminal diagnosis certainly changes the math. But you didnt say why you expect to live only two to four more years. Various studies have estimated that Type 2 diabetes could shave five to 10 years off the typical life expectancy, which would still have you living well into your 70s. If you went through your savings as if you were going to live four years but wound up living 14, that last decade could be pretty uncomfortable. None of this means you cant retire now, but like everyone else, you should balance the desire to make the most of the time you have left with the risk that you may live longer than you think. A fee-only financial planner could help you think through the options and run various financial scenarios so you can see how your decisions could play out over time. Student loan forgiveness fail Dear Liz: You recently answered a question from someone who had defaulted on federal student loans. You mentioned ways to get out of default and qualify for income-driven repayment plans that could reduce her monthly payments. Couldnt she also qualify for student loan forgiveness? Answer: There are programs that are supposed to allow federal student loan balances to be forgiven after 10 years of payments for people in public service jobs and after 20 or 25 years for other borrowers. Its questionable how much anyone should count on getting this relief, however. Last year was the first time borrowers qualified for forgiveness under the 10-year public service program, which was enacted under President George W. Bush in 2007. The Department of Education has denied the vast majority of applicants their expected relief. Nearly 40,000 people had applied by Dec. 31 and fewer than 300 people have been approved, according to the Washington Post. Critics say the U.S. Department of Education has set much more rigid standards for approval than anything Congress envisioned when creating the program. Many applicants also relied on erroneous advice given by the private companies that service federal student loans. Its possible that lawsuits, or Congress, will force the Education Department to forgive more of the debt. But if this is what can happen to people who have given a decade of their lives to public service, one has to wonder how much relief other borrowers can expect to get. Liz Weston, certified financial planner, is a personal finance columnist for NerdWallet. Questions may be sent to her at 3940 Laurel Canyon, No. 238, Studio City, CA 91604, or by using the Contact form at asklizweston.com. Distributed by No More Red Inc. The wrong way to redo LACMA Regarding art critic Christopher Knights Time to Scrap the LACMA Redesign Plan [April 9]: I visited LACMA when it first opened. It was exciting for L.A. to have a new art museum. I found the new structures simple and elegant, but the art collection was small and lost in the galleries. The collection has grown and matured, and previous directors have added gallery space to accommodate the growth. But all other additions have just created a mess. So I understand the need and desire to create a new museum. But for this view-blocking, uninspiring, pancake of a building that has less exhibit space than the current buildings, Govan wants to destroy the three original LACMA buildings? I suggest knocking down the other boring buildings to the west, and hire a new architect. Why not Gehry? If the Pereira buildings are truly beyond reconstruction, knock them down and restore the park space that LACMA stole 50 years ago. Dennis van Bremen Advertisement La Crescenta Editors note: On Monday, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved the new design for LACMA. :: Re: The Art of Paying More for Less [April 2] by Christopher Knight: Size does matter. I guess that reducing the museum to house a fifth of its collection makes sense to some. But LACMA stands for so much more than just a building with an art collection. Keeping its collection hidden from the public is criminal, and that crime will occur with this new redesign. The art will suffer most and then the public. You might want to ask yourself, Do I go to a museum for the art or for the building that houses it, or perhaps both? I think the answer to that question will determine the future for LACMA. Sherry Davis Playa Vista :: Your article hit the problem spot-on. Curatorial must be in the museum; storage, conservation and publication offices too. To remove the keepers of the art from the building undermines the very purpose of the scholar-curator role. Curators are, and should be, at the heart of the museum, in daily contact with their objects of study. LACMA has cramped offices as it is. Vast expanses of empty and impractical marble hallways are a paean to architectural ideas of clean space. They are not practical for an evolving public space that has multiple uses. Paying star architects to interpret space is always for the greater glory of the director. Collections deserve architects with vision, careful planning and budgeting that reflects the real world. Hollywood millionaires arent using the museum to learn; schoolchildren and families are. Lisa Banner Northridge Motley Crue deserves better Regarding Chris Bartons Underrated/Overrated [April 7] and rest of the Motley Crue-bashing Calendar: First, there was the Lorraine Alis March 22 biased and downright bitter review of The Dirt on Netflix; now, theres this snippy dig at the the band itself by Chris Barton in his column. If you dont like The Dirt, fine. But Motley Crue was more than just a flash-in-the-pan hair band. They were the hair band. And they werent just a 1990s band. Their first album came out in 1981, well before the hair band craze, which they arguably started. Their last album came out in 2008. And all of their songs were consistent every Motley Crue song is a Motley Crue song, just like a Rolling Stones song is a Rolling Stones song and a Led Zeppelin song is a Led Zeppelin song. So because Netflix made a bad movie adaptation of a bad book doesnt mean the band that the book was based on is bad. David Brant Lake Arrowhead Writers who disrespect rock Apart from Randy Lewis and Randall Roberts, pop music critics at The Times habitually drop casual slights against rock music into their articles. For example: Mikael Wood recently labeled Bob Seger a fuddy-duddy for the sin of playing Bob Seger songs in concert [Bob Segers Deep Catalog of Hits has Worn Well, Feb. 28]. Now, August Browns article about soul-rocker Pete Wilde [Rocker with a Touch of Prince, April 6] asserts that rock influenced by soul music is a genre so fetishized by the boomer power brokers that Wildes peers are protesting against. If your critics think rock is a pox on todays musical landscape and needs to be ignored and forgotten, it would be far more interesting and useful to see them argue the case in full-length commentaries backed by examples and evidence, rather than with snide assertions. Better yet, let Lewis and Roberts face off against Brown and Wood in a public point-counterpoint. That would be fun. Mike Boehm Huntington Beach Editors note: Mike Boehm is a former Arts writer for Los Angeles Times Calendar. Wind review blew by original Why was there no reference to the brilliant 1928 silent film The Wind, in Noel Murrays review of the new film The Wind? [Paranoia on the Vast, Lonely Plains, April 5], despite a very similar, though apparently less well executed, plot. The 1928 classic psychological study starred Lillian Gish and Lars Hanson. It was the last silent movie of Lillian Gishs career and directed by the renowned Victor Sjostrom. Even a capsule review should point readers to the riveting 1928 film. While otherwise informative, Murrays review didnt even note that the current version is clearly a remake. Emily Culpepper Pomona Walked out of Rednecks play Regarding A Familys Love Put to the Test [April 9]: It would have been helpful if Charles McNulty had reviewed the play Poor Yella Rednecks, rather than just provide a synopsis of the plot line. In 27 seasons as subscribers to South Coast Repertorys Segerstrom Stage, we have never walked out on a production. We left this one at intermission. The performances and production values were of high quality, as always, but the writing was very poor. It felt like an assault of F-bombs (dozens of them in the first act). A production of this type should have appeared on the smaller Argyros Stage. There are too many good to great plays out there to justify subjecting theatergoers to this sort of tripe. Program a classic if something contemporary isnt available. Marcia Goodman Long Beach A big hand for bridge I just wanted to mention how much the Calendar Bridge feature means to me. It is a part of my life that I enjoy each morning, except Sundays (and I miss it on Sunday). I first read and test my skill on the bridge question section. Then I cover two of the hands and bid the contract and compare my bid to the experts. I then play the hand and and compare my play again to the expert. I am 74 years old and a retired manager of software engineering. I am still active and relatively sharp, and I think thats in part to your bridge column. I truly thank you again for providing this valuable part of your great newspaper. John Cairns Huntington Beach Where have the Nielsen ratings gone? What happened to the list of TV ratings? I noticed it missing a couple weeks ago too. I hope this is not something you are going to drop. I enjoy seeing where the shows I watch land in the ratings. Wendy Mollett Studio City Editors note: The TV Ratings story and chart are published as space allows. The conversation continues online with comments and letters from readers at latimes.com/calendarfeedback calendar.letters@latimes.com Like Jon Snow making the trek back to Winterfell, Game of Thrones returned home Friday night to Belfast, the Northern Ireland city that has been the series main production base for most of the past decade. For the first (and last) time in eight seasons, the HBO series held its European premiere at Waterfront Hall overlooking the River Lagan. While the event was more modest than the one at Radio City Music Hall in New York City last week, it held a special sentimental value for the cast particularly locals such as actors Conleth Hill and Richard Dormer and several hundred crew members in attendance. We feel honored and fortunate to call Belfast our home and we are forever joyful to be a member of the mighty Belfast family, said executive producer Bernadette Caulfield before the screening. Advertisement Caulfield oversaw production out of Titanic Studios in the same massive space where the doomed ship was built and in dozens of picturesque locations around the countryside. With its scope, ambition, meticulous craftsmanship and eye-popping budget, the series has been a boon to the local industry and helped develop a new generation of homegrown talent in all aspects of production. It has also helped turn the city, once known for sectarian violence, into a filmmaking hub and major tourist attraction. Theres been a lot of talk about legacy this week, and the legacy we are proudest about is the legacy of the crew that has progressed in leaps and bounds, Caulfield said. Sadly, it is time for some of us to leave. However, we are leaving richer in spirit, richer in friendship and filled with pride for all we did here together, hand in hand with Northern Ireland, she added. We thank you, Northern Ireland, for the best years of our life. FULL COVERAGE: The final season of Game of Thrones Nathalie Emmanuel dances with her infant niece at the premieres after-party. (Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic for HBO) At a party afterward, Thrones stars Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) and Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) cavorted hand in hand. Nathalie Emmanuel (who stars as Missandei, an advisor to Emilia Clarkes Daenerys Targaryen) swayed to the music while clutching her infant niece, who wore ear-protecting headphones. Bartenders dressed in Dorne-style tunics and scarves poured shots of White Walker, a Game of Thrones-themed whisky (alas, from Scotland, not Ireland). A massive throne sculpted from willow dominated the room, while a matching trio of sinuous dragons hung from the ceiling. Each piece took artist Bob Johnston three months to construct by hand, using different varieties of willow grown on his farm in Moneyrea, just outside Belfast. Hed spent a year of his life crafting the sculptures, which will go on display at the Ulster Museum. The show had a massive effect on Northern Ireland, he said. The legacy will go on for many, many years. Theres a real pride in the whole country because of Game of Thrones. Artist Bob Johnstons willow throne. (Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic for HBO) Other attendees included Sue Perkins, former host of The Great British Baking Show and host of a Game of Thrones-themed talk show that airs on Sky Atlantic in the UK. Asked who she hopes will ultimately claim the Iron Throne, she said, In this weird way, and its a testament to the shows brilliance, Im rooting for everyone. Because everybody has my heart in some way. But she admitted that Cersei both a badass villain and bereaved mother was her favorite character. Shes fighting for something from the ashes of her life to make something count. Perkins was joined at the party by Candice Brown, who won The Great British Baking Show in 2016. The two bonded over their love of Game of Thrones during filming of the somewhat less deadly yet still quite intense competition. When they first come into the tent, theyre always so scared, Perkins said of contestants on the show. Our job, which you dont see onscreen, you have to make very quick contact with people and find common ground. [Brown] just went, I watch Game of Thrones. And it just became dragon, dragon, dragon. So we bonded. Perkins was pleased to be visiting Belfast for the first time, and decided it would not be her last. Im obsessed with it, she said. For me, as a people person, thats how I judge a place. meredith.blake@latimes.com Follow me @MeredithBlake Activists are upset that Pastor Rick Warrens Saddleback Church in Orange County is hosting Rwandan President Paul Kagame at Sundays service in remembrance of the 1994 genocide in the east African country, blaming the countrys leader for brutally suppressing his opponents to save his dictatorship. Warren invited Kagame to speak as we join our Rwandan brothers and sisters in remembering the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and thank God together for the renewal the country has experienced over the last 25 years, according to an announcement of the event. The president was scheduled to talk at morning services and a reception afterward. Warren, bestselling author of The Purpose Driven Life who has hosted presidents at his Christian megachurch in Lake Forest, was expected to interview Kagame on stage. Why would he give attention to someone who has closed thousands of churches and who has consistently denied human rights to his own people? questioned Aristide Rwigara, the younger brother of Diane Rwigara, who ran against Kagame for president and whom he imprisoned along with her mother and sister after he came to power, according to her family. Advertisement This cannot go unchallenged. Warren is a global figure, and if you want to wear the mantle of spiritual leadership, why would you do this? I used to think he was the real deal, and then I found out that he backed the government a government that stifles all manner of opposition, that has no humanity, said Rwigara, who lives in Los Angeles where he works as a translator. A spokesperson for the church could not be reached for comment. Kagame has ruled Rwanda since 2000. He led the Rwandan Patriotic Front, a rebel force that took control of the capital, Kigali, during the 1994 genocide and ended the massacre in which 800,000 people were killed by dominant Hutu forces over a three-month period. Kagame has been credited with revitalizing his countrys economy, boosting access to healthcare and education and pushing for more women to get involved in politics 64% of Rwandan legislators are women, the highest around the world. But critics say he is also the driver of an authoritarian regime where opponents are routinely jailed or killed under mysterious circumstances. In 2016, Kagame announced to the nation that he would seek a third presidential term after Rwandas parliament voted in favor of changes to the constitution that could allow him to run and stay in power until 2034. Critics say Warren serves as a personal advisor to Kagame, noting that his own son lived and was educated in Rwanda. They think this guy is a savior, but theyre wrong. To invite him is like inviting Hitler to a Holocaust remembrance event, said Christine Coleman, a pastor and human rights activist from Rwanda who now leads the Blazing Holy Fire Church in suburban Denver. Coleman had been organizing opposition against the Saddleback gathering and said she didnt believe a pastor should invite such a wicked person into his church. Why should people listen to a man who does not even allow his own citizens to dissent freely? carlos.lozano@latimes.com A 26-year-old pickup truck driver was held today on $2-million bond in connection with the hit-and-run death of a Lime scooter rider in Hollywood. Jared Walter Anderson was booked at the Los Angeles Police Departments Jail Division in the 3:50 a.m. crash at Vine Street and Sunset Boulevard, according to sheriffs inmate information. A police sergeant reportedly saw a Ford F-150 hit a 31-year-old man on a scooter, back up, roll the victim over and flee the scene, KABC7 reported. The sergeant chased the driver and arrested him. Advertisement The scooter rider was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the coroners office said. To the editor: I cannot disagree with the assertions by John Yoo and James Phillips about the whys behind the original establishment of the electoral college. But the fact that some Democrats now seeking to abolish it may have missed some historical nuances in no way justifies its continued existence. Thats a false equivalency. The authors acknowledge that in two recent presidential elections, the victor lost the popular vote and, astonishingly, that the electoral college at least dilutes democracy. The electoral college, like the allocation of two senators per state regardless of population, is a remnant of an agrarian age, and it makes no sense to retain it. Jennifer Pinkerton, Glendale Advertisement .. To the editor: Rather than scrapping the electoral college, it could be made much more equitable with a simple adjustment. Congressional districts are apportioned by population. However, each state gets two senators regardless of size, and the number of electors per state is equal to its total congressional representation. If electoral votes were determined only by the number of a states House districts, the final outcome of a presidential election may more accurately reflect the will of the voters. Currently, Wyoming (population 577,000) casts three electoral voters, which comes to one per 192,000 residents. California (population 39.5 million) gets 55 votes, or one per 718,000 residents. Under this revised plan, Wyomings one electoral vote, because it has one House representative, would represent 577,000 residents, and each of Californias 53 votes would represent 745,000 people. This is not perfect, and it would not mollify those endorsing direct elections, but is much more equitable than the system we have today. Richard Shafarman, Santa Clarita .. To the editor: Leave it to Yoo to co-author an op-ed article torturing readers with an illogical argument. Yoo and Phillips decry the partisan agenda intended to demonize the current system of electing the president. They assume that Democrats would reverse their stance if their candidate lost the popular vote but won in the electoral college. They cannot know this because it has never happened. The writers depend heavily on historical analysis, largely neglecting the fact that 230 years have passed since the adoption of the Constitution. Education, at least through high school, is now almost universal, and communications about current events are nearly instantaneous. Whether slavery was or wasnt partially responsible for the establishment of the electoral college is totally irrelevant. Whats most relevant is that my vote, as a resident of California, carries only about one-fourth the weight of any resident of Wyomings. Twice since 2000 the U.S. has elected a president who lost the popular vote, and twice we have paid dearly for this convoluted, out-of-date, undemocratic system. Ronald P. Wolff, Claremont .. To the editor: One justification for the electoral college is that without it, candidates would focus on large states at the expense of small states. But while large states such as California and New York are ignored, so are smaller states such as Montana, Wyoming, Mississippi and Alabama because they are not swing states. In general elections, everyone is ignored except for a few undecided voters in several swing states. Large corporations like Walmart, Starbucks and McDonalds dont just sell in urban coastal areas, they sell everywhere. Without the electoral college, candidates would have to sell themselves everywhere too. Davis D. Danizier, Oceanside Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook A bipartisan group of House members has questioned the Trump administrations new system for detecting anthrax or other airborne biological weapons warning it could be even less reliable than the nations existing, problem-plagued BioWatch program. In a letter to Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of Homeland Security, the four lawmakers cited a Los Angeles Times article from Feb. 15 that they said raised questions and concerns about the departments approach. The article disclosed that Homeland Security is moving to replace BioWatch with devices that frequently cant distinguish between deadly pathogens and airborne pollen or paper dust, increasing the likelihood of false alarms. The devices also failed in testing to detect tiny, unclumped anthrax spores the type that a skilled terrorist or state-sponsored biowarfare program might produce. Advertisement In the three-page letter, sent late Friday, the House members said the details raise concerns that Homeland Security would replace BioWatch with an even less reliable system, one that could increase the risk of state and local authorities being forced to respond to more false alarms. The group asked McAleenan to provide a briefing to discuss the basis for installing BioDetection 21 as a potential replacement system for BioWatch. The letter was signed by Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and three members of the panel Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.). The letter also asked McAleenan to furnish a copy of a report that was prepared by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory on behalf of Homeland Securitys scientific staff. The report documented that the devices that would be used in BioDetection 21 correctly detected small particles of viral material simulating smallpox or other deadly viruses that could be weaponized in only eight of 168 attempts. The letter also noted shortcomings with BioWatch, which was installed in cities nationwide after the 2001 anthrax letter attacks, which killed five people, infected 17 others and caused closures of scores of government buildings and U.S. mail facilities. The letter cited a 2015 report by the Government Accountability Office that identified 149 false alarms by BioWatch and uncertainty about the systems ability to detect an actual attack. In each of the false alarms, officials at the scene ultimately decided BioWatch was at fault. The GAO conducts investigations and audits for Congress. BioDetection 21 has been championed as a replacement system by James F. McDonnell, an assistant secretary of Homeland Security. He has said the new devices are being put in 12 U.S. locations, although they have not been identified. McDonnell has said he hopes to replace BioWatch and have as many as 9,000 of the new detection devices operating by 2025. In an interview in February, McDonnell said problems with the system will be fixed as it is rolled out. Part of what Im reining in the scientists a little bit on is, Dont let perfection be the enemy of the good, McDonnell said at the time. He could not be reached for comment Saturday about the congressional letter. david.willman@latimes.com POSITION OPEN: Pliable leader sought for large, dysfunctional federal department. Must manage 240,000 unhappy employees in an environment of high-decibel chaos. Ideal candidates will accept unachievable goals on impossible deadlines: halt illegal immigration, deter asylum seekers from heading north, and stop all drug trafficking. Also, in your spare time, prevent terrorist attacks. The ability to project toughness a plus, including willingness to separate children from their parents. Familiarity with federal law and congressional oversight optional. Job tenure likely to be nasty, brutish and short. Apply to White House Personnel Office. Would any sane person want this job? Advertisement The secretary of Homeland Security has a thankless task under the best of circumstances. He or she oversees a poorly knit empire of agencies from the Coast Guard (founded in 1790) to the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency (2018). The mission is to keep America safe from terrorists at least that was the idea when Congress created the Homeland Security Department in 2002 in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. But President Trump has focused on only one piece of the departments vast mandate: enforcing immigration laws amid a sudden surge of asylum seekers. And hes made it virtually impossible for any secretary to succeed. The president wants his underlings to stop all unauthorized entries into the United States overnight, but theres no practical way to make that happen. His first solution was to build a big beautiful wall on the border, but he couldnt persuade a Republican Congress to pay for one. Hes proposed scrapping the law that guarantees asylum seekers a court hearing, but that would require new legislation and he has consistently proven unable to get Congress to pass new laws. Now his aides are proposing new regulations that would allow the government to hold children longer and deport asylum seekers faster but all those new rules will face challenges in court. Over the last two years, judges have regularly blocked similar schemes. No future Homeland Security leader will succeed at meeting his goals because the president doesnt know what fixing the border means, Juliette Kayyem, a former assistant secretary of Homeland Security, told me. The result has been chaos and not just at the border. Last weekend, Trump fired Kirstjen Nielsen, the hard-liner who had carried out his policy of separating children from their parents. But the leadership gap is much deeper and more alarming. Theres no Senate-confirmed deputy secretary, the No. 2 job, and no undersecretary for management, the No. 3 job. Theres no commissioner for Customs and Border Protection, no director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, no Secret Service director, no administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. EDITORIAL: Nielsens departure is just more chaos from the White House Even before the latest purge, Homeland Security had a reputation as one of the most dysfunctional parts of the federal government. On surveys of employee satisfaction, it ranks last on a list of 17 departments. Its hard to measure the effectiveness of a federal agency, especially when it comes to solving a problem as complex as terrorism. But heres a metric: As one of his first acts in office, Trump ordered Homeland Security to hire 15,000 more border agents and immigration officers. Two years later, staffing levels have remained static. Customs and Border Protection, which was supposed to expand by 5,000 people, paid a recruiting firm $19 million and reaped only 58 new hires. Former Homeland Security officials worry that the presidents single-minded focus on immigration has sapped the departments attention to other threats. Its a case of myopia on the border, Kayyem said. The irony is that it is borderless threats that pose the greatest challenge climate change, pandemics, cyberattacks and terrorism. One reason Nielsen was cashiered, it appears, is that she wasnt spending all her time on immigration. Thats not a good lesson for her successor. Assuming there is one. All this chaos is going to deter anyone on the A-list from being interested, another former official said. The B-list too. Why would you put up with the hassle if you may get fired at any time? So who wants the job? Stephen Miller, Trumps grim-faced chief advisor on immigration, doesnt appear to want it. He already has a better spot in the White House, which gives him power without responsibility. Rick Perry, the secretary of Energy, has been mentioned, but hes from Texas, so he knows too much about the border to endorse harebrained solutions. In the last presidential campaign, Perry said a border wall was a dumb idea and warned that Trump had a fundamental misunderstanding of immigration. The safest choice might be Kevin McAleenan, the current acting secretary. McAleenan is a hard-liner too he administered last years family separation policy but he has cordial relationships with Democrats in Congress. Or if the president wants a firebrand, he could choose Kris Kobach, the former vice chairman of a Trump-appointed commission that tried and failed to find evidence of what the president insisted was widespread voter fraud in the 2016 election. Kobach, who lost a bid to become governor of Kansas last year, has been virtually campaigning for the Homeland Security job on Fox News, offering Trump-style ideas like setting up detention camps to house thousands of migrants in FEMA emergency trailers. At least hed be in sync with the president. But hell still be almost certain to fail. Dont say nobody warned him. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris released 15 years of tax returns on Sunday, offering a glimpse into how the California public servant ascended the financial ranks to become a multimillionaire. The documents span the entirety of Harris career in elected office, from her $142,000 salary as San Francisco district attorney in 2004 to her current post as U.S. senator. Harris and her husband, Los Angeles-based attorney Douglas Emhoff, jointly reported more than $2 million in income last year, for which they paid nearly $700,000 in taxes. The tax returns, released before the April 15 tax deadline, mark the most sweeping look yet at a presidential contenders personal finances, edging out Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Kirsten Gillibrand, who each have released more than a decades worth of tax documents. Advertisement Sen. Bernie Sanders, an early front-runner for the 2020 Democratic nomination, said he would release 10 years of returns by Monday. Meanwhile, Democrats ratcheted up pressure on President Trump to hand over copies of his tax returns. Trump famously bucked decades of tradition by declining to divulge his returns during his 2016 campaign or since he entered office. On Saturday, Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig demanding six years of the presidents personal and business returns within 10 days. This request is about policy, not politics, Neal wrote in the two-page letter. He cited a 1924 law that says the Treasury Department, which includes the IRS, shall furnish tax returns to Congress when requested. Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said last weekend that lawmakers would never see Trumps returns. Harris full disclosure is a stark contrast to Trump, her campaign said. The California senator also supports a proposed federal law that would require a presidents tax returns be made public. Harris taxes were relatively straightforward in her early years of elected office. Her income as district attorney climbed from around $142,000 to just over $260,000 during her two terms in office; her average effective tax rate at the time was around 20%. Her income dipped to about $160,000 when she took office as state attorney general in 2011, and fell further the next two years. Harris made no charitable contributions her first three years in that job. After her marriage to Emhoff in 2014, Harris fortunes grew substantially. That year, the couple reported more than $1.3 million in income and paid more than $410,000 in taxes. They reported giving more than $60,000 to charity, including $15,000 to the American Cancer Society. Those donations dropped in subsequent years, ranging from around $18,000 to $37,000. The bulk of the giving was through Emhoffs law firms; other favorite causes include UNICEF and Harris and Emhoffs respective alma maters, Howard University and USC. Emhoff, a litigator specializing in intellectual property, was a partner at the firm Venable before he joined DLA Piper last year. The returns show Emhoff earning at least $1 million each year for his work. In the five years the couple have filed joint returns, they have paid more than $2 million in taxes, with an average effective tax rate of more than 30%. Also boosting the family coffers was Harris most recent book, The Truths We Hold. Harris was paid more than $730,000 for the memoir and a companion childrens book, which were released in January. She reported more than $400,000 in expenses relating to the project. The tax returns are just the latest insight into Harris finances, supplementing the disclosures that she and other members of Congress must file annually. Harris most recent U.S. Senate filing for 2017 said that the couple held somewhere between $2.2 million and $5.4 million in assets, split among bank accounts, mutual funds, retirement plans and Emhoffs partnership stake in Venable. The U.S. Senate disclosure did not include real estate, but listed more than $2.1 million in three mortgages taken out by the couple. President Trump still likes the idea of transferring immigrants in the U.S. illegally to so-called sanctuary cities like San Francisco, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Sunday. But she portrayed the notion as a burden-sharing strategy that the Democrats should welcome rather than a plan designed to punish political adversaries like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco). Senior Democrats pushed back on the idea, previously rejected by administration lawyers in internal White House deliberations, as probably illegal and emblematic of the administrations failure to conceive of a fair and coherent immigration policy. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, described the administrations policymaking on immigration as built around crises that the president had created. Advertisement This is again his manufactured chaos that hes created over the last two years on the border, Thompson said on ABCs This Week. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, suggested senior White House aide Stephen Miller should be summoned to testify about deliberations behind Trumps overarching immigration strategy. Probably Steve Miller, who seems to be the boss of everybody on immigration, ought to come before Congress and explain some of these policies, Nadler said on CNNs State of the Union. That comment may have been calculated to touch on a sensitive point: Trump has a well-known aversion to ceding too much of the spotlight to underlings. The president last week made a point of saying that theres only one person running immigration policy, and its me. Sanders, interviewed on ABCs This Week, offered a variation on the administrations long-standing contention that Democrats oppose any form of border security, saying it logically followed that they should embrace an influx of those detained during or after an attempted entry to the United States. Democrats, she said, have said they want these individuals into their communities, so lets see if it works and everybody gets a win out of it. In the same interview, she cited the need to take away some of that burden on all of the communities that are along the border. The president likes the idea, Sanders said of the sanctuary cities proposal. But she added that it was not an ideal solution. Immigration advocates argued that the idea, if implemented, would backfire on Trump because it would deliver immigrants here illegally to communities that would refuse to turn them over to immigration agents for deportation. The immigrants then would be free to go anywhere in the country. Kellyanne Conway, a senior counselor to the president, said Congress was unserious about addressing border issues, including the enormous strains the arrival of thousands of Central American families have put on the immigration system. Conway said on NBCs Meet the Press that she had a message for would-be asylum seekers, particularly mothers with young children: Dont come. Trump, who publicly endorsed the sanctuary cities idea Friday, said Saturday on Twitter that his administration had the absolute legal right to carry out such a transfer. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who is running for president, said that even if it were legal, Trumps tactic wouldnt work. You cant threaten somebody with something theyre not afraid of, Inslee said on Meet the Press. He said progressive areas of the country the president was seeking to target were not afraid of diversity. We relish it. laura.king@latimes.com Twitter: @laurakingLAT Jordan Wetzel lost her younger sister to terminal brain cancer six years ago. Since then Wetzel has wanted to write a book sharing what its like to be a cancer sibling. For the record: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Mckenna Claire Wetzel died of terminal brain cancer eight years ago. It was six. Now nearing the end of her final year at Edison High School in Huntington Beach, Wetzel will present her self-published book, Butterfly Sisters: The Life of Pediatric Cancer Siblings, to a panel of judges Saturday for her senior project. The assignment was a gateway for Wetzel to begin and follow through with her passion project. When I started the book I didnt know what I was going to write about, Wetzel, now 18, said. I started with my family story and built up to my own story and then added other cancer siblings to it. In 2011, Mckenna Claire Wetzel, 7, was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a tumor found at the base of the brain. Mckenna died six months after she was diagnosed, two weeks before her eighth birthday. Jordan Wetzel with her sister, Mckenna, in an undated photo. (Courtesy of the Wetzel family) Since then the family has created the Mckenna Claire Wetzel Foundation and run it out of their Huntington Beach home. Throughout the year-long book process, Wetzel dedicated about 784 hours to writing, interviewing cancer siblings, rewriting, editing and publishing. It was cathartic but grueling, she said, but she was determined to offer a different perspective in her book. I feel like cancer siblings dont get much appreciation when it comes to the cancer world, Wetzel said, describing them as silent supporters. In the headlines, its always about the parents and the kids themselves theres never talk about siblings. Jordan Wetzel, a senior at Edison High School, self-published this book about losing her sister, Mckenna Claire, 7, to brain cancer. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot) While at first hesitant, Wetzel said she needed to include that she visits a therapist because cancer siblings often keep feelings to themselves. Wetzel tries explaining the confusion she felt when she first heard of her sisters diagnosis. Then she describes how she burst into tears when she saw Mckennas cells in a petri dish after the family decided to donate Mckennas brain to Stanford University for research. Apart from the harsh realities of cancer, Wetzel recounts visiting Hawaii with her family because of a wish granted by the Make A Wish Foundation and selling lemonade on her street with Mckenna. Its hard to explain a sister, Wetzel said, but its someone who is always going to be there, no matter what happens. And I feel like shes still watching and encouraging me. When her mother offered to help edit her rough drafts or her dad wanted to get a quick read of what she had written so far, Wetzel explained that she wanted the project to be something she did entirely on her own. Even after she presents her book to a panel of judges for a letter grade, Wetzel plans to keep raising awareness and helping other cancer siblings. Her next goal is to create a pen pal system specifically for cancer siblings, she said. Priscella.Vega@latimes.com Twitter: @vegapriscella Newport Beach wants to mount an educational campaign for people who fly drones. The remote-controlled, camera-equipped aircraft are popular for seeing the citys coast with a birds-eye view. But privacy, noise and safety concerns about the buzzing, hovering devices sent the topic before the City Council this week, starting a discussion on how to control drone use. Resident Erica Lowe said she has called police about drone users a few times. She wants recreational drone flights banned. These things are a complete nuisance. They are an invasion of privacy, she said. You can be sitting outside and you can hear these things directly right over you. Ive seen them on numerous occasions, sometimes multiple, three, four at a time. Mayor Kevin Muldoon suggested analyzing existing rules and a model ordinance crafted by the Assn. of California Cities - Orange County, but not passing new laws. In many cases, its just going to be an educational opportunity to tell the person who just bought their cool new drone they cant fly it that way. I mean, for a lot of individuals thats what it is; its a toy, he said during Tuesdays council meeting. Id prefer to see a memo brought back on this item, and if we have the tools already in place with existing legislation and ordinances, see if we can move forward with an enforcement mechanism thats agreeable to the Police Department. The Federal Aviation Administration governs recreational and commercial drone use. Commercial drone pilots, who fly them for commissioned photo or video work such as high-angle shots for real estate listings, must have a remote pilot certification from the FAA. But most users are hobbyists and generally unaware of the federal rules, said Lt. Damon Psaros of the Newport Beach Police Department. For the most part, drone users even recreational ones in Newport Beach must run detailed flight plans past the air traffic control tower at John Wayne Airport. Thats because federal restrictions on airspace within five miles of an airport are relatively tight. Almost all of Newport Beach is within that five-mile bubble, except for the Santa Ana River jetty near the border with Huntington Beach, a small area on the southern tip of town and the area immediately around the Newport Pier. Some state and local laws can govern drone use, Psaros said. A state statute allows police to arrest drone pilots if theyre interfering with an emergency response. General state laws on eavesdropping, trespassing and stalking also could cover misuse of drones. A Newport Beach city code requiring filming permits for commercial photography also could regulate their use. Kelsey Brewer, policy manager for the Assn. of California Cities - Orange County, offered the association as a resource to Newport leaders if they want to further tackle drones. Last year, the association, in partnership with the FAA, developed a model drone ordinance that has been adopted by nine Orange County cities along with towns in Texas, Tennessee and North Carolina, Brewer said. Huntington Beach is considering using the associations framework. One of the reasons that our drone ordinance was considered to be a model by the FAA is because it didnt add additional regulatory schemes to what already existed, Brewer said. For cities, that means finding generally applicable state or other rules on privacy, noise and other issues and educating police and residents on how they could apply locally. A drone flies over Laguna Beach, which has detailed rules for the use of remote-controlled aircraft. (File Photo ) Laguna Beach, which is more than five miles from John Wayne Airport, has crafted its own restrictions. It bans drone use without a commercial drone pilots certification over all city beaches and several of its parks. It also addresses privacy, harassment and recklessness concerns. Irvine, about half of which is within the airports five-mile controlled space, defers to federal rules but does require commercial pilots to have a city business license. Newport Beach Councilman Scott Peotter acknowledged that drones can be a problem but he also supported a light touch. If we dont need to pass an ordinance to accomplish our enforcement, thats great. If we do need to clarify, thats great, he said. If we just need to sign a couple of areas a little bit better so the newbies know what they need to do, maybe even giving them the number of the tower over at John Wayne. Even outside the five-mile radius of controlled airspace, low-flying aircraft such as Coast Guard helicopters and planes towing advertising banners can make drone use risky, Psaros said. Mayor Pro Tem Marshall Duffy Duffield said his son, a commercial helicopter pilot, is absolutely paranoid of these drones. Private aircraft and small helicopters are made paper-thin, Duffield said. Theyre not engineered to hit anything. hillary.davis@latimes.com Twitter: @Daily_PilotHD If Peter Blake hadnt been getting sworn in to the Laguna Beach City Council on Dec. 4, he would have been exhibiting art. His Peter Blake Gallery was opening an exhibit that night at Design Miami/, a high-end design fair in Florida that showcases artists from around the world. Showing off his re-created design of Walt Disneys animation studio would have been more Blakes forte. But he appeared smiling before a packed audience in the council chamber, sporting a tie, a black suit and his signature thick-rimmed glasses. Politics is a new art form for him. The first vote I ever cast was for myself, he said. Blake, 54, received 4,881 votes in the Nov. 6 council election, more than the two other winners six-term incumbent Toni Iseman and former planning commissioner Sue Kempf surprising even himself. I didnt think I would win, he said. My personality isnt one that can be constricted or confined. A lot of people that knew me well and knew what the job entailed all said the same thing: Your temperament is all wrong. After he announced his candidacy, Blake received a torrent of both support and animosity from around the city in what he called the ugliest campaign. Residents took to social media to rail against him and other candidates. For nearly every negative comment directed at him, Blake fired back. He eventually was kicked off Nextdoor, a social networking service for neighborhoods. When they go low, I go lower, he said. Blake pitted himself against Village Laguna, a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving the citys historic buildings and downtown. The group endorsed Iseman and Ann Christoph for council. I think the biggest mistake the council is making is allowing the small group called Village Laguna to put a stranglehold on our village for the last two decades, Blake said at a Village Laguna-sponsored candidates forum in September. Johanna Felder, president of Village Lagunas board of directors, said Thursday that the organization has never controlled the City Council or city employees. She noted that of the groups endorsed council candidates, only Iseman won. Hes ignorant about Village Laguna, Felder said of Blake. What he says, its not true. A new political action committee, Liberate Laguna, endorsed Blake and Kempf and poured more than $12,000 into each of their campaigns, according to disclosure statements. In November, Village Laguna said that in supporting Blakes candidacy, [Liberate Laguna] has encouraged the incivility in politics that is now so common at the national level. At the Dec. 4 council meeting, the first for the reconfigured panel , Iseman said its priority should be to heal this community. Ive never seen it so fragmented and Ive never known so much anger, she said. Laguna Beach Councilman Peter Blake is sworn in with fellow November election winners Toni Iseman, left, and Sue Kempf on Dec. 4. (Photo by Faith E. Pinho) Issues Blake made decreasing homelessness and reforming the city Design Review Board two of his major campaign issues. He advocated repurposing the nearly $400,000 the city allocates annually to the Alternative Sleeping Location and Friendship Shelter to build housing for the homeless elsewhere. Im a total NIMBY, unapologetically, Blake said. Were not helping any of these people. Were done facilitating their nightmare lives. Dont come to Laguna Beach. He called the Design Review Board insufferable and said he wanted to create new design standards for the board to follow so its members would have less discretionary power. He also said he wanted to implement term limits for board members. To alleviate downtown Lagunas parking issues, Blake suggested adding more shuttles and signage. History Blake calls Laguna his home the past 31 years his beloved hometown. But he actually grew up dreaming of California from Long Island, N.Y. In 1987, he visited the West Coast for a short trip. But I got here and within a matter of hours knew that I would never leave again, he said. Laguna Beach could be the greatest place in the world. He began waiting tables at the Italian restaurant Romeo Cucina. In 1993, he opened his art gallery on Ocean Avenue but continued to serve at Romeo Cucina for five years until the gallery could break even. In 2001, he opened the clothing store Fetneh Blake on North Coast Highway with his then-wife. Blake who pays $1,850 a month to rent a one-bedroom apartment, and leases a Toyota Prius has spent much of his time the past few years buying and selling minimalist art at auctions around the world. The idea to run for City Council ignited in the spring, when he saw mainly local political veterans eyeing the election. Nothing spoke more of the same old status quo than Toni Iseman and [then-Mayor Pro Tem] Rob Zur Schmiede, Blake said. Zur Schmiede began a bid for a second council term but dropped out in September to care for his brother, who was injured in a car accident in June. It sounded to me like, oh wow, not only are we not going to have any changes, but were going to hunker down, Blake added. I just felt like we were moving into a direction that it just wasnt fresh. It wasnt fun anymore. We were losing the soul in Laguna. faith.pinho@latimes.com Twitter: @faithepinho Surrounded by dry, languid hillsides, Laguna Beach is always at risk of fire, but this summer will be extra volatile because of a political firestorm heading its way. His name is Peter Blake. After years of seething frustration as a downtown business owner, Blake finally applied to run for a seat in the November City Council race. In a lengthy interview at his art gallery on Ocean Avenue, Blake discussed the many reasons hes running and made no apologies for his upcoming scorched-earth strategy. In many ways, his positions are not just about addressing individual issues but overhauling an anemic city leadership that he believes causes more problems than it solves. All of my friends are horrified when I start talking about the issues, he said, allowing a small, ironic grin. This is not an intellectual endeavor by any means. Its really visceral. I cant [fricking] take it anymore. Im sick of it. Hes frustrated over a long list of perceived missteps, failures and weak hearts within the citys echelon of power. Hes tired of heavy-handed bureaucracy, hypocrisy, acquiescence, unfair influence, cronyism and puritanical fringe groups. The list is deep and wide and so is Blakes passion. For 25 years, he has stood in front of his acclaimed modern art gallery and watched Lagunas underworld of misadventure: the homeless who urinate on his glass walls, who shoot up around the corner, who pass out drunk every day as police tend to other duties. Its the homeless issue that probably gets Blake the most riled up. And its because it is one of the most personal. Years ago in the late 1980s, long before the gallery, he started as a waiter at Romeo Cucina. A transplant from Long Island, he knew the Italian way, as it were, and was embraced by the owner. The restaurant fed the homeless, and Blake truly believed things would get better. Back then, Laguna was more family-like, more connected, more progressive and hopeful. The diversity in the community was incredible, Blake said. Our diversity took us to a place where you could hold hands with your same-sex loved one. There were so many things about us that were so unique. There was something here that was more encompassing than I ever experienced. But with the homeless, things never really got better. Despite the fact that we had unprecedented success in other social experiments, from 2009 to 2018, you would have to be blind not to realize that we failed miserably with the homeless. Its not working, he said. The beginning of the end for Blake started in 2009 with the ACLU lawsuit, which sued the city on behalf of five homeless people who claimed unconstitutional treatment by the police. I was horrified that somehow or another the ACLU had come in and sued us because our police department was harassing the homeless, he said. To me it was unthinkable because at Romeo we fed the homeless, and I knew every homeless person in town. And the thought that somehow our police department was harassing the homeless was to me just beyond whatever. Blake is almost apoplectic just recalling it. Nonetheless, he was patient at the time, believing what he heard from the powers that be groups like the Friendship Shelter and other homeless advocates who tried to manage the problem with the Alternative Sleeping Location (ASL) program and others. Over time, however, he lost faith in the official version because the reality on the street took precedence. Now he watches inexplicably as the ASL van shuttles homeless people to the beach every day. I dont see underserved. I dont see vulnerable. I dont see the people were supposed to be helping, he said. I see what appear to be addicts and thugs, and now we have crime that is exploding downtown. Over the next 20 minutes or so, Blake recounted all the crime stories hes heard and witnessed involving the homeless downtown most not reported. The average person doesnt know, he said. That thing in the canyon is nothing but housing for a bunch of crystal meth addicts and heroin addicts. Theyre being bused and dropped off into town. Theyre getting fed in the morning. Theyre high all day long. During the day they go off on a stealing spree while people are at work. In vivid detail, Blake can paint the picture. Its a singular, uncomfortable picture, and he knows most residents dont want to hear it. But thats part of the problem, and its not just about the homeless. Blake is concerned about business regulations, the Design Review Board, Village Laguna, the view ordinance and polyester Betties who dictate what architecture is going to look like in Laguna Beach. When someone like myself decides to step up and run, that means were at a point where its going to change, he said, confident that Laguna is ready to make tough new decisions. I couldnt sit back anymore, he said. Were going to come to terms with all of this. Im running to win. Im going to be ruthless. This is going to be the most uncivil campaign in the history of Laguna Beach. Im going after all of them. But in his opinion hes doing it to save Laguna by burning the suffocating underbrush, not killing its soul. Im not going to let my town become a place where youre afraid to go to Main Beach. You know how many times Ive heard women tell me they wont go anywhere downtown? Too many times. Thats unthinkable to me. DAVID HANSEN is a writer and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached at hansen.dave@gmail.com. Glendale Community College officials have started to explore the feasibility of asking voters to pass a multimillion dollar bond to upgrade campus facilities, nearly 15 years after the college passed its last bond. During a trustees meeting on Tuesday, a consultant said that a recent poll showed more residents would favor a bond than vote against it. About 57% of 600 local voters said they would support a Glendale Community College bond measure, said John Fairbank of the Los Angeles-based opinion research firm, Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Matz and Associates. Follow us on Twitter >> Fairbanks firm interviewed 600 randomly-selected residents who have voted in presidential elections. If college officials decide to ask voters to pass a bond, they may place the measure on the Nov. 8 ballot. The interviews took place over the phone in English, Armenian and Spanish during late February and early March, Fairbank said. The measure would need 55% voter approval, and college trustees could adopt a resolution as early as July in order to place the measure on the November ballot, according to David Casnocha, an attorney who was one of four consultants the trustees heard input from during the meeting. One of those consultants, Frank Vega, a graduate of Glendale Community College and director of RBC Capital Markets, offered a range of scenarios for the trustees to consider regarding the bonds value. One option would have college officials issue a $300-million bond over 12 years. Another scenario would have them issue $600 million in bond funds over 23 years. The tax rate in both scenarios would amount to $25 per $100,000 of assessed value. The legal limit at which community colleges can currently issue bonds is $705 million, Vega said. Trustees didnt comment on whether they favored one option over the other regarding the bonds dollar amount, but Anita Quinonez Gabrielian, trustee president, said the input, overall, offered a lot of good information. The trustees consideration over a potential bond comes several months after they approved a 156-page facilities master plan in December. The document listed a local bond election as one way to fund improvements for the colleges main campus on Verdugo Road, its professional development center in Montrose and its south Glendale campus on Garfield Avenue. Among the recommendations in the plan is to renovate the colleges auditorium, build a parking structure with about 650 spaces and construct new facilities to house the campus robotics, engineering and computer-aided manufacturing programs. The last time voters approved a bond for Glendale Community College was in 2002 when the $98 million Measure G bond paved the way for officials to build its current parking structure and spend about $22.8 million to upgrade its Garfield campus, which included a new 38,000-square-foot building with classrooms, a career center and administrative offices. Locally, the last bond passed in Glendale was Glendale Unifieds $270-million bond, which voters approved in 2011. -- Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com Twitter: @kellymcorrigan -- ALSO: Ecstatic shoppers flock to Burbank for grand opening of Walmart Supercenter Rep. Adam Schiff takes part in Democrats sit-in on House floor to demand action on gun violence Local detectives seize weapons, make arrests during gang-enforcement effort Volunteers with the La Canada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Float Assn. are wrapping up their Rose Parade float entry, Tree Frog Night, with a flurry of excitement. LCFTRA treasurer Pam Wiedenbeck said Wednesday they have ample helping hands scheduled to decorate the float, right up to the time it travels to Pasadena on New Years Eve. But if anyone wants to drop by to assist, its possible work will be found for them to do. Wiedenbeck said onlookers are welcome to watch the flowers and other plant materials placed on Tree Frog Night, as long as they stay outside of the barricades set up at the site, a parking lot at the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Hampton Road. To help raise funds for the annual effort there are souvenirs for sale at the location, including patches, hats, cups, shirts and other items. Found Wednesday putting pink-dyed rice on what will be a large lotus flower featured on the float, Violet Kommers, 12 of Oak Park, Calif., said shes long had an interest in decorating a float. Its really fun, she said. Sara Wickersham, this years decoration co-chair, said once completed, the float will head to the parade route about 7 p.m. on Dec. 31. It will first travel east on Foothill to Oak Grove, then south toward Pasadena. We are expecting good weather, Wickersham said. Wed like it to be a little bit colder because its good for the flowers. According to a long-range forecast on weather.com, the daytime high on New Years Day is expected to be in the 60s, with mostly sunny skies overhead. In addition to rooting for the La Canada float Jan. 1, locals can look for a smile and wave from the two young La Canadans who are serving on the Tournament of Roses Royal Court, princesses Helen Rossi, a senior at Flintridge Prep, and La Canada High senior Rucha Kadam. I invented an addition to my name, the Greatness of Green, to annoy my classmates in high school in England but, though theyve long forgotten it, it has stuck with me as a private joke. I think of it, for example, when on a mountain hike weary legs are crying Enough already and I say to myself, Come on, come on, this is time for the Greatness, keep moving. Or rushing to meet a deadline for the paper I worked for in London while standing in a telephone booth, reading from my notebook in the half-light and wrestling with a few words that wouldnt fit into the story, Get on with it, Greatness, Id say half jokingly but only half. Its amazing to me how well having that jeering voice in the ear works. As Shakespeares Henry V says, rallying his troops before battle, it stiffens the sinews. But, mostly, for a personality that has always tried to stuff too much in the time available, it has been applied to getting to appointments, conferences, tutorials, births, weddings and funerals on time. My apprenticeship in this painful process came when, after college, I took a job very near the bottom of the food (and drink) chain in the docks in Manchester where, armed only with a dockers hook, I pulled wooden crates taller than me, filled with tobacco and weighing three-quarters of a ton, onto a hand truck and trundled them to a place where there was an open space in the wall a window without the glass where they were lowered by a primitive crane onto a flatbed truck four stories below bound for the cigarette makers and thence to future lung transplant candidates. The Greatness came in then because I had to get up earlier than anyone else in my suburban neighborhood on icy, sodden, pitch-black northern mornings, grab something to eat, race to the local train station and clock into work on time, even a few minutes late, earning the derision of the other workers who knew Id been to college and thought I was a bit of a milksop. (They referred to me as the Mayor of Casterbridge after the Thomas Hardy novel that half of Britain listened to on BBC Radio. What else was there to do at 9 oclock on Sunday night if you were short of money?) From the moment the alarm clock went off the name itself captures the panic it provokes the race was on and the rule was not to make the slightest unnecessary move: clothes in a heap by the bed in strict order of donning, milk poured on the cereal in exactly the right amount to avoid a second pour or waste time throwing away any leftovers, the cup of tea picked up the second it was not too scalding to drink, cutting diagonally across roads, instead of going the intersection, at an angle Pythagoras himself couldnt have faulted. All this came back to me on Thursday last week when instead of waking at around 5:30 in time for the usual early hike, I was shocked to see it was 5:57. This was serious. Thursday is one of the two days when three or four cyclists puff their way past me on the forest road and at whom I hurl ribald comments whenever they fall behind schedule. Being late myself was to invite a barrage of scorn. My fingers flew socks on without looking to see if they matched (they didnt) all niceties discarded as yesterdays shirt lying at hand was quickly pulled on. Water presented a series of problems: for washing, Id no time for it to warm up. For drinking, the bottle in the fridge was too much of a detour. The time it took to find a cup to drink from the tap was agony. I normally squeeze an orange. But do you know how many seconds finding, cutting, pressing and drinking take? No? I dont either, but it was out of the question. Then, every sinew stiffened, the 1.3 mile drive to the trailhead. And, oh joy, no other car was there. I looked at my watch for the first time that morning (no unnecessary movements until then, remember). It was 6:15. Good going. Wake to walk in 18 minutes. Now, if you object, Im willing to grant the Greatness of Green may be a little too grand for this. But I hope you will at least accept the Rapidity of Reg. Reg Greens book, The Nicholas Effect, is available at authorhouse.com. Angels manager Brad Ausmus will enjoy his 50th birthday Sunday away from Wrigley Field, where the series finale between the Angels and the Chicago Cubs was postponed because of inclement weather. A wintry system moved into the area overnight, bringing with it snow and high winds. The storm was expected to last through the day. The Angels (8-7) will head early to Texas. They start a three-game series with the Rangers at Globe Life Ballpark on Monday. The National Weather Service forecasts a 30% chance of rain and thunderstorms for Wednesday in Arlington, but it seems unlikely weather will affect any games. Right-hander Trevor Cahill was scheduled to start Sunday. He will take the mound for the series opener Monday instead. Matt Harvey will start on Tuesday night. The Angels did not announce a starter for Wednesday. Sign up for our daily sports newsletter Advertisement A makeup date with the Cubs has not yet been scheduled. The teams have a few mutual days off. Aug. 26 might be the most convenient. The Angels could travel from Houston, where they will play the Astros in a weekend series, to Chicago for a Monday game and return to Anaheim in time for a six-game homestand that begins Aug. 27. Before the Angels beat the Cubs 6-5 Saturday, Ausmus said he hoped Sundays game was postponed before both teams arrived at Wrigley. Not because of his birthday, he said, but because Cahill would have had to warm up. The Angels, who are a few days into a 17-game stretch with no time off, would have had to burn Cahills start and wait until the weekend to use him again. maria.torres@latimes.com @maria_torres3 The field for the Kentucky Derby is set, barring injures, and Southern California has five of the 20 horses currently qualified to make the 20-horse field. The final pieces fell into place Saturday when Omaha Beach won the $1-million Arkansas Derby and Improbable finished second over a wet track at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. They join Roadster, Game Winner and Gray Magician as horses that will, if healthy, compete on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs. Omaha Beach was impressive winning the Arkansas Derby, running a perfect trip, taking the lead on the clubhouse turn and then winning by a length over Improbable, who also ran a strong race. It will be the first time in 15 years that trainer Richard Mandella has been at the Derby. Advertisement He looked like he was well within himself and Mike [Smith] just let him enjoy his job, just stride out and go where he went. Mandella said. My first thought was, Jeez, dont move too quick and then I thought, Dont be second-guessing Mike Smith, one of the greatest of all times. Wed already ran in the slop at home, so that wasnt much of a concern. Hes a very tractable horse. I dont think we need to pick a surface. Smith recounted the trip this way. [It was a] little nerve wracking in the gate because a few of them didnt want to load, but he handled it all well. He got a little uptight, but then relaxed. He jumped extremely well. There were several horses that wanted the lead. Mr. Mandella has been teaching him in the morning to break off strong and then relax. He did just that. Picked a nice little spot and stayed right there. His cruising speed just takes him up there. I just basically tried to stay out of way. Im better off letting him than fighting him. Southern California has dominated the Kentucky Derby scene recently, winning four of the last four Derbies with Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify. California Chrome won the Derby and Preakness and Nyquist won the Derby. If you go back two more years, Ill Have Another, a Santa Anita horse, won the Derby and Preakness. By virtue of winning the Arkansas Derby, Omaha Beach joined Tacitus (Wood Memorial), Verkoma (Blue Grass Stakes), Plus Que Parfait (UAE Derby), Roadster (Santa Anita Derby), By My Standards (Louisiana Derby) and Maximum Security (Florida Derby) as 100-point qualifiers with no chance of getting bumped from the field. Smith now has to decide who to ride in the Kentucky Derby: Omaha Beach or Roadster. Sign up for our horse racing newsletter Its a lovely decision to have, Smith said. Were going to go back and see how everyone comes back and go from there. Evaluate the situation. Then my agent will make the decision. Thats why I pay him. In the Lexington Stakes, Anothertwistafate, for Golden Gate trainer Blaine Wright, finished second, giving him 38 points and making him a longshot starter if three horses decide not to run. Sueno, for trainer Keith Desormeaux, is the 24th horse and needs a lot of luck to make the 20-horse field. Click here (or type in this url: lat.ms/2wVt90g) to sign up for our free horse racing newsletter. sports@latimes.com Some 500 riders on horseback yesterday attended services, the Los Angeles Times reported, at the old Spanish-grant Providencia Rancho in Burbank. The newspaper continued,The sermon was delivered by Father Enda of St. Therese Catholic Church at Alhambra and at conclusion of the services he distributed palms blessed for the worshipers. At the climax of the services, also, Father Enda blessed the horses in brief ceremony. Walt Disney Studios, Warner Brother Studios and NBC Studios sit on land within the borders of the former Providencia ranch in Burbank. See more from the Los Angeles Times archives here Within the last two weeks, protests that are being called Arab Spring 2.0 have led to the fall of presidents in Algeria and Sudan. But these arent just peoples revolutions: In both cases, the army stepped in, purportedly in support of the anti-government demonstrators. In Algeria, a general removed a figurehead president and now claims to side with protesters. In Sudan, the defense minister arrested his boss and put the army in charge for two years to safeguard the revolution. Then, on Friday, he stepped down and named a general as the countrys interim leader. Meanwhile, in nearby Libya, a general has mounted an assault on the capital in an effort to wrest it from the struggling civilian government. The protest-backed coups in Algeria and Sudan are reminiscent of the original Arab Spring revolutions of 2011, which toppled governments in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, and led to civil war in Syria. But, with the possible exception of Tunisia, there have been no happy endings and even Tunisia suffers from a chronically embattled government. Advertisement In Egypt, the demonstrations led to the overthrow of an autocratic president, Hosni Mubarak, and the democratic election of an Islamist leader, Mohamed Morsi. But when Morsi himself became the target of mass protests, the army stepped in and installed Gen. Abdel Fattah Sisi as president in 2013. Sisi, initially celebrated by demonstrators, has proved to be at least as autocratic as Mubarak. Thats a scenario that many across North Africa fear, even as they look to avoid a confrontation with the army and the ensuing bedlam that were the legacy of the 2011 uprisings in Syria, Libya and Yemen. Yet the parallels are unmistakable. Libyas Khalifa Haftar, a career soldier, is mired in a difficult offensive to seize the capital, Tripoli, and take the place of former strongman Moammar Kadafi. Lt. Gen. Ahmed Gaid Salah, the Algerian armys chief of staff, is working to preserve Le Pouvoir (the Power) of political, business and military apparatchiks who have ruled the country for decades. Sudanese Defense Minister Awad Ibn Auf installed a military council after deposing President Omar Bashir, ending Bashirs 30-year rule and placing himself as head of the military council. Ibn Auf ended up ruling for 30 hours. On Friday, he installed Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan as leader, even as the military promised to return the country to civilian rule soon. Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan, shown in an April 13 television image, is the new chief of Sudans ruling military council. (AFP/Getty Images) Theres definitely an effort on the part of the old regimes to maintain power, just as we saw in the previous rounds of uprisings in Egypt and elsewhere, said Timothy Kaldas, a nonresident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, in a phone interview on Friday. But just as the regions authoritarian governments have taken lessons from their experience in 2011, Kaldas said, the people organizing these uprisings have learned a great deal as well. From Khartoum to Algiers, you hear protesters saying they dont want another Sisi, more military rule. They want a removal of the regime, not just its leader or figurehead, Kaldas said. Some of those lessons were on display on Friday, when Algerians came out en masse for an eighth consecutive week, this time to protest against the appointment of Abdelkader Bensalah, leader of the upper house of parliament, as the countrys interim president and rejecting his plan (with Salah backing him) to hold elections in July. An Algerian protester chants slogans during a demonstration against the countrys leadership in Algiers on April 12. (Mosaab Elshamy / Associated Press) Riot police bristling with truncheons and protective gear tried to block the deluge of people walking along the major boulevards of Algiers, the capital, activists said, before finally giving in and letting them pass. Videos uploaded by a local news website, Algeria 24, depicted one protester hugging a line of police officers, many of whom had lowered the heavy visors covering their faces to return the embrace. But there was also violence. The countrys Directorate General for National Security said 83 police officers had been wounded and 180 people were arrested. Protesters said police used tear gas. And overnight in Khartoum and other cities in Sudan, protesters remained in the streets, in defiance of the military imposing a curfew from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. The Sudanese Professionals Assn., a group of doctors, lawyers, engineers and others who had come out in support of the uprisings, released a statement on Friday for all to peacefully resist the militarys plans, even as protesters shouted a slogan, Either victory or Egypt, in reference to Sisis rise to power. The coup makes the country liable to repeat the farce it witnessed in the last 30 years, the statement said. How can the regime feel no shame in trying to pick the fruit they were just yesterday trying to exterminate? But although those words and protests were inspirational, the military and the old guard have already begun to reassert themselves, said Jalel Herchaoui, a research fellow at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague. You look at all those beautiful Fridays in Algeria and say, This is fantastic, were obviously moving toward democracy but thats not at all what is happening, Herchaoui said in a phone interview on Friday. In both Algeria and Sudan, he said, the military has centralized much more power today compared to a few months ago. And, like the 2011 uprisings, Herchaoui said, other governments in the region, fearing their own restive populations, are getting involved and using the same playbook. By last year, many of those governments could breathe a little easier. They had weathered the Arab Spring in 2011, subduing their populations with the specter of the bloodbaths in Syria and Libya. The oil-rich Persian Gulf fiefdoms, meanwhile, had taken advantage of the uprisings, which had removed geriatric, deeply unpopular leaders only to reincarnate autocratic states headed by strongmen like Sisi, who were even more amenable to their policies and petrodollar-fueled influence. For Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the new incarnation of the Arab Spring was an opportunity, not a threat, Herchaoui said. Meanwhile, Western nations, wary of the post-2011 turmoil that brought the rise of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and millions of refugees to Europes shores, appear likely to fall in line, despite their lip service in support of democratic reform. That appears to be the case in Libya. After 2011, the country splintered into a chaotic jumble of militias that eventually coalesced around two major authorities. One is an internationally recognized government in Tripoli. The other is based in the eastern part of the country, with Haftar as its top military commander. The UAE and France had long given Haftar the weapons, materiel and air power to pursue successive campaigns in the country, even as they orchestrated diplomatic support for him among Western nations. Last week, he used those same resources to mount an assault on Tripoli, in effect torpedoing efforts of the last two years to hold a peace conference among Libyas warring parties set for later this month. ALSO From her atelier in Cairo, she dresses belly dancers from around the world In a vast, dust-swept landscape, Islamic State caliphate ends in rubble and wreckage Israeli government in Benjamin Netanyahus fifth term is likely to turn hard right but face stiff opposition Greece was accepted as a new member of the leaders' meeting between China and Central and Eastern European countries on Friday at the event in Dubrovnik, Croatia, co-chaired by Premier Li Keqiang and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. "We welcomed Greece to join the China-CEEC cooperation platform at the meeting," Li said at a news conference afterward. The meeting showed that participant countries safeguard multilateralism and the global trading system based on World Trade Organization rules, he said. Li announced that China will host leaders from the 17 countries as part of the mechanism next year, five years after Suzhou, Jiangsu province, hosted the group in 2015. - Little Success keeps surprising Nigerians as she soars higher - She first was made famous after she was recorded lamenting being sent home from school over unpaid fees - Now, Success a brand ambassador for education, just recently secured another endorsement deal with a Dubai-based company Famous little Success seems to be soaring higher since she was first discovered by Nigerians as a young girl child who is passionate about education. Recall that 7-year-old became an internet sensation when she was recorded lamenting being sent home from school over unpaid fees. The young girl attracted the good will of many Nigerians who have all come together to donate money and gifts to little Success and her family. Asides becoming an education ambassador, just recently, Success, secured an endorsement deal with a Daubai-based company. The young girl whose fortune seems to have changed overnight is said to be latest ambassador of the clothing line brand and will get free clothing items for one year. READ ALSO: Photos of Nigerian lady reportedly killed by customer in Italy over poor kerewa performance Success was escorted by her mum and a family member as they signed the deal with company which is reportedly owned by one time Miss Nollywood Culture and Tourism Nigeria. The CEO of the clothing line brand was happy to be signing little Success as their child model and stated that she serves as a source of inspiration to many other children. See below: PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group Meanwhile, Nigerian lady who recorded video of school girl complaining about her absence from class gets N2 million gift. The lady had recorded 7-year-old Success complaining about her teachers for chasing her out of school over unpaid fees. Success became a sensation after her video went viral, and Nigerians began to give her family money. Did you know? NAIJ.com (naija.ng) is now-> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better. PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app Successs parents reveal the truth about cash gifts received from Nigerians on Legit TV: Source: Legit Top Nollywood actress, Genevieve Nnaji, has taken to social media to lend her voice to the movement for bettering the sexes and reducing gender wars, something that has become common on social media of late. 'Boys will always be boys' is a common phrase often used by many people to excuse the bad behaviours of some men. Well, Nollywood sweetheart, Genevieve Nnaji has had enough and is speaking out against it. She shared a write-up about the need to stop reducing men to animals that don't know right from wrong and accompanied it with the caption: "Brothers, you can rise above the stereotype. Love yall ." READ ALSO: Personal letter from the Editor-in-Chief of Legit.ng (former NAIJ.com) READ ALSO: 21 Celebrities Who Preferred To Tie The Knot With Ordinary People Her post, although applauded by a huge number of fans and followers, received criticisms from some people who felt women were to blame for inculcating that belief. According to Instagram user @innoxxy_, mothers are to blame for all of these as boys grow up with that flawed mentality and find it hard to unlearn those things. Nnaji responded to the @innoxxy_ stating that once a person becomes an adult, they are supposed to stop blaming their parents for the things they were taught and learn to figure out things on their own. See the exchange below: PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News on Legit.ng News App Still on gender related issues, recall a while ago, the actress had spoken up about her own definition of feminism. She revealed that feminism to her is all about human rights. She stated that she believes that everyone has the right to live exactly how they want. Nnaji noted that as a human being, everyone wants the right to have choices, to do whatever they want, whenever they desire. HELLO! NAIJ.com (naija.ng) upgrades to Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better. Top 3 Celebrities: Who Is The Humblest One - Don Jazzy, Tuface Idibia or Genevieve Nnaji? Legit TV Source: Legit Newspaper - About 446 Nigerians are currently serving different jail terms in United Arab Emirates (UAE) according to Mohammed Rimi, Nigerias ambassador to the country - Those in prison are said to be in jail for possession of hard drug and engagement in robbery activities - However, the ambassador said over 5000 Nigerians have been granted amnesty by the UAE government Mohammed Rimi, Nigerias ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has revealed that about 446 Nigerians are currently serving different jail terms in the middle-east prison facilities. The ambassador disclosed this at a town-hall meeting between President Buhari and Nigerians in the UAE. According to him, those imprisoned are there for various crimes which include possession of hard drug and engagement in robbery activities, The Guardian reports. READ ALSO: PDP plotting to hijack 9th National Assembly - APC senators-elect allege It is disheartening to state that 446 Nigerians are currently serving different terms in prisons across UAE on account of committing various crimes including possession and consumption of hard substance and engagement in armed robbery, he said. Going further, the ambassador also disclosed that over 5000 Nigerians were granted amnesty by the UAE government. He added that the population of Nigerians in the UAE is estimated at 10,000: The number of Nigerians resident in the country is estimated at about 10,000. Out of this number, about 2,017 are students in various universities. In 2018, a total of 5,774 standard passports were issued by the embassy, out of which, 3,164 were specifically issued during the amnesty programme. Further 1,346 emergency travelling certificates were issued to Nigerians to facilitate their return home, Rimi said. Meanwhile, President Buhari at the occasion said that the Next Level agenda of his administration will be focused on consolidating on what thye administration had done in the last four years. I seize every available opportunity to explain to Nigerians our situation in 2015, when we came to office; where we are today; and what we have been able to do with the resources available to us. We will continue to administer the resources of Nigeria honestly and productively, Buhari said. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria have made a mutual promise to work with each other for their growth of their countries. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. Which of President Buharis ministers should he retain for 2nd term? | Legit TV Source: Legit A drug treatment group aimed at offering hope instead of handcuffs for those facing addiction has expanded its work with four additional Lehigh Valley police departments, bringing the total number of departments up to eight. The Northampton County Heroin and Opioid Task Force this past week announced the expansion of the Police Assisting in Recovery Program, also known as PAIR, to the Lower Saucon Township, Tatamy Borough, Bethlehem Township and Bushkill Township police departments. The departments previously working with the program were Bethlehem, Easton, Bangor and Colonial Regional police. If someone with a drug or alcohol problem is searching for help, they can go to either of these police departments from 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week. The person will be asked to turn over any drugs or drug paraphernalia but will not be charged with a crime or jailed. Officers will then call the intake unit for assistance and a treatment professional will arrive within a half hour. That professional will perform an assessment and provide whatever assistance is needed, including taking the person to an in-patient treatment center if necessary. Heroin and opioid overdoses are becoming a common occurrence in many communities with an estimated 10 residents statewide dying daily as a result, law enforcement members say. Despite strides made through education, and the availability of naloxone, individuals continue to overdose and die from such overdoses, police say. This PAIR program was developed by the Gloucester Police Department in 2015 as a way to fight the war on drugs. Initial funding for the program came from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. PAIR now is being implemented in more than 200 police departments nationally. Those involved said the program is unique because it brings law enforcement, drug and alcohol treatment providers and those seeking treatment together in an effort to reduce heroin and opioid use. The expansion of the program in the Lehigh Valley was made possible with grant funding from Two Rivers Health and Wellness Foundation and Northampton County Drug and Alcohol. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Allentown police said they are no longer searching for a suspect and there is no threat to public safety following a shooting outside a city nightclub early Saturday. The incident happened shortly after 2 a.m. outside Chicago Restaurant and Nightlife at 1193 Airport Road. Police Captain Glenn Granitz said a man was shot and taken to an area hospital for treatment. Granitz said the man had serious injuries but was listed in stable condition Sunday. Its unclear what led to the dispute. Granitz said all parties involved have been identified and charges are pending. We are not looking for anyone and there is no ongoing concern for public safety, he said, noting additional information will be released once charges are filed. There were no other injuries. A manager at the nightclub told WFMZ-69 News the shooting happened after a scuffle in the parking lot. Someone in a vehicle rolled down a window and fired multiple shots toward security and patrons with a security guard returning fire, the report stated. The managers account, however, was not confirmed by police due to the ongoing investigation. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. Met Eireann has extended its weather alerts with either Status Orange or Yellow warnings now in place for wind or rain for much of Ireland on Sunday and Monday. The forecaster has upgraded some of its warnings as storm-like conditions extend to most of the country. Heavy rain has led to a Status Orange warning while Status Yellow warnings have been extended for wind and rain. The forecaster has issued a Status Yellow - Wind warning for Dublin, Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Wexford, Wicklow, Offaly, Leitrim, Roscommon, Sligo, Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford. It says strong and gusty southeast winds will reach mean speeds of 50 to 60kmh with gusts of up to 100km/h possible, strongest about high ground. The warning is valid from 5 am to 5pm on Monday, April 15. Wind Warning Status: Yellow Valid: Mon 5am to 5pmhttps://t.co/AymXxraa93 pic.twitter.com/Joqs0hnb7z Met Eireann (@MetEireann) April 14, 2019 Status Orange and Yellow warnings are also in place for most other parts of the country. Met Eireann issued a Status Orange rainfall warning for Cork and Waterford Heavy rain Sunday night and Monday will result in large rainfall amounts. People are warned to expect "hazardous driving conditions expected, with flooding possible". The forecaster says rainfall amounts will be highest along the south coast and about higher ground. The warning is valid from 6pm Sunday, April 14 to 6pm Monday, April 15. Rainfall Warning Status: Orange Location: Cork and Waterford Valid: 6pm Sun. to 6pm Mon. pic.twitter.com/c6D9fpdlRm Met Eireann (@MetEireann) April 14, 2019 A Status Yellow rainfall warning remains valid for Kilkenny, Wexford, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary. Met Eireann warns of heavy rain Sunday night and Monday bringing a risk of spot flooding, especially in southern parts of these counties. The warning is valid from 6pm Sunday, April 14 to 6pm Monday, April 15. Rainfall Warning Status: Yellow Location: Kilkenny, Wexford, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary Valid: 6pm Sun. to 6pm Mon. pic.twitter.com/3trJq8ibxI Met Eireann (@MetEireann) April 14, 2019 A Status Yellow wind warning for Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Cork and Kerry is also active. Strong and gusty southeast winds are expected with means speeds of 50 to 65kmh with gusts of 90 to 110km/h, strongest in coastal areas and about high ground. The warning is valid from 2am Monday, April 15 to 7pm to Monday, April 15 Wind Warning Status: Yellow Location: Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Cork and Kerry. Valid: Mon 2am to 7pm pic.twitter.com/2lBQmBxBpj Met Eireann (@MetEireann) April 14, 2019 Detailed forecast issued by Met Eireann Issued on Sunday, April 14 at 11:37am SUNDAY 14TH APRIL Outbreaks of rain over eastern parts of Munster and Connacht, as well as west Ulster and south and west Leinster will become lighter and patchier this afternoon. Elsewhere, it will be largely dry, but mostly cloudy. Cold and blustery with highest temperatures of just 5 to 9 degrees in fresh to strong, gusty southeast winds. TONIGHT - SUNDAY 14TH APRIL Rain will become persistent and heavy in the south and west this evening and overnight. Heavy, possibly thundery, downpours are likely over south Munster, bringing a risk spot flooding. Southeast winds will strengthen further overnight with gales on coasts. Lowest temperatures 3 to 5 degrees. TOMORROW - MONDAY 15TH APRIL Heavy rain will continue over southern counties tomorrow with some flooding possible. The rain will tend to be more scattered and intermittent elsewhere. A windy day for many, with strong to gale force and gusty southeast winds, with the risk of damaging gusts near the west coast in particular. Afternoon temperatures of 7 to 10 degrees Celsius. NATIONAL OUTLOOK On Monday night, rain will gradually become confined to Eastern coastal areas and the strong winds will ease. Lowest temperatures of 4 to 7 degrees. Tuesday will still bring a little patchy rain or showers to parts but there will be a good deal of dry weather overall with the West seeing the best of the brighter spells. Afternoon highs of 9 or 10 degrees in eastern areas but 13 to 15 degrees in the west and winds will be moderate Southeasterly. Tuesday night will be cold with possibly some mist or patchy fog developing in places and a touch of grass frost locally. For the rest of the coming week, apart from a few light showers, it looks like it will be mainly dry with sunny spells. Winds will remain moderate East or Southeast and it will gradually become a degree or so milder day by day, so with temperatures on good Friday afternoon expected to range from 15 degrees along exposed coasts to as high as 18 to 20 degrees elsewhere. Night-time temperatures will be around 5 to 8 degrees. Naas, the county town, enjoys a long history of being the seat of local government in County Kildare. And so it was appropriate that the Naas Local History Group would host an evening to recall that the people of the county went to the polls to elect the first Kildare County Council in April 1899. Liam Kenny gave a talk recalling the excitement across the county, as voting rights were extended to all heads of household for the first time, including women. The newly enfranchised electors gathered at public meetings to hear the candidates make their pitches. Sometimes the meetings became very heated indeed. In Monasterevin there was a clash between two candidates a Mr Dowling and a Mr Cassidy who owned the big distillery in the town, he said. A newspaper reporter described the melee as being "the first genuine Irish row to be seen in Monasterevin in many years. The talk was introduced by Cllr Sean Power, who himself is making local government history being one half of a unique father and son current membership of Kildare County Council with his son Rob being an elected member for the Naas area. Also among the attendance were current Kildare County Council member Cllr Anne Breen and former member Paddy Behan. Both were also members of the Naas Town Council which was abolished in 2014 and replaced by an enlarged county council made up of municipal districts. These now take responsibility for large towns like Naas and surrounding areas, including Sallins, Kill and Johnstown. Pressure is mounting for town councils to be restored, after an absence of five years, to enhance local democracy. Labour party leader Brendan Howlin has called on people in towns across Ireland to support the restoration of town councils as an issue in the upcoming local elections. VILLAGES like Tournafulla, which have no shops should be allowed to open community shops rate free, according to Cllr Liam Galvin. Commercial rates are charged on commercial properties such as shops, offices, hotels, and licensed premises but Cllr Galwin was an exemption for community shops. He believes that in small communities such as Tournafulla, these rates should be scrapped if there are currently no shops in the area. The Fine Gael councillor is working with the Tournafulla Community Council in order to open the community run shop in Tournafulla and has allocated 4,000 of his General Municipal Allowance I have brought a motion to the council to try and allow a shop to be opened in Tournafulla, and the rates to be waived. This is so the community can run a shop in the village rather than having to travel to the nearest town, said Galvin. Cllr Galvin stressed that this would only work if there are no shops in the area. We could only do this if it would be the only shop in the area. If there were other shops, it wouldnt be fair as one shop would be paying rates and the other wouldnt. This would only work in areas like Tournafulla, where there are no shops, Cllr Galvin added. THE CHIEF executive of Iarnrod Eireann says he is not aware of any plans to reopen Kilmallock Railway Station and given the population density of the area, the business case will not yield a positive return for the necessary capital and operational investment. A public meeting is being called in the town at the end of April to discuss the future of the local railway station which officially closed in 1976. This follows news that Limerick City and County Council has moved to place the property on the Derelict Sites Register. A public notice, under the provisions of the Derelict Sites Act was posted on the property during the past week. There are no plans that we are currently aware of to reopen the station at Kilmallock and I note that, given the population density of the area, the business case will not yield a positive return for the necessary capital and operational investment, stated Jim Meade, chief executive, Iarnrod Eireann-Irish Rail. However, Iarnrod Eireann will ensure that no action is undertaken which would preclude any future reopening of the station, if funded by third parties and which meets the conditions, which apply to all rail infrastructure project proposals. Mr Meade was responding to a Dail question submitted by Fianna Fails Niall Collins which asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans for Kilmallock railway station; if he will consider reopening the station; and if he will make a statement on the matter. The question was sent to Mr Meade for response. It is important to point out at the outset that due to Iarnrod Eireanns financial position we are unfortunately not in a position to self-finance any capital infrastructure works (including new and reopened stations) from our own funds and that we are entirely dependent on third party funding via the National Transport Authority or Exchequer for any capital infrastructure works to the railway, continued Mr Meade in his response. As a consequence, the delivery of any new rail infrastructure necessarily involves a multi-agency approach in the planning, design, funding and construction of a scheme. There are also strict government-enforced conditions in place surrounding the release of funds for capital infrastructure projects which must be adhered to by all agencies wishing to draw down public funds. These are set out under the Public Spending Code drawn up by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. A public notice, under the provisions of the Derelict Sites Act was posted by Limerick City and County Council on the property in the past week addressed to Irish Rail, Colbert Station, Limerick. The notice says that representations can be made by the owner to the local authority in writing within one month of service of the notice. Concerned local Peter Hennessy said plans are being put in place to host a meeting in the town in late April to discuss the future of the railway station property which he says is a listed building. Trevor McCarthy who is the Social Democrats candidate for the area said there is lots of scope to develop the property. They say it is not financially viable etc and obviously its difficult but its a public service. The building itself can be renovated and reused for something like a co-working space or a small cafe because the mart is next door to it, so it is financially viable, he said. You could have as a multi-purpose building. Knocklong have done a fabulous job there. From a visual optics perspective, it is a beautiful building. I am fully aware that it needs to be financially viable. I wouldnt necessarily agree with just making a decision based on the bottom line. From an environmental perspective as well, you take cars off the road so it is worth it if we are looking at the long term. There could be a small museum as well. It is in the local area plan and has been for the last 10 years at least, to have it renovated and refurbished. Tell us a bit about AGENT Digital. AGENT Digital is a full service digital agency, based here in Limerick and in Dublin. I set up the company in 2007, and over the first decade our approach to our clients has been: listen, strategise, deliver. We listen to our clients goals; we create a strategy to achieve those goals; and deliver that strategy through our range of services such as website design, development, support and digital marketing, which includes search engine optimisation and social media marketing. We are digital Change agents. We believe in challenging digital to the limit, to deliver the best for our clients, which include multinationals, universities, institutes and small to medium sized firms, nationwide and internationally. What does your own role entail? As the managing director of AGENT Digital, I am involved in all aspects and departments of the business. My main focus within the company is strategy - as the digital landscape is constantly evolving it is my responsibility to ensure that AGENT Digital's digital strategies are ahead of the curve to ensure we deliver for our clients. Where were you born and raised? I was born and raised in Limerick City and I now live at the North Circular Road with my Wife Caitriona and our two small children. What is your educational background? My original background was in design communications but I really got into digital in 2006, when I was undertaking an MA in interactive multimedia at the University of Limerick (UL). Shortly after graduating from UL, I set up the agency to help businesses take advantage of digital and grow online. How did you get to where you are today? Shortly after graduating from UL, I identified a gap in the market to help businesses take advantage of digital and grow online. Since 2007 we have built the agency team member by team member whose individual talents coupled with AGENT Digital's culture to deliver for our clients has attracted fantastic loyal clients internationally who have partnered with us for over a decade now. Why did you decide to go into business alone? I have always had the entrepreneurial spirit since a very young age - creating and developing a successful business was always the dream. After graduating from UL and when the opportunity presented itself to create a company in my specialised area to help other companies grow online, it genuinely was a dream come true - I am as passionate today about delivering for our clients as I was over 10 years ago. There is genuinely no better feeling then getting positive feedback from a happy client. What are your goals for the next 12 months? Our goal over the next 12 months is to meet our milestones for AGENT Digital's 2030 goal which is to help 100,000 businesses grow online by 2030. In business and life, who do you admire? From an international perspective It would have to be Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group. To have the vision, determination and leadership skills to develop Virgin to the global brand it is today is very impressive. LAST THURSDAY I walked through a neighbourhood bog. I listened to the lovely lays of soaring larks and inhaled the pure air. The prevailing wind was from the south-west and it carried with it in the tang of the Atlantic whose distant but muted thunder was discernible above the blowing of the breeze. All around me were hundreds of turf banks, some cut away, sine partly cut but the vast majority were hardly touched. Here and there were undulating green ribbons of bohareen which led from the inner banks to the road-way. I remembered a time, it was in the forties, when varying meihills of men dotted the dun-dark banks, carving out the winters fuel from sodden peat masses underneath their feet. Far, far away the Yanks were landing on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands after their historic naval victory at Midway. Monty, recently deceased, had just been appointed commander of the eight army in Egypt and Rommells Panzer divisions were no longer to play ducks and drakes with the British. Old asses The Germans, in fact, were in full retreat by November around the time when the last of the turf was being drawn on to the roadway by old asses brought out of retirement and on sheets of corrugated iron, old doors or wheelbarrows. The townies took to the bogs in the forties because there was no coal. Rick after rick after rick of turf stood at either side of the narrow road and from the distance it seemed that the ancient bye way was walled in by ten-foot thick ramparts of freshly saved peat. There was great bustle in the bog in those days. Men, women and children recruited for the futting and re-futting. It was a time of emergency, a time when we looked to our own resources for our fuel. I stood deep in the bog amid the yellow whins and barely blossoming heather and I pondered at the difference between those times and now. Was there now, I asked myself, a greater emergency now? Was not imported fuel almost prohibitive in price and was it not crippling the economy? Yet the turf banks were deserted save for a few groups of country people who clung to the older and cheaper methods of fueling. Saturday To make the story worse, it was Saturday. But for the insane state of the country, I told myself, every 5-day-week man with a home and family within the vicinity of five miles would be here cutting the winters fuel with his neighbours or family. Under my very feet were thousands of tons of the finest fuels to be found anywhere in the world, clean and costing practically nothing apart fro, honest labour which, in my youth many families from towns looked upon as a sort of outing or holiday. There is something obscene about all of this, I told myself, something ludicrous about the crowds in the betting offices and pubs in the height of the day, something ridiculous about the long dole queues and the growing number of corner boys. Here is this gold mine lying idle while we import millions of pounds worth of oil from callous Arabians and other middle - Easter confidence tricksters who are holding Europe up to ransom. Here in our back yard are these fabulous turf banks waiting to be cut. To make the situation even more diabolically obscene two oil lorries passed in quick succession. One stopped at a nearby house and discharged a supply of oil under the very shadow, you might say, of the turf banks. Disgraceful What an absolutely disgraceful situation. Here is a country whining about the price of oil when all any householder has to do is buy an acre of bog which will last him for a lifetime. Before I left the bog that afternoon I enquired about prices. Unopened bog was selling for about 40 an acre while obliged bog was fetching in the region of 100. Fuel for a lifetime for an average household, enough to last two generations of people. As I walked home men passed me by in cars going nowhere, squandering their wages, not so hard earned now as in the forties, on the cost of needless transport. They are all mad. I told myself. They have to be, they would rather spend their free days arsing around the towns and cities, looking through windows or sitting out the Saturday watching television and drinking porter and beer. They would rather whine about rising prices than go and do something about it. A country which turns its back on its own natural fuel resources has to be heading for disaster. The people of this country have been pampered and cosseted for too long. The stick has never been taken to most of them. The majority of them never knew what it was to be without a shilling in ones pocket or without a decent suit on one's back. They never knew one humiliation of being semi outcast because of enforced idleness. When they have enough they look for more and they never ask of think about where its coming from. They dont remember a time when a middling sized cigarette butt was pure gold and the price of a Sunday night dance was the be-all and end-all of youthful existence. Now they have expensive never-never cars under their bottoms, even those who do not work or so little work they dont deserve asscarts not to mind motor cars. Calamity Every time I see a desolate stretch of virgin bogland I feel like crying for my country but then I ask myself if a people who are too lazy and selfish to exploit their own fuel resources are worth crying for. The deserted bog is the first tangible manifestation of national calamity. A man told me lately in a public house in Nenagh that Ireland was turning into a nation of bastards. Those were his actual words. They have no class, he said. They keep taking out and put nothing back in. I wish, however, they would start taking the turf out of the bogs once more and spare themselves the indemnity of bringing oil for their fires over thousands of miles when a better and cheaper fuel lies outside their own doors. Madness, thats what it is. Sheer madness. Theres no other word for it The bad word NOW FOR a slightly more cheerful note. Some weeks ago in these columns I made mention of certain of my detractors and also of the foul habit of story enlargement as well as story-carrying. Now from Michael Ryan the poet of Bawnreagh which is contagious to Askeaton comes a short, consolatory poem: Dear John it breaks my heart to hear That such a poet, playwright and seer, And sage if sound simplicity, Plus patron of mendicity Should be beset by such detractors Mean, mendacious malefactors, Friends of foul philosophy And scurrilous scoundesrlous sity. The pen is mighty so they Say But me Im mortal man of clay. Could I but catch the, you accusing Tis not a bireo Id be using But all is well if well it ends And be consoled dear John, My friend, For friend and foe will sing Your praises When you are pushing up The daisies out death. Thank you, Michael. I suppose its the only favourable comment one can make about death. There is immunity from the bad word. Pheasants My OLD and indeed, venerable friend. Willie Whack Gleeson would seem to be indestructible. Willie was a member of the pre-truce Fianna. Willie it was who led the Kerry No.1 Brigade to Ballynanty and Plassey Mills after they had earlier crossed the Shannon from Tarbert to Labasheeda and Kildystart, the road from Kerry to Limerick being impassible due to the destruction of bridges. When last I met Willie he recalled with nostalgia the names of Captain Batty McElligott and Sergeant Mulcahy, volunteers Dingle Griffin, Tom ODowd, Jimmy Butcher Kenny etc. From this all-too-brief political career Willie recalls one incident. It took place in Kilmallock during the first ever by election in 1924, when Dick OConnell (Gov.) and Tadgh Crowley (anti-government), former comrades-in-arms, fought it out cleanly for the vacant seat. Among the many top-brass who spoke on behalf of OConnell were Messrs. G. C. Bennett, John Nolan Matt Griffin, D. Smyth, Canty Bourke, BL, James mossy Reidy, Morgan McMahon and a boatload of small fry. One of the latter started off as follows: Im a city born but at the same time have strong family ties her in Kilmallock. Like yourselves Im a pheasant. My father and mother were pheasants and their fathers and mothers before them.. Suddenly a voice in the crowd interrupted. Shut up you Yahoo, it said, and dont be making game of yourself. The article was first published in the Limerick Leader on April 17, 1976. Fiesta enthusiasts and college kids flocked to the 78209 to celebrate the 33rd annual Alamo Heights Night on Friday at the University of Incarnate Word. From funnel cakes to turkey legs, the San Antonio central suburb was packed with revelers who started the first, unofficial, weekend of Fiesta with a bang. A thunderstorm moving at 40 mph began entering Houston's urban core at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, producing hail and gusty wind in the Harris County area, the National Weather Service said. Hail also began to fall during the afternoon in nearby counties, including Brazoria, Matagorda and Fort Bend. The thunderstorm also hit north Harris County, including Aldine, Humble and Spring, along with parts of Montgomery County. Q: Are Capital District colleges doing anything in the wake of that poor girl getting killed after getting into a car she thought was her Uber? As a parent with daughters in college, this story terrified me. I hope that schools use this terrible tragedy as a way to educate students about the dangers they face. Margaret Simon, Colonie A: Some colleges in the Capital Region jumped on the "What's My Name" safety campaign in the wake of Samantha Josephson's death in South Carolina. A story by Times Union education reporter Rick Karlin about the nationwide effort ran earlier this month. The campaign reminds students to make sure they are actually getting into a ride-hailing car like an Uber or Lyft and to identify their driver as the same person they scheduled via a smartphone app. Siena College distributed materials over social media and by printed fliers encouraging students to ask their driver to identify their name and to check the car's license plate number. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute also had plans to help spread the message to students. More Information Hot spots What to watch for this week: Northway (I-87) near Exit 4 and Albany Shaker Road, Colonie: Watch for single-lane closures during off-peak daytime hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday to Friday for off-road work, as well as northbound lane shifts and (later this week) southbound lane shifts, with speed limit reduced to 45 mph. Northway, Wilton: Watch for reduced lane widths in both directions underneath the Jones Road overpasses between Exits 15 and 16. Alternate Route 7, Colonie: Watch for single-lane closures, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., between Route 32 and Miller Road, with varying daytime off-peak lane closures. Routes 9 and 20, Rensselaer and East Greenbush: Watch for one of two lanes closed in each direction, with truck and width restrictions on the bridges over South Street (Route 9J) and the Amtrak and CSX railroad tracks. Route 787, Cohoes: Watch for reduced speed limit, lane shifts and off-peak lane closures on Cohoes Boulevard. Left-turn lanes onto Dyke Avenue closed through April; follow posted detours. I-787 ramps, downtown Albany: Watch for reduced lane width on ramps connecting to South Mall Expressway, with varying night/weekend closures and detours. See More Collapse The campaign started in March at the University of South Carolina after Josephson, who was a student there, got into a car she mistakenly believed to be her Uber ride and was killed. Her body was later found in a field 90 miles away. Ride-hailing companies offer safety tips and features, like one that allows friends or family to track the progress of rides in real time. In addition, the Uber and Lyft apps include detailed information on user's phones when a ride is requested to help identify their car and driver. Do you have a question about transportation? Email gettingthere@timesunion.com. Please include your name, town and telephone number. With the rise in social media and the immediacy of news production, some Illinois lawmakers are looking to create a curriculum that would break down news media and help high school students identify reliable sources. House Bill 1559, sponsored by State Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez, D-Cicero, would direct the Illinois State Board of Education superintendent to create a task force that would create a curriculum that addresses understanding of news sources. For Jacksonville High School sophomore Claire Van Aken, social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, is her primary source of information throughout the day. While she will look at different sources, most of her information comes through social media and she tries to judge for reliability. Locally, I am familiar with who writes and shares information, Van Aken said. If its coming from someone I dont know, I usually have pretty good judgment of if its real or not. Hernandez said the goal of the bill is a curriculum that teaches about identifying fake news. Media literacy really aims at trying to be more cognizant of the kind of information that is out there nationwide, Hernandez said. This information has been phrased as fake news. What better way to start our young folks in understanding the difference between facts and false information? Cammie Symons, an English and journalism teacher at Jacksonville High School, said many of the skills that would be discussed in the new curriculum are a part of other core classes and could be incorporated into existing classes. In English, we teach about some of these things while we talk about research, how to write (and) what makes a news story versus someone saying something, Symons said. All of our students take English and civics. These are things that we look at in those classes. While senior Camri Anderson said she likes to read national papers, such as the Washington Post and the New York Times, she still gets a lot of news from social media sites. She tries to judge each article and will look for context clues to determine whether something is fake or not. I try to take everything with a grain of salt, Anderson said. Junior Samson Mosley said, if he is unsure of a sources reliability, hell look for a second source. If Im not sure of something, Ill usually just Google it, Mosley said. Mosley said learning early how to interpret and judge any source of news is something that should be used throughout their lives. News is universal, its a part of life, Mosley said. Its good to teach students about it. Van Aken said having a class that breaks down news would be a good thing. With how fast news travels, itll be really beneficial to our generation to have the skills to tell is something is not right, Van Aken said. Anderson said, while she doesnt think media literacy needs to be a full class, the skills are something her fellow students need to know. Believing fake news happens a lot in todays society with the internet buzz, Anderson said. A lot of the different aspects are already talked about in our classes. The bill passed the Illinois House on March 20 and was referred to the Senates assignments committee. Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1233, or on Twitter @JCNews_samantha. Alexander McNab was hungry. It was 11:30 p.m. Thursday, and the Columbia University senior had just left his late-night Afro-beats dance practice. He had work to do, and his anthropology thesis was looming, so the 23-year-old pulled out his phone to check a Facebook page where students can post and find the most universally reliable staple on American college campuses: free food. Other students had just deposited party leftovers in the nearby Barnard College library, where Columbia students are welcome to study. McNab headed that way. By the end of the night, he would find himself as the latest, forced subject of another viral video - the kind that has dominated the past decade by commanding outrage and reviving, all over again, the tense conversation communities are having nationwide about police use of force, racial profiling and the risks that come with being a person of color in America. On his quest for free food, McNab had an encounter with police, which included a disagreement about his student ID that led officers to forcefully pin him to a countertop. The altercation, filmed by two witnesses, inspired a weekend of unrest at the Columbia and Barnard campuses, where administrators have released statements and held listening sessions and students have called attention to what some consider a chronic problem within the public safety department. Barnard has issued two statements and hired an independent investigator. The officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave. McNab, who said all he wanted to do was work and study this weekend, has instead spent it fielding interviews, answering emails and explaining what it's like to be black. "There's never a good time for this to happen," McNab told The Washington Post. "But this weekend, I had all these things to do." The night of the encounter, McNab said he set off into the night toward the free food, crossing the street dividing the Columbia and Barnard campuses and passing in front of a Barnard public safety van waiting to turn left. McNab said he sped up as he crossed, wanting to catch the light before it expired. He walked through the official gate to Barnard's campus, where he heard someone shout: "Hello, sir! Hello, sir!" He didn't look back - not this time. McNab thought about the two other occasions he had been stopped by Barnard officers and asked to show his ID, encounters he believes were a result of racial profiling. They once demanded to see his ID as he was leaving a two-hour dance practice. Another time, he left dance practice to run to the bathroom - barefoot - and he was stopped again because the officers thought he was homeless. It's campus policy to ask for student identification after 11 p.m., a rule McNab later said he was aware of but had not thought about in the moment. At the time, he said he believed the officers were only stopping him because of his skin color. McNab kept walking, into the library and toward the food. The female students greeted him, offered him a plate and told him to take as much as he wanted. He scooped up some rice and lamb. Then the officers walked in. There were two of them, then four, then more. They demanded to see McNab's student ID, he and witnesses say, and grabbed McNab's arms. The officers pushed him against the register counter at the coffee shop on the library's first floor. They forced him onto his back. That's when Caroline Cutlip, a Barnard junior who had posted about the free food in the first place, started filming. "The moment I saw him pinned back on the table, it was so reminiscent of police brutality things I've seen online," Cutlip, the only white student watching, later said of her decision. She said she thought to herself: "I need to say something. I feel like I am someone who can use my privilege to say something here." "But I had no clue what to say," Cutlip said. "So I started filming." In the first of two videos she recorded, McNab is surrounded by at least five public safety officers. "Take your hands off me!" McNab yelled as the officers immobilize him. They demanded to see his student ID card. One officer glanced over his shoulder toward the table of Barnard students where Cutlip was filming. The officer looked back at McNab, then again toward Cutlip's camera. He released his grip. "OK, let's walk outside," the officer said. With his hands free, McNab pulled his wallet from the front pocket of his pants. "You want to see my ID?" he said, handing them his card. "I am a Columbia University student. That's me. This is the third time Barnard Public Safety has chased me down." An officer took McNab's ID card and began to walk outside, again commanding that McNab follow. McNab refused, explaining later to The Post that he wanted to stay near witnesses. He was afraid that leaving the building would jeopardize his safety. In the video, McNab is seen waiting by the Barnard students. He murmurs an apology, and a student firmly responds: "No, don't be sorry." The officer says he is going to confirm that McNab is an "active student," and he returns with the student's ID card. Cutlip began filming a second video, this one showing the officers telling McNab that he ran into the building without showing his ID. McNab says he walked, not ran, and the Barnard students back him up. "I got him running through the courtyard," the lead officer says. At the same time, a second officer begins arguing with the Barnard students, saying McNab ran in front of his van. McNab and the other students refute that narrative again, and the second officer raises his voice at a black female student. "Do you have a gauge that you can measure how fast he was running?" the officer asked her. "Does it matter?" she responded. "Were you there?" he said back, walking closer, pointing his finger and eventually telling her to "relax." In unison, the other Barnard students repeated the word "relax" with exasperation. "I am relaxed," she said. "Yeah, well I don't see that," the officer said. "Right away, you're taking a . . ." "Please stop talking to me," she said. The officer walked away, the video cut off and eventually McNab and the Barnard students were alone again in the library, left to rehash what had happened. Several of the Barnard students were crying. "It showed me that this wasn't just something I went through," McNab told The Post. "They went through this, too." McNab said another student suggested the incident was worthy of a complaint to Barnard's Title IX officer, so she sent one. Cutlip, a student government representative, had met that morning with the Title IX officer and later worked with her and other student government members to craft an official statement. In the afternoon, Cutlip posted her videos online. By Friday afternoon, Barnard's president, Sian Leah Beilock, released a statement to students and staffers about the "unfortunate incident" at the library, but it did not outline any details. "We deeply regret that this incident occurred, and we are undertaking a thorough review of our public safety officers' actions, and will address our processes and procedures and how they are applied," the statement said. Beilock also announced a listening session for Friday evening with public safety officials and members of the Barnard administration. McNab watched as his peers scrutinized the language Barnard officials used to talk about the "incident," listened to them call him "the student" and grew disappointed when the administration, in his eyes, didn't squarely confront the racial elements of his experience. He said at the event that he would "appreciate an apology." Several administrators repeated the language of the email - that they regret the incident - and used the phrase "we apologize." "Why can't you call it racism?" a student asked. What McNab said he was looking for, though, came from one Barnard administrator, Dean of Studies Natalie J. Friedman, who welcomed him to campus and thank him for speaking. "I also apologize on behalf of the college," she said, "for the racist incident that happened." McNab walked up and shook her hand. "To me, that was the most beautiful thing she could do," he later said. In the days since, administrators from Columbia have released their own statements and several of McNab's anthropology professors have reached out in support. "I've been trying to figure out the right vocabulary to use," McNab said Sunday morning, as he prepared his to-do list. There was his job as a tutor, a paper for one class and a couple of articles for student publications. And there was protest spurred by his altercation. He wanted to go, he said, but "I was supposed to finish my thesis this weekend." Dozens of revolutionary gene therapies that mend faulty strands of DNA are on their way, bringing the power to eliminate lethal childhood diseases, rare blood disorders and other severe illnesses. Beneath the excitement about these potential cures lies an important catch: No one knows how much to charge for them. The new therapies aim to fix the root causes of disease with a single dose, in which the correct genetic material is introduced into the patient's cells. If the treatments can replace a lifetime of conventional costly drugs, they may slash overall spending, even at multimillion-dollar prices. Yet the prospect of high costs is already stirring pushback. "Most health-care payers in the world just haven't had experience with this, and they're going to have to come up with new models, especially when there are so many of these therapies coming," said Vas Narasimhan, chief executive officer of Novartis. "We need the system to be able to adapt." The Swiss pharma giant says one answer could be installment payments, reducing the upfront cost. That's what it plans for Zolgensma, a therapy for a devastating muscle disease that's expected to get approval soon. More drugmakers are betting gene therapies will have a big impact on patients and profits, with Pfizer last month agreeing to collaborate with Paris-based Vivet Therapeutics on a treatment for a rare liver disorder. The Food and Drug Administration forecasts as many as 20 cell- and gene-therapy approvals each year by 2025. Doubts remain about whether the treatments will sustain their dramatic results, making it difficult to determine their value. Rational prices are critical to ensure the breakthroughs get to patients who desperately need them, said Steven Pearson, president of the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, a nonprofit whose reports on pricing have gained influence in the debate over U.S. drug spending. If they're too low, it could deter investment, while exorbitant costs would strain health networks. "We have to create a system that means we don't have a speeding freight train hitting a brick wall, and really high prices that seem disconnected from the value to patients," he said in an interview. Without that, "it's likely the system will freeze up." Novartis's Zolgensma is a test case for the budding field. The treatment for spinal muscular atrophy awaits a regulatory decision in the U.S., where UBS Group analysts assume it will carry a price tag of about $2 million. That would make it the country's first multimillion-dollar therapy. In a February report, Boston-based ICER highlighted figures showing the treatment could be worth as much as $1.5 million -- and as little as $310,000. Novartis, however, focused on different measures in the analysis suggesting a much greater value of as much as $5 million. ICER responded last week, saying that the cost of Zolgensma "should be lower than the hypothetical $4-5 million price the manufacturer has suggested could be justified." The alternative to Zolgensma is the current treatment for spinal muscular atrophy: Biogen Inc.'s Spinraza, which patients take for life. Biogen said its treatment, launched in the U.S. two years ago, is backed by more evidence than Zolgensma, though Novartis said it now has almost five years of data. Spinraza costs about $4.1 million over a decade. Novartis's installment plans would spread out payments over five years, Narasimhan said. The company would also offer reimbursement if a patient dies or the treatment otherwise fails within that period. "We ask for payment over five years, then it goes to zero," he said. "Think about the value provided as the medicine continues to keep children alive. It's enormous." A number of other companies are studying arrangements to space out payments. Bluebird Bio Inc. has said that up to 80 percent of the costs of its first gene therapy may depend on its performance over several years. The price won't exceed $2.1 million. "We believe in the lifelong value of these products, but we also believe we have to share risk because we can't tell you, look you in the eye and say with 100 percent certainty" that the benefits will last over the long term, said Nick Leschly, Bluebird's CEO. The high-priced therapies have yet to yield a blockbuster. After just a handful of patients got Strimvelis, a treatment for an immune disorder that cost about $675,000, GlaxoSmithKline offloaded it to Orchard Therapeutics. UniQure's Glybera, a $1 million treatment for another rare condition, flamed out. Related therapies that alter patients' immune cells to fight cancer, like Novartis's Kymriah, have also struggled. Therapies for hemophilia in development at companies such as Spark Therapeutics, which agreed in February to be purchased by Roche Holding, will be watched especially closely; the bleeding disorder can cost tens of millions of dollars to treat over a lifetime, and gene therapy prices are bound to reflect that. "If we get to a point where these therapies become available not only in very rare conditions but in substantial patient populations, multimillion-dollar prices are not going to be in any way sustainable," said Nick Crabb, scientific-affairs director at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which advises the U.K. on drug spending. "It's important we get our heads around this." Anticipating the surge, drug-cost authorities in Britain and Canada are collaborating with ICER to test new methods for valuing hoped-for cures. How the two sides define success and account for a lack of long-term evidence are among the hurdles, said Michael Sherman, chief medical officer of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a Boston-based health plan. If prices are too high in the first place, installment plans aren't going to resolve the dilemma. Without a fair starting point, "we may only be spreading out payments that make it easier to pay for an overpriced drug," he said. Mayor Pete Buttigieg, an underdog in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race who's seen an uptick in support in recent weeks, formally entered the contest Sunday during an event in the city he leads. "It is time to walk away from the politics of the past, and toward something totally different," Buttigieg, 37, told thousands gathered inside a former Studebaker car assembly plant in South Bend, Indiana. "My name is Pete Buttigieg. They call me Mayor Pete. I am a proud son of South Bend, Indiana. And I am running for president of the United States." The mayor is the 18th Democrat to officially declare a White House candidacy and would be the youngest and first openly gay U.S. president, if elected. With a name that's challenging to pronounce (boot-edge-edge, or Buddha-judge as the candidate's husband has suggested), Buttigieg has been traveling through early primary and caucus states and sitting for just about any television interview he can find. He's held his current post since 2012 and oversees a northern Indiana community of about 102,000 people best known for the nearby University of Notre Dame. Sunday's gathering was originally scheduled to be held outside, but has been moved indoors because of a forecast for a late-season winter storm. Still, some of the weather followed indoors because of a leaky roof. A Rhodes scholar who speaks seven languages, Buttigieg has sold himself as the polar opposite of President Donald Trump. He's reported raising about $7 million during the first quarter, a total that puts him roughly in the middle of the pack among those who have shared numbers ahead of Monday's Federal Election Commission disclosure deadline. Recent polls in the first two states that will hold Democratic nomination contests early next year - Iowa and New Hampshire - showed a surge in support for Buttigieg, even as former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont remain the front-runners. A Monmouth University Poll of Iowa Democratic voters released on April 11 shows Biden, who's expected to enter the race this month, with the support of 27 percent of those who say they're likely to attend the state's caucuses in February. He's followed by Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, at 16 percent. Buttigieg ranked third at 9 percent, outperforming a slew of U.S. senators and other hopefuls. Meanwhile, a poll by the Saint Anselm College Survey Center at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics showed similar results, with Biden at 23 percent, Sanders at 16 percent and Buttigieg at 11 percent. Buttigieg has suggested his strengths as a potential Democratic nominee include executive experience running a city, his military background - he served eight years in the Navy Reserve, including a stint as an intelligence officer in Afghanistan - and growing up in solidly Republican Indiana, albeit in a college town. Jack Beam, a Chicago lawyer who attended the kick-off event, said he's financially contributed to Buttigieg and considers him his favorite candidate in the crowded field. "I think he's off the charts for sincerity," he said. Beam said he suspects that "45 percent of the country won't like that he's gay," but that Buttigieg's military background and comfort with speaking about his Christian faith would help him compete against Trump in a general election. "They'd have to work harder to throw mud at him," he said. Watching Buttigieg's announcement online, David Axelrod, former President Barack Obama's strategist, said on Twitter that while the crowd seemed large and impressive, it was also dominated by whites - "an obstacle he will have to overcome" at a time the party has a historically diverse field of 2020 candidates. "He will need to build out his coalition in a very diverse party," Axelrod said in another tweet. Buttigieg supports some of the progressive proposals that have surfaced in the Democratic primary race, such as expanding the Supreme Court and doing away with the Electoral College. But he's kept some distance from others, such as "Medicare for all" and a guaranteed income for the working class. "Anyone in politics who lets the words Medicare for all escape their lips also has a responsibility to explain how we could actually get there," Buttigieg said during a recent appearance on a CNN town hall. He added that a preferable path might be "a Medicare for all who want it set up." An Episcopalian who often quotes scripture, Buttigieg married his husband, Chasten, a junior high school teacher, in a church service in June. Pointing to South Bend's crime and urban blight, Republicans sought to tarnish Buttigieg's image as mayor. "Pete Buttigieg talks a good game, but the facts of his failed leadership in South Bend will eventually catch up with the hysteria surrounding his candidacy," Kyle Hupfer, chairman of the Indiana Republican Party, said in a statement ahead of Sunday's event. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., raised $3 million in the first quarter of the year, according to her campaign, a figure that lags behind the hauls brought in by her competitors for the 2020 presidential nomination. Gillibrand has more than $10 million cash on hand, ranking her fourth in the Democratic field, her campaign's communications director, Meredith Kelly, said Sunday. That number includes a $9.6 million transfer from Gillibrand's Senate campaign account. In a memo to supporters on Sunday obtained by The Washington Post, Gillibrand's campaign said there was "no question" that its fundraising in the first quarter "was adversely impacted by certain establishment donors - and many online - who continue to punish Kirsten for standing up for her values and for women." Gillibrand was the first senator to call for Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., to resign amid sexual misconduct allegations in 2017, and several top Democratic donors, including George Soros and Susie Tompkins Buell, have openly criticized her over the move. Gillibrand defended her handling of the matter at an MSNBC town hall last month. "If there are a few Democratic powerful donors who are angry because I stood up for women who came forward with allegations of sexual harassment, that's on them," she said. More than 90 percent of the contributions Gillibrand received in the first quarter were under $200, her campaign said, and nearly two-thirds of her donors in the first quarter were women. Gillibrand formally launched her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination last month. In the money race among the Democratic hopefuls, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., leads with $18.2 million raised in the first quarter of the year and a total of $28 million in his campaign account. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., raised $12 million in the same period, while former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke raised $9.4 million. South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who formally launches his campaign Sunday afternoon, raised $7 million. And Gillibrand's fellow Senate Democrats Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Cory Booker of New Jersey have raised $6 million, $5.2 million and $5 million, respectively. In its memo to supporters, Gillibrand's campaign also played down early polling suggesting that the New York Democrat is struggling to gain traction. "Based on qualifying polls, Kirsten will be on the debate stage for the first two debates, which is the earliest that most primary voters will start tuning into the nominating contest," the memo reads. It's the other dirty problem for U.S. coal -- one that could cost utilities billions to clean up. Even as the Trump administration tries to revive the industry, some states are pushing utilities including Duke Energy Corp. and Dominion Energy Inc. to finally deal with the ash left over from burning the fuel. Utilities have for decades diluted the waste, which includes such toxins as arsenic, boron, lead and radium, and stored it in open pits called ponds. And while coal plants' air pollution and greenhouse gases get more national attention, residents and officials in some states are now forcing plant operators to clean out their ponds. North Carolina last week ordered Duke Energy to get rid of remaining ponds and remove ash to landfills with impermeable linings, a move that the company said could cost it $5 billion. In March, Virginia's governor signed a law requiring Dominion Energy to excavate its ponds, and South Carolina utilities pressed by lawsuits are emptying and closing theirs. Typically separated from rivers and groundwater by clay, rocks, and dirt, the ponds have at times burst, unleashing thousands of tons of waste into rivers in Tennessee and North Carolina. The spills in the Southeast, a Trump stronghold, have created pressure to act despite the administration's ideology, said Lisa Evans, senior counsel with the Earthjustice environmental law group. "There was political capital there on the side of doing more," she said. "The locations of these large toxic disposal sites on treasured rivers tipped the scales toward more protection." Coal-ash ponds were for years considered the simplest disposal method, and hundreds dot the landscape from the plains through the South. Environmentalists have long viewed them as slow-motion disasters. They say the ponds leach toxins into the water table year after year -- even without major accidents like a 2008 spill near Knoxville, Tennessee, that buried 300 acres in slurry. Utilities call those fears overblown, but President Barack Obama's administration in 2015 required groundwater monitoring, closure of leaking ponds and a ban on new ones without an impermeable barrier. Trump's Environmental Protection Agency, whose administrator Andrew Wheeler is a former coal lobbyist, last year loosened those rules, granting utilities more time to comply and giving states leeway to suspend monitoring. Southeastern states are pushing forward anyway, and some neighbors feel a hard-won vindication. "There's many things you have to fight for in your life, but this is one thing that my children won't have to fight for," said Amy Brown, who lives near a pond in Belmont, North Carolina, west of Charlotte. Brown has sparred with Duke since 2015, when the state advised her not to use well water for drinking or cooking, due to elevated levels of vanadium and chromium 6. "I have two children, and I started thinking, 'What have my children been exposed to?"' she said. "How much water had they drunk? How many pacifiers had I washed off? How many baths had they taken?" Duke insists the chemicals occur naturally in nearby groundwater and says the state rescinded its warning. But the company, complying with a state law, paid to hook up Brown's home to municipal water so she wouldn't have to use her well. Although the coal-ash issue simmered for years, recent spills pushed it to the fore. In 2014, a drainage pipe burst at a Duke pond in Eden, North Carolina, pouring 39,000 tons of ash waste into the Dan River, which supplies drinking water to both North Carolina and Virginia. After Hurricane Florence last fall, floodwaters swamped two other Duke facilities, sending waste into North Carolina's Cape Fear and Neuse rivers. South Carolina almost suffered a similar fate. After Florence, the swollen Waccamaw River poured into an ash pond already excavated by the South Carolina Public Service Authority, better known as Santee Cooper. The utility mounted an all-out defense of an adjacent pit still being cleaned. The waters came within 6 inches of topping a portable barrier atop the dike. "It totally inundated a pit that'd had a million tons in it, but the pit didn't have any ash left in it," said Frank Holleman, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. "Otherwise, you and I would have been talking about one of the worst environmental catastrophes in South Carolina history." Spills galvanized public pressure, even in a region where utilities have long enjoyed substantial clout. The area's changing politics also may have played a role: Both Virginia and North Carolina currently have Democratic governors. North Carolina's Roy Cooper campaigned on cleaning up ponds in his 2016 bid to oust Republican predecessor Pat McCrory, who had previously worked for Duke. "We've seen the damage this pollution can do," Cooper said in a statement after the state ordered Duke to excavate its ponds. "Now the cleanup of remaining coal ash needs to move ahead efficiently and effectively." Removing the contents, however, is neither speedy nor cheap, which is why many operators still resist it. Water must be slowly siphoned and cleaned. Solid waste must be excavated, along with soil below. Utilities can build their own landfill with an impermeable barrier, or truck the sludge to an existing one. Either way, the fill must be covered with another rain barrier. Duke wanted the option to simply remove the water, cap the ponds and leave the ash in place. The company said that being made to excavate the North Carolina facilities will pile as much as $5 billion onto costs already estimated at $5.6 billion across the Carolinas. Monitoring wells have found contaminants leaching into groundwater at the sites themselves, but tests farther away have found that chemicals attributed to the ponds are naturally present, said spokesman Bill Norton. "It's always right at our plant, or right adjacent to it, but it hasn't impacted anyone's drinking water," he said. However, North Carolina officials last week decided removing the waste would best protect public health. Environmentalists point to data that utilities file as part of the Obama-era rules. Earthjustice concluded that 91 percent of plants with ponds showed toxins in groundwater exceeding safety standards. They consider the industry's high cost estimates -- including Duke's -- a ploy. "Industry has a history of grossly overinflating the cost of any environmental action it's been required to do," Evans said. Michael R. Bloomberg, founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP, financially supports the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign, which seeks to retire the nation's coal-fired plants. Washington President Donald Trump loves to recount how his 2016 campaign defied expectations to pierce the vaunted Democratic "blue wall." For 2020, he's looking to do one better. As his re-election campaign kicks into high gear, it's exploring opportunities to contest states he lost in 2016, aiming to keep divided Democrats on the defensive. Trump on Monday visits Minnesota, where he lost to Hillary Clinton by fewer than 45,000 votes in 2016. The campaign also is targeting New Mexico, Nevada, and New Hampshire, all states where Trump fell short by under 100,000 votes. The visit to Minnesota is meant to highlight the effect of Trump's signature accomplishment, the 2017 tax overhaul, in a historically Democratic-leaning state that appears to offering Republicans hope. "We see trends in the state that we like," said senior campaign adviser Bill Stepien. "We like what we see on the ground. We like the energy we're seeing." Over the past several presidential elections Minnesota has grown increasingly competitive, particularly as Trump's rise coincided with a realignment of many white working class voters to the GOP. And in an otherwise bleak 2018 for the GOP, Trump helped flip two congressional seats to Republicans. With record fundraising for this stage in a presidential cycle, both the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee are unrestrained financially, allowing them to make riskier investments in states won by Clinton. All the target states, except for Nevada, also have Senate races in 2020, a factor that the party believes will provide extra return. Any early spending could pay dividends for the GOP in 2020, even if those efforts aren't successful, forcing Democrats opponents to expend resources later in the campaign cycle to defend what should be safer Democratic states. The Minnesota visit marks Trump's third to the state since taking office. His first two were political trips to help put two Republican congressional candidates over the top in 2018. The focus on Minnesota and Trump's other near-misses come as there is mounting concern within the Democratic Party that its heavily contested primary is providing Trump with an opportunity to reinforce his political position with little in the way of organized opposition. "Trump and the RNC are hell-bent on expanding on the list of states Trump won in 2016 by targeting states like Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Nevada, and they're counting on early money to build a formidable ground game to make it happen," said a recent Democratic National Committee fundraising email. Stephen Stepanek, chair of the New Hampshire GOP, silenced the room at the party's recent fundraiser, keynoted by the president's daughter-in-law Lara Trump, when he said the Democrats have "out-organized us. Outraised us. And quite frankly, we have to do a better job. We are in a war right now," he said. Trump lost the state by fewer than 3,000 votes and the GOP recently placed five staffers in the state. To date, early Democratic investments have been focused on shoring up the "blue wall" of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Until 2016, they had been solidly Democratic for two decades. All three states saw Democratic gains in 2018 that the party believes indicate they are ripe for returning to the fold in 2020. The Trump campaign is also eyeing the fallout of a political scandal among Democratic leaders in Virginia to determine whether there's an opening. But it acknowledges that the heavy concentration of federal workers in the northern part of the state makes it a challenge. The Democratic super PAC Priorities USA has announced a $100 million campaign in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Florida, all states that Trump carried. Its publicly announced "phase two" plans include a focus on Trump's narrow-loss states of Nevada and New Hampshire. Trump's team still believes his likeliest path to the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency means re-running the 2016 map. But it is exploring other permutations. "We're casting a wide net and looking for opportunities to grow the map," said Stepien. Ileana is popular for her hourglass figure and she disappointed her hard core fans with her bulky figure in Ravitejas Amar Akbar Anthony which ended as an epic disaster. After few days after the release of AAA, Ileana posted a picture she was seen back in shape. The actress who hasnt signed any film after AAA is enjoying her time with boyfriend and rumored husband Andrew Kneebone who is a photographer by profession. Meanwhile, Ileana posted throwback pictures from her vacation in Fiji. Ileana usually chooses a beach destination so she can indulge in a variety of water sports. She also learnt scuba diving during her vacation in Fiji as to make the most of her trip and experience the underwater thrill. The curly beauty who is seen flaunting her curves in the above picture in a swimwear looks damn sexy here. However, fans are hoping for her comeback. Murdered rapper Nipsey Hussle's devotion to his neighbourhood ultimately got him killed, according to former star producer Suge Knight. Hussle, real name Ermias Davidson Asghedom, died on April 1 (NZ time) in a shooting outside his clothing store in Los Angeles, aged 33. Knight told TMZ he feels Hussle's loyalty to where he came from - Crenshaw in Los Angeles - may have contributed to his death. "A lot of artists like Nipsey have the same problem that I had. We are too loyal to our neighbourhood." The killing reminded Knight - who's serving a 28-year prison sentence for manslaughter - of the murder of Tupac Shakur, who was shot in Knight's car in a drive-by in 1996. Knight moved away from his Compton neighbourhood when he made it big - but he says the lure of staying close to home is real because "when you go around Hollywood it's all watered down". "I feel that Nipsey was trying to follow the same Tupac manual to the community," the incarcerated felon said. Hussle was a nominee at this year's Grammy Awards for his debut album Victory Lap, but lost to Cardi B. Credit to Newshub. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) President Rodrigo Duterte is only creating a "war panel" with his plan to include more military representatives in the peace negotiations, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria "Joma" Sison said Sunday. Sison told CNN Philippines that the National Democratic Front (NDF), the alliance of groups under the Communist Party leadership and the negotiators for peace talks, will not recognize this. "The NDF would not want to be baited into accepting a war panel, or a panel that is dominated by the military whose purpose is mainly to seek the impossible such as the surrender of the revolutionary forces especially the NPA, the New People's Army," he said. Duterte had said he permanently ended talks with the CPP last month. But on Saturday, the President bared his plans to look for new ways to talk to the Reds, including looking for a military-led peace panel. READ: Duterte mulls creating new peace panel that has more military representatives The communist leader however said Duterte should first answer why he terminated the peace negotiations in the first place. Sison explained Duterte cannot dictate the terms of the negotiations. "Duterte is not serious and sincere in resuming the peace negotiations. He wants to impose a war panel on the NDF, and the NDF will not accept that," he said. Sison added Duterte is putting too much power in the military, thinking that it can solve all of his problems. "Duterte keeps on militarizing his government, and I think he will be strangulated by his own militarization... and the bloodbath that he's already carrying out," he said. Earlier, Duterte pushed for having localized peace talks. The list looks like inventory from a luxury car dealership. But the Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz and Rolls Royce arent contained in any for sale list, for now. They instead are all included on a federal governments notice seeking the seizure of cars, cash and jewelry from a Massachusetts hedge fund manager now serving more than 14 years in federal prison for running a multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme. In a notice filed this month, the U.S. Attorneys Office filed a forfeiture notice for items owned by 70-year-old Raymond Montoya, who was sentenced to 175 months in prison in a Boston federal court last month. He has since appealed the sentence. Montoya, of Allston, pleaded guilty last year to three counts of wire fraud, five counts of mail fraud, and two counts of conducting an unlawful monetary transaction. Authorities said between 2009 and June 2017, Montoya ran a pooled investment hedge fund in Boston called RMA Strategic Opportunity Fund, LLC. Montoya falsely told his investorsincluding his family, friends, and acquaintances who resided in Massachusetts, Ohio, and Californiathat the fund was earning substantial returns, when in fact, by 2014, the RMA Fund was sustaining substantial losses, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. Investors transferred millions of dollars of their personal savings and 401(k) retirement plans to Montoya and the RMA Fund. Montoya told the investors that he would invest their money in stocks and bonds, but he didnt. Instead, authorities said, he invested only some of the money and used the rest to buy luxury cars and pay for the mortgage on his sons home. Montoya was previously charged with securities fraud in a civil complaint by the Massachusetts Securities Division. A list of items the government seeks to seize shows some of the luxury vehicles were in the possession of one of Montoyas sons. The price of several of the items is listed in the governments case. A 2006 Ferrari Spider valued at $135,800, a 2016 Lamborghini Aventador valued at $239,495 and a 2010 Rolls Royce valued at $134,800 are some of the luxury vehicles on the list. The government also listed millions in E* Trade accounts and bank accounts. Several handbags, watches, different pieces of jewelry and coins are also listed in the items the government wants to seize. During his sentencing last month, the government said restitution would be determined at a later date. Two men were killed Saturday night after a shooting in Mattapan, according to Boston police. Officers were called to the area of 12 Violet St. in Mattapan around 11:10 p.m. Saturday for a report of a person shot. On arrival, officers located two male victims approximately in their late 40s, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, police said. Both victims were transported to local area hospitals where they were pronounced deceased. Anyone with information is asked to contact Boston Police Homicide Detectives at 617-343-4470. The shooting comes one week after 74-year-old Eleanor Maloney was fatally shot in a triple shooting in Mattapan. Three workers were injured Sunday morning in a chemical explosion at a Taunton company. Taunton Fire Chief Timothy J. Bradshaw said firefighters were called to the IQE facility, located at 200 John Hancock Road, at 12:25 a.m. for a reported explosion inside the plant. Upon arrival, the first arriving engine company found three employees suffering from flash burns on their faces and hands, authorities said. Firefighters were notified about the possibility that hazardous materials were released into the air. A tier 2 hazardous materials response was requested. The response brings in resources, personnel and equipment from the area. Authorities at the scene determined the incident involved compressed hydrogen and arsine. A hazmat crew determined no materials were released into the environment. The danger was confined to a piece of equipment used in manufacturing. At the time of the explosion, the equipment was undergoing maintenance, the fire chief said in a news release. The three employees were taken to a local hospital where they were treated and released. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. IQE lists on its website that it is the the global leader in the design and manufacture of advanced semiconductor wafer products. CHICOPEE -- A crash on Interstate-91 has closed all southbound lanes Sunday. The crash involves a box truck, which ended up against center guardrail, a small SUV flipped over onto the roof and a small black sedan. It is not known if other vehicles are involved. The occupants of the SUV and the box truck were brought to area hospitals by the Springfield Fire Department. Some suffered serious injuries, said Dennis Leger, executive aide to Fire Commissioner Bernard J. Calvi. Massachusetts State Police did not release immediate details of the crash but said it is in Chicopee and troopers are diverting all traffic to Interstate 291. The crash occurred at about 1 p.m. Motorists should avoid the area or expect heavy delays on surrounding streets, police said. CHICOPEE -- Interstate-91 has reopened after a serious crash forced all three southbound lanes to be closed Sunday. Occupants of a box truck and a small SUV, which flipped onto the roof after the collision, were taken to area hospitals by Springfield Fire Department ambulance. Some of the victims suffered serious injuries, said Dennis Leger, executive aide to Fire Commissioner Bernard J. Calvi. The southbound side of the highway was closed at about 1 p.m. in Chicopee, causing traffic jams. Massachusetts State Police diverted traffic to Interstate-291. State police are investigating the crash. They have released minimal details about the incident. WEST SPRINGFIELD Tattoos are like potato chips: Some folks cant have just one. Aaron Bellofatto of Woburn has tattoos over 65 percent of his body, and hes not done. On Saturday, he got another tattoo at the first annual Papillon Tattoo Convention on the grounds of the Big E. He had this tattoo put on his back. And, yes, hes not likely to ever really see it there. You run out of space," he said Saturday as Nick Read of Lucky Cat Tattoo in West Bridgewater worked on the tattoo. You run out of space. Eventually, you find out what works in different spots and you keep adding. Its like collecting. Its hard to explain. Hundreds attended the convention on Saturday - and many arrived early for a tattoo. If you are in a hurry, buy a box of Cracker Jacks and hope the prize is a temporary tattoo. It can take a while, Man, Ive lost count, Bellofatto answered when asked how much time he has spent getting tattooed. Ive probably sat for 100 or 200 hours. The convention continues on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The convention is a body art expo featuring live tattoos and live piercings as well as music and food. Organizers say they invited tattoo artists from around the world for people to get some serious ink." Chyna Aquino of Sturbridge was getting a tattoo of a Native American headdress on her leg to honor her heritage. Tattoo artist Jay Guskey of Oxford estimated it would take about eight hours. Its big and detailed. so she needed some space to put it. Its the only big spot I have left on my body, Aquino said. So has she ever gotten a tattoo she would later regret, such as the name of a boyfriend who is no longer a boyfriend? No, I was smart, she said. Rule number one: No Names. Stop & Shop and union representatives are expected to continue negotiations Sunday morning after the two sides met Saturday. The company said the two sides discussed new contracts for 31,000 workers in New England and planned to meet again Sunday. Employees for Stop & Shop walked off the job Thursday across Massachusetts and New England. Several stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island had reopened Friday, but there were much fewer staff members at some locations due to the strike. In a Facebook video, Tyrone C. Housey, president of UFCW Local 1459 in Springfield, asked members of the union to nicely ask shoppers not to do business with the company during the strike. United Food and Commercial Workers International workers at Stop & Shop in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island have been without a contract since late February. Following on from a series of similar studies, researchers are once again investigating whether acetaminophen can influence our psychology. This time, the focus is on positive empathy. Share on Pinterest Could acetaminophen reduce our ability to demonstrate empathy? Acetaminophen is one of the most commonly used drugs globally. It offers quick relief from mild pain and is readily available over the counter. Although the medical community considers acetaminophen to be a relatively safe and useful drug, a recent study asks whether it might have an unexpected effect on the population at large. Researchers from Ohio University in Athens are examining its effect on our ability to empathize with others. Lead author Dominik Mischkowski has been interested in this unusual topic for some time. The psychology of pain relievers Although the idea that a popular analgesic might have a psychological effect seems surprising, Mischkowski is not the only person to have investigated it. For instance, a 2010 paper concluded that acetaminophen reduced neural responses to social rejection. In other words, it appeared to reduce psychological pain. A study from 2015 concluded that acetaminophen blunted evaluative and emotional processing, while a more recent study involving people with borderline personality disorder found that acetaminophen increased their level of trust. Mischkowski published the findings of a study in 2016, and Medical News Today covered it at the time. In the paper, the researchers explained how acetaminophen seemed to reduce participants ability to empathize with those undergoing physical and emotional suffering. According to Mischkowski, this common pain reliever blunts responsiveness to ones own pain and also to the pain of others. Im still surprised about the striking psychological effects of such a common painkiller. Lead author Dominik Mischkowski Another look at empathy In his latest study, Mischkowski wanted to expand on his previous work. Specifically, he set out with his colleagues to explore whether acetaminophen might also reduce someones ability to experience positive empathy. To investigate, the researchers recruited 114 participants. They gave half of the group 1,000 milligrams of acetaminophen, while the other half received an inert placebo. The study was double-blind, meaning that neither the researchers nor the participants knew whether they were receiving the active drug or the placebo. One hour later, the team asked the participants to read short passages about people having positive, uplifting experiences. The researchers measured how positive the participants perceived the events to be and how positive they thought they were for the individuals in the narrative. Once the scientists had completed their analysis, the results confirmed their expectations: [A]cetaminophen reduced positive empathy. When reading scenarios about various protagonists having pleasurable experiences, participants under the influence of acetaminophen experienced less empathic affect compared to participants who had consumed a psychologically inert placebo. Importantly, the researchers also found that acetaminophen did not dull the participants ability to understand that the situations that they were reading about were positive they realized the emotional impact, but they did not feel much empathy for the individuals in the narratives. A drug that scientists originally developed to treat depression may have promise for the treatment of opioid withdrawal, researchers say. Share on Pinterest A new experimental drug may help reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms. Opioid withdrawal is a challenging experience, and although there are medications already on the market that can help curb the symptoms of withdrawal, these drugs cause negative side effects. Current withdrawal medications also often require people to take them for a prolonged period, which is not ideal and could lead to a relapse. There may be encouraging news on the horizon, however. New research highlights the possible benefits of an experimental drug called rapastinel, which scientists initially created to help those with major depressive disorder. This new research showed that rats responded positively to rapastinel in opioid withdrawal studies. The researchers noted that rapastinel had a significant effect on withdrawal in just a few days, which could make it a candidate for future testing in human participants in a clinical setting. The first few days after halting opioid use can be very difficult because the withdrawal symptoms can be exceptionally severe. This stage is when rapastinel could potentially be useful, as it may help ease those symptoms without the additional burden of side effects. It could also reduce the need for prescription drugs that require long-term use for a person to avoid relapse. We have found that rapastinel has potential as a new treatment for opioid dependence, as it is effective in reducing withdrawal signs and has not been shown to produce any negative side effects, notes Julia Ferrante, an undergraduate at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. Ferrante conducted the research with Cynthia M. Kuhn, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at Duke University in Durham, NC. The findings featured at the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics annual meeting, which took place recently during the Experimental Biology 2019 meeting in Orlando, FL. How to Quit Smoking? Causes of Smoking Peer pressure To socialize Association with status As a crutch to cope with stress or awkwardness Cultural reasons espoused through popular media Home Remedies to Quit Smoking Black Pepper: It can actually help you overcome those nicotine cravings when youre attempting to quit smoking. Unlike many other home remedies that are only backed by hearsay, this one is actually backed by medical research. According to some studies, inhaling the vapor from black pepper extract brings about a reduction in those annoying nicotine withdrawal symptoms that usually cause you to cave in and light up. Golden Root: This is another interesting natural remedy that has shown promising results in studies on its effects on nicotine dependence and the development of withdrawal symptoms. Rhodiolarosea L. or golden root extract was found to reduce and prevent the development of dependence on nicotine, while it can also reduce symptoms and discomfort that is associated with smoking cessation or to be more precise, with nicotine withdrawal. Researchers recommended that it be used as a therapeutic aid in smoking cessation programs. This is another interesting natural remedy that has shown promising results in studies on its effects on nicotine dependence and the development of withdrawal symptoms. Rhodiolarosea L. or golden root extract was found to reduce and prevent the development of dependence on nicotine, while it can also reduce symptoms and discomfort that is associated with smoking cessation or to be more precise, with nicotine withdrawal. Researchers recommended that it be used as a therapeutic aid in smoking cessation programs. St. John's Wort: This is another interesting herb that has long been used in traditional and folk remedies. St Johns Wort may be of some help in smoking cessation programs, but greater research is needed. The herb, which is also commonly used as an anti-depressant, has often been touted as the solution to all the woes associated with smoking cessation. Studies have been inconclusive however and some would suggest that any benefit is purely because of the placebo effect. This is another interesting herb that has long been used in traditional and folk remedies. St Johns Wort may be of some help in smoking cessation programs, but greater research is needed. The herb, which is also commonly used as an anti-depressant, has often been touted as the solution to all the woes associated with smoking cessation. Studies have been inconclusive however and some would suggest that any benefit is purely because of the placebo effect. Think Positive: Your mindset has a lot to do with how successful you are in your endeavors. Preparing for failure only sets you up for one. While its important that you dont get disillusioned with failure, dont try to quit smoking if you dont believe you can do it. Work on psychological exercises to build focus and concentration and first start out by deciding to abstain from smoking for a certain period only. If you normally light up every half an hour, test yourself by pushing it to one hour. Keep pushing the boundaries and once you feel confident that you can give it up, theres no looking back. Your mindset has a lot to do with how successful you are in your endeavors. Preparing for failure only sets you up for one. While its important that you dont get disillusioned with failure, dont try to quit smoking if you dont believe you can do it. Work on psychological exercises to build focus and concentration and first start out by deciding to abstain from smoking for a certain period only. If you normally light up every half an hour, test yourself by pushing it to one hour. Keep pushing the boundaries and once you feel confident that you can give it up, theres no looking back. Meditation: Meditative practices like yoga can help to fight those cravings and will help to keep you focused on your goal of quitting. Yoga and meditation are often touted as a cure to every ailment known to man, but in this case studies have shown that meditation and similar mindfulness practices can actually help to reduce ones craving for cigarettes, whether or not the practitioner entered into the practice for that purpose. In the study, participants received training with a technique called Integrative Body-Mind Training and researchers observed a 60% decline in their smoking. This could make meditation an especially useful aid to anyone wrestling with that urge to smoke. Hypnosis: It is all too often associated with charlatans and other fraudulent practices that lack any scientific basis like healing crystals and reiki. This however couldnt be further from the truth. Hypnosis is based on human behavior and suggestibility and rigorous testing has proven it to be an efficacious treatment and therapeutic aid to various forms of addiction, especially if the addiction is psychological. Some studies have even found hypnotherapy to be more effective than nicotine replacement therapy when dealing with smoking cessation. Keep in mind that a hypnotherapist is a licensed medical practitioner, unlike a hypnotist who is only an entertainer, no matter how skilled he may be. It is all too often associated with charlatans and other fraudulent practices that lack any scientific basis like healing crystals and reiki. This however couldnt be further from the truth. Hypnosis is based on human behavior and suggestibility and rigorous testing has proven it to be an efficacious treatment and therapeutic aid to various forms of addiction, especially if the addiction is psychological. Some studies have even found hypnotherapy to be more effective than nicotine replacement therapy when dealing with smoking cessation. Keep in mind that a hypnotherapist is a licensed medical practitioner, unlike a hypnotist who is only an entertainer, no matter how skilled he may be. Acupressure and Acupuncture: Acupressure is a form of alternative therapy in which the practitioner applies calculated pressure to very specific points of the patients body to stimulate or calm them. According to practitioners, these points lie along certain energy lines with the body, but there is no scientific basis to the discipline. Acupuncture functions along the same lines, but instead of employing manual pressure, fine needles are inserted at specific points. Despite the apparent lack of scientific basis to the disciplines, they are found to be helpful in dealing with certain health conditions. Many patients claim to have benefited from acupuncture and acupressure when quitting smoking. While some studies support these claims, others have clearly refuted them, so there is a lack of consensus. There are no risks posed however, so its worth a try if all else fails. Acupressure is a form of alternative therapy in which the practitioner applies calculated pressure to very specific points of the patients body to stimulate or calm them. According to practitioners, these points lie along certain energy lines with the body, but there is no scientific basis to the discipline. Acupuncture functions along the same lines, but instead of employing manual pressure, fine needles are inserted at specific points. Despite the apparent lack of scientific basis to the disciplines, they are found to be helpful in dealing with certain health conditions. Many patients claim to have benefited from acupuncture and acupressure when quitting smoking. While some studies support these claims, others have clearly refuted them, so there is a lack of consensus. There are no risks posed however, so its worth a try if all else fails. Exercise: Physical activity and more precisely, exercise as an aid to quit smoking may sound like a cliche, but it really does work. While smoking may be detrimental to your physical well-being and fitness, smokers who do take up fitness activities like exercising, aerobics, swimming or jogging are often insistent that these activities help to reduce their cravings and in some cases may have even helped them to quit the habit altogether. Studies into these purported benefits have been encouraging and some suggest that this positive effect of exercise cannot be attributed to it as a cognitive distraction alone. Studies indicate that even ten minutes of moderate intensity exercise can help to reduce those cravings. Physical activity and more precisely, exercise as an aid to quit smoking may sound like a cliche, but it really does work. While smoking may be detrimental to your physical well-being and fitness, smokers who do take up fitness activities like exercising, aerobics, swimming or jogging are often insistent that these activities help to reduce their cravings and in some cases may have even helped them to quit the habit altogether. Studies into these purported benefits have been encouraging and some suggest that this positive effect of exercise cannot be attributed to it as a cognitive distraction alone. Studies indicate that even ten minutes of moderate intensity exercise can help to reduce those cravings. Increase Fluid Intake: Try to keep a bottle of water or fruit juices handy when youre quitting smoking. Sipping on water or fruit juice each time you feel the urge to light up can help to alleviate the urge. Some people turn to food for comfort, but this isnt the best thing to do, as a junk food addiction and the associated problems of obesity can be even harder to overcome. Self-Massage: The idea of a self-message doesnt sound particularly relaxing or inviting, but it can help cope with nicotine withdrawal symptoms after you stop smoking. Sitting in a massage chair or lying on a massage bed doesnt really constitute a self-massage and although that may help, the focus of a study on self-massage was on self-administered massage therapy involving a hand or ear massage. The results suggest that it may help to reduce feelings of anxiety, mood swings and cravings associated with withdrawal. Smoking cigarettes is a lot like playing Russian roulette, with two sharp differences the odds of you being killed are a lot higher and unlike the quick painless death in Russian roulette, youre almost guaranteed an agonizingly slow and painful death. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths in most parts of the world, with around a third and fourth of all cancer deaths and heart disease fatalities attributable to smoking. In other cases, smoking may not be directly responsible for a fatal disease, but it severely impairs quality of life by increasing your risk for various other health conditions. Nevertheless, quitting smoking is no walk in the park and there are no short cuts to becoming smoke-free.Nicotine is more addictive than cannabis or marijuana and any other substances that are classified as drugs, so its no surprise that countless people across the world struggle to kick the butt in vain. Today all of us are aware of the ill effects and risks of smoking but how is it that so many of us still get hooked? Most of us start smoking for the following reasons:For most people, addiction is just a step away as most smokers get addicted very quickly and many struggle to break the cycle for years.Quitting smoking isnt easy, which is why it isnt a decision that you should make lightly. While it is extremely important that you kick the butt, dont make a reluctant effort with a defeatist attitude. This only sets you up for failure and as most former smokers will attest, each successive failure to quit disillusions you and makes it even harder to quit the next time round. Once youve decided to quit smoking, strengthen your resolve and stop looking for new ways to quit smoking and dont try to find the easiest way to continue smoking. Decide on a particular strategy that you think would work best for you and stick to it. Natural and herbal remedies can often help to counter the problem of addiction and here are some popular home remedies that many former smokers swear by:Other natural ingredients like cayenne pepper, oats, ginger juice, lobelia, grape seed extract, grape juice, hyssop, ginseng powder, honey and valerian are also often used as aids in smoking cessation, but not all of them work and there is little evidence to support their therapeutic role. All too often, natural products are exploited by marketers who seek to make a quick buck by claiming miraculous healing powers. Such claims that are not backed by evidence should always be treated with skepticism.Keep in mind that medical aids like nicotine patches and nicotine gum can help to cope with the physical withdrawal symptoms after you quit smoking. These symptoms typically last for just a couple of days or for as long as a week.However, psychological dependence a greater problem, which is why so many smokers falter and return to the habit even after having given up for as long as a month. Psychological well-being is therefore an important consideration and you should take steps to reduce stress levels and strengthen your commitment to life without cigarettes. Eventually, you will get to a point where the accomplishment of having gone without a smoke for a week, a month or a year will suffice as motivation to keep you going smoke free for life. Yale University professor Kosuke Uetake studies economics for a living, but on Thursday afternoon he was stumped. Name another consumer product for which states, in recent history, have created and regulated new legal markets. The economist thought for a minute. Maybe e-cigarettes? Facebook? Bottom line: its extremely rare, he concluded. So the potential legalization of recreational marijuana gives Connecticut, and other states, a unique opportunity. Its a chance to protect public health, shape consumer behavior, reduce an illegal market and increase state revenue, economists agree. One decision by Connecticut lawmakers will be crucial to the states success in all these areas: setting the tax rate on recreational cannabis. Connecticut Democrats, most of whom support legalization, are still making up their minds on how to tax the new product. They havent finished drafting this part of the cannabis legislation. On Monday, Rep. Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, who chairs the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, which is writing this part of the law, said its proposed legislation would set an effective 20 percent tax rate on pot, comprised of a 9.35 percent sales tax and an excise tax of $45 per ounce on cannabis buds and $13.50 per ounce on the rest of the plant. This is similar to Massachusetts 20 percent tax rate on recreational marijuana and a moderate rate compared to the six other states that have legalized the drug for recreational use. But by Friday, Rojas said lawmakers would likely revise the excise tax down to about $30 to $35 per ounce for cannabis buds, out of concern that too high a tax would fail to grab buyers from the black market. Even this rate could change later if the full House and Senate get the chance to weigh in. Economists who have studied other states legal weed markets say the weight-based excise tax Connecticut is eyeing is good but a potency-based tax could be better. We have been trying to encourage either a tax per unit or, in our minds more appropriate, a tax per unit THC (tetrahyrocannabinol, the principal psychoactive chemical in cannabis), which would be more akin to how we treat alcohol, said Rosalie Pacula, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center. By taxing the amount of THC in the cannabis product sold, Connecticut could ensure a steady revenue stream even as the price of marijuana varies and disincentivize dispensaries from selling stronger and stronger weed products to raise prices, Pacula said. But potency-based taxation requires good laboratories and technology to accurately test THC levels, said Uetake who teaches marketing at Yales School of Management. Reliability and replicability of testing remain problematic, wrote Carl Davis, Misha E. Hill and Richard Phillips of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy in a 2019 policy paper. Cannabis testing laboratories lack the regulation and oversight that most other public health and safety labs require. Thus, there is not yet an industry standard and testing results may vary. Economists also recommended Connecticut be prepared to raise its tax rate later. Usually marijuana prices are initially high, so taxing a lot on top of that leads to consumers going to the black market or not going to the legal market, said Uetake. Eventually, prices go down due to competition or other factors. Then maybe we can charge higher taxes. At that point, people get used to the legal market, they love going to the legal market and they dont go back to the black market. To decide when to raise the rate and by how much, Connecticut needs good sales data, said Keaton Miller, an economics assistant professor at the University of Oregon. That might require Connecticut to purchase and implement a seed-to-sale tracking system which proposed legislation passed by the General Law Committee currently does not allot for. Its hard to make good decisions in the future unless you are collecting good data today, Miller said. Washington state is heavily studied by economists because of its extensive, publicly accessible data on cannabis sales and revenue. The state also has the nations highest tax rate on recreational marijuana with a 37 percent excise tax plus a 6.5 percent state sales tax. Uetakes research finds Washington could raise its tax rate even higher perhaps as high as 50 percent with little dropoff in sales. If Connecticut adopted Washingtons current tax scheme, the state could see annual revenues of over $151 million, Davis, Hill and Phillips estimate. Thats higher than Connecticut politicians current predictions of $80 million to $140 million with a 20 percent effective tax rate. Connecticut could also see higher cannabis revenues if it beats New Jersey and New York to legalization, economists observed. I think there is a big opportunity in the short-run for Connecticut to take advantage of uncertainty in New York and New Jersey, said Miller. If you can go to Stamford from Grand Central station and the price is competitive to what you would see in Providence or Boston, you are going to see a lot of business in Stamford a lot. But revenue will also vary based on the market Connecticut creates: how many licenses to grow, manufacture and sell marijuana products it permits, who runs them, what products those vendors are allowed to sell, how cannabis is marketed and the overlaps between medical and recreational marijuana. And like taxation, most of those details, said Rep. Michael DAgostino, D-Hamden, are still being sorted out. emunson@hearstmediact.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson Dont expect any profiles in courage from your General Assembly. Lawmakers dont exactly care about gauging public opinion. Once the average legislator sits in one of those comfy chairs in the House or Senate, their sense of self-worth inflates exponentially, while their ability to remember the people who elected them deflates accordingly. And there is a massive disconnect between Democrats and their governor, whos supposed to set the tone of fiscal and social policy. Something about being elected to represent a 25,000-population House district or a 95,000 Senate district creates an ego-multiplier in the heads of many oh-so-average politicians. And aside from caucus leaders and a minority of others among the 151 House and 36 Senate denizens, most in the legislature should aspire to average. Yeah, as high and mighty as some think, theyre not exactly a moral compass. There was a bill that could have made the end-of-life a little easier for the terminally ill, but it recently expired, for the sixth year or so, without even a debate in the House or Senate. The bill failed to get to reach a formal vote in the Public Health Committee because an actual roll call would have been embarrassing for the panels Democratic majority, who didnt want to be caught out, on the record, for prolonging pain in people they will never meet. Yep, too often legislative leaders protect the guilty. Transparency, thy name is not the General Assembly, where some committee agendas are posted in the last minute and not the day ahead; where crucial rewritten language of legislation gets into the hands of lobbyists well before reporters and the general public. If you think this bienniums Democratic majorities are running roughshod with progressive legislation, youve been attending too many anti-toll public hearings, those cleverly warmed-over GOP marketing events for the 2020 General Assembly election. There is a palpable fear among a certain strata of GOP pros that the 2020 presidential turnout will dwarf the huge 2018 numbers that flipped the state Senate to solidly Democrat, and gave Ned Lamont the governors race. It reminds me how the highest tax hikes in state history battle cry didnt precede a Republican victory for governor and the General Assembly last year, thanks to their underwhelming candidate for governor, and the Trump effect. Theres really not a better idea for guerrilla political sniping than playing to the crowds toll-phobia. Forget the hundreds of millions of dollars in out-of-state road usage money being left on the table. What is a better re-purposed branding effort than Lying Ned, the businessman who upon election realized trucks-only tolls couldnt generate enough cash to fix the states transit infrastructure? Tolls are too much of a sitting duck, and would take most of Lamonts first term to install. Rank-and-file Democrats are generally cowardly, and the so-called progressive caucus are prone to be situational. There are strong anti-toll sentiments among the progressives, as well as anti-cannabis people, because they know so much and are so authoritative. Governor Lamont is about to see how important the denizens of the General Assembly, mostly rank-and-file, think they are. There may not be legal sports betting in Connecticut, but I can think of some odds that dont look too good for Lamonts four major proposals. Tolls: 3 to 1 against, with fraidy cat Democrats fleeing from the GOPs Lying Ned battle cry. Recreational marijuana: 4 to 1 against because its easier to be a reactionary than a visionary, and the cannabis package has many parts to it. If theres a chance for Connecticut lawmakers to hem and haw, and rub their hands together, and ignore that most people support legalized weed, they will. Remember, it took five years to enact the no-brainer ban on drivers use of handheld mobile phones. Besides, recreational cannabis users now just have to drive to the marijuana market town of Northampton, or consult their traditional underground dealers. Dont forget, Massachusetts only won retail cannabis because of a statewide ballot initiative, a process for the people of the Commonwealth that Connecticut does not have. Instead we have dithering lawmakers. Family and medical leave as a mandatory program with a payroll deduction: 5 to 1 against. A four-year phase-in for the $10.10 minimum wage to rise to $15: 3 to 1 against. For General Assembly members, a long-term vision is only until the next Election Day. Ken Dixon, political editor and columnist, can be reached at 203-842-2547 or at kdixon@ctpost.com. Visit him at twitter.com/KenDixonCT and on Facebook at kendixonct.hearst. The Marine Corps' Aging Amphibious Vehicle Fleet Will Be Kept Out of the Water Eight Marines and a Navy corpsman died when an AAV sank hundreds of feet into the ocean during exercises on July 30, 2020. China is willing to deepen its cooperation with the World Bank on lending programs and knowledge sharing, Chinese Finance Minister Liu Kun said here in a meeting with World Bank President David Malpass. Chinese Finance Minister Liu Kun poses for photos with other attendees at the 99th Meeting of the Development Committee in Washington D.C. [Photo: mof.gov.cn] The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 99th Meeting of the Development Committee launched by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund on Friday and Saturday. There is great potential for China, the world's largest developing country and an important partner of the World Bank, to cooperate with the international lender in the future, Liu said, according to a statement released by the Chinese Ministry of Finance on Saturday. Liu said he hopes other developing countries can learn from China's experience in successfully alleviating poverty. China expects to work with the World Bank on improving the innovativeness of lending programs and added value, he added In addition, China also looks forward to cooperating with the World Bank in such areas as improving the business environment and establishing a high-standard multilateral financing cooperation center, the minister said. Malpass said the World Bank and China share a great responsibility in combating poverty and spurring global development, noting China's achievements in alleviating poverty, the experience of which is worth sharing. The World Bank, Malpass said, is also willing to work with China on pollution prevention and control, green development, as well as coping with climate change. How to use the mindat.org media viewer Click/touch this help panel to close it. Welcome to the mindat.org media viewer. Here is a quick guide to some of the options available to you. Different controls are available depending on the type of media being shown (photo, video, animation, 3d image) Controls - all media types Zoom in and out of media using your mousewheel or with a two-finger 'resize' action on a touch device. Use the mouse or your finger to drag the image or the view area of the image around the screen. < and > at the left and right hand side of the screen move forwards and backwards for the other images associated with the media you selected. Usually this is used for previous/next photo in a gallery, in an article or in search results. Keyboard shortcuts: use shift + the left and right arrow keys. < and > in the bottom center are used for switching between the photos of the same specimen. Keyboard shortcuts: use the left and right arrow keys. > in the bottom center, raises the information box giving details and further options for the media, < at the top of this box then hides it. Keyboard shortcuts: use the up and down arrow keys. ? opens this help window. Keyboard shortcuts: use the H key or the ? key. Other keyboard shortcuts: 1 Fit image to screen 2 Fill screen with image 5 Display at full resolution < Make background darker > Make background lighter space Hide/dim titles and buttons Scalebar If the field of view (FOV) is specified for the photo, the scalebar appears in the left bottom corner of the viewer. The scalebar is draggable and resizeable. Drag the right edge to resize it. Double click will reset the scalebar to it's default size and position. If the scalebar is in default position, double click will make it circular. Controls - Video Video files have a standard set of video controls: - Reset to start, - Skip back, - Play, - Pause, - Skip forwards. Keyboard shortcuts: You can stop/start video play with the P key. Controls - Animation (Spin Rotation) Animation (usually 360 degree spin rotations) have their own controls: - enable spin mode. Note that while images are loading this option will not be available but will be automatically activated when the animation has loaded. Once active you can spin the image/change the animation by moving your mouse or finger on the image left/right or by pressing the [ or ] keys. The button switches to move mode so that you can use your mouse/fingers to move the image around the screen as with other media types. The button, or the P key will start playing the animation directly, you can interrupt this by using the mouse or finger on the image to regain manual movement control. Controls - 3D Stereoscopic images If a stereoscopic 3D image is opened in the viewer, the 3D button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "3D settings" menu. The 3D images can be viewed in several ways: - without any special equipment using cross-eyed or parallel-eyed method - with stereoscope - with anaglyph glasses. - on a suitable 3D TV or monitor (passive 3D system) For details about 3D refer to: Mindat manuals: Mindat Media Viewer: 3D To enable/disable 3D stereo display of a compatible stereo pair image press the 3 key. If the left/right images are reversed on your display (this often happens in full-screen mode) press the 4 key to reverse them. Controls - photo comparison mode If a photo with activated comparison mode is opened in the viewer, the button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "Comparison mode settings" menu. Several layouts are supported: slider and side by-side comparison with up to 6 photos shown synchronously on the screen. On each of the compared photos a view selector is placed, e.g.: Longwave UV . It shows the name of currently selected view and allows to select a view for each placeholder. Summary of all keyboard shortcuts OTTAWA COUNTY, MI - A man who briefly moved into his parents Ottawa County home following a divorce in 2016 expected his mom and dad to deliver the rest of his belongings to him when he moved to Indiana months later. But he soon discovered what was missing: 12 boxes of pornographic films and magazines, a vast collection he estimates was worth about $29,000, according to the Associated Press. Some of the titles included Frisky Business and Big Bad Grannys. Now the 40-year-old man is suing his parents for tossing out his porn collection. The man, who was not identified, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Michigan last week seeking about $87,000 - triple the collections estimated worth. The Muncie, Ind. man initially tried to get local police involved in the dispute, but the Ottawa County Prosecutors Office would not press charges against the mans parents, the AP reported. The lawsuit includes an email from the mans father, explaining why the parents ditched the porn. I did you a big favor by getting rid of all this stuff," the father wrote his son. UPDATE: Driver killed in M-37 crash caused by speed THORNAPPLE TOWNSHIP, MI A portion of M-37 is currently closed due to a crash near Caledonia, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. The crash was reported after 2 p.m., Sunday, April 14, on M-37, also known as Cherry Valley Road, near 108th Street and Parmalee Road, in Barry Countys Thornapple Township, which is south of Caledonia. It is unclear if there are any injuries at this time. Michigan State Police are currently on scene and are investigating the crash. Several other crashes have been reported across West Michigan as heavy snow descends on portions of the state and road conditions worsen. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Grand Rapids is taking advantage of more than $748,000 in federal safety grants to fund upgrades at a handful of intersections across the city. In unanimously approving a series of resolutions Tuesday, April 9, the city commission agreed to pay for almost 12 percent -- or $119,315 -- of the collective $1 million bill for the projects. City funds come from the Vital Streets Fund. The remaining costs will come from federal grants, and $41,015 from Kentwood. Josh Naramore, Mobile GR and Parking Services manager, said the upgrades are slated for summer 2019. The traffic equipment, he said, has an average life of 15-20 years, and the Michigan Department of Transportation determines which are eligible for upgrades. One project involves upgrades to the intersection of East Paris Avenue and Sparks Drive, which is shared by Grand Rapids and Kentwood. Upgrades to the intersection include modernization of the existing traffic signal equipment, pedestrian signal upgrades, new pavement markings and pedestrian sidewalk ramps. Itll also include the addition of wireless vehicle detection and left-turn phasing. Federal safety grant funds secured through the Michigan Department of Transportation will cover $213,845 for the project. Grand Rapids and Kentwood will each pay $41,015. The second project passed Tuesday green-lighted upgrades to traffic signal equipment, including pedestrian signals, and the installation of back plates and detection cameras at five intersections. They are: Division Avenue at Burton Street SE; Division Avenue at Franklin Street SE; Division Avenue at Hall Street SE; Division Avenue at Wealthy Street SE; Alpine Avenue at Leonard Street NW. The combined cost for the five intersections is estimated to be $612,700 with federal safety grant funding to cover $534,400. Grand Rapids will cover the remaining $78,300 through its Vital Streets Fund. The state is transitioning from the traditional traffic signals -- two signals in the middle of the intersection -- to the new box span signal configuration -- signals located at each corner of the intersection. The new configuration is designed to increase safety for maintenance workers and to be easier for drivers to see, according to MDOT. WYOMING, MI Police investigated what they called a non-specific bomb threat Saturday evening at a local Walmart store in Wyoming, Michigan, according to the Wyoming Department of Public Safety. The Walmart located at 355 54th St. SW was evacuated and remained closed for several hours after store managers received the threat around 6 p.m., according to a news release issued by the department. Police responded at around 6:15 p.m., Saturday, April 13, and requested assistance from the Michigan State Police bomb squad. An MSP K-9 unit arrived shortly thereafter and searched the store with Wyoming public safety officers. No explosive devices were found following a sweep of the building and the store was reopened at around 9 p.m., the release reads. The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information on the bomb threat is asked to contact the Wyoming Department of Public Safety at 616-530-7335 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345. Brazilian right-wing leader Jair Bolsonaro risks falling out with one of his closest allies over his off-hand "we can forgive, but we cannot forget" remark about the Holocaust after it sparked a fierce backlash in Israel. The Israeli President, as well as the official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, have pounced on Bolsonaro, taking offence with the Brazilian's leader way of speaking about the Holocaust. Addressing evangelical leaders on Thursday night in Rio de Janeiro, Bolsonaro made a reference to the Holocaust as an example of a tragedy that must not be forgotten so it would never be repeated. "We can forgive, but we cannot forget. That quote is mine. Those that forget their past are sentenced not to have a future," he said. Also on rt.com Maduro tells Brazilian Army to resist fascist rookie Bolsonaros orders to intervene in Venezuela The remark struck a raw nerve in Israel, with critics zooming in on the first part of the quote. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin accused Bolsonaro of an attempt to "erase" the extermination of Jews in Nazi camps from the public memory. "No one will order the forgiveness of the Jewish people, and it can never be bought in the name of interests," Rivlin tweeted. "We will never cooperate with those who deny the truth or try to erase it from memory not by individuals and groups, not by party leaders and not by heads of state," he said. Yad Vashem, the Israeli memorial for the victims of the Holocaust, warned Bolsonaro against sailing out of his depth and called on him to stick to present-day politics instead of wading into historical matters. "Diplomats have the responsibility to shape the future, and historians have the responsibility to describe the past and research history. It is forbidden for one to cross the boundaries of the other," spokeswoman Dana Weiler-Polak said, while noting that it's not up to one to decide if "the crimes of the Holocaust" warrant forgiveness. Bolsonaro, who has styled himself as a great friend of Israel, recently opened his country's business office in Jerusalem as "part of its embassy in Israel." While the inauguration of the new diplomatic quarters fell short of Bolsonaro's earlier vow to move the country's embassy to Jerusalem, it was praised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he hoped it was "a first step" towards the opening of the Brazilian embassy there. During his four-day trip to Israel, Bolsonaro, dubbed "Tropical Trump" for the uncanny similarities of his views to those of his American counterpart, visited the Yad Vashem memorial. READ MORE: Nostalgia for coups past? Brazils Bolsonaro visits CIA before Trump on first US trip Bolsonaro is no stranger to courting controversy, having praised Latin American dictators and telling a female political opponent she was "not worthy" of rape. Just days after he returned from Israel, Bolsonaro faced outrage for claiming that Germany's National Socialist Party (the actual Nazis) was a leftist group, because its name included "socialist." Netanyahu so far has not commented on the new controversy involving his Brazilian bedfellow. Meanwhile, the Israeli ambassador to Brazil sprung to Bolsonaro's defense, arguing that the Brazilian leader was misunderstood. "At no point in his speech did the president show disrespect or indifference to Jewish suffering," he said in a Facebook post. Bolsonaro's comment sent ripples through the Jewish community on Twitter. Some argued that it was up to the victims of the Holocaust to decide whether to forgive the perpetrators. "Its perpetrators were rightfully punished and should never be forgiven. Just like the torturers you defend deserve no forgiveness," a commentator wrote, alluding to Bolsonaro's controversial remarks praising military dictators and their methods. Like this story? Share it with a friend! Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro tried to explain the message behind his eyebrow-raising Holocaust can be forgiven phrase was gravely distorted, and the following uproar is used to cause bad blood with his Jewish friends. My speech was never meant to be used in a historical context, and its other interpretations only serve those who want to push me away from my Jewish friends, Bolsonaro wrote in a statement, shared by Israels envoy to Brazil, Yossi Shelley, on social media. Shelley said that he had earlier asked Bolsonaro to explain the comments on the Holocaust he made at an Evangelical event this week. The Brazilian leaders phrase We can forgive, but we cannot forget the killing of millions of Jews during WWII quickly drew criticism from Israels President Reuven Rivlin and Yad Vashem, the nations leading Holocaust memorial center. Bolsonaros comments were also slammed online. Also on rt.com Brazil's Bolsonaro angers ally Israel by saying Holocaust can be 'forgiven' A right-wing politician, Bolsonaro closely aligns himself with Israel and the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. Two weeks ago, he undertook a four-day trip to the country, during which he visited Yad Vashem. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! The Ecuadorian authorities have fabricated claims about Julian Assange's alleged "gross misbehavior" at its embassy as a pretext to surrender him to the UK police, the WikiLeaks founder's lawyer said. "The first thing to say is [that] Ecuador has been making some outrageous allegations," Assange's lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, told Sky News on Sunday following the whistleblower's arrest earlier this week. Quito made these claims to divert public attention from its own misdeeds and to "justify the unlawful and extraordinary act of letting police come inside an embassy," she added. Earlier, Ecuadorian Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo complained about the embassy staff having to tolerate gross misconduct for far too long. The 47-year-old was specifically accused of "putting feces on the walls," among other things. He was also alleged to have left dirty underwear in the lavatory, failed to clean dishes, and left a cooker on. Also on rt.com Not going anywhere: WikiLeaks editor & Assange lawyer promise to fight chilling attack on press Apart from that, the embassy staff complained earlier that the WikiLeaks founder also listened to loud music and skateboarded inside the embassy hall at night claims that make the whistleblower sound like a rowdy teenager. Robinson dismissed all those allegations as "not true" and hit back by saying that it was the Ecuadorian authorities that eventually turned the whistleblower's life in the embassy into a sort of a solitary confinement as he was holed up for seven years. "I've been visiting him for the last seven years. This man has been inside a room with no outside access. Inside the embassy, it has become more difficult," the lawyer said, adding that Ecuador's attitude to Assange drastically changed for the worse after its current president, Lenin Moreno, came to power. So he has had a very difficult time it has not been easy. The Moreno government did make Assange's life more difficult in his last two years at the embassy as he was deprived of internet access, and no personal visits were allowed for a time. Earlier this week, the Ecuadorian president also revoked his asylum, opening the way for his detention. The claims about Assange's alleged misbehavior were not the only bizarre statements made by the Ecuadorian authorities about the whistleblower's life at the embassy. Also on rt.com Surreally idiotic: Ecuadors suggestion Assange used CAT FOR SPYING triggers WikiLeaks response Earlier, Ecuador's UK Ambassador Jaime Marchan said that the whole diplomatic mission was wary of Assange's famous embassy cat, which he claimed could "spy" on the staff. The ambassador's theory sparked a wave of mockery on the social media, while WikiLeaks' Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson denounced it as s "demented" story aimed at diverting attention from Assange's "disgraceful expulsion" from asylum. Assange would never stay in the embassy without a good reason, Robinson explained, adding that the whistleblower lived there for so long "because of a real and legitimate fear of US extradition which, as we saw on Thursday, proved to be justifiable fears." Washington charged Assange of "engaging in a conspiracy" with US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to hack into an American government computer network storing classified material back in March 2010. It is hardly coincidental that the indictment was made public on the same day the WikiLeaks founder was arrested. At the same time, Robinson denied that the whistleblower ever sought to hide from Swedish prosecution after he was accused of rape and other sexual offences against two women dating back to 2010. Sweden considered dropping the charges as long ago as 2013 but was urged by the UK not to do so. Following Assange's arrest on Tuesday, the lawyer of the two Swedish plaintiffs called on the nation's chief prosecutor to reopen the case something that Assange's lawyer said they "will deal with" if it happens. This was and is not about avoiding facing Swedish justice. It is about avoiding US injustice. Just hours after his arrest by British police on Thursday morning, Assange was found guilty of failing to surrender to bail in 2012 and put into Belmarsh Prison, a notorious jail in southeast London dubbed 'Britain's Guantanamo Bay.' He is also facing extradition to the US something he has always feared correctly, as it turned out. If you like this story, share it with a friend! A Florida man has been jumped on and killed by a close relative of the emu, the cassowary, a human-sized flightless bird feared for its great claws and swift powerful movements. The man is said to be a breeder of the exotic birds. The cassowary, which is native to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Australia, has been blamed for a vicious attack on its owner, a 75-year-old farmer named Marvin Hajos in Gainesville, Florida. According to the Alachua County Fire Rescue Department, the heavy-built bird made a good use of its killer claws, which can grow up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) long when it pounced on its elderly owner. Also on rt.com Tiger in Saudi Arabia attacks man after he tries to play with it (VIDEO) Deputy Chief Jeff Taylor told the Gainesville Sun that the bird's attack was swift and ruthless, and apparently happened after Hajos fell to the ground. It likely took the bird, which can run up to 31 miles per hour (50 kmph), mere seconds to close in on its prey and tear him into pieces. "My understanding is that the gentleman was in the vicinity of the bird and at some point fell. When he fell, he was attacked," Taylor said. Upon being called to the scene on Friday, rescues rushed Hajos to the hospital but he could not be saved and succumbed to his injuries shortly after. The fate of the murderous bird is unclear. For the time being it has been secluded on a private property, according to the sheriff office's spokesman Lt. Brett Rhodenizer, who called the clash between the man and the bird a "tragic accident." Also on rt.com I can haz wild kitty? Ohio Supreme Court asked to rule on bobcat ownership Cassowaries, which are known as "the most dangerous bird in the world" have attacked people before and are understood to pose a significant danger to both humans and pet animals. However, while there have been multiple reports of people getting injured by the bird, there has been only one known fatality which dates back to 1926 and it was not entirely unprovoked. Philipp McLean, 16, was killed by a cassowary after he hit it with his horse's bridle for attacking his dog. In the ensuing chase, the boy tripped and fell, with the bird slicing his neck with its sharp claws. The largest cassowary species can stand up to 1.2 - 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) in height and weigh up to 76 kilograms (167 pounds). Female cassowaries are bigger and taller than males. A special permission is needed to own cassowaries in the US, which mandates that owners must have "substantial experience" in handling the birds and keep them caged. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! Wine output across the world saw a year-on-year surge of 17 percent in 2018 to reach the highest level in 15 years, beating the most optimistic forecasts, a report by the International Organization for Vine and Wine (OIV) shows. According to the estimates by the Paris-based agency, global production of wine last year reached 292.3 million hectoliters (29.230 million liters) the equivalent of about 39 billion bottles. The increased output exceeded the groups October projections due to higher-than-expected output in Italy, France, and Spain. Italy retained the position as the worlds largest winemaker with the volume of production surging nearly 29 percent thanks to excellent climatic conditions compared to 2017, when unfavorable weather dragged wine output across Europe down 8.6 percent. Also on rt.com Poor weather takes toll on world wine production French wine-makers saw a nearly 35 percent growth in wine production, while Spains output grew by about 37 percent. At the same time, Spain became the worlds biggest exporter of wine in terms of volume, selling 20.9 million hectoliters. France was the leading exporter in monetary terms with 9.3 billion ($12.1bn) worth of wine sold abroad. The value of global wine exports rose 1.2 percent to 31 billion ($35 billion) in 2018, according to the OIVs director general Pau Roca. When it comes to demand, the US consumed a record volume of wine that totaled 33 million hectoliters. France became the second biggest consumer of wine, reaching 26.8 million hectoliters. However, the US landed in 20th position in terms of consumption per capita with Portugal the leader. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section Hong Kong has kept the crown as the most expensive city to buy property in, while two other Chinese cities also made the top five list, according to new research that covers 35 cities around the globe. The average price of property in the southeastern Chinese city, infamous for its unaffordability, is more than $1.2 million, which is 5.5 percent more than last years cost, real estate consultant CBRE said in the fifth edition of its Global Living report. Meanwhile, the price of buying an average prime property stands at nearly $6.9 million, making it the champion for luxury housing as well. Last years hotspots managed to keep their positions in the rating, with Singapore coming in second, followed by Shanghai and Vancouver, with the average home costing between $815,000 and $874,000. Also on rt.com Brexit exit? Paris flat reportedly sold for record $44 million to mysterious British tycoon Shenzhen, a new addition to the report, took the fifth place and became the third Chinese city in the top five. The city is the tech capital of China and is located just 30 kilometers from the worlds most expensive urban center. It hosts the headquarters of many international and Chinese businesses, including Huawei, ZTE and Tencent. Los Angeles, New York, London, Beijing, and Paris also made the top ten list of the world's most expensive cities. However, Moscow became the only non-Chinese city to make the top five list of priciest luxury property markets. It took third place with the average price of around $2.4 million, behind only Hong Kong and Shanghai and followed by Beijing and Shenzhen. Also on rt.com Hong Kong parking spot bought for $433,000 & flipped for $760,000 just 9 months later Hong Kongs property market has long been known for its unaffordable prices. In June 2018, it achieved a world record with a single parking space being bought for a whopping $760,000. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section A warplane belonging to General Khalifa Haftars troops has been shot down by forces loyal to the UN-backed government, its military spokesperson has claimed. It comes as Haftar is visiting the Egyptian president in Cairo. The Libyan National Armys (LNA) fighter jet was on Sunday downed south of the Libyan capital of Tripoli, Colonel Mohammed Gnunu, Tripolis military spokesman, confirmed without revealing any further details about the incident. Photos and videos that surfaced on social media appear to show the aftermath. Some of those who posted the images claimed that jet crashed in Tripolis southeastern suburb of Ain Zara, while others said it fell in the town of Qasr bin Ghashir located south of the capital not far from the disused Tripoli International Airport. None of these reports could be independently verified. The photos and videos showed plumes of grey and black smoke billowing in the sky in some deserted area. According to media reports, the pilot managed to eject from the jet before the crash. However, it is unclear whether he was captured by the GNA forces, as some reports on social media suggest, or managed to flee the scene. Also on rt.com Libyan National Army shoots down govt plane near Misrata spokesman The incident took place as Haftar, who supports a Tobruk-based rival Libyan government and claims to control some 80 percent of the countrys territory, met with the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to discuss the developments in Libya. This is the second reported military aircraft downing in Libya in less than a week. On April 10, the LNA spokesman told reporters that Haftars forces shot down a military plane belonging to GNA over Tripoli. Conflicting reports have repeatedly emerged about strikes from both sides in the area near the capital. Haftars forces last week launched an offensive against militias supporting the GNA in the west of the country, calling them illegal armed groups. Clashes have resulted in the cancellation of a UN-sponsored peace conference, which sought to negotiate a power-sharing arrangement between Haftar and the internationally recognized government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, which controlled less than 8 percent of Libyas territory at the start of Haftars offensive. Also on rt.com Only functioning airport in Libya's Tripoli hit by air raid - reports Libya has been gripped by civil war chaos since 2011 when NATO-backed Islamist rebels overthrew and brutally killed the nations longtime strongman Muammar Gaddafi. In wake of the new armed standoff, the remaining US forces in Libya pulled out from Tripoli. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! Moscow hails Erdogans tough stance on S-400 purchase Moscow hails Erdogans tough stance on S-400 purchase The strong stance of Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the purchase of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft systems is a rare example of sovereign and independent policy, Kremlin spokesman Dmitriy Peskov said on Sunday. Only such a position will pave the way for truly equal dialogue, he stressed. While Washington has repeatedly warned and threatened Ankara against buying S-400s, Turkey seems to be adamant on acquiring the anti-aircraft missile launchers. Earlier this week, Erdogan said that the S-400 systems are expected to be delivered to Turkey by July and no other country has a say in the deal between Moscow and Ankara.Source : RT - Daily news A Palestinian family was forced to flee under a barrage of stones when an angry mob of Israeli settlers stormed the village during tension in the West Bank. None of them were detained, human rights groups say. Human rights groups Yesh Din and BTselem said that around 50 Israeli settlers from Yitzhar in the West Bank entered the neighboring Palestinian village of Urif on Saturday, smashing windows of cars and hurling stones at houses. Security camera footage from Urif shows a group of masked men run down the road and throw stones at a family as they were about to get into a car. The father and the hijab-clad mother rush to grab their children and then flee in the house, while several of the stones hit the vehicles roof. The mob then proceeds to attack another car, parked nearby. BTselem released photos of masked men roaming the area, some holding stones, while the IDF soldiers are standing at the background. The rights group reported that the soldiers used tear gas and live rounds against the Palestinians and didnt detain any settlers. The IDF confirmed that there was friction between the Israelis and the Palestinians that day, with soldiers and the Border Police dispersing the crowd. The army didnt provide additional details of the incident. The settlers offered a different account of what happened. The spokesperson for Yitzhar told reporters that the conflict began when the Palestinians approached the community and threw stones, lightly injuring a settler. The IDF arrived at the scene and pushed the Palestinians back to Urif, where they were followed by a group of settlers, the spokesperson said. Also on rt.com Israels election shows the two-state solution is dead in the water Yitzhar and the surrounding area remains one of the hotspots for settler violence in the West Bank. Just between January 2017 and March 2018, Yesh Din recorded 40 cases when settlers and other Israeli civilians came from Yitzhar to attack the residents of six nearby Palestinian villages. All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal by the UN. Human rights campaigners view them as one of the main obstacles to reach lasting peace based on a two-state formula. Israeli right-wing politicians, on the other hand, believe that Jews have the right to settle in the West Bank on what they view as ancestral Jewish lands. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! A hawkish US think tank has hosted a secretive meeting on Venezuela, bringing together American and South American officials to discuss the use of military force in the country, investigative journalist Max Blumenthal told RT. The exclusive piece shedding some light on the secretive gathering was published by the Grayzone portal on Saturday. Blumenthal has obtained a check-in list of a private roundtable dubbed Assessing the Use of Military Force in Venezuela, which was hosted by the DC-based think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The roundtable was held on April 10, yet its check-list was misleadingly dated as April 20. The fact the meeting had actually taken place was confirmed to Blumenthal by its participants, whom he has reached for comment. They were not very eager to talk, though. We talked about military uh military options in Venezuela. That was earlier this week though, research associate at CSISs Americas Program Sarah Baumunk said. She promptly grew nervous, adding that she didnt feel comfortable answering these questions and hung up on the journalist. Another listed attendee, a research associate with international strategy firm Hills & Company, Santiago Herdoiza, simply said it was a closed meeting without providing any details. They were extremely nervous that somebody in the media knew about the existence of this event. It was a very high-level meeting with basically the main people in Washington involved in making the sausage of Trumps Venezuela policy and they wanted to keep it as private as possible, Blumenthal told RT on Sunday. It really does show that military options are being seriously considered at this point, after all other mechanisms that Trump has put into play seem to have failed. The list of participants is surely impressive the roundtable has brought together former and incumbent military and civil officials from the US and South America, representatives of USAID and Organization of American States (OAS) as well as analysts from various think tanks. Several figureheads appointed by the self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido were also in attendance. Also on rt.com Interim president of Venezuela not violating rules because they were changed for him Abrams Arguably the most high-profile participant of the gathering was Admiral Kurt Tidd, who until recently used to head the US Naval Forces Southern Command. Another listed participant Roger Noriega is basically Elliott Abrams-lite. Noriega is a veteran US meddler, with his activities dating back to the notorious Iran-Contras affair. He did not get the notoriety of Abrams and quietly held senior positions within the US administration throughout the years, focusing on Venezuela and coordinating the OAS. Last October, he urged US President Donald Trump to appoint former Ambassador to Venezuela William Brownfield to lead the plans for a military invasion. The latter, also known for his involvement into murky meddling schemes against the country, participated in the roundtable as well. The meeting was also attended by self-styled officials of Guiados government public policy advisor Daniel Sierra and ambassador to the US Carlos Vecchio. Participation of said officials sounds ironic given their previous efforts to advertise Guaido's so-called Plan Pais to reconstruct the country's economy. When the plan was officially unveiled a month ago, the two have spoken a lot about reestablishing Venezuela's democracy, protecting individual economic rights and freedoms and ensuring citizen security. Given the topic of the CSIS's discussion, the figureheads of Guaido's government don't actually mind to bring this prosperity to their homeland through a foreign invasion. It should not be surprising, though, since even the Plan Pais itself was unveiled at the Atlantic Council the US and NATO funded think tank. While the closest supporters of Guaido are pushing for foreign intervention, Blumenthal believes that regional partners of the US are quite reluctant to partake in it. Any US invasion of Venezuela would be contingent on the consent from the Colombian and Brazilian governments and its very unclear that theyll get that consent, Blumenthal said. Both governments are extremely worried about increasing the migration crisis, they are deeply worried about destabilizing the entire region and thats absolutely what this would entail. And they are also worried about a counterattack from the Venezuela military, which is very competent. While talking of the use of military force in secrecy, the US continues to tempt Venezuelan citizens and officials with promises of lavish aid which, of course, would only be possible if the legitimate President Nicolas Maduro is ousted. On Saturday, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Washington will lead the effort to salvage Venezuela's economy which it has so far been strangling with sanctions. We're going to be working on trying to put together a consortium of about $10 billion of trade finance that would be available for the new government to spark trade, Mnuchin said. Also on rt.com US leads effort to pump $10bn into Venezuela's shattered trade once Maduro is out to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you. Khabib Nurmagomedov heaped praise on UFC rivals Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway after the pair put on a slugfest at UFC 236, which saw Poirier emerge the winner on the scorecards to set up a meeting with the undefeated Russian. Poirier outpointed featherweight champion Holloway in a brutal back-and-forth in Atlanta, Georgia, running out a 49-46 winner on all three scorecards and claiming the interim lightweight title. Also on rt.com 'Get your sh*t together': Dustin Poirier fires warning at Khabib after claiming interim UFC title While Louisiana lightweight Poirier captured the first gold of his long career, it also paved the way for a shot at divisional king Nurmagomedov. The Dagestani fighter is currently on an enforced hiatus from the octagon after his suspension for the mass melee that marred his win over Conor McGregor back in October, but is widely tipped to make a September comeback. Poirier fired a warning to the Russian after his bruising win over Holloway, telling him: "In the words of my brother Daniel Cormier, get your sh*t together young man. We got a belt to fight for." Nurmagomedov was quick to comment on the Poirier-Holloway fireworks, disagreeing with the scorecards but paying tribute to both as well as telling Poirier he is all set for a September showdown. Poirier, 30, snapped striking sensation Holloway's 13-fight unbeaten streak as the Hawaiian paid the price for stepping up a weight in a quest for 'champ champ' status, having dominated at featherweight. 'Blessed' fell to the fourth defeat of his career and second loss to Poirier after 'The Diamond' beat him in 2012. Poirier improved to 25-5 overall, but will likely face the sternest test of his career if, as expected, he meets the 27-0 Nurmagomedov later this year. The center-left Finnish Social Democratic Party (SPD) has declared victory in the countrys parliamentary elections, with preliminary results show them clinching 40 seats (17.7 percent) in the 200-member legislature after 99 percent of the ballots have been counted. The nationalist Finns Party is in close pursuit with 17.5 percent, which makes them the second biggest party in the parliament with 39 seats. The conservative National Coalition Party trails in third with 17 percent of the vote and 38 seats. While the projections are within a margin of an error, SDP leader Antti Rinne has already claimed his partys victory in the tightly-contested race on Sunday. "For the first time since 1999 we are the largest party in Finland ... SDP is the prime minister party," he said. to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you. Social Democrats declare victory as polls close in nail-biting Finland vote Social Democrats declare victory as polls close in nail-biting Finland vote Source : RT - Daily news Tehran will not wait forever for the European nations to launch the promised payments mechanism aimed at avoiding the US sanctions against the Islamic Republic, Irans Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif has warned. Ever since Washington unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, the European parties to the agreement the UK, France, and Germany have been considering the idea of a special payment channel with Iran, which would allow them to bypass re-imposed US sanctions. However, it seems that the Europeans did not make great strides on this path, sparking discontent in Iran, which did not only stick to its part of the 2015 accord but also created its part of the mechanism months ago. Also on rt.com Iran says it will never accept humiliating conditions of EUs new trade mechanism On Sunday, Irans top diplomat complained about a prolonged delay in the launch of the European non-dollar direct payment channel with Tehran called the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchange (INSTEX). I wonder how much time do the Europeans need [to set up] a preliminary mechanism? Zarif rhetorically asked as he spoke to journalists in Tehran. He also stated that the Europeans have no excuse for delaying the launch of the mechanism any further. READ MORE: EU-Iran trade mechanism will be good way to bypass US sanctions, Zarif tells RT Irans European partners are lagging behind in fulfilling their commitments under the agreement they struck with Tehran, Zarif complained, adding that London, Paris and Berlin should not believe that the Islamic Republic would simply continue to wait for them. The foreign minister also noted that Iran has launched its part of the mechanism called the Special Trade and Finance Institute (STFI) last month and praised the efforts of Irans neighbors, which introduced similar trading structures, which, according to Zarif, have proven to be effective. In fact, Germany, France, and the UK announced setting up the INSTEX as early as in January. At that time, it was said that the structure was registered in France and was expected to be headed by German banker Per Fischer, a former Commerzbank director. At the initial stage, the mechanism would have facilitated trade between the companies of the three nations and Iran by bypassing the SWIFT international payments system and focus on high-priority humanitarian goods, such as food and medical supplies. London, Paris, and Berlin also hoped that other European nations could join the mechanism in the future. Also on rt.com European firms wont dare use new EU payment system for trade with Iran out of fear of US The move did not sit well with Washington, which doubled down on its calls on Europe to leave the Iranian nuclear deal and warned the Europeans against creating any mechanisms to break up our sanctions. In February, the US Vice-President Mike Pence called the establishment of INSTEX an ill-advised step which would only strengthen Iran, weaken the EU, and create still more distance between Europe and the United States. Earlier, some analysts warned that the created mechanism would be in fact useless because the European companies would still fear repercussions from the US over their trade with Iran. Those would certainly be unwilling to lose the US market if slapped with sanctions over their dealings with the Islamic Republic. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Jet Airways pilots belonging to the National Aviators Guild have deferred the strike planned from April 15, with the management set to meet lenders on Monday. The union had decided its pilots will not report to service on Monday, April 15, with their deadline to the management to clear their salary dues expiring on April 14. The airline has about 1,400 pilots, and about 75 percent are members of the Guild. "It is come to our notice that there is a critical meeting planned tomorrow (Monday) morning with the airline management and SBI," said the union in its letter to members. "In light of the meeting, the members have requested, through their team leaders, that the call of 'No Pay No Work' be deferred to give the airline a chance of survival. Accordingly, as requested, the Committee would like to inform all that the decision stands deferred for the time being," it added. Ironically, the strike would not have had much of an impact, as the airline is flying a skeletal schedule, and there will be enough non-union pilots to fly these flights. It is also unlikely that the airline will restart its international services, which had been suspended till April 15. The pilots and engineers have not been paid since January. The airline, which is close to being shut down if its lenders don't transfer funds, had also deferred paying March salaries to all its employees. Separately, the pilots, crew members and engineers may gather at the Jet Airways headquarters in Mumbai on April 15 morning, as a mark of protest. The airline is flying less than 50 flights a day, with a fleet of seven aircraft. The fleet is down from its original strength of 119 planes. Jet Airways needs an urgent fund infusion if it has to continue operating. But given its high debt, of over Rs 8,000 crore, the lenders have been reluctant to put in more money. This is despite the promise to transfer Rs 1,500 crore in emergency funding. Instead, the banks have been putting just enough to keep the airline alive on a daily basis. But now even that may not be enough. The airline management has been holding discussions with bank officials, even as the bidding process is on. The suitors, which include Etihad Airways and former Chairman Naresh Goyal, have to submit bids by April 30. It will, however, be difficult for the airline to last till then unless banks come to the rescue with higher funds infusion. Indian capital market outperformed several major global markets, including the developed ones like the US and the UK as well as developing economies such as China and Brazil, with double-digit returns in the fiscal ended March 2019 despite numerous global and domestic headwinds, data shows. The Indian market benckmark indices also improved on their own performance in the previous fiscal, with the BSE's Sensex (17.3 percent) giving relatively better returns than the NSE's Nifty (14.9 percent) in 2018-19. This is much better than the equity market returns recorded in the US (7.6 percent), the UK (3.2 percent), China (minus 2.5 percent), Brazil (11.8 percent), Japan (minus 1.2 percent), South Korea (minus 12.5 percent) and Hong Kong (minus 3.5 percent) in 2018-19. An analysis of equity market returns for these countries shows that the Indian benchmark indices had underperformed those in the US, Brazil, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong in 2017-18, though the performance was better than the UK and China even in that year. With positive performance by benchmark indices and increasing fund raising from the market, the size of the capital market in India also continued to expand during 2018-19, with the market capitalisation rising by over 6 percent to over Rs 151 lakh crore. Besides, mutual fund asset under management grew by 11.4 percent to nearly Rs 24 lakh crore and Foreign Portfolio Investors' asset under custody expanded by 8.6 percent to close to Rs 30 lakh crore. This is despite the fact that 2018-19 was relatively a difficult and challenging year on account of global and domestic headwinds. Fundraising from the capital market also continued its positive trend during 2018-19, with funds raised through debt and equity rising by 5.3 percent to nearly Rs 9 lakh crore. The double-digit returns came in despite subdued sentiments at times in view of certain negative developments since September 2018, particularly on the fixed-income securities front. On the mutual fund front, debt-oriented funds witnessed net outflows on the back of certain developments in debt market since September 2018. But, equity-oriented mutual funds continued to receive positive net inflows across all months during 2018-19 and other mutual funds received positive net inflows in 10 out of 12 months of the financial year. Net fund inflows in equity-oriented and other types of mutual funds together were to the tune of Rs 1.58 lakh crore in 2018-19 as against Rs 2.84 lakh crore in 2017-18 and Rs 1.30 lakh crore in 2016-17. The year also saw the much-awaited REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) finally taking off in India. REITs have been used worldwide as a vehicle for monetisation of assets by real estate developers. As an instrument class, it provides to investors stable and predictable returns, matching those and often exceeding returns from other alternative investments. Capital market regulator SEBI had issued REIT regulations in 2014 to give impetus to this instrument and, in turn, to the real estate sector in the country. The government has also provided pass-through tax status to REITs registered with SEBI. In March, the first REIT public offer came and it has listed units worth about Rs 4,750 crore. The issue was well received with oversubscription of two times in institutional category and upwards of three times in retail category. This is the largest listed REIT in Asia in terms of area of assets. Nearly half of their total admitted claims worth over Rs 1.42 lakh crore have been recovered by financial and operational creditors from as many as 88 debt-ridden companies under the insolvency law, according to official data. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) seeks to provide market-determined resolution for stressed assets in a time-bound manner. Claims totalling a little over Rs 1.42 lakh crore were admitted in 88 cases under the IBC till February 28, data collected by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) showed. Of the total admitted claims, financial creditors sought to recover dues worth Rs 1.36 lakh crore and operational creditors Rs 6,469 crore. Financial creditors recovered 48.24 percent of their admitted claims and operational creditors got 48.41 percent of their admitted claims. The figures are with respect to 88 cases, including those where resolution has been completed, for the period till February 28. Creditors realised Rs 68,766 crore of the total admitted claims in those 88 cases. The share of financial creditors and operational creditors stood at Rs 65,635 crore and Rs 3,131 crore, respectively, as per data. The IBBI, a key institution set up under the IBC, provided the figures in an affidavit submitted to the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) last week. On March 27, the tribunal directed the IBBI to file an affidavit, with details about average percentage of distribution of realised amount between financial creditors and operational creditors subsequent to insolvency resolution process. According to the affidavit, the realised amount was more than 100 percent in some cases. In the 88 cases, financial creditors got 100 percent realisation of admitted claims in 11 resolution plans, while operational creditors got only full realisation in only 6 cases. In three cases, financial creditors got more than 100 percent realisation of admitted claims. Among the 88 cases were big-ticket takeovers, including Tata Steel acquiring over Bhushan Steel and Vedanta's acquisition of Electrosteel. In the Bhushan Steel matter, total admitted claims of operational and financial creditors amounted to Rs 57,505.05 crore. Of this, financial creditors received 63.49 percent of claims, while the operational creditors' realisation stood at 80.94 percent. With regard to Electrosteel, total admitted claims for both financial and operational creditors were Rs 13,958 crore. In this resolution process, in which Vedanta group got control of the company, financial creditors got 40.38 percent of admitted claims, while the operational creditors' share was nil. In the matter of Monnet Ispat & Energey, total admitted claims were Rs 11,478.08 crore, of which financial creditors got 26.26 percent and operational creditors received 5.40 percent. The NCLAT had asked IBBI to give data in the resolution process of Essar Steel, where operational creditors and some financial creditors are opposing the resolution plan approved by the Committee of Creditors (CoC) and are seeking a higher share. As per the resolution plan approved by CoC, ArcelorMittal, the successful resolution applicant, would pay Essar Steel lenders Rs 41,987 crore for their total dues of Rs 49,395 crore. Operational creditors would get only Rs 214 crore against their outstanding of Rs 4,976 crore. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Diagnostics chain Metropolis Healthcare, after receiving a good response for public issue, will make its debut on bourses on April 15. The company has fixed issue price at higher-end of a price band of Rs 877-880 per share. The Rs 1,204-crore public offer was subscribed 5.84 times during April 3-5, driven by a strong subscription from qualified institutional investors. After a good response to the issue, analysts who spoke to Moneycontrol expect 5-10 percent listing gains. But if the gains are more than that then one can book some profits. On the other hand, if on the day of listing or afterwards the stock price falls below issue price, then one can start accumulating, experts said. "We expect Metropolis to list above issue price. However listing gains are expected to be in range of 5-10 percent," Astha Jain, Senior Research Analyst at Hem Securities told Moneycontrol. Prashanth Tapse, AVP research, Mehta Equities said, "We recommend investors to book profits if the listing generates 12-15 percent gain on allotment price." "Considering markets situation, investors may well get an opportunity to accumulate Metropolis post listing around Rs 800-820 in the near term," he added. But all analysts are betting on the stock for long term given strong brand name, wide geographic coverage, rising healthcare sector and expected strong earnings in coming years. They expect double-digit returns in coming years. Here is what analysts say about long term prospects of the company: Astha Jain, Senior Research Analyst at Hem Securities We advise investors with long term horizon to hold the stock on listing day as the company, being one of the leading diagnostics companies in India, has a wide operational network, young patient touch point network and an asset-light growth of service network. Also, the company has a strong and established brand with a focus on quality and customer service. Companys brand and reputation, economies of scale and wide geographic coverage are well positioned to leverage from the underlying opportunities in the Indian diagnostics space. Milin Desai, Analyst, IIFL Securities Investors can definitely remain invested for the long term and accumulate in case the price dips below the issue price. One can look at returns of more than 20 percent over the next two years. We believe that the company can establish its brand name in the seeding cities, most of which have a regional reference lab. These reference labs can enable it to lower the turnaround times for results in these markets. Additionally, these labs facilitate expanding the catchment areas, from where a non-critical test can be sent to respective reference centres. As it operates in cities like Rajkot, Nashik, Nagpur, Kochi, Raipur, National Capital Region, Kolkata, and Guwahati, we expect it to establish a connection with the doctors and physicians which are critical for patient referrals. These strategies should enable it to garner market share in the B2C segment, mainly in the smaller of the above-mentioned cities and drive overall growth. Moreover, both Metropolis and Dr Lal Pathlabs would benefit from being a diagnostic chain. They are far more superior compared to standalone centres in terms of infrastructure, comprehensive test menu, etc. Prashanth Tapse, AVP research, Mehta Equities We believe Metropolis is well placed for long term investment considering the rising healthcare sector and the second largest market share diagnostic player in India. We expect the company to deliver strong earnings growth in the coming years considering the fragmented and under-penetrated diagnostic market in India. Hence we recommend investors to accumulate (price around Rs 800-820) the stock with a view of making long term wealth with one year target near Rs 1,000-1,050. : 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. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The Indian markets traded in tight range in the week gone by as investors remained cautious amid polling for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections started on April 11 and upcoming earnings from India Inc. The Sensex ended 0.24 percent lower at 38767.11, while Nifty ended at 11,643.5, down 0.19 percent. The S&P BSE Largecap Index was down 0.10 percent, S&P BSE Midcap index fell 0.53 percent and Smallcap Index was down 0.16 percent. On the sectoral front, Nifty Auto index outperformed with a 2.5 percent gain during the week followed by Nifty FMCG, which was up 2.22 percent and Nifty Pharma, which was up 1.67 percent. Meanwhile, Nifty Metal shed nearly 2 percent in the last week. NIIT | Up 19 percent Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) acquired 30 percent stake in NIIT Technologies from its promoters, including NIIT for about Rs 2,627 crore. The deal will also trigger an open offer under which BPEA will make an offer to the public shareholders of NIIT Technologies for purchasing up to 26 percent of additional shareholding, taking the total deal value to up to Rs 4,890 crore. "Funds affiliated with Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) have signed definitive agreements to buy about 18.85 million shares of the company (approximately 30 percent shareholding) from NIIT and other promoter entities at a price of Rs 1,394 per share," NIIT Technologies said in a BSE filing on April 6. This includes about 14.4 million shares of NIIT, and about 4.3 million shares held by members of families of NIIT founders Rajendra Pawar and Vijay Thadani. NIIT Limited holds about 23 percent stake, while Pawar and Singh with their families hold around 7 percent shares in NIIT Technologies. SpiceJet | Up 13 percent The company announced that it will induct 16 Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft on a dry-lease to bring down flight cancellations and expand the airline's international and domestic presence. The announcement comes at a time when airfares have been on an upswing across India for the last few weeks due to a sharp decline in the number of flights primarily caused by the grounding of around 90 percent of cash-strapped Jet Airways' 119-aircraft fleet. The availability of flights was also hit by pulling out of SpiceJet's 12 "737 Max" aircraft in March over safety concerns following an Ethiopian Airlines plane crash on March 10. Tata Motors | Up 5 percent The company's global wholesales increased sharply by 32 percent in March compared to previous month. Tata Motors Group global wholesales in March 2019, including Jaguar Land Rover, were at 1,45,459 units, which were lower by 5 percent compared to March 2018, but sharply higher by 32 percent compared to previous month in February. Its global wholesales for February 2019 stood at 1,10,262 units. The growth was driven by passenger vehicles and JLR segments. Global wholesales of all commercial vehicles and Tata Daewoo range in March increased by 1 percent year-on-year to 57,163 units, but fell 32 percent compared to February. All passenger vehicles during the month fell 9 percent to 88,314 units compared to March 2018, but jumped 30 percent sequentially. Global wholesales for Jaguar Land Rover, which has major contribution to total Tata Motors revenue, increased sharply by 41 percent to 70,171 vehicles (which included CJLR volumes) in March MoM. DLF | Down 9 percent The share price reacted to the media report highlighted a block deal trade. About 6.8 crore shares, which represents 3.8 percent of total paid-up equity of the company, changed hands on NSE in a single block deal at Rs 192.65 per share, reports CNBC-TV18. The deal was worth Rs 1,311 crore. Usha Martin | Down 13 percent Tata Sponge Iron completed the acquisition of steel business undertaking of Usha Martin. The acquisition includes captive power plants pursuant to a cash consideration payable to Usha Martin of Rs 4,094 crore, which is subject to further hold backs of Rs 640 crore, pending transfer of some of the assets including mines and certain land parcels. Indiabulls Housing Finance | Down 8 percent The share price remained under pressure after a media report said Gehlaut will exit realty business for focussing on financial services business. "If RBI wants that I should give up real estate, I will give it up. It is not needed because the regulations are clear but, if they insist, I am happy to do that because my heart and passion lies only in financial services. I am willing to give up real estate business to pursue financial services," Sameer Gehlaut, chairman of the real estate group told The Economic Times on April 9. Adani Power | Up 6 percent Central Electricity Regulatory Commission has approved higher tariff for Adani Power's Mundra unit which have generation capacity of 2,000 MW, reports CNBC-TV18. After this order, Gujurat Electricity Board approached CERC to seek nod to amend terms for power purchase agreement (PPA) for 2,000 MW. Adani Power has 2 PPAs with Gujarat of 1,000 MW each. CERC has also approved reviewing the ceiling price every 5 years as per recommendations by a high powered committee. The company has an installed thermal power capacity of 10,440 MW spread across four power plants in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan. Prabhat Dairy | Up 7 percent The company completed the sale of its shareholding in wholly owned step down subsidiary, Sunfresh Agro Industries Private Limited (SAIPL) to Tirumala Milk Products Private Limited. The transaction was by the way of a slump sale on a going concern basis to SAIPL post completion of the transfer of SAIPL shares is successfully completed and closed on April 10. Firstsource Solutions | Up 10 percent According to a report in The Economic Times, Jhunjhunwala increased his stake after the stock of the business process outsourcing services provider was available cheaper in terms of valuations after a correction of 50 percent between September 2018 and February 2019 Ashok Leyland | Up 9 percent The company has unveiled plans to scale up its global operations by setting up more assembly plants overseas, including in the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) region and African countries. According to a report in Mint, the commercial vehicle major is hopeful that its new range of medium and heavy commercial vehicles (M&HCV) and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) will help it break into new markets, even beyond hotbeds such as the Middle East, SAARC countries and pockets in Africa. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has arrested a declining crude oil production trend in its onshore fields and registered a 1.25 percent rise in output in the fiscal year ended March 2019, top company officials said. ONGC produced 6.141 million tonnes of crude oil from its onshore fields despite majority of them being more than 50 years old and facing a natural decline. The company has been able to make a production turnaround through a slew of initiatives, they said. India's largest oil and gas producer has in recent times faced immense pressure from the government, which has blamed it for the continuing decline in the country's output. ONGC raising output is critical to meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's target of cutting oil imports by 10 percent by 2022. ONGC has already reversed years of decline in natural gas output, posting a record 6.5 percent jump in production to 25.9 billion cubic metres in 2018-19. However, oil production from offshore fields continues to be on a decline and will only reverse next year when Krishna Godavari basin field KG-DWN-98/2 comes onstream. Officials said ONGC has monetised five out of the total 13 discoveries during 2018-19 on a fast-track mode which helped contribute to the growth in production from onshore fields. In order to sustain production and achieve higher onshore growth, ONGC drilled 303 wells during the last fiscal, which is the highest since 2014-15. The company has also engaged reputed international oil and gas consulting firm Gaffney Cline & Associates for high level review of two major fields of largest onshore producing asset, Mehsana in Gujarat and a few other onshore fields for enhancement of production. The company has invested about Rs 5,000 crore in the last fiscal in its onshore operations on a number of projects and has a similar investment plan for the financial year 2019-20, officials said. Talking about the performance, ONGC Chairman and Managing Director Shashi Shanker said: "The growth in onshore production has been achieved beating enormous challenges which cropped up due to ageing of the fields. This has come at a time when fields with similar vintage are facing a sharp decline internationally." "The onshore fields, which are mostly five-decade old, are faced with increased level of water-cut (the water which comes with oil during production)," he said, adding "while disposing of produced water is a critical issue, the stringent environmental laws and complex land acquisition process make the challenges in onshore quite difficult to surmount." Shanker said a well-wise focused approach and deploying state-of-the-technology for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) have started paying a rich dividend in not only arresting the decline in production trend but also to grow. ONGC Director (Onshore) S K Moitra said the company continues to take up various initiatives on the EOR front and as many as six EOR projects have been either implemented or are on the verge of implementation. India's largest IT services firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is "hungry" for acquisitions and is scouting for assets that can bring in intellectual property and widen market reach to further accelerate growth. Speaking to PTI, Chief Operating Officer N Ganapathy Subramaniam said TCS had acquired two entities -- W12 and BridgePoint Group -- last year and both of them have been integrated well with the Mumbai-based firm. "We continue to remain open and hungry for acquisitions. We have one of the best track records in terms of acquiring companies and integrating them... the approach is that clearly, we are in the market looking for the right asset which will add certain amount of IP (intellectual property), market reach or client addition," he said. TCS, which had acquired French SAP service provider acquire Alti SA for 75 million euros (about Rs 533 crore) in 2013, has been focussing on organic growth even as its global and domestic rivals went on an acquisition spree. Infosys acquired consumer insights agency WongDoody for USD 75 million last year. Wipro's investment in the digital space includes entities like Designit and Cooper. TCS, in November last year, announced the acquisition of W12 Studios (for an undisclosed amount). A digital design studio based in London, the acquisition of W12 was part of TCS' efforts to bolster its digital and creative design capabilities. In the same month, TCS acquired the business of BridgePoint Group, LLC, a US management consulting firm (for an undisclosed sum). Asked about the opportunities in the market, Subramaniam said there are options, especially among startups. "Some of the startups are doing very well, blockchain is an area where lot of firms have come up. There are many who are working on future of financial services, future of cash, future of payments... so we continue to watch closely some of those technologies and startup firms, how their business models are emerging," he said. Subramaniam asserted that if TCS found the right framework, it "will not hesitate" to make an offer. "It has to make sense in terms of both value and the combined value of TCS and the asset that we are acquiring should really be great," he added. The Mumbai-based company, which reported a 17.7 percent growth in profits at Rs 8,162 crore and 18.5 per cent rise in March 2019 quarter revenues to Rs 38,010 crore, continues to remain bullish about growth this fiscal. TCS CEO Rajesh Gopinathan on Friday described the fiscal as "picture perfect year" and stated that despite macro uncertainties ahead, strong exit (from FY19 positions the company very well for the new fiscal. Representative Image India has shortage of an estimated 600,000 doctors and 2 million nurses, say scientists who found that lack of staff who are properly trained in administering antibiotics is preventing patients from accessing live-saving drugs. 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, according to the report by the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) in the US In India, 65 percent of health expenditure is out-of-pocket, and such expenditures push some 57 million people into poverty each year. 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. Researchers at CDDEP in the US 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. Health facilities in many low- and middle-income countries are substandard and lack staff who are properly trained in administering antibiotics. 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 two million nurses. "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 Ramanan Laxminarayan, director at CDDEP. 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," Laxminarayan said in a statement. "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," said Laxminarayan. 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. 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 less expensive generics, and the possibility that resistance will rapidly emerge. Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) leader Bimal Gurung, on the run since the 2017 agitation in the hills, has claimed that the BJP leadership gave him assurances that it would look into his statehood demand if it returns to power at the Centre. Statehood is a dream for every Gorkha living in the hills, he said, adding that the saffron party's pitch for a permanent political solution was also "very encouraging". The BJP, which is eyeing a third straight term in Darjeeling, has made no mention of statehood in its manifesto, but assured a "permanent political solution" in the hills and scheduled tribe tags for eleven Gorka communities. "We have sent a memorandum to the BJP, demanding Gorkhaland. They(BJP) have assured us that they will look into it. We are happy that their (BJP's) manifesto speaks about bringing a permanent solution to the region," Gurung told PTI in an interview over phone. Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for "being sympathetic towards the problems of the Hills", he alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on the other hand, has been pursuing "vote-bank politics" to gain her party's foothold in the region. "She(Banerjee) has never the addressed the real issues here. She is not interested in developing the region," he claimed, demanding that the Trinmool Congress (TMC) supremo present a white paper on her welfare initiative in the hills. Asked what he thought about the BJP not taking any measure in the last five years to create Gorkhaland, the GJM leader was quick to defend the saffron party, claiming that the "the Narendra Modi government's priority was to improve the living standards of people". "Gorkhaland tops our agenda and I will keep fighting for it till the end. But the central government needs to focus on the overall development of the country first. Everything else is secondary. We are hoping that it (BJP) will look into the Gorkhaland issue in the next term," Gurung said. Refuting opposition's allegation that the sitting BJP MP from Darjeeling, SS Ahluwalia, has done little to develop the hills, Gurung claimed that the parliamentarian has been trying to work "honestly and sincerely" in the region, but the TMC-led government in the state thwarted his initiatives. "He (Ahluwalia) had tried to initiate several projects in the region, but the local administration and the state government did not cooperate with him. This is why utilization certificates were not issued," Gurung said. According to records, Ahluwalia has utilized 56.30 per cent of the allotted MPLAD funds. People have not forgotten the atrocities committed by the TMC during the 104-day-long agitation over statehood demand in 2017, Gurung claimed. "The voters in the Hills are with Modiji. This time, we have urged them to vote against every bullet fired by the TMC during the Gorkhaland agitation. This election is a fight for restoration of democracy," he asserted. Gurung, then GJM supremo, had gone into hiding after the June 2017 clashes in Darjeeling. The agitation also led to a split in the Morcha, with Binay Tamang, his deputy, emerging as the leader of one of the factions. "Our boys along with cadres of the Gorkha National Liberation Front and other hill parties are reaching out to the masses to garner support for BJP candidate Raju Singh Bisht. I can assure you that this time we will win by a bigger margin. Winning this election will take us a step closer to realising our dreams," he said. For the first time in about three decades, the demand for a separate Gorkhaland has not figured in the list of poll issues in Darjeeling as parties, including the local GJM and GNLF, have sought development and democracy in the region. Bisht, who has the support of Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and the Bimal Gurung faction of the GJM, is pitted against TMC candidate Amar Singh Rai. The Binay Tamang faction and other smaller outfits in the hills are backing Rai. Referring to his one-time protege Tamang, who "expelled" him from the party after he fled the Hills, Gurung said people of Darjeeling constituency will never forgive him. "If he (Tamang) is not loyal to me and the Gorkha people, how will he be loyal to Mamata Banerjee?" he wondered. Asked about his plans to return to the Hills, Gurung said he had wanted to do so, but the police has cordoned off the Bagdogra airport in Siliguri. "I hope to return to the hills soon. Despite the Supreme Court's order, I don't understand why the police wants to stop me," he said. In view of the elections, the Supreme Court had earlier this month allowed GJM leaders Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri to approach the Calcutta High Court for anticipatory bail in connection with the cases filed against them. File image The pre-poll period of 2019 Lok Sabha elections witnessed a massive upheaval as reports and complaints against parties and candidates regarding violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during the pre-election campaigning. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora had on March 10 listed out the regulations under the MCC, but little is known about the repercussions in case of violation. MCC is a set of obligatory guidelines that need to be followed for fair passage of elections and are formulated with proper consensus of the parties contesting the polls. The code basically runs on the goodwill of the contesting parties and candidates, to follow the guidelines and is fundamentally enrolled on principles and ethics, to uphold the faith and dignity of democracy. However, a lot of contemplation has been going on over the Election Commission of India (ECI) actually penalising the violators. What we need to know here is that these code of conduct regulations are not necessarily bound by a legal frame work and hence penalising the parties or candidates does not sustain much of an imposition. MCC is not admissible in the court of law as a wholesome rule book with penalties accorded. Warnings from CEC or the EC are mostly the first and the last step in curbing these violations, and in most cases these complaints are suspended. However, certain provisions of the MCC can be administered legally by soliciting corresponding provisions in other ordinances. The violations need to conjure with statutes under the Indian Penal Code 1860, Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 and Representation of the People Act, 1951. The Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice had steered for making the MCC legally bound in 2013. After failed recommendations on the matter, the Standing Committee concluded an observatory from a report on electoral reforms, that most of the provisions under the MCC, are coercion of corresponding provisions in other statutes mentioned above. The ECI argues that bringing the MCC on the statute book will only be counter-productive, constricted due to various parameters. The general elections continue for a period of 45 days and the electoral process is a continued incessant activity that needs to finish within the estimated period of time. Judicial proceedings for these violations shall only increase the time frame causing an inevitable delay in the electoral process. Under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution, the ECI is empowered to call upon any party or candidate, against whom a complaint has been lodged. All ruling and contesting parties must adhere to these norms. In case of violation, the ECI commonly sends a "show cause notice" to the alleged party asking for valid reasoning as to why action is not to be taken against them, within the given time log. Failing this, the concerned party shall have to comply with proceedings of the ECI based on the previous merits of the complaint. The ECI further appoints a committee to evaluate the conduct of the alleged party. With that being said, the ECI still does not have a judicial hand to penalise the violators. On July 3, 2018 the EC launched the C-vigil application for citizens to report on matters of political misconduct pertaining to violation of the MCC. The report must contain evidence in the form of videos or photographs and must necessarily be geo-tagged. The complaints filed are sent to the District Control room which then sends a surveillance squad with local police officers to investigate the matter. April 14, 2019 The MoA Week In Review - OT 2019-21 Last week's posts on Moon of Alabama: April 9 - The Demise Of The 'Western' System --- The Washington Post again laments that the U.S. coup attempt in Venezuela failed: Venezuelas military, despite U.S. expectations, has not turned on Maduro Nearly three months later, Venezuelas top-heavy military remains largely intact under President Nicolas Maduro. The once-brisk pace of defections to neighboring Colombia has slowed to a trickle. Fewer than 1,500 Venezuelan soldiers, relieved by the Colombian government of their weapons and uniforms and housed in sparsely furnished hotel rooms near the border, now sit waiting for something to happen. The idea that the Venezuelan army would defect was always crazy. Anyone with a bit of knowledge of Venezuela could predict that it would never do so. Reports of lonely soldiers isolated in fourth class hotels in Columbia will not incite any further defections. While the random opposition guy promised amnesty for any soldier moving to his site, the U.S. seeks to arrest one of the few who did: Venezuelas ex-spy chief arrested in Madrid on US warrant Venezuelas longtime spy chief was arrested Friday in Madrid by Spanish police acting on a U.S. drug warrant a few weeks after he threw his support behind opponents of President Nicolas Maduro. ... The opposition saw Carvajals criticism of Venezuelas socialist government as a stimulus to prod other military figures to defect, but the countrys armed forces have remained largely loyal to current Maduro. With the situaton stalled the U.S. is ramping up talk of a military attack on Venezuela: US Military Attack on Venezuela Mulled by Top Trump Advisors and Latin American Officials at Private DC Meeting EXCLUSIVE: Away from the public eye, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank hosted a top-level, off-the-record meeting to explore US military options against Venezuela. Such talks are poor attempts to create some psychological pressure. There are no sound military options. The U.S. is not going to invade Venezuela. It will ramp up sanctions and press its 'allies' to do the same. Venezuela and its people will suffer but they will not give up on resisting U.S. pressure. The current situation will only resolve itself when the regime in Washington or in one of Venezuela's neighboring countries changes. Use as open thread ... Posted by b on April 14, 2019 at 17:00 UTC | Permalink Comments next page April 14, 2019 Why Is Europe Trying To Sabotage Iran's Nuclear Deal? - (Updated) Updated below --- The Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), limits Iran's nuclear activities for 15 years. After that period Iran would still be bound by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its Additional Protocol. But Iran would be free to produce enriched Uranium for its nuclear reactors. In October 2017 the U.S. left the treaty and reintroduced economic sanctions against Iran. But the European signatories, France, Britain and Germany, said they would stick to the deal. Gerard Araud, France's ambassador to the United States, tweeted around that time: Gerard Araud @GerardAraud - 19:25 utc - 8 Sep 2017 France doesn't support any reopening of JCPOA which should be implemented as it is. France and Germany created a complicate structure to allow some commercial dealing with Iran while escaping secondary U.S. sanction threats. Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei called the construct "a joke" as it will hardly allow any serious trade. Last week Germany, Britain and France also stepped up nagging Iran about its ballistic missile programs. Iran harshly rejects (vid, recommended) any such criticism. It has long voluntarily limited the range of its missiles to 2,000 kilometer. As it has no modern air force, missiles are its only means to hold its enemies' assets in the Middle East at risk. It will never give up on them. Iran sticks to its side of the JCPOA deal. It limits its nuclear activities while allowing the IAEA full access to inspect the country. With U.S. sanctions piling up while the Europeans are unwilling to support regular commercial exchange and waffle about Iran's ballistic missiles, it becomes more and more difficult for Iranian politicians to justify the deal. If the U.S. and the EU do not stick to their side of the deal why should Iran do so? The Europeans continue to drag their feet. Last week the Royal Mail in Britain said that it would no longer accept parcels to Iran. No sound reason was given. Yesterday Gerard Araud, who in 2017 defended the nuclear deal, set out to put it under doubt: Gerard Araud @GerardAraud - 19:10 utc - 13 Apr 2019 Its false to say that at the expiration of the JCPOA, Iran will be allowed to enriching uranium. Under the NPT and its additional protocol, it will have to prove, under strict monitoring, that its nuclear activities are civilian. Gerard Araud @GerardAraud - 19:17 utc - 13 Apr 2019 As we said in 2002 that enriching uranium without a credible civilian program was illegal under the NPT, well be able to react likewise in 2025 if necessary. Sanctions were imposed. Sanctions could be reimposed. There is no sunset after the JCPOA. Gerard Araud @GerardAraud - 19:20 utc - 13 Apr 2019 Russia is providing enriched uranium to the Busheer nuclear power plant. So there wont be any conceivable reason for Iran to massively enriching uranium after the JCPOA. Germany should stop to build the Nord Stream II pipeline because it is supposedly dangerous to depend on gas imports from Russia. But Iran should trust Russia with providing Uranium for its nuclear plants? Why is Germany allowed to enrich Uranium for its nuclear plants? Russia could surely provide that too. After the 15 year moratorium under the JCPOA ends, Iran is of course free to produce its own Uranium for its own nuclear plants. There is nothing in international laws that demands that Iran continues to buy it from Russia. Araud's statement makes no sense. This morning Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister replied to Araud: Seyed Abbas Araghchi @araghchi - 9:02 utc - 14 Apr 2019 If tweets by @GerardAraud represent French position, we're facing a major violation of the object and purpose of the JCPOA and UNSCR 2231. Needs immediate clarification by Paris, or we act accordingly. It seems that Germany, Britain and France are inclined to make it increasingly difficult for Iran to stick to the JCPOA deal. They are playing into the hands of the neoconservative hawks in the U.S. who want Iran to exit the deal to then claim to have reason to attack it. Like with the war on Syria it would be the Europeans that would suffer from any U.S. conflict with Iran. Why are they playing this game? --- Update 1:20 PM EST It seems that Gerard Araud got an urgent call fome the Quai d'Orsay or Palace Elysee and was told to delete his tweets: Mohammad Ali Shabani @mashabani - 15:46 utc - 14 Apr 2019 French ambo to US (recently retired) removed tweets reneging on pillars of JCPOA and implying reimposition of sanctions if Iran expands enrichment (as permitted under JCPOA) post-2025. Here's to hoping for a new French approach to Iran. Current one is a sinking ship. Unbeknownst to me Araud indeed retired. His far-well party was on April 3. His twitter bio though still has him as current ambassador. Why then would he tweet that? Was the content correct but published prematurely? Or were those tweets his application to some well paid position in this or that hawkish think tank? Posted by b on April 14, 2019 at 14:04 UTC | Permalink Comments Iowa City, Iowa It was hard to miss Cheri Pichone's excitement about Bernie Sanders' second presidential run. She showed up to a recent Iowa rally decked out in Sanders gear, complete with a figurine of the Vermont senator and progressive icon. But underneath her exuberance, the 36-year-old was still mad about the last Democratic primary, when Sanders' bid for the presidency fell short to Hillary Clinton. "They cheated," she said, directing much of her anger at the Democratic National Committee. The party establishment, she lamented, was "actively working against us." Pichone voted for Green Party candidate Jill Stein in 2016 and said she may vote for a third party again if Sanders doesn't clinch the nomination. She's emblematic of a persistent group of Sanders supporters who won't let go of the slights real and perceived from the last campaign. The frustration is notable now that Sanders is a 2020 front-runner, raking in $18.2 million in the first quarter, downplaying concerns about DNC bias and highlighting his success in bringing the party around on liberal policies it once resisted. Some establishment-aligned Democrats worry the party could lose in 2020 if lingering concerns about the last primary aren't put to bed. "It has the potential to escalate, and it has the potential to help re-elect Donald Trump," said Mo Elleithee, a former spokesman for Clinton and the DNC. The acrimony stems from a fiercely fought campaign and a sense among Sanders loyalists that party leaders privately favored Clinton. DNC leaders at the time scheduled fewer debates than Republicans and sometimes slated them for nights with low television viewership. Often opaque delegate allocation rules also contributed to a belief among some Sanders supporters that the primary was essentially rigged. According to data from the Pew Research Center, the tension took a toll. About 81 percent of people who consistently supported Sanders during the primary season and were confirmed to have voted in the general election said they ultimately voted for Clinton, while 11 percent said they supported Stein or Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson, and 3 percent supported Trump. In a closely contested election, those moves away from Clinton may have factored into the results. Since the election, party leaders have sought to smooth things over with Sanders and his supporters. DNC Chairman Tom Perez is planning a robust debate schedule. The rules governing superdelegates party insiders who overwhelmingly backed Clinton have changed. Sanders has publicly expressed confidence in the process this time around, but in terms that suggest he won't soon forget 2016. "In 2016, I think I will not shock anybody to suggest that the DNC was not quite evenhanded," he said during a CNN town hall in February. "I think we have come a long way since then, and I fully expect to be treated quite as well as anybody else." In an interview Friday, Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir echoed that optimism. "If you're talking to anyone at the Democratic National Committee who's there now, I'm sure they will tell you that their relationship with the Bernie Sanders campaign is great and that we are operating in good faith and we are talking to each other on an almost daily basis," he said. "Anyone suggesting that there's any kind of friction there is living in the past. They are living with some grudges that they are holding onto from a bygone time." Amy L. Coats of Morgan County Abstract Co. recently presented a webinar with Martin J. Cann, state underwriting counsel of First American Title Insurance Co., at the First American office in Warrenville. The webinar outlined the Illinois Mechanics Lien Act and the construction escrow disbursement process. More than 150 members of the Illinois Land Title Association participated. Coats, a Winchester native, has been with Morgan County Abstract Co. for 14 years. She is the company manager and is based at the companys Jacksonville office at 230 W. State St. She serves as the Illinois Land Title Association PAC chair for 2019. She also serves on the education, agents, settlement services and title counsel committees. Morgan County Abstract Co. provides land title insurance and settlement services in Morgan, Cass, Scott, Pike, Schuyler, Brown and six other counties. Cheryl S. Kearns, owner of Inner Harmony Day Spa & Salon in Jacksonville, has authored and published a book titled, Yep Im a Medium. The book is about a tragic accident that takes in the lives of two teenagers and makes Kearns and her daughter, Lacey, struggle to accept that they have to step out of the shadows and embrace being intuitive mediums and deliver healing messages for loved ones. Cheryl Kearns and her husband, Ben, live in rural Pike County. Her daughter, Lacey, now works with her at her business. There will be a book signing from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Inner Harmony Day Spa & Salon, 227 S. Main St. Michael Payne Jr., a radiation oncologist, has joined the HSHS Medical Group medical staff. He sees patients at HSHS Medical Group Cancer Center at 301 N. Eighth St. in Springfield. Payne is a member of the American College of Radiation Oncology, American Society of Radiation Oncology, National Medical Association, American Brachytherapy Society and Society for Thermal Medicine. He completed his medical degree at Rush Medical College in Chicago and earned an executive masters degree in health care leadership at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He completed a residency in radiation oncology at the University of Kansas in Kansas City, Kansas, where he also served as chief resident. He also completed a radiation oncology fellowship at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, New York. Compiled by David C.L. Bauer Covid-19: This is not the right ... AUSTIN State Rep. Brooks Landgraf's bridge-strike legislation was passed by the Texas House on Thursday. The aim of House Bill 799 is to reduce the number of overpass strikes by holding liable the drivers of over-height trucks or their employers. The House Transportation Committee, of which Landgraf is vice chair, unanimously passed HB 799 before it was sent to the full House for a vote. HB 799, authored by Landgraf, seeks to hold the owner of the vehicle liable for any damage to a bridge or overpass caused by the height of the vehicle. The driver of the over-height vehicle could also be charged with a misdemeanor crime. New Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye and his cabinet members were sworn in on Saturday before President Mahmoud Abbas at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the official television reported. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Ishtaye talks during a swearing in of the new government in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Saturday, April 13, 2019.[Photo: AP/Majdi Mohammed] The 18th Palestinian government since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1995 was sworn in according to a presidential decree issued by Abbas. According to the presidential decree, Ishtaye will serve as the minister of interior and minister of Waqf, or religious affairs, until two new ministers are named. Ishtaye and the ministers separately took the oath, all vowing to respect the law and the Palestinian constitutional system. The new government consists of 24 ministers from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), mainly Abbas' Fatah Party, the Palestinian People's Party, the FIDA party, the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front, in addition to independent figures. Both Islamic Hamas movement and Islamic Jihad are excluded from the new government, as Hamas has been ruling the Gaza Strip since it violently seized control of the coastal enclave from Abbas' security forces in 2007. Ibrahim Melhem, spokesman for the new government and a member of Fatah, told Palestine TV that the mission of the new Palestinian government is defend Palestinian holy sites and lands despite Israel's threats to annex the West Bank. "We want to support the steadfastness of the Palestinian citizens, but that requires political support from the Palestinian leadership," said Melhem. "The test is put through the work of ministers on the ground and not certificates. I will communicate with the journalists and give them the frank, true and clear information and answer the difficult questions," he added. Houston Chronicle Alcohol is being blamed as a factor in a teen's death after an early Saturday morning wreck in Dickinson. Dickinson police reported that 19-year-old Pablo Fernando Xiloj-Sontay was driving a Mazda 3 on the wrong side of the road at 7:15 a.m. On Saturday, Trinity University will celebrate Founders Day, the official 150th anniversary of the inception of our school. From its humble beginnings in Tehuacana, to a 40-year stint in Waxahachie, to its current San Antonio campus, Trinity has a long legacy of tenacity and the ability to change to meet the needs of its students. Yet, while we are proud of our heritage, we are not defined by our history. Instead, we are boldly determining our future. In this world of increasing interconnectedness and automation, Trinity is actively redefining what it means to have a liberal arts education in the 21st century. We must prepare todays graduates to thrive professionally and personally by instilling in them both human and technical skills. Trinitys curriculum blends the liberal arts and sciences with business and pre-professional programs, enriching students communication and problem-solving skills. San Antonio is often times the beneficiary of this educational model, which encourages students to take what they learn on campus and apply it in our community. Our schools Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship encourages students to make an impact through small-business startups. Right now, Tigers are creating ingenious medical devices to tackle Americas opioid crisis, building powerful data models to improve international agriculture, and fueling San Antonios booming tech and startup scene. The department launched the Stumberg Venture Competition in 2015, which has since handed out more than $215,000 in seed money to more than 20 startups. Just this past month, it awarded five student startups $5,000 in seed money and a chance to win a $25,000 grand prize for their business next fall. The Trinity community is also one that gives freely of its time in the name of service. As part of our 150th anniversary celebration, more than 500 students, faculty, staff and alumni gathered to volunteer their time at a dozen different nonprofit organizations around the city. Thats just a portion of the goal of 150,000 service hours that Trinity will give to San Antonio this year. Upon graduation, many Trinity alumni choose to stay in San Antonio, where they continue their legacy of lifelong learning and service. Notable Trinity alumni include Mayor Ron Nirenberg, City Manager Erik Walsh, businesswoman and philanthropist April Ancira Thompson, and entrepreneur and Rackspace founder Dirk Elmendorf, among countless others. All are striving to make San Antonio a better place to live and work. Our faculty is exceptional in its own right. They serve as teachers, researchers and mentors whose shared goal is to both challenge and nurture students, while integrating undergraduate research in the arts and humanities early into their academic careers. For many of our students, bonds with professors last far beyond graduation day. Trinitys innovative, solution-oriented curriculum is attracting national attention as a result. We are recognized as one of the top small liberal arts universities in the nation, receiving accolades from the Wall Street Journal, the Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report, among others. Thats helping to attract exceptional new students to our campus. In fact, a record number of students roughly 9,800 have applied for admission to Trinity for fall 2019. Not only is the incoming class one of the most academically gifted based on SAT and ACT scores, but it is also one of its most diverse. We are proud of our school, its 150-year heritage and its current place in San Antonio. We are gaining momentum reinventing the new liberal arts education by preparing compassionate, critically thinking students who can solve 21st century challenges in San Antonio and beyond. Danny Anderson is Trinity Universitys president. Josie Norris /San Antonio Express-News John Courage surprised many by winning his District 9 seat two years ago. A retired teacher who served in the U.S. Air Force, he has proved to be a pragmatic, responsive and independent member of City Council. We recommend him for another term representing this North Side district. He was against removing Chick-fil-A from a group of vendors at the San Antonio International Airport. How is it that our so-called ethical and moral Christian nation is now lambasting Joe Biden for his platonic hugs and kisses, yet had no problems electing our extremely amoral grabber in chief? Chuck Mire Kids held, too Re: Rescinded award shows how low Trumps critics stoop, by Marc A. Thiessen, Other Views, Tuesday: Marc A. Thiessen complains about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not receiving the 2019 Foley American Hostage Freedom Award for freeing 20 captives. Maybe Pompeo should have done something about the hundreds or maybe thousands of children who were separated from their families at the border. Maybe that was the reason the award was rescinded? Ruben Garza Jr. This article says so Re: Not working for U.S., Your Turn, Tuesday: Mike Horridge writes,He has done more damage to the presidency of the United States than anyone has in the last 200 years. Where is his proof? I googled President Donald Trumps accomplishments, and 289 are listed in one article for the first 20 months. It is an article called Trumps list: 289 accomplishments in just 20 months, relentless promise-keeping, by Paul Bedard, published by the Washington Examiner on Oct. 12. The first sentence addresses the fact that Trump has surpassed all Ronald Reagans accomplishments in 20 months as president. If my math is correct, Reagan wasnt president over 200 years ago. Horridge needs to back up his opinions with facts. Gary Kennedy Outdated definition Re: A truer definition of natural-born, Another View, Tuesday: Darrell Williams Sr. ironically prefers a 1758 Frenchmans (Vattel) definition of natural born to the law of this land. The Constitution specifies who will create laws (Congress) and who will interpret those laws (the judicial branch). Williams self-identifies as a constitutionalist, yet his argument does not support or defend the U.S. Constitution (and its institutions) to define what natural born legally means. Dave Searcey The United Methodist Churchs governing body recently abandoned its faithful LGBTQAI+ members, disregarding scripture, its theology and the teachings of Jesus by refusing to grant them full inclusion in the life of the church. Under the denominations current rules, Methodist clergy are not allowed to perform same-gender weddings or celebrate them in church buildings. Gifted and anointed LGBTQAI+ persons are also denied ordination. This past February, the UMC General Conference had a chance to change that, but refused, continuing to support and enforce discrimination of LGBTQAI+ persons. In making its decision, the denomination lost focus on the core of Christian teaching and Methodist theology that all of us are beloved creations of God and vital to the family of God in our diversity: inclusive of gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, color, age, class, ability, nationality, status and beyond. To our LGBTQAI+ family, friends and community members, as an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, the senior pastor of Bering Memorial UMC, chair of the Reconciling United Methodists Texas Conference and a scholar of scripture and Methodist theology, I ask your forgiveness for the tremendous harm that the United Methodist Church has done over the years and continues to do by its recent actions. While I cannot speak for the United Methodist denomination and do not speak for those who support the traditional plan passed by the denomination, I believe that I speak for hundreds of thousands of United Methodist clergy and laity when I say that this is not who we are as Methodist Christians. As Methodist Christians, we believe that the Bible is to be carefully studied and interpreted using four criteria: scripture, tradition, reason and experience. We are not literalists. A faithful interpretation of the Bible using those four criteria supports biblical marriage as rooted in fidelity in relationship, not in the gender of marriage partners. Biblical marriage is not limited to marriage between a man and a woman. Same-gender marriages are celebrated by God and should be celebrated by Gods church. That includes every marriage that is rooted and grounded in love and fidelity, whether between persons of the same or different genders. Contrary to decisions made by the General Conference, it is my conviction and the conviction of many other Methodist Christians that the Bible does not teach that LGBTQAI+ identity and living out that identity are incompatible with Christian teaching. The Bible does not say that as LGBTQAI+ persons, you need to pray away the gay or otherwise fix or deny your gender identity or sexual orientation. The Bible does teach that all of us are made in the image of God, inclusive of our sexual orientation and gender identity. According to the Bible, there is nothing incompatible or deviant about being LGBTQAI+ and living out that identity faithfully and fully in loving relationships of marriage, family and friendships, and as members of the larger community. The Bible teaches, and the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaims, that such faithful claiming of ones gender identity and sexual orientation is to be celebrated as a sacred gift to both heterosexual and LGBTQAI+ persons. It takes each of us faithfully and fully living out our unique identity individually and together to mirror the rainbow face of God in all Gods love, creativity and divinity. I have seen the face of God and experienced the presence of God in the LGBTQAI+ members of our community and know without a doubt that they are loved and celebrated by God as fully as I am. Gods message to all of us is that God so loved the world that God came and lived among us in the person of Jesus Christ that we might have abundant life. Jesus spent his entire earthly ministry sharing the love of God for all humanity by including the excluded, tearing down walls of separation and division and restoring the dignity of those who had been judged unworthy by religious rules of exclusion. Jesus touched, embraced, healed, dignified and welcomed those explicitly excluded by such rules. He made it crystal clear that the core of Gods word to us could be summed up in two commandments: love God and love our neighbors. LGBTQAI+ family, friends and neighbors, you are unabashedly loved and celebrated by God, me and hundreds of thousands of United Methodists who refuse to honor the recent discriminatory decisions of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church. We need you, welcome you and celebrate you as beloved children of God and members of Gods family with us. McGehee is pastor of Bering United Methodist Church. Ulta recently released a new sampler kit the Pamper Yourself Bath & Body Must Haves Kit! FYI unfortunately, this box is now sold out. My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.) About Ulta The Box: Pamper Yourself Bath & Body Must Haves Kit The Cost: $9.99 + $5.95 shipping (this kit may also be available in store!) The Products: A variety of products to help you pamper yourself Ulta Pamper Yourself Bath & Body Must-Haves Kit Review Earth Therapeutics Tea Tree Oil Foot Repair Balm, 1.7 oz Estimated Value $2.55 (Buy the full-Size version for $9) My feet are a neglected part of my body care routine, and I am trying to change that. I have been applying this to my feet whenever I am going to put on socks, and I love how refreshing this is thanks to the tea tree and peppermint oil. Plus, when I take my socks off my feet are noticeably softer! Fizz and Bubble Watermelon Lip Scrub, 0.5 oz Estimated Value $4 (Buy the 1 oz version for $8) This tastes just like watermelon Hubba Bubba bubblegum and I am HERE. FOR. IT. This is a drier scrub that exfoliates effectively without being too abrasive, and it is delicious. Plus, the price isnt bad for the big full-size version, either. Hempz Blueberry Lavender & Chamomile Herbal Body Moisturizer, 2.25 oz Estimated Value $3.71 (Buy the full-Size version for $28) I am in love with both how lightweight this lotion is and how soft and soothing the scent of blueberry, lavender, and chamomile is. This is nourishing without leaving my legs feeling greasy, which is important now that it is getting hotter and Baton Rouge is consistently between 70-80% humidity. If I didnt have a backlog of lotions and body creams to work my way through, I would buy the full-size version of this. SheaMoisture African Black Soap Bar Soap, 3.5 oz Estimated Value $2.62 (Buy the full-size bar for $5.99) This soap has become pretty popular over the past few years, but this was my first time trying it. I used it on my body on some spots that acne likes to pop up, and I was happy that this didnt leave my skin feeling tight. Bliss Makeup Melt Jelly Cleanser, 2.0 oz Estimated Value $3.75 (Buy the full-size version for $12, found here for $9) I am a fan of bliss skincare for their fun products and affordability, and I like this cleanser. It was super gentle and it left my face feeling clean but not dried out. My favorite part is that this can be used as a makeup remover too- if you apply it to dry skin it can remove your makeup + cleanse, and if youre not wearing makeup just apply it to a wet face. I love products that multi-task! Pacifica Himalayan Patchouli Berry Hair & Body Mist, 2.0 oz Estimated Value $4 (buy the 6 oz version for $12) I dont usually use hair mists, but this is definitely going into my routine until the sample is gone. The scent is a delicious blend of grapefruit, white patchouli, sugar, and geranium, and it was inspired by the Festival of Colors in Nepal. The scent is light and not overpowering, and I think it adds a nice flirty touch without being an aggressive fragrance. The Body Shop Coconut Body Butter, 1.69 oz Retail Value $6 If you like rich body butters that smell just like coconut, this is for you. I enjoy smelling like coconut, but this is definitely a heavy-duty body butter that Ill probably only apply at night- heavy body lotions and humidity leave me feeling sticky. Zoella Beauty Fizz Bar, 2 fizzy squares Estimated Value $1.99 (Buy the bar of 8 fizzy squares for $7.95, found here for $3.98) I am always excited to try a new bath bomb, but these were kind of a letdown. They didnt fizz that much, and I didnt really notice a scent either. Tree Hut Bare Moisturizing Shave Oil, 2.0 oz Estimated Value $3.11 (buy the 7.7 oz version for $11.99) I have tried shaving creams and shaving soaps but trying out a shaving oil was a first for me. I liked how silky this left my legs feeling, and it helped me to get a super close shave. Lanolips 101 Ointment Coconutter Mult-Balm, 0.11 oz Estimated Value $4.24 (Buy the full-size version for $13.50) My first experience with Lanolips was with this Feel Unique box, and I am excited to try out a different flavor. This is super nourishing, tastes like coconut, and using this after the watermelon scrub was a real treat for my lips that left them soft and happy. The Verdict: I thought this was a knockout box from Ulta considering the wide variety of items and the low price! Most of these products were new to me, and I enjoyed finding some affordable products that are also high quality. The next time I am in my local Ulta, I plan on trying to grab a backup! Value-wise, I calculated a value of $35.97, which meets the $35 promised value. To Wrap Up: Can you get this box if you sign up today? No, unfortunately, this box is now sold out. Value Breakdown: This box cost $15.94 ($9.99 + $5.95 shipping) and I calculated a total value of $35.97, which means youre paying approximately the following per item (and less if you pick this up in store!): Earth Therapeutics Foot Balm: $1.13 Fizz and Bubble Lip Scrub: $1.77 Hempz Body Moisturizer: $1.64 SheaMoisture Black Soap: $1.16 Bliss Jelly Cleanser: $1.66 Pacifica Hair & Body Mist: $1.77 The Body Shop Body Butter: $2.66 Zoella Mini Fizz Bar: $0.88 Tree Hut Shave Oil: $1.38 Lanolips: $1.88 Check out all of our Ulta Beauty Kit reviews and the best beauty subscription boxes of 2019, as recommended by our readers! What do you think of the Pamper Yourself Bath and Body Must Haves Kit? MDC leader Nelson Chamisas bid to succeed the partys founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai is in jeopardy after a rival camp approached the High Court seeking to stop the forthcoming congress, citing alleged irregularities in the ongoing nominations. Chamisa has been nominated by all the six provinces that have held their congresses so far, eclipsing his rivals Douglas Mwonzora and Elias Mudzuri, who are yet to get any nominations for the top post. MDC has 13 provincial structures. The opposition partys 2018 presidential candidate has already been nominated by Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North, Midlands, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central and North America. Mashonaland Central was voting last night. Chamisas allies have also picked nominations for influential posts to be contested at the May 24 to 26 congress. However, the former Kuwadzana MPs surge could be halted if the urgent High Court application by a Gokwe-based MDC official Elias Mashavire to stop the congress succeeds. Mashavire, who is believed to be a member of a rival camp seeking to stop Chamisas ascendanc,y filed the court application on Friday. He argued that the partys interim leader has no powers to call for an ordinary congress before the MDC holds an extra-ordinary congress to confirm him as the leader. Chamisa is the first respondent in the case while vice-presidents Morgan Komichi and Elias Mudzuri, secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora and organising secretary Amos Chibaya have also been cited. Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions secretary-general Japhet Moyo is cited as the seventh respondent in the court application under case number HC8697/18. The determination of the above application many have the effect of nullifying any actions led and or presided over by the second respondent, Nelson Chamisa, reads part of the application. Further, the determination of that application may also have the effect of compelling the first respondent to convene an extra-ordinary congress as opposed to the ordinary congress that has already begun. On September 24 last year, Mashavire approached the High Court seeking a declaration that Chamisa was not the partys legitimate leader as he had not been endorsed by an extra-ordinary congress. High Court judge Justice Edith Kuda Mushore reserved judgement on the matter on March 14, 2019, a week after Chamisa issued a notice that the opposition party would convene its congress between May 24 and 26. Mashavire insists that MDCs structures that were elected at the last congress in October 2014 must remain in place until October this year. The ordinary congresses being convened and conducted are therefore unconstitutional and illegal, he added. I believe it is a ploy by the second respondent (Komichi and Mudzuri) to create structures that are aligned to him, as is already confirmed by a letter send to the fourth respondent (Mwonzora) and seventh respondent (Moyo) and chairperson of the independent electoral commission of the MDC. He argued that Chamisa took over the leadership of the MDC and was using the usurped powers and authority to deliberately decimate and re-arrange the party structures in order to predetermine the presidential race. Mashavire said Chamisa has already changed the 2014 party structures to his prejudice as he was no longer a delegate at the forthcoming congress. Mudzuri told this publication last month that the MDC must first hold an extra-ordinary congress to choose Tsvangirais successor using 2014 structures. He also referred to Chamisa as the vice-president. Tsvangirai died in February last year after a battle with colon cancer. Meanwhile, MDC provincial congresses have allegedly been marred by manipulation of structures, violence, intimidation of Chamisa opponents, with voting going into midnight. The process has left some party bigwigs frustrated as some are being thrown by the wayside. The provincial elections were marked by what was clearly a choreographed pattern of intimidation, vote rigging and open violence to supporters of Chamisas rivals, one official said. The pattern began with the delayed commencement of the voting process and ended with the announcement of Chamisa and his slate as the winners in the dead of the night, after midnight in all three cases. However, the partys spokesperson Jacob Mafume claimed the process had gone on very well. Our provincial congresses are meeting the standard of democracy and complying with the MDC constitution, he said. The history of congress is that, it can only end when business on the agenda is all dealt with. In any case, we have not received any formal complaint from anyone. Our constitution provides for a dispute resolution mechanism and if one has a challenge around the elections, it will be dealt with before the main congress. We are so quite happy with the way we have handled our process so far. Chamisa has in the past accused Zanu PF of trying to influence the outcome of the MDC congress. This was after his rival Douglas Mwonzora got some backing from Zanu PF senior leaders. The Standard Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News Former President Robert Mugabe is set to miss the countrys Independence Day celebrations for the second time in a row since his ouster. His successor Emmerson Mnangagwa revealed that he went to Singapore to get medical treatment for the entire month. He has not been feeling well. At the age of 95, I think he is reasonably in good health. Currently he is not in the country. He left on the 2nd of April to Singapore, he will be way for about 29 days and he will come back. I am making sure that I do the facilitation for him to receive treatment, take him to Singapore and to bring him back, all the facilities, I make sure that it is done, Mnangagwa said. Mnangagwa said he regularly checks on Mugabe and they have established a communication method. Mugabe last addressed the media in July 2018 when he held a press conference to denounce the military, ED Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF. He urged all Zimbabweans to ditch Zanu PF and vote for Nelson Chamisa. Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News The man at the centre of a fake resurrection miracle staged by South African preacher Alph Lukau died vomiting blood, his family says. Lukau acted out a revival of Elliot, who came to his church in Sandton, Johannesburg, in a coffin in February. His workmates at a furniture shop in Pretoria recognised him from TV pictures as Brighton Moyo, but his family in Lupane, Zimbabwe, buried him as Thabiso Proud Mlanje. Elliot, whose purported resurrection made international headlines, vanished shortly after the staged event at Lukaus Alleluia Ministries church. Neighbours at his former home in Pretoria confirmed he had moved out. The B-Metro newspaper, quoting relatives, reported on Friday that the 28-year-old returned to Zimbabwe on March 8 after falling ill and stayed with his in-laws in Insuza, Matabeleland North. He was admitted at Mbembesi Clinic on March 23, before he was transferred to St Lukes Hospital in Lupane where he died on April 3. He was constantly vomiting blood. It was such a painful death. I wish someone could properly explain to me what happened in South Africa, his grandmother Emily Moyo, said. South African police reportedly contacted their Zimbabwean counterparts asking for help in tracking down Mlanje, who is thought to have been using a false name at his former workplace. According to B-Metro, Mlanje and Lukau are subject of an active criminal investigation by South African police, a complaint believed to have been filed by Kings and Queens Funeral Services whose hearse was used in the elaborate resurrection con. Police in Insuza said their South African counterparts supplied them details of the case, quoting crime reference number CR 506/02/19. They specifically said we should attempt to locate a large amount of money, which they thought Mlanje would have on him, presumably hush-money from Lukau. By the time we located him, he was in a grave, a police source said. Mlanjes in-laws in particular said they had been victims of police beatings as investigators demanded to know where they allegedly hid the money. The family supplied a photograph which they said showed Mlanje on a hospital bed just days before his death. His wife Simelweyinkosi insisted she knew nothing about his resurrection and denied she was the woman introduced as his wife at Lukaus church. Speaking from Dandanda Village in Lupane, where Mlanje grew up and was buried next to his grandfather on April 5, his brother Stanley when showed a video of the purported resurrection said: Thats Thabiso, I can see him. Henk Swanepoel, who worked with Mlanje at Vincent Amoretti Specialist Joiner in Pretoria, said he could not say with certainty that the man on the bed was Brighton Moyo, as he knew him. Im afraid I cant confirm or deny whether this man is Brighton or not. He certainly looks a lot like him, but the shape of the head seems different. That could be due to the haircut. I only ever saw Brighton at work, usually smiling and animated, Swanepoel told ZimLive. Mlanjes grandmother said she raised him after both his parents died in Harare. He attended Gegeme Primary School in Lupane but failed to go to high school after her grandmother failed to raise the school fees. She last saw him seven years ago when he left for South Africa, before he returned ailing and apparently very keen to avoid the police, explained by his decision to go and live with his in-laws in Insuza than go home to Lupane. Name Mystery At Lukaus church, Mlanje was only identified as Elliot. At work, he was Brighton Moyo. But government birth records in Zimbabwe had him down as Thabiso Proud Mlanje. It is not uncommon for foreigners in South Africa illegally to adopt new names, and Brighton Moyo is thought to have been an alias. We now know that Mlanje is raised by his grandmother, Emily Moyo. Is that where the surname for Brighton comes from? While planning the fake resurrection, people thought to be connected to Lukau are known to have gone to a branch of Kingdom Blue funeral parlour in Johannesburg. A woman told staff her name was Priviledge Ncube. She wanted a coffin for a dead relative, one Proud Mlamnjwa. After selecting her coffin, she paid R5,500 in cash and left. Proud Mlamnjwa and Proud Mlanje are quite a close match. Next, they hired a Toyota Quantum people carrier from a man who was named only as Nkosi. They put stickers of another funeral parlour, Black Phoenix, on the vehicle without that companys knowledge, or permission. The next stage of their plan was to go to Kings and Queens. There, a man identified as Elliots brother at Lukaus church, stepped forward, telling staff that his name was Prudence Ngwenya. He had lost a cousin, one Proud Sibanda, but they had a little problem. The people using the Black Phoenix-branded vehicle misrepresented that they were from that company, which cooperates very well with Kings and Queens, lawyer Prince Mafu, who was engaged by the three funeral parlours after the scandal, told ZimLive. Their story was simple. Black Phoenix had a hearse crisis, all their cars were out and they were down to the Quantum. So, they needed a hearse to go and pick up a body at the Black Phoenix mortuary for burial. At that point the coffin was transferred from the Quantum to the hearse. Kings and Queens were only too happy to help because of an existing relationship. They provided only a driver because there was an understanding that Black Phoenix undertakers would take over. Thats precisely why Kings and Queens did not insist on paperwork. Ngwenya paid R2,000 in cash to hire the hearse. Mafu said the Kings and Queens driver, still under the impression they were driving to Black Phoenix to pick up a body, was surprised when he was told by the group that they wanted to pass through Lukaus church. Mafu insists that the driver had no reason to look inside the coffin because he believed it was empty at that point. The driver had, however, noted that the coffin was loosely closed. These people did all the lifting themselves because Kings and Queens were not the undertakers. They had only paid for transport, Mafu said. Kings and Queens were furious over what followed at Lukaus church, as their hearse was used to lend some credence to the death and resurrection story. Is Elliot Really Dead? His family, neighbours and the local councillor say he is dead. There was body viewing before he was lowered into his grave. His sudden illness raises a lot of questions. Colleagues at his former workplace do not recall Mlanje ever being off work because of illness, until he stopped coming to work just days before he appeared on TV rising from the dead. Following his purported resurrection, Mlanje appeared on TV looking healthy. Within a month and some days, he would be dead. His family says he was vomiting blood and weak. Did he have an underlying illness? Was he poisoned? What role did Lukau play in staging the resurrection event? It would appear the answers to those questions are gone with Mlanje. ZimLive Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News Actress, Bibiana Mapuranga who features as Amai Abhibho in ZBC TV drama Mawoko Matema has died after a short illness. Amai Abhibho is one of the faces that make the Mawoko Matema storyline tick and her demise at Harare Central Hospital this Saturday after a short illness comes as a huge blow to the arts industry. The death of Bibiana has pained us all. We are at loss of words but we say Bibiana you have left a gap that cannot be filled. The arts industry will never be the same without her, She was a time keeper, said Bonface Chimedza, the President of Zimbabwe Arts and Culture Industry Association. A family spokesperson, Mrs Sophia Dzvova described the death of Bibiana as a great loss to the entire family. Friends and colleagues who worked with the late Bibiana described Bibiana as a dedicated actress.Bibiana was born on 28 December 1971 in Rusape. Mourners are gathered at house number 409 Kunzwi Crescent, Glen Norah A, Harare. ZBC Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News CalPERS has a thing about leaks. Well use the word leaks in the very loose way that CalPERS does. Experience has shown that the organization applies that label to the public disclosure of any negative information about it, even if the information was in no way confidential and the releasing party, such as a board member, was legally entitled to do so. Readers may remember the coverage we gave a couple of years ago to the trumped-up charges of leaking made against then-board member JJ Jelincic, where the allegations ultimately collapsed in the face of evidence that nothing that Jelincic had disclosed was a secret. Nevertheless, that embarrassing experience has failed to cure the organization of its fevered efforts to find someone, anyone, to pin the blame on for its staggering decline in reputation. To advance that goal, CalPERS has hired a big bucks law firm to lead an investigation. However, like its previous efforts, this one will probably go nowhere in terms of unmasking actual wrong-doing. A tell is is that the investigation has been apparently structured to ensure that at least one important source didnt get talked to. So whether this investigation is intended for public propaganda purposes or merely to have its findings shown privately to the CalPERS board to bolster the notion that their poor reputation is undeserved and results from bogeymen hiding under every bed, rest assured that it is a garbage in, garbage out process. CalPERS has hired an outside law firm, Orrick, specifically the group within the firm that specializes in squashing corporate whistleblowers, to investigate these leaks. However, the investigation is being wrapped up after making a tellingly insincere effort to interview former board member JJ Jelincic. This sham suggests two possibilities, both unflattering to Orrick and CalPERS. The first is the too typical stew of laziness and incompetence, where Orrick is making the minimal effort to collect the contracted-for fee, perhaps getting signals that CalPERS didnt want a full-bore effort, and the two sides didnt coordinate effectively. Second is that Orrick cynically invited Jelincic to an interview mind you, he is retired and has no obligation to cooperate with only a couple of days notice and a request that he travel to them, in order to elicit a rejection of their timetable. There is an established history of CalPERS trying to set Jelincic up as the fall guy for leaks, so this could be more of the same. Before you think the idea that CalPERS would deliberately choose to omit key parties from an investigation is far fetched, CalPERS has done this before. After the private equity bribery scandal that led to the indictment of former board member Al Villalobos, who committed suicide, and former CEO Fred Buenrostro, who was convicted and is serving a four and one half year term in Federal prison, CalPERS hired law firm Steptoe & Johnson to conduct an investigation and prepare a report. We explained at considerable length why it was a whitewash. The attorney leading the Steptoe investigation, Phil Khinda, contacted one prominent former CalPERS insider about the pay to play scandal investigation and invited him to lunch. Before his counterparty could even respond, Khinda proceeded to list all the reasons why the potential source should not want to participate. This individual said it was very clear that Khinda was actively discouraging him from being interviewed. So this is apparently part of the bag of tricks that big law firm investigations practices use, which is to discourage various parties from cooperating, when it would support the desired narrative to insinuate that only people with something to hide would decline an interview. Why Leaks? Its apparently useful for CalPERS staff to play up supposed leaks to the board, as if they were the cause of the bad press the giant pension fund has been getting. In fact, the big causes are far too obvious: CalPERS deeply underfunded status, the boards and staffs failure to deal with that overarching problem honestly, with that problem compounded by widespread evidence of poor management and oversight. One glaring example of the last problem is CalPERS having a poor sense of priorities. For instance, it has more people in its PR department than in its risk management and audit unit. On top of that, CalPERS has used leaking as a bloody shirt to attack insiders trying to reform the public pension fund.even when theyve been presenting public information that is therefore not in any way confidential. One example is when Jelincic was falsely accused of leaking when he responded to a beneficiary question by providing information in a court document filed by CalPERS. The fact that CalPERS would attempt to depict Jelincic as having breached confidentiality when he was in fact presenting public information indirectly exposes another pathology at CalPERS: a concerted effort to keep things secret when theres no sound basis for doing so. This is analogous to a worrisome tendency in medicine, to move the threshold for disease so low as to look to be driven by profit rather than health considerations. As an attorney said via e-mail: The real outrage here is that the staff at a fund conclusively proven to have been rife with corruption, and who seem to have no problem wasting fund assets on the exact same high-fee outside managers who were the source of those corrupt influences, are conducting a leak investigation that is clearly aimed at intimidating independent board members from exercising their fiduciary duty of inquiry by unlawfully creating the atmosphere where non-confidential public records are represented by staff to be privileged when the law is clear that they are not. The CalSTRS Policy Guide specifically limits the use of the Government Code 11126(c)(16) investment decisions closed-session exception: With regard to investment decisions, the Board shall consider most investment matters in open session unless such consideration would jeopardize execution of the investment or cause harm to the economic value of the investment. p.32, Teachers Retirement Board Policy Manual (2015). This is the same law that applies to CalPERS. The attorney-client privilege secrecy ruse is also complete poppycock. The Government Code 11126(e) closed-session exception severely limits the privilege to situations where the agency has substantial exposure to litigation and open session discussion would prejudice the position of the agency in the litigation. This exposure to litigation does not include covering-up wrongdoing by staff or the board. Government Code 11126(e)(2) states that, all expressions of the lawyer-client privilege other than those provided in this subdivision are hereby abrogated. Withholding information to which the public is entitled is a misdemeanor crime under Government Code 11130.7 In other words, leaking in the eyes of CalPERS staff is when an insider provides information that CalPERS would prefer to go unnoticed, regardless of whether it is actually confidential or not. That attitude is indefensible in a governmental body, where the employees and officers are accountable to beneficiaries and the public. It is also the sign of a diseased culture, since high functioning organizations acknowledge and fix problems rather than try to cover them up. What About CalPERS Terrible IT Security? One wonders whether CalPERS informed Orrick about CalPERS lax IT practices, which could raise doubts on the ability to reach firm conclusions as to how supposed confidential information got out into the wild. Incoming board member Margaret Brown complained repeatedly that board members and certain senior executives had been assigned formulaic passwords and user IDs. Anyone who learned about them could readily access confidential board records by impersonating a particular user. Brown got pushback when she sought to change her password to something more secure. Literally, all that staff was willing to do was to send her a later password in the same sequence. That meant the new password was every bit as guessable as the old one by knowledgeable insiders, as well as easily hackable. On top of that, the new password was sent to her by e-mail, and that same e-mail was also sent to other members of the Board Services Unit. Since the response to pointing out that the passwords were wildly insecure was for CalPERS to continue to generate insecure and widely-known passwords, Brown continued complaining. The next iteration of response was for CalPERS to let Brown pick a number in the same password sequence. So if the old password had been boardmember2 Brown could now make it boardmember[number of Browns choice]. Not only was the improvement still trivially easy to hack, but the new password was again e-mailed to Brown and other CalPERS staffers, undermining the notion that the passwords were at all secure. It was only in September, after we wrote about the laughably poor password security, that CalPERS finally made real changes. But even then, its not clear whether they were made for board members or also extended to senior staff, who also had similarly lame formula passwords. But either way, this means that board materials, including closed session records, could easily be accessed by individuals outside board through September 2018, and that knowledgeable senior staff could also impersonate board members to look at that information. That means that any leak of closed session or other confidential information available to board members by computer before September 2018 cant be attributed to board members with any confidence. The recipients of the leaks would be journalists, and it would be unheard of for a reporter to burn a source. Its considered to be a huge ethical lapse when that happens accidentally (recall the uproar over The Intercept and Reality Winner). More evidence of CalPERS poor IT security practices comes via a lawsuit by former employee Nancy Michaels against CalPERS and former employee Melinda Lorenz-Anderson (nee Lorenz). Lorenz obtained access to, altered, and distributed copies of Michaels confidential personnel records to members of the state legislature, alleging that Michaels had obtained a promotion improperly. Bear in mind that Lorenz did not have access to any personnel file as part of her job duties. She badged in after hours and got access to Michaels records. To have done so, she either had to have hacked CalPERS system or had someone provide her with a password and login of someone who had access. Under Federal law, engaging in unauthorized access to computer records is a crime. CalPERS was aware of Lorenzs breach; it launched a disciplinary action against her, with the punishment set to become effective after Lorenzs retirement.1 Yet CalPERS was obligated to make a criminal referral, which it failed to do. On top of that, CalPERS in court is defending Lorenzs right to disseminate the stolen information in such a way as to make it a public record.even after disciplining her for precisely this conduct. It is over my pay grade, but it seems highly doubtful that CalPERS would be supporting this line of argument had it made a criminal referral as it was obligated to Needless to say, CalPERS overzealous defense of someone who unquestionably hacked CalPERS systems sends all the wrong messages to other CalPERS employees. The Botched Effort to Interview JJ Jelincic Lily Becker, a partner at Orrick, first rang JJ Jelincic on March 11. Jelincic told her he couldnt speak then and shed need to call back. It was a 38 second phone call (CalPERS may want to check its billings). She said shed try again at 10:00 AM the following day. She did not call then. Becker next called on March 19, again failed to get Jelincic live, and Jelincic returned the call the following day. Her next attempt was March 27, a full eight days later. She again missed Jelincic, who again dialed her the next day. After two failures to connect by phone, if the matter were urgent or important, the logical move would have been to leave a message suggesting how to coordinate a time to speak, say via e-mail or through a secretary. But Becker tried calling Jelincic two more times before taking that step. The latest round of missed calls was when Becker rang Jelincic on April 4 and Jelincic returned her call on April 5. On Monday April 8, Becker left a message asking Jelincic to come in for an interview in Orricks San Francisco or Sacramento office later that week and to e-mail to set a time. This is what transpired next: From: JJ Jelincic Sent: Tuesday, April 9, 2019 4:56 PM To: Becker, Lily Subject: meeting This is not a good week. Im working on a campaign. Next week doesnt look a lot better. What do you want to talk about? JJ Jelincic From: Becker, Lily To: JJ Jelincic Sent: Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 04:01:16 PM PDT Subject: RE: meeting Thank you for reaching out via email as I suggested, as I know we have been trading voicemails for several weeks. As I mentioned when we spoke the first time, we are conducting an investigation for CalPERS regarding certain leaks of confidential or closed session information from late 2017 to 2019. This week is the last week we are conducting interviews. Please let me know if you are available before the end of the week. It would be most useful if we could set up time for you to come to our San Francisco or Sacramento office. Thank you, Lily From: JJ Jelincic To: Becker, Lily Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2019, 07:49:59 PM PDT Subject: Re: meeting As I said this week doesnt work. I also cannot leave unchallenged your statement As I mentioned when we spoke the first time, we are conducting an investigation for CalPERS regarding certain leaks of confidential or closed session information from late 2017 to 2019. That is simply untrue. That first conversation was about that I was in the middle of something and could not talk then. We agreed you would call about 10:00 am the next day. That did not happen. I actually had a conversation with Henry Jones on March 14 about you reaching out to me. He was aware of that and said you had spoken to him. However, when I asked him what it was about he said he would not tell me because he didnt want to get ahead of you. Your email of April 9 is the first time I knew what you wanted to discuss and that there was any deadline. There was normally about a week between the time I called you and you called back. That certainly showed no sign of urgency. The last closed session I attended was in was in December of 2017. I would have no way of knowing if any information I received from staff since that time came from closed session. JJ Jelincic It may not be sufficiently obvious why this interaction does not smell right. A critical bit of information is that Jelincic was a CalPERS employee through March 6, 2019. He had filed his retirement date well in advance, mid-December 2018. In the March 14 meeting with Henry Jones, Jones mentioned that Orrick had already interviewed other board members. It is a reasonable assumption that Orrick would have scheduled at least some of the interviews at the time of the monthly board meetings, for the convenience of Orrick and board members who dont live in Sacramento. Working back from that, Orrick almost certainly conducted some board member interviews at the latest at the February board meetings on February 19 through 21. That would mean it had been engaged, done preliminary research, and developed its investigation program, including its interview guide, before then. That in turn means had CalPERS wanted to interview Jelincic, it easily could have while he was an employee. Jelincic would have had to take the meeting; he could also have requested that a union representative participate. Instead, a presumably very competent Orrick partner made a minimal, leisurely effort to get a hold of Jelincic. When Jelincic made it clear that the week of April 8 was not convenient, suddenly Orrick says the interviews are about to be over and oh, by the way, tries to claim that Jelincic knew that they were about leaks, when he didnt. Indeed, board member Henry Jones closed-mouthedness on March 14 about why Orrick was contacting Jelincic says he knew Jelincic didnt yet know what the request was about.and Jones could have gotten that information only from the Orrick partner Becker. It would be nice if CalPERS expended as much executive energy on improving its returns as it does on trying to prevent board members from doing their job. Indeed, the example of CalSTRS says that having a board that is active, pro-transparency, and engages in healthy give and take with staff, rather than acting as a rubber stamp, is consistent with higher returns. Too bad CalPERS is so determined not to eat the good governance cooking it feels so free to set before corporate America. _____ 1 Lorenz set her retirement date after the sanction and sanction date was set. It certainly looks as if the intent was to encourage her to retire rather than have the disciplinary action bite. Lambert: And/or blowback from the French Revolution By Thilo Huning, Lecturer, Department for Economics and Related Studies, University of York, and Nikolaus Wolf, Chair of Economics and Economic History, Humboldt University Berlin; Research Affiliate, CEPR. Originally published at VoxEU. State borders can change due to both political and economic disputes. This column shows how the formation of the German state can be traced back to British political intervention at the end of the Napoleonic War. In preventing Russia from gaining territory westwards, Britain set in motion a series of events that gave Prussia strategic trade advantages. This led to the formation of Europes first customs union (the Zollverein) and prepared the political unification of Germany. The boundaries of states are the heart of many recent debates, be it the European refugee crisis, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), or Brexit (Snower and Langhammer 2019). After decades of stability, today we are again seeing heated discussions about the shape and extent of political borders. Clearly, borders are neither naturally given nor random. In Europe and elsewhere, the current state borders have been formed and changed over centuries, sometimes peacefully, often in bloody wars. In Huning and Wolf (2019), we look at the formation of the German nation state led by Prussia and trace it back to a change in borders decided at the Congress of Vienna in 1814/15. In a nutshell, we have two findings: First, the geographic position of a state can be a crucial factor for institutional change and development. Second, the formation of the German Zollverein in 1834 under Prussian leadership was a truly European story, involving Britain, the Russian Empire, and the Belgian revolution of 1830/31. We show in particular that the Zollverein formed as an unintended consequence of Britains intervention in 1814/15 to push back Russian influence over Europe. In theory, why would the geographic position of a state relative to that of other states matter? Intuitively, it should matter as long as the costs of trade and factor flows depend on their routes. If a large share of my trade has to pass the territory of one or several neighbours, my trade and trade policy will depend on the trade policy of my neighbours. Moreover, if tariffs are levied not only on imports but also on transit trade, as was general practice until the Barcelona Statute of 1921 (Uprety 2006), policymakers face the problem of multiple marginalisation, which is well known from the literature on supply chains. In our work, we provide a simple theoretical framework (in partial equilibrium) to show how the location of a revenue maximising state planner will affect its ability to set tariffs. Some states can increase their tariff revenue at the expense of their hinterland. Next, we show that a customs union can be beneficial for a group of states exactly because it solves the problem of multiple marginalisation. A major challenge to testing our idea empirically is that a states political boundaries (and hence its location) do not change very often, and if they do, the change is unlikely to be unrelated to trade or factor flows. However, the formation of the German Zollverein in 1834 can be considered as a quasi-experiment. Let us briefly revisit this historical episode. At the end of the Napoleonic wars of 1792-1814/15, only Russia and the UK were left as major military powers. Habsburg, Prussia, and the defeated France attempted to consolidate their positions at the expense of the many smaller states that had just about survived the wars, notably the former allies of Napoleon such as Saxony and Poland. Overall, the negotiations at the Congress of Vienna in 1814 were dominated by military-strategic considerations between the two great powers. Russia wanted to expand westwards, Prussia was desperate to annex the populous Kingdom of Saxony, which bordered Prussia in the south and would create a large and coherent territory. To this end, Prussia was willing to give up not only her Polish territories to Russia, but also her positions and claims on the Rhineland (Muller 1986). This met stiff resistance from Britain, joined by Habsburg and France, which feared a new Russian hegemony on the continent the Polish Saxon question. After weeks of diplomatic struggle, the outcome was a division of Saxony, another division of Poland and Prussia being established as the warden of the German gate against France (Clapham 1921: 98). Figure 1 shows the result of these negotiations. Figure 1 Outcome of the Congress of Vienna, 1814 The Prussian territory was split into an eastern and a western part, divided by the small Hessian states. Berlin failed to get what it wanted and got what it did not want The creation of a large Western wedge along the river Rhine was a British, not a Prussian, idea (Clark 2007: 389). While this was initially considered a diplomatic disaster for Prussia, we also see from Figure 1 that Prussia now controlled large parts of Germanys most important navigable waterways to the sea, the Elbe and the Rhine. Prussia started to take advantage of this position with the tariff law of 1818, which abolished all internal tariffs and established a uniform external tariff, including transit tariffs. From there on traders in the southern states were forced to either detour the large Prussian territory, typically over Hessian land, or accept the transit tollage. Given that in the early 19th century, transport on water was much cheaper than transport over land, this came at a large physical detour cost. According to Sombart (1902), the average freight cost per tonne-kilometre on water was 0.6-1.5% (!) of the freight cost on country roads, or 25% of that on paved state roads. But road construction was slow and expensive and railroad construction would not start before the 1840s. Hence trade was routed along waterways, especially trade in colonial goods, which had to be imported from overseas. In turn, revenue from colonial goods notably sugar, tobacco, and wine accounted for 80% of the Prussian tariff revenue in 1831 (Onishi 1973), and similar shares could be found elsewhere. Prussia was interested in tariff revenue, but also in establishing a land bridge between the two parts of her territory. As Prussia started to negotiate a customs union with the Hessian states, this was vigorously opposed by the southern states (Bavaria and Wurttemberg), who feared becoming hostage to Prussian tariff policy. But it was equally opposed by Habsburg and Hanover (in personal union with the UK). Notably, the Habsburg chancellor Metternich feared that a customs union under Prussian leadership would be a first step towards a political expansion of Prussia. In hindsight we know that he was right. Nevertheless, Prussia succeeded in forming a customs union with Hesse-Darmstadt in 1828. One major factor that limited the bargaining power of Prussia in the late 1820s was the fact that the Netherlands controlled Rotterdam, the mouth of the Rhine river. Trade on the Rhine was subject to tariffs and duties payable at Rotterdam, as well as staple rights and the requirement to use Dutch shipping companies (Spaulding 2011). It was the Belgian revolution and the prospective competition from an independent Belgium that led to an agreement between Prussia and the Netherlands to reduce these trade costs in March 1831. After this, transit trade over the land of Hesse-Cassel was sharply reduced. In August 1831, Hesse-Cassel joined the Prussian customs union, which provided the desired land bridge between the two Prussian territories. In 1833, Bavaria and Wurttemberg followed, and in 1834 the German Zollverein was formed. In our paper, we show that our theoretical framework can explain this series of events very well. First, controlling for a host of alternative explanations, we provide evidence that states for which the least-cost path to the North Sea or Baltic led via Prussia entered the Zollverein earlier. We also show that this transit captures the effect of distance to the ocean, which has been proposed as an instrumental variable for access to the Zollverein (Keller and Shiue 2014). Moreover, we use historical data on prices, freight rate, and market sizes to calibrate our theoretical model and simulate tariff revenues under the various customs unions. We can show how and why the formation of a customs union between Hesse-Darmstadt and Prussia in 1828 and again the opening of the Rhine trade in 1831 had large effects on tariff revenues of other states (Ploeckl 2015). Finally, we simulate our model under counterfactual borders what if Prussia had got what it wanted in 1815, namely, the entire Kingdom of Saxony at the expense of creating an independent Rhine-state? We show that with such borders, the German Zollverein would very likely not have been formed. Put differently, as a collateral damage to her intervention at Vienna in 1815, Britain unified Germany. References available at original. Join Dr. Michael Hudson, New Testament Scholar Dr. Aliou Niang, and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Biblical Scholar and co-chair of the Poor Peoples Campaign for panel discussion on Michael Hudsons book, And Forgive Them Their Debts, at The Peoples Forum, 320 West 37th Street, New York, NY, from 6-9pm on April 15, 2019. From the announcement: Debt plays a central role in upholding the economic and social order of the day. In the US, mounting debt and the crippling financialization of our lives is taken as fact. Our political leaders see no real problem and offer no serious solution. This was not always the case. Throughout antiquity, widespread debt-cancellation was understood as a moral and practical necessity. In a significant new book, And Forgive Them Their Debts, economist Michael Hudson traces the biblical demand against debt and the long history of economic jubilees. Counter to dominant history and theology, Hudson reveals how the Bible itself is concerned most with the moral failure of economic systems, rather than personal sin. * * * Finance ministers say global growth will firm up FT Cause for jubilation is very much exaggerated as global markets are sleepwalking in unison toward a cliffs edge. Heres why South China Morning Post Ubers Big I.P.O. Filing Is Hiding Some Massive Red Flags Vanity Fair Impact of high debt levels on least developed countries cannot be overstated, says UN UN News The Hidden Horror of Hudson Yards Is How It Was Financed City Lab Stratolaunch Flies Worlds Largest Plane for the First Time Space.com Pepsi Plans to Project a Giant Ad in the Night Sky Using Cubesats Futurism (DK). No. Assange Brexit Jeremy Corbyn: the man versus the movement FT Filling a gap: the clandestine gang fixing Rome illegally Guardian (JBird). More Than One Million Pains: Sexual Violence Against Men and Boys on the Central Mediterranean Route to Italy (PDF) The Womens Refugee Commission China? India Venezuela Sudan coup: Military leader vows to uproot regime BBC New Cold War Court Russians and Soviet Emigres Yasha Levine, Influence Ops Trump Transition White House eyes nuclear weapons expert to lead challenge to climate science Science Cars Are Weird Current Affairs Democrats in Disarray Police State Watch Neoliberal Epidemics Suicidal Attempts and Ideation Among Children and Adolescents in US Emergency Departments, 2007-2015 JAMA. This analysis of a large, nationwide sample demonstrated that ED visits for SA/SI doubled among youth between 2007 and 2015. Guillotine Watch Class Warfare Mathematicians Discover the Perfect Way to Multiply Quanta. Be fruitful? In Bubbles, She Sees a Mathematical Universe NYT Antidote du jour (PM): Bonus antidote: This is why you you should hold off cutting dandelionsthe bees cant get enough of the things! #bees #Dandelion #spring pic.twitter.com/ExewXxWQq1 Apidae Honey (Paul Horton) (@ApidaeHoney) April 11, 2019 See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. (Natural News) In response to the Supreme Court of New Yorks recent overturning of the unconstitutional ban on all unvaccinated people that was imposed in Rockland County, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared his own public health emergency, mandating that people in certain parts of Williamsburg who were potentially exposed to the virus be vaccinated. According to reports, de Blasio is citing some 250 measles cases that have been confirmed in the Brooklyn neighborhood since September as necessitating forced vaccinations in four different zip codes. In de Blasios view, the only proper response to this outbreak is to require that all unvaccinated people who live or work in zip codes 11205, 11206, 11221, and 11249 be vaccinated with MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella). We have a situation now where children are in danger, de Blasio, who sees nothing wrong with murdering babies both inside and outside the womb, stated during a recent news conference. We have to take this seriously. Every one of us has to feel responsibility for the situation because measles is so contagious, can spread so quickly. For more related news about the growing medical police state in America, be sure to check out PoliceState.news. New York City Health Department to become Nazi brown shirt brigade: vaccination papers, please The way NYC plans to enforce this new vaccine mandate issued by de Blasio is to have members of the citys health department go door-to-door checking peoples vaccination records which is exactly what Nazi brown shirts did back during World War II when they roved the streets and demanded papers, please to anyone who looked like a Jew or another undesirable. Todays star-wearers are those who reject vaccine jabs, whom Leftist politicians like de Blasio want to see completely eradicated from society. And theyre planning to accomplish this by not only demanding that people procure vaccination paperwork, but also fine those who arent in compliance up to $1,000 per violation. Theres no question that vaccines are safe, effective and life-saving, de Blasio further contended during his press conference, pretending to be a doctor. I urge everyone, especially those in affected areas, to get their MMR vaccines to protect their children, families and communities. NYC plans to fine day care centers, Jewish yeshivas that allow unvaccinated students to attend classes Like Rockland Countys unconstitutional ban on the unvaccinated, de Blasios mandatory vaccination order is reportedly temporary, with an expiration date of April 17. But the citys Board of Health will then have the option to extend it which very well could happen. Many area locals are already feeling the pinch of this authoritarian oppression, including day care centers and Jewish yeshivas throughout the city that are being threatened with immediate violations for allowing unvaccinated students to attend classes or remain on their premises. Not only do these facilities face unconstitutional fines, but they could even be shut down by the city for supposedly putting public health at risk. City officials are also targeting so-called measles parties, which a growing number of parents are holding to naturally infect their children with measles in order to allow them to develop natural immunity which is always how it was done long before the MMR vaccine came into existence. Vaccines are safe .. are required (and) are, in fact, much safer than getting actual disease, claims Dr. Herminia Palacio, the deputy mayor of Health and Human Services (HHS). This is not like some little cold thing people can get hospitalized, they can get pneumonia, they can get inflammation of the brain, they can die, she added, fear-mongering to the max. To see how measles, which isnt much different than contracting chickenpox, was viewed before high-profit MMR vaccines were forced on the public, be sure to check out these old clips from television shows of the past. Sources for this article include: NaturalNews.com WCBS880.radio.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) A political nuke has detonated in Silicon Valley, and Google is ground zero. Late Tuesday, excerpts from a reportedly leaked internal Google document were published by The Daily Caller. The excerpts, if accurate, confirm what conservatives have long suspected that conservatives are being actively suppressed by arguably the most powerful company in the world. (Article by Josh Manning republished from WesternJournal.com) The Daily Caller reported that a Google blacklist of websites includes right-leaning publishers such as the Conservative Tribune (a property of The Western Journal), as well as Gateway Pundit, Matt Walshs blog, Gary Norths blog teapartyeconomist.com, Caroline Glicks website and the website of the American Spectator. The impact of this leak can hardly be overstated. Google is already reeling and panicking, as the quality of its first response to the leak reflects because of how bad this looks for a company that has vociferously denied rigging its products against conservatives. But far and away the most devastating part of the leak, which Google doesnt deny is authentic, appears to confirm that Google CEO Sundar Pichai either misleadingly parsed the truth or did, in fact, lie to a committee of the United States Congress. TRENDING: Low IQ Maxine Waters Humiliated in Hearing, Attacks Bankers over Program Her Govt Runs On Dec. 11, 2018, Pichai appeared before the House Judiciary Committee to answer questions about allegations of Googles bias. Pichai worded his responses very carefully, but hell live to regret four damning words: We dont manually intervene on any particular search result (emphasis added). Conservatives have long thought that Google has been suppressing their points of view, making it harder for some conservative news and opinion and probably other content to make it into the top section of the page Google displays when a user searches a word or phrase that might be in the news. The leak appears to confirm that is happening. The most damaging item is an alleged memo obtained by The Daily Caller on how Googles blacklist is managed. The memo states in part: The investigation of the watchlist is done in the tool Athena, the Ares manual review tool, and intakes signals from Search, Webspan, and Ares in order to complete reviews. Once a domain is determined to be violating the misrepresentation policy or the Good Neighbor Policy, such patterns are then added to deceptive_news_blacklist_domains.txt by the Trust & Safety team (emphasis added). Googles defenders might say that such a systems existence doesnt prove Pichais lying. But that isnt true. The system described in that memo uses a manual review tool that helps catalog websites Google claims are violating its terms of service. Once a site is determined to be in severe enough violation, it is added to a .txt file containing a list of blacklisted domains. Those websites then will not appear in Google News and potentially other search products. The system doesnt target one particular search result. It targets vast numbers of particular search results results that would lead to blacklisted sites. To the extent that that is true and Google has denied none of that, to our knowledge Pichai was lying. Google and its protectors appear to be staking their defense on the idea that the manual review tool doesnt affect what they call blue link results (blue links is a jargon term referring to the top 10 links Google returns for most searches). Theyre quick to point out that Pichais no manual intervention answer referred to blue links. But it didnt. RELATED: Google Doesnt Take Bias Hearing Seriously, Cruz Move Will Make Company Regret It Remember, the manual intervention comment came up during the Judiciary Committee meeting when Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., asked Pichai why searching the term idiot returned pictures of President Donald Trump. The pictures she was talking about were notblue links. They were images. That means Pichais answer did not refer to blue links. He was most likely referring to another Google search product Google Images. This is not about blue links. Its about Google blacklisting sites so that results skew against them. This should be a clarion call to war for conservative members of Congress. Free speech is under attack. If we lose free speech on the internet, were finished. Traditional media is circling the drain. Print newspapers are dying. Who needs to burn books when Google can just press delete? UPDATE, April 12, 2019: The day after this article was published, The Western Journal received additional information from a source within The Daily Caller that indicated that Googles blacklist was not limited to conservative or right-leaning websites and that such websites may not even constitute the majority of sites on the list. The Western Journal has not seen either the entire list or the excerpt of the list in the possession of The Daily Caller, and therefore has no way to verify the accuracy of this description independently. The ideological leanings of the websites included in the list, however, is not relevant to the point that Sundar Pichais claim that Google employees do not manually intervene in search results appears, if these documents are authentic and accurate, to have been a calculated deception. However, because all of the examples listed by The Daily Caller were conservative, this opinion piece focused on conservative news and opinion. In light of the new information, we have issued this update and lightly edited the piece to make it more clear that publishers other than right-leaning may also have been affected by Googles blacklisting. Read more at: WesternJournal.com (Natural News) Much of the attention as it pertains to scrutinizing the ongoing Google censorship conspiracy is focused on the search engine giants blatant targeting and removal of conservative web content. But what about all the websites dedicated to spreading the truth about vaccines, cancer cures, natural medicine, and other health-related topics that have also been targeted and removed from Googles search results? Following the recent revelation that Google has been secretly censoring web content for quite some time now, despite claims to the contrary, many are now calling for Google CEO Sundar Pichai and his fellow cronies to be held criminally liable one of these cronies being Paul Haahr, a Google software engineer who, as we recently reported, played a key role in getting Natural News temporarily censored from Googles search results back in 2017. As explained by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, Haahr actually made a personal commitment to basically target and flag all science [and] medical denial in Googles search results, as well as anything that he personally regards as constituting a conspiracy theory. This means that websites warning readers that the government covered up and even destroyed data showing that the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella is dangerous and ineffective, for instance, will more than likely get caught in Googles censorship net, thanks to Haahrs work towards this end behind the scenes. Ironically, Paul Haahr is himself carrying out a conspiracy to silence the truth about medicine, vaccines, cancer cures and natural health, yet part of his job is to censor conspiracy theories,' writes Adams. For more related news, be sure to check out Conspiracy.news. Is Paul Haahr an NSA spook helping to turn Google into a deep state surveillance asset? Haahrs work at Google is so nefarious, we now know, that conspiracy theories about his potential involvement in deep state schemes to hijack tech platforms like Google, and basically turn them into National Security Agency (NSA) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) spying and surveillance assets, are quickly becoming conspiracy facts. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who was recently arrested in what appears to have been an act of deep state retaliation against Attorney General William Barrs announcing to the world that the Obama regime was, in fact, involved in illegal spying on the Trump campaign, wrote an article back in 2013 blowing the lid on the NSAs takeover of Google. Google started out as part of Californian graduate student culture around San Franciscos Bay Area, Assange wrote at the time. But as Google grew it encountered the big bad world. It encountered barriers to its expansion in the form of complex political networks and foreign regulations. So it started doing what big bad American companies do, from Coca Cola to Northrop Grumman. It started leaning heavily on the State Department for support, and by doing so it entered into the Washington DC system. A recently released statistic shows that Google now spends even more money than Lockheed Martin on paid lobbyists in Washington. Fast-forward to Donald Trump being elected president in 2017, and Google was, at this point, openly announcing to the world that it had begun identifying and removing upsetting or offensive content from its search engine results a censorship agenda that was being headed up by none other than Haahr himself. We will see how some of this works out, Haahr is quoted as telling SearchEngineLand.com back in 2013 about his companys efforts to filter out fake news from search results. Ill be honest: Were learning as we go. For more news about the Big Tech takeover of online free speech, visit Tyranny.news. Sources for this article include: DailyCaller.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com Conspiracy.news TheStringer.com.au SearchEngineLand.com (Natural News) Everyday vitamins and minerals take on a whole new level of importance if a person is afflicted with fibromyalgia. Increasing the daily intake of these essential substances can alleviate the pain and depression caused by this widespread medical condition. Fibromyalgia causes non-specific chronic pain throughout the musculoskeletal system. It has many other associated symptoms, the most common of which are severe cases of fatigue and depression. Due to the large number of fibromyalgias potential symptoms, there are very few single therapies that can provide complete pain relief. Patients who are being treated for fibromyalgia can try out supplements that assist with specific symptoms. Essential oils can provide pain relief and improve sleep, energy boosters can increase energy levels, and fish oils can decrease inflammation. Researchers believe that patients are suffering from a deficiency in essential minerals. They theorize that such a mineral imbalance can be responsible for the onset of fibromyalgia. Some of these essential vitamins and minerals are calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, and vitamin D. It stands to reason that taking steps to normalize the levels of these substances and maintain those healthy concentrations can reduce the symptoms of fibromyalgia or even prevent it. (Related: Soursop leaves may alleviate symptoms of fibromyalgia.) Increase your vitamin D intake through supplements or sunlight Vitamin D appears to be closely linked to fibromyalgia. Most patients are women with ages ranging from 35 to 69 years, when they begin experiencing estrogen deficiency connected to menopause. Their low estrogen levels make pre-menopause and menopausal women vulnerable to osteoporosis. To prevent menopause-related bone loss, they are usually recommended to take vitamin D supplements. A 2012 study by Cairo University gathered women who were deficient in vitamin D and also suffered from fibromyalgia. The participants took a large dose of the vitamin as a supplement on a daily basis. By the time the experiment came to an end, the participants reported considerable improvements in fibromyalgia-related pain once their vitamin D levels rose to at least 30 nanograms per milliliter. As the vitamin concentration went up, the amount of pain they experienced was diminished. Another way to gain enough vitamin D is to step outdoors and soak up sunlight. In 2011, a DMZ Medical Center trial showed that three weeks of suntanning can increase the vitamin D levels of Norwegian participants. Make sure you get enough of these essential elements every day In addition to being deficient in vitamin D, fibromyalgia patients also tend to be short on essential elements. They suffer from low levels of calcium, iron, magnesium, and manganese. Ajou University evaluated the mineral levels of people suffering from fibromyalgia in 2011. The researchers took samples of the patients hair for analysis and compared the results with hair strands from healthy people. The mineral content of hair can provide a precise picture of toxins in the body of a person. Furthermore, the brittleness and shine of a strand is a good indicator of any mineral deficiencies. The Korean researchers report that patients with fibromyalgia have considerably lower levels of calcium, iron, magnesium, and manganese. This depletion in essential minerals could be connected with their medical condition. Taking supplements of these four minerals may provide considerable improvements in various symptoms connected to fibromyalgia. Calcium and magnesium, for example, support vitamin D in relieving pain and enhancing bone density. Iron can alleviate anemia and chronic fatigue by spurring the production of more red blood cells. This increases the wakefulness and energy of patients. Finally, manganese controls the inflammatory responses of the immune system. By reducing inflammation and associated swelling, the essential mineral provides pain relief to fibromyalgia patients. Sources include: SteadyHealth.com NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov (Natural News) Wikipedia is a staunch defender of water fluoridation. Parroting the statements of arch-Skeptic Stephen Barrett, its editors sacrifice reams of scientific data to push the scientifically-debunked theories of those who would put this proven neurotoxin in every water treatment plant, exposing generation after generation to a toxic chemical whose harms are well established and publicly known yet still vehemently suppressed. (Article by Helen Buyniski and Gary Null, PhD. republished from PRN.fm) Wikipedias quick summary description of sodium fluoride merely states that it is used to prevent cavities and that it is the 215th-most prescribed medication in the US. This benevolent description is posted without any context, such as proof that orally-consumed fluoride has no proven effect on dental health aside from causing dental fluorosis, an unsightly mottling of the teeth that studies suggest can be used as a reliable external measure of fluoride-induced brain damage (1). Entirely absent are warnings about fluorides detrimental effects on nearly every system of the human body, which have been thoroughly studied and confirmed. Indeed, the US is one of the few countries that still fluoridates its water supply, and even there, many communities are gradually waking up to the harms posed by the addition of what is essentially a toxic waste byproduct to drinking water. Under the heading Dental caries, Wikipedia repeats the fraudulent propaganda about how fluoride is supposed to work enhancing the formation of fluorapatite, a component of tooth enamel. It does not mention that studies have shown that this fluorapatite layer is just six nanometers thick, less than 1/10,000th the width of a strand of hair and therefore unlikely to have much of an impact strengthening or re-mineralizing teeth.(2) To its credit, Wikipedia does admit without explaining the implications that sodium fluoride is rarely used in the US for fluoridating water. Instead, hexafluorosilicic acid and sodium hexafluorosilicate, toxic byproducts of phosphate fertilizer and aluminum manufacture, are used. Wikipedia does not discuss the industrial origins of these compounds (called silicofluorides or SiFs) or their toxicity both are deemed industrial pollutants if released into the air via factory smokestacks or into the environment via drainpipes, but are classed as benevolent when deliberately added to drinking water. It does not mention that they have never been approved or even tested by the FDA for safety, nor does it admit that studies have shown that SiFs can double or even triple the rate of lead uptake into childrens bloodstreams,(3) claiming a single study did not support this hypothesis. Adding SiFs to drinking water actually lowers its pH, rendering it more corrosive and thus more likely to leach lead and other contaminants as it flows through pipes but even when a neutralizing agent is added, SiFs unique affinity for lead leaches even tiny amounts of the metal from any lead-containing pipe or fixture through which treated water flows. Used in combination with chlorine and chloramine, common disinfectants added to drinking water, the rate of lead uptake from SiF-treated water is off the charts.(4) SiFs and lead have a synergistic effect, meaning consuming both is significantly more damaging to brain tissues than consuming either alone, wreaking particular havoc in the hippocampus, the area responsible for learning and memory, and causing a marked decline in IQ.(5) Even Wikipedia cant deny that lead exposure causes brain damage, though their article on lead poisoning doesnt mention the correlation between lead exposure in children and criminal behavior, lumping it under the vague rubric of behavioral problems instead. Yet somehow, SiFs get a pass. Nowhere in the article on hexafluorosilicic acid are the safety risks even mentioned, aside from a single sentence about the dangers of inhaling the vapors. Indeed, the article says more about HSAs effects on glass and stoneware than on the human body! Wikipedia does briefly discuss the negative effects of fluoride overexposure, though it is careful not to suggest that such overexposure can occur merely by drinking tap water. It references the higher doses used to treat osteoporosis after acknowledging earlier in the article that fluoride is utterly ineffective at treating osteoporosis, mentioning pain in the legs and incomplete stress fractures when the doses are too high (no comment on why a substance that causes stress fractures would be used to treat a bone-weakening disease like osteoporosis), as well as stomach inflammation. According to Wikipedia, the only clear adverse effect of water fluoridation is dental fluorosis! Hundreds of scientific studies would beg to differ. In just the past year, more than a dozen studies pointing to this toxic substances detrimental effects have been published, only to be ignored by the mainstream media and barred from addition to Wikipedia. A Mexican study published in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology concluded Fluoride could be considered an environmental kidney toxicant after studying populations exposed to both fluoride and arsenic in drinking water; the arsenic which Wikipedia at least admits is poisonous! actually had less of a nephrotoxic effect.(6) A Kenyan study published in the American Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences found that auditory working memory significantly declined as fluoride concentration in drinking water increased, confirming the results of an earlier systematic review showing lower IQ in children in high-fluoride areas. These effects were observed at concentrations as low as 0.5mg/L the low end of the scale recommended by the World Health Organization, which recommends fluoridation at concentrations as high as 1.5mg/L.(7) Another Mexican study found prenatal fluoride exposure positively correlated to ADHD symptoms in children as much as 12 years later, consistent with the growing body of evidence suggesting neurotoxicity of early-life exposure to fluoride.(8) A pair of Polish studies published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found strong evidence for the role of fluoride in initiation and progression of Alzheimers disease and other dementias, given the substances role in oxidative stress and inflammation.(9)(10) Fluorides toxicity extends from the skeletal system, through the endocrine system, reproductive system, and neurological system, but none of these myriad effects are discussed in Wikipedia. Decades of solid scientific research are memory-holed with the blanket statement that no clear evidence for these adverse effects exists. Wikipedia even claims there have been only three reported cases of fluoride toxicity associated with toothpaste ingestion, when in fact there are more than 23,000 reports of toothpaste-related fluoride poisoning per year, resulting in hundreds of visits to emergency rooms.(11) Theres a reason so few of these studies are conducted in the mostly-fluoridated US, and one study published in Medical Hypotheses touched on this matter, finding organizational bias can and does compromise the integrity of fluoride research the only logical explanation for how so many studies have found evidence of neurotoxicity and toxicity in other tissues even sky-high rates of dental fluorosis, despite the prevailing wisdom that fluoridation is good for teeth yet the practice persists.(12) There is some level of cognitive dissonance setting in, however, as more and more discussions of environmental toxins have included fluoride among lead, mercury, and arsenic in their lists of the substances most damaging to human development ever since Harvard University researcher Philippe Grandjean first added it to a list of developmental neurotoxicants considered especially harmful to the developing brain in a 2014 paper published in the Lancet. Grandjean and his colleagues called for the formation of an international clearinghouse to coordinate research into the neurotoxicants and their role in the rising global prevalence of neurodevelopmental disabilities perhaps assuming that such a recommendation would simply be ignored were it issued to American authorities alone.(13) Wikipedia, however, seems to be firmly lodged in the scientifically-naive 1950s, when fluoride was the magic ingredient for white teeth, DDT would keep the bugs away, and humanity would be saved by our friend the atom. In summary, we are faced with this conundrum: on one hand, you have a smorgasbord of opinions not based on quality science. This is a topic that commands a deep understanding of toxicology and environmental health, pathology, and physiology, as well as neurology and psychiatry; professionals in these fields are intimately familiar with fluorides toxic effects. Instead, Wikipedia has people with no known qualifications, speaking on a subject that requires a deep sense of scholarship, parroting misinformation and effectively sugarcoating a known neurotoxin. At the same time, editors on Wikipedia, supported by their spiritual father Jimmy Wales, attack without regard to scientific integrity highly reputable fields of public health such as holistic, complementary and alternative medicine, herbology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and chiropractic. They go beyond condemning a specific flawed study and deliberately choose to ignore thousands of studies supporting a therapy. Without interviewing a single practitioner or even a single patient, Wikipedias crew of unaccredited aand unqualified amateurs denounce that which works and is safe and natural and nontoxic, while protecting that which is toxic as if its no big deal, all the while denying the seriousness of iatrogenesis. Isnt it time that people woke up to what Jimmy Wales and his Wikipedia have become? Read more at: PRN.fm An idea floated by President Donald Trump to send immigrants from the border to "sanctuary cities" to exact revenge on Democratic foes could end up doing the migrants a favor by placing them in locations that make it easier to put down roots and stay in the country. The plan would put thousands of immigrants in cities that are not only welcoming to them, but also more likely to rebuff federal officials carrying out deportation orders. Many of these locations have more resources to help immigrants make their legal cases to stay in the United States than smaller cities, with some of the nation's biggest immigration advocacy groups based in places like San Francisco, New York City and Chicago. The downside for the immigrants would be a high cost of living in the cities. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University announced this week that an analysis found that immigrants in sanctuary cities such as New York and Los Angeles are 20% less likely to be arrested out in the community than in cities without such policies. "With immigrants being less likely to commit crimes than the U.S.-born population, and with sanctuary jurisdictions being safer and more productive than non-sanctuary jurisdictions, the data damns this proposal as a politically motivated stunt that seeks to play politics with peoples' lives," said George Gascon, district attorney for San Francisco. Trump has grown increasingly frustrated over the situation at the border, where tens of thousands of immigrant families are crossing each month, many to claim asylum. His administration has attempted several efforts to stop the flow, and he recently shook up the top ranks of the Department of Homeland Security. The idea to ship immigrants to Democratic strongholds was considered twice in recent months, but the White House and Department of Homeland Security said the plan had been rejected. But Trump said Friday he was still considering the idea. "Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only," Trump tweeted. He added that, "The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy - so this should make them very happy!" Asked about the proposal Sunday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said it was "not the ideal solution." "The president heard the idea, he likes it," she told ABC's "This Week," adding that it is among several options being reviewed by the White House. "The president likes the idea and Democrats have said they want these individuals into their communities so let's see if it works and everybody gets a win out of it." She said she hopes Democrats will work with the president on a comprehensive immigration bill. Wilson Romero is an immigrant from Honduras who chose to settle in the San Francisco Bay Area. Romero, 27, was separated from his daughter, now 7, by federal authorities at the U.S. border at El Paso, Texas, last year and jailed for three months before being released and making his way to live with his mother in San Jose, California. There he was reunited with his daughter, who attends public kindergarten. Romero says he goes about daily errands in public without worry of discrimination. His daughter has made friends and has playdates with the children of Mexican American families. It's a far cry from his hometown in the violence-plagued outskirts of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, that he fled after his brother-in-law was killed. To him, the biggest problem with being in the Bay Area is the high cost of living. The former textile factory worker relies on his mother's income from waitressing for food and clothing, and he's started thinking about asking legal permission to move to North Carolina, where an uncle resides and says it's cheaper to live and work. "To tell the truth, it's a little tight now, financially speaking," said Romero, a former textile factory worker, who said he doesn't know of any charities that may be willing to help. The plan discussed by Trump would also have financial, logistical and legal issues. The transportation of immigrants who are arrested at the border to large and faraway cities would be burdensome and costly at a time when Immigration and Customs Enforcement is already stretched thin, having released over 125,000 immigrants into the country pending their immigration court since Dec. 21. They are currently being released mainly in border states. Flights chartered by ICE cost about $7,785 per flight hour, according to the agency, and require multiple staffers, including an in-flight medical professional. The agency also uses commercial flights. Doing longer transports would increase liability for the agency, especially considering that many of the immigrants in its care are families with young children. And despite the consideration given to releasing the immigrants on the streets to sanctuary cities, the Trump administration actually has plenty of jail space to detain families. As of April 11, the nation's three facilities to detain immigrant families were nowhere near capacity, including a Pennsylvania facility housing only nine immigrants. It's also unclear how long the immigrants would stay in these cities because they are required to provide an address to federal authorities - typically of a family member - as a condition of their release. "It's illogical," said Angela Chan, policy director and senior attorney with the San Francisco-based Asian Law Caucus. "It's just alarming that they are spending so much effort and so much time to engage in political theater." The Trump administration has long pushed back against cities with sanctuary policies, which generally prohibit local authorities to cooperate with federal immigration police, often by refusing to hold people arrested on local charges past their release date at the request of immigration officers. Over 100 local governments around the country have adopted a variety of these policies "New York City will always be the ultimate city of immigrants - the President's empty threats won't change that," New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio said in a statement. But Trump seemed ready to step up his fight with the cities, vowing to "give them an unlimited supply" of immigrants from the border. Associated Press writer Karen Matthews contributed to this report. Death row inmates Patrick Murphy and Domineque Ray each turned to courts recently with a similar plea: Halt my execution if the state won't let a spiritual adviser of my faith accompany me into the execution chamber. Both cases wound up at the Supreme Court. And while the justices overrode a lower court and allowed Ray's execution to go forward in Alabama in February, they gave Murphy, a Texas inmate, a temporary reprieve Thursday night. What the justices wrote suggests the opposite results came down to one thing: timing. Ray, a Muslim, didn't ask to be joined by his spiritual adviser soon enough, while Murphy, a Buddhist, did. Spencer Hahn, one of Ray's attorneys, said in a telephone interview Friday that he hoped his client had helped bring attention to the fact some inmates are treated differently when it comes to religious advisers in the execution chamber. "I'd like to think Mr. Ray's death was not in vain," he said. Hahn said the Supreme Court's action in Murphy's case sends a message to other corrections departments: "The Supreme Court doesn't want to see people mistreated like this in their final moments." Ray, 42, was sentenced to death for the 1995 rape and murder of 15-year-old Tiffany Harville. His attorneys argued that Alabama's execution procedure violated the Constitution by favoring Christian inmates over Muslims. A Christian chaplain employed by the prison is typically present in the execution chamber during a lethal injection, but the state would not let Ray's imam in the chamber, arguing only prison employees are allowed for security reasons. A federal appeals court halted Ray's execution, but the Supreme Court reversed that decision and let it take place Feb. 7. The court's five conservative justices said Ray waited until just 10 days before his execution to raise the issue. The court's four liberal justices dissented. Justice Elena Kagan wrote that Ray's request to have his imam by his side was denied on Jan. 23 and he sued five days later. Ray's imam watched the execution from an adjoining witness room. Murphy's plea was similar. The 57-year-old, who was among a group of inmates who escaped from a Texas prison in 2000 and then committed numerous robberies, including one where a police officer was fatally shot, became a Buddhist while in prison. He asked that his spiritual adviser, a Buddhist priest, accompany him into the execution chamber. Texas officials said no. They argued that only chaplains who had been extensively vetted by the prison system were allowed in the chamber. While Christian and Muslim chaplains were available, no Buddhist priest was. Murphy's lawyers argued that violated their client's rights. Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Neil Gorsuch would have allowed Murphy's execution to proceed. But a majority of the Supreme Court said the state can't carry out Murphy's execution at this time unless it permits Murphy's spiritual adviser or another Buddhist reverend the state chooses to accompany him in the execution chamber. Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jeremy Desel said Thursday that the state would review the ruling to determine how to respond. Speaking just for himself, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote "that Murphy made his request to the State in a sufficiently timely manner, one month before the scheduled execution." No other justice wrote separately. Kavanaugh said the state has two options going forward: allow all inmates to have a religious adviser of their religion in the execution room, or allow religious advisers only in the viewing room, not the execution room. Robert Dunham, the head of the Death Penalty Information Center, said it's possible something besides timing was considered by the justices. "The more centrist conservatives on the court may have been stung by the overwhelming criticism they received from people across the political and religious and ideological spectrum" following Ray's execution, he said. It was not clear how many other inmates might find themselves in a similar situation. Only eight states, including Texas and Alabama, carried out executions last year. But law professor James A. Sonne, whose Stanford clinic has studied the issue of chaplains' presence at executions, said most of the 30 states with the death penalty allow a chaplain of the inmate's choice to be present at the execution, though that doesn't necessarily mean in the death chamber. He called Thursday's ruling a "sea-change." Associated Press writers Juan A. Lozano and Michael Graczyk contributed to this report. A lawyer representing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange alleged Sunday that Ecuador's government has spread lies about his behavior inside its embassy in London, where Assange sought asylum in 2012. The Latin American country has claimed Assange actions deteriorated before his arrest Thursday and included putting excrement on walls, leaving soiled laundry in the bathroom, and not properly looking after his cat. Lawyer Jennifer Robinson told British TV network Sky News the Ecuadorian government is spreading alleged falsehoods to divert attention from its decision to revoke his asylum and allow his arrest at its British embassy. "I think the first thing to say is Ecuador has been making some pretty outrageous allegations over the past few days to justify what was an unlawful and extraordinary act in allowing British police to come inside an embassy," Robinson said. Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno ended Assange's protected status after more than 6 years and opened the way for his arrest there Thursday. Moreno said Assange abused Ecuador's goodwill, mistreated embassy staff and used his perch to try to interfere in other country's political affairs. Assange has had "a very difficult time" since Moreno took office in Ecuador in 2017, Robinson said. Assange, who appeared much older when he emerged from the embassy than when before he sought refuge there in August 2012, is in custody at Belmarsh Prison in southeast London awaiting sentencing in Britain for skipping bail to avoid being sent to Sweden as part of an investigation of a rape allegation. Sweden is considering reviving the investigation. The United States also is seeking his extradition after charging him with conspiring to break into a Pentagon computer system, which could lead to competing extradition demands. U.K. Home Secretary Sajid Javid would be expected to have the final say in which claim takes priority. More than 70 British legislators have urged Javid to give priority to a case involving rape allegations ahead of the U.S. request. He would not be expected to enter a plea to the Department of Justice case unless he loses his extradition case and is brought to a courtroom in the United States. Assange has denied the rape allegation, asserting the sex was consensual. He also has not formally responded to the U.S. conspiracy charge. His indictment was made public hours after his Thursday arrest, but Assange's lawyers say he is a legitimate journalist whose prosecution would have a chilling effect. The extradition court in Britain will not be judging the evidence against him, but will evaluate whether the crime he is accused of would be a crime in Britain. Assange's next court appearance is scheduled for May 2. In the meantime, he is expected to seek prison medical care for severe shoulder pain and dental problems, WikiLeaks has said. Democratic presidential candidates on Friday touted their plans on criminal justice reform, the study of reparations and other racial equality issues, highlighting the critical role black voters will play in choosing the party's 2020 nominee. Speaking at the National Action Network's conference in New York, California Sen. Kamala Harris pledged to double the size of the Justice Department's civil rights division and to sign legislation creating a commission to study reparations to African Americans hurt by slavery. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also said he would sign that reparations bill, even as he emphasized the importance of a broader anti-poverty policy. "We know that they are using the Department of Justice in a way that is about politics and not about pursuit of equality," Harris, one of two black leading candidates for the party's nomination, told the receptive audience. Earlier on Friday, she told a radio interviewer she would be open to choosing a woman as her running mate if she wins the nomination to take on President Donald Trump. Sanders, who fell short in his 2016 presidential bid but is a front-runner in 2020, elated the crowd by jabbing at Trump as "a racist, sexist, a homophobe, a xenophobe and a religious bigot." He had previously questioned the lack of specifics in the reparations debate, calling for a detailed focus on economic recovery for low-income African American communities. But Sanders said Friday he would "of course" sign a study bill on the issue, aligning himself with six other Democratic candidates who spoke at the group's annual conference this week. One of those candidates, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, used her speech to escalate her call for Democrats to end the 60-vote requirement for many major bills to clear the Senate if her party wins the White House and Republicans try to block their agenda. Warren outlined the history of the Senate filibuster's use "as a tool to block progress on racial justice," adding that Democrats should "be bold and clear" if they take back the presidency. Invoking Republican obstruction of former President Barack Obama's agenda, Warren said if Republicans place "small-minded partisanship ahead of solving the massive problems facing this country, then we should get rid of the filibuster." New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker roused the crowd by making the case for his plan to give every American child a savings account, with extra contributions for those from low-income families, as a means to close the nation's racial wealth gap. Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper used his speech to outline his record on policing, suggesting that the nation "shutter some prisons altogether." Other White House hopefuls also spoke at the conference to spotlight their records on remedying economic and social inequities that have impeded African American communities. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan were among those who addressed the group on Friday. Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke and Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, spoke earlier in the week. The Rev. Al Sharpton, who founded the group, told attendees on Friday that the day was about "mainstreaming the racial divide in America" as well as "changing the conversation, so we're all included." Derick Bowers, 34, a New York City native who works on criminal justice issues, likened the day's packed lineup of presidential hopefuls to "The Bachelor," the popular reality TV dating competition where suitors compete to win a rose. Joking aside, Bowers said that although he's partial to Harris citing their shared graduation from a historically black college or university there are "so many really good candidates" in the running. "I think at the end of it we're going to have a really good Democratic nominee," Bowers said. Associated Press writer Errin Haines Whack contributed. The issue of workers' rights is a focus this weekend for some of the Democrats running for president. At a rally in Warren, Michigan, where General Motors is closing a plant, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders called on President Donald Trump to "go back to the drawing board" on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the tentative pact that would replace NAFTA. Sanders said the newly negotiated deal, which has yet to clear Congress, would still let companies such as GM continue to send U.S. jobs to Mexico. "I challenge Donald Trump: For once in your life, keep your campaign promises," he told a rally of 1,300 gathered in a community college parking lot in suburban Detroit. "Go back to the drawing board on NAFTA. Do not send this treaty to Congress unless it includes strong and swift enforcement mechanisms to raise the wages of workers and to prevent corporations from outsourcing American jobs to Mexico." Sanders, who spoke earlier in the day at a West Michigan plumbers and pipe fitters union local, narrowly won Michigan's 2016 Democratic primary over Hillary Clinton. She subsequently lost the state to Trump. Sanders said when Trump ran the first time, his "biggest lie" was that he would "stay with the working class of our country, that he was on their side." Sanders criticized Trump's tax cuts and his attempt to repeal the Obama health care law, adding that the trade deficit has gone up by $180 billion and 185,000 jobs have been moved overseas during Trump's presidency. Other highlights from the campaigns: BETO O'ROURKE Beto O'Rourke is campaigning in rural South Carolina, saying he wants to show up for communities that are often overlooked by politicians or "left for last." O'Rourke spoke to about 50 people at Voorhees College, a historically black college in Denmark, a city of 3,000 people. Addressing the infrastructure needs of rural areas, he said politicians need to demonstrate that every community, no matter how big or small, "is worthy of investment." O'Rourke spoke specifically about using federal infrastructure spending to address issues like the water crisis in Denmark, where residents have been dealing with brown-tinted drinking water that smells foul and is filled with sediment. The city for years used a pool disinfectant not approved by the EPA in a drinking water well, which was taken offline last summer. ELIZABETH WARREN Sen. Elizabeth Warren said the United States is a world leader on the climate issue. It's just that the nation is leading in the wrong direction. At a house party in New Hampshire on Saturday, the Massachusetts Democrat said the reason the country is headed in the wrong direction is because of corruption. "This is not ignorance," Warren said. "This is not that people just don't get it. The people in Washington, oh, they get it. But they are on the take. They are influenced by the money." But it's so much more than campaign contributions, she said. It's also the lobbyists, lawyers, the think tanks and "bought and paid for experts" that has created a sense of deniability around climate change, she said. "The key that we've got to play into, unlock, fixing the problems we need to fix, starts with, we have got to push back on the influence of money in Washington," Warren said. JOHN HICKENLOOPER Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said on Saturday Democrats can't beat President Donald Trump with anger. Instead they should make fun of him. Speaking to a crowd of about a dozen voters at a diner in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Hickenlooper said Trump was a "bully," and "most bullies are narcissistic and insecure...they want to be respected, and they want to be seen as a powerful person." "The way I dealt with bullies as a kid is...you don't take them head-on, you take what they're saying, you twist it a little bit so you expose the ridiculousness of what they're saying," he said. "The only way you can beat Trump is to set him up for the absurd figure, the comic book figure that he is," he said. Hickenlooper advised Democrats to avoid getting angry at Trump because, "especially in elections...it pushes people in the middle a little farther out to the edges." Associated Press writers Hunter Woodall and David Eggert contributed to this report. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has released 15 years of tax returns, including her returns for 2018, and the California senator reports that she and her husband had a federal tax bill of about $700,000 on an adjusted gross joint income of about $1.9 million last year. The documents released Sunday provide the fullest picture of her finances as she pursues a White House bid. Harris reported an income of about $157,000 in 2018 from her job as a senator, as well as about $320,000 in net income as a writer; a book she wrote was published earlier this year. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, earned about $1.5 million working as an attorney. Harris is the latest Democratic presidential contender to release her taxes. President Donald Trump has continued to refuse to release his since the 2016 presidential campaign, when he became the first nominee in decades to buck the tradition of disclosure. House Democrats are pressing for access to Trump's tax returns, which would give lawmakers far greater insight into the president's business dealings and potential conflicts of interest, as they exercise their oversight role. Harris and her husband reporting giving a small portion of their income often about 1% to 3% a year to charitable causes. Harris reported no charitable contributions some years when she was California's attorney general. The Democrats who are running for president in 2020 have released their tax returns to varying degrees. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York released her 2018 tax return in late March and urged her colleagues to do the same. She was the first Democratic candidate to do so. Gillibrand has released her returns annually since 2012. That year, she released her returns dating back to 2007. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts released a decade of her tax returns, as well as her 2018 returns. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar this month released 12 years of tax returns, dating to 2006, when she first became a candidate for federal office. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who released just one year of tax returns when he ran for president in 2016, said more than a month ago that he would release a decade's worth of returns. He and his campaign have said they will release his tax returns by Monday's tax filing deadline. Two Chicago police officers were hurt and four other people were taken to local hospitals after a three-car crash on the citys West Side Saturday afternoon. According to police, the crash involved a squad car and two other vehicles near the intersection of Washington and Kenton in the citys West Garfield Park neighborhood. Authorities say that two officers who were in the police vehicle were taken to Rush Hospital, but their current condition is unknown. A second vehicle had two occupants inside. One was taken to Stroger Hospital, and the other was taken to Mount Sinai. Both are in serious condition with unknown injuries, according to police. A third vehicle, which also had two occupants, was also involved in the crash. One person in the car was treated and released from the scene, and the other was taken to Loretto Hospital, where they are listed in stable condition. Police have not announced further information on the circumstances of the crash, and an investigation is underway. A person was killed and six others including a boy were wounded in shootings across Chicago Saturday. As a late season snowstorm approached, Saturdays shootings decreased from the previous weekend. A 23-year-old woman was killed, and a 26-year-old man was injured in Chicago Lawn on the Southwest Side. The pair was inside a vehicle in the 6000 block of South Western Avenue about 12:48 p.m. when someone opened fire, Chicago police said. The man suffered injuries to his leg, arm, back and buttocks. Eight @ 8 on April 13, 2019: Week In Review The woman was hit in the head and was taken to Holy Cross Hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said. The man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. About an hour and a half later, a 13-year-old boy was shot in the leg and buttocks in Roseland in the 9800 block of South Michigan Avenue, police said. He was taken to Jackson Park Hospital where his condition was stabilized. In another shooting, a 25-year-old man was struck in the right foot about 4:24 p.m. in Englewood in the 7000 block of South Paulina. His condition was stabilized at Holy Cross. A 24-year-old man suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body and head in West Garfield Park about 5:18 p.m. He was in the 4400 block of West Madison Street when he was approached by a male wearing a ski mask who fired shots at him, police said. The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition. Saturdays first reported shooting took place in East Ukrainian Village about 4:23 a.m. Someone fired into a vehicle in the 1100 block of North Ashland Avenue with four people inside, police said. A 26-year-old man was hit in the arm, and a 20-year-old suffered woman injuries to her lower back. Both went to Stroger Hospital in good condition. The two uninjured passengers were uncooperative with the investigation, police said. The 26-year-old left the hospital before police could finish their interview. Seven people, including two boys, were injured in shootings Friday. What to Know A Buttigieg spokesman said Sunday's event is a "special announcement" when asked if the mayor will declare he's running for president Buttigieg's $7 million fundraising haul in the first quarter of the year is more than Sens. Warren, Klobuchar and Booker brought in Mayor Pete Buttigieg officially joins the crowded field of Democrats running for president Sunday as he announced his bid at a rally in his home town of South Bend, Indiana. "This time, it's not just about winning an election, it's about winning an era," said Buttigieg in front of a large crowd. "Not just about the next four years, it's about preparing our country for a better life in 2030, in 2040 and in the year 2054 when God willing, I get to be the same age as our current president." The 37-year-old who likes to go by "Mayor Pete" due to his hard-to-pronounce last name (it's "boot-edge-edge") first made national headlines eight years ago as the youngest mayor of a mid-sized U.S. city or larger. Buttigieg would achieve a number of firsts if his longshot campaign succeeds: first openly gay president, first millennial president, first mayor to leap directly to the White House. He'd be the youngest commander in chief, too. Change is coming ready or nota moment like that calls for hopeful and audacious voices for communities like ours," he said in his speech. "And yes, it calls for a new generation of leadership in this country." Buttigieg has countered concerns about his youth and inexperience in national politics with confidence that Americans want generational change and pride in his two terms as mayor. He backed that up when he reported a $7 million fundraising haul in the first quarter of the year, more than some U.S. senators running for president managed. "It's clear people want a new direction for America, but it's not just about winning an election, it's about winning an era," he said in a video announcing Sunday's event. "If you're ready to make our politics more honest, to fix our democracy, to defend racial justice, to look to the future, to bring generations together, join us." Asked whether Buttigieg intends to declare he's running at the event, a spokesman only said Wednesday that it's a "special announcement." If it seems like Buttigieg has already been campaigning for months, that's because he's been very publicly testing the waters. Buttigieg formed a presidential exploratory committee in January, visited some key primary states like Iowa and South Carolina and held a nationally televised town hall. But a candidate must actually declare they're running for president to take part in certain political activities, including advertising about their candidacy or trying to officially qualify for the ballot. At a campaign event in Las Vegas Monday, Buttigieg made it sound he was ready: "I'm very pleased to let you know that we're going to be making some big news this Sunday." The mayor has already benefited from other moments on the national stage in this election cycle. Many viewers hailed Buttigieg's thoughtfulness and clarity at his CNN town hall in March. Clips of his comments ricochetted across news shows and social media. Soon afterward, he came third among Democrats in a poll in Iowa and has stayed in the middle of the pack in most polls since. Within a week of the town hall, Buttigieg said he'd received donations from 65,000 people, the amount needed to qualify for the Democratic debates. The Rhodes scholar and veteran of the war in Afghanistan he deployed as a naval reserve intelligence officer has also had other interviews and speeches resonate online. On Sunday, Buttigieg made more headlines when he spoke about his struggles coming to terms with his sexuality during an event at the LGBTQ Victory Fund political action committee in Washington, D.C. "There were times in my life where, if you had shown me exactly what it was inside me that made me gay, I would have cut it out with a knife," he said, adding later that marrying his husband has made him a better person. The $7 million that Buttigieg said he raised in 68 days this year is more than Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said she brought in over a longer period of time. It's also more than Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota reported, and nearly as much as former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who last year broke the U.S. Senate fundraising record in his failed bid in Texas. But Buttigieg faces challenges outside his inexperience, including that it will be hard for any Democrat running for president to stand out from all the others. Only former Vice President Joe Biden, who has yet to declare his intentions, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are considered front-runners at this point, consistently polling above the other candidates. While Buttigieg touts his youth as an asset, he's not the only young person vying for the Democratic nomination. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii turned 38 this week and a few others are in their 40s. Also working against Buttigieg is that, while he was elected and re-elected mayor of South Bend with about 75% of the vote, he lost the other races he's entered: Indiana state treasurer in 2010, before he was mayor, and the Democratic party's 2017 race to lead its national committee. Could he actually win a run for president? Indiana University political science professor Marjorie Hershey, author of the textbook "Party Politics in America," gave a "qualified yes," noting that before he was elected president, Barack Obama had a fairly short career in politics, too, and that the large field of Democrats gives room for any one of them to win. "It's not impossible" in a field of "about 952 candidates," Hershey said. And while Hershey said that "there is certainly a large proportion of the population that would have some real difficulties with a gay presidential candidate," she also noted that those voters would be unlikely to vote for any Democrat. Buttigieg said in his video teasing Sunday's announcement that he's already taken on the first hurdle: getting people to learn how to pronounce his last name. (Again, "boot-edge-edge" works fine.) A Virginia woman is accused of embezzling more than $93,000, which she allegedly funneled toward her wedding and buttocks lift, among other expenses. News outlets report 32-year-old Vanessa Cline worked as a bookkeeper for No Limits Construction, replacing another who was convicted of stealing more than $150,000 from the same company. The Stafford County Sheriff's Office says the owner contacted authorities last week after American Express told him his company's credit card was behind on payments and would be closed. An internal investigation identified Cline as the culprit and she was arrested Wednesday. A search warrant affidavit says other unauthorized purchases included an all-terrain vehicle, airline tickets, perfume and groceries. Cline is charged with multiple counts of embezzlement, forgery and passing a forged document. Reports didn't include comment from her. Police trained children and parents about what to do if there was an active shooter at the Berlin mosque on Sunday. Families there are concerned following the tragedy at two mosques in New Zealand that left dozens dead. Facing the reality of the time we live in, children at the Berlin mosque were filled with worries. What would you do if there is more than one person thats going to harm? one child said. Is there any other way to save yourself? asked another. Mosque leaders thought this conversation with Berlin police about active shooters was important to have. The mosques Director of Education Fatma Antar said, At the same time it was sad and it was sad to hear the kids asking these types of questions." The mosque said many parents were concerned about sending their children here after the tragedy in New Zealand. 50 people were killed at two mosques in Christchurch last month. As soon as we heard about New Zealand, we were getting all of those emails and messages amongst the teachers and parents like how can we keep our kids safe? teacher and parent Tasnuba Hoque said. The mosque is trying to provide this training for all of the parents, all the teachers. So you know if there ever was a situation like this how to save yourself, how to save the students, all the other members of this mosque, Hoque continued. So families received training that has become common at schools and businesses. The training was led by Detective Ted Fuini. The big takeaways from anything like this is just not being scared and living your life in fear. But being able to have a plan of what would I do if something was going wrong? Fuini said. A message that knowledge is power, even for some of the youngest. We have to be prepared for our community. We have to be prepared, Antar said. The mosque said it will have additional security. Besides Sundays event, it has also hired a security guard and formed a safety committee. A bright light over downtown Los Angeles Wednesday night that had people around the city wondering if a meteor or aliens were descending on Southern California turned out to be a stunt by Red Bull Air Force to celebrate the final supermoon of 2019. "As the third and final supermoon of 2019 rose over the iconic Los Angles skyline, the Red Bull Air Force a team assembled from the most accomplished and experienced skydivers in the world marked the occasion as only they can: springing into the air to get an up close and personal look at the phenomenon," the company announced. The team jumped from a helicopter 4,000 feet above the City of Angels and dove down at more than 120 mph in custom wingsuits, Red Bull said. This was the first wingsuit jump into downtown LA, according to Red Bull. The Los Angeles Police Department took to Twitter to calm public fears, "PSA: A meteor did not crash into Downtown Los Angeles, and no, it's not an alien invasion...just a film shoot. This is Tinseltown after all." Eager to jump-start the stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline and other energy projects, President Donald Trump has acted to assert executive power over pipelines and such infrastructure. He issued a new permit for Keystone XL and insisted this exercise of presidential authority was not subject to judicial review. Then he signed an executive order clarifying that the president alone has the power to grant permits for cross-border projects such as pipelines. A separate order makes it harder for states to block pipelines and other energy projects on the basis of environmental concerns. Taken together, the actions amount to a broad assertion of power that reverses more than 50 years of precedent that delegated decision-making on energy projects to individual agencies. Trump has shown a willingness to override his own agencies to accomplish his aims. His actions, if upheld by the courts, could consolidate power over energy projects at the White House, increasing the influence of the president's political advisers and potentially cutting out experts and career officials throughout the government. "Too often badly needed energy infrastructure is being held back by special interest groups, entrenched bureaucracies and radical activists," Trump said Wednesday before signing the executive orders at an event in Texas. Pipeline opponents say Trump acted illegally. They have asked a federal court to block the new Keystone permit, arguing that it is an effort to get around an earlier court ruling. But one legal expert said Trump's approach might succeed. "He has now created a whole new decision-making structure" for cross-border pipelines, said Richard Pierce, a law professor at George Washington University. If the courts follow a 1992 Supreme Court ruling, they may find that action taken by the State Department in approving or rejecting the pipeline "is nonreviewable, because it doesn't qualify as final agency action," Pierce said. Further, Trump's decision would not be subject to review because of a separate law that declares the president is not an agency and therefore is not bound by rules that apply to agency actions. "That's a very clever approach that might well work," Pierce said. Trump's actions are "typical of this presidency," said Holly Doremus, an environmental law professor at the University of California, Berkeley. She said Trump frequently seeks to stretch the limits of his power, and she cited Trump's declaration of an emergency that he says allows him to shift more money to construction of a promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. In the case of Keystone, Trump appears to be arguing that the new presidential permit, issued March 29, gets around restrictions under the National Environmental Policy Act or other laws, because the statutes apply to executive-branch agencies but not to the president, Doremus said. "If the president is the only discretionary decision maker, NEPA simply does not apply," she said. While Trump's theory is plausible, it is unclear who is the ultimate decision-maker on Keystone XL, Doremus said. The pipeline would ship crude oil from the tar sands of western Canada to U.S. refineries along the Gulf of Mexico. Both a 2015 rejection of the project by the Obama administration and a 2017 approval by Trump were issued by the State Department under terms of a 2004 executive order that delegated presidential authority for cross-border projects to that agency. Trump's executive order revokes the 2004 order, issued by President George W. Bush. Bush's action extended an executive order first issued by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. "It's surprising that the president would come in and single-handedly try to circumvent 50 years of precedent for these types of projects by just issuing a permit himself," said Doug Hayes, a Sierra Club attorney who has sued to block the Keystone project in court. In November, U.S. District Judge Brian Morris in Montana ruled that the Trump administration did not fully consider potential oil spills and other impacts when it approved the pipeline in 2017. Morris ordered a new environmental review of the pipeline. The White House said the new permit issued by Trump "dispels any uncertainty" about the long-delayed project, which was first proposed a decade ago by Calgary-based TransCanada. Trump's move on Keystone XL reinforces the idea that "the presidential permit is indeed an exercise of presidential authority that is not subject to judicial review," according to the White House. Under the new order, federal officials still would conduct environmental reviews of the project, but they would be carried out by agencies other than the State Department, the White House said. TransCanada spokesman Matthew John said the administration's action "clearly demonstrates to the courts that the permit is (the) product of presidential decision-making and should not be subject to additional environmental review." Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, said it was "strange" that Trump issued the executive order after granting the new permit. "The White House is making the argument supposedly that he has untrammeled authority and doesn't have to obey the laws of Congress" in approving a cross-border pipeline, Tobias said. "I'm dubious and I think a number of other people are, too." Kathryn Watts, a law professor at the University of Washington, said it's unclear what happens next. Trump's permit wades into "uncharted, unsettled" legal territory, she said. Associated Press writer Matthew Brown contributed to this report. Organizers say an annual event marking the Battle of San Jacinto and re-enactment of the fight for Texas independence has been canceled amid continuing cleanup from a Houston-area chemical plant fire. The nearby Intercontinental Terminals Company tank farm exploded and burned on March 17. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department says the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in La Porte remains closed and the April 21 ceremony is canceled. The Battleship Texas site also remains closed. The April 21, 1836, Battle of San Jacinto was a major victory for Texas seeking its independence from Mexico. Scuffles broke out between protesters and police in central Paris on Saturday on the sidelines of a largely peaceful demonstration, during the fifth straight weekend of protests by the "yellow vest" movement. Riot police fired small amounts of tear gas to disperse groups of protesters who headed down the side streets off the French capital's famed Champs-Elysees boulevard, some with traffic still flowing. About 8,000 police and 14 armored vehicles were deployed in Paris for the demonstration, after similar protests in recent weekends turned violent, with protesters smashing and looting stores and setting up burning barricades in the streets. Saturday's protest was far calmer in the morning, with riot police blocking off groups of protesters who attempted to disperse in side streets. At least 21 people were detained in Paris before the protests began, police said. Some protesters voiced anger at being restricted to a few blocks by police. "We're surrounded by CRS," said protester Lionel Toussaint, 53, who works in the heritage industry, referring to riot police. "I'm not armed. I only have Kleenex." The "yellow vest" movement, which takes its name from the fluorescent safety vests French motorists must all have in their vehicles, emerged in mid-November as a protest against fuel tax increases. It soon morphed into an expression of rage about the high cost of living in France and a sense that President Emanuel Macron's government is detached from the everyday struggles of workers. Without any clear form or leadership, the movement has attracted a wide range of disgruntled people across the political spectrum, including some violent militants. "Respect my existence or expect my resistance," read one banner held aloft by protesters who converged on the Champs-Elysees. Pierre Lamy, a 27-year-old industrial worker wearing a yellow vest and with a French flag draped over his shoulders, said the protests had long stopped being about the fuel tax and had turned into a movement for economic justice. "We're here to represent all our friends and members of our family who can't come to protest, or because they're scared," he said as he walked to the demonstration with three friends. "Everything's coming up now. We're being bled dry." Max Werle, a 56-year-old father of nine, said the protests were his first-ever demonstrations. "I'm here for my children," he said, adding that his daughter had given birth in a fire truck on Monday because the local hospital in Loiret outside Paris had closed years ago. The office administrator said the protesters were there "to defend our cause. ... It's not a left and right thing." "Yellow vest" protests were also being held in other parts of France, with no violent incidents reported by mid-day. On Friday, Macron called for calm during the demonstrations, and the French government reiterated the call online for demonstrators to remain peaceful. "Protesting is a right. So let's know how to exercise it," the government tweeted from its official account, with a 34-second video which begins with images of historic French protests and recent footage of "yellow vest" protesters rallying peacefully before turning to violence. "Protesting is not smashing. Protesting is not smashing our heritage. Protesting is not smashing our businesses. ... Protesting is not smashing our republic," the video says. Macron acknowledged in a speech earlier this week that he is partially responsible for the anger displayed during the protests, and has announced measures aimed at improving workers' spending power. He has so far refused to reinstate a wealth tax that was lifted to spur investment in France. But on the streets of Paris, some protesters were saying the president still didn't understand them. "I think that Macron isn't in touch with what the yellow vests want. I think the yellow vests need to continue speaking out and the problem is that in the countryside," said Julie Verrier, a protester from Picardie in Normandy in northern France who had been participating in protests there for the past three weeks and had travelled to Paris for Saturday's demonstration. "Local city halls are closed so we can't go there to express and write our complaints and our wishes," she said. "So coming here is the only way we have to say that French people need to be heard." Five rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel early Sunday, the Israeli military announced, following a day of mass protests that saw Israeli troops kill four Palestinians near the territory's border. The rocket attack threatens to undermine Egyptian-mediated efforts to cement a deal that the Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers hope will ease a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockage of the crowded territory. No casualties were reported and no Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the rockets, though they appeared to be in retaliation for the deaths of the protesters. Tens of thousands of Palestinians rallied in the Gaza Strip on Saturday to mark the anniversary of their mass protests along the Israeli border. Most demonstrators kept their distance from the border, though small crowds of activists approached the perimeter fence and threw stones and explosives toward Israeli troops on the other side. The forces responded with tear gas and opened fire, killing four Palestinians and wounding 64. Hamas had pledged to keep the crowds a safe distance from the fence to avoid inflaming the political atmosphere during negotiations of a possible easing of the blockade. Hamas officials say that Israel is offering a package of economic incentives in exchange for calm along the volatile border. Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, said the group had received "positive signs" from the Egyptians. He added that the Egyptian team was to return to Israel on Sunday to continue the talks. "We will continue our marches until all our goals are achieved," he said. Saturday's protest came at a sensitive time, with Israel and Hamas, bitter enemies that have fought three wars and dozens of smaller skirmishes, both having a strong interest in keeping things quiet. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking his fourth consecutive term in April 9 elections, but is facing a serious challenge from a group of ex-army chiefs who have criticized what they say is his failed Gaza policy. With a lack of alternatives, Netanyahu has been forced at times to rely on Hamas to maintain stability along Israel's volatile southern front. In the final stretch of the campaign, Netanyahu needs to keep the Israel-Gaza frontier quiet, without seeming to make concessions to Hamas. Netanyahu took heavy criticism this week for what was seen as a soft response to renewed rocket fire out of Gaza. Hamas, meanwhile, faces growing unrest in Gaza as a result of worsening conditions after more than a decade of an Israeli-Egyptian blockade. The two countries imposed the blockade in 2007 after Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel's destruction, seized control of Gaza from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority. The blockade has helped drive unemployment over 50 percent, led to chronic power outages and made it extremely difficult for Gazans to travel out of the territory. Earlier this month, Hamas violently suppressed several days of public protests, staged under the slogan "We want to live," over the dire conditions. Speaking on the group's Al-Aqsa TV station, Hamas' top leader in Gaza, Yehya Sinwar, praised the protesters. "With this big turnout, our people say, 'We want to live!" His use of the protesters' slogan appeared to be aimed at diverting the recent criticism of his group. Hamas blames the blockade and punitive measures by its West Bank-based Palestinian Authority for worsening the living conditions. The fence protests, which began exactly a year ago, have been aimed in large part at breaking the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza, but haven't delivered major improvements. Saturday's demonstrations were held at five rallying points along the border with Israel. Dozens of volunteers in fluorescent vests were deployed to restrain demonstrators, and cool rainy weather also appeared to affect enthusiasm. But as the crowds swelled throughout the afternoon in response to Hamas' calls for a large turnout, dozens of protesters approached the fence, unfurling Palestinian flags and throwing rocks and explosives toward Israeli soldiers. The Israeli forces responded with tear gas and live fire. The Israeli military estimated 40,000 Palestinians were gathered at the marches. "The rioters are hurling rocks and setting tires on fire. In addition, a number of grenades and explosive devices have been hurled at the Gaza Strip security fence," it said in a statement. In a statement, Prime Minister Netanyahu praised the army's preparation and performance in maintaining "calm." Gaza's Health Ministry said that a 17-year-old protester died immediately after being shot in the face in east Gaza City. In the evening, the ministry said another 17-year-old died hours after being shot in the chest in a different protest location. A third teenager, also aged 17, succumbed to his wounds and died in the late evening. A 21-year-old Palestinian also died around dawn after sustaining injuries in overnight protests before the main demonstration. While bloodshed was not avoided, it was far less than previous high-profile protests. Over 60 people were killed during intense protests on May 14, the day the U.S. moved its embassy to Jerusalem. As Saturday's protest was winding down, organizers vowed to continue the marches and said they would gather again as usual next Friday. The military released video footage showing large crowds of protesters gathered near the fence and hurling objects. In one scene, a group of activists went up to the fence and hurled stones at the other side. In another scene, a youth could be seen trying to pull apart barbed wire along the fence. The army also said it caught two young Palestinian children who had tried to cross the border with a knife. The children were returned to Gaza through a border crossing. Earlier on Saturday, Gaza health officials said Israeli troops shot and killed a 21-year-old Palestinian man near the perimeter fence, hours before the mass rally. The army said about 200 Palestinians "rioted during the night along the fence" and that the army used riot dispersal means against them. The marches near were initially organized by grassroots activists who were calling for a mass return to ancestral homes in what is now Israel. Hamas quickly took the lead in the protests, using the gatherings to call for an easing of the blockade. The border marches routinely ended in confrontations, with some of the Palestinian demonstrators burning tires, hurling fire bombs or setting off explosives and Israeli troops firing live rounds and tear gas. According to a Gaza rights group and a count by The Associated Press, 196 Palestinians were killed in the demonstrations over the past year, including 41 minors, and thousands were wounded by live fire. An Israeli soldier was also killed in the context of the marches. Israel says the army has been defending the border. The army accuses Hamas of using the large crowds as cover and encouraging demonstrators to hurl explosives, incendiary balloons and grenades across the border. But Israel has come under heavy international criticism for the large number of unarmed people who have been harmed. Egypt has repeatedly tried to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, stepping up efforts in recent days after a Gaza rocket struck a house in central Israel earlier this week, injuring seven Israelis and threatening renewed escalation. Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre contributed reporting. A man suspected of killing three people, including a young girl in Central Florida on Friday has turned himself into police, officials said Sunday. According to police, Ernst Cherizard, 38, turned himself into the Haines City Police Department after 2 p.m. Sunday. According to police, Elizabelle Frenel, her mother, 23-year-old Eli Junia Normil, and aunt Nicole Guillume, 48, were shot by 38-year-old Ernst Cherizard, who fled the scene. Normil and Guillume were killed at the scene, and Frenel, who was shot three times, died the next day. Elizabelle Frenel was pronounced dead at an Orlando hospital late Saturday night, following the Friday night shooting at an apartment complex in Haines City, in central Florida, police said. Cherizard and Normil had been in a relationship and had two children, but Frenel was not one of his children. "He's a male, not much of a man to shoot a child and two females, not much of a man there," Haines City Police Chief James Elensky said. Cherizard, who is considered armed and dangerous, fled in a burgundy 2011 Nissan Altima, license plate GZN C82, police said. A toll booth 200 miles away near Boynton Beach recorded the plate early Saturday morning, authorities said. A Facebook post on a page believed to be Cherizard's apologized for the shooting, saying "I can't explain what happened cuz I can't believe this happened." Detectives are in the process of interviewing Cherizard. It's unclear what charges he will be facing. A GoFundMe page has been started to help raise money to cover funeral expenses. To make a donation, click here. Far from the din of Washington, Ivanka Trump toured businesses run by women in Ethiopia on Sunday while promoting a White House global economic program for women. President Donald Trump's daughter and senior adviser visited a coffee shop and textile company in Addis Ababa. It was her first stop in Africa on a four-day trip to Ethiopia and Ivory Coast on behalf of a White House project intended to boost 50 million women in developing countries by 2025. Aiming to offer assistance and learn about the struggles of women in business, she took part in a traditional coffee ceremony, visited with weavers and announced new financial support for businesses. "Investing in women is smart development policy and it's smart business," Trump said, sitting in Dumerso Coffee, a dimly lighted space with a woven ceiling, tile floor and colorful paintings. Alongside were women who work in the industry. "It's also in our security interest, because women, when we're empowered, foster peace and stability," she said. This is Ivanka Trump's first visit to Africa since the president launched the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative. It's a program she hopes will outlast an administration better known for "America First" isolationism. She has drawn praise for taking on this project and for making the trip. But thousands of miles from Washington, she is sure to be shadowed by her father's efforts to cut international aid, as well as his past disparaging comments about Africa. Ivanka Trump arrived in Ethiopia early Sunday, flying commercial. She first visited the coffee shop and then went to the textile and craft manufacturer Muya, where she was greeted by dancers and chatted with women seated at colorful looms. She took a seat at one herself. She also noted that she was in the country with Africa's second-highest population. "Ethiopia's success is Africa's success," she said. "We learned today that the quality of the coffee is second to none. You shared with me that Ethiopian cotton rivals cotton anywhere in the world. And then of course the skills and the craftsmanship of the Ethiopian people. We hope more people realize their full potential." Ivanka Trump was accompanied by Mark Green, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and David Bohigian, the acting president of the Overseas Private Investment Corp., which provides loans, loan guarantees and political risk insurance, funding projects that stretch across continents and industries. OPIC, working with Ivanka Trump, last year announced a project geared at women. At the coffee shop they announced a loan, issued by a local women-focused bank and backed by USAID, for a coffee business owned by women. At Muya, they announced additional OPIC financing. Later in the trip, she plans to meet with Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. In Ivory Coast, she will visit a cocoa farm and participate in a meeting on economic opportunities for women in West Africa. That gathering is part of the World Bank's Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, a program that Ivanka Trump pushed the bank to introduce. She will be joined in Ivory Coast by a U.S. congressional delegation that will include U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of the White House. Reaction to the visit reflected the contradictions of Ivanka Trump's role. Activist Marakie Tesfaye, who founded a group in Ethiopia for women, welcomed the attention. "I think she's coming genuinely to empower women and it's good that she's coming because she will push forward our agenda," she said. Ethiopian journalist Sisay Woubshet was more skeptical, citing Donald Trump's past comments. "I don't think people will have a good feeling about his daughter's visit this time around to promote her global initiative towards women." For Ivanka Trump, those challenges come with the territory. She has spent two years promoting a family-friendly agenda in an administration focused on hard-line immigration tactics and protectionist trade policies. To questions about international aid spending, she has said the administration strives to be generous in a "fiscally responsible way," and has argued that investing in her project, which builds on previous White House efforts, is a way to promote security in developing countries. The new global women's initiative involves the U.S. State Department, the U.S. National Security Council and other American agencies. It aims to assist women in developing countries with job training, financial support and legal or regulatory reforms. Money for the effort will come through USAID, which initially set up a $50 million fund using dollars already budgeted. The president's 2020 budget proposal requests an additional $100 million for the initiative, which will also be supported by programs across the government as well as private investment. Experts praised the government-wide approach, which will incorporate new and existing programs, though some stressed that it was early in the process. The investment comes as the president is proposing cuts to foreign aid, and as the administration is expanding a ban on U.S. aid to groups that promote or provide abortions. "The part of the proposal which is around looking at laws that is a good thing to focus on," said Charles Kenny, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, referencing the initiative's support for changing laws, regulations and customs that create barriers preventing women from fully participating in the workforce. But he said the abortion-related ban could have a negative economic impact. "I think one of the most powerful tools for women's economic empowerment is the ability to choose when and how many children they have," Kenny said. Daniel Runde of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said Ivanka Trump was strategically building on the work of past administrations. He called her an effective "goodwill ambassador" for the issues and a smart emissary to send to Africa. Hillary Clinton, as U.S. secretary of state, "provided high-level attention to these issues," said Runde, who previously worked for USAID and is an informal adviser to the administration on development policy. "Ivanka Trump is playing a similar role to the role that Secretary Clinton played." Associated Press writers Elias Meseret and Alexis Adele contributed to this report. At 6 feet, 5 inches tall, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio stands out in a crowd. But does he have any shot of standing out in the packed field of potential Democratic candidates for president? A would-be progressive standard bearer, de Blasio has spent the past few months exploring a run, traveling to events in early primary states including New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, and appearing on "The Simpsons" and "The View." So far, scant evidence of enthusiasm for his candidacy has emerged. He's drawn sparse crowds - or no crowds at all - at his out-of-state speaking engagements. A recent Quinnipiac University poll found 76% of New York City voters believe their mayor shouldn't run. The headlines chronicling his flirtations with the race have been snarky at best, including The New Republic 's "Bill de Blasio's Embarrassing Quest for National Fame" and Vanity Fair 's "Lord Help us, Bill de Blasio is Still Thinking About Running for President." De Blasio has been undeterred. "I'm glad I could unify the people of New York City," he quipped when asked about the Quinnipiac poll. "My whole history has been as an insurgent and an underdog," he said in an earlier TV interview . Observers of New York politics say even if de Blasio doesn't have much chance of winning, a run could raise his profile and possibly position him for a role in another Democrat's administration. "Part of what he's doing is campaigning for a chance to be in the Cabinet or maybe an ambassador," said Mitchell Moss, an urban policy professor at New York University and onetime adviser to de Blasio's predecessor, Michael Bloomberg. "By acting as a candidate, you raise your profile politically. You're not just known as the mayor of New York, you're known as a person with national aspirations." Term limits prevent De Blasio, 57, from running for mayor again after 2021. "When you're term-limited and you're looking for a new job, why not try the obvious path? It's free publicity," said veteran political consultant George Arzt. A former city councilman, public advocate and federal housing official, de Blasio was elected in 2013 pledging to fight the inequities he said had turned New York into "two cities," one rigged to benefit the rich and another impossible to navigate for the poor. In that race he'd also been an underdog. The early favorite was City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who would have been New York City's first female mayor. Former congressman Anthony Weiner joined the race and was briefly the front-runner until he embroiled in another sex scandal. Voters, though, went for de Blasio in the Democratic primary, partly on the strength of ads featuring his biracial family. In the general election, he easily pushed aside a respected Republican civil servant, Joe Lhota, who had criticized him as a "socialist." In the early moments of his mayoralty, he seemed to have a shot at becoming a national voice on the left. In office, de Blasio won praise for expanding full-day pre-kindergarten citywide and for curtailing stop-and-frisk policing. But he also developed a reputation for self-inflicted wounds. Early in his tenure, he offended the state's governor, fellow Democrat Andrew Cuomo, who then spent years taking every opportunity to embarrass and belittle de Blasio. Federal prosecutors investigated de Blasio's political operation over possible campaign finance law violations before deciding not to press charges. Two of his donors pleaded guilty to charges related to contributions to de Blasio. De Blasio also narrowly avoided a federal takeover of the city's troubled public housing authority. He easily won re-election in 2017, but liberals turned elsewhere for inspiration, most recently to freshman U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. De Blasio has also governed more like a business-friendly centrist than some of his liberal supporters expected. He backed a deal to offer Amazon nearly $3 billion in incentives for a headquarters in New York, only to see the deal collapse when the company got frustrated with local opposition. A March 11 Monmouth poll found that 18% of Democratic voters nationwide had a favorable opinion of de Blasio while 24% have an unfavorable view. Still, de Blasio has pulled off come-from-behind wins before, including in 2009 when he ran for the citywide position of public advocate. Arzt, who was de Blasio's spokesman during that race, remembers feeling dejected when a poll pegged de Blasio's support at 9% of likely Democratic primary voters, compared to 42% for the front-runner. "He didn't lose any sense of optimism," Arzt said of de Blasio. "He just looked at it and said, 'That's the highest he gets and that's our floor.' And he won." Asked Friday in a radio interview whether he is contemplating running for president, de Blasio reiterated that he has "not ruled it out." In hinting at a White House campaign, de Blasio joins a long line of New York City mayors who have run for president or flirted with doing so, including John Lindsay in 1972, Rudy Giuliani in 2008 and Bloomberg, who announced last month he would not seek the 2020 Democratic nomination. "There is something about being mayor of New York that makes them all feel they should be and could be president," Moss said. None were able to make the leap. De Blasio may or may not be the next to try. UPDATE: Heartache, Horror Overwhelm NYC Campus as Senior Dies in Fall From Iconic Tower Weeks Before Graduation A Fordham University student has died from her injuries after she fell from the school's iconic clock tower, school officials said. Sydney Monfries, a senior, went to the Keating Hall clock and bell tower with friends at about 3 a.m. to get a better view of the city and campus when she fell, the NYPD and the school said. Police say it appears a group of students were climbing the stairs when she fell through a hole in one of the stairway landings. When emergency responders arrived at the scene, they found Monfries, 22, lying on the ground inside the tower with trauma to her head and body. "There are no words sufficient to describe the loss of someone so young and full of promiseand mere weeks from graduation," University President Joseph M. McShane said. The school planned to give her a bachelors degree posthumously, he said. Police initially said she fell 140 feet, but later corrected that to 30-40 feet. The Gothic clock tower is off-limits to students, according to a 2013 article in The Fordham Ram. But the ban makes it all the more appealing for students to sneak up and witness breathtaking views. Fordham officials said they were investigating how the student gained access to the tower, which is normally locked. A fire was raging at an oceanfront restaurant in New Jersey on Saturday afternoon, a fire official said. The four-alarm fire was contained to one building in Ocean Grove, where the Dunes Boardwalk Cafee and several seasonal busiesses are located. Firefighters were having trouble bringing it under control. Photos later showed that the roof of the large, white building had collapsed. No injuries were reported. The building was unoccupied at the time. Smoke was billowing over the Ocean Grove boardwalk. Witness Brian Nealon, from Manalapan, New Jersey, said he walked out of a restaurant in Ocean Grove and saw the sky quickly fill up with black smoke. Ocean Grove is just south of Asbury Park in Monmouth County. Last year, another fire in Ocean Grove destroyed at least four homes and a vacant hotel. Top Tri-State News Photos Sixth-grader Kaitlyn had just returned from a family vacation to see Phillies' new star Bryce Harper at spring training in Clearwater, Florida, when she realized she left her school library book on the plane. I thought they would probably have just thrown the book away, Kaitlyn, whose parents requested NBC10 not use her last name, said about Spirit Airlines staff. On Wednesday, Kaitlyn was called to the principals office. She was nervous, she said. Her principal, Dr. Robert Salladino Jr. at Springton Lake Middle School in Media, Pennsylvania, confronted Kaitlyn, who he regards as a great student. I need to talk to you about your overdue library book, Salladino said to her. Kaitlyn immediately asked if she needed to to pay for the book, which she admitted to losing on the airplane. To her surprise, her principal pulled out the library book, "Fast Break" by Mike Lupica, and a note written by a flight attendant from Spirit Airlines. We couldnt believe it. We just thought it was the nicest thing, Salladino said. The note recounted how Spirit Airlines employee Jamie Patzer found the book. "I believe that by the time I found the book, it literally traveled thousands of miles across the country multiple times," Patzer said in the note. Kaitlyn was shocked to see the book again. The look on her face was definitely priceless, Salladino said. The school posted pictures on social media of Kaitlyn with the book and the note from the flight attendant. One tweet said: REUNITED! What a kind gesture by an employee of @SpiritAirlines. One of our students left behind a library book during a recent trip. After 1000s of miles, the book arrived home today @SpringtonLakeMS. Thanks, Jamie! #KindnessMatters. REUNITED! What a kind gesture by an employee of @SpiritAirlines. One of our students left behind a library book during a recent trip. After 1000s of miles, the book arrived home today @SpringtonLakeMS. Thanks, Jamie! #KindnessMatters pic.twitter.com/MhlreIJS2w Dr. Robert Salladino (@SpringtonLakeMS) April 3, 2019 Spirit Airlines tweeted back. At Spirit, we always #InvestInTheGuest. Think of all the stories this book can tell after its long journey home! Were happy we could return it to its rightful owner. At Spirit, we always #InvestInTheGuest. Think of all the stories this book can tell after its long journey home! Were happy we could return it to its rightful owner. https://t.co/dwQQNAMZh1 Spirit Airlines (@SpiritAirlines) April 4, 2019 With some help, the school was able to contact the flight attendant. Kaitlyn and Patzer are planning to have a FaceTime call soon, she said. Kaitlyn received the book following the schools annual Kindness Week, a time dedicated to spreading generocity. We thought it was like good karma from what we were doing and somebody else payed it forward and passed along a little kindness to one of our students, Salladino said. If youre wondering if Kaitlyn ever finished the book, she said, Yes. She most definitely read the whole thing. The White House was looking to shake things up when it designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization. It worked, NBC News reports. American terrorists killed in bombing, read a headline in Irans official Fars news agency, referring to an attack in Afghanistan that killed three U.S. servicemen. Iranian lawmakers dressed in military uniforms chanted "Death to America" during an open session of Parliament on Tuesday. And according to the countrys Mehr news agency, Parliament passed an emergency bill requesting that countries that arrest U.S troops should hand them over to Iran to face trial as terrorists. Richard Nephew, a former director for Iran at the National Security Council who served as a member of the team who negotiated the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement from which President Donald Trump has since withdrawn said Trump's decision to designate the Guard as terrorists would most likely make American operations in the region much more complicated. Trump called the designation an unprecedented step that 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. What to Know A Buttigieg spokesman said Sunday's event is a "special announcement" when asked if the mayor will declare he's running for president Buttigieg's $7 million fundraising haul in the first quarter of the year is more than Sens. Warren, Klobuchar and Booker brought in Pete Buttigieg, the little-known Indiana mayor who has risen to prominence in the early stages of the 2020 Democratic presidential race, made his official campaign entrance Sunday by claiming the mantle of a youthful generation ready to reshape the country. "I recognize the audacity of doing this as a Midwestern millennial mayor," he said to cheers of "Pete, Pete, Pete" from an audience assembled in a former Studebaker auto plant. "More than a little bold, at age 37, to seek the highest office in the land." In the hours after his announcement, more than $1 million in donations poured in, said Lis Smith, speaking for the campaign. The South Bend mayor, a Rhodes scholar and Afghanistan War veteran who has been essentially campaigning since January, has joined a dozen-plus rivals vying to take on President Donald Trump. "The forces of change in our country today are tectonic," he said. "Forces that help to explain what made this current presidency even possible. That's why, this time, it's not just about winning an election it's about winning an era." Financial support from the LGBT community has helped Buttigieg defy expectations by raking in more than $7 million in just over two months. The money has come from grassroots supporters like Burrell and big-dollar Hollywood donors who hope Buttigieg will make history or at least the summer debate stage. Buttigieg will return this week to Iowa and New Hampshire, which hold the nation's first nominating contests, to campaign as a full-fledged candidate now being taken more seriously. Over the past few months, Buttigieg has appeared frequently on national TV news and talk shows and developed a strong social media following with his message that the country needs "a new generation of leadership." Buttigieg's poll numbers have climbed. Some polls put him behind only Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who sought the party's nomination in 2016, and former Vice President Joe Biden, who has not yet said he's running. Buttigieg's campaign has raised more than $7 million in the first three months of this year, a total eclipsed by Sanders' leading $18 million but more than Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Cory Booker of New Jersey. "Right now, it's pretty fun," Buttigieg told The Associated Press last month while visiting South Carolina , where he was met by larger-than-expected crowds. His challenge is finding a way to sustain the momentum over the long term and avoiding becoming a "flavor-of-the-month" candidate. Scrutiny of his leadership in South Bend has increased, as has his criticism of Vice President Mike Pence , who was Indiana's governor when Buttigieg was in his first term as mayor. Buttigieg would be the first openly gay nominee of a major presidential party; he married his husband, Chasten, last year. He would be the first mayor to go directly to the White House. And he would be the youngest person to become president, turning 39 the day before the next inauguration, on Jan. 20, 2021. Theodore Roosevelt was 42 when he took office, while John F. Kennedy was 43 and Bill Clinton 46. The campaign kickoff speech echoed themes that have resonated with voters during Buttigieg's exploratory phase. He talks often about how political decisions shape people's lives, including his own from serving as a lieutenant in the Navy Reserve in 2014, to being able to marry his husband and to not having to worry about how to pay for his father's hospital bills after his father's death this year. Buttigieg also says the best way for Democrats to defeat Trump may be to nominate a mayor experienced in helping to revive a Midwestern city once described as "dying," rather than a politician who has spent years "marinating" in Washington. He has criticized Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again," saying the way to move the country forward is not to look backward or cling to an old way of life. "There's a myth being sold to industrial and rural communities: the myth that we can stop the clock and turn it back," he said. "It comes from people who think the only way to reach communities like ours is through resentment and nostalgia, selling an impossible promise of returning to a bygone era that was never as great as advertised to begin with." South Bend, which neighbors the University of Notre Dame, was hit hard by the decline of manufacturing, dating to the 1963 closing of the Studebaker auto plant that costs thousands of residents their jobs. The hulking, dilapidated factory loomed over the city for much of the past 60 years as what Buttigieg called a daily reminder of South Bend's city's past. Partially remodeled, it's now a mixed-use technology center outside downtown and the setting for Bettigieg's announcement. The South Bend fire marshal's office said the rally drew over 4,500 inside and 1,500 outside. A steady stream of raindrops fell on speakers on the stage through the leaky roof. "I like that he's young," said Tom Lacy, a 62-year-old retiree who came from Peoria, Illinois, for the event with his wife, Candy, on their 35th wedding anniversary. "He's so relatable. He doesn't seem like a politician to me." Lacy said: "The contrast between him and our current president is unbelievable." Nausher Ahmad Sial, a 68-year-old developer from South Bend, said "we need to try new blood." Sial, who came to the U.S. from Pakistan 35 years ago, said he has worked with Buttigieg on development projects in the city and described the mayor as a "very honest, very fair guy." In Texas two children, ages 8 and 3, died when a tree fell on a car Saturday afternoon, trapping them inside, Angelina County Sheriff's Department told NBC News. They were pronounced dead at the scene. In West Monroe, Louisiana, a 13-year-old boy drowned in a drainage area in what officials believe was a weather-related incident, said Glen Springfield, spokesman for the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office. Several streets had been closed in the city of around 13,000 and a flood warning had been issued for the area, officials said. A fourth person who died in the storms was a woman killed by weather-related debris near the community of Weches in Houston County, Texas, the sheriffs office said. An actor and spokesman for the discount hotel website Trivago.com (tree-VAH'-goh) has been arrested in Texas on a misdemeanor driving while intoxicated charge. Court records show 52-year-old Timothy Williams was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Houston and freed on $100 bond. Houston police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said Friday that Williams was stopped in traffic and passed out with his foot on the brake. Silva says Williams, who's from Houston, failed a field sobriety test and agreed to having blood drawn for alcohol testing. Results weren't immediately available. A Trivago statement Friday says the company didn't have full details on the situation but treats such incidents very seriously and strongly condemns drinking and driving as a risk to others and against the Trivago culture. Court records didn't list an attorney representing Williams. Legislation proposing the separation of Chicago from Illinois is intended to spark discussion about the overarching influence of the city in state politics, not actually lead to the creation of the 51st state, according to a central Illinois lawmaker who sponsored the measure. GOP state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, the bill 's sponsor, said the proposal would urge U.S. Congress to make the nation's third-largest city its own state, the State Journal-Register reported. "It's more of a frustration of the policies than the true belief that Chicago and Illinois would be better off as separate states," Davidsmeyer said. "I don't believe that Chicago and the state of Illinois should be separated. Our relationship is mutually beneficial." Chicago needs to recognize how its policies impact rural Illinois, Davidsmeyer added. "The reality is, the city of Chicago is competing with New York City and L.A. and San Francisco, and (downstate is) competing against rural Indiana and rural Missouri," he said. "The policies that come down from Chicago are actually pushing our economic opportunity away." GOP state Rep. Brad Halbrook introduced the proposed measure in February. He co-sponsored a similar proposal last year that failed, and this year's attempt has even less of a chance of succeeding in the Democratic-controlled Legislature. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the leaders of the state House and Senate are all Democrats from Chicago. Halbrook said the city of 2.7 million people differs ideologically from the rural population downstate on matters such as abortion and gun rights. "Our traditional family values seem to be under attack at every angle," Halbrook said. "We are trying to drive the discussion to get people at the table to say these are not our values down here." Forming a new state from a portion of a current state requires endorsement from Congress and the state legislature, according to the U.S. Constitution. "When you have a large population center that seems to control the agenda for the rest of the state, it just kind of creates some issues," Halbrook said. "The Constitution gives us a pathway, so we'll see what happens." Tension between urban and rural areas aren't exclusive to Illinois. The same has occurred in New York and California , according to a paper published last year by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University. John Jackson, a visiting professor at the institute and co-author of the paper, said it's odd that the bitterness has persisted for so long in Illinois. "We ought to have leaders who get together and coalesce for the good of the state," Jackson said. "The idea of this being a total zero-sum kind of game, that mentality 'you win, I've got to lose,' seems to be the mentality many have. That's just not the case. The state needs to prosper together." "Mayor Pete," as he's known to his growing fan base, is running a surprisingly strong and well-funded campaign for president. Lori Lightfoot has just won a landslide victory to become Chicago's mayor. Together, the ascendance of Lightfoot and Pete Buttigieg the two-term mayor of South Bend, Indiana highlights the remarkable progress made recently by gay and lesbian politicians, to the point where their sexual orientation is either an asset or a nonissue. Both Lightfoot and Buttigieg have talked comfortably about LGBT issues and their own same-sex marriages. "The real news is not that openly gay candidates are successful, but that being openly gay has become irrelevant," said Richard Socarides, a former Clinton White House adviser on gay issues. "Here are two people with fresh ideas and a new vision for the future," Socarides said. "Voters don't care about their sexual orientation. That's a sea change." It was only in 1998 that Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin became the first openly gay person to gain a seat in the House of Representatives. There are now eight LGBT members of the House, and two in the Senate Baldwin and Arizona's Kyrsten Sinema, whose bisexuality never became an issue in her closely contested election campaign last year. Lightfoot's victory Tuesday in the third-largest U.S. city, along with lesbian Satya Rhodes-Conway's victory in Madison, Wisconsin, brings the number of LGBT mayors to 37, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which recruits and supports LGBT candidates. In Colorado, Jared Polis was inaugurated in January as the nation's first openly gay governor. Annise Parker, a lesbian who served three terms as mayor of Houston and is now CEO of the Victory Fund, said LGBT candidates such as Polis and Lightfoot "are achieving positions that cause folks to sit up and take notice." "It's not a fluke or an oddity," she said. "These are dedicated, hardworking public servants who bring a directness and integrity to their service ... They're being open about who they are." Buttigieg at 37, the youngest prominent contender in the Democratic presidential race has received rave reviews for many of his public appearances and reported raising $7 million in the first fundraising period of the campaign. His husband, Chasten, has amassed 176,000 Twitter followers with cheerful and sometimes wry commentary about their relationship and their dogs, and has been invited to headline a gala being held Saturday in Houston by the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT rights group. Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said Lightfoot's and Buttigieg's appeal is based on "character, leadership and ideas." Yet Minter also suggested that LGBT candidates may have certain distinctive strengths. "They may be more likely to empathize with others who have experienced discrimination or obstacles," he said. "They may also be more likely to cherish the opportunity to run for office and serve, something other politicians may take for granted." One indicator of the shifts in LGBT politics is that Lightfoot, a former prosecutor, and Buttigieg, a Harvard graduate, Rhodes scholar and Afghanistan war veteran, have not been immune to criticism from some activists. "For many members of the LGBTQ community, a candidate's mere identity as gay or lesbian is not enough," said professor Katherine Franke, who teaches gender and sexuality studies at Columbia University. "Neither Lightfoot nor Buttigieg are particularly progressive in their policy positions on a number of issues," Franke said. "Lightfoot has been criticized for being too pro-prosecution and pro-police in a city that has suffered significant police violence, and Buttigieg has been critiqued for his identification with elites." Thus far, the advancement of LGBT politicians has not been a bipartisan phenomenon. Very few of the nation's top-tier LGBT elected officials have been Republicans, and only a handful of Republicans in Congress have signaled support for the Equality Act, a sweeping LGBT-nondiscrimination measure that has near-unanimous Democratic support. "It's exceedingly frustrating," Parker said. "We'd love to support more candidates in the GOP, but the party of Donald Trump has no place for them. It has chosen to attack the rights and livelihoods of LGBT people to solidify political power." Tyler Deaton of the American Unity Fund, which seeks to boost support for LGBT rights among Republicans, acknowledged in an email that LGBT Democrats "are having an amazing year." "It's a lesson to my fellow Republicans about the electability of LGBTQ candidates," he wrote. "The party needs to look more like the voters, which includes recruiting and elevating more candidates who are women, people of color, religious minorities, and LGBTQ people." The flip side is a boon for the Democratic establishment, which courts financial and political support from LGBT activists and donors. Just last week, two Democratic presidential contenders Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey spoke at a West Coast gala held by the Human Rights Campaign. For some LGBT activists, the pace of change and the greater public acceptance of LGBT candidates is dramatic. Lawyer Roberta Kaplan reflected that only six years ago she was litigating before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Edie Windsor, who faced an enormous tax bill because she was married to a woman instead of a man. Two years later, in 2015, the high court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. "The traditional Jewish blessing thanks God for keeping us alive, sustaining us, and bringing us to this season," Kaplan said in an email. "That is very much how I feel today when I see news like Lori Lightfoot's victory in Chicago or Pete Buttigieg's candidacy for president." Dozens of striking workers spent the day outside one of Stop & Shops Somerville stores, demanding a new contract and yelling at customers who crossed the picket line. "We're all willing to stand here as long as it takes until we get a fair deal," striking worker Kristen Johnson said. The strike, which entered its fourth day on Sunday, started after contract discussions stalled. The United Food and Commercial Workers union said the impasse is over unreasonable wage and benefit cuts, something the grocery chain denies. We deserve what we deserve. Were the ones that make this company what it is, said Robert Pedro, who works at the McGrath Highway store. [I] cant pay bills. [Im] not working. [I] cant pay my bills. In Connecticut, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and several other Democratic politicians, including Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, met with Stop & Shop employees picketing at several Connecticut locations on Sunday. Blumenthal says he is telling the strikers "they're fighting not just for themselves, but for working families across America." More than 31,000 workers from more than 200 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island are involved in the strike. Stop & Shop said its disappointed with the strike, saying its offering across-the-board raises and benefits that are better than what many of its competitors offer. It was a far cry from "I love WikiLeaks!" President Donald Trump declared that "I know nothing about WikiLeaks" after its disheveled founder Julian Assange was hauled out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to face charges, a stark contrast to how candidate Trump showered praise on Assange's hacking organization night after night during the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign. Asked about Thursday's arrest, Trump said at the White House, "It's not my thing. I know there is something having to do with Julian Assange. I've been seeing what's happened with Assange and that will be a determination, I would imagine, mostly by the attorney general, who's doing an excellent job. So, he'll be making a determination . I know nothing really about him." "It's not my deal in life." But WikiLeaks was Trump's deal in 2016 as he welcomed the political boost his campaign got and cheered on the release of Clinton campaign emails. On the same October day that the "Access Hollywood" tape emerged, revealing that Trump had bragged in 2005 about groping women, WikiLeaks began releasing damaging emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta. Trump and his allies, facing a tough battle in the campaign's final month, seized on the illegal dumps and weaponized them. "WikiLeaks, I love WikiLeaks," Trump said in Pennsylvania. "This WikiLeaks is like a treasure trove," Trump said in Michigan. "Boy, I love reading WikiLeaks," Trump said in Ohio. All told, Trump extolled WikiLeaks more than 100 times, and a poster of Assange hung backstage at the Republican's debate war room. At no point from a rally stage did Trump express any misgivings about how WikiLeaks obtained the emails from the Clinton campaign or about the accusations of stealing sensitive U.S. government information, which led to the charges against Assange on Thursday. Assange for years has been under U.S. Justice Department scrutiny for WikiLeaks' role in publishing thousands of government secrets. He was an important figure in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, as investigators examined how WikiLeaks obtained emails that were stolen from Democratic groups. When asked about Assange in 2017, Trump said he did not "support or unsupport" WikiLeaks' move to release hacked emails and that he would not be involved in any decision for the U.S. government to arrest Assange. "I am not involved in that decision," whether or not to arrest Assange, Trump told The Associated Press then, "but if they want to do it, it's OK with me." The Justice Department now has charged Assange with taking part in a computer hacking conspiracy, accusing him of scheming with Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst, to break a password for a classified government computer. The single charge of computer intrusion conspiracy carries up to five years in prison, though the Justice Department can add additional charges depending on the evidence it gathers. Manning was ordered jailed last month for refusing to testify before a grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, suggesting that prosecutors are still at work. It was unclear why the Assange charge, which was brought under seal last year, was made public at this time and why he was taken into custody now weeks after Mueller's investigation had concluded. None of the allegations in the case relate to Russian election interference or WikiLeaks' role in publishing emails stolen from Democrats by Russian intelligence operatives. An indictment against 12 Russians last year described WikiLeaks' role in publishing hacked emails in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. Though the indictment said WikiLeaks had worked to coordinate the release of information, there was no allegation that the organization solicited the hacking of Democratic email accounts or worked with Russians. Assange's arrest provoked passionate responses overseas, and from some who had expressed concern about whistleblower protections, but the initial bipartisan reaction in Washington was relief. "I'm glad to see the wheels of justice are finally turning when it comes to Julian Assange," tweeted Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump ally. "In my book, he has NEVER been a hero. His actions - releasing classified information - put our troops at risk and jeopardized the lives of those who helped us in Iraq and Afghanistan." And Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, ranking Democrat on the intelligence committee, said he hoped the British courts would quickly transfer Assange to U.S. custody "so he can finally get the justice he deserves." Assange's lawyer has previously said he planned to fight any U.S. charges against him. Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2012 after he was released on bail in Britain while facing extradition to Sweden on sexual assault allegations that have since been dropped. British police said Assange had been arrested Thursday for breaching his bail conditions and in relation to the U.S. arrest request. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed. DANBURY Connor Florio, who weighed less than 11 ounces when he was born last summer, is finally home with his parents in the city. He was born, according to the Washington Post, on July 13, 2018, at 26 weeks at Westchester Medical Center in New York. He was born through an emergency caesarean section and weighed 310 grams. He was transferred to the NICU at Maria Fareri Childrens Hospital. (Newser) Say your mother's fertility doctor was Jan Karbaat? Then you may have a lot of new half-siblingsand a father who apparently broke the law. Turns out the Dutch doctor betrayed his clients by impregnating them with his own sperm and fathering at least 49 children, the BBC reports. The DNA results came out Friday after a two-year legal battle launched by dozens of parents and donor children, some of whom said they didn't resemble their purported donor or did resemble the doctor, per the Guardian. They fought to have his DNA extracted from items locked away in a safe including his toothbrush, per HuffPo, and won over his family's attempt to protect his privacy. Karbaat himself died in 2017 at age 89. story continues below Initially judges wanted the test results sealed pending other court cases, but in February a court ruled that litigants' right to know outweighed the Karbaat family's interests, the Guardian reported at the time. Now the Karbaat children, most of whom are in their 30s, can say who their father was. "After a search of 11 years I can continue my life," says one. "I am glad that I finally have clarity." Many of them have also become friends and some say they plan to keep in touch, per Sky News. As for Karbaatwhose clinic was shuttered in 2009 amid accusations of shoddy practiceshis motive remains opaque. He once referred to himself as "a pioneer in the field of fertilization." (Read more fertility stories.) (Newser) A new frontier in crime investigation relies on the ultimate tracking deviceand it's right in your purse or pocket, the New York Times reports. Detectives nationwide are inundating Google with warrants to mine its so-called Sensorvault, which holds tracking data from most Android phones and some iPhones worldwide over nearly the past decade. Google employees say they receive up to 180 such requests weekly and hand over anonymous location data "where legally required." Police can follow device-data linked to crime scenes and, once narrowed down, receive names, email addresses, and other personal data from Google. Police admit these "geofence" warrants are exciting but caution they're no slam dunk, either. story continues below "It doesn't pop out the answer like a ticker tape, saying this guy's guilty," says a senior Washington State prosecutor. "We're not going to charge anybody just because Google said they were there." Detectives have pressed Google for data to help with cases including arson (WRAL), robberies (Forbes), and even bombings (affidavit), but privacy advocates warn that innocent people can be ensared. The Times highlights the case of Arizona resident Jorge Molina, who was collared in a 2018 murder investigation based on his location data but later freed when a new suspect emerged. Now Molina has no job (he was arrested at work) and no car (it was impounded and repossessed). Police "had good intentions," says his public defender, but "they're hyping it up to be this new DNA type of forensic evidence, and it's just not." (Read more Google stories.) (Newser) A University of Buffalo student was in critical condition after an apparent frat hazing gone wronga frightening event that could lead to criminal charges, the Buffalo News reports. Police say Sebastian Serafin-Bazan, 18, suffered a cardiac arrest after fraternity brothers told him to perform exercises from Thursday night to Friday morning. Serafin-Bazan, who had recently suffered respiratory problems, was reportedly carried onto the lawn of a residence associated with the Sigma Pi fraternity. "One of the fraternity brothers told us that they carried him outside to get him some fresh air after he fell and hit the back of his head on a coffee table," says a neighbor. "We were told he had the flu." A school senior says 20 people fled the scene before an ambulance arrived just after midnight. story continues below Now a police investigation is focusing on whether students took too long to call for emergency personnel. The university, meanwhile, has ordered all fraternity and sorority activities suspended and warns that hazing is more than a prank, per the Buffalo News. "As the investigation into this very serious matter continues, let me reiterate that our university has zero tolerance for hazing," says Satish Tripathi, the school's president. "Not only are hazing incidents a violation of our university policies, but they are also crimes." Sigma Pi's national office in Lebanon, Tenn., says it has dispatched an attorney to Buffalo and is conducting its own investigation. Serafin-Bazan is now in stable condition at Buffalo General Hospital, per WIVB. (Read more hazing stories.) (Newser) After drawing criticism for remarks suggesting the Jewish genocide during World War II could be forgiven, Brazil's president now says that isn't quite what he meant. Jair Bolsonaro had said Thursday of the Holocaust: "We can forgive, but we can't forget. That's my phrase. Those who forget their past are condemned not to have a future." Per Reuters, Israeli president Reuven Rivlin responded: "Whether they be individuals or organizations, party heads or heads of state, no one will ordain the Jewish peoples forgiveness." There was no immediate comment from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has sought closer ties with Bolsonaro. After visiting a Holocaust memorial, Bolsonaro also had referred to Nazis of the era as "leftists." story continues below On Saturday night, Israel's ambassador to Brazil put a new statement on Facebook from Bolsonaro to the people of Israel, per the Jerusalem Post: "Forgiveness is something personal, my speech was never meant to be used in a historical context, especially one where millions of innocent people were murdered in a cruel genocide." Also Saturday night, Rivlin suggested a way to avoid such disputes. "Political leaders are responsible for shaping the future. Historians describe the past and research what happened," he said, per Israel National News. "Neither should stray into the territory of the other." (Read more Jair Bolsonaro stories.) (Newser) In a striking speech delivered from deep below the ocean's surface, the Seychelles president on Sunday made a global plea for stronger protection of the "beating blue heart of our planet." President Danny Faure's call for action, the first live speech from an underwater submersible, came from one of the many island nations threatened by global warming. He spoke from an ambitious British science expedition exploring the Indian Ocean depths. "This issue is bigger than all of us, and we cannot wait for the next generation to solve it. We are running out of excuses to not take action, and running out of time," the president said from 400 feet below the waves, on the seabed off the outer islands of the African nation. Wearing a Seychelles T-shirt and shorts, the president told the AP that the experience was "so, so cool. What biodiversity." It made him more determined to speak out for marine protection. "We just need to do what needs to be done. The scientists have spoken." story continues below The oceans' role in regulating climate and the threats they face are underestimated by many, even though Faure points out they generate "half of the oxygen we breathe." Marine scientists from the University of Oxford have surveyed underwater life, mapped large areas of the sea floor, and gone deep with manned submersibles and underwater drones. By the end of the mission, researchers expect to have conducted over 300 deployments, collected around 1,400 samples and 16 terabytes of data and surveyed about 25,000 square meters (269,100 sq. feet) of seabed using high-resolution multi-beam sonar equipment. The data will be used to help the Seychelles expand its policy of protecting almost a third of its national waters by 2020. The initiative is important for the country's "blue economy," an attempt to balance development needs with those of the environment. (Read more global warming stories.) (Newser) A theater historian has followed official records to locate, for the first time, the spot in London where William Shakespeare was living when he wrote Romeo and Juliet. It was a wealthy section of central London, CNN reportsjust the place for a successful Elizabethan bard recently moved from Stratford. Geoffrey Marsh began his search after the Theatre, a playhouse in East London, was discovered in 2008. Shakespeare's plays were performed there before they were staged at the Globe. That made Marsh wonder when Shakespeare lived in that period. He dug into records as far back as the 1550s that were "remarkably" well-preserved, though the inconsistent spellings in the documents added to the challenge. story continues below Starting with the knowledge that Shakespeare lived near Liverpool Street station between 1597 and 1598, Marsh pinpointed the address as what is now 35 Great St. Helen's, per the BBC. It's an office block next to St. Helen's Church. At the time, it was a group of buildings overlooking the churchyard. Just a few years after arriving in London, Marsh says, Shakespeare "was living in one of the wealthiest parishes in the city, alongside powerful public figures, wealthy international merchants, society doctors and expert musicians." Those merchants had connections across Europe, Marsh says, and "the doctors were linked to the latest progressive thinking in universities in Italy and Germany." That neighborhood could have helped the playwright in several ways, Marsh says. "Living in what was one of the power locales of London would have also enhanced Shakespeare's status as he developed his career, sought a family coat of arms and planned to buy an impressive and expensive house in Stratford." (Read more William Shakespeare stories.) (Newser) Flooding so-called "sanctuary cities" with undocumented immigrants is apparently just one way the president might further his immigration-reform agenda, ABC News reports. It's "an option on the table," Sarah Sanders said Sunday on This Week. "Certainly this wouldn't be our first choice because ideally we wouldn't be dealing with a massive influx of illegal immigrants coming across the border." The White House press secretary also suggested Congress is incapable of comprehending Trump's tax returns should they get released, per the Daily Beast. Calling it a "dangerous, dangerous road," she said that "I don't think Congress, particularly not this group of congressmen and women, are smart enough to look through the thousands of pages that I would assume that president Trump's taxes will be." (Read more immigration stories.) Sorry! This content is not available in your region British police fired shots Saturday at a car outside the Ukrainian Embassy in London after it rammed other cars parked in front of the embassy. A view of the scene near the Ukrainian Embassy after police fired shots after an incident, in Holland Park, London, Saturday April 13, 2019. British police say shots were fired outside the Ukraine Embassy in London Saturday morning after a car rammed into parked cars in front of the building. Londons Metropolitan Police said firearms and stun guns were used to stop and detain a suspect who drove a vehicle at the police car when police arrived on the scene. [Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA via AP] London's Metropolitan Police said firearms and stun guns were used to stop and detain a suspect who drove a vehicle at a police car when police arrived on the scene. The Ukraine Embassy said its ambassador's official car, which was parked, was rammed twice before police arrived at 9:50 a.m. The embassy said none of its staff was injured. Police said the suspect is a man in his 40s who did not appear to be injured but was taken to a central London hospital for a precautionary check. The suspect has not been identified or charged. Police said the incident is not being treated as related to terrorism. Chief Superintendent Andy Walker said, under standard procedure, the use of a police firearm in Britain is now being formally investigated. The Director of Professional Standards has been notified of the incident. He praised police for responding quickly. The embassy is located in Holland Park, west London. New Delhi: Monday is likely to decide whether Jet Airways, which is facing the worst financial crisis in its 25-year history, will close down or continue flying. The airline management is expected to meet the lenders tomorrow and are likely to present a fresh plan to request for the promised infusion of Rs 1,500 crore. Meanwhile, around 1,100 pilots belonging to Jet Airways' pilots body National Aviator's Guild (NAG) will meet to decide whether the pilots will fly or not, due to non-payment of salaries. There is a critical meeting tomorrow with airline management and SBI. In light of meeting, members have requested through their Team Leaders that call of No Pay No Work be deferred to give airline a chance of survival, said a statement by NAG. Accordingly, as requested, the committee would like to inform all, that the decision stands deferred for the time being, it added. Earlier in the day, the pilots had decided not to fly from 10 am Monday in protest against "non-payment of salary dues. "As on today, we have not been paid for nearly three-and-a-half months and we don't know when we will be paid. So we have decided to go ahead with our call of no-flying from April 15. All 1,100 pilots of NAG will stop flying from 10 am Monday," said a Guild source. The pilots along with engineers and senior management have not received salaries since January. The debt-ridden carrier has also not paid March salary to employees of other categories as well. The NAG, which claims representation of around 1,100 pilots of the total 1,600 with the full-service carrier, had in late March called for no flying from April 1 over non-payment of salaries. However, on March 31 it deferred the agitation to April 15, saying it wanted to give more time to the new management. On March 25, the SBI-led consortium which took over the debt-ridden airline following the exit of founder Naresh Goyal, had promised an immediate interim funding support of Rs 1,500 crore to keep the carrier operational. Operating with 6-7 aircraft, Jet Airways had on Friday extended suspension of its services to these destinations until Monday. It has also closed reservations for its Mumbai-London, Mumbai-Amsterdam-Mumbai and Bangalore-Amsterdam flights, up to April 18, as per the information. The government rules stipulate an airline must have at least 20 planes for operating international operations. In the last two days, it has operated six-seven planes per day only as its entire fleet almost is grounded due to non-payment of rentals to lessors and paucity of cash to purchase jet fuel from the oil companies, which snapped supplies thrice in last more than a week demanding payment. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the marks for the Civil Service examination 2018. Candidates who have appeared in the IAS exam can check their marks through the official site of UPSC at upsc.gov.in. The names and marks of candidates are given as per chronological order. Kanishak Kataria topped the UPSC civil services final examination results with 1121 marks, while Akshat Jain secured the All India second ranking 1080 marks. Junaid Ahmad got 1077 marks. Kataria belongs to SC category and qualified the examination with mathematics as his optional subject. He is a B.Tech (Computer Science and Engineering). The second rank holder Akshat Jain is an engineering graduate from IIT Guwahati. Hailing from Jaipur, Akshit's father is an IPS officer while mother is an Indian Revenue Service officer, who also motivated him to join the civil services. UPSC CSE results 2018: Marks of toppers Rank 1: Kanishak Kataria - 1121 marks Rank 2: Akshat Jain - 1080 marks Rank 3: Junaid Ahmad - 1077 marks Rank 4: Shreyans Kumat - 1071 marks Rank 5: Srushti Jayant Deshmukh - 1068 marks Rank 6: Shubham Gupta - 1067 marks Rank 7: Karnati Varunreddy - 1067 marks Rank 8: Vaishali Singh - 1066 marks Rank 9: Gunjan Dwivedi - 1064 marks Rank 10: Tanmay Vashistha Sharma - 1064 marks. A total of 759 candidates, out of which 577 men and 182 women, have been recommended for appointment to posts of IAS, IPS etc. The notification for the UPSC Civil Services Exam was released on February 7, 2018, while the exam was held on June 3, 2018. Moreover, the personality test was held in February-March. New Delhi: TS Inter Results 2019: The Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE) has not yet finalised the date for declaring TS Intermediate 1st and 2nd year results. According to NDTV, a TSBIE official said the date of the TS Intermediate results has not been finalised, but can be expected soon. Earlier, there were speculations that the result will be declared by April 13. Recently, the Telangana Board had also clarified that the circular being shared on social media and other platforms regarding the release of the Telangana Board Inter Results are fake. Soon after the official announcement of the results, students can visit the official websites of the Board i.e. bie.telangana.gov.in or results.cgg.gov.in to check and download their Telangana Board 1st and 2nd Year Intermediate Result 2019. Alternatively, updates for TS Inter results 2019 would be made available on this page, as and when received. Students are advised to keep a check on News Nation's Exam Result Page. For the convenience of the students, we have mentioned the steps through which they can check their results. Step 1: Visit english.newsnationtv.com/board-results and click on the Telangana Board result link. Step 2: Submit your roll number or admit card number along with other details. Step 3: Cross-verify all the details and click on the submit button. Step 4: Your Telangana Board Inter Result 2019 will be displayed on the screen. Step 5: Check your result carefully. Approximately 4, 36, 000 candidates have appeared for the TS Inter 2nd Year examinations. A similar number of students have appeared for the Class 11 examinations from the state. The examinations for Class 11 were conducted from February 27, 2019 to March 16, 2019 and for Class 12 or TS Inter 2nd Year was conducted from March 1 to March 15, 2019. About Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education The Telangana Board of Secondary Education and Telangana Board of Intermediate Education were established in the year 2014. The State Board of Telangana or Telangana Board is divided into two sections. While the Telangana Board of Secondary Education conducts the SSC exams, the Telangana Board of Intermediate Education conducts the Intermediate exams i.e. 11th and 12th. The Telangana Board of Intermediate Education regulates and supervises the system of intermediate education in Telangana state. New Delhi: Day after NCP chief Sharad Pawar claimed that late Go Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar quit Modi government over his disagreement in Rafale fighter jet deal, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has hit back and said that, giving statements like this after his (Parrikars) death is not right. He also said that, He (Parrikar) was such a man that 8 days before his death he had said that he should get the chance to campaign for Modi ji in at least 2 rallies as there won't be a PM like him. The Maharashtra Chief Minister also remined Pawar about Congress Chief Rahul Gandhis crass joke where he wanted to imply similar thing. However, Parrikar had replied to Gandhis any such claim. Rahul ji too had attempted to say something like this earlier. It was a crass joke but Manohar ji was alive then, so he could give a reply, Fadnavis said. On January 29, Gandhi had visited ailing Parrikar. At that time, he had said that this was just a courtesy visit. But later, he claimed that the "Goa audio tapes", cited by the Congress to attack the Centre on the Rafale issue, were authentic and Parrikar was in possession of "explosive secrets" that gave him power over Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Day later, Parrikar slammed Congress president for stating that he was not involved in the new Rafale deal. The ailing chief minister had said that he feels let down that the Congress president used the meeting for his petty political gains. "Reading media reports covering your visit to my office has caused me distress. It is reported in media today that you have said quoting me that I was nowhere in the process of procuring Rafale nor did I have any information then about it. I feel let down that you have used this visit for your petty political gains. In the 05 minutes you spent with me, neither did you mention anything about Rafale, nor did we discuss anything about/related to it. Nothing whatsoever about Rafale was even mentioned in your meeting with me," Parrikar wrote in the letter to Gandhi. Parrikar, who took over as defence minister in November 2014, was sworn in as Goa chief minister on March 14, 2017. He died on March 17 this year after a long battle with a pancreatic ailment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after talks with the then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris. The final deal was sealed on September 23, 2016. New Delhi: Two days after the Election Commission directed that all recorded programmes displayed on NaMo TV be pre-certified, the BJP on Saturday wrote to the Delhi poll body that "documentary content" has been removed from the channel, officials said. An official of the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer's office said the BJP replied in the afternoon and said they will not run any content that was "not certified" or "returned" by the media certification and monitoring committee (MCMC). The party also said the documentary content that was being earlier aired by the channel is not being aired anymore. The CEO's office Saturday also directed the party to ensure that all videos played on NaMo TV bear the certification number given by it. Officials at the CEO office said that parties only specify whether the content is for social media or TV and not whether it will go on any particular channel. Keeping this in mind, the party has been directed to ensure that the content played on NaMo TV bears the certification ID. The Election Commission had on Thursday said since NaMo TV was sponsored by the BJP, all recorded programmes displayed on the platform should be pre-certified by media certification and monitoring committee of Delhi and all political publicity contents displayed without pre-certification be removed immediately. Following the EC's directive, the CEO of Delhi wrote to the BJP to ensure that all political content not approved be removed. "As a precautionary measure, two officials have been deployed to watch NaMo TV and monitor its content," officials had said. An official said political parties usually submit audiovisual content for pre-certification, without specifying on which platform it will be aired. The content may be aired during a rally or on the party's website, he said. After the Congress filed a complaint with the poll panel about the channel disturbing the level playing field, the EC had asked the Delhi CEO to file a report on the issue. The Delhi CEO approved the logo of NaMo TV, which the BJP said was part of the NaMo App that it owns, but did not "certify" the content as it contained old speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. New Delhi: A united Opposition on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and called for a return of ballot papers, pointing that several nations have gone back to the traditional system. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who on Saturday met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora to raise the issue of EVM malfunctioning, said 21 political parties have demanded verification of VVPAT paper trails of 50 per cent of the EVMs. Addressing the media after the meeting, Naidu had said: Even advanced countries such as Germany and Netherlands have opted for ballot papers. Paper trail is indispensable for EVMs. The confidence of the voter can only be restored through paper trail machines. On Sunday, he said that the poll panel was not agreeing to the opposition's demand that at least 50 per cent of paper trails be verified with EVMs. "EC is acting under BJP, they are not correct, they have to act impartially which they are not doing. Also, we doubt even EVMs are under manipulation and that's why we are demanding 50% counting of VVPATs. They are not agreeing," he said. Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said opposition parties will approach the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the EC for counting of at least 50 per cent of the VVPAT slips with the EVMs in every assembly segment. He said the opposition parties will carry out a nationwide campaign on the issue of discrepancies in EVMs. "We do not think the EC is doing enough to address issue of EVM malfunctioning," Singhvi alleged. The Supreme Court on Monday directed the EC to increase random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per assembly segment, from one at present, in the Lok Sabha polls, saying it will provide greater satisfaction not just to political parties but the entire electorate. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a rally in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district. PM Modi is canvassing for Union Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh, who is seeking re-election from Udhampur Lok Sabha seat where polling will be held in the second phase on April 18. Jitendra Singh is in direct contest with Congress Vikramaditya Singh, the grandson of last ruler of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh and the son of Congress leader Karan Singh, in the seat. Attacking regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir, PM Modi said the "two families" who have "ruled" Jammu and Kashmir for three generations and said that he would not allow them to divide the country. He was referring to NC chief Omar Abdullah's demand for a separate prime minister for the state. Lok Sabha Polls 2019: Here are PM Modis top quotes from Kathua rally New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidus Telugu Desam Party has slammed the Election Commission over the controversy over an EVM-theft accused. The man in question - Hari Prasad Vemuru was part of Naidus delegation when it met the poll body in New Delhi on Saturday. While the Election Commission has said that Vemuru has been accused of EVM-theft, the TDP has rejected the charges and has cited a US Award to vouch for his credibility. In its reply to the poll panel, the TDP has said that no chargesheet was filed against Vemuru. It added that he was an expert on EMVs and was awarded with US-based Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award nine years ago. "...instead of focusing on the issue, commission is trying to avoid addressing the situation," the TDP said. The rebuttal came after the Election Commission wrote to the Telugu Desam Party asking how a person with criminal antecedents could be a part of Naidus delegation. The EC in its letter had said when Naidu visited, he was accompanied by Vemuru, who repeatedly raised various technical issues regarding functioning of EVMs and claimed that he had the technical expertise in the field. The letter stated that it was decided that Prasad would get a detailed briefing from the technical team of the EC. "However, when this technical person came it turned out that he was Hari Prasad who was involved in a criminal case regarding alleged theft of EVM machine in 2010 which an FIR was filed...Whatever maybe the eventual outcome of the investigation, it would be appreciated that such antecedents do not inspire confidence. "This is completely intriguing as to how a so called technical expert with these antecedents was allowed to be part of the delegation led by N Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and President, TDP," the letter from EC, addressed to the president of the party's legal cell, said. The Andhra Pradesh chief minister met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora here and submitted a memorandum alleging that a large number of EVMs malfunctioned during polling in the state on Thursday and inadequate security led to incidents of violence. New Delhi: The Karnataka unit of Congress on Sunday approached the Election Commision demanding a probe into the alleged transportation of a "suspicious black trunk" in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helicopter during his visit to Chitradurg in Karnataka for poll campaign. Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma asked the prime minister to come clean and said the Election Commission should inquire into the contents of the "trunk". The prime minister had addressed an election rally in Karnataka's Chitradurga on April 9. "We saw there were three more choppers escorting the prime minister's helicopter. After landing, a black trunk was taken out and whisked away in a private car which was not part of the SPG carcade," he alleged. Sharma suggested there was cash stashed in the trunk. "What was there in the trunk. If there was no cash in it, let there an inquiry be held." The party also played a video clip claiming that the purported trunk, after being unloaded from the PM's helicopter, was shipped to a private Innova car, that Sharma alleged was not a part of the SPG carcade, and taken away. Sharma also asked Modi to give an account of his five-year rule to the people of the country as a tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. "The Prime Minister is trying to control and change the narrative because he has no courage the face real issues," he alleged. Raising the issue of Rafale, Sharma asked Modi to make public the minutes of a meeting held last year between him and former French president Francois Hollande on the fighter jet deal. "Why is he (PM) silent on his role in Rafale scam? Make the minutes of the meeting between Prime Minister and former French president Francois Hollande on the Rafale deal public by tomorrow. As there has been a controversy, it would help settle it once for all," he said. The Prime Minister in his "desperation to win has done enormous disservice to the nation by dragging in the Armed Forces for Partisan political propaganda", Sharma further alleged. "Seeking votes for the courageous action and sacrifices of our soldiers is an unpardonable transgression and also an insult to the Armed forces who defend the motherland under the tricolour and not under one person or party. The Indian Army belongs to the Republic of India," he said. Sharma also slammed BJP leader and Union minister General VK Singh (Retd). "There is Prime Minister's defence and his apology minister including one of his ministers, who should have been made literate in the military history of the country. I am referring to retired General V.K. Singh, he said - Indira Gandhi benefitted electorally from the Bangladesh war." "Is he ignorant of history when he himself was a commissioned officer?" Sharma asked. "To reeducate him, these are the facts: General Singh got commissioned in June 1970, Smt Indira Gandhi recorded a massive electoral win in March 1971 and India won the 13-day war with Pakistan on 16 December 1971. VK Singh should extend an unconditional apology," he said. Jammu: In an apparent dig at Congress's poll campaign slogan Ab Hoga Nyay (Now, there will be justice), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the grand old party talks about 'Nyay' (justice) but has delivered only 'Annyay' (injustice). PM Modi, who was addressing a rally in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua, said that Congress's policy forced Kashmiri Pandits to flee from Kashmir but they still talk about justice. I would like to ask Congress, who would do justice when they did injustice for 60 years? Will Congress ever be able to provide justice to Kashmiri Pandits? Will they be able to provide justice to those massacred in 1984 riots? PM Modi said. Congress and their friends were so worried about their vote bank that they overlooked the atrocities on Kashmiri Pandits, he added. PM Modi also asserted that he is committed to settle displaced Kashmir Pandits in their native places. "I am committed to settle displaced Kashmir Pandits in their native places in Kashmir and work has started in this direction," he said. PM Modi also hit out at the Congress for saying that it will remove the army from Jammu and Kashmir and dilute AFSPA. "It is saying that they will talk to the people who are taking money from Pakistan and influencing the youth of Kashmir...Congress is trying to demoralise our security forces." PM Modi also slammed the Abdullahs and Muftis, saying two families "ruined" three generations of Jammu and Kashmir and he will not allow them to "divide" India. The prime minister was referring to NC leader Omar Abdullah's demand for a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir. He also targeted the Congress for the migration of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley and said his government was committed to settle the displaced community in their native places and that work has started in this direction. The Prime Minister also hit out at Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for skipping Saturday's event to pay respec to martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. On doubts raised by some opposition leaders on the Balakot air strikes, Modi said Congress has never trusted valour of Indian armed forces. He said the wave in favour of the BJP was stronger this time than in 2014. According to opinion polls and surveys, the BJP will get thrice the seats that Congress will win, he said. By coming out to vote in large numbers in Baramulla and Jammu, voters have given a befitting reply to terrorist leaders and opportunists, he added. With PTI Inputs New Delhi: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with its noxious agenda of banishing Muslims and minorities wants to divide India. Mufti was reacting to PM Modias speech which he made in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua. PM said that National Conference, Congress, and PDP have exposed atheir real intentionsa by issuing threats of separating from the country if the two Constitutional guarantees are abrogated. aYou have seen in the last few days how the National Conference, Congress, and PDP have exposed their real intentions. The thing they had been working for years clandestinely has now come out in the open,a the PM said. Reacting to this Mufti Tweeted: aWhy does PM bash political families pre-elections & then sends his envoys to stitch alliances with the very same parties? NC in 99 & PDP in 2015. Why do they choose power over Article 370 then? BJP with its noxious agenda of banishing Muslims & minorities wants to divide India (sic)." Why does PM bash political families pre elections & then sends his envoys to stitch alliances with the very same parties? NC in 99 & PDP in 2015. Why do they choose power over Article 370 then ? BJP with its noxious agenda of banishing Muslims & minorities wants to divide India https://t.co/8vNDz6WmjJ a Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) April 14, 2019 PM Modi also asserted that he is committed to settling displaced Kashmir Pandits in their native places. "I am committed to settle displaced Kashmir Pandits in their native places in Kashmir and work has started in this direction," he said. PM Modi also hit out at the Congress for saying that it will remove the army from Jammu and Kashmir and dilute AFSPA.A "It is saying that they will talk to the people who are taking money from Pakistan and influencing the youth of Kashmir...Congress is trying to demoralise our security forces." PM Modi in Kathua is canvassing for Union Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh, who is seeking re-election from Udhampur Lok Sabha seat where polling will be held in the second phase on April 18. Jitendra Singh is in direct contest with Congressa Vikramaditya Singh, the grandson of last ruler of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh and the son of Congress leader Karan Singh, in the seat. New Delhi: National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and Peopleas Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his aAbdullahs and Muftisa statement and pointed out that the BJP had joined forces with both on several instances in the past. Addressing a rally in Kathua, Modi on Sunday slammed the Abdullahs and Muftis, saying the two families aruineda three generations of Jammu and Kashmir and he will not allow them to "divide" India. PM Modi said the people of J&K cannot be kept hostage or bounded labourers to some "handful of people". The prime minister was referring to National Conference leader Omar Abdullah's demand for a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir and Mehbooba Mufti's remark that abrogation of article 370 can lead J&K free from India. Omar took to Twitter to remind Modi of the BJPas alliance with the PDP and that it backed the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his daughter Mehbooba Mufti to become the stateas chief ministers. aThis is how much Modi ji believes what he says. Look how happy he is to seal an alliance with one of the families he wants to rid J&K politics of,a he wrote on Twitter while sharing a photograph of Modi hugging PDP founder late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. This is how much Modi ji believes what he says. Look how happy he is to seal an alliance with one of the families he wants to rid J&K politics of. pic.twitter.com/SFtdXJjbhI a Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 14, 2019 The BJP and the PDP combine formed the government in 2015 and made Mufti Mohammad Sayed the chief minister. After his death, his daughter Mehbooba Mufti took over the charge. Mehbooba also reacted to Abdullahas tweet by sharing a picture of Modi and Omar with a bouquet of flowers with the comment: aExhibit B. Modi ji looks thrilled to be greeted by a dynast.a The bright future of Jammu and Kashmir can be ensured only after their departure. They can bring their entire clan into the field, can abuse Modi as much as they want but they won't be able to divide this nation, the prime minister said. Kishanganj, Bihar: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday tore into the Congress, charging it with seeking votes of Muslims by showing them the fear of BJP even though atrocities like Bhagalpur riots and unlocking of the Babri mosque premises had taken place during its rule. Addressing a rally in this muslim-dominated constituency where his party has put up its own candidate, the firebrand Hyderabad MP said I had warned you people during the 2015 assembly polls not to be fooled by the promises of the so-called Mahagathbandhan. You did not pay heed and ended up voting for Nitish Kumar who is now sitting in the BJPs lap. You must not repeat the same mistake again when haath (Congress poll symbol) wallahs are again seeking your votes with nothing more to offer other than the fear of BJP. You must not forget this party was in power in Bihar as well as at the Centre when the Bhagalpur riots took place and when the premises of the Babri Masjid were unlocked, Owaisi said. You must also ask the Congress why it stopped its own late MP Asrarul Haque, who represented this constituency, from speaking on the triple talaq debate on the floor of the Parliament, he said. BJP president Amit Shah is openly threatening to drive out your community from Assam in the name of implementing the National Registry for Citizens. And all we hear from the Congress is breast beating with the refrain what can we do. We have only one MP from the state, Owaisi remarked sarcastically. Are they unmindful of the power of one. A tiger roams around alone and still rules the jungle. And God Almighty is also one, the fiery orator said with his trademark flourish. Training his guns at Nitish Kumar, Owaisi said the Bihar Chief Minister had immense love for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the two make a pair as perfect as that of Laila and Majnu. Notably, Kumar had snapped his 17-year-old ties with the BJP in 2013 expressing disagreement with the party projecting Narendra Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate. After the Mahagathbandhan, which came into being when he joined hands with arch rival Lalu Prasads RJD and the Congress, trounced the NDA in 2015 assembly polls he again returned to the BJP-led coalition in 2017. The Seemanchal region (north-eastern Bihar, bordering West Bengal and Bangladesh) has been neglected by all those who have represented this region in elected bodies. Give your votes to our candidate Akhtar-ul-Imam. He will ensure the regions well-being single-handedly on the lines of the solitary battle I am waging on the triple talaq issue, Owaisi added. New Delhi: Union Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh, a senior BJP leader from Haryana, has offered to resign from the Cabinet and from Rajya Sabha. The announcement, made by the minister during a press conference at his official residence, followed the selection of his son Brijendra Singh's name as the BJP candidate from Hisar in Haryana. The senior leader said he has informed the BJP president Amit Shah about his resignation offer, with which he wants to send across a message of anti-dynastic politics as his son has got the Lok Sabha ticket. When BJP goes for elections...they're against dynastic rule, so I thought it proper that if my son gets nomination I should resign from RS & Ministership. So I've written to Amit Shah ji, that I leave it to the party, forthwith I'm ready to resign, Birender Singh was quoted as saying by ANI. In 2016, he was shifted to Steel Ministry from the Ministry of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation. Singh had joined BJP in 2014 after his over four-decade-old association with the Congress party. With Agency Inputs Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Saturday asked the BJP to name its chief ministerial candidate for the state. "The people of Odisha want to know who is the BJP's chief ministerial candidate, from where s/he is contesting the elections," Patnaik said, addressing an election meeting at Daspalla under Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituency, which is going to polls in the second phase on April 18. Alleging that the BJP was afraid of announcing the name of its leader in Odisha, he also took a dig at the saffron party's "double engine" slogan. Patnaik was referring to BJP leaders' frequent call to the people of Odisha to ensure a "double engine" government (the government in Odisha as well as in Delhi) for better development of the state. "That Delhi engine did not come to the state when people were encountering calamities like cyclone and floods. Though the Delhi engine came after calamities, it went to Andhra Pradesh and not to Odisha," the CM said. Earlier, Patnaik had alleged that the BJP-led NDA government did not provide adequate assistance to cyclone-hit Odisha, even as it helped neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. "This Delhi engine will leave the state after the elections. Where is BJP's Odisha engine?" he asked. "The four and half crore of people in Odisha are my family, and I will serve them till the last breath," Patnaik said. Addressing another election rally in Aska in Ganjam district, he said the people of the locality will create a history this time by electing women self-help group (WSHG) member Pramila Bisoi to the Lok Sabha. Apart from fielding a WSHG member as its candidate for the Aska Lok Sabha seat, BJD also has four other women candidates contesting from different assembly segments in the same Parliamentary constituency. "You (the people of Aska) are going to create a history by electing a WSHG member to the Lok Sabha and send four women to the state assembly," Patnaik said. Alleging that both the opposition BJP and the Congress have fielded "criminal elements" as candidates in Ganjam district, the chief minister said he will not allow breach of peace in the region. The second phase of polling will be held on April 18 in Bargarh, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Kandhamal and Aska Lok Sabha segments, along with 35 assembly constituencies under their jurisdictions. Los Angeles: Actor Elisabeth Moss says it is "complicated" for her to be a follower of the Church of Scientology and play a fierce feminist character in "The Handmaid's Tale". In an interview with The Daily Beast, the 36-year-old actor opened up about her personal beliefs and Scientology, which the critics say is at odds with the themes that her hit Hulu drama tries to explores. "Listen, it's a complicated thing because the things that I believe in, I can only speak to my personal experience and my personal beliefs. One of the things I believe in is freedom of speech. I believe we as humans should be able to critique things. I believe in freedom of the press... "The things that I believe in personally, for me, 'The Handmaid's Tale', and the ability to do something that is artistically fulfilling but is also personally fulfilling, I've never had that. 'The Handmaid's Tale' lines up so perfectly parallel with my own beliefs in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the things that this country was actually built on," Moss said. When pointed out that her religion has a history of expressing anti-LGBTQ views, Moss said she has a different opinion. "It's like, it's a lot to get into and unpack that I can't do. But that is not my bag. I am obviously a huge feminist and huge supporter of the LGBTQ community and believe so strongly. I can't even tell you, in people being able to do what they want to do, to love who they want to love, to be the person that they want to be, whoever that is," she said. "To me, it's a huge reason why I love doing the show. That's all I can say. I can't speak to what other people believe, I can't speak to what other people's experiences have been. That's where I stand and the only place I can speak from is my own," she added. Moss, who has rarely spoken out about Scientology in public, said she prefers to stay silent about her beliefs because "it's so hard to unpack in a sound bite or an interview". "I choose to express myself in my work and my art. I don't choose to express myself about it in interviews. I don't choose to talk about not just religion, but my personal life, who I'm dating and that kind of thing. So for me, it's so hard to unpack in a sound bite or an interview, but I will say that the things that I truly believe in are the things that I've mentioned, and I think that they're very important," the actor said. "I think people should be allowed to talk about what they want to talk about and believe what they want to believe and you can't take that away and when you start to take that away, when you start to say 'you can't think that', 'you can't believe that', 'you can't say that', then you get into trouble," she added. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Hollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Politician and actor JK Rithesh, who was last seen in RJ Balajis LKG, died of cardiac arrest while he was campaigning in his hometown Ramanathapuram. He was 46 years old. As per the reports, he was rushed to the hospital after he complained of severe chest pain. Trade analyst Ramesh Bala tweeted, ''#BREAKING : Actor and Ex-Lok Sabha MP #JKRitheesh who was recently seen in the movie #LKG is no more.. He died of a heart attack sometime back in #Ramanathapuram. May his soul RIP!'' Varalaxmi Sarathkumar paid her condolences via Twitter. She wrote, ''One of the nicest human beings Ive ever met.. #JKRitheesh sudden deaths like this one is such a shock to the family.. I hope they find strength..lets all take a min to mourn for him and may his soul rest in peace.. god bless you wherever you are sir.. u were an amazing soul.'' Rithesh played a negative role in LKG, which had RJ Balaji and Priya Anand in the lead roles. He has acted in several films like Kaanal Neer, Nayagan and Pen Singam. He was born in Kandy, Sri Lanka in 1973 and later, in 1976, his family migrated to Rameshwaram. He debuted with 2007s Kaanal Neer, and later, he took a break from acting to join politics. He started off in politics with DMK, but in 2014, he left the party and joined AIADMK. New Delhi: Today marks the 128th birth anniversary of Babasaheb BR Ambedkar, the father of Indian constitution. Known for his campaigns against social discrimination towards the untouchables, he was independent Indias first Minister of Law and Justice. Ambedkar was a prolific student earning doctorates in economics from both Columbia University and Economics and gained a reputation as a scholar for his research in law, economics, and political science. In 1990, the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, was posthumously conferred upon Ambedkar. Ambedkar Jayanti 2019: Here are top 5 quotes by the father of the Indian constitution 1. Freedom of mind is the real freedom. A person whose mind is not free though he may not be in chains, is a slave, not a free man. One whose mind is not free, though he may not be in prison, is a prisoner and not a free man. One whose mind is not free though alive, is no better than dead. Freedom of mind is the proof of one's existence. 2. Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man's life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self too. 3. Humans are mortal. So are ideas. An idea needs propagation as much as a plant needs watering. Otherwise both will wither and die. 4. History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict, victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force to compel them. 5. Slavery does not merely mean a legalised form of subjection. It means a state of society in which some men are forced to accept from others the purposes which control their conduct. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Srinagar: A Hurriyat leader was intercepted at the Srinagar airport on Sunday for allegedly carrying over Rs 14 lakh "unaccounted" cash, officials said. Aga Syed Hasan Mosavi, a noted Shia leader, was briefly detained by the Jammu and Kashmir police after he landed in Srinagar from Delhi with the cash of Rs 14.38 lakh. It is suspected to be unaccounted and has been seized in view of the election season, the officials said. The case has been transferred to the Income Tax Department and Mousavi has been summoned before an investigating tax officer on Monday, the officials said. The Income Tax Department is looking to ascertain the source of the cash, which is primarily believed to be from a Shia organisation based in Iran, the officials added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: They jeer, whistle, clap and mock her. An elderly man dances in the procession. Another man waves a flag. This all-male mob was captured on camera for verbally harassing a woman in Madhya Pradeshas Jhabua. Her fault? She was having an affair with a an outisde her caste. Angry over her decision, the village decided to teach her a lesson and as form of punishment, they ordered her to carry her lover on her shoulders in the open field. The matter came to light after the video of the incident went viral. According to news agency ANI, which has also tweeted the viral video, the local police has arrested two men following the incident. A #WATCH Madhya Pradesh: Villagers force a woman to carry her husband on her shoulders as a punishment in Devigarh, Jhabua allegedly for marrying a man from a different caste. (12.4.19) pic.twitter.com/aNUKG4qX7p a ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2019 In the video, the woman believed to be in her 20s, is seen huffing and puffing as she carries her husband on her shoulders. The villagers continue to mock her. The moment she stops to catch her breath, the hurl abuses. This awalk of shamea forced by the village shows the poor state of women in India.A Last year, a Thomson Reuters report had said that, aIndia is the most dangerous country in the world to be a woman because of the high risk of sexual violence and slave labour.aA According to the survey, India was also the most dangerous country in the world for cultural traditions that impact women, the survey found, citing acid attacks, female genital mutilation, child marriage and physical abuse. India was the fourth most dangerous country for women in the same survey seven years ago. A CNN report had said that despite tough laws in post-2012 gangrape scenario,A around 100 sexual assaults are reported to police in the country every day, according to the National Crime Records Bureau, with nearly 39,000 alleged attacks reported in 2016, an increase of 12% from the previous year. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Security forces are on high alert in Jammu & Kashmir after an intelligence agency issued an alert regarding Pulwama-like terror attack on Srinagar National Highway. According to reports, the intelligence inputs suggest that terrorists may use a motorbike to carry out a blast on the highway. The government has decided that the Jammu-Srinagar highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, will remain closed for civilian traffic twice a week i.e. on Wednesday and Sunday till May 31 to facilitate smooth movement of security convoys. The ban on civilian movement will be in place from 4 am to 5 pm. The governments decision has drawn sharp criticism, especially from the mainstream parties and business community in the Valley. The alert has been issued days after Pulwama terror attack in which 40 personnel travelling in a bus, part of a convoy from Jammu to Srinagar, were killed by a suicide bomber as he exploded a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED). The CRPF cavalcade that came under attack on February 14 had seventy-eight vehicles and the ill-fated bus was fifth in line. Pakistan-based banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, the CRPF has decided to procure a new fleet of mine protected vehicles (MPVs) and small 30-seater buses to ensure safety of its troop convoys in the Kashmir Valley. The paramilitary has also decided to enhance the number of its bomb detection and disposal squads (BDDS) for its about 65 battalions based in the Kashmir Valley for anti-terror and law and order duties. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A massive fire broke out at a rubber godown in Siraspur area of Delhi. According to reports, 26 fire tenders have been rushed to the spot to extinguish the fire. The exact reason behind the fire is yet to be ascertained. No casualties have been reported. This is a breaking news story. More details will be added soon. Please refresh the page for the updated version. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir Police have identified the terrorist who shot dead RSS leader Chandrakant Sharma in Kishtwar on Tuesday. CCTV footage has helped reveal the identity of the terrorist. Three to four terrorists used an Alto car to carry out the attack, according to the police. The main accused Zahid Hussain Sagar, who used to live near a local school is on run. The police said the efforts are on to nab the attackers. 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 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. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Beijing: Chinese scientists have discovered a possible death switch mechanism in plants immune system that triggers infected cells to self-destruct, thus limiting the spread of the disease and keeping other parts of the plant healthy, official media here reported on Friday. Scientists said the discovery provides clues to cell death control and immunity for plants, and they hope further research can lead to a new generation of disease-resistant crops that use significantly less pesticide and are more environmentally friendly. The research was done by scientists from Tsinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Genetics and Development Biology. Their findings were published in the journal Science on Friday. About 20 years ago, scientists discovered that plants, like animals, have robust immune systems that can protect them from pathogens including viruses, fungi, bacteria and parasites. Plants also have a unique lure and catch immune response to deal with pathogens that have breached their cellular defence, but exactly how this worked remained unknown, Zhou Jianmin, a researcher at the institute and one of the main scientists behind the study was quoted by the state-run China Daily reported. To probe this mystery, Zhou and his team investigated a protein called AvrAC, which is produced by a bacterial pathogen that causes black rot on cabbage. The bacterium injects AvrAC into plant cells, where it acts as a biochemical weapon weakening the plants immune system. They discovered that some plants have evolved to carry a resistance protein called ZAR1 that can detect bacterial proteins like AvrAC. These plants use special proteins as bait and trick the bacterial protein into attacking them instead. While the bait is being attacked, ZAR1 is activated to form a multiprotein structure called resistosome, Zhou said. The resistosome inserts itself into the cells membrane and triggers it to destroy itself along with the invading pathogens, thus protecting other healthy cells, he said. In addition to discovering this defence mechanism, Zhou and his associates from the Tsinghua University created structural models of the resistosome from their research. This allows other scientists to examine its composition and functions more closely. The death switch is usually harmless to the plant because it only affects diseased cells, which are a tiny portion of the entire plant, Zhou said. Understanding and taking advantage of this mechanism can help us create new disease-resistant crops that rely on their own immune system to fend off pathogens and thus greatly reduce the need of pesticide, which is good for the environment, he said. Sophien Kamoun, a plant pathologist at the Sainsbury Laboratory in the United Kingdom, said in a video interview that the recent discovery is important because it shows what resistosome looks like for the first time and it proposes a totally new model for plant pathology and immunity. The discovery is a huge step toward the dream of designing new resistant genes from scratch. And once we know how the system works, we can harness it for the benefit of agriculture, he was quoted by the Daily as saying. Kang Zhensheng, a professor of plant pathologist at Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University in Yangling, Shaanxi province, called the discovery a milestone that will lead the fields of plant pathology and immunity for the foreseeable future. Zhou Xueping, the director of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Institute of Plant Protection, said Chinese agriculture constantly faces serious threats from diseases and pests, and a good solution to these problems is to boost the crops own immunity. Once we have a better understanding of the procedure, we might be able to create some intricate genetic designs that allow precise deterrence against diseases and pests, while ensuring crop yield, he said adding further research may lead to a new generation of disease-resistant crops. For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Services of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp --A three major social networking sites -- which had been down across the globe, including India, for more than an hour, are back again, accordingA to users. Users on TwitterA on Sunday afternoon started complaining that they were unable to use social media networking platforms.A While Facebook and Instagram were both inaccessible, WhatsApp messages weren't being sent or received. Users of Facebookas main services took to Twitter to share that they are facing the problem. According to traffic-monitoring website DownDetector, the outage was first noticed around 5 pm IST. Users started heading to other social media platforms to report issues accessing the services moments later as reports of outages filtered in from parts of North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Me trying to see if Facebook is back up yet. . . #FacebookDown pic.twitter.com/anQfXFY7Tu a Cara Long (@bandclong) April 14, 2019 The moment you realise you can get back on the #OlympicChannel Facebook and Instagram after a social media outage. Y In case you want to test it for yourself: FB Y https://t.co/vMgtGdnvFr Instagram Yhttps://t.co/Ra7GBZbmbA pic.twitter.com/1ivHcRjXLi a Olympic Channel (@olympicchannel) April 14, 2019 Facebook has back to normal. and as usual,Twitter will be abandoned and forgotten again until the similar tragedy of today happened again in future. accept your destiny, Twitter..you existence might not in vain but you are destined to be a reserve platform forever#FacebookDown pic.twitter.com/FpNjDp1akd a Amir Asyraf Alwi (@amirasyrafalwi) April 14, 2019 What'sapp and facebook fixed now.. It's working come back. It was so irritating period without these social bucks. a Haris Nawaz Awan (@haris_mcm) April 14, 2019 Facebook & Instagram users coming back to twitter like pic.twitter.com/VvJS5QcBhW a Rick Lane Radio (@lilpoptarrt) April 14, 2019 The outage comes exactly a month after Facebook went down for almost a full day across parts of North America and Europe on March 14. At the time, the social network had said the outages, which affected users and advertisers worldwide, resulted from a aserver configuration changea, news agency Associated Press had reported. Some media outlets had branded the outage a which also affected Instagram as well as Messenger a as the biggest in Facebook's history.A Melbourne: Two people are fighting for their lives after a shooting outside a Melbourne nightclub, police said Sunday, amid a spate of gun violence in Australia's second-largest city. Police said four men were taken to hospital -- two in a critical condition -- after "multiple people were shot" outside the venue in the trendy inner-city suburb of Prahran early Sunday morning. Three of the men were aged between 29 and 50, with the age of the fourth yet to be determined, police said. A police spokeswoman told AFP the shooting was not believed to be linked to terrorism. Investigators were probing links to motorcycle gangs, The Age newspaper in Melbourne reported. Police were expected to provide updates later Sunday. The latest incident came after a spate of shootings in Melbourne in March that left five people dead in four separate incidents. Two of the incidents were believed to be gang-related. Mass shootings are rare in Australia, which has strict firearms laws introduced in 1996 after 35 people were killed by a gunman in Port Arthur. A murder-suicide last year which left seven members of a family dead in Western Australia was the country's worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur attack. Meanwhile, neighbouring New Zealands governor general formally signed into effect sweeping gun laws outlawing military style weapons, less than a month after a man used such guns to kill 50 people and wound dozens at two mosques in Christchurch. Governor General Patsy Reddy signed the bill as police said a gun buyback program will be announced to collect the now-banned weapons. The weapons will be illegal starting at midnight, but police said a brief amnesty program will be in effect until details of the buyback are announced. "For people who find themselves now in possession of a prohibited firearm, we ask you to please notify us," Police Deputy Commissioner Michael Clement said. "The collection of firearms will occur at a later stage. " He added that "for now, there is an amnesty in place and we ask people to please notify us," he added. Anyone who retains such a weapon now faces a penalty of up to five years in prison. Exemptions allow heirloom weapons held by collectors or weapons used for professional pest control. The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed by a final vote of 119 to 1 legislation banning the weapons after an accelerated process of debate and public submission. "The Government acted quickly to change New Zealand's firearms laws and Police is now responsible for implementing and enforcing these new laws," Clement said. Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, 28, was charged with 50 counts of murder and 39 counts of attempted murder. The royal commission set up to investigate issues surrounding the massacre is examining how he obtained a gun license in New Zealand and purchased weapons and ammunition. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: Trade frictions are seen as the main source of uncertainty for a slowing global economy, but there are more glimmers of hope for a US-China agreement. While there is no deadline for ending the protracted trade war with China, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Saturday the talks are nearing their conclusion, a fresh signal of progress. Mnuchins remarks came on the margins of Spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, which were once again dominated by fears US trade policy could upset global economic growth. The IMF predicted this week that the slowing world economy should begin to rebound in the latter part of 2019 - provided in part that the worlds top two economies resolve their differences. In a final statement from the meetings Saturday, the IMFs steering committee, which represents the organizations 189 members, recognized the need to resolve trade tensions and support reforms of the World Trade Organization that have been demanded by the United States. While the IMF itself has warned against the self-inflicted wounds of tariffs and trade barriers, the committee itself steered clear of what has become an unexpected hot button in a forum once devoted to trade liberalisation. IMF chief Christine Lagarde said many officials at the meetings in Washington actually made their views well known about the benefits of trade for economic growth. Chinas deputy central bank governor, Chen Yulu, warned that the protectionism of some countries has harmed mutual trust among countries, although he did not name the United States. In the meantime, Washington this week rattled EU nations by threatening a new set of tariffs in retaliation for subsidies to the aviation manufacturer Airbus while separately prepare for new trade talks with Japan. Mnuchin reiterated that President Donald Trump wants his team to the focused more on a good deal with Beijing rather than on a quick one. It is more important to get it right than have arbitrary date, Mnuchin told reporters. But Im hopeful were getting close to the final round of concluding issues. In shuttle diplomacy since January between Washington and Beijing to resolve their nine-month trade war, both sides have continued to express cautious optimism without predicting success. Mnuchin said officials in Washington and Beijing held a round of telephone talks last week, with more planned for the coming week, and are discussions on whether further in-person meetings are required. A sticking point in the talks has been American officials insistence that any final agreement have teeth - and that they retain the ability to impose fresh tariffs should Beijing backslide on its commitments. Mnuchin declined to get into details on Saturday. There are certain commitments the United States is making in this agreement and there are certain commitments that China is making, he said. And I would expect that the enforcement mechanism works in both directions. This is a very, very detailed agreement, covering issues that have never been dealt with before, Mnuchin added, noting that the text currently had seven chapters. Trump said last week a conclusion in the talks was probably four weeks away but since discussions began earlier this year to end the nine-month trade war, the finish line has repeatedly slipped further into the future. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Pakistan is hoping for "re-engagement" with India after the Lok Sabha polls as structured dialogue will help the two countries understand mutual concerns, resolve disputes and build the edifice of durable peace and security, Pakistani High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood has said. In an interview to PTI, Mahmood, who has been appointed Pakistan's next Foreign Secretary, also said there was a need for an "objective" narrative about Pakistan in India which could facilitate peaceful, cooperative and good neighbourly ties. "We hope for re-engagement after the elections in India. Diplomacy and dialogue are indispensable," he said. The comments came nearly six weeks after India's military planes struck a terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot and Pakistan's subsequent counter-offensive. The flare up triggered fears of a war and countries like the US and China played a role in de-escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Mahmood said diplomacy and dialogue are indispensable to improve ties between the two neighbours and that engagement was the only option to understand mutual concerns and ensure peace, prosperity and security in the region. "Sustained engagement and structured dialogue would enable the two countries to understand mutual concerns and differences, resolve outstanding disputes and build the edifice of durable peace, security and prosperity in the region," Mahmood said. Mahmood left for Islamabad on Sunday after nearly a 19-month long tenure as Pakistan's envoy to India. He is expected to take up his new assignment on Tuesday. He also said that there was a need for a review about the narrative on Pakistan in India. "There is also a need to review the narrative about Pakistan in India. A narrative is needed that captures the reality in Pakistan objectively and more fully. A narrative that also helps recognise opportunities for peaceful, cooperative and good neighbourly relations," he said. "We must strive for stable peace, equal security and shared prosperity for ourselves and the region," the envoy added. In signs of easing tensions, Pakistan around two weeks back announced that it was releasing 360 Indian prisoners, mostly fishermen as a "goodwill gesture. The initiative was followed by Pakistan High Commission here granting visas to 2,200 Sikh pilgrims from India to facilitate their participation in the annual Baisakhi celebrations in Pakistan. Over two weeks after the Balakot strike, India and Pakistan held talks to finalise the modalities for setting up a corridor linking the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur with Gurdaspur district in Punjab. Asked about the Kartarpur corridor project, the Pakistani High Commissioner said Islamabad was committed to completing the physical infrastructure on its side. "The government of Pakistan is proceeding in full measures to complete the physical infrastructure on its side and it is hopeful that the modalities will be mutually agreed between the two sides in good time before November 2019," he said. In a major initiative last November, both India and Pakistan agreed to set up the Kartarpur corridor to link the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib -- the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev -- to Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur. Kartarpur Sahib is located in Pakistan's Narowal district across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. In another significant move in May last year, India and Pakistan agreed to adhere to the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control after a spate of cross-border firings between the two sides along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. The relations between India and Pakistan remained tense since 2016. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had travelled to Delhi to attend Modi's oath taking ceremony and the Indian premier had in December 2015 made a stopover in Lahore to greet his counterpart on his birthday. However, the ties nose-dived following a string of cross-border terror attacks in 2016 and India's subsequent surgical strikes. After the terror attack on Pathankot airbase in January 2016, India had announced that it will not engage in talks with Islamabad until it stops cross-border terrorism. The sentencing of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to death by a military court in April 2017 further deteriorated bilateral ties. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. London: As a symbol of the woes of Britains Brexit-era democracy, it could hardly be bettered. Lawmakers had to be sent home in mid-debate last week when water from a burst pipe began gushing into the House of Commons chamber. The image perfectly illustrates Parliaments problem as it tries to solve the puzzle that is Brexit. On the outside, the UK institution is resplendent, a world-famous symbol of democracy sitting majestically on the River Thames. On the inside, its decrepit and increasingly unfit for use. The hidden flaws in Britains political system have been laid bare and televised worldwide since voters chose, almost three years ago, to leave the European Union. Decision-making has ground to a standstill, even as business leaders and residents alike cry out for certainty. Many Britons feel a mix of frustration, fascination and shame at the ongoing political chaos. So do politicians on both sides of the Brexit divide. I am ashamed to be a member of this Parliament, said pro-EU Liberal Democrat lawmaker Norman Lamb after lawmakers once again failed to find a way forward on Brexit. Bill Cash, a pro-Brexit Conservative, said this week that Britain had been humiliated by failing to leave the EU on time. The last few months in Parliament, as lawmakers repeatedly tried and failed to agree on a roadmap for Britains departure, have produced close votes, late nights and high drama. Its a political soap opera that has sent the viewership of Parliaments live-streaming website soaring and made an international celebrity of House of Commons Speaker John Bercow, with his bellowing cries of Orderrrrr and The ayes have it! But all the sound and fury signifies not much. Britain is no further out the EU door or clearer about its post-Brexit direction than it was at the start of the year. A divorce agreement struck between Prime Minister Theresa Mays government and EU late in 2018 lays out the terms of an orderly UK departure and promising close future ties. Since January, Parliament has rejected it three times. Pro-Brexit lawmakers wont vote for it because they favour a more definitive break with the bloc. Pro-EU politicians reject it because they think its a poor substitute for EU membership. Parliament has also voted on other options including leaving without a deal and holding a new referendum on Britains EU membership. And twice lawmakers have rejected them all. To avoid a chaotic no-deal departure that could devastate an economy already weighed down by Brexit uncertainty, May has twice gone to the EU asking for more time. Despite the blocs increasing exasperation at Britain, it has twice agreed, delaying Brexit Day first from March 29 to April 12 and then again until October 31. British businesses breathed a sigh of relief, but feared the respite would be temporary unless politicians can resolve a political crisis that been building since the surprise result of the 2016 Brexit referendum. Amid widespread mistrust in politicians, a feeling that had been growing for years, voters opted to leave the EU against the advice of the government, most economists and major business groups. Britains political system has proven itself ill-equipped to implement the demand. Mays Conservative minority government does not have a majority of seats in Parliament a rare occurrence in Britain and struggles to deliver its policies. The countrys two main parties, Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party, are both internally divided over Brexit and have begun to fray, with more than a dozen lawmakers quitting in recent months to sit as independents. Pro-EU backbench lawmakers have gone to war with the government, seizing control of the parliamentary timetable to hold debates and votes on Brexit. Pro-Brexit Conservatives have demanded that May resign for failing to take Britain out of the EU. In this environment, Parliaments stressed, exhausted politicians and their staff are frankly relieved at the 10-day Easter break that began on Friday. The prime minister has implored them to relax, reflect and come back ready to strike a Brexit compromise. In the meantime, Mays government is still holding talks with Labour in hopes of finding common ground. But there are few signs of any emerging consensus. Brexiteers in the Conservative Party are still plotting to remove May and replace her with a more strongly pro-Brexit leader, such as former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Pro-EU politicians are still hoping to secure a new referendum on Brexit that could deliver a mandate for Britain to stay in the bloc. Labour craves a national election, despite the risk that voters could decide to punish all politicians amid exasperation over the Brexit debacle. There is no end in sight to the Brexit drama, which has left observers around the world scratching their heads and sometimes chuckling at Britains plight. Richard Ashworth, a British member of the European parliament, told EU colleagues that Brexit had had produced a sad nation, divided like never before, and a House of Commons in crisis. Let Brexit stand as a cautionary tale to the people of Europe, he warned. But some observers feel sympathy as Britain so publicly struggles with deep, divisive questions about its values and place in the world questions that are not confined to the UK. Parliament is representing the divisions in our county, said Anand Menon, director of the UK in a Changing Europe think-tank. Its brutal. Its horrible. Its inconclusive. Its democratic politics at its most visceral. Among international observers I speak to, there is a sense of, There but for the grace of God go I.'" For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Connecticut is moving closer to legal recreational marijuana, and that has employers worried about how it will affect their workplace. What were concerned with is the fact that we have members that have workplace safety issues, said Louise DiCocco, counsel with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, in response to lawmakers approving legislation that would create the framework for the legal sale of recreational marijuana in the state. Connecticut already allows medical marijuana. Many of the concerns, DiCocco pointed out in a CBIA article, focused on the effect legalization would have on companies in the defense, manufacturing and construction industries. The bill still has a way to go before it is finalized, and legislators are considering it a work in progress, but employers particularly federal government contractors are hoping that they will be able to maintain their zero-tolerance and drug screening policies. State initiatives legalizing marijuana for medical purposes do not alter Lockheed Martins obligation as a federal contractor to maintain a drug-free workplace, reads a statement from Stratford-based Sikorsky, which is among companies that must adhere to federal laws, including the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988. Marijuana is still considered a Schedule I drug on the federal level regardless of state laws allowing medical or recreational use. The federal statute, some employers feel, will expose them to civil liability if an employer has a good-faith belief that an employee possesses or appears impaired by cannabis. Obviously, you cant have people utilizing marijuana under federal drug law, DiCocco said. State lawmakers say they are considering the business communitys concerns in drafting the final bill. What I want to make clear in the legislation is just because state law may have changed to allow the recreational purchase of cannabis, it does not change the workplace environment where an employer needs to make workplace accommodations for that, said state Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, who also serves as co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, which voted to advance several marijuana-based bills. Among the legislation the committee moved along this past week was a bill Stafstrom sponsored stating that employers would not have to make accommodations for or allow employees to use or possess cannabis in the workplace. While that is a start, business owners are looking for more, according to DiCocco The goal is to have there be distinct language that will allow any employer to set policies that they want, especially those that have federal contracts, she said. Marijuana and employment laws in California and Oregon were among the examples that the CBIA want lawmakers to heed in drafting Connecticuts recreational legalization bill. Both states still allow employers to decline employment or fire workers for using marijuana, on or off the job, if they test positive for marijuana in the workplace. A new standard Some industry observers think employers that dont deal with federal contracts may have a harder time in the face of legalization. I think companies are going to have to rethink if they are doing drug testing and what it is they are going to be testing for, said David Lewis, president of OperationsInc, a human services outsourcer in Norwalk. I think companies are then going to have to figure out how to effectively address those individuals who they suspect of being under the influence. In states where marijuana is still illegal, Lewis said, its very easy to have a zero-tolerance policy and eliminate people as candidates if they fail a drug test. But if businesses began refusing candidates based on their legal recreational use of marijuana in states where it is legal, they could end up hurting their businesses facing a lack of manpower or legal troubles. Those factors now have to weigh on businesses, Lewis said, adding that he expects many businesses may stop testing for pot in their drug screening altogether if cannabis is legalized. Employers in California have begun adapting to the times, and even in New York City, where recreational pot is still illegal, city council members passed legislation prohibiting private and public employers from drug screening job applicants for marijuana use. A big danger for employers would be making sure that policies are enforced across the board to avoid civil liability lawsuits. Steve Lattanzio, an attorney for the state Department of Labor, said employers are already in a tricky situation with legalized medical marijuana. He expects an increase in civil suits amid disciplinary actions if the state moves forward with legalization of recreational marijuana. Youve got to be careful, Lattanzio said. Thats why the employers are reluctant to weigh in on this because they dont want to invade the persons privacy and find out in court that they didnt have the legal basis to do the test. Drug testing in the workforce is traditionally for pre-employment and random screenings if it is part of the employment policy. An employer can also order a drug screening if they have reasonable suspicion, which stands to create more problems for businesses because it leaves employers to prove that the worker was under the influence on the job. Considering a person can test positive for THC, the chemical in marijuana that can cause users to experience a high, even weeks after they used it, Lattanzio said, it creates a conundrum for businesses. The whole problem with this is, unlike alcohol, you can only test positive or negative for a drug, he said. A blood alcohol test gives a threshold to see if a person is under the influence at the time of the test. Normally in drug tests, if the reading is positive, Lattanzio said, the doctor at the lab must contact the employee or the persons physician to find out if there is a legitimate reason for the positive reading. If the reason checks out, he said, the doctor would tell the employer that the person is clear. The real problem, according to Lattanzio, is when non-federal contracting employers conflict with a state law. That was the case with a Niantic-based nursing home that rescinded its employment offer to a Connecticut woman who was a medical marijuana user because she tested positive in a pre-employment screening. The courts ultimately ruled in favor of the applicant because medical users are protected by the states Palliative Use of Marijuana Act, or PUMA. Music is my life, says Nile Rodgers, the Grammy-winning composer and producer whose concerts are described as all killer and no filler. Rodgers was in Hawaii for a gig when we caught him on the phone to chat about his New York show with CHIC; its set for The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, on Thursday, April 25. The interview was back in January because his schedule is so packed. He had only a few days free before leaving to start a tour with Cher. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who co-founded CHIC and pioneered the kind of music that led to such hits as Le Freak said hes honored to be playing at Westchester Countys historic Capitol Theatre. Heres whats really cool, he said of the show hell squeeze in while opening for Cher on her Here We Go Again tour. I live in Westport and in New York City, so ... I can stay at either house. Even cooler is that the 66-year-old guitarist and two-time cancer survivor is working on new music all the time. Earlier this month he was in Londons Abbey Road Studios helping pop star Dua Lipa with her second album. Rodgers is also planning a follow-up to his latest album, Its About Time, on which he collaborated with stars such as Sir Elton John and Lady Gaga. He said he wants to work with as many artists as possible. Ive cheated death more times than I can count, said Rodgers, who is 25 years sober. Music saved my life. Rodgers said the last time he drank was at a Madonna party where he jammed with a musician he considered a genius. He thought hed played well, but was embarrassed when he heard a recording. He felt hed let people down. I couldnt live with the feeling that drugs and drinking were taking a toll on my music. The legend decided music was what mattered, and made the changes he needed to keep it his priority. On the day of our chat his focus was on touring with Cher. We know each other quite well from the old days, said Rodgers, who also has written, produced or performed on records with artists from David Bowie (Lets Dance) and Madonna (Like a Virgin) to Sister Sledge (We are Family). Those efforts led to sales of more than 500 million albums and 75 million singles worldwide. The years have flown by, he said, noting he has also collaborated with Duran Duran, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and David Lee Roth. My life has taken on a momentum that I would never have believed possible. Rodgers said its interesting, fun and challenging to think about performing at the Capitol Theatre with CHIC, a band that has sold out arenas around the globe. The Capitol Theatre is like my backyard because I live here. More Information The Capitol Theatre, 149 Westchester Ave., Port Chester, N.Y. Thursday, April 25, 8 p.m. $79.50, $59.50, $45, $35 (advance), $84.50, $64.50, $50, $40 (day of show). 914-937-4126 See More Collapse He said he and CHIC want to give the audience a chance to experience what millions have seen us do around the world. Our concerts bring back a sense of nostalgia and a sense of fun. Our show is nothing but hit songs. We could play for four hours and you would know every song. Honestly, were only restricted by time limits and curfew. lkoonz@newstimes.com; Twitter: @LindaTKoonz DANBURY Temperatures arent the only things rising this time of year serious concerns about drones are, too. With spring and summer coming, I imagine there are going to be a lot more people flying drones, said Mike Safranek, assistant administrator at Danbury Municipal Airport. This is an extreme safety concern for the airport because its life and death on the line. Drones have become increasingly popular over the last three or four years, said Safranek, which is very dangerous from an airport standpoint. And their popularity is causing anxiety at large and small airports around the country and in fact, around the world. Over the last few months, airports from New Jersey to as far away as Dublin, Ireland and Dubai have grounded flights after drones were spotted in the vicinity of their tarmacs. Small unmanned aircraft are a concern for other Connecticut airports like the Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Airport, a Bridgeport-owned airport located in Stratford. I wouldnt say theyre a problem, but I would say that theyre a concern for all airports, said Michelle Muoio, Sikorsky Memorial Airport manager. With drones are becoming more common and rules pertaining to them still evolving, Muoio said, its important to raise awareness about drones and what the responsibilities of a drone operator are. Recent scramble Last Sunday in Danbury, several fixed-wing aircraft pilots reported a drone in the airspace as they were landing, Safranek said. When a pilot reports it to the tower, the tower is obligated to call the airport, and when I get notified, Im obligated to call the police, Safranek said and thats exactly what happened. The suspected drone operator was spotted on Harvard Drive, wearing a red hoodie or sweatshirt, Safranek said. Four officers scoured the neighborhood looking for the drone and its operator, but never found them. We dont like having officers traversing a neighborhood looking for a drone guy but wed much rather have them find a drone guy than a plane crash, said Safranek. About 60,000 aircraft fly in and out of Danbury Municipal Airport each year, according to Safranek. Were the No. 1 or No. 2 general aviation airport in New England, he said. A lot of people dont realize that a drone can bring down a plane thats what were trying to prevent. Although Sikorsky hasnt had such an experience, Muoio said, drones outside the airports airspace have raised alarm. The air traffic controller has gotten reports from pilots out of our airspace who have seen drones way above the altitudes that they really should be flying like 1,000 to 1,500 feet, she said. That is very concerning. Safranek said his biggest concern is how a pilot would react to a drone is in his or her flight path during takeoff or landing. These, he said, are two critical phases of flight. If youre driving down Main Street and a car pulls out a little too far, your reaction is to swerve. If you do that in a critical phase of flight, youre going to have an adverse reaction on the aircraft, Safranek said. Were constantly worried about a drone popping up into a flight path and a pilot having an adverse reaction and crashing. In an effort to prevent that, Safranek said, he and the Danbury Fire Departments drone program administrator, Jamie Gagliardo, are trying to educate people about the dangers of flying drones in airport airspace, as well as the legal repercussions for doing so without permission. Laws and regulations Its against federal law to operate an aircraft without prior authorization or permission within five miles of an airport, Safranek said. I dont think a lot of people realize there are federal agencies that will prosecute. Since the city of Danbury doesnt have an ordinance pertaining to drones, he said, the airports protocol is to take a persons information down and turn it over to federal authorities. Drones are considered real aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and all operators must comply with federal rules, regulations and safety requirements. Drones can only be flown in uncontrolled airspace below 400 feet above the ground, and commercial drone operators need permission from the FAA before flying in controlled airspace. More reputable drones, like the ones used by the citys fire department, come with built-in geofencing technology that prevent them from going into restricted areas, Gagliardo said but cheap drones, like the ones sold in malls, dont come with such restrictions. A drone with geofencing technology will hover midair once it reaches a restricted area boundary, he said. It can go up and down and side to side, but it wont propel forward no matter how much you try. The fire department had to petition the maker of one of its drones to lift the built-in restrictions so that it can be used for public safety purposes, said Gagliardo. Cheap drones, like the ones you can buy at a center kiosk at the mall, dont even come with restrictions and those can go 1,000 feet in the air, Gagliardo said. Those drones, he said, pose a huge risk because they can hinder the fire departments public safety efforts. If the department is using a drone for a search and rescue mission, SWAT response or at a fire scene and another drone enters the airspace, Gagliardo said, the fire department has to withdraw its aircraft until the airspace is cleared. FAA rules and regulations say to avoid public safety scenes like structure fires theres a bunch of stuff youre not allowed to fly around, Gagliardo said. The FAA prohibits drone-flying in a number of areas, including airports, stadiums and sporting events. They may also not be flown over any emergency or rescue operations. Even town parks, dog parks, state parks and flying over people are off limits for non-commercial drone operators, Gagliardo said. Safranek said even with a commercial license, a drone operator needs authorization and the air traffic control towers approval before flying in the airports airspace. About 50 authorization forms have been approved for the Danbury airport area, said Safranek mostly for commercial use like surveying. Muoio, at Sikorsky, said she believes awareness of commercial operators needs improvement. There are differences between a recreational user and a commercial operator of a drone, and a commercial operator has stricter rules that they need to follow, she said. I dont think entities are as aware as they need to be about flying drones for commercial purposes. If youre operating for commercial purposes, its different than if youre operating a drone for recreational purposes. Although they typically do what theyre supposed to, Muoio said, there have been occasions where commercial operators who have their certificates of authorization have flown in Sikorskys airspace but failed to inform the air traffic control tower. Safranek and Gagliardo said they fear drone problems will only get worse, and thats why theyre trying to inform the public about the dangers associated with them. At the end of the day, were trying to save human lives, Safranek said. kendra.baker@hearst.com NEWTOWN A Watertown man crashed his sport utility vehicle while naked and under the influence early Saturday and entered a strangers unlocked house, police said. Joseph Achenbach, 35, of Watertown, was charged with second-degree criminal trespass, second-degree reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct, evading responsibility and driving under the influence. Around 8 a.m., Newtown police said, officers responded to a house on Church Hill Road after homeowners reported to police they got home from shopping to find a naked man they had never met before walking around their house. Obviously this was a very terrifying situation for the homeowners and we are very happy our officers were able to respond in a prompt manner, and apprehend the suspect without anyone getting hurt, according to a statement from Lt. Aaron Bahamonde. Although he said he didnt want to speculate as to a possible motive, he said he could say with certainty that alcohol and/or drugs played a role in Achenbachs behavior. The homeowners called police from outside their home and officers arrived within minutes and took Achenbach into custody. Police said Achenback pulled off of Church Hill Road and crashed his Ford Escape into the rear yard of the owners home while they were out. He then went inside the home through an unlocked sliding glass door. Police said they were unable to find Archenbachs clothes and believe he was naked before crashing his SUV and entering the home. He was held on $5,000 bond and is expected in court on Monday. MILFORD At the Bridgeport Avenue Stop & Shop, a man stood by the lot entrance with a sign that read, No gas. With company employees on strike for the third day, customers hoping to fill their tanks at the supermarkets station would have to look elsewhere. Stop & Shop locations in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island are closed or partially operating as workers hold their picket lines to protest cuts stipulated in the companys contract proposal. As passing drivers honked their horns in support of employees, spirits seemed high. Coffee supplies stood near the picket lines at Milfords two store locations, an indication that customers were behind the strikers. Employee Jia Khan said customers have not been going inside to shop, but have instead brought boxes of coffee to the employees. The customer support is such an awesome feeling that I just sat down and cried, Khan said. In her 15 years with the company, Khan said, she has never been on strike until now. The support is great from the customers, said another employee, who asked not to be identified because the union has asked workers not to share information. At around midday, the employee said he had seen fewer than 10 people enter the store since 6 a.m. Even those customers may have only stopped by to use the pharmacy or bank located inside the store, he said. We love our job you know, we just want a fair deal, Khan said. Workers walked out Thursday to oppose the companys contract offer, which would raise health care premiums, cut pension benefits and increase wages by less than two percent for many part-time workers, according to a release from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. The proposed cuts by Stop & Shop, whose parent company earned $2 billion in profits in 2018, would devastate health care benefits, significantly increase health care costs, and decrease take home pay, the release stated. In response to the strike, Stop & Shop has posted updates on its website, providing information on the companys offer as of Friday. According to the companys post, the current offer would involve just a small increase in premiums, keeping them below the national average. It would also maintain existing, vested pension benefits and increase company pension fund contributions. It is unclear whether Stop & Shop has amended its offer since strike began. In a message dated April 12, Mark McGowan, president of the companys New England division, urged local unions to resume negotiations. Our team is standing by and remains ready to continue negotiations anytime. We hope that the UFCW local unions return to the table to reach a fair and responsible contract now. McGowan went on to endorse the current offer. Importantly, the offer also maintains a responsible balance in rewarding our associates, protecting jobs and serving our customers in a dramatically changing, mostly non-union environment, the message said. The New Haven Democratic Town Committee, however, sent a letter to the Stop & Shop New York Metro Division on Friday to express its support for the striking employees, emphasizing that the workers deserve affordable health care, a living wage, and a better security for retirement. We vow today to never cross their picket line, but instead to show up in droves for them with water, food, and unending support for their just and dignified cause. We urge you to negotiate immediately for a fair contract, and offer these workers the quality, access, and advancement they deserve for the hard work they provide everyday for our communities, the letter said. meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com In his study of why Democracy succeeded in the United States when it had failed elsewhere, Alexis DeTocqueville in 1835 noted the importance of community and association. His two-volume Democracy in America observed, among many things, how the positive instinct for belonging to a community, neighborhood, church or club strengthens democracy. Nearly two centuries later that remains true, even as society becomes isolated by electronic gadgets. Every local community, fortunately, has individuals who get involved to make it a better place. Often they are volunteers who care about their place on this earth. In Bethel, two such people who were intricately involved in community life have died recently and the loss is keenly felt. Larry Craybas and Geraldine Mills were respected community figures who loved their adopted town in their own ways. Craybas was 77 when leukemia claimed his life on April 6. Mills was 88 when she died on March 1. Many would know Gerri from her younger days when she would portray Queen Isabella in the annual Columbus Day parade down Greenwood Avenue. On a boat atop a trailer, she would grandly wave to spectators. (She was proud of her Irish heritage, but was one of the instigators of the parade.) Her bright red hair was her trademark. In conversations, she would find a way to work in mention of her late husband, Ed, who had been a first selectman from 1981-84. They had moved to Bethel in 1974. Gerri served on a variety of boards and committees through the years. Even as her health declined in recent years, she still knew more about the goings on in town than most people. She enjoyed calling journalists to fill then in on something or other. Hi honey, she would start, I wont take more than a minute of your time, I know youre busy.....and then, after lots of laughs, we would hang up 15 or so minutes later. I miss her calls already. Larry Craybas was a true gentleman. He came across as serious and caring, particularly for educating the towns children. He was chairman of the Board of Education for eight years, and vice chairman for two. Larry and his wife Joan lived in Bethel for 39 years. The first time I spoke with Larry, years ago, probably about a Letter to the Editor, he thanked me and told me to go to the Gift Cottage, a shop on Greenwood Avenue owned by his wife. Shell give you a chocolate, he said. Oh, I cant accept a gift, I said, but I will stop in. And have many times. At the Bethel High School graduation last June, Larry and I chatted before the ceremony started. He was concerned about nasty anonymous comments on websites and wanted to discuss civility and free speech. Thats how he was: thoughtful and wanting to explore all sides of an issue. My interaction with these Bethel icons is as a journalist. Close friends, family members and colleagues in civic life will see other facets. I just felt compelled to offer tribute and appreciation for their dedication to the Bethel community we call home. A mass for Larry Craybas will be at 11 a.m., April 16, in St. Marys Church; visiting hours are from noon to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. in the church the day before. A service for Gerri Mills is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., April 27, in St. Marys Church. Jacqueline Smith is editorial page editor of The News-Times in Danbury and The Norwalk Hour. Email her at jsmith@newstimes.com Retired special education teacher Sam Goldenberg of West Haven continues to go to bat for a student he taught in the 1970s, and now after exhibits at the Arts Council of Greater New Havens gallery, the Knights of Columbus Museum and the University of Hartford, former student Bruce Gillespie and his art will make it to Yale University. The Yale Divinity School will exhibit a dozen Bruce Gillespie drawings (depicting the 10 Commandments) in an exhibit from Thursday, April 18, through June. Gillespie, in his 60s, has Down syndrome and lives in Danbury, where Goldenberg noticed his passion for drawing so many years ago at the Danbury Regional Center. From noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Dean Gregory E. Sterling will give opening remarks about Gillespie to invited guests and present him with a medal, followed by a film Goldenberg and friends made about the artist. And Gillespie will be there doing what he always does drawing, said Goldenberg. Why continue to advocate for this former student? I think its to promote not only his artwork but Down syndrome itself, said Goldenberg in a phone chat. I think the Down syndrome population is just a great population; we appreciate their talents wherever they are. During Marchs Downs Syndrome Month, Goldenberg ran a free music/art event for the population and their families at the K of C Museum, in fact. I really have an interest in ... people understanding Down syndrome ... that just because you have a Down syndrome child, it doesnt mean he or she doesnt have a lot to offer. When Gillespie was born, his parents were told to just leave him at the hospital and hed be institutionalized. But they didnt. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and Down syndrome children really possess a lot that we can learn from, Goldenberg said. Gillespies thing, he said, is the art, done with felt-tip markers and paper. He just wants to draw all day long; its really the love of his life, is drawing. And whats special about him is he has a very unique way of looking at everything, a very special innocence in looking at things and drawing things. Hes a grown man, but its like looking through pure eyes, you know? Months ago, Goldenberg met with Sterling, who was intrigued and introduced him to Director of Communications Tom Krattenmaker, to help set up the art exhibit. Sterling said in an email that YDS attempts to provide a venue for artists from a wide range of backgrounds to display their works. This is the first time that we will feature an artist with Bruce Gillespies background. It is fascinating to see how he interprets different biblical stories; some of the examples that I have seen are quite creative. We think that Bruces life and art will inspire us and remind us of the importance of individuals who face challenges that the rest of us do not. Exhibited also in Hartford, the Yale exhibits biblical drawings were actually begun many years ago when Goldenberg was hoping to put together a book illustrated by Gillespie. But then they lost touch for many years. The drawings are with a real sense of humor, too, he said. We would do one drawing a week back when we did it. And he kept the continuity of the idea throughout. ... He illustrated everything through a family a mother, father and a baby. The drawings are funny, like (for) You should rest of the Sabbath day, he has the baby with his hands behind his neck like hes resting on a hammock. Teacher and student would discuss a commandment and then Gillespie would say Got it and go about his drawing childlike but also mature and contemplative, said Goldenberg. Gillespie cant write words, so for the drawing of Moses taking the tablets down form Mt. Sinai, he drew musical notes on them. Obviously its a simple art form, but there is a lot of ideas and beauty and creativity in how he does it. With fellow volunteers such as Goldenbergs wife, Mary Kay, and friends Joe Tamagni and Mark Messina, not to mention Gillespies nephew/driver Ron Howe from Danbury, Goldenberg plans another exposure-spreading exhibit for this unlikely artist. Divinity school officials emphasized the event is open to the public, free of charge with free parking in their lot. (To get to their parking lot, drive up the driveway on the side of the building and the lot will be on the left.) Entrance is in the back of the building. jamarante@nhregister.com; @Joeammo on Twitter Contributed Photo / Google Maps NEW HAVEN Two men were shot in the city on Saturday, according to police. Shortly after 8 p.m., New Haven police officers responded to the intersection of Kensington Street and Edgewood Avenue for a report of a shooting. According to Capt. Anthony Duff there was a ShotSpotter alert for gunfire and numerous 911 calls reporting gunfire and a person shot. NEW HAVEN Life is pretty much a one-way street. You cant go back to your favorite points along the way. But as we move through life, our experiences are enhanced by echoes of what got us here. So while I no longer can hold or talk to my late grandparents Beryl and Molly Zaretsky and Harry and Mildred Mimi Field and even their memories fade over time, I think about them at key times along the way. Those sweet memories are like touchstones to enrich and guide me through life. On Passover every Passover I think of Grandma Molly. And gefilte fish. Its not that I love her any more or less than anyone else in the family. Its just that she made, to the best of my recollection, The Best Gefilte Fish On Earth. Gefilte fish a Passover tradition from generation to generation It was perfect for me. Sublime. Not too light but not too dense. Fishy but savory. A little peppery. Not too sweet with a nice, flat, button-sized slice of cooked carrot on top. (As many of you know, these sorts of recollection are not strictly a Jewish thing. Substitute the family comfort food of your choice. I have African-American friends whose grandmothers made The Best Fried Chicken On Earth and Italian-American friends whose mothers or grandmothers made The Best Sauce [Meatballs, Pizzagiana...] On Earth.) To make her prized gefilte fish, Grandma Molly did all the work by hand with a hand-cranked grinder. She went into gefilte fish production mode at least a couple of times a year . But Molly, a first-generation arrival from what then was known as Byelorussia (now Belarus) is long gone now. She died when I was 14 or 15 and for years I could honestly say I hadnt had truly wonderful gefilte fish since she left us. I cant bring it back, any more than I can bring her back. But over the past few years, I decided it was time to learn to do what Molly did and make the elusive gefilte fish, myself, with the hope of some day replicating her recipe. I was daunted, however, by the work involved and worried about spending all that time and ending up being with a giant fish pot full of disappointment. This story gave me the opportunity. So, with an assignment to write about it in my back pocket, I put out the word to find some of the best gefilte fish makers in Connecticut and Connecticut, with some help from Judy Alperin of the Greater New Haven Jewish Federation, put me in touch with Judy Zellman Sklarz. On a sunny Thursday in March, I showed up at the door of Sklarz Westville home. Sklarz, a bonafide Jewish grandmother who has been married to her husband, Mark Sklarz for 47 years, led me to her kitchen. We set to cooking. I think it scares people off ... Its a process, said Sklarz of the process of making gefilte fish the most mysterious part of the Passover seder meals of my youth. But if youre comfortable in the kitchen, it doesnt bother you. As it turns out, I am quite comfortable in the kitchen. Since we live in 2019, not the 1960s, Sklarz who like Grandma Molly uses only whitefish and pike to make her gefilte fish let the fish monger, in this case the #1 Fish Market in Hamden, do the fileting and heavy-duty grinding. The market returned the ground fish five pounds of whitefish and 2 1/2 pounds of pike along with the chopped-off fish heads, tails, fins, skin and bones, which we would use with some carrots, onions, salt and pepper to make a fish broth in which to cook the hand-formed oval fish balls before we chilled them to serve. No carp. This is a controversial choice in some quarters. Some Jewish grandmothers swear by carp. But both Sklarz and the other gefilte fish diva Alperin recommended, Marlene Schweitzer of Orange like my Grandma Molly only use whitefish and pike. (And my late grandma and grandpa actually owned a popular fish market in Chicago, so I will defer to her good judgment.) My grandmother did use carp... Sklarz said. Its a dark meat fish with a fishier taste, she said. Schweitzer described carp as very hard to chop its sinewy. Her secret to making great gefilte fish is the mix of sugar and pepper she uses, and you should not chop it or grind it too fine. Lump-bumpy, she said. Its got to have a lumpy-bumpy texture. Sklarz learned how to make gefilte fish from her Aunt Sylvia Shapiro Anderson, who in turn got the recipe from her grandmother Justine Shapiro, a native of western Poland. Schweitzer learned how to make it from her New York-born mother, using the recipe of her grandmother, who came from Warsaw, Poland. Her mother would sit at the counter and watch me, and offer help if needed, she said. One thing I have learned is that it is virtually impossible to make gefilte fish one of the things that connect us Jews to our ancestors without talking about past generations and how they did it. These days, with some modern conveniences at our disposal (and fish that, unlike in my grandmothers days, costs a full-service $10 a pound,) weve got it a little easier. So no need to actually grind the stuff yourself, unless you want to. He did a good job he was better than most at cleaning the fish, Sklarz said, referring to the guy at the fish market. Any veins left could color the broth and darken or tint the gefilte fish, she explained. Some fish are easier to clean than others, Sklarz said. Even though #1 Fish did a good job, she spent the first few minutes cleaning the veins out of the fish parts. Anything that might turn a color, you have to get out, said Sklarz, who uses only white onions, not yellow, for the same reason. Then, after wrapping them up in cheese cloth, she tossed the heads, tails, fins, skin and bones in a big, old pot, added coarsely-chopped onions and carrots. She filled it with water, turned on the stove and started it boiling to make broth. (Had she not done business with a fish market that fileted and ground the fish for us, the process would have taken a bit longer, been a bit more tedious and Sklarz would have ground the onions and fish together in a food processor, she said.) Now that shes retired from her former jobs with the New Haven Police Department and later Project Longevity and United Way in Bridgeport, and has the time, Sklarz makes her gefilte fish in a two-day process. She makes the broth Day 1 and then makes the fish balls and cooks them in the broth on Day 2. But on this day, we did it all in succession. I got involved in a hands-on sort of way when the time came to stir successive waves of chopped onions, matzo meal, salt and pepper, along with five jumbo eggs, into the fish mixture. It took me about 20 minutes and now I know why Grandma Molly had such strong arms. When the fish mixture is all ground up, mixed with the other ingredients and ready for cooking, it doesnt look that different from matzoh ball mix, said Sklarz. I got involved again when the time came carry the big bowl which nevertheless was about half the size of the giant bowl Grandma Molly used to work with to spoon the mixture out, hand-form it into fist-sized oval fish balls. Then we dropped them into the steaming pot of fish broth, using a big serving spoon to avoid splashing ourselves. Without having to filet or grind the fish ourselves, we started about 12:15 p.m. and were ready to drop the fish balls into the pot of fish broth by 1:15 or so, joined at times along the way by Sklarzs neighbor, Jessie Palumbo. In addition to the carrots and onions used to flavor the broth, Sklarz cut up a few, more finely-sliced carrots to drop in later in, which would be used to garnish the fish or, in my grandmothers style, be served in slices lain directly on top of them. Then it was just a waiting game to let the fish balls which in our case filled two good-sized pots cook, simmering in the briny broth for another hour and a half over a medium flame. Were this one of the hectic days leading up to Passover and not just a leisurely Thursday afternoon in March, Sklarz said she would would have been making something else charoset? potato kugel? maybe some kosher-for-Passover sponge cake? while she waited. By 2:40 p.m., the gefilte fish traditionally served cold, despite all the cooking involved was ready to remove from the steaming pot and let cool before going into the refrigerator to begin chilling. To serve them, you just lay a piece of fish on a small plate, maybe with a bit of lettuce underneath and a slice of carrot on top, then serve it with either red or white horseradish, or both. Gefilte fish generally is served as an appetizer to the Passover seder meal. When all was said and done, I had a better idea of what goes into making gefilte fish and all the work my grandmother did and, having been walked through it once, am way more ready to begin taking a whack at making it myself. Thanks, Judy and thanks, Grandma Molly! Aunt Sylvias / Judy Sklarzs original gefilte fish recipe (courtesy of Judy Zellman Sklarz): Begin with 5 pounds whitefish and 2 1/2 pounds yellow pike (cleaned thoroughly) keep skin, bones, head. After fileting, lay fish carcasses & skin in bottom of a large aluminum pot. Add: 2 large diced white onions and 1 pound carrots, scraped and sliced. Fill pot 2/3 full with water. Add 2 handfuls of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of white pepper. Bring pot to a boil and simmer. Correct salt and pepper to taste Grind fish filets with the onions. Add 5 jumbo eggs, 1 at a time (lightly beaten with a little water.) Add 1 1/4 cup matzo meal, alternately with eggs. (Mixture should not be too wet add extra matzo meal if needed.) Add 2-3 teaspoons of white pepper and 3 teaspoons of salt.(Check flavor and adjust to taste.) Once fish mixture is thoroughly mixed, hand-form good-sized fishballs into ovals (keep hands wet to avoid sticking.) Put in pot, using large serving spoon to avoid splashing. Cover when finished and raise temperature. Keep at a gentle boil for 1 hour. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Remove fish to bowl. Strain broth and discard bones, skin, etc. Save broth and carrots and combine with fish. Chill until cold. Judys 2014 Addendum: Instead of boiling fish balls with bones, remove all fish skin, bones, heads and vegetables once broth is made and strain into a clean pot. Let sit overnight, if possible. The next day, heat broth and bring to a boil. Add new, cut carrots (about 1 pound. Add fish balls. Cook for 1 hour, adjusting temperature so pot doesnt boil over. mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media NEW HAVEN Police do not yet know whether there is a connection between the three shootings in the city on Saturday. Four people were injured in the gunfire, leaving one of the victims in critical condition. Capt. Anthony Duff, police spokesman, said it is unknown whether the incidents are related. NEW HAVEN A 19-year-old woman was shot while she was apparently riding in a car that was fired at Saturday evening in the Route 80 area, police said. The woman was one of four people who were shot Saturday in three separate incidents, police said. In the incident at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday, officers responded to reports of gunfire on several streets in the area of Foxon Boulevard, also known as Route 80, Capt. Anthony Duff said in an email. The officers found a parked car on Foxon Street that had been struck by gunfire and a short time later a gunshot victim arrived by car at Yale New Haven Hospital, Duff said. The 19-year-old New Haven woman suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the shoulder, he said. Investigators believe the victim may have been a passenger in a moving vehicle that was fired upon at the time of the reported gunfire, he said. Officers held two crime scenes and the victims vehicle for further investigation. Duff said it is not yet known whether any of the Saturday shooting incidents are related. He named the other incidents as: Sherman Parkway/West Ivy Street 1:50 a.m. Kensington Street/Edgewood Avenue 8:02 p.m. Any witness to the incidents are asked to call the New Haven Police Department Detective Bureau at 203-946-6304. A Superior Court judge in Camden County has decided that a quadriplegic facing gun and drug charges will be tried, come hell or high water. The 25-year-old who claims police broke his neck during a 2014 arrest in Camden had argued through his attorney that the charges should be dismissed because he is too injured to leave his hospital bed in a care center and come to the courthouse. But after seeing Facebook posts showing Xavier Ingram had left the facility in a motorized wheelchair in past years, Judge Morris G. Smith said he believes Ingram could probably come to court and if not, he can appear in court via a video feed. Mr. Ingram is not inextricably bound to his rehab center, Smith said during an April 4 hearing. When he wants to get out, he can get out. Ingram was 20 when he was arrested on June 12, 2014 after police suspected he had ditched a gun while walking between parked cars. Ingram fell while running from them, and police maintain that the fall is what broke his neck. Ingram said in a deposition that the two rookie cops that cuffed him kneeled on his neck and back and beat him before a superior officer walked up and stepped on his neck till Ingram heard it crack. He also maintains that police planted the gun and drugs. Ingram has filed a civil suit against the police department, Chief J. Scott Thomson, and the three officers involved in his arrest: then-Sgt. Jeremy Merck, and officers Nicholas Marchiafava and Antonio Gennetta. Police spokesman Dan Keashen called the suit baseless and frivolous. Both sides have interpreted the poor surveillance footage of the arrest to their benefit, and both have hired medical experts who will testify that the injury is from a fall or police brutality. A civil jury will have to decide who to believe, likely later this year. His criminal case has been stalled for nearly five years, due mostly to the fact that his attorney and medical providers said he couldnt come to court. That was the basis of the motion to dismiss filed by Ingrams attorney, Robert Dunn, in February. Backed up by reports from Ingrams doctors, Dunn argued that it would be almost impossible and potentially painful for Ingram to be tried in court. It would require daily ambulance rides, a hospital bed and monitors in the courtroom, and nursing staff to reposition him frequently, administer medication and change his colostomy bag, he wrote. But the assistant prosecutor in the case, Matthew Spittal, convinced the judge that Ingram was not as bound to his hospital bed as he claimed. He provided photos he found on Facebook of Ingram, in a motorized wheelchair, hanging out with family, friends and fellow gang-members in Camden. Im tired of this, judge, Spittal declared at a hearing April 5. Ive been to court multiple times and told he cant get here and it takes me 30 seconds on Facebook on public pages to find pictures of him around the city. Dunn said Ingram hasnt been able to leave his nursing facility for non-medical reasons for more than two years, and the photos were all taken between June and December of 2016. Ingrams cousin, Muneerah Abdur-Rahmaan, said in a sworn statement to the court that Ingram was only ever able to leave seven times, usually for a period of hours, to attend funerals or memorial gatherings for relatives or friends, or to worship at a local mosque. She is a licensed practical nurse and could care for him for a short time on her own, she said. Both Dunn and Abdur-Rahmaan said that Ingrams condition has deteriorated, so he hasnt left a nursing home for a non-medical reason since then. He has undergone multiple surgeries over the years, Abdur-Rahmaan said, including a December kidney surgery that left him septic, in a coma and breathing through a ventilator. He recovered and was discharged back to his nursing facility in Hammonton in January, she said. Smith said that if Ingrams condition is deteriorating, thats an even better reason to move forward with the trial. It may be harder in 2019 than it was in 2016, but to the extent that this motion to dismiss is grounded in the concept that he physically cant ever come out of the rehab center, I think that thats a finding I cant make, Smith said. I find just the opposite, that he can get out of the rehab center, albeit with difficulty. The judge also said he believes there is no legal reason that Ingram could not virtually appear in court via video conferencing technology, but Dunn has argued that it would be a violation of his civil rights because he is not voluntarily absenting himself from court. The judge also seemed surprised to hear from all that Ingram had given a deposition in his civil suit, and said it indicated he was apparently willing to participate in that court matter. Ingrams deposition was taken at his bedside in a nursing facility in Pennsauken, in 2015. Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. A 49-year-old man has died from his injuries after he was shot late last month, authorities said Sunday. Anthony Lewis, of Camden, died Saturday at Cooper University Hospital where he was being treated after he was shot in Camden on March 24, officials said. Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo and Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson said in a release their investigation is ongoing. Lewis was shot around 11:30 p.m. inside a residence on the 2500 block of Carman Street, they said. No arrests have been made. Anyone with information can contact the prosecutors office Detective Elvin Nunez at 856-614-8078 or Camden County Police Detective Edward Gonzalez at 856-757-7042. Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. How can you compare the performance of elementary and middle schools schools with vastly different resources, serving completely different populations? Its not easy, but New Jersey is trying. The state last month released the results from the second year of a new school rating system, revealing the highest-rated schools on a scale of 0-100. Based primarily on standardized test results, the ratings are far from a complete picture of a schools performance, state officials say. But they give a snapshot of how each school is doing in key categories the state and federal government think are important. Middle schools are elementary schools are graded on the same criteria, and the highest-rated schools include many suburban schools, some charter schools and urban schools for high-achieving students. Check out the top 50 elementary and middle schools below, and dont panic if you dont see your school on your list. Superintendents and the states largest teachers union say the ratings are oversimplified and way too reliant on standardized tests. How the ratings were calculated Schools were scored on a several factors, including many required by the federal government. The performance of key groups, such as minority and economically disadvantaged students, was given equal weight to a schools overall performance. Heres what counted: English language arts growth (20 percent), math growth (20 percent), progress toward English language proficiency (20 percent), English language arts proficiency (15 percent), math proficiency (15 percent), chronic absenteeism (10 percent) 50. Lincoln School Location: Pompton Lakes Score: 88.58 | Percentile: 97th 49. Old Farmers Road School Location: Long Valley Score: 88.59 | Percentile: 97th 48. Cherry Hill School Location: River Edge Score: 88.65 | Percentile: 97th 47. Woodland School Location: Warren Score: 88.89 | Percentile: 97th 46. Barley Sheaf Elementary School Location: Flemington Score: 89.09 | Percentile: 97th 45. Yardville Elementary School Location: Hamilton Score: 89.11 | Percentile: 97th 44. Crim Primary School Location: Bridgewater Score: 89.18 | Percentile: 97th 43. Riverview Elementary School Location: Denville Score: 89.35 | Percentile: 98th 42. Lakeview Elementary School Location: Denville Score: 89.49 | Percentile: 98th 41. Brookside School Location: Allendale Score: 89.52 | Percentile: 98th EJA 40. Stony Brook Elementary Location: Pennington Score: 89.67 | Percentile: 98th 39. Soaring Heights Charter School Location: Jersey City Score: 89.78 | Percentile: 98th 38. Highland Elementary School Location: Midland Park Score: 89.93 | Percentile: 98th 37. Terrence C. Reilly School Location: Elizabeth Score: 90.21 | Percentile: 98th 36. School No. 3 Location: Cliffside Park Score: 90.27 | Percentile: 98th 35. St. Cloud Elementary School Location: West Orange Score: 90.34 | Percentile: 98th 34. Hamilton Primary School Location: Basking Ridge Score: 90.37 | Percentile: 98th 33. Hillsborough Township Elementary School Location: Hillsborough Score: 90.61 | Percentile: 98th 32. Lyncrest Elementary School Location: Fair Lawn Score: 90.61 | Percentile: 98th 31. Warren Point Elementary School Location: Fair Lawn Score: 90.63 | Percentile: 98th 30. Brayton Elementary School Location: Summit Score: 90.74 | Percentile: 98th 29. Hatikvah International Academy Location: East Brunswick Score: 90.75 | Percentile: 98th 28. Hillside Elementary School Location: Closter Score: 90.86 | Percentile: 98th 27. Pace Charter School of Hamilton Location: Hamilton Score: 91.18 | Percentile: 98th 26. Radburn Elementary School Location: Fair Lawn Score: 91.35 | Percentile: 98th 25. Hillview School Location: Pompton Plains Score: 91.38 | Percentile: 99th 24. Glenwood School Location: Short Hills Score: 91.61 | Percentile: 99th 23. Joseph D. Sharp Elementary School Location: Cherry Hill Score: 92.72 | Percentile: 99th 22. Merritt Memorial Location: Cresskill Score: 93.36 | Percentile: 99th 21. Henry B. Milnes Elementary School Location: Fair Lawn Score: 93.37 | Percentile: 99th EJA 20. Cornelia F. Bradford School Location: Jersey City Score: 93.61 | Percentile: 99th 19. Markham Place School Location: Little Silver Score: 93.68 | Percentile: 99th 18. Essex Fells Elementary School Location: Essex Fells Score: 93.91 | Percentile: 99th 17. Zane North Elementary School Location: Collingswood Score: 93.93 | Percentile: 99th 16. Clark Mills Schools Location: Manapalan Score: 94.00| Percentile: 99th 15. Lincoln-Hubbard Elementary School Location: Summit Score: 94.05 | Percentile: 99th 14. Mendham Township Middle School Location: Brookside Score: 94.84 | Percentile: 99th 13. The Gray Charter School Location: Newark Score: 95.04| Percentile: 99th 12. Alexander Hamilton School Location: Glen Rock Score: 95.19 | Percentile: 99th 11. Edith A. Bogert Elementary School Location: Upper Saddle River Score: 95.22 | Percentile: 99th 10. Washington Elementary School Location: Westfield Score: 95.27 | Percentile: 99th 9. Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School Location: Somerset Score: 95.49 | Percentile: 100th 8. Woodmont School Location: Pine Brook Score: 95.53 | Percentile: 100th 7. Upper School Location: Englewood Cliffs Score: 95.79 | Percentile: 100th 6. Little Falls Township Public School No. 3 Location: Little Falls Score: 96.17 | Percentile: 100th 5. School No. 1 Location: Fort Lee Score: 96.24 | Percentile: 100th 4. Mendham Township Elementary School Location: Brookside Score: 96.31 | Percentile: 100th 3. Knollwood School Location: Fair Haven Score: 96.73 | Percentile: 100th 2. Wyoming School Location: Millburn Score: 97.05 | Percentile: 100th 1. Edward H. Bryan School Location: Cresskill Score: 97.47 | Percentile: 100th Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. JERSEY CITY Carolina Cano would never return after leaving her home for a jog on March 24. But on Sunday morning, her community finished her run in her absence. More than 200 people from the Lincoln Park community jogged through the early morning fog on Sunday to honor Canos memory, while a small ceremony was held later in the day to plant a tree in her name. Its a terrible crime a woman was victimized and a community was victimized, said Megan Carolan, an organizer of the run this morning who also organized a vigil in the park. But its important to honor her memory and come together and say This is our community, one terrible act of violence isnt going to take that away from us. On March 24, Cano, 45, went out for an early morning jog in Lincoln Park. She was assaulted and later found dead in the lake at the center of the park. Her alleged killer, Jorge Rios, appeared in court Thursday on charges of kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault. Both he and Cano lived two blocks from the park. Cano, a Gautier Avenue resident, was originally from Peru and worked as a nanny. She attended the Church of God of Prophecy in Jersey City. "She was just a sweet, sweet person," said Cesarina Santos, a fellow church member. "She used to be the first one every Sunday morning to open the church. That was always her word: everything is about God." The county has moved to bolster security measures since the tragedy. On Thursday, freeholders approved funding for ten additional cameras to be installed throughout the park bringing the total to 47, according to county Freeholder Bill ODea. More lighting is in the works, and eight blue light stations will also be installed throughout the park. The stations provide a direct, emergency line to the Hudson County Sheriffs Office. After the run, local dignitaries held a small ceremony to plant a tree in her memory. The County will be installing a plaque later this month "so... many years from now, people will be able to remember someone who we know was such a beautiful church member who cared about her community," O'Dea said. A GoFundMe page was set up to assist family members in Peru to come and make funeral arrangements. The page has since passed its initial goal of $5,000 as of this report the page has garnered $5,400. And the page will likely see more funds coming in: participants in the memorial run donated monies today as well. Someone told me today that they were glad they came because it was therapeutic, they had been uncomfortable coming back since it happened, Carolan said. "And even though we know it was an anomaly, sometimes an emotional reaction is hard. But this park is incredible it feels good to spend time here. Its the lifeblood of this neighborhood. Corey W. McDonald may be reached at cmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @cwmcdonald_. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. EDITORS NOTE: Entrepreneurs everywhere are eyeing the billion-dollar legal weed industry, an economic opportunity unrivaled in modern N.J. history. NJ Cannabis Insider features exclusive weekly content geared toward those interested in the marijuana industry. View a sample issue. WASHINGTON Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday would allow you to use your credit card to buy legal weed. The measure would let legal marijuana businesses to open bank accounts, write checks and take credit cards. New Jersey has yet to legalize recreational weed but qualified patients can buy medical marijuana. The fact is, we already have legal medical marijuana businesses in New Jersey, said U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., who introduced the measure along with 21 other senators of both parties. What they dont have are bank services to pay employees, take credit cards, write checks or pay taxes," said Menendez, a member of the Senate Banking Committee with jurisdiction over the issue. Instead, theyre forced to operate entirely in cashlarge sumsan open invitation for robbery and crime. Since marijuana is illegal on the federal level, federally regulated financial institutions have been unable to provide banking services even in states that have legalized cannabis. The bill would prevent federal regulators from taking action against banks serving legal marijuana operations as well as related businesses. Lack of access to financial services is creating public safety problems for the rapidly growing legal cannabis industry, as well as interfering with transparency and access to capital for small businesses, said Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association. Menendez said he also plans to introduce separate legislation to allow insurance companies to provide services to legal marijuana businesses. The Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act, or SAFE Act, mirrors legislation that recently passed the House Financial Services Committee after a first-ever congressional hearing on the measure. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Are you interested in the N.J. cannabis industry? Subscribe here for exclusive insider information from NJ Cannabis Insider. Dear Annie: For the past four years, I have taken a yoga class at our local senior center. I am there to work on my physical self, as well as to learn a new way of exercising, and I have enjoyed yoga a great deal. However, I have found that there is a level of competitiveness among a few women in this class that really takes away from what I believe is the spirit of yoga and self-improvement in general. There is one particular woman who is vocal to those who can do things she isnt so skilled at, such as balancing during certain poses. Recently, she pointed out that one of our classmates was able to touch the floor with her head during a pose. Worse, the instructor is also competing with us and a while back asked me whether I was showing off because I had lifted my foot so high. These are women in their 70s still competing and envious and mocking others! I see this in other walks of life, too -- for example, women who brag about how many people they have at their family holiday events or how many hours they worked in their yards or how early they got their Christmas decorations up or down. I was really hoping that by the time we got to these golden years -- done with work, focused on self-enrichment and living our best lives -- this competitiveness would have stopped. I am calling it out to you because I wonder whether others have experienced this among their female friends. Why does it still feel like middle school in these situations? Cant we all just commit to compliments instead of competition as we live out our last years? -- Troubled by One-upmanship Dear Troubled: Real queens fix each others crown. Yoga is about acceptance of others and not feeling judged. The best yoga practitioner has the best intention in her heart. It is not necessarily the person who can touch her toes. There are plenty of people who are physically very flexible but not flexible in their thinking. Though you cant really change what these women do, you can change how you view their silliness. This is true in yoga and in life. The more you compliment others the more you will attract like-minded people. There are women who feel the way you do; you just have to find them. The best way to do that is to become one yourself. Be the person you would want to be friends with to others. You will attract the queens of the world, and you can lift one another up. As for this yoga class in particular, you might drop it and find a new one. It could be that this instructor is setting the tone for the entire class. Dear Annie: The weekly family dinners that Saddened and his wife host are likely a saving grace for their son and family. Parenting young children is exhausting, and if both parents work outside the home, the last thing one wants to do is host company for dinner. There could be myriad reasons the son and daughter-in-law dont host, but I would guess its not for a lack of love or appreciation. I remember that season of raising my children, and I was always beyond grateful when my mother-in-law would have us over for a meal, often forgetting to offer to bring something. Whether or not the offer is ever reciprocated, this family is building happy memories for years to come, and thats the most important thing. Saddened needs to lower his expectations. -- Been There Dear Been There: Your letter offers a very empathetic perspective regarding the parents of young children. Thank you for sharing and pointing out the beauty that these family memories will have for a lifetime. Ask Me Anything: A Year of Advice From Dear Annie is out now! Annie Lanes debut book -- featuring favorite columns on love, friendship, family and etiquette -- is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com. Annie Lane grew up in California and headed east to graduate with honors from New York University, where she majored in English literature and specialized in psychology. She earned her Juris Doctor from New York Law School. Since July 2016, Annie has offered common-sense solutions to everyday problems in her column, Dear Annie. Her advice is unusually perceptive. She is firm, funny and sympathetic, echoing the style of her biggest inspiration, Ann Landers. Annie lives outside Manhattan with her husband, two kids and two dogs. When not writing, she devotes her time to play dates and Play-Doh. COPYRIGHT 2019 CREATORS.COM Dear Annie: I am trying to decide if I should print out the following letter and give it to my wife. What do you think? Dear Leigh: My goal here is not to blame or accuse or criticize. I just want to find a way to better communicate. Please dont get angry or frustrated or feel like I am trying to attack you because that is not the case. The area I am writing about today is intimate relations. We have talked about them before and Ive really tried to provide the requested time, space and distance since last summer. Unfortunately, Ive not seen any real improvements in this area. My purpose is not to criticize or cast blame or anything more than to clear the air and understand needs and expectations. We have virtually no sex life. I have been the initiator in every encounter over the last few months. In the past year, youve had three, possibly four overnight sleepovers at the homes of various female friends, leaving your husband and small child at home. My bottom line is that I feel like we are roommates who sleep in the same bed and raise a child together. We seem to live our own lives other than that. My weight gain hasnt helped, and I know that, too. At any rate, regardless of what the answers are, I really need you to be clear and honest with me, with respect to whether you have ever fulfilled your physical needs elsewhere since we got married 14 years ago, or even if you wanted to but didnt follow through. Have you been thinking about it? If so, and youve yet to take action, is this something you want to explore? These questions keep me up at night. We need to talk about these things, no matter what the answers are. -- Mitch Dear Mitch: While its important to have eye-to-eye heart-to-hearts with your spouse, letters can be a great way to broach sensitive subjects that might otherwise arouse defensiveness. The format gives each partner space to organize and communicate his or her thoughts and feelings. So, yes, give your wife this letter, along with a day to herself to read, absorb and articulate a response. That said, this is but one tool. A marriage counselor could equip you with a full kit for rebuilding the channels of communication and repairing the foundation of your marriage. I encourage you to ask your wife to attend. Please let me know how it goes. Dear Annie: All my life, I focused on my career and nothing else. Ive lived all over the country and in Europe. Im also an Army veteran with a lot of memories that will never leave me, including children dying in their mothers arms. Those memories have shaped me into the person I am today. Now that Im getting closer to the big 5-0, Im hoping to experience what love is before He calls me home. Annie, whats my honest chance to find love and be happy? -- Miserable in Mansfield, Ohio Dear Miserable in Mansfield: Theres no chance you wont, if your heart and mind are set on it. Find activities that offer you fulfillment and enjoyment. Browse Meetup (https://www.meetup.com) to see if any activities pique your interest. Consider seeking therapy to talk about your life experiences and the trauma you experienced while in the Army. Focus on nurturing peace and happiness within yourself -- as well as getting out of your comfort zone, meeting people and trying new things -- and love will follow. You must be whole before you can become anyones other half. Ask Me Anything: A Year of Advice From Dear Annie is out now! Annie Lanes debut book -- featuring favorite columns on love, friendship, family and etiquette -- is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com. Annie Lane grew up in California and headed east to graduate with honors from New York University, where she majored in English literature and specialized in psychology. She earned her Juris Doctor from New York Law School. Since July 2016, Annie has offered common-sense solutions to everyday problems in her column, Dear Annie. Her advice is unusually perceptive. She is firm, funny and sympathetic, echoing the style of her biggest inspiration, Ann Landers. Annie lives outside Manhattan with her husband, two kids and two dogs. When not writing, she devotes her time to play dates and Play-Doh. COPYRIGHT 2019 CREATORS.COM Anthony Kearns spent nine years as the top law enforcement official in Hunterdon County, a place that has for several years seen the lowest overall crime rate in the state. But the problems that plague society do not abide county lines, Kearns says. Anything that happens anywhere else can happen here, and we have to be ready for it and have the skillset to address it, he said. Murders and suspicious deaths require expert investigations. The opioid crisis is increasing taking lives in every corner of the state. And then theres New Jerseys only womens prison, which sits on a rolling swath of land in Clinton and Union Townships. Over the last three years, Kearns office has been investigating claims of sexual abuse of inmates by staff at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility. The inquiry has led to criminal charges against eight staff members. Five were convicted and one acquitted so far. The other two await trials. Kearns, who stepped down from his post on Friday, told NJ Advance Media he considers the ongoing investigation into sex abuse at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women unfinished business. But he said the prosecutors and staff he leaves behind are up to the task, and state authorities are taking steps to curb the abuse. Kearns first assistant prosecutor, Michael J. Williams, will serve as acting prosecutor until Gov. Phil Murphy names a successor. In an interview with NJ Advance Media, Kearns looked back on the untraditional path that brought him from addiction counseling to the law and, now, the Catholic Church, an institution still grappling with its own legacy of sexual abuse. After leaving the prosecutor post, Kearns, 52, will serve as chancellor of the Diocese of Metuchen. His said his new role is at the intersection where civil parts of our society and our church meet, overseeing Catholic Charities and the screening of employees and volunteers who interact with children, as well as advising Bishop James F. Checchio. Its not lost on me, either," Kearns said of the similarities between efforts to stem abuse in the church and behind bars. "I think some members of the episcopacy, the bishops, the clergy in yesteryear, saw the institution of the church as the end itself," Kearns said, lamenting decades of coverups and resistance. A devout Catholic, Kearns insists Bishop Checchio and other New Jersey church leaders are now committed to reform, pointing to the church's cooperation in an ongoing grand jury investigation being run by Attorney General Gurbir Grewal's office. Institutional change can take time, he said. "You can look at Edna Mahan," Kearns said. "We have the state of New Jersey, this bureaucracy, and these inmates are being sexually abused and its taking forever to fix. We have to take pause as a society, as New Jersey, and say, 'this cant happen.' These women have perpetrated some offense that has caused them to be incarcerated, but they deserve the same protections and the same dignity that every other person deserves. State officials for years were reluctant to discuss problems at the prison publicly, but have recently opened up about reforms. Kearns said he recently met with Grewal and acting Corrections Commissioner Marcus Hicks to discuss next steps. Corrections officials have also detailed improvements at the prison, including an overhauled camera system, better training and more avenues for inmates to report abuse. Meanwhile, Hunterdon prosecutors are still making cases, including an arrest earlier this month. The inquiry taxed resources at the Hunterdon County Prosecutors Office, but it was hardly their only job, Kearns said. He pointed to several high-profile murder investigations infrequent in the rural northern county, but still among the gravest cases prosecutors handle. He also spoke of his offices work combatting the opioid addiction crisis, a problem Kearns had faced during his time doing substance abuse counseling in Baltimore in the early 1990s. It affects the inner city as well as the suburban areas, and both are devastated as a result of it, he said, highlighting programs in his office and county prosecutors offices around the state aimed at steering heroin users towards treatment instead of prison. Kearns was sent off by his staff and members of the law enforcement community in a walk-out ceremony on Friday. Appointed in 2010, he is the longest-serving Hunterdon prosecutor in modern history. When I announced to my office (that I was retiring), it was harder than I thought it was going to be, he said. I had to swallow hard a couple times. Moving from law to the church does not daunt the former prosecutor, he said. Raised above his family funeral home in Whitehouse, he was confronted at an early age with the most difficult philosophical questions priests and prosecutors alike face. Death and dying is much like the law: It matters not your age, your nationality, your creed, your socioeconomic status," he said. "Were all going to die, and we all need to adhere to the rule of law. S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips The foodies among us know the name -- Delmonicos. The New York eating establishment, open from the late 19th to early 20th centuries, was the first successful fancy restaurant in the United States. (Its credited with bringing the concepts of a wine list and an a la carte menu to America. It was the spot where fine dining started). Though the restaurant has long shuttered, and different iterations been opened by other owners, the legend of the original eatery lives on. What hasnt survived, though, is the sad tale of Charles Delmonico -- the restauranteur who inherited his familys business -- who met a sad and mysterious end in New Jersey 135 years ago. Joe Fagan, West Oranges townships historian, said he only learned about the story 10 years ago, when he was surfing eBay and came across an article about his town in the New York Illustrated Times. The story, dated Feb 4, 1884, carried this headline: Delmonicos Sad Death. The man was found frozen to death in January at the bottom of a ravine off Northfield Avenue by two boys from Orange. He was 44. There was bit of a mystery as to why he wound up in West Orange and face up in a ravine," Fagan said. The incident was covered heavily in the New York Times, which had several reports of Delmonico turning up missing from his home on West Fourteenth Street in New York. That account, however, differs from Yale history professor Paul Freedman, who wrote a chapter about the Delmonicos in his book, Ten Restaurants that Changed America." He said Delmonico, who suffered from mental illness, escaped from the home of a friend in Long Branch where he had been taken for help. It was a place where they took care of people undergoing mental problems," Freedman said. He couldnt just come and go, but he escaped." Freedman said a similar account is in another book, written in 1967 by Lately Thomas, that is titled, Delmonicos: A Century of Splendor. Still, in the newspaper reports, those who knew Delmonico, feared he may have attempted suicide when he couldnt be found for eight days. Pinkertons Detective Agency followed up on several leads that Delmonico had been in Montclair, Jersey City, and an insane asylum in Philadelphia. The most promising tip was in Newark, where Freedman said two boys playing near train tracks found letters and telegrams that belonged to Delmonico. After he left Long Branch, Freedman said Delmonico boarded a train and was overheard saying that he was going to visit Civil War General George McClellan, who had retired from the union army and lived near Montclair. Delmonico wound up on Northfield Avenue in West Orange, where he was eventually found in the morning by Franklin Hollum, 17 and Edward Peer, 13, who both went rabbit hunting on January 14, 1884. A rendering of Charles Delmonico's death from an 1884 edition of "The New York Illustrated Times." With a large dog in tow, the boys walked up Northfield Avenue and separated along the road that was 25 feet wide with ravines nearly 12 deep on each side. Hollum was on the left side with the dog and Peer was on right side. Each boy had a long stick to help them navigate the terrain and to poke around the underbrush looking for small game that might have been hiding. After nearly a mile up the roadway, Peer spotted something unusual by the estate of Davis Collamore, which Fagan said would intersect with Gregory Avenue today. At that spot, Peer pushed a small bush aside and was frightened when he saw a mans face. A thick layer of frozen mud covered Delmonicos body from his face to his feet, according to news reports. His lips were blue, his hair was matted and tangled in ice. Peer ran to tell Hollum, then the boys ran down the mountain to find Orange Police Chief McChesney. Fagan said West Orange didnt have a police department and was under the jurisdiction of Orange. News reports, however, mistakenly refer to the location where Delmonico was found as being in Orange. Hollum, according news accounts, recognized Delmonico from his picture on flyers that had been circulated in New Jersey about the disappearance of the restaurateur. The chief went to the area with Hollum and one of his officers. When they arrived, McChesney determined that the body was indeed Delmonico. News reports said he may have been there for a week, because his face was frozen when McChesney touched him. McChesney sent a telegraph to the Delmonico family and his close friend, John Hoey, who identified him when he arrived at the scene from New York. A crowd had gathered as the undertakers wagon came to take his body, but that wasnt easy. Delmonicos body was frozen until two men with crow bars loosened the dirt. I was blown away," Fagan said when he learned about the story. I still am." This article is part of Unknown New Jersey, an ongoing series that highlights interesting and little-known stories about our past, present, and future -- all the unusual things that make our great state what is it. Got a story to pitch? Email it to local@njadvancemedia.com. Barry Carter may be reached at bcarter@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@BarryCarterSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. The parents of Samantha Josephson, the student who died last month after she was allegedly murdered by a man she mistook for her Uber driver, will appear on Good Morning America Monday. Samanthas father, Seymour Josephson, announced the appearance Sunday in a Facebook post. He wrote that he and his wife Marci would be discussing ride-sharing safety. Please tune in and pass the message on, he wrote. He did not immediately return requests for comment. The show begins at 7 a.m. on ABC. Samantha Josephson, a 21-year-old Robbinsville-native, was attending college in South Carolina when police say she mistakenly got into a strangers car early in the morning on March 29. Her body was found later that day, and 25-year-old Nathaniel David Rowland was later charged with stabbing her to death. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have signed a petition to ask Uber and Lyft for increased security, and South Carolina lawmakers have proposed requiring ride-share drivers to have illuminated signs. After the latter bill was proposed, Seymour Josephson wrote on Facebook, Nice start. During a vigil for his daughter this month, he told the crowd, I cant tell you how painful this is ... Samantha was by herself. She had absolutely no chance. Blake Nelson can be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCunninghamN. Think of the family that has three toddlers and goes out and buys four glass tables for the living room. The perils are so obvious that were reminded of the phrase, Now you know why we cant have nice things. After last weeks announcement by federal authorities of a nationwide $1.2 billion Medicare scam with a third of the suspects charged in New Jersey we can make the same observation about Medicare for All or any other broad-based, single-payer health care system. Itd be a nice thing to have, but not if it was doomed it from the start. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who just introduced his own revised Medicare For All legislation, should show how hed purge bad guys from the system more effectively than under current Medicare. So should other 2020 candidates who preach some form of single-payer, from our own Sen. Cory Booker, to Kamala Harris, D-Calif. They, along with Sens. Kristen Gillibrand of New York and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, are Democratic primary contenders who co-sponsor Sanders latest bill. Traditional Medicare and its variations now cover about 44.5 million Americans. Age distinctions aside, AARP says that only 15 percent of the U.S. population is enrolled. While most are happier than with private insurance (or no insurance at all, if Republicans ever get their wish of gutting Obamacare), its irresponsible to expand the program six-fold without additional waste, fraud and abuse barriers. Sanders wants for-profit health insurance eliminated. You can argue the pros and cons of tossing out private enterprise for the 85 percent of us who are not now Medicare beneficiaries. You can muse over fat-cat employers being freed from responsibility to pay for workers coverage. Regardless, to prevent us from going broke as individuals or as a nation, single-payer might require limits resembling everything that people hate about commercial insurance coverage denials, requirements for cheaper, less desirable medications. For sure, there would be some administrative savings. But big insurer CEO salaries dont drive up overall health costs the way that unnecessary tests, dubious $4,000 pain creams, and fictitious procedures do. The simplicity of the scam announced last week is scary. It involves medical equipment that is easily prescribed via phone orders. The feds say these originated at unscrupulous call centers, some of them offshore. Add doctors who take kickbacks for writing the scrips remotely, and you have Medicare billed $5,000 for orthopedic braces that recipients might not even need. Although it was New Jerseys taxpayer-subsidized health benefit programs, not Medicare, that was affected, lets not forget the recent Atlantic County-based scandal where public-sector workers were among those paid off to fill fraudulent prescriptions $50 million worth, the feds allege for expensive custom-made pain creams. Seven arrests were made just last month in an ongoing probe in which 20 people have already pleaded guilty. Any realistic attempt at Medicare reform/expansion permits best customer negotiation of its prescription prices, something that Medicare outlaws now. It would certainly help control costs. But analyses of the Sanders bill, for example, say little about beefing up auditing procedures, adding scads more investigators, and setting reimbursement levels so providers cant achieve ungodly profit margins that cover kickbacks for patients as well as yachts for doctors. Its good that law enforcement catches as many scammers as they do. However, installing Medicare for All without a greatly expanded enforcement mechanism is like buying more glass tables when youve just learned youre about to have twins. We want to have nice things, but not until were reasonably sure they wont end up in shards. Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. A 30-year-old man was killed Saturday after his motorcycle crashed on Route 20 southbound in Paterson, authorities said. Miguel Soto, of Paterson, was driving a 2008 Honda CBR motorcycle around 6 p.m. when it made contact with a car, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Troy Oswald said. At that point, Soto lost control of the motorcycle and crashed. Soto died of his injuries, officials said. Albert Barette, 70, of Wayne, was driving the 2008 Acura involved in the incident, officials said. Authorities are still investigating the incident. Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Regarding the recent article, Panel: Suspend judge for remarks to rape victim, a state Supreme Court advisory panel recommended that Superior Court Judge F. John Russo Jr. from Ocean County, be suspended for three months for his conduct toward a rape victim. Among other crude and rude comments, he asked her if she could have closed her legs and Do you know how to stop somebody from having intercourse with you? Then he badgered her for details. Additionally, the panel found that he used his authoritative position as a judge to rearrange the schedule of a personal family court matter, failed to recuse himself from another case involving a couple he personally knew, and in that case reduced the spousal payment owed from $10,000 to a mere $300. Quite a difference. After being on paid administrative leave for nearly two years, (before returning to a civil court post in Burlington County earlier this year), and making a $165,000 salary for what amounted to a really long, paid vacation, the panel majority recommended only a three-month suspension for Russos bad conduct. Three months is not long enough. Three years is not long enough. Judge Russo behavior is cocky and arrogant. He is what gives the justice system a bad name. Hes a disgrace and should be fired, never mind given another vacation. Debi Kelly Van Cleave, Woodstown Editors note: A minority on the advisory panel recommended a six-month suspension for Russo. A July 9 hearing is scheduled for a final ruling on the length. Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com Derrick Nelson lived a life of service, always putting others ahead of himself. He served his country for 20 years in the U.S. Army Reserves. He served his community in his career as an educator and school administrator, most recently as principal of Westfield High School. And he died trying to help another - a sick 14-year-old in France who Nelson never met. As you can see from the outpouring of love and support from the community, he was kind, he was generous and he was fair, said his fiance, Sheronda Braker. He was a very giving person, always wanting to do more for others. Nelson, 44, of Plainfield, died Sunday due to complications from a bone marrow donation surgery in February after being matched to the French teen. Wed like for there to be stories out there about the great man that he was and not the details of how he died, said Camille Braker, sister of Nelsons fiance, Sheronda Braker. News of Nelsons death shook the Westfield community. Thousands attended a vigil at Westfield High School on Wednesday to remember their beloved Dr. Nelson. The schools student-run publication His Eye posted a tribute of remembrances from students and staff. He was fiercely committed, fiercely loyal to his students, to his staff, to the Westfield community, Tiffany Jacobson, supervisor of language arts in the district told His Eye for its online tribute. Every decision always had the best interest of the student at the heart of it. A scholar and a jokester in the same breath. An online petition to rename Westfield High School in his honor quickly gained more than 16,000 signatures. Nelson, who is survived by a 5-year-old daughter, has been hailed as a hero. Gov. Phil Murphy said Nelson embodied all that makes New Jersey great. His final act was one of selflessness. Our deepest condolences to his family. We mourn with the entire Westfield community. Nelsons life will be remembered at funeral services this week. A viewing will be from 5 to 9 p.m. on Monday at St. John Baptist Church, 2387 Morse Ave. in Scotch Plains. A second viewing will be at the church at 10 a.m. Tuesday followed by a funeral service from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to the Plinton Curry Funeral Home, which is handling the services. Sheronda and Camille Braker detailed Nelsons path from St. Peters High School in New Brunswick to his proud moment being named Westfield High Schools principal, and the importance his service in the military played in his life. Nelson joined the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps at St. Peters while a member of the class of 1993. The training he received would prepare him for two decades in the U.S. Army Reserve, where he rose through the ranks of enlisted man to Chief Warrant Officer 3. Dr. Nelson was a true American hero, Paul Valenzano, a high school counselor, told His Eye for the online tribute. Whether it was the work he did in education with youths or how he served his country and even the selflessness that led up to this tragedy all things point to the fact that he was a real American hero. He was called. He served. He is counted. He earned a bachelors degree in mass communications at Delaware State University. From there, Nelson headed to St. Peters College and earned a masters of education in administration and supervision. He earned his doctorate in education administration from Seton Hall University. His first professional job was as an account executive at a marketing and communications company. The job inspired him to pursue a career in education. Nelson went to work as a teacher for at Washington Elementary School in Plainfield, where he implemented the Readers and Writers Workshop curriculum and designed the curriculum mapping for the fourth-grades Everyday Math Program. People embrace at the end of the vigil. A vigil at Westfield High School for Dr. Derrick Nelson, the school's principal, who died Sunday after an operation to donate some of his bone marrow to a sick boy in France. Wednesday April, 10, 2019. Westfield, N.J., USA (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media)NJ Advance Media for NJ.com His family said his ability to lead landed him a position in 2007 as assistant principal of the Main Street and Park Avenue Elementary public schools in Orange. While there, Nelson started the Men on a Mission organization, which brought the fathers of students together with staff to create a mentorship program for boys in the fifth through seventh grades. Derrick continued his focus on the needs of adolescents as he transitioned to Westfield public schools, his family said. As assistant principal of Roosevelt Intermediate School, he established a Plainfield-Westfield exchange in which teachers and students from both communities studied the book Of Mice and Men with a focus on the American Dream. Shortly after, Nelson became assistant principal of Westfield High School and, in 2016, he became interim principal of the high school. In February 2017, the board of education unanimously appointed him principal of Westfield High School. Nelson modernized technology and instituted an engineering program, which the high school is in the process of launching. Throughout his time as principal, Dr. Nelson was open to new ideas that could serve students well and was a dedicated leader with enthusiasm, integrity and innovation," the Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Westfield said in a statement. Derrick Nelson Nelson worked with the community, teachers, students and families with a focus on success. He was voted president of the Westfield Association of Administrators and Supervisors and several committees including emergency preparedness and district evaluation. I was so proud that he was made principal, as we all were, for a black man to rise to that position, and he could fill those shoes, substitute teacher Francis Browne said in the His Eye tribute. Education, military experiencehe was a mans man. What a role model. A lifetime member of Omega Psi Phi, Nelson was recently named Educator of the Year by the Nu Lambda Lambda chapter of the fraternity. Nelson served for more than 20 years in the U.S. Army Reserves and was a chemical operations specialist for the 411 Chemical company in Edison. He volunteered to train as a drill sergeant and, after graduating, served as a drill instructor at training bases in New Jersey. In addition, he was deployed to Kuwait, where he served as a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear non-commissioned officer. In 2011, Nelson began dating Sheronda Braker and they had a daughter, Morgan Kimberly Nelson, on Oct. 4, 2013. Nelson and Braker planned to marry on June 29. In addition to Braker and his daughter, Nelson is survived by his parents, Willie and Juanita Nelson and many other family members and friends. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. A Belvidere man is accused of assaulting a woman and then barricading himself inside a home with a rifle and the victims 2-year-old daughter. The incident unfolded around 7 p.m. Saturday in the 200 block of Greenwich Street in Belvidere. The victim reported being assaulted by 29-year-old Donte Garris during the past two days and that Garris was armed and had her 2-year-old child inside an apartment. A news release issued by police did not describe what led to the assault or the nature of the relationship between the pair. The woman reported being grabbed at the neck by Garris, which caused significant injury, police said. Law enforcement members in a standoff outside the home were able to make contact with Garris, who eventually cooperated, police said. Garris surrendered to officers with the Belvidere Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Washington Township Police and the Warren County Tactical Response Team. He was taken to St. Lukes Hospital-Warren campus for treatment. The child was not injured in the standoff and there were no other reported injuries. Garris is charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault against a police officer and resisting arrest. He was taken to the Warren County jail pending a hearing on the charges. The incident remains under investigation and additional charges may be forthcoming, Belvidere police said. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Heavy thunderstorms are expected to sweep through the state Sunday night, bringing damaging winds and a possible isolated tornado, forecasters say. The National Weather Service warned of severe storms moving through the mid-Atlantic starting tonight and into dawn on Monday. The unstable air mass will push its way through eastern Pennsylvania and into New Jersey, causing heavy downpours and strong winds across the region. The weather service said the storms could lead to power outages and downed trees. National Weather Service April 14, 2019 outlook. (Courtesy: National Weather Service) Forecasters said the northern part of the state is most at risk for urban and small stream flooding given recent rain in the area. The new set of storms could create flooding concerns for Mondays commute. On Sunday, a dense fog advisory was in effect until noon for parts of the state. Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. worked hard to get me to trust him instead of my family." The victim's father testified that the family agreed to the plea deal despite the notion that no sentence seemed long enough, in order to prevent further abuse and protect his daughter. Bailey pleaded guilty to six counts of molestation, five counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile and one count of obstruction of justice. Though he was sentenced to 27 years total, the plea agreement allows him to serve the sentences at the same time, meaning he will serve a total of 10 years in prison. He must also register as a sex offender, Orleans Criminal District Court Judge Robin Pittman noted. Pittman said she would have rejected the plea deal had the victim's family not supported the terms. "This is a hard pill for me to swallow," she said, suggesting she believed a harsher penalty was deserved. Bailey's indictment says the sexual abuse occurred between July 1, 2014, and Feb. 8, 2015, at locations including the Lakeview church at 5290 Canal Blvd. A police report says the abuse also occurred during a retreat in Mississippi. The victim's father said Bailey is facing additional charges in Mississippi, which contributed to their eagerness to resolve the case in Louisiana. The allegations surfaced a month after the victim's 14th birthday when church officials said they saw surveillance video showing the girl and the youth minister slipping into a closet together during a Feb. 8 church function. Senior pastor David Crosby said he notified the girl's parents and New Orleans police and fired Bailey the next day. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The report says Bailey, who was married at the time of the abuse, communicated with the girl via text messages and directed her to erase them. The victim said in her statement she missed school, lost a best friend in the fallout of the abuse. She said the ordeal has put her family under stress and impacted all of the youth at her church. She said in the statement that Bailey chose scripture and skewed its meaning to justify his actions, and "led me to believe it was OK to cross boundaries I had grown up learning" were wrong to cross. "I pray that no one else has to suffer from abuse from someone that they trust," she said the statement. A group of about 10 people appeared at the sentencing to support the victim. NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune staff writer Ken Daley contributed to this report. The Gretna Police Department is warning residents of police impersonators who are demanding money over the phone in exchange for recalling an arrest warrant, the department said in a statement Saturday (April 13). The callers used an app to show that the call is coming from the Gretna Police Department and used the names of police officers within the department, the statement said. Residents that received the call were told that a warrant is out for their arrest and in order to get the warrant recalled, they must provide a cashiers check. Police urge anyone who received a similar call to contact the police immediately. A woman stabbed a man in a hotel room in the Central Business District, then fled the location Saturday morning (April 13), according to a preliminary report from New Orleans police. The 57-year-old man was with the woman in a hotel room along Poydras Street around 7:15 a.m. when she stabbed him in the back and chest. She then fled the location, police said. NOPD also reported that two men held up a Family Dollar in the 4800 block of Gen. Meyer Avenue in Algiers on Saturday night. The men entered the store in ski masks and armed with handguns. They demanded cash from the register and the employees complied. The duo then fled, police said. Its Sunday (April 14), and sadly for French Quarter Fest lovers, the party is almost over. Here are some recommendations on how to get the most out of your last day at the fest. Hear live tango music performed on the cello by NOCCA instructor Jee Yeoun Ko and see professional tango dancers Carlos and Maureen Urrego perform at 2:15 p.m. at 400 Royal St. Smooth crooner and trumpeter Jeremy Davenport steps away from his namesake Davenport Lounge at the Ritz to perform at 2:20 p.m. on the House of Blues Stage. Youthful and innovative musicians Sweet Crude perform at 2:10 p.m. When was the last time you heard New Orleans rockers Dash Rip Rock? They play at 3:30 p.m. on the Jack Daniels Stage. There are lots more great bands to see, including Robin Barnes and and the Fiyabirds, the Dixie Cups ("Chapel of Love'' and "Iko Iko''!) and Bon Bon Vivant. See the full schedule here. The teen songbirds who taught the world a Mardi Gras Indian chant The right way to wrap up your French Quarter Fest 2019 is to attend the annual Dancing at Dusk, which this year will be at the Pan-American Life Insurance Group Stage at the Moonwalk from 6-7:15 p.m. Youll hear the sounds of Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Count Basie and other favorites from the Golden Era of Swing with The Tomcats. If youre overwhelmed with all the food booths at French Quarter Fest, check out recommendations from our dining team. What to eat at French Quarter Fest 2019: Our favorite dishes Cut down on trash with French Quarter Fests new reusable beer cup The USS Drum, a decommissioned World War II submarine that has served as a museum vessel in Mobile, Alabama for decades, has been shut down to visitors after it caught fire Friday (April 12), AL.com reported. Firefighters were called to the scene near Mobile Bay shortly after 5 p.m. and evacuated civilians from the submarine before extinguishing the fire, the website reported. Fire crews were able to ventilate toxic smoke and gas as they brought the fire under control. No injuries were reported. The USS Drum was commissioned in November of 1941 and received 12 Battle Stars for her service in World War II. The submarine was decommissioned in 1946 and was later towed to Battleship Alabama Memorial Park in Mobile. The vessel opened to the public for tours on July 4, 1969. It remained unclear if the USS Drum will be reopened for tours, the website reported. Read the entire AL.com story here. Scientists at Advanced LIGO observatories in Livingston Parish and Hanford, Wash., have detected gravitational waves for the third time after two black holes collided to form a larger black hole, the scientists announced Wednesday (May 31). Scientists call the gravitational waves "ripples in space and time." This third detection, LIGO says, demonstrates that "a new window in astronomy has been firmly opened." This latest detection occurred Jan. 4 after LIGO detected gravitational waves from a third pair of merging black holes, scientists said. It appears to be the farthest detection yet, with the black holes located about 3 billion light-years away. The black holes in the first and second detections were located 1.3 and 1.4 billion light-years away. LIGO made the first-ever direct observation of gravitational waves in September 2015. The second detection was made in December 2015. The new black hole formed by the merger has a mass of about 49 times that of the Sun, scientists said. "Each detection has offered much more than just a 'sighting,'" National Science Foundation Director France Cordova said Wednesday in a news release. "Slowly, we are collecting data that unveil the origin and characteristics of these objects, further informing our understanding of the universe." LIGO is an acronym for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. The Louisiana observatory, in the town of Livingston, and the Hanford center, consist of two and half mile-long, L-shaped tunnels containing a complicated laser and mirror instrument. The instrument compresses or expands the mirrors at the ends of the tunnels when a gravitational wave strikes the observatory. This causes the light bouncing back and forth to change its pulsation rate. A detector will pick up some of the light "spilled" by the changed mirrors, creating a wave signal with a shape and size to let scientists track the gravitational wave back to its source. The 15-nation LIGO Science Collaboration includes 1,000 scientists and is supported by the National Science Foundation and other funding organizations from Germany, Great Britain and Australia. Scientists added that the latest detection also provides clues about the directions in which the black holes are spinning. Scientists say black holes can spin in any direction. Although more observations with LIGO are needed to say anything definitive about the spins of binary black holes, scientists said early data offers clues about how these pairs may form. Bangalore Sathyaprakash of Cardiff University said this is the first time we have evidence that black holes may not be aligned, giving us a "tiny hint" that binary black holes may form in dense stellar clusters. Scientists propose that black holes come together later in life within crowded stellar clusters. The black holes pair up after they sink to the center of a star cluster, and then those black holes spin in any direction relative to their orbital motion. Another proposed model from scientists is that the black holes are born together, meaning they form when each star in a pair of stars explodes. Because the original stars were spinning in alignment, this would mean the black holes would likely remain aligned. "We're starting to gather real statistics on binary black hole systems," Keita Kawabe of Caltech said. Kawabe is based at the LIGO Hanford Observatory. "That's interesting because some models of black hole binary formation are somewhat favored over the others even now and, in the future, we can further narrow this down." LIGO has also teamed up with Virgo Collaboration, which is sponsoring a third observatory under construction near Pisa, Italy. Jo van den Brand, the Virgo Collaboration spokesperson, said they expect Virgo to expand the network of detectors by this summer. LIGO and Virgo are also working on technical upgrades for LIGO's next run, which is scheduled to begin in late 2018, during which the detectors' sensitivity will be improved. Although LIGO appears to be uniquely suited to observing these events, David Reitze, executive director of the LIGO Laboratory, said he hopes to see other types of astrophysical events soon. Whats an example of those other events? The violent collision of two neutron stars, he said. Acer has just revealed its brand-new Predator Helios 300. The laptop sports thin bezels, an RGB-illuminated keyboard, and it will feature top-of-the-range goods from both Intel and Nvidia. But we already expected this thanks to a retailer posting information about the device on its website just days before the computer was officially announced. 4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 3D Printing , 5G , Accessory , AI , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Biotech , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , E-Mobility , Education , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Single-Board Computer (SBC) , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker OEMs invest a lot of time and effort in keeping their upcoming products under a veil of secrecy. There are numerous obvious reasons for this, including preventing rivals from one-upmanship, surprising loyal customers, and for drumming up publicity. But unfortunately it seems no matter how hard these companies try, someone will let the cat out of the bag sooner or later. In this case, it was an Australian retailer called Harvey Norman that blundered and no doubt incurred the wrath of Acers PR department. Undoubtedly, the retailer swiftly removed the images and details of the Predator Helios 300 from its website, but in this type of situation there's always at least one enterprising soul ready to take screenshots and share them with the world especially so in the technology industry. The details of the Helios 300 were shared on Reddit, and as can be seen from the images below in comparison to the pictures in our recent report of the Acer laptops official release, this was a genuine leak. Obviously, this is not the first time a blundering retailer has posted images and details of an upcoming device/game on its e-commerce site a little too hastily. Sometimes its even the same company leaking its own products before official release (Google). Interestingly, the leaked information about the Acer Predator Helios 300 states that it will come with the option of a 9th Gen i7-9750H CPU and the yet-to-be-released Nvidia GeForce 1660 Ti mobile GPU. We all know road maps, but few people are aware there also exists such a thing as a rail map. Why would you need a rail map? After all, you are not steering and the train driver knows the way. However, a rail map gives you control over the route you take. In Europe, there are many ways to travel by rail from A to B. If you order a train ticket from Amsterdam to Madrid, for example, the train company will not necessarily offer you the cheapest or most interesting route. A rail map is especially interesting if you want to avoid high speed trains (which are more expensive), if you make long-distance trips, or if you just love to marvel at spectacular scenery. While an online rail map sounds more modern, nothing beats the convenience of a printed map when you are planning a trip. Image: a detail of the Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe, 18th edition Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe The most famous rail map is Thomas Cooks Rail Map of Europe, which measures 100 x 70 cm and shows all of the main passenger railways of Europe; from Greece, Italy and Spain in the south, to lower Scandinavia, the Baltic States and part of Russia in the north. It depicts over 6,000 cities and towns, with colour-coding for high-speed lines (red) and scenic routes (green). The legend is in four languages. The map also includes many ferry routes, which is especially handy if you are travelling around the Mediterranean or the Baltic Sea. On the reverse of the map is an enlargement of Central Europe, which focuses in more detail on the area from Paris in the west to Budapest in the east. Published every two years, the latest is the 18th edition of the Rail Map of Europe, which was published in 2011. It was also the last. Thomas Cook abandoned its publishing business in July 2013. The publication of Thomas Cooks rail timetable is continued by former members of the editorial team as the European Rail Timetable, but the rail map is not yet available. The Rail Map of Europe includes the British Isles, but Thomas Cook also had a more detailed Rail Map of Britain and Ireland on offer. It, too, was published every two years, with the latest 7th edition being that of 2011. This map is for sale at the European Rail Timetable. Kummerly+Frey Railmap Europe Although I find the Thomas Cook rail maps to be the most handy, the Railmap Europe from Swiss publisher Kummerly+Frey (KuF) is a worthy alternative. It is almost twice as large as Thomas Cooks Rail Map of Europe, but this extra space is not used to show more detail: the scale is 1 to 5 million, versus 1 to 4 million for Thomas Cooks map. Rather, KuFs Railmap Europe shows the railways in a wider geographical context. Every single square kilometre of Europe is covered, including the upper parts of Scandinavia, which Thomas Cook doesnt show. Furthermore, the map includes the railways of northern Africa, the Middle East, and Russia (as far east as Yekatarinburg). Curiously, about one-tenth of the whole map serves just to include Iceland, which has no railways. An interesting feature is that Kummerly+Freys Railmap Europe also shows the type of track (single or double, electrified or not, real or upgraded high speed line, cargo or passenger line, broad or narrow gauge). Thomas Cook distinghuises fewer types of track. On the other hand, KuFs map does not show ferry routes, although it does depict train ferries (both for cargo and passengers trains). The map is sold folded or unfolded, and the legend is in 6 languages. KuF also publishes a national rail map of Germany. Other Folded Rail Maps There are more rail maps available, none of which I ever held in my hands. Quail Map Company publishes several rail maps of individual European countries: Portugal (3rd edition, 2010), Greece (2000), and Estonia (1997). American Publisher East View has a paper Rail Map of Europe, which is cheaper than most others but seems to be of lesser quality. It reportedly misses a large part of Eastern Europe. Canadian publisher International Travel Maps sells a Europe Railways Map, which seems to be somewhere in between Thomas Cooks and KuFs products, although it also shows major roads and is printed on plastic paper. The Streetwise Europe Rail Map is printed on laminated paper, and has one half of Europe on each side. It is a very small map, the size of a sheet of paper, which shows very few details (the scale is 1 to 11.5 million). Lastly, there is also a Skirail map of the Alps. Eisenbahnatlas EU None of the rail maps described above show all train routes. Local railroads are only depicted in popular tourism areas, or not at all. The European network connects 30,000 cities, villages, and hamlets, while the Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe only displays the rail links between one fifth of them. There is one exception, however: the Eisenbahnatlas EU, published by Schweers+Wall in Germany in May 2013. As the name implies, this is not really a map but an atlas, which shows the European railway network in scale 1 to 2 million, twice the detail of the Thomas Cook map. It is a bit overkill for the average train traveller, who is problably not interested in the voltages and track width of every single rail line on the continent. The Eisenbahnatlas shows it all, including the location of marshalling yards and logistic stations. Schweers+Wall also publishes the Eisenbahnatlas for individual countries. These have even more detailed maps, including subways, tramways, milestones, tunnels, crossovers, abandoned lines, and lots of technical information. The scale is 1 to 150.000 or 300,000 for general maps, and 1 to 50,000 or 100,000 for maps of railway hubs. The legend of the Eisenbahn atlases is in 4 languages. For now, half a dozen countries have their own Eisenbahnatlas: Germany (which is published since 1994), Austria, Switzerland, and Italy (which also includes Slovenia). The atlas for France is on its way. European Railway Atlas English publisher Ian Allan had a similar series called the European Rail Atlas, which was discontinued some years ago. They still publish a Rail Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland and a massive amount of other books on railroads. M.G. Ball, the editor of the series, now publishes his own European Railway Atlas, as well as compact railway atlasses of individual European countries or regions (which are in fact all separate chapters from the European Railway Atlas). They are available both as A4 sized books and as Adobe Acrobat pdf files. All passenger, freight and proposed lines are shown, as are most heritage railways. Main lines are distinguished from secondary lines, and the same goes for single and multiple tracks. Electrification systems and track gauges are shown. Changes and corrections are listed on the website. Oxford Publishing Companys Rail Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland was first published in 1977. The thirteenth edition appeared in 2013. Great Britain is also the subject of the most detailed rail atlas available: the TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain. The maps show track level detail in a schematic format set over geographic centre lines. All stations appear with most signal boxes, junctions and tunnels including their names and railway mileages; most level crossings are included together with information describing their type. Online Rail Maps You can obtain a free rail map of Europe if you buy an InterRail or EuRail Pass, which gives you unlimited train travel in Europe for a certain period. It is a rather small (52 x 30 cm) but useful map, which can also be consulted online. The European Rail Guide has rail maps online, both for Europe as a whole and individual countries separately, and so have Raildude and All Europe Rail. There is also a large collection of national train maps to be found on this amateur website. While an online rail map sounds more modern, nothing beats the convenience of a printed map when you are planning a trip. Rail maps are of little use in the US, where you can be happy to find one single route between two cities. Sadly, this also seems to be the future of the European rail system. Kris De Decker (edited by David Fox) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 13) Despite declaring a permanent end to peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) last month, President Rodrigo Duterte talked about the idea of creating a new peace panel. In a speech delivered at a PDP-Laban campaign sortie in Bukidnon Saturday, Duterte talked about looking for members for a new peace panel. Most of them would come from the military. "Mangita ko ug bag-o. Bag-ong paagi, bag-ong tao makig-istorya. Basig usa, duha, tulo ana militar. Unya ang... mga lima. Duha ka civilian, tulo ka militar," the President said. [Translation: I'll look for a new one. New methods, new people to talk to. Maybe one, two, three of them are from the military. Maybe around five. Two civilian members, three from the military.] He reiterated that he had dissolved the previous peace panel because it took them too long to negotiate with the Reds. "Dugay na e. Three years walay nahimo," he said. [Translation: It took too long. Nothing happened in three years.] On March 21, Duterte announced that he had permanently ended peace negotiations between the government and the CPP. Last month he said that the CPP might have to wait for a new President before the peace talks can resume. READ: Duterte permanently ends talks with CPP More than 30,000 Stop & Shop supermarket workers across three states remained on strike for a third day on Saturday, protesting what they said were unfair wages and high health insurance premiums. The strike, by United Food and Commercial Workers International Union members working at more than 240 Stop & Shops in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, forced some stores to close. Union and supermarket officials could not say precisely how many. The supermarket activated a contingency plan that included sending support-office staff members and temporary replacement workers to select locations, according to a Stop & Shop spokeswoman, Jennifer Brogan. Pharmacies and banks remained open, regardless of a stores status, she said. Among the workers on strike were cashiers, stockers, bakers, deli clerks and butchers. A previous three-year contract expired on Feb. 23. Three people, including two children in Texas, were killed on Saturday as severe weather lashed parts of the South, as tornadoes tore through homes and hail and flash floods battered the region. The children, who were 3 and 8, were driving home with their parents on a rural road near Pollok, Tex. about 130 miles northeast of Houston when a tree fell on their car, said Capt. Alton Lenderman of the Angelina County Sheriffs Office. The children, who were in the back seat, were pronounced dead at the scene. They were at the wrong place at the wrong time, Captain Lenderman said. The tree fell just as they were going under it. In Hamilton, Miss., about 170 miles northeast of Jackson, a man was found dead in his home on Sunday morning, the Monroe County sheriff, Cecil Cantrell, said. The man, who was in his late 90s, was believed to have been asleep when a tree fell on his house, the sheriff said. It was time to tell the story again, and who better to tell it than Cicely Tyson? She was there, after all, in 1968, just after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, when the African-American ballet star Arthur Mitchell called her to his apartment at 2 a.m. She was there when he asked, What should we do? and when he said, I have an idea. The idea, and what became of it, was the reason that the 94-year-old Ms. Tyson, glamorous and charming, was at New York City Center on Wednesday. The occasion was the 50th-anniversary gala of Dance Theater of Harlem, the company that Mitchell formed (with the ballet teacher Karel Shook) to show that African-Americans could dance ballet and excel at it. And Ms. Tyson was telling the origin story because Mitchell could not. He died in September. For a second consecutive week, Saturday Night Live avoided taking aim at President Trump and his administration in the shows opening sketch. In fact, the sketch wasnt even particularly political. (But dont worry, there was still a surprise celebrity guest.) Beginning with a fake voice-over for MSNBC Now that the Mueller report turned out to be a big fat zero, were back to prison shows the sketch set up an episode of Lockup: Chino Correctional Facility, in which inmates played by Chris Redd, Kyle Mooney and Kenan Thompson boasted about the crimes that had put them behind bars. Enter Kate McKinnon, playing the actress Lori Loughlin. Oh yeah? McKinnon told the gang. You think thats insane? I paid 500 grand to get my daughter into U.S.C. Martha Randolph Simms and Eric Benjamin Lorber were married April 13 in Atlanta. The Rev. Timothy H. Black, an Episcopal priest, officiated at Cator Woolford Gardens, with Joyce Bihary, a retired chief judge of the federal bankruptcy court in Atlanta, taking part. Ms. Simms, 32, is the special adviser on policy relating to detentions, watchlisting, countering violent extremism and other issues to the State Departments ambassador at large for counterterrorism, in Washington. She graduated magna cum laude from Tufts, and received a masters degree in international relations and economics, concentrating on European studies, from Johns Hopkins University. She is a daughter of Charlotte E. Erwin and Bryan R. Simms of Glendale, Calif. The brides father retired as a professor of musicology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Her mother retired as the head of archives and special collections at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif. The bride is also a direct descendant of John Winthrop and of Thomas Dudley, both governors of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in its earliest years. He advised Dr. He to submit the research to a peer-reviewed journal, and Dr. He did so. Then, because journal review takes time, Dr. Quake said he advised Dr. He not to go public in Hong Kong, but to speak privately with key experts there so they can get socialized to whats coming and will be more likely to comment favorably on your work. But Dr. He was not persuaded. I do not want to wait for 6 months or longer to announce the results, otherwise, people will say a Chinese scientist secretly hide the baby for 6 months. Dr. Quake pushed back: It is prudent to let the peer review process follow its course. But Dr. He went forward with his Hong Kong talk. Two days before it, after news of the twins broke, Dr. Quake emailed, Good luck with your upcoming presentation! But he added, please remove my name from the slide acknowledging people who had helped. He was spinning up this huge press thing around it, Dr. Quake explained in the interview. It was going to go well or poorly, I didnt really know. But it wasnt something I was involved in and I didnt want my name on it. Dr. Quake is not sure what consequences he thinks Dr. He should face. But he believes that the shock and horror some scientists now express belies the unruffled response of the experts he consulted. Asked if he should have handled things differently, Dr. Quake said: Well, hindsight is 20-20. I mean, you could say yes I should have done many other things. But, he continued, as these things unfold, youre in the moment, and you know, hes doing legitimate scientific research many people would define it that way. Hes got I.R.B. approval and his institution is regulating the human subject stuff and you sort of believe all that. He added: To the extent that it wasnt obvious misconduct, what does a person in my position do? Encourage him to do it right, his research, right? I mean, thats what I believed I was doing. Two weeks ago, the big movie studios showcased their 2019 lineups for multiplex executives in a series of elaborate marketing presentations in Las Vegas. Its an annual ritual: Here are the potential hits we will deliver. For the first time, the importance of onscreen diversity came across as more than lip service. Paramount presented a family adventure (Dora the Lost City of Gold) with a predominantly Latino cast, while Warner Bros. promoted a Shaft sequel starring Samuel L. Jackson and Regina Hall. Universal touted a comedy starring black women (Little), an animated movie about a Chinese girls quest (Abominable) and a summer musical (Yesterday) with an actor of Indian descent playing the lead. But look a little closer at the movies on studio rosters and who is directing them and Hollywoods inclusion narrative falls apart by one crucial measure. Even after years of being called to task for sidelining female filmmakers, studios as a whole continue to rely overwhelmingly on men to lead productions. Why the disconnect? Studios have multiple explanations (some would say excuses), but one big reason involves a lack of economic pressure. Moviegoers have been responding favorably to diverse casting and stories (Us, Crazy Rich Asians, Black Panther), prompting studios to serve up more. Fewer ticket-buying decisions are made based on the gender of the filmmaker, however. Update: The University at Buffalo announced that Sebastian Serafin-Bazan, the student who was hospitalized after a suspected hazing incident, died on Wednesday. In a statement, Satish K. Tripathi, the universitys president, said, Our hearts go out to Sebastians family for the devastating heartbreak they are experiencing. The University at Buffalo this weekend suspended all official activities of its more than 35 social fraternities and sororities after a freshman was taken to the hospital in what the school has called a suspected hazing incident. Early Friday morning, Sebastian Serafin-Bazan, an 18-year-old student from Port Chester, N.Y., was transported to Buffalo General Hospital after going into cardiac arrest at the Sigma Pi fraternity house near the university. As of Sunday afternoon, he remained at the hospital in critical condition, according to the school. After the police opened an investigation, Satish K. Tripathi, the university president, announced the suspension and a full review of the schools Greek system. [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] For the 9:20 p.m. movie, Jesse Locascio threaded film through the projector. This was after he had sprayed compressed air on the sprockets and rollers, blowing out dust that could show up as black dots on the screen. This is not how they do it at the multiplex, he said. Not even close. Not in the digital age. Mr. Locascio, 28, is a movie projectionist who can do things the old-fashioned way, operating projectors with big reels of celluloid. Projectionists, he says, are a dying breed and he learned much of what he knows in a long, narrow room of clattering machinery: a projectionists booth at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, N.Y. The Jacob Burns, as it is known, operates a media arts lab that teaches digital literacy as well as a nonprofit art house that was screening Wheres Poppa? a 1970 comedy directed by Carl Reiner at 9:20 in theater two. But it also trains projectionists, and in an art house, that means learning to handle more than digital files. It means learning to handle celluloid. It was a whole new education, said Jesse Modica, who as the centers technical director is Mr. Locascios boss. Mr. Modica had worked in commercial theaters before he arrived at the Jacob Burns in 2007. [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] The New York Post came under a barrage of criticism last week for a front page that featured a Sept. 11 photograph of the World Trade Center in flames and an isolated quote from a Muslim member of Congress, Ilhan Omar. Heres your something. 2,977 people dead by terrorism, Thursdays boldface headline screamed. Twitter erupted in outrage, and messages began to fly on Facebook and in WhatsApp groups for Yemeni-Americans in New York expressing fear that the newspaper cover would incite anti-Muslim violence. By Saturday morning, 10 of the most prominent Yemeni bodega owners in New York had agreed to stop selling the paper, and Yemeni taxi drivers began delivering fliers explaining the boycott to other Yemeni-owned stores. On Sunday, the influential Yemeni American Merchant Association announced a formal boycott of the paper at a news conference outside the News Corporation building in Midtown Manhattan that houses The New York Post and The Wall Street Journal. Paul Greengard, an American neuroscientist whose quest to understand how brain cells communicate provided new insights into psychological diseases and earned him a Nobel Prize, and who used his entire $400,000 award to create an academic prize in memory of the mother he never knew, died on Saturday in Manhattan. He was 93. His death was confirmed by Rockefeller University, where he had worked since 1983. Dr. Greengard received the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Dr. Arvid Carlsson of Sweden and Dr. Eric R. Kandel of the United States for independent discoveries related to the ways brain cells relay messages about movement, memory and mental states. Their discoveries offered new insights into disorders linked to errors in cell communication, such as Parkinsons disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and drug addiction. Dr. Greengards research described how cells react to dopamine, an important chemical messenger in the brain. His work provided the underlying science for many antipsychotic drugs, which modulate the strength of chemical signals in the brain. Our work shows the details of how dopamine produces these effects in other words, whats wrong in these diseases and what can be done to correct them, Dr. Greengard said. KARACHI, Pakistan On International Womens Day in Pakistan last month, thousands of exuberant young feminists staged their second Aurat (womens) March. Intended to build on the success of a well-received march last year, it was designed to be inclusive, peaceful and raucously joyful. It had women from all walks of life, some in Western clothes, others in full veils, head scarves and burqas. Women from cities and villages. Female health workers and teachers. Trans women and male allies. Then came an ugly backlash that still simmers a sign that the feminists goal of breaking the hold of patriarchy is still a long way away. Recalling the joys of the 2018 march, the activists and volunteers had gone to low-income neighborhoods and rallied women there. They bused women from rural villages. They printed fliers with artwork by young female artists, and drew posters that expressed their frustration, anger, hope and courage. On March 9, perhaps 6,000 women marched peacefully in Karachi, and another 3,000 in Lahore. Smaller groups walked in smaller locales: Peshawar, Quetta, Hyderabad, Faisalabad and Chitral. The marchers made headlines all across Pakistan. But the backlash was immediate, and it grew uglier day by day. First came threats of violence: Anonymous groups of young men searched Instagram for pictures of women who participated in the march and sent them threats of rape and murder. A Muslim cleric declared on television that the marchs slogan My body, my choice encouraged women to be promiscuous, which allowed men to rape them. Two weeks after the march, a resolution in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was proposed by a female legislator from a right wing religious party. It condemned the march and its slogans as shameful and obscene. The resolution was unanimously adopted. michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. Today: Under Xi Jinping, China is pioneering a new form of governance by surveillance. In the first of a two-part series, my colleague Paul Mozur on how China piloted that system on one minority group in the country. Its Monday, May 6. Hi. paul mozur Hi. michael barbaro Headphones. Paul, weve actually never met. You are in town from China. Im hoping youre going to tell me why. paul mozur Yeah, so Ive been reporting in and around China for about 12 years. And theres always been a lot of control. I think people are aware of that. Theyre aware theres censorship. Theyre aware that people can be followed, and there is a certain amount of surveillance. But in the past five years, things have really changed and taken a much more dramatic and darker turn, really, when it comes to, especially, surveillance. And that coincides with the rise of Xi Jinping. Chinas president who came into power about five years ago has really doubled down on control. And he has been not shy at all about using technology to exert that control. And theres a lot of things that are invisible in how that works, but one of the very few visible symptoms are the cameras. There were always some cameras in China, but recently, past couple of years, the cameras have just gone in in this dramatic way. Some of them look like these baroque modernist sculptures or something. Its like four cameras stretching off of a different pole, or you have a camera hanging from a tree. Theres these almost hidden cameras in the subway cars, these little holes. And if you look closely at them, you say, oh, my God, thats actually a lens. I counted the cameras on my way to work one day, which is a two-subway-stop ride. And I passed, I think, 250 cameras. michael barbaro Wow. paul mozur Yeah. michael barbaro In what kind of places? Where are you seeing them? paul mozur All kinds of places. Every intersection will have dozens of cameras to catch peoples license plates as they drive by. About every 50 yards, youll have a camera on a pole thats a dome camera that can zoom in and grab their faces or follow somebody if you have to. And when you walk down stairs, theres these high-powered facial recognition cameras aimed at your face, with the idea of trying to figure out who you are as you walk by. michael barbaro And whos on the other side of those cameras? paul mozur Yeah, its what I always wonder. We dont always know. And this is the thing about China, is that it is an autocratic system with very little transparency. For the most part, what we assume is a newly empowered police force is using these to try to learn as much as they can about the population and track them. michael barbaro But to the degree that theres a rationale for this, what is it? paul mozur Security. Safety. We want to make sure that if something bad were to happen in our neighborhood, we could protect ourselves. But in some recent reporting, what we discovered is the true breathtaking ways in which the police are already assembling lists of faces of people that theyre worried about, and even using it to mark people based on ethnicity and race, and track them and keep a record. Its as if you were just counting only one group of people as they went around a city and keeping tabs so that you can go back and see which person that was. And in America, this would be horrendously unconstitutional. But in China, it had been happening for almost two years without anybody even noticing. michael barbaro And why would China want to do that? Why would it track a group of people by race through cameras and this classification system? paul mozur Right. So China has had this long issue with a Muslim minority known as the Uighurs, who live out in western China, this massive province, a fifth the size of Chinas landmass, called Xinjiang. Its mostly desert and really high mountains. Its the old Silk Road. And these people have lived there for more than 1,000 years in these tiny little oasis cities around the desert. And China has occupied their land for several hundred years now. And as China has occupied it, for the most part, until maybe the past 50 or 60 years, its mostly just been a far-flung place. But under the Chinese Communist Party, theyve really solidified power. And theyve started to change the demographics. So theyve created all these passive incentives to move Han Chinese into this region. michael barbaro To basically make it less Muslim? More Chinese? paul mozur Exactly. And so, 50 or 60 years ago, there were almost no Chinese, and it was all Uighurs. Now its 50 percent Chinese, 50 percent Uighur. And thats created all of these conflicts. But everything really changed in 2009. What happens is, theres violence in this small factory in southern China. And it turns out that there was a rumor that these two Uighur factory workers raped a Chinese woman, and then when the ethnic Chinese confront the Uighur population at the factory, a big fight breaks out, where, ultimately, two Uighurs end up beaten to death. archived recording [SHOUTING] paul mozur And theres a video of this on YouTube, and it goes around. archived recording [SPEAKING MANDARIN] paul mozur And in a tinderbox like Xinjiang, where you have all of these other tensions there, it becomes one of the main causes for this massive outburst of rioting and anger in the capital of Urumqi. Thousands of Uighurs take to the streets, some with knives, and they murder about 200 Han Chinese. michael barbaro Wow. paul mozur So its a brutal and large-scale race riot. archived recording [SHOUTING] paul mozur And following that, the military is mobilized. The internet is cut off in Xinjiang, so you cannot get online. Even phone calls outside the country are no longer allowed. Its a new level of suffocating technological response. And so in the ensuing decade, what theyve tried to do is figure out methods to systematize it. And so theyve turned to the police, and theyve turned to technology. michael barbaro Have you been back there recently? paul mozur Yes. So I went back in October to Kashgar. Its a transformed place. Its one of the most bizarre places I think Ive ever been. Were, of course, followed by secret police wherever we go. There are checkpoints every couple hundred yards. And theyve created these things called convenience police centers. So think of a convenience store, but its a police station instead. So these small concrete boxes with constantly flashing lights. And theyre every couple hundred yards, and police are in them. And theyll set up checkpoints there. But the idea is to blanket the city with this very suffocating level of police presence and surveillance. This is an old, mud-brick city, filled with bazaars. And now what you have is that look with these tremendously powerful facial recognition cameras hanging from a mud-brick wall, and there are cameras absolutely everywhere. And so you have this very bizarre contrast of a place that in some ways feels like it could be timeless and 1,000 years old, with these hyper-modern technological solutions attempting to understand and track the populations. michael barbaro So tell me about that tracking. So clearly, China is very anxious that this Muslim population is going to revolt or just generally disobey the desires of the Chinese government. So how does that translate into this surveillance apparatus? What are they going to do with the image of a Muslim man or woman in this place thats going to stop that? paul mozur Well, so theyve already thrown about a million people in camps. michael barbaro Labor camps? paul mozur Well, they call them re-education camps. And we dont have a lot of understanding of what happens inside. But it seems to be day-long classes and people being made to sit and hear Chinese Communist Party theory and propaganda and things like that. They need excuses to put people in these places. So if you have this massive surveillance system, you can find people that you think might be dangerous or might be risky. But the thing is, its so over the top and so extreme, people get thrown in because theyre an academic, because theyre influential, because they use technology, because they wouldnt shave their beard, because they read the Quran. Theres a million different ways. What theyve done is just tracked everybody all the time in a way that nobody even can go out their door without feeling the weight of the gaze of the state. michael barbaro Right. Everything you just described would be something that you could capture on camera. You would see someone with a beard. You might see someone reading the Quran. And that could be the trigger. paul mozur Right. And theyve hung lots of cameras in mosques. So the Id Kah Mosque is this beautiful, mustard yellow mosque that sits in the center of old Kashgar. Its the heart of Uighur Islam. And I think I counted more than 200 cameras inside the mosque, trying to capture worshippers who would come and go. And there arent many worshippers anymore, of course, because whos going to go walk in front of those cameras and show their faces? And then that very easily can just go into a database, and then they have a data point. They know that Michael was right outside the Id Kah Mosque at this time. And then when he leaves the Id Kah Mosque, hell have to give his ID again. And then when he goes down to the marketplace, he has to give his ID again. And that way, you can build a comprehensive map of where youre going. If you want to go to the bank, if you want to go to a grocery store, you have to do this. If you want to enter the old city, you have to do it. And so, it effectively just makes it impossible to do anything in this society without constantly giving up your private information to the state and to the police. michael barbaro And what youre describing is the definition of dystopia. paul mozur Yeah. And it goes even deeper than this. Around 2017, 2016, in Kashgar, weve heard that many people were called in for compulsory medical checkups. And they never got the results of the medical checkup. But what the medical checkup was was they had to give a blood sample, and their faces were scanned. And they had to give a voice sample, irises were scanned. And so just a mass collection of a single ethnicitys biometric information. And we dont really know entirely what theyll do with all of that. In our reporting, weve seen parts of this. Weve seen some of the dossiers. And so they can map peoples family relationships. michael barbaro Wow. And what might the Chinese government do with that information? About family members, all those connections? paul mozur They use it to lean on people. And they use it to intimidate people. And they use it to show that they are so powerful that there would be no point, in a way, to resist or push back. And you could see it in the population, the fear. michael barbaro Im trying to understand where this leads to, because this doesnt seem like an effort to acculturate people or to encourage them toward a Chinese identity. If anything, the people who are being subjected to this would most likely resent the Chinese government, right? paul mozur Right. I think the thinking goes further than that. The hope is ultimately to, I think, change the population fundamentally to re-engineer a new way of life for these people that is basically Chinese. And I think the ultimate goal here is to eradicate Uighur culture. And the thing is, if they fail, well, then they have a culture so completely in their control that its no longer a threat in any way. michael barbaro Paul, whats the relationship between whats happening to the Uighurs and the larger surveillance state in China? If the rest of China is already Chinese, how does this all connect? paul mozur So a lot of people like to call Xinjiang the laboratory for Chinese surveillance. So if you have any kind of draconian solution to tracking somebody or figuring out what somebody is doing on their phone, you can try it out in Xinjiang, and then see what happens. In Xinjiang, they can get away with a lot more, because you have an ethnic minority that is already so beset that they cant really push back. michael barbaro A group without any power. paul mozur Right, exactly. In the rest of China, you see something thats a little bit more passive, but you see a constant creep. On the subway, for instance, you start to see more checkpoints. The police just sit out where people are transferring, and they just stop people at random, and they scan their ID card, just like what happened in Xinjiang. And one of the things our reporting showed is that its not just Uighurs theyre looking for in these cities. Theyre making lists of peoples faces depending on what kind of group they are. So they are making lists of the mentally ill. Theyre making lists of people with a past history of drug use. Theyre making lists of people who would petition the government or complain about the government. But they also have lists of every single person registered to live in that city. So the idea isnt just to track these small groups. Its to track everyone, with the idea that if somebody were to get out of line, then you know everything about them to begin with. michael barbaro So this is about every single person in China? paul mozur Yes. [music] michael barbaro Im struck that all of this is happening at the same time that China is becoming a world power whose influence is growing so much overseas, because those things dont quite seem to be consistent. In fact, they seem to be very contradictory. paul mozur Right. And I think theyve basically proved that wrong, that you can have censorship and you can have a closed society, in some ways, and a controlled society, but also have a booming tech sector. And this is the first time in probably 30 years that weve had an autocratic state alongside the United States at the cutting edge of technology. So if you think about it, democracies have dominated technological creation since the fall of the Berlin Wall, effectively. Now Chinas coming along, and theyre making technologies, but these technologies are suited for their purposes. And in a lot of cases, those purposes have some authoritarian component to them, or some point of control to them. Very intentional control. And in fact, as theyve risen, theyve used all of this as a selling point. So think to the Beijing Olympics in 2008. This is Chinas coming-out party as a new superpower. [music] paul mozur Theyve outfitted the capital with tons of security to make sure it goes well, to make sure theres no protests, but also to make sure theres no attacks or anything. And so they load up the city with 300,000 cameras that the government was controlling. michael barbaro Because, of course, this is a moment where you actually do want a lot of security. paul mozur Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So they really pulled out all the stops. But then what they did when all these international leaders arrived to see the Olympics is they took them into the back rooms where you could see all these cameras operating. They show the screens. They show, this is how our policing system works. michael barbaro So who is in there? paul mozur So we dont know everybody that visited. But what we do know is that countries like Ecuador sent delegations places that might be struggling with democracy or even already being led by strongmen, who have come to check this out. And theres screens up with video footage from these thousands and thousands of cameras. And they can see how the Chinese security forces can see everything. They look at it, and they say, well, this is pretty powerful. I wonder if we could get this. And thats where it starts. And so now what were seeing is those technologies are beginning to flow to the world. And so all of a sudden, on the streets of Quito, you see the same cameras that you would see in Shanghai. And thats not just happening there. Thats happening in Venezuela. Thats happening in Bolivia. Thats happening in Angola. Thats happening in Pakistan. Its happening around the world. michael barbaro Paul, what do you make of this global spread of surveillance, starting in China? What does it tell you about the changes youve seen in China in recent years and where all this is headed? paul mozur It tells me that, I think, the Chinese government believes it has created a different model and a new model, and they want to propagate it. They want to spread it. And they want to give other countries the ability to do what theyve done and, in that way, influence the world. So this is governance by data, governance by mass surveillance, is, in a way, the Chinese model now, and they want to bring it to the world. And what this encourages is authoritarianism, because it uses technology unapologetically to consolidate power by understanding what everybodys doing and where they are at any given moment. And I think its an important moment for democracies like the United States, because they need to recognize this is happening, but also say, well, what does the United States stand for in all this? Do they stand for data collection, as well, without telling anybody? Do you stand for something else? Because the United States at this point is so lost in its own debates michael barbaro Right. So do we stand in contrast to that? paul mozur Right. Exactly. And thats the thing as I write about this from China, its unclear where the United States stands in all of it. michael barbaro In a world where this model that youre describing is spreading around the world, how exactly does China benefit from that? Because there are fewer and fewer places where a democratic government without surveillance challenges it? paul mozur I think the idea is if you give the people youre dealing with these systems, you increase their power. And that means the people youre dealing with are more likely to keep dealing with you and be the ones in power. So theres a sort of perpetuation. But I think theres also just a broader sense of the more countries around the world that do this, the more its deemed acceptable by the world, and the more that they have reliable partners who are following what theyre doing and reliant on them and allow them to push how governance works. And so in a way, they become the axle, and all of these different places become the spokes in this wheel, the new version of global governance, a new alternative to the messy democracies of the past. michael barbaro Governance by data. paul mozur Governance by data and surveillance. michael barbaro Paul, thank you very much. paul mozur Thanks. michael barbaro On Sunday, The Times reported that the Trump administration has decided not to confront China over its repressive treatment of the Uighurs, for fear that it could disrupt the final stages of a major trade deal between the two countries. The administration had considered imposing economic sanctions on Chinese officials involved in the repression, but has since backed away from that plan. In Part 2, well hear from one Uighur man living in the U.S. who is trying to fight for his family in the camps in China. Well be right back. [music] michael barbaro Heres what else you need to know today. On Sunday, fighting between Israel and Gaza escalated into the worst combat since the full-blown war between them in 2014. Four Israeli civilians were killed by Palestinian rocket and missile attacks, prompting Israel to take aim at individual militants in Gaza, killing at least nine of them and as many civilians. archived recording (benjamin netanyahu) [SPEAKING HEBREW] michael barbaro During a news conference, Israels prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, promised massive attacks against the militants in Gaza. archived recording (benjamin netanyahu) [SPEAKING HEBREW] michael barbaro Columbine wasnt the first. There had been other mass shootings at American schools. One in 1997 killed three students and wounded five others at a high school in West Paducah, Ky. A 1998 massacre at a middle school in Jonesboro, Ark., left five dead and 10 wounded. But no earlier burst of gun insanity shattered the national psyche like the carnage on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., outside Denver. The very name Columbine rooted in the Latin word for dove, an enduring symbol of peace was instantly transmogrified into a metaphor for a nation gone haywire in its embrace of devastating weaponry. Twenty years later, the attack remains as vivid as yesterday for many Americans, and not only because of its appalling casualty count: 13 killed and 21 wounded, excluding the heavily armed shooters, teenage students who took their own lives. Columbine was more than the deadliest assault till then on a high school in the United States. It was a defining horror of the nascent digital age. Much of it unfolded onscreen in real time. Cowering students used cellphones to report what they had seen or heard. The possible impact that violent video games and internet trawling had on adolescent minds came wrenchingly to the forefront of debate. In line with its mission of examining the past to try making sense of the present, the Retro Report series of video documentaries recalls Littletons nightmare on its 20th anniversary to explore what we have learned about school shootings across the years and have yet to learn. That primary between Mr. Sanders and Mrs. Clinton left deep divisions in the party. Democratic leaders worked assiduously to heal rifts and avoid a recurrence in 2020, in part by overhauling the partys presidential nomination process. Specifically, they engaged in extensive outreach to Mr. Sanderss fervent base of liberal supporters, who had come to distrust party leadership as beholden to major donors who favored centrist positions and supported Mrs. Clintons campaign. Some viewed the Center for American Progress, and its leader, Neera Tanden, as part of that cabal, working to stymie liberal activists and ideas. The letter from Mr. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who is among the early front-runners in the 2020 Democratic field, threatens to undo a delicate rapprochement, and could presage another bitter primary battle. The Center for American Progress, which is known as CAP, was founded in 2003 by John D. Podesta, a close ally of the Clintons, and is based in Washington. It has played an important role in Democratic politics, even as it is legally required to be independent from the party. It has been funded by major Democratic donors, like the financier George Soros, as well as entities with interests that do not always align with progressive politics, including health insurance companies, Walmart, big banks, defense contractors and foreign governments. The group hosts forums featuring Democratic officials and candidates, including Mr. Sanders, while its action fund wages political advocacy campaigns targeting Republicans. It has also served as a Democratic administration-in-waiting, building teams and developing policies that President Barack Obama drew upon after his 2008 election. The group was expected to fill the same role for Mrs. Clinton had she won the White House in 2016. Both Mr. Podesta, who was the chairman of Mrs. Clintons 2016 campaign, and Ms. Tanden, who advised it, were mentioned as candidates for White House chief of staff had Mrs. Clinton won. Ms. Tanden has privately disparaged some of Mr. Sanderss supporters and advisers during the 2016 campaign. Among them was Faiz Shakir, who advised Mr. Sanders 2016 campaign and is his 2020 campaign manager. He worked at CAP for years, helping to launch and run ThinkProgress, which he defended in 2008 as independent from CAP, writing that the website will oftentimes write items that are bolder, more strident, or more critical than what others here at the institution may be comfortable with. WASHINGTON President Trump was walking through the Capitol corridors in February, en route to his State of the Union address, when he spied Mitch McConnell, the taciturn Senate majority leader, and rumbled over to deliver his signature verbal high-five. Mitch! Mr. Trump said in a voice loud enough to be heard by a Republican aide pinned against a nearby wall. I just saw you on Fox! You were totally great with Martha MacCallum! he added, referring to a prespeech TV appearance in which he denounced the shutdown Mr. Trump initiated against his advice. Mr. McConnell, of Kentucky, who grumbled in private about Mr. Trumps decision, managed a laugh. The senator, allergic to public glad-handing, would have preferred a more substantive interaction. He had spent much of that week urging Mr. Trump, unsuccessfully, to abandon his plan to declare a national emergency at the border with Mexico to secure wall funds that Congress had denied him. But the exchange captured the essence of an awkward, compulsory yet increasingly close working relationship between two men divided by temperament but Krazy Glued together by shared self-interest. Over the last six months, necessity has cast Mr. McConnell into a new role as one of the presidents most important counselors, upping the pace and intensity of his one-on-one interactions. Nowadays, he speaks with Mr. Trump nearly every day and far more frequently during times of crisis, according to interviews with two dozen lawmakers, White House aides and administration officials. A millennial mayor with a difficult last name. [Mispronunciations of Buttigieg.] And, a knack for languages. [Good morning, America in several languages.] Pete Buttigieg is in the race for the White House. I am running for president of the United States. So, who is he? Buttigieg, also known as Mayor Pete is the mayor of South Bend, Ind. He got the job when he was just 29 and quickly moved to reverse the citys economic decline. Our hometown is not dead. While serving as mayor, Buttigieg took a leave of absence for a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He came out as gay while seeking re-election, and he won. So, what are his priorities? Ideologically hes a progressive, but he hasnt unveiled specific policies just yet. Instead, Buttigieg is focusing on big ideas. You know, our party has this tendency to lead with the policies. First, weve got to explain our values. He wants to abolish the electoral college, establish single-payer health care and expand the Supreme Court. Yeah, but its not just about throwing more justices on the court. What I think we need to do is some kind of structural reform that makes the court less political. Hes also pushing for the religious left to make a comeback. No one party has a monopoly on faith. And, he thinks its time for a younger voice in politics. I mean, my face is my message. A lot of this is simply the idea that we need generational change. So, whats his dynamic with President Trump? Buttigieg is no fan of the Trump administration, especially Vice President Mike Pence, an opponent of same-sex marriage and anti-discrimination laws. And thats the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand, that if you got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator. And Trump has yet to say or tweet anything about Mayor Pete. So, what are his chances? Buttigieg made a name for himself when this appearance on CNN went viral. Do you think Vice President Pence would be a better or worse president than President Trump? Ugh. And, its paying off. Buttigieg raised $7 million for his 2020 bid in the first quarter, enough to qualify for the first Democratic debates in June. But the question is whether this relative newcomer to the national stage can keep up his momentum throughout the long primary season. The first reaction came Friday evening, from Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. President Trump had escalated his political attacks on Ilhan Omar, the Minnesota Democrat who is also one of the first Muslim women to serve in Congress, tweeting an inflammatory video that implied she trivialized the horror of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Ninety minutes later, Mr. Sanders called the video disgusting and dangerous, and an example of Trumps racism and hate. It kicked off a cascade of analogous statements from other Democrats who are running for president, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg and former Representative Beto ORourke, all of whom weighed in shortly afterward. Not on that list: Senators Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker, who waited until later in the weekend to offer statements of support. It did not go unnoticed. Black folks are watching. Muslim folks are watching. Brown folks are watching, said Jennifer Epps-Addison, the co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy, a liberal organizing group focusing on minority communities. And were making our decisions about who to support in real time. When your sister is being attacked, you cant wait to get the politics right. The president clearly feels vindicated now that the Mueller report is completed, said Eric Bolling, a former Fox News host, who recently taped a radio interview with Mr. Trump. He will continue to remind the American people he was correct about there being no evidence of collusion with Russia. Other outside surrogates have been echoing Mr. Trumps line that the narrative has already been established and it is too late for new facts to change that even though members of the special counsels team have expressed concern that Mr. Barrs letter did not accurately portray the contents of the report. The facts are that there was no collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia, no obstruction of justice and President Trump has been fully vindicated, said Boris Epshteyn, a former White House aide who now serves as the chief political commentator for Sinclair Broadcast Group. No amount of spin by the opponents is going to change that. But critics said the strategy is classic Trump effective with a narrow audience, but ultimately self-limiting. He will probably have succeeded in setting the narrative for his core supporters and hardening their attitudes, but at the expense of anyone else believing him when the report comes out and inevitably undermines what hes been claiming, said Matthew Miller, a Justice Department spokesman under former President Barack Obama. The same things that solidify his base just prevent him from expanding beyond it at all. Neal K. Katyal, who served as acting solicitor general in the Obama administration, said that such an approach could backfire. Whatever Trump may have thought when he claimed total exoneration two weeks ago, subsequent events strongly suggest that claim will fall flat on its face, he said. And because Trump claimed total exoneration from the report, he created massive public pressure for the full report to be released. Inside the White House, there is only a bare-bones plan in place for how to handle the release of the redacted report, people familiar with the matter said. Emmet T. Flood, the White House counsel, is expected to spend the day reading the report and to brief the president on its findings. The White House has not asked to read the report in advance, and aides are planning to speed read. They intend to all but skip the sections related to potential criminal conspiracy, and instead zoom in on two outstanding questions that Mr. Trump himself wants to ignore: why Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, was not able to conclude whether Mr. Trump obstructed justice, and what the attorney general meant when he wrote in his letter that much of the presidents conduct was public meaning some of it was not. DAKAR, Senegal Some of the young women are thriving at a new school. Some have returned home to their family farms. But the fates of more than 100 other students who were kidnapped from a school in northeastern Nigeria are unknown, five years after militants from Boko Haram abducted them. On Sunday, the fifth anniversary of the kidnappings from the village of Chibok, President Muhammadu Buhari reiterated a pledge he had made years ago to bring back all of the students. We will not rest until all the remaining girls are back and reunited with their families, he said on his official Twitter account. I made this promise when I became President, and I will keep it. In 2014, Boko Haram militants stormed a girls school in Chibok and made off with over 200 girls who were boarding there to take exams the next day an act that gained widespread attention across the world with the social media hashtag #BringBackOurGirls advocating their release. Speaking from more than 400 feet below the surface of the Indian Ocean, the president of the Seychelles made an impassioned plea on Sunday to protect the worlds seas. Calling oceans the beating blue heart of our planet, the president, Danny Faure, said the sea had a special relationship with all of us. Mr. Faure, dressed in salmon-colored shorts and a T-shirt with the Seychelles flag, gave his speech from a submersible craft that had dived to 406 feet off Desroches Island in the Seychelles, part of a series of scientific missions to explore and protect the Indian Ocean. Marveling at the underwater beauty and biodiversity of his surroundings, Mr. Faure called for more protection for the oceans ecosystem. BRASILIA I wasnt born to be president, Brazils president, Jair Bolsonaro, said during a recent address at his official residence. I was born to be a soldier. The tone used by Mr. Bolsonaro, a former army captain, was lighthearted. But the message underscored how turbulent his first few months as president have been. In just over 100 days in office, he has used up much of his political capital, with little progress on crucial issues to show for it. Brazilians are growing impatient. The president, a right-wing populist, was swept into office with an expansive mandate for change by voters fed up with political corruption, violence and the lingering effects of a deep recession. Now, that door appears to be closing, with the two nations ramping up their strategic rivalry and each regarding academic visitors from the other with greater suspicion of espionage, commercial theft and political meddling. The F.B.I. has mounted a counterintelligence operation that aims to bar Chinese academics from the United States if they are suspected of having links to Chinese intelligence agencies. As many as 30 Chinese professors in the social sciences, heads of academic institutes, and experts who help explain government policies have had their visas to the United States canceled in the past year, or put on administrative review, according to Chinese academics and their American counterparts. It follows the warning of the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, at a Senate hearing last year that China presented a whole-of-society threat on their end that required a whole-of-society response. In a written response to questions, a State Department official said that American law enforcement believed Chinese intelligence services were increasingly using visiting Chinese scholars to target American citizens for intelligence gathering purposes. The department said it would not discuss the details of specific cases. The F.B.I. said that it would not confirm or deny any investigations into the scholars visits. The Trump administration has sought to crack down on what it sees as intellectual property theft by Chinese scientists working at American research institutions. Last year, it began restricting visas for Chinese graduate students studying in sensitive research fields and warned biomedical researchers at American universities to beware of Chinese spies trying to steal information from their laboratories. TOKYO A United States Navy sailor and a Japanese woman have been found dead on the Japanese island of Okinawa in what the police are investigating as a murder-suicide. The Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the sailor, Gabriel A. Olivero of North Carolina, appeared to have fatally stabbed the woman and then killed himself with the same knife. Mr. Olivero, 32, and the woman, 44, were found by the Okinawa police on Saturday in an apartment in Chatan, a village on the islands southwestern coast, according to NHK, the public broadcaster, and the local news media. They have not been publicly identified. About 25,000 American troops are stationed on Okinawa, half of all American soldiers based in Japan. Violence committed by American service members or related personnel on the island has long caused friction between Washington and Tokyo. CALGARY, Alberta Jason Kenney may have quit national politics to lead the Conservatives in his native Alberta, but that hasnt stopped him from consistently bringing up an old nemesis from his days in Parliament as he campaigns in the oil-rich province. After roaring up to a group of oil storage tanks in Valleyview, Alberta, in his Ram 1500 pickup truck on Saturday, Mr. Kenney told a crowd that the oil industrys prolonged slump was the fault of a leader who says he wants to phase out the oil sands. You know who that leader is Justin Trudeau, Mr. Kenney said. His supporters jeered at the prime minsters name. Alberta is holding its provincial election on Tuesday, and for the past month Mr. Kenney, the leader of the United Conservative Party, has tried to turn the vote into a referendum on Prime Minister Trudeaus carbon tax. He has slammed Mr. Trudeau for not reversing an oil industry slump that has cost the province thousands of jobs over the last four years. KIEV, Ukraine The Ukrainian presidential race took a surreal turn on Sunday when what was supposed to be a debate between the two candidates featured President Petro O. Poroshenko discussing Ukraines future with an empty lectern bearing the name of his rival, a comedian. His rival, Volodymyr Zelensky, had made clear beforehand that he would not attend the debate because of a quarrel over timing. But the president, struggling to revive his flagging re-election campaign, went ahead anyway, assailing his opponent as an unserious virtual candidate. The one-man debate, held in a stadium complex in Kiev, the capital, and broadcast live on television, came just a week before the second and decisive round of an election that has been dominated from the start by theatrical stunts and dirty tricks rather than policy issues like how to settle a five-year-old war in the east of the country. Months later, in phone calls, emails and text messages, the terrorist group negotiated with the Red Cross, initially demanding a ransom of less than 1 million euros under $1.1 million and calling for the release of detained ISIS fighters. But the ransom fluctuated as time went on, the aid group said, rising to 20 million before dropping down to 5 million, the amount requested for several other Western hostages. In those exchanges, the Red Cross was able to send proof-of-life questions, asking for the number of Ms. Akavis insurance policy, which her family said was written on a card the nurse kept with her. ISIS provided the correct number, one of several personal questions the group answered that convinced the Red Cross it was in fact speaking to her captors, Mr. Daccord said. By early 2014, the aid group confirmed that Ms. Akavi was being detained in a facility next to an oil installation outside Raqqa. She shared a cell with an American aid worker, Kayla Mueller, according to the aid group and others who were in the same jail. An adjacent cell held more than a dozen male prisoners from Europe and North America, including the American journalist James Foley, as well as Mr. Cantlie, the only other Western hostage who may still be alive, according to a statement in February by a British government official. By mid-2014, ISIS had released most of the hostages after their governments, and sometimes their employers or families, paid multimillion-dollar ransoms. But three British and four American citizens, whose governments hew to a strict no-ransom policy, remained behind, along with Ms. Akavi. That August, after failing to get a ransom for his release, ISIS killed Mr. Foley. His beheading, and the similarly brutal deaths of two British hostages and the remaining American men in the next few months, shocked the public and rattled the Obama administration. That set in motion a military intervention in Syria that ended just weeks ago with the collapse of ISIS rule. The female prisoners were initially spared, even though ISIS sent the Red Cross an email in July 2014 saying it planned to execute both Ms. Akavi and Ms. Mueller as retaliation for a failed rescue attempt by American commandos, according to Mr. Daccord. By autumn, the women were sharing their cell with two Yazidi teenagers who had been abducted with thousands of other women in Iraq to be used as sex slaves. ISTANBUL The producer counts down three, two, one as the music swells, and a new episode of the current affairs television show Syria Today goes live, broadcasting pro-opposition programming to Syrians scattered across the world by civil war. Similar scenes of dissent play out daily all over Istanbul, where firebrands from Egypt, Yemen and elsewhere across the Arab world take on the Mideasts oppressive governments from the relative safety of Turkeys media capital. As the Arab Spring uprisings have been trampled underfoot by resurgent dictators or devolved into brutal civil wars, Istanbul has emerged as the regions capital for many of the Arab politicians, activists, rebels and journalists who tried to push history in a different direction in the countries where they were born and stalled. In Istanbul, they are carving out new lives, carrying on the fight from afar and avoiding jail terms, or worse, back home. CAIRO Sudans new ruling military council announced on Sunday that it would name a civilian prime minister and cabinet, but not a president, to help govern the country after the coup that removed the longtime leader Omar Hassan al-Bashir. An army spokesman, Lt. Gen. Shamseldin Kibashi, also said in televised remarks that the military had begun to overhaul security organizations and would allow demonstrations to continue outside the military headquarters in Khartoum, the capital. The statement came after a second day of meetings between the army and organizers of the months of escalating protests that led to Mr. al-Bashirs ouster on Thursday. The announcement was unlikely to satisfy protesters, though, who have demanded full civilian rule. Organizers have urged the military to immediately and unconditionally hand power to a transitional civilian government. If a family was able to take the child tax credit or new qualified business income deduction, they might not have ended up owing anything, even if they could no longer deduct their state and local income taxes, Ms. Taylor said. But if they did not receive benefits from some of the newer tax breaks, then they could be losing all the way around. Hence the high level of frustration and surprise among folks. Early this tax season, I.R.S. statistics showed that the average taxpayer refund was down nearly 17 percent. Things have evened out since then: As of April 5, the average refund was $2,833, down 1.1 percent from last year. But thats not the whole story: A million fewer taxpayers had received refunds. Averages also gloss over what was happening in individual households across the country. In New Jersey, for example, H&R Block found that, on average, its clients owed about 30 percent less in taxes than in 2017. But their refunds declined by about 6 percent, according to an analysis among customers who filed through the end of March. Over all, H&R Block said that its average taxpayers total liability dropped by $1,200, while refunds were up $43. Instead of substantially bigger refunds, those taxpayers received about $50 more in their biweekly paychecks starting in March 2018, for a total of $1,156 which they may not have even noticed. Whether or not you owed for 2018, now is the time to update your withholdings. The I.R.S. suggests performing a paycheck checkup annually to avoid surprises. Big life events like getting married or having a child are other reasons to go through this exercise again. Using the I.R.S.s withholding calculator makes it easier to fill out the W-4. TurboTax and H&R Block offer similar tools. The calculator helps taxpayers estimate their 2019 income tax and compare that amount with their current withholding. That will show them whether they should have more or less money withheld from their paychecks. The amount withheld is determined by the number of so-called allowances. The fewer allowances you claim, the more is set aside from each check. You can increase your withholdings further by specifying an additional flat dollar amount to be set aside each pay period. NYTimes.com no longer supports Internet Explorer 9 or earlier. Please upgrade your browser. . , . , . 65 . . , . , ... NYC Council Bans Employers from Testing Job Applicants for Cannabis zo Zo is a staff writer at Okayplayer where he covers The new bills prohibit companies from using drug tests for cannabis as a condition of employment. Though its cannabis legalization efforts have recently stalled out, a pair of bills overwhelmingly approved by New York City Council is changing the citys protocol in screening for the drug. According to The New York Times, two measures were passed by the council; one that bans employers from testing job applicants for cannabis, another that prohibits the city from testing people on probation. The bills apply to both public and private companies, as well as those that are not headquartered within the city. Mayor Bill de Blasio has pledged his full support and is expected to sign the bills imminently. The bills aim to level the employment playing field and are the first of their kind in the country, even in states where cannabis has been legalized for recreational use. The same report notes that Maine, where voters chose to legalize in 2018, prohibited employers from discriminating against those who have used the drug, but never went so far as to regulate the process of testing for the substance. In last years election campaign, Gov. Andrew Cuomo shifted towards a weed-friendly stance when his opponent, Cynthia Nixon, held his feet to the fire after years of dragging on the question of legalization. This year, Cuomo became a hard-line advocate of the transition and even pushed for a measure in the state budget, but was opposed by black lawmakers that would not sign on unless their communities were guaranteed an equal stake in the potentially massive new industry. Jumaane D. Williams, NYC public advocate (and sponsor of the employer-regulating bill,) notes the legalization freeze, but remains hopeful of an amicable resolution: If we want to be a progressive city, we have to really put these things into action. The Newport Princess, a 77-year-old, 61.5-foot-long Mississippi-style paddleboat that toured Newport Harbor, has sunk about a mile off of the coast of Long Beach. How MPs spent on their 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign In new Punjab Cabinet all ministers are crorepatis In the Goa assembly all 40 MLAs are crorepatis 14 with criminal record and 28 crorepatis in new Rajasthan Cabinet 423 crorepatis, 10 with rape charges will contest 2nd phase of Lok Sabha elections 2019 India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 14: There are 251 candidates with pending criminal cases who will be fighting the 2nd phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2019. A report prepared by the Association for Democratic Reforms states that 251(16%) out of 1590 candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves. 167(11%) out of 1590 have declared serious criminal cases against themselves. 3 candidates have declared convicted cases against themselves. 55 with criminal background, 49 crorepatis contesting Odisha polls 6 candidates have declared cases related to murder (IPC Section -302) against themselves. 25 candidates have declared cases related to attempt to murder (IPC Section 307) against themselves. 8 candidates have declared cases related to kidnapping such kidnapping for ransom, etc. (IPC Section-364A), kidnapping (IPC Section-363), Kidnapping or abducting with an intetnt secretly and wrongfully confine person (IPC Section-365) etc, against themselves. 10 candidates have declared cases related to crime against women such as rape (IPC Section-376), assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty (IPC Section-354), husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty (IPC Section-498A) etc., against themselves. 15 candidates have declared cases related to hate speech against themselves. Among the major parties, 16(31%) out of 51 candidates from BJP, 23(43%) out of 53 candidates from INC, 16(20%) out of 80 candidates from BSP, 3(14%) out of 22 candidates analysed from AIADMK, 11(46%) out of 24 candidates from DMK and 4(36%) out of 11 candidates from SHS have declared criminal cases against themselves. Among the major parties, 10(20%) out of 51 candidates from BJP, 17(32%) out of 53 candidates from INC, 10(13%) out of 80 candidates from BSP, 3(14%) out of 22 candidates analysed from AIADMK, 7(29%) out of 24 candidates from DMK and 1(9%) out of 11 candidates from SHS have declared serious criminal cases against themselves. 146 of the 1,266 candidates contesting LS polls have pending criminal cases 41 out of 97 constituencies are red alert constituencies. Red alert constituencies are those constituencies where 3 or more contesting candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves. Financial: There are 423(27%) candidates who have assets worth Rs. 1 crore and more. Among the major parties 46(87%) out of 53 candidates from INC, 45(88%) out of 51 candidates from BJP, 23(96%) out of 24 candidates from DMK, 22(100%) candidates from AIADMK and 21(26%) out of 80 candidates from BSP have declared assets worth more than Rs. 1 crore. The average asset per candidate contesting in the Lok Sabha Phase II election is Rs. 3.90 crores. Only four candidates in Sikkim have pending criminal cases Among major parties, the average assets per candidate for 80 BSP candidates is Rs. 1.94 crores, 53 INC candidates is Rs 31.83 crores, 51 BJP candidates have average assets of Rs 21.59 crores, 24 DMK candidates have average assets worth Rs 25.91 crores, and 22 AIADMK candidates have average assets of Rs 14.27 crores. Other details: 525(33%) candidates have declared their age to be between 25 to 40 years while 805 (51%) candidates have declared their age to be between 41 to 60 years. There are 246(15%) candidates who have declared their age to be between 61 to 80 years. 7 candidates have declared their age to be above 80 years. 6 candidates have not given their age. 1 has declared his age to be 24 years. 120(8%) female candidates are contesting in the Lok Sabha Phase II elections. 'There is no UPA now': Mamata Banerjee takes swipe at Cong, calls for unity of regional parties against BJP 8 days before his death, Parrikar wanted to campaign for Modi: Maha CM reply to Pawar India oi-Madhuri Adnal Mumbai, Apr 14: Hitting back at NCP chief Sharad Pawar who claimed that late Go Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar quit Modi government over his disagreement in Rafale fighter jet deal, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that, "giving statements like this after his (Parrikar's) death is not right." He also said that, "He (Parrikar) was such a man that 8 days before his death he had said that he should get the chance to campaign for Modi ji in at least 2 rallies as there won't be a PM like him." The Maharashtra Chief Minister also remined Pawar about Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi's 'crass joke' where he wanted to imply similar thing. However, Parrikar had replied to Gandhi's any such claim. "Rahul ji too had attempted to say something like this earlier. It was a crass joke but Manohar ji was alive then, so he could give a reply," Fadnavis said. Modi slams political families before polls, comes to stitch alliances later: Mehbooba Earlier on Saturday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar claimed that Former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar relinquished his post at the Centre and returned to Goa because he did not agree with the Rafale fighter jet deal. "The Rafale deal was not acceptable to Manohar Parrikar. He therefore resigned from the post of Defence minister and returned to Goa," claimed Pawar. Parrikar, who took over as defence minister in November 2014, was sworn in as Goa chief minister on March 14, 2017. He died on March 17 this year after a long battle with a pancreatic ailment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after talks with the then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris. The final deal was sealed on September 23, 2016. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 15:09 [IST] We must take agriculture out of chemistry lab and connect it to lab of nature: PM Modi Abdullahs, Muftis can abuse Modi but wont be able to divide nation, says PM in Kathua India oi-Madhuri Adnal Kathua, Apr 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed a poll rally in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district and hailed the residents of Jammu and Baramulla for coming out in huge numbers and voting in the first phase on April 11. In Kathua, PM Modi addressed the gathering in favour of Dr Jitendra Singh, who is seeking second term from Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha constituency. Addressing a rally in Kathua, PM Modi said, "You have proved the strength of India's democracy in the first phase. With the overwhelming turnout in Jammu and Baramulla, you have given a befitting reply to the terrorist leaders, opportunists & people in 'mahamilawat'. Opposition 'unhappy' with me over India's rapid global strides: PM Modi "Army is a source to earn money. Congress indulged in corruption in defence deals. In recent days, you have seen the 'mahamilavat' of Congress, NC & PDP. Congress indulges in vote bank politics," he said. Hitting out at the Congress, PM Modi in Kathua said that the party's policies were behind migration of Kashmiri Pandits from Valley. "Due to the policies of Congress, Kashmiri Pandits had to leave their own home. Congress and their friends were so worried about their vote bank that they overlooked the atrocities on Kashmiri Pandits," he said. "Congress is behind the migration of Kashmiri pandits from the Valley. Congress wants NYAY but has done anyay [injustice] for 60 years," he also said. The Prime Minister also said,''I want to tell Mufti and Abdullahs, I'm Modi, 'mai na jhukta hu, na bikta hu'. I want to tell Abdullahs and Muftis that I would not allow them to break this country. Congress won't mend its ways. Congress's blood has been infected by germs. Congress wants to withdraw Army from J&K.'' Modi biggest victim of political intolerance: Naqvi ''Congress wants to hold talks with the Pakistani proxies. Congress wants to dilute AFSPA. Congress is trying to demoralise our security forces. Congress has lost the trust of the people. The Abdullah family and the Mufti family destroyed lives of three generations of Jammu and Kashmir. The bright future of J&K can be ensured only after their departure. They can bring their entire clan into the field, can abuse Modi as much as they want but they won't be able to divide this nation,'' Modi further said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 13:41 [IST] Why Petrol and Diesel prices keep going up? This is what petroleum minister has to say Pradhan says Cong-ruled states should cut tax on petrol, diesel; mum on high taxes in BJP-ruled states NEET-UG to be conducted in 13 languages for first time; exam centre opened in Kuwait: Dharmendra Pradhan BJP promises subsidised ration package at Re 1 India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa Cuttack, Apr 14: Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan has announced that a subsidised ration package at Re 1 will be provided to the beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act, if the BJP is voted to power in Odisha. Addressing BJP's 'Vijay Sankalp Samavesh' at Choudwar assembly segment within the Cuttack Lok Sabha constituency, Pradhan said all the beneficiaries of the state will receive five kg of rice, 500 gm of dal and 500 gm of salt at Re 1, only under the National Food Security Act. Nearly 3.26 crore beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act will be benefited by the package which aims to improve the nutritional requirement of the beneficiaries, the Union petroleum minister said. Hema Malini's 'make-up' becomes a poll issue now Pradhan also announced that the BJP, if voted to power, will also enhance the remuneration of Anganwadi workers to Rs 15,000 per month and increased the pension amounts given under different social security schemes. The Union minister also announced that outstanding female students of colleges and universities will be given mopeds under the 'Sailabala Two-Wheeler' scheme. "In order to address the inherent road traffic problems of Choudwar, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, the BJP government in the state will take up an ambitious metro project to link these three historic cities," Pradhan said. The Union minister was in Choudwar to campaign for Prakash Mishra, the party's candidate for the Cuttack Lok Sabha seat and MLA nominee Nayan Ranjan Mohanty. Pawar alleges that Parrikar quit as defence minister over Rafale deal Pradhan also said that the BJP will form government both at the Centre and in Odisha this time. Elections to the Lok Sabha and the state assembly are being held simultaneously in Odisha in four phases. The first phase was held on April 11 and the remaining phases will be held on April 18, 23 and 29. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 11:02 [IST] Call for Priyanka Gandhi to contest polls grows louder India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Lucknow, Apr 14: The voices within the Congress urging Priyanka Gandhi to contest the elections have grown louder. These demands come in the wake of several reports suggesting that Priyanka has been urged to contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi. The Congress feels that Priyanka entering the contest would boost the chances of the party. The party feels that the party would get a morale boost if she contests from eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Congress has shown interest in her candidature, but realises that in order to put up a strong fight, it would need the support of the other parties as well. The party is understood to have reached out to the BSP and SP in this regard. If reports are to be believed then, the Congress along with the BSP and SP could field Priyanka as a joint candidate from Varanasi. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi had polled 5,81,122 votes. He won by a victory margin of 2 lakh votes. The Congress feels that it could reduce this margin greatly if a joint opposition candidate is fielded from Varanasi. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 8:06 [IST] We must take agriculture out of chemistry lab and connect it to lab of nature: PM Modi Congress fires fresh salvo over 'suspicious black trunk' in PM's chopper, demands probe India pti-PTI New Delhi, Apr 14: The Congress on Sunday demanded a probe into the alleged transportation of a "suspicious black trunk" in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helicopter during his visit to Chitradurga in Karnataka for poll campaign. Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma asked the prime minister to come clean and said the Election Commission should inquire into the contents of the "trunk". He said the Congress' Karnataka unit has already filed a complaint with the Election Commission in this regard. The prime minister had addressed an election rally in Karnataka's Chitradurga on April 9. "We saw there were three more choppers escorting the prime minister's helicopter. After landing, a black trunk was taken out and whisked away in a private car which was not part of the SPG carcade," he alleged. [Abdullahs, Muftis can abuse Modi but won't be able to divide nation, says PM in Kathua] Sharma suggested there was cash stashed in the trunk. "What was there in the trunk. If there was no cash in it, let there an inquiry be held." The party also played a video clip claiming that the purported trunk, after being unloaded from the PM's helicopter, was shipped to a private Innova car, that Sharma alleged was not a part of the SPG carcade, and taken away. Sharma also asked Modi to give an account of his five-year rule to the people of the country as a tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. "The Prime Minister is trying to control and change the narrative because he has no courage the face real issues," he alleged. Raising the issue of Rafale, Sharma asked Modi to make public the minutes of a meeting held last year between him and former French president Francois Hollande on the fighter jet deal. "Why is he (PM) silent on his role in Rafale scam? Make the minutes of the meeting between Prime Minister and former French president Francois Hollande on the Rafale deal public by tomorrow. As there has been a controversy, it would help settle it once for all," he said. The Prime Minister in his "desperation to win has done enormous disservice to the nation by dragging in the Armed Forces for Partisan political propaganda", Sharma further alleged. "Seeking votes for the courageous action and sacrifices of our soldiers is an unpardonable transgression and also an insult to the Armed forces who defend the motherland under the tricolour and not under one person or party. The Indian Army belongs to the Republic of India," he said. Sharma also slammed BJP leader and Union minister General VK Singh (Retd). "There is Prime Minister's defence and his apology minister including one of his ministers, who should have been made literate in the military history of the country. I am referring to retired General V.K. Singh, he said - Indira Gandhi benefitted electorally from the Bangladesh war." "Is he ignorant of history when he himself was a commissioned officer?" Sharma asked. "To reeducate him, these are the facts: General Singh got commissioned in June 1970, Smt Indira Gandhi recorded a massive electoral win in March 1971 and India won the 13-day war with Pakistan on 16 December 1971. VK Singh should extend an unconditional apology," he said. PTI From Swara Bhaskar to Gurmeher Kaur, eminent faces campaigning for Kanhaiya Kumar India pti-PTI New Delhi, Apr 14: The comrades who had led the movement for release of Kanhaiya Kumar from Tihar in 2016, following his arrest over sedition charges, are now campaigning to send him to the Lok Sabha from Bihar's Begusarai. Fielded by the CPI, Kumar, a debutant, is pitted against BJP veteran Giriraj Singh and RJD's Tanveer Hassan in Begusarai, which goes to polls on April 29. Some of the comrades have been camping in Begusarai to seek votes for the former Jawarharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president. Rama Naga, a former JNUSU member who was charged with sedition along with Kanhaiya, has been in Begusarai for the last two weeks. "The government tried its best to put us down. Our name will be noted in history worldwide among those few who were charged with sedition," he told PTI. "They wanted to portray it as a negative tag but how Kanhaiya has tried to make a positive beginning out of it and to remain attached to his roots in Begusarai is commendable," he said. [Can Kanhaiya Kumar keep BJP at bay in 'Leningrad of Bihar'?] "We have moved on to different projects in our respective lives but our ideologies are still the same and this campaigning has united all of us again," he added. Shehla Rashid, who was a prominent face of the campaign for Kumar's release, is gunning for him yet again. "Begusarai is brimming with anticipation. After decades, people are looking forward to having a representative who can dare to speak against injustice and Kanhaiya is just about that," said Rashid, who entered mainstream politics by joining the fledgling Jammu and Kashmir Peoples' Movement earlier this year. The BJP would have never thought that a student movement would reach so far, she said, speaking about Kumar's rally after he filed his nomination papers. The rally was joined by hundreds. Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar, a JNU alumnus, is also in Begusarai. She was trolled on social media for supporting Kumar and Khalid in 2016. [Kanhaiya Kumar files nomination as CPI candidate from Begusarai] Bhaskar was among those who joined Kumar's nomination rally on April 9, also her birthday. "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 the Indian democracy," she said. Gurmeher Kaur, a student activist who was trolled for her appeal to say no to war and boycott BJP's student outfit Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, is also campaigning for Kumar in Bihar. Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattarcharya, who were also jailed in connection with the sedition row, are running a campaign on social media to seek votes for the former JNUSU president. Kumar also received the blessings of Fatima Nafees, mother of missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmad. Kumar, along with others, was part of a campaign to seek justice for Ahmad. Before he set out to file his nomination papers last week, Kumar had shared a picture with his mother and Nafees on his Twitter handle saying, "I now have blessings of the mothers". Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani and activist Teesta Setalvad are also actively campaigning for the young leader. Students from JNU are also leaving for Begusarai in batches to participate in the campaigning. Kumar shot to fame after his arrest three years ago for allegedly raising anti-national slogans at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. PTI GA-English on Sunday : News briefs for Bonn and the region BONN/REGION Compulsory immunizations may be introduced for children in day care facilities, and in mid-May, motorists will be redirected to the other side of the B9 tunnel. A young boy was involved in a hit and run in Pennenfeld, and heres also a brief update on the damaged cherry trees in Bonns Old Town. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken NRW wants compulsory immunizations for children in day care DUSSELDORF. NRW is preparing for the introduction of a compulsory measles vaccination for children in day care centers and kindergartens. Child Welfare and Family Minister Joachim Stamp (FDP) told our editorial team: "I am in favor of a general vaccination obligation - this also applies to kindergartens. We will examine how we implement this." NRW Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) also said on Friday: "I am in favor of compulsory vaccination. The action follows an unusually high incidence of measles since the beginning of the year - 100 cases in the first three months. The state of Brandenburg has just introduced such a measure and the federal government is also investigating the possibility of such a requirement nationwide. Many citizens refuse measles vaccinations because they fear possible side effects more than contracting the disease itself. Most scientists consider this position to be untenable. Orig. text: Thomas Reisener Bad Godseberg tunnel switch in May BAD GODESBERG. The renovation of the Bad Godesberg tunnel is progressing, and according to the city, the work is on schedule and on budget. The ventilation system is currently being rebuilt, and work has been underway in the tunnel section running north towards Bonn since August 2018. Traffic has been routed entirely through the other side of the tunnel but this is expected to change on May 17. Work will then begin on the southbound side of the tunnel which is currently open. It will be closed off and all traffic will switch to the northbound side of the tunnel. According to the city, however, the exact timing is still dependent on the condition that the software, the control system and the installed hardware components work together successfully. Orig. text: jab Hit and run: 9-year-old hit by car in Pennenfeld BONN. Police are looking for the driver of a silver Mercedes station wagon after he fled the scene of an accident on Thursday afternoon. A nine-year-old boy was on inline skates in Bonn-Pennenfeld around 3 pm on Thursday when he was hit by a car at a zebra crossing. He was making his way from Zanderstrae to Rontgenstrae. The boy collided with a side mirror of the car, causing him to fall. He was injured and was taken to hospital by ambulance. The driver of the car, with a license plate beginning: BN-PT, is described as 60 to 70 years old, partially bald, wearing glasses, with a short full beard and wearing a white-striped shirt. Anyone who many have information is asked to contact police at: 0228 150. Orig. text: Sebastian Fink Update on cherry tree graffiti BONN. Police say a total of 43 cherry trees in the Old Town were smeared with graffiti in the early hours Friday morning. Based on the large number of trees affected, they believe the culprits would have been carrying a significant amount of painting apparatus with them. They are hoping for witnesses who may have seen possible suspects underway with backpacks or other large bags. Trees on both Heerstrae and Breitestrae were damaged. On Monday, according to city press spokesperson Stefanie Zienitz, employees of the municipal building management will try to dissolve the paint with an oil-based agent, which is also used to remove graffiti. Anyone who many have observed something suspicious in the Old Town early Friday morning is asked to contact police at: 0228 150. Orig. text: Philipp Konigs Yogi Adityanath didn't take dip in Ganga as he knows rivers are not clean: Akhilesh Govts come and go but Jawans stay at Border, Akhilesh Yadavs jibe at BJP India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Apr 14: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday, while addressing a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh, took a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. He said, "They say, as long as there is BJP govt, our borders are secure. We the people of Samajwadi Party believe that as long as there are brave soldiers at our borders, the borders are secure. Govts come and go but the jawans stay at the border, protecting India." Earlier on Saturday, Akhilesh Yadav said the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are "historic" as they will take the nation in a new direction and restore respect for the poor. 8-0 in 2014: The SP-BSP big test today in Western Uttar Pradesh "The BJP wants to create a gulf of hatred," he said at a joint rally of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in favour of Samajwadi Party candidate Dharmendra Yadav here. The BJP wants to divide the society for gaining power in the manner in which the British divided us," he said. "These elections are historic," Yadav said. "They are not just for winning the Lok Sabha, but to take the nation in the new direction, to bring change and restore respect of the poor who have been humiliated." For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 11:32 [IST] Can't be disqualified as MLA, never quit from Congress: Alpesh Thakor Hardik Patel slams Alpesh Thakor, says he couldn't handle power given by Congress India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Apr 14: Hitting out at former Congress leader Alpesh Thakor, Congress leader Hardik Patel on Saturday said that Alpesh quit the party as he couldn't handle the respect, power and the pressure of responsibilities that come along with it. "Congress party had given so much respect and power but he could not handle it. He started playing blame games," Hardik, who had joined Congress few weeks ago, told ANI. Patel has spoken days after Thakor quit the party citing 'side-lining' by leaders over several key issues and decisions. 'What is the urgency?' SC declines urgent hearing on Hardik Patel's plea A prominent OBC leader, Alpesh Thakor had joined the Congress ahead of Gujarat Assembly poll in 2017 but he decided to resign from all party posts on Wednesday. Hardik Patel also lashed out at the BJP, accusing the party of making all efforts to stop him from contesting the Lok Sabha poll. "I am accepting the decision of the High Court. BJP lawyers tried their best so that I could not contest the ongoing elections. Congress wanted to take me to the Parliament. I am a 25-year-old young man and many elections will come in the future," he said. 'Berojgar Hardik Patel': Patidar leader counters PM Modi's 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign The Gujarat High Court had suspended Hardik's jail sentence in this case in August 2018 but the court did not stay his conviction. Hardik had joined Congress on March 12 and the party had named him as its contest from Jamnagar in Gujarat in the upcoming Lok Sabha poll. Polling for all Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat is scheduled to take place in a single phase on April 23. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 13:09 [IST] Highway ban protests in J&K get louder India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa Jammu, Apr 14: National Conference activists Saturday protested in the highway township of Banihal against the ban on the movement of civilian traffic twice a week on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. The protesters, led by National Conference district president, Ramban, Sajjad Shaheen, staged the protest to press for revocation of the "anti-people" and "authoritarian" order. The nearly 270-km highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, will remain closed for civilian traffic on Wednesday and Sunday from 4 am to 5 pm till May 31 to facilitate smooth movement of security convoys. Jammu and Kashmir: Kishtwar under curfew for fourth day "Such an unprecedented move is first in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. It has turned out as a nightmare for the commuters on the highway as also various towns, suburbs and rural pockets on the route. "The proponents of such an order have not applied their mind, which speaks volumes about their disconnect with the people, who have been pushed to the wall," Shaheen said addressing the protesters. The NC leader hoped that governor Satya Pal Malik would undertake immediate review of the situation and revoke the ban in the larger interest of the people especially those living along the highway. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 10:57 [IST] In Hassan, direct fight likely between JD(S) and BJP India oi-Deepika S Mysuru, Apr 14: The Hassan Lok Sabha constituency is set to witness an unprecedented poll battle between former prime minister Deve Gowda's grandson Prajwal Revanna and three-time Arkalgud MLA Manju. Hassan, the vokkaliga bastion has remained unflinchingly loyal to JD(S) since 1991 barring the 1999 elections where Gowda lost to former minister G Puttaswamy Gowda (Cong) by over 1.47 lakh votes soon after he stepped down as prime minister. Now, with the Congress and JD(S) having come together "formally", victory for the coalition candidate is meant to be a calkwalk. However, upset over Prajwal's candidature, a few senior leaders have resolved to remain neutral, while many shifted their loyalty to the BJP. While that of the JD(S)-Congress is a formal alliance, an informal alliance has taken shape between the BJP and disgruntled Congress workers. With caste playing a key factor, keen contest on in Karnataka According to the reports, Hassan has 2 lakh Kuruba voters, who are expected take avenge Siddarammaih's debacle in the assembly elections. With SC/STs always voting in favour of the Congress, they are now finding it difficult to accept a JD(S) candidate. The 3 lakh Lingayat voters have been owing their allegiance to the BJP for the last 15 years after community leader BS Yeddyurappa became the deputy CM in 2006 and later the CM in 2008. In 2014 elections, Deve Gowda won with a majority of around one lakh votes. Gowda polled 5,09,841 votes against Manju (Congress) 4,09,378 votes and C H Vijayashankar (BJP) 1,65,688 votes. Although Manju lost to him, he did reduce the octogenarian leader's victory margin from 2.91 lakh in 2009 to just around one lakh. In the past elections, whenever BJP candidates secured an impressive vote share in the constituency, it was Gowda who walked away with the seat. Whether the BJP wins or loses in the battle, it's certain to widen its base in the constituency. Out of 17 elections so far, the Congress has won nine times (1951, 1957, 1962, 1971, 1974, 1980, 1984, 1989, 1999); Janata Dal thrice (1991, 1996, 1998); Janata Dal (Secular) thrice (2004, 2009, 2014) and Swatantra Party and Bharatiya Lok Dal once each in 1967 and 1977 respectively. Lok Sabha elections 2019: Union Minister Birender Singh's son to contest from Hisar India pti-PTI New Delhi, Apr 14: The BJP on Sunday released a list of six candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, nominating Union minister Chaudhary Birender Singh's son Brijendra from Hisar in Haryana. The list has two candidates from Haryana, three from Madhya Pradesh and one from Rajasthan. Following the announcement of his son's candidature, Birender Singh offered to resign from the Cabinet and Rajya Sabha as well. With the latest names, the BJP has so far announced 413 candidates for the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls which will start on April 11 and continue till May 19. The counting of the votes will take place on May 23. Earlier in the day, Union Steel Minister Birender Singh, a senior BJP leader from Haryana, said he has offered to resign from the cabinet and from Rajya Sabha. [Lok Sabha Election 2019 Updates: Yogi should be booked for sedition, demands Ashok Gehlot] The announcement, made by the minister during a press conference at his official residence here, followed selection of his son Brijendra Singh's name as the BJP candidate from Hisar. The senior leader said he has informed the BJP president Amit Shah about his resignation offer, with which he wants to send across a message of anti-dynastic politics as his son has got the Lok Sabha ticket. [423 crorepatis, 10 with rape charges will contest 2nd phase of Lok Sabha elections 2019] In 2016, he was shifted to Steel Ministry from the Ministry of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation. Singh had joined BJP in 2014 after his over four-decade association with the Congress party. PTI 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 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: Election expenditure: How much did BJP, Congress, DMK, CPI, TMC, AIADMK receive funds and spent during polls? Opposition front not possible without Congress: Shiv Sena leader Raut after meeting with Rahul Gandhi Mamata Banerjee's TMC gives yet another jolt to Congress in Meghalaya; 11 members switch sides Goa Congress hit by several resignations on day of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's visit Major boost for Congress in Tripura, 1,000 youth IPFT workers join party India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa Agartala, Apr 14: Over one thousand Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) youth workers joined the opposition Congress in the state on Saturday, its leaders said. Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Pradyot Kishore Deb Burman said 300 youth IPFT supporters joined the Congress from Khowai district, while another group of 700 at Kamalpur in Dhalai district. Addressing a press conference, he said leaders of the regional party have "betrayed" its supporters, and failed to deliver on the promises for the development of indigenous people of the state. Call for Priyanka Gandhi to contest polls grows louder "IPFT supporters are coming to us because they have realised that IPFT supremo N C Debbarma, who is not even campaigning, submitted a nomination to cut down on votes of the Congress and help the BJP," Deb Burman claimed. The IPFT-BJP alliance formed the government in Tripura in 2018, ending the 25-year rule of the Left Front. Earlier this month, IPFT vice-president Ananta Debbarma and its Youth wing general secretary Shuklacharan Noatia joined the Congress, blaming IPFT leaders for high-handedness and an absence of internal democracy in the party. Congress targets Modi over French newspaper report on Rafael Meanwhile, a delegation of Congress leaders from Tripura reached New Delhi on Saturday to meet officials of the Election Commission for re-polling in booths, which the party alleges to have been rigged on April 11. Congress has alleged that 151 out of the 1,679 polling booths in the West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency were rigged. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 11:29 [IST] NCP-Cong in 'complete unanimity'; now talks with Sena to finalise architecture of alliance Modi govt most corrupt says Chavan India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa Mumbai, Apr 14: Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan has lambasted the Narendra Modi government, calling it the "most corrupt" in the history of India, and said its performance has been "abysmal and deplorable". He also accused the BJP-led dispensation of misusing the sedition law, and said the Congress wants to differentiate between the anti-national acts and opposition to the government. Chavan claimed there was fear among people now that if Modi, who has "dictatorial tendencies", continued to be in power, the Indian democracy would be in trouble. Who is BJP's CM candidate in Odisha? Patnaik wants to know In an interview to PTI, the former Maharashtra chief minister said in 2014, Modi had promised a corruption-free government. "In 2014, Modi emerged as the winner even before the campaign started. There were several corruption allegations against UPA-II, which people believed. Many of the allegations were fabricated. We could not effectively defend ourself. The Anna Hazare movement also created an atmosphere against us. Modi's corruption-free government promise was very important as many people voted him to power for that," Chavan said. "But, if you analyse his (track) record, it is abysmal and deplorable. Modi's government is the most corrupt in the history of India," he alleged. Chavan said, "People have now realised that these people had lied to them by giving promises which they had no intention of fulfilling. The former Union minister charged that Modi launched a surgical strike on Indian economy through demonetisation. "Performance of Modi is the agenda of the campaign this time. But, he has no answers on the development promises. Instead, he has shifted the focus on national security and wrong propaganda about the Congress and other opposition parties," Chavan said. "Post-Pulwama, lot of counter-narratives are floating around. Congress party will ask him questions about anything and everything. It is the right of the opposition to answer questions. The job of the opposition is to oppose, expose and depose the government," he said. Major boost for Congress in Tripura, 1,000 youth IPFT workers join party Chavan said he expected the Congress-NCP to do better in this election as compared to the 2014 tally of two (Congress) and four (NCP) seats in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra. "The mood of the nation has changed. The wave is against Modi. The opposition has sensed that the Modi government can be defeated. There is a genuine fear that if a man like Modi, with dictatorial tendencies, returns to power, there will be a question mark on the future of Indian democracy," he added. "We are happy with the 'tukde tukde' label. Let's not forget that it is the Congress party, which made 'tukde tukde' of Pakistan," he said, responding to BJP charge that the party manifesto is written by the "tukde tukde gang". The BJP has been using "tukde tukde" gang to refer to students accused of raising anti-India slogans in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in 2016 and has generalised the phrase to attack those it accuses of sympathising with Maoists and separatists. Congress party's record very clear, he said, adding that wars fought under the political leadership of the Congress have seen India decisively defeat Pakistan. When asked about the promise of review of sedition law in the Congress manifesto, Chavan said the party makes it clear that it wants to differentiate between the act against the nation and opposing the government. "There is a difference between anti-national acts of stealing defence secrets and selling it to Pakistan and saying demonetisation has been the most stupid decision of the Modi government," Chavan said. "It is the right of the opposition and every citizen to ask the government of the day for accountability. The sedition law was rarely used during the UPA rule. Now, the government is misusing it and there are 179 sedition cases in different parts of the country," he said. "In JNU, if somebody has a different point of view, do you arrest them under sedition?" he asked. He said the BJP's manifesto has consistently given place to issues of Ram temple, uniform civil code in the last three elections. "Modi had got absolute majority after 30 years. There was no alliance partner or deputy PM. Modi was the ruler and he has not been able to explain his performance on development front," he said. Chavan said the Congress-led opposition has deliberately avoided a national alliance against the BJP since it would have to be under some leader. "This is what Modi wanted- to convert the election into a US presidential style campaign," he added. Call for Priyanka Gandhi to contest polls grows louder When asked about alliances, he said the Congress has 23 parties on board in the state-level alliances. "There are conflict of interests in some states. But, in a large country this is bound to happen. By and large, alliances are in place," he said. Targeting the BJP, he said on the issues of development, national welfare, the ruling party is no match to Congress. "All their promises have fallen flat. Hence, it is effectively using methods of coercion and inducement. Their motto is anything goes in politics...," he said. Referring to the I-T raids in Madhya Pradesh, Chavan said it was "tax terrorism". "To threaten and create an atmosphere of terror," he said. When asked about Shiv Sena joining hands with BJP , Chavan alleged, "It is clear agencies like ED, CBI have been utilised." Chavan said the Rafale deal was a complicated case of huge corruption. "It is the largest defence corruption scandal where laws and decisions have been twisted around. (Former Defence minister Manohar) Parrikar refused to toe the line to increase the price in the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC). The matter was not resolved at the DAC and hence it was taken up by the Cabinet Committee on Security, where the prime minister approved the price hike," he claimed. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 12:20 [IST] Modi slams political families before polls, comes to stitch alliances later: Mehbooba India oi-Madhuri Adnal Jammu, Apr 14: PDP chief and former Chief Minister of J&K reacted to PM Modi's attack on her and Omar and Farooq Abdullah at a rally in Kathua and asked why does he slam the political parties before the polls but comes to stitch alliances with the same parties later. Taking to Twitter, Mufti said,"Why does PM slams political families pre-elections and then sends his envoys to stitch alliances with the very same parties? NC in 99 and PDP in 2015. Why do they choose power over Article 370 then? BJP with its noxious agenda of banishing Muslims and minorities wants to divide India." Opposition parties to approach SC again over VVPATs, say poll process lacks transparency Earlier in the day, Narendra Modi launched a blistering attack at Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, while addressing a massive poll rally at Kathua in Jammu region. He said that Mufti family and Abdullah family have ruined three generations of Jammu and Kashmir and for better future of state, they need to be voted out. "Abdullah family and Mufti family destroyed lives of three generations of Jammu and Kashmir. The bright future of the state can be ensured only after their departure. They can bring their entire clan into field, can abuse Modi as much as they want but they won't be able to divide this nation," said PM Modi in a thundering speech. The Prime Minister also raised the issue of Kashmiri Pandits' displacement from the valley and attacked Congress over dynasty politics and also over its manifesto. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 14:08 [IST] Madhya Pradesh: Ruckus in school over 'religious conversion' of eight students in Vidisha; rioting case filed MP: Woman forced to carry husband on shoulder for having an affair with another man India oi-Madhuri Adnal Bhopal, Apr 14: A woman was forced to carry her husband on her shoulders as punishment for having an affair with another man of different caste. The incident took place in Madhya Pradesh's Jhabhua village, over 300 kilometers away from Bhopal. The villagers punished the woman for 'shaming' them, the ANI reported. The woman had ran off to Gujarat with another man few days back and was found by her in-laws two days ago. She was brought to her village on Saturday. #WATCH Madhya Pradesh: Villagers force a woman to carry her husband on her shoulders as a punishment in Devigarh, Jhabua allegedly for marrying a man from a different caste. (12.4.19) pic.twitter.com/aNUKG4qX7p ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2019 A 33-second long video of this has been tweeted by news agency ANI. The video shows the woman carrying her husband on her shoulder as the men surrounding hoot and shouted as and when she tries to pause for rest. Lok Sabha elections 2019: Cong fields Kamal Nath's son Nakul from Chhindwara seat As punishment for 'shaming the village', she was ordered by the villagers to carry her husband on shoulders. People around filmed the incident on their mobile phones and the video was later shared widely on social media. The police have registered a case against a dozen people and two have been arrested. The hunt to nab the other accused is on, the police said. Modi govt most corrupt says Chavan The local police have reportedly taken note of the matter. Superintendent of Police (SP) of Jhabua, Vineet Jain, told news agency ANI that two people have been arrested so far. "Some people in a group disrespected a woman in Devigarh, Jhabua. A case has been registered against all of them and two people have been arrested so far," ANI quoted him as saying. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 12:29 [IST] RTHK: Migrants may go to 'sanctuary cities': Sanders The White House confirmed on Sunday that it's looking at ways to transfer undocumented migrants to US sanctuary cities as Democrats accused President Trump of creating "manufactured chaos" at the US-Mexico border. "This is an option on the table," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in an interview on ABC's "This Week." Trump "heard the idea, he likes it, so -- well, we're looking to see if there are options that make it possible and doing a full and thorough and extensive review," she said. Sanctuary cities are jurisdictions in 27 US states that limit cooperation between local law enforcement and immigration authorities. Many of the biggest are in Democratic strongholds like San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, giving Trump's threats to launch the policy a menacing partisan edge. The president revived the idea on Twitter and in comments to reporters on Friday, after the White House had said earlier in the week it was off the table. Department of Homeland Security officials were reported to have pushed back against the transfers of undocumented migrants as illegal, impractical and counter-productive. But in a tweet early Sunday, Trump insisted the US has "the absolute right to have apprehended illegal immigrants transferred to Sanctuary Cities." "We hereby demand that they be taken care of at the highest level, especially by the State of California, which is well known (for) its poor management & high taxes!" he posted. Trump has staked his presidency on his insistence that the United States is being overrun by migrants and asylum seekers. But opponents, mostly in the Democratic Party, say his push for building more walls on the Mexican border and his almost daily denunciations of migrants as dangerous criminals incites racial hatred. "This is again his manufactured chaos that he's created over the last two years on the border," Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told ABC. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2019-04-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) A DNA test has confirmed that Abu Dar, one of the leaders of the ISIS-linked Maute terror group, has died, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Sunday. This comes a month after the military announced that the elusive leader was among the fighters killed in a clash in Tubaran, Lanao del Sur on March 14. "It is confirmed--it's Abu Dar's remains. Well, for now his group is leaderless," Lorenzana said in a text message, adding that the agency is "monitoring who will replace Dar." READ: 4 soldiers dead, Maute leader Abu Dar believed killed in Lanao clash Abu Dar was among the Maute leaders recorded on video in a planning session that authorities believe was for the attack on Marawi City. Terrorists stormed Marawi, the capital of Lanao del Sur, on May 23, 2017, triggering a five-month war that killed more than a thousand people, most of them local and foreign militants. The violence displaced nearly 360,000 residents and left the mosque-studded city in ruins. Where Was The States With Gold? What is Gold? What States had a gold rush? What is Gold? Gold is a chemical element with symbol Au and atomic number 79, making it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. In its purest form, it is a bright, slightly reddish yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal and a group 11 element. States With Gold Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming are the States With Gold in which major amounts of gold have been found. Gold mining by state Alabama Gold was discovered in Alabama about 1830, shortly following the Georgia Gold Rush. The principal districts were the Arbacoochee district in Cleburne County, mostly from placer deposits, and the Hog Mountain district in Tallapoosa County, which produced 24,000 troy ounces (750 kg) from veins in schist. Alaska Russian explorers discovered placer gold in the Kenai River in 1848, but no gold was produced. Gold mining started in 1870 from placers southeast of Juneau. Alaska produced a total of 40,300,000 troy ounces (1,250,000 kg) of gold from 1880 through the end of 2007. In 2015 Alaskan mines produced 873,984 troy ounces (27,183.9 kg) of gold, 12.7% of US production. The largest gold producer is the Fort Knox mine, a large open pit and cyanide leaching operation in the Fairbanks mining district. Arizona Arizona has produced more than 16 million troy ounces (498 tonnes) of gold. Gold mining in Arizona reportedly began in 1774 when Spanish priest Manuel Lopez directed Papago Indians to wash gold from gravel on the flanks of the Quijotoa Mountains, Pima County. Gold mining continued there until 1849, when the Mexican miners were lured away by the California Gold Rush. Other gold mining under Spanish and Mexican rule took place in the Oro Blanco district of Santa Cruz County, and the Arivaca district, Pima County. Mountain man Pauline Weaver discovered placer gold on the east side of the Colorado River in 1862. Weavers discovery started the Colorado River Gold Rush to the now ghost town of La Paz, Arizona and other locations along the river in the ensuing years. California Spanish prospectors found gold in the Potholes district between 1775 and 1780, along the Colorado River, in present Imperial County, California, about ten miles northeast from Yuma, Arizona. The gold was recovered from dry placers. Other placer deposits on the west bank of the Colorado River were quickly found, including the Picacho and Cargo Muchacho districts. Placer gold deposits were found at San Ysidro in San Diego County in 1828, San Francisquito Canyon and Placerita Canyon in Los Angeles County in 1835 and 1842, respectively Major gold mining in California began during the California Gold Rush. Gold was found by James Marshall at Sutters Mill, property of John Sutter, in present-day Coloma. In 1849, people started hearing about the gold and after just a few years San Franciscos population increased to thousands. Colorado Gold was discovered in 1858 during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush in the vicinity of present-day Denver in 1858, but the deposits were small. The first important gold discoveries in Colorado were in the Central City-Idaho Springs district in January 1859. Only one Colorado mine continues to produce gold, the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine at Victor near Colorado Springs, an open-pit heap leach operation owned by Newmont Mining Corporation, which produced 360,000 troy ounces (11,000 kg) of gold in 2018. Florida Small amounts of gold were mined commercially in North Eastern Florida during the late 19th Century, at the site where Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park is located today. No records are extant on the amount of gold produced, but the find was insufficient to keep the operation running commercially, and the small amount of pay dirt was depleted within a matter of months. Georgia Georgia is credited with a total historical production of 871,000 troy ounces (27,100 kg) of gold from 1830 through 1959. Although historically important, the state is not currently a gold producer. Idaho Gold was first discovered in Idaho in 1860, in Pierce at the juncture where Canal Creek meets Orofino Creek. The leading historical gold-producing district is the Boise Basin in Boise County, which was discovered in 1862 and produced 2.9 million troy ounces (90.2 tonnes), mostly from placers. The French Creek-Florence district in Idaho County began in the 1860s, and has produced about 1 million troy ounces (31 tonnes) from placers. The Silver City district in Owyhee County began producing in 1863, and made over 1 million troy ounces (31 tonnes), mostly from lode deposits. The Coeur dAlene district in Shoshone County has made 44,000 troy ounces (1,400 kg) of gold as byproduct to silver mining. In 2006, active gold mines in Idaho included the Silver Strand mine and the Bond mine. Maryland Gold was reported in Maryland as early as 1830, but no production resulted. Placer gold was discovered at Great Falls near Washington, DC in 1861 during the American Civil War by Union soldiers from California. After the war a number of mines were opened on gold-bearing quartz veins in Montgomery County. No gold production has been reported since 1951. Total production was about 6,000 troy ounces (190 kg). Michigan Approximately 29,000 troy ounces (900 kg) of gold were produced from the Ropes gold mine northeast of Ishpeming in Marquette County, Michigan. The underground mine, originally operated from 1880 to 1897, and reopened from 19831989, extracted gold from quartz veins in peridotite. Montana Gold was first discovered in Montana in 1852, but mining did not begin until 1862, when gold placers were discovered at Bannack, Montana in 1862. The resulting gold rush resulted in more placer discoveries, including those at Virginia City in 1863, and at Helena and Butte in 1864. In 1867, the Atlantic Cable Quartz Lode was located. The Butte district, although mined primarily for copper, produced 2.9 million ounces (91 tones) of gold through 1990, almost all as a byproduct of copper production. Current active hardrock gold mines include the Montana Tunnels mine, and the Golden Sunlight mine. Active gold placers include the Browns Gulch placer and the Confederate Gulch placer. Gold is also produced from three platinum mines in the Stillwater igneous complex: the Stillwater mine, the Lodestar mine, and the East Boulder Project. Nevada Nevada is the leading gold-producing state in the nation, in 2016 producing 5,467,646 troy ounces (170.06 tonnes), representing 81% of US gold and 5.5% of the worlds production. Much of the gold in Nevada comes from large open pit mining and with heap leaching recovery. Some of the worlds major mining companies, including Newmont Mining, Barrick Gold and Kinross Gold, operate gold mines in the state. Active major mines include Cortez, Twin Creeks, Betz-Post, Meikle, Marigold, Round Mountain, Jerritt Canyon and Getchell. Newmont and Barrick operate the largest mining operations, on the prolific Carlin Trend, one of the worlds richest mining districts. New Mexico Gold was first discovered in New Mexico in 1828 in the Old Placers district in the Ortiz Mountains, Santa Fe County, New Mexico. The placer gold discovery was followed by discovery of a nearby lode deposit. In 1877, two prospectors collected float in the area of the future Opportunity Mine near Hillsboro, New Mexico, which was assayed at $160 per ton in gold and silver. Soon, ore was discovered at the nearby Rattlesnake vein and a placer deposit of gold was found in November at the Rattlesnake and Wicks gulches. Total production prior to 1904 was about $6,750,000. In 2007 all gold production in New Mexico (13,000 troy ounces (400 kg)) came as a byproduct of copper mining from two large open pit mines in Grant County. However, two primary gold mines are being readied for production: the Northstar mine in Rio Arriba County, and the San Lorenzo Claims mine in Socorro County. North Carolina North Carolina was the site of the first gold rush in the United States, following the discovery of a 17-pound (7.7 kg) gold nugget by 12-year-old Conrad Reed in a creek at his fathers farm in 1799. The Reed Gold Mine, southwest of Georgeville in Cabarrus County, North Carolina produced about 50,000 troy ounces (1,600 kg) of gold from lode and placer deposits. Gold was produced from 15 districts, almost all in the Piedmont region of the state. Total gold production is estimated at 1.2 million troy ounces (37.3 tonnes). Oregon Although gold mines are spread over much of Oregon, almost all of the gold produced has come from two principal areas: the Klamath Mountains in southwest Oregon, including Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson and Josephine counties; and the Blue Mountains in northeast Oregon, mostly in Baker and Grant counties. Prospectors from Illinois discovered placer gold in the Klamath Mountains of southwest Oregon in 1850, starting a rush to the area. Lode gold deposits were also discovered. Travellers along the Oregon Trail bound for the Willamette Valley are said to have discovered gold in northeastern Oregon in 1845, but mining in earnest did not begin until 1861. Pennsylvania About 37,000 troy ounces (1,200 kg) of gold was produced from the Cornwall iron mine five miles south of Lebanon, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. Although the deposit produced iron since 1742, no gold was reported from the mine until 1878. South Carolina South Carolina had a number of lode gold mines along the Carolina Slate Belt.[38] The Haile deposit was discovered in Lancaster County in 1827, and at least 257,000 troy ounces (8,000 kg) of gold were extracted intermittently between then and 1942, when the gold mine was ordered closed as nonessential to the war effort. Beginning in 1951, the deposit was mined for associated sericite, which was used as a white filler. South Dakota The only operating gold mine in South Dakota is the Wharf mine, at Lead, an open pit heap leach operation operated by Coeur Mining that produced 109,000 ounces of gold in 2016. Tennessee Placer gold was discovered on Coker Creek in Monroe County, Tennessee in 1827. The district produced about 9,000 troy ounces (280 kg). About 15,000 troy ounces (470 kg) of gold was recovered from the massive sulfide copper ores at Ducktown, Tennessee. Texas Some prospects have been excavated for gold on the Llano Uplift of central Texas. Gold prospects include the Heath mine and the Babyhead district, both in Llano County, and the Central Texas mine in Gillespie County. Gold production, if any, is not known. Historically, the Lost Nigger Gold Mine may be in Texas. Utah Most gold produced in Utah today is a byproduct of the huge Bingham Canyon copper mine, southwest of Salt Lake City. In 2013, the Bingham Canyon mine produced 192,300 troy ounces (5,980 kg) of gold. Over its life, Bingham Canyon has produced more than 23 million ounces (715 tonnes) of gold, making it one of the largest gold producers in the US. The Barneys Canyon mine in Salt Lake County, the last primary gold mine to operate in Utah, stopped mining in 2001, but is still recovering gold from its heap leaching pads. Utah gold production was 460,000 troy ounces (14,000 kg) in 2006. Virginia Most gold mining in Virginia was concentrated in the Virginia Gold-Pyrite belt in a line that runs northeast to southwest through the counties of Fairfax, Prince William, Stafford, Fauquier, Culpeper, Spotsylvania, Orange, Louisa, Fluvanna, Goochland, Cumberland, and Buckingham. Some gold was also mined in Halifax, Floyd, and Patrick counties. Washington Gold was first discovered in Washington in 1853, as placer deposits in the Yakima Valley. Production from the state never exceeded 50,000 troy ounces per year until the mid-1930s, when large hard rock deposits were developed near the Chelan Lake and Wenatchee deposits in Chelan County, and the Republic deposit in Ferry County. Production through 1965 is estimated to be 2.3 million ounces. Wyoming Gold was discovered at the South Pass-Atlantic City-Sweetwater district in present Fremont County in 1842. The placers were worked intermittently until 1867, when the first important gold vein was discovered, and prospectors and miners rushed to the area.. The towns of South Pass City, Atlantic City, and Miners Delight catered to the miners. The district was nearly deserted by 1875, and was worked only intermittently afterward. Total gold production was about 300,000 troy ounces (9,300 kg). In 1962, the district became the site of a major iron mine. What States had a gold rush? North America The first significant gold rush in the United States was in Cabarrus County, North Carolina (east of Charlotte), in 1799 at todays Reeds Gold Mine. Thirty years later, in 1829, the Georgia Gold Rush in the southern Appalachians occurred. It was followed by the California Gold Rush of 184855 in the Sierra Nevada, which captured the popular imagination. The California gold rush led directly to the settlement of California by Americans and the rapid entry of that state into the union in 1850. The gold rush in 1849 stimulated worldwide interest in prospecting for gold, and led to new rushes in Australia, South Africa, Wales and Scotland. Successive gold rushes occurred in western North America: Fraser Canyon, the Cariboo district and other parts of British Columbia, in Nevada, in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, and western New Mexico Territory and along the lower Colorado River. Resurrection Creek, near Hope, Alaska was the site of Alaskas first gold rush in the mid1890s. Other notable Alaska Gold Rushes were Nome, Fairbanks, and the Fortymile River. One of the last great gold rushes was the Klondike Gold Rush in Canadas Yukon Territory (189699). This gold rush is immortalised in the novels of Jack London, and Charlie Chaplins film The Gold Rush. Robert William Service depicted with talent in his poetries the dramatic event of the Gold Rush, especially in the book The Trail of 98. The main goldfield was along the south flank of the Klondike River near its confluence with the Yukon River near what was to become Dawson City in Canadas Yukon Territory, but it also helped open up the relatively new US possession of Alaska to exploration and settlement, and promoted the discovery of other gold finds. Indonesia plane crash: Rescuers pull out body parts, debris of Boeing passenger plane from Java Sea Indonesia plane crash: Divers using high-tech 'ping locator' to retrieve black boxes of Sriwijaya Air jet 'Tarzan' actor Joe Lara passes away at 58 in US plane crash Nepal: Two killed, 5 injured in Summit Air crash in Lukla International oi-Madhuri Adnal Kathmandu, Apr 14: Around two people were killed and five were injured in Summit Air flight crash at Tenzing-Hillary-Lukla airport. The aircraft had collided with a parked chopper at the airport. The Summit air aircraft was taking off when it collided with the chopper parked at the helipad in Tenzing-Hillary Airport, Solukhumbu. The injured five people have been airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment. Opposition parties to approach SC again over VVPATs, say poll process lacks transparency India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Apr 14: Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu led opposition leaders meet began at Constitution Club, Delhi to discuss save democracy, transparency in elections and EVM issues. Andhra Pradesh CM and TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu had on Saturday met Election Commission officials to complain about widespread EVM malfunctioning and violence during the first phase of voting in the state on April 11. Raising questions on the poll panel's independence and impartiality, Naidu told reporters outside the EC headquarters that the level playing field - an essential attribute of democracy - "now stands disturbed". At Opposition's press conference, Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "We will go back to the Supreme Court and will carry out a campaign throughout the country raising questions on the discrepancies in the EVMs... We do not think that the election commission is doing enough to address it." Explain presence of EVM theft accused in your delegation, EC to Naidu Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu said, "The elections in Andhra Pradesh is over and now I am fighting for the country, for transparency in elections. Why so much money is being wasted on VVPATs when they are not being counted." Singhvi also said,''Questions were raised after the 1st phase of election,we don't think EC is paying adequate attention. If you press the button before X Party,vote goes to Y party. VVPAT displays only for 3 seconds, instead of 7 seconds.'' ''Names of Lakhs of voters are deleted online without physical verification. There is a long list the parties have given to EC. It has become even more necessary to count at least 50% of the paper trail of VVPATs. We will demand the same in the Supreme Court,'' he also said. ''The Election Commission has given a wrong affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that the counting process will take 6 days if 50 per cent VVPATs trails are to be verified... How is this possible? Previously when paper ballots were counted it used to take a time of maximum 24 hours... Why has the EC lied in the court... After the government, the election commission has lost its credibility,'' Chandrababu Naidu said. Upset Chandrababu Naidu writes to EC, says 30 per cent EVMs not working Addressing the press conference, Chandrababu Naidu said, "People are very angry against Election Commission and Government of India that is why people came at 4:30 am...what affidavit EC has filled is entirely wrong and misleading..." Meanwhile, Kapil Sibal said, "We believe on voters, not on voting machines... Why VVPATs are not ready to count 50 percent...if EC is going to ignore these facts then we will try some other ways...we can tell EC how these machines can be manipulated...We are not ready to accept EC's decision." For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 13:53 [IST] Did Christians contribute to freedom struggle? Here is what this BJP leader thinks Feast of the Annunciation: Why is this day important for Christians? Palm Sunday observed by Christians signifying beginning of Holy Week India oi-Madhuri Adnal Thiruvananthapuram, April 14: Palm Sunday, which is otherwise known as Passion Sunday, celebrates Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem. He rode a donkey there in the days before he was crucified. This year, Palm Sunday will fall on April 14, as Easter Sunday is then celebrated on April 21. Christians in Kerala on Sunday observed the Palm Sunday, commemorating the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem ahead of his crucifixion and resurrection, marking the beginning of the Holy Week. Faithful congregated in churches of various Christian denominations across the state and took out processions carrying branches of palm, symbolising the reception given to Jesus when he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Holding blessed palm fronds in their hands, the devotees, irrespective of age barriers, also took out processions in villages and towns. Feast of the Annunciation: Why is this day important for Christians? The faithful will observe fast and hold special prayers in the next week till Easter Sunday on April 16, marking Christ's resurrection after crucifixion on April 14, Good Friday. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 10:39 [IST] TDP responds to EC's displeasure over presence of EVM theft accused in Naidu's delegation India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Apr 14: The N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has responded to Election Commission's displeasure over the inclusion of Hari P Vemuru, an 'EVM theft accused techie', in the delegation which met the poll body to raise concerns over EVM malfunctioning in the state during the poll day, April 11. "Would like to state that instead of focusing on the issue, the Commission is trying to avoid the situation," read TDP's response to EC, ANI reports. "ECI is not willing to discuss with him stating reason of criminal case while on many occasions he attended sessions on EVMs," the letter added. Earlier, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and submitted a memorandum alleging that a large number of EVMs malfunctioned during polling in the state on Thursday and inadequate security led to incidents of violence. The Election Commission had written to the Telugu Desam Party asking how a person with criminal antecedents could be part of the delegation led by its chief N Chandrababu Naidu during his visit to the poll panel on Saturday. The commission, in its letter, said when Naidu visited, he was accompanied by one Hari Prasad, who has repeatedly raised various technical issues regarding the functioning of EVMs and claimed to have technical expertise in the field. The letter said it was decided that Prasad would get a detailed briefing from the technical team of the Election Commission. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 9:04 [IST] State vs national issues: Key lessons for the BJP to learn in Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Haryana Those pointing fingers at Rahul Gandhi over terrorism should be ashamed: Sam Pitroda India pti-PTI New Delhi, Apr 14: Congress leader Sam Pitroda said party chief Rahul Gandhi has experienced the trauma of terrorism and those questioning him in the matter should feel ashamed. The remarks come at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders had often attacked the Congress president on the issue of terrorism and national security in the run up to Lok Sabha elections. In an interview to PTI, Pitroda said Rahul Gandhi lost his grandmother (Indira Gandhi) and father (Rajiv Gandhi) to terrorism and that the leader understands the trauma and suffering associated with it. He said those doubting Rahul Gandhi's nationalism should be ashamed of themselves. Referring to senior BJP leader LK Advani's recent remarks in a blog post, the chief of Indian Overseas Congress said BJP leaders must learn from the veteran leader. [Sam Pitroda questions death toll in Balakot air strike] "I disagree with Advani on many issues, but respect him as a person. BJP leaders must learn from Advani who has advised against excess self-promotion and calling people with different political views as 'anti-national'," Pitroda said. "Who has given BJP leaders the right to declare others as traitors?" he said. On being asked about Congress' prospects in this election, the senior party leader said, "The elections may throw many surprises this time. Voters should remember that their votes can make or mar the country's future." The long-time Gandhi family advisor said Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi are two different personalities. One leader (Modi) has a manufactured image, while the other (Rahul) is an honest young leader who understands people's problems and has overcome many challenges, he said. [We will oust every single infiltrator if voted to power again: Amit Shah] "Rahul belongs to a party which fought for the independence of the country. But what has been the contribution of the other leader's party in the freedom struggle?" Pitroda said. When asked about the difference between the leadership of Rajiv Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader said both the leaders belong to different times. "Rajiv Gandhi had a huge mandate. But Rahul had to rise from the bottom. He has faced a lot of criticism and personal attacks. And yet, he rose and is ready to lead the country today," Pitroda claimed. Raising questions on the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) during elections, he said at least 50 per cent of EVM results should be matched with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs). PTI Why is EC not agreeing to 50% counting of VVPATs, asks Naidu India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Apr 14: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday held a meeting of the opposition parties over the issue of 'faulty EVMs' which wass also attended by Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi, among others. After reports of malfunctioning of EVMs on Thursday during Andhra assembly polls, Naidu has been critical of the Election Commission. Earlier, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and submitted a memorandum alleging that a large number of EVMs malfunctioned during polling in the state on Thursday. Opposition parties to approach SC again over VVPATs, say poll process lacks transparency Naidu, while addressing a press conference after the meeting, said even advanced countries such as Germany and the Netherlands have opted for ballot papers. "EC is acting under BJP, they are not correct, they have to act impartially which they are not doing. Also, we doubt even EVMs are under manipulation and that's why we are demanding 50% counting of VVPATs. They are not agreeing. Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said names of Lakhs of voters are deleted online without physical verification. TDP responds to EC's displeasure over the presence of EVM theft accused in Naidu's delegation "There is a long list the parties have given to EC. It has become even more necessary to count at least 50% of the paper trail of VVPAT. We will demand the same in Supreme Court," he said. Naidu said 21 political parties have demanded verification of VVPAT paper trails of 50 per cent of the EVMs. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 17:28 [IST] Australia: Shooting outside nightclub near little Chapel Street in Melbourne leaves several injured International oi-Madhuri Adnal Melbourne, Apr 14: Two people are fighting for their lives after a shooting outside a Melbourne nightclub of Australia, police said on Sunday. Meanwhile, the local media has reported that there were no fatalities in the incident that happened near Little Chapel Street and Malvern Road in Prahran district. "Investigators believe multiple people were shot outside a nightclub near Little Chapel Street and Malvern Road about 3:20 am," the Victoria Police was quoted as saying by AFP in a PTI report. Police said four men were taken to hospital -- two in a critical condition -- after "multiple people were shot" outside the venue in the trendy inner-city suburb of Prahran early Sunday morning. Three of the men were aged between 29 and 50, with the age of the fourth yet to be determined, police said. The latest incident came after a spate of shootings in Melbourne in March that left five people dead in four separate incidents. Two of the incidents were believed to be gang-related. Mass shootings are rare in Australia, which has strict firearms laws introduced in 1996 after 35 people were killed by a gunman in Port Arthur. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 8:43 [IST] How an Arabic to Malayalam book on Jihad led to Islamic fanaticism in Kerala Islamic State claims responsibility for deadly Quetta suicide strike International oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa Islamabad, Apr 14: The Islamic State Saturday claimed responsibility for a suicide attack that killed 21 people and wounded more than 50 others in Quetta, the provincial capital of Pakistan's restive Balochistan province. A suicide bomber blew himself in the Hazarganj fruits and vegetable market in Quetta on Friday morning, in an attack believed to be targeting the minority Hazara Shia community.The ISIS on Saturday released a photograph of the suicide attacker along with his name and said the attack targeted Shia Muslims, according to the Site Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist activities. NIA arrests Kerala based Islamic State operative on arrival from Qatar "The Islamic State's Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed killing and wounding 70 Hazara Shias and Pakistani soldiers in a suicide bombing in Quetta," it said.The Pakistani officials have repeatedly denied presence of the ISIS in the country, but the Middle Eastern terror group has claimed a number of attacks in the past. On Friday, a faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it collaborated with the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). The LeJ is a Sunni militant group, which has claimed responsibility for several deadly attacks against the minority Shia community in Pakistan, including the 2013 blasts in Quetta that killed over 200 Hazara Shias. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 11:15 [IST] CTET December 2021 admit cards to be out shortly: How to download Delhi: Sisodia slams Centre over sealing drive, says "they should have some shame" New Delhi pti-PTI New Delhi, Apr 14: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday accused the Centre of bypassing the Delhi government in conducting a sealing operation in Mayapuri area that led to violent clashes between the traders and the security personnel. Sisodia lashed out at Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri for blaming the Aam Aadmi Party government for the violence in west Delhi, saying the responsibility of land allocation was with the Centre. "Delhi police is yours, SDM is yours, NGT is yours, DDA is yours and we are blamed. They should have some shame and take accountability for their actions," Sisodia told reporters. [Here is how Kejriwal's plans derailed in Delhi] Around 14 officials were injured after clashes broke out between the security personnel and scrap dealers during the sealing drive on Saturday. The drive was started by the Delhi Cantonment sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). "Delhi government ministers were not involved in this decision. They were bypassed by the LG (Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal)," the deputy chief minister added. The operation was conducted days after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had slammed the Delhi government for not taking action against illegal scrap industries in Mayapuri that were causing pollution. [Trader body seeks BJP ticket for its leader from Delhi] Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussein said he was not consulted before taking action. "I am going to write to the LG demanding explanation for his actions," Hussein said. "Officials (involved in the sealing drive) must be suspended. DPCC employees were involved too. I am the environment minister... no approval was taken from me. Strict action would be taken against all officials involved," Hussein added. Sisodia said if the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) was brought under the purview of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, then they would "get the land allocated to these traders in two days". PTI This press release, required by applicable Canadian laws, is not for distribution to U.S. newswire services or for dissemination in the United States VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Golden Dawn Minerals Inc., (TSXV: GOM | OTC: GDMRF | FRANKFURT: 3G8B), (Golden Dawn and the Company) hereby provides a status update to the management cease trade order (MCTO) issued by the British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) on April 2, 2019, as announced in the Companys news release dated April 3, 2019, in connection with the Company failing to meet the filing deadline for its audited annual financial statements, related managements discussion and analysis and officer certifications for financial year ended November 30, 2018 (collectively, the Annual Filings). As announced in the Companys news release dated March 15, 2019, the Company was unable to complete its Annual Filings as a result of the unexpected departures of the Companys former Chief Executive Officer, Wolf Wiese, due to a health reasons, and Chief Financial Officer, Andrea Yuan, to pursue other business interests. The Companys new Chief Financial Officer, Nicolette Keith, who, in concert with the new management individuals announced below, will continue to work diligently towards completing the Annual Filings in a timely manner. The Company anticipates that it will complete and file the Annual Filings by May 31, 2019. The Company further anticipates that it will file the first quarter financial results for the period ending February 28, 2019 concurrently with the Annual Filings. The Company confirms that it intends to comply with the provisions of the alternative information guidelines set out in the National Policy 12-203 Management Cease Trade Orders (NP 12-203) for as long as it remains in default, including the issuance of a biweekly default status report issued in the form of a news release. The Company will also continue to disclose any other material information concerning its affairs and continuing business activities in accordance with National Policy 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations. Appointment of Senior Officers and Director The Company is pleased to announce that Mr. Christopher Anderson has agreed to accept an appointment as interim Chief Executive Officer and director of the Company. Mr. Anderson fills the vacancies left following the resignations of Mr. Stefan Bender as a director in August 2018 and Dr. Mathew Ball as interim Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Dr. Ball, P. Geo, has agreed to continue to provide his services as Chief Operating Officer and has further agreed to accept an appointment as President of the Company. Further, the Company announces that Scott LeSage has agreed to succeed Andrew Brown as Corporate Secretary of the Company. Mr. Andersons appointment as an officer of the Company is on an interim basis to assist with the Company with its ongoing debt restructuring and future financing requirements. The Companys board believes that his success, prior to this appointment and working for his own account, in negotiating a debt restructuring opportunity with the Companys major credit makes him ideally situated provide this assistance to the Company. The Company expects that Mr. Andersons role as interim CEO will be reviewed by the board of directors by the end of July 2019. During the time that Mr. Anderson maintains the position of interim CEO, the Company will pay to Mr. Anderson a salary of $15,000 per month as compensation for his services. In connection with his appointment as interim CEO, and in accordance with NP 12-203, Mr. Anderson has acknowledged and consented to his being made subject to the MCTO, and will, therefore, be prohibited from trading in securities of Golden Dawn until the conditions of the MCTO have been fulfilled or it is otherwise revoked. On behalf of the Board of GOLDEN DAWN MINERALS INC. Per: Mathew Ball MATHEW BALL Chief Operating Officer For further information, please contact: Golden Dawn Minerals Inc. - Corporate Communications: Tel: (604) 221-8936 Email: allinfo@goldendawnminerals.com Forward-Looking Statement Cautions: This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding the forecast date for completion of the Annual Filings, the Companys ongoing financing and debt restructuring efforts, the anticipated review of Mr. Andersons role as the Companys interim CEO and the possibility of the BCSC rescinding the management CTO. 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 will not be able to raise sufficient financing to continue to fund its ongoing commitments or to implement its debt restructuring plans, that Mr. Anderson may not remain with the Company beyond July 2019, the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure the TSX Venture Exchange acceptance of any or all of its debt restructuring plans and the inability of the Company to meet the deadline for submitting its required filings and receive an order from the BCSC rescinding the MCTO. 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 DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL, OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY, NOR SHALL THERE BE ANY SALE OF SECURITIES OF THE COMPANY IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL PRIOR TO REGISTRATION OR QUALIFICATION UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY SUCH JURISDICTION. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Kevin Magnussen says Haas has not solved the problem that affected the American team so badly in Bahrain. The outfit looked to have started 2019 with a car that was 'best of the rest', but Haas' race pace plummeted during the race a fortnight ago in Bahrain. The team brought a new rear wing to China to address the problem, but Magnussen told the Danish newspaper BT that it is not the answer. "It's still a problem," he said. "We still have difficulty getting the tyres up to the right temperature, and I think it's the same problem we had in Bahrain. We need to understand why and how we can improve," Magnussen added. He said the "window" of optimal tyre performance for Haas is "very small". "It's really strange that we can be really good one weekend and really bad the next. We honestly don't understand it, but we think it's related to temperature," said Magnussen. As for the race, Magnussen therefore lamented in Shanghai: "It's colder here than in Bahrain, so the problem can be even bigger." (GMM) The ABG President Grand Chief DR.JOHN MOMIS today had the privilege to talk to reporters from all PNG and Bougainville media outlets on the status of the Bougainville Peace Agreement and why the referendum was inserted as an activity that will allow the Bougainvilleans decide their future political status in a democratic referendum. He explained on the history of how it all began and how past governments have refused to entertain the wishes of the people of Bougainville to determine their own future. President MOMIS said the fight for self-determination began long before the independence of Papua New Guinea. He said him as the Regional member tried to include the wishes of the people through the decentralization process in which the National Government continued to suppress the provinces from becoming too powerful. President MOMIS said the people of Bougainville wanted to have the powers to run their affairs under the Provincial Government system. But this did not work because the Government continued to draw back those powers to Waigani. He said what the people of Bougainville wanted was for them to participate in the distribution of powers to the rural communities so that they can be able to operate in their communities. President Momis said that he was still confident that the outcome of the referendum will be beneficial for both Bougainville and Papua New Guinea and will bring lasting peace on Bougainville. New Dawn FM Michele Cocchiglia B. G., Opalesque Geneva for New Managers: An former UN analyst in Geneva and a former research consultant in Luxembourg launched a CTA program built around the notion of market noise and the fractional Brownian motion theory. Michele Cocchiglia, co-founder of Kelonia Capital Management, has a background in economics, statistics and financial mathematics, and worked most of his career as a risk management expert with the United Nations. "My responsibilities at the UN included modelling the risks and exposure of various countries to natural disasters (from floods to earthquakes and tsunamis) and providing technical assistance to national governments," he tells Opalesque. "I worked with the UN for about 12 years, including four years in Bangkok, where I was the regional coordinator of a disaster risk assessment initiative in Asia and the Pacific." At the same time, he was also involved in the managed futures space since 2010, allocating to different CTAs through his family's structure. In 2016, he started working with Stefan Martinek, the other founder and now the head of research at Kelonia, and asked him to review and validate some of Kelonia's original models and ideas. Martinek has more than 15 years of experience working as an independent research consultant for systematic funds and CTAs. In 2017, they decided to form a partnership and to start trading th...................... To view our full article Click here American Airlines said Sunday that it would extend flight cancellations for Boeing 737 Max aircraft by four months while it waits for Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration to fix and recertify the planes flight-control systems, which have been implicated in two deadly plane crashes in recent months. The cancellations will affect about 115 flights through Aug. 19. The move reflects a growing realization among Boeing's airline customers that a worldwide grounding of Boeing jets, now in its fourth week, is unlikely to wrap up soon. In early April, the company took the extraordinary step of cutting its 737 Max production rate from 52 per month to 42. And Southwest Airlines, the other U.S. airline that has 737 Max 8 jets, also has canceled flights involving the aircraft through August. In a letter to pilots and employees, American Airlines President Robert Isom and CEO Doug Parker said the airline is confident that Boeing and the FAA will recertify the Max jet before mid-August, at which time the airline would bring the planes back into service as spares to supplement its operations throughout the summer. "By extending our cancellations through the summer, we can plan more reliably for the peak travel season and provide confidence to our customers and team members when it comes to their travel plans," Parker and Isom wrote. They added that the airline has been in close contact with the FAA, the Department of Transportation, the National Transportation Safety Board and international regulators and are pleased with the progress so far. "We remain confident that the impending software updates, along with the new training elements Boeing is developing for the MAX, will lead to recertification of the aircraft soon," Parker and Isom wrote. Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg said at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Texas last week that the manufacturer is working closely with its airline customers in its effort to return the Max jets to flight. "My team and I are working closely with our customers to answer their questions, get their feedback and ensure those who operate the Max are prepared when the grounding is lifted and the fleet returns to flight," Muilenburg said. Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 jets have been grounded in the United States since March 13, when the FAA concluded that it needed to investigate "the possibility of a shared cause" between the two crashes. Investigators have concluded that an automatic anti-stalling feature known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System which can point the plane's nose automatically downward in certain rare but dangerous situations played a roll in both crashes. Boeing and the FAA announced March 12 that they would develop and recertify a set of modifications to the MCAS system and its related flight-control software. The software fix is to include changes to prevent the system from overreacting to bad data, a new set of cockpit alerts designed to make pilots aware of potentially dangerous situations, and a new pilot training course. The FAA initially said Boeing would complete the software fix no later than April. A Boeing executive speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly said late last month that the training component of that update had been provisionally approved by regulators. The company had initially planned to submit its full package of software and training changes to the FAA for review by the first week of April, but the submission was delayed. In remarks on Thursday, Muilenburg said the company had completed 96 test flights totaling a little over 159 hours of flight time on 737 Max jets with the updated software. He also noted that about two-thirds of the company's 50 737 Max operators worldwide had participated in a simulator session that included the new software. For one test flight in early April, Muilenburg joined the pilots on one of the planes. Were taking a comprehensive, disciplined approach, and taking the time to make sure we get it right, he said. -- The Washington Post PHOENIX An idea floated by President Donald Trump to send immigrants from the border to sanctuary cities to exact revenge on Democratic foes could end up doing the migrants a favor by placing them in locations that make it easier to put down roots and stay in the country. The plan would put thousands of immigrants in cities that are not only welcoming to them, but also more likely to rebuff federal officials carrying out deportation orders. Many of these locations have more resources to help immigrants make their legal cases to stay in the United States than smaller cities, with some of the nation's biggest immigration advocacy groups based in places like San Francisco, New York City and Chicago. The downside for the immigrants would be a high cost of living in the cities. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University announced this week that an analysis found that immigrants in sanctuary cities such as New York and Los Angeles are 20% less likely to be arrested out in the community than in cities without such policies. "With immigrants being less likely to commit crimes than the U.S.-born population, and with sanctuary jurisdictions being safer and more productive than non-sanctuary jurisdictions, the data damns this proposal as a politically motivated stunt that seeks to play politics with peoples' lives," said George Gascon, district attorney for San Francisco. An Oregon law passed in 1987 forbids state and local law enforcement from using public resources to arrest or detain people whose only offense is being in the country illegally. The law was reaffirmed last year by the states voters, who rejected a measure to overturn it. Trump has grown increasingly frustrated over the situation at the border, where tens of thousands of immigrant families are crossing each month, many to claim asylum. His administration has attempted several efforts to stop the flow, and he recently shook up the top ranks of the Department of Homeland Security. The idea to ship immigrants to Democratic strongholds was considered twice in recent months, but the White House and Department of Homeland Security said the plan had been rejected. But Trump said Friday he was still considering the idea. "Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only," Trump tweeted. He added that, "The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy - so this should make them very happy!" Asked about the proposal Sunday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said it was "not the ideal solution." "The president heard the idea, he likes it," she told ABC's "This Week," adding that it is among several options being reviewed by the White House. "The president likes the idea and Democrats have said they want these individuals into their communities so let's see if it works and everybody gets a win out of it." She said she hopes Democrats will work with the president on a comprehensive immigration bill. Wilson Romero is an immigrant from Honduras who chose to settle in the San Francisco Bay Area. Romero, 27, was separated from his daughter, now 7, by federal authorities at the U.S. border at El Paso, Texas, last year and jailed for three months before being released and making his way to live with his mother in San Jose, California. There he was reunited with his daughter, who attends public kindergarten. Romero says he goes about daily errands in public without worry of discrimination. His daughter has made friends and has playdates with the children of Mexican American families. It's a far cry from his hometown in the violence-plagued outskirts of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, that he fled after his brother-in-law was killed. To him, the biggest problem with being in the Bay Area is the high cost of living. The former textile factory worker relies on his mother's income from waitressing for food and clothing, and he's started thinking about asking legal permission to move to North Carolina, where an uncle resides and says it's cheaper to live and work. "To tell the truth, it's a little tight now, financially speaking," said Romero, a former textile factory worker, who said he doesn't know of any charities that may be willing to help. The plan discussed by Trump would also have financial, logistical and legal issues. The transportation of immigrants who are arrested at the border to large and faraway cities would be burdensome and costly at a time when Immigration and Customs Enforcement is already stretched thin, having released over 125,000 immigrants into the country pending their immigration court since Dec. 21. They are currently being released mainly in border states. Flights chartered by ICE cost about $7,785 per flight hour, according to the agency, and require multiple staffers, including an in-flight medical professional. The agency also uses commercial flights. Doing longer transports would increase liability for the agency, especially considering that many of the immigrants in its care are families with young children. And despite the consideration given to releasing the immigrants on the streets to sanctuary cities, the Trump administration actually has plenty of jail space to detain families. As of April 11, the nation's three facilities to detain immigrant families were nowhere near capacity, including a Pennsylvania facility housing only nine immigrants. It's also unclear how long the immigrants would stay in these cities because they are required to provide an address to federal authorities - typically of a family member - as a condition of their release. "It's illogical," said Angela Chan, policy director and senior attorney with the San Francisco-based Asian Law Caucus. "It's just alarming that they are spending so much effort and so much time to engage in political theater." The Trump administration has long pushed back against cities with sanctuary policies, which generally prohibit local authorities to cooperate with federal immigration police, often by refusing to hold people arrested on local charges past their release date at the request of immigration officers. Over 100 local governments around the country have adopted a variety of these polices "New York City will always be the ultimate city of immigrants - the President's empty threats won't change that," New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio said in a statement. But Trump seemed ready to step up his fight with the cities, vowing to give them an unlimited supply of immigrants from the border. -- The Associated Press Gov. Kate Browns new proposal for taming Oregons voracious pension debt gives plenty for people to dig into. Her multipronged strategy, aimed at protecting K-12 school districts from skyrocketing contributions to the Public Employees Retirement Fund, leans on taxpayers, lawmakers and public employees to all give at least a little. And while there will be considerable debate in the weeks ahead over the merits and shortcomings of Browns proposal, it represents a true show of leadership from the governor on a crisis that she has long chosen to downplay. Browns proposal, released on Friday, calls for creating a dedicated fund seeded with $800 million in one-time money, supplemented with other revenue streams and invested in the market that would help pay down the PERS debt of Oregons K-12 school districts, as The Oregonian/OregonLives Ted Sickinger reported. While that wont erase the amount districts owe, it would stave off the dramatic increases school districts will have to pay PERS over the next 14 years to cover retirement benefits for current workers and retirees. Such a fund would also help ensure that much of the $2 billion in new education revenue that legislators are trying to raise will go to classroom investments as intended rather than simply backfill PERS. The proposal doesnt shy away from controversial ideas. There are plenty. And while theres reason for caution and skepticism over some of the proposals more optimistic projections, the governors ideas should all be on the table for further discussion. Most significantly, Brown is calling on public employees across the state to modestly share in the cost of funding their own pensions. This proposal, pushed for years as a potential way to curb the PERS burden on public employers, has been hard fought by public employee unions, who are Browns most dependable backers. But Oregon is an outlier, as noted by Nik Blosser, Browns chief of staff who drafted the PERS proposal. Its one of only two states Utah is the other, he said in which public employees do not contribute to their pensions. Redirecting a small percent of employees retirement contributions into an account for their individual pensions, rather than to their 401(k) type plans is a reasonable reform that recognizes employees, too, must share in the burden of addressing Oregons pension crisis. Another provision calls for a $100 cap on any kicker rebates issued for the 2017-2019 budget cycle and depositing the rest in the schools fund. The kicker law, which requires the state to refund taxpayers for revenue that exceeds economists projections by more than 2 percent, has never been good policy. But its been popular with voters and will tee up a tough fight in the Legislature to get the necessary two-thirds approval to pass. Lawmakers should recognize its long past time to have this conversation with voters. Still, theres reason for caution. Browns proposal calls for tapping as much as $486 million of the $2 billion in surplus held by SAIF, the state-owned workers compensation insurance company. The money would be deposited into the new schools fund. While the Legislature in 1982 passed a law expressly authorizing such a transfer, it would be controversial and risks destabilizing an entity that has competently, reliably and efficiently administered workers compensation for public and private employers for years. In trying to address the PERS crisis, Oregon should not do anything to trigger another. Blosser told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the governor wants to proceed carefully on any sweep of SAIF funds and noted that theres no one specific proposal on how to structure a transfer or even how much. For example, a transfer could be phased in over a number of years, Blosser said. Alternatively, SAIF could provide premium discounts for school districts, representing some $200 million in value over six years. Its a tricky line to walk. SAIF has so much cash on hand because it has been so well-managed. It offers some of the lowest employer premiums in the country, processes employee claims and checks efficiently, incentivizes safety in the workplace and has become the dominant provider of workers compensation insurance in Oregon. Anything that looks as if its destabilizing SAIF could turn off employers. Yet at the same time, SAIF is first and foremost a state-owned asset. Fair or not, it should be considered as a potential part of a PERS solution. As we have said previously, addressing PERS will require sacrifice from taxpayers, businesses, public employees and others in order to protect those Oregon must serve first students, seniors and low-income Oregonians. Oregonians still need more from Brown. While her plan targets ways to protect K-12 schools, it doesnt go far enough. And theres little help yet for hundreds of other public employers community colleges, county health departments, city-owned utilities, and human services agencies that face their own pension bill reckonings. Her office should continue to pursue ideas that can provide them relief as well. But Browns team has put together a credible plan that provides a strong starting point for discussions. Businesses and unions should join in. - The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board Editorial Agenda 2019 Transform education for students benefit Keep Oregon solvent Work toward more evenhanded justice in Oregon Put Portland on the right track ________________________ Read more about the editorial board's priorities for 2019. Karla Hackney Karla Hackney is the Christian Science Committee on Publication for Oregon. She lives in Hillsboro. Christian Scientists are a diverse group. Our congregations are democratic, and the church doesnt dictate to members what to think on important public issues. We dont always see eye to eye among ourselves, but even when we differ, we do our best to love and respect each other, and to keep in mind the deeper values we share not only with others in our churches, but also with our neighbors of other faiths and backgrounds. In this same spirit, I thought it might be helpful to add a word of further perspective to a fellow church members recent letter on vaccination (Vaccine bill is medical tyranny, March 27), particularly to make clear Christian Scientists longstanding tradition regarding public health. The debates happening in Oregon and across the country today about vaccination were happening just as passionately more than a century ago when the founder of the denomination, Mary Baker Eddy, advised Christian Scientists not to quarrel with society over this issue, but to submit to this process where the law requires. Eddys counsel reflected the simple Golden Rule ethic and a deep biblical sense of civic obligation and care for others in the community. In a 1974 column on Christian Science and Community Medicine in The New England Journal of Medicine, the state Department of Public Health in Massachusetts, where the church is headquartered, acknowledged this relation of mutual tolerance and diversity, noting that the denomination has historically recognized what society may reasonably expect [church members] to do for the general good. As my fellow church member brought out in her letter, the practice of spiritual healing has meant a great deal in Christian Scientists lives, and Christian Scientists are grateful for the religious exemptions that legislatures and public health authorities have granted for vaccination over the years. We arent indifferent to the well-being of our neighbors, however, and we understand the concerns raised in recent years as exemptions have been claimed by larger numbers. Countercultural as Christian Scientists practice may be in a technological society, it isnt based on rejection of science and education or on fear, whether of vaccines or medicine in general. We appreciate the love and humanity expressed by medical caregivers, and we share the same underlying purpose of healing. As a recent statement on vaccination posted on the church website summarizes: Whatever the right legislative answer may be for our state at this time, Christian Scientists hope that their long experience as a religious minority working in cooperation with societys majority might point to the possibility of a resolution based on mutual respect and understanding in the best interest of all. By Tammy Baney and Alando Simpson Everyone who travels around the Portland-Vancouver area knows how much more congested the roads are compared to a few years ago. No matter if you go around town or out of town, to work, play or home, we see increasing delays everywhere. The numbers help tell the story. Oregon Department of Transportations latest Traffic Performance Report shows delays on the regions freeways have increased 20.1 percent increase from 2015 to 2017. As our population and economy grow, morning and afternoon rush hour lasts longer, freight companies dispatch their trucks in the middle of the night to avoid congestion and everyone is spending more time in traffic and less time with friends and family. Were making a lot of progress but much more needs to be done. For starters, ODOT is adding new freeway lanes that will help reduce congestion. Last fall we opened a new lane on Interstate 5 southbound from Oregon 217 to Interstate 205, so vehicles getting on at Oregon 217 no longer cause congestion by merging into the main lanes of the highway. Preliminary results show congestion on this stretch of I-5 has dropped from five hours a day to just one. Keep Oregon Moving, the transportation package passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2017, will result in additional investments. Later this year we will open new lanes on three sections of I-205 through Portland funded in part by this legislation. These auxiliary lanes connecting interchanges will allow people to get on and off the freeway more safely and efficiently and help traffic in the other lanes flow better. Keep Oregon Moving will also address the major bottleneck at the Rose Quarter. The Rose Quarter sits at the intersection of I-5, I-405, and I-84, but with just two lanes in each direction, its undersized compared to the other freeways and cant handle the traffic it sees. Keep Oregon Moving funds a new lane between I-84 and I-405 in each direction so the huge volume of vehicles traveling between these freeways never have to merge into the main lanes. We estimate this will save travelers 2.5 million hours each year. But Keep Oregon Moving isnt just about carsit provides funding forTriMets largest single service expansion in its history. And it invests in biking and walking improvements so people have choices to get around. While these multimodal investments will help reduce traffic congestion, more tools are needed to produce the kind of real impact our area hopes to see. Thats where tolling comes in. Tolling has been effective in many states to generate funds to improve our roads and ease congestion by managing demand. The Legislature directed the Oregon Transportation Commission to develop a plan for tolling on the I-5 and I-205 corridors. For more than a year weve heard the genuine concerns of thousands of people through surveys, online comments and in-person meetings. As a result, we focused on two bottlenecks where tolling has the potential to improve traffic conditions by raising money for planned projects and managing travel demand. The two areas are: I-205 on or near the Abernethy Bridge in Clackamas County. Tolls here would help pay for seismic reconstruction of bridges and highway widening between Oregon 213 and Stafford Road, including the Abernethy. I-5 through central Portland. This seven-mile-long area, including the Rose Quarter, is one of the most severely congested corridors in the region and a critical route for interstate commerce. Smoothing out these congested corridors will improve safety and help them operate more efficiently as the region adds more jobs and our population grows. Those who pay a toll would see real benefits in the form of less congestion and more reliable trips. In January, the Federal Highway Administration gave us the go-ahead to continue studying our two tolling plans and told us that both are likely eligible to qualify under federal law. Tolling wont happen anytime soon, though. The next phase will take years of environmental review, traffic analysis and public engagement. Well study exact locations, toll amounts and the times of day they will be in place. Well focus on developing strategies to include low-income and historically underserved communities in the benefits, examine potential diversion of traffic onto neighborhood streets and explore opportunities to improve transit and other options so people have real choices for mobility if tolling is in place. No plan will make everything better, but we can make real progress when we marshal our energies into a broad approach to the problem. The steps we take today could improve travel for everyone, with fewer delays, better freight movement and less aggravation. Tammy Baney is chair of the Oregon Transportation Commission. Alando Simpson is a member of the Oregon Transportation Commission and was co-chair of the Value Pricing Advisory Committee. By Dwight Holton Holton is chief executive of Lines for Life and previously served as U.S. Attorney for Oregon. He lives in Portland. Something amazing happened last week in Oregon: in coffee shops, at the gym, driving carpools, meeting friends -- just about everywhere people gather in Oregon, we have been talking about suicide and suicide prevention. Over 30 news organizations across the state teamed up to shine a light on the public health crisis of suicide. Dozens and dozens of news stories have appeared on our favorite TV stations, in newspapers big and small, on podcasts and on the radio each article and broadcast telling stories of hope and of healing and of overcoming the risk and pain of suicide. Never before have journalists linked arms like this to shine the light on suicide and suicide prevention. It feels like that moment Oregonians know it well when the sun first peeks through the clouds after many months of gray and rain. Its bright and its warm and its promising. For far too long, suicide has remained in the shadows something we just didnt talk about. The reasons are complex we want to respect the privacy of families enduring the pain of suicide, and we want to be careful not to prompt contagion a very real risk. But the silent treatment has not worked. Ignoring the reality and scope of the suicide crisis has helped erect a wall of stigma that discourages people from getting help. When even talking about suicide is taboo, many people struggling with depression feel that they just cant show vulnerability they feel that they should just keep it to themselves. And all too often, left alone, these folks cant find a way forward a way to live. I cant tell you how many parents have told me they lost their child because of stigma their son or daughter just didnt think they could reach out for help because suicide is not something we are supposed to talk about. And while we have remained silent, the suicide crisis has grown. About 825 Oregonians died by suicide in 2017, up 35 percent since the year 2000. Suicide is now the second-leading cause of death among young Oregonians. Nationally, more than 42,000 people died by suicide last year more than the number of Americans killed in action in the Vietnam War. This week, Oregon journalists decided to Break the Silence to shine a light on this public health crisis with responsible reporting on suicide. I am hopeful this will launch a community conversation and help erase the stigma that keeps people from getting help we need to embrace the reality that its okay to feel sad or depressed and its okay to get help. This week has also been about Breaking the Silence on suicide prevention. Help, hope and healing are happening in communities all over Oregon and we are finally hearing those stories. For every one person who dies by suicide in this country, there are 280 people who think seriously about suicide who do not kill themselves. Those are 280 remarkable stories of hope. Research shows that telling these untold stories of suicide prevention can save more lives. At Lines for Life, we know that when people do get help, it works. Here at our crisis line at Lines for Life, we help each caller make a plan to stay safe - and we deescalate over 95% our calls without needing to involve emergency services. Research of National Suicide Prevention Lifeline crisis centers like ours shows that most callers feel significantly less emotional distress and suicidal after their call. Oregon journalists have launched this conversation; now its time for us in the community to do our part. We need to take care of ourselves and our loved ones, we need our policymakers to do more to support suicide prevention efforts, and we need to learn more about what actions we can all take to prevent suicide. Here are some specific steps you can take: Reach out : If you or a loved one is struggling, connect with the Lifeline you can find a welcoming voice at any time of day or night at 1-800-273-8255 Make change : Call your legislator now demand support for suicide prevention bills currently being considered in Salem Learn more : check out the steps for how to help others who could be suicidal at : check out the steps for how to help others who could be suicidal at Bethe1to.com , how to help yourself at suicidepreventionlifeline.org and linesforlife.org , and how to get involved with more suicide prevention community events at afsp.org Together we can break the silence and shine the light on suicide and suicide prevention to save lives, save our families, and save our communities. UPDATED 11 p.m. Sunday, April 14: Suspect in SW Washington deputy killing now dead *** A sheriffs deputy in southwest Washington died after he was shot Saturday night while checking on a vehicle that was blocking a road northeast of Kalama. The Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office has not identified the deputy, and although investigators have located a person of interest in the shooting, they are still seeking information about the incident. Shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday, the deputy was sent to check on a vehicle that was blocking Fallert Road near Kalama River Road, according to a sheriffs press release issued Sunday morning. When the deputy tried to contact someone associated with the vehicle, he was shot. Law enforcement responded and the deputy was taken by helicopter to PeaceHealth Medical Center in Vancouver. Soon after he arrived, the deputy died of his injuries, the sheriffs office said. The Clark County Major Crimes Unit is helping with the investigation. A press conference is scheduled for 2 p.m. today. Anyone who has information about the incident can contact Sgt. Todd Barsness with the Clark County Major Crimes Unit at (360) 397-2020 or todd.barsness@clark.wa.gov. Hillary Borrud Gresham police announced late Saturday night that they found Twedros Gemeda, a missing 28-year-old man. Gemeda was last seen Friday about 11 a.m., leaving his home to drive to work in Salem, authorities said. In a tweet at 11:33 p.m. Saturday, the police said Gemeda had been found and thanked the public. Can you help us find this missing man? Last seen yesterday driving from Gresham to Salem in a silver 2007 Nisssan Sentra. https://t.co/QW6HSz6L7B pic.twitter.com/kdpJcz7PKp Gresham Police Dept. (@GreshamPD) April 14, 2019 Rob Davis rdavis@oregonian.com 503.294.7657; @robwdavis Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. 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The search comes after Cowlitz County Deputy Justin DeRosier was shot after being sent to check on a disabled vehicle that was blocking a road about three miles east of Interstate 5 late Saturday, authorities said. DeRosier died during surgery at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver shortly after midnight, according to Sheriff Brad Thurman. DeRosier was 29 years old. He and his wife had their first child, a daughter, in October. Commander John Horch of the neighboring Clark County Sheriffs Office said a regional SWAT team was on a manhunt for the suspect or suspects. Detectives were talking to witnesses and people of interest in the case, Horch said Sunday afternoon. Authorities were also processing the crime scene and a nearby home where a search warrant had been served earlier that day. An official said Sunday night that an additional shooting connected to DeRosiers killing had occurred. She couldnt confirm whether law enforcement officers were involved. No injuries had been reported, and details about the shooting including how its linked to DeRosiers killing were unclear. DeRosiers death is the first time a Cowlitz County sheriffs deputy has died while on duty, the sheriff said. He was one of two law enforcement officers in the region to be shot late Saturday. A Milwaukie police officer suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his leg in an exchange of gunfire, according to police. He was released from a hospital Sunday. A 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of shooting the officer, who hasnt been publicly identified. DeRosier graduated from Kelso High School and Washington State University and signed on with the Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office in 2016. Darren Ullmann, Cowlitz County undersheriff, said few law enforcement officers want to serve more than DeRosier did. The deputy loved his job, Ullmann said, and was incredibly good at it. He will be with us forever, and hell be truly missed, Ullmann said. Deputies urge anyone who has information about the shooting to call 360-577-3098. -- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015 Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Zenith Energy, Oregons largest facilitator of crude oil exports, last year defied its agreement with state regulators to show it could control and clean up a major crude spill at its Willamette River terminal in Portland. Instead of drilling with the sludgy, toxics-emitting Canadian tar sands crude that travels by rail through the Columbia Gorge and North Portland neighborhoods to Zeniths facility, the company used diesel for the mock cleanup. Diesel is easier to practice with because it is less toxic and easier to clean up than Zeniths crude. Zeniths decision to conduct a drill without using tar sands crude came the same year it singlehandedly escalated Oregon crude exports to $71 million, up from the previous years total of $2,532. Regulators at the Oregon Department of Environment Quality, who are empowered to regulate facilities that store and transfer petroleum products, did not invoke laws and rules allowing them to demand the company comply with the agreed-upon plan for the drill. As a result, Zenith and others who would counter a dangerous toxic oil spill if one were to occur first responders, regulators and employees of Chevron, which Zenith contracts with to unload oil over Chevrons Willamette River dock have not practiced for a tar sands disaster. Oregons oil spills regulator, Scott Smith, says he was nonplussed by Zeniths uncooperativeness. Smith, however, said he did not force Zenith to conduct the drill with tar sands oil because he felt pressure to go along with other agencies decision to allow the company to practice with diesel. His counterpart in Washington said such a substitution would never be accepted there. That just wouldnt happen in Washington, said Linda Pilkey-Jarvis, manager of the oil spills program at the Washington Department of Ecology. Theyd be on the hook to do another drill, she said. There are consequences to that with us. The whole reason for drills is to prove a spill plans effectiveness and look for failure points before an actual spill occurs, Pilkey-Jarvis said. The exercises are an extremely important part of averting catastrophe, she said. Zenith, a privately-owned company, bought the terminal in the heart of Northwest Portlands industrial zone at the end of 2017. Regulators soon observed an uptick of crude oil unit trains trains carrying a single commodity, sometimes a hundred cars long in the Portland area. Tar sands oil reaches the facilitys large above-ground tanks on railroad tracks that cross the Columbia River from Vancouver to Portland, then cut through the North Portland neighborhoods of St. Johns, Portsmouth and University Park before crossing the Willamette into Northwest Portland. The site is Zeniths only West Coast facility, giving it access to Asian oil markets and West Coast refineries. Canadian tar sands oil poses risks to human health and the environment in the event of a spill. It contains the poisonous gasses hydrogen sulfide and benzene, chemicals that can make a spill dangerous and, in the worst cases, deadly. The crude is also extremely flammable. When a tar sands pipeline burst into Michigans Kalamazoo River in 2010, more than 300 people fell ill with nausea, respiratory problems and headaches after being exposed to hydrogen sulfide. Levels of benzene also spiked near the Michigan spill. The sweet-smelling gas can cause cancer. The heavy oil sank to the river bottom, killed insects, frogs and turtles that are essential to the areas ecosystem and caused a $1.2 billion cleanup that is ongoing. In Oregon, regulation of facilities like Zeniths falls under the purview of Smith, the Department of Environmental Quality official overseeing the state oil spills program. Companies must conduct annual oil spill drills under his watch to stay in compliance with Oregon law. Smith said he asked Zenith to conduct its 2018 drill with tar sands crude after he learned from reports in Bloomberg News and Oregon Public Broadcasting not the company itself that the terminal had begun receiving that form of oil. The drills should closely mirror a companys current operations, Smith said, so he figured practicing with tar sands ought to be a central part of the drill. He also wanted to make sure Zenith could handle the environmental and inhalation hazards posed by its oil. The company agreed to do the drill as asked, Smith said. But an unexpected change of plans was afoot. Days before the drill, Smith attended a company planning meeting by teleconference, during which the terminal manager, Nathan Eggers, announced the exercise would not practice with tar sands, but with diesel. Smith was taken aback. Such a switcheroo had never been presented to him before. I was disappointed, he said. It was a chance to drill with a product we hadnt worked with in the past. Smith emailed his managers, telling them Eggers said the drill had to change because Zenith had closed a significant deal to transport diesel and did not expect to handle tar sands crude for some time. Eggers had since been promoted to lead Zeniths operations in Alabama and did not return a voicemail seeking comment. The company said he was unavailable. Smith relayed his confusion over the change in another email, to Cori Mikkalo, a U.S. Coast Guard official. The Canadian stuff has really different properties from diesel, so I dont really know why they are doing that, he wrote. The supposed grounds for change also did not add up, Smith said in emails to other regulators, because Zenith at the time had only three small tanks configured to hold diesel. To me it does not necessarily make sense that Zenith, who is known as one of the few terminals in Oregon to handle heavier oils, would switch their primary operations to diesel fuel, especially when their dedicated diesel tanks are some of their smallest, Smith wrote. The capacity of those tanks was 79,000 gallons, the equivalent of about four full rail cars. Zeniths other tanks, many of which are configured to store crude oil, hold approximately 71 million gallons. Grady Reamer, Zeniths vice president for U.S. operations, said Thursday that the company is permitted to store diesel fuel in many more tanks than the three that Smith identified. In facility plans dated March 4, Zenith noted it had diesel fuel residue only in the three small tanks Smith wrote about. It also indicated it plans to fill one other tank with a capacity of 204,000 gallons with bio-diesel. Meanwhile, the company intends to pump crude oil into three other empty tanks, which together hold 8.8 million gallons, company documents show. A Zenith spokeswoman, Megan Mastal, said in an April 1 statement that Zenith did not mislead regulators in 2018 about what oils it was handling. Mastals statement said the company practiced a spill with diesel during its annual drill, held in November 2018, because it planned to be storing more at its facility under a new contract. Reamer said diesel was the only fuel coming to the Portland facility at the time. Records show Zenith transported and unloaded about 2,800 railcars full of crude oil in Portland during 2018. Mastals statement said Zenith never hid from regulators what products were at its facility. Reamer noted the company has previously held preparedness drills at its Portland site with crude oil though not with tar sands crude and said there was nothing wrong with changing the agreed-upon plans for the 2018 drill. When it comes to who dictates the product for the drill, its the operator, Reamer said. State law, however, empowers officials such as Smith to require additional drills as needed to make certain the spill prep plans are effective. And administrative rules allow Smith to require Zenith to drill again if not satisfied with a companys performance. But Smith did not do that in Zeniths case. His agencys team of oil spills regulators was fatigued from their busiest year of drills to date, he said. The drill was days away, and Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency officials had already signed off on Zeniths change. I didnt feel like it was appropriate for me to have them go back through the drill planning process all over again, Smith said. He instead consulted with his managers, Michael Zollitsch and Bruce Gilles, about what to do, and they decided to write a letter to Zenith. Its contents were reviewed by Richard Whitman, the Department of Environmental Quality director, before being sent to Zenith. The letter, dated Oct. 31, 2018, lays out the departments expectations of Zenith this year namely that it should prepare to conduct a tar sands drill simulating a worst case failure of a 4.7-million-gallon storage tank and release of 335,000 gallons of tar sands oil into the Willamette River. Zenith has not responded to the letter, Smith said, and has not scheduled its 2019 drill. -- Gordon R. Friedman GFriedman@Oregonian.com Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the Oregon Department of Environmental Qualitys regulatory authority. It regulates facilities that store and transfer petroleum products. Depoe Bay carries the title of Whale Watching Capital of the Oregon Coast, and now is the perfect time to go. Prime time viewing is March through May and December through January during annual migrations. Tradewinds Charters (118 U.S. 101, Depoe Bay; 541-765-2345, 800-445-8730) is the oldest charter company on the West Coast and offers a variety of fishing trips (bottom, salmon, tuna, halibut). Whale watching excursions are informative and fun for the whole family (practice shouting, Thar she blows! beforehand); one- and two-hour trips are available. Some excursions include setting crab pots along the way and vary between five hours and a full day. Visit the website for seasonal information on selective fisheries; call for reservations. A cup of clam chowder at The Horn Public House in Depoe Bay.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian Another place where you might be able to catch whale views is at The Horn Public House & Brewery (110 S.E. Coast Highway, Depoe Bay; 541-764-6886), perched above the worlds smallest harbor. For the best bay and ocean views, head upstairs and settle into a window seat. Whether you opt to start with fresh oyster shooters or the signature clam chowder, you cant go wrong. House favorites include cod fish and chips, grilled oysters and a veggie wrap as well as a grilled cheese and tomato soup combo. Also on the menu are salads, burgers, sandwiches and nine specialty pizzas featuring the Horns Chicago-style dough; all bread loaves and desserts are baked in-house. Flights are great for sampling the house-brewed beers, guest beers and guest ciders. A game room keeps kids and adults plenty entertained with pool, darts and more. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, extended to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Tuesday. Gracie Strom acknowledges her fans after playing the liquor bottles behind the bar at her Depoe Bay restaurant, Gracie's Sea Hag, in 2003, the year she celebrated 40 years as owner. Strom died in 2015. (Fredrick D. Joe) Only missing the view, Gracies Sea Hag Restaurant and Lounge (58 N. U.S. 101, Depot Bay; 541-765-2734) is one of the central coasts favorite seafood restaurants and lounges. It was founded in 1963 by Gracie Strom. Current owners Clary and Jerome Grant continue Gracies welcoming hospitality, and you better believe that tunes are still being played on the liquor bottles. Hand-crafted recipes dominate the menu, even at breakfast with shrimp Neptune. The appetizers (seared ahi tuna) and mouthwatering seafood salads are well-presented and the famous, award-winning clam chowder is creamy, thick and swimming with chunks of clam. Bouillabaisse, crab and shrimp au gratin, grilled or baked oysters, whole Dungeness crab, USDA Choice steaks and much more are available at dinner. There is live music year round in the lounge at this Depoe Bay classic. Hours are 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily. The all-new fourth edition of Gerry Franks Oregon guidebook is available through oregonguidebook.com; 503-585-8411; gerry@teleport.com; amazon.com; Macys; and P.O. Box 2225, Salem, OR 97308. Paducah, KY (42003) Today Cloudy with periods of rain. Thunder possible. Morning high of 64F with temps falling to near 50. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness. Low 43F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations (UNDESA) are organising a preparatory and capacity development workshop for major groups and other stakeholders in Africa to help countries prepare for the High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development that will be held in New York from 9-18 July 2019 Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Sunday said its aircraft totally destroyed an armed bandits logistics base and killed four of the bandits during operation in Zamfara State, northwest Nigeria About $30bn will be at stake in what could be one of the biggest US corporate lawsuits as Apple and Qualcomm head to court in San Diego on Monday, reports the Financial Times (FT). Mark Lemley, a law professor at Stanford University told The Financial Times that "This is a huge dispute. The amount of money at stake potentially dwarfs any other intellectual property or antitrust case." By comparison, Apple won $1bn from Samsung in a patent case in 2012, and Hewlett-Packard won $3bn from Oracle in a contract case in 2016. On Tuesday the trial will start in earnest with opening statements by both sides. The FT report states that "Tim Cook, the Apple chief executive, is expected to give testimony in a four-week trial in a federal court in which the iPhone maker and four companies in its supply chain are suing Qualcomm for up to $27bn in damages for overcharged chip royalties. Qualcomm, which has denied wrongdoing, is seeking at least $7bn in back-payments from Apple and its suppliers in addition to billions in damages. The San Diego trial is the centerpiece of a lengthy dispute between the two companies that has sprawled across the US, China and Europe and may affect Apples ability to launch a mobile phone equipped for 5G, the next generation of mobile internet. Geoff Blaber, analyst at CCS Insight: "This is by far the most significant [case] weve seen so far, for both sides. For Qualcomm, it stands to shape the future of their business," but it could also weaken Apples 'bargaining power' and cost the iPhone maker billions. The outcome of the trial is particularly significant for Qualcomms licensing business, which generated 64 per cent of the companys total earnings before tax in 2018 on less than a quarter of total sales. If the case tips in Apples favor, other Qualcomm licensees are likely to question the rates they are paying, and the 'future of the business model'" could come under pressure, said Mr Blaber. For more on this, you could read the full Financial Times report here (you could sign-up with the Financial Times for a free trial.) CNET adds that "The trial will begin Monday with jury selection. On Tuesday, both sides present opening arguments, and Apple calls its first witnesses. The list could even include Apple CEO Tim Cook, who's likely to appear during the first week. Other big witnesses include Apple's operating chief, Jeff Williams; its head of marketing, Phil Schiller; Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf; and Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon. After the first week, court will be in session Mondays to Wednesdays, and closing arguments and jury deliberation are expected the week of May 13. Apple referred CNET to comments it made when it filed its initial complaint. "Qualcomm's illegal business practices are harming Apple and the entire industry. They supply us with a single connectivity component, but for years have been demanding a percentage of the total cost of our products -- effectively taxing Apple's innovation," the comments read. "We believe deeply in the value of intellectual property but we shouldn't have to pay them for technology breakthroughs they have nothing to do with." The CNET report is also an interesting read on this subject matter that you could review here. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus. Patna: Reacting strongly on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashwini Kumar Choubey rather misogynistic comment that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Rabri Devi should keep herself within the confines of her ghoonghat (veil), the former Bihar Chief Minister said that Choubeys snide remark was an insult to women across the country and he should immediately apologize for his comment. BJP is an anti-women party that is run by Manuwaads. I want to know why Choubey hates women so much and is afraid of them. Is this what Narendra Modis women empowerment means? Is this the BJPs Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme? I can see the pain in your eyes because we rid Bihar of the Chaubeys, the Chabbeys, and the Dubeys like you who believe in a male-dominant society, Rabri Devi wrote in a series of tweets on Saturday. As reported, Choubey, a firebrand and often controversial politician like his colleague Giriraj Singh, in an attempt to counter Rabri Devis comment that there appeared to be cracks in the NDA in Bihar, had said that it would be best if the former Bihar Chief Minister stayed within her ghoonghat and leave the NDA to itself. Written in Bhojpuri dialect, Rabri Devi, the wife of party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, said that for the last five years, Choubey never went to his constituency to see how his people were doing. Now he is afraid to go back to his constituency so he is making all sorts of nonsensical statements. First, he needs to keep the women leaders in his own party like Smriti Irani, Sushma Swaraj, Maneka Gandhi, and Vasundhara Raje Scindia in ghoonghats and then come talk about me, she wrote. On the evening of April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln and his wife went to see a performance of Our American Cousin at Fords Theatre in Washington, D.C. At 10:15 p.m., John Wilkes Booth slipped into the Lincolns private box and fired a .44-caliber derringer into the back of Lincolns head. As Booth was escaping, he broke his leg but managed to leave the theater and escape on a horse. In this March 4, 1861 file photo, President Abraham Lincoln stands under cover at center of the Capitol steps during his inauguration in Washington. The scaffolding at upper right is used in construction of the Capitol dome. (AP Photo/File)ASSOCIATED PRESS A 23-year-old doctor was in the audience. He raced to Lincoln and found him slumped in his chair, paralyzed and struggling to breathe. Soldiers carried Lincoln to a house across the street. When the surgeon general arrived at the house, he concluded that Lincoln could not be saved and would die during the night. President Abraham Lincoln visits with Union Gen. George McClellan at his headquarters in this Oct. 4, 1862 photo. Lincoln removed McClellen from command after the Battle of Antietam for failing to pursue and destroy the Confederate Army under the command of Gen. Robert E. Lee. (AP Photo)AP Lincoln was pronounced dead at 7:22 a.m. April 15, 1865. The president's body was taken to the White House, and on April 18 it was carried to the Capitol rotunda to lay in state. On April 21, Lincolns body was boarded onto a train headed to his hometown of Springfield, Ill. Thousands of people lined the railroad route through 180 cities in seven states to see the funeral train, which was in Harrisburg April 21-22. The death bed scene after President Abraham Lincoln was mortally wounded in Ford's Theater April 14, 1865, is shown in this rare picture. The picture shows Mrs. Lincoln kneeling beside the bed and members of the cabinet behind it. This picture was supposed to have been given to a friend by Mrs. Lincoln shortly after the funeral and then passed down through the family from generation to generation. (AP Photo)ASSOCIATED PRESS Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. He saw the country through the Civil War and abolished slavery. His Gettysburg Address was delivered on Nov. 19, 1863. Lincoln was born Feb. 12, 1809, in Kentucky. According to history.com, Lincoln had little formal education because he had to work to support his family. This picture of Abraham Lincoln appeared on the poster used in his presidential campaign in 1860. The original photo is in the Chicago Historical Society. (AP Photo)ASSOCIATED PRESS After his family moved to Illinois he became involved in local politics and won election to the state legislature in 1834. Lincoln taught himself the law and passed the bar exam in 1836. A year later, he moved to Springfield. He worked there as a lawyer for several years. In 1842, he married Mary Todd. U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, wearing top hat, is shown with Union Army Gen. George B. McClellan, facing Lincoln, and McClellan's staff at Antietam, Maryland, 1862 during the American Civil War. (AP Photo/Alexander Gardner)ASSOCIATED PRESS In 1846, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was not popular because of his objection to the U.S. war with Mexico. He returned to Springfield in 1849. He joined the Republican party mostly because of its opposition to slavery. Lincoln ran for the senate in 1858 and lost but gained a reputation that resulted in the Republicans choosing him as their candidate for president. He won and was inaugurated in March 1861. His election, however, caused seven southern states to secede from the Union and form the Confederate States of America. A scene in front of the Capitol during Abraham Lincoln's second inauguration, 1865, just six weeks before his assassination. (AP Photo)ASSOCIATED PRESS On Jan. 1, 1863, Lincoln issued an emancipation proclamation that freed all of the slaves of the rebellious states but those in border states in bondage, according to history.com. Lincoln's funeral train in Harrisburg, April 1865. Pennsylvania State Archives, MG-218, The General Photograph Collection. In November 1863 he delivered the Gettysburg Address. He ran for re-election in 1864 and won. In April 1865, just a month after his second inauguration, he urged everyone to welcome the southern states back. He did not live to see the Reconstruction. Report a digital subscription issue If you are being blocked from reading Subscriber Exclusive content, first confirm you are logged in using the account with which you subscribed. If you are still experiencing issues, please describe the problem below and we will be happy to assist you. Submit Charles Fergus, a familiar name to readers of Pennsylvania Game News magazine, will be visiting his native Pennsylvania to promote two very different, new books hes written. A Stranger Here Below is a historical mystery set in 1835 Pennsylvania, while Make a Home for Wildlife is a nonfiction, how-to on creating habitat for wildlife that includes some Pennsylvania-based examples. Fergus, who now lives in Vermont, will be at Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg for An Evening with Charles Fergus from 7-9 p.m. Monday, April 15. He will do a reading and will sign copies of the books. A Stranger Here Below, the first novel in a new mystery series, introduces Sheriff Gideon Stoltz, who, as a young deputy, is thrust into his position by the death of the previous sheriff. Gideon faces his first real challenge as death rocks the small town again when the respected judge Hiram Biddle commits suicide. No one is more distraught than Gideon, whom the old judge had befriended as a mentor and hunting partner. Gideon is regarded with suspicion as an outsider: hes new to town, and Pennsylvania Dutch in the back-country Scotch-Irish settlement. And he found the judges body. Making things even tougher is the way the judges death stirs up vivid memories of Gideons mothers murder, the trauma that drove him west from his home in the settled Dutch country of eastern Pennsylvania. He had also discovered her body. At first Gideon simply wants to learn why Judge Biddle killed himself. But as he finds out more about the judges past, he realizes that his friend's suicide was spurred by much more than the mans despair. Gideons quest soon becomes more complex as it takes him down a dangerous path into the past. Make a Home for Wildlife takes a different look at wildlife habitat than many of the large number of other books that have been written about backyard wildlife habitat. While there are plenty of ideas that can be implemented in any backyard, much of the Fergus book is about big ideas on bigger landscapes, including the Landowner Story profiles that appear throughout the book. The focus is on the eastern U.S., with detailed looks at basic habitat types forests, shrublands, grasslands and wetlands and how to create or improve them. Fergus has published 16 books on nature and wildlife. He also is a longtime columnist for Pennsylvania Game News, the magazine of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a treasure trove. And, like any great treasure trove, not all of its gems are on display. A few of those hidden jewels shine in two new exhibitions opening April 16: The Impressionists Eye and Yoshitoshi: Spirit and Spectacle. Its in these exhibitions thatll you see rarely showcased pen-and-ink drawings by acclaimed painter Vincent Van Gogh, a delicate watercolor by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec and an early triptych depicting a 1858 Japanese firemans parade. The exhibitions are home to stunning colors and inspiring compositions. Both showcase artists interpreting their world through a unique lens, giving the mundane significance, whether its the pastries on display in Gustave Caillebottes 1881 piece Cakes or a woman perusing a newspaper in Tsukioka Yoshitoshis 1887 print "I Want to Cancel My Subscription; Woman Reading Newspaper. The Impressionists Eye and Yoshitoshi: Spirit and Spectacle will be at the museum through Aug. 18. "Haystacks" (1888) drawing by Vincent Willem van Gogh. Photo provided by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Impressionists Eye Theres more to the impressionists than just painting. Van Gogh, Pierre Auguste Renoir and Berthe Morisot (who was recently the subject of an exhibition at the Barnes Foundation) were fluent in other mediums as well, and this exhibit showcases just how talented they were. The exhibition brings to the fore the technical virtuosity of the impressionists and celebrates them not just as painters but as talented printmakers, draftsmen and women and sculptors, said Jennifer Thompson, the organizer of the exhibition and the museums Gloria and Jack Drosdick Curator of European Painting and Sculpture and Curator of the John G. Johnson Collection. 28 of the 90 works on view are on paper, signaling both the museums extraordinary holdings in this field and the fluidity with which these artists moved from brush to charcoal, pastel stick to clay. In this exhibition we tried to recreate that balance showing works on paper alongside paintings and sculptures to present one of the most integrated and comprehensive views of impressionism ever, she continued. Because of the fragile nature of the paper pieces, the exhibit encourages repeat viewing, with much of the artwork changing on June 18. "The Great Bathers" (1884-1887) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Photo provided by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The exhibit comes just as the usual galleries holding these paintings are closed for renovation, the first in nearly 25 years. When visiting, dont miss the newly restored Great Bathers (1884-87) by Pierre Auguste Renoir, which positively glows from its position in the exhibition hall. During its restoration process, art conservationists could see just how Renoir adjusted, changed and repainted the piece to get to the final product. Next to the painting youll see wall text that describes the process of its cleaning and repair. "Soga Tokimune (Goro) Galloping Bareback in Oiso to Avenge his Father's Death" (1885) by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. Yoshitoshi: Spirit and Spectacle showcases the Philadelphia Museum of Art's collection of prints by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, the last great master of the Japanese woodcut. The museum has more Yoshitoshi prints than any other museum outside of Japan. The exhibit is open April 16-Aug. 18. 2019. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com Yoshitoshi: Spirit and Spectacle Tsukioka Yoshitoshi is viewed as the last master of traditional Japanese woodcut, but while his work may be dated (he lived between 1839 and 1892), it has a modern feel that helps connect past to present. There are his prints of famous Kabuki actors performing, similar to the posters that grace movie fans today. He illustrated stories for newspapers, including one of a woman using judo to throw off a would-be rapist. He crafted artwork that showcased famous battles or told favorite stories, similar in style to the graphic novels of today. The Yoshitoshi: Spirit and Spectacle exhibit walks you through his work, so you can see as his style, subject matter and technique evolves. It doubles as a unique history lesson on Japan in the 19th century, as the country moves away from feudal shoguns and back towards an imperial system of government. During that time, Japan opens itself to the West and European influence can easily be felt in Yoshitoshis own work. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is home to the largest collection of Yoshitoshi prints outside of Japan, giving the exhibition a unique breadth. It also allows its audience a deeper look at the process of making woodcuts, with a video that showcases the various techniques involved to a step-by-step breakdown of the different layers of one reproduction print. "Hazy-Night Moon: A Noh Actor as The Ghost of the Bandit Kamasaka Chohan" from "One Hundred Aspects of the Moon" by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. Yoshitoshi: Spirit and Spectacle showcases the Philadelphia Museum of Art's collection of prints by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, the last great master of the Japanese woodcut. The museum has more Yoshitoshi prints than any other museum outside of Japan. The exhibit is open April 16-Aug. 18. 2019. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com BEFORE YOU GO: The Philadelphia Museum of Art is located at 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Admission is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $14 for students and youth (ages 13-18). Its free to attend for children who are 12 years old and younger. Learn more at philamuseum.org. Some drizzle is already in the air, but showers with possible thunderstorms are on the way this afternoon. And late tonight, some those storms are expected to be severe. The severe weather is moving east across the United States and is already to blame for two deaths in Texas and two in Mississippi, according to AccuWeather.com. In the Harrisburg area, showers are likely, with possible thunderstorms, after 2 p.m. That is expected to taper off in the evening for a few hours before the more severe weather strikes. According to the National Weather Service, it will cross the Ohio-Pennsylvania border around 8 p.m. and make its way across the state. Though the storm system will lose some strength by the time it hits the Harrisburg area around 11 p.m. or midnight, heavy rain, thunderstorms and flooding in poor-drainage areas can be expected, along with wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph. Expect a high today of 71 and a low of 54. Though the rain will be out of the area in time for the Monday-morning commute, it will still be breezy with a 13 to 20 mph west wind and gusts up to 40 mph. Temperatures wont warm up much, either, with a high reaching 57 and a low at night of 38. Tuesday will be sunny with a high near 64 and a low around 47 with a 20 percent chance of nighttime showers. Wednesday should be mostly cloudy with a high reaching 70 and a low around 50. Thursday is on track to be partly sunny with a high of 73 and a low of 58. Showers and thunderstorms are back in the forecast for Friday with a high of 74 and a low of 57. The chance of precipitation is 70 percent. And Saturday will be mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and a high near 68. Visit PennLive.com/weather for your latest weather updates. WILLIAMSPORT A major drug dealer has had two years knocked off his sentence by a judge assigned to ensure fairness. U.S. Middle District Judge Malachy Mannion on Friday resentenced Maliki Hassan Chapman of Philadelphia to 14 years followed by five years of supervised release. Chapman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver more than 1 kilogram of heroin, 280 grams of crack cocaine and 5 kilograms of cocaine. Mannion got the case after a 3rd U.S. Court of Appeals panel vacated the 16-year term imposed on March 10, 2017, by Judge Matthew W. Brann. In a rare move the panel did not remand the case to Brann, stating in its opinion: In this particular circumstance, we think it best to remand to a different judge, so that the fairness of the sentencing process cannot reasonably be questioned at all. Chapman, a member of the so-called Tat Gang that operated a $1.75 million multi-county drug network, sold narcotics in the Williamsport and Harrisburg areas for several years. Examples cited in court documents included recovering more than $75,000 from his hotel room in the Harrisburg area in December 2012 and four months later finding 22 ounces of cocaine powder in the trunk of his car during a traffic stop in Lancaster County. The plea agreement when Brann had the case was for 188 months, but at sentencing the government argued for a term between 188 and 235 months. The appeals court panel was critical of Branns conduct at the sentencing because he denied Chapmans request for a weeks continuance. Chapman explained he was unaware he was to be sentenced, he had only briefly discussed the pre-sentence report with his attorney and his family planned to attend to offer support. Brann acknowledged Chapmans lawyer had misread the scheduling order but denied the continuance, stating: I know what I think I need to know about your case. He then sentenced him to 192 months. Chapman appealed, claiming Branns decision to impose a sentence without allowing him to present mitigating information violated his right of allocution. Appeals Court Judge L. Felipe Restrepo agreed, writing Brann unfairly deprived Chapman of his right to a full and meaningful allocution and that constituted an abuse of discretion. A court should encourage a defendant to present all available and relevant information, he wrote. Failure to grant a defendant a full and meaningful allocution raises the question whether the same judge should do the resentencing, he said. As an osteopathic physician in family practice in Enola with more than 20 years of experience, I have seen many changes, both in medicine and regulations. Many have enhanced the practice of medicine in Pennsylvania, and I am grateful for thoughtful, considerate legislative changes. However, lawmakers in Harrisburg are considering legislation that would essentially provide a shortcut for thousands of nurses by allowing them to essentially work as physicians but without the education or training required of one. Currently, these professionals are required to work collaboratively with a supervising physician. They are valuable members of our medical practice but they are not physicians. Senate Bill 25 would permit Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners (CRNPs) to practice medicine without physician supervision. It would eliminate collaborative practice agreements, which provide a coordinated team approach to patient care, in favor of a more fragmented model in which CRNPs with just three years experience under physician supervision can prescribe medication and take other actions normally handled by a skilled physician. Proponents of these bills have claimed that these measures will allow and attract more CRNPs to the rural areas of the state. These arguments simply dont pan out. The state of Arizona has permitted independent practice for CRNPs for several years, but the migration data demonstrates CRNPs have not migrated to the states rural areas. CRNPs practice in the same areas of Pennsylvania to that of physicians. While there is no doubt CRNPs are a critical part of the healthcare team and help provide additional access to care, granting them independent practice via legislation, will not solve access to rural healthcare access. There are other ways, like telemedicine, that can be much more effective in providing access to healthcare in rural areas. Most importantly, these bills will jeopardize patient safety. Our current system, which is a physician-led, team-based approach to patient care, is safer and more efficient than allowing CRNPs to be independent practitioners. A supervising physician is key in preventing medical errors and providing additional medical expertise that nurse practitioners just do not receive in their comparatively brief training. Osteopathic physicians receive over 8,000 hours of basic medical science education in medical school. After that, they receive an additional 12,000 to 16,000 hours of supervised postgraduate medical education during their residencies. This includes time spent working in many different specialty fields to give the physician the expertise needed to treat a patient thoroughly and responsibly. By comparison, nurse practitioners receive 750 hours of lecture and practice or learning hours. That gap cannot be closed by passing a new state law. Under this bill, CRNPs would act as primary care providers under state health insurance plans. CRNPs are trained to handle certain medical conditions, but they are not meant to provide healthcare without physician oversight. These professionals play a key role and provide valuable services in our healthcare delivery system. But knowing how to treat a particular symptom or how to treat a wound or injury is not the same as knowing how to make a complete diagnosis of a patient. This bill would grant CRNPs greater authority to prescribe drugs, including controlled substances, without the needed direction and guidance from a physician. Why would we consider expanding prescribers for controlled substances who, remember, have a fraction of the training of practicing physicians when we are in the midst of an opioid epidemic? We are only beginning to make headway against this scourge in our communities, and if we open this access even further, the tentative progress weve made could be erased just as quickly. Consider that in Pennsylvania, opioid prescribing dropped 22 percent from 2013 to 2017. This was all accomplished under the current law, which requires a collaborative practice agreement that ensures CRNPs practice under the supervision of a physician licensed to practice in our state. With all of these unintended consequences, lawmakers should not expand a CRNPs ability to practice medicine at this time. The stakes are just too high for our communities. Dr. Jeffery J. Dunkelberger, D.O., practices in Enola and is a member of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association. Muslims are afraid. Jews are afraid. Christians are afraid. Conservatives and liberals are afraid. Thats what a group of PennLive readers expressed recently in a discussion of religion, government and society. Some shared the difficulties of being a minority, whether racial or religious, in the United States. Sait Onal, president of the Turkish Cultural Center of Pennsylvania, said he was shocked when a friend shared a Facebook post mocking Muslims. Sait Onal, PennLive reader panel on Religious Tolerance, at our Hampden Township offices, Apr. 9, 2019. Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com You know Im Muslim, Onal responded on his friends page. I didnt mean you, the friend replied, apologizing. But the comments that resulted from his Facebook posting were far from apologetic. They attacked me for days, saying if you dont like this country, why dont you just leave it, Onal said. Such attacks and public offenses are becoming commonplace both on and offline, many of the reader panelists said. They talked about the recent controversy over state Rep. Stephanie Borowiczs prayer on opening day of the current House session. While they agreed she had every right to offer a public prayer to Jesus, they questioned the timing, coming just before the first Muslim legislator took the oath of office. One message came across loud and clear. A good many people in our region are carrying a lot of anxiety, mistrust and fear an understandable reaction to the recent attacks on mosques, synagogues and churches that have left dozens of innocent people dead. Azra Syed, PennLive reader panel on Religious Tolerance, at our Hampden Township offices, Apr. 9, 2019. Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com Azra Syed said fear among Muslims is worse than ever. With people in high places making statement like Islam is a cancer, you cant expect anything better from the general public. A vigil in memory of the 49 victims killed in two mosque shootings in New Zealand was held at the Pa. State Capitol, March 16, 2019. Organizer Atika Syed speaks during the vigil. Vicki Vellios Briner | Special to PennLiveVicki Vellios Briner | Special to PennLive Our fears are very real, said Atika Syed, who organized the recent vigil on the steps of the State Capitol after the bombing of the mosque in New Zealand in which 50 people lost their lives. Watch the entire conversation here: https://youtu.be/1HVKcAymDmc Every waking moment that we spend, we feel hunted, we feel targeted, she said. What we need first and foremost, not just from faith leaders but from the larger community, is to at least open up and recognize our fears as real, she said. Mark Scaringi Its not that Mark Scaringi, a local attorney and conservative pundit, dismissed Syeds fears. He just wanted her to know he has fears of his own. As a Christian American member of Western civilization, he said, I have great fear every day -- when I send my children to school, when I go into a government building or any large public space -- that there could be another Islamist extremist terrorist attack in America. When Scaringi alleged that Muslims had not condemned such terrorism, tempers flared. Rev. Rebecca Myers, PennLive reader panel on Religious Tolerance, at our Hampden Township offices, Apr. 9, 2019. Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com I really protest that we are asking Muslim people to apologize, said the Rev. Rebecca Myers, Rector at The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen in Newport. Good people who had nothing to do with such attacks should not have to apologize for terrorists, she said. Its been 17 years, said Atika Syed, a Muslim. We have condemned, we continue to condemn. Samia Malike, PennLive reader panel on Religious Tolerance, at our Hampden Township offices, Apr. 9, 2019. Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com Samia Malik, who attends the Steelton mosque, directly addressed Scaringis concerns. I totally understand your fear, she said. I really do. Because we live in fear, as well. And please believe me, we have all condemned it . . . as we condemn all kinds of terrorism. Its a good bet the fear and anxiety among these PennLive panelists parallels that in our communities. Ron Muroff, PennLive reader panel on Religious Tolerance, at our Hampden Township offices, Apr. 9, 2019. Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com It has to stop, said Rabbi Ron Muroff, because lives are on the line. What happened in Pittsburg, what happened in New Zealand, could happen right here in Harrisburg." Perhaps the most promising moment came when Malik reached out her hand to Scaringi and invited him to talk. How do we get rid of that fear, Malik asked? "Come talk to me. . . hold hands with me. For a brief moment, they joined hands. Rabbi Muroff was right. This has got to end. And Malik pointed us in the right direction. The only way to dispel the fear and distrust is for people who are polar opposites to sit down and talk. DNR, rescue workers recover elk carcasses from Otsego County lake Conservation officers and ice rescue personnel Wednesday worked to recover a dozen elk that died after falling through the ice of a private lake. Michael Beautyman has battled State Farm since 2009, when he said a torrential rain in Florida flooded his Porsche 911 Carrera, soaking the cars electronics and breeding toxic mold. State Farm refused to pay for thousands of dollars in repairs, so Beautyman, a Flourtown-based lawyer, sued the insurer. Nine years later, his case has gone nowhere. Now, Beautyman claims State Farm was helped by a judge who oversaw the case and who, in an unusual twist, used to be State Farms lawyer. Montgomery County Senior Judge Arthur Tilson represented State Farm in at least 129 cases during a 15-year period that ended in 1993, according to briefs filed by Beautymans attorney. Tilson was appointed to the bench in 2001. Beautyman argues that Tilson should have recused himself from the case. Legal ethics experts largely disagree. And another judge not Tilson denied Beautymans motion last week that raised the issue. Beautymans attorney is considering an appeal. Tilson did not return messages seeking comment. The slow-moving case, which has no scheduled trial date, pits a giant insurance company against a lawyer who said hes not going to stop fighting, and now is drawing attention to the self-policed rules regarding judicial recusal. Pennsylvanias code of judicial conduct requires judges to disqualify themselves in any proceeding in which the judges impartiality might reasonably be questioned. Judges must consider whether they personally know the parties or facts of the case, if they have an economic interest in the subject, or other factors. He relied upon State Farm for his daily bread, Stephen Alvstad, a partner at Beautymans firm and his attorney in this case, said of Tilson. Alvstad argued that no reasonable person would want a lawsuit overseen by a judge who represented the other party 129 times, no matter how long ago. Although the number of cases in which Tilson served as State Farms lawyer seems large and only accounts for litigation in Montgomery County legal ethics experts mostly shrugged. They noted that Tilson had been on the bench for more than a decade before he considered motions in Beautymans case. And judges typically start off as lawyers. Merely having represented State Farm for over 15 years and in many cases by itself doesnt warrant for recusal, said Stephen Gillers, a professor of legal ethics at New York University. Absent any personal relationships, knowledge of facts, or some kind of financial interest, judges are not recused because one of the parties is a former client, even a frequent former client. Beautyman didnt raise the issue until 2018, five years after Tilson last issued an order in the case. Montgomery County rotates judges, so Tilson is no longer in charge of the case. Tilson reached the then-mandatory retirement age of 70 in 2013, but still serves as a part-time senior judge. Issues of disqualification and issues of recusal should be brought up as soon as the party becomes aware of the concern," said Robert Tintner, a Fox Rothschild lawyer who handles the Philadelphia Bar Associations ethics hotline. It is entirely inappropriate to use either a recusal motion or disqualification motion as a tactical weapon. Alvstad said he and his client didnt discover Tilsons work for State Farm until they looked for it last year, when they considered Tilsons odd rulings and recalled a comment they said he made about his law firm doing work for the insurer. The most galling episode, according to Alvstad, was when Tilson initially overruled some of State Farms preliminary objections, then granted them after the insurer filed them again. Its essential that the public, the citizens, have faith in the fairness of the judicial process, Beautyman said. You have so many cases that a judge represented one party. It erodes the publics faith in the judicial system. And if the public does not have faith in the judicial process, that will lead to anarchy. State Farm declined comment due to pending litigation. But in court filings, the insurer said Beautymans complaints against Tilson were unfounded. Among other arguments, the insurer said one of Tilsons orders giving Beautyman more time to respond to discovery was not a win for State Farm. State Farm did not get any help from Judge Tilson with the orders entered in this matter, State Farm lawyer Yolanda Konopacka DeSipio wrote. Plaintiffs attempt to rewrite history five and six years after it occurred does not help to move the case forward. The case remains stuck in arguments over discovery. Beautyman has been unable to persuade a judge to force the insurer to give him an unredacted copy of his claim file, which he says is essential to prove that State Farm acted in bad faith in refusing to pay for repairs. In June 2009, Beautyman said, he found his car parked at a Boca Raton, Fla., airport with steamed-up windows and water inside. The 2004 Porsche wouldnt start. He had it towed to a mechanic. Beautyman said State Farm took two weeks to first inspect the Porsche (State Farm said it accidentally looked at the wrong car). After months of back and forth and multiple inspections at several locations, State Farm refused to pay for repairs because it said the water damage was caused by poor maintenance clogged drains, not a sudden flood event. The insurer also disputed that toxic mold grew in the car, but also, there is no coverage in the policy for fungi, State Farm said in court filings. If I were to negligently fail to clean the drain tubes, theres still insurance coverage just as if I negligently drive the car into a tree, Beautyman contended. Beautyman paid roughly $11,500 for repairs and diagnostic tests, according to court filings. State Farm provided $728.94. Beautyman called the car a total loss in his 2010 complaint, though the car sold for $12,000 at a Conshohocken auction, according to court records. This litigation is going to proceed on its course no matter what, because Im not going to stop and State Farm is not going to stop, Beautyman said. The Porsche, meanwhile, has moved on. The car got a new owner in Ohio in 2011, according to documents filed by State Farm. A Carfax history report on the vehicle makes no mention of water damage. Jennifer Salvage, her 2018 Tesla Model 3 and some lemons were photographed at her Medford, N.J. home on April 5, 2019. Jennifer and her husband Jeff Salvage have had several issues with the 2018 Tesla Model 3, including the inability to connect a cell phone to the car. Tesla blamed the phone. Read more Jeff and Jennifer Salvage were the kind of customers whom companies dream about: early adopters who bragged about buying a new product. As fairly extreme environmentalists, the Salvages bought the Tesla Model S in 2013, just months after it hit the market. Jeff, a Drexel University computer science professor, blogged about ditching gas and driving the fabulous electric vehicle. The California car company was even named after Jeffs favorite scientist, Nikola Tesla. For every reason under the sun, it was the perfect car, he said. Fast-forward six years, though, and the Salvages are ready to take Tesla to court. After buying their second Tesla in March 2018, a Model 3 that has been serviced again and again since at least July, the Salvages have had enough of Teslas customer service. The $56,000 car and Jennifers smartphone cant stay connected, a glitch that prevents her from receiving phone calls hands-free and entering the car without a key. Tesla blames Jennifers Samsung phone and has refused to repurchase the car. It was insulting, Jennifer said. Despite the fact that Im insulted, I want to be in a Tesla. I want them to do the right thing. The Salvages argue that the unsolved Bluetooth problems harm the safety and value of their vehicle, even though Tesla officials called the wireless capabilities mere convenience features. Their planned lawsuit would come at a turbulent time for Tesla, which has been under fire for failing to meet production and delivery schedules. Were not letting it go away, Jeff Salvage said. The Salvages are among Tesla owners unhappy with the upstart electric car companys after-sales service. Even as Tesla has ramped up production, it operates just a small network of stores and service centers, including four in the Philadelphia area. Seven-month service saga Tesla has serviced the car again and again for at least seven months, invoices and text messages show. The company looked at the car in July, serviced it in September, saw it again in October, diagnosed it in December, sent someone to the Salvage home in January, and kept the Model 3 at a Cherry Hill service center for all of February. Teslas conclusion: Theres nothing wrong with the car. Instead, the company blamed Jennifers phone, a Samsung Galaxy Note8, because Tesla techs were able to wirelessly pair other phones with the car. A Tesla service manager went further in a March 7 email. The root cause of the problem, the Tesla official wrote, is a compatibility issue that Samsung Galaxy phones have with vehicle Bluetooth devices. For good measure, the Tesla employee pointed to an online forum post from an anonymous Samsung customer. Except there are no known Bluetooth compatibility issues with Samsung devices, a spokesperson for the worlds largest smartphone maker said. The online forum, itself hardly proof of a wider problem, dealt with a different Galaxy phone, a Note9, and a different car, a Toyota Prius. And Jennifer Salvage said her phone worked just fine in a loaner Model 3 she received. Tesla said it could not find an issue with the car after several visits, and told Jeff Salvage of its findings over the phone a week before the March 7 email. The link to the online forum was only for Salvages reference, not to justify Teslas claims, the company insisted. Tesla did not address the Cherry Hill service managers broader claim that Samsung Galaxy phones have a compatibility issue with vehicle Bluetooth devices. Our service evaluation of the vehicle, which we confirmed with a review of the vehicles logs, showed that every time the Bluetooth pairing became disconnected, the break in connectivity was initiated by the customers phone, not by the car," a Tesla spokesperson said in a statement. Grounds for lawsuit? Jeff Salvage said the car was in service for roughly 100 days over several repair attempts. Tesla said the car needed service for far less time than that, but Jeff did not immediately pick up the vehicle. Its difficult to verify exactly how long the car was actually worked on. Salvage said he hasnt received service records from Tesla since October, though text messages and invoices from Tesla show the company serviced the car at least six times from July through February. Tesla would not say whether it failed to provide Salvage service records. At any rate, Tesla officials said Bluetooth merely provides convenience features" that dont impair the use, value, or safety of the Model 3, according to emails Salvage received. That appears to be a legal argument, as New Jerseys lemon law requires consumers to prove an unfixed defect substantially impairs the use, value, or safety of the new motor vehicle" to qualify for relief. The number one issue is the safety issue, Jeff Salvage said. When the car and phone disconnect, he said incoming calls come through the phone instead of the dashboard. You look down at your phone because thats where the noise is, and now youve taken your eyes off the road. That safety argument has won in court before, said Robert Silverman of the Ambler-based lemon-law firm Kimmel & Silverman. In 2014, his firm won a similar case in New Jersey against Kia after a one-week jury trial. In that case, the client documented nine attempts to repair an inoperable touchscreen, navigation, and Bluetooth device, among other issues, court records show. Kia argued those problems did not substantially impair the use, value, or safety" of the 2012 Sorrento, but was found liable for the full repurchase price of the car. Our argument was, the Bluetooth is mandatory, Silverman said, referring to distracted driving laws. You cant talk with the phone in your hand. The lawyer representing Jeff Salvage, Timothy Abeel, declined comment. The Tesla way Teslas service has been criticized as it cranks out hundreds of thousands of Model 3s that have been marketed to mainstream car buyers. Customers have complained of long wait times for repairs, according to reports. In the past, market analysts questioned whether Tesla could handle servicing a larger fleet of vehicles. In 2017, AllianceBernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi wrote that his own customer experience suggested Teslas service and sales network is already strained, with processes not fully in place. Model 3 owners gave the electric car top marks in a recent Consumer Reports satisfaction survey, though the magazine said in February that it cant recommend the car due to reliability issues, including problems with paint, trim, and electronics. Tesla founder Musk said improving service was a top priority during an earnings call in January. He noted the company didnt have service parts located at service centers. We had them in parts distribution warehouses, which basically meant it was impossible to have a fast turnaround on servicing a car, because the car would come in, then the parts will be requested," Musk said. "Even if theyre very simple, a repair could take days. Unlike other car manufacturers, Tesla does not use a network of independent dealerships. There are were 378 factory-owned sales and service centers worldwide as of January. By comparison, there are 10,466 Ford dealerships. To be sure, Tesla delivered 245,240 vehicles in 2018 compared with 5,982,000 sold at wholesale by Ford. New Jersey and Pennsylvania each passed laws exempting Tesla from rules barring manufacturers from selling directly to consumers. The New Jersey law limited Tesla to four direct-sales stores, though Teslas website lists five locations in the state. One of them is a gallery, where consumers can see and ask questions about cars, but cant actually buy them. Years before hed battle Tesla employees, Jeff Salvage praised them as a sign of things to come for the company. If Teslas integrity can be measured by the employees I interacted with, the company has a very bright future, he once wrote on his blog. A historical sign post on Pennsylvania State Route 441 commemorating Three Mile Island near Middletown, site of the nation's worst commercial nuclear accident. Read more After the infamous Three Mile Island nuclear accident 40 years ago, most of the reactors partially melted uranium fuel was hauled away to the Idaho National Lab, where the radioactive waste now slowly decays in steel and concrete containers, awaiting long-term disposal. But the formal decommissioning of the damaged Unit 2 reactor near Harrisburg, site of Americas worst commercial nuclear disaster, has not yet really begun. Its owner, FirstEnergy Corp., has said that the plant would remain dormant until the surviving reactor, owned by a different company, shuts down. FirstEnergy, in a 2013 filing with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said that both reactors would be decommissioned simultaneously "to achieve economies of scale, by sharing costs between the units, and coordinating the sequence of work activities." The timing of the final dismantlement and interment of Three Mile Island plant was thrown into uncertainty last week when the owner of the operating reactor, Exelon Generation, announced that it would take nearly 60 years to decommission its unit if it prematurely shut down operations in September. Exelon says it is losing money on the plant and has no option but to shut it down without a state rescue. The prolonged decommissioning of the operational reactor and by implication, the damaged reactor could push back the final cleanup and remediation of Three Mile Island to 2079, a century after the meltdown. Weve been living with this for 40 years," said Eric Epstein, chairman of Three Mile Island Alert, a Harrisburg nuclear watchdog group. Out of a sense of fairness, we need to have this cleaned up. The fate of the damaged reactor is further complicated because FirstEnergy Solutions, an Akron company that operates FirstEnergy Corp.'s power generation plants, including the Beaver Valley Power Station in Pennsylvania, last year filed for bankruptcy. The Unit 2 decommissioning costs, which FirstEnergy last year estimated at $1.26 billion, would be paid out of a trust fund. (Exelon estimates its reactor, TMI Unit 1, would need an additional $1.2 billion to decommission, paid from a separate trust fund.) Jennifer M. Young, a spokesperson for FirstEnergy, which owns the damaged reactor through its GPU Nuclear subsidiary, said the company is evaluating how Exelons announcement would affect its cleanup timetable. We are currently looking at all of our options in light of the recently-released TMI-1 decommissioning schedule, which reflects a potential earlier shutdown for the unit than originally planned," Young said in an email. "While we have not yet made any decisions, we will work with Exelon and follow any required regulations should an adjustment to the TMI-2 decommissioning schedule be needed. FirstEnergy and Exelon have a memorandum of understanding to coordinate decommissioning of the two reactors, which are located in separate buildings. But FirstEnergy also faces an NRC-imposed deadline to complete the decommissioning 60 years after shutdown, which puts it on an earlier timeline than the neighboring reactor. From a regulatory standpoint, the damaged reactor did not formally cease operations on March 28, 1979, when the accident ended its productive life. The formal cessation of operations happened 14 years later, in September 1993, when the NRC accepted it into post-defueling monitored storage. FirstEnergy has until 2053 to decommission the site, 60 years after operations ceased. It contracts Exelon to maintain the dormant reactor, and provide security. FirstEnergy can request an exemption to push back its decommissioning date if it appeared the task could not be completed within 60 years, said Neil Sheehan, an NRC spokesman. FirstEnergy, in its 2013 filing, anticipated that Exelon would run its reactor through to the expiration of its license in 2034, and then the companies would jointly complete decontamination and dismantlement of both reactors in less than 20 years. By decommissioning both reactors simultaneously, FirstEnergy said, it can use Exelons fuel storage equipment to contain the small quantities of core debris and fission products that still remain from Unit 2s partial meltdown, which occurred after a series of mechanical and human errors led to a loss of coolant, allowing the uranium fuel to overheat. Any spent fuel from the operating reactor, or any remaining radioactive debris collected during decontamination of the damaged unit, could be stored in dry casks on the reactor site, at federal expense, until the federal government builds a long-term underground disposal facility. The government had planned and designed a repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev., to store spent fuel, which includes some isotopes that remain lethally radioactive for tens of thousands of years. The Obama administration abandoned the plan in 2009. The Trump administration last year requested Congress fund efforts to renew licensing activities for the Yucca Mountain site. Until the issue is sorted out, most decommissioned U.S. reactors will be forced to keep their spent fuel in canisters on the former reactor sites. But 99 percent of the fuel from Three Mile Islands damaged reactor was already packed up and shipped to the Idaho National Laboratory after the TMI accident. The U.S. Department of Energy stores 2,750 tons of nuclear waste at four sites in South Carolina, Washington, Colorado and Idaho from an assortment of commercial, naval, and weapons-related reactors. The site in eastern Idaho, which holds 358 tons of spent fuel, is kind of a mausoleum of nuclear detritus. It contains 46.9 tons of waste from the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Beaver County, Pa., the nations first commercial reactor. Its also home to 1.8 tons of thoriumuranium carbide fuel from Philadelphia Electric Co.'s Peach Bottom Unit 1, an experimental reactor in Delta, Pa., that shut down in 1974. The 90.8 tons of ruined nuclear fuel from Three Mile Islands damaged reactor is the biggest contributor of waste to the Idaho site. It is contained in 29 steel canisters encased in concrete containers. But it is an unwelcome long-term resident in Idaho. Under a 1995 agreement between the state of Idaho and the federal government, the energy department agreed to remove all spent fuel from the state by Jan. 1, 2035. The agreement specifically includes Three Mile Islands waste. VINELAND, N.J. (AP) A New Jersey man convicted of strangling his estranged wife and suffocating her infant daughter has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms in a maximum security prison without possibility of parole. Ricardo Carrillo-Santiago, 37, was also sentenced Friday in Cumberland County to another 10 years on a conviction of unlawful disposal of human remains, with Judge Robert Malestein calling the case one of the most "shocking, gruesome, and troublesome" he had seen Jurors in January convicted the Millville resident of killing 34-year-old Neidy Ramirez and three-month old Genesis at her Vineland apartment in 2015 and disposing of their bodies at a game preserve. He expressed remorse through an interpreter before sentencing. "I just want to ask for forgiveness for everything that I have done," Carrillo-Santiago said. "I regret what I did. And I ask for everybody's forgiveness, especially my children. I'm sorry." Family members reported Ramirez who had three children, including one fathered by the defendant missing in December 2015 after she didn't show up for work. Her sport utility vehicle was found abandoned on Route 55, and prosecutors alleged that the defendant left it there to divert suspicion from himself. Carrillo-Santiago's attorney portrayed him as a devoted spouse pushed into a "red fog of humiliation, shame and rage" by taunts Ramirez made about his manhood. The judge, however, said the defendant was angry that his estranged wife was involved with another man and had a child with that person. "His anger fueled his desire for revenge," Malestein said. "And although the defendant indicates that it was an accident, the evidence before the jury suggest otherwise." At the Fairfield Township game preserve, Ramirez was found buried in a shallow grave under a pile of leaves and her daughter was found a hundred yards away in a trash bag, authorities said. As the prosecutor noted in her closing arguments, he separated them in life and he was going to make sure that they were separated in death by not burying them next to each other, Malestein said. FILE - A 5-alarm fire broke out at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Dunes Boardwalk Cafe building in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, which houses several seasonal businesses and was apparently unoccupied at the time. Read more OCEAN GROVE, N.J. (AP) Fire has heavily damaged a New Jersey boardwalk cafe, but no injuries have been reported. Officials in Ocean Grove said the fire broke out at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Dunes Boardwalk Cafe building, which houses several seasonal businesses and was apparently unoccupied at the time. Firefighters battled the flames from the roof, but flames eventually shot out of the upper part of the building. The Asbury Park Press reports that a Neptune Township police officer pushed back the beach crowd, yelling "The whole thing is going to go." The roof collapsed sometime after 2 p.m. Saturday. The cause of the fire wasnt immediately known. It was just a block north of a 2017 fire that damaged or destroyed seven buildings. Altar server and thurifer, Adam Erdosy, swings the thurible, which contains the smoking incense, as the procession of priests makes its way through the Palm Sunday congregation gathered in Sister Citites Park to begin the Palm Sunday celebration at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on April 14, 2019. Read more Christians across the Philadelphia region, and world, today celebrated Palm Sunday the official start of Holy Week that culminates with Easter. For followers of the faith, each day this week commemorates a key event leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, collectively known as the passion. Palm Sunday memorializes Jesus arrival in Jerusalem on a donkey. The Bible describes how supporters greeted Jesus by laying palms on the ground before him. Christians took home palms blessed by their priests at mass where they are traditionally affixed to crucifixes. Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper. During the meal, Jesus predicted the betrayal that would lead to his death as well as his resurrection. At the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput will celebrate 7:30 p.m. Mass, and will wash the feet of 12 seminarians from Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, following an example set by Jesus at the Last Supper. Good Friday is the somber observation of Jesus crucifixion and death. This year, Good Friday coincides with the start of Passover, when Jews celebrate their liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt. Many Christians fast on Good Friday and perform stations of the cross, a ritual that invites believers to reflect on key moments that occurred throughout the day of Jesus death. It all leads up to Easter Sunday, the holiest day of the year for Christians, which some denominations will begin celebrating at sundown on Saturday. A 49-year-old Camden man died Saturday, nearly three weeks after being shot, authorities said. Camden County police said they responded to reports of a shooting on March 24 about 11:30 p.m. and found Anthony Lewis wounded inside a home on the 2500 block of Carman Street in Camden. He was taken to Cooper University Hospital and treated there until he died from his injuries about 12:30 p.m. Saturday, authorities said. No arrests had been made, police said, and the investigation was continuing. Authorities are asking anyone with information on the shooting to contact Detective Elvin Nunez of the Camden County Prosecutors Office at 856-614-8078 or Detective Edward Gonzalez of the Camden County Police Department at 856-757-7042. Authorities can also be reached at ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org. Ross Phillips tattoos a red-tailed hawk on Edward Dearinger, at Seven Swords Tattoo Company. He used his $500 tax return to pay for it. Read more Ask anyone: Getting a tattoo for the first time is like eating a potato chip. Its really hard to have just one. On Friday, Edward Dearinger got his eighth: a hawk perched atop a branch at sunset on the top of his right forearm. The tattoo ran the 31-year-old actuary from West Chester about $300. Luckily, hes recently had an infusion of cash: his federal tax refund. Tax season is the busiest time of year for accountants and the IRS, but tattoo parlors are also a bit like toy stores at Christmastime. Starting around the end of January and ending at the beginning of May, artists get slammed with requests once folks receive that annual bit of disposable income courtesy of Uncle Sam. I have so many other things to save up for like a house and paying off student loans, Dearinger, who has used a portion of his last three tax refunds on tattoos, said from a Kensington shop between sessions. So when you get a big chunk of change once a year, its easier to spend this money a little bit more frivolously. The artist, Ross Phillips, who works at Seven Swords Tattoo Co., at 2580 Frankford Ave., acknowledged that not everyone shares how theyre paying, but he estimated that about 30 to 40 percent of his clients this time of year tell him theyre using part of their tax refund to cover the cost of their tattoos. And as someone whos worked in big cities across the country, he said this trend is consistent everywhere. Everyone goes and gets tattoos as soon as they get their tax refunds, Phillips, 26, said. Everyone gets really excited around this time of year because we all know its the busiest time. Hes done the same thing about three or four times in the past, though its hard to keep track of the more than 50 he has. When he gets this years refund, he may use a portion to get an old-school-looking battleship somewhere on his arm. There is no busy season except for tax time, said Jason Goldberg, owner of Olde City Tattoo at 44 S. Second St. in Philadelphia. Hes been operating for 20 years and said that when he first opened, early winter was slow and summers were busy. Now, theres no rhyme or reason for a surge in business except during tax season. Thats really the only time you know when people are going to be spending money. Some clients even schedule their appointments in advance for spring months, anticipating getting a tax refund to use on their tattoo, said Jenny Rahman, an artist at Hunter Gatherer Tattoo at 4510 Walnut St. in University City. Of course, getting a tattoo or buying a big-screen TV or paying cash for a used car is probably not the most financially prudent way to use a tax refund. Gene Marks, a CPA and president of Bala Cynwyd-based Marks Group, said folks who get tax refunds should look to invest the money in something like a retirement account or a 529 plan, a tax-advantaged investment plan for education costs. The obvious answer an accountant will tell you is to save your money. Dont get a tattoo, for Gods sake, he said, and try not to blow it elsewhere. Austin Ford felt that familiar itch to get another tattoo a couple of years back after he got an illustration smack on his chest of the LOVE Park symbol with his moms name inside. He wanted another a set of wings on the other side of his rib cage that would probably run a couple of hundred bucks. I was like I need the money, the 24-year-old from Blue Bell said. Then the tax refund hit. Ford spent a portion of his federal income tax refund on getting those wings inked. And this year, although he considered using part of his $1,300 refund from his job in wealth management and financial services to get his last name tattooed across the top of his back like a jersey hell wear forever, he ultimately decided to pay off some debt instead. Aidan Mizzer, 22, of Cherry Hill, has used a portion of his tax refund to get a tattoo twice, the first time four years ago when he turned 18 and got the Led Zeppelin Icarus logo (an angelic-looking winged man) tattooed on the back of his hand. Two years ago, he spent a portion of his refund to get a Pink Floyd tribute tattooed on his left forearm. And this year, he and a friend spent their refunds on a project car they plan to sell. He hopes to use the money to start a sleeve on his right arm. I kind of treat my tax returns," he said, "as like a reward once a year. In this March 10, 2019 photo, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders addresses a rally during a campaign stop, in Concord, N.H. The Democratic Socialists of America has endorsed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in his second run for president. The New York-based group says its National Political Committee voted to endorse Sanders at a meeting on Thursday and its moving forward with an independent campaign to elect him and advance a class-struggle agenda. The 77-year-old Sanders announced his Democratic presidential bid last month, promising a government about economic, social, racial and environmental justice." Read more Competition to nominate a Democrat for president is looking like a Reuben Goldberg machine: tortured complexity in search of a simple outcome. The one goal? Pick someone who can beat President Donald Trump. Easy, say hardcore Democrats. Anybody. And maybe thats so. But recent head-to-head surveys (in polls of varying believability, for those who still believe in polls) show a muddled mix of findings. Since the end of March, there are polls with Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Beto ORourke, Kirsten Gillibrand and fast-rising Pete Buttigieg all beating Trump. There also are polls with Trump beating Booker, Sanders, Warren, Harris, ORourke, Gillibrand and Buttigieg. And tied with Biden, who isnt in but is expected after Easter. (During that period, in polls compiled by Nate Silvers FiveThirtyEight, only one head-to-head featured Amy Klobuchar: losing to Trump by 7 points.) So, either some polls are more suspect than others, polls are worthless at this stage April 2015 polling, for example, had Florida Sen. Marco Rubio leading a GOP field of 14, which at the time didnt include Trump or theres a whole lot of ifs, buts and maybes out there on a given day, week or month. Plus, like a Goldberg machine (named for the late American cartoonist Reuben Goldberg, who drew humorous inventions of questionable value, such as a self-operating napkin), the race has lots of moving parts. For the party, thats creating angst. Starting with how far left it should lean. Its liberal-to-progressive wing is pulling for big, bold ideas. Free this, universal that, a Green New Deal, and reparations for slavery. And while the latter issue is always around, its more in evidence this election cycle than any other in memory. And its an example of divided commitment. A new Huffington Post poll shows the issue splits Democrats almost evenly. Asked whether the government should make cash payments to black American descendants of slaves, 34 percent said it should, 37 percent said it should not. (Although head-to-head polling on candidates at this point can be meaningless, polling on issues, in my view, is instructive.) So, how tight an embrace of liberal issues is needed win the Democratic primary? Good question. Who knows? But these are issues Trump and Republicans are ready and willing to label as part of a costly socialist agenda to campaign against. And if there are splits over ideology, there also are splits over age, maybe even gender (once burnt?). The age thing first. The Washington Post last week noted that although Biden and Sanders poll first and second in state and national surveys (which could easily still be a function of familiarity), their support differs across age groups. A recent CNN Poll of Democratic and Democratic-leaning independent voters found the 76-year-old Biden with less support among younger voters, and the 77-year old Sanders with less support among older voters. The poll says those under 45 favor Sanders over Biden, 32 percent to 19 percent. And voters 45 and older favor Biden over Sanders, 36 percent to 8 percent. Presumably, in a general election, most Democrats would vote for either. But the split could be important in picking a nominee. And what about gender? Even with six women currently running for president, after mid-terms in which female candidates enjoyed historic success, there still seem to be double standards in play. Men lead in polls. And Kamala Harris, viewed as a top-tier candidate, is running third in California behind Biden and Sanders despite holding statewide office there as attorney general and U.S. Senator for the last eight years. National Democratic strategist Eddie Vale told The Hill last week that female candidates still deal with a lot of latent sexism from how voters perceive them and how theyre covered by media. When male candidates talk about substantive issues, he said, theyre seen as smart and new; when female candidates do the same, theyre too bland or wonky to connect with voters. Looking at you, Elizabeth Warren. How these moving parts involving ideology, age and gender are resolved determines a nominee, plus his or her strength going forward. And the levers and pulleys and springs and sprockets pushing the race are beginning to engage. Reuben Goldberg would have enjoyed that. The Cherry Hill Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership at the Cherry Hill Triplex on Rt. 70 in Cherry Hill, NJ on September 30, 2018. Read more A bill that quietly passed the New Jersey Senate in July would drastically curtail legal remedies for consumers suing car dealers. The bill, backed by South Jersey Democrats and legislative leaders, would slash attorneys' fees in consumer fraud cases against auto retailers, including those brought by the state attorney general. It would also make it harder for consumers to win triple damages. The Attorney General's Division of Consumer Affairs rarely comments on pending legislation, but an agency spokesperson said, "The division has serious concerns about how certain provisions of this bill would adversely impact consumers." One beneficiary would be a company owned by Charles Foulke Jr., whose Cherry Hill-based Foulke Management Corp. has run into legal trouble over its alleged business practices and is fighting a consumer fraud lawsuit now before the New Jersey Supreme Court. Foulke, 86, and his son, Charles III, 57, have donated or lent hundreds of thousands of dollars to support New Jersey Democrats, and have longstanding ties to South Jersey power broker George E. Norcross III and his ally, Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester). Messages left with Foulke's business went unreturned. Laura Ruccolo, a lawyer for Foulke's company, did not respond to emailed questions. When reached by phone, she said, "I have nothing to say to you. I don't even know what you're talking about," before hanging up. Unsurprisingly, the bill is backed by car dealers and opposed by trial lawyers and consumer groups. But neutral observers are struck by how the measure singles out car dealers. "It just seems like it's creating a carve-out for auto dealers," said Jacob Hale Russell, a Rutgers-Camden business law professor who studies consumer protection. "Whenever it's about one random industry, it feels more like the product of lobbying and political capture than it does the product of a reasoned debate about what's best for consumers and sellers in the state." Supporters of the bill, which lawmakers plan to rewrite, say it would rein in exorbitant legal fees for lawyers who pursue frivolous claims against car dealers. The bill is an "attempt to balance competing interests between business owners and plaintiff's lawyers," said Jim Appleton, president of the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR). "Plaintiff's lawyers don't like it, because it eliminates the opportunity to make a big payday, even when consumers get very little." Current state law requires courts to award treble damages and "reasonable" attorneys' fees to victims who suffer provable losses in consumer fraud cases. The bill would allow courts to award treble damages only for "egregious" violations which are undefined in cases against car dealers. It would also cap awards for attorneys' fees at $1,000 or one-third of the damages awarded to a victim, including in cases brought by the attorney general. Both treble damages and attorneys fees would be at the court's discretion. Foulke has been selling cars for five decades, and operates eight franchises in South Jersey, according to NJ CAR. They are in Cherry Hill (Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep, Kia, and Mitsubishi, as well as Mall Chevrolet), Maple Shade (Alfa Romeo-Fiat), Pleasantville (Atlantic Chrysler-Jeep-Volkswagen), Mount Ephraim (Chrysler-Dodge-Ram) and Turnersville (Chrysler-Jeep). His company has had two settlements with the state in the last 17 years. In 2001, Foulke Management agreed to pay a $40,000 penalty to settle an investigation into whether the dealerships violated consumer protection laws. In 2009, Foulke Management reached a $750,000 settlement with the attorney general, which accused Foulke of violating the 2001 agreement and deceiving customers by not honoring advertised promotions. Since 2006, 461 consumer complaints have been filed against Foulke's businesses with the state, including 72 allegations now under review by Division of Consumer Affairs. The state's top five dealership groups measured by 2017 sales of new vehicles all had fewer complaints during that period, with the closest being Middlesex County-based Sansone Auto Network's 245. Lester Glenn in Ocean County, which like Foulke Management has eight stores, had 41 complaints. The Foulkes are longtime supporters of New Jersey Democrats, notably in 2017, when Sweeney faced an onslaught of negative ads financed by the state's largest teachers' union during his reelection campaign. The candidates and outside groups spent a combined $18.7 million, making it the most expensive state legislative campaign in New Jersey, and likely U.S., history, the state's campaign-finance regulator said. Sweeney, then the state's highest-ranking elected Democrat, had angered the union by collaborating with former Republican Gov. Chris Christie on issues like pension and health benefits. An independent political action committee called General Majority PAC helped protect Sweeney by raising money from associates and friends of Norcross, the insurance executive. Those associates including the Foulkes co-signed a line of credit that was used to fund General Majority's election activities, Politico was the first to report earlier this year. General Majority, which legally cannot coordinate with campaigns, contributed $2.6 million to another super PAC that spent millions in support of Sweeney. Norcross has no official role with General Majority, but he raises money for the PAC. Ezra Reese, a lawyer for General Majority, said in a statement that the Foulkes each made $250,000 loans, "which were repaid." There's no evidence that the loans are connected to the legislation. The Foulkes have known the Sweeney and Norcross families for decades, people who know them say, and are also close to State Sen. James Beach (D., Camden), one of the bill's sponsors. Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald (D., Camden), another bill sponsor, said he sold cars for Foulke years ago, but hasn't spoken to him about the bill. Greenwald's late mother, Maria Barnaby Greenwald, who was mayor of Cherry Hill, was a longtime friend of the elder Foulke. Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D., Middlesex), the chamber's highest-ranking member, is also sponsoring the bill. Car dealers and trial lawyers are longtime contributors to both parties. Political action committees affiliated with the dealers have contributed about $1 million since 2010. The trial lawyers' PAC gave about $420,000 over that period. Lawmakers introduced the bill in June in the midst of a budget brawl between legislative leaders and Gov. Murphy. The Senate voted by 29-5 to pass the bill during a rare Sunday session on July 1 17 days after it was introduced. A spokesman for Sweeney, who decides which bills the state Senate considers, declined comment. In the Assembly, Greenwald said the bill won't advance in its current form. "We're rewriting it so we can find common language that helps to clarify and make sure that consumers are protected, but not to promote frivolous claims. That's the balance we're trying to walk," Greenwald said. Appleton, the NJ CAR president, pointed to three cases in New Jersey in which consumers won a relatively small amount in damages, but attorneys earned tens of thousands of dollars. In one Middlesex County case, the trial court awarded a consumer $650 in damages and $99,250 in attorneys' fees. An appellate panel later voided the award of legal fees because, among other reasons, it found the trial judge didn't properly analyze the hourly rates attorneys sought. Lawyers and consumer advocates say capping attorneys' fees would gut the consumer fraud act's protections against car dealers and make it difficult for poorer victims to find legal representation. "It takes away the power of the consumer to fight smaller consumer frauds," said John Keefe, president of the New Jersey State Bar Association. A pending lawsuit against Foulke Management illustrates the issue. Janelle Goffe sued Foulke's company in 2016, claiming the dealer attempted a bait-and-switch and refused to refund a $250 deposit. She said a salesperson told her she was approved for financing a 2013 Buick Verano and would pay $390 per month after a $1,000 down payment and a trade-in. She paid $250 that day, with the remaining $750 due two weeks later. When she returned with the $750, she was told the financing was not approved and she'd have to return the Buick unless she paid $3,000 down and $400 per month, her complaint says. She instead took her old car back, but claims the dealership refused to return her $250 until after she filed a lawsuit seeking treble damages and attorneys' fees. In April, an appellate panel reversed a trial judge's decision to toss out the case because of an arbitration clause in the contract she signed. Goffe claims she never received a copy of the contract, and the appellate panel ruled that sales contracts are unenforceable if they are not provided to consumers. The state Supreme Court has decided to review the case. The New Jersey bill would make it a "conclusive presumption" that a consumer received a copy of a contract if they sign a document acknowledging receipt. That the bill was introduced just 51 days after the appellate ruling is a sign that Foulke may have pushed for the legislation, said Henry Wolfe of the New Jersey Association for Justice, a PAC for lawyers and associated fields, which is lobbying against the bill. "That's too much of a coincidence," Wolfe said. "Foulke Management and their attorney left a calling card." Beach's office did not respond to requests for comment. Charles Riley, Goffe's lawyer, said the proposed legislation would "castrate" the state's consumer protection law. Riley, who is campaigning against the bill, says he has represented clients in at least 15 lawsuits against Foulke's businesses, including four that are pending. FILE - In this March 6, 2019, file photo, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., sits with fellow Democrats on the House Education and Labor Committee during a bill markup, on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Donald Trump is weighing in on the most recent controversy involving Omar, retweeting video edited to suggest that the Minnesota congresswoman was dismissive of the significance of the Sept. 11 attacks. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday shed asked the U.S. Capitol Police to provide more protection for Omar after Trump tweeted a video of the lawmaker intercut with images of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the U.S. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) Read more (Bloomberg) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday shed asked the U.S. Capitol Police to provide more protection for Representative Ilhan Omar after President Donald Trump tweeted a video of the lawmaker intercut with images of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the U.S. The Presidents words weigh a ton, and his hateful and inflammatory rhetoric creates real danger, Pelosi said in a statement. Pelosi demanded that Trump take down the post, which had been pinned at the top of his Twitter feed since Friday. By mid-afternoon the message had been removed, although at least one other anti-Omar retweet remained in Trumps feed. And by then, the two-day-old video had been retweeted more than 86,000 times. Earlier, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on ABCs This Week that Trump bears no ill will toward the Minnesota Democrat, whos been subject to at least one recent death threat. Pelosi said in her statement that following the Presidents tweet, I spoke with the Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure that Capitol Police are conducting a security assessment to safeguard Congresswoman Omar, her family and her staff. Fridays tweet wasnt the first attack by Trump on Omar, one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress. But it dialed up the temperature after the president a week ago mocked her in a speech in Las Vegas to a Jewish Republican group. In the latest incident, Trump posted a video to his 60 million Twitter followers that used a short snippet of an Omar speech followed by images of the burning Twin Towers in New York in 2001. Asked on Fox News Sunday whether Trump is worried he was inciting violence against Muslims or Omar, 37, a Somali-American who immigrated with her family to the U.S. as a teenager after living in a Kenyan refugee camp, Sanders said no. Instead, she blamed Democrats for refusing to call Omar for what she termed anti-Semitic comments. Not Ashamed Nothing could be further from the truth. The president is not trying to incite violence against anybody. Hes actually speaking out against it, Sanders said on Fox. On April 5, a western New York man who told FBI agents that he loves the President, and that he hates radical Muslims in our government, was arrested for threatening to murder Omar in a phone call to her office. Trumps comment to the Republican Jewish Coalition came a day later. Omar sent a string of tweets on Saturday after Trumps Sept. 11 video, but she didnt address the president directly. In one she said that no one person - no matter how corrupt, inept, or vicious - can threaten my unwavering love for America. Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York, said Sunday that the snippet of Omars speech used by Trump came from extended remarks about discrimination against Muslim Americans after the Sept. 11 attacks. She just said that, after that happened, it was used as an excuse for lots of discrimination and for withdrawal of civil liberties, Nadler, whose Congressional district includes Lower Manhattan, site of the World Trade Center towers destroyed in 2001, said on CNNs State of the Union. 2019 Bloomberg L.P. (Bloomberg) U.S. Senator Kamala Harris and her husband reported more than $2 million in income on their 2018 federal tax return, with the vast majority stemming from her husbands work as a partner in a law firm. The California senator, one of 18 declared candidates for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, released 15 years worth of tax returns Sunday, dating back to when she first held elected office. Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff, a partner at DLA Piper, reported taxable income of $1.8 million, including $157,352 from her Senate salary. The couple paid $697,611 in taxes this year with an effective rate of 38.4 percent. In 2017, before the Republican tax overhaul went into effect, they paid an effective tax rate of 40 percent and paid about a half-million dollars in taxes on lower income. The couple reported more than $225,000 in state and local tax payments, but the tax overhaul capped the amount they could deduct from their federal taxes at $10,000. Emhoff did not qualify for a 20 percent deduction for pass-through business owners included in the new law because the deduction isnt granted to law firms. Harris is widely viewed as a top-tier contender in a large and growing Democratic field, running competitively in surveys for third place behind the much better-known former Vice President Joe Biden, who hasnt officially announced, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. She raised $12 million in the first quarter of 2019, second only to Sanders. Harris has focused her message around progressive economics and social justice for immigrants, African Americans and the LGBT community. She has proposed cutting taxes for middle-income and low-income families by providing tax credits and direct payments to those households. She has also proposed to pay for these tax breaks by rolling back benefits for those making more than $100,000 and to put a levy on banks with more than $50 million in assets. Before being elected to the Senate in 2016, Harris served as the California attorney general and as the San Francisco district attorney. Shes scheduled to campaign in the important early state of South Carolina this week. Harris joins several other 2020 hopefuls, including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar, in releasing more than a decade of tax returns. Democrats have been using the release of their tax information to contrast with President Donald Trump, who in the 2016 campaign became the first presidential candidate in more than 40 years to refuse to release his returns. Senator Bernie Sanders, who released only one year of returns when he ran for the Democratic nomination in 2016, has said hell make 10 years worth of returns public by April 15, the tax filing deadline. Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir said Saturday that the senators tax returns will be boring. House Democrats have asked the IRS to hand over Trumps tax returns, citing a 1924 law that allows the chairmen of the tax-writing committee to demand the returns of any American taxpayer. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who oversees the agency, has asked the Justice Department to review the request, but Trump, White House officials, Republican members of Congress and the presidents lawyers have all said it would be a violation of his privacy to do so. House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal has given the IRS an April 23 deadline to release the returns but the fight is expected to drag on for some time. To contact the reporters on this story: Laura Davison in Washington at ldavison4@bloomberg.net;Sahil Kapur in Washington at skapur39@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Shamim Adam 2019 Bloomberg L.P. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) Deterring money laundering schemes that are proven to be among the funding sources of international terrorists requires a collective effort among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This was the message of Finance Secretary Carlos "Sonny" Dominguez in his speech during the recently concluded 23rd ASEAN Finance Ministers Meeting in Chiang Rai, Thailand. "Money laundering contributes to terrorism financing, the threat of which has been categorized as high risk. The ASEAN Member-States can thus share their efforts and initiatives in deterring this problem," Dominguez was quoted as saying in a statement. The secretary touted the country's legislative efforts to address terrorism, as well as trace and freeze funds used in carrying out terrorist attacks. Dominguez specifically cited Republic Act 10168 or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012, which criminalizes terrorism financing. Among the ASEAN members, the Philippines is considered as one of the countries with the lowest money laundering risk although illicit revenue flows remain a problem, he said. Dominguez said legislative amendments to support the legal and administrative framework for the automatic exchange of information with other foreign tax authorities are currently pending in the Congress. 388 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Journalists such as Rachel Maddow have made an art of practicing a highly disciplined reporting that focuses like a laser on what Trump does, as opposed to obsessively following his sensational and inflammatory tweets down a media rabbit hole, or exhausting oneself correcting his seemingly endless stream of lies. Overall, the media might be more effective and responsible in disarming Trumps nonsense if it, in fact, ignored more of what Trump says. As any parent knows, giving attention of any kind, even of a punitive nature, to childrens bad behavior tends to encourage that behavior. And we should all know by now the White House is currently serving as a crib for one of the biggest babies in the nation, meaning we all need to be on our best behaviors as parents. Of course, we should also recognize language is also a kind of action in itself, such that at times we have to comment on Trumps speech because his words can do some dangerous and damaging work. Just last Wednesday, for example, Trump lit into the Mueller probe, lambasting the Special Counsels investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and the Trump campaigns possible participation as an attempted coup and an attempted takedown of a president. The word coup conjures images of a military assault on the presidency, a wresting of power through brute force in violation of democratic process. The language of takedown suggests something of a mob hit. And frankly, Trump tends to paint himself a something of a dictator or mob boss, not the chief leader of a democracy whose governing is intentionally subject to carefully conceptualized and deliberately placed checks and balances. In short, the danger in Trumps language is that, for the surprisingly impressionable national audience, he degrades our democratic processes and safeguards against tyranny by recasting the fundamentals of democracy as instead the coarse and brutish misdeeds of a dictatorial power grab. He figures those who crafted the Constitution not as wise founding leaders, but as wise guys. In fact, though, our Constitutions crafters, particularly Ben Franklin, were careful to imagine a far more peaceful and judicious processone subject to check and balances and due processfor removing from power what Franklin called an obnoxious chief executive, than what had been the historical norm up to that time, namely assassination. This process entails, as our founders outlined it, that first the House of Representatives pass a resolution that lists and details the Articles of Impeachment. Should that resolution pass, the Senate then considers the Articles of Impeachment in a trial presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, with the 100 Senators fulfilling the role of jury. If 2/3 of the Senate votes to convict the official being impeached, then the Senate votes on whether or not to remove the official from office. Does this process in any way resemble a military assault, a storming of the Bastille, or a thug bursting into a restaurant with a machine gun? There are no cement galoshes here, and no mention of sleeping with the fishes in the Constitution. And yet Trumps repeated characterizations of Senate and Congressional hearings and investigations and of a potential impeachment process as a coup, a hit, or a witch hunt has the potential to really taint these carefully worked out democratic processes in our national consciousness and imagination and poison our democratic spirit, our very appetite for democracy itself. Trumps linguistic pollution, his dirtying of our discourse, takes the processes of deliberative democracy and recasts them as tyrannical and low-down acts of violence, as when he calls the members and directors of the FBI dirty cops and bad people. Trump has certainly exhibited, in Orwellian fashion, the talent for making black look white, oppression look like freedom, inequality look like equality, tyranny like democracy, and so forth. Considering that Trump has been under investigation for violating one of our most important democratic processes of all, a presidential election, this latest effort to make democracy look like tyranny is a particularly dangerous re-ordering of our vocabulary from the most notorious wise guy president in U.S. history. 611 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Kellyanne Conway was on Meet The Press lying for Trump, while her husband George Conway was on Twitter calling Trump stupid. While Kellyanne Conway was trying to shift the blame to Congress for the crisis on the border that Trump created: WATCH: Counselor to the President @KellyannePolls calls on Congress to fix asylum laws and says her message to Central American mothers with young children is, Dont come. #MTP #IfItsSunday pic.twitter.com/ONf8Pu3Dax Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) April 14, 2019 Her husband George Conway was on Twitter calling his wifes boss stupid: Putting the family dynamics of the Conways aside, George Conway is correct, Trumps dumping immigrants in sanctuary cities is the dumbest idea imaginable if the goal is to get migrants to stop coming to the United States. Trump appears to have sent Kellyanne Conway and Sarah Sanders on to the Sunday shows for the sole purpose of shifting the blame for the migrants coming to the border on to Democrats. Trump believes that the migrants give him leverage over Democrats and that he can pressure them into giving him what he wants. The president still doesnt get that he only hurts himself with these policies. Democrats dont feel any of the political pain. It is Trump who made fantastically impossible to keep promises on immigration to his supporters. Trump is stupid on this issue, but his whole motivation is to hurt Democrats, not to solve the problems that he created on the border. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 1.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Speaker Pelosi has made sure that the Capitol Police provide Rep. Omar, her family, and her staff with proper security while demanding that Trump take down his dangerous tweet. Pelosi said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, Following the Presidents tweet, I spoke with the Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure that Capitol Police are conducting a security assessment to safeguard Congresswoman Omar, her family and her staff. They will continue to monitor and address the threats she faces. The Presidents words weigh a ton, and his hateful and inflammatory rhetoric creates real danger. President Trump must take down his disrespectful and dangerous video. Trumps tweet was especially reckless and dangerous given that one of his supporters was recently arrested for threatening to kill Rep. Omar. The Trump administration has been trying to turn the presidents threats against a sitting member of Congress into an issue of Democrats hating Jews and supporting Muslims, who this White House clearly believes are all terrorists. Speaker Pelosi was correct Trump had put the lives of a member of Congress, her family, and her staff in danger. Trump will go to any low to scare and divide the country, but Democrats are going to everything possible to protect their members from the threats and partisan terrorism that is being practiced by Donald Trump. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Mayor Pete Buttigieg wasted no time in destroying the myth behind Trumps MAGA and making a real appeal to rural and Rust Belt communities. While kicking off his presidential campaign in South Bend, IN, Buttigieg said, And thats why Im here today. To tell a different story than make America great again. Because theres a myth being sold to industrial and rural communities, the myth that we can stop the clock and turn it back. It comes from people who think the only way to speak to communities like ours is through resentment and nostalgia. Theyre selling an impossible promise of returning to a bygone era that was never as good as advertised to begin with. The problem is that theyre telling us to look for greatness in all the wrong places. Because if theres one thing that the city of South Bend has shown its that there is no such thing as an honest politics that revolves around the word again. It is time to walk away from the politics of the past and towards something totally different. So thats why Im here today. Video: #MayorPete goes straight after the #MAGA myth and makes an appeal to Rust Belt and rural communities while kicking off his presidential campaign. pic.twitter.com/CmQjIOl4Hk Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 14, 2019 Buttigieg is right. Trump did sell a myth to rural and Rust Belt communities. He sold them on the belief that he had a time machine and could take them back to the time when prosperity, not unemployed, opioids, and despair filled their streets. It wasnt true, and even though most voters in these places knew that Trump couldnt do what he promised, they voted for him because he made them feel good. He talked to them about the good old days. Some of them knew they were being conned, but they liked the attention. Pete Buttigieg should scare Trump and the GOP Pete Buttigieg understands what did and why he will do it again. Many of the voters in the Rust Belt and Americas small towns used to be Democrats at one time. Some of those people can be won back simply by showing a real understanding of their situation and talking to them. Luckily, for Democrats, they have some Democrats who can do exactly that. Whether or not Buttigieg can win the Democratic nomination is something that the voters will decide, but there is something different about some of these Democrats running for president. There is a new generation of Democrats coming who see and speak to the entire country. Donald Trump is the last gasp of a bygone era. 79,000 votes were Trumps margin of victory in the three states that put him in the White House, and it seems like Democrats learned after 2016 that every single vote in every part of the country counts. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 1.4k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders is claiming that Democrats arent smart enough to understand Trumps tax returns. Sarah Sanders Thinks That Democrats Arent Smart Enough To Understand Trumps Tax Returns Sanders said, I dont think Congress, particularly not this group of Congressmen and women are smart enough to look through the thousands of pages I would assume that President Trumps taxes would be, My guess is that most of them dont do their own taxes, and I certainly dont trust them to look through the decades of success that the president has and determine anything. Video: The excuse that Sanders offered was silly and nonsensical. Democrats arent going to be taking Trumps tax returns home with them and going through them over dinner. The House Ways and Means Committee will have experts who work for the committee analyze Trumps returns. Democrats have stated that their reason for being given the returns is policy based. Trump continues to claim that he has been under audit forever, so Democrats want to make sure that the IRS is properly auditing Trumps tax returns. The White House doesnt have a legal leg to stand on when it comes to not releasing Trumps tax returns. Donald Trump who refuses to release his grades is the last president who should be claiming that there is some kind IQ threshold to being able to see his tax returns. They are running out of excuses at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, as it is only a matter of time until Democrats have Trumps tax returns. 14.6k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) accused Trump of stealing $150,000 in disaster relief intended for small businesses after 9/11. Rep. Nadler said on CNNs State Of The Union, 9/11 happened in my district. I know a lot of people who suffered from it. I was involved. I was instrumental in getting funding for small business, grants for victims of 9/11 for people with small businesses in the area. The president, he wasnt president then, but Donald Trump actually took a $150,000 grant from the Bush administration. They let him take a $150,000 grant meant for small businessmen for 40 Wall Street. He stole $150,000 from some small business person who could have used it to help rehabilitate themselves, and thats why I got, we got Congress to appropriate the money to use it for his own small business at 40 Wall Street. He has no moral authority to be talking about 9/11. Video: Trump is trying to use 9/11 to spread fear and division The Bush administration for all of their uses of 9/11 as a reason for every policy that they pushed, never used the attack to demonize Muslim-Americans. Former President Bush gave speeches where he separated the terrorists from those in the Muslim faith. Trump has trampled all of that distinction because he is getting desperate as his reelection campaign approaches. Trump has a long history of lying about and profiting off of 9/11 The $150,000 that Trump took was supposed to be for clean up and repairs, but none of his buildings were damaged in the attack. Donald Trump has no moral authority to talk about anything, but it is especially outrageous that robbed 9/11 victims and then uses the attack to whip up fear. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 1.2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Trump and the White House are said to be very worried about what former White House Counsel Don McGahn told Mueller about obstruction of justice. The White House is worried about obstruction of justice Jon Karl reported on ABCs This Week: KARL: Yes, yes. The good news is already out there, broad conclusion, no finding of conspiracy between the campaign and the Russians on the hack or on the interfering in the elections. But there is significant concerns about what will be in here, new information on the obstruction justice question, on what the president was doing regarding some of the big questions, was he trying to how much how far did he go down the line of trying to fire Mueller or talk about firing Mueller, situations surrounding the Comey firing. And what worries them most is what Don McGahn told the Special Counsel . It was STEPHANOPOULOS: Former White House Counsel. KARL: Former White House Counsel Don McGahn has visibility on all of this. It was reported earlier that he spent 30 hours before the Special Counsel. George, Im told that significantly more than 30 hours, and heres the astounding thing. After all of that time before the Special Counsel, nobody on the presidents legal team debriefed McGahn about what he was asked by the Special Counsel or what he told the Special Counsel. Video: The White House has been briefed on the Mueller report and "there is significant concern on the president's team about what will be in this report," and "what worries them most is what Don McGahn told the special counsel," @jonkarl reports https://t.co/p9QKxcDdC3 #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/xkh64AN8iW This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 14, 2019 Obstruction of justice is why Trump is trying to hide the full report The White House has always been most concerned about obstruction of justice, because that is an impeachable offense, and Muellers report could launch Democrats in the direction of impeachment The news that the administration is worried kills the total exoneration myth that has been perpetuated by Trump. Presidents who follow the law dont live in terror of obstruction of justice. Trump is scared, and obstruction of justice is the reason why. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Get the SC business stories that matter. Our newsletter catches you up with all the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina every Monday and Thursday at noon. Get ahead with us - it's free. Taconic High School was recently built and Councilor John Krol wants to look to the next building project. Pittsfield Councilor Reignites School Buildings Discussion Mayor Linda Tyer responds that she wants the focus to be on the elementary schools. PITTSFIELD, Mass. City Council Vice President John Krol is pushing for the consolidation of the city's two high schools to be a top talking point in the upcoming election. Krol, who has said he is not seeking re-election, is pushing for the School Building Needs Commission to began looking at what to do with the city's school buildings. He also is glad to hear that school administrators are starting to take a closer look at the elementary schools. "Let's have a convo during the election season when people are more engaged," Krol said on Tuesday. Krol had filed petitioned the City Council calling for an increased conversation about a one- or two-high school vision for the city. It had been hotly debated multiple times in the past, particularly in the mid-2000s when planning for a school building project first began. Eventually, Taconic High School became the focus and a new $120.8 million school is now open for its first year. Superintendent Jason McCandless, Mayor Linda Tyer, and School Building Needs Commission Chairwoman Kathleen Amuso filed a response to Krol's request saying the focus should be on the elementary schools at this point. "There are pressing and significant needs at three of our existing elementary schools -- Crosby, Conte, and Morningside. We believe that attention should turn to these three schools. However, this concept must be thoroughly examined by the School Building Needs Commission," the three wrote, adding that the next meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 29. Krol said he has toured Crosby and agrees that it is in "deplorable" condition. He believes the space is inadequate. Previously, the Massachusetts School Building Authority had rated all of the school buildings in terms of general condition and Crosby was cited as being in the worst condition. But, Crosby's land is also deeded to the city to operate as a school so the city can't simply close and sell it. But there is a lot of space available on that property. Krol suggested the city look regional with that property and create an educational campus that could house such things as a regional preschool program. "We need to be looking at that from a regional point of view and look at it as a campus," Krol said. Morningside and Conte both have outdated open-style classrooms and their own issues regarding aging. The potential consolidation of schools was studied two years ago and multiple options were laid out as possibilities. Consolidation-wise, one suggestion was to construct a new Conte/Crosby school on the Crosby campus and then construct a new Allendale/Morningside School at the Allendale location, eliminating two of the city's elementary school buildings. Another option is to build an addition to the new Taconic and expand enrollment, which the building was partially designed to accommodate. But there were also more creative solutions in changing how the grades are divided. There was a suggestion to turn Reid Middle School into a Grade 6 and 7 academy and reserve Herberg for Grades 10-12. All 10th to 12th graders would go to Taconic High School, eliminating Pittsfield High School's building. Similarly, all of the elementary schools could turn into K-6, Herberg becomes the Grades 7 to 8 academy, and Reid a Grade 9 academy with again all 10th to 12th graders going to Taconic. Krol said he particularly leans toward looking at restructuring the grades to address issues at the middle schools. "Middle school is a problem, not just in Pittsfield but in many communities, 6-8 is a challenging time," he said. The new Taconic building isn't quite finished, however, so attention still needs to be paid to that project. Tyer said the focus is on having contractors go back to the school and fix things such as doors that were installed incorrectly and damaged flooring, and complete the baseboards. "It is just small things we want to hold the contractor accountable for," Tyer said. Krol said that shouldn't stop the city from engaging in a building discussion. He said submitting a statement of interest for a new project would still be a way out. "We can walk and chew gum at the same time. We can have these conversations even though we still have a punch list at Taconic High School," Krol said. While the consolidation of the high schools was the focus of Krol's original petition, and of debates and research done in the past, Ward 7 Councilor Anthony Simonelli said the timing still isn't right. He said there isn't enough capacity at the new Taconic to handle sending Pittsfield High School's students right now and enrollment projections don't show that time coming for some years. "The numbers don't bear out to consolidate right now," Simonelli said. Meanwhile, Ward 4 Councilor Christopher Connell said he'd like to see the city come up with a plan that preserves the buildings in the best condition. Nonetheless, many school buildings are aging and the enrollment continues to drop. The issue has been debated for decades but eventually, something will need to happen with the buildings. Krol wants the city to be prepared for when funding does become available to do something. "It is good to see this is back on the agenda with the School Building Needs," he said. You are the owner of this article. Jennifer Berry Hawes is a Watchdog and Public Service team reporter who worked on the newspaper's Pulitzer-Prize winning investigation, "Till Death Do Us Part." South Carolina can't attract enough teachers, prison workers and social workers, but in a state where people wait in line for years or decades to be allowed to serve on the bench, the Legislature plans to give its biggest pay raises to judges. This does not make sense. Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations. The Post and Courier provides a forum for our readers to share their opinions, and to hold up a mirror to our community. Publication does not imply endorsement by the newspaper; the editorial staff attempts to select a representative sample of letters because we believe its important to let our readers see the range of opinions their neighbors submit for publication. 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 Editors note: This is the second in a series featuring several mural artists who are turning some of Guams concrete outdoor walls into works of art as part of POW! WOW! Guam. PQ "My style is a big combination of things that inspire me." Simone Legno Born in Rome, Italy, Simone Legno is the creative director and co-founder of the popular Japanese lifestyle brand Tokidoki. His passion for art began as a child when he drew incessantly. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. The main focus was always on drawing characters, he said. When he was invited to Guam for POW! WOW! and to create a mural, he said, Yeah, I would love to. I really want to check it out and leave something special for the fans, he said. Legno created a character-inspired mural on a wall at Pacific Place shopping center in Tumon. He describes his style as a mix of street and cute. My style is a big combination of things that inspire me. Its a mix-up of experiences I have had in my life. There is lots of street art. Im based in L.A. so Ive absorbed quite a bit of that. Im Italian so I have my own design aesthetic, Legno said. Plus, I mix it up with other subcultures like punk rock so thats why there is some pretty edgy icons, he added. But the ultimate takeaway for those who will view his mural for years to come is likely a sense of joy. Its a very positive artwork. It makes people smile, Legno said. His recent visit to the island was his first time to Guam, but Legno said he would like to return to Guam as a great place to take his kids for vacation. NO MORE HAVEN: Julian Assange gestures to the media from a police vehicle on his arrival at Westminster Magistrates court in London on April 11. After weeks of speculation, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was arrested by Scotland Yard Police Officers inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in central London. Lynda Meyer marks her grand reopening with the help of Selectmen John Duval, Joseph Nowak and James Bush on Saturday. PreviousNext Lynda's Antique Clothing Reopens in New Park Street Space ADAMS, Mass. Lynda Meyer had to make a sudden move this year shifting her antique clothing store up one level and drastically and significantly cutting back her merchandise. ADAMS, Mass. Lynda Meyer had to make a sudden move this year shifting her antique clothing store up one level and drastically and significantly cutting back her merchandise. It seemed a little daunting but Meyer was pleased at the outcome on Saturday as she celebrated her grand reopening at 41 Park St. "Well, it is giving me a totally different perspective of the business. It's an upgrade. Really, yes. When I had to move up here very quickly in six days, I had to cull my collection and so I have put together the best of the things that I've been collecting for 20 years," Meyer said. "So this is the combination of a long career of collecting individual pieces, because each piece is individually collected by myself to my vision, and I've also expanded timelines. ... I wouldn't really get involved with anything after 1962. But now I'm doing 1980s and '90s." Pride of place, in fact, goes to a blue 1990 Versace gown on a mannequin as you walk in. The bulk of Meyer's collection, however, still swings a bit more vintage, with beaded clothing, mid-century pillbox hats, silk embroidered jackets, and antique gowns and underthings circa the last turn of the century. Lynda's Antique Clothing Loft is now at the top of a broad staircase in a sunny room at the back of the Daniels Block. Meyer had occupied a storefront on the ground floor but building owner Bishop West Real Estate is turn that space into a new office. Meyer still has a display in the window, though. "I'm hoping to acquire new customers because I think it's a new experience," she said. Meyer frequently lectures on vintage clothing and fashion history. She's also become a resource for costume designers for plays here in the Berkshire and in New York. "I've been doing this for a very long time. Since the 1980s," she said. "And so people know that I am the go-to person for clothing and textiles. ... there are people who live in the same house for five generations. So when the termination of an estate happens, I'm usually called, I don't have to go to auctions, we don't have to go through estate sales, they call me." Everything in the store is restored and handwashed. Vintage clothing has a bad reputation for care but Meyer says that's because people don't know how to handle them properly. Older clothing is often much better made than new items, she said. "They just need to be revitalized," Meyer said. She also invites people to bring vintage clothing to her lectures to learn more about them and get a free appraisal. She jokes that her business is "like archaeology, you know, for underthings." Members of the Board of Selectmen Chairman John Duval, James Bush and Joseph Nowak welcomed Meyer into her new space with a traditional ribbon cutting. "I've kind of known Lynda pretty well since she came to town," said Nowak. "In her windows, she really created something special for people that walk through our town. ... Lynda's a very nice person. I've talked to her many times about her business. She works very hard at what she does, she puts a lot of time here." Two legislative measures, one designed to assist victims of domestic abuse and the other to support sexual abuse survivors, got attention in Harrisburg last week and drew praise from Chester County sources. The first, Act 79, was signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf. It mandates that those convicted of domestic violence or subject to final Protection From Abuse (PFA) restraining orders surrender their firearms within 24 hours, rather than the current 60 days. In addition, those defendants must surrender their firearms to law enforcement. They cannot give their guns to a friend or family member. The law grew out of legislation first offered by state Sen. Tom Killion, R-9th, of Middletown, whose district covers a portion of Chester County. In a letter to local law enforcement agencies touting the bill, West Chester Police Chief Scott Bohn, praised the new law as a new tool to assist us in this ongoing battle against domestic gun violence across the state. His letter, signed with state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, noted that from 2008 to 2017, 1,200 people died in domestic abuse encounters in the state, and that abused women were five times more likely to be killed by their abuser if he or she owns a firearm. Bohn wrote the letter as president of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association. The new law was cited by the Democratic candidate for Chester County District Attorney as a step to make violence victims safer. I appreciate that Governor Wolf has signed Act 79 into law, Deborah Ryan said in a press release issued on Friday. Any step that Pennsylvania takes to provide support of and protection for survivors of violence and abuse in any form is a step in the right direction. The health and quality of our community must be defined by our willingness to safeguard our most vulnerable members. Ryan, a former prosecutor with the DAs Office and head of its Child Abuse Unit, also praised the state House of Representatives for passing two bills that would widen the amount of time that those abused as young people have to pursue criminal and civil penalties against their alleged abusers. House bill 962, passed Wednesday, eliminates the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse crimes, while the proposed constitutional amendment permits a retroactive two-year period for civil lawsuits related to child sexual abuse on cases in which the statute of limitation has expired, she said in her release. Under current law, a child sexual abuse survivor has until the age of 50 to file a criminal complaint and age 30 to file a civil suit. We know that child sexual abuse is one of the most underreported crimes, Ryan, who was responsible for the prosecution of those child abusers, said. At least one in 10 children will experience child sexual abuse before age 18, but most will either delay reporting for months or years, if they come forward at all. (The bill) and a companion constitutional amendment related to sexual abuse will allow survivors to seek the justice they deserve, she said. Child sexual abuse is a public health epidemic, she added. The long-term consequences can have devastating implications, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol addiction and other serious consequences. The bill was supported by nine state representatives from the countys legislative districts. It now moves to the state Senate, where it has drawn support from state Sen. Katie Muth, D-44th, of Montgomery County, whose district covers the northern half of Chester County, among others. An attempt to get comment from incumbent District Attorney Tom Hogan on his position on the two bills was unsuccessful. Their future in the Senate, however, is uncertain. The House in September voted overwhelmingly for a retroactive two-year window for victims of child sexual abuse to sue, but the measure was blocked by Senate Republicans. The Senates top-ranking member, President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, was among those who argued retroactivity was unconstitutional. Constitutional amendments must pass both chambers in two consecutive two-year legislative terms before going to voters for final approval. The proposed protections for child abuse survivors come after a grand jury produced a report that said about 300 Roman Catholic priests had abused children at six of the states eight dioceses over seven decades, and accused church hierarchy of covering it up. The two-year window was one of four provisions recommended by the grand jury report in August. Several other states have adopted something similar previously, and lawmakers in New York and New Jersey have approved windows in recent months. It is opposed by Catholic bishops, who call it unconstitutional, and for-profit insurers, who say they are concerned about being forced to pay out for liabilities for which premiums were never collected. Scott has been reporting daily on the criminal trial of Mohamed Noor, the Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Justine Damond in the Summer of 2017. The case has generated a great deal of commentary. One of the sillier such pieces is by columnist Jennifer Brooks in todays Star Tribune: In a Hennepin County courtroom, the jury studied a collage of crime scene photos and videos, listened to Damonds voice on the phone with the 911 operator, and began the painful work of weighing evidence in a case that rips every raw nerve in the national debate over police shootings, court bias, race, immigration and press freedom. Really? The Noor case consists of a specific, and unique, set of facts that shed little or no light on any of those generalities. She was a loving and much-loved daughter, fiancee and friend and she was one of an estimated 987 people shot and killed by police in this country in 2017. As though all police shootings are somehow of a piece. The columnist links to a Washington Post analysis for the 987 figure. The Posts analysis indicates that in the overwhelming majority of cases, police officers were defending themselves against armed attackers. Since everything in the world needs to be about race these days, Brooks concludes: During the first weeks jury selection, the attorneys poked and probed the jury pool, searching for signs of unconscious bias as they prepared to try the case of the black immigrant cop who shot the white immigrant woman. If this police shooting the one with the white victim and the black cop feels different from the others, its worth asking yourself why. Oh, please. If the Justine Damond case feels different, heres why: It is because nearly all of those fatally shot by police officers are men, and Damond was a woman. It feels different because, far from being a suspected perpetrator, Damond was the person who summoned police officers with a 911 call. It feels different because there was nothing about Damond, a young woman dressed in pajamas, that could rationally have been considered threatening. It feels different because the officer, Mohamed Noor, did not make any effort to ascertain who Damond was or whether she represented any kind of threat before shooting her. It feels different because Noor, the passenger in a police cruiser, shot immediately in front of his partners chest and through the open window of the squad carnot exactly standard police technique. It feels different because Noor gave Damond no warning before killing her. It feels different because Noor acted with a stunning degree of incompetence that is paralleled in few if any police shooting cases. Racethe fact that this police shooting is the one with the white victim and the black copdoesnt have a damned thing to do with it. The death of Vince Foster, a close associate of the Bill and Hillary Clinton, as well as Hillarys law partner in Arkansas, sparked lots of speculation by detractors of the Clintons. Was it really a suicide, as initially supposed, or was there foul play? Ken Starr, the independent counsel appointed to investigate Clinton involvement in Arkansas banking wrongdoing, took on the additional assignment of investigating Fosters death. Starrs predecessor in the job, Robert Fiske, had already looked into it. Fiske concluded that Foster did, in fact, commit suicide. He found that Foster suffered from depression and in that state took his life. But Fosters depression was a longstanding condition. What finally caused him to kill himself? Fiske found that Foster became extremely depressed over mistakes he and others made during the early days of the Clinton administration. Of particular concern were the failed nomination of Zoe Baird, the administrations choice for Attorney General, and the Travelgate scandal. The Baird nomination had to be withdrawn because Baird didnt pay taxes for her nanny. Foster was in charge of vetting Baird. Ken Starrs investigation confirmed that Fosters death was a suicide and that the suicide was due to depression. However, Starr also came to believe, based on the FBIs work, that the event that triggered the suicide was Hillary Clinton going full Amy Klobuchar on him. Specifically, in front of White House staff, she raked Foster over the coals for incompetence, reportedly telling him he would always be a little hick town lawyer who was obviously not ready for the big time. I discussed this charming matter in a 2016 post. Starr, though, did not include Hillarys mistreatment of Foster in his report on Fosters death. Starrs explanation? According to this report, Starr says he did not want to inflict further pain on Hillary. I can understand Starrs decision. The public needed to know whether Fosters death resulted from foul play. It didnt need to know who had been nasty to Foster, such that he became so depressed that he took his life. Hillary shouldnt have humiliated Foster, but doing so did not make her culpable for his death. Thus, it seems defensible, and perhaps even praiseworthy, that Starr left Hillarys rant out of his report. At the same time, Hillarys conduct was sufficiently deplorable that it would have served her right if Starr had declined to spare her. This wasnt the only time Starr went out of his way to spare the First Lady. In drafting the indictment of Webb Hubbell, a partner of both Foster and Hillary in Arkansas, Starr insisted that Mrs. Clinton, who played an important role in events pertaining to the indictment, not be referred to by name. Instead, she was referred to as the Rose Law Firm billing partner an odd evasion, if you ask me. In addition, as I understand it, Starr resisted the recommendation of some on his staff that Hillary herself be indicted. There was, I think, a pretty good case for indicting her. We know that no good deed goes unpunished, especially when the Clintons are in a position to do the punishing. Starrs forbearance towards Hillary did not prevent the Clintons from vilifying him during the Lewinsky phase of his investigation. You would have thought it was Starr who had sex with that woman and perjured himself about it. Starr, a gentleman, was no match for the Clinton machine. Arguably, the Clintons deserved a more ruthless prosecutor. They were, however, the President and First Lady of the United States, and I dont blame Ken Starr for showing as much respect as he could for the offices. It is fun to watch the left react to Trumps suggestion that he might send migrants and asylum seekers to sanctuary cities, but their outrage may conceal the panic of the political fallout if Trump goes through with it, as he should. Anyone remember the Mariel Boatlift in 1980? Thats when Fidel Castro declared that anyone who wanted to emigrate to the United States was free to do so within a narrow window of time. Within days, 125,000 Cubans were en route to the U.S. Just where did that rickety fleet come from on such short notice? No one seemed to be curious about that, though even slow learners eventually figured out that Castro used this humanitarian gesture to offload a lot of criminals, mentally ill persons, and other Cubans he wanted very much to be rid of. Which means the Cuban government was organized in advance for this spontaneous moment. As Harold Rood liked to say, Nothing happens for no good reason. But thats not the real fun part. Jimmy Carter sent a large number of the Mariel refugees to camps in Arkansas, where public unhappiness contributed to the defeat of Gov. Bill Clinton in November that year. The Washington Post recalled this a few years ago: The Forgotten Story of How Refugees Almost Ended Bill Clintons Career The scene would later remind one witness of the Vietnam War. Plumes of smoke billowed high into the illuminated night sky from barracks that had been set afire, David Maraniss wrote in The Washington Post. Flames still flickered from a charred guardhouse. Whoops and fierce cries of defiance echoed across the camp. Shotgun-toting civilians in pickup trucks loomed a mile or so beyond the gate. The mood was tense and chaotic. But this wasnt Vietnam or Iraq in the wake of an Islamic State attack. This was Fort Chaffee, a military installation in Arkansas, on June 1, 1980, when refugees from Fidel Castros Cuba rioted. The refugees had been sent there at the behest of President Jimmy Carter over the vociferous objections of an Arkansas governor with quite a political future: Bill Clinton. . . The Fort Chaffee story is largely forgotten by the general public, but its a good bet that some governors havent forgotten its political lessons, David A. Graham wrote at the Atlantic. . . This part of the story may be my favorite detail: First, Clinton suggested the refugees be screened on an aircraft carrier off of the Florida coast. Eidenburg said that didnt make sense, because there was no place to put those refugees the United States wouldnt accept. Sure there is, Clinton replied, as recounted in his memoir My Life. We still have a base at Guantanamo, dont we? And there must be a gate in the fence that divides it from Cuba. Take them to Guantanamo, open the door, and march them back into Cuba. I think Trump should come out and say hes decided to take advice on this matter from Bill Clinton. And then pass the popcorn. On March 23, the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) gathered a small group of journalists for a mental wellness session at The Olive Prime Psychology Services Centre (TOPS) in Abuja. In recognition of the peculiarity of the journalists job and the effects it can have on their mental health, PTCIJ partnered with TOPS, a psychiatric health facility based in Abuja, to provide psychological support and counselling for journalists in the area. This initiative followed advocacy for improved welfare of journalists in Nigeria. The initiative has its roots in the 2017 No News Is Bad News programme organised by Free Press Unlimited (FPU) in collaboration with PTCIJ. The programme birthed the Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF), a collaboration of investigative newsrooms and civil society organisations working on Whistleblower Protection and Press Freedom in Nigeria. This initiative commenced in October 2018 as part of the Journalists Welfare programme for the Coalition of Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF). The maiden group therapy session for 2019 centred on anger management and coping skills when confronted with stressful environments that typify the career of many journalists. The aim of the session was to promote better mental health and its mindfulness among journalists. This journey gained momentum in the past year with the campaign against poor journalists welfare, stemming from the journalists welfare campaign, which resulted in the signing of an MoU between PTCIJ and TOPS to cater for the mental health of journalists. The advent of online media was poorly received by many journalists in Nigeria as some crumbled under the pressure of trying to keep up with digital media, keeping up with information flow, as well as keeping their organisations afloat. The nature of the work environment for journalists, where they must break the news, stay ahead of the curve and retain readership, can foster anxiety and lead to an array of psychological challenges. Furthermore, the constant exposure to trauma and disturbing content (photos and videos), encountered while covering violence, tragedies, natural disasters, crimes, and murder, can put journalists at a higher risk of developing mental issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Additionally, the worsening revenue crisis in the print media, along with the hostile environment exemplified by increased attacks on journalists, begets a mental health crisis. To journalists, this can be hard to admit as this is most times worsened by dwindling sales, seemingly hostile new technology, poor public perception, miserable remuneration, low self-esteem, opinion-rigging and the commodification of news dissemination Tatalo Alamu of The Nation newspaper observed. The psychologically distressing work environment has been perceived as the norm by journalists and employers who send out reporters into the field without adequate support or coping mechanisms. Despite several studies documenting the high rate of psychological problems in journalists, this perception persists. Journalists who regularly witness scenarios that involve death and human suffering have been found to be more prone to long-term emotional distress. This, combined with poor welfare on the job, culminates in physical and mental challenges. In an ongoing survey by PTCIJ on workplace-related stress in Journalism, mid-survey results have reported an almost 70 per cent encounter with traumatic events, ranging from threatening calls to police brutality and armed harassment. The effects of this on mental health is noted as 62 per cent of respondents reported experiencing work-related mental health issues. In the last year, the case of the Premium Times reporter, Samuel Ogundipe, comes to mind. This year, the PTCIJs press attack tracker has reported more than 10 attacks against members of the press in the first quarter alone. The most recent session focused on anger management from issues around work and other activities that have the potential of affecting well-being and performance on the job. In the session, participants were encouraged to use a coping mechanism that can be used in the workplace to deal with psychological distress. Taught skills include mindfulness and focused attention training on tasks, and events at hand, and short practices of meditation. Some other strategies addressed in this session included breathing exercises, focusing on abstract issues such as counting to ten and utilising your senses by listening to music. Participants also engaged in an exhilarating activity of art painting therapy. In the post-session assessment, 100 per cent of the participants responded to the meeting as being useful. They all agreed sessions like this help reduce stress, provide coping skills, direct need to helpful facilities, and should be encouraged and expanded. The survey on workplace-related stress is still ongoing and journalists can participate here. In July 2018, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo launched the Patients Bill of Rights (PBoR). The event at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja,.organised by the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), was attended by critical stakeholders in Nigerias health sector, including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA). PBoR is an aggregation of patients rights that exist in other instruments including the 1999 Constitution, Consumer Protection Act, Child Rights Act, Freedom of Information Act, National Health Act, and other sundry regulations. PBoR was developed by the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and other stakeholders including the Federal Ministry of Health for the protection of consumers. At the event, Mr Osinbajo said: Today, we take a definite step in ensuring peoples rights in the healthcare sector, which are truly respected and protected in part because no one in our country is insulated or immunised from needing medical services. Essentially, our comfort, lives and life expectancy are in part determined by the quality and delivery of healthcare services. Speaking about the imperative of the bill in Nigeria, Mr Osinbajo cited the dim view of Nigerians on the countrys healthcare system. He said: A 2016 study by PwC [Price Waterhouse] revealed that 90 per cent of respondents associate healthcare in Nigeria with low quality, while over 80 per cent and over 70 per cent respectively, associate it with words like `rude and `fear. Conversely, less than 20 per cent felt that the healthcare provided in Nigeria gave value for money, and less than 10 per cent felt that it was transparent. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo Similar to the PwC study, a report last year by PREMIUM TIMES quoted pregnant women in an Abuja per-urban community expressing a preference for traditional birth attendants over midwives at primary health care facilities. The women said the traditional birth attendants are less aggressive than the over-worked healthcare providers in dilapidated community facilities. Run-down health facilities staffed by rude health workers are a violation of the right of citizens to health, a fundamental human right. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1946 defined the right to health as the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health that should be available, physically and economically accessible, acceptable by medical ethics standards and of quality to all; regardless of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition. The subject of rights in healthcare are relevant today as they align with the global movement towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The UHC requires that health services are available for all. A former High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, explained that the right to health does not mean the right to be healthy, nor does it mean those poor governments must put in place expensive health services for which they have no resources. But it does require governments and public authorities to put in place policies and action plans, which will lead to available and accessible health care for all in the shortest possible time. The right to health consists of freedoms and entitlements. Freedoms to control bodily integrity and the right to be free from non-consensual medical treatment and experiments. Entitlement to the right to a system of health protection, preventive measures, treatments and control of diseases and access to essential medicine. According to the WHO, Understanding health as a human right creates a legal obligation on states to ensure access to timely, acceptable, and affordable health care of appropriate quality as well as to providing (sic) for the underlying determinants of health, such as safe and potable water, sanitation, food, housing, health-related information and education, and gender equality. This is also important as rights to health are prerequisites for other rights. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) states that When the rights to health are upheld, their access to all other human rights is also enhanced, triggering a cascade of transformative change. The Right to Health is enshrined in the Patients Bill of Rights as well as in the National Health Act of 2014 and in the Constitution of Nigeria. Chapter II of the Constitution in Section 17 (3) (d) which lists the Objective and Directive Principles of State Policy, noted that the State shall direct its policy towards ensuring that there are adequate medical and health facilities for all persons. This is also recognised in Chapter IV, which lists fundamental rights. Section 33 and Section 34 reference the right to life and dignity, respectively. Indeed, being unhealthy comes at the expense of these fundamental rights including the right to life. Human rights cannot be actively exercised without health and indeed health cannot be attainable without dignity that is upheld by all other human rights. In this regard, the Nigerian National Health Act 2014 in Part 1 (1) (c) states that governments have to provide the best possible health services. Non-Implementation As Nigeria introduced the Patients Bill of Rights, health professional associations, ordinary citizens, the media and human rights associations were eagerly awaiting the governments leadership and detailed plans to operationalise this important legal instrument. About nine months after the launch of the bill, however, there is little public information about how the Consumer Rights Protection Council will implement these rights, how citizens can pursue redress and how the public health care system can reorient its practices to deliver health as a right. All the 12 health rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights are important and must be protected. These rights are: Right to relevant information in a language and manner the patient understands including diagnosis, treatment, other procedures and possible outcomes. Right to timely access to detail and accurate medical records and available services. Right to transparent billing and full disclosure of any costs, including recommended treatment plans. Right to privacy, and confidentiality of medical records. Right to clean, safe, and secure healthcare environments. Right to be treated with respect, regardless of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, allegations of crime, disability or economic circumstances. Right to receive urgent, immediate and sufficient intervention and care, in the event of an emergency. Right to reasonable visitation in accordance with prevailing rules and regulations. Right to decline care, subject to prevailing laws and upon full disclosure of the consequences of such a decision. Right to decline or consent to participate in medical research, experimental procedures or clinical trials. Right to quality care in accordance with prevailing standards. Right to complain and express dissatisfaction regarding services received. Currently, however, SERVICOM is providing some mechanisms and opportunities for redress for violations of health care rights. But stakeholders said the government needs to strengthen interagency coordination of SERVICOM, the Consumer Rights Protection Council, the Ministry of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Health as well as the Ministry of Womens Affairs. They also want it to increase knowledge about the bill, equip public facilities for responding to it and to lay out a framework for obtaining redress for violations. The management of Lagos State University (LASU) diverted N198 million it illegally withdrew from the contributory pension of the institutions employees to purchase 12 luxury vehicles for members of its top echelon, a PREMIUM TIMES investigation has revealed. The management also used an additional N83.37 million from the same fund to buy four buses, documents obtained by this newspaper revealed. The N281 million was part of N474 million withdrawn in October 2018 purportedly to finance the National University Commissions (NUC) accreditation of some academic programmes in the university. Nigerias pension legislation prohibits such withdrawal. The management of LASU collects pension contributions of staff members and remits them to Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs). However, a good percentage of the universitys employees are not registered with any PFA. PREMIUM TIMES learnt that those without PFAs wanted their pension funds to be administered by the Nigerian University Pension Management Company (NUPEMCO), which was only licensed by the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) in February after a nationwide strike by university lecturers, ASUU. For those employees awaiting the registration of NUPEMCO, the university kept their pension contributions in an escrow account, a practice that PENCOM said negates pension regulation. There is a regulation that when employees do not open a retirement savings account, the organisation has the liberty to approach a pension fund administrator and transfer those funds there. Those funds will be kept in what we called a Transitional Contributory Fund Account pending when they open a retirement savings account, Peter Aghahowa, spokesperson for PENCOM, told PREMIUM TIMES. The account is domiciled with the PFA. The whole idea about the regulation is that the account should not be domiciled with the employer because, no matter if it is placed in an escrow account or not, there is the tendency of those funds being used when there is pressure. From the little I have heard, quite clearly, the university didnt follow the regulations through. The things they ought to have done, some of them they didnt do, he added. Section 60, subsection 2 and 3 of the Pension Reform Act, 2014 buttresses Mr Aghahowas explanation. All companies and institutions already engaged in the management of pension funds who are not licensed by the commission shall, at the commencement of this Act, compute and credit all contributions to Retirement Savings Account opened by them for each contributor including distributable income, it says. All companies and institutions referred to in subsection (2) of this section shall transfer all pension funds and assets held by them to Pension Fund Administrators and Pension Fund Custodians as may be determined by the Commission. Also, Section 70 subsection 2 of the Pension Reform Act 2014 forbids a custodian of workers pension LASU management in this case from using the pension to meet its own obligations. The Pension Fund Custodian shall not utilise any pension fund or assets in its custody to meet its own financial obligations to any person whatsoever, the section of the act stated. Breaking the law But the withdrawal in October 2018 was not the first time LASUs management would unlawfully withdraw money from its staffs pension savings. In March 2018, the university management withdrew N215 million from the pension escrow account to fund the accreditation of 17 academic programmes. An internal memorandum of the universitys governing council ratifying an executive order of the universitys pro-chancellor and chairman of the Governing Council, Adebayo Ninalowo, said that the Lagos State Government had approved N215 million for the accreditation, but was yet to release the fund. Therefore, the university had to borrow from the staffs pension account. In view of the pending accreditation exercise and the time constraint, the university sought and obtained the executive approval of the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council for temporary borrowing of the sum of two hundred and fifteen million naira [N215,000,000.00] from the universitys pension/escrow investment in order to cover the expenses of the forthcoming accreditation exercise which would be paid back from the approved grant from the Lagos State Government, when paid to the university, the internal memo stated. However, a June 21, 2018 bulletin of the universitys branch of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) claimed that only N148 million was actually disbursed for the said accreditation exercise. The bulletin, which gave a breakdown of the amount spent on the exercise for each of the 17 programmes and other related financial obligations, frowned at how the money was disbursed. It claimed that top academic staff of the affected programmes were sidelined from the exercise. It is noteworthy that principal officers and senior non-academic staff members were mostly the ones who oversaw the supervision and disbursement of accreditation funds for various academic programmes in these faculties, the bulletin, which was co-signed by Tony Dansu, the secretary of the union and his assistant, Adeolu Oyekan, alleged. For instance, the union claimed the immediate past registrar of the university was placed in charge of the accreditation of academic programmes in the Faculty of Education with a budget of N23.5 million. Advertisements The universitys bursar, Adetayo Hassan, was placed in charge of the exercise at the Faculty of Management Science with a budget of N19.5million, while the universitys director of internal audit, Said Olayinka, was placed in charge of Engineering and given a budget of N51 million for the exercise. More withdrawals By October, the university embarked on another accreditation exercise. This time the university pro-chancellor unilaterally ordered the withdrawal of N474 million from the staff Pension Investment Fund account for the accreditation of 20 academic programmes. According to the October 5 memo, the state government had promised to release funds for the accreditation, but the money had not come and the university was unsure when it would arrive. The university said it, therefore, took alternative steps so as not to miss out of securing full accreditation for the affected programmes. In doing so, it promised that the fund would be returned with interest as soon as it received the fund for the exercise promised by the state government. PREMIUM TIMES could not confirm if the funds withdrawn from the staff pension account on both occasions had been returned as promised by the university management. When asked if indeed the government assured the university that it was going to provide the fund for both exercises, Obafela Bank-Olemoh, the special adviser on education to the governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, declined to comment. I am not going to respond to that. I dont work in LASU, he said. My brother write your story. I am not going to respond to anything. You are writing a story about LASU, reach out to LASU and let them respond to you, said Mr Bank-Olemoh, who is in charge of tertiary education in the state. Beyond Approval Limits But sources within the university, who asked not to be named for fear of being victimised, told PREMIUM TIMES that apart from the illegality of tampering with staffs pension fund, the amount Mr Ninalowo, the pro-chancellor, approved for withdrawal was way above his approval limit. According to a February 23, 2016 internal memo of the universitys governing council obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the expenditure approval limit of the universitys pro-chancellor was reviewed upward from N10 million to N20 million while that of the universitys vice chancellor was reviewed upward from N3 million to N5 million. For the expenditure of any amount above N20 million, the pro-chancellor has to seek the approval of the governing council after first discussing such expenditure with the Finance and General Purpose Committee (F&GPC) of the council. In both cases above, our sources alleged that the withdrawals were unilaterally done by the pro-chancellor without recourse to the F&GPC. An internal memo seen by this newspaper suggested that in the October 2018 withdrawal of N474 million, the university management secured the approval of the governing council after the fact. In view of the impending accreditation exercise and the time constraint, the university sought and obtained the executive approval of the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the governing council for temporary borrowing of the sum of four hundred and seventy four million naira [N474,000,000.00] from the university Pension Investment Fund in order to cover the expenses of the forthcoming accreditation exercise, the memo stated. The memo added that the governing council ratified the approval after deliberation. Purchase of Luxury Cars Sources in the university told this newspaper that the management decided to use a large chunk of the money for things with completely no correlation with that for which it was withdrawn. More than one source said the university also cut corners and came up with ploys that fooled the team of NUC accreditation assessors. The NUC accreditation process involves the assessment of seven components of an academic programme academic matters, staffing, physical facilities, library, funding and employers rating of graduates. However, the university management used the lion share of the fund to purchase 12 luxury vehicles for top management staff, which have nothing to do with the accreditation process. The vehicles were three pieces of Toyota Corolla1.8 Gli CVT AT LS Luxury model at N63 million plus VAT, seven pieces of Toyota Corolla 1,8 Gli CVT AT FS luxury model at N113.9 million, and two pieces of Toyota Yaris Sedan AT LS (New Model) at N21.42 million for a total of N198.34 million. The universitys vice-chancellor, Olanrewaju Fagbohun, also approved the purchase of four 18-seater buses for a total sum of N83.37 million. The cars were distributed to top management members in the week of October 22, 2018, our investigation revealed. A total sum of N198,345,000 was expended on the 12 cars, which will not be assessed by the NUC, whereas the classrooms, staff and departmental offices, studios and laboratories that would be evaluated for the accreditation remains in pitiable conditions, another source said. While the school management spent the funds on the purchase of luxury vehicles, it only approved a fraction of the budgets sent in by departments for the exercise. For instance, the Department of Zoology requested N60 million but the university approved only N13 million. A source told PREMIUM TIMES that the School of Agriculture requested N400,000.00 to procure the cable needed to install internet in the faculty. The project was aborted midway allegedly on the orders of the vice chancellor. But before the team of NUC assessors arrived the faculty for the accreditation exercise, the university had purchased Wi-Fi dongles which was given to a number of employees to create the impression that the faculty had a functional internet connection. After the accreditation exercise, the internet disappeared, the source said. The bitter truth about this charade of accreditation preparation is that offices for the staff and programmes were mostly never upgraded but rather, some stranded offices of other departments and staff were hurriedly tagged as belonging to the programmes earmarked for accreditation. One of our sources alleged that one of the Toyota Corolla cars purportedly bought for the accreditation exercise was given to the pro-chancellor. I challenge the university administration to list how the vehicles were distributed. This is one of the reasons why the pro-chancellor will always approve executively all demands of the university management without recourse to the F&GPC or the governing council, the source added. The vice-chancellor, Olanrewaju Fagbohun, did not respond to questions sent to his email despite an automated response confirming that the questions were delivered. Ademola Adekoya, the LASU spokesperson, who originally did not respond to questions sent to him for comment, later told this reporter upon a follow-up call that the university management has decided to be quiet for now. If there are people who want to know, they should actually get the facts right. Because, most of the things (claims), they are not actually correct. We dont want to respond to it. The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, on Saturday said he and his faction of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would retrieve the party in Oyo State from predators. He said the APC headquarters was forced to accept those who were not qualified as its executive members in Oyo State. Mr Shittu made this allegation on a live radio programme on Fresh FM in Ibadan, tagged South West Political Circuit. The minister was disqualified from the governorship primary of the APC due to his failure to observe the one-year mandatory National Service conducted by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, [Photo credit: THISDAYLIVE] Before then, he had been in a long-running dispute with Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi who he accused of foisting leaders and candidates on the party in the state. Mr Shittu last week lost in court a bid to quash his disqualification by the APC for not participating in the NYSC. On the Saturday programme monitored by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Shittu said he and other like minds were challenging in court the composition of the executives of the party at the various levels in the state. The Saki-born politician accused Mr Ajimobi of foisting the executives on the party and the people. Messrs Shittu and Ajimobi have been in dispute since the merger of four opposition parties produced the APC. Both men belonged to different parties until the merger. In the Saturday interview, the minister called Mr Ajimobi a dictator and a betrayer. The APC lost the presidential and governorship elections in the state to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which also won a clear majority in the State House of Assembly. Mr Shittu said the process of rebuilding the APC in the state will start soon. He said his faction of the party, the Unity Forum, will retrieve the party from predators. Let me recall, during the congresses in Oyo state, we had two congresses; two factions of our party held parallel congresses. The governors faction and the Unity Forum faction, which has members four times that of the governors faction. Our party leaders at the national level by force accepted those who are not qualified as party executives. Eventually, what happened started from there. We are in court challenging to know the legally recognised executives of the party. The Unity Forum will certainly ensure that justice is done in the area of party congresses. That is what we are challenging, the emergence of the current executives. They have to be true to themselves that but for Ajimobi, they will not be there. Governor Ajimobi did what he did so that he could use them. He foisted on the party the people who will continue to do his bidding. Former Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi in Shock Clearly Ajimobi is a dictator, a betrayer; clearly everything you could think of. Now that he has gone, we have to rescue all of those people away from him. Our lawyer unjustly terminated the cases in court. I have instructed lawyers from my chambers to apply for the revisit of those cases and I have all the support of all members of the Unity Forum to do that. We are all waiting to collaborate in ensuring that we retrieve our party from predators. We will bring everybody on board, we will retrieve our party. We will start soonest by the grace of God. The minister denied that members of the Unity Forum had fled from the APC to other parties. They are in APC, unless you show me when they resigned their membership of APC, he said. Advertisements The federal government has again clarified its stance on the removal of fuel subsidy, saying it had no plan to do so in the immediate future. The Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, said this on Sunday at the briefing by the Nigerian delegation on the outcome of their meetings with investors and institutions at the IMF/World Bank meetings in Washington DC. Mrs Ahmed spoke in reaction to the IMFs advice to the federal government to remove fuel subsidy, which might have led to panic buying in the country. Fuel queues have in the past few days appeared in many parts of Nigeria including Osun State and the Nigerian capital, Abuja. The state oil company, NNPC, has largely blamed the queues on panic buying saying it has enough fuel in circulation to last the country about a month. The fuel queues are also believed to have been spurred by the rumour of a planned removal of petrol subsidy; a rumour the minister clarified. There is no imminent plan to remove subsidy, she said. IMF said that fuel subsidy is better removed so that we can use the resources for other important sectors. In principle, Its a good suggestion. But in Nigeria, we dont have any plans to remove fuel subsidy at this time because we have not yet designed buffers that will enable us (to) remove the subsidy and provide cushions for our people. So there is no plan to remove fuel subsidy. We will be working with various groups to find an alternative if we have to remove it. We are not yet at the point of removing fuel subsidy yet, she said. Mrs Ahmed described the outing in Washington DC as a successful one, which provided Nigeria with the opportunity to review developments in the global economy and proffer potential solutions. She said that the general advice for Nigeria is to prioritise cost-effective policies that would increase resilience to shocks, boost productivity and raise incomes of the bottom 40 per cent of the population. In my capacity as representative of 23 African countries, I addressed the IMFC and issued a statement calling for normalisation of trade relations among the contending parties and called for concerted efforts to supporting multilateralism and avoid protectionist sentiments. At the G-24 meeting, I drew the attention of the World Bank to some of the challenges we face in implementing our portfolio like the implementation of the new environmental and social safeguards framework which tends to slow down implementation of our infrastructure projects. My engagement at the IMFC also focused on the global policy agenda. Governors underscored the importance of strengthening market competition, encouraging innovation, tackling weak governance and corruption and meeting the SDGs. Governors underlined the importance of strengthening international coordination and cooperation to tackle shared challenges, given the potentially damaging effects of trade tensions on global economic developments, and impact of natural disasters on developing countries, she said. Also, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udoma, said he had discussions with investors and development partners on potential investment opportunities in the country. According to him, he had discussions on improving the business climate, sensitised potential investors on incentives and opportunities for investments in Nigeria. In the course of my meeting with officials of the International Finance Corporation, I asked for their support for our efforts to leverage the private sector capital to fund critical infrastructure in Nigeria, he said. Also, the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, spoke about his meeting with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands who is the UN Secretary-General Special Advocate on financial inclusion. We reviewed the position of Nigeria in terms of financial inclusion, observing that the rate of inclusion is moving up aggressively and we are very optimistic that in 2020 we will meet the 80 per cent inclusion target. We also met with foreign investors who expressed confidence in what we are doing in Nigeria and this has been supported by the inflows that you may have observed recently between December and this time. A major take away from this meeting is that although the GDP numbers for Nigeria is low at 1.9 per cent in 2018, Im encouraged by the IMF predictions that global growth will pick up by second half of 2019 and emerging market economies like India, Brazil, China and Nigeria will help to drive growth. This means that a lot of eyes are on Nigeria and we must work hard to aggressively push up our growth numbers. But Im hopeful that this can be achieved, he said. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has thrown its weight behind its members seeking the support of opposition politicians for the upcoming National Assembly leadership election. The APC in a statement on Sunday said the move is normal and does not contradict the partys position. We are inundated with reports of our members in the National Assembly holding consultations with members of the opposition over the election of leaders into the 9th National Assembly. Let me state that our party has no objection to such consultations. It is a normal democratic practice world over to stretch hands across the divides. And contrary to some media reports, the actions of our members do not contradict the partys position. APC has a comfortable majority in both chambers, therefore; we have the number to produce the leadership, the statement signed by Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC Publicity Secretary stated. The statement came as a reaction to consultations by Ahmed Lawan, the candidate favoured by the party for Senate presidency. The National Assembly leadership election will hold in June. Mr Lawans main challengers, so far, have been other APC senators-elec including Borno senator, Ali Ndume. According to a report by Punch, Mr Lawan met with three governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a bid to brighten his chances of clinching the coveted position. Femi Gbajabiamila, the Lagos lawmaker favoured by the APC to become Speaker of the House of Representatives, has also been meeting with PDP lawmakers to seek their support. The moves have generated controversies as it is perceived as a direct contradiction of the position of the party chairman, Adams Oshiomhole. Mr Oshiomhole while meeting with new Rep members-elect in March boasted that the party had enough numbers and would not share leadership positions with the PDP. He warned against alliances with the opposition following the partys 2015 experience. In 2015, the APC endorsed Mr Lawan for the position of Senate President. However, he lost to the incumbent, Bukola Saraki, who emerged president of the Senate against his partys wish. Mr Saraki was able to secure the loyalty of PDP senators and paid back by ensuring an opposition member becomes his deputy. He later dumped the APC in 2018. In what looked like a contradiction to Mr Oshiomholes position, the party in the Sunday statement said such consultation is important as the party does not have a two-thirds majority. But democracy recognises the importance of the opposition. Especially when you do not have two-third which would be required at some very critical situations. For us as a ruling party, we understand that a stable and peaceful National Assembly would enhance our capacity to deliver more for the people of Nigeria. So the party is not averse to negotiation by Senator Ahmed Lawan and our other senators-elect working to fulfil the position taken by our party. It is important to note that one of the key considerations for adopting him as the partys candidate for the Senate Presidency is his ability to carry everyone along. On top of that, the party has confidence in him not to compromise the progressive ideology of APC. So clearly, Senator Ahmed Lawan is capable of conducting his negotiations within the prism of APCs objectives. The party said it would soon release its zoning arrangements for the principal positions of the incoming 9th National Assembly in both chambers. No fewer than 700 Indians resident in Lagos on Sunday held a run session in solidarity and support for Indias incumbent Prime Minister, Narendra Modis re-election. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the session was held at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos. Sanjay Srivastava, the Organiser and President of Overseas Friends of Bharatiya Janata Party (OFBJP), Nigeria Chapter, told NAN that the run session was a global movement practised every weekend across the globe. NAN reports that OFBJP is a non-governmental organisation involved in community development in Nigeria and promoting Indians common cause. NAN also reports that Narendra Modi, a.k.a NAMO, has been Indias 14th and current Prime Minister since 2014. The next Indian general election is scheduled to hold from April 19 to May 2019. Mr Srivastava said Mr Modi had engaged in transparent governance which was corruption-free in the last five years of his administration. According to him, his developmental projects extend to villages in India where they benefit from free electricity, gas distribution and other amenities which they had been deprived of for long. This is a global movement to enable Modi continue as Indias Prime Minister so that the development experienced in India will not stop. There is presently a coalition of other parties contesting against Modi but we have witnessed 70 years of backwardness and stagnation in all aspects of our economy before Modi came into power. Presently we have reduced corruption cases and our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) keeps improving; these and more positive developments we want to continue in India. Also speaking with NAN, Vijay Sinsh said that Mr Modi should be re-elected because he had achieved remarkable development in the areas of banking, infrastructure and industry expansion in the last five years of his tenure. India as a country has experienced sporadic development since Modis assumption of office. We were confronted with nepotism, religious bias and lots of problems separate us but since he was elected five years ago, we have witnessed beautiful transformation. We want him back because we want to continue to experience a peaceful society without discrimination, he said. Another speaker, Anusdha Jindall, said that Mr Modi had shown a great sense of responsibility and selflessness over the years and should be given a second chance to move the nation forward. Modi is hard-working, a man without sentiment and selfless, that is the kind of leader we need, she said. NAN reports that the Indian runners were all wearing shirts with the inscription OFBJP Nigeria, NAMO Again while many engaged in Yoga, Zumba dance and aerobics exercises. (NAN) A lawyer, Morakinyo Ogele, has sued the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) over the death of a suspect, Razak Ahmed, in the custody of the Ondo State Command of the corps. Mr Ahmed was arrested in March by officers of the state command for allegedly raping his eight-year-old daughter. He reportedly died in the custody of the command in Akure, the state capital, three days after his arrest. The family of the deceased alleged that he was tortured to death by officers of the command while trying to extract confessional statements from him. The commands spokesperson, Samuel Oladapo, however, denied the allegation, saying the suspect committed suicide in custody. Not satisfied with the commands explanation, Mr Ogele approached the High Court in Akure, demanding for justice on behalf of the deceaseds family. The lawyer is seeking the courts order directing the NSCDC to conduct an investigation in its Ondo State Command to identify officers involved in the arrest, detention and alleged torturing of the deceased. He is also seeking an order directing the corps to hand over the officers to the police for proper investigation and prosecution. Mr Ogele also asked the court to order NSCDC to pay N500 million as damages to the family of Mr Ahmed. He also wants the court to direct the security agency to subject all its officers to psychiatric test and stop them from torturing their suspects to obtain confessional statements. In a 33-paragraph-affidavit, Mr Ogele said he initiated the suit on behalf of the family of the deceased and in the public interest. The family members of the deceased have been calling on human rights organizations to help them get justice, said Mr Ogele. This is because NSCDC is trying to cover up this extrajudicial killing. They felt unconcerned about the gruesome act against the family of the deceased. Their spokesman declared that the man committed suicide in their custody without giving evidence. I think NSCDC is a security agency established to protect lives and properties in Nigeria. Its officers are not expected to take any life. Relatives of the deceased have claimed that the NSCDC used sticks to beat him until he died in custody. But Mr Oladapo said the deceased hanged himself while he was alone in the cell. The suspect was arrested by our men at our out-post station and brought to the state headquarters on Monday for proper investigations. And during our investigation, Ahmed confessed to the offence and attributed it to devils work, a statement by Mr Oladipo read. Before he was detained in the cell, he was complaining and begging that he should be allowed to put on his buba and sokoto because he had cold, which we obliged. Meanwhile, he was brought to the headquarters around 6 p.m. and surprisingly, when one of our men approached his cell to deliver food brought by one of his relatives, he was found dangling on iron door of the cell, being a short man, having torn his cloth to hang himself. It was unfortunate that he was the only inmate in the cell, which made it easy for him to carry out the dastardly act. Nollywood star, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, has described the quality of life of Nigerians under President Muhammadu Buharis leadership as Hellish. The 41-year-old actress who is also an activist made the statement on Twitter and Instagram on Sunday evening. The Country Under your watch is Hellish! @ProfOsinbajo @MBuhari @NGRPresident, her tweet read. She also charged Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Mr Buhari to act fast. The 41-year-old actress was speaking against the backdrop of the recent spike in extrajudicial killings across the country. The lack of Money in circulation, now coupled with the continuous Assault and killings by uniformed men. Will make this Country implode!!! Its Unbearable!, Omotola said. Do something! Insecurity! Fear and Desperation everywhere, said Omotola. Omotola, who is also an Amnesty International campaigner, recently called for a state of emergency in troubled zones. She also said she believes Nigeria needs some kind of revolution to get better. The Country Under your watch is Hellish! @ProfOsinbajo @MBuhari @NGRPresident The lack of Money in circulation,Now coupled with the Continuous Assault n Killings by Uniformed menll make this Country implode!!!Its Unbearable! Do something!Insecurity!Fear n Desperation everywhere Dr Omotola .j. Ekeinde , MFR (@Realomosexy) April 14, 2019 The Country Under your watch is Hellish! @YOsibanjo @MBuhari @NGRPresident The lack of Money in circulation,Now coupled with the Continuous Assault n Killings by Uniformed men will make this Country implode!!!It is Unbearable! Do something!Insecurity!Fear n Desperation everywhere Dr Omotola .j. Ekeinde , MFR (@Realomosexy) April 14, 2019 The Nigeria Police Force said it has arrested three suspects in connection with the abduction of a Channels Television reporter, Friday Okeregbe. The suspects are Hanniel Patrick, 29, from Akwa Ibom; Abdulwahab Isah, 28 and Salisu Mohammed, 32, both from Kogi. Mr Okeregbe, who was released on March 28, was kidnapped on March 22 by the suspects along Games Village in Abuja while on his way from his mechanics workshop. A statement by the Force spokesman, Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police on Sunday in Abuja, said the suspects were arrested on April 9 by operatives attached to Operation Puff Adder. He said that Mr Okeregbe who was not originally their target was taken to the kidnappers den in Karimo, Abuja and kept incommunicado. The spokesman said that items recovered from the suspects included a locally made revolver gun, three live AK47 ammunition, a battle axe, handset phones and masks with which they blindfold their victims. Mr Mba said that the suspects had made useful statements to the police. He said that efforts were being intensified to arrest other members of the gang still at large. Mr Mba said that the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had reassured Nigerians that the police and other security agencies would do everything possible to check crimes in the country. He, however, enjoined members of the public to always avail the police with useful information that would help in realising these objectives. ( NAN) The Benue Police Command on Sunday confirmed the assassination of one Orkuma Amaabai, son of the Peoples Democratic Partys national ex-officio member, Yandev Amaabai. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Catherine Anene, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Makurdi that the deceased was shot by unknown gunmen in Gboko at about 10 p.m. on Saturday. She said that the incident was reported on Sunday. According to Ms Anene, an investigation into the matter is ongoing. She urged the public to help with useful information that would lead to the arrest of the criminals to volunteer it. NAN reports that late Torkuma was the first son of his father. Reacting to the killing, the Benue PDP in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, condemned the act and called on the police to fish out the perpetrators. (NAN) The Kano State Fire Service says 35 temporary shops have been destroyed by fire at Kurmin Yan-nama Market in Kano State. The spokesman of the service, Saidu Mohammed, confirmed the incident while speaking with journalists in Kano on Sunday. He said 27 of the shops were completely razed, while eight were slightly burnt. We received a distress call in the early hours of Sunday at about 04:56 a.m from one Ado Musa that there was fire outbreak at the market. On receiving the information, we quickly sent our personnel and fire fighting vehicles to the scene of the incident at about 05:03 a.m to stop the fire spreading to other shops, he said. He advised traders to be more careful and desist from using instruments capable of triggering fire as a way of guarding against future occurrence. Mr Mohammed also advised residents to keep fire buckets, blankets and extinguishers at home to enable them to curtail fire outbreak before calling on the fire service. Mr Mohammed said the cause of the fire was still being investigated. (NAN) Four members of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Ikorodu, have been asked to appear at the Ikorodu-Sagamu Road Police Station, on Sunday. The development is believed to be connected to an allegation last week by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) that two of its officials were almost set ablaze by some workers of the school. Those invited by the police are Muinat Ogunbambi-Ibrahim, Rauf Ayanda, Tobi Oremule, and Olalekan Tiamiyu. But their union kicked against their invitation on Sunday, saying it suspects a sinister plan by the police. NASU, therefore, called on all its members and those of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) to assemble by 12 noon at the gate of the Polytechnic in solidarity with the invited workers. A message sent to members of NASU by its chairman, Semiu Fasasi, Saturday evening, indicated that all the union members would visit the station at the appointed time. The memo reads in part; Great NASU! There is no cause for alarm! Its not only NASU matter but SSANIP inclusive. Ahead of our movement to the Police Station, all invitees and the Unions Executives are to meet at the 3rd Gate by 12:00 p.m tomorrow Sunday for a brief discussion. Lets remain calm! Aluta Continua! Victoria Ascerta! Addressing journalists in Abuja while monitoring the mock examination on April 1, the JAMB Registrar, Isiaq Oloyede, had condemned the alleged attack on his men. He also said efforts were on to investigate what transpired. The very first sad thing that we noticed was that two of our staff were almost murdered in Lagos. There was an attempt on their lives at the Lagos State Polytechnic. For whatever reason, they were wet (doused) with petrol, and they were to be set ablaze. We have sent a rescue team, and they took them to the hospital. We are still looking into what happened, but we have evacuated our staff from the place. PREMIUM TIMES also reported that the DPO for the Sagamu-Ikorodu Road Division, Adekunle Omisakin, confirmed that a male and a female had approached his station to report the alleged attack on them by some NASU members. According to Mr Omisakin, they complained that the suspects attempted to set them ablaze. He said they presented their clothes, smelling of petrol, as evidence. He, however, said he was not sure whether they were beaten and that they walked to the station unaided. We are still investigating the matter and I dont want to jump into conclusion. But the truth is that a man and a woman lodged a complaint and based on their statements we are trying to investigate the matter and get to its roots. Mr Omisakin did not reply a short message sent to his mobile line as at the time of filing this report. Meanwhile, JAMB has said it would not take the matter lightly as it has engaged the service of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria to prosecute the alleged attackers. A source at the examination body, who asked not to be named, said the registrar has vowed to ensure prosecution of whoever is found guilty of the act. I can confirm to you that our legal unit has engaged a popular SAN to prosecute the matter because as I speak to you the affected staffers are still in the hospital. It is that bad, the source said at the time. Despite assurances of availability of petrol by the federal government, many petrol stations in Osun State were not selling the product, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. A NAN correspondent who went round the Osun State capital and its environs on Sunday reported that many of the petrol stations were under lock and key. Meanwhile, the few petrol stations selling the product had long queues of vehicles. Tayo Arowolo, a fuel attendant in one of the filling stations visited, said the scarcity of the product was as a result of the inability of many of the Independent marketers to lift the product at the Lagos depot. Mr Arowolo said most petrol stations in the state were hoarding the products and selling to motorists at a particular time while others stopped selling earlier than expected. He said that if the situation was not urgently addressed, it would bring untold hardship to the people. Yusuf Ayinla, a motorist who was on the queue at Conoil filling station at Old Garage, Osogbo, said it was sad that petrol stations were hoarding the product thereby creating artificial scarcity. Mr Ayinla, however, implored the appropriate authorities to do the needful before things become more difficult for the common man. Another motorist, Ayo Adeyanju, said many commercial drivers were taking advantage of the scarcity to increase transport fares. Mr Adeyanju appealed to the government to intervene in the situation before it gets out of hand. (NAN) The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has accused petrol dealers in Ekiti State of hoarding petroleum products, worsening the scarcity of the product in the state. It, however, vowed to clamp down on stations hoarding or diverting products in the state. The command also said it would not allow unscrupulous dealers to create artificial scarcity in the state. The state governor, Kayode Fayemi, on Friday issued a similar threat against some petrol dealers, resulting in panic buying by motorists. The development had also resulted in long queues in filling stations across the state, with an increase in pump price from N145 to N160 per litre. Speaking with journalists in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, the NSCDC Commandant, Solomon Iyamu, said he had instructed anti-vandal operatives to commence random checks on petrol stations and arrest those hoarding the product. Mr Iyamu, who spoke through the Commands Public Relations Officer, Tolu Afolabi, added that the operation would begin by 8 a.m. on Monday. We are starting the operation on Monday and those sabotaging the system will be arrested and brought to justice, he said. We realised that long queues and artificial scarcity had been created by some petrol dealers and we are ready to address the issue. If we get to your petrol station and we found out that it has as high as 10,000 litres of petrol in its pits but the dealer is not selling, then he is liable and such person will face the law. We learnt from good authorities that very high number of our petrol stations are now hoarding the product. Some are also selling above N145 per litre, these are the issues we will tackle squarely. The NDCDC boss urged motorists to offer useful information to the command to help his men and officers in carrying out the operation. He promised that the command would also strengthen its operation to prevent those who could divert products meant for Ekiti to another state, thereby creating scarcity in the system. Meanwhile, in Ondo State, queues have returned to most of the feeling stations still selling the product at the regulated price. However, in other stations, the product is available for sale at a price slightly higher than the regulated price. It was observed that while some of them had not increased the pump price, customers were paying extra N100 for every N1000 worth of the product before the product was dispensed. 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. HOUSTON, April 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- KBR, Inc. (NYSE: KBR) announced today that its global government services business, KBRwyle, has been awarded multiple prime contracts to provide logistics support services to the U.S. Army, coalition partners and other federal agencies under the $82B Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) V contract. This indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract has an initial five-year ordering period and options for five additional one-year ordering periods. Under LOGCAP V, KBRwyle received a large performance task order to provide LOGCAP logistics support services in Afghanistan. It was also awarded contracts for setting the theater and associated performance task orders to support the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and Northern Command (NORTHCOM). Each task order has its own period of performance. "These awards are a direct result of the excellent work of our people and our unmatched track record providing reliable mission critical services to U.S. and allied troops," said Stuart Bradie, KBR President and CEO. "We are honored to continue our long service to the U.S. Army as a trusted LOGCAP partner." KBRwyle won three of the seven major contracts the U.S. Army awarded under LOGCAP V. "We believe these awards in aggregate will ultimately provide an increase to our business levels compared to the work we are currently performing. However, given the complexity of this procurement and attendant transition times, we do not believe this will have a material effect until 2020 and therefore is not expected to change our 2019 outlook," Bradie continued. Through LOGCAP V, KBRwyle will serve troops and allies by assisting the Army in executing theater support services on three different continents. KBRwyle has provided global base life support and logistics services through multiple LOGCAP contracts for more than two decades. During LOGCAP III, the company conducted the largest government services contract in United States history. The company was the initial LOGCAP contractor in Afghanistan in 2002 and set the theater for Operation Enduring Freedom. KBRwyle serves U.S. and allied military forces, and diplomatic and civilian personnel deployed around the world. Its commitment to improving military readiness began in WWII when it provided a home away from home to troops on the frontlines. Today, KBRwyle is known for its theater-opening expertise and providing contingency support services anytime, anywhere, even in the most extreme environments. 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 U.S. 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 RICHMOND, Va., April 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Markel Corporation (NYSE: MKL) (the "Company") previously reported that the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Bermuda Monetary Authority (together, the "Governmental Authorities") are conducting inquiries into loss reserves recorded in late 2017 and early 2018 at Markel CATCo Investment Management Ltd. and its subsidiaries (together, "CATCo"). These inquiries are limited to CATCo and do not involve the Company or its other subsidiaries. As the Company previously disclosed, it retained outside counsel to conduct an internal review of CATCo's loss reserving in late 2017 and early 2018. The internal review has recently been completed. The internal review conducted by outside counsel found no evidence that CATCo personnel acted in bad faith in exercising business judgment in the setting of reserves and making related disclosures during late 2017 and early 2018. The Company's outside counsel has met with the Governmental Authorities and reported the findings from the internal review. The Governmental Authorities' inquiries are ongoing and the Company continues to fully cooperate with them. The Company cannot currently predict the duration, scope or result of the Governmental Authorities' inquiries. About Markel Corporation Markel Corporation is a diverse financial holding company serving a variety of niche markets. The Company's principal business markets and underwrites specialty insurance products. In each of the Company's businesses, it seeks to provide quality products and excellent customer service so that it can be a market leader. The financial goals of the Company are to earn consistent underwriting and operating profits and superior investment returns to build shareholder value. Visit Markel Corporation on the web at www.markel.com . About Markel CATCo Markel CATCo creates and manages a series of innovative insurance-linked investment funds which provide its investors the opportunity to participate in a selected mix of catastrophe reinsurance risks accessed through its reinsurance company, Markel CATCo Re Ltd. The funds are diversified across a number of risk categories to limit the capital exposed to a single event, and are uncorrelated to traditional asset classes. The structure of the funds provides its reinsurance purchasers significant underwriting capacity and claims paying capabilities. Markel CATCo is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda and is authorized and regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority. For investor inquiries contact: Investor Relations 804-747-0136 [email protected] For media inquiries contact: Gladstone Place Partners Lauren Odell / Patricia Figueroa 212-230-5930 SOURCE Markel Corporation Related Links http://www.markel.com NEW YORK, April 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Latin Trade presented on Thursday the Latin Trade IndexAmericas Sustainability Award to five companies during a special event at the Colombian embassy in Washington, D.C. The event honors the companies in five categories that are at the forefront of sustainable practices in the region. "The private sector in the region is acknowledging the importance of our natural capital," said Alejandro Piedrahita, CFO of Colombia's Grupo Argos, Winner of the Latin Trade IndexAmericas Sustainability Award for Environment. "It is of the utmost importance for us to inspire our subsidiaries Cementos Argos, Celsia and Odinsa to be part of the solution to the problem we face today in the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals," he added during his award acceptance speech at the event. The winners on each category are: Environment: Grupo Argos Social: EDP Governance: PepsiCo Latin America Development: Citigroup Multilatinas: Mexichem Winners were selected by an editorial board from a universe of more than 6,000 firms, screened and narrowed down to 100 candidates by the Inter-American Development Bank on their IndexAmericas. They all share a rigorous method when it comes to building and managing a sustainable operation. Their boards set strict standards and clear goals on ESG (Environment, Social and Governance), as well as measure and monitor their progress towards meeting them. Their corporate culture places an uncompromising emphasis on ethics, human rights and is characterized by a strong drive to reach out to stakeholders and to promote transparent reporting. Congratulations once again to each company for setting the bar high in such a crucial and necessary aspect of today's business practices. About Latin Trade Latin Trade is a leading provider of information and business services to companies operating in Latin America. It publishes award-winning content in Spanish and English for distribution throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States through print and online media. Latin Trade publishes Latin Trade magazine and Latintrade.com. RELATED LINKS http://latintrade.com Media contact: David Buchanan [email protected] SOURCE Latin Trade NETANYA, Israel, April 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE: CEL) (the "Company") announced today an early repayment of a loan under the Company's August 2015 loan agreement with an Israeli bank, provided to the Company in December 2016, in an outstanding principal amount of NIS 112 million (in addition to outstanding accumulated interest until date of repayment). The 2015 bank loan was one of the Company's more expensive and shorter duration debt and its early repayment will reduce the Company's leverage and allow accumulated saving of approximately NIS 9 million of interest expenses. For additional details regarding the Company's existing debentures and existing loan agreements, including the terms of the repaid bank's August 2015 loan and the bank's outstanding loan provided in March 2019 (according to the June 2017 loan agreement), see our most recent annual report for the year ended December 31, 2018 on Form 20-F, filed on March 18, 2019, under "Item 5B. Liquidity and Capital Resources Debt Service Public Debentures" and "-Other Credit Facilities". About Cellcom Israel Cellcom Israel Ltd., established in 1994, is a leading Israeli communications group, providing a wide range of communications services. Cellcom Israel is the largest Israeli cellular provider, providing its approximately 2.851 million cellular subscribers (as at December 31, 2018) with a broad range of services including cellular telephony, roaming services for tourists in Israel and for its subscribers abroad, text and multimedia messaging, advanced cellular content and data services and other value-added services in the areas of music, video, mobile office etc., based on Cellcom Israel's technologically advanced infrastructure. The Company operates an LTE 4 generation network and an HSPA 3.5 Generation network enabling advanced high speed broadband multimedia services, in addition to GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks. Cellcom Israel offers Israel's broadest and largest customer service infrastructure including telephone customer service centers, retail stores, and service and sale centers, distributed nationwide. Cellcom Israel further provides OTT TV services, internet infrastructure and connectivity services and international calling services, as well as landline telephone services in Israel. Cellcom Israel's shares are traded both on the New York Stock Exchange (CEL) and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (CEL). For additional information please visit the Company's website http://investors.cellcom.co.il. Company Contact Shlomi Fruhling Chief Financial Officer [email protected] Tel: +972 52 998 9735 Investor Relations Contact Ehud Helft GK Investor & Public Relations In partnership with LHA [email protected] Tel: +1 617 418 3096 SOURCE Cellcom Israel Ltd. CEIBS' commitment to educating responsible business leaders was reaffirmed by the school's President Li Mingjun in his welcome speech to those gathered at the school's Beijing Campus, and broadcast live to a packed auditorium at the school's flagship Shanghai Campus. "We want to develop business leaders who can make a positive impact on the society," he said. While sharing highlights from his 30-year journey with CEIBS, renowned economist and CEIBS Honorary Professor Wu Jinglian noted that "social responsibility has become a very important part of CEIBS' mission statement." And in his look ahead at CEIBS' future, President (European) Dipak Jain told the audience that, "there is a much bigger journey, one that is about making a difference in other parts of the world." In addition to the school leadership's inclusion of CSR at the organization's strategic level, CEIBS alumni have also made it a major focus. It is the theme for all their upcoming annual meetings and today's CSR forum served as the backdrop for the release of CEIBS' second annual CSR report, a joint project between the school's faculty and alumni. Along with the strong CSR theme, today's launch was also an opportunity to reminisce and look ahead to the future. In his speech President Li also spoke about the challenges and accomplishments of the last quarter century, during which the school a successful joint venture between China and the EU has played a major role in strengthening the relationship between both sides. He also looked ahead to the role CEIBS will play in shaping the future of the global economy. "With China's increasing global status and the deepening integration of its economy with the rest of the world, the focus of global management education is also shifting to China," he said. "CEIBS will continue to shoulder important missions in the future. Today, I hope as we all relive the path that CEIBS has travelled, we will also embrace and move forward with the school's time-honoured traditions." Meanwhile President (European) Jain shared the school's plans to while maintaining its focus on China enhance its international visibility, build a strong presence in the US through partnerships with other schools and companies and strengthen its European and African initiatives. The next eight months of anniversary celebrations will span 11 cities across 4 continents and is expected to help boost the school's visibility outside of China. Today's dual-city celebration follows the international anniversary launch in Ghana on April 9, which included a signature CEIBS 1+1 Lecture at the school's Accra Campus. In the coming months, there will be 5 major conferences overseas. The first of these will take place on May 15 in Boston, USA, and will explore the topic of the increasingly important digital economy. On July 5, a special Munich Forum will focus on how China and Germany can work together in the context of changing consumer needs and the technological revolution. Then, on July 12, CEIBS will host a Roundtable Workshop in Brussels, where a carefully selected group of participants will discuss Sino-EU economic cooperation. These are just some of the activities planned to mark the CEIBS 25th Anniversary Celebration in Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America, before culminating in a closing ceremony at CEIBS' flagship Shanghai campus in November. The theme of the eight-month-long celebration is China Essence, Global Significance. For more details about CEIBS 25th Anniversary Celebration visit http://www.ceibs.edu/special/25/en/index.html About CEIBS China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) is among the top international business schools in Asia, where it is the only one to have simultaneously made it to the Financial Times' top 5 list of global MBA and EMBA programmes. CEIBS has more than 22,000 alumni from over 80 countries worldwide, and over the last 25 years has provided a broad range of management programmes to more than 160,000 executives both at home and abroad. It also offers a Finance MBA, Hospitality EMBA and a wide range of Executive Education programmes. With a faculty team that has extensive China knowledge and global insight, CEIBS is uniquely equipped to nurture business leaders, at every stage of their careers, preparing them to make a global impact. An unrivalled China expert, CEIBS is guided by the concept of China Depth, Global Breadth. This is tangibly reflected in the school's activities and operations at its 5 campuses across 3 continents. CEIBS has campuses in Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen in China, as well as Zurich in Switzerland, and Accra in Ghana. SOURCE China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) Islamabad, April 14 : The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack at a vegetable and fruit market in Pakistan's city of Quetta. The militant group said in a statement on Saturday that one of its members carried out the suicide attack that killed and injured several Shiite community members and Pakistani troops. There was no official confirmation from the Pakistani side yet. Provincial Home Minister Mir Zia Ullah Langau told local media that at least 20 people, including a soldier of paramilitary troops Frontier Corps (FC) and two children, were killed while 48 others, including four FC personnel, got injured in Friday's attack. Deputy Inspector General of Quetta Police Abdul Razzaq Cheema said the blast targeted the Hazara community of minority Shiite Muslims, and at least eight people from Hazara community were among the killed. Shortly after the attack, the Hazara community members including women and children staged a sit-in which continued on Saturday, demanding better security measures from the government. The protesters demand that the government implement an effective security plan and ensure protection of the community. The Senate Standing Committee on Interior also sought a report from the Interior Ministry on the action taken so far against terrorists and banned outfits involved in Hazara killings. The committee voiced serious concern over the Quetta blast and continued killings of members of the Hazara community. Kolkata, April 14 : Infighting over spoils of office, control of the lucrative construction material businesses and factional feuds between the old guard and new members may adversely hit the chances of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, though to a very limited extent, party insiders and analysts say. While a minister IANS contacted disconnected the call when he was asked about the issue, a middle level Trinamool leader said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to take advantage of the ruling party's internal conflicts, especially after Banerjee's erstwhile second in command Mukul Roy crossed over to the saffron outfit. However, political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty felt that BJP had smartly stoked the aspirations of a number of Trinamool leaders to take them in their fold. "Somebody like Arjun Singh wanted to become an MP, but the party did not consider him. So he left. Similarly there are others who may be feeling they are stagnating in their old posts, or maybe, desiring to become ministers. They are leaving the party and joining the BJP," Chakraborty, a professor of political science at the Rabindra Bharati University, said. A master in engineering defections, Roy was known for bringing leaders and public representatives from other parties to the Trinamool fold for years. He has shown the same skills after joining the BJP, roping in two sitting Trinamool MPs Anupam Hazra and Saumitra Khan, besides a number of other leaders and activists. He has also weaned away leaders from the Left parties including the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). Also known for his wide contacts across the political spectrum, Roy keeps in touch with a good number of leaders from his former party, often sowing the seed of suspicion in Trinamool ranks. A case in point was how he dropped into Bidhannagar Mayor and Trinamool lawmaker Sabyasachi Dutta's house last month to have a meal of 'luchi' and 'aloor dam'. Roy's visit made Dutta almost a pariah in Trinamool, as the party began monitoring all his movements with great suspicion. Born from the Congress' womb, the Trinamool has imbibed the parent party's factionalism since it came into existence on January 1, 1998. With the passage of time and the party's rapid expansion that culminated in Trinamool taking over the reins of West Bengal, the bickering has only magnified. According to Chakraborty, there are at least three or four variants of infighting in the Trinamool. "The feud between the old guard of the Trinamool and the new faces who crossed over from the CPI-M after the party came to power is quite intense. "Then there is the fight over the spoils of office, sharing of the cake, that is money. The monetary factor has led to much blood-letting, violence, murder," he said. "The building construction materials supply business has also led to fierce infighting. The syndicates formed for the supply business have been quite notorious in creating law and order issues," said another analyst, not wishing to be named. In fact, the infighting became so serious that Trinamool chairperson and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in February publicly cautioned workers to stay away from factional squabbles and carry out their duties in a spirit of unity in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls. Last year, infighting had cost the party dear as it lost a number of seats in the Junglemahal area (comprising forest stretches of Paschim Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura and parts of Birbhum districts) to the BJP during the Panchayat polls. After the internal fights came to the surface, the party leadership had deputed a number of heavyweight ministers and party stalwarts to Junglemahal to sort out the problems. At the same time, Banerjee sacked three of her cabinet ministers, apparently holding them responsible for the party's setbacks. According to Chakraborty, had there been a party other than the BJP, like a strong CPI-M, it could have exploited the issue to the hilt. "The problem with the BJP is the percentage of Muslim electors in every constituency. In 28 of the 42 seats in the state, Muslims form 30 per cent or more of the population. And the community has deep distrust for Modi's BJP. So naturally, whatever advantage BJP could have hoped to get, is nullified to a large extent by the M factor," he said. Chandigarh, April 14 : By 0fielding former Union Minister Kumari Selja, state Congress President Ashok Tanwar and former cabinet Minister Ajay Singh Yadav for the May 12 Lok Sabha elections in Haryana, the opposition Congress has again taken a political gamble of fielding big names to take on the ruling BJP in Haryana. With its recent experiment of fielding sitting Legislator Randeep Singh Surjewala for the Jind Assembly seat by-election in January this year ending up as a flop show, the Congress party in Haryana could find itself in a make or break situation if its big guns fail to win in the Lok Sabha polls. This is because Assembly elections in the state are due in October this year and the result of the Lok Sabha poll will definitely have a bearing on the Assembly elections. Surjewala, who is the sitting Congress Legislator from the Kaithal Assembly seat, was fielded by the party as a "strong candidate" for the Jind by-election in January this year to give a tough fight to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, Surjewala, who is a known face at the national level being the head of the Congress media wing, finished a poor third in the bypoll result leaving himself and the party politically embarrassed. "What was even more damaging for the Congress and Surjewala was the fact that the winner in the bypoll (Krishan Lal Middha) and the runner up (Digvijay Chautala of the newly-formed Jannayak Janata Party) were both rookie candidates," a Congress Legislator told IANS here. Surjewala, in whom some Congressmen see a Chief Minister in the making, secured only 22,740 votes against the 50,566 votes bagged by the winning BJP candidate. Digvijay Chautala finished a creditable second in the election by getting 37,631 votes. The Congress on Saturday released its list of six out of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. The party has 4-5 factions within the state unit and the party's in-charge for the state, Ghulam Nabi Azad, is trying to bring them together in view of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Sitting Member of Parliament (MP) from Rohtak seat, Deepender Singh Hooda, who is the son of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has been re-nominated for the seat. Former Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Selja has been fielded from Ambala seat and Ashok Tanwar from Sirsa Lok Sabha seat. Both seats are reserved for scheduled caste candidates. Both candidates had lost in the 2014 general election on these seats. The party has fielded former MP Shruti Chaudhary, who is the daughter of former cabinet Minister Kiran Chaudhary, from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh, Ajay Singh Yadav from Gurgaon and new face Lalit Nagar, whose brother is said to be close to Congress President Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra, from the Faridabad seat. The Congress in 2014 won only one seat - Rohtak (Deepender Hooda). The BJP won seven seats and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) two - Hisar and Sirsa. The INLD is now in political disarray following a split in the family of party President Om Prakash Chautala and the sitting MP from Hisar, Dushyant Chautala, floating the JJP. Haryana's ruling BJP is in an upbeat mood after its win in recent mayoral elections and the Jind bypoll. Kolkata, April 14 : With a round of Lok Sabha elections over in West Bengal, the BJP appears upbeat, hoping to make big gains from a state where it has been traditionally weak. The BJPs confidence stems from the hard work it has done in the state for years, supported by other rightwing Hindutva groups in both urban, rural and tribal areas. "I can now say with some degree of certainty that we are giving the Trinamool a good fight in all the 42 seats in the state. The question is not whether we have made inroads in this part or that part of the state. "We are everywhere, from Darjeeling in the north to Bongaon in the south," state BJP Secretary Ritesh Tiwari told IANS. According to another state party office-bearer, in 20 of the seats the fight is so intense that "anything may happen". "In only six seats - three in Murshidabad district, two in Malda, and one in North Dinajpur, there are several contestants. In the remaining 36 seats, it is a straight fight between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP," said the office-bearer. The claims paint a scenario that was unthinkable in the state three years back when the last Assembly polls were held. But this is no out-of-the-blue phenomenon. "We have toiled hard for years. Soon after the 2016 polls, select trained cadres were sent to areas like Jangalmahal or the border regions which had the potential for making a difference to the BJP's prospects in the state. "After detailed analysis of results, a list of 20-22 high-priority seats was prepared where the focus was on strengthening booth-level organisations. But it is true that the results derived were not the same everywhere," said a middle level BJP worker who did not want to be named. Meanwhile, other Sangh Parivar outfits worked on Hindu society-focused programmes. The steady increase in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh shakhas - the smallest RSS unit where daily activities are held - is a case in point. According to the Sangh's south Bengal Prachar Pramukh Biplob Roy, the number of shakhas in the state stands at close to 2,000. The figure was 902 in 2013, 1,240 in 2014 and over 1,800 in April 2017. Another RSS constituent, the Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, which focuses on the welfare activities of Scheduled Tribes in remote areas, has been working for decades in Jangalmahal, the forested stretches of western districts like Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura and parts of Birbhum. It has constructed a hostel for tribal students in Mallarpur of Birbhum district. "The Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram has been working in the state since 1972-73. It has a lot of influence in Purulia, Bankura and Jhargram," Roy told IANS. "The Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram has admitted students to schools for over 25 years. Many former students are now our active members. They are helping us in increasing our footprint." "The number of Saraswati Sishu Mandirs in the state has grown to 325," he said, The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has organised 700 processions involving more than 40 lakh people across the state to celebrate Ram Navami on a grand scale over three days since April 13. Last year, the VHP held 1,000 rallies in West Bengal to celebrate Janmashtami. "In Bengal, a major problem is the government's appeasement politics targeting the minority vote bank. We are there to protect the Hindu religion," VHP Bengal unit spokesman Sourish Mukherjee told IANS. Having set up its units in all the districts and most of the blocks in the state, the VHP now has 40,000 members, same as the Bajrang Dal, while Durga Vahini, its youth wing for girls, has over 20,000 members, Mukherjee said. Like the Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, the VHP's focus area is also Jangalmahal and border areas, which also form part of the BJP's plan for the state. State BJP President Dilip Ghosh said there was no Hindu-Muslim polarization in Bengal even though the Trinamool Congress was attempting to "mislead" the minority community through a vicious communal campaign that painted his party as "anti-Muslim". "But the plan did not succeed. We have Muslim candidates. Lots of Muslims, among them intellectuals from the community, are campaigning for us," Ghosh told IANS. He said there was, however, polarization in favour of his party on issues like corruption, violence and lawlessness in the state. "This would spell doom for the Trinamool Congress." The BJP is confident that even it loses seats in Uttar Pradesh or in north India, the results in West Bengal would give it a boost. New Delhi, April 14 : Andrew Mason founded Groupon -- an online platform that helps people find deals on local restaurants, goods and services -- in 2008. As a CEO, he declined Google's offer to buy his company for $6 billion in 2010. Mason, known for drinking beer at the company's annual meetings, has been criticised in the Silicon Valley for not being mature enough to run the company. Mason, however, is not the lone entrepreneur to face such criticism. The stark truth behind the downfall of tech majors like Kodak, Blackberry or video rental company Blockbuster - not to forget the untimely death of scores of start-ups - is when top leadership mess things up, either owing to poor decisions or throwing arrogance in the public domain, especially on social media. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Facebook Founder-CEO Mark Zuckerberg fits the bill in the current scenario. The blue-eyed boys of Silicon Valley, the duo - stubborn and arrogant to a large extent - has created super-cool brands that has the potential to change the world (only if they want that to happen). The man behind several successful ventures -- PayPal, Tesla Motors, SpaceX and SolarCity - Musk has rewritten the rules how innovation and hard work can transform businesses. Amid all the good stuff he is doing, Musk's irresponsible tweets have created a havoc, both in the lives of investors and the company insiders. Smoking marijuana on a live show and abusing people on Twitter (calling a Thailand cave rescuer "child rapist" and "pedo"), Musk invited trouble for himself. After facing widespread backlash, Musk eventually apologised to the Thai diver. In August 2018, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against Musk after he tweeted that he was considering taking the company private. Musk and Tesla later settled with the SEC. Tesla agreed to pay a $20 million fine and Musk stepped down as Tesla Chairman for at least three years. In March this year, the SEC pulled up Musk for blatantly violating the settlement pact. The SEC said Musk had regularly published substantive information about Tesla and its business in tweets even after the pact. "Take a breath. Come back with your reasonableness pants on," a US District Court judge told Musk during the hearing on the Tesla-SEC case earlier this month. He was also criticised for allegedly pushing a former Tesla employee who resigned and was attempting to say goodbye to a co-workers. Tesla, meanwhile, survived the lowest sales in nearly two years - a 31 per cent decline in deliveries in the first quarter of 2019 as compared to the final quarter of 2018. In the words of a Twitter user who goes by the name of Drew G.: "I don't have much, but I believe in you and your vision. Unfortunately, I invest what little I have into @Tesla and I continuously lose months worth of savings due to your tweets. Please think of us small people". In the case of Zuckerberg, his failure to take action to address obvious flaws in Facebook and to protect the brand is well documented in the latest book 'Zucked' by Roger McNamee, a famed Silicon Valley fund manager and venture capitalist. Zuckerberg initially denied the existence - and later responsibility - for "coordinated inauthentic behaviours" on his platforms, including WhatsApp and Instagram, as data breaches kept happening. Internally, Zukerberg's goal to monetise all its platforms -- WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram -- has forced several key people to leave the company. One of them, Brian Acton, told Forbes that Zuckerberg was in a rush to make money from the messaging service and undermine elements of its encryption technology. "Targeted advertising is what makes me unhappy," Acton said. Facebook got another jolt when Instagram founders Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom quit the company, also reportedly due to disagreements with Zuckerberg. Before his death, Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs said: "Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it". The cost of arrogance is business and being humble in the public domain -- the way Google's Sundar Pichai, Microsoft's Satya Nadella or Apple's Tim Cook display -- is the key to win the trust of customers and users. (Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in) Kollam : , April 14 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a liar. Addressing an election rally here, about 70 km from the state capital, Vijayan slammed Modi for speaking about Sabarimala in neighbouring states, while in Kerala he did not take the name of the shrine when he spoke at a rally at Kozhikode last week. "Modi is going around saying that if anyone utters the word Sabarimala during the election campaign in Kerala, they will be arrested. This is baseless and a big lie," the Chief Minister said. "What we did was only to abide by the apex court directive on Sabarimala. Those who violated the rule of law were arrested," said Vijayan. Modi, while addressing election rallies in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, had breathed fire against Vijayan for arresting devotees who protested against the manner in which the tradition and culture of Sabarimala were violated. "Modi as the Prime Minister also would have done the same thing and that's to abide by the directive of the apex court," Vijayan said. "To protect the democratic principles of our country, we have to abide by the verdicts of the apex court. That's all what we did. But what the Sangh Parivar forces did was to send criminals (to the town). "I am sure Modi also would have had a role in creating unrest at the Sabarimala temple town," said Vijayan, and asked the people to vote for the Left Democratic Front led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). CPI-M Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told the media on Sunday that the 'Sabarimala Karma Samithi' which protested in front of the Secretariat was a 'karma samithi' of the RSS and its leader Swami Chithananda Puri was no 'swami' but a RSS leader. On Saturday, the Swami urged people to defeat those opposed to the tradition and culture of the Sabarimala temple. New Delhi, April 14 : With some poll surveys predicting that BJP-led NDA may fall short of numbers in the Lok Sabha elections, the role of regional political parties can become crucial in deciding who forms the government at the Centre, if the predictions prove correct. Particular focus will be on parties such as YSR Congress led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, TRS led by K Chandrasekhar Rao, BJD of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and the BSP-SP combine, which have displayed equidistance with both the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led UPA. Trinamool Congress led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TDP headed by Chandrababu Naidu could also find a role in the government-formation at the Centre. Banerjee and Naidu have been making efforts to cobble up an anti-BJP coalition and had even hobnobbed with the Congress in this regard. However, Banerjee, while strongly attacking the BJP, has also been targeting the Congress, which has reciprocated in equal manner. The BSP and SP, while being highly critical of the BJP, also snubbed the Congress by keeping it out of their pre-poll coalition. These regional parties are players at around 180 out of the total 543 Lok Sabha seats and the criticality of their role will be determined by the numbers they get in the elections. A hung parliament would throw up several possibilities and the leaders of the non-Congress and non-BJP block appear to favour such a situation. Jagan Mohan Reddy had said earlier this month that he is hoping for a hung Parliament so that he gets a better deal for the state. Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) leader Kamal Haasan had also said that the Lok Sabha election will result in a hung Parliament and there is a possibility of the Third Front forming the government. A pre-poll survey conducted by Lokniti of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies had said that despite an increase in vote share, the BJP is likely to lose seats due to a "more united Opposition" in key states. The survey pegged BJP's seat estimate between 222 and 232, far less than 283 seats that it won in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The pre-poll survey showed that Congress party could win 74-84. The party had won just 44 seats in 2014. The survey showed that National Democratic Alliance may or may not cross the majority mark, wining between 263 and 283 seats. The United Progressive Alliance is estimated to have between 115 and 135 seats. A CVoter-IANS opinion poll released in mid-March had said that NDA is predicted to get 264 seats, falling eight short of the half-way mark of 272 to form the government. It said that UPA - led by the Congress - can get only 141 seats. Some surveys have also predicted a majority for the NDA. There had also been a talk of a federal front before the elections and Rao had held meetings before the elections to bring together non-BJP, non-NDA parties. Such efforts may gain momentum after the elections. If there is a possibility of formation of a third front government, some present allies of BJP and Congress may also join it. Kathua : , April 14 (IANS) India has called nuclear-armed Pakistan's bluff with its air strikes on terror camps in that country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, adding that one country cannot have two Prime Ministers. Referring to the air strikes by the Indian Air Force (IAF) at Balakot, Modi told an election rally here: "Pakistan and its supporters have been threatening us for long with its nuclear capability but the IAF called its bluff with its strikes. "Those days are gone when India would give in to threats. This is a new India and it will strike terrorists well inside their hideouts across the border," he thundered. In his speech, Modi took on both the Congress as well as the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Accusing the Congress and its allies of always criticizing him for highlighting India's security situation, he said: "They do so because they never fully trusted the country's defence forces. "The Congress always restricted our Army from going all out against terrorists. It has used the defence forces only for income generation, be it Bofors or helicopter deals. The Congress and its allies keep politics above the security of the country. "Some people are so involved in anti-Modi tirade that they have forgotten the security of the country," he said. Modi accused the National Conference and PDP of supporting separatism. "They threaten India with a separate Prime Minister and also separation of the state from the country. "I want to make it clear to these separatist supporters that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and will remain so. The people of J&K are not the slaves of the Abdullahs and the Muftis whose three generations have ruled this state. "It was in Kathua that Shyama Prasad Mookerjee unfurled the tricolour and Prem Nath Dogra stood with him. One country cannot have two Prime Ministers, two flags and two Constitutions. That commitment made by Shyama Prasad Mookerjee is our firm resolve," he said. "These corrupt families of J&K must know that Modi will stand like a wall against their attempts to continue their family rule in the state. They may keep abusing me but they will not succeed in dividing this country. "They have already destroyed three generations of people in the state." Modi also promised citizenship rights for West Pakistan refugees and the return of Kashmiri Pandit migrants to the Kashmir Valley once he was voted back to power. The Prime Minister said while did not doubt Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's nationalist credentials, "he was under tremendous pressure from the Congress family not to attend the official function at Jallianwala Bagh in memory of the martyrs." Chennai, April 14 : Superstar Rajinikanth and actor Suriya led a slew of celebrities from the southern and Hindi film industries to wish fans on Tamil New Year on Sunday. The Tamil New Year is celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai which normally falls on April 13 or 14 annually. The film celebrities sent out message of love to fans via social media. Actor Suriya chose the day to share a poster of his upcoming film with K.V. Anand while composer A.R. Rahman put out devotion song "Sai Shirdi Sai". "Like they say, you don't compose a song, the song composes you... Here it is, celebrate your Tamil New Year's Day with 'Sai Shirdi Sai'." Hansika Motwane, Kajal Aggarwal, Siddharth, Rupa Manjari and Esha Deol were other actors to share their wishes. "Wishing my Tamil audience a very happy New Year," tweeted Kajal. Siddharth wrote: "Tamil New Year. Peace and love." Rupa shared: "May God bless you all a life full of sunshine and peace always. Happy Tamil New Year." Seoul, April 14 : Anthony Russo, one half of the Russo brothers, says it is incredibly special that their forthcoming film "Avengers: Endgame" will have Stan Lee's final cameo, and that they are developing a "little something" on the late comic legend. Lee, who revolutionised comic books and created superhero characters such as Spider-Man, Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk, died on November 12, 2018. Many also remember him for his cameos in movies such as "Spider-Man: Homecoming", "Iron Man" and "Thor". "We love Stan Lee and I think it's incredibly special that '...Endgame' will be his final cameo. We are fascinated by the life of Stan Lee and we are actually developing a little something that has to do with his work in the history of Marvel," Anthony told IANS here. "But we are not ready to present it or talk about it yet. It's more of a documentary," he added. Lee began his career at what was then Timely Comics in 1939. Over the years, he was a writer, editor and occasional illustrator. He joined the Marvel Comics in 1961. He often made appearances at comic book conventions and lectured at colleges. Lee continued to play an important role as Marvel transitioned into television during the 1980s, serving as narrator on animated series like "Incredible Hulk". The Russo brothers are here to promote their superhero film "Avengers: Endgame", which is slated to release in India on April 26 in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. (Natalia Ningthoujam is in Seoul on an invitation by Disney India. She can be contacted at natalia.n@ians.in) Chandigarh, April 14 : Within hours of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's absence at the main function to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by British forces, the Chief Minister on Sunday hit back. Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu had presided over the function on Saturday afternoon at the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial in Amritsar to commemorate the event. Punjab Governor V.P. Singh Badnore was present at the function but Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who paid homage to the martyrs at the venue on Saturday along with Congress President Rahul Gandhi, stayed away. Taking strong exception to Modi's remarks made at a rally in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, Amarinder Singh on Sunday said that "dirty politics was being played over the sombre occasion of the Jallianwala Bagh centenary". Countering Modi's attack on him over the Jallianwala Bagh event organised by the central government, Amarinder Singh said the Centre had deliberately chosen to hold a parallel event instead of supporting the initiatives and programmes of the state government. "I had personally approached the Prime Minister several times over the last two years to seek support for ensuring that the centenary of the historic event is observed in a befitting manner but the central government had failed to respond suitably," the Chief Minister pointed out. "Instead, the Modi government decided to hold its own event, quite evidently to score brownie political points in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha elections. This was truly shocking considering the fact that the Prime Minister was Chairman of the Jallianwala Bagh Trust," he said in a statement here. "Shocked at your remarks in Kathua on Jallianwala Bagh @narendramodiji. You used a somber occasion to play dirty politics, conveniently ignoring your own government's decision to hold a parallel event instead of extending support to my government, which we'd been requesting for 2 yrs," the Chief Minister also tweeted. "Unlike the BJP, the Congress leadership does not believe in dictating terms to its state governments," Amarinder Singh said, countering Modi's remark that he did not attend the central government event under pressure from his party high command. Amarinder Singh also exhorted the Prime Minister not to exploit the martyrdom of the victims of the violence unleashed by the British during the freedom struggle or of the soldiers dying every day at the borders or in ISI-backed terror attacks such as Pulwama to further his and his party's political ambitions. Condemning the Prime Minister for trying to mislead the people with this politically motivated falsehoods, he said it was Modi who had insulted the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh, first by not being present at any of the commemorative events and then by choosing to politicise the occasion. Amarinder Singh said that all the necessary protocols were duly followed, including appointment of a cabinet Minister to be present at the Vice President's function on Saturday. Bhubaneswar, April 14 : With the campaign for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha picking up, central leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are descending on the state to woo the voters in favour of their party candidates. Odisha is one of the key eastern states where the saffron party has placed high hopes on making significant gains. The Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are being held simultaneously in the state in four phases. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the state on April 16. He is scheduled to address two rallies in Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur on the same day. Modi will also hold a roadshow in Bhubaneswar and address a public meeting at the Baramunda Ground here, state BJP vice-president Samir Mohanty said on Sunday. Modi will hold a roadshow from the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) to the meeting venue via Siripur Square, Mohanty said. Both Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur parliamentary constituencies will go to the polls in the third phase on April 23. BJP national President Amit Shah will also address two rallies in Baramba in Cuttack district and Dhenkanal on April 17. Shah had addressed a public meeting on April 12. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will hit the election campaign trail in Odisha on Monday. During his one-day visit to the state, Yogi will attend public rallies in Rourkela, Angul and Phulbani, said BJP spokesperson Golak Mohapatra. While several Union Ministers have already visited the state, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari on Sunday attended roadshows and public rallies at Brajarajnagar and Jharsuguda. To counter the BJP, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has depended on its president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is moving across the state to woo the voters. The Chief Minister will campaign in Bargarh and Bolangir districts on April 15 with a night stay scheduled at Bargarh. On April 16, he will visit his second assembly constituency of Bijepur, where he is scheduled to hold public meetings. Patnaik is contesting from the Hinjili and the Bijepur Assembly constituencies, both of which will vote in the second phase on April 18. New Delhi, April 14 : As telecom major Vodafone Idea (VIL) opened its rights issue on Wednesday for the next two weeks with an aim to raise Rs 25,000 crore, sector experts say the fund would not be enough for the company given its high debt and the highly-competitive market. In the meantime, Bharti Airtel too has announced that on April 24 its committee for fund infusion would decide on the shareholders who would be able to participate in its rights issue for around Rs 25,000 crore. Analysts say Airtel is in a better financial position than Vodafone Idea and unlike the newly-merged entity, the amount raised from the rights issue by Sunil Bharti Mittal-led Airtel would be sufficient for the time being. Vodafone Idea is offering 2,000 crore shares at a price of Rs 12.50 apiece. The entitlement ratio of the issue, which will close on April 24, has been fixed at 87 rights shares for every 38 currently held. Under rights issue, existing shareholders are offered to purchase additional stock shares, known as subscription warrants, in proportion to their existing holdings. In a rights offering, the subscription price at which each share may be purchased is generally discounted relative to the current market price. Rights are often transferable, allowing the holder to sell them in the open market. "Vodafone idea is very stretched because their Ebitda has fallen to about $650 million(around Rs 4,495 crore), their debt is also quite high and their leverage as measured by debt-to-Ebitda too is high," Nitin Soni, Director for corporate ratings at Fitch Ratings, told IANS. He said that Airtel is a diversified company and has operations in Africa as well while Vodafone Idea is a telecom-specific company which has severely deteriorated its financials. "In that light, their (Airtel's) equity injection is sufficient and they are going to raise another $3 billion from African IPO and sale of assets, but for Vodafone idea it is insufficient and they might have to raise more money in future because their capex plan is about $3.5-4 billion," Soni said. He added: "They (Vodafone Idea) need to invest heavily to avoid any network congestion and their Ebitda has fallen much more than Bharti's. So all in all they would probably need more equity, or stake or sale of other assets". According to the company's promoter shareholders, Vodafone Group and Aditya Birla Group have confirmed their participation of up to Rs 11,000 crore and up to Rs 7,250 crore, respectively, in the rights issue. "It is not compulsory that the rights issues of companies are fully subscribed over time, it is up to the market conditions and existing shareholders, and whether they rely on the management and the future expansion plans of the company," said Manish Yadav, Head of Research, CapitalAim. Amit Gupta, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Trading Bells, said the fund would work for two or three quarters but the company would require additional infusion after that. "Vodafone Idea has a overall debt of Rs 1,23,000 crore with a gross debt-to-Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) ratio of 33.30. After infusion of the equity capital through the rights issue, the debt would reduce to Rs 98,000 crore and its debt-to-Ebitda ratio would decline to 26.50 which would still be higher than that of its competitors Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio," Gupta said. The company is also looking to sell its 11.5 per cent stake in Indus Towers in the next two to three months and raise around Rs 5,500 crore. Off late, apart from loss in revenue, Vodafone Idea has also lost a large number subscribers to both Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio. Vodafone Idea, the largest telecom operator in terms of subscribers, lost 35.87 lakh users taking its total base to 41.52 crore while both Jio and Airtel added to their subscriber base. From the industry perspective, Prashant Singhal, Emerging Markets TMT Leader at Ernst & Young, said that although the rights issue would help in reducing the debt, the sector being a capital intensive industry, companies would continue to need capital for expanding and investing their networks. He said that rationalisation of tariffs, which are extremely low currently, would give a much-needed boost to the sector, apart from the capital infusion. Representational Picture of Maitree Express Dhaka, Apr 14 (IBNS): At least three people were killed as the Dhaka-bound international passenger train Maitree Express rammed a mini-truck in Bangladesh's Sirajganj area on Saturday, media reports said on Sunday. Mini-truck driver Surja Pramanik, 45, of Borokura village died on the spot, Sub-Inspector Shafiqul Islam of Kamarkhand police told The Daily Star newspaper. Cattle trader Rafiqul Islam, 42, of Pakuria village was declared dead after he was taken to the upazila health complex and his fellow trader Minhaj alias Nihar, 25, of the same village died while undergoing treatment, read the newspaper. The accident occurred around 1:30pm when the train coming from Kolkata hit the mini-truck in Koyelgati area when the truck carrying three traders and five animals was crossing the railway track, the police official told the Bangladesh-based newspaper. Divisional Railway Manager Nazmul Islam said the mishap occurred on a level crossing which was 'unauthorised'. Nobody consulted with the railway authorities before constructing the level crossing, he told The Daily Star. A four-member probe committee headed by a transportation inspector would investigate the collision and installation of the level crossing without their approval, he told the newspaper. Aligarh, April 14 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lashed out at the Congress for humiliating the author of the Indian Constitution Dr B.R. Ambedkar and not giving him his due. Addressing an election rally here, Modi said: "The Congress has always insulted Dr Ambedkar. But I have seen other parties too that claimed to follow the ideology of Dr Ambedkar and then betrayed him. For all these parties, it is the family that comes first." The Prime Minister pointed out that it was because of the struggle and efforts of Dr Ambedkar that people from ordinary families could become the President and the Vice President of India and a tea seller was the country's Prime Minister. Emphasising that the people had faith in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as in the 'chowkidar', Modi said: "You have seen the work done in the past five years and this gives you hope for the work that is to be done in the next five years. The mission of this chowkidar is to wipe out terrorism, corruption, illness and poverty. "Your chowkidar is working day and night to fulfil your aspirations. We are working for the poor and our schemes are designed with them in mind. Every person will get the respect he deserves," he said. Modi listed out programmes launched by his government such as the free gas connections Ujjwala Scheme, the National Health Protection Scheme or Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and rural electrification scheme. "Our development is not caste-oriented and we work for every individual." Referring to chants of 'Modi, Modi' at the rally, he said that the opposition was spending sleepless nights seeing the "love and blessings" of the people for the Prime Minister. Mumbai, April 14 : Crisis-hit Jet Airways on Sunday said it has extended the cancellation of its west-bound flights -- to and from Amsterdam, London and Paris -- until April 16. The airline had, on April 12, extended the suspension of its services to these destinations till April 15. "Jet Airways would like to clarify that it has currently suspended operations to SAARC and ASEAN destinations, as well as to or from Toronto and Paris from Chennai. The airline has also cancelled its long-haul, west-bound operations to or from Amsterdam, London Heathrow, and Paris until April 16, 2019," a Jet spokesperson said. The spokesperson also said that the airline has restricted sales on certain routes for a few days in order to re-accommodate guests "who have unfortunately been inconvenienced by the interim cancellations". IANS had exclusively reported earlier in the day that Jet has stopped forward bookings for some of its international sectors, including those for east Asia. At present, the airline is operating only 7 aircraft for domestic operations due to grounding of over 80 per cent of its fleet by lessors, which has resulted in the cancellation of several hundred daily flights, resulting in inconvenience for scores of passengers at various airports. The airline's unpaid employees too are upset and they have taken out silent marches in New Delhi and Mumbai. Hyderabad, April 14 : Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working President K. T. Rama Rao on Sunday said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N. Chandrababu Naidu was raising doubts about electronic voting machines (EVMs) out of fear of losing the elections. Reacting to Naidu leading a campaign along with some other parties against the EVMs, Rao wondered how Naidu, who had won the 2014 elections with EVMs, could now be saying that these can be tampered with. Angry over the malfunctioning of the EVMs during the April 11 voting in Andhra Pradesh, Naidu has slammed the Election Commission, claiming that the voting machines can be manipulated, and has demanded that the poll body revert to the system of paper ballots. KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly known, said there was no scope for tampering with the EVMs, and remarked that if this had happened, people would have revolted. KTR, who is the son of TRS President and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, said Chandrababu Naidu should stop playing "cheap" politics. He said fear had gripped the TDP chief when the Election Commission order the transfer of officials. The TRS leader said Naidu's panic clearly showed that he was on his way out. When asked about the functioning of the Election Commission, the TRS leader said while he had no right to point fingers at the poll body, there was a need for change in its functioning. He also said that while the smooth and peaceful conduct of the elections in Telangana reflects the governance in the state, the violence and chaos during polling in Andhra Pradesh indicate the quality of governance in the latter. KTR exuded confidence that TRS would win 16 out of the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana, while its ally All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) will retain Hyderabad. He also predicted that BJP and Congress will both lose their deposits in a few constituencies. He reiterated that a coalition government will be formed at the Centre and the regional parties would play a key role in its formation. New Delhi, April 14 : The Congress on Sunday demanded an immediate investigation by the Election Commission (EC) into a mysterious box, which was allegedly unloaded from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's chopper after it landed in Chitradurga in Karnataka earlier this week. The Karnataka Congress on Saturday tweeted a 14-second video clip, claiming that it was filmed soon after Modi landed in Chitradurga on Tuesday to address an election rally. The video shows two men carrying a black box to a private Innova parked at a helipad, allegedly immediately after Modi's chopper had landed there. During a press conference on Sunday, former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said: "In Chitradurga, we got to see something very unusual, something not seen before. The Prime Minister was in an Air Force helicopter, and a big, black box was unloaded from his helicopter. "We received this information today and will also show you the video. The box was loaded onto a private vehicle which was not a part of the SPG (Special Protection Group) carcade and it sped away." Sharma pointed out that whenever the Prime Minister or other Cabinet Ministers travel to various locations for election campaign, EC officials check their vehicles. "This rule is applicable on the Prime Minister too. There should an investigation, as nothing is out of the purview of the SPG, which accompanies the Prime Minister everywhere. But an exception was made in the case of this box. Where was the box transported," Sharma asked. The Congress demanded that the poll panel should investigate the contents of the box. Sharma said: "It is not just in favour of the people of India, but also the Prime Minister in order to uphold the dignity of the post." He said that Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) leaders have registered a complaint with the EC in this matter. I am a human being - Homo sapiens. But does that mean I am poor, brutish, nasty and small? That is what Thomas Hobbes had thought. Machiavelli's prince had also said that if you want to control people, the masses, the electorate - then you've to keep a whip in your hand like the ringmaster in a circus. Only a strong leader can control the mobocracy. The great Indian political circus has also had several Prime Ministers. From Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi. Each Prime Minister is unique The modus operandi is different. In 2014 when Modi entered Lutyen's Delhi, the popular perception was that a strong man has arrived. Like the arrival of James Bond, after the World War II to dispel the darkness of the depressed British masses. Plato had preached that for a philosopher king who would also be the representative of God - that he will bring justice to mankind. Today in a democracy, we chose our leader through the process of election. There is no monarch. Nor do we have a philosopher leader like S. Radhakrishnan. We have Modi and the popular perception persists that he is a 'strong leader'. At the eve of another election, the discourse on strong leadership has started again. But we need to understand that strong leader doesn't mean an undemocratic leader. I think that even in a coalition government one needs a strong leadership to run the coalition. A strong leader does not mean that he will be blunt to the ideas of others - that he or she will not listen to the voice of the people. Rather, if you want to frame policies, you've to talk to experts, bureaucrats and even other people. After getting 282 seats, was Modi reluctant to listen any other opinion? I think this belief is absolutely wrong. I know his style of functioning and I can say, bluntly, that each and every day he spoke to several people on different subjects. In Lutyen's Delhi, there is a wrong perception that he takes his own decision - this isn't correct. In Delhi, he begins his daily routine with briefing meetings. Principal Secretary Nripendra Mishra meets him first. Then P.K. Mishra and other PMO officials. He talks to his PS and APSs daily. Then, the PM conducts video conferences with his department secretaries. He would also hold such conferences with state government officials. He also has his own unique way of taking inputs from the feedback from the ground; a team, a set-up that isn't just restricted to social media like Twitter or Facebook. He seeks opinion from the chaupals of different villages. Before the declaration of the election, he conducted a review meeting. The PMO wanted to know the status of implementation of different Government of India schemes in the country's 29 states and 7 union territories. It is true that Modi didn't encourage the Dalal Raj of the political system. In Maharashtra, what is the reason for the deteriorating relationship between Uddhav and Modi took in the past 5 years? Was it ideological? Was it the just the BJP's single party mindset? An arrogance of big brotherhood? The informed political circle know that the actual reason is because Shiv Sena couldn't get the malai of Delhi's power. It started with the Mumbai corporation and ended in a cabinet birth for Shiv Sena. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister, Balasaheb quarrelled on several issues. But the supply line for Shiv Sena was never disturbed. Vajpayee was the first NDA PM in 1998. The Vajpayee era could easily be said as the beginning of the 'swarna yug' of Indian economy. It was under his leadership that India went for Pokhran 2, but was he a strong leader? The Indian mythology of strong leadership would dictate that he wasn't. Vajpayee was, after all, a man of political consensus. How can such a leader be characterised as strong? Here lies the fallacy. Once the late Pramod Mahajan of the BJP told me: "Do you know what is our major problem in this party and government? And what is the advantage the Gandhi family of the Congress have?" He explained: "In our party it is a tyranny of democracy. Vajpayee may be the leader but there is an oligarchy. Advani, M.M. Joshi, Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha. And beyond these leaders there is Nagpur. Humhara yaha fayasla lenese jada chintan manthan hota haye!" In congress there is a working committee but only one Gandhi will take the final call. Nobody can object. Sharad Pawar and Purno Sangma raised issues and they had to leave the party. Only once Vajpayee did not disclose the decision to Advani also -- and that was the Pokhran blast and that event made Indian leadership strong! See, Advani pressurised Vajpayee to hold general election six months early. And Vajpayee accepted. He lost the election. Can anybody dictate Modi like this today? In the party national executive meeting held at Palampur (Himachal Pradesh), the BJP leadership led by Advani took the resolution in 1989 to start Ramjanmabhomi movement. Vajpayee objected but he was a loner and a minority voice. Now this model of Vajpayee leadership is desirable? When a General cannot issue order to his soldiers forcefully? Second, when you are a victim of political blackmail. P.V. Narasimha Rao had to manage JMM MPs to win the no confidence motion in the Lok Sabha. How can he be the strong man? Manmohan Singh did not like it, but chargesheeted Lalu Prasad was in his cabinet. I recall that once, while accompanying him during a trip, he said on record that keeping Lalu in cabinet is coalition compulsion. Manmohan Singh wanted to go to Pakistan to talk. The party said no. How can he be a strong leader? Today we need a strong leader and strong nation. But this doesn't mean that it has to be against the culture of political pluralism. Such a leader need not be against federalism, need not run an unitary government. Our Constitution suggests a quasi-federal structure, and such a leader can be a symbol of that political entropy. But creating a hate campaign against Modi, projecting him as an autocrat - is that democracy? Actually, till today, I have not seen one Devkant Baruah statement in the BJP saying 'Modi is India'. (The writer is a senior journalist) Latest updates on Gandhi Jayanti 2019 New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi at all party meeting, in New Delhi, on April 14, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accompanied by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, addresses a press conference in New Delhi, on April 14, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi at all party meeting, in New Delhi, on April 14, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, April 14 : Asked about a possible alliance with the Congress in Delhi, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said he and his party are ready to do anything to save the country from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah. Speaking to the media after a meeting of the opposition parties to discuss the issue of EVM malfunctioning in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, Kejriwal said that the country was in danger. "The country is in danger and to save the nation from Modi-Shah duo we are ready to do anything. The efforts will continue till the end," the Delhi Chief Minister said. The talks between the Congress and the AAP for an alliance in Delhi is said to be still on despite the Aam Aadmi Party's insistence on an alliance in Haryana and Chandigarh as well. Bengaluru, April 14 : Electorate in Karnataka will not be allowed to carry smart-phones or mobile phones inside the polling booth while going to vote to prevent them from taking selfies or recording videos, an official said on Sunday. "The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) prevents voters from carrying mobile phones or smart-phones and cameras inside the polling booth. In fact, no voter will be allowed to take his/her cellphone within 100 metres radius of the booth. "They will have to leave it at home or deposit it with the police personnel before entering the booth," Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar told IANS. Another poll official admitted that though the MCC has had the ban provision since 2008, it was not enforced strictly during the previous elections for reasons such as manpower shortage and absence of internet-connected smart-phones with a camera. "The provision to not allow mobile phones or smart-phones inside the booth was observed more in breach in the past, as not many voters had them a decade or five years ago or carried them while going to vote," recalled senior poll official Surya Sen. With most urban voters now using camera-wielding smart-phones, during the May 2018 Assembly elections many were caught taking selfies while casting their vote or making videos inside the booth as a proof of exercising their franchise. "This year, the security personnel have been instructed to prevent voters from carrying a mobile or a smartphone inside the booth," said Kumar. "If the security personnel are busy, the voters can leave their devices with party agents who sit outside the booths with the voter lists," Kumar added. Polling officials, security personnel and others manning booths, including presiding officers, their assistants and agents of candidates, however, will be allowed to carry and use smart-phones. Karnataka has 5.11 crore electorate, including 2.6 crore male and 2.5-crore female voters and 4,661 others. The number of polling booths in 28 seats across the state has increased 7 per cent from 54,265 in the 2014 elections to 58,186 this year. The state's 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in the central and southern regions go to polls on April 18, while the remaining 14 parliamentary seats cast their vote on April 23. The 14 constituencies polling in the first phase are Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga (SC), Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajnagar (SC), Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkaballapur and Kolar (SC). Those in the second phase are Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur (SC), Gulbarga (SC), Raichur (ST), Bidar, Koppal, Bellary (ST), Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davanagere and Shimoga. The votes will be counted on May 23. Colombo, April 14 : Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday called upon Sri Lankans, living in the island and overseas, to work unitedly for the upliftment of the nation. In a statement, Sirisena has said as the country celebrates the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, Sri Lankans must collectively commit themselves towards fulfilling the national expectations, which includes further development of the country, the Xinhua news agency reported. "While enjoying the results of efforts of our own victories, we must collectively commit ourselves to fulfil the national expectations. I wish the dearest people of this country as well as the Sri Lankans living abroad a peaceful and prosperous New Year," the President said. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in a statement said the Sinhala and Tamil New Year was a national cultural festival celebrated across the country. "It is with immense pleasure I would like to wish all of you a blissful and bountiful New Year," Wickremesinghe said. Several new year festivities were held across the island to usher in the new year. New Delhi, April 14 : Amid the heated Lok Sabha poll campaigns making the rounds on social media, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav shared an old dubsmash video of himself mouthing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's words promising "achche din" back in 2014. Mocking the Prime Minister, Yadav shared the 17-second video on Twitter on Saturday, captioning it "Muft mei le lo 15 lakh, achche din aur jumla" which roughly translates to "Take for free Rs 15 lakh, good days and campaign rhetoric". Modi's voice saying "Every Indian will get Rs 15-20 lakh" is vividly audible in the video in which Lalu Prasad is seen lip-syncing clad in a grey t-shirt. The video, that has already gathered 1,600 comments, 2,500 re-tweets and 12,000 likes on Twitter, is aimed at reminding the people about Modi's 2014 promises of ushering better days and providing financial benefits to the people if his party was voted to power. Since then, the opposition has not missed any opportunity to taunt Modi, accusing him of failing to keep his words inspite of being elected as the Prime Minister of the nation. The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections commenced with much enthusiasm on April 11, spreading across 91 constituencies in 20 states and Union Territories. Srinagar, April 14 : An Army Major who fell into a gorge near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district succumbed to his injuries on Sunday, police said. Major Vikash Singh of Rashtriya Rifles was injured on Saturday after his fall in Machil area. "The Major was shifted to the Army's Base Hospital in Srinagar for specialized treatment. He succumbed to his injuries," a police officer said. Kathmandu, Apr 14 (IBNS): A Summit Air 9N AMH (L410) plane collided with a parked (Manang Air) helicopter while taking off for Ramechhap at Lukla airport and left three people killed on Sunday, media reports said. According to Suman Pandey, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Fish Tail Air, the incident occurred at around 9:10 am at Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla, a major gateway to Mt Everest, The Himalayan Times reported. At least three persons including Manang Air (9N- ALC) Pilot CB Gurung were hurt in the mishap. All injured have been airlifted to Kathmandu and they are undergoing treatment at Grande Hospital, Pandey told The Himalayan Times. The deceased include Summit Airs co-pilot Sujit Dhungana and Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police Ram Bahadur Khadka who were stationed in Lukla for airport security, airport officials at Lukla told the newspaper. The incident occurred after Summit Air aircraft with crew members on board took the wrong direction on take-off and hit nearby parked choppers, District Police Office in Solukhumbu told the Nepal based newspaper. Bodies of those people who died in the mishap have been airlifted to Kathmandu for postmortem. The airport was closed after the accident. New Delhi, April 14 : The Congress on Sunday demanded that the Centre make public the minutes of the meeting (MoM) between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former French President Francois Hollande, which culminated in the Rafale fighter aircraft deal. "The draft of the joint statement of the Indian Prime Minister and the French President did not have any mention on Rafale deal. We want the government to publicly place the minutes of meeting held between the two leaders," senior Congress leader Anand Sharma told reporters. "What is there to hide?", he asked. The former Union Minister also invited the Prime Minister for an open debate on the Rafale deal. "If there is no corruption involved, then the government should release the MoM. By not doing so, it is clearly evident that the Prime Minister is hiding something and he is involved in corruption. The former French President had already said that the Indian government recommended a partner," he said. Questioning the veil of secrecy on Rafale, Sharma said a joint statement between two countries is usually negotiated and prepared in advance. "... and if purchase of Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition was discussed, why was it not included in the joint statement. The Prime Minister should not remain silent on the deal," he said. He also shared details of the meeting between top officials of the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and the Rafale manufacturers Dassault. "The contract was snatched away from HAL, wherein Dassault had agreed on transfer-of-technology. Instead, a deal was made for 36 jets and HAL was not involved at all," Sharma said. Chandigarh, April 14 : The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), here on Sunday, urged the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) for an independent probe into recovery of Rs 6.65 crore by Punjab Police from the house of a Christian priest, which later went missing. Alleging that the money could be misused by the Congress in the parliamentary polls, the SAD demanded a thorough probe into the missing money and strict action against police officers concerned. SAD senior vice-president Daljit Singh Cheema in a statement said it was important to find the money trail. "We have reasons to believe this money could find its way into the hands of the Congress and its leaders and be used to influence voters in the parliamentary polls. Only an independent probe can prevent this and bring the guilty of the crime to book," Cheema said. The SAD leader said the Khanna Police had been exposed by the special investigation team, appointed to probe the case, but even the SIT could not proceed against the Congress or its leaders. "As per the latest information, it has been ascertained that two assistant sub-inspectors and a police informer made off with Rs 6.65 crore and the police were looking for the three accused. It seems doubtful that two low-level police officers could commit the crime without any political patronage," Cheema said. "The SIT is constrained because it reports to the Congress government and cannot explore this angle. This is why an independent probe, supervised by the EC, is necessary to get to the bottom of the case," he said. The Akali leader also demanded registration of cases against all officers of the Khanna police district who tried to give a clean chit to the policemen after the Christian priest, Father Anthony Madasserry, claimed that Rs 16.32 crore had been seized from his residence last month, but the authorities had shown recovery of only Rs 9.66 crore. "The Khanna police did its utmost to discredit Father Madasserry and refused any wrong doing on its part. But bank officials (of South Indian Bank) who counted the money as well as CCTV footage nailed the lies of the Khanna police," Cheema claimed. He also demanded a probe why the Khanna police claimed that it seized the money from Doraha, and not the priest's house in Jalandhar. New Delhi, April 14 : The Social media is trending on possible links between Frances Le Monde daily and Sam Pitroda, the high-profile technocrat close to the Gandhi family. It has been suggested that Pitroda, who many describe as the father of India's telecom revolution, has close business links with French billionaire Xavier Niel, one of the co-owners of Le Monde. Niel's main business is telecom. Forbes.com, which puts his wealth at $4.4 billion, says he owns 55 per cent of Ilaid, the parent company of Free Mobile, which is owned by him. A series of social media posts, which started on Saturday and then picked up momentum, suggested that Pitroda actually invested in Niel's company. Ravi Kant, who uses the Twitter handle @LegalKant, claimed in a post: "So basically Le Monde's co-owner has links to Sam Pitroda and @lemondefr main French media competitor @Le_Figaro is owned by Groupe Dassault Did @lemondefr share these facts in its vicious report that seems more suited for Congress mouthpiece @NH_India." In another post, he says: "Few are aware that Xavier Niel's firms gained from investments made by Sam Pitroda To what extent Sam Pitroda made those investments?" He then asks: "Can Sam Pitroda deny any commercial links with Xavier Niel?" Ravi Kant goes on to claim on Twitter: "Such deep are the links between French Newspaper Le Monde and #SamPitroda (advisor of @RahulGandhi) that he was called as 'father of India's telecommunications network equipment'." IANS contacted Pitroda on WhatsApp against the backdrop of Ravi Kant's tweets, and asked whether he had any links with Niel. Pitroda's response was: "Do not know who he is and have no business with him. I do not know where you got this from." Ravi Kant describes himself as lawyer-turned-labour economist, who graduated from the Global Labour University and was thereafter a PhD scholar at Sorbonne in Paris, researching on labour markets. The Twitter trail on his posts got significant traction. One reason for that is the relevance of Pitroda. He left India after the Congress lost the 1989 Lok Sabha election and Rajiv Gandhi was no longer Prime Minister. However, he continues to generate interest in India. When the Congress-led UPA came to power, he headed the National Knowledge Commission. He is close to the Gandhis and is believed to be playing a role in the Congress strategy in the Lok Sabha elections. The Twitter posts by followed a report in the Le Monde pertaining to the Rafale deal which was denied by the Indian and French governments but was taken up by the Congress party. Ravi Kant said in a post: "It is a mischievous attempt by Le Monde to discredit #RafaleDeal which benefits the owner of its French media competitor. "Foreign media is meddling in Indian elections because it has deep liks (sic) to the family of Rahul Gandhi." Patna, April 14 : His son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav is trying his best and so is his wife Rabri Devi, but the absence of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief - and star campaigner - Lalu Prasad is being earnestly felt by the party as the 2019 Lok Sabha polls are underway. This could be seen at Tejashwi Yadav's election meeting in Khagaria parliamentary constituency on Saturday, over a dozen RJD supporters, mostly youth, held placards saying: "Lalu ji we miss you, we need you" and shouted slogans like "Laluji, we are with you." RJD leaders say that party supporters have made it clear that they remain loyal to the RJD chief, currently behind the bars in Ranchi after being convicted in the fodder scam cases. Sensing the effect of Lalu Prasad's physical absence, his wife and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi is herself trying to bridge the gap by vigorously campaigning in support of party candidates as well as the Grand Alliance, remaining active on social media and frequently interacting with media and making statements. Tejashwi Yadav has emerged as the most sought-after campaigner for the party and the alliance but cannot measure up to his father yet. "Tejashwi is articulate, attracts crowds but party workers and supporters' eyes and ears are still searching their leader Lalu Prasad," a senior RJD leader, who did not want to be identified, said. An effective communicator, Lalu Prasad was popular for his rustic style, evinced by his use of Bhojpuri dialect. "Lalu Prasad's witty repartee and rustic mannerisms were main source of attraction during his election meetings. This time, all this is missing, resulting in dull campaigning. Tejashwi is no match for him... he has to learn a lot and also lacks experience," another RJD leader said. Senior RJD leader and former Union Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, who is contesting from Vaishali, admits that Lalu Prasad's absence matters for the party. "People are missing Lalu's punchy one-liners delivered in bucolic style..." Apart from his family, party and allies, Lalu Prasad's absence has also disappointed those who not be his voters but still love to listen his famous one liners. "Lalu Prasad's unique way of using popular local idioms to target his rivals used to make him different from other leaders," Irshadul Haque, editor of a Hindi news website here, said. Political watchers recalled that it was Lalu Prasad, who had aggressively taken on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2015 Bihar Assembly polls and score points over him with his banter. Political activist Satyanarayan Madan said only Lalu Prasad had the guts to challenge Modi at the peak of his popularity. It is common perception that Lalu Prasad that still controls his party, decides the Grand Alliance's strategy and even manages and monitors the campaign from his hospital room despite being in custody and it appears to be true to some extent. The RJS chief is active on Twitter account and hardly miss a chance to attack Prime Minister Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. His influence is seen in Chandrika Prasad Rai, the father of elder son Tej Pratap Yadav's estranged wife Aishwariya Rai, being fielded from Saran Lok Sabha seat, despite the troubles in the marriage, a controversial choice from Jharkhand's Chatra that is seen as having paved the way for state party chief Annapurna Devi joining the BJP, and lastly, but the least, fielding elder daughter Misa Bharti from Patliputra, ignoring the unhappiness among party leaders and workers. Lalu Prasad's word may be final in his party even when he is behind bars but cannot reach the voters. How this will play out will be only known when the Lok Sabha results are out next month. Kolkata, April 14 : Accusing the Narendra Modi government of waiving off loans worth Rs 5.56 lakh crore to corporates, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Sunday said it is conducting a "mega-loot" of national resources while imposing "mega-misery" on the common people. Alleging that the people are getting greater evidence of its corruption and cronyism everyday, he claimed they will vote on the basis of their day to experience under the current government and not basis of some "emotive appeals" made by Modi and his party. "The Modi government is getting drawn deeper into corruption and cronyism.... Out of the total NPAs that leaked out, government figures show Rs 5.56 lakh crore loans to corporates have been waived off. The government have kept the names of the corporates a secret so we do not who they are. "People of the country is getting the evidence of the mega-loot that is being done by this government while imposing a mega-misery on common people's economic livelihood. This is the balance sheet of the current government. This will determine the election," Yechury told reporters here. He hinted that corporate firms which might have paid hefty amounts to the ruling BJP, might have been given the benefit of loan waivers by the government. "This connects to the electoral bonds.. Now the Supreme Court has asked the banks to furnish details about who paid how much electoral bonds to which party. So it will know which are the companies involved in buying electoral bonds. Soon the public will also know about it," Yechury said. Asked whether the Left parties will extend post electoral support to the Congress in forming a government at the Centre, he said they will decide that as per the election results. "CPI-M is committed for the creation of an alternative secular government at the centre. We cannot speculate what form would that government take. All depends how the result emerge and based on that we will take a decision after the elections," he said. Referring to the first phase of general elections on April 11, he said his party is "very unhappy" with the way things have gone in different states and warned that people will lose their faith in the Election Commission if such "malpractices" are repeated in the next phases. "There have been so many glitches in the EVM machines. In Bengal, there was not enough protection for the voters even in the places where the central force were deployed. Many people were not allowed to reach the polling booths while in Tripura, most of the opposition parties' polling agents were beaten up and driven away from the polling premises. We will tell the EC that if such things happen for another phase, people will lose faith on them," he added. Srinagar, April 14 : Indian and Chinese troops on Sunday held a ceremonial border personnel meeting (BPM) in Jammu and Kashmir's Ladakh on the occasion of the Baisakhi festival, a defence official said. "A ceremonial BPM on the occasion of Baisakhi festival was held today (Sunday) at the Indian BPM huts at Chushul-Moldo and Daulet Beg Oldi-Ten Wen Den Meeting Points in eastern Ladakh," Defence Ministry spokesman, Col. Rajesh Kalia, said in a statement. The Indian delegation was led by Brig. V.K. Purohit and Col. Prashant Rana and the Chinese delegation by Senior Col. Yin Hong Chen and Col. Song Zhang Li. "The ceremonial BPM commenced with saluting the respective National Flags by the delegation members. This was followed by a ceremonial address comprising of exchange of greetings, wishes and vote of thanks," the statement said, adding the address "reflected the mutual desire of maintaining and improving relations at the functional level". Both the delegations interacted in a free, congenial and cordial environment, the statement said. "The delegations parted amidst a feeling of friendship and commitment towards enhancing the existing cordial relations and maintaining peace along the border. Both sides also sought to build on the mutual feeling to maintain peace and tranquility along the border," it added. New Delhi, April 14 : A youth was allegedly shot dead by his friend when they posed with a pistol to film a video on Tik Tok, a poular mobile app, the police said on Sunday. The incident occurred on Saturday night when the deceased, Salman, went for a drive to India Gate in a Hyundai Creta car along with his friends Sohail and Amir. When they reached the Ranjit Singh flyover near Barakhamba Road on their way back, Sohail, seated next to Salman who was driving the car, pulled out a country made pistol. "Sohail amied the pistol at Salman for making a Tik Tok video, but the pistol went off shooting Salman on his left cheek," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Madhur Verma said. "Amir and Sohail panicked after the incident and drove the car to a relative's place in Daryaganj, where Sohail changed his blood stained clothes. With the help of the relative, they took Salman to the nearby LNJP Hospital, where he was declared brought dead," the DCP said. After the hospital management informed the local police, Sohail, Amir and the relative were arrested. While Salman was arrested for firing the bullet, Amir and the relative were held for disposing of the weapon and the blood stained clothes. The police are investigating whether the bullet went off accidentally or it was fired with an intent to kill. Washington, April 15 : White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders has said that President Donald Trump's prospective plan to send undocumented immigrants to sanctuary cities is undergoing a "complete and thorough review." Sanders told "Fox News Sunday" that they "have to look at all options," including releasing undocumented immigrants to sanctuary cities, to deal with the situation at the nation's southern border with Mexico, Xinhua reported on Sunday. "Whether or not it moves forward -- that's yet to be determined. This was raised at a staff level, initially, and pushed back on," she said. "The President wants us to explore it again, and that's being done, and they are doing a complete and thorough review." Trump threatened "placing illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities only" earlier this week, while blaming the country's immigration laws on Democrats. 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This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. By Scott Ritter April 13, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - The United States has long been engaged in a secret shadow war with Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), dating back to the American invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003. This conflict took the lives of hundreds of American troops and hundreds more IRGC members. The Iranian opposition to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, and the inability of the U.S. to militarily defeat Iranian forces inside Iraq, was just one reason that the Obama administration decided to withdraw American troops in 2011. Since that time, a tenuous truce has existed between the U.S. military in the region and the IRGC. Even when American troops were re-deployed to Iraq in 2014 to help defeat the Islamic State (ISIS), they did so in concert with IRGC who were fighting alongside Iraqi Shiite militias. American forces inside Syria likewise avoided direct conflict with the IRGC, which was aiding the Syrian military. But now, the Trump administration has made the decision to designate the IRGC a terrorist organization. This little reported move will have large consequences, shredding the prior truce and putting the lives of thousands of U.S. service members at risk. Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get our FREE Daily Newsletter Today, I am formally announcing my Administrations plan to designate Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including its Qods Force, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the president announced on April 8. The designation will take effect on April 15. Trump further noted, This designation will be the first time that the United States has ever named a part of another government as an FTO, adding, This action sends a clear message to Tehran that its support for terrorism has serious consequences. We will continue to increase financial pressure and raise the costs on the Iranian regime for its support of terrorist activity until it abandons its malign and outlaw behavior. The Quds Force, a unit within the IRGC that specializes in operations outside Iran, has long been viewed as a terrorist organization by the United States. The IRGC as an entity, however, operates as an integral part of the Iranian government. As such, the U.S. has deliberately avoided classifying it as a terrorist organization out of concerns that doing so would hobble diplomatic efforts with Iran and even destabilize the greater Middle East. Given the fact Washington is currently engaged in a global war on terrorism, this designationwhich places the IRGC on the same footing as ISIS and al-Qaedameans that the U.S. is in effect at war with Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded to the designation on Monday. He recommended in a letter to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani thatgiven the ongoing overt and covert support of U.S. military forces in the region for groups that have been involved in terrorist acts against Iranthe Supreme National Security Council should designate U.S. Central Command as terrorists. The Iranians have long assessed that U.S. intelligence services and Special Operations forces have used militant Iranian opposition organizations as proxies in a bloody, undeclared war to undermine the legitimacy of the Iranian government and harm the IRGC. For example, last February, a Baluch separatist group, Jaish al-Adl, claimed credit for the bombing of a bus carrying IRGC soldiers, which killed nearly 30 people. The IRGC claims that the group received its instructions, training, and equipment from U.S. personnel operating out of Afghanistan. Likewise, in September 2018, a group calling itself the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz launched an attack on an IRGC parade in the Iranian city of Ahvaz, killing scores. Iranian state media put the blame for this attack squarely on the U.S. and its Gulf allies, remarking, The attack comes after a U.S.-backed campaign to stir up unrest in Iranian cities fell flat. The effort, known as the Hot Summer Project, sought to whip up public anger over water and electricity shortages in the face of a protracted drought. Foreign Minister Zarif likewise blamed the United States and Gulf states. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been foursquare behind the U.S. in trying to thwart Iranian influence in the region, the four-year war in Yemen being the most catastrophic example of how far they will go to achieve that goal. Then-U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley adamantly denied that the U.S. had anything to do with the September attack. Zarifs recommendation to designate Central Command as terrorists was echoed by Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, the head of the Iranian parliaments national security committee. The IRGC also made its position clear regarding the FTO designation. If the Americans take such a stubborn measure and endanger our national security we will put in place counter-measures in line with the police of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the IRGCs commander-in-chief, declared. He further noted that if this happened, U.S. forces would no longer be safe in the region. The impetus behind Trumps decision is clearhe wants to support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu himself acknowledged as much in a tweet: Thank you, my dear friend President Donald Trump, for deciding to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. Thank you for answering another one of my important requests, which serves the interests of our country and the countries of the region. The other request referred to by Netanyahu was the decision made in May 2018 to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement. Since that time, the U.S. has found itself increasingly isolated from the rest of the world, especially Europe, which has opted to remain a part of the agreement, which it notes that Iran continues to fully comply with. The decision to designate the IRGC as a terrorist group is viewed by many as a mechanism for increasing pressure on Iran by expanding the scope and scale of economic sanctions against entities doing business with the IRGC. The timing of the announcement is seen as an attempt to influence the outcome of elections in Israel, where Netanyahu is struggling in a bid for reelection. But another reason might be lingering resentment within certain American circles over the role played by the IRGC in fomenting resistance to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. In Iraq, I can announce today, based on declassified U.S. military reports, that Iran is responsible for the deaths of at least 608 American service members. This accounts for 17 percent of all deaths of U.S. personnel in Iraq from 2003 to 2011, declared Brian Hook, the U.S. Representative for Iran, in a briefing this week. Left unsaid was that during that same time, the U.S., through the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), was engaged in its own undeclared war with Iran on Iraqi soil. Far from being the fallout of unilateral Iranian acts of terrorism, the U.S. combat deaths referred to by Hook were part and parcel of a conflict waged in the shadows that only ended with the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq in 2011. Given this direct link between American and Iranian aggression in Iraq, there can be no doubt that the Trump administration understands that by designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization, it has placed the lives of thousands of American personnel still serving in the Middle East at risk. There are currently between 1,000 and 1,500 U.S. troops inside Syria, and they are surrounded by IRGC-affiliated forces and militias. And more than 5,000 U.S. troops are stationed inside Iraq, where the IRGC controls powerful Shiite militias as well as significant portions of the Iraqi military. There can be no doubt that if the U.S. acts kinetically against the IRGC, Americans will die. That this policy has been implemented in support of the re-election campaign of an Israeli prime minister, in furtherance of an effort to undermine the Iranian nuclear deal that was likewise implemented at the behest of Benjamin Netanyahu, means these brave men and women will not have died in the service of their country. They will have perished as pawns of a policy conceived in Tel Aviv that places the political fortunes of a foreign politician above the lives of our heroes. Scott Ritter is a former Marine Corps intelligence officer who served in the former Soviet Union implementing arms control treaties, in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm, and in Iraq overseeing the disarmament of WMD. He is the author of Dealbreaker: Donald Trump and the Unmaking of the Iran Nuclear Deal (2018) by Clarity Press. This article was originally published by " The American Conservative " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy During a meeting a few years ago at the Council on Foreign Relations, former vice president Joe Biden put on a bravura performance. The conversational format gave Biden space to be his gutsy, informal self. In his concluding remarks, Biden addressed the finance and business people in particular. He took them to task unapologetically on the need to do more for the country and less for the bottom line. He made a strong pitch. Mr. Biden still had panache. He and I came of age in the 1960s. (Hes now 76, and Im pushing 75.) Out of that wrenching time, those involved took different roads into life. Some, such as myself, found a calling in academic and intellectual life. Biden went into politics and a stellar career. After the meeting I was able to have a short conversation with Biden. Enthusiastically, I said that if one result of our generations experiences was his political career, that was already substantial. He replied, now, thats a real compliment. It is sad to say, but a couple of years later, Biden doesnt have it anymore. He may or may not declare for president in the next few days. He shouldnt. Biden is up against tremendous odds despite being, at this early and shapeless point, the Democratic party frontrunner. Biden has no chance. (Nor, by the way, does Bernie Sanders.) The possibility that voters will elect as president someone approaching 80 years of age is, as it should be, about zero. Ronald Reagan had to convince people in 1980 that, at 69, he wasnt already too old. His re-election campaign in 1984 produced the memorable debate exchange with Democratic candidate Walter Mondale when the latter broached Reagans age, then 73. By implication, Mondale was questioning Reagans mental and physical fitness. A journalist said that maybe the question was off the point. No, said Reagan, shaking his head ruefully. Age is indeed a relevant question. And Im not going to make an issue in this campaign of my opponents youth and inexperience. Mondale, who after all had been Jimmy Carters vice president, laughed along with everyone else, but years later confessed that at that moment he knew Reagan had clinched it. In this campaign, Donald Trump, seemingly healthy as an ox at 72 years old, has been all but renominated by the Republicans. The Democrats have a remarkably vigorous and intelligent group of youthful candidates. There are moderates, a couple of former prosecutors, Beto the former punk-rock musician, a democratic socialist or two, and Cory Booker, who seems to be, to quote Jackie Kennedy about her husband, an idealistic realist. Few of these of course are actually running for president. Theyre in it for name recognition across the country. Theyre preparing their futures. In the face of all this, what should Biden do? And what should the Democratic party leadership do about him? As Peggy Noonan wrote in the Wall Street Journal, what Biden deserves is a grand thank you for his years of service to the country and his party. The Democrats, all of them, should show that simple gratitude is of the moment -- even those critical of the mans over-friendliness and certain episodes in his career. If Biden still wants to be in on the action, let him become an elder statesman. For me, the decisive issue regarding Biden and Sanders is simple: Its their age. Biden is 76, Sanders 77. By what right do they ask the country to take a chance on their health? Can they really say that the country needs them above all others for a few years beginning in 2021? They are too old, even in an age when people like me emphasize that 75 is the new 65. Biden has even toyed with announcing he would serve only one term if elected. If thats true, that alone is disqualifying, because its pandering and because he would be an immediate lame duck. Sanders, this time around, wont dodge the fact that he has basically no administrative experience, let alone governed a state. If he says that the current occupant of the Oval Office had no experience, the reply is that Trump ran businesses all his life, however well or badly. Trump is a Black Swan in so many ways. Sanders, a non-descript senator, is no Barack Obama or Jack Kennedy. But its hard to give it all up. Noonan puts it gently, its difficult for a man whos always seen a president when he looked in the mirror to admit hes an almost-president. The Democrats should give Joe a huge place at the party convention. Properly organized, it could be an immense celebration of the right stuff. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday hit government officials for blocking the distribution of funds to some 9,000 victims of human rights violations during the dictatorship of former President Ferdinand Marcos. "Parang hindi naalala iyong mga pang-aabuso," the Vice President said in her weekly radio show BISErbisyong LENI. "Parang binabago iyong kasaysayan ... Wala man lang pagrespeto sa alaala ng mga sakripisyo ng mga nauna sa atin." [Translation: It's like the abuses are forgotten. And history is being revised. There seems to be no respect for the memory of people who sacrificed their lives before us.] Robredo was responding to statements by Solicitor General Jose Calida, who called the fund distribution "grossly disadvantageous" to government, and Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo who said it would be a different scenario if the victims fought against the government. READ: OSG says fund distribution to Marcos victims 'grossly disadvantageous to the government' "Eh kung talaga naman nag-suffer eh, halimbawa, inosente. It would be different kung kalaban ng gobyerno, Kung pinapatay mo ang gobyerno, eh natural lalabanan ka ng gobyerno. You cannot say na you are a victim," Panelo said on April 11. [Translation:If they really suffered, for example, those who are innocent. It would be different if they fought the government. If you killed the government, then it's natural the government would fight back. You cannot say that you are a victim.] While the United States Federal Court in New York had already ordered the distribution of the funds, Malacanang had said the Philippine government should approve the payout. READ: U.S. court orders distribution of 715M to Marcos victims; Malacanang says PH should decide The agreement with the New York District Court was entered into by the Presidential Commission on Good Governance (PCGG), the agency tasked to recover the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family. But a January 2019 memorandum from the Office of the Executive Secretary required the PCGG to get approval from the Office of the Solicitor General and the Department of Justice before agreeing to the terms of any deal. The Vice President hit Calida for allegedly lawyering for the Marcos family. "Ito ang nakakadismaya dito, kasi dapat sana, dahil Solicitor General siya, iyong interes ng gobyerno iyong inaasikaso. Pero parang, parang kapag interes ng gobyerno saka interes ng pamilya Marcos, parang inuuna niya pa iyong interes ng pamilya Marcos na ito. Detrimental sa mga umaasa ng compensation," Robredo added. [Translation: This is what's disappointing, since he's the Solicitor General, and he should be fighting for government's interests. But between government interest and the interest of the Marcos family, it's as if he's prioritizing the Marcoses, and this is detrimental to those expecting compensation.] She then criticized the Marcos family and their apologists for spreading "fake news" about the ill-gotten wealth their patriarch, Ferdinand Marcos, amassed during his dictatorship. "Parang ano pang klaseng ebidensya ang hinihintay niyo na talagang may nakaw na yaman? Napakarami nang court decisions. Parating ... parati itong fake news ng mga Marcos, Ka Ely, na wala pa daw desisyon ang korte. Ang dami dami nang desisyon. In fact, tumanggap na nga iyong ibang mga biktima ng compensation," she said. [Translation:What other evidence do you need to prove there is ill-gotten wealth? There have been plenty of court decisions. And the repeated fake news spread by the Marcos that courts have not yet decided. There have been so many, and it has been ordered that victims should already get compensation.] The settlement agreement was the result of the class action lawsuit against the Marcoses in Hawaii in 1995. This would distribute to the claimants approximately $2 billion worth of proceeds from the sale of paintings recovered from Imelda Marcos' private secretary Vilma Bautista. The group, Claimants 1081, has already received two previous tranches of reparations after winning the case. Robredo hit Imee Marcos 'insensitive' remarks on China-PH sea dispute The Vice President, who leads the Aquino family faction's Liberal Party, did not stop at the Marcos family's wealth. She then went on to lambast senatorial bet and Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, who said the Philippines started trouble with China by suing it before an international tribunal in 2016. READ: Imee Marcos says PH 'started trouble' with China by suing it before int'l tribunal "Talagang napaka-insensitive. Nakakatakot na ganito iyong magiging senador," she said. [Translation: It's really insensitive. It's scary that someone like her will be a senator.] Robredo said she was disappointed over Imee Marcos' remarks, adding that she has received plenty of complaints about it. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro "Teddyboy" Locsin Jr. earlier called Marcos' view "totally ignorant." The Philippines filed a case against China in 2013, two years after a standoff between the two countries in Scarborough Shoal, following an attempt by Filipino authorities to arrest Chinese fishermen suspected of illegal fishing there. By Tony Cartalucci April 13, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - Libya is back in the news, as fighting escalates around the capital, Tripoli. Forces under the control of Khalifa Haftar a former Libyan general under the government of Muammar Qaddafi turned opposition during the 2011 US-led NATO intervention turned opposition again against the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) seated in Tripoli have most recently reached Tripolis airport. The confusing chaos that has continually engulfed Libya since 2011 should come as no surprise. It is the predictable outcome that follows any US-led political or military intervention. Other examples showcasing US-led regime change success include Afghanistan, Iraq, and Ukraine. And just like in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Ukraine the Western corporate media has regularly omitted mention of Libya from headlines specifically to mask the very predictable consequences of US-led regime change as additional interventions against nations like Venezuela, Syria, and Iran are engineered and pursued. Battlefield Libya In 2011, the North African nation of Libya was transformed from a prosperous, developing nation, into a divided, perpetual battlefield where local warlords backed by a milieu of opposing foreign sponsors and interests have vied for power since. Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get our FREE Daily Newsletter Libyas current status as a failed, warring state is owed entirely to the US-led NATO intervention in 2011. Predicated on lies promoted by Western-funded human rights organizations and fought under the pretext of R2P (responsibility to protect) the US and its NATO allies dismembered Libya leading to predictable and perpetual chaos that has affected not only Libya itself, but North Africa, Southern Europe, and even the Middle East. The war immediately triggered not only a wave of refugees fleeing the war itself, but the redirection of refugees from across Africa seeking shelter and work in Libya, across the Mediterranean and into Europe instead. Militants fighting as proxies for the US-led war in 2011 would be armed and redeployed to Turkey where they entered Syria and played a key role in taking the cities of Idlib and Aleppo during the early stages of that US-led proxy war. Currently, Libya is divided between the UN-backed government based in Tripoli, eastern-based forces loyal to Haftar, and a mix of other forces operating across the country, holding various degrees of control over Libyas other major cities, and equally varying degrees of loyalty to the UN-backed government, Haftars forces, or other factions. Fighting around Tripoli has even allegedly prompted US military forces stationed in Libya to temporarily evacuate. CNBC in its article, US pulls forces from Libya as fighting approaches capital, would report: The United States has temporarily withdrawn some of its forces from Libya due to security conditions on the ground, a top military official said Sunday as a Libyan commanders forces advanced toward the capital of Tripoli and clashed with rival militias. A small contingent of American troops has been in Libya in recent years, helping local forces combat Islamic State and al-Qaida militants, as well as protecting diplomatic facilities. The presence of US forces in Libya might be news to some and was certainly only a dream within the Pentagon until after the 2011 US-led NATO intervention finally toppled the Libyan government. Americas foreign policy of arsonist-fireman has endowed it with a large and still growing military footprint in Africa one it uses to project power and affect geopolitics well beyond the continent. Americas Growing Footprint in Africa The ongoing Libyan conflict flush with weapons pouring in from foreign sponsors has also fuelled regional terrorism impacting neighboring Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, and Chad, as far west as Mali and Nigeria, and southeast as far as Kenya. The war has been a boon for US Africa Command (AFRICOM) which has used the resulting chaos as a pretext to expand Washingtons military footprint on the continent. In a 2018 Intercept article titled, U.S. Military Says it has a Light Footprint in Africa. These Documents Show a Vast Network of Bases, it was reported that: According to a 2018 briefing by AFRICOM science adviser Peter E. Teil, the militarys constellation of bases includes 34 sites scattered across the continent, with high concentrations in the north and west as well as the Horn of Africa. These regions, not surprisingly, have also seen numerous U.S. drone attacks and low-profile commando raids in recent years. The article notes that much of AFRICOMs expansion in Africa has occurred over the past decade. While the pretext for US military expansion in Africa has been counter-terrorism, it is clear US military forces are there to protect US interests and project US power with terrorism a manufactured pretext to justify Washingtons militarization of the continent. Much of the terrorism the US claims it is fighting was only possible in the first place through the flood of weapons, equipment, and support provided to militants by the US and its partners amid regime change operations targeting nations like Libya. The US-led NATO war in Libya is a perfect example of the US deliberately arming terrorist organizations including those listed as foreign terrorist organizations by the US State Department itself overthrowing a nation, predictably destabilizing the entire region, and using the resulting instability as a pretext to massively expand Americas military footprint there. The wider agenda at play is Washingtons desire to displace current Russian and Chinese interests on the continent, granting the US free reign. Fruits of US-NATO Regime Change As NATO celebrates its 70th anniversary, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg would claim: Over seven decades, NATO has stepped up time and again to keep our people safe, and we will continue to stand together to prevent conflict and preserve peace. This peace includes 8 years of heavy fighting in Libya following NATOs intervention there. NATOs Secretary General proclaims NATOs mission as one to prevent conflict and preserve peace, yet it paradoxically and very intentionally engineered the war in Libya, overthrew the government in Tripoli, and triggered regional chaos that not only plagues North Africa to this day but also inundated Europe with refugees fleeing the conflict. Europe is one of the few places NATO could conceivably claim any mandate to protect or operate in yet its own wars of aggression abroad directly compromised European safety and security. The media blackout that has shrouded the true impact of NATOs intervention in Libya for the past 8 years helps enable the US and its NATO partners to perpetrate additional proxy wars and political interventions elsewhere. As the US openly pursues aggressive regime change in Venezuela and meddles in the internal politics of nations across Southeast Asia, the fruits of US intervention in places like Libya should always be kept in mind. What is most alarming of all is considering that the US-led intervention in Libya may not necessarily be a failure. It is only a failure if one believed the US truly sought a better future for the nation. However, if the fruits of perpetual chaos and an equally perpetual pretext for the US militarization of Africa were intentionally set out for from the beginning then in many ways Libya was a resounding success. Depending on how the current fighting around Tripoli unfolds, whether or not a unified Libya emerges, and whose foreign military presence and economic interests are allowed to persist on Libyan soil thereafter will help determine just how successful Washingtons true agenda in Libya and in Africa has been. Tony Cartalucci, Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer, especially for the online magazine New Eastern Outlook. Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here Saudis gave Libya's Haftar millions of dollars: report Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy In August 2018, the University of Georgia and Clarke County School District finalized their collaboration called Georgia Possible, a leadership development program for high school freshmen to prepare them for college and leading their peers. Panel members ranged from an ACC commissioner to an immigrant rights activist, and each provided insight based on his or her own experiences with immigration legislation and topics at the local and state level. Whenever people visit the University of Georgia Starbucks in the Tate Student Center, they get more than their grande iced caramel macchiato. Most days, the University of Georgia Tate Student Center is bustling with events and students studying before class. In April, students had the option of trading in their laptops for a typewriter. On April 4, freshman Kaila McGinty set up her prized typewriter on a table at the Tate Student Center and posted a sign inviting students to freely use the typing machine. The money is expected to be disbursed by the lenders consortium led by SBI after the Jet management submits an operational plan on how it intends to use the money till May 7. The lenders consortium, led by State Bank of India, is actively considering a proposal to infuse Rs 1,000 crore into Jet Airways immediately to keep it afloat, despite a lack of consensus among banks on emergency funding. The money is expected to be disbursed after the Jet management submits an operational plan on how it intends to use the money till May 7. Clearly trying to fast-track the resolution process after the intervention of the Prime Ministers Office, lenders have asked the airline management to give a plan by Monday (April 15), outlining the operational requirements. The earlier banks-led resolution plan announced on March 25 included disbursing Rs 1,500 crore through long-term debt instrument. But only 5 per cent of it was disbursed in small tranches, putting the survival of the airline in question. The revised plan to infuse Rs 1,000 crore comes after a meeting of civil aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola and top officials in the PMO Friday evening. The high-level meetings were prompted by a warning signal from the Jet management that the airline was left with funds to survive only till April 15. Jet is currently flying seven planes out of its original fleet of 120. It has repeatedly defaulted on payment to aircraft leasing firms, oil companies, vendors due to a severe cash crunch and a piling debt of over Rs 8,500 crore. Earlier, this week, the airline suspended all its international flights, while its employees organised a protest march for non-payment of salaries. The lenders expect that by May 7, the process of selection of bidders will be completed and clarity will emerge on the future of the airline. The SBI-led consortium had called for expression of interest to buy a controlling stake (51-75 per cent) in Jet Airways. April 30 is the last date for submission of binding bids. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, which currently owns 24 per cent stake in the airline; private equity fund TPG Capital; government-owned sovereign fund National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and ousted chairman Naresh Goyal are among those to have formally submitted EoIs. Etihad is the only airline, making it the sole strategic player to express interest. By May 7, it would be clear if the airline has found a credible investor ready to pump in money. So the current plan of supporting the airline is till that time, a senior executive of a public sector bank said. Emergency fund, which is known as priority funding in banking parlance, involves extending credit to sick companies to keep them as going concern until a new investor or a restructuring plan is finalised. Banks enjoy higher security on this credit as they are given priority during the payout phase, once the turnaround is effected or the company is liquidated. However, for Jet Airways, the lenders consortium has been unable to come to a consensus on whether such a funding should be given to the airline. Promoter Naresh Goyal has pledged 41 per cent of his shares to the lenders which was a pre-condition to release the funds. The lenders consortium met thrice on the subject but has been unable to finalise a decision, the executive said. Apart from SBI, which is the lead member of the consortium, Punjab National Bank has significant exposure to the airline followed by Indian Overseas Bank, Syndicate Bank, ICICI Bank, Canara Bank and Yes Bank. PNB Chairman Sunil Mehta on Friday had said the Jet resolution was being done under the Inter Creditors Agreement (ICA) framework for which approval of lenders with 66 per cent share of exposure in aggregate is enough to pass a decision. Once resolution plan is approved by majority lenders, it will be binding on all lenders that are party to ICA. Jet Airways could be the first case to be resolved under the ICA framework, Mehta said. Meanwhile, airline officials have confirmed that the Jet management is framing a plan which will be submitted to the lenders on Monday, adding that any delay would ground the airline. According to the plan, the airline intends to operate with 26 aircraft. The major head of expenditure will be partial payment of salary, lease rentals to get some planes up in the air and restart the routes and payment to oil marketing companies. But the infusion should be swift. Till now we have submitted plans to the lenders but money was not released, an airline executive said. The Canadian government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has removed a reference to Sikh extremism from its 2018 report on terrorism which had earlier mentioned it as one of the top five terrorist threats to the country. The updated version of the '2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada' was released on Friday, Toronto-based CBC news quoted The Canadian Press news agency as saying. The language in the report was changed to remove any mention of religion, instead discussing the threat posed by "extremists who support violent means to establish an independent state within India", it reported. The 2018 report on terrorism, first released in December last year, drew the ire of the Sikh community at the time of its release as it was the first time when it listed Sikh extremism as one of the top five extremist threats in Canada, the CBC news said. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale had said that he would at least ask for a review of the language the report used, the report said. He said entire religions should never be equated with terrorism, it said. On Saturday, Prime Minister Trudeau praised the minority Sikh community as he visited a gurdwara on the occasion of Vaisakhi. "Vaisakhi is a time to focus on what matters family, friends, and coming together as neighbours & fellow Canadians and an opportunity to recognize the remarkable contributions Sikh Canadians have made to our country. What a celebration in Vancouver today!," he said in a tweet. The dedication to helping others at the heart of the Sikh faith is also "fundamental to who we are as a country", he said at one of the largest Sikh temples in the country, Vancouver's Ross Street Gurdwara. He, along with Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, also took part in a massive parade to mark the Sikh holy day of Vaisakhi. Trudeau praised the Sikh community for its values of "equality and social justice". There are roughly half-a-million Canadians who identify themselves as Sikh, most of them in the Greater Toronto Area and suburban Vancouver. PTI Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday protested the Canadian government's decision, saying it "succumbed to domestic political pressure". "The move is a threat to Indian and global security," he said. Amarinder said the "knee-jerk decision" by the ruling Canadian Liberal Party was aimed at protecting its political interests in an election year. It could have serious consequences for the Indo-Canadian relations in the long run, Singh said. "(Canadian Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau is playing with fire with his decision to assuage inflamed domestic passions through this ill-considered move," he claimed. The world cannot afford to fan extremism in any form, which is what the Trudeau government is effectively doing with such ill-thought moves, he added. He pointed out that he himself had given proof to the Canadian Prime Minister during his India visit last year, of his country's soil being used to spread the separatist Khalistani ideology against a friendly country. Trudeau had been informed of Khalistani activists being involved in financing terror activities in India from Canada, said the Chief Minister in a statement. Singh had handed over to the Canadian Prime Minister a list of nine Canada-based operatives allegedly involved in promoting radicalism in Punjab, which has the highest number of Sikhs in India. The chief minister dubbed the "erasure of the various references to Khalistan and Khalistani organisations" from the latest threat report "as an unpardonable act in the eyes of the peace-loving global community." "It is obvious that Trudeau had played safe in view of the upcoming elections in Canada, giving in to pressure within his country. In the process, he has quite blatantly ignored the adverse impact this could have not only on Canada's relations with India but also on geopolitical stability," he added. By TruePublica: April 13, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - Leaving aside Britains past, most particularly that of empire, the country is not just continually moving towards authoritarianism it is beginning to demonstrate all the early signs of a rogue state. These are strong words but the actual definition of a rogue state is a nation or state regarded as breaking international law and posing a threat to the security of other nations. Examples such as the illegal invasion of Iraq, Syria and latterly Libya are very clear. Irrespective of the technicalities, they all broke the rules of International laws or norms. But other examples demonstrate how lawless Britain as a state really is. Chagos Here, an entire population were forcibly removed from their island homeland at British gunpoint to make way for a US Air Force nuclear base, the people were dumped destitute over a thousand miles away, their domestic animals gassed by the British army, their homes fired and then demolished. To achieve this, Britain maliciously threatened the Mauritian government into ceding the Chagos Islands as a condition of its Independence. Recently, the International Court of Justice found that the British occupation of the Chagos Islands was unlawful by a majority of 13 to 1. Britain rejected this ruling. Ex British ambassador Craig Murray wrote this represents a serious escalation in the UKs rejection of multilateralism and international law and a move towards joining the US model of exceptionalism, standing outside the rule of international law. As such, it is arguably the most significant foreign policy development for generations. In the Iraq war, while Britain launched war without UN Security Council authority, it did so on a tenuous argument that it had Security Council authority from earlier resolutions. The UK was therefore not outright rejecting the international system. On Chagos it is now simply denying the authority of the International Court of Justice; this is utterly unprecedented. Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get our FREE Daily Newsletter Weapons and war crimes Britains arms and munitions sales are now regularly in the news. Even The Lords international relations committee said that British weapons were highly likely to be the cause of significant civilian casualties in various countries where illegal wars, acts of genocide and war crimes are being committed. A quick online search lists numerous examples. Israel Then there is Britains relationship with Israel, which is taking a battering due to internal politics and finger-pointing over claims of racism. Fundamentally though, the issue is about war crimes being committed against the Palestinian people. British arms sales to Israel is at best questionable, especially the news that British made sniper rifles were used to kill and injure thousands of Palestinians recently. But Britains support in this genocidal war again goes against all international norms where the conflict is described by Amnesty International as an abhorrent violation of international laws. It added that This is another horrific example of the Israeli military using excessive force and live ammunition in a totally deplorable way. This is a violation of international standards, in some instances committing what appear to be wilful killings constituting war crimes. In addition, UK policy is allowing trade with Israeli goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories. The British government has stated that it does not even keep a record of imports into the UK from these illegal Israeli settlements. Acquiescing in this illegal trade by an occupying power is a violation of international law. The December 2016 UN Security Council Resolution, to which the UK agreed: reaffirms that the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law Libya Mark Curtis, a British foreign policy expert and historian writes about Britains illegal attack of a soverign state Libya: British bombing in Libya, which began in March 2011, was a violation of UN Resolution 1973, which authorised member states to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya and to use all necessary measures to prevent attacks on civilians but did not authorise the use of ground troops or regime change promoted by the Cameron government. That these policies were illegal is confirmed by Cameron himself, who told Parliament on 21 March 2011 that the UN resolution explicitly does not provide legal authority for action to bring about Gaddafis removal from power by military means. Today, Libya is a failed state and overrun by militant factions. Extrajudicial assassinations and even a kill list Reprieves report entitled Britains Kill List accused the Conservative government of extreme deception of parliament. Officially, Britain has never had a so-called kill list but David Cameron had to admit to an extrajudicial assassinations programme in the Middle East, which we at TruePublica reported. All such killings break the most fundamental of international laws and norms as detailed HERE. The Reprieve introductory paragraph reads -On September 7th, 2015, Prime Minister David Cameron came to Parliament and announced a new departure for Britain, a policy of killing individuals the Security Services and the military do not like, people placed on a list of individuals who the UK (acting along with the US and others) have identified and systematically plan to kill. The mere admission that there is a Kill List certainly should, indeed, have been a departure for a country that prides itself on decency. Unfortunately, it was not a new departure at all, as we had been doing it secretly for more than a decade. Statelessness Britain has once again broken international norms. The goals of UNHCRs stateless campaign, a Global Action Plan to End Statelessness 2014 2024 introduced a guiding framework comprised of 10 Actions to be undertaken by states. In the case of high-profile ISIS Bride runaway from Bethnal Green to Baghuz, Shamima Begum, the UK disregarded Actions 4 and 9: Action 4: Prevent denial, loss or deprivation of nationality on discriminatory grounds. Action 9: Accede to the UN Statelessness Conventions. But Britains has its own laws. Section 40(2) of the 1981 British Nationality Act states the Home Secretary wont make any individual rendered stateless as a result. Under this, the UK Home Secretary Sajid Javids decision to revoke Begums citizenship breaks UK law and international norms. Political prisoner Then, there is the persecution of Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, which is now seven years old. Ecuador has protected Assange for the past half decade from being turned over to Washington until his arrest by British police yesterday. By definition, Assange is the only political prisoner in western Europe. A United Nations legal panel ruled that Assange should be allowed to walk free and be compensated for his deprivation of liberty and that his detention was illegal. Assange has been nominated for a Nobel peace prize every year since 2010. His really big crime was releasing film of an American helicopter gunship killing civilians and journalists in Iraq. Britain is more than just complicit of it attack of fundamental and important press freedoms in arresting him. Assanges lawyer criticised the British government for being poised to arrest and extradite Assange to the United States. That a government would cooperate with another state to extradite a publisher for publishing truthful information outside its territory sets a dangerous precedent here in the UK and elsewhere, she said. No one can deny that risk. That is why he sought asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy. Surveillance The UK governments record on bulk data handling for intelligence purposes saw the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling that state surveillance practices such as those practised in Britain violated human rights law. United National Special Rapporteur on Privacy Joe Cannataci said Britain was setting a bad example to the world and that Britains surveillance techniques on its own citizens was worse than Orwells 1984. The highest courts in Britain have ruled against the government on mass surveillance. In 2014, British spies were (illegally) granted the authority to secretly eavesdrop on legally privileged attorney-client communications, according to documents. The documents were made public as a result of a legal case brought against the British government by Libyan families who allege that they were subjected to extraordinary rendition and torture, where Britain was proven to be in violation of international laws, in a joint British-American operation that took place in 2004. A lawyer, in this case, said It could mean, amazingly, that the government uses the information they have got from snooping on you, against you, in a case you have brought. This clearly violates an age-old principle of English law set down in the 16th century that the correspondence between a person and their lawyer is confidential. In addition, just one of the many operations carried out by the British state was called Optic Nerve. It illegally went about capturing images from webcams of millions of completely innocent citizens accused of nothing. Between 3% and 11% of the images captured by the webcams were sexually explicit in nature and deemed undesirable nudity. The public has not been reassured that these files still exist or not that were taken to build an illegal facial recognition system the government had not declared. Surveillance operations such as Muscular, Socialist, Gemalto, Three Smurfs, XKeyScore, Upstream and Tempora are all examples of extreme surveillance systems being used in Britain that would be completely unknown if it had not been for Edward Snowden another political prisoner. All such operations would be deemed illegal in court and of breaking international laws or norms in normal democratic countries. Health and Safety In 2015, the Government pushed through a law that exempted a large number of self-employed people from the protection of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The Government managed to get away with reducing the level of protection because the self-employed are not covered by the European Framework Directive, which is the regulation that sets minimum standards that countries have to comply with. At the time the TUC pointed out to the Government that there were other international laws that the UK had signed up to in many other non European countries that did cover the self-employed including those of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Council of Europe. Disability The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities examined the British governments progress in fulfilling its commitments to the UN convention on disabled peoples rights, to which the UK has been a signatory since 2007. Its report concludes that the UK has not done enough to ensure the convention, which enshrines the rights of disabled people to live independently, to work and to enjoy social protection without discrimination is reflected in UK law and policy. Although it praises some initiatives by the Scottish and Welsh governments to promote inclusion, it is scathing of the UK governments inconsistent and patchy approach to protecting disability rights and its failure to audit the impact of its austerity policies on disabled people. Trust Breaking international laws and norms has a long-term effect, mainly that of detriment to national security, long-term interests and trust. There is an assumption, of course, that international law cannot be enforced but in todays world, international sanctions can be as damaging as using force. Those sanctions could be economic or diplomatic in nature. And if Britain wants to be an international player, it very strongly needs to appreciate and adhere to international laws and norms. This article was originally published by " TruePublica " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== India marks colonial massacre centenary, Britain makes no apology: The massacre of hundreds became a symbol of colonial cruelty and for decades India has demanded an apology from Britain. Instead of giving #Venezuela access to its own 1.2 billions, the #UnitedKingdom is offering "humanitarian aid" for 9 million dollars. #HandsOffVenezuela pic.twitter.com/kNURT9Lril teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) April 12, 2019 Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy The Congress on Sunday demanded a probe into the alleged transportation of a "suspicious black trunk" in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helicopter during his visit to Chitradurg in Karnataka for poll campaign. A screengrab of the video posted by KPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao. Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma asked the prime minister to come clean and said the Election Commission should inquire into the contents of the "trunk". He said the Congress' Karnataka unit has already filed a complaint with the Election Commission in this regard. The prime minister had addressed an election rally in Karnataka's Chitradurga on April 9. "We saw there were three more choppers escorting the prime minister's helicopter. After landing, a black trunk was taken out and whisked away in a private car which was not part of the SPG carcade," he alleged. Sharma suggested there was cash stashed in the trunk. "What was there in the trunk. If there was no cash in it, let there an inquiry be held." The party also played a video clip claiming that the purported trunk, after being unloaded from the PM's helicopter, was shipped to a private Innova car, that Sharma alleged was not a part of the SPG carcade, and taken away. Sharma also asked Modi to give an account of his five-year rule to the people of the country as a tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. "The Prime Minister is trying to control and change the narrative because he has no courage the face real issues," he alleged. Raising the issue of Rafale, Sharma asked Modi to make public the minutes of a meeting held last year between him and former French president Francois Hollande on the fighter jet deal. "Why is he (PM) silent on his role in Rafale scam? Make the minutes of the meeting between Prime Minister and former French president Francois Hollande on the Rafale deal public by tomorrow. As there has been a controversy, it would help settle it once for all," he said. The prime minister in his "desperation to win has done enormous disservice to the nation by dragging in the Armed Forces for Partisan political propaganda", Sharma further alleged. "Seeking votes for the courageous action and sacrifices of our soldiers is an unpardonable transgression and also an insult to the Armed forces who defend the motherland under the tricolour and not under one person or party. The Indian Army belongs to the Republic of India," he said. Sharma also slammed BJP leader and Union minister General VK Singh (Retd). "There is Prime Minister's defence and his apology minister including one of his ministers, who should have been made literate in the military history of the country. I am referring to retired General V.K. Singh, he said - Indira Gandhi benefitted electorally from the Bangladesh war." "Is he ignorant of history when he himself was a commissioned officer?" Sharma asked. "To reeducate him, these are the facts: General Singh got commissioned in June 1970, Smt Indira Gandhi recorded a massive electoral win in March 1971 and India won the 13-day war with Pakistan on 16 December 1971. VK Singh should extend an unconditional apology," he said. As many as 513 ceasefire violations by Pakistan have taken place along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir after the Indian Air Force's air strike on terror launch pads in Pakistan, the Indian army said on Saturday. The air strike by India came two weeks after the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 Central Reserve Police Forece personnel lost their lives. The army said Pakistan also used heavy weaponry like mortars and artillery guns over 100 times during the said time period. "513 ceasefire violations by Pakistan have taken place along the Line of Control in the last one and a half month. Pakistan used heavy weaponry over 100 times during these violations," GOC16 Corps, Lieutenant General Paramjit Singh told media. "Whenever Pakistan carries out such violations, we also retaliate effectively. As per our sources, the Pakistan army has suffered five to six times more casualties than the casualties on the Indian side," Singh added. On February 26, IAF fighter jets targetted Jaish-e-Mohammed's advance training camp in Pakistan's Balakot. Islamabad retaliated by attempting to target Indian military installations the next day. However, the IAF thwarted its attempted. India, after the aerial strikes, had said that it killed a large number of terrorists. However, Pakistan said India's claim was "reckless" while stating that it will respond "at the time and place of its choosing." Sunday was a 'special day' for Bharatiya Janata Party MP Hema Malini as veteran actor and her husbnad Dharmendra campaigned for her in Mathura and appealed to the people to support her in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The popular Bollywood couple addressed a crowd for the Jat community where a massive crowd turned up. "Vote for Hema Malini. Without your support, we will not be able to take even a single step towards the development of the city," Dharmendra said while addressing a gathering in Mathura. He reminded the crowd of the iconic scene from the movie, Sholay, where Hema Malini starred together with her husband and played the role of Basanti. Raising the poll pitch in the constituency, Dharmendra told the crowd: "Gao walon, (Hema ji ke liye) vote karna. Nahi to kisi aas paas ki tanki pe chad jaunga aur wahan bahut mausi ko pukarunga. Bahut mausiyan aa jayengi. (Dear villagers, please vote for Hema Malini ji. Else, I will climb on one of the tanks and give a shout out to Mausi ji. I am sure a lot of them will come)." Dharmendra claimed that since his father was a farmer, apart from being a teacher, the actor had a first-hand experience of working in the fields. "I have harvested crops, ploughed fields and cut fodder for animals. That's why I understand the problems and hard work of farmers," he added. Addressing a public meeting in Sonkh town of Mathura district, Dharmendra also thanked the crowd for the "historical" victory of Malini in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Malini, meanwhile, asked the people to vote her for a "better tomorrow" of Mathura and the country. WATCH: Dharmendra seeks votes for wife Hema Malini Earlier, Hema Malini took Twitter to announce that her husband would campaign for her in her constituency. "Today is a special day for me! Dharamji is here in Mathura to campaign for a whole day on my behalf. The public is waiting eagerly to get a glimpse of him and listen to what he has to say," she said in a tweet. Mathura goes to polls in the third phase of the Lok Sabha election on Thursday. With inputs from PTI, ANI Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who quit the Bharatiya Janata Party to fight from Patna Sahib on a Congress ticket, on Saturday scoffed at the saffron party's claim that the seat has been its stronghold and said he "would have loved" to fight Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the seat. IMAGE: Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha during an election campaign rally. Photograph: PTI Photo "Let them (BJP) live in fool's paradise ... Voters of Patna Sahib will teach them a lesson," Sinha, popularly known as 'Bihari Babu', said. He cited the victories of Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal nominees in the past from the prestigious Bihar seat, from where he is seeking re-election for the third straight time, to deride BJP's claim. "There was news in some quarters that Modi himself will enter the fray from Patna Sahib on a second seat in addition to Varansi ... What happened?...I would have loved to take on him on the seat," Sinha, also known as 'Shotgun' said. Sinha, a Modi baiter, will take on Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, a four-term Rajya Sabha member fielded by the BJP, in the Patna Sahib seat. This will be the first time that Prasad will be contesting in a Lok Sabha election. Sinha himself has served two terms in the Rajya Sabha previously and had been a member of the Union council of ministers headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The flamboyant MP brushed off Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi's recent statement that even American President Donald Trump if he were to contest from Patna Sahib would lose to th BJP. "All these are said in frustration to keep Modi and Amit Shah in good humour while hiding the situation prevailing on the ground," Sinha said. Without naming Sushil Modi, the actor-politician said, "instead of fielding a person (Prasad) who cannot even win the municipal corporation election he himself (Sushil Modi) should have crossed swords with me." The Bollywood actor, who was inspired by Loknayak Jayprakash Narayan to join politics and was introduced to the BJP in the mid-80s by Nanaji Deshmukh, joined the Congress last week after fight with the present leadership of the saffron party over being sidelined since the 2015 Bihar assembly polls. On his arrival in Patna on Friday on his first tour of his Lok Sabha constituency after joining the Congress, Sinha was given a rousing welcome at the state party headquarters at Sadaqat Ashram and he expressed confidence that he will retain the seat for a third time with a record margin. Fighting on a BJP ticket, he had trounced famous Bhojpuri actor Kunal, who was fielded by the Congress from the seat, in 2014. I In the 2009 Lok Sabha he had defeated fellow Bollywood colleague and Congress candidate Sekhar Suman. Elaborating on his contention that non-BJP leaders had won the Patna Sahib seat as well in the past, he mentioned Ramkripal Yadav, a former RJD leader who had defeated the BJP nominee. Yadav is now in BJP and in the fray from neighbouring Patliputra seat. He also recounted the win by C P Thakur on a Congress ticket from the seat, that comprise the capital city of Patna and stretches to Patna Sahib, the birth place of Guru Nanak. Even Communist Party of India leader Ramavatar Shastri had won from the Patna seat, before its bifurcation into Patna Sahib and Patliputra in 2009, thrice in the past, Sinha said. Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat has six assembly constituencies under it out of which five are held by the BJP at present and a lone one by the RJD. Sinha trashed allegations that he has been an absentee in the Patna Sahib consituency and never cared for people who had voted for him. "Go and see my record ... I have spend 106 per cent from my MPLAD fund ... Its available on the net," he said. NEW HAVEN Tired, scared, angry and determined. Those four words summed up the feelings of striking Stop & Shop workers outside the Amity store Sunday morning. It was day four of the job action and workers said rumors abounded as they stood out in an increasingly warm day, worried about putting food on their tables, paying rent and taking care of their families. But the workers also said they are continuing to draw support from the community and are determined to stay on the picket line as talks continue between Stop & Shop and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 371, which represents workers in much of Connecticut. They said they had heard the two sides were at the table. Were getting stronger as the days go on, said Emily Sabo, a business representative United Food and Commercial Workers Local 919. The community support is awesome. The workers have united together more than ever. Stop & Shop locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are closed or partially operating as workers hold the picket lines to protest cuts stipulated in the companys contract proposal. Im tired, Im exhausted, said Ruth Cherry, a longtime Stop & Shop worker who was with a group of other union members Sunday morning. But were sticking together. Cherry, however, noted that she and so many others are ready to go back to work when the impasse with the grocery giant ends. Workers said they had learned some temporary workers were in stores, but they were not sure how many. Roberto Bonaparte, general manager of the Amity store, said the location would be open until 8 p.m. Sunday, with limited service. Bonaparte said he was not at liberty to comment on whether temporary workers were hired. However, Jennifer Brogan, a spokeswoman for Stop & Shop, said, about temporary workers, This has been a part of our contingency plans since the beginning. That said, this is a fluid situation and we are moving and adding resources based on need and availability. When asked if there are stores that will be getting temporary workers/corporate personnel for the first time on Sunday, she said: I can only say it varies by store, but that we have both temporary replacement workers and corporate personnel working in our stores across New England in an effort to minimize disruptions for our customers. Juliette Sabo, shop steward for Local 919, in Fairfield, and a 38-year Stop & Shop worker, said the union had gotten word that temporary workers would be brought in and were trying to dissuade the workers from going in to the stores. Union members are Pleading with them to make the right choice, Sabo said. Were doing our best to fight (them) off, she said. There are few. Juliette Sabo said she made a cardboard Marty to simulate the robot Stop & Shop has in some of its stores, and it had drawn positive reactions as she drove around with it. The union members are pumped up, Sabo said. We are not backing down. Workers at the Amity store said at least two people who went into that location identified themselves as temporary workers. Workers said they love their jobs, enjoy working with the public and also are worried about the amount of food that might be wasted as use by dates pass for perishables. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union has said the workers are concerned the offer to them would raise health care premiums, cut pension benefits and increase wages by less than two percent for many part-time workers. Id like to protect my pension, we want to keep what we have, said a worker at the Stop & Shop, who identified herself as Debbie. Michelle, who also was outside the Amity location, said This is our job, this is our family, we just want support from the community. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a release that he would meet with Stop & Shop workers in Simsbury who are striking to demand that Stop & Shop provide affordable healthcare and fair compensation. Emily Sabo said the union hopes the strike ends soon, so workers can get back to their jobs. But in order to do that, Stop & Shop has to come to the table with a fair contract, she said. Were willing to fight as long as it takes. In its most recent release, posted Saturday on its website, Stop & Shop said: The UFCW local unions and Stop & Shop continued negotiations today on new contracts for Stop & Shops 31,000 associates in New England. Discussions are scheduled to resume on Sunday morning (April 14). We will continue to provide updates as this situation develops. KABUL -- Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah says he will boycott a planned meeting of nearly 2,500 Afghan politicians and tribal, ethnic, and religious leaders aimed at discussing negotiations with the Taliban. Abdullah made the announcement on April 14, about two weeks before the gathering, known as a consultative Loya Jirga, is set to be held in Kabul on April 29. The United States has pushed for a peace settlement with the Taliban, with a new round of talks scheduled later this month in Qatar. However, the Taliban has long refused to speak officially with Kabul, calling the government a "puppet" of the West. Washington's push for a peace settlement comes ahead of Afghanistan's presidential poll scheduled for September. In his statement, Abdullah said that the Stability and Partnership electoral ticket he is leading had "not been involved in any consultation neither at political parties and individual levels nor at the government level." He also said that he did not see the gathering "helpful to overcome the current challenges in the country." With reporting by Tolo News The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers have agreed to press ahead with efforts to end the conflict over Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, but no major progress was evident after a meeting in Moscow. The April 15 talks between Zohrab Mnatsakanian and Elmar Mammadyarov were hosted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and attended by the Russian, French, and U.S. co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Minsk Group, which leads diplomatic efforts to resolve the protracted dispute. Mnatsakanian and Mammadyarov "reaffirmed the intention of the parties to continue their efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through political and diplomatic means," a statement posted on the OSCE website said. The ministers "emphasized their interest in further stabilization of the situation in the conflict zone, in particular during agricultural activities," it said -- an apparent reference to the spring sowing season and possibly the harvest later on. There has been a significant decrease in cease-fire violations around Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in recent months. Nagorno-Karabakh, which is populated mainly by ethnic Armenians, declared independence from Azerbaijan amid a 1988-94 war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Since 1994, when a cease-fire agreement was reached, it has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces that Baku says include troops supplied by Armenia. No country has recognized it as an independent state. At the talks in Moscow, the sides agreed to take measures "on a mutual basis" to give relatives of people held in custody by both sides access to their loved ones, the statement said. It said that Mnatsakanian and Mammadyarov "expressed their willingness to start concrete work on establishing contacts between people," including through mutual visits by journalists, and that all participants agreed to "continue their contacts in the near future." Igor Popov, Stephane Visconti, and Andrew Schofer are the current Russian, French, and U.S. co-chairs of the OSCE's Minsk Group. Years of negotiations have not resolved the conflict. On March 29 in Vienna, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held their first meeting under the auspices of the Minsk Group. Yerevan and Baku described the talks as "positive" and "constructive," saying the sides had agreed to strengthen the cease-fire regime in the conflict zone and continue their dialogue. Lynne Tracy, the U.S. ambassador to Armenia, spoke optimistically about the peace process, telling RFE/RL on April 15 that there had been "some very positive developments" in the last several months. "There have been several good contacts between Prime Minister Pashinian and President Aliyev; those have been positive and constructive," Tracy said. "We've seen a reduction in violence along the line of contact." "That, I think, really is a benefit of the kind of dialogue and contact that we are seeing between these two leaders," Tracy said. "We'd like to see that continue." The March summit was the fourth face-to-face encounter in six months between the long-ruling Aliyev and Pashinian, a former opposition lawmaker who became prime minister of Armenia in May 2018 after leading protests that pushed his predecessor out. With reporting by Interfax and TASS QUETTA, Pakistan -- Members of Pakistans Shi'ite ethnic Hazara minority have held a sit-in protest in the southwestern city of Quetta for a third consecutive day, following a deadly suicide bombing that appeared to target the community. Reports said that about 200 people on April 14 blocked traffic in a key artery leading into Quetta, the capital of Balochistan Province, chanting slogans such as "Stop killing Hazara" and "Down with terrorism and sectarianism." Dozens of Hazara also gathered in the southern city of Karachi, some holding signs reading, "Shi'ite lives matter." At least 20 people were killed and 48 others wounded on April 12, when a suicide bomb exploded in an outdoor market in Quetta in an attack claimed by both an affiliate of the Pakistani Taliban and the Islamic State group. Eight Hazara were among those killed, according to police. Hazara have been frequently targeted by Sunni Muslim militant groups in both Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan. The protesters in Quetta have refused to call off their sit-in until their demands were met, including the arrests of those behind the attack and stepped-up measures to protect their community. A team comprising senior officials of the Counterterrorism Department (CTD) has been set up to investigate the blast, the Dawn newspaper reported. Hazara make up about 500,000 of Quetta's 2.3 million people. Amnesty International said the April 12 blast was a "painful reminder" of the many attacks suffered by the Hazara community in the city over the years. The resource-rich Balochistan Province, which borders Afghanistan, has been plagued by sectarian violence, Islamist militant attacks, and a separatist insurgency that has led to thousands of casualties since 2004. With reporting by Reuters and Dawn On March 20, Human Rights Watch released a statement calling on Tajik authorities to immediately release Mahmadali Hayit, the deputy leader of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), from prison. The statement said Hayit was seriously ill and had been tortured. In May 2018, the working group on arbitrary detention at the United Nations Human Rights Council released a statement saying the detention of Hayit violated international law and urging Hayit be released immediately and "accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law." Hayit remains in prison. RFE/RL's media-relations manager, Muhammad Tahir, moderated a discussion on Hayit's situation. From Germany, independent Tajik journalist Humayra Bakhtiyar joined the conversation. From Uzbekistan, our friend Steve Swerdlow, the Central Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, took part in the talk. From Prague, Salimjon Aioubov, the acting director of RFE/RL's Tajik Service, known locally as Ozodi, participated in the discussion. And I had something to say also. Listen to the podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes. Nine-year-old Naveed Iqbal frequently accompanies his grandfather to mosque in this valley surrounded by the soaring peaks of the Hindu Kush mountains. But he doesnt go inside not yet, at least. When I go inside to offer my prayer, he waits outside on the mosque stairs until I come out, his grandfather, Bilal Shah, told RFE/RL in an interview in this hillside village in Bhamborit, one of three idyllic valleys in the Chitral district of Pakistans northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Naveed is a member of the Kalash, a pagan community known for their fair skin that has long inhabited this area near the border with Afghanistan. The Kalash people, many of whom believe they are the descendants of the armies of Alexander the Great, have held on to their religious beliefs and colorful rituals for centuries, even as a sea of Islam has encircled them. But the unique traditions of the Kalash are coming under mounting cultural pressure as the pace of conversions to Islam accelerates within Pakistans smallest ethnoreligious community. The Kalash population currently numbers between 3,000-4,000, and locals estimate that some 300 of their members have converted to Islam over the past three years, The Washington Post reported in November. Some local reports, however, have said the figure is not that high. Kalash children are not taught about their own culture, religion, or history in schools, where most of the teachers are Muslims. Calls to prayer now ring out five times a day from 18 mosques across the valley, the result of a recent boom in the construction of Muslim houses of worship. The swelling influence of Islam in the area has alarmed many in the Kalash community who worry that their traditional way of life is slipping away before their eyes. Bilal Shah heading toward a nearby mosque in the village of Krakal for Eid prayers as his grandson, Naveed, looks on. Shah says he converted to Islam 20 years ago and hopes Naveed will as well. And it is stoking tensions within families as well. Naveed, the nine-year-old who accompanies his grandfather Bilal Shah to mosque, is the son of Iqbal Shah, 33, who remains committed to carrying on the traditions of his Kalash ancestors. Bilal wants his grandson to grow up as a Muslim. He loves me. He stays most of the time with me rather than with his father, said Bilal, a Kalash who converted to Islam 20 years ago. Iqbal confronts Bilal whenever the grandfather raises the issue of the boys potential conversion. He is my son. I have the right to decide his future, or he himself has the right, Iqbal said while sitting around a cast-iron wood oven in the guestroom of the familys single-story house. Asked by this reporter whose side Naveed takes in the matter, Iqbal translated the question for his son. Dressed in his school uniform, Naveed gave a shy smile as he raised his index finger and pointed it toward his grandfather. Foundation For Conversion Tense relations between the Kalash and their Muslim neighbors are not new. The Kalash previously inhabited what is now the Nuristan Province in Afghanistan, just on the other side of the border with Pakistan. The area where they lived was at times called Kafiristan, or Land of the Infidels a reference to their paganism. But in the late 19th century, the ruler of Afghanistan, Abdur Rahman Khan, launched a violent campaign against the Kalash to convert its members to Islam by force. Known as the Iron Amir, he proceeded to name the area Nuristan, or the Land of Celestial Light. Many Kalash took refuge in the remote valleys of Bhamborit, Berir, and Rambur, in what is now Pakistan, where they continue to safeguard their religion and ethnic identity to this day. The local Muslims previously referred to the infidels of Nuristan as red Kafirs, who feature in the Ruyard Kipling story The Man Who Would Be King. Those who found shelter in the three valleys, meanwhile, were called black Kafirs. The moniker, which the Kalash abhor, is likely rooted in the black dresses that were worn by the women of the community. The word Kalash means people wearing black clothes. The origins of the Kalash remain shrouded in mystery. Many Kalash believe their ancestors came to the area from a distant place known as Tsiyam, which Kalash priests and bards invoke in songs about their ancestors during colorful and exuberant festivals. Tsiyam is thought to be an area in southeast Asia, though no one knows precisely where or what it was. Others in the community trace their ancestry to Alexander the Greats armies that invaded this region in the 4th century B.C. A study by a team of geneticists published in 2014 found that the Kalash had portions of DNA from an ancient European population, suggesting a possible link to Alexanders armies, The New York Times reported. While recounting epics about their ancestors during festivals, Kalash elders speak of a man they believe was a general of Alexanders, called Shalakash, who settled in the region. Historians believe the name refers to Seleucus Nicator, who indeed served as a general under Alexander and ruled over this region after the Greek armies left. A genetic link between the ancient Greeks and the modern-day Kalash remains disputed. Some Pakistani anthropologists say they have found evidence of a Kalash presence in the area well before the arrival of Greek armies in the region. And a 2015 study by Pakistani, Italian, and British scientists found that the Kalash share genetic likeness to Paleolithic Siberian hunter-gatherers and might represent an extremely drifted ancient northern Eurasian population that also contributed to European and Near Eastern ancestry. The genetically isolated Kalash might be seen as descendants of the earliest migrants that took a route into Afghanistan and Pakistan and are most likely present-day genetically drifted representatives of these ancient northern Eurasians, the researchers said, adding that their study did not find support of a Kalash link to Alexanders soldiers. The names of the Kalash gods and goddesses, however, resemble those of the Greeks. And many words in their language resemble Greek as well. Their language, called Kalash or Kalasha, is a Dardic tongue that is in a subgroup of Indo-Aryan languages spoken in the area. It has no script and the traditional Kalash stories are passed down orally from generation to generation. There is no separate curriculum for Kalash children in local schools that would teach them the language and traditions of their people. But they are taught Islamic theology and Koranic scripture alongside Muslim students. This lays the foundation for the conversion of the Kalash at this stage, a teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told RFE/RL during a visit to a school in Karakal, which has a population of around 350. Wazir Zada, who represents the Kalash community in the provincial legislature, said he intends to raise the issue in the assembly. "I hope we will be able to introduce the teaching of Kalash culture and religion in schools," Zada, 35, told RFE/RL. Abandoning A Lifestyle Bilal Shah, who hopes his grandson Naveed becomes a Muslim, says he converted 20 years ago after attending a gathering of Tablighi, the missionaries who travel around the country preaching a conservative, apolitical, and pacifist version of Islam. I was impressed by the presence of religious scholars and, thanks be to God, entered into the fold of Islam, he told RFE/RL. As he spoke, Bilal guided this reporter through a cemetery just behind his house to the grave of his mother, who died as a Kalash. Those who convert to Islam here opt to be buried in Muslim cemeteries. Pakistani authorities have now banned Tablighi from entering the valley following a clash between members of the Kalash and Muslim communities over the conversion of a Kalash girl to Islam in 2016. But the Muslim missionary work continues within the Kalash community and families like the Shahs: With their relatively liberal and tolerant approach toward religion, they do not expel or otherwise pressure a family member who converts to Islam or adopts another faith. Once someone converts in a family or neighborhood, he or she becomes a local source of inspiration and influences the others beliefs to attract them to Islam, Iqbal Shah, the son of Bilal and father of Naveed, told RFE/RL. Iqbals parents, sister, and one brother have already adopted Islam, while his other brother continues to adhere to the traditions of the Kalash. This coexistence has a negligible impact on the routines of the familys daily life, though occasionally the choice of food or drink can be a source of annoyance. Bilal, for example, does not approve when Iqbal partakes of the locally produced wine another cultural tradition that the Kalash share with the ancient Greeks. Many locals say that educated young women here more frequently convert to Islam and marry outside the Kalash community than their less-educated peers. Some elope with Muslim men from cities, and parents and relatives say the temptations of modern life and technology play a role in these marital decisions and are gradually damaging their culture. The Kalash subsist largely on farming, growing crops such as maize, and raising livestock for milk, cheese, and meat. Women toil in the fields and collect wood, while others work as masons and artisans. Otherwise the employment opportunities in the area are sparse beyond working as teachers, security or border guards, or at local guest houses that operate mainly during the festivals. When young people get an education, they seek jobs in cities far away from the valley and dont return here for months and even years, Shahzada Khan, a 55-year-old hotelier from Krakal, told RFE/RL. Their detachment keeps them away from their culture and religion, and they totally abandon this lifestyle in due time. A teacher at a Kalash school teaching Koranic verses to Muslim children. Shaira, a 27-year-old Krakal resident, is one of the educated young women here who says she wants to remain within the Kalash community and uphold its centuries-old traditions. Shaira, who holds a masters degree in international relations from the University of Peshawar, says her older sister eloped with a young Muslim man from the southeastern Sindh Province a year ago. The family has only spoken with the sister periodically. The young mans family strictly follows Islam and does not want her interacting with infidels, Shaira said, adding that she herself wants to marry a Kalash man. My culture gives me the freedom to choose my life partner, and if I am not happy with him, I have the right to choose another man. No other religion or culture gives me that choice. The Kalash are distinct from the rest of Pakistan not only in terms of their religion, colorful dresses, and comparatively fair skin, but also with their liberal approach to marriage. A woman is free to marry for love, and if she sours on her husband, she is allowed to divorce him and even elope with another. The only condition is that the new husband must pay a dowry to the previous one that is double the original. Kalash schoolgirls gathering during morning assembly. A Kalash lawmaker says he hopes lessons in Kalash culture and religion will be introduced in schools, an issue he intends to raise in the provincial legislature. In most of rural Pakistan, Muslim women largely remain behind the four walls of their homes, cover their faces in streets and markets, and are not allowed to speak to men other than their close family members. Kalash women freely interact with local and visiting men. In rural areas, young Muslim couples who elope are sometimes targeted in so-called honor killings a practice putatively aimed at preserving a familys honor that Pakistani lawmakers have tried to stem by introducing harsher punishments for these crimes. My culture gives me the freedom to choose my life partner, and if I am not happy with him, I have the right to choose another man. No other religion or culture gives me that choice, Shaira, who proudly wears traditional Kalash robes and dresses, told RFE/RL. While the Kalash are highly tolerant of other religions, the communitys elders have strictly prohibited the reentry into their own by those who have converted to Islam. That move was driven in part to protect the converts from potential reprisals for leaving Islam. Unlike blasphemy, apostasy is not punishable by death under Pakistani law, but a 2013 Pew Research Center survey found that 62 percent of Muslims in Pakistan are in favor of capital punishment for those who leave Islam The crime rate is almost zero in the area, where the locals can enter one anothers homes without a knock. But in 2016, violent clashes which prompted the ban on Tablighi in the area erupted between Muslims and Kalash in the Bhamborit Valley after rumors that a 14-year-old girl had backtracked on her conversion to Islam and returned to the Kalash religion. The girl, named Rina, later claimed at a news conference alongside Kalash and Muslim leaders that the violence was the result of confusion over her choice of garb and that she had not given up Islam. I wore the robe after a Muslim relative told me I was still a minor and could dress up in our traditional attire. She told me I could revert to Muslim shalwar-kameez dress once I had grown up, so I wore the dress, she was quoted by the BBC as saying. Attempts to locate Rina were unsuccessful, and locals declined to give details about her whereabouts. A House Divided Kalash men and women mingle at the flurry of festivals they stage throughout the year, where the feasts are lavish and the wine flows. Singing and dancing are at the heart of these festivals celebrating harvests, flowers, each of the four seasons, and the weather. At each event, the Kalash pay tribute to their gods and goddesses including by sacrificing goats as music from flutes and drums fills the air. The local Kalash museum features some other types of traditional instruments, but almost no one knows how to play them. The mood is even celebratory when someone dies. The Kalash take the body to the temple, known as Jastkan, and invite community members from all three valleys to dance and sing around the recently deceased for two days. The burial is marked with a large feast for which dozens of goats are sacrificed to feed the guests, who use song to praise the dead. Shaira, a young Kalash woman, dancing with young men during celebrations of Chomas, the final festival of the year marking the advent of winter. While gender segregation is common in Pakistan, Kalash women and men freely mingle. The final annual festival each year, a week-long celebration, known as Chomas in the mountainous world of the Kalash, begins on December 16. Like other festivals throughout the year, it features song and dance and animal sacrifice. During Chomas, the Kalash ask their deities to protect them from a cold and snowy winter. One unique feature of this winter festival is that the Kalash and Muslims are segregated for a three-day period during the festivities. The Kalash living in the predominantly Muslim part of the village leave their homes to join their fellow pagans for the festivities, while the Muslims in the Kalash section voluntarily leave their homes as well. Iqbal Shah and his family live in the home of his father, Bilal, which stands in the Muslim section of Krakal some 50 meters from the mosque that Bilal takes his adoring grandson Naveed to. On the first day of the most recent winter festivities, Iqbal prepared to depart the home with his wife and family. This is now becoming pretty common in these valleys, because each family has [converted] Muslim members, Iqbal said. Just before Iqbal left the home with his wife and four children, Bilal kissed Naveed on both cheeks and bid farewell to half of his family. This was not happening a few decades ago, Bilal said. Bilal added that he prays that Allah will help other Kalash convert to Islam, and that such sendoffs will not happen again. I invite them to Islam, Bilal said. What else can I do? I can invite them and only Allah can guide them to the right path. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says there is "no doubt" that Iran has a financial presence in South America and that Tehran remains a "global threat." Iranian money remains in South America being used for malign purposes, supporting Hizballah, supporting transnational criminal organizations, supporting efforts at terrorism throughout the region," Pompeo said on April 13 in an interview with Voice of America during a visit to the region. Pompeo noted that an airline had begun direct flights last week from Tehran to Caracas. The carrier, Mahan Air, has been sanctioned by Washington for allegedly transporting military equipment to Middle East war zones. "This is Iran intervening in South America. That's not in the best interests of the South American people, and the United States stands ready. "We see Iran for what it is: the world's largest state sponsor of terror. That's a global threat," he added. Pompeo spoke during a stop in Paraguay on a trip that Washington has said will focus on developments in Venezuela, where embattled socialist President Nicolas Maduro is struggling to hold power amid street protests and a political battle with self-declared interim President Juan Guaido. Russia, Iran, China, and Cuba are among the countries supporting Maduro, while the United States, much of Europe, and other countries back Guaido. Maduro, who took office in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chavez, was sworn in for a second term in January following elections in May 2018 that were marred by an opposition boycott and claims of vote-rigging, leading to mass street protests. Pompeo, who called the election a "sham," said that "Maduro and his henchmen have destroyed this nation." He added that Maduro's missteps were the reason Guaido had been entrusted with the power to "truly deliver...democracy and prosperity." With reporting by Voice of America and Fox News Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko went to Kyiv's Olimpiyskiy Stadium for a presidential election debate, but his challenger didn't show up after a disagreement about the timing. Poroshenko is to face Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Ukraine's presidential runoff on April 21. Zelenskiy won the first round earlier this month by a large margin, and most, if not all, opinion polls put him well out in front of the incumbent ahead of the final vote. Both candidates have agreed to hold a debate, but disagreed on the date, with Zelenskiy insisting that it should take place on April 19. Poroshenko, accompanied by his wife and children, walked inside a glass-encased room sandwiched between the stadium and the adjacent hotel where dozens of journalists were waiting. He took to the stage, with the moderator off to the side. They welcomed Zelenskiy as well but noted his absence. "It was not me who proposed the site of the event, it was a certain man," Poroshenko told the audience, standing next to an empty lectern bearing Zelenskiy's name. He then addressed Zelenskiy, saying, "I know you're watching," and added, ironically, that Zelenskiy must be having a rest after his trip to Paris where he met French President Emmanuel Macron. Poroshenko also called on Zelenskiy to show up at the stadium, saying that otherwise he would invite him to a televised debate every day. "Don't be afraid. A debate is nothing horrible," he said. Asked by a reporter if he would cooperate with Zelenskiy if the latter won the presidency, Poroshenko replied, "If, God forbid, he were to be elected, that would still be the choice of the Ukrainian people and I would respect that choice." About 2,000 people stood outside the stadium to listen to a broadcast of Poroshenko's statements and his answering of journalists' questions. The president later led them into the stadium where they sang the national anthem. Poroshenko hugged supporters, posed for selfies, and roused the crowd with chants including "Glory to Ukraine." Speaking to RFE/RL, his spokesman, Svyatoslav Tseholko, described the gathering inside the stadium as impromptu and the president's idea. Security officers said they did not expect Poroshenko's move to lead his supporters into the stadium. The stadium has confirmed it also received a request to hold a debate on April 19, leaving open the possibility that Zelenskiy will show up on his preferred date and speak to supporters alone. The campaign has been marked by theatrics on both sides, including public moves by both candidates to be tested for drugs and alcohol. On April 12, Poroshenko traveled to Berlin and Paris to seek international support ahead of the April 21 runoff. Zelenskiy traveled only to Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron, who separately met with Poroshenko as well. In Berlin, Poroshenko met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who praised the "very close relations" her country has built with Ukraine in recent years. At a joint news conference, Merkel deflected a question about the impression that she favors Poroshenko in the election. She said that she was in "permanent contact" with the incumbent. Her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said a meeting with Zelenskiy "is not planned at present." Germany, France, and Ukraine are part of the so-called Normandy Format of countries seeking a resolution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed separatists are fighting against government forces. Russia is the fourth country in the format, which has not held talks in two years. Poroshenko said he would be prepared to hold a summit "immediately after the election." He later met Macron in Paris. Macron first hosted Zelenskiy, who told journalists that his meeting with the French president was held in a "very nice, warm atmosphere." Zelenskiy won the first round by a wide margin over Poroshenko, but he did not receive enough support to avoid the runoff. An independent poll released on April 11 suggests that Zelenskiy enjoys a commanding lead ahead of next week's runoff, but Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Ukraine's deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, told RFE/RL that Poroshenko's "readiness to talk to people, to go out and deliver his vision, answer difficult questions, make painful decisions for himself, admitting his mistakes" could allow Poroshenko to correct the situation. The Sociological Group "Rating" said its polling early this month points to 51 percent popular support for sitcom star Zelenskiy, who appeared on the political scene late last year, versus 21 percent for Poroshenko. The race was even more lopsided in Zelenskiy's favor among respondents who intend to vote in the second round of the election -- 61 percent to 24 percent. With reporting by Christopher Miller in Kyiv, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, AP, AFP, and Reuters BELGRADE -- The widow of Yugoslavia's late strongman, Slobodan Milosevic, has died in Russia at the age of 76, reports say. Serbian media reported on April 14 that Mirjana Markovic died in a Moscow hospital and had been very ill. There were no details about the cause of death. Markovic has lived in Russia for the last 16 years, where she received political asylum. Her husband was arrested in 2001 and held at the UN court in The Hague for genocide and other war crimes committed during the conflicts that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The former Serbian president died in the tribunal's detention unit in 2006 before a verdict was reached. Markovic, who had been a sociology professor at Belgrade University, left Serbia in 2003. She was considered to be a power behind the scene with major influence on her husband. Last year, a Serbian court sentenced Markovic in absentia to one year in prison for abuse of power for allegedly handing out a government-subsidized apartment to an associate. An appeals court voided the sentence and ordered a retrial in March. With reporting by AFP and AP Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. A Financial Times report highlights that Apple is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to secure new games for its Arcade gaming subscription service. Apple had unveiled Arcade at its March Show Time event, with the service slated to launch later this year. Apple Arcade is slated to launch with over 100 games and Apple will likely spend over $500 million on them. The advance given by Apple to game title developers is more than enough to cover their game development cost. Apple is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to secure new video games for its forthcoming Arcade subscription service, according to several people familiar with the deals. The company is also offering developers extra incentives if they keep their game exclusive to Arcade and dont release it on any other platform like Google Play or Xbox Game Pass. The exclusivity will only be for a few months though and after that, they will be free to release their games on any platform they want. With Apple Arcade, the Cupertino company wants to offer a subscription-based gaming service to its iPhone, iPad, and macOS customers. These high-quality games will have a rich storyline and will be completely devoid of IAPs and ads. These games will also work be compatible with all devices within Apples ecosystem and sync their progress across devices meaning one can start playing a game on their iPhone and then resume it on their iPad or Mac. Our Take While Apple unveiled Arcade at its Showtime event, it did not mention anything about its pricing. The gaming subscription service is likely to cost anywhere around $7.99 to $9.99/month. With hardware sales slowing down, Apple is heavily focusing on the services sector. Apple Arcade will get its own tab in the iOS App Store which means it should catch the eyesight of millions of people around the world. [Via FT After a tornado struck Franklin, Texas, on Saturday, injuring at least a dozen people and causing damage to at least 20 structures in the east Texas town, there were still tornado warnings in effect for parts of Mississippi and Alabama as of midnight Sunday. The biggest threat area is east Texas, Louisiana, S. Arkansas, and Mississippi. On Sunday, the storm system will expand and move east. The thunderstorm threat area will be much broader from north Florida to Ohio and as far east as Pennsylvania, Virginia and North and South Carolina. Damaging winds and heavy rain are the biggest threat. Trees down, power outages, and building damage is possible. Flash flooding possible, but not a huge risk at the moment. On Sunday, thunderstorms were likely to hit Augusta, Ga., where the Masters Tournament is being held, the Weather Channel reported. A StormTrack 5 Weather Alert Day is in effect for Sunday. The main event looks to arrive on Sunday afternoon from around 4pm to 11pm. Partly cloudy skies are expected Sunday late morning into the afternoon and this is ready for instability. Marvin Hajos was taken to hospital by paramedics and he died from his injuries. My understanding is that the gentleman was in the vicinity of the bird and at some point fell. When he fell, he was attacked, Deputy Chief Jeff Taylor told to media. Mr Hajos had kept exotic animals for decades. Cassowary are among the largest and heaviest bird species in the world, native to New Guinea, and can weigh more than 100lb (45kg). Those birds are similar to emus and stand up to six feet tall. They have a five-inch claw on each foot. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission consider cassowary a Class II species, which require a permit for ownership. Cassowary bird at a zoo Cassowaries are very wary of humans, but if provoked they are capable of inflicting serious injuries, occasionally fatal, to dogs and people. Cassowaries have three-toed feet with sharp claws. The second toe, the inner one in the medial position, has a dagger-like claw that can be 125 mm (5 in) long. This claw is particularly fearsome since cassowaries sometimes kick humans or animals. According to the San Diego Zoos website, cassowaries are the worlds most dangerous bird. The first documented human death was caused by a cassowary on April 6, 1926. Capt Amarinder Singh Chandigarh, April 14: Taking strong exception to his Kathua remarks on the issue, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday lashed out Prime Minister Narendra Modi for playing dirty politics over the somber occasion of the Jallianwala Bagh centenary. Countering Modis attack on him over the Jallianwala Bagh event organised by the central government, Captain Amarinder said the Centre had deliberately chosen to hold a parallel event instead of supporting the initiatives and programmes of the state government. He had personally approached the prime minister several times over the last two years to seek support for ensuring that the centenary of the historic is observed in a befitting manner but the central government had failed to respond suitably, the Chief Minister pointed out. Instead, the Modi government decided to hold its own event, quite evidently to score brownie political points in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha elections, he added. Advertisement Prime Minister Narendra Modi This was truly shocking considering the fact that the prime minister was chairman of the Jallianwala Bagh Trust, Captain Amarinder further said. Shocked at your remarks in Kathua on Jallianwala Bagh @narendramodi Ji. You used a somber occasion to play dirty politics, conveniently ignoring your own governments decision to hold a parallel event instead of extending support to my govt, which wed been requesting for 2 yrs. the Chief Minister also tweeted. Unlike the BJP, the Congress leadership does not believe in dictating terms to its state governments, said Captain Amarinder, countering Modis remark that he did not attend the central government event under pressure from his party high command. These things happen in the BJP, which you, Mr Modi, are running in your typical dictatorial style, Captain Amarinder quipped. Advertisement It was not befitting the stature of the countrys minister to stoop to such a low in order to woo voters, the Chief Minister said, urging Modi to refrain from demeaning the high office to which the people of this great free nation had elected him. Captain Amarinder also exhorted the prime minister not to exploit the martyrdom of the victims of the violence unleashed by the British during the freedom struggle, or of the soldiers who are dying every day at the borders or in ISI-backed terror attacks such as Pulwama, for furthering his and his partys political ambitions. Jallianwala Bagh Condemning the prime minister for trying to mislead the people with this politically motivated falsehoods, the Chief Minister said it was Modi who had insulted the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh, first by not being present at any of the commemorative events and then by choosing to politicise the occasion. While Modi was busy indulging in his usual dirty little political games, he himself was at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial for the state level event to mark the centenary, the Chief Minister remarked. Advertisement The state government had scheduled its own events months ago, notwithstanding the central governments failure to support the same, he pointed out, adding that after leading the state at the commemorative events in Amritsar, he had immediately rushed to another event organised by The Tribune Trust in Chandigarh. A Cabinet Minister (OP Soni) was, however, duly appointed to be present at the central government function, which was attended by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, said Captain Amarinder, adding that all the necessary protocols were duly followed. Being a local or resident of Luxembourg means you experience the Grand Duchy in a different way. While we have our preferences for having fun in the Grand Duchy, what exactly do you recommend to someone asking how to spend a weekend in Luxembourg. Faced with this question recently, I realised I struggled to think of specific tourist activities to recommend to someone on a flying visit. A tourist flying in for the weekend may not necessarily rent a car to explore the country, especially if they're staying in the capital. As a result, this week's Knowledge Bite may not be as useful for us locals, but hopefully will be a decent bit of inspiration for those of us having friends visiting. For the sake of making this guide more coherent, the premise will be someone flying in to Luxembourg from Friday evening to Sunday evening (or early afternoon). Day 1 - arrival and evening Presuming you arrive in Luxembourg at a time before dinner, you'll be hungry and wanting to explore the city a bit. Once checked in to your hotel/AirBnB/etc, the question revolves around food. To start, I would recommend people wandering around the upper town and starting in the Place d'Armes (although not necessarily eating in any of the outlets there, unless you desperately want McDonalds). From there, head towards the palace area to find restaurants and bars, the latter if you fancy a drink and aren't feeling too peckish. Recommendations: In my opinion, Luxembourg's pizzerias do far superior pizza and pasta than their French or British counterparts, for example. If you've got a hankering for a good pizza, I'd recommend Pizzeria Onesto on Rue du N, Bacchus on Rue du Marche-aux-Herbes (right by the palace and Chamber of Deputies), or Basta Cosi on Rue Louvigny. If Italian's not quite what you're looking for, Rue Louvigny has a decent selection of other restaurants. AFP Next stop - after dinner drinks? The area surrounding the palace has a number of good bars as well, including Go Ten gin bar, Urban, and Octans. If you head further down towards the National Museum of History and Art, you'll also find The Tube and Art Scene, also two popular bars, especially when the weather's warmer. Day 2 - day trip and exploring My personal opinion of exploring a new city is to just go for a wander around. With that in mind, I would spend day two exploring Luxembourg City by having a rough itinerary, but taking time to explore anything that catches your interest. Luxembourg has a lot of wonderful bakeries which serve a purpose of either providing breakfast, snacks, or a light lunch as well. The first stop on this day of tourism is the Bock Casemates for a dose of history and cool tunnel exploring. The handy thing about the Casemates is if it happens to be raining, this could give the rain a chance to stop. Exploring the Casemates should then be followed by a walk along the Corniche, aka Europe's most beautiful balcony, and the descent down to the Grund. Dennis Jarvis/Flickr Once in the Grund, you can choose to go to the National Museum of Natural History or stop and have a drink at one of the outside terraces, but my personal pick of a museum is not located in the Grund. Take the lift up to the Plateau St Esprit and get a bus to Kirchberg (or walk, of course!). In Kirchberg, visit the Drai Eechelen Museum, which is housed in the renovated Fort Thungen and traces Luxembourg's history alongside providing some stunning views of the city from the other side. If you run out of time to visit the museum itself, why not view the virtual tour for summer 2020, by Lux-American cycling personality Mike McQuaide. After the museum, I would recommend popping into Auchan shopping centre. Why Auchan, you ask? I'd recommend Auchan as the supermarket sells macarons at a much cheaper price than Laduree or Oberweis. At 6.50 for 12 macarons, this is basically a bargain. After this, depending on how quick you are, you can head back into Luxembourg City for a nice coffee. Cafes worth visiting include Golden Bean or Downtown on Rue Chimay, Coffee Knopes next to Alima, or Konrad on Rue du Nord. Finally, if you want to experience Luxembourgish food for dinner, head down to Clausen and to Mousel Cantine. If you're wanting to go for more drinks again, Clausen also has a number of bars. Day 3 - day trip Obviously, it may be less stressful to go on a day trip on the full day you're spending in Luxembourg, but some people prefer to explore the city they're staying in before venturing off somewhere else. Vianden may be tricky to visit on a day trip, as the journey by public transport requires several changes. Instead, visiting the town and lake of Echternach could make a nice day trip. The 110 bus connects the capital with Echternach in just under an hour and you get the added bonus of seeing some of Luxembourg on the journey. Echternach is known for its hopping procession (which is on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list), its Roman villa, and is the oldest town in Luxembourg. Barbara Fuchs Once you've had your fill of Echternach, you return to the capital, collect your belongings and head back home! This is obviously not a very comprehensive list, but a suggestion of how someone could make the most of a weekend in Luxembourg. I personally think it's difficult to venture beyond Luxembourg City without a car, as a car would facilitate going to Luxembourg's Mullerthal area (known as Little Switzerland and famous for its walking trails) or to another of Luxembourg's many castles. Alternate day trips include the German city of Trier (perhaps one for the full day you're spending in Luxembourg) or Vianden castle. Or, if you'd rather spend the whole weekend in Luxembourg City, that is also an option. There are several museums and galleries in the city and a very nice park as well. Results from Finlands parliamentary election illustrated the struggle by Europes traditional political parties to retain supporters, with the center-left Social Democratic Party winning the most votes and followed closely by a populist party that wants to temper national efforts to curb climate change. The 17.7% of the vote the Social Democrats received gives it 40 of the 200 seats in Finlands new parliament, one more than the 39 the euroskeptic, anti-immigration Finns Party secured with its 17.5% support. I have to make a honest confession: I hoped still for a better result, Social Democratic Party leader Antti Rinne, a former finance minister and union leader, told supporters in central Helsinki. Let us, my friends, take the Finnish society toward sustainable climate, social and economic policies. Sundays election had been watched for signs of how a bloc of euroskeptic populists might do in next months European Parliament elections. The Finns Party is part of an alliance that hopes to become the strongest faction in the European Union legislature and to radically transform EU policies on migration, families and the environment. Advertisement Finns Party chairman Jussi Halla-aho, who received the most votes by far of any candidate for the Eduskunta legislature, said he was surprised by his partys strong performance. I certainly could never have expected a result like this, an elated Halla-aho said. Honestly speaking, none of us expected this kind of result. Voters chose between 2,500 candidates from 19 political parties and movements. Preliminary returns showed the conservative National Coalition Party in third place with 37 seats and outgoing Prime Minister Juha Sipilas Center Party claiming 31 places in the legislature. The Center Party lost more support than any other party compared to Finlands last election in 2015, apparently punished by voters for failing while in government to push through an ambitious health care and social care reform plan. Finnish Institute of International Affairs program director Mika Aaltola said voters putting their support behind comparative political upstarts produced a historic result in Finland that reflects disenchantment with mainstream politics across Europe. Support for the three traditional established parties has been down for years. The political center is weakening, which is an overall European phenomenon, Aaltola wrote on Twitter. After an election, the party that attracts the most votes typically tries to a new government with other parties as partners. A Cabinet made up of ministers from different political parties is a long-time tradition in Finland. Most political observers said the elections outcome means if Rinne is named prime minister-designate, he likely would try to form a broad-based majority government with the National Coalition party or a combination of the Center Party and smaller parties such as the Greens. Rinne said after casting his ballot that all coalition options remained on the table if his party won the most votes but that Finlands government needed to have the same value base. The election followed a campaign in which concerns about climate change even overshadowed the issue of how to reform the nations generous welfare model. Finland, a European Union member of 5.5 million people, has one-third of its territory above the Arctic Circle. Most political parties support government actions to curb global warming. Pre-election debates over what and how much the Nordic country should do revealed disagreement among voters. The Finns Party railed against public sacrifices in the name of fighting climate change. It put less focus on immigration than anti-migrant, euroskeptic counterparts elsewhere in Europe have done in recent years. For everybody, its about the climate. Its kind of a climate election. Everybodys feeling some kind of a depression about it, voter Sofia Frantsi, 27, an interior architect from Helsinki, said Sunday. Rural voters and other residents who feel that the climate change plans of other leading parties require too much sacrifice have been part of the momentum of the populist Finns Party. We want a more moderate and sensible climate policy that does not chase industries away from Finland to countries like China, Halla-aho said Sunday at a Helsinki polling station. Immigration remains a key policy issue, Halla-aho said. Greenpeace Finland called Sundays vote the climate election, saying that never before has climate and the limits of planet Earth been discussed with such seriousness in Finland. The environmental group cited a recent nationwide poll in which 70% of respondents said tackling climate change and reducing carbon footprints should be key priorities of the new government. Finland is boosting its production of nuclear energy by launching a new nuclear power plant next year. Finnish lawmakers last month voted to phase out burning coal as an energy source to end it by 2029. Other proposals include increasing the number of electric vehicles on Finlands roads and reducing meat consumption through taxes or serving more vegetarian food as part of publicly funded meals in places like schools and the military. The Social Democratic Party, which has traditionally attracted working-class voters, favors raising taxes and increasing spending to overhaul the social and health care system, which is under strain with one of the most rapidly aging populations worldwide. The Social Democrats also back the pro-European Union policies of Finland, which uses the shared euro currency but is not a NATO member. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia. Negotiations to form the next government will be very difficult, thats very clear, before they can create a government, said Jukka Vakkila, a 57-year-old doctor from Helsinki. But I think that they will find some kind of consensus ... Finland could be a good example for other countries in this way. ___ Olli Kangas contributed from Helsinki. Vanessa Gera contributed from Warsaw. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The thorny question of abortion rights is again taking center stage on Beacon Hill and putting some top officials in an uncomfortable spot, chief among them Gov. Charlie Baker. This week Baker, a Republican who supports abortion rights, celebrated the signing of a bill approving $8 million to offset the potential loss of federal funding to womens reproductive health organizations under a new Trump administration rule. That rule, dubbed a gag rule by critics, would prohibit federally funded family planning clinics from making abortion referrals or sharing office space with abortion providers. No sooner had Baker praised efforts by lawmakers to close any funding gap in the Title X program than he was asked about another bill aimed at expanding access to abortion. The bill called the ROE Act by supporters would allow women to obtain an abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy in cases of fatal fetal anomalies. State law currently allows abortions after 24 weeks only if needed to preserve the life or health of the mother. The bill would also eliminate the requirement that teenagers obtain permission from a parent or judge before obtaining an abortion. Advertisement Massachusetts GOP Party Chairman Jim Lyons criticized what he called the radical Democrats in the House and Senate supporting infanticide. The extreme infanticide bill removes all practical limitations on aborting unborn babies. These abortions are frequently referred to as late-term or partial-birth abortions, Lyons said in a statement. Lyons also opposed allowing teens to obtain an abortion without the permission of a parent of judge. Can it really be that a decision by someone under 18 to have an abortion is less significant or traumatizing than smoking a cigarette, drinking a beer, or visiting a tanning salon? Lyons said. Although Baker said he opposes late-term abortions and supports current abortion laws in Massachusetts, he said he wasnt comfortable with incendiary political rhetoric and tried to distance himself from Lyons words. I dont believe in questioning motive, I dont believe in questioning character, and I think the inflated language that exists on all sides in politics has made it much harder for people to do the work that theyre supposed to do on behalf of the people they serve, Baker told reporters. Democrats also bristled at Lyons comments. Just like Donald Trump, Massachusetts Republicans are using lies and fear-mongering in an effort to deny women the fundamental right to access health care and make their own reproductive health decisions, state Democratic Party Chairman Gus Bickford said in a statement. Rebecca Hart Holder, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, disagreed with Baker, saying current state abortion laws dont provide enough protections. Today, Massachusetts women facing a lethal fetal diagnosis later in pregnancy must travel out-of-state and pay exorbitant costs to receive later abortion care, away from their home, their families, and their support systems, Holder said in a statement. The Senate and House versions of the bill were filed by Sen. Harriette Chandler and Rep. Pat Haddad both Democrats. Separate versions of the legislation have been filed in the Massachusetts House and Senate. Neither has come up for a public hearing. The House version has more than 100 House and Senate co-sponsors more than half the 200-member Legislature. Democratic House Speaker Robert DeLeo didnt sound in a rush to bring up the bill for a vote. He told reporters the bill is just another piece of legislation filed this session. Well see what happens as it goes through the process and well take it up from there, DeLeo said this week, adding that lawmakers are focused on other items including the state budget and legislation that would prohibit LGBTQ conversion therapy for minors in Massachusetts. Massachusetts last year abolished an unenforced ban on abortion with roots dating to 1845. Lawmakers also pushed through legislation signed by Baker that abolished other old statutes that prohibited unmarried women from using contraceptives, and made adultery and fornication criminal offenses. Abortion rights supporters pressed for the removal of the law out of fear that Brett Kavanaugh then a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court could tilt the court toward undoing abortion protections in place since the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. Kavanaugh was later confirmed to the court. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. Area residents might want to take an extra close look at their pocket change. A prominent local coin dealer is giving away silver dollars to the first 20 people who find one of the first-ever, newly minted W quarters. Ten million quarters struck at the U.S. Mint at West Point are being put into circulation with a goal of generating excitement about coin collecting. The initiative is in conjunction with the American Numismatic Associations observance of National Coin Week from April 21-27. Ill give a Silver Eagle or Morgan Silver Dollar (1874-1904, 1921) to anyone who brings in a W quarter, said Anthony Swiatek, past president of the 32,000-member Numismatic Association. He and his wife, Gloria, own Minerva Coins and Jewelry at 63 Spring St. in Saratoga Springs. Also during April, independent coin dealers are placing abaout one million of their own rare coins into circulation across the U.S. as part of the Great American Coin Hunt. Its to spark interest in collecting, Swiatek said. The mint at West Point has produced quarters before, but this is the first time ever that theres a W beneath the inscription In God We Trust, similar to the P and D for the Philadelphia and Denver mints, respectively. The heads side of the new W quarter features the standard likeness of George Washington, while the tails side pays tribute to Lowell National Historic Park in Massachusetts; one in a series of America the Beautiful Quarters. In a separate initiative the U.S. Mint released two new commemorative coins this year one honoring the 100th anniversary of The American Legion and another saluting the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar mission, which saw Neil Armstrong and Edwin Buzz E. Aldrin, Jr. take mankinds first steps on the moon on July 20, 1969. Swiatek said hes especially impressed by The American Legion silver dollar coin. Wow! Thats what I said when I opened the box, he said. It just seems to talk. Its a beautiful coin. It says so much about the meaning of what The American Legion stands for. Its special. The U.S. Mint gives $10 from the sale of each silver dollar to The American Legion to support various Legion programs for veterans and members of the Armed Forces. The Legion was founded on March 15, 1919, in Paris, out of concern for the welfare of soldiers and the communities they returned to in the United States after World War I. The organization is the nations largest veterans group, with nearly two million members in more than 12,000 posts throughout the country. Companies that hope to avoid long-term stagnation can jolt employees into creative thinking by forcing them to sit alongside unfamiliar coworkers in open work spaces, according to new research from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. Sunkee Lee, Assistant Professor of Organizational Theory and Strategy, found in his study published in Organization Science that reconfiguring work areas to force people to sit closer to co-workers with whom they did not previously sit close to naturally encouraged interactions, which helped employees develop new product ideas that benefited the company. When people are forced to interact with unfamiliar colleagues, "you have more chances to learn things useful for developing new business ideas," Lee says. He tested his theory in a South Korean e-commerce firm that changed the seating arrangements of 60 sales employees. Those who sat near new colleagues engaged in more "exploration," which describes behaviors such as risk-taking and experimentation. These employees also performed better financially than the control group, individuals who did not experience much change in their seating arrangements. Lee also noted that the employees who seemed to learn the most from their new neighbors were those who had higher levels of experience in the organization and those who did not have existing social ties with such neighbors. Those who had higher levels of experience were better at learning new knowledge and applying it to their own tasks, and new interactions with unfamiliar colleagues prompted more learning. According to Lee, exploration differs from "exploitation," behaviors such as refinement, efficiency, and execution. Although exploration is vital to company growth, organizations often struggle to adequately promote its development because people are naturally inclined to gravitate toward the comfort zone of exploitation, which involves taking less risk. advertisement In the short term, exploitation is beneficial because it generates immediate returns. But companies that rely too heavily on perfecting a product or service can fail to adapt to changes in the business environment, leaving them vulnerable to being overtaken by competitors in the long term, Lee points out. "Companies have to always prepare for the next 'big thing,'" he says. "The problem is that many ideas never even make it to the market, and that failure is an essential part of exploration." Interestingly, Lee also found that financial performance improved for individuals who were exploring more, even in the short run. This finding contradicts existing literature which suggests that exploration generally ends in failure, and thus financial performance will go down in the short term. He believes that the financial uptick was due to the knowledge individuals learned from their new colleagues before engaging in exploration. The new colleagues most likely provided insights into how to source and develop new ideas, along with advice on how to avoid mistakes based on their own experiences. He also noted that the new seating arrangement helped employees improve their performance in selling their existing products (i.e., exploitation), most likely because the interactions with new neighbors also helped them generate new marketing strategies, pricing methods, and product promotions for their existing products. "They're even getting better at what they were already good at," he says. "That was a counterintuitive finding for me." He did note that open work spaces do have some drawbacks: there are privacy issues, illness spreads faster, and people experience more distractions. Therefore, in a company where productivity is more important than innovation, such as an accounting firm, an open work space actually could be detrimental, Lee said. He also cautioned against creating a hybrid environment with quiet silo areas where employees could go for more privacy. "It may satisfy people more, but there could be selection into those areas, with shy people gravitating toward the quiet spaces," he says. "And that would remove the learning opportunities for introverts and those who could otherwise interact with such people." Scientists have revealed the structure of a critical receptor in the brain associated with learning, memory, behavior and mood. The new research, published in the journal Science, is the first to reveal the structure of AMPA receptors in their natural state. This discovery could lead to new insight about the mechanism behind a wide range of nervous system disorders and diseases. "These are the fundamental electrical switches of the brain," said senior author Eric Gouaux, Ph.D., senior scientist and Jennifer and Bernard LaCroute Term Chair of neuroscience in the OHSU Vollum Institute and an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. "If these switches don't work right, then the brain doesn't function. It can lead to seizures, memory loss, and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease." Researchers at OHSU in Portland, Oregon, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory used cryo-electron microscopy and targeted mass spectrometry to reveal the architecture and subunit arrangement of AMPA receptors in rodents. AMPA receptors are activated by the neurotransmitter glutamate, forming permeable ion channels that carry signals between cells throughout the nervous system. By discerning the makeup of the working structure in rodents, scientists can isolate the same structures in post-mortem samples of human brains and make comparisons. They may then be able to determine differences between the structure and organization of healthy AMPA receptors and those in people with neurodegenerative diseases. In fact, Gouaux said researchers at OHSU intend to do exactly that. "It's super exciting," he said. "There is no guarantee, but what we want to do is understand how these receptors are different in devastating human diseases for which there are presently few, if any, treatments. If we can get new insights about the mechanism of the disease, it could provide novel approaches for therapies." The new discovery comes by way of a technique that's revolutionizing the field of structural biology. The ability to use cryo-EM vastly improves the scientists' ability to discern individual receptors in their true natural, or native, state. Gouaux previously relied on X-ray crystallography to visualize important structures in the central nervous system, however that technique requires scientists to stack up vast quantities of identical molecules so they can be crystallized to form an artificial picture of their native structure. Cryo-EM enables scientists to see molecules in near-atomic detail. "It's a sensitive technique where you need only a small number of molecules," Gouaux said. "Now we can examine the true receptor as it exists in its natural state." Researchers from the Universities of Konstanz (Germany), Leeds (UK) and Stanford (USA) have discovered that the nascent polypeptide-associated complex (NAC) helps to prevent the aggregation of proteins associated with several neurodegenerative diseases. Numerous devastating neurodegenerative disorders in humans, such as Huntington's and Alzheimer's disease as well as a disease known as spinocerebellar ataxia, are linked to specific cellular proteins which accumulate in the cell. The proteins form damaging plaques and cause the progressive dysfunction and death of neuronal cells in the brain. The new findings were discovered by an international team of scientists from the University of Konstanz's Collaborative Research Centre 969 "Chemical and Biological Principles of Cellular Proteostasis" (Germany), the interdisciplinary Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology at the University of Leeds (UK) whose research focus is "Life in molecular detail," and the Departments of Biology and Genetics at Stanford University (USA). The key molecular chaperone, NAC, is a protein complex found in all eukaryotic organisms, and is required for healthy cellular activity. NAC is known to bind to ribosomes within the cell to facilitate the production of new proteins, and is only now being understood for its additional role in preventing cellular degeneration, through its effects beyond the ribosome. As Elke Deuerling, Professor for Molecular Microbiology at the University of Konstanz and one of the lead authors on the study "Dual role of ribosome-binding domain of NAC as a potent suppressor of protein aggregation and aging-related proteinopathies," which is due for online publication in the journal Molecular Cell on 11.04.2019, emphasizes: "What is so fascinating about this is that NAC can recognise different types of aggregation-prone proteins and prevent them from aggregating. NAC is a very abundant cellular protein and seems to be involved in many processes that maintain cell fitness, health and functionality. We believe it to be one of the most important chaperones in the cell." NAC occurs in all eukaryotes from yeast to man and was first described over 25 years ago. Its precise functions, however, which are vital to the survival of organisms, have remained largely unstudied for a long time. The current paper is the first to demonstrate conclusively that NAC exerts chaperone activity off the ribosome toward structurally diverse substrates including polyglutamine (PolyQ)-containing proteins and Amyloid- 40 (A40) peptides. Importantly, NAC suppresses PolyQ aggregation and enhances the organismal fitness in vivo, as tests with the animal model system C. elegans conducted by the University of Konstanz team led by Drs Martin Gamerdinger and Elke Deuerling, assisted by their co-workers Karina Gense, Nadine Sachs and Renate Schlomer, show. PolyQ analyses of neuronal mice cells carried out by Professor Judith Frydman at Stanford University and her team, including one of the first authors, Dr Koning Shen, assisted by Rebecca Chan, revealed that a reduction of NAC caused catastrophic damage within cells producing toxic PolyQ proteins, providing further evidence of the crucial role NAC plays with regard to suppressing protein aggregation. The international research team identified the positively charged ribosome-binding N-NAC subunit (N-NAC), which is merely 40 amino acids long, as the crucial NAC domain responsible for exerting chaperone activity off the ribosome. The Stanford team demonstrated that a small peptide within this sequence can successfully prevent aggregation of disease-linked polyglutamine-expanded proteins, including Huntingtin, causing Huntington's disease, and Ataxin-3, causing a form of ataxia. "This came as a huge surprise," comments Martin Gamerdinger. "What this implies is that N-NAC effectively fulfils a dual role: It is responsible for binding NAC to the ribosome and, off the ribosome, for inhibiting protein aggregation of PolyQ proteins." A key step in the discovery of the role of NAC was to find out how it recognises and binds the damaging proteins, and prevents them from aggregating. An important contribution was made by Professor Sheena Radford and her team, including Esther Martin, Antonio Calabrese, Patrick Knight and Katie Stewart, in the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology at the University of Leeds, where Sheena Radford is Director. The Leeds team chemically linked NAC to two proteins it helps to protect from forming toxic aggregations in the cell, Ataxin-3 and Amyloid- 40, which are associated with spinocerebellar ataxia and Alzheimer's disease, respectively. Mass spectrometry experiments were then used to find out which precise parts of the chaperone and proteins were linked together. The results were clear cut and surprising. "We found that one specific region of the NAC chaperone binds Ataxin-3 and when added in isolation is sufficient to inhibit PolyQ aggregation," says Professor Sheena Radford. "However, looking at Amyloid- 40, we found that there is at least one more chaperone domain within NAC that we have yet to uncover. We can clearly see the effects that this domain has -- it completely suppresses protein aggregation in both cases. But we have not been able to identify this second binding site for Amyloid- 40 yet." One future task for the researchers will be to identify these unknown NAC substrate interaction domains. Another will be to further develop the results of the study for medical application. "Being able to clearly identify one important chaperone domain within NAC has huge implications for the development of therapeutic approaches to help combat neurodegenerative disorders," Professor Judith Frydman stresses. "Increasing the concentration of NAC in cells to suppress protein aggregation isn't universally beneficial. But being able to work with the small NAC fragment N-NAC -- or with even smaller peptides only 20 amino acids long that we managed to identify within N-NAC -- could be a game changer. We may not be able to cure diseases such as Huntington's or Alzheimer's any time soon, but we may be able to delay their progress." Notes For decades, hospitals have worked to get doctors, nurses and others to wash their hands and prevent the spread of germs. But a new study suggests they may want to expand those efforts to their patients, too. Fourteen percent of 399 hospital patients tested in the study had "superbug" antibiotic-resistant bacteria on their hands or nostrils very early in their hospital stay, the research finds. And nearly a third of tests for such bacteria on objects that patients commonly touch in their rooms, such as the nurse call button, came back positive. Another six percent of the patients who didn't have multi-drug resistant organisms, or MDROs, on their hands at the start of their hospitalization tested positive for them on their hands later in their stay. One-fifth of the objects tested in their rooms had similar superbugs on them too. The research team cautions that the presence of MDROs on patients or objects in their rooms does not necessarily mean that patients will get sick with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. And they note that healthcare workers' hands are still the primary mode of microbe transmission to patients. "Hand hygiene narrative has largely focused on physicians, nurses and other frontline staff, and all the policies and performance measurements have centered on them, and rightfully so," says Lona Mody, M.D., M.Sc., the University of Michigan geriatrician, epidemiologist and patient safety researcher who led the research team. "But our findings make an argument for addressing transmission of MDROs in a way that involves patients, too." Studying the spread advertisement Mody and her colleagues report in the new paper in Clinical Infectious Diseases that of the six patients in their study who developed an infection with a superbug called MRSA while in the hospital, all had positive tests for MRSA on their hands and hospital room surfaces. In addition to MRSA, short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the study looked for superbugs called VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococcus) and a group called RGNB, for resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Because of overuse of antibiotics, these bacteria have evolved the ability to withstand attempts to treat infections with drugs that once killed them. Mody notes that the study suggests that many of the MDROs seen on patients are also seen in their rooms early in their stay, suggesting that transmission to room surfaces is rapid. She heads the Infection Prevention in Aging research group at the U-M Medical School and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. Additionally, since many patients arrive at the hospital through the emergency room, and may get tests in other areas before reaching their hospital room, it will be important to study the ecology of MDROs in those areas too, she says. "This study highlights the importance of handwashing and environmental cleaning, especially within a healthcare setting where patients' immune systems are compromised," says infectious disease physician Katherine Reyes, M.D., lead author for Henry Ford Health System researchers involved in the study. "This step is crucial not only for healthcare providers, but also for patients and their families. Germs are on our hands; you do not need to see to believe it. And they travel. When these germs are not washed off, they pass easily from person to person and objects to person and make people sick." More about the study advertisement The team made more than 700 visits to the rooms of general medicine inpatients at two hospitals, working to enroll them in the study and take samples from their bodies and often-touched surfaces as early as possible in their stay. They were not able to test rooms before the patients arrived, and did not test patients who had had surgery, or were in intensive care or other types of units. Using genetic fingerprinting techniques, they looked to see if the strains of MRSA bacteria on the patients' hands were the same as the ones in their rooms. They found the two matched in nearly all cases -- suggesting that transfer to and from the patient was happening. The technique is not able to distinguish the direction of transfer, whether it's from patient to objects in the room, or from those objects to patients. Cleaning procedures for hospital rooms between patients, especially when a patient has been diagnosed with an MDRO infection, have improved over the years, says Mody, and research has shown them to be effective when used consistently. So lingering contamination from past patients may not have been a major factor. But the question of exactly where patients picked up the MDROs that were found on their bodies, and were transmitted to the surfaces in their rooms, is not addressed by the current study and would be an important next step based on these results. Why MDROs matter Also important, says Mody, is the fact that hospital patients don't just stay in their rooms -- current practice encourages them to get up and walk in the halls as part of their recovery from many illnesses, and they may be transported to other areas of the hospital for tests and procedures. As they travel, they may pick up MDROs from other patients and staff, and leave them on the surfaces they touch. So even if a relatively healthy person has an MDRO on their skin, and their immune system can fight it off if it gets into their body, a more vulnerable person in the same hospital can catch it and get sick. The researchers are exploring studying MDROs on patients in other types of hospital units who may be more susceptible to infections. Patients and staff may also get colonized with MDROs in outpatient care settings that have become the site of so much of American health care, including urgent care centers, freestanding imaging and surgery centers, and others. Mody and colleagues are presenting new data about MDROs in skilled nursing facilities at an infectious disease conference in Europe in coming days. They showed that privacy curtains -- often used to separate patients staying in the same room, or to shield patients from view when dressing or being examined -- are also often colonized with superbugs. "Infection prevention is everybody's business," says Mody, a professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School. "We are all in this together. No matter where you are, in a healthcare environment or not, this study is a good reminder to clean your hands often, using good techniques -- especially before and after preparing food, before eating food, after using a toilet, and before and after caring for someone who is sick -- to protect yourself and others." GENEVA -- There is an ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo and despite the great number of deaths, the United Nations said that it still doesn't warrant as a global emergency. Rather, it is of "deep concern" for the World Health Organization, as their report states on Friday. After a meeting among its experts discussed the efforts to be double its efforts to put a stop on the virus that has affected communities in Congo, the UN announced that they are not worried about the number of Ebola patients in Congo. The recent spike in the number of patients affected by it raised the risk of a possible spread of the disease in other countries. The outbreak was formally announced in August 1, 2018 and has killed hundreds of people. In fact, the experts say that it is the second deadliest outbreak in history. The first one was the one in West Africa that lasted for two years and killed more than 11,000 people. The health ministry of Congo reported 1,206 confirmed cases, including a death toll of 764 people. Committee chair Robert Steffen reported that the decision to not make it a global problem was unanimous. They feared that it might hurt the efforts that the UN is doing to prevent more people from dying. Although he did not give further details as to the decision, he said that the experts of the World Health Organization and the UN feel "moderately optimistic" about the situation and that they believe that the outbreak will be controlled within a "foreseeable time." However, ahead of the announcement that the WHO made, an official of the Red Cross expressed his great concern on the outbreak. Its possible regional spread is alarming. Emanuele Capobianco, head of the Red Crescent Societies cited the report released by the Congo Health Ministry that showed 40 new cases in two days. He referred to this as an unprecedented one, not even for this outbreak. Emergency declarations require an outbreak to be "serious, unexpected, and unusual," and that it threatens other countries to a point that it requires "immediate action from the international committee." Emergency declarations help the situation better as it would boost global attention, not to mention donations will be flooding in. "The decision of the World Health Organization is truly disappointing. They are taking a rather narrow interpretation of the situation," said Rebecca Katz, a global health security experts from Georgetown University. She also referred to the seemingly coordinated response as something rather "alarming." In contrast, Trish Newport, a representative of Doctors Without Borders, said that "Bigger help is not necessarily better help." After nine months of using the same strategy, she believes that the problem in Congo is "still not under control." Tariq Riebl, the doctor based in the current Ebola hot spot said, "We are discovering cases of Ebola when it has become too late." He said that there were reports when patients die of Ebola and were buried without the authorities knowing. "Given the number of cases that we have now, we might have difficulty putting an end to it in six months." Riebl said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) President Rodrigo Duterte should only veto the questionable items in the 2019 budget and not the entire bill, Vice President Leni Robredo said Sunday. "Sana iyong questionable lang [Only the questionable provisions]," Robredo said in her weekly radio show BISErbisyong LENI. This was in response to the President's threat he will "veto" the 2019 national appropriations should he find it questionable. READ: Duterte threatens not to sign 2019 budget bill "Ang dami ngayong hindi gumagalaw na mga programa, ang sasabihin ng mga agencies, hindi pa kasi napipirmahan iyong budget. Pati mga local government units, kapag nag-iikot ako, ito iyong madalas na sinasabing problema, na hindi pa napipirmahan iyong budget," she explained. [Translation: There are so many stalled government programs, and agencies would refer to the delayed budget. Even the local government units, when I go around, cite the same problem.] Robredo added the reenactment of the 2018 budget can increase the risk of corruption in government, since the President has "elbow room" to decide where the funds go. "April na. Tapos na iyong first quarter. Hindi pa din. So kung ivi-veto pa ngayon, at this point, grabe na. Grabe na. Naghintay na tayo nang matagal tapos wala pa din pala," she explained. [Translation: It's now April. The first quarter is done, we still don't have the budget. So if it is vetoed at this point, that's too much. We've waited so long for nothing.] Robredo, however, floated the possibility of using the delays in signing the 2019 General Appropriations Bill for political gain. She said Congress--especially the House of Representatives where the appropriations stemmed from--always followed the President's orders and passed bills quickly. "Pero ngayon na budget, 'di ba, parang, ang tagal-tagal nang nasa inyo, nagkaroon na ng bicameral conference committee, noong ibinalik, tinago niyo ulit? Eh 'di ba sumusunod lang kayo sa kagustuhan ng Pangulo? So sinasadya ba ito? Sinasadya bang i-delay ito? Sinasadya ba na iyong budget last year iyong gamitin?" she said. [Translation: Now that we're dealing with the budget, hasn't it been under your scrutiny for too long, you've already had a bicameral conference committee. And when it was returned, you hid it again? Aren't you following the President's orders? Are you delaying this on purpose, so the Philippines can use the budget last year?] The final approval of the budget bill--ratified on February 2019--was delayed due to an impasse between the Senate and the House of Representatives. The tiff was over the the 75 billion worth of programs and projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways budget that were itemized by the lower House after the bicameral conference committee report was ratified. 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District & Session Court Jobs 2019 in Mohmand KPK Latest District & Session Court Management Posts Mohmand Agency 2021 Qualified and well educated individuals for the positions of Assistant, Stenographer, Budget Assistant, Account Assistant, Computer Operator, Stenotypist, Clerk, Carpenter, Naib Qasid, Chowkidar, Driver, Mali, Sweeper required for District & Session Court in Mohmand Agency FATA. How to Apply on District & Session Court 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. The East Bay sheriffs deputy who has been charged with severely beating a suspect in a San Francisco alley in 2015 had previously been involved in a pair of fatal shootings, one less than two months before the baton attack, according to records released Saturday. Police records released Saturday under SB1421, a new transparency law, reveal for the first time that former Alameda County Sheriffs Deputy Luis Santamaria, who was fired from the department, was involved in two fatal shootings before the Nov. 12, 2015, beating of Stanislav Petrov captured on video. Santamaria and Paul Wieber, who was also fired, were charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon for the steel baton beating and are facing a criminal trial. The Sheriffs Office released an index of officer-involved shootings, use-of-force incidents and sustained findings of dishonesty by deputies dating back as far as 2004, and plan to release thousands of pages of records in the next few days. The catalog of incidents showed that since 2004 there have been 32 shootings involving 37 Alameda County deputies, with 16 ending with the death of a suspect. There were 19 internal affairs cases involving use of force resulting in great bodily injury dating back to November 2015, ranging from chipped teeth to broken bones and dog bites, along with one death. A handful of officers were involved in multiple shootings and use-of-force incidents. Deputy Jeffery Edwards was named in six reports, three shootings and three use-of-force cases, according to the records. The records also named three internal affairs cases where investigators sustained a finding of dishonesty by three officers in 2014 and 2015. The agency noted that two other incidents were withheld because of pending associated criminal cases. The records, released in response to multiple public records requests by The Chronicle and other media agencies, are the latest disclosed under the new SB1421 police officer transparency law, which requires departments to release previously confidential internal discipline information involving officers. Some of those cases are thousands of pages, said Sgt. Ray Kelly, an Alameda County Sheriffs Office spokesman. But we will produce them. The catalog indicates that the Sheriffs Office has averaged about one fatal shooting a year since 2004 and more than two shootings a year. The records show that on Sept. 21, 2015 weeks before the baton beating for which Alameda County eventually paid $5.5 million to Petrov Santamaria and four other officers shot and killed Dante Osborne after deputies said they chased him after a drive-by shooting, attempted carjacking and Osborne repeatedly firing on officers. He was one of several deputies who returned fire on a suspect after they were ambushed on a dead-end street, Kelly said. Several bullets narrowly missed the officers. They returned fire and stopped the threat. They are lucky to be alive. On March 30, 2013, Santamaria and another deputy shot Broderick Huggins, according to the records. Kelly said Santamaria shot Huggins in the elbow, while the other officer fired the fatal shots. Huggins brother had been arrested for possessing ecstasy in a car stop that day in the Fruitvale district of Oakland, and Huggins refused to get out of the car, police said. He was shot after he dragged an officer who was trying to undo his seatbelt, police said. His family sued and said the car was switched into drive by the officer as he tried to unbuckle Huggins. Noah Berger / Special to The Chronicle Attorney Michael Rains, who represents Santamaria in the ongoing criminal case, said both shootings were investigated by the Alameda County District Attorneys Office, which concluded the use of force was lawful and appropriate. Hes a deputy that has seen a lot and been through a lot and a deputy that has been called upon to make serious decisions in his life, Rains said. As for Edwards, he shot and wounded two suspects Ted Vien in 2013 and James Saunders in 2015. 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. Saunders was shot after two deputies searching for two missing boys said the transient charged at them with knives in unincorporated Castro Valley. Edwards was also one of the deputies involved in the fatal shooting of Osborne. Edwards was also listed on three use-of-force cases, two involving K9 bites and a third where a suspects arm was broken, according to the records. He still works for the department, Kelly said. Edwards is in good standing and has taken heroic actions to save his life and other people, Kelly said. The records released also show Deputy Donald Couch was found to have multiple failures to collect and process evidence in 2014. Deputy Joshua Shavies was determined to have filed a false police report with an outside agency. Deputy Travis Brannon, who was implicated in the Celeste Guap sexual exploitation case that ensnared officers around the Bay Area, was found to have failed to properly handle evidence in 2015 on multiple occasions. None of those three deputies works in the department anymore, Kelly said. Chronicle staff writer Megan Cassidy contributed to this report. Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni Patrick Thompson, 25, was working minimum-wage jobs at Costco and the post office when he stumbled across a YouTube video about a nine-month online coding school that didnt charge tuition. Instead, Lambda School students would pay 17% of their income over two years, capped at $30,000. It sounded really good but also like a scam, maybe too good to be true, said the San Jose resident, a single dad of two. But after researching Lambda, it seemed legitimate, so he enrolled last summer. During the programs second half, Thompson worked closely with a career counselor and started sending out several job applications a day. By the time he graduated last month, hed applied to 532 companies, gotten 40 interviews, landed 32 second interviews and had four job offers. He will start this month as a software engineer at Sustainable Capital Finance in San Jose, making $110,000 a year. That salary is bit of a leap from $20,000 a year, he said wryly. Im very thankful for Lambda; it helped me accelerate myself without having to go into major financial debt. Coding boot camps entice students with the lure of lucrative programming jobs after just a few months of immersive education. But theres no way to verify their job-placement claims, although the industry is seeking to standardize the reporting of such information. Now some coding academies, such as San Franciscos Lamba, are letting students attend for free in exchange for a cut of their future earnings. The plans, called income share agreements, are supposed to ensure that schools help graduates find jobs, although some opponents fear that they are a form of indentured servitude. Michael Lux, an Indiana attorney who founded the Student Loan Sherpa website, said he worries about income-share agreements because they have little oversight. Some four-year colleges such as Purdue offer them, but theyre more common at unaccredited schools like coding academies that are ineligible for government student loans. Still, Lux said Lambdas approach seemed excellent because it caps the total amount ($30,000), length of repayment (two years) and monthly payments (17 percent of gross income). Anytime you can provide more access to education for people, thats a good thing, he said. Thats the view of Austen Allred, 29, Lambdas CEO and co-founder, who lived in his Honda Civic when he first came to Silicon Valley. Our goal is to open up access to world-class education and job placement to everyone, Allred said. Lambda, which went though the Y Combinator incubator in Mountain View, now has $49.65 million in venture backing and is eyeing expansion into other fields, such as nursing. Started in 2017, the online-only school allows students to pay $20,000 up front. But just a handful choose that option, Allred said. Most graduates are on income-share plans and make payments only if they find a coding job that pays more than $50,000 a year. Of 300 graduates so far, 85 percent found jobs within six months, Allred said. If graduates dont find a job within five years, their debt is wiped out. If they lose a job, their payments stop until they find another one. We are structured so if students are not successful, we are not successful, he said. It forces us to function differently; our incentives are clearly aligned with the students. For instance, he said, while many coding schools have sales teams to recruit students, his sales people spend all their time talking to companies about job opportunities. Lambda works with an advisory committee of employers to constantly revise its curriculum to keep pace with in-demand skills. Now Lambda is expanding its income-share program, offering both free tuition and a $2,000 a month stipend to cover living expenses during the nine-month program. The repayment on that will be 10 percent of salary over five years, capped at $50,000. Texas resident Alexis Carr, 25, who has an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering, starts the stipend program this month. Otherwise I was looking to get jobs at fast-food restaurants and call centers and study part time, she said. The stipend helps me really immerse myself in the curriculum. Compared to the scary number she owes on student loans for her university education, Lambdas income-share agreement seems way cheaper, she said. Lambda seems to be taking a big risk by placing its financial future in its graduates hands, but the school has taken steps to mitigate that. It says it accepts only 5 percent of applicants almost as selective as Stanford (4.3 percent) or Harvard (4.6 percent). Applicants must take a month of pre-course work. These free classes help Lambda assess their ability and work ethic, and students can determine if theyre really committed. Lamba currently has 1,300 students enrolled and plans to train 3,000 this year. The school takes some creative routes to job-hunting. Allred sometimes tweets about job candidates, offering incentives (swag or a cake) for interviewing them or a bonus for getting them hired. Last year, he tweeted a YouTube video of four students final project, a point-of-sale/reservation system for restaurants. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Sunnyvales Clover Network, which makes similar products, saw the video and bit. The project was elegantly written, had a lot of thought behind it, and fit our mission of providing better merchant experience, said John Vormbaum, Clover head of recruiting. He hired all four starting in January at six-figure salaries and said theyve done great work. Clover plans to add 200 engineers this year, and Vormbaum figures he can find about 10 percent of them from Lambda. While acknowledging that a nine-month course doesnt compare to a four-year computer-science degree, he said that people with that education can quickly become functional engineers and often bring a cultural dimension because of their differing life experiences. The recruiting landscape in Silicon Valley is changing, he said. As demand for engineers grows, well be even more dependent on nontraditional channels. Lambda leads the pack. About 16 out of the 100 or so U.S. and Canada coding boot camps tracked by Course Report offer income-share, said Liz Eggleston, co-founder of the site, which offers information for students choosing coding boot camps. (Lambda is among its paying sponsors.) She cautioned that its important to read the fine print and make sure total repayment is capped. In a culture of student debt and education not being outcomes-based, income-share agreements are an appealing option for students who dont have $20,000 or more to spend up front, she said. Nathan Thomas, 31, who lives in Angwin, started at Lambda in the fall and is now taking a three-month break from studying to act as a section lead, overseeing 18 project managers (similar to teachers assistants), who work with about 160 students. Thomas, who has an MBA, had worked in health care administration but wants to transition to financial technology. Ive learned more at Lambda in two weeks than I taught myself in two months of self-study, he said. Its been a phenomenal experience. Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid Daniel Shirey / Getty Images The Giants run of good health, with no significant injuries since the start of spring training, might be over. First baseman/outfielder Tyler Austin, acquired Monday in a trade with the Twins, will undergo an MRI on his right elbow after he injured it during a throwing drill before Fridays game. Ministry of Climate Change Job 2019 For Islamabad Latest Ministry of Climate Change Management Posts Islamabad 2021 Pakistan's Readiness Preparation Proposal Ministry of Climate Change required qualified and experienced personnel for the positions of Environment & Social Safeguards Specialist & Communications Specialist in Islamabad. How to Apply on Ministry of Climate Change 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. SACRAMENTO Gov. Gavin Newsom took office in January with an agenda full of campaign promises on housing, homelessness, health care and early childhood education. But its the death penalty, Central American migrants heading for the U.S. border and Donald Trump that have dominated his first 100 days, a milestone Newsom reaches Wednesday. While his big-ticket items on hard-to-solve problems slowly wend their way through the Legislature, Newsom has filled the void with a to-do list that bolsters Californias position as a counterweight to President Trump and perhaps improves his own future prospects as a national political figure. He sued the Trump administration over its declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and its proposal to restrict funding for abortion providers. He reassigned many of the California National Guard troops who were sent to the southern border last year at Trumps request. And he traveled to El Salvador last week for his first international trip as governor, seeking to make the case that he could lead the national conversation on immigration policy. Hes doing things that will put him on the map, said Jack Pitney, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College. Gavin Newsoms message in the first 100 days has been, Im here. His biggest splash so far came on the death penalty, which barely registered as an issue during the race for governor last year. Newsom tried to avoid making it into one with assurances that, despite his personal opposition to capital punishment, he would respect of the will of California voters, who passed an initiative in 2016 to speed up executions. Then last month, Newsom extended a reprieve to all 737 inmates on Death Row at San Quentin State Prison, saying it was about who I am as a human being. He also dismantled the execution chambers at San Quentin and withdrew a new lethal injection protocol that had been under review. The moves were largely symbolic entangled in legal challenges, California has not executed anyone since 2006 but nevertheless earned him a wave of national attention and praise from liberal opponents of the death penalty. Law enforcement, conservatives and some victims families, meanwhile, heaped scorn on Newsoms order. Theyre still angry. Republican state senators introduced a resolution Monday condemning his blanket reprieve for inmates. Its similar to Newsoms brash approach as San Francisco mayor, when he began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples while the rest of the country was debating constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage, said Kim Nalder, director of the Project for an Informed Electorate at Cal State Sacramento. Public opinion in California has not quite turned against the death penalty, she said, but it is headed in that direction. Newsoms move could turn out to be a prescient strategy. Hes not shy. Hes not playing it safe, either, Nalder said. Darry Sragow, a former Democratic political consultant who publishes the nonpartisan California Target Book, said Newsom was smart to get a controversial decision out of the way at the start of his tenure, because it will be old news by the time he runs for re-election in 2022. The downside of tackling more visible and polarizing policies now, however, is that Newsom is not talking about the basic bread-and-butter issues that most Californians have to confront every day, Sragow said. You are not talking about jobs. You are not talking about education. From his perspective, he has to make sure those dont overshadow the work he has to do, Sragow said. Liberated by a budget surplus estimated at more than $20 billion, Newsom has laid the groundwork for the ambitious, and expensive, priorities he outlined during the campaign. Those could come to fruition in the months ahead, as the governor signs his first budget and approves or vetoes thousands of bills that reach his desk: Health care: On his first day in office, Newsom unveiled a sweeping plan to move California closer to universal health care coverage by giving the state more power to negotiate drug prices, expanding access for undocumented young adults and increasing insurance subsidies for middle-income earners. The subsidies would be funded by a new state individual mandate, requiring residents to carry health insurance or pay a penalty. Housing: Seeking to build 3.5 million homes in California by 2025, Newsom has proposed $1.75 billion worth of tax credits, grants and incentives to spur development. He sent a warning to reluctant cities in January by suing Huntington Beach in Orange County for not planning enough affordable housing to meet a state mandate. And he is pursuing legislation to withhold transportation funding from communities that fall short of their housing targets. Newsom wants to give cities $500 million to open emergency shelters and Navigation Centers, which connect homeless people with drug treatment, counseling and permanent housing, and waive environmental rules to ease their construction. Education: Newsom has requested $125 million to expand the availability of preschool slots for 4-year-olds from low-income families and put California on the path to universal preschool. Its part of the governors broader push to reduce childhood poverty that includes expanding a tax credit for the working poor. Immigration: It was not central to Newsoms campaign, but it has emerged as a major focus in his first 100 days. As a wave of Central American families arrived in the United States and Trump threatened to shut down the border with Mexico, Newsom traveled to San Diego and pumped $5 million into services for asylum seekers. In El Salvador, he told reporters that he intends to be a leader on immigration policy, like his predecessor, Jerry Brown, was on climate change. Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, questioned whether Newsom can play a significant role outside the state. The rest of the country is not going to pay much attention to the governor of California, he said, except in moments of crisis when the public eye naturally shifts here. If hes weighing a run for president someday, Sabato said, Newsom needs to do his job, do it well and build a strong record, rather than straining to make opportunities to get noticed. Its really demeaning for the governor of California, he said. The national spotlight can set you on fire. A few developments have momentarily threatened to derail Newsoms plans for California. During his State of the State address in February, Newsom flubbed an announcement about his strategy for high-speed rail, leading to widespread confusion over whether he was sharply scaling back or even canceling the troubled project. Trump seized on the bullet trains woes. Days later, the federal government sent a letter threatening to rescind a grant for rail construction and claw back billions of dollars the state had already spent. The California High-Speed Rail Authority said it has not heard from federal officials since then. Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which filed for bankruptcy in the first month of Newsoms tenure because of enormous liabilities from wildfire damage, also became a daily conversation in his office. He formed a strike team to advise him on how to keep the lights on, and after it released its recommendations Friday, Newsom asked the Legislature to send him a bill revising state law on utilities wildfire liability within three months. The historic destruction of the past two fire seasons propelled Newsom to take a more aggressive approach on wildfire preparation. He declared a statewide emergency last month, clearing the way for forest-thinning projects to reduce fire danger and earning him some critical comparisons to Trump by environmental groups. Miriam Pawel, author of The Browns of California: The Family Dynasty that Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation, said Newsom seems to be swinging at every pitch that comes his way. Its a sharp contrast to Browns first 100 days after returning to the governorship in 2011, when he tightly focused on the budget and Californias fiscal condition as the state emerged from the economic crash. Pawel said Brown embraced the crisis to do things he might not have been able to get done otherwise, such as prison realignment and eliminating redevelopment agencies. He also leaned into the moment to restore public confidence in government, she said, which was really important to him. Newsom, on the other hand, took office on the back of a strong economy and after a campaign in which he coasted to victory without being forced to take many positions. He has the leeway to define himself, Pawel said, while also facing the expectations of voters who did not fully know what they were getting when they elected him. He has to establish himself in ways, establish his identity in ways, that Jerry Brown didnt have to, Pawel said. Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff CAIRO The Sudanese military on Friday rejected calls that it hand over ousted President Omar el-Bashir to the International Criminal Court where he faces genocide charges for his deadly campaign in the western Darfur region and said he would be put on trial at home. Meanwhile, Gen. Awad ibn Ouf, who was name de facto leader after el-Bashirs ouster on Thursday, announced he was stepping down as transitional leader and another general would take his place. The developments point to the sensitivity of the case of the Darfur conflict for the military council that has taken power after removing and arresting el-Bashir amid mounting protests against his 30-year rule. Ibn Ouf was head of military intelligence during the brutal campaign to suppress the Darfur insurgency in the 2000s. The United States has imposed sanctions on him since 2007, saying he armed and directed pro-government militias known as the Janjaweed, accused of widespread atrocities against civilians and rapes during the conflict. Ibn Ouf said he would be replaced by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, general inspector of the armed forces, as head of the transitional council. He said he was stepping aside to preserve unity of the armed forces. Tens of thousands of Sudanese protesters have been rallying in front of the military headquarters in Khartoum, against the military takeover of power after ousting el-Bashir, chanting slogans calling for ibn Ouf to be removed. Earlier Friday, another top general, Omar Zein Abedeen said that 75-year-old el-Bashir would not be extradited to the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, saying doing so would be an ugly mark on Sudan. Zein Abedeen said Sudanese courts would hold el-Bashir accountable, but did not specify what charges he could be prosecuted on. In ousting the president, the military denounced him and his government for corruption, maladministration and lack of justice. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. In the Darfur conflict, rebels among the territorys ethnic Central African community launched an insurgency in 2003, complaining of discrimination and oppression by the Arab-dominated Khartoum government. The government responded with a scorched earth assault of aerial bombings and unleashed the Janjaweed. Up to 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million driven from their homes. Maggie Michael is an Associated Press writer. Congressman Eric Swalwell compared his hometown of Dublin with President Donald Trump's Florida resort Mar-a-Lago at a 2020 presidential campaign rally. And while doing so, he referenced an old nickname for his hometown, "Scrublin." "To be fair, where we lived was not Mar-a-Lago," Swalwell said. "In fact, you may remember that people in the neighboring cities had a nickname for us: They called us 'Scrublin'" Later, he brought it back around saying that Dublin has come a long way from the days when other East Bay towns teased it. After being born and living in Sac City, Iowa for part of his childhood, Swalwell's family moved to the East Bay, eventually settling in Dublin. Swalwell graduated from Dublin High School in 1999. He moved from the Bay Area to North Carolina, and then Washington, D.C.-metro area for college. After graduating from law school at the University of Maryland, he returned to Alameda County, where he worked as a deputy district attorney. The congressman, who unseated incumbent Democrat Pete Stark in a 2012 congressional election, represents California's 15th congressional district, which includes Castro Valley, Fremont, Hayward and his hometown of Dublin. He's joining a crowded field of 19 candidates for the Democratic nomination for president. He is the second California resident and former prosecutor to join the Democratic field. Kamala Harris, one of the frontrunners in the Democratic race, is the other. Coincidentally, both Swalwell and Harris started their legal careers as deputy district attorneys for Alameda County. Swalwell focused much of his speech in Dublin on gun control, saying that's why he launched his campaign in Parkland, Fla., where a gunman killed 17 people at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018. He said he would restore the economic portion of the "promise of America." He criticized Trump's tax plan, saying it helped out the 1 percent more than it helped people in the middle and working class. "The president will tell you that the economy is roaring, and you should be grateful for that. He'll tell you that the stock market is at an all-time high and the GDP is growing. Heck, that may be the only time he's ever told two truths in a row," he jabbed at Trump to cheers and applause. A moment later Swalwell counter-argued those points: "You don't need a congressional report to tell you that economic insecurity has become a chronic condition in our country. You just feel it." He also promised to regulate corporations on Wall Street, raise the minimum wage, and lower prescription drug prices with a public option. He talked about seeing a flyer for a fundraiser for someone who had just gotten sick. "Those days are coming to an end," he proclaimed. He also spoke about education, immigration reform, and protecting labor unions, pointing out that his campaign headquarters are in the back of a labor union hall. He also spoke about bringing the country together. "We must unite our deeply divided country," he said toward the end of his speech. "So I pledge to lead our country with a team of rivals, with a blended cabinet of Republicans and Democrats." Pakistan Army Cadet College Job 2019 For Mardan KPK Latest Cadet College Posts Mardan 2021 Pakistan Army Cadet College required the services of experienced, strong and energetic personnel for the posts of Cook & Waiter in Mardan KPK Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2019. How to Apply on Cadet College 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. For many years, American economists have spoken of Japan and Western Europe as places where the slow grind of demographic change masses of workers reaching retirement age, and smaller generations replacing them has been a major drag on the economy. But it is increasingly outdated to think of that as a problem for other countries. The deepest challenge for the U.S. economy may really be about demographics. And our understanding of the implications is only starting to catch up. A report from the Economic Innovation Group, a Washington think tank funded in large part by tech investors and entrepreneurs, adds rich new detail, showing that parts of the United States are already grappling with Japanese-caliber demographic decline 41 percent of U.S. counties, with a combined population of 38 million. At the national level, slower growth in Americas working-age population is a major reason that mainstream forecasters now expect the economy to expand around 2 percent each year rather than the 3 percent common in the second half of the 20th century. As a matter of simple arithmetic, lower growth in the number of people working will almost certainly mean slower growth in economic output. But demographic change doesnt hit everywhere equally. Besides the inevitable effect of the extra-large baby boom generation hitting retirement age and stepping away from the workforce, decisions by working-age people can accentuate or lessen the effect of that underlying shift. Many younger workers move to bustling urban centers on the coasts, leaving smaller cities and rural areas behind. Immigrants bolster the labor force but also disproportionately go to those same big coastal cities. Daytons height of population was 1953, and weve seen stagnant growth for the region since 1990, said Nan Whaley, the mayor of the Ohio city. A lot of people say this was just going to happen, that this is the way it is I hate that comment, she said, arguing that policy decisions had provided incentives for investment in coastal cities. Overall, 80 percent of U.S. counties encompassing 149 million people experienced a decline in the number of residents ages 25 to 54 between 2007 and 2017, according to the paper, which was written by Adam Ozimek of Moodys Analytics and Kenan Fikri and John Lettieri of the Economic Innovation Group. They project that the trends will continue, and that by 2037, two-thirds of U.S. counties will have fewer adults of prime working age than they did in 1997, despite overall population growth in that period. (Their projections tried to take into account immigrants in the country illegally.) Policies to encourage American families to have more children would help over the long run by increasing the supply of potential workers in the future. So could efforts to ensure that even struggling cities have the kinds of amenities young families desire, particularly good schools. The population of different places is always fluctuating, and economists have traditionally viewed that as a mostly healthy process. Workers make their way to where they will be the most productive, enabling the overall economy to adapt and grow. But people who study regional economies are increasingly concerned that some aspects of this wave of demographic change make the pain more severe for places left behind which can get stuck in a vicious cycle. Theres a possibility that once local areas start on this downward spiral, its self-reproducing, said Timothy Bartik, a senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. The authors of the EIG report suggest a potential solution: an immigration policy that would stop the vicious cycle. They propose that visas could be made available to skilled immigrants on the condition they go to one of the areas struggling with demographic decline. The idea would be to create growth in the working-age population in those places, increasing the tax base and the demand for housing, and giving businesses reason to invest. The real power of this is that it would start to change how investors, businesses and entrepreneurs view locational decisions, said Lettieri, president of the group. They would know that there is this new pipeline for talent. Given hostility to immigration in large segments of the country, he said, places should be able to elect whether to make visas available to immigrants as part of an economic development strategy. It would have to be a dual opt-in approach in which both the community decides it wants more immigration, and individual immigrants elect to move there. Dayton is the kind of place where that approach may just have some appeal. Whaley, the mayor, said a program called Welcome Dayton, intended to help immigrants move to the city, has been helpful in holding the population steady after a long pattern of losses. Programs like that, she said, combined with a low cost of living and investment in community colleges to create qualified workers, can give smaller cities like Dayton the means to break out of demographic ruts. Regardless of what one thinks about using immigration policy to try to arrest demographic decline, theres a more basic point that everyone who cares about the United States economic future must wrestle with. Demography may be the most powerful economic force of them all, and for much of the United States, the trend lines, for now, are pointing in the wrong direction. Neil Irwin is a New York Times writer. "The Band is at Winterland!" That was the greeting Seattle photographer Philip Amdal received when he stepped off the USS Coral Sea in April 1969. Amdal, a jet mechanic aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, was coming ashore at Naval Air Station Alameda to meet a friend who lived in San Francisco. Amdal had spent the winter back and forth around Vietnam, working on the flight deck. "Not the safest place in the world, but I'm not getting shot at," Amdal says. Coming ashore after his second cruise, Amdal wasn't greeted with "hello," or "glad you made it back alive," though. His friend's concern was that The Band was playing at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom, and they ought to be there. RELATED: Kurt Cobain: The mixtape I thought I'd never have to make By April 1969, Canadian-American rock group The Band developed a buzz. After stints backing first Ronnie Hawkins in the early '60s and then Bob Dylan later in the decade, members Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, Robbie Robertson and Garth Hudson had released their first album of original songs, "Music From Big Pink," in late 1968. Promoter Bill Graham had arranged a three-show stint at Winterland to introduce them to the world as their own group, out from behind the shadow of Dylan or any other artist. "I didn't even know it was their first show,"Amdal says. "They were just there." Amdal was nothing short of a big fan. The Band was an early purveyor of what's been often called roots rock, and Amdal, who grew up in Southern California but had roots back in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, gobbled it up. "It was just so unique," Amdal says. "It was the same thing Eric Clapton said, this is original from the heart of America." While traveling in the Navy, Amdal had been developing a love for photography, and had hunted down a sought-after black Nikon F overseas. He had been to plenty of shows in the Bay Area before, but had never photographed any. This time, he decided he had to bring his camera. The Band's booking was originally set for three nights at Winterland that spring: April 17, 18 and 19. But the April 17 show amounted to less than an hour-long performance. Robertson, the group's guitarist, had been suffering a debilitating stomach flu in the days before the show, and while he reported in his memoir, "Testimony," that he was feeling better by the time of that show, he was still struggling. Fascinatingly, Bill Graham had suggested a French hypnotist who happened to be in town, to help Robertson get himself back in shape for the shows. The Thursday night show seemed to prove that hypnosis could help whatever was ailing Robertson, but even so, the group played a brief 40-minute set before calling it quits, according to Robertson's account. RELATED: 'Nostalgia is for Losers' shows off relics of '90s grunge era But Amdal didn't know anything about what had happened Thursday night. Instead, he and his friend showed up Friday night for what would be hailed as landmark performance. San Francisco Chronicle music writer Ralph J. Gleason headlined his column the following Monday with, "The Band Soars to Artistic Triumph." Remarking first about what he called a "disaster" Thursday night, he went on to offer high praise. "It was one of the high points in the entire history of these events in this city, right on par with The Cream's best nights and those magical times the Grateful Dead and the Airplane have produced," Gleason wrote. Amdal, armed with his Nikon and one roll of film, made his way up to the front of the stage and started taking photos. Once the roll was spent, Amdal put his camera down and just enjoyed the rest of the set. He was, after all, "a huge fan." Those images would reside largely in negative format for the next 50 years, with only a few prints made for friends or hung in his own homes over the years. Amdal may be one of very few photographers to capture The Band during those first shows. The images portray a young group of musicians, already masters of their craft, at a pivotal moment in their careers. "Music from Big Pink" would go on to be certified gold and The Band would release a second album in 1969, with many more to follow. Amdal would head north to Washington state, where he would do a bit of back and forth between Seattle and Ellensburg, work for a photographer, start his own photographer business, and then, after getting married, wind his way to Australia for a stint with his wife before returning to Ellensburg and eventually to Seattle. In Seattle, Amdal set up a picture frame business in the Queen Anne neighborhood and worked at its various iterations until moving toward retirement in recent years. A decade ago, a friend of Amdal's tried to help get the photos published for the 40th anniversary of the show, but nothing came of it. And after 50 years, he decided it was time they saw the light of day. "I thought, I gotta get these out there," he says. "These are going to sit in my safe deposit box forever." Senior editor Daniel DeMay can be reached at danieldemay@seattlepi.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Daniel_DeMay Remember Commander McBragg, that eccentric British embellisher who retold his exotic adventures during segments within "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show" and "Underdog"? Now imagine a whole movie with Commander McBragg, and you might come up with something like the delightful new animated film "Missing Link." Carrying on the tradition of Commander McBragg (and for that matter Baron Munchausen) is Lionel Frost (voice of Hugh Jackman), a 19th century British adventurer who, as the movie opens, is with his latest hapless assistant battling the Loch Ness monster. Despite his close encounter, he fails to bring proof back to the explorer's society in London he wishes to join. Denied membership again by the pompous Lord Piggot-Dunceb (Stephen Fry) who seems based on the old British character actor C. Aubrey Smith, which inspired the Commander McBragg character Frost turns to his next big discovery and focuses on the legend of the Sasquatch or Bigfoot in the Pacific Northwest. When he finds the creature, turns out he speaks perfect English (in the voice of Zach Galifianakis). So this 8-foot-tall orange Bigfoot really is the missing link between prehistoric man and modern humans. But he is the last of his kind, and doesn't even have a name. Frost dubs him "Link," and in the spirit of adventure, agrees to take him to the Himalayas so that he can live with the Yetis, his biological cousins. To get to the Himalayas, where he has never been, he needs a map, which is in the possession of the widow of a rival explorer. They detour to California and get the map and a new partner in the widow, Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), a sparkplug who provides a much-needed check on Frost's enormous ego. Written and directed with flair by Chris Butler, a British animator who also made the wonderful "ParaNorman" (2012) and wrote the screenplay to the Oscar-nominated "Kubo and the Two Strings" (2016), "Missing Link" is satisfying with several nice visual touches, including a bravura fight sequence aboard an ocean freighter being tossed by massive waves. More Information *** Review "Missing Link" Rated: PG for action/peril and some mild rude humor Length: 95 minutes **** Excellent *** Good ** Fair * Poor See More Collapse It's hardly a masterpiece it's a fairly simple tale, well-told, with a silly, derivative climax and rather disappointingly brief depiction of the Yeti culture. Yet it is blessedly devoid of the manic, ADD pace of many animated movies, with a winning trio of characters. As Commander McBragg might say, "Jolly good show!" Fierce storms swept across the South on Sunday after unleashing suspected tornadoes and flooding that killed at least eight people including three children injured dozens, and flattened much of a Texas town. Nearly 90,000 customers were without power Sunday in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Georgia, according to www.poweroutage.us, as the severe weather left a trail of destruction. Two children were killed on a back road in East Texas when a pine tree fell onto the car in which they were riding in a severe thunderstorm Saturday near Pollok, about 150 miles southeast of Dallas. The tree flattened the car like a pancake, said Capt. Alton Lenderman of the Angelina County Sheriffs Office. The children, ages 3 and 8, were dead at the scene, although both parents, who were in the front seat, escaped injury, he said. At least one person was killed and about two dozen others were injured after a suspected tornado struck the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site during an American Indian cultural event in Alto, about 130 miles southeast of Dallas. In neighboring Houston County, the sheriffs office said one person was killed in Weches, 6 miles southwest of Caddo Mound. There was widespread damage in Alto, a town of about 1,200, and the school district canceled classes until its buildings can be inspected to ensure they are safe. A tornado flattened much of the south side of the central Texas town of Franklin, overturning mobile homes and damaging other residences, said Robertson County Sheriff Gerald Yezak. Franklin is about 125 miles south of Dallas. The weather service said preliminary information showed an EF-3 tornado touched down with winds of 140 mph. The tornado destroyed 55 homes, a church, four businesses, a duplex, and part of the local housing authority building, authorities said. Two people were hospitalized for injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening, while others were treated at the scene, Yezak said. Some people had to be extricated from their damaged dwellings. A 95-year-old man died after a tree crashed onto his trailer in when a tornado hit northeastern Mississippi, Monroe County Road Manager Sonny Clay said. Nineteen people were taken to hospitals, including two in critical condition. The tornado was reported in the area 140 miles southeast of Memphis at the time. National Weather Service meteorologist John Moore said a possible twister also touched down in the Vicksburg, Miss., area. No injuries were reported there, but officials said several businesses and vehicles were damaged. Mississippi State Universitys 21,000 students huddled in basements and hallways as a tornado came near the schools campus in Starkville. University spokesman Sid Salter said some debris, possibly carried by the tornado, was found on campus, but no injuries were reported and no buildings were damaged. Trees were toppled and minor damage was reported in residential areas east of the campus. The large storm system also unleashed flash floods in Louisiana, where two deaths were reported. And a county employee was fatally struck by a vehicle while clearing debris near Hueytown, Ala. PALO ALTO, Calif. Success! read the subject line of the email. The text, in imperfect English, began: Good News! The women is pregnant, the genome editing success! The sender was He Jiankui, an ambitious, young Chinese scientist. The recipient was his former academic adviser, Stephen Quake, a star Stanford bioengineer and inventor. Wow, thats quite an achievement! Quake wrote back. Hopefully she will carry to term Months later, the world learned the outcome of that pregnancy: twins born from genetically engineered embryos, the first gene-altered babies. Reaction was fierce. Many scientists and ethicists condemned the experiment as unethical and unsafe, fearing that it could inspire rogue or frivolous attempts to create permanent genetic changes using unproved and unregulated methods. A Chinese government investigation concluded in January that He had seriously violated ethics, scientific research integrity and relevant state regulations. Questions about other American scientists knowledge of Hes plans and their failure to sound a loud alarm have been an issue since He revealed his work in November. But now, Quake is facing a Stanford investigation into his interaction with He. That inquiry began after the president of Hes Chinese university wrote to Stanfords president alleging that Quake had helped He. Prof. Stephen Quake provided instructions to the preparation and implementation of the experiment, the publication of papers, the promotion and news release, and the strategies to react after the news release, he alleged in letters obtained by The New York Times. Quakes actions, he asserted, violated the internationally recognized academic ethics and codes of conduct, and must be condemned. Quake denied the allegations in a lengthy interview, saying his interaction with He, who was a postdoctoral student in his lab eight years ago, had been misinterpreted. I had nothing to do with this and I wasnt involved, Quake said. I hold myself to high ethical standards. Quake showed The Times what he said were the last few years of his email communication with He. The correspondence provides a revealing window into the informal way researchers navigate a fast-moving, ethically controversial field. The emails show that He, 35, informed Quake, 49, of milestones, including that the woman became pregnant and gave birth. They show that Quake advised He to obtain ethical approval from Chinese institutions and submit the results for vetting by peer-reviewed journals, and that he agreed to Hes requests to discuss issues like when to present his research publicly. None of the notes suggest Quake was involved in the work himself. They do contain expressions of polite encouragement like good luck! Though Quake said he urged He not to pursue the project during an August 2016 meeting, the emails, mostly sent in 2017 and 2018, dont tell him to stop. As global institutions like the World Health Organization work to create a system to keep cowboy scientists from charging into the Wild West of embryo editing, Quakes interactions with He reflect issues that leading scientific institutions are now grappling with. When and where should scientists report controversial research ideas that colleagues share with them in confidence? Have scientists acted inappropriately if they provide conventional research advice to someone conducting an unorthodox experiment? A lot of people wish that those who knew or suspected would have made more noise, said R. Alta Charo, a bioethicist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who co-led a 2017 national committee on human embryo editing. But she said scientists were not necessarily complicit if instead of trying to stop rogue experimenters, they advised them to follow ethical and research standards in hopes that institutions would intervene. Rice University has been investigating Michael Deem, Hes Ph.D. adviser, because of allegations that he was actively involved in the project; he had said publicly that he had been present during parts of it. Deems lawyers issued a statement strongly denying the allegations. The correspondence Quake shared provides new details about Hes project, also called germline editing, including indications that the twin girls were quite premature and remained hospitalized for several weeks. They were born in October, contrary to previous reports. Quake is an entrepreneur whose inventions include blood tests to detect Down syndrome in pregnancy and to avoid organ transplant rejection. He is co-president of an institute funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan. He does not do gene editing and said he was surprised when He told him during a 2016 visit to Stanford that he wanted to be the first to create gene-edited babies. I said, Thats a terrible idea. Why would you want to do that? Quake recalled. He kind of pushed back and it was clear that he wasnt listening to me. Quake changed tack. I said, All right, if youre not going to be convinced that I think this is a bad idea and you want to go down this path, then you need to do it properly and with proper respect for the people who are involved, and the field. That meant obtaining ethical approval from the equivalent of U.S. institutional review boards (known as IRBs), Quake advised, as well as getting informed consent from the couples participating and only editing genes to address a serious medical need. I didnt think it was something he would seriously do, said Quake, adding that he assumed if He sought ethical approval and was rebuffed, presumably hed stop. Soon afterward, He emailed: I will take your suggestion that we will get a local ethic approve before we move on to the first genetic edited human baby. Please keep it in confidential. In June 2017, He, nicknamed JK, emailed a document saying a hospital ethics committee had approved his proposal, in which he boasted that his plan could be compared to Nobel-winning research. It was good to see that he had engaged with his IRB-equivalent there and had approval to do his research, and Im thinking its their responsibility to manage this, Quake said in the interview. If in my interactions with JK I had any hint of misconduct, I would have handled it completely differently. And I think I would have been very aggressive about telling people about that. As a postdoctoral adviser to He and other students, Quake considered his role to be mentorship. Hes work in his lab did not involve gene editing; it concerned immune responses to the flu vaccine. He was bright and ambitious, Quake said, but he was, I felt, always in too much of a hurry and I, you know, worried that he was a sort that would cut corners a little bit. After leaving for the university job in China in 2012, He sought Quakes help with starting a company based on a genome-sequencing technique Quake had invented. Quake, whose American firm selling that technique had gone bankrupt, made introductions that helped He license patents for his company, Direct Genomics. Quake visited in 2015 but eventually declined an offer to serve on the companys scientific advisory board. In Hes 2017 correspondence, he said he would be editing a gene called CCR5, altering a mutation that allows people to become infected with HIV. Many scientists have since argued it was medically unnecessary because babies of HIV-positive parents can be protected other ways. Quake said he believed there was not scientific consensus about that. In early April 2018, Hes Success! email said the embryo with CCR5 gene edited was transplanted to the women 10 days ago, and today the pregnancy is confirmed! Quake did not reply immediately. Instead, he forwarded the email to someone he described as a senior gene-editing expert who I felt could give me advice. He redacted the name of the expert. FYI this is probably the first human germ line editing, Quake wrote. I strongly urged him to get IRB approval, and it is my understanding that he did. His goal is to help hiv positive parents conceive. Its a bit early for him to celebrate but if she carries to term its going to be big news I suspect. The expert replied: I was only telling someone last week that my assumption was that this had already happened. It will definitely be news ... Quake considered that response very blase, he said. Hes not surprised at all. And hes not saying, Oh my god, you got to notify the mythical science police. Six months later, in mid-October, He emailed again: Great news! the baby is born (please keep it in confidential). He asked to meet on a planned visit to San Francisco, saying, I want get help from you on how to announce the result, PR and ethics. Quake replied, Lets definitely meet up. In that meeting, Quake recalled, He walked him through what he had done. And I pressed him on the ethical approval, and I said this is going to get an enormous amount of attention, its going to be very closely scrutinized. Are you sure youve done everything correctly? Hes response unsettled him, he said. The little corner-cutting thing came up again: Well, there were actually two hospitals involved and you know, we had approval from one and we did work at both hospitals. And I said, Well you better make sure you have that straightened out. Back in China, He wrote: Good news, the hospital which conducted the clinical trial approved the ethic letter, adding, They signed to acknowledge the ethic letters from another hospital. Quake replied, Great news, thanks for the update. In late October, Quake texted someone he called an extremely prominent scientist in the field, writing: First genome edited human baby done! (in China, where else?) Interesting. Source? the scientist responded. Someone I know well who walked me through all the data, Quake wrote. Should go public soon. He added, Mums the word for a few more weeks but I thought you would like to know. At the scientists suggestion, they spoke on the phone. Asked about the scientists reaction, Quake said, Also not terribly surprised, not an oh-my-god thing, like its inevitable, like the inevitable has happened. The scientist suggested that He share his work at a genome-editing conference in Hong Kong. About a week later, Hes publicist, Ryan Ferrell, contacted Quake, worried that He presenting the project publicly so soon could cause severe and permanent harms to his reputation and the field. And, the twins are still in the hospital, so no positive imagery. Quake, in Hong Kong for other commitments at the same time as a genome-editing conference, met He and Ferrell, telling them, youre going to be held to a very high standard, he said. Peoples first response is going to be youre faking it. He advised He to submit the research to a peer-reviewed journal, and He did so. Then, because journal review takes time, Quake said he advised He not to go public in Hong Kong, but to speak privately with key experts there so they can get socialized to whats coming and will be more likely to comment favorably on your work. But He was not persuaded. I do not want to wait for 6 months or longer to announce the results, otherwise, people will say a Chinese scientist secretly hide the baby for 6 months. Quake pushed back: It is prudent to let the peer review process follow its course. But He went forward with his Hong Kong talk. Two days before it, after news of the twins broke, Quake emailed, Good luck with your upcoming presentation! But he added, please remove my name from the slide acknowledging people who had helped. He was spinning up this huge press thing around it, Quake explained in the interview. It was going to go well or poorly, I didnt really know. But it wasnt something I was involved in and I didnt want my name on it. Quake is not sure what consequences he thinks He should face. But he believes that the shock and horror some scientists now express belies the unruffled response of the experts he consulted. Asked if he should have handled things differently, Quake said: Well, hindsight is 20-20. I mean, you could say yes I should have done many other things. But, he continued, as these things unfold, youre in the moment, and you know, hes doing legitimate scientific research many people would define it that way. Hes got IRB approval and his institution is regulating the human subject stuff and you sort of believe all that. He added: To the extent that it wasnt obvious misconduct, what does a person in my position do? Encourage him to do it right, his research, right? I mean, thats what I believed I was doing. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. VACAVILLE (BCN) Two brothers were arrested early Saturday morning in connection with the killing of a woman in a case Vacaville police describe as a domestic violence case. Marcus Smith, 42, of Vacaville has been booked into the Solano County Jail in Fairfield on suspicion of murder, said Vacaville police Lt. Mark Donaldson. His younger brother, 26-year-old Kevin Smith, also of Vacaville, was booked into the same jail on suspicion of being an accessory to the killing. Police went about 2:30 a.m. Saturday to Peregrine Way, east of Peabody Road in the south part of the city, on a about a domestic dispute call. They found a woman dead, and took the brothers into custody. Donaldson said the woman had "some sort of relationship" with Kevin Smith, but were still investigating the details Saturday afternoon. The woman's name was not yet being made public, as family members were still being reached and notified of the death. Anyone with more information about the case is asked to call Vacaville police Detective Smith (707) 469-4826. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. OAKLAND (BCN) Marilyn Gonzalez scampered across the grass at a courtyard near the University of California at Berkeley's Hearst Field Saturday during a visit to the campus conducted by Oakland Promise. The 6-year-old kindergartner was one of more than 1,000 students and families from 30 Oakland Unified School District elementary schools escorted around campus by Oakland Promise staffers. The program, which began in 2016, aims to increase the number of college graduates from Oakland. It's a partnership between the City of Oakland, the school district and other organizations. "I'm going to go to college. I'm going to be a veterinarian," the young Oakland resident said as she sipped some bottled water under the watchful eye of her mom, Beatrice Estrada. Saturday's college tour is part of the Oakland Promise "Kindergarten to College" initiative. Bringing young children to the campus helps them visualize themselves as college-bound, according to Tina Linarez, whose daughter Camara participates in the program. "On the way here, the kids were saying, 'I'm going to live in this sorority house, this frat house,'" Linarez said. "This makes it real for them." Linarez is also a teacher at Carl B. Munck Elementary School in Oakland, where her daughter is a kindergartner. "Oakland Promise Kindergarten to College demonstrates the power of creating a college-bound identity in our youngest students," Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement. The initiative provides an early college scholarship of $100 to every student and encourages teachers to promote a college-bound identity for students. Also, it provides technical assistance to families to open college savings accounts, offering up to $100 in incentives. The money is deposited in what is known as a 529 plan, which are specifically designed to encourage early and affordable college savings. All withdrawals from the account used for higher education expense are tax-free. The Oakland Promise program has helped send about 1,100 students to college, in concert with the East Bay College Fund, spokeswoman Maggie Croushore said. The program also provides support to the students while they are in college, and has awarded more than $8 million to its students. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. A man stands in front of vehicle holding what appears to be a gas can as fire burns on the hood of the SUV, in this still image taken from a video provided by bystander Ross Lockwood, in Edmonton on Friday April 12, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Ross Lockwood *MANDATORY CREDIT* SALINAS (BCN) A 59-year-old Salinas man has been fined and sentenced to 40 days in county jail and three years of informal probation after entering pleas of no contest to misdemeanor charges of illegal dumping and failure to carry workers' compensation insurance. Ralph Carabajal Garcia Jr. must pay a $20,000 fine, with $8,000 suspended, and make a $15,000 contribution to the Monterey County Environmental Health Bureau. The contribution will be used for "administrative, educational, and enforcement purposes related to illegal dumping and litter abatement," according to the Monterey County District Attorney's office. The sentence handed down last week by Superior Court Judge Elisabeth Mineta stems from the roadside disposal of 58 drums described as leaking a tar-like substance on the ground. The 55-gallon drums were discovered in January 2018 at four locations in the county and investigators, aided by tips from the public, turned up another 12 drums in San Benito County. The 70 drums were traced to the owner of a Santa Cruz County property who had contracted Garcia for their disposal. Garcia used at least four employees to load and drive the drums away in U-Haul trucks and public complaints about the barrels followed shortly after. Garcia also failed to have workers' compensation insurance for the four employees, according to the district attorney. 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 27-year-old San Francisco man was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for distributing illegal drugs via a dark web vendor site, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Brian Gutierrez-Villasenor was one of more than 30 suspects across the country arrested in a 2018 investigation targeting vendors of illegal goods on the so-called "darknet" - a hidden network where illicit deals take place. Gutierrez-Villasenor distributed cocaine and methamphetamine for the darknet web site JetSetLife, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Abraham Simmons. JetSetLife would wire Gutierrez-Villasenor money from abroad to fill orders for drugs and after buying the requested drugs he would mail them through the U.S. Postal Service, authorities said. For example, on March 23, 2015, someone in Australia sent Gutierrez-Villasenor a $5,160 wire transfer via JetSetLife. Gutierrez-Villasenor retrieved the cash, used it to buy drugs and pay himself for distributing the drugs. Gutierrez-Villasenor admitted that between October 2014 and April 2018, he received over $575,000 to distribute drugs for JetSetLife. On Sept. 17, Gutierrez-Villasenor was charged with one count of possessing with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine, and one count of transporting monetary instruments or funds to promote unlawful activity. Gutierrez-Villasenor pleaded guilty to the charges on Nov. 13. The 10-year sentence was handed down Friday by U.S. Senior District Judge Susan Illston in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. In addition to the prison term, Judge Illston also ordered Gutierrez-Villasenor to pay a $40,000 fine and to serve an additional five-year term of supervised release to begin after his prison term. Gutierrez-Villasenor has been in custody since his arrest on May 17, 2018, and will begin serving his sentence immediately. JetSetLife operated on multiple darknet marketplaces and used encryption technology to avoid interception and monitoring of its communications and transactions, authorities said The prosecution of Gutierrez-Villasenor and others was the result of a coordinated national operation that used the first nationwide undercover action to target vendors of illicit goods on the darknet, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The operation, which culminated in four weeks of more than 100 enforcement actions around the country, resulted in the federal arrests of more than 30 darknet vendors who engaged in tens of thousands of sales of illicit goods. Agents executed 70 search warrants during the operation, seizing massive amounts of illegal narcotics, including 333 bottles of liquid synthetic opioids, over 100,000 tramadol pills, 100 grams of fentanyl, 24 kilograms of Xanax, and additional seizures of Oxycodone, MDMA, cocaine, LSD, marijuana, and a psychedelic mushroom grow found in a residence; In addition, more than 100 firearms, including handguns, assault rifles, and a grenade launcher, were seized. The investigation was carried out by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. 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. BERKELEY (BCN) Berkeley police are looking for two people suspected in a Friday night robbery in which they shoved two victims to the ground and took their cell phones. The robbery was reported about 10 p.m. Friday, when two pedestrians in the 2700 block of Dwight Way were pushed to the ground. Two suspects grabbed their phones, and immediately got into a car driven by a third person. That car was last seen headed east on Dwight Way from the scene. The victims were not seriously injured. Berkeley police are investigating. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call police at (510) 981-5900. 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. DUBLIN (BCN) Congressman Eric Swalwell will appear Sunday at a high school in Dublin for his first rally in his home district since announcing a presidential bid earlier this week. Swalwell, D-Dublin, announced his candidacy for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president on Monday, on CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." Sunday's rally will be held at Dublin High School, from which Swalwell graduated 20 years ago. "After visiting Florida, Iowa and South Carolina this week, I can't wait to come home to my family, friends and neighbors in the East Bay," Swalwell said in a news release. Swalwell, 38, has represented California's 15th congressional district since defeating longtime incumbent Pete Stark in 2012. Swalwell has not indicated whether or not he will vacate his congressional seat, but there is already a challenger for it. Congressman Eric Swalwell will appear Sunday at a high school in Dublin for his first rally in his home district since announcing a presidential bid earlier this week. Swalwell, D-Dublin, announced his candidacy for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president on Monday, on CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." Sunday's rally will be held at Dublin High School, from which Swalwell graduated 20 years ago. "After visiting Florida, Iowa and South Carolina this week, I can't wait to come home to my family, friends and neighbors in the East Bay," Swalwell said in a news release. Swalwell, 38, has represented California's 15th congressional district since defeating longtime incumbent Pete Stark in 2012. Sunday's rally will be held at 2 p.m. at Dublin High, 8151 Village Parkway. Marilyn Gonzalez scampered across the grass at a courtyard near the University of California at Berkeley's Hearst Field Saturday during a visit to the campus conducted by Oakland Promise. The 6-year-old kindergartner was one of more than 1,000 students and families from 30 Oakland Unified School District elementary schools escorted around campus by Oakland Promise staffers. The program, which began in 2016, aims to increase the number of college graduates from Oakland. It's a partnership between the City of Oakland, the school district and other organizations. "I'm going to go to college. I'm going to be a veterinarian," the young Oakland resident said as she sipped some bottled water under the watchful eye of her mom, Beatrice Estrada. Saturday's college tour is part of the Oakland Promise "Kindergarten to College" initiative, which provides an early college scholarship of $100 to every student and encourages teachers to promote a college-bound identity for students. Also, it provides technical assistance to families to open college savings accounts, offering up to $100 in incentives. The money is deposited in what is known as a 529 plan, which are specifically designed to encourage early and affordable college savings. All withdrawals from the account used for higher education expense are tax-free. The Oakland Promise program has helped send about 1,100 students to college, in concert with the East Bay College Fund, spokeswoman Maggie Croushore said. The program also provides support to the students while they are in college, and has awarded more than $8 million to its students. Three people died Saturday following separate vehicle vs. pedestrian accidents around the Bay Area. A 90-year-old man died Saturday morning, a day and a half after a vehicle struck him as he tried to cross a local residential street in South San Francisco, police said Saturday afternoon. Conrad Furger of South San Francisco died at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital from injuries he suffered at about 7:15 p.m. Thursday, when he was struck by a westbound vehicle in the 500 block of Baden Avenue as he tried to walk across the street, South San Francisco police said. The vehicle's driver remained on the scene and has cooperated with police investigators. Police said that neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be factors in this accident. In Mountain View, a pedestrian was killed Saturday night after she was struck by a vehicle on westbound El Camino Real near the South Shoreline Boulevard intersection, Mountain View police said. The accident was reported about 8:30 p.m., said police spokeswoman Katie Nelson. The driver, a woman, stopped and is cooperating with investigators. It doesn't appear the driver was impaired by alcohol or drugs. A 25-year-old man who was walking on the shoulder of northbound state Highway 29 in Napa on Saturday night was killed after being struck by a SUV, according to the California Highway Patrol. The collision was reported at 8:58 p.m. Saturday near the Napa Premium Outlets shopping center just south of First Street, CHP Officer Vincent Pompliano said. The 2001 GMC, driven by a 51-year-old Concord man, attempted to veer out of the way of the victim, but was unable to in time to avoid a collision, Pompliano said. The driver of the SUV suffered minor injuries. Traffic wasn't seriously affected by the collision, according to Pompliano, and the cause of the collision is under investigation. Approximately 25 to 30 people -- infants, children and adults -- at a popular indoor play space in Concord were sickened Saturday night by pepper spray police believe had been used during a fight involving about five to 10 young people, police said. The incident was first reported at 7:08 p.m. Saturday at The Jungle, in the Willows Shopping Center in the 1900 block of Diamond Boulevard just east of Interstate Highway 680. The first calls to police were about the fight, according to a Concord Police Department Facebook post; subsequent calls to police described pepper spray being used during the fight. The two dozen or so people driven out of the play space by the pepper spray experienced vomiting and difficulty breathing, police said. They were treated at the scene by Contra Costa County Fire Protection District paramedics, police said. The alleged fighters had left the scene before police arrived. Two brothers were arrested early Saturday morning in connection with the killing of a woman in a case Vacaville police describe as a domestic violence case. Marcus Smith, 42, of Vacaville has been booked into the Solano County Jail in Fairfield on suspicion of murder, said Vacaville police Lt. Mark Donaldson. His younger brother, 26-year-old Kevin Smith, also of Vacaville, was booked into the same jail on suspicion of being an accessory to the killing. Police went about 2:30 a.m. Saturday to Peregrine Way, east of Peabody Road in the south part of the city, on a about a domestic dispute call. They found a woman dead, and took the brothers into custody. Donaldson said the woman had "some sort of relationship" with Kevin Smith, but were still investigating the details Saturday afternoon. The woman's name had not been made public by late Saturday. Sunday will be partly cloudy in the morning, then becoming mostly cloudy and breezy. Highs will be in the upper 50s to mid 60s. West winds will be 10 to 20 mph, increasing to 20 to 30 mph in the afternoon. Sunday night will be mostly cloudy and breezy. Lows will be near 50. West winds will be 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 10 to 20 mph after midnight. Monday night will be partly cloudy in the morning, then becoming mostly cloudy with a chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs will be in the upper 50s. Southwest winds will be 10 to 20 mph. The chance of showers is 50 percent. 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. PETALUMA (BCN) An Antioch man was arrested Saturday afternoon in Petaluma on suspicion of vehicle theft, police said. Whitney Dase, 52, was taken into custody after a resident called about 4 p.m. to report that a man parked a car in the 1600 block of Baywood Drive and then walked away, checking door handles on other vehicles, police said. The resident provided a license plate number, which revealed the car had been stolen out of San Rafael earlier in the day. When the suspect started to drive away in the car he had arrived in, officers pulled him over. A record check revealed Dase was on felony probation out of Contra Costa County. He was arrested without incident on suspicion of vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, and vehicle theft with prior convictions. Dase was booked into the Sonoma County Jail, and the undamaged vehicle was returned to its owner. 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. REDWOOD CITY (BCN) Redwood City firefighters are on the scene of a two-alarm fire at 800 Charter Street, just south of the U.S. Highway 101/Woodside Road interchange, firefighters said on social media. The fire was first reported shortly after 8 p.m., and the building there was described as "well involved." No further information was immediately available. Motorists are urged to stay away from the intersection of Charter and Spring Streets. 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. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) The arbitral ruling on the maritime row in the West Philippine Sea was never "shelved," Malacanang said Sunday. The Palace was responding to reports of former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario's calls for President Rodrigo Duterte to "unshelf" the ruling on Saturday. "In the first place, this Administration never shelved the arbitral ruling. It only remains unenforceable because no foreign force seems persuaded to help us enforce it, and neither do we have the capability of enforcing it alone by force, not to mention the fact that performing armed acts of enforcement could only trigger a bloody war that could cost the lives of our countrymen and destruction of properties in our land," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement. Panelo added that even if the administration shelved the ruling, the Palace's recent remarks have invoked the 2016 Hague ruling and "effectively removed it from the shelf." Del Rosario on Sunday argued that China was revisiting its "excessive and unlawful claim" in the waters. "At the same time, amid aggressive moves by our northern neighbor in such areas as Pag-asa, in other areas and in other issues, it may be the right time to finally unshelve our arbitral outcome enabling our SFA to develop recommendations for our president's consideration," the former Foreign Affairs secretary said in a statement. Panelo also accused the former foreign affairs chief being responsible for the loss of the Philippines' control over Scarborough Shoal. "Del Rosario, being responsible for the loss of the country's possession of the Scarborough Shoal during his stint as Foreign Affairs Secretary by naively causing the withdrawal of our armed ship in the area of conflict, certainly can not put forward his pretended patriotism and feigned righteousness as if he has not contributed vastly to the unwelcome situation we are presently in," Panelo said. Panelo said the ruling has the "stamp of permanence" and urged the Chinese government to respect it. "We urge the Chinese government to respect it, and we hope the mechanism of bilateral negotiations between the countries forge a mutually satisfactory solution to the conflict based on internationally accepted principles of justice and reciprocity, as well as anchored on the dictates of each national security and aspirations of their people," he said. China has repeatedly refused to observe a United Nations-backed ruling that invalidates its nine-dash-line claim over majority of the South China Sea. President Rodrigo Duterte has been accused of setting aside the ruling amid his warmer ties with China. CAIRO At least 121 people have been killed since a Libyan military commander opened an assault on the capital 10 days ago, igniting clashes with rival militias, the U.N. health agency said Sunday. The self-styled Libyan National Army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter, began a surprise offensive against Tripoli on April 5 and is battling rival militias loosely affiliated with a weak U.N.-backed government. The World Health Organization said that along with the 121 fatalities, an additional 561 have been wounded. It did not specify whether they were fighters or civilians. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more than 13,500 people have been displaced, and that significant numbers of civilians remain stuck in areas where fighting has escalated. U.N. envoy Ghassan Salame said a school was bombed in the town of Ain Zara, around 9 miles southeast of Tripoli, without saying who was responsible. Both sides have carried our air strikes in the town, and a spokesman for the Libyan National Army said it has stepped up air strikes on its rivals in the past two days. Hifter has pledged to unify the country after years of chaos after the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime dictator Moammar Khadafy. He has led previous campaigns against Islamic militants and other rivals in eastern Libya and has received support from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Russia and France. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi met with Hifter in Cairo on Sunday, the presidency said, without providing further details. Samy Magdy is an Associated Press writer. DESROCHES ISLAND, Seychelles In a striking speech delivered from deep below the oceans surface, the Seychelles president made a global plea Sunday for stronger protection of the beating blue heart of our planet. President Danny Faures call for action came from one of the many island nations threatened by global warming. He spoke during a visit to an ambitious British-led science expedition exploring the Indian Ocean depths. Oceans cover over two-thirds of the worlds surface but remain, for the most part, uncharted. There are better maps of Mars than of the ocean floor, Faure said. This issue is bigger than all of us, and we cannot wait for the next generation to solve it. We are running out of excuses to not take action, and running out of time, the president said from a manned submersible 400 feet below the waves, on the seabed off the outer islands of the African nation. Wearing a Seychelles T-shirt and shorts, the president told the Associated Press after his speech that the experience was so, so cool. What biodiversity. It made him more determined than ever to speak out for marine protection, he said. We just need to do what needs to be done. The scientists have spoken. The oceans role in regulating climate and the threats they face are underestimated by many, even though as Faure pointed out they generate half of the oxygen we breathe. Scientific missions are crucial in taking stock of underwater ecosystems health. Small island nations are among the most vulnerable to sea level rise caused by climate change, and some have found creative ways to express their concerns. Faures speech came a decade after members of the Maldives Cabinet donned scuba gear and used hand signals at an underwater meeting highlighting global warmings threat to the lowest-lying nation on earth. Land erosion, dying coral reefs and the increased frequency of extreme weather events threaten such countries existence. During the expedition, marine scientists from the University of Oxford have surveyed underwater life, mapped large areas of the sea floor and gone deep with manned submersibles and underwater drones. By the end of the Nekton mission, researchers expect to have conducted over 300 deployments, collected around 1,400 samples and 16 terabytes of data and surveyed about 11 square miles of seabed using high-resolution multi-beam sonar equipment. The data will be used to help the Seychelles expand its policy of protecting almost a third of its national waters by 2020. The initiative is important for the countrys blue economy, an attempt to balance development needs with those of the environment. Researchers hope their findings also will inform United Nations talks aimed at forging the first high seas conservation treaty, scheduled to conclude this year. David Keyton is an Associated Press writer. AMBALAVAO, Madagascar Babies wail as a nurse tries to reassure mothers who have come to vaccinate their children against a measles outbreak that has killed more than 1,200 people in this island nation where many are desperately poor. Madagascar faces its largest measles outbreak in history, with cases soaring well beyond 115,000, but resistance to vaccinating children is not the driving force behind the rise. Measles cases are rising in the United States and elsewhere, in part because of misinformation that makes some parents balk at receiving a vaccine. New York City is trying to halt an outbreak by ordering mandatory vaccinations in one Brooklyn neighborhood. In Madagascar, many parents want to protect their children but face immense challenges, including the lack of resources. Only 58% of people on Madagascars main island have been vaccinated against measles, a major factor in the outbreaks spread. With measles one of the most infectious diseases, immunization rates need to be 90% to 95% or higher to prevent outbreaks. On a recent day, the Iarintsena health centers waiting room was full, with mothers sitting on the floor and others waiting outside in the overwhelming heat. Two volunteer nurses and a midwife tried to meet the demand. Nifaliana Razaijafisoa had walked 9 miles with her 6-month-old baby in her arms. He has a fever, she said. I think its measles because there are these little pimples that have appeared on his face. The nurse quickly confirmed it. Im so scared for him because in the village everyone says it kills babies, Razaijafisoa said. The outbreak has killed mostly children under 15 since it began in September, according to the World Health Organization. The epidemic unfortunately continues to expand in size, though at a slower pace than a month ago, said Dr. Dossou Vincent Sodjinou, a WHO epidemiologist in Madagascar. By mid-March, 117,075 cases had been reported by the health ministry, affecting all regions of the country. This outbreak is complicated by the fact that nearly 50% of children in Madagascar are malnourished. Malnutrition is the bed of measles, Sodjinou said. Simply reaching a clinic for help can be a challenge. Many people in Madagascar cannot afford to see a doctor or buy medicine, and health centers often are understaffed or have poorly qualified workers. Madagascars health ministry has sent free medication to regions most affected by the outbreak. Laetitia Bezain is an Associated Press writer. Page Content Many employers would agree that sick workers should stay home to recover and that employees should be able to care for ill relatives when needed. But the proliferation of state and local sick-leave laws with different requirements can burden employers with significant administrative and compliance challenges. At the end of March, Michigan became the 11th state to require private employers to offer paid sick leave for workers to recover from an illness, seek medical care or care for a sick relative. The Great Lakes State joined Arizona, California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Washington, D.C., in requiring businesses to offer such benefits. Many of these laws also allow workers to use paid-sick-leave accruals for "safe" time if they are targets of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. Additionally, Oregon law provides safe time for harassment targets. "State legislatures see paralysis in Washington, D.C., and little is likely to happen on the federal level," said Corinn Jackson, an attorney with Littler in Los Angeles, and Jim Paretti, an attorney with Littler in Washington, D.C., in a joint statement. Each state law has different rules about who is covered, the reasons leave can be used, the rate at which employees accrue paid leave and the waiting periods before paid sick leave can be used. To make matters more complicated, many local jurisdictions have their own paid-sick-leave laws that offer more-generous benefits than the state law or are in locations without a statewide law. "Rarely does one state's law track another state's law precisely and, even within states, local and municipal mandates are often inconsistent," Jackson and Paretti said. Multiple Applicable Standards While local paid-sick-leave laws may seem like a good idea to residents, "they can become administrative headaches for employers who operate in multiple states and localities," said Melanie Pate, an attorney with Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie in Phoenix. The trickiest compliance issue for employers is developing policies when the local law is not compatible with the state law, noted Peter Hering, an attorney with Rutan & Tucker in Orange County, Calif. Compliance is particularly challenging in California, where, in addition to the state law, Berkeley, Emeryville, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Monica each has its own requirements. The statewide Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act covers all employees who work in the state for at least 30 days in a 12-month period for the same employer. Full-time, part-time and temporary workers must accrue at least one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours they work, though employers may limit the use of paid sick leave to three days per year. The leave allowances under local laws are more generous than the California law, but each one has slightly different requirements. Furthermore, Los Angeles has a special ordinance that gives hotel workers more protected time off than workers in other industries. Long Beach also has paid-leave requirements for hotel workers. [SHRM members-only how-to guide: How to Comply with California's Paid Sick Leave Requirements] In Maryland, Montgomery County has its own law, which predates the statewide requirement. Employers in the county with five or more workers must provide accruals of up to 56 hours of paid sick leave each year, and employers with fewer workers must provide up to 32 hours of paid leave and 24 hours of unpaid leave. Under the statewide law, however, businesses with 15 or more employees must provide up to five paid sick days a year and businesses with fewer workers must provide unpaid leave. Provisions beyond the amount of leave provided might differ between state and local laws. For example, under Washington's law, any unused paid sick leave of 40 hours or less must be carried over to the following year. However, Seattle has a tiered system based on employer size. Tacoma has its own rules, too, and a special law applies to the transportation and hospitality industries in the city of SeaTac, which surrounds Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Jurisdictions with No State Law In some states, there is no statewide law, but local laws for paid sick leave and safe time exist. For example, in Illinois, Chicago and Cook County have adopted such laws. In Minnesota, there are laws in Duluth, Minneapolis and St. Paul. New York, the Big Apple and Westchester County have their own laws. Philadelphia also has a paid-sick-leave ordinance, even though Pennsylvania does not. In Texas, ordinances have been enacted in Austin and San Antonio, but a lawsuit challenging the Austin law has prevented it from taking effect while the case is ongoing. So the ultimate fate of these laws in Texas is still unknown. Nearly half the states have laws to wholly or partly prohibit local paid-sick-leave ordinances, Jackson and Paretti noted. "While many state-level pre-emption statutes have been anticipatory, others have been enacted only after local paid-sick-leave laws were enacted or took effect." For example, New Jersey recently adopted a state law requiring employers to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave to employees, while at the same time pre-empting laws that local jurisdictions have passed throughout the state. "Given the significant compliance challenges for employers in dealing with multiple municipal paid-sick-leave laws, it is possible that other states will attempt to wholly or partly prohibit local paid-sick-leave ordinances," they said. In states with more conservative legislatures, the theory behind blocking local paid-sick-leave laws, even when there is no statewide law, is that less regulation and fewer administrative burdens on employers is better for the economy, Pate noted. "In other states, the goal of the legislatures [that] create a statewide law that pre-empts local laws may be the desire to provide greater paid-sick-leave benefits while maintaining consistency for employers in their respective states." Conduct an Audit Multijurisdictional employers should audit their paid-sick-leave benefits to ensure compliance with the laws of every jurisdiction in which they operate, Pate said. "A careful audit will provide valuable information that will enable the employer to make appropriate decisions regarding companywide benefits that comply with a patchwork of state and local paid-sick-leave laws." The law is rapidly changing in this area, so employers are advised to keep a close eye on happenings in state capitals and in the municipalities in which they operate, and to coordinate as closely as they can with employment counsel, Jackson and Paretti said. [Visit SHRM's resource page on paid time off.] STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Casandra Properties, which has two Staten Island offices, will acquire Vernazza Real Estate, Bulls Head. The acquisition, which will take place April 15, will entail John Vernazza working at Casandra Properties office at 1911 Richmond Ave. Vernazza is a former president of the Staten Island Board of Realtors, 2010 SIBOR Realtor of the Year, 2017 New York State Realtor of the Year, and recently received the Car Rosenfeld Service Above Self award. We are excited to expand our award-winning commercial and real estate agency. Acquiring the Vernazza Real Estate Company and John Vernazza will add to our impressive roster of agents and experience to continuously serve our market, said Casandra Properties CEO, James Prendamano. Said Vernazza: I am looking forward to joining this fast-paced progressive management team." STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Democratic Rep. Max Rose isnt up for re-election until next year. But the House race against him is already in full swing, and theres plenty of intrigue no matter where you look. On the GOP side, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn) has been campaigning for months. Its a race that Malliotakis has eyed for a while. When GOP Rep. Dan Donovan lost the seat to Rose last November, Malliotakis quickly staked her claim. And why not? Malliotakis is a veteran of the state Assembly, and scored well here when she ran against Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2017. She knows the Brooklyn side. Shes close to new state Conservative Party chairman Jerry Kassar, whos very familiar with Staten Island and our 11th Congressional District. With national Republicans looking to mimic the Dems woman-friendly 2018 vibe, GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthys leadership PAC has contributed to Malliotakis campaign, and McCarthy name-checked Malliotakis in a fundraising missive. Washingtons early preference is clear, and thats going to open doors for Malliotakis. But we cant forget about former GOP Rep. Michael Grimm, who looks like a candidate even though he hasnt formally announced. Grimm was in the House last week and met with McCarthy, whom he served with. A McCarthy aide termed it a courtesy meeting, according to The Hill. Grimm lost a GOP primary to Donovan last year. City Councilman Joe Borelli (R-South Shore) has long looked at the race, but last week surprised some by confirming that he will run against Democratic Public Advocate Jumaane Williams this November. Borelli eschewed running in the public advocate non-partisan special election earlier this year, when a crowded Dem field might have boosted Republican chances. A five-borough race for an avid supporter of President Donald Trump looks like a tall order in these days of increasing Democratic progressivism, but at worst it will raise Borellis profile, much as Malliotakis mayoral run did for her. If he loses in November, Borelli can quickly shift gears to a House race. Neither campaign will require him leaving his Council seat. Malliotakis, though, will have to surrender her Assembly perch to run for Congress. Rose and Malliotakis have already been fundraising in earnest for the House race. Rose has banked more than $600,000, while Malliotakis has raised $300,000. This is where those D.C. connections will aid Malliotakis the most. It remains to be seen if Rose will have a primary next year. Elected as a moderate, Rose has made it clear that hes no socialist, even as his party tilts more and more leftward. But being on the other side from progressive darling Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the rest can only benefit Rose in NY-11. What could hurt is Trump, who won Staten Island in 2016 and will be at the top of the ticket in 2020. Rose could do everything right and still have his fortunes depend on Trumps strength and on who the Democrats nominate for president. Joe Biden could help. But Elizabeth Warren? Help! Rose likely knew this when he decided to run for a seat that had been Republicans for all but two of the prior 30-plus years. It no doubt crossed Roses mind that he could win the seat in 2018, lose it two years later, and need to come roaring back in 2022. A three-cycle endeavor shouldnt come as any surprise. Were coming to the middle of that trilogy, which is traditionally the most turbulent installment. Its only going to get bumpier from here on out. Nine-time Emmy award-winning journalist Paula Zahn will be the featured guest at this years Staten Island Advance Women of Achievement awards luncheon May 2. Zahn is executive producer and host of Discovery IDs On the Case with Paula Zahn, a weekly investigative crime show. She is also host of THIRTEENs weekly arts and culture multi-platform showcase, NYC-Arts. Shell be on hand as the Advance honors six special Staten Island women for their extraordinary volunteer work: Katherine Connors, Bernice Fisher, All Mai Jones-Clark, Carmela Montella, Debi Rose and Dr. Lori Weintrob. Zahn began her journalism career in local news, working for stations in Dallas-Fort Worth, San Diego, Houston, Boston and Los Angeles. She was first introduced to national audiences as an anchor for the news segments on ABC News Good Morning America. She went on to host shows for CBS News, Fox News and CNN. Zahn's many years of reporting have not only won her the public's trust, but many prestigious honors, including six Gracie Awards, two National Headliner Awards, and recognition of her career reportage from the Museum of Television and Radio. Zahn has also been recognized by The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Beth Israel Medical Center, and the Congressional Families Action for Cancer Awareness among others, for her indefatigable work in raising awareness of breast cancer. An accomplished cellist, Zahn attended college on a cello scholarship. She has performed with renowned musicians in world class venues including with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Zahn also played at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra as it saluted outgoing conductor Mstislav Rostropovich. She later joined Maestro Rostropovich in St. Petersburg, Russia as part of the 100-cello orchestra he conducted. Zahn has had a long affiliation with Sejong Soloists and has performed with them at many venues, most notably in Seoul at Hoam Art Hall. Zahn is a member of the WNET Board of Trustees and a mother of three, Haley, Jared and Austin. The Women of Achievement awards luncheon is May 2 and begins at 11:45 a.m., in the Hilton Garden Inn, Bloomfield. Tickets are $68 and can be purchased by printing out the reservation form here, or clipping a form from the Staten Island Advance. Deadline for reservations is April 26. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- A former Staten Island University Hospital surgeon has stepped down as head of pediatric surgery at NYU Winthrop in Long Island, after sexual harassment claims from his former job were made public, according to a New York Post report. Dr. Brian Gilchrist departed last week from his latest position after a recent lawsuit filed by two former residents at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital alleged they were fired after exposing to the hospital Gilchrists sexual misconduct in the form of photos, texts and physical contact, according to the report. Gilchrist relocated to NYU Winthrop in early 2018, said the NY Post. In 2001, the family of a 16-year-old patient who underwent surgery at Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, alleged in a lawsuit that the doctor failed to remove a cancerous tumor entirely that he had deemed benign, said the NY Post. The complaint reportedly was settled for nearly $2 million, the report said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- When they came home, many were not recognized for their service and sacrifice. That all changed Friday night when a group of Vietnam Veterans were eating at an Island diner. Ten members who belong to Anderson-Lagno VFW Post 5090 went out to eat the Dove Diner in Great Kills after a meeting. The men were having a good time, talking about old times, when the server delivered them news they found shocking. The server came over and told us our entire bill was paid for by a young man, said Vincent Maligno, a retired Air Force major. We werent expecting it all. The group of men were beside themselves for a good deed that was done, and wanted to know who they could thank. When asked about the patron who paid, the group was told the individual had already left and wished to stay anonymous. We just want to thank him publicly, and let him know we truly appreciate what he did, said Maligno. We want to thank him for not only his good deed, but patriotism and setting examples for the our future." SHARE YOUR GOOD NEWS If you have a Good News story to share: Email it to goodnews@siadvance.com , or Mail it to the Good News Editor at the Staten Island Advance, 950 Fingerboard Road, Staten Island, N.Y., 10305. Please include as much detail as possible and your contact information. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! "You have vestiges of the Empire, you have only the strong surviving, you have chaos taking over the galaxy." The series will star Pedro Pascal, who played Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones and Javier Pena in Narcos, as "the Mandalorian". The still unnamed hero of the new Star Wars series The Mandalorian. Credit:Lucasfilm "Some might say he has questionable moral character, which is in line with some of our best westerns, some good Samurai, all the good stuff," Pascal said. "He's a badass." The series will feature two other major characters, Greef Karga, head of a "bounty hunters guild", played by Carl Weathers, and Kara Dune, an ex-rebel "shock trooper", played by Gina Carano. Other directors working on episodes of the series include Taika Waititi and Bryce Dallas Howard. While there is still little detail about the series in circulation, Favreau's social media feeds have revealed that the series will deeply mine the Star Wars canon. Among the characters appearing in the series are an IG-88-style droid; the original IG-88 "assassin droid" appeared with a band of bounty hunters, including Boba Fett, the Trandoshan assassin Bossk and the Corellian bounty hunter Dengar in The Empire Strikes Back. Another famous Star Wars droid who will appear in the series is R5-D4 or a droid identical to him a battered droid encountered in the sandcrawler operated by the Jawas on the planet Tattooine in the 1977 Star Wars film. The series will also feature the use of a Mandalorian weapon a sort of high-tech bayonet which resembles a rifle which tipped with energy blades first seen in an animated short in The Star Wars Holiday Special. That 1978 spin-off, widely panned by Star Wars fans and often regretted by Star Wars creator George Lucas, does have the unique distinction of introducing the character of Boba Fett, prior to his live-action debut in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back. Greef (Carl Weathers) in The Mandalorian. Credit:Lucasfilm Details of the series were unveiled at the Star Wars fan convention, Star Wars Celebration, in Chicago. Several minutes of footage was screened, including scenes which featured guest star Werner Herzog as an underworld boss who hires the Mandalorian to retrieve a bounty, series regular Giancarlo Esposito, who plays an ex-Imperial officer and scenes involving a squad of black-armored "deathtrooper" stormtroopers. In another scene the IG-88-type "assassin" droid is scene on the main street of a desert town; according to rumours published online, the droid is named IG-11. It has not been confirmed, but the appearance in the footage of both desert scavenging Jawas and Dewback lizards, as well as the R5-D4 droid, would suggest that one of the episodes of the series is set, at least in part, on the planet Tattooine. The droid R5-D4 and a Mandalorian bayonet prop from The Mandalorian. Credit:Jon Favreau/Instagram It has also been reported that in addition to directing duties, Waititi will provide IG-11's voice. Speaking to US media recently, Waititi said the series would adhere to the tone of the "original trilogy" Star Wars films. Waititi said the series tapped into the enormous fandom which has surrounded the Boba Fett character since he first appeared. "Thats what the fans like and you cant really disrespect it," he said. "I guess is a nicer way of saying [you] can't put too many jokes in." For most kids growing up with those films, Boba Fett was one of the most favourite characters, even though he's barely in the films," he said. "The idea of bounty hunters, the helmets ... getting to see characters like that and getting to shoot with them is pretty cool." Cara Dune (Gina Carano) in The Mandalorian. Credit:Lucasfilm While The Mandalorian has had a relatively young development life it was pitched to Lucasfilm by Favreau in 2017 plans for a live-action Star Wars series have been around for more than a decade. In 2012 a series titled Star Wars: Underworld, which would have featured younger versions of established characters Han Solo, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian and Boba Fett, was developed but ultimately abandoned. Lucasfilm is delivering eight one-hour episodes of The Mandalorian to Disney, and the series will spearhead the launch of the Disney+ streaming service in November. The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) in a scene from the Star Wars television series The Mandalorian. Credit:Lucasfilm According to reports, the budget for the series is around $US100 million. Disney+ will also feature two other Star Wars television projects, a still-untitled series starring Diego Luna as rebel pilot Cassian Andor and set prior to the events of the film Rogue One, and a new season of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Veteran News Corp columnist Piers Akerman has rejected criticism directed at him for joining former prime minister Tony Abbott on the campaign trail in his seat of Warringah on the weekend. Former Sydney Morning Herald and The Age journalist Mark Kenny said on the ABC's Insiders on Sunday morning that "a lot of people are looking at this thinking: 'This surely crosses a line.' " Piers Akerman donned an Abbott shirt but said he had spent most of the day patting dogs standing in the background. Credit:Tony Abbott/Instagram Akerman - who was wearing a "Tony Abbott for Warringah" T-shirt - rejected that, saying he was there as an "independent Australian and a private citizen". He said there was no more conflict between him joining Mr Abbott and working as an independent commentator than there was for ABC journalists who drove with Mr Abbott's opponent, Zali Steggall, for a story on 7.30 to the press conference at which she announced her candidacy. Liberal and Labor strategists came to the same conclusion on how to deal with an election campaign broken up by the Easter and Anzac Day period - hold a faux campaign launch in key areas both need to win. As voters started turning their mind to what time they can leave work on Thursday ahead of Good Friday break, the major parties rolled out their leaders in the same stage managed way. Labor's Federal Election Volunteer Rally in Burwood was a campaign launch in all but name. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Both sides have agreed not to campaign on Good Friday, Easter Sunday or on Anzac Day. Ordinarily, days like these would be used for major policy announcements, heavy advertising and strident messaging. Of all the things for which Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has copped it, the outrage over her decision to not make her face and body available for judgment on a global scale within hours of giving birth would have to be the maddest. Obviously, on behalf of all new mothers (including the puffy, messy and decidedly not camera-ready new mothers many of us have been) we should collectively be buying her the world's biggest bunch of flowers and wishing her all the best as she enjoys them with Harry, a massive slice of toast, and possibly some ice, in private. Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrive for a reception in Rabat, Morocco. Thankfully she will not need to be this camera ready in the hours after her first birth. Credit:Pool via AP At a time when, according to Harper's Bazaar, "average" mothers are feeling so pressured to pass Instagram muster postpartum that they are spending on spray tans, hair styling and even manicures for the labour ward, Meghan is the rebel we need. Deciding to not submit herself to the world's gaze on the same day she becomes a mother is, by the standards of most would-be pleasers in the public eye, an admirably radical act. Victorian taxpayers will foot a $1 million bill for a state Labor government ad campaign attacking the Morrison government just five weeks out from the election. Premier Daniel Andrews and Federal Labor Leader Bill Shorten co-ordinated their announcements on Sunday of a stepped-up attack on the Morrison government, which Labor accuses of cutting $2.6 billion from the nations hospitals. Loading Labors national campaign will be supported by the Victorian government ad blitz on TV, radio, newspapers and social media, telling voters in the key battleground state that Prime Minister Scott Morrisons government has short-changed their hospitals by $305 million, with more pain to come. The Premier also indicated that he was planning more pain for the Coalition over its efforts in Victoria on transport infrastructure, which proved to be a hot-button issue with voters in last year's state election. Police have charged a US national with the killing of a man whose body was found wrapped in plastic at Sydney Olympic Park last year. The man, Alex Dion, was extradited from the US and on Sunday morning arrived at Sydney Airport and was taken to Sydney Police Centre. He was charged with the murder of a 33-year-old Thai national, Wachira "Mario" Phetmang. Mr Phetmang's body was found in plastic and covered in a mattress protector on June 6 last year, just near a on-ramp to Homebush Bay Drive. Alex Dion arrives at Sydney International Airport on Sunday. Credit:AAP In a statement on Sunday, NSW Police said they had established Strike Force Sinder to investigate the murder of the 33-year-old Mr Phetmang. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Hundreds of binders filled with thousands of yellowing newspapers lay stacked in the back room of the local newspaper office in Mount Isa. Most of the binders at The North West Star were wrapped in thick plastic to help protect the towns first draft of history being destroyed by the harshness of time. Karen Edwards, Gordon Twaddle and Tim Thomson. Credit:Queensland Police Service Reporters are absolutely forbidden from tearing the plastic to have a peek at the old papers inside - and anyone who even suggests unwrapping a binder is given a stern warning by the office manager to keep away. But one afternoon last September, a chance discovery of some particularly gruesome crime scene photos, with the words "October 1978" scrawled onto the back, meant the plastic would need to be cut open. After stumbling across the photographs while working at the Star, this reporter decided to risk the wrath of the office manager and go ahead and unwrap the old papers to learn more about the pictures she had found. The horrific fate of Karen Edwards, 23, Tim Thomson, 31, and Gordon Twaddle, 21 lay waiting inside. Advertisement Three young travellers who had embarked on the adventure of a lifetime to Mount Isa, only to be shot in the head in remote bushland outside of town within the first few days of their road trip. Newcomers to the remote mining town of Mount Isa in north-west Queensland are regaled with stories and urban myths, as is true of many outback towns of Australia. Many knew Lindy Chamberlain, the woman wrongfully convicted of the murder of her daughter in one Australia's most publicised trials, was from Mount Isa. The front page of the North West Star on October 25, 1978. Credit:North West Star But not many residents who moved to town after the 1980s had heard of the three travellers allegedly executed in the long grass. Perhaps some horrors are just too brutal to be shared over a beer at the pub, no matter how many decades have passed. No new leads had come to the local police station about how the trio came to be in the dried-up creek bed, 12 kilometres north of the town. And for years their story was mostly forgotten. Advertisement But after the discovery of the old newspaper clippings in the dark and dusty back room of the newspaper's office, it was hoped a feature story in the weekend edition of the local rag might help sharpen some memories. After all, loyalties can change after almost half a century of time. The anniversary feature in the paper pushed new witnesses to come forward to police and a review of the case was ordered. On Friday, Bruce John Preston, 63, was charged with three counts of murder more than 40 years after his alleged victims' bodies were found at Spear Creek. One of the last photographs taken of the trio at Devils Marbles, days before they were allegedly murdered. Credit:Queensland Police Service Local detectives told Brisbane Times new witness evidence from past and present Mount Isa locals led them to lay murder charges against Mr Preston. Long-term resident Jenelle Robartson said the town's rumour mill had been flying since that first feature went to print. Advertisement "Having that 40-year anniversary story in the media brought it all up again for a lot of people," she said. "I think a lot of people are surprised they have a potential result after all this time, but obviously it is all still alleged at this stage." Another long-time local, Andrew (who did not wish to give his surname), said the Prestons were a well-known family in Mount Isa in the late 1970s. Bruce's father Arthur Preston worked as one of the chief trainers at Mount Isa Mines, at a time when most of the town was employed to work in the underground mine that sat at the city limit. Bruce Preston being driven into the Brisbane Watchhouse on Friday afternoon. Credit:Lydia Lynch A large chunk of the town knew who Bruce was because of his father. Arthur was like an army drill sergeant straight out of a movie," Andrew told Brisbane Times. Everyone who went underground had to do one of Arthur's inductions and he would ram the rules down people's throats." Advertisement He said the town was shocked 40 years ago, when the motorcycle of one of the alleged victims, Tim Thomson, was found in the back shed of the Preston family home. I will never forget the day they found the bike in his shed," Andrew said. Bruce Preston told police at the time he had seen two other people trying to steal it. The red motorcycle driven by Tim Thomson. Credit:Queensland Police Service Mount Isa mayor Joyce McCulloch commended the families of the three friends found dead at Spear Creek for never giving up hope and thanked local police for their dogged investigation of the case. People were curious as to whether the murder would be resolved so this is going to help close a very horrible chapter in Mount Isa, she said. Mount Isa is a very close-knit community so it would have definitely rocked the community at the time. Advertisement Saturday night's debate focused on the economy, social welfare, finance, investment, and trade and industry. Both candidates emphasised their credentials as economic nationalists, a common theme throughout the campaign in a country where economic protectionism is popular. Joko's rally served as a warm-up for Saturday night's final presidential debate. A three-day quiet period that bans campaign advertising commenced on Sunday and will carry through until the polls open on Wednesday. Indonesia's political campaigns focus heavily on personalities, rather than policy, and the President offered little substantive detail in his speech. That optimistic message stands in stark contrast with his opponent, Prabowo, who regularly questions the direction of the country and warns that it is going backwards economically compared with other countries in the region. Prabowo began by arguing that Indonesia was on the wrong track economically and had deindustrialised in recent years, and that "we don't produce anything". Meanwhile, he said, Indonesia's wealth was flowing out of the country and "economic growth is not being enjoyed by the people". Joko's focus on infrastructure investment - generally popular with voters - had helped foreign goods enter Indonesia, but had not assisted in the export of domestic goods. The challenger again highlighted his promise to reduce food prices and cut tax rates, while at the same time criticising the very low rate of tax collection in Indonesia, which sits at about10 per cent. Prabowo argued it should at least return to the 16 per cent rate during the Suharto era, if not rise even higher to the same level as in Thailand and Malaysia - about19 per cent. This prompted the President to warn that such a rise in tax collection could deliver a shock to the economy. Joko highlighted his move to nationalise the huge Freeport gold and copper mine, and the three "smart cards" he was planning to introduce if re-elected. These would offer discounts on staple food items, assistance to university students, and a so-called pre-work card. Bribes and remorse In 2016, Yan was sentenced to 20 months' prison for conspiring to bribe John Ashe, president of the UN General Assembly, for whom she worked. She pleaded guilty. Five out of six charges were dropped. I take responsibility. I paid for my mistake, she tells The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in Beijing. Sheri Yan and John Ashe. Credit: But she rejects accusations aired in the media that she is a Chinese spy, or that she was part of a broader attempt to influence the United Nations. These allegations were never raised in the US court. "Beijing's secret plot to infiltrate UN used Australian insider" read one headline in November, on a story alleging Yan was an agent of Chinese government influence. ASIO raided Yan's Canberra home at the time of her New York arrest looking for evidence of spying, it was reported. Sheri Yan and her husband Roger Uren. Yan says the spy allegation has hurt her, and family including her husband, the former Australian diplomat Roger Uren, more than the shame of her US conviction. Her 88-year-old mother vomited when she was told by a Chinese friend late last year. I almost had a heart attack, because it hurt, she says. The US court was told Ashe had solicited bribes from a wide range of people in breach of UN rules, but he died before facing trial. And Yan says the claims she was part of a Chinese Communist Party plan to infiltrate the UN are nonsense. It was Ashe who recruited her, she says. I met him at a conference in Hong Kong and was invited by him to act as his adviser on Asian relations. Under Ashes suggestion not the Chinese Communist Party's I co-founded the Global Sustainability Foundation and Ashe wrote the foundations opening statement, she says. Yan says she met Ashe in 2012 before he became president of the UN General Assembly - when they sat at the same table at a conference dinner. When I asked what are Asian affairs, he said, 'Mostly fundraising'. The court heard that Ashe, the UN ambassador for Antigua and Barbuda, was predatory and it must have been a jackpot day meeting Yan, who moved in Chinese business circles. I felt so honoured, she recalls. The United Nations is a supreme institution in the eyes of Chinese people. But Yan says there was another, highly personal reason for her to accept the job. Her Australian daughter, Victoria, was soon finishing high school in Beijing, where Yan had been working as a business consultant. Victoria would leave to study at the prestigious US womens college Wellesley in Boston in 2013. Life, often, is not defined by what you did but whom you met. A character in Sheri Yan's novel, Halfway House I thought if I took a job there, at least my travel expenses will be covered and I can see Victoria more, Yan says. The court heard that Victoria believed if she had gone to university in Australia as her father had wished, instead of insisting on studying in the US, this would never have happened. My plans made my mum come up with a way to be close to me my mum would never have had any proximity to the UN had it not been for the fact that Boston and New York are a few hours apart by bus, she told the court. Fundraising and networking Like the characters in her novel, Yan had to sell her Washington apartment to fund her US legal fees. She says she has only paid back a third of what she owes friends who lent her money to pay for her defence. She describes the legal process in her novel: It was like taking a slow suicide pill, explaining the organs in your body, one at a time, including your most private parts, to your lawyer. Inside prison, Yan heard the song Hello by Adele on the radio, and tracked down an inmate who had it on MP3, exchanging the song for postage stamps. The lyrics apologise for breaking a heart I must have called a thousand times, to tell you Im sorry. It inspired her to write. Sitting on her bunk bed, with Victorias photo and an email of encouragement from an Australian novelist friend, Yan wrote in ballpoint. She literally cut and pasted with scissors and glue to edit. Yan wanted to finish the book by May 2017, in time for Victorias graduation from Wellesley. On the 26th of May that year, though I was not at her graduation, she had in her hand her degree, her honours, and the 400-page handwritten draft of The Halfway House, says Yan. When I think of my daughters graduation day, no mother around but my book on behalf of me, letting her know how much I love her, how sorry I am, I cant help my tears. While on bail, Yan began working with a Brooklyn charity for the children of incarcerated parents, Children of Promise. She turned their art lessons into a book called Art from the Heart to showcase the charitys work. The impact of prison on African-American families is woven through her novel. After she left prison, Yan became executive director of the charity, doing what she knows best, fundraising and networking, introducing an architect who had been an inmate friend to help construct new premises in the Bronx, establishing a link with the Museum of Modern Art. Sheri Yan (centre, back row) at New York's Museum of Modern Art with the charity Children of Promise, of which she is executive director. The house with a 'wok' on the roof Yan lives with her elderly parents in Beijing, caring for them but also financially dependent on her 89-year-old painter and poet father, who is blind. Her daughter works in New York, her husband in Hong Kong, but the family still call Australia home. When Victoria was born in Canberra, Yans parents came to stay for a year to help with their baby granddaughter. But the thought of her townhouse in Kingston now saddens Yan. She is horrified at what people must think about the huge satellite dish on the roof. Yan says before her arrest there was a plan to bring her parents to live permanently with her in Australia. So she bought two wooden beds, and asked the local electronics shop in Kingston to install a dish so they could watch Chinese television to allay boredom. When it arrived, the wok was huge. After the media allegations of spying, Yan says she cant stop thinking about the satellite dish. Even though it is not true, I am angry and sad and it does bother me, she says. They must think it is some equipment. Her parents' advanced age now precludes moving them to Australia because of health insurance costs. Yan grew up in a family of writers and editors her father has written 40 books of poetry, including several held in the National Library of Australia. Her childhood friend Yan Geling, who supported her throughout the court case, is a prominent Chinese-American novelist and Hollywood scriptwriter whose stories have been turned into films by directors Zhang Yimou and Ang Lee. The two Yans shared food as children living in a writers compound in Anhui province during the brutal Cultural Revolution, a time when books were burned. They remained close as they forged new lives as US citizens. 'Business is all about the relationship' Sheri Yan has been described as a social queen, but sees herself in her former life as a businesswoman. She ran an events management business in Beijing, the Australia China Club which she says had the support of the Australian embassy. In the years before a free trade agreement was signed with China, she organised events on mining, agriculture and film that brought together Australian and Chinese businesspeople and officials. But the business made little money. Yan says she worked briefly for Australian property developer and political donor Chau Chak Wing when her team at the Australia China Club was hired for a few months in 2011 to organise the first conference at his Imperial Springs conference centre in Guangzhou. Former prime minister Bob Hawke, deputy prime minister Wayne Swan, Australian ambassador Frances Adamson, and the executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Peter Abigail, attended, according to the conference handbook. Asked to explain the Chinese business culture of networking, Yan replies that in 40 years China rapidly changed from being a completely closed society to a place where wealth comes first, and who you know and what connections you have became more important. She doesnt think this is uniquely Chinese, and points to a promotion for the TV network CNN using the slogan Business is all about the relationship. Of course, this must mean a decent, clean, transparent relationship, she adds. And Chinese businesspeople love to take photos when they rub shoulders with officialdom. It is a privilege to have a photograph with important people It used to be if you go to any office and you see the wall, they will have a photo with so-and-so. Wow, they feel like he is connected. Chinese businessmen who donated to Ashes UN charities were offered the opportunity of a photograph to hang on the wall. In order to find sponsors to support our activities at the United Nations, we invited some Chinese entrepreneurs to New York, including [to meet] the president of the United Nations General Assembly, to take photos. That was my sad history. I will make sure that history will never be repeated, she says. One character in her novel observes: Life, often, is not defined by what you did but whom you met. Deep in the heart of alien worlds, crystals form under pressures up to 40 million times more intense than the atmospheric pressure on Earth, and as much as 10 times more intense than the pressure in our planet's core. Understanding them better could help us search for life elsewhere in our galaxy. Right now, scientists know almost nothing about these mysterious crystals. They don't know how and when they form, what they look like or how they behave. But the answers to those questions could have enormous implications for the surfaces of those worlds whether they are covered either in flowing magma or ice, or are bombarded with radiation from their host stars. The answer, in turn, could affect the possibility of these planets harboring life. The interiors of these exoplanets are mysterious to us because, in our solar system, planets tend to be either small and rocky, like Earth and Mars, or large and gassy, like Saturn and Jupiter. But in recent years, astronomers have found that so-called "super-Earths" giant rocky planets and "mini-Neptunes" smaller gas planets than exist in our solar system are more common in the rest of our galaxy. [9 Most Intriguing Earth-Like Planets] Because these planets can be seen only as faint flickers in the light coming from their host stars, much about them remains mysterious. Are they superdense or superwide? What are their surfaces made of? Do they have magnetic fields? The answers to those questions, it turns out, depend heavily on how the rock and iron in their ultrapressurized cores behave. The limits of current science Right now, our understanding of exoplanets is based mostly on scaling up or down what we know about planets in our own solar system, said Diana Valencia, a planetary scientist at the University of Toronto in Canada, who called at the March meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) for mineral physicists to explore these exotic exoplanetary materials. The problem with the scaling-up approach is you can't really understand how iron will behave at 10 times the pressure of Earth's core just by multiplying, she said. At those enormous pressures, the properties of chemicals fundamentally change. "We would expect to find crystals inside super-Earths that don't exist in Earth, or anywhere else in nature, for that matter," said Lars Stixrude, a theoretical mineral physicist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has done basic theoretical work to calculate the properties of these extreme materials. "These would be unique arrangements of the atoms that only exist at very high pressure." These different arrangements happen, he told Live Science, because enormous pressures fundamentally change how atoms bind together. On Earth's surface and even deep inside our planet, atoms link up using only the electrons in their outer shells. But at super-Earth pressures, electrons closer to the atomic nucleus get involved and completely change the shapes and properties of materials. And those chemical properties could affect the behavior of whole planets. For example, scientists know that super-Earths trap a lot of heat. But they don't know how much and the answer to that question has major implications for those planets' volcanoes and plate tectonics. At Earth's internal pressures, lighter elements get mixed in with the iron core, impacting the planet's magnetic field but that might not happen at higher pressures. Even the physical size of super-Earths depends on the crystal structure of compounds in their cores. But without planets of this sort to study up close in our own solar system, Valencia said, scientists have to turn to basic physical calculations and experiments to answer these sorts of questions. But those calculations often turn up open-ended answers, Stixrude said. As for the experiments? "Those pressures and temperatures are beyond the capability of most of the technology and experiments we have today," he said. Building a super-Earth on regular Earth On Earth, the most extreme pressure experiments involve crushing tiny samples between the sharpened points of two industrial diamonds. But those diamonds tend to shatter long before reaching super-Earth pressures, Stixrude said. To get around the limitations of diamonds, physicists are turning to dynamic-compression experiments, of the sort performed by the mineral physicist Tom Duffy and his team at Princeton University. These experiments produce more super-Earth-like pressures, but only for fractions of a second. "The idea is, you irradiate a sample with a very high-powered laser, and you rapidly heat the surface of that sample and you blow off a plasma," Duffy, who chaired the APS session where Valencia spoke, told Live Science. Bits of the sample, suddenly heated, blast off the surface, creating a pressure wave that moves through the sample. [The World's Most Extreme Laboratories] "It's really like a rocket ship effect," Duffy said. The samples involved are tiny nearly flat, and just about a millimeter square in surface area, he said. And the whole thing lasts a matter of nanoseconds. When the pressure wave reaches the back of the sample, the whole thing shatters. But through careful observations during those brief pulses, Duffy and his colleagues have figured out the densities and even the chemical structures of iron and other molecules under previously unheard-of pressures. There are still many unanswered questions, but the state of knowledge in the field is changing fast, Valencia said. For instance, the first paper on the structure of super-Earths (which Valencia published in Feb. 2007 in The Astrophysical Journal as a graduate student at Harvard) is outdated because physicists have obtained new information about the chemicals inside our own planet. Answering these questions is important, Duffy said, because they can tell us whether distant alien worlds have characteristics like plate tectonics, flowing magma and magnetic fields and therefore, whether they could support life. Originally published on Live Science. An unassuming spacecraft called Beresheet shot for the moon on April 11. It couldn't quite stick the landing , but it has plenty of company in its disappointing fate. Beresheet , an Israeli mission launched by a partnership between nonprofit SpaceIL and government-owned aerospace company Israel Aerospace Industries, sent back its last photograph during its descent to the lunar surface . But just a few minutes later, mission control lost contact with the spacecraft, eventually concluding that the probe had crashed instead of slowing rapidly enough to execute the planned soft landing. But even at mission control, onlookers were philosophical about the mission's tough end. "If at first you don't succeed, you try again," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who watched Beresheet's landing attempt from SpaceIL's control center in Yehud, Israel, said during the mission's live broadcast of the maneuver. Related: Israel's Beresheet Spacecraft Crashes into Moon During Landing Attempt In Hebrew comments also made during the broadcast, Netanyahu expressed interest in building a second lander and making another attempt at the tricky feat of landing gently on another planetary body, tossing out a timeline of two or three years. On Saturday (April 13), Morris Kahn, the billionaire businessman, pilanthropist and SpaceIL president, confirmed that the SpaceIL team is meeting this weekend to begin planning the Beresheet 2.0 mission. "We're going to actually build a new halalit a new spacecraft," Kahn said in a video statement posted on Twitter by SpaceIL. "We're going to put it on the moon, and we're going to complete the mission." The team behind Beresheet knew all along that the mission's design included risks. In order to keep the spacecraft small enough to piggyback with another spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket, the engineering team had to design the craft without any backup systems . Nevertheless, before its ultimate failure, the spacecraft withstood multiple glitches while in Earth orbit and during the early stages of landing. Beresheet's attempted landing made a splash beyond Israel as well. The lander had carried a science instrument provided by NASA, a retroreflector instrument scientists would have used to make precise measurements of the distance between Earth and the moon. The Beresheet spacecraft captured this "selfie" during its failed landing maneuver on April 11, 2019. (Image credit: SpaceIL/IAI) And although that instrument is no more, NASA's chief also expressed hope for the future of Israeli spaceflight. "Every attempt to reach new milestones holds opportunities for us to learn, adjust and progress," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine wrote in a statement . "I have no doubt that Israel and SpaceIL will continue to explore, and I look forward to celebrating their future achievements." That's not a surprising response; NASA knows as well as anyone just how difficult spaceflight can be. The moon's surface is littered with dozens of expired spacecraft , and although many ended their missions smoothly, several made unplanned crash landings, including NASA's own Surveyor 2 and 4 missions during the 1960s. More recently, all the agency's lunar crashes have been purposeful , but landing on the surface of another world is never something to get cocky about. "Space is hard, but worth the risks," Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, wrote on Twitter after the landing attempt. "If we succeeded every time, there would be no reward. We're looking forward to future opportunities to explore the moon together." He also said that he would be visiting Israel later this year to talk about those opportunities. Space is hard, but worth the risks. If we succeeded every time, there would be no reward. Its when we keep trying that we inspire others and achieve greatness. Thank you for inspiring us @TeamSpaceIL. Were looking forward to future opportunities to explore the Moon together. pic.twitter.com/yZ35IJKOYCApril 11, 2019 See more Zurbuchen has been in the shoes of the anxious mission staff watching the landing attempt unfold. Most recently, he sat in mission control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California as the Mars InSight lander touched down in a maneuver billed as " 6 minutes of terror ." "I want to thank @TeamSpaceIL for doing this landing with millions watching around the world, despite knowing the risks," Zurbuchen wrote on Twitter . "We do the same because we believe in the value of worldwide exploration and inspiration. We encourage all international and commercial explorers to do the same!" Live Science staff writer Rafi Letzter contributed to this report. STAMFORD A banking giants three-key logo still hangs on top of a downtown office tower. But the number of people working under that sign keeps dwindling. Three years after UBS moved its already-downsized local contingent from the sprawling complex that it once filled at 677 Washington Blvd., to smaller space at 600 Washington Blvd., new state data show that the firms headcount dropped again in 2018. The retrenchment reflects the upheaval it has faced in the past decade, as it reckons with a reordered finance-services industry. But with a $20 million state loan supporting its Connecticut operations, the Swiss company does not appear to be on the verge of leaving the state. What were seeing in Connecticut is the continued process of UBS pulling back on its ambitions of having a large footprint in the United States, said Lawrence J. White, a professor of economics at New York University. I think theyre going to continue to want to have a presence in the U.S.; for a large international bank, they cant not be in the United States. UBS officials declined to comment for this article. Diminishing presence Last year, UBS employed about 1,260 in the state, down 5 percent from the 2017 average, according to the state Department of Economic and Community Development. Most of them are based at 600 Washington. In the past four years, UBS statewide headcount has declined about 40 percent. In 2014, it employed about 2,160 in Connecticut. Even the 2014 total represented a fraction of its peak presence. The Stamford contingent had reached 4,400 before the financial crisis, according to some counts. The shrinking workforce led to the banks 2016 move from 677 Washington to 600 Washington. The latter property also houses the Americas headquarters of Royal Bank of Scotland. For nearly 20 years, UBS occupied 677 Washingtons approximately 700,000-square-foot complex, which was built in the mid 1990s. Its employees filled a 13-story tower and a seven-story pavilion that would become the worlds largest trading floor. But the juggernaut sputtered in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. For 2008, UBS reported a loss of nearly $20 billion, the largest ever by a Swiss corporation. Among the controversies, a rogue trader in London was convicted in 2012 for losing the firm more than $2 billion. In 2013, UBS paid $885 million to settle allegations from U.S. regulators that it violated state and federal laws when it sold mortgage-backed securities during the housing bubble. The scandals, combined with other factors such as more stringent trading regulations, sparked companywide restructuring that led to the shrinking of the Connecticut operations. I think the 2008 crisis and the following five to eight years have been a chastening experience for them, White said. RBS own struggles created the available space at 600 Washington. It laid off more than 700 Stamford-based employees between 2015 and 2018, as it grappled with years of losses after the financial meltdown. It finally turned a profit, in 2017, and finished in the black again last year. Since June 2018, RBS has not reported any mass layoffs to the states labor department. Last year, RBS announced that it would sell the building at 600 Washington, but that it would remain there as a tenant. It now employs about 500 in Stamford. Worthwhile investment? In 2011, UBS secured the $20 million state loan, a deal that reflected the faith of then-Gov. Dannel P. Malloys administration in large aid packages to help persuade big companies to grow in Connecticut. The deal was renewed in 2014 that time with more oversight. Between 2012 and 2018, the company earned $11.4 million in loan forgiveness and repaid $3.6 million, numbers that were based on state-set job targets. For the state to forgive all of the remaining $5 million on the loan, UBS would need to average more than 1,750 employees in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Despite the declining headcount, officials in Malloys administration defended the deal. We were looking at a situation where they could have completely exited the state, Catherine Smith, the states then-economic development commissioner, said in a 2017 interview. They may not have the full 2,000 here, but they still have hundreds of employees here. I think the incentives have done what we expected them to do. Many state legislators have looked at the agreement more warily. UBS employment numbers have dropped significantly, which is why we need to ensure we are holding DECDs investments in businesses much more accountable and more closely scrutinizing their return on investment, said state Rep. Caroline Simmons, D-Stamford, who is co-chairwoman of the state legislatures Commerce Committee. Looking ahead In the past couple of years, UBS outlook has improved. It recorded a 2018 net profit of about $4.9 billion, compared with a 2017 total of $969 million. The 2017 number reflected charges tied to the U.S. tax reform passed the same year. Still, a reversal of the declining Connecticut presence appears unlikely. I would feel reluctant to say that they will definitely stay in Stamford, White said. But there is an incumbency advantage to being here and operating in this ecosystem with hedge funds and other finance firms. The company also maintains major U.S. offices in Manhattan and Chicago. Its head offices are in the Swiss cities of Basel and Zurich. Wealth management for families and individuals, personal and corporate banking, asset management and investment banking comprise its principal businesses. In Stamford, UBS and RBS have been eclipsed in recent years by a number of media, biotech and IT companies whose local headcounts are surging. WWE plans to relocate its headquarters by early 2021, from the citys East Side to 677 Washington. It would take 415,000 square feet there and convert UBS former trading-floor space in the pavilion into a production hub. Professional-services firm KPMG plans to relocate its Stamford offices to 677 Washington later this year, with plans to add more than 100 Stamford jobs in the next few years. Before the WWE and KPMG deals, the property had languished as the citys largest office vacancy, following UBS move to 600 Washington. Down the street, cable-and-internet giant Charter Communications is building a new headquarters at 406 Washington Blvd., to replace its current downtown offices, at 400 Atlantic St. The growth of companies like WWE and Charter is extraordinary, said Joe McGee, vice president of public policy for The Business Council of Fairfield County. Finance is still going to be a base for the economy in Stamford, but its important that we also build other bases. pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott STAMFORD At last count, 30 percent of full-time city and school employees earned six-figure annual salaries. The 2017 percentage, the most recent available, continued a trend. It began in 2011, when the high-earner count quadrupled. From then until 2017, the number of municipal employees earning at least $100,000 increased 131 percent. By comparison, payscale.com reports that the average individual salary in Stamford last year was $70,091. Mayor David Martins administration has yet to release the 2018 salary data, requested by The Advocate in January. But its budget season, and members of the elected boards are combing through the mayors $603 million spending request for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Not all of the elected officials who will cut Martins budget over the next two weeks said salary is a major factor. Rising raises Martins proposal calls for his four cabinet members Director of Administration Michael Handler, Director of Legal Affairs Kathryn Emmett, Director of Public Safety Ted Jankowski, and Director of Operations Mark McGrath to get 2.9 percent raises, bringing each from $165,132 a year to $169,896. Martins raise will be bigger - 3.6 percent - taking his annual compensation from $175,661 to $182,066. That concerns Kieran Ryan, a Republican member of the Board of Finance, which will take up the mayors budget Monday. One might argue the salaries of most rank-and-file city workers are reasonable, but at the top levels, management and department heads, many salaries are surely generous, and for the mayor and his cabinet ... salaries are very high, Ryan said. Martins chief of staff, for example, will earn nearly $170,000 come July 1, Ryan said. This is a position that did not exist a few years ago. It might be a good idea for a city of Stamfords size and complexity to have a chief of staff, but does that salary really need to be the rough equivalent of the governor of New Jerseys? Ryan said of Gov. Phil Murphy, who according to NJ.com earns $175,000 a year. And why, Ryan continued, does the mayor of Stamford at $182,000 need to make substantially more than the governor of Connecticuts salary of $150,000? Martin emailed a statement saying his administration is a collection of incredibly qualified professionals that any resident in Connecticut should want to have running their city. Our team includes a former judge, business owners, military personnel and business consultants who have an established background of effective leadership. We believe weve assembled one of the most credentialed teams of top managers in the citys history. We believe our staffs compensation is reasonable, given their responsibilities and the amount of work their position entails. The budget shows that salaries for existing employees are slated for raises that range from less than 1 percent to more than 10 percent. A number of employees will get .8 percent raises, likely fixed by their union contracts. The salary for a head cashier in the tax office, for example, will increase from $59,894 to $60,351. Some of the bigger hikes may include retroactive pay after union contracts went unsettled for a time. That may explain, for example, a 10.9 percent raise for a master mechanic at the transfer station, whose salary will increase from $71,234 to $78,979. Not just salary The Board of Representatives gets Martins budget May 1. Rep. Bob Lion, D-19, said salary is only one measure when he considers cuts. The other is job function. Unless youre familiar with what the employees do, its difficult to evaluate whether their salaries are high or low or indifferent, Lion said. The questions for me are: What do they do? Do we need this done? And is the salary in line? Like Lion, Rep. Nina Sherwood, D-8, said salary is only one factor. I also like to know that, if the top people are getting raises, are the lower people in that department also getting raises? Sherwood said. The people the government employs should be paid well enough to contribute to the local economy. But if the people at the top are extracting more and more, it doesnt make for a well-based economy. Beyond that, There are definitely some people who are making way more money than the taxpayers of Stamford can handle, Sherwood said. The bill payers According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in Stamford in 2017 was $84,893. Compare that with a finding by the Economic Policy Institute, which reported last year that for a Stamford family of four to live a modest yet adequate standard of living, annual earnings must be $118,551. Im concerned that we have some city employees whose salaries are relatively low compared to the private sector, yet they get a benefits package that far outweighs what you get in the private sector, so their total compensation far outweighs what the average person in Stamford earns, said Rep. J.R. McMullen, R-18. Still, its hard to say we should hire a lower-quality employee because the benefits are too much, Rep. Eric Morson, D-13, said. The long-term costs can be worse. Its why overtime expenditures arent always bad, Morson said. An employee making $50,000 a year can cost $40,000 in benefits. Plus, that $50,000 is fully pensionable. But the overtime only costs time-and-a-half, Morson said. So sometimes it costs less to pay overtime than put another person on staff. Its hard to find the balance. Limited control Rep. Jonathan Jacobson, D-12, said salaries can be a source of frustration for the board. If position A pays $100,000 a year, we dont have the power to say cut it to $80,000. We can either move forward with the position or strike it, Jacobson said. Sal Gabriele, a Republican on the finance board, said he watches the salaries for new positions. Say a city employee who was hired in 2008 at $90,000 leaves in 2018 earning $120,000. Sometimes the new person comes in at $110,000, Gabriele said. Some of these new hires could be brought in at less. The city and school system are the largest employers in Stamford, with 3,292 full-time workers, according to the 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. The number has grown by 296 employees since a decade ago. Rep. John Zelinsky, D-11, said his concern is that Martins budget proposal comes with a 4.4 percent tax increase. Every year taxes go up, Zelinsky said. I think we need to save the taxpayers some money. acarella@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2296. Why not name them? This paper has Charlie Pia covered like OJ Simpson, but these guys get to be anonymous??? Trashman67 via stamfordadvocate.com Welcome to Stamford. The City that Embezzles! PatM via stamfordadvocate.com How can they investigate their own? I would ask the State Police of FBI to investigate. If any of the jobs were federally funded then it is a Fed matter. Saxon9075 via stamfordadvocate.com Hey Martin, I guess this town is the crown jewel of something. City employees fleecing the city. Where are the Payroll numbers? mkmills122 via stamfordadvocate.com $68 an hour what a racket that is because most times I see them just standing there watching the construction workers. I knew a police officer that was out on extended workmans comp telling me that he was having a hard time because he relied on the side jobs, I understand why now. RM12 via stamfordadvocate.com Python in middle school is a great start but they have to be able to do the math involved in computer science if they are going to take it past high school. BCT via stamfordadvocate.com I am sorry but my grandkids do not receive free or reduced lunches but their parents who both work hard do not have money for the extra classes/activities mentioned in the article. They have lived here all their lives and I believe they should at least be given an equal opportunity to go to these classes. Half of the children attending could be free or reduced lunch and the other half come from the rest of the community who work hard but never get anything for free (the middle class working family). kaysy123 via stamfordadvocate.com I was at this event..this guy is delusional!! Has he driven down Newfield Avenue? LBJohnson11 via stamfordadvocate.com This man is in desperate need of a psychiatric consultation, he is clearly delusional. The only place he is a legend is in his own mind! partyline1 via stamfordadvocate.com I dont know what bubble he is living in but I live in this nightmare of a town. We have the worst infrastructure, roads, schools, parks and beaches. Our taxes are high and our schools with a high number of non-English speaking, illegal students are rated a low 3. All those high rises they built have led to severe water shortages and high traffic. People are fleeing this town and state in high numbers. He must lock himself up at home and only come out occasionally for a photo opp. Feartyrrany via stamfordadvocate.com A man has been sectioned after a car was driven at police outside the Ukrainian embassy in west London. A silver Mercedes was driven at police officers after ramming into several cars, including the Ukrainian ambassador's, outside the embassy yesterday afternoon. Police opened fire during the incident in Holland Park. Officers were called to reports of "antisocial behaviour involving a car." Police said a man drove at them when they arrived at the scene and they opened fire. Police shots fired after Ukrainian embassy ambassador's vehicle deliberately rammed Police firearms and Taser were discharged, Scotland Yard said. The vehicle was stopped and a man aged 40 was arrested on suspicion of the attempted murder of police officers and criminal damage. Police at the scene in west London / SplashNews.com The Met said today that a man had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act following the incident. He will be taken to hospital for treatment. Officers were forced to open fire / SplashNews.com The Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed. Enquiries continue. Chief Superintendent Andy Walker, from the Met's Specialist Firearms Command, said: "As is standard procedure, an investigation is now ongoing into the discharge of a police firearm during this incident. "While this takes place, I would like to pay tribute to the officers involved in this incident who responded this morning and put themselves in harm's way as they do every day to keep the people of London safe." A n 11-year-old schoolboy is fighting for life in hospital after a suspected hit and run in south London. The young boy was hit by a car on Court Road, Orpington, outside a petrol garage on Saturday afternoon, at about 6.50pm. Police said a driver was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and making off from the scene of an accident. A spokesman for the police said the driver of the car involved did not initially stop at the scene, but came to a halt a short distance away. The youngster was rushed to hospital after the crash and his condition has been described as critical, police said. His next of kin have been informed. A spokesman for the police said: The car involved did not initially stop at the scene but came to a halt a short distance away. The driver - a man - was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and making off from the scene of an accident. He remains in custody at a south London police station. A scene remains in place in Court Road and enquiries into the circumstances continue. F ormer Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has called on Theresa May to stand down as soon as next month as he called the party's failure to leave the EU on time "a disaster". He told Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday: "I know that the Prime Minister has already said she's going. She said she would go as and when the agreement was ratified which was looking at around about May, June. I think those dates still stand. "I think that what the PM has to do is aim everything now towards departure before the Euros (elections) which would then allow her to step away having done what she said she would do, getting the UK out of the European Union one way or the other and then we can have another leadership election and pick a new leader which is the way it has to be." Mr Duncan Smith said the European elections are "impossible to justify." Getty Images He asked: 'What are you going to say on the doorstep? Vote for me and Ill be gone in three months?' A poll showed the Tories are now seven points behind Labour / EPA The Conservative grandee said polling on the party was currently concerning and blamed the delay to Brexit. "It was on the 29th when we didn't leave that's when this has all gone wrong up until then people were prepared to give Theresa May the benefit of the doubt," he said. TODO: define component type apester "The big problem was as soon as we didn't leave you could see all the poll ratings start to crash. "And it's wholly linked to the fact that to Leave or Remain they were all expecting us to go and when we didn't go it looked like a complete breach with the pledge that we had made and that's a disaster for a political party." His comments came after a poll showed the Tories have plunged seven points behind Labour. The survey, by Opinium, showed Labour climbing one point to 36 per cent, with the Conservatives dropping six points in the past two weeks to 29 per cent. Britain Elects, a poll analysis service, said it was the Tory Partys lowest rating in four years but not as bad as its 23 per cent score in 2013. It was reported today that Tory grandees have raised the possibility of a change in rules governing challenges to the party leader. Under the current system, a move against the leader can only be brought once in a 12-month period. Theresa May saw off a bid to oust her last December and so would not expect to face the risk of another possible attempt to topple her until the end of the year. However, two former chairmen of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs said rules could be changed. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Lord Spicer and Lord Hamilton of Epsom said the 12-month rule on no confidence votes had been "interpreted as being immovable". "It is reported that in order to change this rule the whole Conservative Party constitution must be opened, a National Convention called and even that a petition of 10,000 members is required. This is not the case," they said. Insisting that party rules were "not the master", they added: "Conservative MPs are responsible for their party. If they wish to change these rules there is nothing standing in their way." Current chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, told the paper: "It is my understanding that the rules could in future be changed by the agreement of the 1922 executive." He added that it was "less certain that it would be possible to change the rules during the current period of grace which was initiated with the triggering of a confidence vote on December 12 last year". It was launched after Sir Graham received letters from 15% of Conservative MPs writing a letter asking for a vote. Mrs May won that ballot by 200 votes to 117, but following the delay of Brexit to October 31 a number of Tory Eurosceptics have raised questions about her future as Prime Minister. Former Conservative Party chairman Lord Tebbit also warned that "scores" of Conservative councillors could be "thrown out" in next month's local elections because of Mrs May's failure to deliver Brexit and said a new Prime Minister was needed. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, he said: "I can only urge all my Conservatives in the Commons to act to save our party and the country from the growing dangers of a failure to honour their pledges to deliver Brexit without strings. "The prerequisite for that is the removal of Mrs May from No 10 to make way for a genuine Conservative." Fellow former party chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin warned against handing the keys to No10 to a hard Brexiteer. "Defining ourselves as the Brexit party, pursuing the hardest form of Brexit with a parliament that will not deliver it, is a recipe for paralysis in government and suicide with the electorate," he said, in an article for The Sunday Times. "We are the Conservative Party, not the Vote Leave Party." Meanwhile, the Sunday Telegraph reported that an Electoral Calculus poll of polls showed the Tories could lose 59 seats at a general election, and Labour would become the biggest party in the Commons. J acob Rees-Mogg has blasted "foolish" David Lammy after the prominent Labour MP defended his comparison of Tory Brexiteers to Nazis. The high-profile campaigner for a second Brexit referendum said the comparison "wasn't strong enough". His comments came as he hit out at members of the European Research Group (ERG) of Tory MPs who have urged Prime Minister Theresa May to take a tougher stance on EU withdrawal. And ERG chair Mr Rees-Mogg hit back on Sunday evening, saying he "feels sorry" for the Tottenham MP. He tweeted: "I feel sorry for Mr Lammy, comparing a Parliamentary ginger group with an organisation and creed that killed six million Jewish people makes him look foolish and his comments unbalanced. It damages his reputation." David Lammy likened Brexiteer MPs to Nazis / BBC Mr Lammy defended his views when asked on BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show whether a comparison he previously made between the ERG and the Nazi Party and South African racists was unacceptable. Mr Marr played a recording of a comment made by Mr Lammy on March 23 in which he said: "Im just looking over there at Winston Churchill. On the 30th of September 1938, he stood up in parliament and he said we would not appease Hitler. "Im looking across to Nelson Mandela who would not give in to apartheid. We say we will not give in to the ERG. We will not appease. We will not appease." Mr Marr's response was: "By implication youre comparing the ERG to the Nazi party or at least to the South African racists. Now whatever you think about the ERG that was an unacceptable comparison wasnt it?" The Tottenham MP replied: "I would say that that wasn't strong enough. "In 1938 there were allies who hatched a plan for Hitler to annex part of Czechoslovakia, and Churchill said no, and he stood alone. "We must not appease. We're in a situation now, and let me just be clear, I'm an ethnic minority. Jacob Rees-Mogg outside the Houses of Parliament earlier this month / Peter Nicholls/Reuters "We have, in the ERG, in Jacob Rees-Mogg, someone who is happy to put onto his web pages the horrible, racist AfD [Alternative for Germany] party, a party that's Islamophobic and on the far right." Mr Lammy added: "They're happy to use the phrase 'grand wizard'. KKK is what it evokes to me when I think of that phrase and the Deep South. "I'm sorry, but very, very seriously, of course we should not appease that, of course we should not appease that." Mr Marr responded: "Jacob Rees-Mogg has been absolutely clear that he does not endorse the AFD and the Grand Wizard stuff, we dont know where that came from. Its a dangerous thing surely to accuse him of being close to Nazi ideology." Mr Lammy continued: "We do know that Boris Johnson is with Steve Bannon who is a white supremacist. We do know that there are links between Viktor Orban, Salvini and others. "Im not backing off on this. Never will I back off on this on behalf of my constituents and the BBC should not allow this extreme hard right fascism to flourish." The AfD was founded in 2013 as a Eurosceptic party in Germany, and has since campaigned for tougher immigration laws. Mr Rees-Mogg has previously denied supporting the party. Mr Lammy added: "What kind of country are we going to be like if these people are running it?" A London mother who faced jail time in Dubai for calling her exs new partner a horse on Facebook has tearfully described how she considered taking her own life because of the ordeal. Richmond mum Laleh Shahravesh returned to the UK on Friday morning and was reunited with her 14-year-old daughter Paris in Heathrow Airport after she was held in Dubai due to strict cybercrime laws. The 55-year-old had made the social media posts three years ago but was possibly facing two years in prison and a 50,000 fine for her actions. In her first interview since returning to the UK, Ms Shahravesh said after being separated from her daughter in the airport and at her lowest point she was suicidal. She told the Sunday Mirror: The day before I was told I was free to go, Id given up hope and was suicidal. Laleh and Paris (left) have been separated for almost a month / Laleh Sharavesh I felt like I was never going to see my daughter again and sent a message to my sister saying: I cant do this anymore. Its killing me, every day is killing me. I could see my whole life flashing before my eyes and I just wanted to die. It was torture to me. Despite the frightening experience, Ms Shahravesh said she and her daughter still want to return to Dubai again in the future. Ms Shahravesh recalled the moment she and her daughter were whisked away into a room at the airport for questioning. Laleh Shahravesh arrives at Heathrow Airport with her daughter and sister / Jeremy Selwyn The pair had travelled to Dubai to see the grave of Ms Shahraveshs late ex-husband, Pariss father. She said she initially thought they were going to be quizzed over visa details, but could not believe it was to do with three-year-old Facebook posts. She said: I had no idea what was happening and kept asking Whats going on? but they wouldnt tell me. The officers were very hostile. I felt scared and intimidated. Then an officer came in and said, Theres a complaint against you do you know Samah al Hammadi? The Facebook comments were made 18 months before Laleh travelled to Dubai / Laleh Sharavesh I burst into tears, I couldnt believe Id been arrested for two Facebook posts made in the UK three years ago. After news of Ms Shahraveshs arrest was made public, a campaign group, Detained in Dubai, worked desperately for her release. On Thursday a judge ordered for Ms Shahraveshs passport to be returned. The group welcomed the news, but cautioned that serious concerns remain regarding the many risks for foreigners in the UAE. Speaking about their emotional reunion, daughter Paris said: Im so happy to have Mum back. My heart skipped a beat when I saw her at the airport. It was an incredibly happy moment. The pair said they still hope to return to Dubai, so Paris can pay her respects to her late Dad. T he city of Salisbury, where a former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned in a nerve agent attack, has been named the best place to live in the UK. Salisbury took the title in The Sunday Times 2019 list. One of the judges said the Wiltshire city had shown a "real collective spirit" in the wake of the poisonings that brought it to global attention a little over a year ago. Ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia survived the Novichok attack, which has been blamed on the Russian GRU intelligence agency, although the country has denied involvement. An army officer wearing combat uniform removes what is believed to be part of the roof at the house of Sergei Skripal last month / EPA The incident later claimed the life of Dawn Sturgess, who died after coming into contact with a perfume bottle believed to have been used in the attack on the Skripals and then discarded. Men in hazmat suits cover the bench where the Skripals were poisoned in March / PA Helen Davies, The Sunday Times Home editor, said: "Salisbury has shown real collective spirit in dealing with a chemical attack that saw the cathedral city become the centre of world headlines for all the wrong reasons. Military teams are carrying out the work on behalf of Defra / PA "There are still parts of the city where the clean-up continues, but to bounce back and be even stronger is a sure sign of a very special community, which is one of the reasons we have chosen Salisbury as the best place to live in Britain in 2019. Suspects: The pair of Kremlin assassins walk around the city smiling and taking photos / PA "It remains a divinely attractive and welcoming place. It's handy for coast, countryside and London, has some of the best schools in the southwest, a great market and it's very strong culturally, too." Yulia Skripal was poisoned alongside her father Sergei / PA The Isle of Dogs in the borough of Tower Hamlets was named the best place to live in Greater London, Dundee the top place to live in Scotland, Crickhowell in Powys was judged the cream of the crop in Wales, while Holywood in County Down came out in front for Northern Ireland. The judging panel used their own expert knowledge alongside statistics, including house prices, provided by Habito and TwentyCi. Police outside Sergei Skripal's home, which is to be dismantled / PA F resh claims about Shamima Begums life in Syria have emerged, with sources alleging the London teenager was a member of the feared ISIS morality police. The Bethnal Green schoolgirl tried to recruit younger women to join the jihadist group, according to reports. According to the Sunday Telegraph, the 19-year-old played an active role in the organisations reign of terror and was allowed to carry a Kalashnikov rifle, earning herself a reputation as a strict enforcer of laws, such as dress code. Allegations also emerged today that Ms Begum had been witnessed preparing suicide vests for would-be bombers. Shamima Begum has had her British citizenship revoked (Elliot Wagland) The Mail on Sunday said Prime Minister Theresa May and Home Secretary Sajid Javid had been briefed that she sewed vests onto bombers so that they could not be removed without them going off. Home Secretary Sajid Javid / AFP/Getty Images The information was said to have been gleaned by allied spy agencies, believed to be the CIA and Dutch Military Intelligence - from other Western ISIS converts. It is not known if Begum was a willing participant. Ms Begum has previously insisted she was never involved in the terror groups brutality and said she spent her time simply as a housewife, after fleeing London when she was just 15. Shamima Begum was 15 when she left London / PA She said her interests were on caring for her children, who have since died, and her Dutch national husband, Yago Riedijk. Sources told the Telegraph the teen arrived to Syria after crossing the border in Turkey in February, 2015. From there, she was taken to the central city of Raqqa. Ms Begum is said to have graduated to a level where she was a member of an all-female police squad. Ms Begum and her son, Jarrah / ITV In this role, it is claimed Ms Begum carried a Kalashnikov rifle and had a reputation for being strict on other women who she accused of behaving in a non-Islamic way. In this role, Ms Begum is said to have received anything between 500 and 1,500 a month. The source also alleged Ms Begum was active in recruiting other women to join ISIS from across Europe, including texting a teen from Austria in 2015. She allegedly told one girl: Dont believe any of the bad things you hear about Dawla [the State], its fake. You have everything you want here and we can help find you a good-looking husband. Shamima Begum's father Ahmed Ali said she should still be brought back to England / AP Ms Begum had her British citizenship revoked and has since been stuck in a displacement camp for months after being detained when leaving ISIS territory. The teenager arrived heavily pregnant at al-Hol camp in February, and gave birth shortly after. But her newborn son, named Jarrah, died from a lung infection last month. It was her third child to have died during her time living in the caliphate. Ms Begums family are proceeding with a judicial review of Home Secretary Mr Javids decision to remove her citizenship. Her father Ahmed Ali said last night: "If she has done anything wrong, she should be brought to England and be punished." Of the latest claims, the Begum's family lawyer demanded the Home Office make any evidence held against her public. T he father of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has called on the Australian government to help his son and suggested he could be brought back to his home country. John Shipton, who lives in Melbourne, urged prime minister Scott Morrison to step in following Assange's arrest in London last week. He told News Corp Australia that Mr Morrison and the country's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) "should in a nuanced way do something". He also said he was shocked at the appearance of his son as he was hauled out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London on Thursday. Julian Assange's fate is unclear at the moment / EPA Mr Shipton said: "It can be resolved simply to the satisfaction of all. There has been some talk in a meeting between a senator and a senior DFAT official to extradite Julian to Australia." Mr Morrison has previously said Assange, an Australian citizen, will have consular assistance available to him but will not get "special treatment". Assange is carried out, surrounded by police / @DailyDOOH/PA "I saw him, the way they dragged him down the steps, the coppers - he didn't look good," he added. "I'm 74 and I look better than him and he's 47. It's such a shock." Assange being brought out of the embassy / www.ruptly.tv In Britain, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said Assange should answer questions about sexual assault allegations in Sweden. The comments came after more than 70 Parliamentarians signed a letter to Home Secretary Sajid Javid urging the Government to ensure Assange faces Swedish authorities if they request his extradition. Mr Corbyn told Sky News: "If there are allegations which Julian Assange needs to answer of sexual issues, sexual attacks that may or may not have taken place in Sweden, then it's a matter for the courts to decide. "But, I do think he should answer those questions. "My objection was to his extradition to the United States because I do believe that WikiLeaks told us the truth about what was actually happening in Afghanistan and in Iraq." The letter to the Home Secretary was organised by Labour MP Stella Creasy and stated: "We are writing to request that you do everything you can to champion action that will ensure Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden in the event Sweden make an extradition request. "This would be so the formal investigation into an allegation of rape can be concluded and, if appropriate, a charge can be made and any trial can take place. "We do not presume guilt, of course, but we believe due process should be followed and the complainant should see justice be done. "We urge you to stand with the victims of sexual violence and seek to ensure the case against Mr Assange can now be properly investigated." The rape allegation has a limitation period which expires in August 2020, it added. Assange spent almost seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he sought political asylum in 2012. This followed defeat in his legal battle against extradition to Sweden, where he was wanted over two separate allegations, one of rape and one of molestation. In May 2017, Sweden's top prosecutor dropped the long-running inquiry into a rape claim against Assange, which he has always denied. But his arrest prompted the lawyer for a Swedish woman who alleged she was raped by Assange during a visit to Stockholm in 2010 to say they wanted the case reopened. Prosecutors in Sweden have since confirmed that, while the investigation has not been resumed, they are looking into the case. Labour MP Stephen Kinnock told the BBC: "Mr Assange is accused of rape and sexual violence in Sweden and it's vital that that doesn't get airbrushed out of the conversation because of all the other issues to do with WikiLeaks. "I think the top priority, as we say in our letter, is to ensure that if the Swedish authorities wish to have him extradited there to face those charges, they must take priority above all else." Writing in The Observer, Labour MP Jess Phillips said the allegations against Assange in Sweden were "the first and most pressing case he should answer". A drive-by shooting outside a Melbourne nightclub left one person dead and three others injured. Three security guards outside the Love Machine nightclub and a club-goer queueing to enter were shot on Sunday at about 3.20am local time, according to Victoria Police. One of the security guards, a 37-year-old man from Narre Warren South, was fatally shot and died in hospital from horrific injuries. Three others were rushed to hospital, with a 28-year-old man in critical condition. Victoria Police at the scene of a shooting / EPA Homicide inspector Andrew Stamper said in a televised news conference: It would appear that shots have been discharged from a car in this area into a crowd standing outside of a nightclub. The victims suffered "horrific injuries" from a weapon fired in close proximity, he added. Two of those shot are in a critical condition / EPA There is no suggestion the attack was terror-related, a police spokeswoman said. Forensic police examine items at the scene / EPA Bloodstained clothing and bullet casings littered the street outside the entrance to the second-storey Love Machine nightclub early on Sunday morning. Police urged witnesses who saw any vehicle moving at speed around 3am to come forward, and mentioned a black Porsche SUV that was later found burnt-out in the north Melbourne suburb of Wollert. EPA No arrests have been made, and the investigation continues. 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"I'm making an appeal to you, dear liberal friends, to support our demand of sacking Augustin Lazar, one of the many executioners of our parents and grandparents, the man who has built for himself a successful career on the tears and sufferance of those who dared to confront the regime of sad memory. I'm asking you to persuade Mr. Iohannis, your ephemeral leader, to show respect to those who have founded the National Liberal Party, to show respect to those who died in the communist jails and sign the repeal of Augustin Lazar from the position of Prosecutor General of Romania. Join us at least now, because history will never forgive any of us if we fail our approach," Popescu-Tariceanu says in his letter. He says that after the testimonies of anti-communist dissident Iulius Filip, jailed for many years at Aiud, regarding the activity of prosecutor Augustin Lazar of those years, some other testimonies surfaced about Marin Iancu, Ioan Muntean and other tens of inmates of Aiud Penitentiary whom the current PG has then denied to, the right to freedom.Popescu-Tariceanu brings to mind in his open letter to the PNL that the communist gulag included 240 detention units, of which 44 jails, 61 investigation sites, 72 labour camps, 63 deportation centers and mandatory domicile, 10 political psychiatric asylums and 100 county hqs where the Securitate political police unfolded their investigations.The Senate President Calin Popescu-Tariceanu asked on 3 April in an open letter, the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis to sign the decree of repealing from office of the Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar, motivating that the latter was among those characters of "sad memory who did the dirty games" of the former communist regime. Romania is a safe country for investors, as the country is registering progresses regarding the stability of its institutional framework and budgetary strengthening, the Public Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici asserted during his meetings on Saturday in Washington, with the officials of the rating agencies and with Poul Thomsen, Director of the European Department at the International Monetary Fund, a release by the relevant ministry sent to AGERPRES on Sunday, reads. The Romanian minister met on Saturday with representatives of S&P, Moody's and Fitch, context in which he stressed the forte points of Romania: the public debt and the foreign debt's moderate level, as compared to most of the EU member states and the maintaining of the economic growth's outlook. Also on Saturday, the Finance minister met with Poul Thomsen, Director of the European Department at the International Monetary Fund. The two dignitaries addressed the macroeconomic framework of Romania, with Eugen Teodorovici giving assurances that Romania will observe the commitments assumed with the international financial bodies to keep the deficit beyond 3pct, and that the measures taken in 2019 will lead to a sustainable economic growth, in 2019 and in the future."Romania records progresses as regards the stability of its institutional framework and its budgetary strengthening, the firm placement of the public debt on a descending trajectory, as well as in enhancing the governance framework," the Public Finance minister said. The development of Romania was held back for too long by the lack of financing, the excessive bureaucracy and political interests, Prime minister Viorica Dancila said on Sunday at the Victoria Palace (gov't seat). The Premier attended the signing ceremony of three infrastructure agreements, one regarding the Sibiu-Pitesti motorway, the Section 1 Sibiu-Boita, another one on the Lot 3 of the Bucharest motorway belt, the south section, and a third one in reference to providing with the security system and traffic automatisation for the Underground Line 5, the Raul Doamnei-Eroilor section. "The gov't I am heading has assumed the mission to put things in motion and remove obstacles, and I'm glad we make it. (...) The inking today of these three investment agreements is the confirmation of the fact that the PSD-ALDE gov't has the ability to find solutions for the infrastructure projects that are stagnating for too long. The Sibiu-Pitesti motorway is one of the major road infrastructure projects that will ensure the connection with the TEN-T network, the Pan-European Corridor IV, respectively. This gov't took the necessary measures to make it possible the signing of the contract and kick off the works, and I'm talking here about ensuring the financial resources, from both European and national funds, the obtaining of the environment accord, as well as to the updating of the technical and economic indicators to answer the reality in the field. The inking of the agreement for the Sibiu-Boita Section 1 is a first certain step in the last 10 years to beginning the works of the first motorway in Romania that crosses the mountains," Dancila said."By signing the contract of designing and execution of the nearly 18 km Lot 3 of Bucharest motorway belt, we bring this project closer to be finalised, and this will streamline the traffic in the Capital city. We managed to ensure the necessary European financing, despite the fact that some Romanian politicians tried to block in Brussels the EU funds very necessary for this paramount project. (...) Another project longed for by the Bucharesters is the Line 5 of the Underground, the Raul Doamnei-Eroilor section. By signing this contract, the said section will be given into exploitation by the end of this year," the Romanian Premier added. The European Commissioner and candidate for the European Parliament on behalf of the Pro Romania Party Corina Cretu asserted that currently Romania's development is blocked or pulled back by lack of capacity in the public administration, our country having no projects to draw European funds. "I'm sorry that there is very much lie and that they say that I and us, at the European Commission are blocking these projects we do not have. I have approved whatever possible to be approved, whatever the Romanian Government has tabled. (...) We need new projects. For one Euro from the EU funds, in each country 3 Euro are programmed, we, on the contrary, we are on the opposite side, we have unspent money and no projects to spend it on. The money is spent on small projects, on projects with no impact upon the day by day life of the people, because they are drafted at the 11th hour. . (...) Right now, Romania's development is blocked, held on or pulled back by lack of public administration's capacity. The red tape, the corruption, the responsibilities and the fragmented resources hinder the public services' supply and harm very seriously the public investment," Cretu said at the launching of the Pro Romania candidates for the EP election, on Sunday, at Bucharest's Romexpo exhibition centre. "The Romanian Presidency (of the EU Council, ed. n.) is a good presidency, it has finalised many documents, agreements and yet exactly this one that was the most interesting for us, related to the budget, won't be finalised, because the European Parliament is closing its turn. It remains to be addressed to the future European Parliament, during the EU Council Presidency held by Finland. (...) It is not possible to tell the mayors that the EU doesn't receive projects for communities smaller than 2,000 inhabitants, it is not true, on the contrary, our funds are going to the poorest, to the most vulnerable," Corina Cretu added. (CNN) Julian Assange's father has urged the Australian government to help his son, calling on them to bring the WikiLeaks founder home, in an interview with an Australian newspaper. Speaking for the first time since his son's arrest in London earlier this week, John Shipton told New Corp's Herald Sun of his "shock" at seeing his son carried out of the Ecuadorian Embassy by British police. "I saw him -- the way they dragged him down the steps, the coppers -- he didn't look good. I'm 74 and I look better than him and he's 47. It's such a shock," he said. Assange had been holed up inside the embassy for seven years, but Ecuador withdrew his asylum on Thursday. Video footage captured shortly afterwards showed a heavily-bearded Assange shouting and gesticulating as multiple officers hustled him into a waiting police van. "For months and months he has been living like a high-security prisoner, he can't even go to the toilet. There have been cameras watching his every move," Shipton said. He called on both the Australian government and Prime Minister Scott Morrison to take action to help his son "in a nuanced way." CNN has confirmed with Assange's adviser Greg Barns that the quote from Shipton, published in the Herald Sun, are accurate. His comments come after more than 70 MPs called on UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid to hand Assange over to authorities in Sweden if that country reopens its investigation into rape and sexual assault allegations and requests his extradition. Assange denies the Swedish allegations. He also faces extradition to the U.S. on a single charge of conspiring with former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to steal military secrets. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Assange is currently being held at London's Belmarsh prison, which is known for holding high-profile terror suspects and extremists such as Abu Hamza and Anjem Choudary. The prison, in southeast London, is one of only three high-security local prisons in England and Wales. Ecuador accused of 'outrageous allegations' Meanwhile, Assange's lawyer Jen Robinson has accused Ecuador of making "outrageous allegations" about his time in the country's London embassy, in an interview with Sky News' Sophy Ridge. Foreign Minister Jose Valencia and Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo on Thursday accused Assange of riding scooters around the cramped embassy hallways, insulting staff and smearing feces on the walls. Robinson told Ridge that Ecuador's claims that Assange misbehaved are "not true." She also said Assange is "concerned about the risk of extradition to the U.S." and only sought asylum when Sweden refused to give assurances that he would not be extradited to the U.S. "He is not above the law. He has never been concerned about facing UK justice or even Swedish justice," Robinson said. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Assange's father urges Australian government to bring him home." Frankenstein Designer Kids: What You Dont Know About Gender-Transitioning Will Blow Your Mind The medical community is monkey-wrenching with not only Mother Nature, but with the lives of children, with radical and irreversible experiments that have not been proven to promote their happiness and wellbeing. Puberty-blocking drugs, mastectomies, vaginal surgery and fake penises all with zero chance of reversal these are just some of the radical experimental methods being used on children. The madness must stop. Imagine that you are the parent of a five-year-old boy who innocently informs you one day that he is a girl. Of course, the natural reaction would be to laugh, not phone up the nearest gender transitioning clinic. You have no idea how your little boy came to believe such a thing; possibly it was through something he heard at the daycare center, or maybe a program he saw on television. In any case, he insists that he identifies as a female. Eventually, possibly at the encouragement of your local school, you pay a visit to a physician. You hope this medical professional will be able to provide you and your child with some sound counseling to clear up his confusion. Prepare yourself to be disappointed. Your doctor will be forced, according to state and medical dictate, to follow the professional guidelines known as affirmative care. It sounds nice and harmless, doesnt it? In fact, the program could be best described as nothing short of diabolical. The Medical Harms of Hormonal and Surgical Interventions for Gender Dysphoric Children Following the affirmative care approach, the doctor is required to follow the childs lead, not vice-versa, as many people believe the doctor-patient relationship in this particular case would best work. In other words, if the child tells the doctor that he believes he is a girl, the doctor must comply with that reality no matter what biology tells him or her to be the case. But this is just the beginning of the madness. The Trump administration has ferociously attacked my community again. @Caitlyn_Jenner https://t.co/N32or7NvbU PAPER Magazine (@papermagazine) 22 October 2018 As the childs parent, you will be encouraged to start referring to your son as your daughter, and even permit him to choose a feminine name, as well as matching clothes. Teachers will be instructed to let your son use the girls bathroom while at school. The question of the social stigma attached to such a lifestyle change, complete with bullying, is rarely brought into the equation. Therapists will seldom discuss with the parents the social implications of such a mental and physical change; indeed, many will insist the changes are reversible should the child one day have a change of heart. If only things were that easy. Lets pause for a moment and ask what should be the most obvious question, especially among medical professionals: Is it not terribly naive to support the fleeting belief of a child, who still believes in Santa Claus, that he/she is the opposite sex? Isnt there a very high possibility that the child is just confused and the thought will pass? Moreover, why did we never hear about such episodes just 10 years ago, yet today we are led to believe it is some sort of epidemic? Instead of working with the child and his newfound identity from such an obvious approach, in the majority of cases the child will be placed on the fast-track to gender transitioning. This is where the horror story begins. One parent, Elaine, a member of the advocacy group Kelsey Coalition whose daughter underwent life-altering medical interventions, came to understand that the transition is immensely harmful to the future health and well-being of her child. Once the teenage years begin, affirmative care means giving young people cross-sex hormones, Elaine said during a panel discussion organized by the Heritage Foundation. Girls as young as twelve are prescribed testosterone for lifetime usage, while boys are given estrogen. These are serious hormonal treatments that impact brain development, cardiovascular health and may increase the risk of cancer. We are a national group of parents whose transgender-identifying children have been harmed by physicians, therapists, & clinics throughout the US. We share our experiences to help change the educational, mental health, & medical practices that have betrayed us, & failed our kids. The Kelsey Coalition (@CoalitionKelsey) 20 March 2019 This leads us to the operating table, where adolescents, lacking the mental maturity necessary to make such a huge life-altering choice, are exposed to the knife of irreversible surgical manipulation. Double mastectomies on girls, for example, as well as the fashioning of false penises derived from flesh borrowed from other parts of the body, are just some of the unprecedented procedures now available. Elaine mentioned the high-profile story of one Jazz Jennings, who was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and raised as a girl since the age of five. He was treated with hormones at the age of eleven, and at the age of 17, Jazz underwent surgery to remove his penis and create a simulated vagina out of his stomach lining. After surgery, Jazzs wounds began separating and a blood blister began to form. An emergency surgery was performed. According to Jazzs doctor, As I was getting her on the bed, I heard something go pop. When I looked, the whole thing has split open. Elaine called the case of Jazz a medical experiment on a child that has been playing out on television for the past 12 years. It should be noted that a similar drama-packed scenario captivated the nation with the high-profile, made-for-television sexual transition of Caitlyn Jenner, born Bruce Jenner, the former Olympic gold medalist, who was quite possibly the greatest American athlete of all time. The obvious question is how many impressionable children, many experiencing their own bodily changes in the form of puberty, were persuaded to decide in favor of gender transitioning (something that a child could have only heard about from some external media or source, unless the parents engage in such odd discussion topics at the dinner table) after watching these celebrity persona? By now, few people would doubt the powerful influence that TV celebrities have over people, and especially adolescents. In fact, that is the entire notion behind the idea of a positive role model. I am not sure Caitlin Jenner would qualify for such a part. Im so happy after such a long struggle to be living my true self. Welcome to the world Caitlyn. Cant wait for you to get to know her/me. Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) 1 June 2015 According to Michael Laidlaw, M.D., these children, who are experiencing what the medical community has dubbed gender dysphoria, will move beyond their condition either naturally or with the assistance of a therapist. Meanwhile, according to Laidlaw, citing studies, many of the girls and boys who display symptoms have neuro-psychiatric conditions and autism. Social media and YouTube, things like that, binge-watching YouTube videos of transitioners seem to be playing a roleas well as contagion in popularizing the idea among the masses. The movement is predicated upon the modern liberal idea of gender identity, which has been defined as a persons core internal sense of their own gender, regardless as to what the biological facts of their sex prove. Dr. Laidlaw presented perhaps the best case against parents and their children rushing to the conclusion that their children need puberty blockers, for example, or extreme doses of hormones, when he discussed what happens when a person is diagnosed with cancer. If a child or somebody you knew had cancer, would you want pathology results, would you want imaging to prove [the condition] before you give harmful chemotherapeutics, he asked. Yet we are allowing children and adolescents to undergo irreversible chemical and surgical procedures without being able to see any evidence that shows the presence of the opposite sex in the patient. In other words, the medical community is monkey-wrenching with not only Mother Nature, but with the lives of children, with radical and irreversible experiments that have not been proven to promote the happiness and wellbeing of those on the receiving (or subtracting) end. We are giving very harmful therapies on the basis of no objective diagnosis, Dr. Laidlaw said. Laidlaw was forced to repeat what has been widely known for millennia. There are only two sexes, he said. Sex is identified at birth, nobody assigns it. Doctors dont arbitrarily assign this person to be a boy and this person to be a girl. We all know how to identify it. I would say ask your grandmother who doesnt read the scientific journals, and they will tell you exactly how to identify boys from girls. On March 27th India became the fourth nation to carry out an ASAT (anti-satellite) mission. India used a 19 ton, three-stage missile. The final stage of the missile homed in on and collided with the target, an inactive Indian satellite in a 280 kilometer high orbit. Owners of satellites criticized the Indian test because it put debris into orbit. India pointed out that the debris was minimal and most would eventually enter the atmosphere and burn up. India admitted that there were a lot of large (enough to damage another satellite) fragments created by the test but contended those would drift lower and burn up within a few months. So there was some danger but not long enough to be significant. While true it is also the case that the number of large fragments still in orbit keeps growing and that increases the odds that more collisions will occur. After sixty years of humans putting objects into orbit, there is a lot of junk up there. Currently, over 300,000 dangerous objects 10 mm (.4 inch) in size have been identified. The smallest of these is capable of disabling a satellite, or damaging a spacecraft, mainly because these objects collide at very high speed (9-10 times faster than a bullet) when the two objects are coming from different directions. There are nearly 22,000 objects 10 centimeters (4 inches) or larger in LEO (low earth orbit) and 500,000 smaller objects that are still large enough to cause damage. All of these can do some catastrophic damage to satellites or spacecraft. There are millions of objects smaller than 10mm, and these are responsible for many satellites failing early because of cumulative damage from getting hit by several of these micro-objects. There are over 250 commercial satellites up there, plus nearly as many military ones. There are a lot of people keeping an eye on this clutter. The U.S. Air Force Space Surveillance Network, which tracks objects 10mm and larger, stopped sharing all of its information in 2004 for national security reasons. The Russian Space Surveillance System is known to use radar to track over 5,000 objects in low orbit. But the Russians have never shared this data completely or regularly. Filling in the gaps are two international organizations, IADC (Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee) and ISON (International Space Observation Network). IADC is a government operation, whose members include the U.S. NASA and the equivalents in Russia, China, and several other major nations. Like most government organizations, not all data is shared. ISON is a non-government organization, and they come up with some of the most interesting stuff. ISON comprises 18 scientific institutions, 18 observatories, 25 telescopes, and over a hundred professionals. ISON does not, as far as anyone knows, withhold data because of any national security concerns. This is fairly certain because ISON work is monitored, and complemented, by the efforts of thousands of amateur astronomers and orbital addicts who connect via the Internet and constantly scour the orbital space for new objects and dangerous movements by existing ones. ISON has already spotted nearly 200 larger (over 10mm) objects that have never been reported by any of the government organizations. The Internet based amateurs are often the first to spot a lot of this new activity, mainly because they have more eyeballs and, in some cases, impressive optical equipment searching the skies. When someone spots an object headed for a maneuverable satellite, the owner is alerted and the bird is moved. This has happened with increasing frequency since the late 1990s. The number of dangerous objects up there increases 10-20 percent a year. That's even with many of them falling into the atmosphere and burning up each year. Apparently, no one was able to predict a 2009 collision between Cosmos 2251 and the Iridium comsat,, nor some 2014 collisions, largely because the high speed of these objects, and slight instability of their orbits, can turn an expected near miss into a direct hit. The 2013 collisions involved three satellites damaged or destroyed after colliding with small bits of debris. Meanwhile, it is getting easier and easier to develop and built ASAT weapons. These weapons are not new and back in the 1980s the U.S. developed and tested both ASAT missiles (ASM-135) and air-launched satellite launcher rockets (the Pegasus). Back then the U.S. Air Force developed the ASM-135 for knocking down low orbit satellites by using a 1.2 ton missile launched from a high flying jet fighter. This was done in response to news that Russia was developing a similar system. The Russian system relied on killsats and was never that effective. A successful test of ASM-135 was conducted in 1985, but the program was shut down three years later because the Air Force preferred to spend the money elsewhere. A little later, in the 1990s, a civilian firm (Orbital ATK) developed, tested and built Pegasus air-launched (from a B-52 or modified large airliner) three-stage solid fuel rockets for putting small (up to half a ton) satellites into LEO (low earth orbit). The first version of Pegasus weighed 19 tons and the latest one 23 tons. So far (1990 to 2016) Pegasus has been launched 43 times and failed only 7 percent of the time. Most of the failed launches were early development models. In other words, Pegasus is still in use and the Air Force has admitted that the ASM-135 could resume production and be even more reliable, effective and cheaper because of advances in missile and guidance tech since the 1980s. There have been losses to space debris, whether it was created intentionally by an ASAT or by accident. In early 2013, Russia reported that one of its satellites was hit and damaged by debris from a Chinese satellite that China had destroyed in a 2007 ASAT test. This was only the second time that an active (still operational) satellite was hit by orbital debris. The last time was in 2009 when an American satellite was hit by a dead Russian satellite. Since that incident owners of active satellites have paid more attention to where all the space junk (debris) is up there and it is more common for active satellites to move out of the way of oncoming concentrations of debris. This uses up precious fuel, which is normally used to maintain a low flying satellite in the proper orbit. When the fuel is gone, so is the ability to move and the usefulness of the satellite. The 2009 loss was an American Iridium satellite, which supplies satellite phone service and was at an altitude of about 770 kilometers over central Russia. The Iridium satellite was hit by a dead Russian communications satellite (the one ton Cosmos 2251, equipped with a nuclear power supply, launched in 1993). The Russian bird could not be moved, nor could the Iridium (which, while active, was not equipped with thrusters for movement). The Iridium bird was one of sixty, so satellite phone services was not interrupted because of the spare capacity in the system. The collision turned the two satellites into 600 bits of debris. The last time anything like this happened was in 1991 when a dead satellite ran into debris from another and created more debris. There have been two deliberate collisions since then. In 2007, China launched a "killsat" that maneuvered into the path of a dead Chinese weather satellite and destroyed it. In 2008, the U.S. Navy used one of its Aegis-equipped warships to destroy a malfunctioning U.S. spy satellite with an anti-missile missile. Russia and China have since called for such U.S. activity to be outlawed. China has developed even more ambitious ASAT systems. American analysts believe China had conducted three tests of ASAT systems by 2013. One test apparently sought to put a KillSat (Killer Satellite) in a high enough (20,000 kilometers) orbit that could threaten the American GPS network. The first such test was in January 2007, when China successfully tested a satellite destruction system. They used a smaller rocket to put a KillSat in orbit that destroyed an old Chinese weather satellite that was about 850 kilometers up. That's at the upper range of where most reconnaissance satellites hang out. Three years later a second test was conducted but a satellite was not actually destroyed. Back in 2008, Russia and China urged the UN to outlaw the development or testing of systems that can destroy space satellites. The impetus for was the February 22nd, 2008 destruction of a broken U.S. spy satellite by a U.S. warship firing an anti-aircraft missile modified to intercept ballistic missiles. What upset China and Russia was that this feat put all their satellites in a low earth orbit (160-2,000 kilometers up) at risk. The U.S. cruiser used its Aegis radar to locate the satellite some 220 kilometers above and then fired a single SM-3 missile to destroy the SUV sized satellite. Where this is going is a major wartime use of ASAT weapons that could destroy over a hundred satellites and create a much larger threat to any surviving satellites or space vessels passing through orbital space. I was probably 13 when my sister first dragged me into a theatre in Nelson, says Devon Williamson, as he sits chatting to me on the stage at Detour. Smitten by the theatrical world, hes gone on to learn the craft of acting, directing and writing. As well as childrens shows, hes written 14 plays, with Murder on the Menu being his most recent. A young woman is conned into buying a derelict theatre, he says, explaining the plot, and she realises the only way she can pay for it is if she turns the theatre into a cafe. But the theatre is haunted by some pompous ghosts from Shakespearean plays. To get rid of them, she has to kill them off. Murder on the Menu. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford She soon realises they have to die in the same manner as the Shakespearean play they come from. This was intriguing. The ghosts are the ghosts of the fictitious characters, not the actors, so how does he come up with ideas for a story? The trick with comedy is to put a normal person into a crazy situation, says Devon. Usually somebody is having to overcome something, often something in themselves. Because of the crazy people around them, they end up trying to achieve something in a comic fashion. After arriving in Tauranga with his wife Kim in 1993, theyve toured schools and churches, had a family and spent time teaching in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Pacific Islands. Now they are both employed by Detour Theatre Trust to deliver services here. Writing the popular plays that Tauranga audiences love takes up a few months each year. I have a season for my writing, he says. It is usually during the last quarter of the year, during October, November and the first two weeks of December. At the end of the third show, which I direct, Kim directs the fourth show and I start writing. The goal is to have a read-through with the cast who are going to be in the show a week before Christmas. No pressure then. Its a tricky thing, he explains, because you do need to have enough time to write a play, but you do have a deadline. The trick is to work out whats reasonable and then write. It sounds intense, but then with writing, we usually take as much time as we have available. He likes sitting amongst the audience, observing their responses and comments. In some ways, the play is hiding itself from him until that moment. A play needs an audience. Sometimes you get feedback, but the more personally people are affected by something the less feedback you get. Sometimes they say they havent laughed so hard for so long. They enjoy coming to the theatre and seeing something completely madcap - a nutty comedy that has a really warm ending. It is therapy. Theyve been able to come in and let go of everything else for two hours. You dont really know what your play is until you see it in front of an audience. You can write it thinking that its a particular thing. You rehearse it and, on opening night, sit there with them watching it. But then you realise, because you are sharing the experience with the audience, that although the grand theme of the play was this, its actually that. What you think is a nice little moment becomes a moment with a lot of gravity when the audience are viewing it, and youve underestimated it. Devon says his favourite play is always the one hes doing right now, because its fresh, new and exciting. By the end of the show though, youve milked it for six months, with writing, casting and producing it. This year were doing a new show and one we produced a few years ago. It was fascinating reading through some of my earlier plays they were full of surprises, because of having produced them and then not looked at them for ten years. His plays are marketed through an agent and staged in theatres around the English-speaking world in countries such as Canada, the UK, Australia and America. Theyre also performed in theatres around New Zealand. I love the fact that we will produce the first show here in this tiny place and then it will go to some outfit in the US, says Devon. It will be another community theatre but theyll have a lot of resources. Its always great to see the show and what other people do with it. You write a play and then you give it to that producing theatre, but how they interpret what the character is like and who they cast is up to them. When we go to other towns, it always reminds us that theres such a depth of talent here in Tauranga, which is why there is so much theatre going on. Having a good cast helps. There are so many good actors here. For now its a play about murder. Titles are important, he says. I agonise over titles. At some point someones going to have to try and sell tickets to this thing, so give them a favour. Murder in the Menu is telling you something is going on, and thats important. Murder on the Menu. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford Government and construction industry leaders have today signalled a shared commitment to transform New Zealands construction sector. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the Construction Sector Accord is a new way for Government and industry to work together to create lasting, positive change in the sector. The wellbeing of New Zealanders is intrinsically linked to safe, durable and affordable homes, buildings and infrastructure. To meet the future needs of New Zealand, both Government and industry recognise that we need to work differently, says Jacinda Ardern. The Construction Sector Accord sets out an agreed vision, the outcomes we want to achieve and the priority work areas we will be focusing on to address many of the challenges the sector is facing," says the Minister for Building and Construction, the Hon Jenny Salesa. Jointly developed by Ministers, Government agencies and industry leaders from across the construction sector, the Accord offers up a unique opportunity for industry and Government to partner on a range of commitments and initiatives to transform the sector. It also includes a pledge to hold each other accountable to the Construction Sector Accord. Together we have identified the priority areas we need to work on. The Government will lead where it can have maximum impact such as better procurement practices, improved Government construction pipeline management, and stronger building regulations. Government agencies already have a significant programme of work underway to support these aims, says Jacinda Ardern. Industry representatives have identified the need for enhanced leadership and collaboration within the sector. Better alignment will support the other industry-led priority work areas of improving businesses performance and promoting a culture of trust between all parties in the construction eco-system, says Jenny Salesa. Industry and Government will work together on a further four priorities which are to expand workforce capability and capacity, rebalance risk, improve health and safety and boost the supply of affordable and durable housing. Strengthening the partnership between industry and Government will help us make that step change towards a more productive, innovative and resilient construction sector, says Jenny Salesa. In the next stage of the Accord process, industry will work with Government to develop a more detailed plan for commitments to transformation. Read more about the Construction Sector Accord here: www.constructionaccord.nz The New Zealand Olympic Committee is saddened at the passing of New Zealand's first female Olympic gold medallist, Yvette Williams, aged 89. "Yvette Williams was a trail blazer and a true beacon of what is possible for women in sport," says New Zealand Olympic Committee President, Mike Stanley. Yvette Williams (later Corlett) was one of New Zealand's best-ever athletes. She excelled at field events, winning gold medals for long jump, discus and shot put, and setting a world record for the long jump . "She was a truly humble New Zealander who was deeply passionate about sport and young athletes." "Her place in New Zealands history is unique and her contribution to sport has opened doors. She was a treasured member of the New Zealand Team and is one of our greatest ever athletes, she will be missed by all who knew her." Yvette Williams is unique in New Zealands history and her story and contribution to sport has helped to pave the way for generation of young New Zealanders, especially women and girls. In 1952, Williams dramatically won gold in the long jump at the Helsinki Olympic Games. She jumped 6.24m for the historic win and returned to New Zealand as a national hero. She was New Zealand Olympian #76 and only our ninth ever female Olympian. Williams went on to further sporting success and in 1954 broke the world record for womens long jump with an astonishing leap of 6.29m in Gisborne. Yvette in the late 1940s or early 1950s, training under the watchful eye of her coach Jim Bellwood at St Clair Beach in Dunedin. She is caught in mid-air leaping from a sand-dune and practising a technique called the hitch kick, which involves running in the air to gain extra length. The Dunedin born athlete wasn't only a long jumper, she also competed in discus and shot put, and across her disciplines won a staggering four gold medals and one silver at Commonwealth Games. Yvette Williams was Sportsman of the Year" twice, in 1950 and 1952, and was voted Athlete of the Decade for the 1950s. She was awarded an MBE in 1953 and was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. Her commitment to, and achievements in, sport were broad. In addition to being an athletics champion in long jump, shot put, discuss, hurdles, javelin and pentathlon she was also an outstanding athlete competing in basketball and in netball, playing both at provincial and national level. Off the field of play, Yvette had a unique connection with and willingness to give to New Zealanders. Out of the spotlight, and subsequent to her Olympic achievements, Yvette dedicated a lifetime to administering, coaching, and teaching sport. She was a founding member of the Pakuranga Athletic Club and fulfilled many roles within the club over the years including secretarial and coaching. At the same time, for many decades she instructed gymnastics and taught hundreds of young kiwis the fundamental skills that set them up for life. She was an accomplished basketballer, having represented New Zealand, and she played and coached for most of her adult life. Yvette was also a Physical Education teacher, and through her profession and passion, over many years of teaching, positively impacted young girls at secondary school and encouraged them to follow their dreams. She also contributed in various ways to many regional sports entities. In spite of living with significant health issues in recent times, Yvette regularly made appearances at New Zealand Olympic Team events where she took the time to talk to and inspire those around her. In 2013 she inaugurated the Yvette Williams Scholarship which each year provides financial support for an up and coming athlete. The scholarship draws on a significant donation from Sir Owen Glenn who was personally inspired after meeting Yvette and talking to her about her remarkable achievements and the genuine joy sport brought her. A cooler southerly flow continues today across the country but the winds are slowly easing as high pressure gradually builds from the west. The southerly quarter flow is with New Zealand for Monday and Tuesday but fades away as the high rolls in for Wednesday, Thursday and part of Good Friday, says WeatherWatch.co.nz "Temperatures today will be below average for this time of the year in the eastern North Island once again and also some parts of Canterbury. "Tonight, with the exception of Christchurch and Wellington, most main centres are colder than average. "Of course this is what Autumn is all about, ups and downs, so while it may be technically colder than normal, it is normal to see big swings in temperatures in Autumn." WeatherWatch,co.nz says warmer weather returns to the country mid to late this week, before the next southerly on Good Friday. AUBURN, N.Y. -- A 32-year-old woman has been accused of breaking into a house, swinging a metal bat at residents and later cutting a 13-year-old with a box cutter, according to a report from The Citizen of Auburn. Lora M. Lupien, 32, of 10 Chestnut St., was charged with two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, endangering the welfare of a child, second-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree assault and first-degree burglary, police told The Citizen. At 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Lupien broke into a house on Derby Avenue and swung a metal bat at residents, police told The Citizen. Residents took the bat from Lupien, who left the house, according to the report. As Lupien walked away from the Derby Avenue residence, she cut the 13-year-old boys arm with a box cutter, police said to The Citizen. The teen was taken to Auburn Community Hospital, where he received 13 stitches because of the cut, according to The Citizen. Lupien was arraigned Friday and is being held at the Cayuga County Jail on $10,000 bail or $20,000 bond, according to The Citizen. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A national center advocating walkable communities and urban density has dubbed Interstate 81 and nine other city highways across the country a freeway without a future. The Congress for New Urbanism published its list of 10 highways April 4. It includes Interstate 81 here, the Kensington and Scajaquada expressways in Buffalo and mentions the Inner Loop in Rochester as a project thats already begun. In Syracuse, state officials are considering what to do with the 1.4-mile stretch of elevated viaduct here. One option, touted by city elected officials, is the community grid -- entailing the teardown of the highway and an improved street grid in its place. It destroyed a historic African-American community, disrupted the flow of city streets, and paved over countless historic homes and sites, the report authors wrote of the upheaval of the former 15th Ward. The disparity it has created between those who could afford to move to the suburbs and those who remained contributes to Syracuses high poverty rate. Other options for the highway include rebuilding it higher and wider to improve its safety and adhere to modern highway standards, or to build a tunnel along the highways current path. The report can be read in full at the Congress for New Urbanisms website. The worsening measles outbreaks in parts of New York City and Rockland County make the best case for closing loopholes in the law that created large pockets of unvaccinated children. The New York state Legislature should protect the health of all New Yorkers by ending religious exemptions for childhood vaccinations. Families who say vaccines are against their religious beliefs would still have a right to refuse them. They would no longer be able to put other students at risk of illness by sending their unvaccinated kids to school. A bill co-sponsored by Assemblyman William Magnarelli, D-Syracuse, would repeal the religious exemption for the vaccines New York state requires for school attendance. There still would be medical exemptions, if a doctor certifies that immunization would be harmful to a childs health. For the 2017-2018 school year, the most recent data available, 96 percent of students in New York state were completely immunized, the New York state Department of Health reported. A vaccination rate of 95 percent creates herd immunity stopping the spread of contagious diseases because they cannot get a foothold. Herd immunity protects members of the population who are too young or too sick to get immunized. In Onondaga County, only eight out of 170 schools fell below a 95 percent vaccination rate for the 2017-18 school year, according to a Syracuse.com database of state Health Department data. In Rockland County, where a large Orthodox Jewish community frequently invokes the religious exemption to vaccination, 82 out of 167 schools fall below a 95 percent vaccination rate. Four out of five people who came down with measles were never vaccinated, the Rockland County Health Department reported. Measles is a respiratory disease that is spread through breathing, coughs and sneezes. It is among the worlds most contagious viruses; you can catch it by just being in the same room with someone who is infected, hours after that person is gone. It can cause a high fever, a severe rash and brain swelling (encephalitis). Before a vaccine was developed in 1963, 3 million to 4 million Americans came down with the measles each year, leading to 48,000 hospitalizations, 1,000 cases of encephalitis and 400 to 500 deaths. Vaccines changed all that. Measles was eradicated from the United States in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nowadays, outbreaks usually begin when someone travels here from a country where the disease is prevalent. The New York City-area measles outbreaks are thought to have started when unvaccinated people traveled to Israel, where there is a large measles outbreak, the CDC said. A bill co-sponsor, Sen. Kevin Thomas, D-Levittown, told Newsday that he believes religious exemptions are being abused by people who simply have a philosophical objection to vaccines. Anti-vaxxers have been effective in spreading misinformation about the safety of vaccines, including a now-debunked study that falsely linked the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism. The CDC says it is safer to get the vaccine than to come down with the diseases it prevents. To the extent the religious exemption is invoked for truly religious reasons, the need to protect the publics health and welfare takes precedence. Public health measures are proven to work, but they only work when members of the community cooperate with each other to achieve them. A childs right to be free from painful, life-threatening and entirely preventable diseases also ought to be part of the equation. Californias experience is instructive. Its vaccination rate soared after lawmakers passed a law ending personal belief vaccine exemptions, prompted by a measles outbreak at Disneyland that spread to seven states. The law has since survived a constitutional challenge. New York is having its Disneyland moment. Albany should strike now, while measles is raging in our state, to stop any more preventable childhood diseases from roaring back. Science and common sense are on their side. About Syracuse.com editorials Editorials represent the collective opinion of the Advance Media New York editorial board. Our opinions are independent of news coverage. Read our mission statement. Members of the editorial board are Tim Kennedy, Trish LaMonte, Jason Murray and Marie Morelli. To respond to this editorial: Post a comment below, or submit a letter or commentary to letters@syracuse.com. Read our submission guidelines. If you have questions about the Opinions & Editorials section, contact Marie Morelli, editorial/opinion leader, at mmorelli@syracuse.com By Dong Sun-hwa, Park Si-soo Forget Song Joong-ki being stylishly outfitted in "Descents of the Sun" and Jang Dong-gun in gentle tuxedo in "A Gentleman's Dignity." They will appear in ragged animal skins, barefooted and dirt-coated from head to toe in cable network tvN's big budget (40 billion won) drama "Arthdal Chronicles." Their stunning transformation came to light on Friday through the drama's 15-second teaser video. Watch the teaser: The clip starts with a narration: "Here is the place where everything begins." It shows Song and Jang competing or partnering in a ruthless race to take the helm of fabled ancient kingdom Arthdal, portrayed in the drama as the first monarchy on the Korean Peninsula. While Song plays "Eun-seom," a cursed child who later takes control of Arthdal, Jang plays "Ta-gon," an ambitious war hero and rival of Eun-seom. Actress Kim Ji-won plays "Tan-ya," an unblessed woman who becomes the kingdom's first female politician. The first episode of the 18-episode drama will be aired in June. Rumor mill: Microsoft's long rumored disc-less Xbox One S has shown up in a leak from WinFuture.de and offers a glimpse at what the console could look like. Granted, there aren't many ways an Xbox One S minus an optical drive can look. More surprising is the price. At $260, it may not be the bargain we'd hoped for. Time will tell, though. Rumors have been swirling for some time regarding Microsoft's disc-less Xbox One S, and at this point, there's really no doubt that it's happening. In fact, German Windows site WinFuture.de claims to have obtained images showing off exactly what the "All Digital" console looks like. Microsoft Xbox One S All Digital ab 7. Mai fur 229 Euro: Offizielle Bilder, Launch-Termin, Preis und Inklusiv-Spiele https://t.co/plS2EQcoHz WinFuture.de (@WinFuture) April 13, 2019 Surprise! It looks like an Xbox One S sans an optical drive, which is probably exactly how everyone envisioned it would. Other images show the box illustrating "disc-free gaming" and a symbol indicating the lack of a Blu-ray drive. Hardware wise, the new console purportedly comes with a 1TB HDD preinstalled with Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, and Forza Horizon 3. Oddly enough, there's no mention of Xbox Game Pass, which Microsoft is rumored to be overhauling into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. While the look of the console is likely no surprise, the alleged price is -- $260, which is quite a ways north of the rumored $199 price tag. Still, this is a leak, and that number could change or not be accurate to begin with. The new all-digital Xbox One S could be announced as soon as April 16, with a release date of May 7. A disc-less Xbox is something of an experiment for Microsoft, meant to test the waters for a more digital media focused platform ahead of its next generation console and Project xCloud. What just happened? Amazons facial recognition technology, dubbed Rekognition, has proven to be controversial, not least because the technology has been sold to and trialled by numerous police forces. Back in January, Amazons shareholders proposed a ban on sales of Rekognition to governments until the company can prove its not harming peoples rights. Now, after some wrangling, a date has been set for the shareholders vote. Last year the world found out about Rekognition, facial recognition technology developed and sold by Amazon. Unsurprisingly, the company came under fire from privacy advocates and civil liberties organizations. But criticism came from within, too, when hundreds of employees wrote to CEO Jeff Bezos to voice their concern. The most impactful opposition to the uninhibited sale of Rekognition has come from Amazons own shareholders. In January, a group of shareholders put forward a proposition to ban the sale of Rekognition to governments until Amazon could prove that the technology does not cause or contribute to actual or potential violations of civil and human rights. Since then, Amazon has been trying to fight the proposal. Amazon attempted to use rules set by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to try and avoid a shareholder vote on the matter. But the SEC ruled against Amazon on March 28, and again on April 3 after Amazon appealed. Now Amazon is facing up to the realities of their shareholders rights, and have said that a vote will take place at their annual shareholder meeting on May 22. There are some important points to note. First, the sales ban is only to governments and governmental agencies. Even if the vote were to be successful, Amazon would not be prohibited from selling Rekognition to any other private company or individual. It may even be the case that law enforcement agencies could outsource facial recognition to third party companies who may still be able to buy the technology. Second, the ban would only be in place unless or until Amazon could provide independent evidence that no rights were being harmed. Whichever way the vote goes, well be sure to update you on May 22. NASA has officially given SpaceX the contract to launch the Double Asteroid Redirection Test. The mission will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket in 2021. The total cost for the DART mission to launch including mission-related costs and other related services amounts to $69 million. As the DART mission will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket, it's a relatively cheaper price compared to past NASA contracts for Falcon 9 launches. On October 2017, NASA has given SpaceX the contract to launch the Sentinel-6A satellite mission on a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg on November 2020, which cost $97 million. Another Falcon 9 launch, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite, was awarded in 2016 with a price of $112 million. The mission will launch in April 2021. "SpaceX is proud to continue our successful partnership with NASA in support of this important interplanetary mission," says SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell in a company statement. "This award underscores NASA's confidence in Falcon 9's capability to perform critical science missions while providing the best launch value in the industry." Didymos According to NASA Planetary Defense, DART's main goal is to demonstrate a kinetic impact on a small asteroid. This is to prevent a possible asteroid collision course on Earth. To achieve this, a test run must first be commenced, hence DART. The mission is directed by NASA to the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory with support from NASA centers such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, and Johnson Space Center. DART is going to be the first NASA mission to demonstrate the kinetic impact technique to change the motion of an asteroid in space. To do this, the spacecraft will use an electric propulsion system to travel to the asteroid Didymos. DART will then collide with the small moonlet orbiting Didymos at the speed of 6 kilometers per second, with the goal of changing the speed of the moonlet in its orbit around the main body by a fraction of 1 percent, enough for the telescopes on Earth to record the event. DART's target launch date is on June 2021, at the Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Google continues its Material Design update for nearly all of its apps, and it appears Play Store is up next. 9to5Google and Android Police have published photos showing the new interface, and it could only be a matter of time before it's rolled out to the public. Play Store Material Redesign The new Play Store closely resembles Google's other Material Design apps, with more rounded elements, a bottom bar, and a cleaner, streamlined look overall. The bottom bar offers quick navigation to Games, Movies & TV, and Books, with the Music shortcut taken away. There is, however, a new "Browse music" shortcut in the navigation drawer, which is mostly unchanged save for new Material Design icons. Sections And Search Sections still appear at the top part of the screen, but this time without icons. The search bar at the topmost part has undergone a revamp, now more rounded and reads, "Search for apps & games / Books / Movies & TV" instead of the Google Play logo, which should make it easier for users to identify which section they're on. Finally, when going through list, there's now an arrow instead of a "More" button, which frees up a bit of space on the screen for a less cluttered look. App Pages Inside individual app pages, Google has put the focus on what truly matters. As such, the "Install" button now stretches nearly edge to edge, and the less relevant information, such as the category and tags, have been moved under the screenshots section. The progress bar, instead of a line, is now a circle that wraps around the app icon, filling up as it continues to download. A Permissions shortcut has also been added to the Installed app under My Apps and Games. This way, it's much easier to see what kind of things certain apps have access to. This Material Design theme is still in development, notes 9to5Google, with some parts of the overall interface still unfinished. That means it might take a while before Google pushes this out. That said, this comes as an assurance that the Play Store will indeed go through a design overhaul. Drive, Gmail, Photos, plus a handful of Google's other apps have each received new looks recently, and it's nice to know Play Store will get the same treatment soon. Hit up Android Police for more screenshots. No word on when this might come out, but make sure to check back with Tech Times as we learn more. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. When two males battle for the affections of a female, the rivalry actually serves to improve the quality of sperm cells at least in animals. However, while the presence of sexual rivalry improves sperm quality, it is also shown to have a negative effect on the DNA. Competition Boosts Zebrafish Sperm, But Damages DNA In a study published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology, researchers from the University of Alicante and the University of Upsala reveal that spermatozoa exposed to competition become dramatically faster and more competitive. The team analyzed the effects of competition among male zebrafish by keeping competition high in one group with two males and one female, while another group saw less competition with one male and two males. Findings reveal that the group exposed to high competition develop enhanced spermatozoa. Unfortunately, one of the other effects noted by the team is distinct damage to the DNA. In a press release in Phys Org, lead author Paula Saez explains that one possible reason for this is because males with highly competitive environments experience higher stress levels, which goes on to trigger greater production of reactive oxygen species. In turn, this causes the damage seen in the DNA chains, which affects fertilization success as well as offspring survival. "Overall, males facing the presence of rival males may produce faster swimming and more competitive sperm but this may come at a cost for the next generation," the researchers wrote on the paper. Role Of Sperm Variation In Shape, Size According to study co-author Alejandro Romero, a researcher at the UA Department of Biotechnology, different species have spermatozoa of different shapes and sizes. It's still unclear if these factors affect cell design and sperm rivalry. By applying geometric morphometry, which is a technique combining biology and geometry, the research team found that the presence of a rival male is linked to the production of spermatozoa with a phenotype of smaller heads and longer intermediate pieces and flagella. Analyzing animal biology is a step toward understanding the mechanisms of human biology and development. Zebrafish is a particularly ideal animal to study due to the marine animal's high level of fertility, genetic similarity to humans, and their external fertilization process that create transparent embryos. By focusing on analyzing the effects of competition on zebrafish males, the study researchers are able to provide scientists with new information on the potential effects of sexual competence on sperm quality. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An international team of scientists has identified a species of bacteria that can eat away oil spills from ocean water. Researchers from the University of East Anglia, together with colleagues Russia and China, discovered the microbes while exploring the depths of the Mariana Trench in the Western Pacific Ocean. The organisms' oil-eating properties come from their unique ability to degrade hydrocarbons in their environment. Experts hope that the bacteria can be used to remove pollutants in the Earth's oceans, especially those produced by human activities. Deepest Natural Trench In The World With a depth of approximately 11,000 meters, the Mariana Trench is considered as one of the least explored areas of the world. Xiao-Hua Zhang, a professor of marine life science at China's Ocean University and lead author of the UEA study, said researchers know more about Mars than about the deepest part of the Earth. There have only been a few attempts made so far to find out what kinds of organisms can be found in the trench. Oil-Eating Bacteria The UEA researchers set out to explore the deepest areas of the Mariana Trench. They were looking to collect samples of microorganisms living in such depths. What they found were a new group of bacteria that can consume hydrocarbon. Hydrocarbons are organic compounds made through a combination of hydrogen and carbon. While they are commonly found in natural gas and petroleum, they are also included in the production of other industrial byproducts such as chemicals, explosives, fibers, plastics, rubbers, and solvents. Study co-author Jonathan Todd explained that the microbes they discovered can eat away compounds, such as those found in oil, and use them for fuel. Other microorganisms have also been used to break down oil during natural disasters such as the BP oil spill in 2010. Todd said the Mariana Trench has an abundance of such bacteria. He and his colleagues found that the area does, in fact, have the highest proportion of oil-eating microorganisms in the world. To prove that the microbes are capable of degrading hydrocarbons, the researchers isolated some samples and simulated their natural environment in the trench in a laboratory. Samples of seawater were also collected from the ocean's surface as well as from the bottom of the Mariana Trench. The UEA scientists found evidence of hydrocarbons some 6,000 meters below the ocean's surface. However, they believe these compounds are likely from surface pollution that made their way to the bottom. They also detected naturally-occurring hydrocarbons in sediments found at the bottom of the ocean. This could mean that some microorganisms are capable of producing compounds in such an environment. Researchers have found similar hydrocarbons in algae before but not in microbes, especially those living at such depths. "These hydrocarbons may help microbes survive the crushing pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, which is equal to 1,091 kilograms pressed against a fingernail," said study co-author Dr. David Lea-Smith. "They may also be acting as a food source for other microbes, which may also consume any pollutant hydrocarbons that happen to sink to the ocean floor. But more research is needed to fully understand this unique environment." The researchers said one of its main goals is to identify microorganisms that can produce hydrocarbons. The findings of the University of East Anglia study are featured in the journal Microbiome. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Israel's first attempt to make a moon landing came up just short of success, as the Beresheet spacecraft ends its mission with a crash on the moon. Early Investigation Suggests Technical Issues Preliminary data points to a technical glitch that caused the vessel's unceremonious crash landing on the lunar surface. As BBC reports, a technical malfunction in one component of the Beresheet spacecraft caused a chain of events that resulted in the main engine switching off. With the engine on shutdown, the spacecraft failed to slow down as it descended onto the surface of the moon. At just 492 feet (150 meters) above the surface, Beresheet was still moving at a speed of 300 miles per hour (500 kilometers per hour). "It appears that a glitch, perhaps with a sensor, may have caused the on-board computer to erroneously shut down the main engine," Robert Westcott, a senior propulsion engineer at Nammo Westcott, told BBC. "By the time they had reset the system and the engine successfully restarted it was too late to slow the lander down for the soft landing." Westcott adds that their engine looks to have performed nominally. The team has not yet identified which component malfunctioned, but they did find out that the first technical issue took place just over 8.7 miles (14 kilometers) above the surface of the moon. More investigations are expected to be conducted to trace the source of the Beresheet's failure to land. Scientists Still Count The Mission As A Success The Beresheet spacecraft, a vessel built by SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries, has lofty goals: to become the first ever privately funded spacecraft to land on the moon. If successful, Israel would have been just the fourth country to achieve a soft lunar landing. While the moon lander did not quite make it to the moon in one piece, the Israeli team behind the attempt is proud of what they were able to accomplish. As National Geographic notes, the Beresheet is the closest a private entity has come far to landing on the moon's surface. With its entry into orbit around the moon, Israel becomes the seventh country to do so. "We didn't make it, but we definitely tried, and I think the achievement of getting to where we got is pretty tremendous," Morris Kahn, SpaceIL president and primary funder, said in a livestream video of the moon landing attempt. "I think we can be proud." 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A person's immune system may play a big role in causing their teeth to decay and their fillings to fail, a new study says. Doctors have long placed the blame of tooth decay on bacteria alone, but research suggests that there is more to it than just microbes eating away at people's pearly whites. Neutrophils, a type of immune cells tasked with eliminating infections in human teeth, may be doing more damage to affected sites than the bacteria they were meant to destroy. "No one would believe that our immune system would play a part in creating cavities," said Yoav Finer, associate professor at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Dentistry. "Now we have evidence." Oral Immune System When the body detects bacterial infection in the teeth, it sends out neutrophils to search and destroy the nasty microbes. They often make it to the oral cavity by way of gums located round the root of teeth. Once they find their target, they attack the infection until they eliminate it from the body. However, in their gusto to accomplish their job, they can damage their host's teeth even more than the microbes. Finer likened it to using a sledgehammer to smash a single fly on the wall, which is pretty much how neutrophils go about destroying bacteria. The immune cells on their own cannot cause damage to teeth. Finer said they cannot mineralize structures of the teeth since they do not produce any acids. However, when neutrophils attack bacteria, the action results in the production of harmful acids that can demineralize teeth. Enzymes from both the immune cells and the microbes eat away at teeth, causing long-term damage and even disrupting tooth-colored fillings. The entire destruction of people's pearly whites can happen almost instantaneously, with researchers finding damaging to dentin and tooth-colored fillings within just a few hours. Michael Glogauer, the acting chief dentist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and co-author of the study, said described the process as "a collaboration of destruction" with different kinds of motives. Failure Of Tooth-Colored Fillings The University of Toronto study also attempts to address why tooth-colored fillings often fail to fix tooth decay. Most patients who have undergone the procedure still develop caries within five to seven years. The paper is the first of its kind to show how neutrophils can destroy tooth-colored fillings and damage tooth dentin. It helps establish a link between the immune cells and the decaying of teeth and the recurrence of caries. What Is Tooth Decay? Tooth decay is caused by a combination of bacterial infection and a buildup sugary and starchy food and drinks in the teeth, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. The microbes use these substances to produce acids that can damage the enamel or hard surface of teeth. The acids from bacteria will continue to eat away the enamel until the teeth are completely exposed. A white spot will appear in the area of the tooth where it has lost much of its minerals. This is considered the early sign of tooth decay. Teeth can replace lost enamel using the minerals found in people's saliva and fluoride from toothpaste. However, if nothing is done to stop the decaying process, the teeth will develop permanent damage known as cavities. The findings of the University of Toronto study are featured in the journal Acta Biomaterialia. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A mugshot of Holden Matthews is displayed as Gov. John Bel Edwards, left, and St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz participatin in a press conference to address the arrest of Matthews in the burrning of three historically black Baptist churches recently in St. Landry Parish Thursday, April 11, 2019, at the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Training Center in Opelousas, La. NH Investment & Securities Research Division Managing Director Lee Chang-mok speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the brokerage's headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk By Jhoo Dong-chan A series of movies have been released not only in the United States but also in Korea, portraying the lives of stockbrokers and market analysts. In the movie, "The Wolf of Wall Street," Oscar-winning Leonardo DiCaprio starred as Jordan Belfort to display rampant corruption and fraud in Wall Street, which ultimately led to his downfall. The Korean movie, "Money," which premiered in March, starring rising star Ryu Jun-yeol, also portrayed the life of a rookie stockbroker getting mixed up with a shady financial swindler who secretly controls the stock market. "Besides The Wolf of Wall Street and Money, there have been a number of similar movies trying to display the industry negatively. Unfortunately, stockbrokers and analysts are often portrayed as shady and greedy villainous figures crazed about money," NH Investment & Securities Research Division Managing Director Lee Chang-mok said during an interview with The Korea Times. "What we really do here is, in fact, quite different from how we are portrayed in these movies. Of course, we do our best to suggest the best market outlook for investors. However, it is structurally impossible to commit such crimes." In a bid to improve such a twisted image of stockbrokers and market analysts, Lee said he hosted a number of media conferences to introduce how they really operate. "I even had a lecture with movie and show industry people. I hope there will be a movie that really shows what we really do in the near future," he said. "I personally like the movie, The Big Short. It did really good job to demonstrate what happened in the 2007 global financial crisis." No global recession in offing This is also a difficult time as economy shows a sign of the slowdown, but Lee said it's unlikely to see another global scale recession second to the 2007 global financial crisis. "There are concerns over a possible global recession after the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note dipped to its lowest level since 2007. Some said it is a harbinger of another global financial crisis, but I don't think so," Lee said. "Other yield curves, including the one between three-year and 10-year U.S. Treasury note, are still solid, maintaining a strong spread." Lee claimed the recent development engulfing the U.S. Treasury bonds is attributed to the Fed's quantitative measure 10 years ago. "It was a historic quantitative easing," he said. "A tremendous amount of money was injected to the market. We are just witnessing the collecting phase." He admitted Korea is entering the slowdown, but exports still remain strong. "Pessimists claim Korea has been trapped by the low-growth trend, but the country has yet to post a contraction," Lee said. "The country is just entering its economic peak. No country can maintain 7-percent growth for decades. Exports are still solid. The problem is domestic demand. The government should encourage firms to invest in the domestic market." Cautious optimism The nation's stock market suffered a rollercoaster ride last year, but Lee suggested negative factors and pessimism have been fully reflected on the bourse, claiming there were more favorable factors in the second half of the year. "It was a very interesting year," he said. "Samsung Electronics posted record high quarterly earnings several times last year. Likewise, the big four commercial banks also enjoyed best-ever net profits in the year. However, their shares prices failed to reflect their earnings. Of course, there were a number of unfavorable factors at home and abroad, but I believe too much optimism was also one of the reasons behind the nation's sluggish stock market last year." Admitting stock prices are not based on firms' current earnings but on expectations for their future business, Lee said investors dumped stocks as share prices failed to meet market expectations despite their record high earnings last year. "Such hype and disappointment have now gone. I am sure such negative factors have been fully reflected in firms' share prices," he added. "Foreign factors were also part of the nation's disappointing stock market last year. But they are also rapidly changing." Unlike the hawkish stance of raising its key rate four times last year, the U.S. Federal Reserve has come under mounting pressures to cut them, citing the U.S. is entering a slow economic pace. Earlier this month, top White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow said the U.S. central bank should "immediately" cut rates by 50 basis points. According to U.S.-based news organization CNBC, his comment were followed by a similar stance by Heritage Foundation fellow Stephen Moore, whom U.S. President Donald Trump has said he intends to nominate for a position at the Fed. "The U.S. is returning to bullish market," Lee said. "This will also be another positive signal for the nation's stock market." Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission A Donaldsonville man was arrested Friday for shooting two sisters at a Baton Rouge hotel in March. Al Boyd, 30, was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish prison on two counts of attempted first-degree murder, illegal use of a weapon and felon in possession of a firearm. According to the arrest warrant, East Baton Rouge Sheriffs deputies responded to a shooting at America's Best Value Inn off Siegen Lane where they discovered two women with critical gunshot wounds lying in the middle of the courtyard. Two women injured in overnight shooting at Baton Rouge hotel on Rieger Road Two women were injured in an overnight shooting at the America's Best Value Inn on Rieger Road off Interstate 10 in Baton Rouge, authorities s Witnesses told detectives the two women were long-term guests at the hotel and had allegedly stolen money from Boyd. They said Boyd retaliated by punching and kicking the women to the ground before shooting them and fleeing. The warrant describes Boyd waiting behind an ice machine for the women, emerging as they crossed a courtyard amd waving a handgun before he brutally gunned down the two sisters. One of the women told detectives after that she had known Boyd for some time and confirmed he was acting out after the theft. Boyd has an extensive criminal history, according to the arrest warrant, and was on parole at the time of the incident. A Baton Rouge man accused of shooting of a 16-year-old boy on Gardere Lane was arrested Friday. Barry Richardson, 22, was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish prison on attempted second degree murder and illegal use of a weapon. One person shot Friday night on Gardere Lane, EMS says One person was hospitalized after a shooting Friday night on Gardere Lane, Emergency Medical Services spokesman Nick McDonner said. East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriffs deputies responded to a shooting in the 500 block of Gardere Lane at the Teakwood Village Apartment Complex in September 2018 where they found a teen suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Detectives learned the shooting had taken place near the entry gate of an apartment complex, where Richardson is accused of running up behind the victim and firing at him with a handgun. Richardson fired three additional shots after the victim had fallen, according to the arrest warrant. DNA evidence found at the scene of the crime and processed by Louisiana State Police Crime Lab identified Richardson as a suspect. The fast ascendance last summer of Stefanie Ashford, head of a local community development organization, from board member to the leader of a small Baton Rouge charter school helped spark a state investigation that may force the school to close. On April 6, the state Department of Education revealed it wants to revoke the charter for Laurel Oaks Charter School. Laurel Oaks, which opened in 2016 and has about 90 students in kindergarten to second grade, is accused of a range of financial and operational mismanagement. A former school leader, Rashid Young, told The Advocate that he and other former school employees complained late last summer to state regulators about the school. At least eight employees and contractors quit or resigned when I left the organization, Young recalled. It was a small organization and we only had 12 total employees, so the amount of folks that walked away is significant. Young, who left in August, just as the current school year was beginning, said he quit in part because of a power grab by Ashford, then the chair of the Laurel Oaks board of directors. He said there was confusion about who was leading the school. He said he's still owed money by the school. After Young left, Laurel Oaks ran through two more school leaders before Ashford became the sole leader of the charter school on Nov. 4. The former employees' complaints, state officials acknowledge, helped prompt a Sept. 6 letter notifying the school it was in breach of its contract. The subsequent investigation led to the recommendation to revoke the schools charter. Laurel Oaks Charter School in Baton Rouge could be forced to close over alleged mismanagement A small charter school in Baton Rouge that got off to a troubled start and continued to face problems with its operations could be forced to c School officials say they plan to contest that recommendation Tuesday when the state presents it to the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. That would set the stage for BESE hearing in June that would decide the schools fate. One of the allegations is that Ashford violated BESE policy on Sept. 28 when she received $3,000 for work shed done previously for the school while still serving as board chair of the Laurel Oaks board of directors. Just three days earlier, Ashford was named the schools chief executive officer, but she had been effectively running the school at various times in the weeks prior to becoming its CEO. Young said Ashford had been usurping his authority for weeks before he left, taking control of the schools books and contracts. In an interview April 6, current Board Chair Jeremy Blunt, who says he joined the board in January, defended the $3,000 payment, saying Ashford stepped in to run the school during a leadership vacuum following Young's departure in August, just as the 2018-19 school year was beginning. In moving so quickly from a board member to a school executive, Ashford may have violated a provision in Louisianas ethics code that bars former members of state boards and commissions from being employed in any capacity by that same board for two years after their departure. Blunt insisted the board made sure Ashfords transition was legal before going through with it. Responding to questions from The Advocate, the state Department of Education said via email on Friday that neither it nor BESE has the authority to determine if someone has violated the state ethics code. Also, the state agency would not confirm whether it has referred any Laurel Oaks matters to the Louisiana Board of Ethics for further investigation, saying any such referrals are confidential. A message left Friday with the Board of Ethics seeking comment was not returned. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up In an email to The Advocate, Ashford said that on the advice of her attorney I may not comment on the matter regarding my role as the current school leader. Ashford is not an educator nor has she run a school before. Her training is as a social worker and shes spent her career working in nonprofits. In 2007, she founded People of Purpose Community Development Corporation, a faith-based nonprofit that began in Birmingham, Alabama, working with teenage moms and their children. People of Purpose moved its base of operations to Mississippi in 2010 and then again to Baton Rouge in 2014. Along the way, its added other services, including before- and after-school programs, tutoring and summer enrichment camps. In her email, Ashford defended her background, saying it qualifies her to run a charter school. In addition to her experience running nonprofit organizations, she said, her past work has included efforts help elementary children achieve proficiency in reading. Running a successful school takes GRIT and understanding of the children and families we serve in our community, she wrote. Principals of traditional public schools must have at least a masters degree plus additional graduate school credits in education before they can run a school. Almost anyone, though, can run a charter school in Louisiana. Sydni Dunn, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education, said state law sets no minimum requirements, except that, like all school employees, they cant have certain felonies on their record connected to working with children and they cant have been previously implicated in cheating on a standardized test. She acknowledged that charter school leaders do not need to even have a bachelors degree, the minimum criteria for hiring a teacher at a charter school. The state, in its Sept. 6 letter, accuses the school of employing a member of its board of directors a reference to Ashford and failing to fill a seventh spot on that board, a spot vacant for at least three months. Young said Ashford began interfering in his management soon after being named board president in spring 2018. That culminated with a July 11 letter from Ashford in which she, apparently on her own authority, demoted Young to an administrative aide who would assist three board members, including Ashford, in running the school. Young would not go along with the directive and watched as Ashford took control of the schools books and contracts. He laid out his concerns in a July 23 letter to the board. I have tried to engage the board chair in honest and candid dialogue about my role in this organization, Young wrote. It seems to me that there has been much dishonesty and deflection when it comes to actually discussing the (July 11) memo. This type of dishonesty has me very concerned about whether or not my values align with the direction of the board's leadership. Young said Ashford did subsequently walk back her July 11 directive, saying it was misconstrued, but he said little changed and so he finally left. Despite signs to the contrary, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Saturday he hopes a key House panel next week approves legislation that would boost state aid for public schools by $39 million. The House Education Committee is set to take up a proposal Tuesday by Louisiana's top school board that would provide only the second hike in school aid in the past decade. However, House Education Committee Chair Rep. Nancy Landry, R-Lafayette, and other GOP leaders have questioned the increase for expenses and said early childhood education is a more pressing need. The panel may vote to return the proposal to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for changes. The $39 million, plus $1,000 teacher pay raises that enjoy bipartisan support, are key parts of the governor's 2019 legislative agenda. No 'battle' expected for Louisiana teacher pay hikes, but one is brewing over public school aid Gov. John Bel Edwards' bid to boost teacher pay by $1,000 per year is winning wide support both inside and outside the Louisiana Legislature. The aid hike amounts to 1.375 percent. "I believe that it ought to increase by 1.375 percent, which is what I have asked them (legislators) to do," Edwards told reporters after addressing the annual meeting of the Louisiana Association of Educators. LAE is a teachers' union and political ally. "I am hopeful that they are going to do that on Tuesday," he said. "If they choose not to we will have to sit down and figure out what happens next," Edwards said. The Legislature can only accept or reject BESE's funding request but cannot change it. BESE meets on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, BESE President Gary Jones, who lives near Alexandria, said Friday he has no plans to revisit the panel's school funding request immediately. "The issue is too complex for us to decide with a knee-jerk reaction one day after the action of the committee," Jones said of a possible Wednesday look at the issue. "We will take our time and study the issue carefully and then make what we think is an appropriate decision." The $39 million boost is backed by the LAE and the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, among others. Legislation similar to Landry's plan House Concurrent Resolution 1 is also pending in the state Senate and sponsored by Senate Education Committee Chairman Blade Morrish, R-Jennings. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The governor has clashed with House GOP leaders all three plus years he has held office. The Senate is generally more sympathetic to his agenda. The push to boost state aid for early childhood education has gained momentum in recent weeks. Both a new state panel and BESE have asked the Legislature for $86 million for the programs, including efforts to trim a 3,500-family waiting list for one that aids low-income families while parents work or attend school. Edwards said previously early childhood programs would be a priority in 2020, which would be the first year of his second term. But he told LAE members that the Legislature needs to at least come up with $8.8 million to replace an expiring federal grant that aids Louisiana's youngest children. "We will have it as our highest priority as we move through the session," Edwards said. "I really believe we will be successful." The governor did not include new dollars for early childhood education in his $30 billion operating budget, sparking criticism from state Superintendent of Education John White and others. Landry said earlier that the benefits of educating youngsters during their formative years are overwhelming. "The science is just compelling," she said last month. Edwards' $1,000 teacher pay raise enjoys support from Democrats and Republicans alike. +3 Latest hurdle for Louisiana teacher pay raises? Other states raising regional average Gov. John Bel Edwards' plan to boost teacher pay to the regional average is facing headwinds before the legislative debate even begins on April 8. "That is going to happen," he told LAE members. The plan includes $500 pay raises for cafeteria workers, school bus drivers and other support personnel. The governor noted that a poll released last week by LSU showed 88 percent support for teacher salary hikes. "I didn't know you could get 88 percent of the people to support apple pie," he said. The LAE, which has about 20,000 members, was expected to formally endorse Edwards' re-election bid Saturday night. Robert Travis Scott was struck by the stark difference between the top two candidates at the Public Affairs Research Council gubernatorial forum in Baton Rouge exactly four years ago. U.S. Sen. David Vitter, the Republican front-runner from Metairie, was polished and well-rehearsed in his answers, holding a thick policy pamphlet prepared by a highly professional campaign brimming with resources, noted Scott, who is PARs president. Then-state Rep. John Bel Edwards, the Democratic candidate from Amite, seemed every bit the long shot. Scott saw that when Edwards answered questions, he glanced at notes he had scrawled on a piece of paper. One fellow had a high-octane, highly staffed approach, remembered Scott. The other guy was just trying to get his jalopy started every morning. The jalopy is long gone. Now the incumbent governor seeking re-election, Edwards is the one operating a high-octane campaign, flush with more than $10 million in campaign contributions and a healthy lead in the early polls. He has a stable of campaign staffers who take every opportunity to cast Edwards two Republican opponents U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham from northeast Louisiana and businessman Eddie Rispone from Baton Rouge in a negative light. Can't see video below? Click here. If Edwards seems like a front-runner now, it hardly guarantees his victory this fall, as Louisiana history shows. Of the last six governors elected since 1987, only two of them held clear leads at this point in the campaign. Theres always the problem that front-runners have to fight to remain a front-runner, said Roy Fletcher, a veteran political consultant. He noted, however, that the last two incumbents who sought re-election Mike Foster in 1999 and Bobby Jindal in 2011 emerged victorious. Yet the three incumbents before them David Treen in 1983, Edwin Edwards in 1987 and Buddy Roemer in 1991 all lost their re-election campaigns. Incumbency is a powerful weapon for a governor who has committed no major missteps and is not in office during an economic downturn or a natural disaster the size of Hurricane Katrina. A governor tends to set the political agenda, decides which bills become law, awards lucrative contracts, makes plum appointments and makes decisions every day that reward or punish political friends or enemies. In the last month, Edwards has attended high-dollar fundraisers at the homes of corporate attorney Donna Fraiche in Baton Rouge and Ochsner Health Systems President and CEO Warner Thomas in New Orleans. He had another at Squire Creek, the country club near Ruston owned by oil and gas pipeline owner James Davison, a big donor to national Republicans. Now theres no sneaking up on anybody, Edwards said in a brief interview Wednesday. We actually have more resources with which to fund a more robust campaign effort. At this point four years ago, few heavy hitters were hosting events for Edwards. Many potential donors wouldnt even take his phone calls. His campaign operated from a yellow house in downtown Baton Rouge that had spotty wi-fi, no hot water and a hardwood floor pocked with holes. He had a nucleus of committed supporters: former Gov. Kathleen Blanco and her husband, Raymond; state Rep. Sam Jones, from Franklin; trial attorneys Glenn Armentor, from Lafayette, Phil Cossich, from Belle Chasse, and Dan Foley, from New Orleans; and lobbyists Dan Robin Sr. and Alton Ashy, among others. The state Democratic Party and the state AFL-CIO had endorsed him. But Edwards seemingly slim chances of winning were expected to evaporate if then-New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu jumped into the race. The mayor was better-known, better-financed and had been elected twice as lieutenant governor. After hemming and hawing, Landrieu announced on April 27, 2015, that he would remain on the sidelines. But he notably failed to endorse Edwards, which prompted speculation that the mayor might privately support one of the two other Republican candidates, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne or Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, to keep Vitter from winning. Bob Mann, a professor at LSU's Manship School, urged doubters of Edwards to do just that in a Times-Picayune column three weeks later. A Democrat even one as effective, honest and politically moderate as Edwards cannot win a Louisiana statewide election, Mann wrote. Twenty years ago, someone like Edwards would have been unbeatable. Today, however, a vote for the Amite Democrat is, for all practical purposes, a vote for Vitter. Over the next six months, however, Edwards steadily gained support by highlighting his background as a West Point cadet who had served as a captain in the Army, was pro-life, pro-gun and favored investing more in public education and health care. In the meantime, his three Republican opponents tore one another up. Edwards led the primary with 40 percent and then cruised to victory over Vitter in the runoff with 56 percent of the vote. He was the only Democrat elected to statewide office that year. The new governor wasted little time in beginning to build a war chest for his re-election effort. Political action committees associated with three different groups the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, the Louisiana Chemical Association and the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association held fundraisers for him two weeks after he took office in 2016. Oil and gas interests had supported Vitter during the previous years election. Edwards campaign announced on Tuesday that he had raised $12.1 million for his re-election effort so far, and that he still has $10.2 million on hand. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up At this point in 2015, by comparison, he had raised only $1.2 million and had $900,000 on hand. Edwards campaign has moved up this year in terms of its digs literally. It is now headquartered on the 10th floor of the Chase Tower in downtown Baton Rouge in an office that includes staffers working for the state Democratic Party, something Edwards didnt have at this point in 2015. Developer Mike Wampold, who owns Chase Towers, is giving the Edwards campaign a break in rent. The Democratic Governors Association has dispatched staffers to work for Edwards re-election effort this year. At this point four years ago, he couldnt even get a meeting with the groups executive director. Meanwhile, at least four outside groups will be spending money to help assure Edwards re-election this year: Gumbo PAC, Rebuild Louisiana, American Bridge, all of which receive funding from a variety of sources, and Louisiana First, which is funded by Baton Rouge businessman Richard Lipsey. Baton Rouge trial attorneys Don and John Carmouche are also likely to open their wallets to help Edwards, as they did with independent attack ads against Vitter in 2015. They did not respond to requests for comment. In 2015, only two outside groups assisted Edwards campaign during the primary. During the interview, Edwards said that he has a strong record of accomplishment. As his first act, he expanded Medicaid to cover the working poor, a move that has given health insurance to 480,000 people. Under his watch, the state went from a $2 billion budget deficit to a $300 million surplus last year. 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 He adroitly managed the massive flooding in Baton Rouge in 2016 and helped keep the calm after the police shooting of Alton Sterling, a black man, and after a deranged man shot dead three Baton Rouge law enforcement officers in apparent retaliation. Edwards and state legislators ended the budget cuts for public education enacted under his predecessor, Gov. Bobby Jindal, and are poised to raise salaries for teachers and school support personnel for the first time in 10 years. We have a tremendous case to make that we are better off, on so many fronts, Edwards said. But Louisiana voters have often elected governors who at this point in the campaign seemed to have little chance of winning: Roemer in 1987, Edwin Edwards in 1991, Foster in 1995 and John Bel Edwards in 2015. Jindal came from nowhere in 2003 to nearly defeat Blanco, a loss that set up his victory four years later. Louisianans love to coalesce behind the underdog, said John Couvillon, a Baton Rouge-based pollster. Its idle speculation to assume that todays front-runner will be the same front-runner as we get into mid- to late-September. Couvillon, basing his analysis on available polling, estimates that the governor has 45 percent of the vote at this point. Thats a strong showing, Couvillon said, but its not necessarily enough for an incumbent Democratic governor in a heavily Republican state. Donald Trump won Louisiana in 2016 with 58 percent versus 38 percent for Hillary Clinton, the Democrat. Republican congressional candidates won 57 percent of the vote in the 2018 November primaries versus 38 percent for the Democrats, according to Couvillon. Abraham and Rispone have already made clear that they will depict Edwards as a tax-and-spend liberal because of the sales-tax increases that he sought and signed into law. State lawmakers raised the state sales tax by 1 percent in 2016 as part of a plan to eliminate the budget deficits inherited from Jindal. They renewed .45 percent of the 1 percent in 2018, a move that Edwards calls a tax cut and that his Republican opponents label a tax increase. He just jacks up taxes over and over again, Abraham said at PARs gubernatorial forum this year, held on Thursday. +8 Gov. Edwards, GOP challenger Abraham debate health care, taxes, more at policy-focused forum Gov. John Bel Edwards faced one of his Republican gubernatorial challengers for the first time Thursday, squaring off with Congressman Ralph A Abraham did not mention that the Republican-led Legislature approved the tax measures. Rispone missed the event to campaign in central Louisiana. Abraham described Edwards as a failed governor. We are 49th or 50th in every category where we should be in the top tier, he said. I shake my head every day in despair over the numbers that we see on health care, education, you name it. We have people and businesses hemorrhaging out of this state. Instead of clawing to get in, they are clawing to get out. We cant have that any more. Weve grown government in this particular administration far, far bigger than any other administration Ive ever seen, and its on the backs of taxpayers. Rispone said he has $10.4 million on hand, although almost all of that is money he has loaned his campaign. Abraham, who began fundraising only in December, said he has raised about $1 million. At least two conservative outside groups America Rising and Americans for Prosperity will assist them in trying to take down Edwards. Fletcher thinks the two Republican candidates will improve their odds by making the race as partisan as possible. About half the people in the state say in polls that they wont for a Democrat under any circumstances, Fletcher said. Id be asking the governor at every opportunity: Why are you still a Democrat? For now at least, Edwards is driving the high-octane car. He spoke confidently and fluidly on the issues during Thursdays PAR forum, for which the questions were provided in advance. Abraham mostly read his answers to the questions from a sheet of paper. When Gov. John Bel Edwards stepped forward for a teacher pay raise to be included in the new budget, he was surely embracing a popular idea in an election year. But we agree with him and with key legislative leaders of both parties that a teacher pay raise is a good idea. The public seems to agree as well. The Louisiana Survey by researchers at LSU showed 88 percent of poll respondents backed a teacher pay raise. Its a heartening endorsement from the public about the hard work that teachers put in, even or perhaps especially in a state where educational attainment is not as strong as it should be. But a key point was raised in the Louisiana Survey. These results show very strong, nearly unanimous, support for public school teachers and an appetite for pay increases ... however, there is more partisan division on whether the state should raise taxes to fund a pay increase for public school teachers, Michael Henderson, director of LSUs Public Policy Research Lab, said. Not surprisingly, when the costs of the pay raise are put front and center, more voters have concerns. And it turns out, legislators also tend to flinch when it comes down to the Benjamins, as a budget issue must inevitably do. Differences between the governor and the more conservative leadership of the state House highlight the funding issue. Edwards proposal is for a pay raise for both teachers and support workers, at $1,000 for certificated staff and $500 for aides and lunchroom workers and the like. The money is available in the budget forecast for the new year, so no new taxes are required. Raises would go directly to the recipients, not to school boards. Edwards also included a 1.375 percent increase in the funding formula for school systems, seemingly a modest adjustment. But that is a small percentage of a big program, probably costing $39 million more than the $100 million-plus for direct raises. The problem is that school boards just arent as popular as teachers, and some legislators are likely to question aiding the systems. An alternative Republican budget in the House left out the school systems money. The pay raises, across the board as they are, also include costs for the systems, particularly in health care and other fringe benefits. Those items are high costs, and schools have costs beyond salaries. While we understand the concern about the structure of this pay raise proposal, and look forward to alternative ideas that might work, leaving the systems funding out perpetuates the old Louisiana expedient of worrying tomorrow about the costs were accruing today. A pay raise for teachers is good, but legislators should make it a workmanlike proposal that wont unnecessarily burden taxpayers down the road because of other costs to schools. By Jhoo Dong-chan Fear is prevalent among investors regarding the share prices of semiconductor manufacturers after Samsung Electronics and SK hynix posted disappointing earnings for the first quarter, but market analysts remain positive on their future. According to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), the nation's leading chipmaker Samsung Electronics posted an operating profit of 6.2 trillion won ($5.46 billion) in the first three months of the year, down 60.36 percent from a year ago. This is the worst operating profit since the firm posted 5.2 trillion won in the third quarter of 2016. Sales stood at 52 trillion won ($45.8 billion), a 14.13 percent decrease year-on-year. Market researcher FnGuide said the operating profit of SK hynix, which hit 4.37 trillion won in the first quarter of 2018, is expected to dip below 1.6 trillion won in the January to March period. Despite their earnings shock, market analysts remain positive in their outlook for the chipmakers' future share prices. "Samsung Electronics' earnings didn't dip below the anticipated level," said IBK Securities researcher Kim Un-ho. "The industry reached its low in the first quarter of this year, and is expected to recover in the second quarter. New mobile products will hit the market while Intel will introduce its new CPU models soon." Kim kept the target share price of Samsung Electronics unchanged at 53,000 won. Daishin Securities analyst Lee Su-bin said Samsung would continue its earning shock even in the second quarter, but remains positive on the firm's future share price. "It is expected to post 52.3 trillion won in sales in the next quarter, down 11 percent from a year ago. Its operating profit is also expected to suffer a 57 percent fall year-on-year to 6.3 trillion won, but we have decided to keep our investment opinion unchanged at 'buy,'" Lee said. "Under the shareholder return policy, Samsung is raising its dividend payout ratio, a positive factor to its share price. We also believe mobile memory chip demand will recover in the second quarter." Lee set Samsung's target share price at 50,000 won. Reflecting the market's high expectations, foreign investors bought 450.3 billion won worth of Samsung Electronics shares during the first week in April. They also bought 258.2 billion won worth of SK hynix shares in the same period. "The nation's chipmakers have long borne the brunt of the prolonged trade dispute between the U.S. and China. However, talks between the two countries are expected to conclude successfully by June, while the U.S. Federal Reserve has turned dovish," NH Investment & Securities analyst Kim Byung-yeon said. A long-envisioned passenger rail line between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is still far from reality, but LaPlace is moving forward with plans for a station should the train ever arrive. St. John the Baptist Parish officials revealed plans for the $5.5 million train station recently, joining Gonzales, downtown Baton Rouge and suburban Baton Rouge as proposed stops that have plans for stations. That station, to be located in downtown LaPlace, is seen by officials as a potential spur to transforming Main Street into a modern commercial corridor that would serve as a hub for the community. The most successful projects of this type have proven to be more than transit centers but are part of a more attractive development that includes more commercial and pedestrian activity, St. John Parish President Natalie Robottom said. The hope is that the station would boost retail and restaurant development along Main Street and the surrounding area. A study commissioned by the parish showed upward of 1,100 jobs would be created in the area should the station get built. Whether it actually will, however, remains a big question. A passenger rail line between Baton Rouge and New Orleans has been discussed for around a decade, but there still is no funding to create it. In order for that to happen, the state would need to put up at least $100 million. That would then be matched by another $100 million from a federal fund, meeting the approximately $200 million price tag for construction of the line, according to John Spain, chairman of the Southern Rail Commission, a group that advocates for new railroad projects in five southeastern states. That same federal fund the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program could also help build stations along the line, and a St. John spokeswoman said the parish is exploring other funding sources for the station. She said the parish may go forward with a plan to transform Main Street regardless of whether funding is secured for the train station, with things like zoning changes perhaps being steps in that direction. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Parish officials have not announced a timetable for the station or the Main Street development. There doesnt seem to be a timetable for the state, either, and there doesnt seem to be much enthusiasm for starting on one. No bills prefiled for the current legislative session made any mention of the proposed new rail line. Spain said that is a mistake, because theres no guarantee the federal money will be available if the state continues delaying the project. Youre never going to get a better deal than having the feds pay half of something, Spain said, adding theres also federal funding available that could cover much of the operating costs in the first few years of service. The passenger train would go around 80 mph, according to Spain much faster than freight trains, which travel no more than 60 mph. The trains would run on existing tracks, with much of the $200 million going toward creating sidings where slower trains can pull off while faster trains pass by. But a spokeswoman for Kansas City Southern, which owns 67 of the 80 miles of track for the proposed line, said KCS wants nothing to do with commercial passenger service on its track. Instead, it suggests laying down a new railroad track either alongside its existing one or along Interstate 10. Creating an entirely new track would skyrocket the potential cost, however. For many St. John residents, though, the idea of a passenger train offering $10 rides and less than 90-minute trips between New Orleans and Baton Rouge with no interstate highway traffic would represent a welcome new transportation option, according to a May survey of parish residents. Forty-five percent of respondents said they work in an area potentially served by the line. As for reasons to use it, 93 percent said they would use it to go to a sporting event or concert, 79 percent said for Mardi Gras parades and 74 percent said for dining out. Proposed stops would be in downtown Baton Rouge, suburban Baton Rouge, Gonzales, LaPlace, Kenner, East Jefferson and Union Passenger Terminal in downtown New Orleans. One of the country's largest food producers, Bright Food Group, has posted a slide in profits despite a jump in revenues to more than $733 million in the last year. Documents lodged with the corporate regulator by the Chinese conglomerate's Australian business shows profits of $11.9 million in the 2018 calendar year compared to $19 million one year earlier, a fall of more than 37 per cent. Workers at the Mildura Fruit Company, which is owned by Chinese conglomerate Bright Food Group. Bright Food became one of the largest local food producers after aggressively acquiring a number of Australian businesses, most notably paying $516 million in 2011 for CHAMP Private Equity's food division which operates brands like Sunbeam, Baybel cheese, Paul Newman's Own and Trident. It also acquired the Mildura Fruit Company, one of the nation's biggest citrus exporters, and was mentioned as a potential bidder for the multi-billion dollar Treasury Wine Estates. Childcare workers are worried about a huge drop in the number of vulnerable families claiming subsidies for the cost of care, fearing red tape and tougher eligibility criteria are forcing them to withdraw their kids. The childcare subsidy system changed in July last year, and in the year to September 2018, the number of children supported by the childcare safety net - now the additional subsidy - fell by more than 14,000 to around 21,000 according to data from the Federal Department of Education. Within that group, the biggest drops were among families with children classified as at risk, those from families in financial hardship, and the children of unemployed parents accessing support for the transition to work. The childcare sector is worried about the number of vulnerable families that have stopped claiming child care support Credit:Gabriele Charotte Meanwhile, the childcare sector also says only a third of the 70,000 low income families that were expected to access childcare safety net entitlements have actually ended up doing so, citing figures from recent Senate estimates hearings. Ah, poor Scotland. Its people could have ducked the whole Brexit debacle if they'd voted for independence from Britain five years ago. Still, on the bright side (a very occasional summer phenomenon in those latitudes, much remarked upon), they have Manran to keep their spirits up. Across the last eight years the folk-rock band has become something of an institution, holding aloft the torch of Scottish traditional music, to which the members add their own finely crafted tunes. As well, by virtue of being young, singing in Gaelic and beefing the music up with a pumping rhythm section, they help spread the word to new audiences. For those with a Scottish heritage, the music (epitomised by the bagpipes' skirl) is in the blood, like a tartan hormone, and this band is at its most potent when Ewen Henderson relinquishes his fiddle and takes up his pipes. The effect is made unique by having Irishman Ryan Murphy on board playing uilleann pipes (plus flute and tin whistle), and the twin-bagpipe attack could heat the blood of any non-Celt. It also allows one to discern the difference between the more plaintive timbre of the uilleann pipes and the more rousing sound of the Highland ones. Henderson is also the band's primary vocalist, and while not having a massive voice, he sings with an understated urgency that makes his work compelling, even when one knows no Gaelic. Beyond his and Murphy's instruments the tunes were carried by Colin Nicholson's accordion (seamlessly deputising for Gary Innes). His job would have been complicated by all the jolting syncopations the band builds into the tunes, which, when hammered out by Craig Irving (acoustic guitar) Ross Saunders (bass) and Mark Scobbie (drums) become launch pads to hurl the music into the next phase of a set of tunes. Even if the band's surgical precision can dampen the energy, when added to the anthemic dramas and sweet laments (including The Open Door), it all makes for a potent combination. Paddington RSL, April 24 Hong Kong: With the blond wig and red tie, the star of a new Cantonese opera in Hong Kong may look familiar. Hong Kong actors Lung Koon-tin (Donald Trump) and Chan Hung-chun (Kim Jong-un) star in a Cantonese opera based on a reimagining of the US President's personal life. Credit:AP The Chinese actor and singer has the lead role in Trump on Show, a four-day comedic opera reimagining the US President's personal life and his fictional twin brother in China. The three-hour opera opens with America's first family moving into the White House, where Trump's daughter Ivanka discovers an old suitcase. Inside she finds an English version of The Little Red Book, which details ideas on class struggle by the founding chairman of modern communist China. Mere days after the reward of $125 from the federal government to help with electricity prices was announced, Kay Grainger of Fullerton Cove opened her mail and "there it was, a notice from our energy supplier advising our electricity costs were to increase as of 15th April". During the several years she owned a red car Lorna MacKellar of Bensville would more often than not return to a car park to find it surrounded by other red cars. "I now have a blue car. Its attracting other blue cars. Is this a common phenomenon? Does it happen with other colours?" The acronym says it all, according to Bob Buchanan of Goulburn. "According to an SBS report, board members of the North Australian Infrastructure Fund have been using private emails for commercially sensitive discussions." For the first time in many years, Antony and Cleopatra is being studied by senior students of Rowena Penniment of Earlwood. "Some of the books are a little worn and shabby, as they first did the rounds back in the early '70s. The second student to borrow one particular copy? None other than regular Column 8 correspondent, Con Vaitsas." Carole Dawes of Randwick has found a reason to be grateful for the calling of the federal election. "Those smiling pesky placards for the state election attached to telegraph poles will now be removed oh no, only to be replaced by smiling federal election placards. Will we have to wait for the next election for someone to remove the federal faces? Just as well they dont put up placards for leadership spills." More than $150 million of congestion busting road projects in Melbourne will be announced by the Coalition on Monday. The Morrison government says the $154 million investment will help ease gridlock across the city and make life easier for motorists regularly facing traffic jams on Dorset and Canterbury roads in Melbournes east. Scott Morrison on the campaign trail on Sunday. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer The Coalitions package includes an $80 million extension of Dorset Road to Lysterfield Road in Ferntree Gully, where drivers heading for Rowville and Lysterfield are often forced to rat run through local streets. There will be $50 million to build a link on Dorset Road between Hull Road and the Maroondah Highway in Croydon, with the promise of significantly improved journeys for the 28,000 vehicles which use this section of road each day. A driver will face court after allegedly crashing into two homes during a drag race in Brisbane's south-west overnight. Police allege the 27-year-old man ploughed his Toyota sedan into two homes about 11pm Saturday night. The car ploughed into the yards of two homes at Sumner in Brisbane's south-west overnight. Credit:Queensland Police Service "The driver allegedly decided to race a Mercedes along Sumner Road when he lost control and crashed through the rear and side fence of two Brumby Circuit homes," a police spokesman said. The driver and his two passengers were not injured. Police have found the 88-year-old man missing from Brisbane's south-west after upping their search on Sunday morning. Loading Extra police, including water police, had been sent to look for Heinrich Untersaubach, who had been missing from Sherwood since 11am Saturday. Mr Untersaubach has been taken to the Mater Hospital for observation. Who you're really voting for I am very tired of claims by many that somehow the people of Australia vote for senior parliamentary positions, especially the prime ministership. During this election campaign, in articles and every letter that refer to "voting for" the prime minister or the leader of the opposition, could you add the following note: the only people entitled to vote for Mr Morrison and Mr Shorten are the voters of Cook and Maribyrnong, respectively. Graeme Lindsay, Deloraine, Tas. He'll grow into the job Gareth Evans states factually that, if elected, "Shorten's frontbench has the intellect and character" to be "the Australian gold standard" in politics (Letters, 13/4). This is high and well-deserved praise from an authoritative, admittedly slightly biased, source. Doubtful voters may well see the strongly united Labor team more favourably now. Besides, Bill Shorten will look more prime ministerial when he is the Prime Minister. Barbara Fraser, Burwood What's Winx got to do with it? Mr Morrison has taken his sloganeering to new heights of absurdity. The Age (13/4) quotes him saying that Winx's fairytale story epitomises the notion of a fair go for those who have a go. What is he talking about? Doesn't the Liberal Party have anything to offer other than inept slogans, scaremongering, profligate tax cuts and disruption by its reactionary right wing of any glimmer of a progressive policy? Tony Ralston, Balwyn North All this and more When Scott Morrison declares when you vote Shorten you get Shorten, I respond yes, and we get a highly intelligent, articulate Labor frontbench in Tanya Plibersek, Penny Wong, Anthony Albanese, Chris Bowen, Tony Burke, Terri Butler, the list goes on and on. I totally support Gareth Evans' evaluation of the calibre of a potential Labor ministry irrespective of his allegiances (Letters, 13/4). The Coalition equivalent is dismal. If you vote Morrison, you get Peter Dutton plus a group of untested MPs replacing the experience of Christopher Pyne, Julie Bishop, Kelly O'Dwyer, Michael Keenan, et al on the frontbench. Diana Yallop, Surrey Hills THE FORUM A valuable perspective ... Peter Greste ("Assange arrest not about free press", Comment, 13/4) provides a valuable corrective to the notion of the now-detained Australian expatriate being a symbol of journalistic integrity in the pursuit of objective truth. Assange's closeness to Russia over a number of years, for example, was for too long underplayed. At a time when the IT expert was being feted in the West as a paragon of transparency, he was, in 2012, employed as an interviewer on the Putin government's main propaganda TV outlet, Russia Today. Significantly, a couple of years before that, WikiLeaks' promised disclosures about corruption in Russia never materialised. An unrelenting leak of material damaging to the US instead became the focus. Significantly, in 2019, the US Senate intelligence committee chairmen, the Republican Richard Burr and Democrat Mark Warner, are of the view that Assange and WikiLeaks have, as the former puts it, "acted as an arm of the Russian intelligence services for years". At the very least, Assange has been, to use the term attributed to Lenin, a "useful idiot" serving Russia's cause. He has been no high-minded journalist. Jon McMillan, Mount Eliza ... but the risks are still real Peter Greste makes a persuasive argument that Julian Assange is not a journalist, nor WikiLeaks a news organisation. Unfortunately, this distinction is not germane to the risks posed to actual journalists and news organisations by the actions of the United States. The US is not seeking Assange's extradition because of sloppy journalism but because he allegedly encouraged (then) Bradley Manning to leak confidential information. Any legitimate journalist or news organisation could be pursued by the US on similar grounds as there is no blanket exemption for journalists under the US constitution or its laws. Assange's fate should be of great concern to "real" journalists, even if Assange is not one himself. David Francis, Ivanhoe Dutton's disturbing pattern There's a pattern emerging with Peter Dutton's provocative discriminatory outbursts. It was others telling him that it was not safe to go to Melbourne restaurants at night because of African gangs, and now it's others (supposedly his constituents) who are telling him they don't accept Ali France's reason for not living in the electorate of Dickson. Mr Dutton doesn't even have the guts to own his own bigotry. Denny Meadows, Hawthorn Open up the ramps I read with interest, but without surprise, the article "Southern Cross can't catch a break" (The Age, 13/4). For many years most new stations have been built to designs that mean some or all platforms are only accessible via electrical/mechanical means either lifts or escalators. It is inevitable that these will fail from time to time. Before the total makeover of the old Spencer Street Station, access to the platforms was via wide, well-graded ramps that could be used by everyone, including those with wheels. I believe that the ramps still exist and suggest that, in the light of the current disastrous situation, serious consideration should be given to reopening them. Flinders Street Station still has ramps at the western end, and at the eastern end there are stairs between the escalators. If this station is given a major makeover these ever-reliable means of access to the platforms should be retained. New stations should be built with ramp access to all platforms. Better still, they could be built with underpasses. Werribee station provides an example of how practical such underpasses are, as does the much more recently constructed Cardinia Road station on the Pakenham line. Julia Blunden, Hawthorn Selective outrage displayed Melissa Parke may have erred in using an apocryphal story about Israeli soldiers forcing Palestinian women to drink bleach at the Gaza border. That, and her views on Palestinian rights, are unacceptable to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, who find her views offensive, even anti-Semitic. She has to resign. Yet there is ample Israeli documentation, even convictions, for abuse, harassment and thefts from women at Israeli border crossings, not to speak of holding up medical emergencies. No outrage there from the lobby. Thus questions arise. Is the eligibility for election to the Australian Parliament to be determined by single-issue lobbyists on a foreign policy issue? Is the ballot box now irrelevant? Larry Stillman, Elwood Parke has form Melissa Parke's shocking comment that she remembers " ... vividly a pregnant refugee woman was ordered (by Israeli border guards) at a checkpoint in Gaza to drink a bottle of bleach" is as outrageous as it is false on so many levels. Parker has previous form for crude Israel-bashing and while she personally may not feel ashamed of her hatred, the ALP is rightly ashamed of her ongoing untruths and has acted accordingly in urging her withdrawal as the candidate for Curtin. George Greenberg, Malvern Already over it Boy, are we reaching a new low with Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton criticising the Labor candidate for Dickson, Ali France, saying that even if she wins the seat she won't move into the electorate. Personally, I'd be cutting her some slack given her personal circumstances, and don't we desperately need more diversity in our Parliament anyway? I suppose we really shouldn't be surprised there's a level of desperation and whatever-it-takes about this election campaign, and it's barely begun. Honestly, I'm sick of it already; it feels like we've been in an election campaign for years. Kate McCaig, Surrey Hills Wait for it ... Michaelia Cash should be popped back behind her whiteboard, or at least made to wait until all tradies queuing for electric HiLuxes have been served. Bill Wilkinson, Capel Sound Rushed assumptions Julie Szego (Comment, 13/4) analyses the reasoning of Justice Wigney in the Rush defamation case and claims to be "not second-guessing his findings", but then goes on to do just that. She is struck by "the naivety of his assumptions" but then goes on to list many of her own. I put it to Szego that this experienced jurist has carefully weighed up facts and evidence from many witnesses to come to considered and careful conclusions, not assumptions. I suspect that Szego's kind of thinking is one of the unintended consequences of the #MeToo movement. The idea that complainants are to be automatically believed necessarily leads to assumptions that may not always be correct, because assumptions are not evidence. Complainants must always be listened to with a genuinely open mind, that includes the possibility they may have gotten it wrong. Paul Zebrowski, Watsonia North Look at the source Israel Folau did not dream up the homophobic messages that he tweeted last week. While rightly rebuking him, let's not forget his source, which is otherwise casually accepted into life's other arenas. Josh Maher, Castlemaine Keep it to yourself To Eugene Ahern and others who are opposed to "assisted suicide", (Letters 13/4), can I make just one request? Hold firm to your beliefs, if that is what you want, but please don't ask, instruct, or "encourage" me and everyone else to follow your view. It is not going to happen. Actually, I have another request: that people opposed to assisted suicide do not stand in my way if and when I may need to avail myself of this service. Mandy Morgan, Malvern This is what I fear H.L. Mencken once observed: "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." Tony Wright (The Age, 13/4) lampooned Scott Morrison's recent ham-fisted, desperate and ineffective scare campaign. What a tragedy that, if fear is to be an acceptable political tool, it is not being used to address real fears. For example, it seems clear that failure to address inequality at home and abroad more diligently might lead to a nasty, dangerous, unstable world. If fear drove a return to traditional social democratic principles and policies, we might sleep easier. In any event the Coalition model of "trickle-down economics", defended recently by Josh Frydenberg, is increasingly being revealed for what it always was a con from the better off with an aversion to an equitable taxation system and a brake on economic growth. I, for one, am very afraid of the possible return of the Coalition, led by an individual whose values appear to be so out of step with Australians' traditional self-image. Norman Huon, Port Melbourne Labor seeks to divide I realise that Australians like to cut down tall poppies, but the Labor Party seems intent on making the poor hate the rich, public schools distrust the private, and cardiovascular patients compete with those suffering from cancer. Small business owners are portrayed as evil exploiters of their staff. Investors wanting to buy a house and rent it out are apparently destroying the dreams of young couples desperate to set up home. And Millennials are encouraged to consider elderly people who are taking responsibility for their own retirement as being selfish. I thought a government was supposed to unite the nation, not cause division and distrust? Michael Doyle, Ashburton Evans got this right Gareth Evans (Letters, 13/4) is certainly correct in that he is obviously biased in his assessment of Labor's frontbench. Let's not forget that most of them were principal players in the disasters that characterised the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd governments. As to his comparison with the Hawke-Keating governments, Bowen and Shorten are no Keating and Hawke in either intellect or an ability to connect with the Australian people. Harry Kinread, Brighton AND ANOTHER THING Be afraid ... ScoMo is now ScareMo. Peng Ee, Castle Cove, NSW Politics Not sure if I'll cast my vote. I might elect a government. David Price, Camberwell Michaelia Cash wants to "save the utes". Sad that there are no Australian-made utes to save. Garry Brannan, Spring Gully Haven't heard anything about a high-speed rail link for Melbourne/Sydney in this election lead-up. Come on ... don't disappoint! Greg Whitehouse, Kew East Are countless images of Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten pressing the flesh somewhere in Australia really newsworthy? Phil Lipshut, Elsternwick Whatever the Coalition promise you, remember they could've already done it. They've had more than five years. Tim Durbridge, Brunswick Peter Dutton I agree with every word Kristina Keneally has said in her description of Peter Dutton. The only employment I would give him is to haunt a house, but isn't he already doing that? Debb Schmetzer, W Tree Once again, it's Peter Dutton who hasn't got a leg to stand on. Monty Arnhold, Melbourne Winx Some of us have been hoping for 40Winx; I guess we'll just have to settle for 33. Tony O'Brien, South Melbourne Having lived her life as a celebrity cosseted, admired and adored, Winx now finds herself destined to be a stay-at-home mum producing children. Is she OK with this? Has she been asked? Harriet Farnaby, Geelong West Finally IMF warns of growing downside risks to global growth By Park Hyong-ki Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki speaks to reporters in Washington, D.C., Saturday. Courtesy of Ministry of Economy and Finance Victoria Police are offering a $350,000 reward to help solve a case where an 18-year-old schoolgirl was abducted off the street in South Yarra and raped more than 30 years ago. The teen had been selling flowers on the night of Friday November 22, 1985, to restaurants and was walking along Chapel Street and sometime after 10pm when she was approached by a man who threatened her and pulled her towards a car with another man inside on Bray Street. She was bound, gagged and blindfolded, driven to an unknown property, and seriously sexually assaulted over a number of hours while still blindfolded. She was then dumped on Yarra Boulevard in Richmond around 1am on Saturday, November 23. Detectives believe three men were involved in the attack. The victim died in 2008. AAP Auctioneers say they are open to offers for anyone who wants to buy a grand staircase, inside a Hawthorn mansion, that failed to sell at auction. The home's aristocratic owners, an English Earl known as Keith Rous and his wife, Countess Rosie, are renovating, you see, and decided that the showcase jarrah entrance stairs, with rails and balusters thrown in, just had to go. This Hawthorn staircase will be demolished if it fails to sell soon. Credit:Meredith O'Shea It was among more than 600 lots a slew of the home's contents that auction house E.J. Ainger put under the hammer at the two-storey house in Isabella Grove over more than eight hours on Sunday. On sale was everything from drapes to 17th century chests of drawers, an antique tapestry, a piano, chandeliers, leadlight windows and 80 works by artists including Charles Blackman, Ben Quilty, Sidney Nolan and Brett Whiteley. The Campbellfield factory a day after it was engulfed in flames. Firefighters are calling for emergency laws to jail, fine and sue operators responsible for illegally stockpiling toxic chemical waste that causes industrial fires, warning that dump sites are death traps for emergency services personnel. The call from the United Firefighters Union comes as firefighters report falling ill after battling huge industrial blazes in Campbellfield this month and West Footscray in 2018 that have been linked to massive illegal waste dumping operations. Firefighters who were at both scenes have suffered lung infections, nosebleeds, rashes and memory loss after exposure to the highly toxic smoke and debris produced by the burning of solvents, paints, inks and other unknown chemicals. The fires burned for days, forcing the closure of schools, businesses and creating widespread contamination in local waterways. Thanks for following. Keep up to date with the news throughout the day at theage.com.au. We'll bring you the latest on the Prahran nightclub shooting. And dozens of editors and journalists - including staff from The Age - will be in court today to face allegations they breached a suppression order to prevent reports about George Pell's child sex abuse convictions. A security guard who was gunned down outside a Melbourne nightclub has been described as "kind, funny" and an "absolute gentleman". Security guard Aaron Khalid Osmani. Credit:Facebook Aaron Khalid Osmani, 37, from Narre Warren South was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after a drive-by shooting outside Love Machine nightclub in Prahran on Sunday morning. He later died in hospital. He was one of three security guards shot just after 3am. A second security guard, aged 28, shot at the scene was still fighting for life at The Alfred hospital on Sunday night. A 50-year-old man and a 29-year-old man sustained non-life threatening injuries. Greens leader Richard Di Natale says the Australian government should be making use of its close relationship with the United States to campaign against the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Assange's father, John Shipton, has urged the Morrison government to provide special assistance to Assange, suggesting he could somehow be brought to Australia. The 47-year-old Australian activist was arrested on Thursday at the Ecuadorean embassy in London after his hosts withdrew his political asylum, enabling British authorities to detain him. The United States is seeking his extradition on a charge of computer hacking related to Wikileaks' work in 2010 with whistleblower Chelsea Manning. Gladys Berejiklian's new cabinet will meet for the first time on Monday, with a strong economy, jobs growth and breaking the cycle of disadvantage as key priorities for the next term. The Premier said her cabinet, which includes an Australian-first minister for customer service, would also be focused on high quality education and "cleaner, greener urban environments". NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Skills Minister and member for Parramatta Geoff Lee pose for a selfie with supporters at the Bankwest Stadium Open Day on Sunday. Credit:AAP There would also be more secure water supplies for the bush, Ms Berejiklian said. In outlining her priorities for the first time since her election win last month, Ms Berejiklian said her re-elected Coalition government would build the strongest economy in the region and "prepare the most dynamic, qualified and skilled workforce in the world". Animal rights activists who trespass on Queensland farms and abattoirs to protest will be slapped with fines worth hundreds of dollars under regulation changes that will take effect in days. Fines of more than six hundred dollars will be issued by police or biosecurity officers as part of a state government crackdown on a spate of protests that began last year. The three sheep surrendered during the Carey Bros Abattoir protest are at the Farm Animal Rescue sanctuary. The government announced on Sunday the Biosecurity Regulation 2016 will be amended to include the penalty for those considered to be a threat to biosecurity and animal and worker welfare. Activists could also face trespass charges and potentially jail time, but only after farmers and business owners make a complaint to police. Beijing: The Australian government says it will be standing by its ban on Huawei's participation in the rollout of ultra-fast 5G technology, rebuffing a Chinese complaint to the World Trade Organisation. The complaint, made at a WTO meeting in Geneva on Friday, does not mention the telecommunications company by name but refers to Australia's "discriminatory market access prohibition on 5G equipment", according to the meeting's agenda seen by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. The complaint has been lodged with the global trade umpire as the federal government has entered caretaker mode before the May 18 election. Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said in a statement on Sunday that the government "stands by its decision in relation to 5G, which was not targeted at any one country or telecommunications company". London: Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn is on course to sweep into No. 10 after Prime Minister Theresa May failed to deliver on her promise to take Britain out of the EU by March 29, a major polling analysis has revealed. The Conservatives would lose 59 seats in the event of a general election to break the Brexit deadlock, making Labour the largest party in the Commons, according to an exclusive poll of polls for Britain's Sunday Telegraph. Experts said the dramatic fall in support was down to anger among Tory voters "at the government's failure to deliver Brexit". Professor Sir John Curtice, president of the British Polling Council, said Leave supporters had been "drawn back to either UKIP or Nigel Farage's newly launched Brexit party". Separately, amid growing calls for May to resign, Conservative Party lawyers potentially opened the door for MPs to formally oust the Prime Minister within months, with officials advising the influential 1922 Committee that the panel could rewrite the rules currently preventing MPs from mounting more than one attempt to oust a leader per year. The Sunday market, better known as Little Manila, is a favorite stop-over for Filipinos and anyone else who has bonds with the Southeast Asian country. Filipinos drop by the market after attending Sunday mass at hyehwa-dong Catholic Church. / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min Written By Lee Han-na Video By Lee Min-young, Kim Kang-min Every Sunday, from morning till afternoon, an exotic Southeast Asian market is open in Daehangno, a university district near central Seoul. About 15 vendors set up green tents along a 100-meter stretch of road between Hyehwa-Dong Catholic Church and Dongsung High School to welcome shoppers. The market, better known as "Little Manila" is an ethnic enclave where visitors can explore the "real Philippines." The Sunday market is a favorite stop-over for Filipinos and anyone else who has bonds with the Southeast Asian country. Filipinos drop by the market after attending Sunday mass nearby. According to Statistics Korea, nearly 60,000 guest workers from the Philippines live in Korea. The actual number of Filipinos could be much higher, because marriage migrants and students were not included in the data. There are no official documents that can confirm when and how Little Manila was created there. But the market is believed to have been held there for over 20 years. It is a popular place for everyone. The street is crowded with Filipinos of all age groups from children to adults. Little Manila provides several different Filipino products, foods and ingredients Filipinos crave, especially when they feel homesick. With plastic chairs and food trays, and a spoon and fork (without a knife although some prefer using hands), people enjoy dishes at makeshift eateries, including some well-known tourist-friendly snacks such as banana cue and turon. Meat and vegetables are available as well. Meat comes from the Majang Meat Market nearby, but is cut to serve the Filipino dishes. They also sell ampalayas, known as the "bitter melon or cucumber," one of Koreans' favorite healthy dishes from the country with its alleged medicinal benefits such as lowering blood sugar levels. The market is a venue for cultural exchanges between Koreans and Filipinos. Many Korean customers started visiting the market to explore Filipino culture and authentic food. For those who have been to the Philippines for travel, study or business, the market is a popular venue to taste authentic Filipino dishes. One of the best ways to explore this market is looking for similarities such as the glutinous rice cakes, "bibingkang malagkit," which resemble traditional Korean rice cakes. The Filipino version of a sticky rice cake with coconut flavor reminds Korean customers of "tteok." There is also "pancit bihon," a dish very similar to Korean "japchae" but with a stronger soybean sauce. The market was initially set up for homesick Filipinos who missed their traditional foods. So the supply hinges on how many Filipinos want that particular food or ingredient. There are many unique products like chicaron or fried pork skin, a delicious snack served with vinegar, and canned tropical fruit juices with flavors such as guava. Some might wonder about "balut," which ranks within the top 10 in the world's most notorious foods by Forbes . It is a normal street food of a fertilized duck egg only half matured and unhatched. The fetus with its little feathers is eaten. When asked if photos of the food can be taken, vendors were reluctant to share their products due to worries of possible negative reactions because of their unusual appearance and taste. Hesitantly, a vendor who asked for anonymity, said it became a "hated food" in Busan and vendors selling it were fined. "Please do not shoot this one. The food was once fined as a hated food in Busan so, we are scared to take photos or video of this product," he said, explaining how the product is meant for Filipinos who miss the food, not to cause any trouble or hatred. Various products from the Philippines, including coffee and meat, are available at the Sunday market. / Korea Times photo by Lee Han-na London: Julian Assange's lawyer has accused Ecuador's government of spreading lies about his behaviour inside its embassy in London, where Assange sought asylum in 2012. The Latin American country has claimed Assange's actions deteriorated before his arrest on Thursday and included putting excrement on walls, leaving soiled laundry in the bathroom, and not properly looking after his cat. Julian Assange is driven away from the Ecuadorian embassy in London after his arrest. Credit:PA Lawyer Jennifer Robinson told British TV network Sky News on Sunday the Ecuadorian government was spreading alleged falsehoods about the Australian to divert attention from its decision to revoke his asylum and allow his arrest at its embassy. "I think the first thing to say is Ecuador has been making some pretty outrageous allegations over the past few days to justify what was an unlawful and extraordinary act in allowing British police to come inside an embassy," Robinson said. A member of Fighters for Free North, a Seoul-based human rights group focused on North Korea-related issues, tries to put up leaflets blasting North Korea's Kim Jong-un over the alleged murder of his half-brother Kim Jong-nam, at the North Korean embassy in Madrid, Spain, April 4. In late February, a group of 10 allegedly led by Adrian Hong, a longtime human rights activist, raided the embassy, according to the Spanish National High Court. Courtesy of Fighters for Free North By Jung Da-min North Korean defectors may feel a sense of camaraderie toward Adrian Hong, who is a key suspect in the investigation of a recent raid on the North Korean Embassy in Spain. On March 26, Spain's National High Court removed a secrecy order on the raid which happened Feb. 22, naming Hong as the leader of a group of ten that also involved South Korean citizen Woo Ran Lee and U.S. national Sam Ryu. Just few hours after the court revealed the news of the raid, Free Joseon, a political organization opposing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's regime, claimed responsibility. Defectors based in Seoul say they do not know much about Free Joseon nor have they had any contact with the secretive group, but they think what Hong and Free Joseon have been doing is courageous and meaningful. Park Sang-hak, head of the Fighters for Free North. Korea Times file Park Sang-hak, who defected from North Korea in 2000 and now heads the Fighters for Free North, a human rights group regularly sending leaflets to the North via balloons to let the truth and facts be known to the people there, said he had known Hong for years although he didn't know much about Free Joseon. "Adrian Hong is a great person and Free Joseon is a good organization, dedicating itself to promoting the liberation of the North Korean people," Park told The Korea Times when reached April 9. "I do feel a sense of camaraderie and fellowship towards Free Joseon and I would say they are courageous people fighting for the liberation of the North Korean people." Park said Adrian Hong once joined him to send leaflets to the North and that he visited Hong when the latter founded the California-based Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), an international non-governmental organization at Yale University in 2004 to help North Korean refugees. Park claimed the raid on the North Korean Embassy in Madrid, allegedly by Hong, was a good thing as the North Korean embassies in other capitalist countries were criminal groups distributing counterfeit currencies and drugs as well as carrying out other illegal activities to earn hard currency for the regime. On April 6, Park's Fighters for Free North distributed anti-Kim Jong-un leaflets blasting the dictator for his alleged involvement in the murder of his half-brother Kim Jong-nam with the nerve agent VX at Kuala Lumpur's international airport two years ago. Park's group was planning to send the same leaflets to the North around mid-April. He said he believed that Free Joseon was protecting Kim Jong-nam's son, Kim Han-sol, after rescuing him in 2017 when the group's official name was the Cheollima Civil Defense, based on what he heard from his sources in the U.S. Park also said it seemed that the recent raid on the North Korean Embassy in Spain was to convey Kim Han-sol's message to the Kim Jong-un regime. "Hong and other suspected members of the recent raid on the North Korean Embassy was to send a strong message to Kim Jong-un," Park said. "Kim Han-sol is a witness to history that Kim Jong-un murdered Kim Jong-nam with the nerve agent VX." Choi Hyun-joon, head of the Society for Unification Future. Korea Times file Another defector, Choi Hyun-joon, settled in the South in 2009 and has been leading a defectors group called Society for Unification Future in Seoul, also said that he felt a sense of affinity towards Free Joseon, seeing the recent raid on the embassy. Choi said this kind of activity would help let the international community know about the "wrongful" North Korean regime. "Not many people in South Korea and other countries have much interest or knowledge about the North Korean regime," Choi said. "[This kind of activity] could strike a blow to the regime, by repeatedly letting the international community know about [its wrongfulness]." A general view of North Korea's embassy in Madrid, Spain, seen in this March 13, 2019 photo AP-Yonhap Who is Adrian Hong? Adrian Hong, human rights activist long involved with North Korea-related issues. Korea Times file Hong is a U.S. based human rights activist long involved in helping North Korean defectors, though he has not been affiliated with LiNK for more than 10 years. After leaving LiNK, Hong had held several different titles, involved with North Korea-related issues. In 2015, Hong founded the Joseon Institute, which described its mission as to "prepare actionable blueprints on how to manage a transition and prepare for a brighter future in a new North Korea," bearing similarities to Free Joseon's mission statements. Formerly known as Cheollima Civil Defense, Free Joseon has claimed it rescued Kim Han-sol, who is now under their protection. On March 1, the group declared itself a provisional government fighting against the "wrongful" North Korean regime, preparing the foundations for a future nation built upon respect for the principles of human rights and humanitarianism. Meanwhile, human rights activists based in South Korea and the U.S. said they had long known him but had not met him in recent years. They said they would wait and see the Spanish court's investigation results regarding the recent raid on the North Korean Embassy, sharing different views on the matter. Casey Lartigue, co-founder of Teach North Korean Refugees. Korea Times file Casey Lartigue, co-founder of Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) in Seoul, said he would not be too surprised to hear that Hong led the raid on the North Korean embassy in Spain, having known him for long time. "I don't know who is behind the organization or raid, but I can say that I would not be the least bit surprised if Adrian is a leader or the leader of it," Lartigue told The Korea Times. "From what I know about him, he has been burning for years to do something that would strike at the heart of North Korea." He added, "If I had been asked to choose 'who is most likely to attack North Korea directly,' then Adrian's name is one of the first I would have mentioned." Another human rights activist in the U.S., however, said he was not sure if Adrian was involved in the raid. Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK). Korea Times file In this photo taken Thursday, March 21, 2019, mothers wait to have their babies vaccinated against measles, at a healthcare center in Larintsena, Madagascar (AP Photo/Laetitia Bezain) 1,200 Dead in Madagascar Measles Epidemic, Reports Say A measles epidemic has reportedly killed more than 1,200 people in Madagascar with more than 115,000 cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that those killed from the outbreak have been mostly children under the age of 15. The Associated Press reported that about 58 percent of people on the main island have been vaccinated. The outbreak, which started in September, has worsened due to malnourishment, AP reported, adding that about 50 percent of children in Madagascar dont get enough nutrition due to economic reasons. Its one of the main reasons for the epidemic, the report noted. In a country like Madagascar, where they are battling a deadly outbreak and vaccines are in short supply, the US and European anti-vax movement infuriates physicians. Posted by CNN Health on Thursday, February 7, 2019 The epidemic unfortunately continues to expand in size, though at a slower pace than a month ago, Dr. Dossou Vincent Sodjinou, a WHO epidemiologist in Madagascar, told the news outlet. Health officials say that many people dont have access to vaccines, either because there arent enough or families are too poor, Reuters reported last month. However, Malnutrition is the bed of measles, Sodjinou added in the AP report. Madagascar is among the poorest countries in the world. Epidemic of measles in Madagascar has caused more than 900 deaths, World Health Organization says. Posted by NBC News on Thursday, February 21, 2019 Immunization is not the only strategy for the response to this epidemic. We still need resources for care, monitoring and social mobilization, he added. The Parents Speak I could not afford to take him to the hospital, Dada, a local, told Reuters about his son. Its my 6-year-old daughter who had measles first. She had a lot of fever, another woman added. I called the doctor but it was Friday. He had already gone to town. I went to see another doctor who told me that my daughter had an allergy. This misdiagnosis was almost fatal. Her child narrowly survived the ordeal after days of vomiting and diarrhea. I had five children. They all had measles. For the last, I did not go to see the doctor because I did not have money, Lalatiana Ravonjisoa, another woman, said. I gave my baby the leftover medications from his big brother to bring down the fever. According to ReliefWeb, measles is an acute, highly contagious viral disease that has potential to lead to major epidemics The malnutrition rate is also a contributor as malnutrition increases childrens vulnerability of serious complications and death from measles infection. The risk of the outbreak, according to the website, is very high in the East African nation. Currently, several concomitant factors are likely to hinder or delay public health intervention and might jeopardize the response: post-election conflict, geographical isolation and remoteness of cases, insecurity, hurricane season and multiple outbreaks, states ReliefWeb. United States Outbreaks The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued an update on the number of measles cases in the United States. The agency reported 387 cases across the country from Jan. 1 to late March. States that have reported cases of the virus are Washington, Texas, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Missouri, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, and Connecticut, according to the agency in a bulletin on March 28. In comparison, there were 372 cases of measles for all of 2018, the agency noted. And in 2017, there were 120 cases, while in 2016, there were 86 cases. In recent years, the most outbreaks in a single year occurred in 2014 when 667 cases of measles were confirmed, the agency said. These outbreaks are linked to travelers who brought measles back from other countries such as Israel, Ukraine, and the Philippines, where large measles outbreaks are occurring, the health agency said, adding, Measles is still common in many parts of the world including some countries in Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and Africa. The CDC noted that the virus can also spread in areas of the United States where groups of people are not vaccinated. Meanwhile, the CDC defines an outbreak as three or more cases in an area. The Colorado River wraps around Horseshoe Bend in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Page, Ariz., on Feb. 11, 2017. (Rhona Wise /AFP/Getty Images) 2 More Fatal Falls at Grand Canyon Follow Dozens of Others PHOENIXTwo recent deaths in which men plummeted in the Grand Canyon follow dozens of apparently accidental fatal falls since the national park was established 100 years ago. Michael Obritsch, of Santa Rosa, California, died April 3 after falling from the edge of the South Rim in Grand Canyon Village, near the Yavapai Geology Museum. His body was found 400 feet below the rim, according to park officials. A tourist from Macau, China, fell to his death on March 28. The man was at least 50 years old, park officials said. The man was trying to take a photo at Grand Canyon Wests Eagle Pointclose to the Skywalk located on the Hualapai Reservation outside the parkwhen he stumbled and fell, The Arizona Republic reported earlier this week. Skywalk provides you with a view of the Grand Canyon you can't get anywhere else. It's an amazing experience to stand on Posted by Grand Canyon Skywalk on Wednesday, August 22, 2018 The body of a Japanese tourist was found March 26 in a wooded area south of Grand Canyon Village, away from the rim. All three deaths still were under investigation by the Investigative Services branch of the National Parks Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner, according to park spokeswoman Vanessa Ceja-Cervantes. No amount of signage, railings or even verbal warnings will be enough to end the falls, said Michael P. Ghiglieri, author of Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon. Sixty-four fatal falls have been recorded in the parks history, Ghiglieri said. Forty-nine of the victims were male and 15 female. Many deaths involve someone going around a guardrail to get closer to the edge or accidentally driving off the rim. This number does not include any death that was ruled a suicide. Park officials currently dont plan to add increased railing or signage in light of the string of deaths, Ceja-Cervantes said. Ample signage is already commonplace in highly traveled areas of the canyon. Only one person fell to his death in the park in 2018. Andrey Privin of Illinois died in July after he climbed over the railing at Mather Point, a popular viewpoint at the South Rim. Some visitors said they saw Privin throw his backpack over the railing and onto an intended landing spot before jumping. He fell 500 feet to his death. About 12 people die each year within the park, Ceja-Cervantes said. The deaths can be attributed to everything from accidental falls, to heat-related deaths and drownings during rafting trips on the Colorado River. Falls at Grand Canyon Authors Tom Myers and Michael Ghiglieri said that as of 2012, about 685 people had died from falling into the Grand Canyon. Ghiglieri noted that the 1980s actually saw more deaths than recent years but there has been a shift in what kills people. Over the last decade, proportionally more people have been dying from environmental problemsmainly heatwhile hiking, he told the Arizona Daily Sun. This is despite everything the park has tried to do via educational signs and via preventative search and rescue work, both of which are pretty good. There were also proportionally more people dying from falls within the canyon (as opposed to from the rims). Of the people that fall over the edge, most are young males, he said. About 12 deaths happen each year at the Grand Canyon, park spokeswoman Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski reported on the Grand Canyon blog earlier this year. On average, two or three of the deaths are from falls over the rim. Other causes of death include natural causes, medical problems, suicides, heat, drowning, and traffic crashes. The blog recommends people stick to paved paths on the rim, watch children closely both at the rim and on trails, and be aware of the possibility of falling at all times. The official Grand Canyon website states on viewing the canyon safely: Stay at least six feet from the edge. Hold on to Children. Do not lean over or go past walkways and railings. Always be aware of your surroundings. Do not back up without first looking where you are going. NTD News reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. Beagles Force-Fed Pesticides, Now Released and up for Adoption Thirty-two beagles that were saved from an animal testing lab where they were force-fed pesticides are now ready for new homesand will likely have no trouble being adopted. Just an hour after the Michigan Humane Society announced it was opening the adoption process for the dogs Friday evening, it received nearly 400 applications, spokesman Andy Bissonette said. Society staff are now reviewing the applications and plan to start contacting candidates Monday. The release of the dogs came after the Humane Society of the United States posted a video showing beagles being force-fed pesticides at Charles River Laboratories in Mattawan, Michigan. The organization said in its report on the testing that 36 beagles were part of a one-year pesticide study for a new fungicide developed by Corteva Agriscience, the agriculture division of DowDuPont. It said the dogs that made it to designated end of the study in July 2019 would be euthanized. Viral Video Led to Dogs Being Released Corteva came under fire after the videos release, and almost a week later it announced it would end testing on the dogs. On March 27, Corteva agreed to release the beagles to Michigan Humane Society, a partner of the national humane society. We fully appreciate your concern, and were pleased weve reached an agreement with the Michigan Humane Society to rehome the animals. The dogs are healthy, and @mhumane has the experience, capability and capacity to rehome them. Please read our full update. pic.twitter.com/ao0n8zMOeM Corteva Agriscience (@corteva) March 27, 2019 The Michigan Humane Society said more than 100,000 people signed a petition on the Humane Society of the United States website demanding that the dogs be released. Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said they fought to have the beagles released to an adequate animal shelter. In an official statement, the Michigan Humane Society said, We are happy to announce that we have reached an agreement with Corteva Agriscience regarding the placement of the beagles from the study. We are pleased with their decision to work with us and look forward to a new beginning for each of these animals. BREAKING: We are currently accepting applications for potential adopters to provide forever homes for the retired research beagles in our care. Apply using this link: https://t.co/4OLiqd0o8T. @HumaneSociety pic.twitter.com/WvSKiD7FuD Michigan Humane Society (@mhumane) April 13, 2019 32 Beagles Are Now Up for Adoption It is unclear why the Michigan organization received 32 beagles, while the testing involved 36. Kathleen Conlee, vice president of animal research issues at the Humane Society of the United States, said in a statement, We cant possibly know what kind of agreement Dow/Corteva had with Charles River but we do know that 36 dogs were ordered for the study. She said that during their numerous conversations, company representatives never contradicted the 36 number. And, of course, we want to see all 36 beagles who were assigned to this study released to the Michigan Humane Society. It is up to Dow/Corteva to explain why there are only 32 dogs being released, she said. U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that a third summit with Kim Jong-un would be "good," after the North Korean leader expressed openness to another meeting. Trump's tweet came in response to Kim's speech to the North's parliament on Friday, during which he said he would be willing to hold a third summit if the U.S. comes with the "right attitude" and "right method." The North Korean leader also said his relationship with Trump remains excellent and that he will wait until the end of the year for the U.S. to make a courageous decision regarding their negotiations to dismantle the North's nuclear weapons program in exchange for sanctions relief. "I agree with Kim Jong Un of North Korea that our personal relationship remains very good, perhaps the term excellent would be even more accurate, and that a third Summit would be good in that we fully understand where we each stand," Trump wrote on Twitter. A Chinese villager uses her mule to carry containers of water collected from an underground well miles away from her village during a severe drought in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan province on March 31, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) Beijing Plans New Ways to Boost Economy: Move Youth to Countryside, Ease Hukou Restrictions The Chinese regime recently rolled out two new plans that look contradictory on the surface but actually serve similar purposes. Beijing has operated a strict household registration system, known as hukou in Chinese, since 1949, that has restricted citizens movements based on where they are born. There are two primary groups: urban residents with a non-agricultural hukou and rural residents with an agricultural hukou. Each person can only have one hukou. The former usually entitles a citizen to access to better health care and education opportunities. With this system, urban residents cannot work on a farm, while a rural resident cannot work in the city. But since the 1980s, restrictions have loosened as more migrant workers choose to move from the countryside to the city in search of higher, more stable income. Migrant workers today are allowed to work, but often do not have health insurance, pension, or other government benefits. The Chinese regime recently announced that it would ease such hukou restrictions and allow 100 million villagers to move to urban areas. At the same time, it announced plans to move 10 million unemployed youth from cities to the countryside. Villagers Move to Cities The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) released its tasks for the 2019 year on April 8, including encouraging villagers to give up their agricultural hukou and move to big, middle, or small-size cities. The NDRC mandated that each city government must enact measures to give 100 million rural residents a city hukou. However, large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, will keep the current hukou policywhich only grants a city hukou to those who meet stringent government standards or Party officials who can pay an exorbitant fee (the latter system is not open to the public). This policy is meant to encourage people from rural areas to move to lower-tier cities, where they can get access to better health care and education. However, those who move to the cities will lose their rural hukou, including their land and any property in their home village. Adding the burden of buying or renting an apartment in the city, this means a permanent move to the city is only a viable choice for those rural inhabitants who are relatively well-off. The state-run Beijing Daily reported on April 12 the true reason for Beijings sudden change of heart: New rural residents who move into the cities can help stimulate the local real estate market. The report used Tianjin City as an example. The municipal government launched a program in 2018, that gives well-educated people the ability to earn a Tianjin hukou. The real estate market became hot in Tianjin [after the plan was launched], the report said. In April 2018, about 4,000 apartments were sold in Tianjin. In the following monththe first month after the new policy was launchedmore than 9,000 apartments were sold. Frank Tian Xie, a professor of business and marketing at the University of South CarolinaAiken, similarly told the Chinese-language Epoch Times in an April 9 interview that the Chinese regime is easing hukou restrictions because it wants to sell any unwanted real estate properties in these smaller markets. Youth Moving to the Countryside Meanwhile, the central committee of the Communist Youth League, an organization for cadre hopefuls, released an order on March 22, requiring 10 million youth to move to rural areas within three years. In the name of rural revitalization and modernizing agriculture and the countryside, the Youth League set the goals of having at least 10,000 Youth League members become low-level officials in rural areas; train 200,000 youth to be business leaders in rural areas; and arrange at least 10 million college or university graduates to be volunteers to build the culture, technology, and health care fields in the countryside before 2022. This order is reminiscent of a time during the Cultural Revolution when urban youth in middle school, high school, and university were forcibly sent to the countryside to work in the fields. Known as the Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside Movement, then-Party leader Mao Zedong launched this effort in the late 1960s as part of his campaign to rid youth of pro-bourgeois thinking and learn from the proletariat farmers. Approximately 17 million youth were sent to the countryside until the campaign ended in the late 1970s. Analysts believe that this time around, the Chinese regime is encouraging youth to move to the countryside due to growing unemployment in the urban cities. Currently, youth are having a hard time finding a job in the city. Meanwhile, the countryside is lacking laborers due to the exodus of residents to the big cities to work as migrant workers, said Li Yuanhua, formerly an assistant professor of history at China Capital Normal University who now resides in Sydney, Australia, in an interview with the Chinese-language Epoch Times on April 11. Unemployment rates are a taboo topic in China and rarely disclosed by authorities, as it often signals social instability. Independent economist He Qinglian has estimated that the true unemployment rate in China is currently around 22 percent. Theres no solution to unemploymenteven though some youth rely on parents [for financial support], while some choose to continue pursuing higher education, said Canada-based China affairs commentator Wen Zhao in a YouTube video published on his channel on April 10. Wen added that the Chinese regimes new sets of agendas are unlikely to work, as wealthy villagers do not wish to change their hukou because their rural land can become valuable when a local government decides to redevelop the area. Meanwhile, most of the unemployed youth are from the generation of the one-child policy. They are used to living comfortably and being spoiled by their parents, and will have a hard time adjusting to rural life if they choose to move to the countryside, Wen said. Workers are seen at a construction site of the Tangshan-Hohhot railway in Ulanqab, north China's Inner Mongolia region, March 19, 2019. China has drastically increased infrastructure spending in 2019. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) China Opens Credit Floodgates in March Beijing trades future for present, as it doubles down on 2019 economy News Analysis China has opened the credit spigot. Credit growth in March exceeded all estimates after a slowdown in February, according to official central bank data on April 12. Total social financing (TSF), a broad measure of credit within the Chinese economy, grew by a net 2.86 trillion yuan ($426 billion) in March compared to the previous month, after a relatively modest increase of 703 billion yuan in February. TSF includes financing that is outside of traditional banking loans, such as loans issued by trust companies, initial public offerings, and bond offerings. While Beijing has pulled out all the stops to ensure economic growth are stable in the short-termfirst quarter GDP (Gross Domestic Product) figures will arrive next weekits exacerbating longer-term leverage issues. Marchs credit growth was broad-based, with financial institutions underwriting 1.69 trillion yuan ($252 billion) of new loans in March. Bank loans and M2 money supplya measure of cash in circulationalso grew during the month. This credit growth and an uptick in manufacturing purchasing managers index for March are signs that recent policy easing is bearing some fruit. Since last year, Beijing authorities and the Peoples Bank of China have taken a series of measures to combat economic slowdown triggered by the 2017 deleveraging campaign and a debilitating trade war with the United States. The easing measures included five cuts to banks reserve requirement ratios, allowance of perpetual bond issuances, and infrastructure spending. In its dramatic shift to amplify infrastructure spending, Beijing has lifted debt quotas on local governments. Local authorities issued debt at a record pace during the first three months of the year. Most of the debt were special purpose, for the financing of infrastructure projects such as subways and bridges. Timing Is Critical This round of stimulus measuresand the resulting credit growthseems different. Unlike previous periods, this series of policy easing isnt attempting to invigorate growth but to combat an ongoing growth slowdown. Marchs credit growth will be seen as extremely helpful. Beijing is set to release its GDP growth rate for the first quarter next week. All eyes are fixated on the first-quarter GDP metric, which will determine the course of action for the rest of the year. At a macro level, 2019 is an especially fraught year economically and politically. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping kicked off the year in January with a meeting to address extraordinary risks facing the economy and by extension, Chinas political, ideological, and social stability. Various degrees of political anxiety will last the entire year. April 15 will mark the 30th anniversary of the passing of former Party leader Hu Yaobang, a reformist whose death in 1989 was seen as one of the triggers for the Tiananmen Square student protests. Next month marks the 100th anniversary of the May 4th reformist movement, and June brings the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Later in the year, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China will be commemorated. Needless to say, a stable economy could go a long way towards mitigating political and social anxiety, which will be a focal point for the CCP during 2019. Trading Future for Present But Chinas longer term issues will likely worsen going forward. Beijing has essentially traded longer-term economic health for near-term stability. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently warned that China will face a sharp slowdown in the future if it continues to loosen monetary policy or engage in massive infrastructure spending to shore up growth, according to IMFs semi-annual Global Financial Stability report. Further monetary and credit support may exacerbate the existing financial vulnerabilities, as faster credit growth will make it harder for smaller banks to clean up their balance sheets, said IMFs Tobias Adrian, Director of Monetary and Capital Markets Department, during an April 10 press conference. Beijing has essentially abandoned its recent efforts to deleverage the economy, and instead is doubling down on infrastructure and real estate, two already overleveraged sectors. Regulators have also delayed reforms over Chinas sprawling asset management industry and instead are creating more potentially bad debts. Chinas National Audit Office recently found that some banks in central Henan Province had registered 40 percent of their loan books as bad debt at the end of 2018, according to an April 8 Financial Times report. In addition, while recent tax cut measures are temporarily boosting consumption, they come at the expense of putting pressure on local and regional budgets. Its important to remember that the United States and European economies are still on solid footing. So if China uses up all of its ammunition to stabilize economic growth during 2019, what will it do when the global economy really falters and demand slows? Chinese Scientists Implant Human Brain Genes into Monkeys Chinese scientists have implanted human brain genes into monkeys, taking another step into what has been described as the ethical nightmare realm of gene-editing. In a study published last month in Beijings National Science Review, the journal of the state-sponsored Chinese Academy of Science, scientists inserted the human gene, MCPH1, which has been linked to brain development, into 11 monkey embryos via a virus which carried the gene into the monkeys brains. Of the 11 rhesus macaque monkeys were used in the experiment, six of them died. Experiments were conducted on the remaining five. The use of transgenic monkeys to study human genes linked to brain evolution is a very risky road to take, James Sikela, a geneticist who works with primates at the University of Colorado, told the MIT Technology Review. It is troubling that the field is steamrolling along in this manner. Science Abstract or Abstract Science? The experiment, according to the scientific team in China, was an attempt to understand the evolutionary process which led to human intelligence. The researchers believe that the MCPH1 gene may provide part of the answer. The scientists conducted a series of tests on the transgenic monkeys, including MRI scans and memory tests, which showed that the monkeys had better short-term memory and faster reaction times than the control group. Their brains also took longer to develop, similar to that what occurs in humans. Though the Chinese team says their findings are significant, other scientists remain highly skeptical. Martin Styner, a computer scientist at the University of North Carolina, who is listed as a co-author in the study, told the MIT Technology Review that he was considering pulling his name from the paper. Styners role was limited to teaching Chinese students how to use MRI data to gather data about the volume of the brain, he said. When we do experiments, we have to have a good understanding of what we are trying to learn, to help society, and that is not the case here. Styner told the MIT Technology Review. I dont think that is a good direction. They are trying to understand brain development. And I dont think they are getting there. Barbara J. King, emeritus professor of anthropology at the College of William and Mary, in an email interview with Vox, said the justification for the experiment was misguided. More of the genetically altered monkeys six died than lived, so right off the bat we see that the procedure is often lethal, King said. This kind of experiment is an ethical nightmare, he added. The costs are terribly high and the benefits to humanity approach zero; theres growing recognition that animal models simply dont work well to study complex human processes, King said. What right do we have to subject these primates to grotesque procedures of this sort? A Different Monkey Business China has been at the vanguard of questionable scientific advances. In January, Chinese scientists intentionally cloned monkeys with genes that gave them debilitating congenital diseases. The stated intention of these modifications was to use these monkeys as models to create different gene-based diseases. Scientists modified their genes in a way to disturb the monkeys natural sleep cycles, or circadian rhythms. The monkeys are expected to have a life fraught with anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. In China, a massive monkey breeding industry has grown in recent years to feed the increasing demand from scientists for test subjects, according to The Atlantic. These facilities breed macaque monkeys for use in domestic research, or mostly for export to researchers abroad. The price for a single monkey is much lower in China tooonly $1,500, as opposed to $6,000 in the United States. The Atlantic reported that many American scientists fly to China to perform experiments that are ethically unacceptable in the United States. Meanwhile, the Chinese regime has also increased funding for such research projects over the years. Last November, a Chinese researcher created shockwaves in the scientific community after he claimed to have altered the DNA of a set of human twin girls, by editing the girls embryonic genes to supposedly increase their immunity to the HIV virus. Though the scientist, He Jiankui, was publicly scolded and fired from his university position, others suspected that he may have received state backing. PORTLANDWriter Pam Young decided to come watch Shen Yun Performing Arts after being intrigued by the dancing she saw in an online advertisement. I love ballet and saw a lot of similarities, and Ive never seen Chinese dance, she said. So Young and her husband Terry Richard, video producer, attended the performance together in Portland, and they were not disappointed. My impression is that, we have 13 grandchildren, I wish every one of them could have been here today to experience this, Richard said. New York-based Shen Yun is the leading classical Chinese dance company whose mission is to revive 5,000 years of authentic Chinese culture through song and dance. Its two-hour long program consists of about 20 segments featuring classical Chinese dance vignettes, vocal soloists, and stories told through dance. Richard enjoyed the variety in the programming and appreciated the two emcees explanations of the stories and dances before each piece. As a video specialist, he was also blown away by Shen Yuns 3-D backdrop, which added an unique element to the scenes unfolding on stage. In fact, Richard was so fixated on the projection, that at times he even forgot to pay attention to the performers on stage. I was just entranced by the backdrop and how it was changing, and the birds flying and the lightning and all of that. And how you incorporated the background with the live talent, he said. Young, a writer of self-help books for women, meanwhile was struck by the spiritual element flowing through the performance. Traditional Chinese culture is centered around a belief in the divine, as carried through in the teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Values and principles emphasized by such teachings include respect for elders, propriety, and righteousness, and have guided Chinese people and society for thousands of years, up until the Chinese communist regime seized power 70 years ago. The writer was particular struck by the message in the closing segment titled The Final Moment, a story set in todays China. Young thought the moral behind the story was the need to value tradition to ensure humankinds prosperity. She was also touched by the depictions of strength in spite of communist oppression in China, embodied by practitioners of spiritual practice Falun Dafa. I just loved the fight that Chinese people have against the regime thats in China, that you cant have your spiritual practices. Im so grateful we have freedom of religion in America. It was wonderful, she said. Richard echoed this sentiment. I hope Im still around, when the day comes that you can take this show to China. Wouldnt that be great? he said. With reporting by Frank Zhang. The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks to reporters during a youth climate rally on the west front of the Capitol in Washington on March 15, 2019. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) Democrats Attack Trump for Quoting Omar on 9/11, Ignore Omars Quote A number of prominent Democrats have condemned President Donald Trump for quoting Rep. Ilhan Omars (D-Minn.) dismissive description of the 9/11 terrorist attacks while at the same time, not disavowing the content of their colleagues remarks. On April 12, Trump posted a video that spliced news footage of 9/11 with a speech Omar gave last month where she described the attacks as some people did something. The president and members of the Republican party have accused Omar of minimizing the 9/11 attacks, while Democrats have condemned Trump for allegedly inciting racism and violence. Omar made the comments at a Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) fundraiser. For far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and, frankly, Im tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it, Omars full quote said. CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties. WE WILL NEVER FORGET! pic.twitter.com/VxrGFRFeJM Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019 High-profile Democrats, including 2020 presidential contenders, were quick to come to Omars defense. While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on April 13 that any discussion of 9/11 must be done with reverence, she appeared to ignore Omars apparently irreverent remarks on the subject, instead saying, The President shouldnt use the painful images of 9/11 for a political attack. The memory of 9/11 is sacred ground, and any discussion of it must be done with reverence. The President shouldnt use the painful images of 9/11 for a political attack. Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 13, 2019 Democratic 2020 candidate Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) struck a similar tone, when he said that Omar wont back down to Trumps racism and hate, and neither will we. The disgusting and dangerous attacks against her must end. Ilhan Omar is a leader with strength and courage. She wont back down to Trumps racism and hate, and neither will we. The disgusting and dangerous attacks against her must end. Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 13, 2019 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) suggested that Trump put Omars life in danger while saying that any silence from her colleagues is to be complicit in his dangerous targeting of Omar. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) made similar attacks against the commander in chief. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said he had no issue with how Omar characterized 9/11. Members of Congress have a duty to respond to the Presidents explicit attack today.@IlhanMNs life is in danger. For our colleagues to be silent is to be complicit in the outright, dangerous targeting of a member of Congress. We must speak out. First they came pic.twitter.com/ygOX1vhE9j Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 12, 2019 President Trump understands the weight his words carry. His tweet about Congresswoman Ilhan Omar puts her life & her familys lives at risk. Our outrage should be nonpartisan. That its not will only give him license to continue to incite violence. Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) April 13, 2019 For two years, this President has used the most powerful platform in the world to sow hate & division. Hes done it again, presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) claimed on Twitter. Putting the safety of a sitting member of Congress @ IlhanMN at risk & vilifying a whole religion is beyond the pale. Ill be blunt we must defeat him. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), another 2020 contender, also claimed that Trump was inciting violence against a sitting Congresswomanand an entire group of Americans based on their religion. Like Ocasio-Cortez, she said on Twitter that any elected leader who refuses to condemn it shares responsibility for it. In response, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on April 14 that the president wished no ill will, and certainly not violence, towards anyone adding that the president absolutely and should be calling out the congresswoman for her, not only one time, but history, of anti-Semitic comments. Sanders also questioned why Democrats refused to condemn Omar for the comments Trump was highlighting. The bigger question is why arent Democrats doing the same thing? Its absolutely abhorrent the comments that she continues to make and has made and they [Democrats] look the other way. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (L) speaks with Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Richard Neal, on March 14, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images) Democrats Set Final Deadline for IRS to Release Trumps Tax Returns The Democratic chairman of the House tax-writing committee set an April 23 deadline for his request to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for President Donald Trumps tax returns. In a letter (pdf) to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal wrote that he will consider failure to comply by the new deadline as a refusal to his request. The IRS already has missed the April 10 deadline Neal set in his initial request. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on April 13 that Neal was just picking arbitrary dates in setting deadlines. Mnuchin could not say if the Treasury, which oversees the IRS, would complete its review of Neals request by the deadline. He emphasized it was more important to get the decision right to ensure the IRS would not be weaponized in a political dispute. I do intend to follow the law. But I think these raise very, very complicated legal issues. I dont think these are simple issues. There are constitutional issues, Mnuchin said. Mnuchin, who has consulted with the White House and Department of Justice about Trumps tax returns, previously said that Neals request raised concerns about the scope of the committees authority, privacy protections for taxpayers, and the legislative purpose of lawmakers in seeking the documents. Trump broke from a decades-old custom of presidents releasing their tax returns, arguing that he cannot do so as the IRS is conducting an audit. The president is exercising a privacy protection afforded to all Americans under the tax code. According to a 2017 tally by Roll Call, 90 percent of Democratic lawmakers, including Neal himself, did not release their tax returns, including after being asked to do so. After Neals initial request, Trumps personal attorney, William Consovoy, laid out a detailed legal argument in an April 5 letter (pdf) to the Treasurys legal counsel, writing that the request fails to provide a legitimate purpose, is motivated by partisan politics, and sets a dangerous precedent. Ways and Means has no legitimate committee purpose for requesting the presidents tax returns or return information, Consovoy wrote. His request is a transparent effort by one political party to harass an official from the other party because they dislike his politics and speech. In his letter, Neal addressed the concerns put forth. It is not the proper function of the IRS, Treasury, or Justice to question or second guess the motivations of the Committee or its reasonable determinations regarding its need for the requested tax returns and return information, Neal wrote. Neal argues that the language in the law unambiguously mandates the IRS to provide the tax returns to the committee upon request, that the IRS cannot legally question the committees purpose, and that concerns about what the committee may do with the tax returns and return information are baseless. The new deadline brings the standoff closer to a battle in federal court. Should the IRS miss the new deadline, Neal could follow with a subpoena or opt to file a lawsuit. Congressional Republicans have condemned Neals request as a political fishing expedition by Democrats, while the White House has said the documents will never be turned over. Neals request for the returns of a sitting president is unprecedented, and legal experts say its success or failure may depend on a court ruling about the committees legislative purpose for seeking the documents. On April 14, Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris released tax returns through 2018, offering the most complete look to date at a presidential candidates finances. Harris held public office during the years 2004 through 2018. With her husband, Douglas Emhoff, an attorney, she had a combined adjusted gross income in 2018 of about $1.89 million, and paid total taxes of about $697,000, according to the returns. Harris and Emhoff, who have filed joint tax returns since marrying in 2014, have paid more than $2.2 million in federal taxes over the past five years at an average effective tax rate of 32.6 percent, according to her campaign. Reuters contributed to this report. FileA giant cassowary bird in the Daintree National Forest, Australia, on June 30, 2015. Authorities believe a bird like this one killed its owner when it attacked him on his property near Gainesville, Fla., on April 12, 2019. (Wilson Ring/AP Photo, File) Florida Man Attacked and Killed by Cassowary Bird That Can Slice Open Any Predator A Florida man was attacked and killed by a giant cassowary bird known for its sharp, dagger-like claws. Authorities believe Marvin Hajos, 75, was breeding cassowaries when he fell and was attacked by the bird. The large, flightless birds are native to Australia and the island of New Guinea but are sought after by collectors of exotic birds in the United States. Said by the San Diego Zoo to be the worlds most dangerous birds, cassowaries stand up to 6 feet tall and can weigh up to 130 pounds. The giant birds have a long, dagger-like claw on each foot. Cassowaries also have a helmet-like bony structure on top of their heads, which gives the birds added protection in confrontations and makes for a potentially painful head butt. The protuberance called the casque, accentuates the air of menace, said the narrator in a Planet Doc film documentary titled Cassowary: The most dangerous bird in the world. Their three-toed feet consist of sharp claws, the middle of which grows up to 12.5 centimeters (5 inches) long that they use to pierce animals and humans with a swift, fatal jumping kick, said the narrator in a documentary titled Worlds Deadliest Bird on the YouTube channel They Will Kill You. Looks Like It Was Accidental The Alachua County Fire Rescue Department told the Gainesville Sun a cassowary probably injured Hajos using its long claws. The elderly victim was taken to hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. It looks like it was accidental. My understanding is that the gentleman was in the vicinity of the bird and at some point fell, Deputy Chief Jeff Taylor told the newspaper. When he fell, he was attacked. The county sheriffs office said an investigation has been launched into the mans death. Initial information indicates that this was a tragic accident for Mr. Hajos, Brett Rhodenizer, a sheriffs office spokesman, told the Gainesville Sun. The cassowary involved remains secured on private property at this time. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission requires anyone wishing to own a cassowary to obtain a permit, have substantial experience, and have a cage that meets specific requirements. Florida Fish and Water spokeswoman Karen Parker told the Gainesville Sun the commission believed the man was breeding the birds. Kangaroo Attacks Paraglider In related news, a paraglider in Australia was attacked by a kangaroo on March 7, 2019. Luckily, he suffered only minor injuries. Jonathan Bishop landed near the old Orroral Space Tracking Station, formerly a NASA station built to support satellites in space for the agencys Spacecraft Tracking and Data Acquisition Network. However, moments after he landed, a grey kangaroo quickly hopped toward him and attacked him without warning. The footage shows the kangaroo striking Bishop with its paws twice before he shouted at the wild animal and it hopped away. As it ran toward me I thought it was being friendly so I said, Whats Up, Skip? Bishop commented on a YouTube video of the attack. It then attacked me twice before hopping away. Paragliding sounds like fun until youre greeted by an irate roo.https://t.co/FO1YCCDhnP CNET News (@CNETNews) March 10, 2019 Many people who watched the video online commented about the unpredictable behavior of kangaroos. The Associated Press and Epoch Times reporter Richard Szabo contributed to this report. Nacogdoches, TX (75965) Today Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 78F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy. Low near 65F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un acquired the new title of "supreme representative of all the Korean people" during the regime's major personnel reshuffle last week, according to Pyongyang's state media, in a possible sign of more authority being given to the young leader. Referring to the re-election of Kim as the chairman of the State Affairs Commission, the communist state's highest seat of power, during a key parliamentary session, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday described the position as the "post of the supreme representative of all the Korean people and the supreme leader of the Republic." The KCNA and the North's Korean Central TV have since repeatedly called him this in dispatches on the parliamentary session as well as a national rally in Pyongyang to celebrate the re-election the following day. Previously, the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) was known as the nominal head of state representing Pyongyang, with the chairman of the State Affairs Commission only referred to as the "supreme leader" of the republic. Analysts say the new title may indicate a possible Constitution revision to give more power to Kim as a representative of his country. North Korea said it revised the Constitution during the two-day parliamentary session held on Thursday and Friday, but did not disclose how it was amended. During the meeting, Choe Ryong-hae, considered one of the closest aides to the leader, was elected to replace Kim Yong-nam as the president of the Presidium of the SPA. (Yonhap) Former Deputy Meets Boy He Saved From Fire a Decade Earlier More than a decade ago, a former deputy helped rescue a young child from a car fire in Northern California only to reunited with him seemingly by chance. Chris Thorp was driving with his wife when he spotted a familiar face. I muttered, I wonder if that is him. Everything about it seemed right. The age, the injuries, the scars. I hadnt seen him in nearly 13 years, he was 4 years old then, but everything seemed to fit, he told KTVU in March. He got out of the vehicle and walked to the teen and his family. Is your name Christian? he recalled asking the teen, who responded in the affirmative. CHANCE ENCOUNTER: "I muttered, 'I wonder if that is him.' Everything about it seemed right. The age, the injuries, the Posted by KTVU Fox 2 on Tuesday, March 5, 2019 You were in a car fire in Windsor on 101 when you were 5? Thorp continued. The teen confirmed that he was the boy in question. My name is Chris, and Im one of the ones who pulled you out, Thorp then recalled to share with the teen. According to a Facebook post, Thorp explained that because of the meeting, Sometimes its hard not to believe in higher powers while adding that right now, is one of those moments. The Press Democrat reported in 2007 that three cars had crashed on Highway 101 in Windsor, killing three adults and a toddler. The child, Christian, and his mother were rescued, but the mother later died. KTVU reported that Thorp was off duty when he saw the crash and was the first to respond. Sometimes it's hard not to believe in higher powers. Right now, is one of those moments. I was supposed to be on a Posted by Chris Thorp on Monday, March 4, 2019 Lt. Rochester, Sgt. Thompson, and I, along with a group of men who stepped up in a time of absolute chaos, did everything we could, he told the news outlet. There are no words for the elation for Christian, or the sorrow that despite all our efforts, we could not save his family from the wreckage, Thorp said. Christian lost his right arm and leg while suffering third-degree burns over 90 percent of his body. In seeing the boy again, he described the situation as unreal. Here he was the sole survivor of a crash, that impacted us both in ways I dont think either of our families truly will ever fully comprehend, Thorp told KTVU, adding that since the accident, Christian has done amazing things, and fought tremendous battles. We didnt touch on too much, but hes a serious warrior. Thorp also gave Christian the Gold Medal of Valor that he had received for saving the boys life, adding that it was Christian who deserved it. He said: I explained to him he deserved it far more than I ever did, and he was far more brave and a warrior than I ever shall be. He accepted it and, in a lot of ways, I realized I had been merely its keeper, until the time came for him to take possession. In a Facebook post, Thorp added, I still dont know how I feel. Him and his Family are very much a part of me. A part of me has come home, and at the same moment a huge weight has been lifted from my heart. Well, Higher Power.If you are there. Thank You. Today Correctional Deputy Chris Thorp is working his LAST shift at the North County Detention Facility. Deputy Thorp Posted by Sonoma Sheriff on Saturday, May 12, 2018 According to the Sonoma County Sheriffs Department, Thorp worked his last shift at the North County Detention Facility in 2018. Deputy Thorp served his community for 20 years with the Sheriffs Office and is now off to bigger and better things. Please join us in congratulating him and wishing him good luck on the next chapter of his life, it wrote. A HTC Butterfly phone is displayed at a HTC store in the New Taipei City on Jan. 7, 2013. (Mandy Cheng/AFP/Getty Images) Former Top Designer of Taiwanese Smartphone Maker HTC Sentenced for Trade Theft TAIPEI, TaiwanA former top designer at Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC was recently convicted for executing a scheme to steal trade secrets from his employer and team up with Chinese state-owned firms to start a new company based on the stolen information. Thomas Chien, who was both top designer and vice president of the companys product design department, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in prison by the Taipei District Court, according to an April 11 article by Taiwans daily newspaper Liberty Times. Chien was found to have violated the islands Securities and Exchange Act and Trade Secrets Act. The court, however, didnt find him guilty of the charge of money laundering. IP Theft Taipeis prosecutors office began an investigation against Chien and other HTC executives in 2013, after the Taiwanese smartphone maker filed charges against them that same year. According to Taiwanese media, the prosecutors found that Chien stole HTCs smartphone icon interface design and other proprietary technologies and passed these company secrets to his mainland Chinese partners, with the goal of eventually forming their own mobile phone design company in China. Ultimately, they didnt succeed in carrying out those plans. Multiple Taiwanese media reported that Chiens Chinese partners were unidentified state-owned companies with connections to the Chengdu municipal government in southwestern Chinas Sichuan Province. Chien recruited five fellow HTC employeesall Taiwanese nationalsfor his efforts, including Wu Chien-hung, a product design section leader; Justin Huang, and Huang Hung-yi, both senior managers of design and innovation; and Hung Chung-yi, manager at the manufacturing design department. Wu was sentenced to two years in prison, with a reprieve of five years, according to Liberty Times. Both Huangs and Hung were given prison sentences ranging from four months to a year and six months. Money Scheme Prosecutors also found that Chien and Wu concocted a scheme to raise money for the future Chinese company: they had HTC suppliers provide them with forged receipts for fake transactions. After HTC paid the bills to the suppliers based on the faked receipts, suppliers allegedly would provide kickbacks to Chien, Wu, and others. Chiens illicit earnings of about 6.82 million New Taiwan Dollars (about $221,100) were confiscated by Taiwan authorities. In the 2013 investigation, authorities found 3 million New Taiwan Dollars (about $97,260) in cash at Chiens home, and another 7.8 million New Taiwan Dollars (about $252,870) in cash in his Audi vehicle. Wus 7.7 million New Taiwan Dollars (about $249,600) in illicit earnings were confiscated. In total, prosecutors found that Chien and others received a total of 33.56 million New Taiwan Dollars in kickbacks from the suppliers. Three people working at the supplier companies were also given prison terms, according to Liberty Times. Taiwan as Target As China seeks to turn itself into a high-tech manufacturing powerhouse, its sought to poach tech engineers and other talents from Taiwan, home to many top tech manufacturers. In recent years, Taiwanese authorities have prosecuted several incidences of intellectual property theft involving Taiwanese nationals and Chinese companies. Two of these incidences involved Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (TSMC), the worlds largest contract chipmaker, in 2018. In April, a former TSMC engineer with the surname Wu, was arrested before he could hand over TSMC documents detailing proprietary technology to his new employer in China. In September last year, another former TSMC employee identified only by his surname Zhao, was charged with breach of trust and theft of trade secrets, with the intention of transferring them to a mainland Chinese firm. Zhao was an engineer in charge of a metal gate manufacturing process, one of the key production steps in building semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) chips. Chinas domestic industry still lags on the latest technology for manufacturing the most advanced semiconductorshence its focus on recruiting from Taiwan. According to a July 2018 article by Taiwans leading financial publication Business Weekly, which cited data from unidentified headhunting companies and estimates by semiconductor experts, there are about 2,000 Taiwanese staffers at Chinese semiconductor companies in mainland China. Additionally, there are about another 1,000 Taiwanese working at Taiwan branch offices of Chinese companies. Most of these 3,000 Taiwanese talents either hold senior positions or are research and development staff, according to Business Weekly. Kurt Harbaugh saw Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Keller Auditorium in Portland, Oregon, on April 13, 2019. (Sherry Dong/Epoch Times) PORTLANDAfter music instructor Kurt Harbaugh experienced Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time, he thought, the experience can really change peoples lives. The whole show is truly amazing, [like] what the review said, this is an experience that really can change peoples lives, Harbaugh said. [That is shown in] the beauty of the dancing, the culture that is from abroad, from China, your impression of what Chinese people have to go through. New York-based Shen Yun brings audience members on a journey through Chinas 5,000 years of civilization and history with a mission to bring back the culture and values to the modern world. Harbaugh, who teaches music at the Lower Columbia College, saw Shen Yun at the Keller Auditorium in Portland, Oregon, on April 13. He particularly liked the music, applauding the orchestra for producing beautiful sounds. I think its really good. I really like this theatrical part of the music as well as the musicians that are playing the music behind, Harbaugh said. There are some beautiful sounds that I dont even know what they are, but very beautiful, he said. Shen Yuns dancing is accompanied by a live orchestra that blends Eastern and Western classical instruments to produce a distinct yet harmonious sound. In an interview with Shen Yun composer Junyi Tan, Tan explained: In arranging the music, Im mostly employing Western arrangement techniques. But, at the same time, the composition and the feel of the melody must match the unique attributes of Chinese music. Shen Yuns dance revolves around classical Chinese dance and ethnic dances, and the music is tailored to the dances. As we write the music for different dance numbers, we need to fully appraise how to best echo the local traits and flavor, Tan added. Harbaugh said he could appreciate how the orchestra was meticulously balanced with the dancing. Im trying to hear mistakes and I cannot hear any. It sounds very well blended. The blend and the balance of the orchestra with the dancing are fantastic, Harbaugh said. They are thoroughly professional. Harbaugh said he was grateful for the opportunity to see a performance of such high caliber. It just makes me feel grateful to be in America, to say that we have that expression and we can go on communicating with audiences in this manner. I plan several groups and we do this all the time but not to this caliber. This is high caliber, he said. With reporting by Sherry Dong. The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006. A Coptic Christian woman mourns victims killed in an attack a day earlier, during an early morning ceremony at the Prince Tadros church in Egypt's southern Minya province, on November 3, 2018. MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images Opinion: Persecution and Hope: Christians in the Middle East Today Commentary With the terrorist group ISIS having lost its caliphate, Western Christians may believe that things are back to normal for their co-religionists in the Middle East. Unfortunately, that is far from the case. The Vaticans prefect for the Congregation for Eastern Churches recently sent a letter to bishops around the world as part of an Easter appeal. In it, he explained, greater cooperation and a generous commitment by Christians all over the world to their brothers and sisters of the Holy Land and the Middle East is needed. In addition to routine annual needs, this year, his congregation is helping Iraqi and Syrian Christians who are returning to their homelands after having been driven away, as well as those who are still living as refugees and facing daily persecution for their faith. The organization Open Doors USA prepares an annual World Watch List (WWL), based on comprehensive research in 150 countries where Christians are persecuted for their faith. The 2019 reporting period (covering Oct. 31, 2017, to Nov. 1, 2018) shows that in the lists top 50 nations, 245 million Christians experience high levels of persecution. For reasons of faith, 4,136 Christians were killed in those 50 WWL countries last year. That is roughly 11 each day. In those countries, 2,625 Christians were detained without trial, arrested, sentenced, and imprisoned, while 1,266 churches or Christian buildings were attackedthats about 105 each month. Eleven countries are identified as extreme in their level of persecution of Christians; five years ago, there was only one (North Korea). This means that last year, Christians were persecuted more than ever before in the modern era, an increase of about 14 percent from the year earlier. That represents 30 million more people abused for their faith. One of the most upsetting trends noted by Open Doors USA concerns the cruel persecution of women. According to the report, in many places, they experience a double persecutionone for being a Christian and one for being a woman. Even in the most restricted circumstances, gender-specific persecution is a key means of destroying the minority Christian community. This is particularly true in Islamic nations, where at least six women every day are raped, sexually harassed or forced into marriage to a Muslim man under the threat of death for their Christian faith. In North Korea, where the highest level of persecution has been identified, communism and post-communism oppression are listed as the primary drivers of persecution. For several decades, the nation has idolized the Kim family. Christians are viewed as hostile to that vision, and, for that reason, they need to be eliminated. Islam, however, is the main reason for the persecution of Christians in seven of the top 10 WWL countries; 34 of the top 50 have majority Muslim populations. In those nations, millions of Christians are treated as second-class citizens, discriminated against, and even subjected to physical violence. Specific issues vary from one nation to another, but the worst persecution takes place in those nations that rule according to Sharia. After North Korea (and in a virtual tie with it), Afghanistan is the most dangerous country in which to be a Christian. As an Islamic state by constitution, Afghanistan doesnt tolerate any faith other than Islam. Conversion from Islam is a betrayal not just of faith, but of family, tribe, and country. The common result is a death sentence. Some converts, however, are considered insane (why else would they convert?). They end up in a psychiatric hospital and their property is confiscated or destroyed. With about half of Afghanistans 34 provinces ruled or contested by the Taliban, most Afghan Christians are forced into hiding. Somalia, which ranks third on the WWL, has Sharia law enshrined in the nations constitution, and persecution of Christians is particularly violent. No. 4 on the list, Libya, fell into anarchy after the ouster of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. That left a void that was filled by Islamic militant groups. The persecution of Christians is severe, and they are subjected to violent and degrading treatment. Pakistan, at No. 5, has strict blasphemy laws that carry the death penalty. Christians live in daily fear over that. Reasons for Hope Earlier this year, Pope Francis took a trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), becoming the first pontiff to visit an Arab Gulf state. The UAE ranked 45th on the WWL. However, the UAE used the occasion of the papal visit to declare 2019 the Year of Tolerance, announce a Festival of Tolerance, establish a new cabinet post for a minister of tolerance, and open a state internet portal on tolerance. Christians have reason for optimism. Egypt ranks 16th on the WWL, but President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, at great personal risk, is trying to protect the nations Coptic Christians. Copts make up about 10 percent of the Egyptian population. Before al-Sisi, jihadists groups regularly attacked Christians and their churches. Since becoming president in 2014, however, al-Sisi has taken measures such as changing school textbooks to remove content glorifying hatred and violence and limiting such teachings elsewhere. He was the first Egyptian president to attend a Christmas Mass, and he gave a speech at the Coptic Orthodox Christmas service in 2015, in which he called for unity and wished Christians a merry Christmas. In Jordan, No. 31 on the list, King Abdullah allows Christians to worship freely. He also protects the right of Jordans Christians to build and operate churches, teach the Scriptures, run tours of important Christian holy sites, and operate a seminary. Because of his support, a national park was established on the site where tradition says John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Thirteen different Christian denominations have built churches in the park. Most of them regularly conduct baptisms in the Jordan River. Even Saudi Arabia has taken significant strides toward religious tolerance. The country has reformed its religious police, responsible for enforcing Sharia law in public and private settings. It also introduced new programs to end extremism. So, Christians are slowly returning to communities in which their ancestors have worshipped since the first century after Christ. Many of their church buildings are gone, and many threats remain. The return of these Christians to their homeland is based on their determination to live out their beliefs, lives, and traditions in the locations where they feel a deep connection to their roots. Hopefully, they will be able to work toward reconciliation with their Muslim neighbors. Until that time, they continue to need prayers and support from those who are free to practice their religion. Ronald J. Rychlak is the Jamie L. Whitten chair in law and government at the University of Mississippi. He is the author of several books, including Hitler, the War, and the Pope, Disinformation (co-authored with Ion Mihai Pacepa), and The Persecution and Genocide of Christians in the Middle East (co-edited with Jane Adolphe). Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Photo of Sad Abandoned Dog Chained to Lamppost Sparks Outpouring of Sympathy A heart-wrenching photograph of an abandoned dog chained to a lamppost has sparked an outpouring of emotional reactions online. The dog was found by the side of the road in the British town of Hull on Thursday, April 11, according to Hull Live. Graham Dobson, a 43-year-old man who stumbled upon the depressed-looking boxer, told the publication some people told him the dog had been there tied up for over an hour. Heartbreak as dog found dumped and abandoned at the side of Hull road https://t.co/he9CzaYPXz Hull Live (@hulllive) April 11, 2019 I came to work in the morning and found the dog tied up on the main road looking sad and scared, Dobson said, as reported by Hull Live. It was heartbreaking to see he had been left and how upset he was, as he was a real nice dog and so friendly, just really scared. The Reactions Hull Live posted the photo of the sad-looking dog, to numerous reactions. Awww he looks so sad what a mean way to leave him, wrote Twitter user @sophie27631927. Ive passed this dog today didnt know it was abandoned tho poor thing, wrote @oldfaithful2013. Facebook user Karena Barton wrote: better this than starving the dog to death at home or abandoning him to a dog fighting ring. Which has been the fate of many unwanted dogs this year. At least this gave him some kind of chance. Plus some dogs are whisked off by concerned neighbours or partners and they just need to do it quickly without fuss for fear of retribution. I have three rescued dogs myself so believe me I have cried rivers over animals but this one will turn out to be one of the lucky ones. Its the others that keep me awake at night. Max at the Boxer Center Officials with Hull City Council were cited in a follow-up report by Hull Live as saying that the owner of the dog, identified as Max, showed up on the scene sometime later. The dogs owner reportedly said he was unable to care for it and signed Max over to city wardens. Max has since been moved to Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire Boxer Rescue, who will look to find him a new permanent home. We are pleased to say that a place has been found for Max at a specialist boxer rescue centre, where he has been transferred to today. The rescue centre will look to find Max a permanent home, officials said, according to Hull Live. A photo of Max in the care of Hull City authorities was later posted, sparking another flurry of responses. Max is gorgeous, I hope he gets a wonderful forever home and is treated like a king , wrote Oj Rewad. What a darling he is.. he will get a loving forever home now , we would all agree that everyones fallen in love with him and im sure people will be desperate to adopt him.. the previous owners had no need to tie him up and leave him, so rotten to do this to him, they clearly dont deserve him. Good luck max on your new adventure x, wrote P Polly Wilko. Public Backlash Against American Flag Painted on Laguna Beach Police Cars 6.5 million visitors visit the beach every year and police need to stand out Laguna Beach police are facing a public backlash for affixing an American flag graphic to the sides of their newly painted cars. Some people are praising it for being patriotic while others are saying it is too aggressive. The Laguna Beach Police Department made a decision to paint its fleet of 11 squad cars in February but after listening to the criticism they have agreed to reconsider it, reported the LA Times. The officials acknowledged that the images they approved didnt match the final results on the car. The City Council will take up the issue again in its meeting on April 16 and decide whether they will continue with the logo or chose an alternative. Some residents are praising the image as patriotic. Others are panning it as too aggressive. https://t.co/CPxMenSjqf Los Angeles Times (@latimes) April 13, 2019 People are screaming that the American flag on a police car is somehow or another hurting peoples feelings who might be immigrants or visitors, Councilman Peter Blake told the LA Times. People are actually ridiculous enough to bring up comments about our cop cars having American flags on them. After the cars were out with the new design, artist Carrie Woodburn said during the March 19 council meeting that the boldness of the design is shocking. We have such an amazing community of artists here, and I thought the aesthetic didnt really represent our community, Woodburn said. It feels very aggressive. Attorney Jennifer Welsh Zeiter, however, questioned the patriotism of anyone who objected to the flags on the car. American Flags on Laguna Beach Police Cars Spark Backlash https://t.co/kjYuu5Wh3o pic.twitter.com/QjgHMUwdtr KTLA (@KTLA) April 13, 2019 They are so filled with hatred toward this office of the president of the United States and the current occupant of that office, that they cannot see through their current biases to realize that a police vehicle with the American flag is the ultimate American expression, she said. Laguna Beach Police Cpl. Ryan Hotchkiss whos the president of the Laguna Beach Police Employees Association said he received only positive feedback about the graphic. Laguna Beach Police Go Back To Black And White Patrol Cars https://t.co/cHy3B4oy3P Laguna Beach Patch (@LagunaBchPatch) February 23, 2019 Every time I came to a stop sign, every time I came to a red light, somebody is telling me the car looks great. Every one of our members that drives the car loves it, and we look forward to keeping them the way they are, Hotchkiss said at the March meeting. City Manager John Pietig said that even if the logo changes, the color of the cars will remain black and white. According to the Police Chief Laura Farinella, the color will be retained because its more visible and differentiates police cars from other security vehicles. Out of the 11 department cars, seven have the updated design. This is about safety. I want anybody to see it, period, Mayor Pro Tem Steve Dicterow said at the February meeting. City OKs New Police Cars, $1M Upgrade to Beach Access https://t.co/jujRCVqpnG #news Laguna Beach Indy (@lagunabeachindy) February 22, 2019 Laguna Beach has 6.5 million visitors every year and over the years the police have complained that driving white cars makes it difficult for them to stand out, reported the Laguna Beach Indy. Having 6.5 million visitors, we want to stand out, we want to be recognizable when they flag us down and were at a scene, Police Chief Laura Farinella told the Laguna Beach Indy. Black and White Police Units Coming Spring 2019 The Laguna Beach Police Department is proud to unveil our new design for our police units coming Spring 2019! New look, same world class service. Posted by Laguna Beach Police Department on Wednesday, February 20, 2019 NYPD officers stand guard at the door of the Union Temple of Brooklyn in New York on Nov. 2, 2018. Police determined that anti-Semitic graffiti found inside a Brooklyn synagogue was scrawled by a former city council intern. (Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images) Researcher Questions Hate-Crime Increase Under Trump, Points to Hoaxes, Flawed Data Analysis A Kentucky researcher doubts reports of a growing hate-crime problem in the United States in recent years, arguing that the increase in hate-crime reports in 2017 can mostly be explained away as hoaxed crimes and erroneously interpreted data. Hate crimes increased by some 17.2 percent between 2016 and 2017, according to the latest FBI data. But Wilfred Reilly, assistant professor at Kentucky State University, says the increase was mainly caused by the fact that about 1,000 more law enforcement agencies reported data to the FBI in 2017. To be responsible for the entire surge, each agency [of the 1,000] would have to report exactly one hate crime, he pointed out via email. I believe with reasongiven the average agency has reported between 0.44 and 0.63 hate crimes annually in recent years, and that high-crime agencies are more likely to withhold data from the FBI in the first placethat almost all of the surge is due to this technical change in reporting rates. Publicly available data isnt detailed enough to determine if Reilly is right. Hes asked the FBI to provide him with the more complete data set. There are ways, however, to put the available data into perspective. Hate-Crime Rate One way to adjust the data would be to look at how much of the countrys population it covers. Law enforcement agencies hand over the data voluntarily. Of the roughly 18,000 law enforcement agencies countrywide, only about 16,000 participated in hate crime reporting in 2017, which was already the year with the highest participation ever. By calculating the rate of hate crimes per 100,000 Americans covered, one gets an increase of less than 11 percent between 2016 and 2017. Thats still a major increase, but less than the more than 12 percent increase between 2014 and 2015. Another major caveat is that hate crime reports are very rare. The rate in 2017 stood at less than 2.4 incidents per 100,000 residents covered by the data. The murder rate that year was 5.3 per 100,000, making homicide more than twice as likely to occur than a hate crime incident reported. Meanwhile, the majority of hate crimes, such as intimidation and vandalism, are non-violent. Hate-Crime Hoaxes Another factor that pushes up the number is fakes, Reilly argues. He has collected a list of over 600 incidents reported in media that he believes qualify as hate-crime hoaxes. Some 300 of them were reported in the last five years with more than a hundred concentrated in 2017. He acknowledges that some of the incidents on his list likely werent reported as hate crimes and there are also some that have not been definitively proven as hoaxes. He estimates about 90 percent of the incidents were definite hoaxes pursued as crimes. The most common hoaxes appear to be black, Hispanic, homosexual, and Muslim people terrorizing themselves with inflammatory graffiti, messages, and threats, unnerving their communities in the process. More serious accusations included made up stories of black men being brutally beaten by supporters of President Donald Trump. The included photos actually came from unrelated incidents years prior. More than 50 incidents on Reillys hoax list involved accusations against Trump supporters, including the most recent case of actor Jussie Smollett, who is being sued by the City of Chicago for the exorbitant cost of investigating a hate crime law enforcement says never occurred. Several arson incidents included a Mosque, an LGBT center, and a Jewish-owned business, where police eventually determined that an individual connected to the place itself started the fire. There were also several incidents where white people hoaxed attacks by minorities. A man in Colorado claimed he was stabbed for having a Nazi haircut, while, in fact, he cut himself. A security guard in Minnesota claimed he was shot by a black man, while in fact he accidentally shot himself while handling his gun. In this case, the fake story didnt depict a hate crime. The man made it up reportedly because he was afraid the accident might cost him his job. Similarly, two hunters in Texas blamed an illegal immigrant for what was actually a friendly fire incident. Reilly, whose specialization is in the political sciences and criminal justice, estimates that only about 8 to 10 percent of the 7,175 hate-crime incidents reported in 2017 came under the media spotlight. Thus, based on his numbers, about 14 to 17 percent of hate crimes reported in the media in 2017 were likely hoaxes. It would be, however, a conservative estimate, he cautions, to say that 14 to 17 percent of all reported hate crimes that year were fake. It appears that only a small share of hate crimes reach the point where a suspect is found, charged, and convicted, leaving the likelihood that some of the unsolved cases were hoaxed too. Proving Hate Hate crimes are more difficult to investigate or even establish for law enforcement. For one thing, they require determining the offenders state of mind. Just because the victim and the offender are of different race or creed doesnt mean a hate crime occurred. Bias has to be part of the motivation. Another problem is that most of them are based on lesser offenses. Only about 14 percent of the reported incidents in 2017 involved serious crimes of aggravated assault, rape, robbery, arson, or murder. In fact, one was about as likely that year to be killed by lightning as to be murdered in a reported hate crime. And 2017 had record low lightning deaths. Of the nearly 1,100 hate crimes reported in California in 2017, only 35 percent were referred for prosecution, less than 18 percent saw hate crimes charges filed, and less than 6 percent ended up in a conviction (pdf). If California is any indication for conviction rates nationwide, Reilly says, there are around two hate hoaxers for every convicted hate criminal. Many cases could indeed be ambiguousdid a hoaxer or Klansman write the collegiate graffitibut the fact that proven hoaxes may outnumber convictions is fairly remarkable as a legal artifact, he said. Reilly summarized his research on this topic in his book Hate Crime Hoax: How the Left is Selling a Fake Race War, which was published in February. ATLANTACardiologist Prashant Kaul was touched when he saw Shen Yun Performing Arts. Apart from being a feast for the senses, Kaul said the genuine Chinese culture and Eastern philosophies depicted in the traditional dance and music performance really spoke to the divine presence in all of us. It was a real audio-visual treat. Spectacular performance, incredible movement and choreography, and a real sight to be seen, very impressed, said Kaul, who experienced Shen Yun at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 13. The New York-based company is touring the world with the mission to bring back Chinas 5,000 years of semi-divine culture and encourage audience members to reflect on themselves and the world around them, as Kaul did. It was interesting that there was such, the theme throughout all of this was the oneness of spirit, Kaul said. And we are many faiths, many religions, many creeds, but theres a single unifying element amongst all of us. That was really seen very clearly in all the performances and the small stories that were told within each performance. So a real, real delight, a real joy to be part of this, he added. Shen Yun performances are made up of about 20 vignettes of traditional dancing, solo musicians, and stories. Many of these stories are drawn from history, literature, and legends that have been passed on for generations. Moreover, Shen Yun also showcases stories based in more modern times including pieces portraying todays real-life human rights abuses in China. A common theme throughout these stories is spirituality, in particular, spiritual devotion, the benevolence of gods, good and evil retribution, and the search for the meaning of life. Such values are foundational to traditional Chinese culture and have guided the ancient Chinese for centuries. Kaul said he could see these themes play out in many of the pieces and thinks that more people should see it for themselves. [The spirituality] came out throughout all of the performances very strongly, and I think that its messages like this that we need to disseminate amongst everyone, he said. The oneness of spirit amongst all of us, I think, really is something that we should all be amplifying. He added that Shen Yuns message about the divinity is the unifying force amongst all of us. It was spectacularly displayed in all the performances that we saw today, he said. With reporting by NTD Television. The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006. Roman Brown moves part of a wall out of his way as he looks for a friends medicine in their destroyed home along Seely Drive outside of Hamilton, Miss., after a storm moved through the area on April 14, 2019. (Jim Lytle/AP Photo) Strong Storms in US South Kill at Least 8 and Injure Dozens Powerful storms swept across the South on Sunday after unleashing suspected tornadoes and flooding that killed at least eight people, injured dozens and flattened much of a Texas town. Three children were among the dead. Nearly 90,000 customers were without electricity in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Georgia as of midday Sunday, according to www.poweroutage.us as the severe weather left a trail of destruction. Two children were killed on a back road in East Texas when a pine tree fell onto the car in which they were riding in a severe thunderstorm Saturday near Pollok, about 150 miles southeast of Dallas. The tree flattened the car like a pancake, said Capt. Alton Lenderman of the Angelina County Sheriffs Office. The children, ages 8 and 3, were dead at the scene, while both parents, who were in the front seat, escaped injury, he said. At least one person was killed and about two dozen others were injured after a suspected tornado struck the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site in East Texas during a Native American cultural event in Alto, about 130 miles southeast of Dallas. Cherokee County Judge Chris Davis said the fatality that was reported was of a woman who died of her critical injuries. In neighboring Houston County, the sheriffs office said one person was killed in Weches, 6 miles southwest of Caddo Mound. There was widespread damage in Alto, a town of about 1,200, and the school district canceled classes until its buildings can be deemed safe. A tornado flattened much of the south side of Franklin, Texas, overturning mobile homes and damaging other residences, said Robertson County Sheriff Gerald Yezak. Franklin is about 125 miles south of Dallas. The weather service said preliminary information showed an EF-3 tornado touched down with winds of 140 mph. It destroyed 55 homes, a church, four businesses, a duplex, and part of the local housing authority building, authorities said. Two people were hospitalized for injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening, while others were treated at the scene, Yezak said. Some people had to be extricated from damaged dwellings. Heavy rains and storms raked Mississippi into the night Saturday as the storms moved east. Roy Ratliff, 95, died after a tree crashed onto his trailer in northeastern Mississippi, Monroe County Road Manager Sonny Clay said at a news conference, adding that a tornado had struck. Nineteen residents were taken to hospitals, including two in critical condition. A tornado was reported in the area 140 miles southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, at the time. In Hamilton, Mississippi, 72-year-old Robert Scott said he had been sleeping in his recliner late Saturday when he was awakened and found himself in his yard after a tornado ripped most of his home off its foundation. His 71-year-old wife, Linda, was in a different part of the house and also survived, he said. They found each other while crawling through the remnants of the house they have lived in since 1972. Were living, and God has blessed us, Scott, a retired manager for a grocery store meat department, said Sunday as neighbors helped him salvage his belongings. National Weather Service meteorologist John Moore said a possible twister touched down in the Vicksburg, Mississippi, area. No injuries were reported, but officials reported damage to several businesses and vehicles. The storm damaged a roof of a hotel in New Albany, Mississippi, and Mississippi State Universitys 21,000 students huddled in basements and hallways as a tornado neared the campus in Starkville. University spokesman Sid Salter said some debris, possibly carried by the tornado, was found on campus, but no injuries were reported and no buildings were damaged. Trees were toppled and minor damage was reported in residential areas east of the campus. The large storm system also caused flash floods in Louisiana, where two deaths were reported. Authorities said 13-year-old Sebastian Omar Martinez drowned in a drainage canal after flash flooding struck Bawcomville, near Monroe, said Deputy Glenn Springfield of the Ouachita Parish Sheriffs Department. Separately, one person died when a car was submerged in floodwaters in Calhoun, also near Monroe. As the storm moved into Alabama, a possible tornado knocked out power and damaged mobile homes in Troy, about 50 miles south of Montgomery. Near the Birmingham suburb of Hueytown, a county employee died after being struck by a vehicle while he was helping clear away trees about 2:15 a.m. Sunday, said Capt. David Agee of the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office. The man, whose name was not immediately released, died after being taken to a hospital. The forecast of severe weather forced officials at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, to start the final round of the tournament early on Sunday in order to finish in midafternoon before it began raining. President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with his aides after wrapping up his U.S. visit and returning to Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyonggi Province, April 12. / Yonhap Chung Eui-yong, Suh Hoon touted as possible candidates By Yi Whan-woo Speculation is growing that President Moon Jae-in may send a special envoy to North Korea soon to arrange talks between Pyongyang and Washington. Cheong Wa Dae officials and analysts said Sunday Moon is seriously considering sending an envoy to Pyongyang following talks last week with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. This is to find a breakthrough amid a tug-of-war between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Trump over methods of denuclearization. Over the weekend, the two leaders indicated they remain open to a possible third summit, even after their second meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, ended without an agreement in late February. "Given the current circumstances, sending a special envoy at the earliest possible date will be crucial," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. "Otherwise the U.S.-North Korea dialogue will lose its momentum. And I believe President Moon is fully aware of this." Yang speculated finalizing the timing and the list of the envoys within this week will be optimal, in response to Trump's and Kim's announcements made last week. Missions to break deadlock During their talks in Washington, D.C., April 11, to discuss the post-Hanoi summit collapse, Trump said he is open to meeting Kim again. Trump also asked Moon to share what the latter learns about the North's position, after Moon expressed his hopes to meet Kim for the fourth time. In his address carried out by the Korean Central News Agency, April 13, Kim said before the Supreme People's Assembly that he is open to a third summit with Trump, only if the U.S. comes to talks with the right attitude. Kim said he would wait "until the end of this year" for Washington to decide. "Kim's stance puts Moon's nuclear diplomacy to the test. The special envoys to the North therefore should be ones who have served such roles in the past and can mediate between Moon and Kim," said Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong Global University. Among the list of possible candidates include Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong and National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon. The two were part of Moon's special envoy twice out of the three times the two leaders met last year. Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon is also touted as a possible candidate, although Cheong Wa De officials dismissed the speculation. "It is likely President Moon will at least keep Chung and Suh," Yang said. While the special envoys focused on preparations for the inter-Korean summits this year, their priority this time will be bridging the gap between Trump and Kim and helping the two sides resume negotiations. "The fourth Moon-Kim summit will not be possible if no agreements are made on those points," Park said. The analysts speculated as to whether Moon's proposal of a "good enough deal," which goes between Trump's "big deal" and Kim's "small deal," can be discussed. They pointed out that unpredictable Trump, after stressing the "big deal" and sticking to sanctions, told Moon at one point that various smaller deals may still happen. The "good enough deal" involves the U.S. and North Korea committing to a comprehensive agreement on peace, denuclearization and new relations. Hospital officials get ready to unload from a helicopter the bodies of plane crash victims outside the Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 14, 2019. (Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo) Three People Killed as Plane Crashes Into Helicopter Near Mount Everest: Reports Three people have been killed and four injured after a plane crashed during takeoff near Mount Everest, according to reports. Aviation official Raj Kumar Chhetri was cited by The Associated Press as saying that a plane belonging to Summit Air was trying to take off from Lukla for Ramechhap, Nepal, on the morning of Sunday, April 14, when it crashed. Chhetri said the plane skidded off the runway, hitting a helicopter belonging to Manang Air. Airport official Ema Nath Adhikari spoke to Straits Times, saying: The plane slipped toward the helipad during takeoff and collided with two helicopters. The injured have been sent to Kathmandu for treatment. We are not sure about the cause of the accident. Suman Pandey, chief executive officer (CEO) at Fish Tail Air, was cited by The Himalayan Times as saying that all persons injured have been taken to the hospital. All injured have been airlifted to Kathmandu and they are undergoing treatment at Grande Hospital, Pandey said, according to the report. Three people are killed and three are injured when a small plane veers off the runway and hits two helicopters while taking off near Mount Everest https://t.co/YqryLGKcXa pic.twitter.com/8e2d9Ne404 AFP news agency (@AFP) April 14, 2019 Nepal police spokesman Uttam Raj Subedi was cited by New Zealand news service Stuff as saying that the dead included a pilot of the plane and two police officers standing near the parked helicopter. Civil administrator Narendra Kumar Rama was cited by Stuff as saying that four passengers and a flight attendant on the plane were safe. Pandey said the accident occurred at around 9:10 a.m. local time at Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla, a major gateway to Mount Everest. Both aircraft involved in the incident belong to private airline companies that cater to tourists and Nepalese in the countrys remote areas. The airport in Lukla is often referred to as the worlds most dangerous because of the short runway and difficult approach. The Tenzing-Hillary Airport sits at an elevation of just over 9,000 feet. Trump Calls Out New York Times for Corrupt Reporting on Illegal Immigration President Donald Trump called out The New York Times on April 13 for its corrupt reporting on illegal immigration, adding that the newspaper would soon be out of business. Trumps criticism came after the paper reported, based on anonymous sources, that he had ordered acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan to shut down the U.S.Mexico border. The report also claimed that Trump, possibly as a joke, offered to pardon McAleenan if things started to go wrong. In a string of Twitter posts, the president hit back at the N.Y. Times and said its reporting contained not a single kernel of truth. The New York Times Sanctuary Cities/Immigration story today was knowingly wrong on almost every fact, he said. They never call to check for truth. Their sources often dont even exist, a fraud. They will lie & cheat anyway possible to make me look bad. In 6 years they will be gone. The New York Times Sanctuary Cities/Immigration story today was knowingly wrong on almost every fact. They never call to check for truth. Their sources often dont even exist, a fraud. They will lie & cheat anyway possible to make me look bad. In 6 years they will be gone.. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2019 He continued: When I won the Election in 2016, the @nytimes had to beg their fleeing subscribers for forgiveness in that they covered the Election (and me) so badly. They didnt have a clue, it was pathetic. They even apologized to me. But now they are even worse, really corrupt reporting! .When I won the Election in 2016, the @nytimes had to beg their fleeing subscribers for forgiveness in that they covered the Election (and me) so badly. They didnt have a clue, it was pathetic. They even apologized to me. But now they are even worse, really corrupt reporting! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2019 In a concluding post, Trump said no such discussion between him and McAleenan ever took place. He also pointed out that as president, he has the legal right to close the Southern border. I never offered Pardons to Homeland Security Officials, never ordered anyone to close our Southern Border (although I have the absolute right to do so, and may if Mexico does not apprehend the illegals coming to our Border), and am not frustrated. It is all Fake & Corrupt News! Trump said. I never offered Pardons to Homeland Security Officials, never ordered anyone to close our Southern Border (although I have the absolute right to do so, and may if Mexico does not apprehend the illegals coming to our Border), and am not frustrated. It is all Fake & Corrupt News! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2019 Trump previously warned that he may have to close the Southern border amid a surge of illegal immigrants attempting to cross into the United States. Last month, the commander in chief ordered the stopping of aid to South Americas Northern TriangleHonduras, El Salvador, and Guatemalaafter criticizing them for failing to stem the tide of their citizens leaving in droves to get into the United States illegally. Trump has mentioned stopping the aid several times since October 2018. On April 12, Trump first said that he was considering transporting illegal immigrants exclusively to so-called sanctuary cities. These cities, which are designated as safe havens for illegal immigrants, mandate that their law enforcement not cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only, Trump wrote on Twitter at the time. He continued: The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policyso this should make them very happy! In response, Democratic U.S. mayors from New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and others said on April 12 their cities would welcome illegal immigrants. The presidents latest move on illegal immigration comes days after U.S. officials said they arrested or denied entry to over 103,000 people along the border with Mexico in March, more than twice as many as the same period in 2018. An Applied Materials solar panel is displayed at the Intersolar North America conference in San Francisco, California, on July 16, 2008 (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) US Chipmaker Halts Services to Chinese Companies Flagged by US Authorities Applied Materials, a U.S. firm that supplies equipment and software for manufacturing semiconductor chips, has halted services to several Chinese companies, less than a week after they were included on a red-flagged list by the U.S. Commerce Department. Japanese media Nikkei obtained a notice that Applied Materials sent to all of its staff working with the flagged Chinese companies. The notice, sent April 12, directed its staff to immediately stop all pending and future equipment delivery, and cease all service activities at their sites. The notice also demanded that staff, contractors, and other personnel immediately withdraw from the sites of those flagged companies, according to Nikkei, warning that failure to comply could lead to violations of U.S. trade law. On April 10, the U.S. Commerce Department added 37 Chinese companies, universities, and research institutes to a red-flag list of unverified entities that U.S. companies should treat with caution. Being on the list doesnt mean that the U.S. authorities have created a sales embargo, explained Kevin Wolf, former assistant secretary of commerce for export administration in an interview with Reuters. However, U.S. companies must apply for new licenses in order to sell products to, or repair goods for, companies on the list. Citing unidentified sources, Nikkei said that at least three Chinese entities flagged last week were also clients of Applied Materials: Xiamen Sanan Optoelectronics, Chinas biggest LED chipmaker; Xian Jiaotong University; and an unnamed unit of the state-run Chinese Academy of Sciences. Industry sources that Nikkei didnt identify said that the U.S. chipmakers decision could influence other U.S. vendors, as well as companies outside of the United States that work with those Chinese entities. Applied Materials generated about 26 percent of its revenue in the quarter ending Jan. 27 from China, its biggest market, according to Nikkei. But the company supplies to all major semiconductor and LED panel makers in the world, including Intel, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., and Samsung Electronics. Sanan Optoelectronics Founded in 2000, Sanan Optoelectronics went public on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2008. On its website, Sanan says that it took part in Chinas national 863 and 973 programs. The 863 Program, started by former Chinese Communist Party leader Deng Xiaoping in 1986, focuses key tech industries such as biotech and space for efforts to clandestinely acquire U.S. technology and sensitive economic information, according to a 2011 report from the U.S. Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive. Meanwhile, the 973 Program focuses on tech research for the Chinese regimes interests. Both programs have had the effect of making it easier for China to steal intellectual property in order to achieve program goals, according to tech firm Recorded Future. In fact, IP theft targeting Applied Materials has occurred before: in November 2017, four former engineers at Applied Materials were indicted by U.S. prosecutors for stealing chip designs from the company and attempting to use them to set up a Chinese startup. Meanwhile, Sanan has relied on government subsidies and recruitment programs to catapult itself to become Chinas leading LED chipmaker. Multiple Chinese media reported that Sanan received a total of 3.395 billion yuan (about $506 million) in government subsidies between 2009 and 2016. While it isnt known how much the company has received since then, in 2017, Sanan received funding from Beijings industrial policy of Made in China 2025, according to the firms 2017 annual report. Beijing rolled out Made in China 2025 in 2015 as a blueprint for turning China into a high-tech manufacturing powerhouse, in areas such as aerospace and robotics. Sanan has also actively recruited tech talents from abroad, including more than 400 Taiwanese, who either hold senior management or key technology expert positions in the company, according to March 7 article published on the Xiamen municipal governments website. Sanan is based in the southern city of Xiamen in Fujian Province. Sanan also recruited experts under Chinas Thousand Talent Program, which was rolled out by Beijing in 2008 to aggressively recruit promising workers in the science and technology fields. According to a March 2012 report by Xiamen Daily, Liao Tingdi, the chief scientist in optical engineering at Sanan, was recruited through the Thousand Talent Program. He has been working at Sanan since December 2010, according to his personal LinkedIn page. Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the year when Liao Tingdi began working at Sanan. Liao started working at Sanan in 2010. The Epoch Times regrets the error. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks before the Constituent Assembly near a portrait of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to announce measures to alleviate the serious economic crisis, at the Federal Legislative Palace in Caracas on Jan. 14, 2019. (FEDERICO PARRA/AFP/Getty Images) Opinion: Venezuelas Socialist Tragedy Has to Be Stopped Commentary Chaos is growing in Venezuela, with a murder rate thats one of the highest in the world and the outcome far from certain. The now poverty-stricken country, living with electrical blackouts, widespread starvation, rampant corruption, and disease, is a study in the consequences of socialism when fully implemented. Socialism was forced on Venezuela following a 40-year period of relative stability and prosperity that began shortly after World War II. At that time, Venezuela used its newly discovered vast oil reserves and capitalism to quickly develop its petrol business and economy as a whole. They enjoyed an economic growth rate nearly as large as the United States and became the richest country in Latin America, with an economy larger than China and one of the largest in the world. I had the pleasure of visiting Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, toward the end of this era of prosperity and can testify that it was everything you would expect with a large, well-educated middle class, a working legal system, and a prosperous economy. The robust economy was not a one-trick pony that depended entirely on the oil industry, as some have tried to argue, to deflect blame for the current economic problems away from socialist policies. The last president during the 40-year period of relative stability and prosperity in Venezuela was Rafael Caldera. Long after his death, Caldera remains significant because of what he represents. Caldera was twice president of Venezuela and is widely recognized even to this day to have been an honest and brilliant man. Once his second term as president was completed, he quietly retired to his home with his family, much as did the first president of the United States, George Washington. Throughout his career, Caldera espoused democracy, pluralism, and social reform. Even during periods of less revenue, due to lower world oil prices, during his first presidential term (19691974), Caldera was dedicated to housing, infrastructure, and education. He doubled the number of public high schools and built three times the number of universities, colleges, and technical institutes, and built hundreds of thousands of houses and other buildings and structures such as highways, railroads, dams, and aqueducts. During his second term (19941999), he made also made the fight against corruption a central theme. He was the product of 40 years of peace and prosperity and was a genuine and honest servant of his people, believed in a free and open economy in the capitalist tradition, and both the legal and social-justice systems worked well for everyonethe exact opposite of what we find today in Venezuela. The former military officer and dedicated socialist Hugo Chavez, who was legally elected to replace Caldera as president in 1999, made every effort to fully implement socialism and erase from Venezuelan memory the 40 years of successful civilian democratic rule. Early on, Chavez consolidated his power and convened a constitutional assembly to give himself the power to dismantle democratic values and institutions. This theme, to erase the past, is carried forward today by the political left and mainstream media in the United States, who are apologists for the failed socialist policies of Chavez that were faithfully implemented. In a twist of irony, Caldera published his last book in 1999, in which he stated that Venezuelans learned to live in liberty. Any political project that ignores this reality is condemned to failure. This prophecy is in two sentences why Chavez and current socialist strongman Nicolas Maduro have to destroy any memory of Caldera and democracy, so that they cant be compared to the wealth and social justice that so successfully existed under an earlier capitalist and democratic system. The reality is that as president, Chavez wildly and irresponsibly overspent and used all oil funds and any other revenue he could get his hands on for his socialist populist policies, such as the redistribution of wealth, redistribution of land, and centralized worker-owned cooperatives. As the oil industry began to fail from lack of reinvestment, low prices, and the removal of everyone with any expertise in the industry, the economy began to contract, and Chavez widened his effort to obtain money from any available source to continue his already failing socialist programs. Chavez turned on foreign firms and would periodically do things such as raising royalty rates on oil and invent unpaid back taxes to fraudulently charge firms billions of dollars. Chavez also forced foreign companies to turn over large portions of their business operations to Venezuela as part of selective nationalization, to the point that several of the largest left in exasperation. Chavez did temporarily obtain a lower unemployment rate and bolstered other statistics that made the Venezuelan economy look much stronger than it really was by essentially stealing money where he could in order to prop up his policies. These statistics are, to this day, touted by the left in the United States and all socialist apologists to argue that the Chavez tenure was somehow positive. The truth is, of course, the opposite. As the economy continued to deteriorate and shortages developed under his mismanagement, Chavez doubled down on additional socialist policies and instituted price controls, forced production quotas, nationalized large farms, seized many supermarkets, and nationalized industries. Raping the economy by taking all the wealth for his short-term spending destroyed any possibility of long-term prosperity. The socialist logic for Chavez was that economic decisions should be based on social concerns rather than profit motive, which is naturally the precise difference between something being sustainable or not, and why socialism always fails. Today, Maduro has replaced Chavez, who died of cancer in 2013. Maduro wasnt selected for his brilliance, courage, or charisma, since he lacks all three. He was picked for his loyalty to the strongman dictator Chavez. Hes now in command under terrible circumstances and utterly and completely over his head. He will select the path of least resistance that allows him to keep his life and ill-gotten gains. Right now, its easiest for him to stay in power and attempt to crush any and all resistance. Show him a path that doesnt end well and Maduro will grasp at any chance to make it out as best he can. The Venezuelan police and military leaders are all loyal to Maduro and a coup isnt likely, but this has to be stopped. Parking a carrier task force off the coast, and a couple of overflights would probably do it. Brad Johnson is a retired CIA senior operations officer and a former chief of station. He is president of Americans for Intelligence Reform. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. When Calls the Heart Renewed by Hallmark Without Lori Loughlin When Calls the Heart, a Hallmark Channel show, will be renewed after Lori Loughlin was fired amid her alleged role in the nationwide college admissions scandal. When Calls the Heart star Erin Krakow made the announcement on Instagram. Youve already heard When Calls the Heart will return with a special two-night event Sunday, May 5 and Monday, May 6. Im also thrilled to announce When Calls the Heart season 7 coming next year! We cant wait to get back to Hope Valley, Krakow said, Fox News reported. It comes weeks after Loughlin would not appear on the show any longer. Loughlin is accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to get her two daughters into the University of Southern California. We are saddened by the recent news surrounding the college admissions allegations. We are no longer working with Lori Loughlin and have stopped development of all productions that air on the Crown Media Family Network channels involving Lori Loughlin, Hallmark said in a statement, according to Inside Edition. Loughlin was also dropped from Fuller House, which appears on Netflix. She previously appeared in the 1990s sitcom Full House as Aunt Becky. Last week, Loughlin and husband Mossimo Gianulli didnt take a plea deal and havent publicly issued a statement about the case. On April 9, new charges were filed against Loughin, fashion designer Giannulli, and 14 other parents. 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. The other actress charged in the scandal, Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman, will enter a guilty plea. Huffman 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, however, allegedly paid much less than Loughlin and Giannulli. She is accused of paying $15,000 to modify her daughters SAT scores. 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 said in a statement. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) participates in a House Education and Labor Committee Markup in the Rayburn House Office Building on March 6, 2019 in Washington. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images) White House: Trump Wishes No Ill Will With Tweet on Omar, Is Right to Condemn Anti-Semitism White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said President Donald Trump intended no harm against Rep. Ilhan Omars (D-Minn.) with his post on Twitter underlining Omars comments downplaying the 9/11 terrorist attacks. She was responding to criticism from Democrats, including presidential hopeful Beto ORourke, who said the tweet was an incitement to violence against Omar. Certainly, the president is wishing no ill will, and certainly not violence, towards anyone, Sanders told ABC News This Week on April 14. But the President is absolutely and should be calling out the congresswoman for her, not only one-time, but history of antisemitic comments, she said. Sanders described Omars comments as disgraceful and unbefitting as a member of Congress and added that she believes its a good thing the president called her out. The top White House aide also accused Democrats of not coming out themselves to criticize their colleague. The bigger question is why arent Democrats doing the same thing? she said. Its absolutely abhorrent, the comments that she continues to make and has made, and they look the other way. In calling out the Democrats, Sanders also referenced an earlier resolution condemning anti-Semitism that came to a vote on March 7, but only after the party broadened the resolution with portions condemning other kinds of hate, including anti-Muslim bigotry. They do these watered down push-backs that, frankly, they feel like give them enough cover, but arent really getting the job done, Sanders said. Omars description of the 9/11 attack as some people did something drew widespread condemnation including from Republican lawmakers, who said her remarks minimized the 9/11 attacks. Some critics claimed the president took Omars words out of context in an attempt to stoke anti-Muslim sentiment. Trumps Twitter post featured clips of news footage from 9/11 against footage from Omars speech with the words September 11, 2001. We remember. WE WILL NEVER FORGET! pic.twitter.com/VxrGFRFeJM Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019 Omars full comment was made during remarks at a Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) fundraiser last month: For far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and, frankly, Im tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it. CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties. Trump told reporters on March 8 that Democrats have now become an anti-Israel party, theyve become an anti-Jewish party after Omara Somalia-born Muslimsparked fresh criticism for questioning why U.S. lawmakers support Israel. Omar appeared to respond to Trumps video in a string of Twitter posts on April 13. In one of her tweets, she said that No one person no matter how corrupt, inept, or vicious can threaten my unwavering love for America. I stand undeterred to continue fighting for equal opportunity in our pursuit of happiness for all Americans. Previously, Omar said that Israel has hypnotized the world and supported the anti-Israel Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions movement. Omar also took to Twitter in February to insinuate that Jewish group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) was behind a scheme to exchange funding for politicians in return for support of Israel. After a fierce backlash from across the political spectrum, she apologized, but also suggested she was being criticized for speaking her mind. Omars previous Semitic comments were perceived by many as a smear against lawmakers who support both the United States and Israel, and even earned praise from notorious anti-Semite, former KKK leader David Duke. Explaining why the resolution was amended from its original version that only condemned anti-Semitism, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on March 7 that a new version of the resolution was expanded to speak out against anti-Semitism, anti-Islamophobia, anti-white supremacy and all the forms that it takes. The speaker, however, added that it is up to Omar to explain her remarks. Why China Poses an Existential Threat to AmericaPastor Bob Fu On this episode of American Thought Leaders, Epoch Times senior editor Jan Jekielek talks with Pastor Bob Fu, who escaped persecution in China 20 years ago to found China Aid, a Texas-based Christian nonprofit promoting religious freedom for all. They discuss the reasons for Pastor Fus involvement in the newly formed Committee on the Present Danger: China, which seeks to educate about the existential threat the Chinese Communist Party poses to America and the rest of the free world. They also discuss why 2018 was one of the worst years for religious persecution in China in decades, and how the newly formed Coalition to Advance Religious Freedom in China is trying to address this. Jan Jekielek: So lets dive right into this newly formed committee on the Present Danger: China, formed in the model of the previous Committee on Present Danger, which was, of course, focused many years ago on the Soviet Union and arguably played a very significant role. Youre part of the organizing group of this new committee Present Danger: China. Can you tell me a little bit about how this was formed and what inspired you to dive right in? Bob Fu: Yeah. This committee of course, it was initiated by two extremely outstanding leaders on security, and basically the American democratic values of former President Reagans adviser Frank Gaffney and Brian Kennedy. They have been deeply concerned about the emerging threat from the communist regime. And me, of course, for really over a decade, we have been talking about the Chinese communist regimes threatnot only really to American interestsits a threat to the global free society. Its a really existential threat now we can tell the civilized world. So when Im approached by Brian and Frank, who said we need to really launch a public education campaign to raise awareness, to wake up the sleeping American society to this real threat. Im very supportive, very glad to be included as one of the founding members. The committee consists of members from the national security, cybersecurity, Defense Department, and intelligence community, and human-rights defenders like me. And even with the component of religious freedom, because certainly we have seen one of the signature features of the communist party is they have been launching this war against faith. And, in essence, it is a war against civilization. Im really all for it. I really want to see a moment happen in the United States and globally to really wake up. This not only a sleeping kind of a tiger, its already a gigantic tiger that we may be too late to control, if we dont take action right now. Mr. Jekielek: So you work a lot with people who are persecuted for their faith, specifically Christians in China. But you, yourself, many years ago experienced that and made it out. Can you tell me a little more about how things have changed from the time when you experienced persecution to today? Mr. Fu: Yeah. I was an atheist in college and almost joined the Communist Party, and then participated in the students movement in Tiananmen Square 30 years ago, then became an honorable church leader. And my wife and I were both imprisoned, and accused of [being] illegal evangelists in Beijing. Mr. Jekielek: So after Tiananmen, somehow you became a person of faith from being an atheist. Mr. Fu: Yes. Thats right. So, then my wife and I were both thrown into prison. And at the time, we thought: Oh, you know, this is the first part of the Chinese house church we call it prison theology time. Almost exclusively, every house church leader in the early generation had been imprisoned. The pastor who baptized me spent over 16 years in prison. The pastor in Beijing who married my wife and me, Pastor Allen Yuan, spent over 22 years in prison for his faith. Mr. Jekielek: They were persecuted purely for practicing their faith and inspiring others to practice it? Mr. Fu: Thats right. They were purely persecuted for practicing their faith peacefully and faithfully. In that sense, they were imprisoned for 10 years, 11 years. Even now, there are so many. Last year, alone we recorded at least 5,000 arrests, and at least over 500 pastors and Christian leaders were formally imprisoned and sentenced. Mr. Jekielek: What Im trying to get at is, has the persecution of people of faith Which direction has it gone since the time when you had to flee? Mr. Fu: Yeah. Certainly, 2018 is marked as the worst year of religious persecution in perhaps 40 years. I have not seen this kind of a level of persecution, both in quantity and in the degree of persecution, since the end of the Cultural Revolution. For the first time, this religious persecution is not only just limited to Protestant, Christian communities, but to Catholics, to Falun Gong practitioners, to, of course, the Uygur, Muslims, and Kazakhs in Xinjiangthats another major disasterand to Tibetans, of course. So to the people of faith, last year, really, was the worst year. We have never seen this kind of a degree of persecution. According to our only investigation, just for Protestant Christians alone, we have seen thousands of churches were being banned, destroyed, and the crosses forcibly demolished, and pastors were being jailed. And also at least 50,000 believers were physically and mentally tortured. We have seen in the Early Rain Covenant Church, a 500-member church in Chengdu on December 9, all of a sudden 300 members were arrested. And the pastor, who was a public intellectual kind of a lawyer, Wang Yi, he was arrested, and his wife, both of them were already indicted as inciting the subversion of state power. They are facing up to 15-year sentences for purely leading a house church. And across the board, a nationwide campaign for the first time in the name of so-called sinicization. Its really a kind of Nazificationthats the closest term I can find, Faxisi Hua [becoming fascist], in the 1930s when Nazis forced the church to [put] Nazi symbols on their church. And today, every government-sanctioned church is mandated to [put up] a president or chairman or empresss portrait and Chairman Maos portrait, and the crosses outside were forcibly taken down. Mr. Jekielek: Basically puts the party above the church and Mr. Fu: Oh, yeah. Mr. Jekielek: Thats the idea, right? Mr. Fu: Yeah. Xi Jinping wants actually to be a God. So that in that sense, he wants to compete, and he doesnt like the fact that there is any other God above him. Mr. Jekielek: Earlier this year, you and another group formed another committee, and this was the Coalition to Advance Religious Freedom [in China], basically with the support of Ambassador Brownback and basically the Mr. Fu: Religious Freedom Roundtable. Mr. Jekielek: Yeah. So can you tell me a little more about the development of that? Mr. Fu: Yes. With the encouragement of Ambassador Sam Brownback and, of course, over the years, the religious freedom campaigns and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle: Congressman Frank Wolf, who retired, and Chris Smith and, of course, James McGovern from the Democrat side. They always have been encouraging faith communities who were persecuted within the China context to be united in solidarity. Because, after all, the freedom of practicing our faith is the most fundamental freedom and value that we all cherish, despite our theological or doctrinal or faithbelief differences. So based on that, I am so gladI mean, really, thats a miracle within the China community. We have this Coalition to Advance Religious Freedom in China launched on Capitol Hill. And the purpose is really to build a solidarity united front, in that sense, a good united front to deal with this evil regime and to expose what the persecution in China is, and to act in unity to tackle these specific issues and also to advance those items, like letters or legislation in Congress and in other capital cities of the world. Mr. Jekielek: So the big question for a lot of Americans is we can see theres a big problem in China at many levels, certainly on the human-rights side, certainly on the persecution of religion side. But how does that impact Americans directly? Why is there this present danger with, and a need to focus on China? How is this connectedthis persecution that youve been describing in China against faith groups? Mr. Fu: In this global village, everything [that] happens in another part of the world is interrelated, especially with the worlds two largest economiesthe United States and China. And the theory 20-some years ago, when the so-called PNTRthe permanent normal trade statusand the WTO were debated at Capitol Hill. The prevailing theory, and rather naively, I have thought that a long time ago, that more engagement, more trade, and more cooperation, and more appeasement with the communist regime would inevitably bring more freedom [to] middle-class democracy. But look Mr. Jekielek: It didnt work out that way. Mr. Fu: It worked in the opposite. The Communist Party proved to be adaptive, more vicious, more aggressive. And, really, by using all the tools they have now, I think that really this big tiger is already growing too fat, you know, grew too strong in some sense. As former Speaker Newt Gingrich said, in several areas, America is losing, you know, the 5G technology, the military, even technology in outer space, the South China Sea, you know, many things. And I think, honestly, even the top Communist Partys effort and in penetrating in the free society by sending 100 Confucius Institute in American universities who are almost like the Communist Partys branches planted with full funding from the propaganda department. [They] are doing their propaganda in American society and European capitals. And they are stealing everything from the seed in Iowa to the intellectual properties in Silicon Valley. And they are using their financial power, purchasing propaganda in the nations capital andyou name it. Mr. Jekielek: Right, like in The Washington Post. Mr. Fu: Every morning, you have China Daily, the Communist Partys top propaganda pages, appear with The Washington Post. I mean, is there any time that the Peoples Daily would have an insert of The Washington Post or The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal talking about the China threat and talk about the Communist Partys dictatorship, right? Talk about the persecution against its own citizens? No. Actually, I just noticed in the past few days, two lawyers were censored by the Bureau of Justice for climbing the internet firewall on Twitter and putting a like. They just pushed the like buttonthey were censored. [There was] a message like, not friendly toward great leaders in the Communist Party. Mr. Jekielek: So, recently, Xi Jinping was speaking with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in Beijing. And they were discussingwell, Xi was encouraging global governance, the sort of increase around the concept of global governance and also encouraging that China would become kind of a keeper of the international order. I wonder if you could just tell me what you think of that? Mr. Fu: That both tell the Communist Partys ambitious agenda is not ended within the Chinese border, and also the irony that the free and democratic world is facing. The danger is that the Communist Party is using this One Belt, One Road initiative. You know, build military bases from Djibouti to Sri Lanka using this debt diplomacy. And they want to, of course, take advantage of the U.N. system. All of a sudden, one of the most corrupted and tyrannical governments wants to be the protector of the world order for global governance. The Communist Party certainly would not rank in any form of transparency, freedom of press, any modern freedoms as the best protector of anything on this front. Mr. Jekielek: Well, certainly, at the bottom of the list in most cases. Mr. Fu: Yeah, in most cases. And, of course, the irony is now all of a sudden, Xi Jinping was traveling around the globe proclaiming they want to be the protector, when they are persecuting their own citizens in their own country. And how many Falun Gong practitioners were tortured to death? Thousands. And how many Tibetans were self-immolated? Several hundred. You know, how many just even the Church of God, you know, Church of Almighty God, you know, this sect were tortured to death? How many house church leaders, how many Catholic churches were being destroyed? As late as this week, we have seen churches were being demolished, against the will of the believers. And we have seen many, many human-rights defendersat least 300 were lawyers. Legal activists were being not only incarcerated, imprisoned, but tortured. And the most well-known human-rights defender, the conscience of Chinalawyer Gao Zhishenghas been missing for over one and half years, again, after this most brutal torture. Mr. Jekielek: After all sorts of persecution over decades, basically. Mr. Fu: And the other lawyer, Wang Quanzhang, who was just defending the religious freedom cases and has been imprisoned, and secretly trialed, and secretly sentenced, and nobody ever from any family member or legal representative of his family entrusted has even seen him for the past over three years already. [Is] this really a good sign of the leader of protecting world order or what kind of order, if we allow Xi Jinping to be the head of this protector. Mr. Jekielek: What evidence do you see as being kind of first and foremost in your mind that shows us that the Chinese regime is looking to expand all of these things that its been doing within its own borders Whats most stark in your mind? Mr. Fu: The evidence is everywhere almost. You have seen the Chinese regime using the One Belt, One Road initiative. Its really a modern day its named by the current Malaysia prime minister as the new colonialism: its the Communist Partys version of colonialism, a deft diplomacy named by Vice President Pence. You know, the kind of, using the Asian so-called infrastructure bank to give some loans to African countries or Southeast Asian countries. Now, [its] even penetrated into Italy, in the heart of the European Union, to build bridges or ports and essentially take over these really critical infrastructures. And they are, of course, also expanding their ideology through the Confucius Institute globally. How many hundreds of thousands, really? I mean, I think thousands already globally, right? In Europe, in the United States, you know, fully founded by the propaganda department of the Communist Party. And militarily, you can tell whats happening in the South China Sea. They are bullying Vietnam, the Philippines, and, of course, Taiwan. And their aggressiveness, also demonstrated in their cross-strait relationship in Taiwan; theyre penetrating deeply into the Taiwan society. I believe 90 percent of the Taiwan current media outlets are either owned or financially supported by Chinese Communist Party propaganda money. Theyre interfering with this Taiwan election in massive ways. So economically, militarily, and culturally, ideologically, they are everywhere. And, of course, their spying network is everywhere from Boston to Iowa. You know, from stealing the plant seeds to the intellectual property of the high-tech field in the universities. So these are really so obvious a threat. And, honestly, as a church leader, I even sense clearly the Chinese Communist Partys influence in North American Chinese churches. Mr. Jekielek: How does that manifest? Thats very interesting. Mr. Fu: Its manifested in several ways. First, the Communist Party uses influence of threat. Most of the Chinese, overseas Chinese, they want to go back to China with a visa if they join American citizenship. If they dont have citizenship, of course, they could face arrest any time if they go back to China. So really Mr. Jekielek: There are examples, multiple examples of that. Mr. Fu: Multiple examples like China Aid. We just want to educate churches about the persecution of our own faith Christian brothers and sisters. You should care about them. This is in the scripture that you remember those who are in prison, as if you were in prison with them. And how many Chinese churches in North America, among 1,500 churches, who really, make a request to China Aid to ask for a newsletter, ask for some information? Almost zero. Over the past 15 years, maybe one or two. Maximum three churches who receive our information. And we even take the initiative by sending our newsletters over publications like our annual persecution report, documenting this persecution. And you know what? Some churches even returned this information with a note saying, Please, we are scared. Dont send this information to us. Mr. Jekielek: They are scared? What are they scared of? Mr. Fu: They dont want to he said, a Chinese spy will notice our address if you send to ours. This is real. And they said One big church in Maryland even rescinded their invitation for me to speak at their mission conference, by out of the fear of one deacons, who came from mainland China, and said, Oh, my family members are still in China. By inviting Bob Fu as a speaker, they would be jeopardized, in danger. I mean, this is a kind of psychological warfare. Of course, they persecuted those who travel back to China. I have seen so many cases already. The Chinese pastors or Christian believers, when they travel back to China, they immediately received threats and so-called warning by the state security agencies. Purposefully, some were told, Dont talk to that Bob Fu. Dont get close to China Aid. Dont Of course, all these donts. And these are real threats. And even the physical threat happening in American communities from San Francisco to Flushing, in New York City. I mean, look at during the Chinas National Day, you have Chinese flags hanging and promoted, and whenever there is a voice of disagreement, people were beaten up, physicallyin the U.S.! Mr. Jekielek: Thats incredible. So one thing to kind of finish up, this was a very important point you raised during the last committee on Present Danger Roundtable, if I recall. You mentioned that Taiwan is kind of becoming a case study of effective Chinese influence. When I say effective, I mean dangerously effective. Can you just tell me more about what you meant when you were talking about that, and how that applies to the rest of the world? Mr. Fu: Yeah, I really have been observing Taiwan. Twenty-three million people, and one of the really best kind of democracy models, right?; in at least the Asia-Pacific, for years. Out of my recent trip in Taipei, I found, Wow! Some cars have both a China flag and the Communist Partys flag with big loudspeakers and broadcasting Communist Partys propaganda on a Taipei street. And I said, Wow, this is the most vivid example. Showing like, you have the Nazis, you know, kind of are doing their propaganda on the street [like] on the streets of Berlin. I mean, Im not against the freedom of speech, but it shows when you turn on the TV in Taiwan you saw, I mean, those are overwhelmingly pro-Chinasome with subtlety, some with art. And you have CCTV propaganda that was freely kind of transmitted. You have the newspapers are just broadcasting the Chinese Foreign Ministrys quotations and propaganda freely. Mr. Jekielek: These are ostensibly free media, but theyre not so free anymore. Mr. Fu: No, not free anymore. Thats a very scary scenario to see the Communist Party taking over the mass media in Taiwan. So thats why I raise this case. And I feel, as a Chinese, as a Christian, as a pastor, for my faith, and for my conscience, were taught to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. We need to really speak the truth as it is, and we cant pretend with political correctness. So thats my reason, to answer your first question. I feel so compelled as an American citizen, out of my civil duty, when I [became] an American citizen, I pledged to the immigration judge that I would uphold the Constitution of the United States of America, to cherish and protect the freedom of this land. So, I will do this, both out of my faith and out of my civil duty. Mr. Jekielek: [Thats a] powerful place to finish. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. American Thought Leaders is a new Epoch Times show available on Facebook and YouTube. Every spring for the last 50 years, just as lawns beg to be raked and seeded, Barbara Freeman signs up participants for her intensive three-hour class in egg decoration. By no stretch of the imagination is this the Easter ritual of dunk-the-egg-in-a-dye bath so familiar to children. Freemans course calls for blown-out jumbo white eggs to be transformed into objects of art. For weeks before Easter, the Freeman dining room becomes an intoxicating kaleidoscope of brilliant colors and subdued hues. Layers of the finest rice paper, extraordinarily beautiful art papers and even gift-wrapping sheets blanket dining room chairs, each group colored coded, so for example, the pink ensemble will have lavender, rose and fuchsia colors in the mix. Spread out on the table are plastic storage bins crammed with Ziploc bags of glitter and gems, baubles and beads, birds and bunnies, feathers and ferns. There are Lilliputian teddy bears, roosters, and baskets. There are cut-outs of dragonflies and hydrangeas. And miles of ribbons, twine, grass, moss, trim and gimp. For inspiration, Freemans living room becomes a panorama of decorated eggs, some hung on a Christmas-y silver pine display tree, others jostling with bunnies and benches on the mantel, and still others on a low chest of drawers, usually harmonized by color. A spill-over diorama graces a sideboard in the dining room. You become the proverbial kid in a candy store as you fawn over the eye-catching depth and whimsy spread out before you. Ive always visited a papers or craft store anywhere I went in the world, Freeman admits by way of explaining where all the goodies come from. Ive removed things from my suitcase so I would have room for papers and trinkets that I picked up whenever I traveled. Once, when she was in Florence, she spent a whole day in a passementerie, the all-encompassing shop for drapery trims and tassels, that the owners pulled out a chair for her to sit on as she fingered, felt and fawned for hours over the samples. As a kid, I would say I was sick so I could stay home from school and craft, she remembers. I hid material under the covers, under the bed, behind the headboard Freeman yearned to go to art school, dreaming of becoming a fabric designer, but her father strongly discouraged her aspirations. So she concentrated on her art work as a hobby that grew to an all-encompassing vocation. Today, her private collection numbers 200 eggs and she estimates that she has done 800 eggs over the years, most of which were given away as gifts. She shares her passion freely, teaching at churches, libraries and country clubs. Shes taught children in nursery school and at the Boys and Girls Club. Brownies and Girl Scouts and grown-ups. Some women have been coming to her classes since they were children. In the Christian tradition, eggs symbolize the resurrection of Christ. They are an Easter metaphor of rebirth in many parts of the world. Today, at Easter time, Ukrainians paint their eggs in elaborate pysanky patterns using wax and a kistka tool; Italians wrap dough around a whole egg to bake their Easter bread; and American children roll hundreds of eggs across the White House lawn on Easter Sunday morning. Pick an egg to copy, Freeman says as she begins each session, and everyone laughs. Its fantasy to think that anyone can easily dupe her eggs but, nevertheless, everyone feels their creative juices kicking in and the fun begins. The modus operandi is simple: With design in mind, participants choose their materials and then group around an island counter in the kitchen. Before them are the tools of the trade: scissors from nail-salon size to handyman pliers; two different glues depending on intensity needed; brushes to paint the egg with glue; paper plates on which to work and wet paper towels to get any gook off your fingers. They also have their three pristine eggs. The women tear small strips out of their chosen paper, apply glue to the egg, and carefully, artistically paste the strips on the egg. Paper edges must kiss, but no bulky overlaps allowed. Ziploc elements are added, and the ribbon is attached at the top if it is for hanging. Freeman sits at the kitchen island as well, explaining procedures as she herself crafts a design and the hours tick away. Her large, expressive hands caress an egg as it morphs from a humble demeanor to one of exuberance. If you have imagination, there is no end to what you could do, Freeman says. And that applies to her other creative endeavors as well: flower arranging, Valentine ornaments and cards, witches hats for a Halloween sit-down dinner where the decor is all black and orange, even to an afternoon of a proper Victorian tea. As to the craft at hand, Freeman says as she stops to admire her students work, Theres always mystery and romance in the finished egg. Rosemarie T. Anner is a frequent contributor to Sunday Arts & Style. DANBURY - Tens of thousands of dollars are pouring into the election campaigns of GOP Mayor Mark Boughton and Democrat Chris Setaro - an early indication of the widespread interest the November race. Months before the contest for the citys top elected office is expected to heat up, Setaro has raised $105,000 and Boughton has brought in $66,000, according to campaign finance disclosure statements for the first three months of 2019, filed earlier this week with the clerks office. The first quarter results appear to bolster Setaros claim that he can make a credible run for a job Boughton has held for a record nine straight terms. I am grateful for the generosity of our supporters, said Setaro, an attorney and a former City Council president. I do think contributions are an indicator of support, and we are pleased so far with the response. Its too soon to say whether the campaigns can maintain their fundraising pace. Setaro said he hopes to raise at least another $50,000 before the fall. Boughton said that while he is running for re-election, he is also running the city. People have been very generous, definitely, but we are not interested in who has the most money, because thats not what wins elections, said Boughton. What wins elections is the job you have done in office. The contributors who gave to Setaros and Boughtons campaigns are a reflection of the candidates circles of influence. Setaro, for example, was an attorney with Ventura Law for 25 years before starting his own Danbury practice in 2016. At least 100 of his 500 contributors in the first quarter are lawyers - many from Hartford, Bridgeport and other cities outside Danbury. Boughton, meanwhile, is one of Connecticuts most popular Republicans - earning the 2018 GOP endorsement for governor. As such, he has $1,000 contributions from prominent Republicans including Linda McMahon, who recently stepped down as the director of the federal Small Business Administration to work on President Trumps re-election, and Bob Stefanowski, the GOP gubernatorial primary winner, who lost the 2018 race to Democrat Ned Lamont. Both mayoral candidates also have plenty of $100 contributions from everyday voters. Boughtons records show contributions from plumbers, bankers, therapists, roofers, real estate agents, homemakers and people in retirement. There is also a $10 donation from a student. Setaros records show contributions from waitresses, nurses, house cleaners, bus drivers, insurance agents and teachers. He also has support from several top Democrats in Connecticut, including a $50 donation from Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and a $500 contribution from Joe Ganim, the mayor of Bridgeport. The majority of our contributors are from Danbury, but we have friends, colleagues and supporters outside of Danbury who agree with us that we need a change in City Hall, Setaro said. Boughton countered that prominent Republicans elsewhere in the state want to support his re-election because Danbury is a model city. Danbury is by any measure one of Connecticuts most successful cities, and so people like Linda and Bob want to help us continue the work were doing, Boughton said. The financial disclosure forms show that Setaros campaign has spent $20,000 - on catering, videos and announcement photography. Setaro also spent $14,000 of his own money - most of it to pay for his January campaign kickoff event at the Amber Room Colonnade. Danbury has grown significantly in the last 18 years and as a result of that growth we need a plan for how we fund our schools and infrastructure, Setaro said. Boughtons campaign has spent $11,000 - mostly on catering and expenses related to his kickoff event in March. Our growth didnt happen by accident ... but through hard work and strategic planning, Boughton said. rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shakes hands with an official after being-re-elected as chairman of the North's state affairs commission. / Yonhap By Yi Whan-woo Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on his re-election as chairman of the North's state affairs commission, the country's highest position. According to a Kremlin press release, Sunday, Putin sent a congratulatory letter after Kim was re-elected during a session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly. "I am confident that your activities in this top state position will continue to facilitate friendly and neighborly relations between our countries and peoples and will help strengthen peace and security on the Korean Peninsula," Putin wrote. "I would like to reaffirm our readiness for joint work on topical matters of the bilateral and regional agenda. I sincerely wish you success, sound health and prosperity." The message came amid speculation that a summit between Kim and Putin is imminent. Putin has invited Kim to Russia, according to the Kremlin. On April 11, Japan's Asahi Shimbun reported they will soon meet in the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok. Kim is believed to be stepping up efforts to enhance ties with Putin to gain diplomatic leverage over the United States, following the Hanoi summit collapse between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in late February. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping also sent a congratulatory message on Kim's re-election, emphasizing the friendly ties between the two countries. Kim was first elected to the post in June 2016, when the commission was created through an amendment to the constitution. The plenary meeting unveiled a personnel reshuffle, which experts saw as an effort to strengthen the lineup of Pyongyang's nuclear negotiating team in preparation for talks with Washington. George B. and Margie Wilson of Jacksonville and formerly of Franklin are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary today. George B. and the former Margie Miner were married April 14, 1949, at Franklin Christian Church. A yellow ribbon sign is displayed at a wooden structure housing a commemorative exhibition at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul for the Sewol ferry disaster, Sunday, two days before its fifth anniversary. A total of 304 people onboard mostly high school students on a field trip were killed in the sinking. / Yonhap GLEN CARBON During a special police commission meeting Thursday, Glen Carbon Police Chief Todd Link discussed dropping its membership in the Southern Illinois Police Consortium (SIPC) by July 1. The department joined the consortium in 2016 because Link believed membership would accomplish three goals lessen the burden of testing the departments all-volunteer police commission; attract a larger number of applicants from around the state; and broaden the diversity of those applicants. Link believes that the consortium has not helped the village to achieve any of those three goals. After a Feb. 21 SIPC meeting, the consortium board mandated that all members provide at least one police commissioner to volunteer at least 80 percent of all consortium meetings and events (four per year and one test event). We are not getting the pool of candidates we used to get, Link said. Detective Jeff Blind concurred. If youre not ready to hire immediately, the top 10 candidates would be taken, Blind said. In place of the consortium, Links department will create its own entry-level testing with the help of a reputable agency. One of the other meeting attendees pointed out that Southwestern Illinois College may have a few tests available by late summer. In an April memo, Link wrote that the consortium acknowledges the following points it drew fewer candidates in 2018, 89, compared to 149 in 2009; it has little to no success in attracting diverse candidates; it does minimal targeted marketing of each individual police agency. Also, Link said the board set the 2019 fee at $3,000 per agency and he believes at least two more members will bow out soon, too. I no longer believe it worth our cost to participate as a member, Link said. In fact, the village has hired 10 patrol officers since my appointment in 2014. Only one of those officers was hired from the consortium list. He said the rest of the hires came from lateral or accelerated hiring programs. Link believes that for the next two years, the villages police hiring needs will be satisfied from the current lateral program. In other meeting action, the commission took the following actions: Offered conditional employment to Nicholas Carter as a probationary patrolman Administrative Lieutenant Mark Foley is set to retire next month, creating a lot of movement within the department. The committee took the initial step of promoting Ned Miller from patrol sergeant to fill Foleys position and promoting Jeff Blind from detective to patrol sergeant, replacing Miller. The promotions will become effective May 14 Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at (618) 656-4700, ext. 31 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 14, 2019 08:06 977 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732e0cf2 1 Lifestyle Election-day,2019-elections,2019-general-election,presidential-election,voting-day,discount,promotion,election-discounts,travel,destination,shopping Free Election day is just around the corner. If youre an eligible voter, dont forget to cast your vote at the nearest polling station. After casting your vote, you may want to check special election-themed discounts while waiting for the quick count results on The Jakarta Posts website or social media accounts. The tradition first appeared during Indonesias legislative election on April 9, 2014, when some establishments offered special discounts for voters. The discounts, obviously, caught attention and it became more popular during the 2014 presidential election. As for the upcoming election, the Post has spotted some interesting deals for April 17. Curious? Below is a list of election-themed discounts. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Doughnut lovers may want to drop by Krispy Kreme outlets on April 17. By showing their inked fingers, voters are entitled to get six mix classic doughnuts for free for every purchase of six assorted doughnuts. The promotion is valid in all Krispy Kreme outlets. J.Co Indonesia J.Co Indonesia is having a special promotion on April 17. Voters can get two JCoffee for only Rp 25,000 (US$1.77). To get the deal, customers will need to show their inked fingers at the cashier. Read also: What you need to know to vote on April 17 Bebek Bengil On April 17, Indonesian restaurant Bebek Bengil is offering a special price of Rp 170,000 for two portions of their popular crispy duck on election day. The promotion is valid at all Bebek Bengil outlets in Jakarta. Taman Impian Jaya Ancol You may want to schedule a visit to Taman Impian Jaya Ancol (Ancol Dreamland Park) in North Jakarta on April 17. During election day, the entrance ticket to Dunia Fantasi Ancol is priced at Rp 170,000 per person instead of Rp 295,000. Similar to other election-themed deals, visitors will need to show their inked fingers at the cashier. Moreover, Sea World Ancol will be hosting a special performance from April 13 to 17. Visitors to the park will be able to see a flag movement performance at the sites giant aquarium where five divers will unfold a peaceful election banner. Taman Safari Indonesia Taman Safari Indonesia in Cisarua, West Java, is holding a special promotion for entrance tickets on April 17. Priced at Rp 170,000 per person, adult visitors can get access to Safari Journey, rides, Panda Castle and nine shows. To get the deal, visitors will need to follow Taman Safari Indonesias Instagram, show the promotional flyer and their inked fingers at the cashier. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 14, 2019 09:09 977 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732e17ee 4 Art & Culture Japan,Manga,International-Manga-Award,The-Japan-Foundation,art Free Japans Foreign Affairs Ministry, in collaboration with the Japanese Foundation, has announced the 13th International Manga Award competition, which will run from April to June. Interested participants are encouraged to submit their work to the Japanese Embassy at Jl. M. H. Thamrin 24 in Central Jakarta. The deadline for entries is June 14. The winner will be awarded the Gold Award, while three runner-ups will receive the Silver Awards. In addition, Gold and Silver Award winners will be invited to Japan to attend an award ceremony and have the opportunity to speak with renowned manga artists and publishers. Winners of the competition will be announced in December, while the ceremony is set to take place in February next year. The International Manga Award was established by Japans Foreign Affairs Ministry in 2007 for the purpose of expanding international cultural exchange. Last year, it received 331 entries from 68 countries and territories. (rfa/wng) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Sun, April 14, 2019 11:04 977 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732e62c5 1 Art & Culture Taring-Padi,democracy,art,poster,presidential-election,election Free Round posters each 58 centimeters in diameter are hung on the legendary Kerkweg Bridge in Yogyakarta. Passers-by who stop at the traffic lights under the bridge can see many posters urging people to vote wisely in the election on April 17. There are 22 poster designs, one of them showing a person with a smartphone covering their eyes, implying that smartphones are the biggest culprits in the spread of fake news. Written on that poster is Differences in religion, ethnicity and race are not a reason to hate each other, to remind people to think carefully about information on religious, ethnic and racial issues. The 22 posters are the work of artists from the Taring Padi community, who organized a project named Terompet Rakyat (the peoples trumpet). Taring Padi has been known for its ideology of art for people since 1999. This community regularly runs Terompet Rakyat projects to respond to general elections. Heidi Arbuckle in her book Taring Padi: Radical Cultural Practice in Indonesia wrote that Taring Padi proclaims its work as an effort to prepare for popular democratic culture in Indonesia. Yogyakarta-based artist Fitriani Dwi Kurniasih told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that they were responding to four issues in this years election, namely corruption, human rights, SARA (ethnicity, religion, race and groups) and fake news, and environment and agricultural conflicts. Taring Padi has been hanging Terompet Rakyat posters in strategic places around Yogyakarta since March 3. They also sent the posters to other art communities in other cities such as Jakarta; Malang, East Java; and Blora, Central Java in case they wish to hang the posters in their cities public spaces. Fitriani said Terompet Rakyat aimed to remind people to vote for candidates with a strong commitment to Indonesias most crucial issues. A round poster by Taring Padi (Taring Padi/File) The messages in the posters are also the peoples demand. We are part of the people who want our voices to be heard, said Fitriani. She also makes posters to prevent people from getting involved in SARA conflicts, which tends to increase during election season. In the poster, she drew people of different religious backgrounds to represent diversity and peace. I disagree with religion being made into political tool, as it is a personal issue and very sensitive, she said. Artist Dodi Irwandi made a poster depicting a guitarist singing 1, 2 and 3 and other parties are all the same, similar in their lies, you can choose or not choose, dont be pushy, its my right. He said that being able to vote for who you want in the election was a right that had to be respected, even if someone chooses not to vote. Nobody should be forced to vote, he said. Dodi chose the visual of a singing person because he is also a musician. He is a member of a group named Dendang Kampungan which is also part of Taring Padi. Read also: Cool support: Creative presidential election-inspired products Indonesia Democracy Network (JADI) member Farid Bambang Siswantoro assessed Taring Padis posters. He couldnt agree with a poster that approves of voters abstaining in the election, but he thinks it is important to make a poster that reminds people to be at peace again with those they disagreed with. Terompet Rakyat posters are now carrying on their task in a public exhibition space. Previously, the posters, which were first designed in 2018, were showcased at an exhibition to commemorate Taring Padis 20th anniversary at the Indonesia Art Institute (ISI) campus in Yogyakarta last December. The posters were also showcased at Democracy Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in February. (mut) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Bangkok Sun, April 14, 2019 20:05 976 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732f6c46 2 Art & Culture Thailand,New-Year,Songkran,Songkran-festival Free Water-spraying elephants, raves and boisterous, street-blocking water fights -- Thailand's Buddhist new year arrived with a splash Saturday, a once calm festival now celebrated with a more raucous edge. Paying respects to elders and sprinkling water over figures of Buddha at local temples are some of the traditions of the three-day new year celebration -- known as Songkran -- but the holiday also has a rowdier side involving alcohol-fuelled revelry among its youth. Thais and foreigners sporting floral shirts arm themselves with colourful water pistols and protective goggles, engaging in water fights that bring entire streets to a standstill. Authorities had issued warnings beforehand on modesty, saying that nudity and provocative clothing will be prohibited. There are no such restrictions however on summary drenchings. In the Bangkok tourist hotspot Khao San road, two young men dressed in school uniforms get doused by passersby wielding high-powered water pistols and buckets of water. And in Ayutthaya, elephants painted in colourful floral designs lift their trunks and spray water on delighted tourists, with the town's ancient temples serving as a backdrop. Read also: Thailand to make it rain as pollution chokes Bangkok As the sun sets, tens of thousands of ravers from across Asia are expected to dance into Saturday night under massive water cannons and spectacular pyrotechnics, as Bangkok's S2O Songkran festival gets underway. Some of the world's best known -- and paid -- DJs, including Tiesto, Steve Aoki and UK veteran Fatboy Slim are performing across the three-day dance music event -- Asia's largest. Neighbouring Laos and Myanmar celebrate the same festival with young and old throwing buckets of water over each other as music thuds from loudspeakers. In Yangon, where the festival is known as Thingyan, children blow bubbles and play with soap suds at street foam parties, while women dressed in traditional costumes perform dances near the famed Sule Pagoda. Songkran is also the most perilous time to travel in Thailand, and the week beginning from April 11 is dubbed "seven dangerous days" as millions of Thais make the journey back to their hometowns by bus, vans or motorbikes. To prevent drink driving incidents, authorities have said they will levy harsh penalties on those imbibing alcohol before getting behind the wheel. Somchai Wayrojpipat, 57, was charged with premeditated murder after causing a fatal accident under the influence late Thursday night in the outskirts of Bangkok, police officer Pitak Poolputtha told AFP. "This is the first case in this country where the drunk driver faced premeditated murder and the highest punishment is the death sentence," Pitak said. The Interior Ministry has recorded more than 100 deaths in the first two days preceding the festival, but that number is expected to climb. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 14, 2019 14:06 977 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732eedaf 4 Science & Tech startup,unicorn,decacorns,NextICorn Free The Communications and Information Ministry has launched the Next Indonesia Unicorn (NextICorn) Foundation as part of an effort to bolster the countrys fast-growing digital ecosystem. Minister Rudiantara said he expected the foundation to assist and accommodate the long-term development of the countrys startup companies. The NextICorn Foundation represents the governments commitment to the sustainable development of a digital ecosystem, Rudiantara said on Sunday, as quoted by kompas.com. He said the government had the obligation to facilitate the countrys startups so they could grow to achieve the coveted unicorn status (a privately held startup valued at more than US$1 billion), or even the decacorn status. Read also: What are unicorn companies? In addition to connecting startups with venture capitalists, the NextICorn Foundation would also offer support related to business models and technology implementation. Meanwhile, the head of the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Thomas Lembong, commended the launch of the NextICorn Foundation, saying that it would serve as a vehicle for the development of local startups. The countrys digital economy has grown rapidly as homegrown startups reach the unicorn and decacorn levels. Ride-hailing app Go-Jek became Indonesias first decacorn when its valuation hit US$10 billion, according to the CB Insights research institution in its Global Unicorn Club report. (rfa/kes) Topics : startup unicorn decacorns NextICorn One-hundred local internet personalities have been recognized for their role in spreading positive and constructive information at the Influencer Awards, an event initiated by the Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) in collaboration with the Education and Culture Ministry. The event, which took place on Friday evening in Bogor, West Java, recognized the role of influencers who are active on three major social media channels, namely Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Actress Julie Estelle; young scholar Gustika Hatta, who is also the granddaughter of one of the countrys founding fathers, Mohammad Hatta; and linguist Ivan Lenin were among the evenings awardees in the Twitter category. Actresses Nicta Gina, Adinia Wirasti and Tissa Bisani each received an award for their presence on Instagram. Meanwhile, popular YouTube content creators who received awards include comedian-turned-actor Bayu Skak and stand-up comedian Abdur Arsyad. Read also: Millennial travelers are sick of social media influencers The Influencer Awards were part of a roadshow dubbed The Future Is Here!, which ran from April 4 to 6 in Bandung, West Java, and Yogyakarta. The roadshow aimed to encourage millennials to combat the glut of misinformation by sharing accurate and verified information on the web. In a statement, Bekraf head Triawan Munaf called on the youth of Indonesia to utilize the internet more responsibly. Millennials are the future of the information and technology sector. The governments consistent efforts to bolster information infrastructure are expected to accommodate their innovations, Triawan said on Friday. (rfa/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar Sun, April 14, 2019 14:16 977 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732ef27d 1 National Kintamani,Kintamani-dog,kennel-club,dog-breed Free The Kintamani dog from Bali has been internationally recognized by the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI), an international federation of national kennel clubs. The recognition letter was officially submitted by the Belgium-based organization on Feb. 20, signed by its executive director Yves De Clercq. The chairman of the Indonesia Kennel Klub (IKK), Benny Kwok Wie Sioe, told journalists on Saturday that the Kintamani was the first Indonesian dog breed to be recognized internationally. The FCI has declared to the world that the Kintamani dog is a dog breed native to Indonesia, Benny said, adding that the IKK had proposed the recognition years ago. A screen capture of the Kintamani's anatomical features from the Federation of Cynologique Internationale website. (JP/-) With the FCI recognition, Benny added, the breed could join international competitions and dog shows, and Kintamani birth documents could use the official FCI logo. Benny officially handed on Saturday afternoon the FCI recognition letter to Bali Governor I Wayan Koster, who expressed appreciation for the honor. As a Balinese, I feel very proud for the international recognition. It shows that the world recognizes that Bali has high-quality native dog breeds that deserve to participate in national and international competitions, Koster said. Koster said the recognition should motivate all Balinese to keep preserving and developing local animals and plants. We have amazing nature with many animals from Bali, such the Bali starling and Bali cow. These animals should be preserved to keep our ecosystem in Bali unique. It is also value for our economy, he said. A 3-month-old Kintamani puppy. (Courtesy of Imk0278/Wikimedia Commons) Benny said Kintamani dogs were highly intelligent and had won several competitions in the past several years. I also have a Kintamani dog. They have extraordinary intelligence, Benny said. He expressed hope that the international recognition could provide value to the community, as it could lift the price of the breed. Now, it is sold at around Rp 200,000 (US$14.20) or Rp 300,000, he said. A recognized dog breed with a good lineage and a certificate, like a Golden Retriever, can fetch Rp 5 million for a male pup and Rp 3 million for a female pup. Animal lovers have criticized some practices within the pet trade and encourage the adoption of pets instead. However, dog breeding and selling are legal in Indonesia, even though there are reports of alleged abuse. Benny said not all Kintamani dogs were sold for cheap, citing an instance in which a well-treated Kintamani dog was sold for Rp 20 million. "The Kintamani dog is an evolving breed indigenous to the Kintamani region of Bali. Kintamani dogs cohabitate with feral Bali street dogs, although folklore has the breed originating 600 years ago from a Chinese Chow Chow, " said a 2005 paper on the breed in Journal of Heredity, written by Puja, Irion, Schaffer and Pedersen. In the document for the breed on the FCI website, the federation states that the Kintamani dog originated from the village of Sukawana in Kintamani, Bali. "The Kintamani-Bali Dog comes from the region of mountains, volcanoes and forests," it says. The origins of the Kintamani dog prior to that are unknown. "The Kintamani-Bali Dog is the Republic of Indonesias national breed and very popular in the country," the FCI notes. The document also says the breed is a "well-balanced dog with a rectangular body, a wedge-shaped head, moderate stop, pricked ear and a sickle tail with a double coat, harsh outer coat of medium length on the body and shorter on its face." The temperament of the Kintamani is said to be watchful, intelligent, alert, gentle, loyal and easy to train. (evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 14, 2019 21:33 976 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732f7f6f 1 City Matraman,train-station,train-operator,Transportation,transportation-ministry,railway Free The construction of Matraman railway station in East Jakarta will be completed this year, the head of the Jakarta-Banten Technical Unit of the Transportation Ministrys Railway Directorate General Jumardi said. We are actually aiming to complete the construction of Matraman Station by the end of this year so it can start operating this year too. The sooner the better, he said recently as quoted by kompas.com. The ministry wants Matraman Station to start operating soon because it is located between two of the busiest transit stations: Jatinegara and Manggarai. The station is expected to reduce the crowds at the two transit stations. Passengers who work near the [Matraman] station can disembark there instead of at Manggarai Station, he said. Jumardi went on to say that a double-double track (DDT) railway connecting Jatinegara and Manggarai stations was expected to begin operating in 2021. A 9.5-kilometer DDT connecting Jatinegara with Cakung just began operating on Friday.(vla) A doctor examines a pregnant woman using an ultrasound scan. /Korea Times file By Bahk Eun-ji A 38-year-old office worker Cho Yu-ri, who has been married for nine years, has spent more than 35 million won ($30,720) since 2016 when she first decided to try artificial insemination to overcome her fertility problems. She had the fifth trial last month but all have failed. Cho said she plans to quit the job she's had for 11 years, in order to focus on the treatments. Lee Woo-jung, a 36-year-old accountant who has been married for six years, said she can never get used to the feeling of injecting herself with hormones in a restroom in her office building before undergoing her in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure. "My doctor said I have to get the shots at the appointed time every day. So I visited several clinics around my office to ask if they could give me the injections, but all of them refused," Lee said. Lee said the doctors she had visited said they felt pressure about possible side effects caused by the injections because the body of a woman who is treated for fertility problems is usually highly sensitive after undergoing several procedures. "What can I do as a full-time worker? I can't get a day-off to see my doctor whenever I need to get an injection, so I decided to do it myself, but it is hard to get used to it," Lee said. Many couples suffer fertility problems, especially with the trend of getting married later. More than 300,000 women visit fertility clinics for treatments every year, according to statistics from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, with about 382,000 patients in 2016 and 365,000 in 2017. Among them, 31.5 percent were aged 45 to 49. Two common treatments There are two common procedures to treat fertility problems _ artificial insemination and IVF. Artificial insemination is a technique placing previously selected semen into a woman's uterus that has been prepared by stimulating ovulation. The fertilization happens inside the fallopian tube of the woman. IVF procedures consist of retrieving a woman's eggs to be fertilized in a laboratory and later placing the obtained embryos inside the uterus. The fertilization happens outside the woman's body in the laboratory. IVF is a more complex technique because it requires a surgical procedure to obtain the eggs and be fertilized in the lab. Women receiving IVF treatments have to get injections that trigger ovulation for about six to eight months. It is relatively easy for those living or working near their clinics to get injections, but most of women have a hard time getting treatment due to a shortage of facilities of the total 71 clinics in Seoul, 29 infertility clinics are located in five districts including Gangnam and Songpa. Government support for fertility treatment Fertility treatments including IVF and artificial insemination have been covered by the National Health Insurance since October 2017, but women aged over 45 years old have been excluded. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said earlier this month that the government would expand financial support for struggling couples, as part of efforts to lessen their burden. Under the newly revised rule that takes effect in July, the age limit will be lifted, so that women over 45 years old will be able to receive treatment covered by state insurance. So far state insurance has covered only three trials of artificial insemination as well as four trials of IVF when using fresh embryos and three when using frozen embryos. Now two more trials will be covered for artificial insemination, three more for IVF using fresh embryos and two more for IVF using frozen embryos. It will also cover expenses for medications that prevent miscarriage, medications that increase the chances of implantation, and treatment for freezing and storing embryos, the ministry said. Couples who suffer from depression or psychiatric problems due to fertility problems will be able to get counselling services at four counseling centers around the country including the National Medical Center. Seoul City's action In response to the call for practical support for women struggling with fertility problems, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon met couples who are receiving treatments and citizens interested in the issue last month. During the meeting with about 100 participants, Park pledged to set up a public fertility center at the Seoul Medical Center. "Fertility treatments usually cost a lot of money. The fertility clinic which will be established in Seoul Medical Center will play a key role in reducing burden of couples who have been in difficulty having baby," Park said during the meeting. The mayor also said the city government has been considering allowing women get hormone injections at public healthcare centers in their neighborhoods. "To support individuals who want to have children, the local government and the central government will cooperate closely to offer full services throughout one's pregnancy," Park said. Indian politicians are often accused of using hate or intimidation to win support of the electorate. Soliciting votes on religious lines or threatening voters is prohibited. A video showed women and child welfare minister Maneka Gandhi, widow of former politician Sanjay Gandhi, warning a gathering of Muslim community members to vote for her or be shunned if she returns to power. "I am winning with the help of the people. But if my victory comes without the support of Muslims, then I will not feel good," Gandhi told a gathering during a campaign rally on Friday. "It will leave a bitter taste. And then when a Muslim comes for any work, then I will think let it be." Her comments sparked outrage online and demands for action by the opposition Congress party -- headed by her former husband's nephew Rahul Gandhi -- as local election authorities told her to explain her comments. Bollywood actor Swara Bhaskar on Twitter slammed what she said as an open "threat to Muslims and unconstitutional" and demanded criminal action against the minister. Maneka Gandhi's former husband Sanjay Gandhi was the son of former premier Indira Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1984. His brother was Rajiv Gandhi, assassinated in 1991. Sanjay was instrumental in a compulsory sterilisation programme during the 1975 to 1977 "emergency" when his mother and prime minister Indira Gandhi suspended all civil rights. More than six million men were sterilised under the programme that aimed to control India's population and was intense in Muslim areas. Sanjay was seen as the political heir to his mother but died in a plane crash in 1980. Following his death, Maneka Gandhi snapped her ties with Congress and Indira and launched her own party before joining the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), now headed by Modi, in 2004. Hate speech The other new incident in the current election, which runs to May 19, involved Sakshi Maharaj, a Hindu monk, who told a gathering in the northern city of Kanpur he would "curse" those who do not vote for him. "When a saint comes to beg and isnt given what he asks for, he takes away all the happiness of the family and in turn gives curse to the family," Maharaj said, adding he was quoting from sacred Hindu scriptures. Maharaj is facing 34 criminal charges against him, including alleged murder, robbery and cheating. He is running for a second term from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh state. The BJP member's previous comments include calling upon Hindus to produce four children and grow faster than the Muslim population. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Made Anthony Iswara (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 14, 2019 19:25 976 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732f54aa 1 National Neles-Tebay,obituary,Papua,OPM Free Papua Peace Network (JDP) coordinator and Catholic priest Neles Tebay died at the age of 55 on Sunday, having been in intensive care for the last few weeks for bone cancer at Saint Carolus Hospital in Central Jakarta. Born in Dogiyai on Feb. 13, 1964, Neles studied in Rome, Italy, before teaching philosophy and theology at a local university and getting an ordination in 1992. As a figure who actively promoted peace in Papua, he was a correspondent of The Jakarta Post describing the military conflict and human rights violations in the province through news and op-ed articles. In 2009, he also published a 50-page proposal to the government urging an inter-dialogue between conflicting sides. As the western half of the island of New Guinea, Papua has faced conflicts despite integration into Indonesia in 1963. Neles has become a prominent voice in reporting about what happened in the region, including reporting about the existence of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), a separatist group whose members refuse to call themselves Indonesian as they consider the country to be a colonizer of their ancestral land. The movement peaked in 1980 as the movements armed wing, the Papua Liberation Army, had killed police and military personnel while raising their Morning Star flag as a symbol of resistance. In response, the government in the New Order era addressed the Papua conflict with gun use as they declared the area a military operation zone. All these signs indicate not only a lack of Indonesian nationalism but also the absence of lasting peace in Papuas unsettled conflict, Neles wrote in an op-ed article in the Post. After the fall of Soeharto, the government changed its approach in the province by introducing the 2001 law on Papua special autonomy, which allows Papuans to take control of their regions through its legislative councils and local government offices. However, resistance still persists among separatist movements as they claim that Papuans are excluded from the policy-making process. In fact, Neles once protested that all economic activities were still dominated by non-Papuans. According to sesawi.net, there was still no information as of Sunday about whether or not his body would be sent to Jayapura, Papua, for collective prayers and burial processions. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano and Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 14, 2019 17:31 976 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732f2201 1 Politics nationalism,inequality,#2019PresidentialElection,2019-presidential-election,2019-presidential-debate,Prabowo-Subianto-Sandiaga-Uno,Jokowi-Maruf,Joko-Widodo-Maruf-Amin,Prabowo-Sandiaga,economy,Freeport-shares Free The fifth and last presidential debate on Saturday touched on the issue of nationalism in the economy as well as inequality, but all it showed was a difference of opinion on how to reach them. The Joko Jokowi Widodo and Maruf Amins camp preferred a broad outlook, while the Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno camp championed a bottom-up policymaking process. Macroeconomy is not microeconomy, said Jokowi during the debate. It is impossible to formulate policies based on one or two people who tell you about their hardships. A macroeconomy does not work like that. Jokowi was responding to Sandiaga who said most people, predominantly housewives, complained about high food and energy prices. First, I would like to apologize to Pak Jokowi, because Ibu Mia and Ibu Nurjanah, whom I have personally met, complain about rising staple food prices, said Sandiaga. He added that his camp would push for food sufficiency and not import food commodities at harvest time to ensure the welfare of farmers. While on the campaign trail, the businessman always quoted the little people he said he had met and talked to. The topics were mostly on the economic hardships that people shared with him. While Sandiaga focused on food prices to eradicate poverty, Jokowi wanted to achieve equality in the economy through more infrastructure development projects outside Java. He also promoted one of the governments cash aid programs, the Family Hope Program (PKH). Relying on economic growth alone will be an injustice. Therefore, we are developing infrastructure outside Java in the form of special economic zones across the country, Jokowi said. In January, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) reported that the countrys Gini ratio improved slightly to 0.384 as of September 2018, down from 0.389 in March and 0.391 in September 2017. The BPS reported that in September 2018, the poverty rate stood at 9.66 percent rate or 25.67 million people. The figure decreased from 9.82 percent in March, meaning 280,000 people had been lifted out of poverty In Prabowos opening salvo during Saturday nights debate against the direction the Jokowi administrations economic policy is taking, he stated that the country was taking a wrong turn. Too much of Indonesias money is going outside the country, and deindustrialization is happening. While other countries are going through industrialization, we are going through deindustrialization, he said, adding that his camp had a strategy to change that. Jokowi, in response, revved up nationalism as well by citing what his administration had done. We are fighting for the nations economic sovereignty. Natural resources that were previously owned by foreigners are now controlled by the state, for instance the Mahakam oil block and Freeport, he said. Jokowi ended the debate by saying we should not be afraid of challenges and hardship. [] we must always be optimistic. He also called on all Indonesians to go to the polls on April 17. In his closing statement, Sandiaga said he and Prabowo would not be paid a salary if elected to the highest office in the country. Prabowo also took time to give appreciation to all the coalition parties, clerics and volunteers. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nirarta Samadhi and Reidinar Juliane (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, April 15 2019 Our civilization is being sacrificed for the opportunity of a very small number of people to continue making enormous amounts of money. It is the sufferings of the many which pay for the luxuries of the few. We cannot solve the crisis without treating it like a crisis. The real power belongs to the people. That statement was delivered by Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish girl who inspired the Fridays for Future Climate Strike, a movement to skip school on Fridays to strike, pushing the government to urgently act on climate change. This movement has seen many critics but it might signal that the climate is already in a very dangerous state. The strikes are now happening in more than 71 countries and 700 places, with thousands of students taking to the streets, from Sweden, the United Kingdom to South Korea. What about Indonesia? In Indonesia, Greenpeace said only a handful of students showed up to strike. There could be several reasons for this: We dont hear much about the movement, we hear about the movement but school classes are too important to skip, or perhaps, we simply dont care. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak (The Jakarta Post) Tokyo Mon, April 15, 2019 00:57 976 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732f89f5 1 Politics overseas-voters,Tokyo,voter-turnout,Tokyo-record-voter-turnout,Indonesian-elections,2019-general-election,#2019GeneralElections,#2019PresidentialElection Free Ninety-percent of registered voters in the Kanto region of Japan showed up at a polling place in Tokyo on Sunday, while the closing time was extended to accommodate hundreds of eligible voters who had not registered in advance. As of 9 p.m. local time, or two hours after the original closing time, at least 300 people, most of them students and first-time voters, were still waiting in line in the compound of Balai Indonesia multifunction hall in Meguro, Tokyo, to get a line number ticket before moving to another line to cast their ballot. Weve been in the line for five hours, said first-time voter Irma. Many of us have given up and gone home but I will not lose my chance to vote because, like they say, each vote matters. Similar to Irma, her fellow student Irvan said he didnt mind the long hours of waiting because hed been closely following all issues surrounding the presidential and legislative election including the candidate debates and was determined to exercise his voting right. Im excited, so its OK, said Irvan. We dont want to live with regret if we give up our vote, chimed in another friend, Tasya. According to the head of the Overseas Election Committee (PPLN) for Kanto region, Makmur Lubis, 90 percent of 1,208 voters registered to cast ballots at the polling place had showed up by 4 p.m. There should be more but we have yet to verify the final numbers. It was a record showing, with the voter turnout in the 2014 election hovering around 75 percent. Initially, the committee had lowered its expectations due to the change in election system and, therefore, shorter time to prepare and disseminate information. We are surprised that a bigger crowd of voters showed up. We think there are many factors at play, but mainly because this time around there are only two pairs of candidates, which makes voters more firm with their decision. In 2014, the General Elections Commission (KPU) recorded that only 464,458 or 22 percent of about 2 million registered overseas voters cast their ballot in the legislative election, while the turnout was higher for the presidential election at 33 percent. This year, there are 16,799 voters listed for Kanto region, including the Greater Tokyo Area and seven prefectures, of which 80 percent chose to cast their ballots via mail. A drop box was also available at the polling place. According to Lubis, there were around 300 extra voters, including tourists and around 800 who had not registered falling in the special voter list (DPK). Business student Evelin, also a first-time voter, decided to leave the polling place after five hours. "I came by bicycle and it would take another hour to reach my place. I can only blame myself for not registering in advance. I've been busy with my studies and did not come with my friends to register during an Indonesian event late last year." Panji, an intern in Nakano for the last six months, said he had come as early as 8 a.m. and decided to leave at 7 p.m. "I really want to participate in the election, but time is the constraint because I have to work in the morning." Another polling place is in Osaka, which covers 17 prefectures with over 6,500 registered voters. When contacted via phone at 5 p.m., committee head in Osaka, Anung Wibowo, said hundreds of voters were also still waiting in line. The vote count will be held simultaneously on April 17. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Sun, April 14, 2019 18:05 976 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732f40be 2 News Game-of-Thrones,exhibition,travel,destination,Northern-Ireland,Belfast Free It's here: The largest "Game of Thrones" exhibit to date has opened in Northern Ireland. "Game of Thrones: The Touring Exhibition" made its grand debut in Belfast this week with the addition of two new exhibits created exclusively for the Northern Ireland stop: the Winterfell Crypt, guarded by stone direwolves featuring six of the Stark ancestors and the ancient dragon skulls. The touring exhibit recreates the fictional, mystical GoT universe with costumes, props and settings from all seven seasons of the hit HBO series. Exhibits include the wintry landscapes of the North; treelined pathway of the Kingsroad; the home of the Night's Watch, Castle Black; and the showstopping centerpiece, the Iron Throne Room. The highly anticipated eighth and final season bows April 14. The exhibition kicked off its worldwide tour in Barcelona in 2017, before moving to Paris and Oberhausen, Germany. The Belfast show marks the exhibit's largest display yet. Read also: A walk through Belfast Along with the touring exhibit, the franchise will also be extended into a series of legacy projects that include a "Game of Thrones Studio Tour" set to open next spring in Northern Ireland. The 110,000 square foot Linen Mill Studios is the original filming location for many of the iconic scenes and will be turned into an interactive experience for fans. For nearly a decade, the dramatic landscapes, coastlines and castles of Northern Ireland have doubled as the fictional setting for Westeros. "Game of Thrones: The Touring Exhibition" is in Belfast until September 1. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, April 15, 2019 05:07 976 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732fac50 1 News Java-Mountain-Coffee,coffee,bali,eco-friendly,women-farmers,Alila Free Java Mountain Coffee has announced its partnership with Alila Seminyak and Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali. The hotels guests can now expect an in-room selection of certified biodegradable coffee capsules filled with farm-fresh Indonesian coffee. The coffee is sustainably grown by all-female cooperatives in Bali and West Java. The biodegradable coffee capsules take three months to break down into compost after use and are considered an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic and aluminum capsules. Read also: Female coffee farmers get empowered in Bali We are excited to be partnering with Alila Resorts Bali in providing a 'circular solution' for their in-room coffee, one that not only contributes to the empowerment of Indonesias rural women farmers but also leaves a positive impact on the environment. We hope to expand our local partnerships throughout Asia and beyond with our coffee innovations, said Nadine Alexander, spokeswoman of Java Mountain Coffee. Currently, Java Mountain Coffee is involved with two all-women cooperatives in Indonesia, the Java Mountain Womens Coffee Cooperative in Ciwidey, West Java, and the Bali Mountain Womens Coffee Cooperative in Bali. The Indonesian social enterprise aims to empower indigenous women farmers and seasonal workers. (sop/wng) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 14, 2019 16:02 977 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732f11f9 1 News PT-KAI,commuter,train-station,coworking,coworking-space,travel Free In an effort to accommodate busy commuters who work on-the-go, state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) has launched coworking spaces at several train stations across Java. PT KAIs general director, Edi Sukmoro, said he hoped that the new facilities would help boost productivity among commuters, especially millennials. Train stations have become a hub for public activities. Its only right that we build coworking spaces at the stations, Edi recently said as quoted on the company's official website. The companys coworking spaces are said to offer a range of amenities, including internet connection, 16 seats and work desks. Read also: Jakpost guide to coworking spaces To use a coworking space, commuters will have to show their boarding passes. They will then be granted free access for two hours, Edi said. PT KAI has so far launched coworking spaces at nine stations, including Gambir, Juanda and BNI City stations in Jakarta as well as Bandung Station in Bandung, West Java, and Semarang Tawang Station in Semarang, Central Java. The company planned to open coworking spaces at more stations, Edi said. State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno commended the companys coworking spaces, saying they were the type of innovation that the public needed in the digital era. I hope PT KAI will keep providing the public with the best service, Rini said during the launch of the companys coworking space at Bandung Station. (rfa/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 14, 2019 13:04 977 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732ed170 4 News halal-tourism,Riau,tourism,destination,halal-industry Free Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Riau are rushing to apply for halal certification as the governor plans to develop the provinces halal tourism sector. Wan Helya Rosa, the owner of Kedai Yong Bengkalis in Pekanbaru, said she had applied for halal certification at the Indonesian Ulemas Councils (MUI) Food and Drug Analysis Agency in Riau for her culinary products in support of the plan. We support the Riau governors halal tourism plan. Weve finally been certified halal by the MUI in Riau, she said on Tuesday, as quoted by Antara. Wan said she hoped the government would promote businesses that had been certified as halal. Zamzami, another local business owner, said he was enthusiastic about the administrations halal tourism plan. I hope the plan comes with an incentive that allows local businesses to apply for halal certification more easily, he said, adding that he hoped the administration would also push for a policy that reduced single-use plastics. Riau Governor Syamsuar issued Gubernatorial Instruction No. 18/2019 on halal tourism on April 5. Ive signed a gubernatorial instruction establishing Riau as a halal tourism destination, Syamsuar told a press conference on Monday, adding that he expected the halal tourism concept to help boost the local economy. "We can at least compete with Thailand, which has more non-Muslim citizens," he added. (rfa/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, April 15, 2019 03:05 976 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732fa029 1 News swimming-pool,deepest-pool,world-record,Poland,travel,destination,Deepspot Free Poland is about to set a new world record with Deepspot, which has been hailed as "the world's deepest pool". Located in Mszczonow, 30 miles from Warsaw, the pool will be 45 meters deep and filled with 8,000 cubic m of water which equates the volume of 27 average pools of 25 meters, CNN reported. Deepspot will cater to various groups such as beginner divers to the more experienced and even people who are not swimming. The latter can view the divers in action without getting wet thanks to an underwater cave. The blue hole plunges down to the pools deepest point. Conference and training suites, as well as hotel rooms will surround the pool. The current deepest pool in the world is Italys Y-40 Deep Joy. The star attraction of Hotel Millepini is located at a Terme resort area close to Venice. However, Deepspots time at the top will not last long as there are plans to build an even deeper pool in the United Kingdom in 2020. Located in Colchester, the Blue Abyss will be 50 m deep. John Vickers, managing director of Blue Abyss, said it would be more than just a super-sized pool and would include a commercial astronaut training center [...] and a human performance center helping people reach the peak of their physical capabilities. (sop/kes) By Bahk Eun-ji Following the recent historic Constitutional Court decision against the nation's 66-year-old abortion ban, calls are rising on the government to legalize the sale of abortive drugs, such as a well-known one, Mifegyne. A pharmacists' group calls for government's approval for Mifegyene, an abortion drug, following the Constitutional Court's decision to lift the abortion ban, while a doctors' group raises concerns over possible side effects. /Korea Times file But some others express a more cautious approach for the sales permission, because misuse or abuse of the drugs without proper medical consultation could damage women's health. On Friday, a day after the court ruling, a group of pharmacists issued a statement urging the government to legalize the use of Mifegyne. Mifegyne, first approved in France in 1998, is a typical form of abortion pill. It is said to be 95 percent effective when used within the first 49 days of pregnancy. The Association of Pharmacists for Healthy Society (APHS) said the ruling is still insufficient for women who want to have safe abortions, requesting the government legalize abortion-related services, including approval of abortive drugs in terms of broadening women's choice and right to a safe abortion. "Mifegyne is currently available in 69 countries including the U.S., Australia and Sweden, after the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the pill as an essential medicine for abortion in 2005. However, it is still illegal in Korea although people can easily find online stores selling the pill," the APHS said. 3 hours ago 3 Reasons Why BlackBerry May be Ready to Grow on Its Own Merits The unlikely meme stock is showing investors its business strategy is starting to pay off BlackBerry (NYSE:BB) was one of the stranger companies to be part of the meme stock movement. Read Article By Kang Seung-woo Foreign students studying at Korean universities are expressing their frustration with schools charging them unfairly higher tuition fees compared with their domestic counterparts, whose education costs have been frozen. While they claim the higher tuition does not bring about quality education, local schools are countering their argument, saying the increase in the number of international students results in higher expenditures, so it is reasonable they should pay more. According to Higher Education in Korea, the education ministry's website giving information about universities, major schools in Seoul increased international students' tuition this year. Kyung Hee University raised fees by 8.8 percent, and Sungkyunkwan University, Hanyang University and Yonsei University all raised theirs by 5 percent. A closer look shows that Kyung Hee increased the tuition to expand the number of English-speaking classes and improve welfare facilities for foreigners. Sogang University plans to spend the money to build an education center for international students. "I think it is unfair that international students have to pay more for tuition than Korean students even though we take the same classes," a Chinese student of Sungkyunkwan University said. "In the wake of the tuition hike, Chinese students here asked the university about it and the school said it has to provide more services for international students such as visa and mentoring services, so we have to pay more." A Mongolian student at Korea University also echoed the Chinese student's view. "This year, I was surprised to see the school increase the tuition fee by 4 percent. I still cannot agree with the school's decision to take more fees from foreigners," he said, adding that the school failed to give a full explanation of the hike. A Japanese student studying at Yonsei University expressed frustration that the school failed to give advance notice regarding the tuition hike. The international students also say what is more frustrating is that despite the increased tuition, they have seen little improvement in their classes. "It does not make sense for us to pay more tuition and a large number of students around me are making similar complaints," the Chinese student said. Along with the unfair tuition, Leonardo Ferreira, a Brazilian student at Seoul National University's College of Engineering, said international students have fewer opportunities for scholarships compared with Korean students. "There are fewer scholarship programs from schools for foreign students and we usually receive scholarships from our own countries or the Korean government," he said. Many universities have maintained a tuition freeze for Korean students in line with the government's policy to limit tuition increases. Last year, the Ministry of Education came up with its guidelines allowing schools to raise tuition by up to 2.25 percent if they give up applying for a state-funded scholarship program worth 1.2 trillion won ($1 million) annually. But international students' tuition fees are not subject to the government's guidelines. Critics say as universities cannot increase tuition for local students to the extent that they want, they are turning their focus on foreign students, whose tuition is exempt from the government's cap, as a means to maximize profit. Due to the growing expressions of discontent from international students, some 100 Chinese students at Sogang University sent emails to the school to protest the hike in February. In order to ease dissatisfaction, the student council of Korea University arbitrated between international students and the school. As a result, the university raised the tuition fees by 4 percent for this year, down from its initial plan of 5 percent. Schools also have much to say about the tuition hike. "Amid a growing number of international students here, we have to increase tuition fees and a portion of them are used to expand facilities and improve services for them," an official of a local university said on condition of anonymity. But even some local students are not buying into the claim by foreign students. "It would stand to reason that schools may have to spend more money for them. Think about Koreans studying overseas: they have to pay more than local students there," a Korean student said. As Korea's population decreases, sparked by the lowest-ever birthrate, local schools are trying to attract foreign students. According to Higher Education in Korea, the number of international students has been rising steadily over the past five years from 57,675 in 2014 to 99,714 in 2018. By Kim Rahn A man has been found not guilty of attempting to avoid mandatory military service by binge-eating fried chicken to gain weight. The Incheon District Court said Sunday it recently acquitted the college student, 22, of violating of the Military Act. The man, whose name was withheld, was indicted in August 2016 for having his weight shoot up before the military health checkup in an alleged attempt to dodge the service. In the checkup, he measured 169.6 centimeters tall and weighed 106 kilograms with a body mass index (BMI) of 36.8. Those with a BMI of 33 or over are classified as overweight, and carry out community service at regional community centers or public organizations instead of being stationed in military camps. The prosecution claimed the student, knowing the rule, tried to gain weight by drinking alcohol and bingeing on fried chicken. The man, however, claimed he had been overweight even before the extra weight gain. Rejecting the prosecution's account, the court said the man's BMI had been over 33 since he was in the third grade and that he already weighed 102 kilograms in his senior year at high school. "It is unlikely for a high school senior to deliberately gain weight in order to dodge military service in the future," it said. "There is also no evidence of his taking supplements or drugs to rapidly gain weight." By Park Si-soo A Korean man tried to board an Osaka-bound flight with a handgun hidden inside his carry-on baggage, police said Sunday. The weapon was detected on Saturday morning when his baggage underwent X-ray scanning at Incheon International Airport. The baggage was confiscated and the man, 21, surnamed Lee, was held at the scene. Police quoted Lee as saying his father gave the gun to him last year and he had no idea why it was in the baggage. Italian expat involved in Phuket boat collision that leaves local fisherman, 74, with serious injuries PHUKET: An Italian expat is now under investigation after injuries from a boat collision with a longtail boat off Koh Bon, off Phukets southeast coast, this morning (Apr 14) left a 74-year-old fishermen in serious condition. marineSafetyaccidentspolice By Eakkapop Thongtub Sunday 14 April 2019, 01:32PM The longtail boat recovered from the scene of the collsion. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub The 74-year-old man, San Mali, from Rawai, was rushed ashore this morning (Apr 14). Photo: Eakkapoop Thongtub The 74-year-old man, San Mali, from Rawai, was rushed ashore this morning (Apr 14). Photo: Eakkapoop Thongtub The Italian expat, 64-year-old Jojo Nastri, is now under investigation for the collision this morning (Apr 14). Photo: Eakkapoop Thongtub The Italian expat, 64-year-old Jojo Nastri, is now under investigation for the collision this morning (Apr 14). Photo: Eakkapoop Thongtub The 74-year-old man, San Mali, from Rawai, was rushed ashore this morning (Apr 14). Photo: Eakkapoop Thongtub The Phuket Tourist Rescue Centre was notified of the incident at 10:30am. The fisherman, 74-year-old Rawai resident San Mali, was brought to Chalong Pier, where an ambulance was waiting to rush him to the Accident & Emergency Centre at the yet-to-open Chalong Hospital. Mr San was later transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town. However, initial reports gave no description of the injuries. The Italian, 64-year-old Jojo* Nastri, has now been to asked to explain to the Phuket Marine Office and the Chalong Police his description of what happened on the water leading to the collision. He is also to present to officials all permits and documentation proving the legality of the boat. At this stage it appears Mr Nastri was alone on the boat at the time of the collision. The collision is also so far the only boating incident in Puhket that has resulted in injury during the Seven Days of Danger safety campaign for the Songkran Thai New Year holidays. * The Italian Man's name was later confirmed by police as Giorgio Nastri, not "Jojo" as initally provided. Navy takes action on seastead off Phuket PHUKET: The Third Naval Area Command has filed a police complaint against an American man and his Thai wife who set up a floating living platform 12 nautical miles off the coast of Phuket, a practice also known as seasteading. constructionmilitary By Bangkok Post Sunday 14 April 2019, 11:22AM OUTPOST: This platform, built off the coast of Phuket by an American man and his Thai wife, is considered to be illegal. Photo: via Bangkok Post Staff judge advocates from the command were sent to lodge the complaint at Wichit police station in Phuket yesterday (Apr 12), according to a source at the command. They accused Chad Andrew Elwartowski and his Thai wife, Supranee Thepdet, with an English alias of Nadia Summergirl, of breaching Section 119 of Criminal Code. The section concerns any acts that cause the country or parts of it to fall under the sovereignty of a foreign state or deterioration of the state's independence. It is punishable by death or life imprisonment. The source said officers found evidence which led them to believe the couple was engaging in the setting up of an independent state. Such an act would have a negative impact on the country's shoreline, the source said. The regional office of the Marine Department will be contacted to remove the structure from the sea soon, the source said. If it is left untouched, it will hinder ship navigation since the route is used for the transport of oil to Phuket. Referring to claims by the couple that the seastead was set up outside Thai maritime territory, the source said the claim was untrue. Officers, the source said, are investigating the Thai company in Phuket responsible for building the platform for possible financial misconduct. Mr Elwartowski was rich from bitcoin trading. The Maritime Enforcement Coordination Centres third area command on Saturday held a news conference about the seastead, covered recently by both domestic and foreign media. The pair reportedly aimed to set up a permanent shelter out of any state territories by exploiting a loophole in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The practice of attempting to establish micronations that claim to be an independent nation or state but are not recognised by world governments or major international organisations is expanding globally, particularly among those who become rich from cryptocurrency trading, according to officers. Vice-Admiral Sittiporn Maskasem, commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, yesterday sent officers to where the structure was set up, 15 nautical miles southeast of Racha Yai island. Navy officers tried to make radio contact with people on the platform but no one responded, officers said. Read original story here. Phuket Songkran road accident toll holds at one dead, 25 injured PHUKET: Phuket passed the main celebrations for the Songkran Thai New Year yesterday (Apr 13) with the death and injury tally for road accidents since Thursday holding at one dead and 25 people injured. transportaccidentsculturepolicedeath By The Phuket News Sunday 14 April 2019, 12:09PM Phukets tally for road accidents holds at one dead, 25 injured. Photo: Eakkapoop Thongtub In total, 16 people were injured in 12 road accidents yesterday, Day 3 of the of Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign for the Songkran holidays, from midnight to midnight April 13. The news was delivered in the official report delivered by the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation DDPM-Phuket), which is tasked with compiling daily reports throughout the campaign. One foreigner, Siliphone Xayasing, 33, from Laos, was among those injured. She suffered injuries to her left leg and cuts and abrasions in a motorbike accident at the underpass construction site at the airport turnoff on Thepkrasattri Rd at 2:25am. Miss Siliphone was passenger on the motorbike, driven by Natthapan Kongsin, 34. Mr Natthapan also suffered injuries to his left leg and cuts and abrasions. Both were taken to Thalang Hospital and later transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital, the DDPM report noted. Of the other two people injured, Rachasak Pensri, 40, was struck by a car on the curve on Phra Phuket Kaew Rd in Kathu at 11:19am He suffered a broken pelvis, internal bleeding, injuries to his right leg and wounds all over his body. He is currently receiving treatment at Vachira Phuket Hospital, the DDPM noted. Earlier yesterday morning, 56-year-old Poon Kongsiri was struck by a tuk-tuk in front of a 7-Eleven on Wichit Songkram Rd in Thung Thong, Kathu, at 9:36am. According to the official report, Ms Poon made a U-turn in front of a tuk-tuk heading eastbound. The tuk-tuk driver was unable to avoid the collision. Ms Poon suffered head injuries and is now on assisted breathing at Vachira Phuket Hospital. The DDPM report offered no other details of the accidents. Meanwhile, Phuket police reported issuing 2,427 fines for moving violations during the 24-hour period, as follows: 55 fined for operating an unsafe/illegally modified motorcycle 167 fined for not wearing seatbelts 771 fined for driving without a licence 45 fined for speeding 80 fined for ignoring traffic signals 86 fined for ghost driving (driving opposite traffic flow) 46 fined for dangerously cutting off other motorists in traffic 54 fined for using mobile phones while driving. 69 people were arrested for drunk driving during the period. 1,054 people fined for not wearing helmets Overfishing threatens disaster not only for fish, oceans and the food supply, but for fishing itself. The industrys prosperity declines right along with populations of tuna, shark, swordfish and other species. Yet all over the world it persists in taking more fish than nature can replace. If this practice seems foolish, still more so are government efforts to encourage it. The largest fishing nations spend tens of billions of dollars annually to help fishing companies pay for fuel and new vessels. The U.S. government has been a leader of international efforts to end subsidies, but is now proposing a new one of its own: low-interest loans for fishing-boat construction. The National Marine Fisheries Service should abandon this disturbing reversal of policy. Subsidies make it possible for enormous boats to travel long distances to fish the deep waters that lie far from any coastline. More than half of this high-seas fishing would be unprofitable without subsidies. Curtailing it would boost populations of migratory fish, helping to restock coastal fisheries. China provides the biggest subsidies for overfishing. Japan, Spain and South Korea spend heavily also. But in the U.S., beginning in the 1990s, both political parties came to recognize the problem and pull back. For many years, Congress barred appropriations for new boat loans, and in the late 90s and early 2000s even spent millions on buying back vessels, gear and fishing permits. These days, most of the governments investment in fishing goes to research, monitoring and conserving fish stocks, and other beneficial activities. The U.S. has pushed to end other countries subsidies. Prohibitions against them are included in both the Trans-Pacific Partnership (which the U.S. subsequently discarded) and the yet-to-be ratified United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The U.S. is also part of an ongoing effort at the World Trade Organization to cut subsidies for capacity. Agreement in that forum would be ideal, because it would encourage the broadest possible compliance. All this makes it especially counterproductive for the U.S. to change its approach. The National Marine Fisheries Service has suggested a compromise: Allow subsidized loans, but only for vessels meant to operate in waters that arent overfished. This is no good. As Duke University economist Martin D. Smith has demonstrated, the subsidies have a cascading effect: When new boats are built, they replace older ones that then sail on to more exploited waters. A better idea would be to support fishing in ways that dont increase capacity and worsen overfishing by investing in conservation and other efforts to replenish stocks, or by supporting activities such as fishing for ocean plastics. Scientists are increasingly convinced of the nutritional value of fish one more reason to avoid exhausting the earths abundance. The U.S. should resume its position as a leader on this issue. The proposal for new subsidies hasnt been finally approved. Either the agency should rescind it, or Congress should step in. Cannabis retailers should prepare themselves for a minimum doubling of sales on April 20, the stoners Fourth of July, according to new data. The origins of 4/20 are obscure, but the most common story is about a group of 1970s high-school students whod meet outside their school at 4:20 p.m. to search for a legendary abandoned marijuana crop (which, needless to say, they never found). Whatever its source, 4/20 has become the busiest cannabis sales day of the year, according to data provider Headset Inc. It was the industrys single biggest day of sales in 2018, with sales up 111 percent compared with the four Fridays before and after the holiday, according to Headset, which compiled sales data from Washington state, California, Nevada and Colorado. By comparison, beer sales during the two-week period including July 4 were up 33 percent versus an average two weeks in 2018, according to Nielsen Holdings Plc, which has partnered with Headset to analyze the U.S. legal pot market for consumer packaged-goods companies. Sales on April 20 dont appear to be affected by the maturity of the legal market. Each of the four states examined by Headset saw sales at least double last year, when the celebration fell on a Friday, typically the busiest sales day of the week. With April 20 falling on a Saturday this year during the Easter long weekend, retailers should prepare themselves for a rush of customers on both Saturday and 4/20 Eve, Headset said. This will also mark Canadas first April 20 since the country legalized recreational pot last October. Retailers may find it difficult to achieve the same jump in sales as their U.S. counterparts due to the ongoing supply shortages that have plagued the legal market. There will undoubtedly be long lineups, especially in under-retailed cities like Toronto, which currently only has two legal stores to serve its population of nearly 3 million. Earnings Outlook Well get further insight into legal sales from two Canadian producers this week, with Aphria Inc. and Organigram Holdings Inc. scheduled to release results Monday for the quarter ended Feb. 28. Analysts expect the companies to report revenue of C$83 million ($62 million) and C$24 million respectively, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It may be time to significantly lower expectations for the sector as a whole, according to Scotiabank analysts Oliver Rowe and Ben Isaacson, who published a note last week saying first-quarter estimates are far too high. The analysts expect aggregate revenue in the calendar first quarter to come in below fourth-quarter results, while the Street as a whole is looking for a 35 percent increase. They also expect total cannabis sales volumes to fall by 25 percent quarter-over-quarter due to a dearth of new stores. As a result, investors should brace themselves for some companies trading sharply lower on earnings day, they said. One outlier may be Moncton, New Brunswick-based Organigram due to its strong inventory position. This could translate into substantial sales in the coming quarter which may come as a surprise for a sector that should generally disappoint. Despite flying under the radar compared to its larger, higher-profile peers, Organigram has turned into an analyst darling. The stock has 10 buys, no holds and no sells and a 12-month price target of C$11, about 20 percent above current levels, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Eight Capitals Graeme Kreindler, who rates Organigram a buy with a C$12 price target, calls the company one of its top picks among Canadian producers due to its industry-leading gross margins. Kreindler expects Organigram to report gross margins of 61 percent and positive adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, reflecting our belief in the companys ability to effectively scale up operations while maintaining an attractive cost profile. The Hamilton Spectator and Waterloo Region Record and are among the big winners at the Ontario Newspaper Awards. The southern Ontario papers each collected four honours at the annual gala, which celebrated the work of 26 newspapers outside Toronto. Investigative journalist Grant LaFleche of the St. Catharines Standard was named journalist of the year for a series of political stories that triggered an investigation by the Ontario Ombudsman. He also collected an award for enterprise reporting. Dax Melmer of the Windsor Star was named photojournalist of the year for his striking image of a six-year-old girl who had been mauled by a dog. Staff at Melmers paper won two additional awards, and the Stratford Beacon Herald collected two. Other awards went to the Brantford Expositor, Sarnia Observer, Owen Sound Sun Times, London Free Press and Ottawa Sun. Other awards went to the Brantford Expositor, Sarnia Observer, Owen Sound Sun Times, London Free Press and Ottawa Sun. Judges lauded LaFleche for his dogged determination in gaining the trust of confidential sources and digging deep into a cache of documents and files. This is the kind of reporting that is absolutely integral to democracy, judges said. It takes perseverance and troublemaking and wholesale commitment all qualities we cannot afford to lose. More than 100 editors, journalists and photojournalists attended Saturdays event in Toronto. Heres a look at the winners: Arts and Entertainment Writing Greg Mercer, Waterloo Region Record Beat Reporting Joanna Frketich, Hamilton Spectator Column/Opinion writing Rick Gibbons, Ottawa Sun Enterprise Reporting Grant LaFleche, St. Catharines Standard Feature Photography (over) Dax Melmer, Windsor Star Feature Photography (under) Jonathan Juha, Stratford Beacon Herald Feature writing (over) Jon Wells, Hamilton Spectator Feature writing (under) Jonathan Juha, Stratford Beacon Herald General news feature Jeff Outhit, Waterloo Region Record Special project Susan Clairmont, David Crosbie, Hamilton Spectator Sports photography (over) Dan Janisse, Windsor Star Sports photography (under) Mark Malone, Sarnia Observer Sports writing Jeff Hicks, Waterloo Region Record Spot News Photography (over) Mathew McCarthy, Waterloo Region Record Spot News Photography (under) Brian Thompson, Brantford Expositor Spot News Writing (under) Scott Dunn, Owen Sound Sun Times Spot News Writing (over) Joanna Frketich, Scott Radley, Teri Pecoskie, Jeremy Kemeny and Scott Gardner, Hamilton Spectator EDMONTONThe so-called Texas of the north a land of oil money, cowboy boots and red-blooded conservatism is currently governed by one of the most left-wing parties in the country. To the rest of the country, an NDP government in Alberta seems like an aberration. While its not as outlandish as it first appears, this is still a story 100 years in the making. Its a story about the changing face of Alberta, political dynasties and a steep divide between urban and rural voters. In a province marked by generations of conservative rule, the 2015 rise of the Alberta NDP has given the electorate a renewed sense of agency, paving the way for this weeks unprecedented election. The result will offer a glimpse at how this corner of Canada defines itself in an era of new possibilities. Voters have a stark choice: between Jason Kenneys right-wing, populist United Conservative Party and Premier Rachel Notleys left-wing, socially progressive New Democrats. One political watcher says its the most polarizing election the province has ever seen. I think the NDP has moved closer to the centre but theyre still a left-wing party, where the UCP is much further to the right than the (Progressive Conservatives) ever used to be, said Duane Bratt, a political scientist at Mount Royal University in Calgary. So you have a real chasm that we havent seen before. Read more: Party policy platforms: What you need to know before you head to the polls A guide to the Alberta election the most unlikely political showdown in Canada Almost 10 per cent of Albertans have already voted in provincial election For more than 100 years, Albertans didnt really vote in parties; they voted for political dynasties. Starting in 1905 with the Liberals, followed by the United Farmers of Alberta, the Alberta Social Credit Party and finally the Progressive Conservatives, the province has been dominated by one-party rules. The Social Credit Party governed for 36 years, followed by a 44-year Progressive Conservative dynasty. Albertans were more likely to squabble over which person led the ruling party; the ruling party itself was foregone conclusion. But theres been a shift. In the 35 years between 1971 and 2006, Alberta had only three premiers. In the nine years between 2006 and 2015, there were four. And in 2015, the biggest shift of all: Albertans saw a clear alternative to the ruling party. Its become a normal province, Bratt said. A number of factors led to the election of the NDP in Canadas traditional conservative heartland. Some of it is basic politics; the conservative movement in Alberta was experiencing an internal civil war between the more centrist Progressive Conservatives and the more socially conservative Wildrose Party, said Bratt. The parties merged in 2017 as the UCP. And in the 2015 election, PC leader Jim Prentice fumbled several times, such as when he told Notley during a debate that math is difficult or when he told Albertans to look in the mirror for answers to the provinces economic challenges. A group of Wildrosers crossing the floor to the PC party also angered conservative Albertans. It led to a bizarre situation, Bratt said: Wildrose supporters voting for the NDP in protest. These were not ideological voters. These were just voters who wanted to kick out the PCs and they were looking for the best available vehicle to do so, Bratt said. Prentices gaffes are widely seen as the reason for the NDP victory. Kenney has dismissed the NDP as an accidental government. But its also possible provincial politics have simply caught up with municipal politics. According to Bratt, Albertas two major cities have a history of electing progressive mayors. This idea that Albertas conservative, has always been conservative and always will be conservative how do you explain (the election of) Naheed Nenshi and Don Iveson? Bratt said. In fact, Alberta is neither fiscally conservative nor socially conservative, argues Roger Epp, a political scientist at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Starting with Albertas oil boom in the 1950s, the PCs spent lavishly on infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and highways, offset by oil royalty revenues. Having the government coffers padded with oil money allowed governments to provide generous services without having to impose a provincial sales tax, cementing the term The Alberta Advantage and helping create a series of political dynasties. It led to what Epp calls a kind of patron-client politics, which waxes and wanes with Albertas boom and bust cycle. This is the challenge point in Alberta politics, Epp said. When the price of oil or energy prices fall you throw the province into a different kind of political economy. That was the case in the early 1990s when the close-fisted Ralph Klein was elected premier after a global slump in the price of oil, and it was the case in 2015 when the provincial election kicked off in the midst of a worldwide oil recession. When it comes to social conservatism, Bratt said, polls show Albertans positions on issues such as abortion and LGBTQ rights are similar to the rest of the country. The province is perceived to lean to the right partly because Alberta has been ruled for so long by a party with the word conservative in its name. In fact, the PCs showed varying degrees of fiscal conservatism throughout their rule. Theres also the legacy of the federal Reform party, a populist and socially conservative party that was a powerful force in Alberta politics for more than a decade. Bratt points to the death of well-known, socially conservative, cowboy-hat-wearing Reform MP Myron Thompson, which inspired obituaries nationwide. Thats what the rest of the country thought Alberta was, this old guy in a cowboy hat and boots, Bratt said. Epp said the social conservative movement in Alberta is well financed and well organized but is too small to significantly sway Alberta politics. When Calgarys Ted Morten ran for the PC leadership on the backs of social conservatives in 2006, he failed to secure enough support, Epp pointed out. And the social conservative movement in Alberta has traditionally been based in rural ridings, which have lost influence. According to Bratt, Calgary and Edmonton had less than half of Albertas seats as recently as 2001. Today, with the growth in urban populations plus the emergence of bedroom communities such as Sherwood Park and Airdrie as urban centres of their own, nonrural ridings represent two-thirds of Alberta seats. Albertas mythology hasnt caught up to the electoral map just yet, Epp said. Despite the fact that four out of five Albertans live in cities, the image of wheat fields, rodeos and mountains is what most people think of when they picture Alberta. Sometimes people need to put on their cowboy hat and cowboy boots and pretend, but this is a very urban province So whatever the result, no election is going to be decided in the countryside anymore, he said. Its less clear what issues will sway these powerful urban voters in the 2019 election. Social matters have taken front, right and centre stage in media coverage. Many Albertans are reacting fiercely to the UCPs bozo eruptions a term that would make people scratch their head in the rest of the country, but its become part of Albertas political lexicon. The eruptions are a series of homophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic and misogynistic statements previously made by UCP candidates that have tarnished the partys reputation. Radio host Ryan Jespersen has counted dozens this election. Bratt said that, as much as social issues have shaped the medias coverage, he doesnt believe the UCPs bozo eruptions will result in electoral losses because Albertas economic pain is still the primary motivator for voters. Still, the bozo eruptions bring to mind another esoteric Albertan term: the Lake of Fire. That refers to a 2012 remark by a candidate for the Wildrose Party, which was expected to win that years provincial election. Allan Hunsperger said gay Albertans would spend eternity in a lake of fire widely seen as the iceberg that sunk the Wildrose and marked a split between socially conservative and progressive Alberta. So will the UCPs bozo eruptions form a Lake of Fire 2.0? Well, now you know what that means, but Canadians will have to wait until Tuesday to find out the answer. Read more about: MONTREALA coalition of federal, provincial and municipal politicians added their voices to those opposing Quebecs proposed secularism bill on Sunday as they joined community leaders and citizens in denouncing the legislation as discriminatory and unconstitutional. A few hundred people gathered in front of a community centre in the Montreal-area Cote-Saint-Luc suburb for a protest against Bill 21, which would prevent many state employees, including teachers and police officers, from wearing religious symbols on the job. Anthony Housefather, who was one of five Liberal MPs to attend, said politicians have a responsibility to stand up against a bill that threatens fundamental rights and freedoms. As your Member of Parliament, if there is ever a law that threatens the rights of any of my constituents, it is my obligation to come out and protests against it, no matter what level of government is proposing it, he said. Housefather took particular aim against Quebec Premier Francois Legaults choice to invoke the notwithstanding clause to block potential legal challenges, saying the population at least has a right to know if a bill is unconstitutional. He said that while he doesnt believe the clause should be used at all, its especially inappropriate to use it pre-emptively. Read more: Montreal-area mayor under fire for equating secularism bill to ethnic cleansing Thousands march in Montreal to denounce Quebec governments secularism bill Quebec Premier Francois Legault defends secularism bill in video message If a government wants to let a bill proceed through the courts, find out its unconstitutional, and then with the population knowing its unconstitutional choosing to use the notwithstanding clause to use it, then thats their prerogative and theyll take the political hit, he said in an interview on the edges of the demonstration. But they shouldnt be shielded from having a court judgment about a law. Many attendees, including provincial legislature member David Birnbaum, argued the effect of the Quebec governments proposed bill runs counter to the ideals of neutrality it claims to uphold. The idea of a neutral state is very clear, Birnbaum said. If I am wearing my kippah, if you are wearing your hijab, if you are wearing your mohawk punk haircut with five rings in your nose, the state is blind, and your right to be part of it in every way is sacred. Speaking at a different Montreal event on Sunday, Legault reminded reporters that the consultations on the bill are still ongoing and the government is open to all kinds of suggestion. But he said the current bill is reasonable and already includes compromises, such as the inclusion of a grandfather clause that would allow current employees to keep their jobs even if they wear religious symbols. The protesters included the dean of McGill Universitys Law school, teachers, school board representatives, municipal politicians and citizens such as 13-year-old Zachary Richard, who stood with his mother waving a sign that read Let us all be one, in our own way. There are a few teachers at my school who wear kippahs or hijabs, and I think thats good I respect it, Richard said. I dont think Legault should take that away from us. But one notable absence was that of Hampstead Mayor William Steinberg, who came under fire in recent days for likening Bill 21 to ethnic cleansing, not with a gun but with a law. Steinberg decided not to attend despite rejecting multiple demands to apologize, including from Legault and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. But Cynthia Carsley, a local resident who attended the protest with her husband, said she felt Steinbergs words were accurate. I think its absolutely the correct term, because when you strip people of their right to wear the clothing that their religion dictates, its terribly dictatorial, she said. Carsley, who is Jewish and married to a Holocaust expert, said she feels the term can be expanded to encompass the Quebec governments actions even if no blood is being shed, saying actions that target minorities are a slippery slope that can precede larger-scale abuses. Polls have shown a majority of Quebecers support the restrictions proposed in the bill, but it has drawn strong condemnation from groups representing minorities, women and human rights. The protest in Cote-Saint-Luc was only the first of two that was scheduled to take place in Montreal on Sunday. A second event, this one a march through the streets of downtown, got underway shortly after 2 p.m. Read more about: OTTAWAThe federal government is suspending all direct aid to Nicaragua, citing what it calls the deteriorating human rights situation in the Central American nation under President Daniel Ortega. Ortegas government has cracked down violently on protests that began last April as demonstrations against cuts to the countrys retirement system, but quickly turned to calls for the president to step down. The opposition has said more than 640 people were being held for political causes, although the government says the actual numbers are far smaller and it has released many prisoners in recent months. Canadas suspension of direct aid to Nicaragua was first reported by the CBC, which says a Global Affairs memo from last August recommended against making any public announcement when the decision was made. In an email to The Canadian Press on Sunday, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada confirms the government made the decision last summer. Brittany Fletcher says Ottawa will continue to support projects led by non-governmental organizations, with a focus on helping vulnerable groups. Read more: Pope calls Nicaragua bishop critical of government to Rome Nicaragua releases 50 prisoners to house arrest Nicaragua talks on hold as both sides trade accusations President Ortegas repressive actions against his people are unacceptable. We continue to consider all diplomatic and policy options at our disposal in order to support the Nicaraguan people, Fletcher said in an email. According to the governments Statistical Report on International Assistance, Global Affairs Canada provided $9.37 million in bilateral international assistance in 2017-2018. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center in the bottom line, poses with a group of the regime's newly elected ranking officials at headquarters of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang, Friday. Yonhap By Lee Min-hyung The United States and North Korea are showing signs of keeping their dialogue momentum alive by resuming the now-stalled denuclearization negotiations. Skepticism had prevailed post-Hanoi over the possible resumption of the nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang, as North Korea made gestures to revert to its past reclusive nature by being unresponsive to dialogues on nuclear disarmament. U.S. President Donald Trump, responding to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's weekend comment, tweeted late Saturday that a third summit with Kim would be "good." "I agree with Kim Jong-un of North Korea that our personal relationship remains very good, perhaps the term excellent would be even more accurate, and that a third summit would be good in that we fully understand where we each stand," Trump tweeted. "I look forward to the day, which could be soon, when nuclear weapons and sanctions can be removed, and then watching North Korea become one of the most successful nations of the world." The North's propaganda Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Saturday quoted Kim as saying "I am interested in having the third summit on condition that the U.S. engages in the dialogue in the right attitude after finding a methodology that can be shared with the North," in a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly. It was the first time the regime's dictator has expressed hopes to revive the dialogue since the summit fiasco in late February. Kim also put forth a "timeline." Theres a literal cloud over local schools. Vaping has exploded in popularity over the last few years, with more and more young people trying electronic cigarettes. The rise in usage by teenagers across North America was recently described as an epidemic by the FDA commissioner in the U.S., and administrators at both the national and local level are now grappling with what to do about it. Staff at the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) put staff in the position of both trying to define the situation and explain what they are doing about it. It originally started off in washrooms, thats where they were really spread out from but its not in the washrooms anymore, said William Charlebois, the Oakville student trustee for the HCDSB. There are nooks and crannies in hallways, things like that; I think that the plan needs to take into account all areas of the school, even classrooms. You can hide them under a desk Ive seen that multiple times. Its not something in a designated area anymore. The Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey for 2016-17 found that the prevalence of students who had tried an e-cigarette was at 23 per cent; 10 per cent of students had used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days. Read more: Health Canada launches campaign to educate teens on the health risks of vaping Canadians concerned about young people using e-cigarettes, survey finds Health Canada seeking social media influencers to warn teens about vaping Vaping is the act of inhaling an aerosol produced by an electronic device. The devices tend to be small, hand-held, and unlike smoking do not require burning. Instead, the liquid is heated into a vapour before being turned into an aerosol for inhaling. The vapour is generally flavoured as everything from cotton candy to apple. It can, but does not necessarily, contain nicotine. Stephanie Mazza, the Burlington student trustee with the HCDSB, felt that an education-based response to vaping needed to happen swiftly. One of the things I think would make the most difference in stopping this is If you had stuff right now implemented to teach students about the negative effects of it, because students just dont know, said Mazza. A major challenge to education efforts is that currently there isnt a strong consensus on the health effects of vaping. Some, including Health Canada, argue that it reduces harm because its an alternative to smoking. However, Health Canada also states that less harmful does not meanharmless; it increases exposure to harmful chemicals, can act as a gateway to nicotine addiction, and its long-term health consequences areunknown. In this environment of uncertainty, legislators and schools are working to respond. The Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017, which came into effect in October 2018, prohibits vaping on school property and within 20 metres of public areas outside of school property. Board officials say that they have been diligent in enforcing the rules and will continue to do so. Marvin Duarte, the Milton trustee of the Halton District Catholic board, said that numerous devices are regularly taken from students. Im told that the e-cigarettes being confiscated are not one and two, but garbage bags full. Its something to really think about with our strategy, said Duarte. Another problem with effective regulation is that vaping is both the problem and a solution the devices have been used to help with smoking cessation. At the April 2 trustee meeting of the HCDSB, Jeff Crowell, superintendent of education, responded to an audience question about vaping, saying that they are working through multiple avenues to find the best response. Were trying to find that right balance between education and enforcement. Working with Halton Health and Halton Regional Police, ensuring administrators are well-trained and our teachers can speak intelligently to the problems and health concerns around it. I can assure that our administrators and teachers and all staff are vigilant in enforcement, said Crowell. The answer of what to do about youth vaping doesnt strictly lie with the schools. It is against the law to sell vape products to people who are younger than 19; there are also restrictions now on how the products can be displayed In response to the legislation, advocacy groups have formed, which argue that regulation is unfair and a threat to vaping in the province. They say that its a safer alternative to smoking and has helped many people live a healthier lifestyle. David and Christine Pindar are standing in front of the Oshawa home they had custom-built, the three cars they own two of them older models parked nearby. The Pindars were told by their insurance company that the premiums on those cars and even their home were going up because of a postal code change that meant they are now in an area with a higher risk of claims. But in this case, the Pindars never moved. Instead, David Pindar says that Canada Post changed the last three digits of their postal code, and when he called his longtime insurer about an unrelated matter and mentioned the change, he was informed that his premiums would increase. I didnt move. We lived here for 10 years, Pindar says he told a manager with Allstate. This is ridiculous. Pindar says he was told by the manager that it was out of his hands and there was nothing he could do. Read more: Your postal code is a big factor in determining your car insurance rates. Critics say it shouldnt be Opinion | Parm Gill: Should your postal code impact your auto insurance rates? No Opinion | Kim Donaldson: Should your postal code impact your auto insurance rates? Yes The manager did waive the increase last fall, but now, with their car and home insurance up for renewal, the Pindars will have to pay 10 per cent more for their car insurance and 37 per cent more for house insurance. For David and I, if you looked at our home and you looked at what we have, were not a hard-pressed story, says Christine, who retired from CIBC in 2015. But truly, this dips into our savings and has an effect on what we can do in our future with those savings. Her husband retired from construction last year. The manager directed all inquiries about the Pindars to Allstate media. Were retired, says David Pindar. Weve been driving forever and weve had different houses insured for ever and ever. And we dont put claims in at all. When asked if the postal code change would impact both the Pindars home and auto insurance, Allstate spokesperson Jordan Kerbel said in an email that all insurance companies operating in Ontario are mandated by the provincial regulator to consider postal codes when calculating premiums and we must adhere to that regulatory framework. Both policies are calculated using a multitude of factors related to market conditions and individual circumstances, Kerbel said. Home policies can be impacted by factors such as the type of home, its age, location and weather-related events. Auto policies may be impacted by factors such as the make of the vehicle, safety rating, experience of the driver, usage and claim frequencies. All of these components may be taken into consideration when calculating a policy. Allstate did not answer specific questions about the Pindars situation. For the Pindars, the change means their auto insurance will increase to $3,508 from $3,188 annually to cover the 2014 Chevrolet Impala that Christine drives and Davids 2003 GMC pickup. The couple has a 2012 Miata convertible they keep garaged in the winter. Their home insurance policy will increase to $937 from $684 a year if they stay with Allstate. Auto insurance premiums typically increase if a driver moves into an area their insurer deems a higher risk, even when there are no changes to their driving record. This so-called postal code discrimination is the subject of a provincial bill that passed its second reading last month. It will have no bearing on home insurance. Introduced as a private members bill by Conservative MPP Parm Gill, Bill 42 would ban the use of postal code, or area code, as a primary factor in determining auto insurance rates, which are based not only on geography but on a number of other factors such as your driving record, if you use your car for work, and the insurers claims experience with your make of car. But geography seems to trump them all. The bill would also rescind a requirement by the Financial Services Commission of Ontario, which regulates auto insurance, that mandates the number of territories that insurers must have. Currently, insurers can divide the province into as many as 55 territories. Often insurers will aggregate postal codes to create those territories but they may use municipal boundaries as well. If the regulation is rescinded as part of the bill, it means that those territories in other words, your postal code will not play as big a part in determining what you pay. A key component to this bulletin mandates that insurance companies divide the province up to a maximum of 55 territories, up to 10 of which can be in the city of Toronto alone, Gill told the house. We can already see how this is an issue, as it forces clusters of large areas to be grouped together simply based on geography; thus the term postal code discrimination. He says the bill would force insurance companies to use a drivers record as a primary factor when calculating insurance premiums. The MPP said that many of his constituents in Milton have complained their insurance went up when they moved, despite not having any recent claims or changes to their driving record. One resident told him that his car insurance went up $500 a year when he mentioned to his insurer that the last digit of his postal code was wrong. Tom Rakocevic, the New Democrat MPP for Humber River-Black Creek, has criticized the bill for not eliminating the use of postal codes altogether. It does not prohibit insurers from using factors related to postal code when determining auto insurance premiums, Rakocevic told the house during the second reading. Rather, it will prohibit insurers from using factors primarily related to postal code when determining auto insurance premiums, a loophole so big you can drive a giant, uninsured truck through it. Rakocevic did say he would vote for the bill because it speaks to an issue that my community has been fighting for years. The bill passed second reading unanimously and will be studied by a legislative committee before a third and final reading, which could be in weeks or even months. Unlike automobile insurance, property insurance is not mandatory in Ontario and there are no requirements for insurance companies to receive approval of their underwriting criteria as there are for auto insurance, says a spokesperson for the Financial Services Commission. Insurers can provide coverage based on a consumers general risk factors, as well as location or postal code. The situation the Pindars find themselves doesnt happen very often. Canada Post says that postal code changes are rare and that it goes to great lengths not to make changes, but will do so when its necessary to adjust a delivery route or because of population growth in a community. In this case, the last three digits of the postal code L1H 0N5 are new and have been assigned to hundreds of addresses on Raglan Rd. W. in the north end of Oshawa. The change could affect premiums for hundreds of people, although it depends on the insurer each defines its own territories. In this instance, approximately 500 addresses in the Oshawa area are receiving a postal code change to support route modifications, which are necessary to accommodate increased growth in the area and to improve overall delivery efficiencies, says Canada Post spokesperson Phil Legault in an email. Residents may be unaware of the repercussions. It is up to the policy holder to inform their insurer of the change of address, says Vanessa Barrasa, a spokesperson for the Insurance Bureau of Canada. The insurance bureau, which is a national association representing home, car and business insurers, supports Bill 42. This system has been in existence for decades and its outdated, says Pete Karageorgos, the insurance bureaus director of consumer and industry relations for Ontario. It forces people to pay for high-risk drivers in their neighbourhoods when theyre not in fact high-risk drivers because theyre all grouped together. Correction - April 15, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version that misattributed statements made by Tom Rakocevic, New Democrat MPP for Humber River-Black Creek, to Gurratan Singh, the New Democrat MPP for Brampton East. In fact, it was Rakocevic, not, Singh, who criticized Bill 42 for not eliminating the use of postal codes altogether. Read more about: ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Leaving behind the White House battles over border walls and tax returns, Ivanka Trump is visiting Ethiopia and Ivory Coast in pursuit of a very different goal advancing a global womens program she hopes will outlast an administration better known for America First isolationism. The presidents daughter and senior adviser arrived in Africa on Sunday, opening a four-day swing to advocate for an initiative that aims to boost 50 million women in developing countries by 2025. Her plans include visiting with women working in the coffee industry and touring a female-run textile facility, as well as meeting with dignitaries and appearing at a World Bank policy summit. But even thousands of miles from Washington, Trump is sure to be shadowed by her fathers efforts to cut international aid, as well as his past disparaging comments about the continent. While she has drawn praise for taking on this project and for making this trip the contrast between her priorities and those of many others in the White House was evident. On the continent, reactions to the visit reflected the contradictions of her role. Activist Marakie Tesfaye, who founded a group in Ethiopia for women, welcomed the attention, saying: I think shes coming genuinely to empower women and its good that shes coming because she will push forward our agenda. Ethiopian journalist Sisay Woubshet was more skeptical, citing President Donald Trumps past comments and adding: I dont think people will have a good feeling about his daughters visit this time around to promote her global initiative towards women. For Ivanka Trump, those challenges come with the territory. She has spent two years promoting a family-friendly agenda in an administration focused on hardline immigration tactics and protectionist trade policies. To questions about international aid spending, she has previously said the administration strives to be generous in a fiscally responsible way, and has argued that investing in her project which builds on previous White House efforts is a way to promote security in developing countries. During her travels, Ivanka Trump will be accompanied by Mark Green, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. The textile facility they are to visit got started with funding from USAID and Overseas Private Investment Corporation, which provides loans, loan guarantees and political risk insurance, funding projects that stretch across continents and industries. While in Ethiopia, they will be joined by OPIC Acting President David Bohigian. OPIC is set to announce a new initiative in Africa. Ivanka Trump was also expected to announce additional support for businesses. And she was to meet with Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. From Ethiopia, Ivanka Trump was headed to Ivory Coast, where she was to visit to a cocoa farm, as well as participate in a meeting on economic opportunities for women in West Africa. The gathering is part of the World Banks Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative a program Ivanka Trump pushed the bank to introduce. The first daughter will be joined in the Ivory Coast by a congressional delegation that will include Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close ally of the White House. Ivanka Trumps trip comes not long after first lady Melania Trump did a solo tour of the continent with a focus on child well-being. Like her stepdaughter, Mrs. Trump faced many of the same questions about the priorities of the president, who was roundly criticized last year after his private comment about s---hole countries in Africa became public. The Trump administration put out an Africa policy late last year that largely sought to counter what it called the predatory practices of China and Russia in the region. It was viewed with skepticism by some critics, coming two years into his administration and following his disparaging comments about the continent. So far, the president has made no plans to travel there himself. The new global womens initiative involves the State Department, the National Security Council and other U.S. agencies. It aims to assist women in developing countries with job training, financial support and legal or regulatory reforms. Money for the effort will come through USAID, which initially set up a $50 million fund using dollars already budgeted. The presidents 2020 budget proposal requests another $100 million for the initiative, which will also be supported by programs across the government as well as private investment. Experts praised the governmentwide approach, which will incorporate new and existing programs, though some stressed that it was still early in the process. The investment comes as the president is proposing cuts to foreign aid, and as the administration is expanding a ban on U.S. aid to groups that promote or provide abortions. The part of the proposal which is around looking at laws that is a good thing to focus on, said Charles Kenny, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, referencing the initiatives support for changing laws, regulations and customs that create barriers preventing women from fully participating in the workforce. But he said the abortion-related ban could have a negative economic impact, saying that I think one of the most powerful tools for womens economic empowerment is the ability to choose when and how many children they have. Daniel Runde, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Ivanka Trump was strategically building on the work of past administrations, calling her an effective goodwill ambassador for the issues, and a smart emissary to send to Africa. Secretary (of State Hillary) Clinton provided high-level attention to these issues, said Runde, who previously worked for the USAID and is an informal adviser to the administration on development policy. Ivanka Trump is playing a similar role to the role that Secretary Clinton played. ___ Associated Press writers Elias Meseret in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Alexis Adele from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, contributed to this report. RIO DE JANEIRO - The administration of President Jair Bolsonaro plans to auction seven offshore oil fields in the northeast despite contrary advice from analysts of Brazils main environmental body, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press. Environmentalists say its the latest example of how Bolsonaro, who campaigned on promises to revive Latin Americas largest economy by cutting red tape, is pushing aside warnings and scientific evidence in the name of progress. It comes at a time when Brazil, one of the worlds largest oil producers and energy consumers, is moving toward the privatization of several industries, including offshore exploration. There is no need to explore these areas, said Carlos Rittl, executive secretary of environmental group Climate Observatory. This decision is in line with a government that sees the environment as an obstacle. Brazils environment institute, called IBAMA, enforces legislation and aims to promote the sustainable the use of natural resources. IBAMA analysts recommended against the exploration of oil in seven out of 42 offshore fields originally offered for auction in March by regulating body Brazilian Petroleum Agency. Three of the fields to be auctioned in October are in the Jacuipe Basin and four in the Camamu-Almada region, both in the waters off the coast of the northeastern state of Bahia. Appointed by Bolsonaro, the new head of the institute, Eduardo Bim, rejected its analysis, which warned that exploration of highly sensitivity areas could lead to spills. The study, dated March 18, also said spills could lead to the destruction of the Abrolhos islands, an area of 353 square miles (913 square kilometres). Four of Abrolhos five islands are home to a marine national park with rare coral formations, tropical fish, whales, seabirds, turtles and dolphins. The dispute within IBAMA was first published by daily O Estado de S. Paulo. The documents were obtained and verified by the AP. IBAMA analysts said the blocks are in regions that have never been tapped, which require more strategic studies that could evaluate the aptitude of the area. The document said those studies are needed to give investors more legal protection in the case of an accident. The analysts also wrote that a spill could get to the coast and the island chain within two days, and authorities would not be prepared to respond quickly or adequately to protect marine life. Add to that the fact the impact of a spill of large proportions over mangroves and corals are in general irreversible, harming the local economy and health, the document said. In response, Bim said in a letter to the environmental ministry, dated April 1, that he doesnt see the need of exclusion of the (seven) fields as suggested by technical information. He did not detail why he believed it was fine to ignore the warnings. In a statement, IBAMA said that it, along with the environmental and energy ministries, agreed the auction was viable. The auction means neither automatic authorization for tapping oil and gas nor the anticipation of the result of the environmental licensing. The institute said that studies on possible spills will still be required. The statement also said that previous auctions were made in oil fields that sit closer to the Abrolhos marine park than the ones expected to go on sale in October. Carlos Minc, Brazils environmental minister between 2008 and 2010, said he had blocked attempts to explore for oil near Abrolhos because the migration of whales and dolphins in the region would be affected by ships. Humpback whales left the list of animals under threat of extinction because of this. How could Brazil be taking this step back? Minc said. We have to stop them from destroying our marine biodiversity in the name of profits. Brazil is the worlds ninth largest producer of oil in the world, and the third largest in the Americas, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In 2016, Brazil produced 3.24 million barrels per day of petroleum and other derivatives. Brazil is also the eighth-largest total energy consumer in the world. Bolsonaro has often said environmental protections should not block business. Before taking office Jan. 1, he promised to remove Brazil from the Paris agreement on climate change. He has since back-peddled, saying Brazil would remain in the agreement. Earlier this month, the AP reported that Bolsonaros administration plans to drastically change a council that oversees the countrys environmental policy, replacing a broad-based panel with a small group of appointees. IBAMAs Bim and Environment Minister Ricardo Salles are among the authors of the plan. According with Bolsonaros plan, IBAMA would soon absorb the attributions of the federal agency that protects conservation zones such as national parks and biological reserves, including the Abrolhos maritime park that would be endangered by oil fields. Bim, Salles and the other authors of the study said in the plan that the move was necessary to streamline environmental governance and avoid international interference in Brazil. ____ Savarese reported from Madrid. LONDON - A lawyer representing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange alleged Sunday that Ecuadors government has spread lies about his behaviour inside its embassy in London, where Assange sought asylum in 2012. The Latin American country has claimed Assange actions deteriorated before his arrest Thursday and included putting excrement on walls, leaving soiled laundry in the bathroom, and not properly looking after his cat. Lawyer Jennifer Robinson told British TV network Sky News the Ecuadorian government is spreading alleged falsehoods to divert attention from its decision to revoke his asylum and allow his arrest at its British embassy, I think the first thing to say is Ecuador has been making some pretty outrageous allegations over the past few days to justify what was an unlawful and extraordinary act in allowing British police to come inside an embassy, Robinson said. Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno ended Assanges protected status after more than 6 1/2 years and opened the way for his arrest there Thursday. Moreno said Assange abused Ecuadors goodwill, mistreated embassy staff and used his perch to try to interfere in other countrys political affairs. Assange has had a very difficult time since Moreno took office in Ecuador in 2017, Robinson said. Assange, who appeared much older when he emerged from the embassy than when before he sought refuge there in August 2012, is in custody at Belmarsh Prison in southeast London awaiting sentencing in Britain for skipping bail to avoid being sent to Sweden as part of an investigation of a rape allegation. Sweden is considering reviving the investigation. The United States also is seeking his extradition after charging him with conspiring to break into a Pentagon computer system, which could lead to competing extradition demands. U.K. Home Secretary Sajid Javid would be expected to have the final say in which claim takes priority. More than 70 British legislators have urged Javid to give priority to a case involving rape allegations ahead of the U.S. request. He would not be expected to enter a plea to the Department of Justice case unless he loses his extradition case and is brought to a courtroom in the United States. Assange has denied the rape allegation, asserting the sex was consensual. He also has not formally responded to the U.S. conspiracy charge. His indictment was made public hours after his Thursday arrest, but Assanges lawyers say he is a legitimate journalist whose prosecution would have a chilling effect. The extradition court in Britain will not be judging the evidence against him, but will evaluate whether the crime he is accused of would be a crime in Britain. Assanges next court appearance is scheduled for May 2. In the meantime, he is expected to seek prison medical care for severe shoulder pain and dental problems, WikiLeaks has said. American Airlines said Sunday that it would extend flight cancellations for Boeing 737 Max aircraft by four months while it waits for Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration to fix and recertify the planes flight-control systems, which have been implicated in two deadly plane crashes in recent months. The cancellations will affect about 115 flights through Aug. 19. The move reflects a growing realization among Boeings airline customers that a worldwide grounding of Boeing jets, now in its fourth week, is unlikely to wrap up soon. In early April, the company took the extraordinary step of cutting its 737 Max production rate from 52 per month to 42. And Southwest Airlines, the other U.S. airline that has 737 Max 8 jets, also has cancelled flights involving the aircraft through August. In a letter to pilots and employees, American Airlines President Robert Isom and CEO Doug Parker said the airline is confident that Boeing and the FAA will recertify the Max jet before mid-August, at which time the airline would bring the planes back into service as spares to supplement its operations throughout the summer. By extending our cancellations through the summer, we can plan more reliably for the peak travel season and provide confidence to our customers and team members when it comes to their travel plans, Parker and Isom wrote. They added that the airline has been in close contact with the FAA, the Department of Transportation, the National Transportation Safety Board and international regulators and are pleased with the progress so far. Read more: Canada will ground Boeing 737 Max jets for as long it takes Boeing shareholder files class-action lawsuit, alleges plane maker concealed 737 Max safety risks Costs for Boeing start to pile up as 737 Max remains grounded We remain confident that the impending software updates, along with the new training elements Boeing is developing for the MAX, will lead to recertification of the aircraft soon, Parker and Isom wrote. Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg said at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Texas last week that the manufacturer is working closely with its airline customers in its effort to return the Max jets to flight. My team and I are working closely with our customers to answer their questions, get their feedback and ensure those who operate the Max are prepared when the grounding is lifted and the fleet returns to flight, Muilenburg said. Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 jets have been grounded in the United States since March 13, when the FAA concluded that it needed to investigate the possibility of a shared cause between the two crashes. Investigators have concluded that an automatic antistalling feature known as the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System which can point the planes nose automatically downward in certain rare but dangerous situations played a role in both crashes. Boeing and the FAA announced March 12 that they would develop and recertify a set of modifications to the MCAS system and its related flight-control software. The software fix is to include changes to prevent the system from overreacting to bad data, a new set of cockpit alerts designed to make pilots aware of potentially dangerous situations, and a new pilot training course. The FAA initially said Boeing would complete the software fix no later than April. A Boeing executive speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly said late last month that the training component of that update had been provisionally approved by regulators. The company had initially planned to submit its full package of software and training changes to the FAA for review by the first week of April, but the submission was delayed. In remarks on Thursday, Muilenburg said the company had completed 96 test flights totalling a little over 159 hours of flight time on 737 Max jets with the updated software. He also noted that about two-thirds of the companys 50 737 Max operators worldwide had participated in a simulator session that included the new software. For one test flight in early April, Muilenburg joined the pilots on one of the planes. Were taking a comprehensive, disciplined approach, and taking the time to make sure we get it right, he said. Read more about: JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A long-standing debate over when the school year should begin is back before Missouri lawmakers, who are considering a bill that would restrict public schools from beginning the academic year until late August. The bill, which would prohibit schools from starting earlier than 14 days before the first Monday in September, pass the House by only four votes and now heads to the Senate. Supporters include tourism officials and groups representing tourism-related businesses such as amusement park operators, hotel and campground owners and river outfitters, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported . The bills sponsor, Rep. Jeff Knight, a Republican from Lebanon, said earlier school years are hurting tourism because families are ending summer vacations in early August. Later start times would give businesses more time to make money, said Knight, who represents a district south of Lake of the Ozarks. Tourism is very significant in this state, Knight told members of the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday. Darin Keim of Big Surf Waterpark at the Lake of the Ozarks said the summer season for his business has dropped from 105 operating days to 85 because of earlier school times. Lobbyist Jason Zamkus said Silver Dollar City, an amusement park near Branson, has had 100,000 fewer visitors in the past decade. And 47 canoe operations have gone out of business in recent years, said Michelle Lambeth of the Missouri Canoe & Floaters Association. Opponents of the change include the Missouri National Education Association, the Missouri State Teachers Association and the School Administrators Coalition. Mike Reid, of the Missouri School Boards Association, said locally elected public school boards should decide when school years start in their community. What happens in Poplar Bluff is going to be different than in Kansas City, Reid said. Education representatives said the earlier start times allow districts to give final exam before winter break and allows more time before standardized tests are given in the spring. They also said the earlier start prevents holding classes in June to make up for snow days. The issue of when school years should start has been debated for decades. In 1983, lawmakers held a similar debate about prohibiting schools from opening until after Labor Day because of tourism concerns. The law was last changed in 2006, when lawmakers gave school districts the power to set their calendars, if they hold a public hearing. That came after the Legislature passed a law in 1992 allowing urban and suburban districts to open before Labor Day. Previously, only rural districts could start before the holiday. ___ Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Sunday that she doesnt believe members of Congress are smart enough to examine President Donald Trumps tax returns, pushing back against Democrats demands for information on the presidents finances. House Democrats have given the Trump administration a hard deadline of April 23 to turn over the presidents tax returns, arguing that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchins concerns about the request lack merit. In an interview with Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace, Sanders said that Democrats were treading a dangerous road and that their request for Trumps tax returns is all about political partisanship. Frankly, Chris, I dont think Congress particularly not this group of congressmen and women are smart enough to look through the thousands of pages that I would assume that President Trumps taxes will be, Sanders said. My guess is most of them dont do their own taxes, and I certainly dont trust them to look through the decades of success that the president has and determine anything. She added that the Democratic effort puts every American in jeopardy. If they can single out one, they can single out everybody, she said. Trump refused to release his tax returns during the 2016 presidential campaign, breaking decades of precedent under which candidates for the White House voluntarily released their returns. Trump claimed it wouldnt make sense to release his tax returns while, he said, they are under audit. Read more: Donald Trumps tax returns: what we might learn Sanders, now a millionaire, pledges to release tax returns by Monday Trump says he considered his daughter Ivanka to lead the World Bank Read more about: HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - A Hot Springs Village couple will conclude 17 years of Tesla Coil creations and donations to science museums with their 10th coil donation to the Greensboro Science Center in Greensboro, N.C., in late June. In an effort to inspire, educate and entertain the public about Nikola Tesla, Richard Mathias and his wife, Mary Ellen, have donated the museum-quality Tesla Coil exhibits to science museums around the nation since 2002. The donations began when he constructed and donated a 1.5 million volt Tesla Coil to Hot Springs Mid-America Science Museum in 2002. After receiving a grant from General Electric to fund half his efforts, Mathias was able to fund the remaining half, leading to the exhibit that would be known as Caged Lightning. Caged Lightning sits in its own theatre at Mid-America today, surrounded by a 2.5-ton steel cage designed by the museums director of design, Niles Ellis. Each presentation of the exhibit provides a demonstration of the Tesla Coil, a look into Nikola Teslas life and an explanation of how the invention contributes to everyday life, The Sentinel-Record reported. It has received approximately 3 million visitors. In 2007, the coil was certified as the Worlds Most Powerful Conical Coil on Earth by Guinness World Records. From this point on, General Electric assisted in the partial funding of all the Tesla Coils Mathias created and donated to science museums. Mathias went on to construct and donate two more Guinness World Record setting Tesla Coils. The Worlds Most Powerful Bi-polar Musical Tesla Coil was donated to Hands On! Regional Museum in Johnson City, Tenn., in 2014, and the Worlds Largest Bi-Polar Musical Tesla Coil was donated to Museum of Discovery in Little Rock in 2015. Other museums Mathias has donated coils to include Discovery Museum in Texarkana, Texas, Insight Museum in El Paso, Texas, Arizona Science Center in Phoenix, KidSenses Children Interactive Museum in Rutherfordton, N.C., and Discovery Place in Charlotte, N.C. After the first installation of a Tesla Coil at Mid-America, Mathias and his wife created a smaller, 400,000-volt Tesla Coil and began a travelling educational program titled Sermon from Science. The program, lasting from 2003-2009, travelled to 40 schools and civic organizations, reaching over 22,000 students. In 2017, the coil was donated to the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe in Shoreham, N.Y. the site where Teslas laboratory once sat. As the end of his donations near, Mathias said it was time to conclude his series of Tesla Coil creations because of both his and his wifes age and the funding from General Electric had declined immensely from the initial amount. Weve come to realize there is a time and a season for everything, and our season is over with. Its time to turn it over to the younger generation now, Mary Ellen Mathias said. Nikola Tesla was an inventor from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, responsible for inventing the first alternating current motor and developing AC generation and transmission technology, according to History.com. Among his inventions, Tesla created the Tesla Coil a resonant transformer circuit producing electricity. According to Mid-America Science Museum, the Tesla Coil consists of two coils wound in a different manner than that of a traditional transformer, utilizing an air-core design rather than an iron-core design. The primary coil resonates with the secondary coil because they are tuned to be in step with each other electrically. This is accomplished by adjusting the number of turns in the primary coil winding and the total capacitance in the capacitor bank. Mathias was first introduced to the Tesla Coil when he was 9, visiting the Griffith Park Observatory in Southern California. He was so enamoured with the invention from that point on, he went on to pursue a career in electrical engineering. He worked for Westinghouse Electric and General Electric before retiring and moving to Hot Springs Village with his wife, beginning a new adventure creating Tesla Coils. Mathias said he wants the Tesla Coil Museum Exhibit Program to provide people with an interest in technology and science, along with an understanding of Tesla and his inventions. ___ Information from: The Sentinel-Record, http://www.hotsr.com An AP Member Exchange shared by The Sentinel-Record. BOISE, Idaho - The recent revelation that National Rifle Association representatives had met with Australian politicians to discuss talking points after a mass shooting generated outrage from various politicians. The reality is that the NRA has been exerting its influence on gun debates outside the U.S. for a number of years, exporting its firebrand rhetoric and belief that more guns will lead to less crime. The lobbying group has sought sway at the United Nations to make it easier to sell American guns overseas and has on more than one occasion guided gun-rights groups in Brazil, Canada, Australia and elsewhere. It advised gun activists in Russia, entanglements that in recent years made the NRA vulnerable to allegations it allowed alleged Russian operatives to use the organization to influence American politics. While American gun rights are enshrined in the U.S. Constitution something that doesnt translate to most countries around the world the groups track record of aggressively shaping the debate has nevertheless turned it into the go-to group for other gun-rights activists outside the U.S. There are several reasons why the NRA doesnt confine itself to the U.S. For one, its helpful to American gun makers if other countries make it easier for citizens to buy and possess firearms, opening up new markets. And when other countries ease restrictions, it helps bolster one of the NRAs most prominent messages. They can make the argument, you know, Look, other nations dont like stricter gun laws either, because one of the debate points that has hurt the NRA is that pretty much every other democratic nation has stricter gun laws than us and lower gun ownership, said Robert J. Spitzer, chairman of political science at the State University of New York at Cortland and a longtime watcher of the NRA. A documentary aired last month by Al Jazeera reported officials with Australias far-right One Nation party met with two NRA representatives and other gun-rights advocates seeking money to undermine Australian gun laws. During the meeting, captured on video by an undercover journalist posing as a gun lobbyist, they ask the NRA officials for advice on how to respond after a mass shooting. Theyre told to start with silence and then if it persists, to go on the offensive. The NRA said it met with the Australians but did not provide any of the requested money sought at the meeting. The NRA has a long overseas track record. Perhaps its biggest success has been in Brazil, where the NRA worked with activists to help reject a referendum in 2005 that would have banned the sale of firearms and ammunition to civilians. Working with gun-rights activists in that country, the NRA helped shape the debate. A turning point, some observers have said, was a television ad that flashed scenes from key moments in history: Tiananmen Square, the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nelson Mandelas release from prison. The ad emphasized gun rights as a fundamental right to freedom and liberty. Brazil has a low rate of gun ownership an estimated 2 million among its more than 200 million residents and gun control was backed by the Roman Catholic Church and other powerful forces in the country. One poll a month before the referendum put support for it at a stunning 73 per cent. It was rejected handily. Brazil suffers from high crime rates, especially in the poor areas around big cities, and what resonated were the NRA messages that are familiar to Americans: Owning a gun is a fundamental right of freedom, and if good guys have their guns taken away, only criminals will still have them. Canadas own gun-rights movement has been closely tied to the NRA since the 1990s. In the decades since, NRA leaders have travelled to the country to warn that gun restrictions would interfere with a citizens right to bear arms, though that country does not consider it a constitutional right. When Canada first sought to restrict gun access in the 1990s, the NRA threatened a boycott by American hunters spending tourism dollars in the country. The NRA also has worked closely to advise such groups as the Canadian Shooting Sports Association on how to lobby against that countrys registry of gun owners. It took more than a decade but Canadas gun registry was ultimately repealed in 2012. Gun-control advocates werent surprised to hear the NRAs advice heard in the Al-Jazeera video on how to respond to mass shootings. Its the two-step playbook: Its one, silence, and two, if the pressure gets too hot, to deflect by arguing that we shouldnt politicize a shooting by talking about policies that could prevent these shootings from happening in the future, said Peter Ambler, executive director of the gun-control group named after former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was seriously injured after being shot during a constituent meeting in 2011. Gun-rights supporters viewed it differently. While it came across on the Al Jazeera clips as manipulative, its Defence 101 and I dont think its unreasonable at all, said Jeff Knox, an NRA member and director of the Firearms Coalition, adding: It is such a difficult situation because youre damned if you do and damned if you dont. When some horrific act is perpetrated by some deviant, if you immediately come out and say something in defence or support of the right to arms, then youre heartless and youre politicizing this tragic event. But at the same time, the other side does not hesitate to jump out. ___ This story has been corrected to show the population of Brazil is more than 200 million, not 59 million. By Trudy Rubin Tuesday's election of Benjamin Netanyahu to a fifth term as Israeli prime minister will have a dramatic impact on Israel's future that many Americans are unaware of. Before the vote, Netanyahu vowed to start extending Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, home to 2.8 million Palestinians, if he won re-election. With his victory, Israel now appears headed toward the effective creation of one state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean a state in which Palestinian Arabs will outnumber the Jewish population. Either Israel then grants Palestinians the vote, creating a binational state, or it rules over a majority of mostly disenfranchised Arabs. Even Israeli leaders have referred to this prospect as a form of "apartheid." This is the road down which Netanyahu appears to be heading, confident of the support of President Trump. For the past three decades, Israel hewed in principle to the idea of a peace process that would ultimately result in two states, one Palestinian, one Israeli, living side by side. The peace process has been frozen for years and the Israeli public soured on it after Palestinian terrorist attacks in the 2000s and the Hamas takeover of Gaza. Over the past several years, however, Israel under Netanyahu had practiced a kind of creeping annexation, legalizing one-time "illegal" settlements on private Palestinian land and extending Israeli sovereignty over aspects of settlers' education and economy on the West Bank. Moreover, Netanyahu never made a secret of his disdain for the two-state idea, endorsing only the idea of a "state minus" that would permit few sovereign rights and only apply to patches of the West Bank. Yet, there were key reasons many top Israeli generals and security experts wanted to keep the possibility of two states alive for the future for a time when the Mideast region might become more stable and new Palestinian leadership could emerge. "There is a big difference between de facto and de jure annexation, which would mean a huge change in the way Israel would be treated in the international community," says Gilead Sher, chief of staff to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Most nations adhere to U.N. resolutions that consider the West Bank and Gaza to be occupied territory. Even Arab nations that now recognize or do business with Israel would reject annexation. Moreover, annexation would likely bring an end to essential cooperation between Palestinian security forces and Israel, already under strain due to the frozen peace process. "Once security coordination ends, you would have a vacuum on the West Bank that would attract terrorists and spike an advance by Hamas," says Nimrod Novik, a member of the Executive Committee of Commanders for Israel's Security, a network of 280 retired Israeli generals. "The Israeli Defense Forces would have to move (back) in," says Novik, "and the donor community (which underwrites the Palestinian economy) would move out." This would essentially require a formal Israeli reoccupation of the West Bank. The disbanding of Palestinian security forces could trigger an armed uprising. Yet, for several reasons, Israeli analysts believe Netanyahu is likely to move down the annexationist road. First, he will be under heavy pressure from small right-wing parties in any governing coalition and from annexationists within his own Likud party. Second, Netanyahu is facing legal indictments for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust that he would like to head off. Israeli analysts believe he may try to swap a promise to begin annexation of settlements in return for legislative immunity until he steps down from office. And third, annexationists have been buoyed by President Trump's recognition of Israel's annexation of the once-Syrian Golan Heights, leading them to believe they have a green light to do the same in the West Bank. "Annexationists consider Trump a historic opportunity," says Sher. "Netanyahu will have to give them something." Of course, this raises the question of whether and when Trump will put forward his long-awaited peace plan, crafted by first son-in-law Jared Kushner, and how this would square with annexation. So far, speculation is that the plan will focus on economic aid to Palestinians, which is fine with the Israeli far right. "Annexationists believe you can buy the Palestinians off with economic improvements," says Novik. "But there is no precedent in history where people gave up sovereign aspirations for money." Bottom line: the re-election of Netanyahu, if he keeps his pledge, is propelling Israel toward a one-state solution in which it will have to decide whether to accept a binational state or some form of apartheid. No matter who is to blame, no matter criticism of Palestinian failures, the population figures tell the tale. In truth, neither Israeli Jews nor Palestinians believe a one-man, one-vote binational state could work. But the alternative is also disastrous. Sher says annexation would mark "the end of the Zionist dream of a democratic state for the Jewish people in Israel and the end of any possibility for a viable demilitarized state in most of the West Bank and the entirety of Gaza." Israel probably started down that road last week. Trudy Rubin (trubin@phillynews.com) is a columnist and editorial-board member for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Her commentary was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Scofflaws owe the city of Anchorage more than $6.2 million in unpaid traffic fines, city officials said. More than 3,000 drivers are on the citys list of scofflaws. Thats anyone whose delinquent moving violation fines exceed $1,000, KTUU reported . If you look through the list, its just frankly ridiculous, Lt. Richard Henning told the Anchorage TV station. People need to take responsibility for what they are doing. Assistant municipal attorney Pamela Weiss said the list doesnt just reflect the amount of tickets received. It means theyve received $1,000 (in tickets), been found guilty of the offences and then have not paid it so they are delinquent, Weiss said. They are past due. Scofflaws risk having their vehicles impounded if they come into contact with police or are pulled over for other violations. Among the top 50 violators in Anchorage, one man on the scofflaw list has 77 outstanding tickets. Everyone in the top 50 has at least 25 unpaid tickets. Three people owe more than $10,000 each. The scofflaw law was implemented statewide in 2007 by then-Gov. Sarah Palin, who was later the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate. The scofflaw law was adopted in Anchorage in 2007. Henning said the purpose of the law is to get dangerous drivers off the road. They should take responsibility for their actions and pay their tickets so they are not on the scofflaw list anymore, and they shouldnt drive, he said. Some of the money owed is collected through bank sweeps and Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend garnishments. Impounds may provide additional incentive. Police have had about 430 vehicles towed this year, according to Henning. Last year, nearly 1,200 vehicles were towed under the scofflaw law. Weiss said about $6 million is owed in any given year, and it remains fairly consistent at about 3,000 offenders. WASHINGTON - It has the makings of a new Cold War, or worse. The deep chill in U.S.-Russian relations is stirring concern in some quarters that Washington and Moscow are in danger of stumbling into an armed confrontation that, by mistake or miscalculation, could lead to nuclear war. American and European analysts and current and former U.S. military officers say the nuclear superpowers need to talk more. A foundational arms control agreement is being abandoned and the last major limitation on strategic nuclear weapons could go away in less than two years. Unlike during the Cold War, when generations lived under threat of a nuclear Armageddon, the two militaries are barely on speaking terms. During the Cold War, we understood each others signals. We talked, says the top NATO commander in Europe, U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, who is about to retire. Im concerned that we dont know them as well today. Scaparrotti, in his role as Supreme Allied Commander Europe, has met only twice with Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian general staff, but has spoken to him by phone a number of other times. I personally think communication is a very important part of deterrence, Scaparrotti said, referring to the idea that adversaries who know each others capabilities and intentions are less likely to fall into conflict. So, I think we should have more communication with Russia. It would ensure that we understand each other and why we are doing what were doing. He added: It doesnt have to be a lot. The United States and Russia, which together control more than 90 per cent of the worlds nuclear weapons, say that in August they will leave the 1987 treaty that banned an entire class of nuclear weapons. And there appears to be little prospect of extending the 2010 New Start treaty that limits each sides strategic nuclear weapons. After a period of post-Cold War co-operation on nuclear security and other defence issues, the relationship between Washington and Moscow took a nosedive, particularly after Russian forces entered the former Soviet republic of Georgia in 2008. Tensions spiked with Russias annexation of the Crimea in 2014 and its military intervention in eastern Ukraine. In response, Congress in 2016 severely limited military co-operation with Russia. The law prohibits military-to-military co-operation until the secretary of defence certifies that Russia has ceased its occupation of Ukrainian territory and aggressive activities. The law was amended last year to state that it does not limit military talks aimed at reducing the risk of conflict. Relations frayed even further amid U.S. allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, although President Donald Trump has doubted Russian complicity in what U.S. intelligence agencies assert was an effort by Moscow to boost Trumps chances of winning the White House. After a Helsinki summit with Putin in July, Trump publicly accepted the Kremlin leaders denial of interference. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview Friday that Russian behaviour is to blame for the strained relationship. Its very difficult for us to have normal relationships with a country that has not behaved normally over the last few years, Dunford said. There are major issues that affect our bilateral relationship that have to be addressed, to include where Russia has violated international laws, norms and standards. Dunford said he speaks regularly with Gerasimov, his Russian counterpart, and the two sides talk on other levels. Im satisfied right now with our military-to-military communication to maintain a degree of transparency that mitigates the risk of miscalculation, he said. I think we have a framework within to manage a crisis, should one occur, at the senior military-to-military level. James Stavridis, a retired Navy admiral who was the top NATO commander in Europe from 2009 to 2013, says the West must confront Russia where necessary, including on its interventions in Ukraine and Syria. But he believes there room for co-operation on multiple fronts, including the Arctic and arms control. We are in danger of stumbling backward into a Cold War that is to no ones advantage, he said in an email exchange. Without steady, political-level engagement between the defence establishments, the risk of a true new Cold War rises steadily. No one is predicting a deliberate Russian act of war in Europe, but the decline in regular talks is a worry to many. Moscow says it is ready to talk. Russia remains open for interaction aimed at de-escalating tension, restoring mutual trust, preventing any misinterpretations of one anothers intentions, and reducing the risk of dangerous incidents, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement last week in response to NATOs 70th anniversary celebration. Sam Nunn, who served in the Senate as a Democrat from Georgia from 1972 to 1997, argues that dialogue with Russia is too important to set aside, even if it carries domestic political risk. You cant call time out, he said in an interview. The nuclear issues go on, and theyre getting more dangerous. Nunn co-wrote an opinion piece with former Secretary of State George Shultz and former Defence Secretary William Perry arguing that the U.S. and its allies and Russia are caught in a policy paralysis that could lead to a military confrontation and potentially the first use of nuclear weapons since the U.S. bombed Japan in August 1945. A bold policy shift is needed, they wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, to support a strategic re-engagement with Russia and walk back from this perilous precipice. Otherwise, our nations may soon be entrenched in a nuclear standoff more precarious, disorienting and economically costly than the Cold War. A group of U.S., Canadian, European and Russian security experts and former officials in February issued a call for talks with Russia on crisis management. The risks of mutual misunderstanding and unintended signals that stem from an absence of dialogue relating to crisis management ... are real, the Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group said in a statement. It said this could lead to conventional war with Russia or, in a worst case scenario, the potential for nuclear threats, or even nuclear use, where millions could be killed in minutes. Last week, the Supreme Court struck a victory for the publics right to know when it refused to hear an appeal from physicians who want to keep the names of Ontarios top 100 publicly-paid doctors secret. Indeed, the courts decision which came after a five-year quest by the Stars Theresa Boyle to obtain the records is sure to lead to more transparency and accountability in how health care dollars are spent by doctors and the government that pays them. At more than $12 billion, physician compensation is 7.5 per cent of the entire provincial budget. That is reason enough for the public to know a lot more about how that money is spent. There are two things that must happen now. First, the Ontario Ministry of Health must comply with a years-old order from the provinces information and privacy commissioner, Brian Beamish, to release physician-identified billing data as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, though, it appears the Ontario Medical Association which has fought the release of this information through the courts is trying to stand in the way once again. Its claims to be in early discussions with the health ministry on how this can be done implies that the association is the arbiter of how the information will be released and when, rather than the government. And its argument in an email to doctors that the names of the top billers should only be disclosed by an act of the provincial legislature appears, on the face of it, to be another attempt to delay the release of this information. As the earlier unanimous Ontario Divisional Court ruling on this case stated: The public is entitled to information in the possession of their government so that the public may, among other things, hold their governments accountable. The government has the means to make this happen, without new legislation, and it should. Secondly, Beamishs office should move quickly on another information request by the Star seeking the release of physician-identified billings for all Ontario doctors, which he had put on hold pending the Supreme Courts ruling on the top 100. The fact is, releasing physician-identified billings is hardly groundbreaking. It already occurs in British Columbia, Manitoba and New Brunswick and in the United States. But in Ontario, taxpayers have been left in the dark, wondering what to make of a health ministry audit conducted five years ago that raised some troubling questions. Among them: How can one doctor bill for 100,000 patients in a single year? And why did the provinces top-billing doctors receive payments averaging $4 million apiece, with one billing $7 million? The audit also unearthed these other worrisome facts: A handful of doctors allegedly charged for services not rendered, billed for procedures that cost more money than they should have and charged for services judged to be medically unnecessary. Half a dozen also claimed to have worked 356 days or more in that one year period. Allowing questionable billings to go unchallenged only serves to unfairly tarnish the reputations of all doctors. The fact is the average Ontario doctor bills $348,000 and family physicians bill even less at $275,000. Out of that they must pay staff salaries, rent, equipment costs and other expenses before they can take anything home. So the majority of doctors are hardly overpaid. In the end, with the Supreme Court siding with transparency over privacy the public is going to learn how much each of the provinces 28,100 practising doctors is billing OHIP. The sooner the Ford government makes that happen, the better. Hitler would have loved social media So said Disney CEO, Bob Iger, last week, receiving an award from the Simon Weisenthal Center for his work against racism and anti-Semitism. He meant, of course, the ability to use these platforms for hateful propaganda. There are so many reasons to be enraged about the social media monopolists these days: terrorist incitement videos, enabling dictators to corrupt our elections, selling our private data without informed permission, and on and on. But there is another reason that should be higher in policy-makers thinking. They dont pay taxes. For a century, Canadian governments have fought to provide support for an independent and sustainable Canadian media and culture sector. They created the CBC to fight the dominance of U.S. radio beaming into Canada. They funded arts and culture organizations and blocked tax writeoffs by Canadian corporations for advertising on U.S. TV and in magazines. They created several funds and organizations to help back Canadian film and television production. They insisted pop radio play Canadian artists and ensured Canadian cable, broadcasting, publishing and magazines were Canadian-owned. Whether you are a Canadian cultural nationalist, whether you agree that the state should have intervened in this fashion so often or not, this is the system we have built over many decades. It is now the essential foundation to our culture industries sector. Social media threaten to wreck it. Few people know how astonishing are the profit margins and percentages of market domination that are held by the major platforms. Here are two breathtaking stats: 65 per cent share and 80 per cent margin. Those are market experts estimates of share of ad revenues and the profit margins of the social media duopoly in Canada. No other ad business in the world has that stranglehold, no other media business earns one quarter of those stratospheric profit margins. Unlike them, their Canadian television, newspaper and magazine competitors pay taxes. In an excellent new examination of the digital Trojan Horse that we have dragged into our democracy, The Tangled Garden, by lifelong Canadian cultural leader, Richard Stursberg, he estimates that if these monopolists were taxed and regulated at appropriate levels it would generate billions of dollars annually in tax payments and new Canadian film and digital production. Billions of dollars. One small arithmetic example of what is wrong with our querulous politicians weak-kneed stance: Netflix will have an estimated 8 million Canadian subscribers by next year. We each pay them between $120 and $170 per year, or well over one billion dollars. The incremental cost to Netflix in adding Canada to its U.S. business is trivial. Estimates of their profit margins in Canada range between 75 and 85 per cent per year. By avoiding paying corporate tax and not collecting HST they deprive Canadian taxpayers of an estimated $500 million a year. No legislative change is required to fix this, Ottawa can simply declare them a broadcaster under existing law. Why are the Liberals so terrified of doing so? If they had acted when Minister Melanie Joly was frightened into silence at the beginning of their term, Canadian taxpayers and our cultural sector would be nearly $2 billion healthier. The implications of their refusal are very real for Canadian employees and companies. How could Canadian newspapers, television program producers and networks ever compete with such a monopoly business model? Profit margins in single digits are rare in the entire industry today. And they pay taxes. Hundreds of millions more is wasted in allowing tax writeoffs to Canadian advertisers on American platforms. Again, experts estimate that $500 million to a $1 billion in tax revenue is lost annually, because we fail to treat them as what they are: simply American-owned content distributors. Beyond these astonishing sums of money leaching out of Canada, there is accelerating impairment of our domestic media culture as a result of this unfair playing field, tilted in favour of the giant social media monopolists. Our television networks and print media have not been profitable in years. Our domestic digital media players get bought or crushed by the behemoths. Surely we should now demand better answers from our politicians, as an election is only a few months away. Robin V. Sears is a principal at Earnscliffe Strategy Group and was an NDP strategist for 20 years. He is a freelance contributor for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @robinvsears Read more about: VANCOUVERRefugee and immigration lawyers in Vancouver who help B.C. asylum claimants are outraged by legislation tucked deep inside a federal Liberal budget bill they say could effectively close the border to many people seeking protection here. Coming just months before a federal election, which must be held by Oct. 21, some legal experts are asking how the new rules align with Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus election rhetoric and a later tweet that promised to those fleeing persecution, terror and war, Canadians will welcome you. Introduced Monday, the bill includes a section that would allow border agents to reject asylum claimants without their previous right to a court or tribunal hearing if they have ever previously asked for asylum in several other countries, including the U.S., U.K. and Australia. Were pretty outraged about it, said Lobat Sadrehashemi, president of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers and associated counsel with Embarkation Law Group in Vancouver. Its a real fundamental change to refugee determination. Excluding groups of refugees from access to an independent tribunal is a serious change that affects the human rights of refugees. British Columbia has seen an increase in such claims, known as irregular crossings, since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump and the escalation of the international refugee crisis. The bill appears designed to close loopholes that allowed people to apply for refugee status in Canada if they crossed outside a designated border port of entry. Under the Safe Third Country Agreement signed with the U.S., Canada does not accept asylum claims at the border by land if the claimants were already in a country deemed to be safe but only at official crossings. Read more: Trudeau defends changes to asylum laws that have refugee workers alarmed Refugee advocates shocked and dismayed over asylum changes in budget bill Border security minister mulling ways to close loophole in Safe Third Country Agreement The bill also extends how long asylum-seekers are banned from asking for a second official opinion on any dangers they may face if theyre deported, known as a pre-removal risk assessment. And the restrictions on refugee claims include those who have ever filed such a claim in a country with which Canada shares information, such as the U.S., U.K. or Australia. An omnibus bill is legislation that combines many unrelated changes to the law. The Liberals 392-page Budget Implementation Act wraps together changes to everything from privacy to Arctic pollution to liquor. Refugees appear on page 300. To do that in an omnibus budget bill is going to have serious long-term consequences, Sadrehashemi said. Its a real fundamental change to refugee determination. Excluding groups of refugees from access to an independent tribunal is a serious change that affects the human rights of refugees. We think its appalling it would be put in a budget bill where theres not going to be a full debate on each section. She added that lawyers are trying to figure out how to respond, but given the major change to access to independent tribunal hearings, there will be litigation. The refugee provisions in the bill come about after concerns about thousands of asylum-seekers from around the world crossing the U.S.-Canada border, including into B.C. through White Rock and Abbotsford, in Manitoba and in Quebec. Another British Columbian who raised concerns about the bill and its inclusion in sweeping and unrelated omnibus legislation was Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands. I believed the Liberal commitments to end the use of omnibus budget bills, May said in Parliament on Wednesday. Amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act are deeply disturbing, unacceptable and should never be bundled together. But questioned in Parliament by Vancouver-East MP Jenny Kwan the NDPs immigration critic on both Wednesday and Thursday, the minister of border security and organized crime reduction replied that the omnibus act would not prevent genuine asylum claims. Our government remains committed to a fair refugee system that provides protection to those who need it most, protects the safety of all Canadians and keeps our border secure, Bill Blair said. The measures that we are proposing are aimed at ensuring that people who genuinely need asylum receive it quickly and efficiently. Blairs cabinet portfolio was newly created by the Liberal government last July. Conservatives have for years lambasted Trudeaus border policies as well as his public messages welcoming refugees. The Opposition has blamed the prime minister for inflaming a border crisis. But even Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer who has accused Trudeau of weakening Canadas national security as refugees continue to enter the country outside border checkpoints told reporters Wednesday the budget bills change is a measure that has been slipped into an omnibus bill, that will not be given the scrutiny it deserves on its own. Vancouver refugee lawyer Peter Edelmann said the Safe Third Country Agreement had already raised concerns about due legal process for rejected refugees. And why the bill singles out countries with information sharing deals with Canada currently four others, including Australia and the U.S. Edelmann said, raises other questions. Theres been an enormous amount of criticism of both the Australian and U.S. systems, especially under the current U.S. administration, he said. The impact on refugees and claimants clearly restricts access and the mechanisms available to them on a rather arbitrary basis. A letter sent to Trudeau on Thursday by Canadas major human rights and refugee organizations including the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, Amnesty International and the Canadian Council for Refugees called the omnibus bill changes undemocratic and offensive. Depriving certain refugee claimants of access to full and independent refugee hearings is harsh and unnecessary, said the organizations letter, obtained by the Star. The governments claims that this measure combats some form of country shopping by refugees are simplistic and inaccurate. We know from our collective experience that there are a wide range of legitimate reasons why refugee claimants may seek Canadas protection after having filed a claim elsewhere. During the 2015 election that saw the Liberals sweep back to power after a decade in the political wilderness, the party said it would renew and expand Canadas reputation as a country that once welcomed refugees openly. Edelmann questioned whether the omnibus changes are well thought-out and called for much closer scrutiny from parliamentarians and Canadians. But the lawyer wouldnt speculate about why the reforms were not introduced until the Liberals fourth year in power. Id say the tone of this is very different from the tone we heard during the last election, Edelmann said. It is probably for people more politically attuned than I am to comment on the motivation for putting this in there. Read more about: OTTAWAA new poll suggests Andrew Scheers Conservatives continue to have the most support among decided and leaning voters, while a majority of respondents to the survey said they disapprove of Justin Trudeaus performance as prime minister. Forty-two per cent of decided and leaning voters said they support the Conservative Party, according to the latest federal horse race poll by Forum Research. That compares with 29 per cent who intend to vote for the governing Liberals, and 12 per cent who support the New Democratic Party. Nine per cent said they would vote Green, the poll found, while 6 per cent support the Bloc Quebecois and 2 per cent would vote for Maxime Berniers Peoples Party. The poll involved a random sampling of 1,634 Canadian adults who responded to an interactive phone survey from April 3 to 6. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 per cent, 19 times out of 20. Forum Research president Lorne Bozinoff said this poll gives the Conservatives a wider lead than one in March Forum polls have put the Tories in the lead since September 2017 but thats mainly because the Liberal number dropped from 33 to 29 per cent. At the same time, 60 per cent of respondents to the latest poll said they disapprove of Trudeaus job performance as prime minister, while more than half 57 per cent said Canada is either much worse or a bit worse than in 2015, when the Liberal government came to power. Read more: Opinion | How Doug Fords budget has hurt Trudeau and helped Scheer Opinion | Trudeau, Liberals dont get a free ride because Conservatives may be worse Scheers Conservatives lead in polls as support for Trudeaus Liberals erodes Bozinoff suggested the Liberals have taken their licks over the SNC-Lavalin controversy that has occupied much of the federal political conversation over the past two months. Scheer has called on Trudeau to resign in the face of allegations that he and his staff inappropriately pressured former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to overrule prosecutors and settle a criminal case against the Montreal-based corporation, which is accused of bribing officials in Libya when the dictator Moammar Gadhafi was in power. Jane Philpott, a prominent Liberal cabinet minister, resigned as Treasury Board president over serious concerns about alleged interference in the judicial system, and has said she lost confidence in how the government handled the situation. Philpott and Wilson-Raybould have since been ejected from the Liberal caucus and now sit as independent MPs who wont be allowed to run again for Trudeaus party. But Bonzioff said his poll suggests the Liberals cant be counted out, because they still have the support from most respondents in Quebec and the second-most from respondents in Ontario key battleground provinces in the coming federal election. This scandal, it might have reinforced some peoples perceptions, but they arent going to vote Liberals anyway, he said, pointing to the high levels of Conservatives from survey respondents in the Prairie provinces, where the Tories already hold the vast majority of seats. It sure isnt over. Bozinoff also noted an uptick in Green Party support, which this latest poll put at 9 per cent versus 6 per cent in the mid-March survey. The poll found that 28 per cent said the economy is the most important topic for the coming election, followed by 21 per cent who said its the environment. Respondents who said they intend to vote Liberal, NDP or Green were more likely to place the environment as the top issue, the poll found. Bozinoff said this could indicate some voters disaffected with the Liberals are unwilling to turn to the Conservatives as an alternative if they think the environment will be a big, ballot box issue. I think were starting to see the foreshadowing of the election and whats going to happen, he said. Read more about: A school board in Education Minister Lisa Thompsons own riding says it will lose up to 50 secondary school teaching positions under the governments plans for bigger classes, and that smaller schools will struggle to provide not only specialized classes but even the core curriculum required to graduate. Joining a number of others that have sent letters of concern, the Bluewater District School Board which encompasses the ridings of two PC cabinet ministers, Thompsons Huron-Bruce and Bill Walkers BruceGreyOwen Sound wrote Friday about wanting to work together to find solutions that mitigate significant negative impacts on our students and local rural education. Our main area of concern is the proposed change to class sizes, particularly at the secondary level, says the letter, signed by chair Jan Johnstone and vice-chair Jane Thomson. Your proposed increase in secondary class size numbers will result in a reduction of approximately 40 to 50 full-time-equivalent teaching staff positions within our board. It would be equivalent to closing two of our nine secondary schools. Such a move would amount to a substantial loss in both teaching and programming support for our students, and the inability of our small high schools to provide specialized course options, and even the core curriculum required to graduate, they wrote. Bluewater is among the public boards in current Progressive Conservative strongholds including Halton and Durham to reach out to the minister, urging her to rethink the changes and hold proper consultations. Read more: High school classes of 46? Thats where Halton board warns Ford government changes to education could lead As Ontario education funding rises by less than inflation, critics call it rolling back the clock Students at North Yorks Emery C.I. have always felt left behind. Fighting Fords cuts helped them raise their voice In a statement to the Star on Friday, Thompson said our government is committed to protecting what matters most and that includes our education system. The education minister said her number-one goal will always be to ensure student achievement and I look forward to working with Bluewater District School Board, and all school boards, as we move forward with our plan, Education That Works for You. The PC plan includes a focus on math training for teachers, better science/technology/engineering and math programming for students, as well as a revamp of the sex education curriculum and introducing four mandatory online learning credits for teens. The government has come under fire for increasing class sizes by an average of one student from grades 4 through 8, and an average of six students from 22 to 28 in high schools, with boards saying they wont be able to offer the breadth of courses they do now. The province has estimated almost 3,500 teaching positions will be phased out over the next four years by the boost in class sizes, though estimates from unions, advocacy groups and boards themselves suggest that number will be much higher. The Bluewater board is a small, mostly rural board that runs through Bruce and Grey counties, covering 8,673 square kilometres. It has 16,000 students in 48 schools. While pleased to hear about the governments renewed focus in areas such as STEM, the skilled trades, as well as financial and digital literacy, with the loss of so many teaching positions over four years through attrition, the board is concerned that it will become increasingly difficult for us to replace teachers who retire with qualifications and experience in specialized areas. The board is asking Thompson to reconsider the recent proposals and funding cuts, and consult with your education partners in a meaningful way to ensure the new vision for education matches what is best for ALL students. Halton District School Board chair Andrea Grebenc warned in her letter last Tuesday that classes there could grow to 36 or even 46 students, to offset much smaller classes of 10 or 20 students, such as tech classes or those for teens with high needs. She said the bigger classes will likely be core credits, such as math, English, history and geography. In the legislature, Thompson has said when it comes to school boards across the province, we want to work with our education partners and said consultations will continue until the end of May. Thompson has also said that even with the changes we announced, (that) were looking at in our plan, were still one of the lowest class sizes across Canada. Durham District School Board chair Michael Barrett has said its smaller, rural and inner-city schools are significantly impacted (e.g., the physics or math teacher retires and you cannot replace them) ... With limited course options, such as the trades, this puts students with special needs who often take these courses at risk of not obtaining enough credits for graduation. VANCOUVERA rickety plastic folding chair is all that awaits seniors on the landing between the seventh and eighth floors of Solheim Place, a non-profit apartment building in Vancouvers Chinatown. But this slightly buckled black seat has become a vital resting spot for the many residents with disabilities in the building, since the only elevator to the sixth floor and up of the nine-storey building has been broken for nearly seven months. Its terrible, its always like this, Michel Guerin, 63, told the Star in an interview in French. He has lived in the building 14 years and uses an electric wheelchair. Its so important that people know what is happening here. If the world doesnt know, these guys wont do anything. S.U.C.C.E.S.S. needs to fix their management here. It has been 200 days since the respected Vancouver charity that operates the social housing complex promised to repair the broken lifeline for those residents unable to manage the 48 steps to reach the last working elevator, which only reaches the fifth storey and even it rattles and sometimes stalls. The award-winning charity manages roughly 600 units of affordable housing in Vancouver, Richmond and Burnaby. Solheim Place, on Union St., contains 86 apartments, all of them rent-gearned-to-income where nobody pays more than 30 per cent of their earnings. The majority are reserved for seniors and independently living people with disabilities. Read more: Vancouver to reconsider segregating its buildings with poor doors Vancouvers practice of squeezing money from new social housing is distorting affordability targets, say operators Even social-housing workers are being priced out of Vancouver We remain committed to working with all relevant parties to repair the elevator at Solheim Place in the timeliest manner possible, the organization said in a statement posted on its website. S.U.C.C.E.S.S. recognizes and is deeply sympathetic to the impact the elevator breakdown has had on our tenants in the past few months, particularly since many are seniors and/or individuals with disabilities. Unfortunately, the modernization of any elevator is often a complicated and lengthy process. On the eighth floor, the Star found a hand-drawn, photocopied sign that reads, Out of Order. A building notice from Sept. 26 announced the upper-floor elevator was broken down but that it would be repaired. Another notice pasted on the upper-floor elevator doors, dated from March 2018, advertised a meeting to update tenants about the situation, and the charity said it has held regular meetings with residents to hear their opinions and needs. On Saturday, roughly 50 residents of the building decided to protest in the first-floor lobby. For some of the mainly Chinese seniors rallying, with signs in Chinese, Spanish, French and English, it was their first-ever demonstration. One of them was Kim Tang, 80, who described another elderly woman in Solheim, who uses a wheelchair and lives on the sixth floor, having to climb out of her wheelchair and drag herself up and down the staircase to reach the fifth-storey elevator that works. She has had to get out of her chair and climb the stairs step by step, Tang told media in Cantonese, through a translator. She had to stop every step to catch her breath she was literally on the floor, climbing the stairs. How long will this elevator be broken down? Nobody should have to walk these stairs on a daily basis if they are senior or are sick. Nobody understands what its like to live in a building like this or the amount we are suffering. Tang told the Star afterwards he moved to Vancouver from Hong Kong in 1968 and loves Canada, and lives with his wife, Lily, who held up a sign calling for elevator repairs in Chinese as he spoke to the crowd. Nicolas Yung, 25, volunteers with the Chinese Tenants Organization, and has made friends with residents of the building like Kim and Lily Tang. A lot of my friends live in this building, and they told me when the elevator had been broken for four months, Yung told the Star in an interview. With them, we created a tenant group and tried to organize the building together. For Guerin, who moved into the building from another BC Housing-operated public housing project, the elevators are just the latest ordeal, and he wants S.U.C.C.E.S.S. to step up and change the way their building is managed. It said it has extended staffs working hours every day to 11 p.m. to help residents carrying things in stairwells, put chairs on each floor for those who need to rest and has offered upper-storey tenants the first chance to move to another BC Housing suite with elevator access, if they become available. The charity took control of the building on a 60-year lease from the governments BC Housing agency several years ago. He showed the Star the cracked digital display on his wheelchair, on which the settings and controls are difficult to read. That was from the blinds on his units window suddenly plummeting and breaking the screen but managers took days to fix it, and only after his friend helped haul the large blinds downstairs to show them. The worst incident was four years ago, however. He fell out of his wheelchair getting out of bed and was unable to move. But despite coming and going frequently from the building, past the managers office, nobody noticed his absence or checked on him until five days, he said. Another resident heard him shouting. I had to drink my own urine, he told the Star. My doctor said thats what kept me alive. I spent days yelling for help. We didnt ask to be poor all we need is respect. Read more about: By Volker Perthes BERLIN How, and to what extent, can Europe rely on itself for its wellbeing, security, and international influence? Global power shifts, geopolitical uncertainties, and doubts about the reliability of the United States as an ally have injected new urgency into this debate. Its outcome will be crucial for Europe's future. Much of the discussion so far has revolved around different terms. European Union institutions, as well as Germany, tend to prefer "strategic autonomy," while France favors the concept of "European sovereignty." But the two concepts are often used interchangeably, and are rarely defined precisely. In an effort to clarify matters, my colleagues and I recently proposed an operationalized definition of "European strategic autonomy." We also analyzed the likely obstacles, difficulties, and conflicts should German and European policymakers decide to pursue this goal. We understand strategic autonomy as the ability to set one's own priorities and make one's own decisions in matters of foreign policy and security, together with the institutional, political, and material means to realize these choices, either in cooperation with third parties, or alone if need be. Strategically autonomous actors can set and/or enforce international rules, rather than being subject to other powers' decisions. In today's world, even large EU member states such as Germany and France can achieve such autonomy only in concert with their European partners. In contrast to narrower definitions, our concept of strategic autonomy covers the entire spectrum of foreign and security policies. In addition to defense, it includes economic strength, financial statecraft, diplomacy, intelligence, and civilian conflict management. All of these help to determine Europe's vulnerabilities and conflict-readiness, not least in defending the rules-based international order that is so vital for the EU and its members. Autonomy is always relative, not absolute. It is a means to protect and promote one's values and interests, and not an end in itself. Nor does autonomy imply autarky, isolation, or rejection of alliances. In Europe, partners are essential. For Germany, these mainly comprise all other EU countries as well as other European members of NATO. The EU already offers a stable, permanent framework for action an indispensable precondition for long-term strategic autonomy. But its members should pursue European strategic autonomy, rather than the strategic autonomy of the EU. The U.S. will continue to be Europe's most important external ally and partner. Dealing with the rise of China, and confronting challenges to the rules-based order from Russia and other powers, must remain common transatlantic tasks. But Europe can no longer blindly rely on America to guarantee its own security and the stability of its immediate geostrategic environment. Higher European defense spending has been a demand not only of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, but of all U.S. governments since the end of the Cold War. Europe already enjoys varying levels of strategic autonomy. In trade, the EU has both the means and the will to exert international influence. But in the military sphere, the gap between European ambitions and realities is deep and wide. Full European autonomy in defense is inconceivable for the foreseeable future. Collective defense will remain the preserve of NATO, and Europe has no wish to decouple itself from the U.S. and its strategic umbrella. Instead, Europe should seek a greater but limited autonomy that allows it to undertake challenging crisis-management and conflict-resolution tasks independently. The EU also needs to improve its ability to defend the territory and integrity of its member states, particularly those that are not in NATO. This includes defense against hybrid or terrorist attacks that do not trigger immediate action by the alliance as a whole. To bring this about, the EU and NATO will need to work together rather than against each other. In addition, a post-Brexit United Kingdom must remain closely associated with the EU's Common Security and Defense Policy. These challenges could be addressed by reinforcing NATO's European pillar militarily, through larger and more effective capabilities, and politically, as a format in which European NATO members prepare alliance decisions. As well as improving Europe's general action-readiness, this could make Europe a more attractive partner for America and help to build a more symmetrical relationship with the U.S. Achieving even this limited, clearly defined degree of European strategic autonomy will require improvements in both military capabilities and the interoperability of European armed forces. And until European countries can further consolidate their production capacities and agree on shared export criteria, strategic autonomy in the defense industry will remain a distant goal. Europe's trump cards for achieving strategic autonomy are its economic strength and single market. On matters of regulation, trade, competition, and data protection, the EU is already perceived internationally as a strategic actor. For its member states, the EU is the framework for defending and preserving Europe's competitiveness. Yet the EU would be considerably more conflict-ready if it expanded the euro's role as a global reserve currency. To stabilize the eurozone in the long term, Germany and France will have to reach compromises on issues such as shared liability in the EU's banking union, the introduction of automatic fiscal stabilizers, and adjusting Germany's export-heavy economic model. Far from being an abstract concept, European strategic autonomy has huge practical implications. Realizing this goal will make Europe more prosperous and secure in a rapidly changing world. Volker Perthes is chairman and director of Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Berlin. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org). remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. ALBANY A late and rocky start for the commission working to ensure New York gets its fair share of federal resources and congressional representation was dealt another blow in the recently adopted state budget. The 16-member Complete Count Commission was tasked last year with preparing the state for the 2020 census, but some commissioners and activists worry that its effort is a sideshow for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who didn't fill his seats on the commission until two weeks after its report was due in January. If the state's population is not fully accounted for, New York will lose two seats in the House of Representatives and potentially billions in federal funding. The worst fears of the commission's skeptics were realized when the budget earmarked $20 million for "executing a count of New Yorkers" an amount reached without formal input from the commission and a fraction of what experts believe is needed. Calculating need "This $20 million figure is higher than last time, but not anywhere near where we need to be," said Commissioner Esmeralda Simmons, an Assembly Democratic appointee, who is participating in her fourth census effort. Based on past experiences, Simmons believes the state should invest $60 million to $80 million for community groups to reach out to hard-to-count communities before the census begins next year. The philanthropic New York Community Trust urged the state to put $60 million toward outreach, while a more conservative estimate of $40 million was called for by the liberal Fiscal Policy Institute. Additionally, libraries want $40 million to ensure they have the technology and expertise to help the 20 percent of New Yorkers without internet access to participate in what is considered the first "digital census." "Based on the requests submitted by community-based organizations and libraries (during the commission's hearings), $20 million seems pretty inadequate considering the job ahead for us," said Commissioner Lauren Moore, an Assembly Republican appointee and chairwoman of the New York Library Association's Census 2020 Task Force. Commission co-chair Jim Malatras, a close ally and appointee of Cuomo, believes the allocation in the budget is more than adequate, but acknowledged the commissioners have "a difference of opinion." Malatras noted that municipalities and philanthropic groups are also pledging their support for outreach. New York Community Trust senior program officer Patricia Swann said private philanthropy should only be used to amplify state funds, not replace it. New York State Association of Counties Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario said counties are prepared to chip in when they can, but pointed out that California is giving local governments $27 million for outreach. Allocating resources Funding in this year's budget was supposed to be informed by a recommendation from the commission, which is why its report was due on Jan. 10, but instead the commissioners will be limited to making non-binding suggestions on how to spend the state's allocation. Despite the delayed start, the Cuomo administration reiterated less than a month ago that state resources would be based on identified needs from the commission. "We're going to wait for the Complete Count Commission to come up with a recommendation," Budget Director Robert Mujica told reporters on March 11. That position was reversed in the final budget agreement, and a state Division of Budget spokesman would not say how the funding amount was reached. Also, the state budget allocation is for the state's entire effort, including funds for community outreach and libraries. Government agencies would have to tap into existing resources or use the funds, too. For comparison, New York would need to invest about $25 million solely for community outreach to residents who live in hard-to-count communities to match the commitment advocates in New Jersey seek. California, which has about twice the population of New York, proposed nearly $43 million for community groups, with an entire state investment worth more than seven times what Cuomo and state legislators approved. "Our analysis says $20 million is great," Malatras said, referring to an internal commission memorandum drafted in response to commissioners and activists relying on the Fiscal Policy Institute recommendation. Behind-the-scenes The memorandum tries to highlight "some obvious weaknesses" in the Fiscal Policy Institute's methodology and finding, according to commission Executive Director Rich Tobe, who co-authored the internal rebuttal. "I think it has value, but I don't think it's definitive," Tobe said of FPI's work. Activists and the FPI report's co-author defend the analysis, noting it has been accepted nationally by census experts and the estimates are being relied on by other states. New York Immigration Coalition Executive Director Steve Choi worries that the commission's memorandum, which came out in the days before the budget funding was announced, was an attempt to lower expectations in advance of a decision by the state to provide less resources than advocates desired. Tobe denies that rationale. Commissioners say the memo was drafted after they pushed to formally recommend a $40 million budget investment for community outreach, which was ultimately stymied by commission leadership. Simmons said the experience, plus the months of delay in implementing the commission, make her pessimistic about the prospect of producing recommendations that aren't preordained and approved by Cuomo. "The commission is controlled by the governor," Simmons said. "This is basically the governor's show." That sentiment is shared by other commissioners, including Senate Democratic appointee Andrew Beveridge. Eight of the panel's 16 members are gubernatorial appointments, "so how independent is that," Beveridge said. Timeline for spending The official counting of New Yorkers begins in less than a year, so state preparations should be "at full steam now," according to census adviser Terri Ann Lowenthal, who testified before New York's commission and serves on Connecticut's census committee. "It's going to take time to understand, evaluate and effectively address concerns about census preparation that might be unique," Lowenthal said. Tobe said the commission, which has five more hearings scheduled, will make recommendations on how to spend the $20 million that will likely come later in the month or May. Simmons warned that the timeline puts New York "behind the eight ball" with the distribution of funds. Choi said funds for outreach need to be spent by the fall, but is optimistic about the state's ability to spend in an expedited way when it wants to. Cuomo's office said more funds might be available in next year's budget, too, but Simmons said money at that point "will only be for last-minute efforts." "(This year's) budget is the budget we needed to have major funds in," Simmons said. Commissioners assume that a recommendation for more money would fall on deaf ears at this point. Malatras says he doesn't know if more money will be made available through the state. State preparation Tobe says it's a mistake to assume New York's preparation solely revolves around the commission's work, which continues through next year's count. He noted that the state already completed a massive undertaking to update hundreds of thousands of addresses that will be used by the U.S. Census Bureau's count in 2020. The project ensures that more census mailings will arrive at the correct addresses, and allows for at least a portion of the households to be counted even if they don't engage in the process next year. The scope of the state and county involvement in the effort was unmatched by the rest of the country, according to commissioners and participants. Tobe says it underscores how serious the state is taking the 2020 census, and noted it was done "without an additional state appropriation." He also held more than a dozen public events across the state in the last year with municipalities and community groups to discuss census preparations. As part of that effort, the state is encouraging counties and community organizations to create "full count" committees. The Jamestown mayor credited the committee they formed in 2010 with helping produce a final population count that was at least 10 percent higher than the census bureau's initial estimate. Existing state resources and relationships will also be leveraged to interact with recent immigrants, engage college students in outreach, and serve as secure stations for completing the census. Commissioners and experts say the state's preparations efforts are important, but stress that they can't replace a robust community outreach effort for hard-to-count communities. The commission is scheduled to hold a hearing on May 6 at the Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany. David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87 SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) Legislation proposing the separation of Chicago from Illinois is intended to spark discussion about the overarching influence of the city in state politics, not actually lead to the creation of the 51st state, according to a central Illinois lawmaker who sponsored the measure. GOP state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, the bill s sponsor, said the proposal would urge U.S. Congress to make the nations third-largest city its own state, the State Journal-Register reported. Its more of a frustration of the policies than the true belief that Chicago and Illinois would be better off as separate states, Davidsmeyer said. I dont believe that Chicago and the state of Illinois should be separated. Our relationship is mutually beneficial. Chicago needs to recognize how its policies impact rural Illinois, Davidsmeyer added. The reality is, the city of Chicago is competing with New York City and L.A. and San Francisco, and (downstate is) competing against rural Indiana and rural Missouri, he said. The policies that come down from Chicago are actually pushing our economic opportunity away. GOP state Rep. Brad Halbrook introduced the proposed measure in February. He co-sponsored a similar proposal last year that failed, and this years attempt has even less of a chance of succeeding in the Democratic-controlled Legislature. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the leaders of the state House and Senate are all Democrats from Chicago. Halbrook said the city of 2.7 million people differs ideologically from the rural population downstate on matters such as abortion and gun rights. Our traditional family values seem to be under attack at every angle, Halbrook said. We are trying to drive the discussion to get people at the table to say these are not our values down here. Forming a new state from a portion of a current state requires endorsement from Congress and the state legislature, according to the U.S. Constitution. When you have a large population center that seems to control the agenda for the rest of the state, it just kind of creates some issues, Halbrook said. The Constitution gives us a pathway, so well see what happens. Tension between urban and rural areas arent exclusive to Illinois. The same has occurred in New York and California , according to a paper published last year by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University. John Jackson, a visiting professor at the institute and co-author of the paper, said its odd that the bitterness has persisted for so long in Illinois. We ought to have leaders who get together and coalesce for the good of the state, Jackson said. The idea of this being a total zero-sum kind of game, that mentality you win, Ive got to lose, seems to be the mentality many have. Thats just not the case. The state needs to prosper together. Korea-Japan relations took another turn for the worse after a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling in favor of the Korean government's ban on seafood imports from Japan's Fukushima prefecture and nearby regions. The Korean government welcomed the decision, Friday, but Japan's Foreign Affairs Minister Taro Kono expressed "extreme regret" that Japan's argument was not approved. He said Tokyo would continue to pursue the lifting of all restriction measures and push for talks with Seoul in this regard. We urge Tokyo to respect the WTO's decision. Seoul and Tokyo should do their utmost to prevent further trade conflicts. The ruling comes as the two countries have been getting nowhere in improving relations that have been deteriorating in light of various bilateral conflicts, including historical and defense rows after President Moon Jae-in took office in May 2017. After the ruling, some Japanese media reports said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would not seek a meeting with Moon on the sidelines of the G20 summit in June in Osaka, Japan. The leaders have not held a meeting since September 2018 in New York. The upcoming G20 summit in Osaka would be a timely occasion for the leaders of the two countries to get together for frank discussions on issues of mutual interest, including the North Korea. Because Korea and Japan indispensable partners on various fronts, the two leaders should not miss this opportunity to hold a summit and share ideas on how to improve bilateral relations swiftly. SYCAMORE (AP) Thirty-five years ago, a message Kathy Stelford sent herself from the past made her realize that she wanted to make a change. When I was in my mid-30s, I read a letter I wrote to myself in my early 20s, Stelford said. I realized that I wasnt doing any of the things I wanted to. I wasnt living the life I wanted. I just knew that I had to do something. Thats when I found a farm flipping through a real estate book. After finding a farm in rural Sycamore, Stelford and her mother both sold their homes in the suburbs to purchase the property. Wanting to help wildlife, Stelford founded Oaken Acres Wildlife Center 35 years ago on April 1, 1984. Oaken Acres Wildlife Center in Sycamore is a 33-acre wildlife habitat set aside as a refuge for wildlife rehabilitation, education and conservation. After it was established, Oaken Acres, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), has cared for about 20,000 wild patients, going from 80 patients in 1984 to 903 patients in 2018. To celebrate Oaken Acres 35th anniversary, a new, two-story, about 3,000-square-foot rehabilitation center will be finished by June. A grand opening celebration event is planned for September. The new center was funded in part by a board members bequest, community fundraising and a grant for equipment from the DeKalb County Community Foundation. Stelford said the new rehabilitation center is almost five times as large as the current space and is much-needed, especially during the busy months of May through August. The second floor of the planned center will be for birds permanently in residence at Oaken Acres and for critical patients that need a quiet environment. We are now a northern Illinois rehabilitation and resource center, not just for DeKalb County, Stelford said. Even with the current rehabilitation center, which was built about seven years ago, we have outgrown our quarters. Animals cared for at Oaken Acres range from small geckos to larger animals such as deer, foxes and coyotes. Other animals include mice, songbirds such as sparrows, snakes, turtles, raccoons, opossums and birds of prey, such as eagles and turkey vultures. Oaken Acres is licensed to take in any species native to Illinois. It doesnt matter how big or small, how pretty or ugly, we take in all animals, Stelford said. Our motto is Every life matters. When someone gives you an animal, there is an implicit agreement that youre going to do your best to help that animal. Animals suffer, and they shouldnt have to; 90 percent of the patients we take care of are victims of human interface. We caused their problems; we should be their solution. To care for animals brought in, Oaken Acres works closely with veterinarians at Prairie View Animal Hospital in DeKalb, Bethany Animal Hospital in Sycamore and Wildlife Repair Shop in Naperville, which donate their services. They help clean wounds, do stitches and set bones, Stelford said. What happens most often is that the vets place a stainless steel pin in either a wing or leg to heal a fracture. Stelford said other future plans include creating a coyote complex to care for orphaned coyote pups. If I see an animal suffering, I want to help it, Stelford said. A three-second release, holding up a bird and letting it fly off, is pretty gosh darn rewarding. Those three seconds make our long hours, trips to the vet and overnight caretaking all worth it. Stelfords mother, Virginia Gordon, who helped found Oaken Acres, died in 2016 at age 99. When Im 99, I want to still be here at Oaken Acres, taking care of animals, Stelford said. All Ive ever wanted to do is help animals, because every life matters. WOOD RIVER The Wood River Police Department reports that a motorcyclist was killed in a traffic accident there Friday night. The department says police and first responders were called to the crash on Route 143 at 2nd Street at approximately 8:30 p.m. A car driven by a female and occupied by one passenger collided with the motorcycle. The male, from Wood River, was fatally injured. He had not been identified as of Saturday evening. The occupants of the car were uninjured. The Wood River Police Department requested a reconstructionist with the Illinois State Police to respond to assist with reconstructing the accident. The accident remains under investigation. The highway was closed for several hours, but was reopened early Saturday morning. Our prayers are with the family and loved ones involved, the statement from the police department said. By Jason Lim South Korea's Constitutional Court ruled that the current abortion law wasn't consistent with the Korean constitution and will have to be amended by the National Assembly by end of next calendar year. There seems to be a widespread support for this shift, especially since there really hasn't been enforcement against abortion for the last few decades. In fact, when I lived in Korea in the late 1990's, I was surprised to hear that abortion was illegal since the social norms seemed to regard it as perfectly acceptable. I think it became an issue recently as the birthrate plummeted to the lowest among OECD countries, driving some to view the illegality of abortion as a forcing mechanism for women to have more babies. Not surprisingly, such arm twisting didn't find much resonance in today's Korean society, leading to this showdown that was won by the pro-choice groups. What I find interesting in this decision was how the Constitutional Court judges framed the right of women to have an abortion. They pointed to Article 10 of the Republic of Korea Constitution that states: "All citizens shall be assured of human dignity and worth and have the right to pursue happiness. It is the duty of the state to confirm and guarantee the fundamental and inviolable human rights of individuals." The judges derived a right of "self-determination" from this Article and justified their decision by claiming that the current abortion laws infringed upon this right unduly. "Self-determination" is not as accurate as a literal translation of what they wrote, which I'd rather translate as "right to make an autonomous decision." Whatever you call it, this is what the majority opinion stated (my translation): "The right to make an autonomous decision is a method to actualize human dignity and a right by a human being to make basic decisions autonomously on the expressions of his or her human character and ways of living within his/her life boundaries." The opinion goes on to claim that the current abortion laws restrict abortion through the entirety of the pregnancy period and levies penalties in cases of violations, which restricts the "right to make an autonomous decision" of a pregnant woman. In other words, the Korean Constitutional Court ruled that an individual has a right to make his or her own life choices within the bounds of what constitutes his or her everyday "living." Contrast this to the "right to privacy" that the U.S. Supreme Court justices based their decision in favor of abortion rights in Roe vs. Wade in 1973. The majority determined that a woman's right to decide whether to have an abortion involved the question of whether the Constitution protected a right to privacy. The justices answered this question by asserting that the 14th Amendment, which prohibits states from "depriv[ing] any person of liberty without due process of law," protected a fundamental right to privacy. Further, after considerable discussion of the law's historical lack of recognition of rights of a fetus, the justices concluded "the word 'person,' as used in the 14th Amendment, does not include the unborn." The right of a woman to choose to have an abortion fell within this fundamental right to privacy, and was protected by the Constitution. The dissenting opinion and every opposing viewpoint ever since criticizes that the majority overreached in deriving a right to privacy from the 14th Amendment. Justice Rehnquist wrote, "To reach its result, the Court necessarily has had to find within the scope of the 14th Amendment a right that was apparently completely unknown to the drafters of the Amendment. . The only conclusion possible from this history is that the drafters did not intend to have the 14th Amendment withdraw from the States the power to legislate with respect to this matter." While the practical effect is the same, the fundamental right that each country justified its pro-choice decision is fascinating to note. In Korea's case, the judges basically argue that a woman should be able to have an abortion as a part of her human right to pursue happiness within the boundaries of her everyday life. This judgment implicitly acknowledges that having a baby is a socioeconomic decision that will impact the wellbeing of the mother. In Roe vs. Wade, the right to pursue happiness doesn't come in consideration. It's more about a woman's right to privacy in making a personal decision. And the state's obligation to protect the life of a "person" doesn't come into play until the second trimester when the viability of the fetus the potential of the fetus to become a viable baby outside the womb increases. It may sound like a "potato" vs. "potatoe" argument, but it's an interesting insight into how two courts, separated by geography and time, chose to justify their respective opinions in deciding in favor of abortion rights. Jason Lim (jasonlim@msn.com) is a Washington, D.C.-based expert on innovation, leadership and organizational culture. Westerly, RI (02891) Today Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. Near record high temperatures. High 56F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 51F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Potash miner Emmerson is close to inking a supply deal Potash miner Emmerson is close to inking a supply deal that could be worth as much as 4.4 billion over the next 20 years. It has signed an initial agreement to provide a global fertiliser trader with all of the product from its Morocco-based mine for the next five years. But the Mail understands it is in discussions to provide all of its potash to the international firm, which it has not named, for the next two decades. Emmerson listed on the London Stock Exchange last year and has a current market value of 24 million. It is understood that the international fertiliser trader is headquartered in Switzerland and has a large presence in Brazil. Britain is 'very concerned' about rising debt levels in some of the world's poorest countries which have run up debts to China Britain is 'very concerned' about rising debt levels in some of the world's poorest countries which have run up vast debts to China, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said. China has invited the UK to join an initiative to help reduce the risk of a new emerging markets debt crisis. The Multilateral Co-operation Centre for Development Finance which is being set up by the Chinese together with a number of organisations including the World Bank will improve lending standards and try to make sure poor countries are not signing up for dangerous levels of borrowing. Mordaunt said: 'The UK is very concerned by rising debt levels, particularly in low-income countries.' The Chinese government has embarked on an ambitious new trading strategy that involves developing infrastructure in more than 150 countries. But some fear it is a push by Beijing to achieve global dominance and to trap poor countries under a yoke of debt they can never repay. Korean boats, circa 1900-1920s. By Robert Neff The life of a Korean sailor in the 19th century was filled with danger and discomfort. The big junks were built for transporting large amounts of goods not comfort. They were, for the most part, open boats with planks laid across the goods. One observer wrote: "In case of rain a mat roof is built all over the junk; but that cannot always be done sufficiently quick [enough] to prevent serious damage to the cargo by rain water, or in rough weather, by sea water. "Besides, if the matting blows away in a gale, then the whole cargo is at the mercy of the weather." Korean ships on the Yalu River, circa 1908. According to the same observer, who was a German employed by the Korean government, "many junks with their crews and cargoes [were] destroyed when overtaken by bad weather at sea." He apparently had long conversations with "the native seafaring people" who informed him that "annually from 3-5 junks are generally lost or badly damaged, out of every twenty; therefore, the carriage of rice or other cargoes by junks, although apparently cheap, does cost dearly after all, if the losses of life and property are taken into account" Considering the danger these sailors faced, it is not surprising that they were a superstitious lot. It was considered unlucky for the captain or his crew to eat any meat that had been killed by gunfire especially the noru (Korean deer). It was considered to be unlucky to begin a journey on the first of the month or any day with an eight (8, 18, 28). And, according Horace G. Underwood, if a child was born in the port on the day of departure, the crew would pool their money and buy a gift of rice for the baby. "The present may be large or small, but a present must be made." Women were unwanted passengers especially during the first month because it was thought that they brought bad luck. Fishing boats, circa 1900-1920s. Antofagasta plc, through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the exploration, evaluation, development, and mining of copper properties in Chile and internationally. It operates through Los Pelambres, Centinela, Antucoya, ZaldAvar, Exploration and Evaluation, and Transport segments. The company explores for copper concentrates containing by-products, such as molybdenum, gold, and silver; and copper cathodes. It holds a 60% interest in the Los Pelambres mine; a 70% interest in the Centinela mine; a 50% interest in the ZaldAvar mine; and a 70% interest in the Antucoya mine located in Chile. The company also provides rail and road cargo, and other ancillary services. In addition, it offers rail and truck services to the mining industry in the Antofagasta Region. The company was incorporated in 1888 and is based in London, the United Kingdom. Antofagasta plc is a subsidiary of Metalinvest Establishment. Read More By Baek Byung-yeul Samsung SDS has agreed to form business ties with Indian IT giant Tech Mahindra in a bid to enter the overseas blockchain market with its Nexledger blockchain platform, the company said Sunday. "Samsung SDS agreed to cooperate with Tech Mahindra to expand the usage of the Nexledger platform overseas," the system integration arm of Samsung Group said. Under the agreement, the two will seek more business opportunities in the blockchain markets in India, the United States and Europe and cooperate to upgrade the Nexledger platform. Tech Mahindra, an IT affiliate of India's Mahindra Group, has been providing IT services to about 900 companies from across the world and has secured more than 120,000 IT engineers. Samsung SDS launched its enterprise blockchain security platform Nexledger in 2017. Designed to combine various customized features on commonly used open source blockchains such as IBM's business blockchain framework Hyperledger Fabric or Ethereum, the Nexledger has been used in finance, manufacturing, logistics and public sectors. The blockchain platform also won a nod as tech industry research firm Gartner chose the platform as one of the representative vendors in the market in 2018. Samsung SDS has been intensifying its blockchain services. In February, the firm introduced its own blockchain accelerator technology Nexledger Accelerator. The firms said the technology can boost the transaction speed and can be used in all Hyperledger Fabric-based blockchain services without the need to modify existing blockchain source codes. It's great to see that the cosmically slow, painfully convoluted and widely misunderstood cleanup of PCBs from the Hudson River can still generate a pleasing battle royale. On Thursday morning, as anticipated, the Environmental Protection Agency issued something called a "certificate of completion of the remedial action" to General Electric for the seven-year, $1.7 billion dredging of the upper river finished in 2016. The EPA declared the physical dredging project, nationally one of biggest ever, "very successful." With the speed of a counter punch, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the state intends to sue the EPA over issuing this certificate, declaring the clean up of PCBs from the upper river woefully "incomplete," and that polluter GE is walking away without accountability. Issuance of that certificate will make it that much more difficult for the EPA to compel GE toward more dredging, is the claim. It's certainly apparent the state is picking a fight with the feds, and it looks like the state is on the side of the angels in this argument and the EPA is not. Before we can even get into this, we have to fight a pair of biases. One relates to GE, the other our imbecilic president. It's hard to think of General Electric as anything but the bad guys, having slogged through one dog fight after another for decades as the company's hired guns tried every trick from K Street to State Street to avoid responsibility for what they did to the river. But, as I've stated before and it bears repeating, once GE signed up to meet the terms of the 2006 legally binding consent decree, their dredging work was exemplary. They did not just meet expectations, they exceeded them, extracting twice as much river sediment as the decree called for, and removing about five percent more PCBs from the 40-mile stretch, for a total of about 72 percent of what is believed to have been deposited in the river. Is three quarters of a loaf better than none? You bet. Remember, there was a pervasive skepticism by the knowledgeable for the last quarter of the 20th century that GE would ever dredge the river, let alone spend nearly $2 billion to do so. I belabor this because it goes to the heart of what the "certificate of completion of the remedial action" that seemingly has the state in a snit is actually all about, which is acknowledging that GE has met the terms and conditions of the physical work carefully outlined in the decree. It is the second of three certificates of completion. The Big One, the one called "Certification of Completion of the Work," that would get GE "off the hook," the polluter is not eligible to receive until roughly 2070. "Natural attenuation," also spelled out in the decree, must work its magic or not to lower PCBs to acceptable levels as recorded in fish, also spelled out in the decree. Yes, it's a lot of spelling, but that's what contracts are all about, and this final phase of the remediation is expected to take decades. Between now and then, many popes may be born. And, to the hard point, GE will continue to be responsible for monitoring and maintenance, with the EPA looking over its shoulder. And if a couple of key benchmarks in the consent order are not achieved, notably those levels of PCBs in fish, GE could end up back in the river and wiggling its toes in the mud. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. As much as I would like to fulminate against a Trump EPA as inept and wrongheaded, and there's plenty of evidence to support that position in a variety of instances, it ain't so in this case. EPA Regional director Pete Lopez went out of his way in a carefully worded five-page press release, citing wide and deep public concern, to assure us that while the EPA had no choice but to award GE the completion certificate the decree requires it as well as a "covenant not to sue" the federal agency was also taking an extraordinary step to address those concerns. Lopez announced a mandated five-year review of the remediation was deferring a "determination of the protectiveness (to the public health and the environment) of the remedy in the upper Hudson river until more years of Hudson River fish tissue data are gathered." The deferment is in essence an open-ended warning to GE that, just as the state is alleging, despite the certificate attesting the big dig was well done, we're still not where the decree says we need to be with PCB levels in fish. Even though we're on the right track. Probably. This deferment is a big deal. Lopez called the state's intention to sue the EPA mostly posturing and a political stunt, and he'd be right. However and this is where it all turns counter-intuitive there's a place, an honored one, for political theater advancing good causes. As a strategy, keeping pressure on the EPA to keep pressure on GE is sound, and for that the state is to be commended. It's working. flebrun@timesunion.com 518-454-5453 Albany County District Attorney David Soares is still being haunted by a former top prosecutor's secret work for prominent defense attorney Cheryl Coleman eight months after the conflict was exposed. Ex-Assistant District Attorney Steven Sharp's freelancing for Coleman and his subsequent resignation last August undoubtedly stung his former boss. Soares surely did not want to lose Sharp, a well-regarded legal mind and a rising star, let alone because he moonlighted for Coleman, the office's arch-nemesis. Now, depending on the outcome of a hearing before state Supreme Court Justice Peter Lynch, the office also risks losing convictions it won under Sharp. On Friday, Lynch presided over a post-conviction hearing for Gavin Thomas, 30, a multiple felon serving a 15-year sentence at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora for weapons possession in 2014. A jury convicted Thomas in 2015 at a trial prosecuted by Sharp. Thomas' lawyer was Kathryn Conklin, at the time a lawyer in Coleman's firm. Thomas' appellate lawyer, Adam Parisi, now wants Lynch to set his client's conviction aside on the grounds that his client was unaware of Sharp's work for Coleman. Sharp and Coleman were both called to testify at Friday's hearing before Lynch. They found themselves answering questions from Parisi as well as from Sharp's ex-colleague, Assistant District Attorney Emily Schultz. "Did you ever do any work for Cheryl Coleman?" Parisi asked Sharp "Yes," Sharp said. He said he drafted briefs for Coleman in appellate cases outside Albany County. He told Parisi he believes the work started in the summer of 2014. "Prior to the start of Gavin Thomas' trial?" Parisi asked. "Yes," Sharp responded. He said he never spoke to Coleman about Thomas. He said his last work for Coleman was in January 2018. "Do you have any records of payments received?" Parisi. "No, I do not," Sharp said. He said he did not provide invoices or bill Coleman. "What were the payment arrangements?" Parisi asked. "I was paid in cash," Sharp said. Asked about the specific amount, Sharp could not recall them (neither could Coleman). Parisi asked Sharp if he and Coleman discussed her appearance in cases he would be prosecuting. "Not to my recollection," Sharp said. During cross-examination, Schultz asked Sharp if he was an associate of Coleman's firm at the same time he worked for Soares. "No, I was not," Sharp said. He did the work at his home or at the State Library, he said. Sharp told Schultz it was "fair to say" the trial was contentious between him and Conklin, now known as Kathryn Conklin-Mabey. She also was on the witness list (she will testify when the hearing continues). Coleman told Schultz, referring to Sharp: "One of the things, I think, that formed the basis for our friendship is that we were both intensely competitive. It started out joking competition, but it was always a competitive friendship." Asked if Sharp ever gave her an advantage, Coleman said, "It sure never felt like it." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Sharp said neither he nor Coleman, nor Conklin, received any advantage because of the arrangement. Coleman said they discussed transcripts and which points would be strongest logistically in each appeal. At a separate appearance on Thursday to discuss the hearing, Lynch asked Coleman if she handled any hearing in the Thomas case. "I've never met Gavin Thomas," Coleman replied. More Information ews See More Collapse The Times Union reported last August that Sharp's work for Coleman included the appeal of Alexander West, the boater convicted of manslaughter in the alcohol-related death of 8-year-old Charlotte McCue in 2016 in a boat crash on Lake George. Sharp also worked on Coleman's appeals for convicted Chenango County killer Ganesh R. Ramsaran, who was found guilty in 2014 for the murder of his wife, Jennifer, who vanished on Dec. 11, 2012, in New Berlin; the appeal of Michael A. Nicholas of Washington County, a felon convicted in 2013 of drug charges for selling crack to an informant; and the appeal of ex-Cornell University wrestler Peter J. Mesko, convicted in 2015 in Tompkins County of burglary and sex abuse for attacking a woman at a 2013 house party in Ithaca. While Sharp's nine-year run for Soares ended in August, he quickly rebounded. Albany County Public Defender Stephen Herrick, the former county judge, hired Sharp for his staff. And that was the end of it or so we might have thought. Now comes Thomas' challenge. The hearing before Lynch is expected to continue in May. And there are other cases Sharp prosecuted where he faced off against Coleman directly, including the trial of Edward "Ted" Mero, who was convicted of the murders of Megan Cunningham and Shelby Countermine, both 23, in 2013 and 2014. Sharp also prosecuted Michael Chmielewski, who admitted he murdered Jacquelyn Porreca, 32, during a robbery in the victim's West Albany hair salon on Aug. 21, 2015. More challenges and more hearings could be coming. This all came to light because of the appeal of Jordan Prusinski, a Latham man and former Coleman client prosecuted by Sharp and found guilty of attempted murder for firing 11 gunshots at Lark and Hamilton streets on July 2, 2017. Two people were hit. He received 22 years to life in prison. Prusinski's appellate lawyer, Matthew Hug, revealed the work arrangement between Sharp and Coleman. He is now surely viewed by both lawyers as an arch-nemesis. SARATOGA SPRINGS A new nonprofit, springing from the Bethesda Episcopal Church, has joined the fight to alleviate the city's homeless problem. Dubbed Mercy House, it will be harbored in a yet-to-be erected $9 million facility on Washington Street. The religious organization will partner with other agencies to feed, house and counsel those a full-to-capacity Shelters of Saratoga can't, including children, because it offers services only to adults. "The population of the homeless is significant," said Gordon Boyd, president of Mercy House. "And there is a role for many agencies to play. The groups we are working with have an ongoing need to meet the housing needs of people who would otherwise be homeless." In addition to children, Boyd said, the nondenominational Mercy House will serve families who are victims of domestic violence and veterans with children. It will connect with the needy through established nonprofits such as Wellspring, Transitional Services Association and Veterans and Community Housing Coalition. Yet Mercy House will not just help the homeless. It will also open its doors to the Saratoga Race Course's backstretch workers who need a quiet place to convalesce after a hospital stay. "When workers have surgery and need a place to rehabilitate, the track dormitories, which are getting better, are not a suitable place for that," said Paul Ruchames, executive director of the Backstretch Employee Service Team. "Mercy House will offer a respite. This would be a place where they can stay for a number of days and again have a quiet, peaceful, well-supervised setting." Ruchames said the Mercy House will also provide space to track workers who are returning from a substance abuse detox or rehabilitation. Currently, backstretch workers stay in a separate detox dormitory, but he said, the situation is not ideal. "We are managing now, but this will be a more comfortable situation," Ruchames said. The four-story, 30,000-square foot building, which will be located steps from Broadway, the city's downtown thoroughfare, will also house Bethesda's parish house and offices. The ground floor will also have room for counselors and meeting space to accommodate groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, which has met at Bethesda for 75 years. The first floor will also serve food at a community "pay as you are able" cafe, run by In Our Name. Upstairs, on the second and third floors, there will be 18 apartments of various sizes, one, two and three bedrooms, that can accommodate up to 47 people. Rents will be affordable, Boyd said, and will follow the federal Housing and Urban Development's Section 8 guidelines. The living areas will share a communal space for group events. An on-site manager will live on the premises and safety of the residents will be ensured by a digital security system. Security is essential, said Maggie Fronk, the executive director of Wellspring, who works with victims of domestic violence. "Feeling safe at home is something we often take for granted," Fronk said. "A key factor in building a future free of violence is the ability to find a safe, affordable place to live." She added that Mercy House will be especially vital to Saratoga County because domestic violence is the county's No. 1 cause of family homelessness. The fourth floor will be reserved for the track workers. The Shelters of Saratoga, which did not respond to the Times Union call for comment on Friday, caters to single adults, helping them find shelter and get back on their feet with counseling, housing and employment services. The organization hit a snag when its neighbors opposed its plan to build a permanent Code Blue, the emergency overnight shelter for the homeless during the five coldest months of the year. In September, a judge blocked the winter shelters' construction, saying it didn't fit into the neighborhood's residential character. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Boyd said he is not getting any pushback from those same residents who are only a few blocks away from Bethesda and planned Mercy House site. Boyd doesn't expect to either as the city has already approved the plans and the area is zoned for religious organization. "Going around to the businesses and our neighbors, I've gotten nothing but positive feedback," Boyd said. Boyd said that Bethesda plans to break ground by the end of this year. However, it still needs about $3 million, which he said he is "very confident" will be raised. Meanwhile, critics of such projects have complained that the homeless population isn't from Saratoga Springs nor do they want or need help. Boyd said it doesn't matter where they are from and helping the needy is what the church is all about. "It's an opportunity to expand the ministry of Bethesda," Boyd said, noting that the church's petition to the city quoted Biblical passages, bishops and saints. "We are directed in the Bible to do this." The Very Rev. Marshall J. Vang, the church's interim rector, agreed, adding that the church should be able to lift up the downtrodden. "Dignifying humanity has always expressed the heart of the church's mission," he said. "What we are creating is more than a collection of stone and mortar. Mercy House will be a place of renewal and hope." Washington President Donald Trump's longtime confidant, Roger Stone, asked a federal judge Friday to compel the Justice Department to turn over a full copy of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation as part of discovery in his criminal case. Stone has pleaded not guilty to charges he lied to Congress, engaged in witness tampering and obstructed a congressional investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. In a court filing late Friday night, his lawyers said Stone is entitled to see the confidential report because it would help prove their allegation that there are constitutional issues with the probe. In a separate action, a former aide to Stone who was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury asked a federal appeals court to determine whether he still needs to testify now that the Russia probe has concluded. Stone's team also filed motions Friday night arguing he was selectively prosecuted, challenging the constitutionality of Mueller's appointment and that the special counsel didn't have the ability to prosecute him for lying to Congress. They allege that Congress did not formally make a referral to the Justice Department about Stone's testimony and because of that, Mueller's investigation was "a violation of the separation of powers." In court documents, the lawyers argue they are entitled to a private disclosure of the nearly 400-page report that Mueller submitted to Attorney General William Barr late last month and said they "must be allowed to review the Report in its entirety because it contains the government's evidence and conclusions on matters essential to Stone's defense." "To be clear, Stone is not requesting the Report be disclosed to the world only to his counsel so that it may aid in preparing his defense," the lawyers wrote. Stone, who is to go on trial in November, has maintained his innocence and blasted the special counsel's investigation as politically motivated. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which stem from conversations he had during the campaign about WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy group that released material stolen from Democratic groups, including Hillary Clinton's campaign. In a four-page letter to Congress that detailed Mueller's "principal conclusions," Barr said the special counsel did not find a criminal conspiracy between Russia and Trump associates during the campaign, but did not reach a definitive conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice. Instead, Mueller presented evidence on both sides of the obstruction question, but Barr said he did not believe the evidence was sufficient to prove Trump had obstructed justice. Barr has said he expects to release a redacted version of Mueller's report next week to Congress and the public. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. In the separate case, Andrew Miller, a former Stone aide, filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia over the subpoena he was issued in Mueller's investigation. Last year, Mueller's team sought Miller's testimony regarding Stone, WikiLeaks and the Russian government-controlled online persona Guccifer 2.0, which was used to release hacked material during the 2016 election. But Miller challenged his subpoena, arguing that Mueller's appointment was unconstitutional. Earlier this year a three-judge panel of the court upheld the special counsel's appointment and a contempt order intended to force Miller to testify. In the new petition, Miller's attorney, Paul Kamenar, argued that the matter now appears to be moot because Stone has been indicted and like "Cinderella's carriage that turned into a pumpkin at midnight, special counsel Mueller's authority expired." Kamenar is now asking the court to have the government formally say whether it will still pursue Miller's testimony. If that's the case, Kamenar is asking for a rehearing of the case. He said in a statement that he will take the fight to the Supreme Court if necessary. TROY What began as an absentee ballot fraud scheme to sway a 2009 minor party primary using voters from the citys public housing and neighborhoods had spawned a civil rights lawsuit that is headed to the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday. A ruling in the case, which focuses on the timeliness of filing lawsuits, could also impact state and local governments. The ballot fraud allegations broke when then-Republican operative Bob Mirch, a former Rensselaer County legislator and city public works commissioner, spent $11,000 in his campaign funds to hire private investigators. I never thought it would go pass Rensselaer County Court. It surprises me its going to the Supreme Court, said Mirch in by phone from Florida, where he moved after retiring. The old refrain that in Rensselaer County politics is a blood sport is getting a look from the nations highest court in the case of Edward G. McDonough, Petitioner v. Youel Smith, Individually and as Special District Attorney for the County of Rensselaer, New York, aka Trey Smith. Smith prosecuted McDonough, the Democratic county elections commissioner, in two county court trials. McDonough's prosecution was part of a case that resulted in former Troy Councilman John Brown, former City Clerk William McInerney and Democratic operatives Anthony Renna and Anthony DeFiglio pleading guilty to charges. McDonough's first trial ended in a hung jury in March 2012. McDonough was acquitted in Dec. 2012 at the second trial. From those trials came the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Albany in Dec. 2015. Former city councilman Michael LoPorto was tried along with McDonough when the case ended in mistrial; during the second trial, a jury also acquitted him. He also filed a civil rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court, but the case was ultimately dismissed last year. McDonough's lawsuit alleges that Smith fabricated evidence and claims malicious prosecution for charging him with 74 felonies as part of a scheme in the 2009 Working Families Party primary election to forge more than 50 absentee ballots for Troy City Council Democratic candidates. The suit also alleged that the other Democrats conspired to have McDonough take the fall and that Smith went along with it as part of a political vendetta he had against the elections commissioner. At issue is not the substance of McDonough's original claims against the prosecutor, but whether McDonough was timely in filing his lawsuit. McDonough filed the lawsuit in December 2015 under Section 1983 of a federal law which states that defendants can sue officials over civil rights violations. In these types of cases, there is no federal statue of limitations and state law applies, which in New York is three years. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. The U.S. Second District Court of Appeals, however, ruled in August 2018 that McDonough filed his suit too late, deciding that he should have filed the suit after his first trial when he would have realized that false evidence was allegedly being used against him, according to a petition to the Supreme Court submitted by McDonough's attorney Neal Katyal. In the petition, Katyal argues that the Second District's timeline for the application of the statute of limitation goes against rulings from five other federal courts of appeal. This has been a conflicted area for three decades. This case will hopefully resolve the issue, said Brian Premo, the attorney who successfully defended McDonough in his criminal trial and filed the civil suit. Attorney Thomas OConnor of Albany will argue Smiths case before the Supreme Court, while McDonoughs position will be argued by Katyal, a former acting U.S. solicitor general and attorney in Washington D.C, and Jeffrey B. Wall, principal deputy U.S. solicitor general. The U.S. solicitor general was one of nine groups that filed amici curiae -- friends of the court - briefs supporting McDonough. The other briefs were filed by a range of liberal and conservative groups including the Cato Institute, the Cause of Action Institute, Constitutional Accountability Center, criminal law centers at New York University and Harvard University law schools, the American and New York Civil Liberty Unions and The Innocence Network. Backing Smith are the states of Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas, plus the U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities and the International Municipal Lawyers Association. The Supreme Courts ruling could either return McDonough's federal case to the lower courts for trial or end this the last of the ballot-fraud related cases. Arguments are likely to be contained to just one day, Wednesday, with a written decision coming in the next three to six months. Hyundai Motor Kona Electric / Korea Times file By Kwak Yeon-soo Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia Motors saw their all-electric vehicle (EV) sales more than double in the first quarter on strong domestic and overseas demand, Korea's leading automakers said Sunday. EVs obtain electricity from external sources charging stations and hold it in rechargeable batteries. The companies said sales of EVs surged 159 percent to 21,148 between January and March from the previous year. The brisk EV sales have been driven by solid overseas performance. The number of EVs sold abroad more than tripled to 16,162 in the first quarter from the previous year's 4,905. The triple number comes after the recent international launch of the Hyundai Kona Electric. Their domestic sales also rose to 4,986 from 3,247 during the same period. [April 14, 2019] ClickSoftware Welcomes Yong Sheng Lee as Vice President YS to Deliver Keynote Speech at Field Service Management 2019 in Sydney BURLINGTON, Massachusetts, April 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ClickSoftware , the leading provider of field service management software, today announced that its new Vice President, Yong Sheng Lee, will be speaking at Field Service Management 2019 . The event will take place April 16-17, 2019 at The Hilton Sydney, in Sydney, Australia. Yong Sheng (YS) Lee joins ClickSoftware from Oracle via the RightNow acquisition in 2012, where he was the head of sales in Asia Pacific. At Oracle, YS was responsible for leading the Service Cloud business in APAC before he was appointed Senior Director of their CX Cloud Application Development, JAPAC, in 2016. Field service has been a large part of YS's product portfolio, and he brings years of experience as well as a slightly different perspective to the business. Mark Cattini , CEO at ClickSoftware. "Our plans for dynamic expansion across the region call for a seasoned leader, and we're thrilled that YS is kicking off his tenure by representing Click at FSM 2019." At the field service event, YS will deliver the keynote, " The Future of Field Service: 2020 Vision ," highlighting the technology-driven shifts happening in field service and what the future looks like. The presentation is on April 16 at 9:20 a.m. Attendees can also visit Click at booth number 10 for a live demonstration of Click Field Service Edge , and to enter for a chance to win an Amazon Echo Dot. WHO: Yong Sheng (YS) Lee, Vice President, ClickSoftware WHERE: Field Service Management 2019, The Hilton Sydney, Sydney, NSW WHEN: April 16, 2018 at 9:20 a.m. About ClickSoftware ClickSoftware is a global leader in field service management solutions, delivering value through improved efficiency, effectiveness, and enhancing customer experiences. ClickSoftware blends unparalleled industry expertise and state-of-the-art computer science to deliver meaningful, measurable business valueoptimizing critical business processes and delighting customers. Click Field Service Edge arms field service leaders with the smartest technologies and best practices from around the globe to deliver real-world results, real-time recommendations, and real operational intelligence. For more information, please visit www.clicksoftware.com . Stay up to date with Click by following us on LinkedIn and Twitter . Click. Actual intelligence. At work. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/395427/ClickSoftware_1_Logo.jpg SOURCE ClickSoftware [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] If you've ever moved into a new place, you know it can be tough. You've got to cram everything you own into a thousand little boxes, lug heavy furniture around, set up a home from scratch in other words, it's a lot, and every inconvenience adds up. But at least it's easy to get your new internet service up and running. All you have to do is make a phone call, schedule a technician, and wait for him or her to run a few wires, right? (Image credit: Smith Collection/Getty) If my 11 days without internet is any indication, no, it's not that simple at least if you choose Verizon Fios. My simple request to get a basic internet plan turned into a weekslong odyssey of mediating cable companies and landlords (yes, multiple), all while trying to get my own work done and keep everyone in my apartment happy. I write this partially to vent my frustrations and partially as a warning. The hook It's hard to argue with the numbers. In NYC, Fios offers 100-Mbps speeds for $40 per month for one year, capping out at $55 per month every year thereafter. Compare that to RCN, which had been charging me $65 per month for 50 Mbps. My former roommate alerted me to Verizon's $40 deal, and he said it couldn't have been easier. A technician showed up at my old roommate's new apartment, ran a cable, verified something on a laptop and was out again in less than an hour. With a recommendation like that, why would I want to hang on to my clunky, old RCN service? The technician told me that setting up Fios in my apartment wasn't possible unless I had permission from my landlord to run a cable over my roof, secure that cable down the front of the building and then drill a hole through my front wall. I'd also need permission from the landlord next door to run cable through his yard and through a fence. I visited Verizon Fios' website, which has a handy address-checker that can tell you in advance whether the service is available in your building. The website said it was. Being extremely cautious about tech, I called up Verizon customer support to verify. A representative looked up my new apartment and assured me that it would be "no problem" to set up service there. After all, the woman in the apartment right next to mine had Fios, so getting it installed couldn't be that much of a hassle. (Image credit: Shutterstock) I set up an appointment online and even received a customized "welcome to Verizon" video for my troubles. The technician arrived precisely when he said he would and told me that all he needed was a quick look at the backyard and the roof. Then, he told me that setting up Fios in my apartment wasn't possible unless I had permission from my landlord to run a cable over my roof, secure that cable down the front of the building and then drill a hole through my front wall. But that was the easy part; I'd also need permission from the landlord next door to run cable through his yard and through a fence. I told the technician I was very confused, because this didn't sound like the "no problem" installation I'd been promised. "Yeah, they don't tell you about this part, do they?" he replied, shrugging, and walked out. Around that time, my mobile data ran out. You'd be amazed how much bandwidth you can use in a few days. The line I didn't really know what to do at this point, because the technician never specified exactly what kind of permission he required or how I should get it. So, I decided to hedge my bets by both emailing my landlord and calling Verizon customer service again. (I also tweeted at the company and dealt with a rep who clearly did not read my actual complaint. That turned out to be a dead end.) My landlord explained, as I thought, that other people in the building had Fios access without issue, so he wasn't sure why Verizon would have to run a whole new line and through a neighboring yard, at that. He said he'd look into the issue further. Meanwhile, I got ahold of a Verizon representative on the phone. She said that she couldn't help me but the New York Technician Dispatch Team could. That team, she explained, would put me in touch with a technician directly, who could explain exactly what permission he or she would require from the two landlords. The technician would even help me reschedule an appointment. To reiterate: Verizon told me that the only way to solve my problem was to contact a department that literally does not exist. Without further ado, I called the fabled Technician Dispatch Team. A helpful computerized voice informed me that my wait time would not exceed 4 minutes. Twenty-five minutes later, a representative picked up and asked how she could help me. "Hello," I said. "Is this the New York Technician Dispatch Team?" "The what?" she replied. After a few minutes, we got to the heart of the matter: There is no such thing as the New York Technician Dispatch Team, and the phone number I'd received went directly to the regular Verizon Fios customer service line. To reiterate: Verizon told me that the only way to solve my problem was to contact a department that literally does not exist. (The Verizon Fios Twitter account was silent about that little snafu.) MORE: Cord Cutting Guide - How to Ditch Cable TV and Stream Happily Luckily, this representative seemed better-informed than the first and got in touch with a technician herself. The two of them informed me that I would need written permission from each landlord authorizing a Verizon Fios technician to run cable and drill holes. Those of you who live in NYC know that a request like this isn't easy to fulfill but it is definitely possible, and at least I had a solid path laid out in front of me. The sinker In fact, things improved the next day, when I received a call from a woman who works for Verizon's corporate office. She demanded to know why I'd canceled my Verizon appointment and which internet service I'd decided to use instead. (Image credit: Verizon) When I finally got a chance to explain my trials and tribulations, the rep confirmed that two landlord letters would solve the problem once and for all. In fact, she'd do me one better: She, personally, would take my landlord's call and direct him through the rest of the process. If she wasn't there, she assured me, someone else would be able to answer our questions just as well as she could. Feeling good about my prospects of having internet for the first time in a week, I wrote an email to my landlord asking him to please call the corporate rep and to let me know what she said. For three days thereafter, he called the corporate rep's number twice a day, getting bounced around from one employee to the next, each of whom gave him a different answer, and none of whom had any idea how to proceed. He was unable to reach the woman who contacted me. MORE: Verizon vs. RCN: Which Internet Provider is Better? Finally, he sent me a message saying that most tenants in the building have RCN and seem perfectly happy with it. Would I be willing to join their ranks? After huddling next to a LinkNYC hotspot, checking my email and downloading episodes of Babylon 5 on my smartphone, I realized that I'd be quite happy to do just that. The resolution Truth be told, I'm not thrilled about paying more money for a slower service through RCN. But I'm also not as broken up about it as you might think. I had RCN at my old place for seven years, and I can't think of a single significant issue that cropped up during that time. The service is steady, the representatives are polite, and the bill has no surprises on it. As cable companies go, RCN is downright pleasant. To its credit, Verizon was willing to comment on my situation: "We apologize for the experience you had, as in this specific case, it appears our protocol was not followed," a Verizon spokesman told Tom's Guide. "We're working to ensure this does not happen in the future." The representative also offered to help me complete my installation, but at this point, I think that would be more trouble than it's worth. In the end, I won't get 100-Mbps internet for $40 per month. I won't get a fiber optic network, or blazing-fast upload speeds, or a complimentary $50 Visa gift card for signing up. But I will get steady, reliable internet from a company that's proven its worth before, and I think I can live with that. Woman charged with assaulting officer in Johnson County JOHNSON COUNTY, KS (KCTV) - A woman has been charged in Johnson County with assaulting an officer. According to the charging documents, the incident that led up to the charges happened on Friday. Latonya Dawson has been charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, assault on a law enforcement officer, felony interference with law enforcement, and misdemeanor interference with law enforcement. Nobody looks great when on display for authorities but this golden ghettohairdo reminds us of the danger that suburban police often (allegedly) confront . . . Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. In most liturgical churches Palm Sunday is celebrated by the blessing and distribution of palm branches or the branches of other native trees representing the palm branches the crowd scattered in front of Christ as he rode into Jerusalem. Kansas City Cleanup Inspires KC Creative Healthcare Crisis Artist loses insurance coverage until Star asks company why | The Kansas City Star Michael Brantley of Kansas City, Kansas, thought he had purchased health insurance through the ACA, but an insurance snafu left him without coverage and he has been unable to afford treatment for his condition, which can cause blindness. In a small back room of his Kansas City, Kansas, art studio, Michael Brantley pointed out a painting stretching across one wall. Weekend Runround Aggravated assault suspect leads KCPD on high-speed chase KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Police responding to a domestic violence aggravated assault near Interstate 435 and Winner Road were led on a half-hour chase before the subject was taken into custody without further incident. Officers were called to the area shortly after 2:15 p.m. Grandview Crash Aftermath Male pedestrian struck by hit and run driver at 3rd Street, Blue Ridge GRANDVIEW, MO (KCTV) - Police are investigating a hit and run where a pedestrian was struck, and police had to perform CPR. It happened at about 3:20 p.m. Officials were called to the scene of South 3rd Street and Blue Ridge Boulevard where a man in his 30s was found lying in the street. Danger In The Stix Middle school 'kill list' leaves parents in Kearney on edge KEARNEY, Mo. - A Kearney Middle School student's "kill list" left parents and classmates frightened this weekend. The Kearney, Missouri, Police Department said Friday evening that it was aware of the alleged threats and was investigating. The incident shook up some parents enough that they decided to keep their kids out of school Friday and might do the same Monday. Infrastructure Hope in KCK Western Kansas City, Kansas, Residents Celebrate The First New Fire Station In Piper- Ever Mike Kane has been talking about a new fire station in the western Kansas City, Kansas, neighborhood of Piper since he was elected to the Board of Commisioners 14 years ago. But it was his own near-death experience two Halloweens ago that made building the station his mission. Forecast For Today After cool start, things warm up on Sunday Here In The Metro, A Little Bit Of A Warm Up From Yesterday. Pete: A Little Bit Better. It Will Be On The Cool Side Until The Midafternoon. If You're Heading Out To The Baseball Game Around 1:15, It Looks Like The Clouds Will Clear Out. For those who don't know or have forgotten:Forgive our snarky mention by way of realizing that most MSM avoid mentioning any Western faith out of fear for advertisers.Now here are more than a few local links that we're checking right now . . . Blake Shelton - God's Country is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . . By Kwak Yeon-soo Hyundai Heavy Industries said Sunday it has clinched a deal to build a 174,000-cubic-meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, reflecting strong demand for LNG carriers amid growing environmental concerns. The company said the LNG carrier would be fitted with a Hi-ALS self-developed air lubrication system on the bottom of the hull to improve fuel consumption. According to Hyundai Heavy, the air lubrication system is expected to cut fuel consumption by 8 percent. With the latest contract with a Greek shipping company, the shipbuilder has secured five orders in two weeks, worth a total 700 billion won ($616 million). Earlier this month, Hyundai Heavy won orders to build an LNG carrier from a Japanese shipping company, followed by a contract to build an LPG carrier from a Korean shipping company and a contract to build two oil tankers for a Greek company. According to British shipbuilding and marine industry tracker Clarksons Research, the volume of new orders of compensated gross tonnage (CGT) rose 14 percent to 32.2 million in 2018 from the previous year. This trend is expected to continue, with the volume of new orders expected to reach 44.6 million CGT in 2023. "Demand for LNG vessels is rising steadily as environmental regulations are forcing shipping companies to replace old ships with new ones," a Hyundai Heavy official said. "We will continue to lead the industry based on our differentiated technologies." A handout picture provided by the Vatican Media shows Pope Francis bends to kiss the feet of the South Sudan President President Salva Kiir Mayardit (2-R) alongside other leaders gathered by him for the peace initiative, at the Vatican City, 11 April 2019. The Pope kissed the feet of Republic President Salva Kiir Mayardit, and designated vice presidents, including Riek Machar and Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior, 11 April 2019. EPA Pope Francis knelt and kissed the feet of South Sudan's rival leaders Thursday, in an unprecedented act of humbleness to encourage them to strengthen the African country's faltering peace process. At the close a two-day retreat in the Vatican for the African leaders, the pope asked South Sudan's president and opposition leader to proceed with the peace agreement despite growing difficulties. Then he got down on his knees and kissed the leaders' feet one by one. The pope usually holds a ritual washing of the feet with prisoners on Holy Thursday, but has never performed such a show of deference to political leaders. ''I express my heartfelt hope that hostilities will finally cease, that the armistice will be respected, that political and ethnic divisions will be surmounted, and that there will be a lasting peace for the common good of all those citizens who dream of beginning to build the nation,'' the pope said of South Sudan in his closing statement. The spiritual retreat brought together President Salva Kiir and opposition head Riek Machar. Also present were Kiir's three vice presidents. The pope kissed the feet of all of them. South Sudanese Vice President Rebecca Nyandeng Garang said Francis' actions moved her profoundly. ''I had never seen anything like that. Tears were flowing from my eyes,'' she said. Pope Francis kneels to kiss the feet of South Sudan's Deputy-President Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon, at the Vatican, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Pope Francis has closed a two-day retreat with South Sudan authorities at the Vatican with an unprecedented act of respect, kneeling down and kissing the feet of the African leaders. (Vatican Media via AP) Pope Francis kneels to kiss feet of South Sudan leaders at the end of a two day Spiritual retreat with them at the Vatican, April 11, 2019. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS uttara@tribuneindia.com Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service Mumbai, April 14 Model Code of Conduct in force due to the Lok Sabha elections has brought about a lull in the operations of the parallel economy. From angadias or traditional couriers who transport anything from diamonds, documents and cash, to operators who provide accommodation entries to businessmen looking to evade tax and jewellers who deal in the grey marketall are taking a brief break till the end of the elections. It is not easy to transport cash by train since there no documentation available from either sender or receiver, says an angadia who operates from Kalbadevi in South Mumbai. Small diamond merchants who operate cutting and polishing facilities in Gujarat and carry out their trades in Mumbai are the biggest customers of the angadias. These traditional couriers are preferred by diamond merchants because they do not insist on documentation like financial institutions thus allowing transactions to stay off the books. Last month, flying squads from the Election Commission seized cash worth several crore rupees from angadias in Gujarat and Rajasthan, causing immense losses to them. The couriers transporting simply gave up the cash they were transporting since they did not have supporting documents, according to sources here. Since then angadias have stopped accepting cash. Estimates by the industry indicate that as much as Rs 700 to Rs 800 crore in cash are moved daily in the gem and jewellery markets of Mumbai, Gujarat and Rajasthan. However the trade has slowed to a crawl at the moment, with counterparties relying on coded chits in the form of IOUs lieu of cash, according to sources. Even when we are transporting rough and polished diamonds we are insisting that the senders and recipients provide adequate documentation, a courier said. Mumbais Zaveri bazaar, the countrys biggest gem and jewellery market, is also feeling the heat from the authorities. Though the Income Tax department does not insist on PAN numbers and other identification for jewellery purchases up to Rs 2 lakh, flying squads are questioning anyone carrying more than Rs 50,000 in cash. If the answers provided by them are not satisfactory, the cash can be seized and cases filed against them, notes and Election Commission official. Another tribe that has taken a break is the accommodation entry operators. These fixers provide bogus bills for purchases and sales to small businessmen who need to take cash out of their businesses either to evade tax or bribe government officials. Many of these operators are based in Surat in Gujarat with some of their networks extending to Mumbai. Sources in the chartered accountant fraternity say these operators too have taken a break since some of the known players are having their books scrutinised by the authorities. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Ambala, April 13 A policeman was beaten to death by some people over old enmity in the Baldev Nagar area last night. The deceased has been identified as Head Constable Avtar Singh, a resident of Panjokhra. He was posted at the ADGP office in Ambala Cantonment. In a complaint to the police, Amandeep Singh, a resident of Panjokhra, stated that his brother-in-law Hardeep Singh, a resident of Chandigarh, had reached his house yesterday. Avtar Singh and Sukhdeep Singh, residents of Panjokhra, also came to meet him. They went to have dinner at a restaurant in Ambala City where Narender Singh was already present. After having dinner around 9:30 pm, four of them came out of the restaurant. In the meantime, Narender had called his brother Kamaljeet Singh. The latter along with seven to eight persons carrying iron rods, sticks and swords were waiting outside the restaurant when the victim and his friends came out. Kamaljeet said they would teach Avtar a lesson for helping his colleague Harpreet and started thrashing him. In an attempt to save Avtar, Hardeep and Amandeep also got injured. After finding more people coming there, the suspects fled from the spot. The injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital in Ambala City where after providing medical attention, Avtar was referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32, Chandigarh. However, doctors there declared him brought dead. He had sustained head injuries. Avtar and Harpreet were employed with the Haryana Police. At Narenders marriage two and a half years ago, Harpreets brother had a quarrel with Kamaljeet and others. Avtar had then helped Harpreets brother. The suspect had been nursing a grudge against Avtar since then. Last night, Narender Singh, Kamaljeet and their accomplices allegedly attacked Avtar. Baldev Nagar SHO Subhash Singh said, Kamaljeet and some unidentified persons thrashed Avtar over an old enmity. Efforts are being made to nab the suspects. A case has been registered against Kamaljeet and seven-eight unidentified persons under Sections 148, 149 and 302 of the IPC at Baldev Nagar police station. Avtar is survived by his wife and three-year-old son. The body will be cremated tomorrow as the younger brother of the deceased is yet to reach here. Grudge over Two-and-a-half-year-old quarrel Two and a half years ago, Harpreet Singhs brother had a quarrel with Kamaljeet Singh, one of the suspects, and others. Head Constable Avtar Singh, the victim, had then helped Harpreets brother. Kamaljeet had been nursing a grudge against Avtar since then. On Friday night, Kamaljeet and his accomplices allegedly attacked Avtar. The victim sustained head injuries and was admitted to the Civil Hospital, Ambala City. Doctors referred him to the GMCH-32 where he was declared brought dead. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Mohali, April 13 The police have nabbed a Barnala-based priest and spiritual guru, Gulam Haider Ali Quadri, with 13 live cartridges at the Chandigarh International Airport here today. He was produced before a court, which sent him to 14-day judicial custody. He was sent to the Patiala jail. Giving details, Inspector Baljeet Singh, SHO of the Airport police station, said Gulam Haider Ali Quadri was heading for Kolkata. While passing through the departure scanning section, the CISF detected ammunition in his baggage and detained the priest. Later, the police were informed about it. On checking the baggage, the CISF and the police recovered 13 live cartridges of .32 bore revolver. Inspector Baljeet Singh said during preliminary interrogation, the priest claimed that he had a licensed revolver, which has been deposited with the police due to the poll code, and the cartridges were mistakenly left in his baggage. He said his weapon licence story had been verified and ascertained that he had deposited the weapon due to the model code of conduct. The Inspector said even though the priest had a licensed weapon, they had to arrest him as he did not possess documentary evidences to support the ammunition in the baggage. The police have booked Gulam Haider Ali Quadri under Section 25-54-50 of the Arms Act at the Airport police station, said the police. editorial@tribune.com Parveen Arora Tribune News Service Karnal, April 13 Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday condemned the lathicharge on ITI students on Friday during their protest after the death of a fellow student on Thursday evening. It is a condemnable incident and inquiry is being conducted to identify those responsible for inciting the students and know the reasons for the lathicharge. The culprits will be brought to book, he said. Khattar was replying to questions on the sidelines of panna pramukh sammelan here. He said a magisterial inquiry and a probe by the ASP were being conducted. A delegation of shopkeepers running shops near the ITI Chowk approached the Chief Minister to lodge FIRs against ITI students for vandalising their shops and pelting them with stones. He assured them that justice would be delivered. Police personnel were deployed at the ITI as a preventive measure. Superintendent of Police Surinder Singh Bhoria said some shopkeepers had filed a complaint against ITI students for vandalising their shops. He said that the police produced all 104 students in court on Friday evening and they were released on bail. ASP Mukesh Kumar was conducting an inquiry into the incident. INLD leader Arjun Chautala and JJP leader Pardeep Deswal reached at KCGMCH separately to inquire about the health of the injured students. They extended support to the students. One of the students told mediapersons that he was admitted by the police. Cong toying with national security, says Khattar Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday accused the Congress of playing with issues concerning national security and claimed that only the BJP was serious about national security. The Congress has promised to abolish Article 124-A (covering sedition) of the IPC and amend the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which are against national security. The BJP has always kept national security on top, he said. He was addressing panna pramukhs of his constituency here. Accompanied by BJP candidate from Karnal Sanjay Bhatia, he exhorted panna pramukhs to reach out to every voter. Each panna pramukh will play a crucial role in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Start from your own home to seek votes for Bhatia, Khattar said. Asked about the issues on which the BJP would seek votes, he said they would ask people for vote on the basis of development being done by the state government and Centre. We have provided a transparent, zero-corruption and nepotism-free government and ensured jobs on merit. We will expose the Congress for supporting anti-national forces, he said. JJP-AAP alliance, Hooda at receiving end Rohtak: Taking a dig at the JJP-AAP alliance, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday stated that parties which did not have a base went for alliances. Interacting with BJP workers here, Khattar said the BJP was on a strong footing. He accused former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of having vitiated the atmosphere during the Jat agitation in 2016. TNS uttara@tribuneindia.com Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 14 The BJP on Sunday finally announced the names of candidates for two remaining seats in HaryanaIAS officer Brijendra Singh, son of Union Minister Birender Singh, from Hisar and former Congress leader Arvind Sharma, who recently joined the BJP, from Rohtak. Meanwhile, in lieu of the ticket for his son, Steel Minister in the Narendra Modi Cabinet and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Birender Singh has announced political sanyas and written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah offering to quit from the positions. Birender Singh said he was doing so in line with the BJPs ideology and position against vanshvaaddynasty politics. Talking to The Tribune, the senior Haryana leader, who crossed over from the Congress to the BJP ahead of the 2014 General Elections, said it was one of main beliefs and planks of the saffron party that dynastic rule and effect of dynastic rule is not healthy for Parliamentary democracy To avoid that possibility so that there are no questions from the Opposition to my party, I thought it will be better that if my son gets the ticket, I must quit electoral politics. Two months back, I had written to Prime Minister Narenmtra Modi and also to party president Amit Shah that if you consider the candidature of my son, I would like to quit both my offices, as a member of the Rajya Sabha and as the Cabinet Minister, he said, adding that it was also a message to others, including those because of who parivarvad, dynastic politics, is criticised On the reason why his son, a senior IAS officer of the 1998 batch, wanted to get into electoral politics, Birender Singh said while intelligent people should join politics, this was not the only reason Brijendra was quitting civil services. He had a legacy to follow, which I inherited from my grandfather Sir Chhotu Ram. What he did before India achieved Independence for the downtrodden and peasantry, that work is still not complete. I hope with his administrative experience and political background, Brijendra will be more useful to the farming community, he said Notably, Birender Singhs wife Prem Lata Singh is also a BJP legislator in Haryana. According to the Union Minister, however, she got nomination from the BJP when nobody from our family was representing on any of the fora. Sources, meanwhile, said the two issues (Birender Singhs announcement to quit politics and work for the organisation and the candidature of his son) were linked. In fact, it was only after the 73-year-old leader made public the announcement that the BJP today issued the list of six candidates, two from Haryana and four from Madhya Pradesh. Also on the list is the three-term MP Arvind Sharma, who has been rewarded with a ticket from Rohtak where he will be contesting against sitting MP Deepinder Singh Hooda. In the 2014 elections, Hooda had defeated BJPs Jat candidate Om Prakash Dhankar on what is considered a Jat-dominated constituency with more than 1.70 lakh votes of the community. Sharma had won the Sonepat Lok Sabha seat in 1996 as an Independent and joined the Congress in 1999. He won Karnal seat in 2004 and 2009, but lost it to BJPs Ashwini Chopra in 2014. The sources say the decision to not field a Jat from Rohtak this time is well considered. With the announcement of two seats today, the BJP has completed its matrix for the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Shimla, April 13 BJP leaders today demanded the resignation of Anil Sharma from the party on moral grounds and said he could not afford to be half-Congress and half-BJP leader. Addressing mediapersons here, BJP general secretary and in charge of Lok Sabha elections Chander Mohan Thakur said, Rolling stone gathers no moss and Anil Sharma should either rise above Putra moh or resign from the party as he got a mandate on BJP ticket. When asked why the BJP has not taken any action against Anil, Thakur said time was given to him to fall in line. Meanwhile, BJP state vice-president Ganesh Dutt said Anil should resign from the party and campaign for his son but hatching a conspiracy in a closed room would not be tolerated. He said Anil had informed the Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur that his son was joining the Congress two months back but the reality was that he was seeking ticket from Mandi for his son Ashray Sharma which he was denied as the BJP did not believe in nepotism. On the back foot When asked where morality was when Anil Sharma, against whom the BJP had levelled corruption charges in its charge sheet submitted against former Congress Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his Cabinet members, was taken in the party, Chander Mohan had no answer and parried the question. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Srinagar, April 13 National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Germanys Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler and said both had promised to change the destiny of people. May God have mercy on him (Modi). Hitler was just like him. When he (Hitler) came, he also promised to change the destiny of people, Farooq said at a rally in the city here. Farooq, who is the NC candidate from the Srinagar parliamentary constituency, said Hitler had also promised development. The Srinagar seat will go to the polls in the second phase next week. The former Chief Minister also demanded an investigation into the Pulwama fidayeen attack and said a car full of explosives was not intercepted despite prior intelligence about the attack. At an election rally in Ganderbal district, Farooq urged New Delhi to work towards winning the hearts of the people of Kashmir. The day you will work to win the hearts of the Kashmiris, you will not commit those mistakes which you do today, he said. You are threatening us that you will abrogate Articles 370 and 35A. They want to shake our existence. There are 70 per cent Muslims here and they want to slowly finish them, he said. Meanwhile, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah addressed a rally in south Kashmirs Anantnag district on Saturday. He said the partys candidate from south Kashmir, a retired judge, Hasnain Masoodi, was the best candidate to defend Article 370. He later told reporters that his party would revoke the Public Safety Act and also withdraw cases against stone throwers. editorial@tribune.com Shyam Sood Rajouri, April 13 The Pakistan army violated the 2003 truce agreement 513 times in the last 45 days along the Line of Control (LoC), said a senior Army officer on Saturday. During the last about 45 days, the Pakistan army has violated the 2003 truce agreement 513 times and used heavy weaponry (artillery guns) over 100 times to target Indian forward areas and civil population, said Lt Gen Paramjit Singh, General Officer Commanding (GOC), White Knight Corps. He said the Pakistan army rarely disclosed its fatalities while the Indian Army gave due respect to its martyrs. After paying homage to martyrs on the occasion of Rajouri Liberation Day, Lt Gen Paramjit Singh said, The Army will take strong and effective action against every nefarious activity along the LoC, the GOC said. Whenever Pakistan uses artillery fire on the LoC, it gets the same response. People are safe till the Army is on the border, he said. About the politicisation of the armed forces, the GOC said, The Army is working under the Constitution and has its own task and mandate. It does not want to be involved in such disputes. He said the Army with the help of people, security forces, civil administration had succeeded in wiping out militancy from Rajouri and Poonch. Since the enemy (Pakistan) can revive militancy, the Army has not been withdrawn from Rajouri and Poonch districts, said the GOC, White Knight Corps. The Armys morale was high and it was at the highest alert along the border, the Army officer added. About the sniping incidents, the GOC said only three such cases had been reported till February 26. He also expressed his concern over the increase in militancy-related incidents in Kishtwar. Regarding terror camps, he said, No change has been reported and the figure is the same. After the IAF strikes, top leadership of terrorists has been eliminated in Kashmir. editorial@tribune.com Ranjit Thakur Goha (Doda), April 13 Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he was using the Army for political gains. During a rally at Goha in Doda on Saturday, Azad said: Modi is using the Army since Day One by creating such an atmosphere, but the Army does not belong to any political party. Like the country belongs to all the people who are born there, the Army belongs to the whole nation. I want to congratulate the former Army Chiefs and Generals who raised their voice against the use of the Army by the BJP to win the elections. Why is Modi not speaking about the development done by the government in the past five years? Why is he not speaking about the jobs provided to youth, hospitals and roads? he asked. The Congress leader said: Several decades ago, foreign occupational forces had tried to spread communalism in the country and succeeded to some extent, delaying Indias Independence, but they could not succeed for a long time. Similar tactics are now used by a political party. He said communalism was not seen when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. He said communalism had reached alarming proportions under the leadership of Narendra Modi. Azad also demanded strict action against the killing of an RSS leader in Kishtwar recently. We are against the killing of any person affiliated with any religion or political party, he said. On the national highway ban, Azad said, The safety of the Army is important, but at the same time we cannot stop lakhs of people (from travelling on the highway). Many patients suffer due to this decision and it is a wrong thing. The government should have come up with a better idea. It should keep half day for the public movement and half day for the Army convoys on the national highway. shriaya.dutt@tribuneindia.com Tribune Web Desk Chandigarh, April 14 Chairperson and founder of the Reliance Foundation Nita Ambanis old interview in which she revealed that the road to motherhood wasnt easy for her is now trending on social media. In the interview, Ambani said she was told at 23, a doctor told her she would never conceive. She was shattered , because she always wanted to experience motherhood. Even her essays read: When Ill be a mother. The interview quoted her as saying: A few years after I got married, I was told by the doctors that I would never have children. Even when I was in school, I would write long, copious essays titled, When Ill be a mother Here I was at the age of 23 being told that I would never conceive. I was shattered. However, with the help of Dr Firuza Parikh, who is one of my closest friends, I first conceived my twins! She had her twins Isha Ambani Piramal and Aksh Ambani through surrogacy, but they were both born premature, two months before due date. Three years later, she conceived Anant Ambani naturally, but the pregnancy took a toll on her. Nita went on to reveal: Everything was double magnified. I was so overjoyed at being a mum that I had let myself go. Isha spoke about being an IVF baby in a recent interview. She said: My parents had us after seven years of marriagemy twin Akash and I were IVF babies. When my mother finally had us she wanted to be a full-time mum initially. Later, she went back to work when we were five, but she was still a tiger mom. She also said that Nita Ambani was a strict mother. If we wanted to bunk school, dad would be like Its no big deal but mom would ensure we ate on time, studied hard and got our playtime as well. My grandparents (paternal and maternal) and my maasi played a huge role in bringing us up. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Mona The wait that seemed like forever is finally over and the fans of Game of Thrones the world over are tripping over to get set for the final season of this epic fantasy. With hearts in their mouth to know the fate of their favourites, the GOT watchers have taken over everything, right from office cafeterias to Instagram to whatsapp groups to discuss varied theories on how this gruesome tale of epic proportion finally comes to an end. While speculations are rife as who would last for how long in the new season, the secrecy of the script has been kept so tight that reportedly, a la Mission Impossible style, the digital scripts with the cast would self destruct post the shoot. The most pirated show of the world would simulcast in India along with the US and fans are prepared to pull an early morning as it would stream on Hotstar at 6.30 on Monday morning. While six episodes to tie all the loose ends seem too less, the general belief is that its going be fiercer, bloodier, springing up surprises. And the fans are ready. Actor Nakuul Mehta took on the mantle of Jon Snow, one of the most loved characters of the show, in an Instagram post that read, Let the 'games' begin one last time. Who else is flipping out for the last ever season of GOT?" Param Kalra, just back from Jordon, is in a huge hurry to beat the jetlag. His Sunday plan is to hit the bed at six in the evening. There is no way I am missing the starting of Season 8, he beams. So huge is GOT8 fever that Monday morning he is all set to clutch his House of Lannister T-shirt and watch it on mobile. He explains about the mobile, I would be at my parents home Monday morning and will watch the show on my mobile. This is a little sacrifice that a GOT fan can make to keep up with the world. The founder of Start Hub Nation he started the trend of GOT meet-ups in his co-working space wherein the watchers bonded over snacks, drinks and trivia. Smriti and Rohit Syal, a couple as much in love with each other as GOT, have jogged their memory by binge watching all the seven seasons and all set to welcome Season 8. Earlier, friends would gather at their place to watch it on big screen. This time around, her corporate career and his start-up are keeping them away from hosting a fancy watch party. But together, surrounded by their GOT memorabilia that includes numerous T-shirts, action figures, socks and a prized watch, they are giving in to the thrill of knowing who gets the throne while keeping their fingers crossed that their favourites Tyrion, Jon, Snow, Daenerys dont die. For Nimisha Malhotra, its the Monday night and not the morning. An IT professional, she has vowed to keep away from the social media all through Monday not to get her excitement killed by others opinions about the fresh season. How can one watch it early in the morning and then work through the day? I would save it for the night and sit together with my favourites my flatmate Shruti, who is as huge a fan of Jon Snow, as I too root for him and our dog whom we call Snowdon. vermaajay1968@gmail.com Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 13 A fearless journalist for the world outside, but a simple man at home. Thats how Ranabir Ray, the great-grandson of The Tribunes acclaimed editor Kalinath Ray, chooses to describe him. My image of him is based on what I have heard from my father and my grandmother. We have heard numerous stories of how he never abandoned his principles. He stood for liberty, equality and freedom. And that is what we have inherited from him, he says, turning emotional. Ranabir, an architect by profession, was honoured by The Tribune at the Jallianwala Bagh centenary function. Kalinath Ray was Chief Editor of The Tribune in 1919 when the massacre took place. It was his writings that helped stir up a national movement against the British Raj. He was arrested and tried for trying to provoke disaffection. But this did not deter him and he never gave up his beliefs, recalls Ranabir. Rays cousins, in India and the US, have an emotional bond with The Tribune. One of them in Hawaii (great-granddaughter of Kalinath Ray) reads The Tribune and sends us the clippings. The image of the newspaper is frozen in our minds since its Lahore days. We feel proud to see it flourish and reach great heights, he says. Ray says his great-grandfather was a freedom fighter, and not just an editor. After all, he did awaken the masses through his powerful writings. Stirred by his writings, the legendary Rabindranath Tagore denounced knighthood, he adds. Ray found a vociferous defender in Mahatma Gandhi, who observed, In every case the writer has fortified himself with what he believed to be facts, and which, so far as the judgment allows us to see, have not been controverted. "We have heard numerous stories of how he never abandoned his principles. He stood for liberty, equality and freedom. And that is what we have inherited from him." Ranabir Ray amansharma@tribunemail.com New Delhi, April 14 Pakistan has said it was hoping for re-engagement with India after the Lok Sabha polls, noting that structured dialogue would enable the two countries to understand mutual concerns, resolve outstanding disputes and build the edifice of durable peace and security in the region. In an interview to PTI, Pakistans outgoing High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood said diplomacy and dialogue are indispensable to improve ties between the two neighbours. We hope for re-engagement after the elections in India. Diplomacy and dialogue are indispensable, he said. Tensions between the two countries worsened after the Pulwama terror attack and both the countries were almost on the brink of a war after Indias military planes struck a terrorist training camp in Pakistans Balakot on February 26 and Pakistan carried out a counter-offensive the next day. Mahmood, who has been appointed as Pakistans next Foreign Secretary said dialogue between India and Pakistan was the only option to understand mutual concerns and ensure peace, prosperity and security in the region. Sustained engagement and structured dialogue would enable the two countries to understand mutual concerns and differences, resolve outstanding disputes and build the edifice of durable peace, security and prosperity in the region, Mahmood said. He also said there was a need to review the narrative about Pakistan in India. A narrative is needed that captures the reality in Pakistan objectively and more fully. A narrative that also helps recognise opportunities for peaceful, cooperative and good neighbourly relations, he said. We must strive for stable peace, equal security and shared prosperity for ourselves and the region, the envoy added. In signs of easing tensions, Pakistan around two weeks ago announced that it was releasing 360 Indian prisoners, mostly fishermen as a goodwill gesture. The initiative was followed by Pakistan High Commission here granting visas to 2,200 Sikh pilgrims from India to facilitate their participation in the annual Baisakhi celebrations in Pakistan. Over two weeks after the Balakot strike, India and Pakistan held talks to finalise the modalities for setting up a corridor linking the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistans Kartarpur with Gurdaspur district in Punjab. Asked about the Kartarpur corridor project, the Pakistani High Commissioner said Islamabad was committed to completing the physical infrastructure on its side. The government of Pakistan is proceeding in full measures to complete the physical infrastructure on its side and it is hopeful that the modalities will be mutually agreed between the two sides in good time before November 2019, he said. Last November, both India and Pakistan agreed to set up the Kartarpur corridor to link the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahibthe final resting place of Sikh faiths founder Guru Nanak Devto Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur. Kartarpur Sahib is located in Pakistans Narowal district across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. The relations between India and Pakistan remained tense since 2016. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had travelled to Delhi to attend Modis oath-taking ceremony and the Indian premier had in December 2015 made a stopover in Lahore to greet his counterpart on his birthday. However, the ties nose-dived following a string of cross-border terror attacks in 2016 and Indias subsequent surgical strikes. The sentencing of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to death by a military court in April 2017 further deteriorated bilateral ties. PTI vinaymishra188@gmail.com Rajmeet Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 13 Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday mooted a memorial to honour all those Indians who laid down their lives in various parts of the world during the freedom movement. Speaking at the centenary commemoration of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre organised by The Tribune to pay tributes to the martyrs and honour their descendants, the Chief Minister emotionally recalled his visit to the Cellular Jail in Andaman after a tsunami left the islands devastated. Capt Amarinder said he felt ashamed at the fact that he did not know even a single name etched on the walls there. The martyrs had died unsung at the colonial prison, also known as Kaala Pani, he said. It was time to remember all such martyrs, said Capt Amarinder, urging The Tribune to help in finding them out so that India could remember and pay homage to those who laid down their lives for the nation. The memorial could be developed in some central city of Punjab, he said. The youth must dig deep into the countrys history to discover and remember the monumental sacrifice of all those who helped India gain freedom from the British tyranny, he said, underlining the importance of learning about history and the sacrifices of those who made it possible for the present generations to live in free India. Citing references from various books on the subject, the Chief Minister, who himself is a military historian, said dabbling in history enables one to discover the true story, which in this case was a mix of human, military and historical aspects of the gruesome event of April 13, 1919. New books on the subject and updated versions of the old ones helped in bringing out new historical facts that aided in finding answers to the tragedy-related questions that used to haunt the nation, he said. The Chief Minister, who arrived at the event directly from Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, said the incident was the culmination of the anger of Punjabis against the draconian Rowlatt Act and General Dyers personal motivation to teach a lesson to the people of India, which he admitted later to the Hunter Commission probing the massacre. To carry out his agenda, General Dyer drew fully trained and committed men from different regiments, who knew exactly what to do, he said, questioning the low official figure of the deaths given the area of the Jallianwala Bagh and the capability of the weaponry used. Nobody even knew how many of the wounded had died, he pointed out. vermaajay1968@gmail.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 13 The controversy over the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France has taken a new turn following an article published in French daily claimed that Anil Ambanis France-based company (not the same dealing with Dassault Aviation) was given a tax waiver of 143.7 million euros (over Rs 1,100 crore). The waiver came in October 2015, six months after PM Narendra Modi announced the Rafale deal in April 2015, Le Monde reported. Anil Ambanis Reliance Defence is an offset partner of Dassault in the Rafale deal. Reacting to the report by the French daily, Reliance Communications said the tax demands were completely unsustainable and illegal, and denied any favouritism or gain from settlement. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the period of tax concession did not relate even remotely to the Rafale deal. Anil Ambanis France-based Reliance Flag Atlantic France deals in under-sea cabling which carries telephone and internet traffic. French tax authorities, after a probe, found the company liable to pay 60 million euros in taxes for the period between 2007 and 2010. Reliance offered to pay 7.6 million euros as a settlement. This offer was turned down, and the French authorities conducted a fresh probe from 2010 to 2012 and levied an additional 91 million euros, Le Monde reported. However, six months after the Rafale announcement, the French tax authorities accepted 7.3 million euros from the company as a settlement, the daily reported. France has cancelled a tax recovery of a total amount of 143.7 million euros, yet claimed for years, in favour of a French company belonging to Reliance Communications, it reported. The French daily cited an auditors report of January 30, 2015, saying Reliance Flag Atlantic France is subject to two tax adjustments. It claimed that the parent company of the French company of Anil Ambani, Reliance Globalcom Ltd, is domiciled in Bermuda, which is on the blacklist of tax havens in the EU. In a statement, Reliance Communications said: Reliance Flag settled tax disputes as per legal framework available to all companies operating in France. The MoD said: Any connections drawn between the tax issue and the Rafale matter is totally inaccurate and a mischievous attempt to disinform... neither the period of the tax concession nor the subject matter of the concession relate even remotely to the Rafale deal concluded during the tenure of the present government. No political interference: France France has clarified a global settlement was reached between the French tax authorities and Reliance Flag, and that it was not subject to any political interference The settlement was conducted in full adherence with the legislative framework governing this common practice of the tax administration, the French embassy said It's Modis kripa: Cong "This is called zero sum choices, startling tax concession and Modi kripa PM Modi is acting as middleman for Anil Ambani It is clear only one watchman is the thief." Randeep Surjewala, Cong spokesperson Advertising & Marketing Branding is the key for business growth shares Sunderbharathi Co Founder of Go Lead Digital 14.04.2019 17:45:52 - Be it small or large, business always tend to stay busy, focused and determined to provide the output to their customers. Their energy is focused on building their firm and they lose the sight to brand themselves. 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Only organic marketing can make your brand visible to your customers for a longer time and at the same time build the brand worth that people can look up too. Go Lead Digital does not believe in Paid ads as it will require continuous funding and also at the same time once the ads are stopped the whole business will come to a standstill point. in simple words branding is making yourselves visible to the required audiences as a reliable service or product supplier. Think again, we are in the age of digital dominations where mobile phone has taken a major role in the 24hrs of our days time. How difficult can it be to be visible in your own local neighborhood, in your own city, in your own state, in your own country and go international thereafter?The very best case example of how branding can work is Go Lead Digital. Sunder says, Its as simple as getting visibility. 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Their only aim is to bring in all the neighborhood businesses in the digital world with all their vivid services catered through the Digital Marketing Agency Services in Mumbai. Mumbai being the financial capital of India, seems to be a good place to build an empire and be the phase of chained activates of spreading awareness on the need for Digital Marketing for businesses across India.Making people believe in your products and services is difficult in India with the number of Local Business competitors. Only branding your product and making it visible to the required customers can make your survive, grow and thrive in Indian Market. Go Lead Digital believes in organic medium using SEO, Social Media, Email Marketing and more. 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Live-PR.com is not authorized to give any information about content and not responsible for content posted by third party. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Naina Mishra Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 13 Himachal Pradesh Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj today urged Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to build a grand memorial in the memory of civilians massacred at Jallianwala Bagh. Speaking during the event, Bhardwaj said: Last year, I went to Jallianwala Bagh and was saddened to see the memorial built there. We have not been able to build a memorial that would give justice and depict the martyrs sacrifices. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre will be remembered till eternity as it marked the beginning of the freedom struggle of India, he said. While condemning the Rowlatt Act, he said, The Rowlatt Act was a black Act that aimed at suppressing political leaders voice and permitting imprisonment of suspects without trial. It can also be described as the first-ever law that targeted press freedom after the Emergency period, which also crippled our fundamental rights. The Act was censured by the revolutionaries of that time. Bhardwaj said the way our unarmed men were fired at on the orders of General Dyer cannot be forgotten. It was a deadly massacre of thousands of civilians who had gathered peacefully at Jallianwala Bagh. The Himachal Minister said his state had always stayed upfront at the service of the nation and our soldiers at the border were rendering selfless service for the country. pardeepdhull@gmail.com Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Kathua/Chandigarh, April 14 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday targeted Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh for skipping the official function of centenary commemoration of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on Saturday. The Punjab CM hit back at PM Modi for playing dirty politics on a sombre occasion. Capt was under pressure to skip the function to attend Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Modi said while addressing an election rally at Kathua. I have known Captain Amarinder Singh for a long time. I have never raised a question on his patriotism, the Prime Minister said, adding, I can understand the kind of pressure which must have been put on him for Parivar Bhakti. Patriotism of Captain is unquestionable, but he appeared to be succumbed before dynasty due to Congress politics, Modi said. He, however, regretted that Captain skipped the official function presided over by the Vice-President of the country, only to attend Congress president. For the Congress, loyalty towards family is more important than patriotism, the Prime Minister said. The whole nation was remembering the martyrs of Jallianwalla Bagh on Saturday. But even on this day, the Congress played politics over it, Modi said. Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu paid tributes to martyrs in Amritsar, but Congresss Chief Minister was absent from the official event," he said and asked, You know why, because he was busy appeasing Gandhi family." The Congress gets rattled whenever they hear about surgical strikes or the Balakot air strike. Nation feels proud about surgical strike, but Congress gets rattled. The Congress never had faith in our armed forces, Modi said. PM politicising Jallianwala tragedy: Capt Amarinder Accusing PM Modi of playing dirty politics, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh alleged that the central government had deliberately chosen to hold a parallel event instead of supporting the initiatives and programmes of the state government. The event was organised in Amritsar on Saturday by the Centre and it was attended by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. Singh claimed in a statement that he had personally approached the prime minister several times over the last two years to seek support for ensuring that the occasion is commemorated in a befitting manner but the Centre had failed to respond suitably. Instead, the Modi government decided to hold its own event, quite evidently to score political brownie points in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha elections, he alleged. This was truly shocking considering that the prime minister is the chairman of the Jallianwala Bagh Trust, Singh said. Congress president Rahul Gandhi and the chief minister had on Saturday morning paid floral tributes at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial in Amritsar. On Saturday afternoon, M Venkaiah Naidu visited Jallianwala Bagh and paid tributes to those killed in the massacre on April 13, 1919. The ceremony was organised by the Union Ministry of Culture. Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore and Punjab Cabinet Minister O P Soni were among others present at the function held in the afternoon. Shocked at your remarks in Kathua on Jallianwala Bagh @narendramodi Ji. You used a sombre occasion to play dirty politics, conveniently ignoring your own governments decision to hold a parallel event instead of extending support to my govt, which wed been requesting for 2 yrs, Singh tweeted. Unlike the BJP, the Congress leadership does not believe in dictating terms to its state governments, Singh said in his statement, countering Modis remark that he did not attend the Centres event under pressure from his party high command. These things happen in the BJP, which you, Mr Modi, are running in your typical dictatorial style, he alleged. Singh claimed it did not befit a prime minister of the country to stoop so low in order to woo voters and urged Modi to refrain from demeaning the high office. Singh also exhorted the prime minister not to exploit the martyrdom of victims of the massacre, or of the soldiers dying everyday at the borders or in ISI-backed terror attacks such as in Pulwama, for furthering his and his partys political ambitions. He condemned Modi for allegedly trying to mislead the people with this politically motivated falsehoods and claimed the PM had insulted the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh, first by not being present at any of the commemorative events and then by choosing to politicise the occasion. Singh said that after leading the state at the commemorative events in Amritsar, he immediately rushed to another event organised by The Tribune Trust in Chandigarh. A Cabinet Minister (O P Soni) was appointed to be present at the Central governments function, which was attended by the vice president, he said, adding that all the necessary protocols were duly followed. With PTI inputs gspannu7@gmail.com New Delhi, April 14 The Congress on Sunday demanded a probe into the alleged transportation of a suspicious black trunk in Prime Minister Narendra Modis helicopter during his visit to Chitradurga in Karnataka for poll campaign. Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma asked the prime minister to come clean and said the Election Commission should inquire into the contents of the trunk. He said the Congress Karnataka unit has already filed a complaint with the Election Commission in this regard. The prime minister had addressed an election rally in Karnatakas Chitradurga on April 9. We saw there were three more choppers escorting the prime ministers helicopter. After landing, a black trunk was taken out and whisked away in a private car which was not part of the SPG carcade, he alleged. Sharma suggested there was cash stashed in the trunk. What was there in the trunk. If there was no cash in it, let there an inquiry be held. The party also played a video clip claiming that the purported trunk, after being unloaded from the PMs helicopter, was shipped to a private Innova car, that Sharma alleged was not a part of the SPG cavalcade, and taken away. Sharma also asked Modi to give an account of his five-year rule to the people of the country as a tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. The prime minister is trying to control and change the narrative because he has no courage the face real issues, he alleged. Raising the issue of Rafale, Sharma asked Modi to make public the minutes of a meeting held last year between him and former French President Francois Hollande on the fighter jet deal. Why is he (PM) silent on his role in Rafale scam? Make the minutes of the meeting between prime minister and former French President Francois Hollande on the Rafale deal public by tomorrow. As there has been a controversy, it would help settle it once for all, he said. The prime minister in his desperation to win has done enormous disservice to the nation by dragging in the armed forces for partisan political propaganda, Sharma further alleged. Seeking votes for the courageous action and sacrifices of our soldiers is an unpardonable transgression and also an insult to the armed forces who defend the motherland under the tricolour and not under one person or party. The Indian Army belongs to the Republic of India, he said. Sharma also slammed BJP leader and Union Minister General VK Singh (Retd). There is prime ministers defence and his apology minister including one of his ministers, who should have been made literate in the military history of the country. I am referring to retired General VK Singh, he said Indira Gandhi benefitted electorally from the Bangladesh war. Is he ignorant of history when he himself was a commissioned officer? Sharma asked. To re-educate him, these are the facts: General Singh got commissioned in June 1970, Smt Indira Gandhi recorded a massive electoral win in March 1971 and India won the 13-day war with Pakistan on 16 December 1971. VK Singh should extend an unconditional apology, he said. PTI vinaymishra188@gmail.com New Delhi, April 13 A military conflict between India and Pakistan is an unnecessary misconception, said Hawaii Supreme Court judge Michael D Wilson, stressing there is much to be done in partnership by both the countries. According to him, both the countries are facing several other problems such as the existential threat of climate change. Nonetheless, terrorism and violence cannot be used to hurt citizens in order to achieve a particular political objective and accountability is necessary when such acts are committed, he said. He was of the view that the cultural connect between the two countries has the potential to achieve reconciliation. I tend to think that the idea that there needs to be a military conflict in order to protect both the societies is unnecessary misconception. With respect to terrorism, I dont subscribe to the idea that somebody can use violence to hurt innocent citizens in order to achieve political objective. Accountability is necessary when such acts are committed and countries have to protect their citizens, said Justice Wilson. The judge said the talents India and Pakistan have and the good leaders in the two countries give them an opportunity to reconcile in a way that if its not a formal political reconciliation then it is at least something which is a cultural connection. He said India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are not failed countries and there is talent and integrity in the three neighbours and so much can be done by them in partnership to tackle environmental issues. Justice Wilson, who was here on the invitation of OP Jindal Global University VC C Raj Kumar, also gave the Green Law lecture on Environmental Justice and the Rule of Law: Role of the Judiciary and Judges, organised here by the university. He praised the Indian judiciary, including National Green Tribunal, for dealing with various environmental issues. PTI amansharma@tribunemail.com Mumbai, April 14 Jet Airways pilots' body, the National Aviators Guild (NAG), on Sunday deferred its no flying call to a later date, particularly when the management is scheduled to meet the lenders on Monday. Earlier in the day, the Guild, which has around 1,100 pilots as its members, decided to stop flying from April 15 in protest against non-payment of salaries since March. It is come to our notice that there is a critical meeting planned tomorrow (Monday) morning with the airline management and SBI. In light of the meeting, the members have requested, through their team leaders, that the call of No Pay No Work be deferred to give the airline a chance of survival. Accordingly, as requested, the Committee would like to inform all that the decision stands deferred for the time being, the Guild committee said in a late evening communication to its members. All pilots are still requested, however, to be present at Siroya Centre at 0930 hours on April 15 in their uniforms, it said. Siroya Centre is Jet Airways headquarters in Andheri suburb in Mumbai. According to NAG, it has also called upon other departments to join the gathering at the headquarters as a show of unity. An Open House will be called shortly as per the availability of the venue and the committee members, the communication added. The pilots, along with engineers and senior management, have not received salaries since January. The debt-ridden carrier has also not paid the March salary to employees of other categories as well. As on today, we have not been paid for nearly three-and-a-half months and we do not know when we will be paid. So we have decided to go ahead with our call of no-flying from April 15. All 1,100 pilots of NAG will stop flying from 10 am Monday, a Guild source said earlier in the day. The NAG, which claims representation of around 1,100 pilots of the total 1,600 with the full service carrier, had in late March called for no flying from April 1 over non-payment of salaries. However, on March 31, it deferred the agitation to April 15, saying it wanted to give more time to the new management. Jet Airways is at present under the management control of SBI-led consortium of lenders after the approval of a debt-rejig plan last month, which also led its founder chairman Naresh Goyal to quit. PTI vinaymishra188@gmail.com Theni (Tamil Nadu), April 13 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday sought to corner the Congress on its showpiece poll promise of Nyay (Nyuntam Aay Yojana), demanding justice for the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the Bhopal gas tragedy and violence against Dalits. While terror attacks shook the nation during the Congress regime, the NDAs policy halted it, he said at Ramanathapuram. A vote for the DMK, Congress, and Muslim League combine would lead to higher taxes and less development and give a free hand to terrorists and rise of criminal elements in politics, he alleged. Those who cannot protect India can never develop the nation. When the Congress and their allies were in power, terrorists were attacking the nation regularly. City after city, there were blasts, but the Congress remained helpless and silent. Now, the time has changed. India will not spare a single terrorist or jihadi. If they dare to attack us, we will find them wherever they are and ruin their happiness, he said. Addressing a poll rally here, he alleged the Congress and dishonesty were best friends, but sometimes by mistake, they end up speaking the truth. Now they are saying Ab Hoga Nyay (justice will be done now). Even if they did not intend, they have admitted that all they have done is anyay or injustice for 60 long years (during the Congress rule), he said. I want to ask the Congress who will do nyay to the victims of 1984 Sikh riots? Who will do nyay to all the victims of anti-Dalit (violence), who will do nyay to the government of great MG Ramachandran ji, which was dismissed by the Congress just because one family did not like those leaders? Who will do nyay to the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy, among the worst environmental disaster in India. The Congress, which talks about nyay has done most injustice to regional aspirations by shamelessly imposing Article 356 to dismiss state governments of MG Ramachandran, M Karunanidhi, Communists and showing disrespect to the federal structure, the PM said. PTI vinaymishra188@gmail.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 13 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today complained to the Election Commission accusing it of bias against the Telugu Desam Party and alleged that a large number of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) did not function properly during voting on April 11. The Chief Minister met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and submitted an 18-page memorandum listing several instances, including transfer of officers in police and administration, which he said led to paralysis in the state administration. Voting at many polling stations, he said, was delayed as a large number of EVMs malfunctioned, leading to voters returning home and sought countermanding of polls at 618 polling stations where voting could not start even many hours after the scheduled commencement time. The manner in which the Election Commission miserably failed to live up to the spirit of the constitutional duty is not only disturbing but also dangerous to the future of democracy in the country, the TDP chief said. Accusing the poll body of acting according to the whims and fancies of the YSR Congress Party candidates, Naidu said complaints by his party candidates were not taken note of. He added that after the TDP severed ties with the BJP at the Centre, enforcement agencies were unleashed against members of his party and sought to know whether it was not the responsibility of the EC to ascertain such politically motivated raids were not conducted during polls. Andhra Pradesh voted on Thursday simultaneously to elect 25 members to the Lok Sabha and 175 members of the legislative Assembly. uttara@tribuneindia.com Kolkata, April 14 The Communist Party of India (Marxist) led Left Front (LF), which ruled West Bengal for 34 years at a stretch before suffering a crushing defeat in 2011, is now a divided house, with analysts foreseeing the coalition faring poorly in the coming Lok Sabha polls after the failure of the seat adjustment talks with the Congress. The LF, which secured around 29.5 per cent of the votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, winning two of the state's 42 seats, saw its vote share come down to 24 per cent two years later in the Assembly polls (where it contested 193 of the 294 seats, leaving the rest to ally Congress). This is in contrast to the 41 percent votes it had garnered in 2011 competing in all the 294 seats. The combine suffered further erosion in a number of by-polls over the last three years, when it ceded much of the main opposition space to the BJP. "Since then there has been no new dynamics, which indicate an increase in the coalition's vote share. Now, the LF constituents' organisational strength would determine whether their base still gets eroded. "If the trend of the last few years continues, they may lose a part of their support base to the BJP. The Left's major problem is their brand of politics is no longer acceptable to a large section of common people," political analyst Bimal Shankar Nanda told IANS. According to Nanda, the LF was in a position to give a good fight in three seatsRaiganj and Balurghat in North Bengal, and Jadavpur in Kolkata's vicinity. In Raiganj, the CPI (M) has re-nominated its sitting MP Mohammad Salim, while noted lawyer and former city mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya is fighting from Jadavpur. In Balurghat, LF constituent Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) has fielded Ronen Burman. "Except these three seats, I don't think they stand a chance. I even have doubts whether they can repeat their performance of winning two seats five years back," said Nanda, a professor of Political Science. Another political analyst, Udayan Bandopadhyay gave the eight-party LF one or two seats "at the most". "In Jadavpur they are putting up a strong fight. In Murshidabad, the other seat they won in 2014, they have a strong base. But apart from that, I don't see them finishing on the victory podium anywhere," said Bandopadhyay, an Associate Professor of Bangabasi College. However, the Left leaders seemed upbeat. "If elections are free and fair, we'll do very well. People are very unhappy with the ruling Trinamool Congress," CPI (M) Central Committee member Shaymal Chakrabory said. He also claimed that those Left workers who had crossed over to the BJP were coming back. "The situation is changing. They are now coming back. And nowadays, the movement is mostly from the Trinamool to the BJP." Leader of the LF legislature party and CPI (M) state secretariat member Sujon Chakraborty too sounded positive. "People want to get rid of the Trinamool, which had come to power promising a change. But people now want a change in the state from the way this party has criminalised, communalised and corrupted the politics and culture in the state," Chakraborty said. He blamed the Trinamool for allowing the BJP to enter and grow in Bengal. "Unfortunately, the Trinamool has given entry to BJP in the state, and due to its policies the BJP has grown. The BJP's divisive politics is very disturbing," he said. Despite their alliance coming a cropper in the 2016 assembly polls, the LF tried to forge seat adjustment with the Congress this time around, but its constituent, the All India Forward Bloc, outright rejected all requests to even sit for talks with the Congress, and even refused to part with the Purulia constituency, which the Grand Old Party had asked for. The talks finally did not succeed. The LF had, however, as a token gesture decided not to contest the Baharampur and Malda South seats, where senior Congress leaders and sitting MPs Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury are in the fray. But in a development unthinkable in the halcyon days of the coalition, its constituent, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, has nominated Eid Mohammad from the seat. The step drew an angry reaction from LF chairman Biman Bose, bringing into the open the fissures in the combine. "It was the LF's unanimous decision not to put up a candidate. If despite that, the RSP has decided to fight in Baharampur, it is a violation of the LF's decision. They have to withdraw." However, the RSP paid no heed. "We had agreed to leave the seat for the Congress when seat adjustment talks were on. When the talks didn't succeed, why shouldn't we give a candidate? The CPI (M) has also put up a candidate against (former President) Pranab Mukherjee's son and Congress sitting MP Abhijit Mukherjee at Jangipur," RSP state secretary Kshiti Goswami told IANS. "We have to contest six assembly seats in the area in 2021. There is a strong demand locally that we contest the seat". CPI (M) leaders, on the other hand, pointed out that both RSP and the AIFB were part of the Congress-led United Democratic Front in Kerala. "All parties, which claim they have a national footprint, should display uniformity in their policies in different states. These two parties need to explain how come they are so opposed to the Congress here but partners of the Congress-led front in Kerala," the CPI (M)'s Sujon Chakraborty said, adding the Baharampur episode was only an aberration. "The factors favouring the existence of the LF are far too many. So differences over one seat aren't a cause for concern. In politics, differences often exist within a party. And here we are talking of a front of so many constituents," he said. But Nanda said after a series of poor electoral performances, the other partners were not ready to follow the CPI (M)'s diktat. "If the LF yet again flounders, then its very existence may be in doubt." Asked to comment on the LF's poll prospects, Leader of Opposition and Congress veteran Abdul Mannan told IANS: "They need to stop the flow from their ranks to the BJP. Their performance will depend on their ability to contain the erosion in their support base". IANS uttara@tribuneindia.com Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service Mumbai, April 14 Having fielded candidates poached from the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, the BJP in Maharashtra is now grappling with the problem of several of its leaders turning rebels and threatening the chances of the NDA's official candidates in at least a dozen constituencies. In four seats, BJP's rebels have refused to withdraw from the fray despite the frantic attempts by party leaders to win them over. Anil Gote, BJP MLA from Dhule, is contesting against Union Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre from the Dhule-Malegaon Lok Sabha seat. According to sources in the constituency, both Gote and Bhamre had been at loggerheads over local politics. In Nandurbar, where Heena Gavit won the last elections after defecting from the NCP, she faces a tough challenge from a local BJP leader Dr Suhas Natavadkar who rebelled against the party to contest as an Independent. More than winning the election for himself, Natavadkar has made it a prestige issue to defeat Gavit. The Congress has fielded KC Padavi from this seat reserved for scheduled tribes. BJP's decision to ally with the Shiv Sena on the eve of the elections did not go well with BJP leader Manikrao Kokate who was eying the party's ticket for the Nashik Lok Sabha seat. He is contesting against Shiv Sena's sitting MP Hemant Godse. The NCP has fielded Samir Bhujbal, former Member of Parliament and nephew of Chhagan Bhujbal from this seat. In Shirdi, BJP rebel leader Bhausaheb Wakchure is contesting against the Shiv Sena's official candidate Sadashiv Lokhande. Wakchure has traversed the entire political spectrum from the Congress to the Shiv Sena before joining the BJP some years ago. The Congress has fielded Bhausaheb Kamble in this seat. In the Jalgaon Lok Sabha seat, the BJP suddenly replaced legislator Smita Wagh with another legislator Unmesh Patil after the former filed her nomination papers. The replacement did not go down well with her supporters and several of them got into fisticuffs with Patil and senior BJP leaders at a party event. In the Dindori seat reserved for scheduled tribes, the BJP has nominated former NCP leader Bharti Pawar after dumping its sitting MP Harishchandra Chavan who is said to be working against the saffron outfit. In Ahmednagar, sitting BJP MP Dilip Gandhi who was dumped to accommodate Sujay Vikhe-Patil, son of Leader of the Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil is staying away from the campaign, according to sources. Reports from many of the seats indicate that the core BJP and RSS workers are staying aloof from the election campaign of the imports letting them fight their own battles. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Geetanjali Gayatri Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 13 The danger to the freedom that India earned after incalculable agony and loss of precious lives today comes from terrorism, communalism and casteism. The only real tribute that Indians can pay to the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh firing is to rise above the divisive lines of religion, regionalism and caste to build a united India. This was stated by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in his address to mark 100 years of the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy at a function organised by The Tribune at Bhargava auditorium here today. Terming the Jallianwala Bagh as a tragedy that created a new consciousness in an India grappling with pulling the British down, Khattar lamented that, in the present times, nationalism seemed in short supply. We need to educate the youth about the trying times we went through to earn freedom. This connect is what will take India higher to a more exalted position, he said. Referring to poems written during the freedom struggle as inspirational, Khattar chronicled the various historical events while highlighting the unity among the people of various religions. Khattar said that The Tribune was also the result of a growing awakening that happened after the first struggle for independence in 1857. This period of Indian renaissance in the 19th century saw Raja Ram Mohan Roy fight the ills in society. The establishment of Arya Samaj by Swami Dayanand and the address of Swami Vivekananda in Chicago contributed to the build-up. Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a social reformer, established The Tribune Trust in 1881 at Lahore to contribute his bit to the struggle. To raise the voice of the people and to take out a newspaper in those times was a valorous task and the paper began to speak the voice of the downtrodden, he said. Emphasising the contribution of the then Editor Kali Nath Ray, Khattar said that he hit out at the British by talking tough in his editorials. He was even sent to two years of rigorous imprisonment for his writings which were considered anti-national. The newspaper was not only fined, but the publication suspended, he recalled. Khattar hoped that the book Martyrdom to Freedom released at todays function would inspire the youth and remind them of the sacrifices that freedom demanded. Khattar also especially mentioned that Punjab has been leading from the front whenever the nation demanded any sacrifice. He attributed this ingrained sentiment to the Gurus who led by example and sacrificed everything without fear. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Bhartesh Singh Thakur Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 13 The Jallianwala Bagh massacre impacted the course of history, changed the support and cooperation for the British rule, which was witnessed during World War-I, and ignited the fire for freedom struggle, which was never extinguished, said NN Vohra, President of The Tribune Trust and former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. Mentioning martyrs Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev and Udham Singh, he said an inspirational environment was set into motion by the tragedy. The figure of 359 or 379 being killed is not a working figure. The newspapers of those times and our own paper said over 1,000 were killed and several thousands were injured. I dont have to say why The Tribune has taken the initiative to organise such a function. The reasons are manifold and serious. It is important to our present and future, he said. Regarding the national events which followed, he said the period saw the emergence of Mahatma Gandhi, who took control of the situation. When the demand of taking back the Rowlatt Act was declined, he called for a nationwide strike, which was successful. He said the centenary event was an occasion to remind ourselves about the role of the media, which at that point of time were essentially newspapers. The Tribune was out and out a nationalist paper and carried relentlessly and fearlessly the battle for freedom, he said, adding that whatever it published, in the form of editorials and news, it built opinion, created awareness and strengthened the resolve of Indians for freedom. He also praised the role of BG Horniman, who was the editor of The Bombay Chronicle, for supporting Indias Independence. He said during WW-I, the British administration, particularly in Punjab, was focused on recovering loans, collecting foodgrain and mobilising the largest recruitment for the army. Punjab was suffering from economic distress, hardships and brutalities of the regime, which all worked towards what happened at Jallianwala Bagh, he said. It was a peaceful protest by local leaders and some outsiders to ask for the release of two leaders, Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr Satyapal. After WW-I, the Defence of India Act was succeeded by the Rowlatt Act, which was characterised by no dalil, no vakil and no appeal (no argument, no lawyer and no appeal), he said. Talking about The Tribune, he said the archives of 1918, 1919 and 1920 gave an account of the paper serving and watching the interests of undivided Punjab, from the frontiers of Afghanistan to the borders of Agra, Ganganagar, Ladakh and Tibet. The Tribune has served as the fearless voice of the people. It continues to play the role. There is a political system. We have a democracy. There are various means to express our anger, complaints. The Tribune continues to serve the cause of the people of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and western Uttar Pradesh. pardeepdhull@gmail.com Hyderabad, April 14 An agent of TRS candidate from Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency candidate was arrested on charge of taking photos and videos while storing EVMs in a strongroom here, the police said on Sunday. N Venkatesh, political agent of Telangana Rashtra Samithi candidate Rajashekar Reddy, was Saturday arrested and sent to judicial remand, Keesara Police Station Inspector J Narender Goud said. He was arrested on a complaint from Chief Executive Officer of Secunderabad Cantonment Board, who is assistant returning officer of the segment. According to the complaint, after completion of polling in the Parliamentary polls on April 11, when the EVMs and VVPATs were deposited in a strongroom of a college at Bogaram and while sealing the strongroom Venkatesh allegedly took pictures and videos which was illegal, police said. A case under IPC sections 447 (criminal trespass) and 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) was registered against him. PTI vermaajay1968@gmail.com Suhail A Shah Anantnag, April 13 Two local militants of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Shopian district of south Kashmir this morning. During the clashes that erupted around the site of the gunfight, over 20 civilians were injured. Most of them had suffered pellets injuries. The slain militants were identified as Shahjahan Mir, alias Umer Khattab, of Amshipora, Shopian, and Abid Hussain Wagay of Rawalpora, Shopian. Mir had been active among militant ranks since September 2017 and Wagay since April last year. Both of them were involved in attacks on security forces, civilian authorities, snatching of weapons and abductions and killings of civilians, a police official said. The gunfight broke out around 8 am, less than half an hour after a cordon and search operation was launched in an orchard at Gahand village. The militants hiding in the orchard fired at security forces. The fire was retaliated and after a brief shootout, the two militants were neutralised, the police official said. Incriminating material and weapons were found at the site of the gunfight. The bodies were later handed over to the respective families, he said. Meanwhile, clashes erupted around the site of the gunfight as hundreds of local youth tried to march towards the site. Security forces used tear gas shells and pellet guns to disperse the protesters, leaving around 20 of them injured. Most of them had pellet injuries. Four have been referred to a Srinagar hospital for further treatment, a health official said. Thousands of mourners attended funerals of the slain militants later in the day. Sources said four masked militants appeared at both funerals and offered gun salutes to the slain. gspannu7@gmail.com Varinder Singh Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 14 Eyeing the Sikh vote bank of Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has showered praises on the Canadian Sikh community and has lauded the role played by them in helping build Canada for over 120 years donning various roles as politicians, artists, and entrepreneurs. His lionising of the Sikh community comes hours after the Canadian government agreed to remove a reference to Sikh extremism from the controversial 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada. The report had enraged the Sikh community of Canada and across the world after its release in December 2018. It was for the first time that the any Canadian government report had dubbed Sikh radicals (or Khalistanis) based in Canada as one of the top five extremist threats existing for Canada. After widespread protests across Canada, North America and Europe, the language of the controversial Canadian report was finally altered on Friday removing any mention of any religion instead of threat posed by extremists who support violent means to establish an independent state within India. The change was widely welcomed by Sikhs based in Canada and elsewhere. Trudeau, who was accompanied by Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, not only visited the Vancouver-based Ross Street Gurdwaraone of the largest Sikh temples in the country but interacted with the Sikh masses and also participated in a massive parade taken out to mark the Sikh holy day of Baisakhi. His immediate move after removal of reference of Sikhs from the report was seen as his initiative to win the bruised hearts of the Canadian Sikhs ahead of Canadian federal polls scheduled to be held on October 21. After mingling with the members of the Sikh community and taking part in the march and the Baisakhi festivities, Trudeau praised the Sikhs for their values of social justice and equality and recalled their long association with Canada dating back to early days of 20th century. The main objection of the Canadian Sikhs to the report was the reference about Sikhs being included in it sans any tangible evidence. Following protests for months, Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale had came out with a clarification assuring he would ask for a review of the language used in the report. He also admitted on Friday that entire religions should never be equated with terrorism. As we are celebrating Baisakhi, let us celebrate the incredible contributions of the Sikh community towards development of Canada, said Trudeau after he walked along with members of the Sikh community in the Baisakhi parade organised by the Khalsa Diwan Society set up in 1902 and which built the first Sikh gurdwara in Canada. Langars were part of the colourful parade as food and snacks were served to participants and passersby by the organisers. Trudeau observed the dedication to helping others at the heart of Sikh faith were also fundamental to who we are as a country. uttara@tribuneindia.com Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 13 Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal have engaged in a Twitter war over Congress president Rahul Gandhis recent visit to the Golden Temple. Badal, leader of Congress partys Punjab rival Shiromani Akali Dal, said in a tweet on Saturday: Pb CM @capt_amarinder took @RahulGandhi to Sri Akal Takht Sahib but lacked courage to ask him admit the @INCIndia's sin of demolishing Sikhs' highest religio-temporal seat with tanks & mortars. What a contrast with demand for British apology for #JallianwalaBaghMassacre! She was referring to Operation Blue Star, a military operation that former prime minister Indira Gandhi ordered. Replying to the her tweet, Captain Amarinder Singh said: Did you, your husband @officeofssbadal or his father, Prakash Singh Badal, ever apologise for your great grandfather, Sardar Sunder Singh Majithias lavish dinner to Gen Dyer on the day of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre? He was later knighted in 1926 for his loyalty and his deeds. He accused the Badals and Bikram Singh MajithiaHamrsimrat Kaurs brotherof playing the charade of nationalism to promote their vested political interests. The union ministers remarks not only smacked of duplicity but total ignorance of the facts of his own role in the events following Operation Blue Star, he said in a statement later. I resigned from both, the Parliament and my party, in protest against the military action. I was, and still am, fully aware of the implications and consequences of the events of those days, he said, quipping that Harsimrat would have been in school at that time and totally clueless of what transpired then. So dont try to teach me on Akal Takht. No Badal can ever understand the pain of the Sikh community went through. They have been always too busy to self-serve their own interests. Had it been otherwise, they would have apologised for Harsimrats great grandfathers anti-nation act long back, the chief minister said. editorial@tribune.com Neeraj Bagga & Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 13 Congress president Rahul Gandhi, flanked by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and other state party leaders, paid floral tributes at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial to mark the centenary of the massacre, which was observed today. He laid a wreath at the historic National Memorial here as a mark of respect for those who sacrificed their lives in service of the nation exactly hundred years ago, on March 13, 1919, in one of the worst bloodbaths in Indias pre-Independence history. Joining thousands of people from all walks of life who had gathered at the historic monument to pay their respects to the martyrs, Rahul and Capt Amarinder stood in silence as they offered prayers and remembered the sacrifices of those who led the nation to its independence. A contingent of the Punjab Police paid tributes to the martyrs by reversing arms. The cost of freedom must never ever be forgotten. We salute the people of India who gave everything they had for it. Jai Hind, the Congress president later wrote in the visitors book at the memorial. It was a sombre and emotional moment for people, many of whom could be seen wiping tears as they saluted the courage of those immortal bravehearts, with the national anthem playing in the background. At the conclusion, Rahul Gandhi joined his party leaders in paying floral tributes to Dr BR Ambedkar at his portrait. All India Congress Committee (AICC) Punjab incharge Asha Kumari, PPCC president Sunil Jakhar, Cabinet ministers Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa were among those who paid homage to the martyrs. British envoy expresses regret British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith paid tributes at the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial. Addressing mediapersons at Jallianwala Bagh, he expressed his regret at the massacre. He said, My country has deep affection for India. I would like to rewrite history, but you cannot. What can you do is to work for bright future? He said British Prime Minister Theresa May explained the massacre as deeply shameful scar in the history and former Prime Minister David Cameron had already described it as a shameful event. editorial@tribune.com Aman Sood Tribune News Service Patiala, April 13 With no trace of two ASIs and an informer 'gone missing' with an alleged amount of Rs 6.66 crore, the functioning of the Khanna police is under the scanner. On Friday, all three were booked by the Mohali crime branch under Sections 406/34 of the IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act. The ASIs 'vanished' with the money after a raid on the premises of Father Anthony Madassery in Jalandhar on March 29. Over a fortnight later, the Punjab Police are unable to trace their officers and informers, who helped recover the cash.The SIT is probing the role of the Khanna police suspected to be hand in glove with the informers. The case brings to the fore the clout that 'criminals-turned-cats-turned-informers' enjoy in the police department. The Khanna police is suspected to have been taken for a ride by two such informers, who helped their friends in uniform to siphon the money. Sources say 'cats' Surinder and Harinder Singh Babbu, who were provided protection, would hold meetings at the SSP's office and even issue directions to junior cops. The FIR in Mohali names ASIs Joginder Singh and Rajpreet Singh along with Surinder Singh of Naushera Khurd village in Pathankot on whose information the Khanna police raided Father Anthony's premises. A team headed by Inspector Gurdeep Singh returned with Rs 9.66 crore. The two accused cops and Surinder used the Moga route and all that we know is that the cash went missing thereafter, said Khanna SSP Dhruv Dahiya. Asked if he had counted the cash, he replied: I was in Bathinda heading an operation and by the time I reached back, Income Tax officials were already counting the money. We wanted to question Babbu on the missing cash but he is missing too. Insiders say the two ASIs and informers remained in touch with the Khanna police for four days after Father Anthony raised the alarm. "Dahiya even grilled members of the raiding team. The following day, they were also questioned by the Phillaur SIT. Instead of arresting them, they were allowed to go, a source said. SSP Dahiya said he met Babbu through DSP Manjit Singh, who said he would help them nab gangsters. He regularly visited my office. Not a word on his criminal links, I was simply told he had earlier worked with some SSPs and the Intelligence wing. Babbu accompanied me to Bathinda during an operation to nab a gangster while Surinder accompanied a team to Jalandhar to recover the cash." Insiders claim Inspector Amanpal Virk, ASI Joginder Singh, Rajpreet Singh and Ramandeep Singh were brought to Khanna during the poll code on Babbus asking. Even the Organised Crime Control Unit was not kept in the loop. Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta told \IThe Tribune \Ithat a senior team of officers was conducting an enquiry. Whoever is at fault will be proceeded against as per the law, he said. LAPSES GALORE editorial@tribune.com Aditi Khanna London, April 13 A museum in the UK has launched an exhibition on Jallianwala Bagh in collaboration with the Partition Museum in Amritsar to mark the centenary of the British colonial era massacre. Jallianwala Bagh 1919: Punjab Under Siege opened at Manchester Museum in time for Saturdays 100th anniversary of the tragedy that affected thousands. The exhibition is conceived as a lived experience creation, based on work with descendants and communities to collect stories related to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on April 13, 1919. Revisiting the event, its causes and aftermath, the nuanced exhibition explores what we remember, how we remember it, and what we have forgotten, in India and the UK, Manchester Museum said in a statement. Protesters had gathered to challenge British rule before they were set upon by Colonel Reginald Dyer and his troops. Confined within an enclosed barren ground called Jallianwala Bagh, hundreds of Indians were killed and thousands injured. This was a defining moment in the fight for Indian independence and led to the eventual demise of the British Empire in South Asia, it adds. The exhibition, supported by the Jallianwala Bagh Centenary Commemoration Committee (JBCCC), comprising prominent Indians and NRIs, is aimed at raising awareness around the peaceful protest to mark Baisakhi, the divergent British and Indian inquiry findings, and the ongoing social, political, and cultural response. It is an apt moment for the British government to offer an apology to India, Manjit Singh GK, Patron-in-Chief of the JBCCC, said. Both Secretary of State for War Sir Winston Churchill and former Prime Minister HH Asquith openly condemned the attack at the time, referring to it as monstrous and one of the worst outrages in the whole of our history, added Vikramjit S Sahney, Patron of JBCC. There have been widespread calls for a formal apology to mark the 100th anniversary of the massacre this week, with the UK government earlier indicating that it was reflecting on the demand. British Prime Minister Theresa May made a statement in the House of Commons earlier this week to say the UK deeply regrets the tragedy, which she described as a shameful scar on British Indian history. The statement faced criticism for not going far enough, with the Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn demanding a full, clear and unequivocal apology. The wounds of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre still haunt millions and should be laid to rest at this the centenary of the horrendous act, Veteran Indian-origin Labour MP Virendra Sharma, Chair of the Indo-British All Party Parliamentary Group, said in the Commons. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre has found prominence in the UK parliamentary agenda in recent months as both the House of Lords and Commons held debates to mark the centenary. In their capacity as JBCCC members, Indian-origin peers Lord Meghnad Desai and Lord Raj Loomba had written to the British PM calling for an apology and will be marking the 100th anniversary with a special event in the House of Lords on Saturday night. PTI uttara@tribuneindia.com Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 14 Joining protests against Canadian governments decision to remove all references to Khalistani extremism in its 2018 report on terrorist threats, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said on Sunday that the move was a threat to Indian and global security. Captain Amarinder expressed shock at the ruling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau governments decision saying it was an unpardonable act in the eyes of the peace-loving global community that was protecting its political interests in a year of elections. Read more: Canada reaches out to agitated Sikh diaspora, removes reference to Sikh extremism He also warned that the development could have serious consequences for Indo-Canadian relations in the long run. Trudeau was playing with fire with his decision to assuage inflamed domestic passions through this ill-considered move, he added, adding that he had given proof of Canadian soil being used to spread the separatist Khalistani ideology during Trudeaus visit to India. Such an act amounted to endorsement of the terror activities and de facto promotion of extremism, said Captain Amarinder, condemning outright the selective changes made by the Canadian government in its report on threats. Only references with respect to Khalistan and related terms had been targeted by Trudeau administration, he noted, adding that it appeared to be a clear case of the Canadian government giving in to political compulsions. It was obvious that Trudeau had played safe in view of the upcoming elections in Canada, giving in to pressure within his country. In the process, he had quite blatantly ignored the adverse impact this could have not only on Canadas relations with India but also on geopolitical stability, Amarinder Singh said, saying the decision would be detrimental to the interests of both India and Canada. Trudeaus Liberal Party of Canada will face elections later this year. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 13 On behalf of the nation, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu paid tributes and laid wreaths at the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial to commemorate the massacre of unarmed innocent people during the British Indian government rule here on this day 100 years ago. Accompanied by Governor VP Singh Badnore, he released a commemorative postal stamp and a coin in memory of the martyrs. A two-minute silence was observed to pay respect to the martyrs. Sarv dharm prarthna was also recited. He wrote in the visitors book that he was humbled by paying tributes at the place where hundreds of people sacrificed their lives during freedom struggle. The pain and agony caused by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre continue to rankle in the heart of every Indian. This is a day to reaffirm Indias centuries long commitment to the ideal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, he stated. The Vice President tweeted that the massacre was the chilling reminder of the pursuit of colonial occupation. He said the countrymen must learn from such ghastly historic incidents to value and maintain freedom. He called upon the world fraternity to put in collective efforts to establish permanent peace in the world. He said all countries must establish a just world with equal opportunity in which sovereignty, power and responsibility must be shared values. He also watched the photo exhibition on the massacre, put up by the Regional Bureau of Outreach and Communication, a part of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh was not present when Naidu visited the memorial. History cautions us to learn from past History is not a mere chronicle of events. It shows us the depths to which depraved minds can plunge and cautions us to learn from the past. It also tells us that the power of evil is transient. M Venkaiah Naidu, Vice-President Day of sacrifice can never be forgotten 100 years ago on this day, our beloved freedom fighters were martyred at Jallianwala Bagh. A horrific massacre, a stain on civilisation, that day of sacrifice can never be forgotten by India. Ram Nath Kovind, President Martyrs memory is source of inspiration India pays tribute to all those martyred on that fateful day. Their valour and sacrifice will never be forgotten. Their memory inspires us to work even harder to build an India they would be proud of. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Cost of freedom must not be forgotten The cost of freedom must never ever be forgotten. We salute the people of India who gave everything they had for it (the countrys independence). Rahul Gandhi, Congress Chief Sonoo Singh Sonoo Singh I once sat in my sons history class in his primary school and saw him fall in love with the subject. He was enchanted with the wonder box of stories. It wasnt right, however, that he knew the names of all the six wives of King Henry VIII and his head-rolling past but nothing about the gory history of the British Empire. So, we decided to sit down and have a conversation about the Empire, the Partition of India and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. It did nothing, but confused him. Questions about identity, the meaning of being British and how bad the English had been were raised. Just the sentiments that writer-journalist Sathnam Sanghera, who explores what happened on April 13, 1919, in a Channel 4 documentary, also acknowledges. I spoke to Sanghera ahead of the launch of the film, The Massacre that Shook the Empire, that coincided with the centenary commemoration of the event. There is this narrative in Britain that we have always been the good guys. The Amritsar massacre shows that sometimes we were the bad guys and sometimes we were racists. We need to come to terms with that. A century ago, Brigadier General Reginald Dyer had ordered troops to gun down a crowd of men, women and children, gathered at a park in Amritsar, following the orders of the then Punjab Lieutenant Governor, Michael ODwyer. As a British Sikh, Sathnam tells me his first introduction to this very dark period in both British and Indian history was through Richard Attenboroughs Gandhi, which he saw only a decade ago. Theres this view in the British circles that the Empire wasnt too bad for the Sikhs. And I have, in the last few years, educated myself about the Empire. It has been quite difficult and this documentary is part of that education. Like all debates, we need to be first and foremost educated in classrooms that provide a balanced reappraisal of our histories. Unfortunately, very little is taught in British schools when it comes to the British Empire and colonialism. Somewhat encouraging is the fact that in the run up to the centenary, the country has, for the first time, seen a heightened discourse around the massacre. So, while there is Sathnams film exploring the legacy of the massacre through the descendants of the survivors and General Dyers great-granddaughter, Caroline, political journalist and broadcaster Anita Anand recently unveiled her book, The Patient Assassin. It is a gripping tale of Udham Singh, who is said to have been injured in the attack and remained surrounded by the dead until the next morning. Two decades later, he would shoot Michael ODwyer in England. Kishwar Desai, chairperson, The Arts and Cultural Heritage Trust, has organised a collaborative exhibition to commemorate the event both in Manchester and in London. Prominent South Asians have been making all the right noise. Actor Meera Syal has been urging fans on social media to watch the Channel 4 documentary: Watch this the history none of us were taught at school but which we need to retell to unpick the myths about Empire. London mayor Sadiq Khan has been talking about it too. Of course, around this time of the year, there always are debates among the British chattering classes. Colonialism apologists are pitted against humanist historians who try to shake us all out of amnesia when it comes to the horrors of the British Empire. But this year, Brexit has intensified these discourses. With Brexit happening, were trying to redefine our relationship with the world and I think we should sort it out, confront it [our history], says Sanghera. And once again Britain is being asked to apologise to India. Sanghera, who says he has changed his mind about a formal apology from Britain, explains: This event is the prism through which a lot of Indians see Britain. We never apologised, but made it worse instead. The House of Lords exonerated General Dyer. Prince Philip, a few decades ago, questioned the number of people who died there. We should apologise. But before everything else, it is time to acknowledge the past and shape the debates about our present and the future. Shubhadeep Choudhury BJP has made steady gains in West Bengal and emerged as the principal challenger at the cost of Congress and Left, but is on a sticky wicket in Tamil Nadu where its alliance with AIADMK is seemingly not faring too well Shubhadeep Choudhury in Kolkata Addressing an election meeting in Chopra, one of the seven Assembly segments of the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency, a while back, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said casting a vote for the CPI (M) or the Congress would be foolish as it would split the vote against the BJP. To ensure that Narendra Modi does not become the Prime Minister again, people must vote for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which was at the forefront of the fight against the BJP, said Mamata. For about three years now, Mamata has been targeting Modi in all her speeches. Rarely, if at all, does she say anything against the CPM or the Congress, the two largest opposition parties in the state Assembly. On rare occasions when the CPM or the Congress figure in her address, it is merely to accuse them of coming to the aid of the BJP. The BJP won only two seats out of 42 in West Bengal in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. It piggybacked to victory in Darjeeling on the support it extended to the Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM). However, much water has flown through the Ganges since then and the saffron party has turned its attention towards West Bengal in a big way. This month alone, Prime Minister Modi has addressed three huge rallies in the state, including one at the iconic Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata. BJP gains ground Byelection results in the last three years have shown that the BJP has been steadily spreading its tentacles in the state ruled by the communists in the past. Since the last Assembly elections three years ago, West Bengal has seen eight byelections three for the Lok Sabha and the rest for the Assembly. While the ruling TMC unsurprisingly won all eight, the BJP secured the runners-up slot in two Lok Sabha and three Assembly seats. The byelection held for the Kanthi Dakshin Assembly constituency in April 2017 showed an interesting trend. While the TMC retained the seat with an increased margin, the BJP notched up impressive gains too. It secured three times the votes it had got in the 2016 Assembly polls, thus establishing itself as a force second only to the TMC. Trinamool candidate and former minister Chandrima Bhattacharya won the seat with 95,369 votes, managing to increase the partys vote share by about two per cent. BJP candidate Sourindramohon Jana came second with a whopping 52,843 votes. The Left and the Congress were crushed with their candidates losing their deposits too. The result proved the deep dent made by the saffron brigade into the opposition vote bank in record time. The constituency is one of the strongest bases of the Trinamool Congress and is dominated by veteran MP Sishir Adhikari and his sons, transport minister Suvendu Adhikari and MP Dibyendu Adhikari. The bypoll took place because Dibyendu was elected to the Lok Sabha, resulting in the seat falling vacant. Recalling the election, Chandrima said there was a nexus between the Left, the Congress and the BJP. In 2016, the Left got around 59,000 votes but in 2017, just 17,000! Probably Biman Bose (the Left Front chairman) has an explanation, she said. Niranjan Sihi, secretary of CPMs East Medinipur district committee, admitted that many Left Front supporters had voted for the BJP candidate. Sihi said the party had analysed the trend and found that many Left supporters of the area were of the view that only the BJP could teach the TMC a lesson. Sihi added that the contest being a byelection and the Left Front candidate in the fray being from the CPI, CPM cadre did not take much interest in the fight. Asked if the Left Front supporters might vote for the BJP candidate in the Lok Sabha polls as well, Sihi said the possibility cannot be ruled out. Appeasement charge The BJP performed well in the panchayat elections held last year too. While the TMC won the majority of seats, the BJP emerged as its main rival in almost all districts. In districts such as Purulia and Jhargram the former Maoist bastions the saffron party did especially well. It won 644 of the 1,944 gram panchayat seats in Purulia and 329 of the 806 seats in Jhargram. An exasperated Mamata said that all forces opposed to the TMC, including the Maoists, had ganged up and backed the BJP in these districts. She has always advocated that the strongest among the forces opposed to the BJP should take on the saffron party. Ironically, during the panchayat elections, she found herself at the receiving end of such a bipolar contest and the gainer was the BJP. Ashok Bhattacharya, CPM MLA from Siliguri, said Mamata ought to be blamed for the growth of the BJP in West Bengal. Steps such as giving allowance to imams and muezzins by the TMC Government are being seen as appeasement, leading to the fanning of Hindu communalism, Bhattacharya said. Close to 56,000 imams and muezzins are given a monthly stipend of Rs 2,500 and Rs 1,000, respectively, in West Bengal. This was part of a scheme announced by Mamata during her first term in office. Last year, when she announced a grant of Rs 28 crore for Durga Puja organisers across the state, Muslim groups launched a massive protest in Kolkata, demanding an immediate hike in the monthly stipends given to the clerics. On the other hand, the BJP continues to milk the issue of giving allowance to imams. Last week, BJP president Amit Shah said the Mamata Banerjee-led government provided monthly allowance to imams, but not to the priests. Addressing a rally in West Bengals Alipurduar Lok Sabha constituency, Shah also alleged that the West Bengal Government allocated Rs 4,000 crore for madarsas, higher than the states annual budget for higher education. The BJP leaders, including Shah, also make it a point to talk about the alleged infiltration into West Bengal by Bangladeshis and the Mamata-led government turning a blind eye to the problem. As in Assam, there is no credible figure about the presence of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh in West Bengal too. Here, the bogey of infiltration is being used to mobilise Hindus against Muslims. The BJP has promised to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in West Bengal and drive away the Muslim immigrants if voted to power. Hindus need not worry, Shah thundered, oblivious to the fact that at least half of the people left out of NRC in Assam are Bengali Hindus. There is no doubt that in many of the states 42 Lok Sabha constituencies, the contest will be between the TMC and the BJP, with old guards like the CPI (M) and the Congress reduced to the status of marginal players. Shah wants the BJP to win at least 23 seats in the state this time. Ambitious? Yes. Outlandish? No. gspannu7@gmail.com Berlin, April 14 Some 600 people have been evacuated from their homes in the old city of Frankfurt so specialists could remove a World War II-era bomb that was discovered in the Main River. The German news agency dpa reported the bomb was defused, as planned, underwater on Sunday, which led to a loud detonation and a big water fountain on the river. Police told dpa the bomb is no longer a danger. Fire fighters had discovered the American 250-kilogramme (550-pound) bomb during diving training in the river on Tuesday. Even more than 70 years after the end of the war, bombs and other munitions still turn up regularly in Germany, a testament to the ferocity of the fighting in World War II. AP pardeepdhull@gmail.com Islamabad, April 14 The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack at a vegetable and fruit market in Pakistans city of Quetta. The militant group said in a statement on Saturday that one of its members carried out the suicide attack that killed and injured several Shiite community members and Pakistani troops. There was no official confirmation from the Pakistani side yet. Provincial Home Minister Mir Zia Ullah Langau told local media that at least 20 people, including a soldier of paramilitary troops Frontier Corps (FC) and two children, were killed while 48 others, including four FC personnel, got injured in Fridays attack. Deputy Inspector General of Quetta Police Abdul Razzaq Cheema said the blast targeted the Hazara community of minority Shiite Muslims, and at least eight people from Hazara community were among the killed. Shortly after the attack, the Hazara community members including women and children staged a sit-in which continued on Saturday, demanding better security measures from the government. The protesters demand that the government implement an effective security plan and ensure protection of the community. The Senate Standing Committee on Interior also sought a report from the Interior Ministry on the action taken so far against terrorists and banned outfits involved in Hazara killings. The committee voiced serious concern over the Quetta blast and continued killings of members of the Hazara community. IANS vinaymishra188@gmail.com Seoul, April 13 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the breakdown in talks with the United States has raised the risks of reviving tensions, and he is only interested in meeting President Donald Trump again if the United States comes with the right attitude, state media KCNA said on Saturday. Kim said he would wait till the end of this year for the United States to decide to be more flexible, according to KCNA. It is essential for the US to quit its current calculation method and approach us with a new one, Kim said in a speech to the Supreme Peoples Assembly on Friday, KCNA said.Trump and Kim have met twice, in Hanoi in February and Singapore in June, building goodwill but failing to agree on a deal to lift sanctions in exchange for North Korea abandoning its nuclear and missile programmes. Trump said on Thursday he is open to meeting Kim again, but in his speech on Friday, the North Korean leader said the outcome in Hanoi led him to question the strategy he embraced last year of international engagement and talks with the United States. The Hanoi summit aroused a strong question if we were right in taking the steps with strategic decision and bold resolution, and evoked vigilance as to the US true willingness to improve its relations with the DPRK, Kim said, using the initials of North Koreas full name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. In Hanoi, the United States came to the talks only racking its brain to find ways that are absolutely impracticable and did not really ready itself to sit with us face-to-face and settle the problem, Kim said. If it (the United States) keeps thinking that way, it will never be able to move the DPRK even a knuckle, nor gain any interests no matter how many times it may sit for talks with the DPRK, he said. We will wait for a bold decision from the US with patience till the end of this year but I think it will definitely be difficult to get such a good opportunity as the previous summit, Kim added. Kims comments signal he wont cling to talks with the United States forever, said Kim Dong-yup of Kyungnam Universitys Institute for Far Eastern Studies in South Korea. Reuters Third summit in doubt Kim said his personal relationship with Trump is still good, but that he had no interest in a third summit if it were a repeat of Hanoi. At a meeting with South Korean President Moon in Washington on Thursday, Trump expressed a willingness for a third summit with Kim but said Washington would leave sanctions in place on Pyongyang. gspannu7@gmail.com Karachi, April 14 A team comprising senior counter-terror officials has been formed to investigate an ISIS suicide attack targeting Hazara Shias in Pakistans restive Balochistan province, even as the community continued their sit-in for a third day on Sunday demanding better security measures. An ISIS bomber blew himself in Hazarganj fruits and vegetable market in provincial capital Quetta on Friday morning, killing 21 people and injuring 60 others, mostly Hazaras. The ISIS on Saturday released a photograph of the attacker along with his name and said the attack targeted Shia Muslims. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdul Razzaq Cheema said a team of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials had visited the site of the attack to collect evidence, DawnNewsTV reported. The body parts of the suspected attacker have been sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency for DNA testing, he said, adding that the test reports would be handed over to Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal. The official did not specify when the test reports would be issued. Meanwhile, the Hazara community members are continuing a sit-in on the main Western Bypass road in Quetta to protest against what they term as the persistent failure of law enforcement agencies to provide them security. The sit-in started soon after the suicide blast ripped through the market on Friday. Women and children are among those who have been staging the sit-in. The protesters demand an effective security plan to ensure the protection of the Hazara Shia community. Chief Minister Khan visited the families of the victims on Saturday and said that his government is taking responsible steps to root out terrorist activities from the province. He also requested the protesters to end their sit-in. Despite reassurances, the protesters refused to call off their sit-in until all their demands were met, including the arrests of those involved in the attack, steps for protection of the community, and implementation of NAP without discrimination. Hazaras make up a significant minority group in Pakistan and most of them live in Quetta. There have been similar terror attacks in Hazarganj area of Quetta in the past. The market serves as a wholesale market for fruits and vegetables. The National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) last year stated that 509 members of the Hazara community were killed and 627 injured in various incidents of terrorism in Quetta from January 2012 to December 2017. According to the NCHR, targeted killings, suicide attacks and bomb blasts have inflicted harm to daily life, education, and business activities of ethnic Hazara community members in Balochistans largest city Quetta. Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is Pakistans largest and poorest province, rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies. PTI pardeepdhull@gmail.com Phoenix, April 14 An idea floated by President Donald Trump to send immigrants from the border to sanctuary cities to exact revenge on Democratic foes could end up doing the migrants a favour by placing them in locations that make it easier to put down roots and stay in the country. The plan would put thousands of immigrants in cities that are not only welcoming to them, but also more likely to rebuff federal officials carrying out deportation orders. Many of these locations have more resources to help immigrants make their legal cases to stay in the United States than smaller cities, with some of the nations biggest immigration advocacy groups based in places like San Francisco, New York City and Chicago. The downside for the immigrants would be a high cost of living in the cities. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University announced this week that an analysis found that immigrants in sanctuary cities such as New York and Los Angeles are 20 per cent less likely to be arrested out in the community than in cities without such policies. With immigrants being less likely to commit crimes than the US-born population, and with sanctuary jurisdictions being safer and more productive than non-sanctuary jurisdictions, the data damns this proposal as a politically motivated stunt that seeks to play politics with peoples lives, said George Gascon, district attorney for San Francisco. Trump has grown increasingly frustrated over the situation at the border, where tens of thousands of immigrant families are crossing each month, many to claim asylum. His administration has attempted several efforts to stop the flow, and he recently shook up the top ranks of the Department of Homeland Security. The idea to ship immigrants to Democratic strongholds was considered twice in recent months, but the White House and Department of Homeland Security said the plan had been rejected. But Trump said Friday he was still considering the idea. Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only, Trump tweeted. He added that, The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy - so this should make them very happy! Wilson Romero is an immigrant from Honduras who chose to settle in the San Francisco Bay Area. Romero, 27, was separated from his daughter, now 7, by federal authorities at the US border at El Paso, Texas, last year and jailed for three months before being released and making his way to live with his mother in San Jose, California. There he was reunited with his daughter, who attends public kindergarten. Romero says he goes about daily errands in public without worry of discrimination. His daughter has made friends and has playdates with the children of Mexican American families. Its a far cry from his hometown in the violence-plagued outskirts of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, that he fled after his brother-in-law was killed. To him, the biggest problem with being in the Bay Area is the high cost of living. The former textile factory worker relies on his mothers income from waitressing for food and clothing, and hes started thinking about asking legal permission to move to North Carolina, where an uncle resides and says its cheaper to live and work. To tell the truth, its a little tight now, financially speaking, said Romero, a former textile factory worker, who said he doesnt know of any charities that may be willing to help. The plan discussed by Trump would also have financial, logistical and legal issues. The transportation of immigrants who are arrested at the border to large and faraway cities would be burdensome and costly at a time when Immigration and Customs Enforcement is already stretched thin, having released over 1,25,000 immigrants into the country pending their immigration court since December 21. They are currently being released mainly in border states. Flights chartered by ICE cost about USD 7,785 per flight hour, according to the agency, and require multiple staffers, including an in-flight medical professional. The agency also uses commercial flights. Doing longer transports would increase liability for the agency, especially considering that many of the immigrants in its care are families with young children. And despite the consideration given to releasing the immigrants on the streets to sanctuary cities, the Trump administration actually has plenty of jail space to detain families. As of April 11, the nations three facilities to detain immigrant families were nowhere near capacity, including a Pennsylvania facility housing only nine immigrants. Its also unclear how long the immigrants would stay in these cities because they are required to provide an address to federal authorities - typically of a family member - as a condition of their release. Its illogical, said Angela Chan, policy director and senior attorney with the San Francisco-based Asian Law Caucus. Its just alarming that they are spending so much effort and so much time to engage in political theater. The Trump administration has long pushed back against cities with sanctuary policies, which generally prohibit local authorities to cooperate with federal immigration police, often by refusing to hold people arrested on local charges past their release date at the request of immigration officers. Over 100 local governments around the country have adopted a variety of these polices New York City will always be the ultimate city of immigrants the Presidents empty threats wont change that, New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio said in a statement. But Trump seemed ready to step up his fight with the cities, vowing to give them an unlimited supply of immigrants from the border. AP The vehicle that was driven by the perpetrators of the killing of prison officer Nigel Jones Massawe Japanni always captures her listeners with her bubbly attitude and addictive voice. The mother of three has also been one to flaunt her sweet, cherished friendship with Mgeni Musa, a lady she dearly refers to as her sister. READ ALSO: Atwoli ataandamwa na mkono wa sheria iwapo jambo mbaya litamtamfanyikia DP Ruto - Mbunge wa Jubilee READ ALSO: Radio siren Kamene Goro rules out marriage years after being dumped by South African hubby Massawe, through a series of Instagram photos, painfully revealed she had suffered a loss and appeared to be struggling with the pain. Scrolling through the comment section, TUKO.co.ke realised the sister Massawe had lost was none other than her friend Mgeni. READ ALSO: Akothee spotted planting kiss on married TV host Jamal Gaddafi weeks after thirsting over him Her fellow celebrities tried their best to comfort the ever smiling beauty while some of them just lacked the right words to express their shock. Before the sad announcement, the radio presenter had posted several of herself with her best friend. The pair celebrated their friendship and boy was it a sight for sore eyes. Now, she sadly has to deal with the pain of her loss but the memory of Massawe's dear friend lives on. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Kenyans insist 'Huduma Namba' is Satanic. Source: Tuko We are well and truly at the business end of the UEFA Champions League now as the last-eight ties reach their climax this week. With some big-name options up for consideration, who are the prime contenders for the Fantasy armband? Play #UCLfantasy now! TUESDAY 16 APRIL Cristiano Ronaldo (12.1m) vs Ajax (H) The all-time UEFA Champions League record scorer showed once again he is the man for the big occasion with his 125th competition goal in the first leg against Ajax. Ronaldo contributed a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in Juventus's round of 16 home leg and will be targeting another decisive display. Rested against SPAL on Saturday, he will be fresh and hungry to emulate his exploits from the previous round and see off Ajax's challenge. Luis Suarez (10.3m) vs Manchester United (H) We could have gone with Lionel Messi here, but given the Argentinian's obvious captain potential we've decided to highlight his Uruguayan strike partner instead. Following an assist in the first leg at Manchester United, Suarez and Barcelona have a 1-0 lead heading back to the Camp Nou, and are likely to be looking for goals to put the tie beyond any doubt. As opposing teams usually focus on stopping Messi, Suarez could be the main beneficiary and comes into the match in good form with three goals in his last four La Liga matches. WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL Leroy Sane (9.0m) vs Tottenham (H) Manchester City are 1-0 down and will need to push forward as they continue to seek an unprecedented quadruple. The top scorers in this season's competition with 26 goals, City have been particularly prolific in front of their own fans, finding the net 16 times. During those home games, Sane has scored three goals and recorded four assists, securing attacking returns in all three home UEFA Champions League game he's played this season. A late substitute the first leg, the German winger will be raring to go in the second. Roberto Firmino (9.5m) vs Porto (A) The third member of Liverpool's fearsome attacking trio, Firmino has been showing lately why it's foolish to focus only on Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. With only an 11% ownership among Fantasy players, the Brazilian has been a little overlooked compared to Mane (20%) and Salah (23%). Those #UCLfantasy managers who did own the Liverpool forward were rewarded with a goal and assist in Liverpool's first-leg defeat of Porto, and he has three goals and two assists in Liverpool's last five domestic matches each one a victory for the club. Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it. I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends. More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it. The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity. About me: I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS. Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line). Age: 42 Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed. I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it). She also intends to meet the FSB chief. Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights, Liudmyla Denisova, took off to Moscow to attend court hearings in the case of 24 Ukrainian sailors illegally detained by the Russian Federation. "Now I'm on a train, leaving for Moscow. I plan to be at court hearings of the Lefortovo court on extending the remand period of our 24 POW sailors," she wrote on Facebook. According to Denisova, she also hopes to meet with FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov and Russian presidential adviser on civil society development Mikhail Fedotov. Read alsoMerkel, Poroshenko demand release of Ukrainian sailors held in Russia "Once again, I will insist that they finally allow me to visit our guys, who have been in Russian captivity for almost five months already," the Ukrainian ombudsperson added. UNIAN memo. On the morning of November 25, Russia blocked the passage to the Kerch Strait for the Ukrainian tugboat "Yany Kapu" and two armored naval boats "Berdyansk" and "Nikopol," which were on a scheduled re-deployment from the Black Sea port of Odesa to the Azov Sea port of Mariupol. The Ukraine Navy Command noted that the Russian side had been informed of the plans to re-deploy the vessels in advance in accordance with international standards to ensure the safety of navigation. The Russian coast guard ship "Don" rammed the Ukrainian tugboat, damaging the Ukrainian vessel. As the Ukrainian boats were heading back in the Odesa direction after being rejected passage via the Kerch Strait, Russian coast guards opened aimed fire on them. All 24 crew members on board were captured and later remanded in custody for two months, being charged with "illegal border crossing" (the sailors are facing up to six years in prison). Read alsoUkrainian sailors captured by Russia could be considered POWs OHCHR Three crewmen were wounded in the attack. Russian-controlled "courts" in the occupied Crimea ruled that all 24 detainees should be remanded in custody, after which they were transferred to the Moscow-based Lefortovo and Matrosskaya Tishina detention centers. Moscow's Lefortovo district court in the middle of January 2019 ruled to keep the Ukrainian sailors in remand until the end of April 2019. It's about Javelins, modern communication systems, artillery recon tools, e-warfare equipment, anti-sniper systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The United States recently provided Ukraine with military aid worth more than US$400 million, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak. Recently, the level of military-technical assistance has increased significantly. This applies to all of our partners, primarily the United States. Now, a batch of 35 Hummer combat vehicles has arrived in Odesa. Of these, 20 are armored, which will go to combat units, and 15 are medical support vehicles," Poltorak said during his Saturday visit to the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade base in Konotop, the ministry's press service reported. All assistance provided is immediately sent directly to the combat units on the line of contact in Donbas Read alsoSoldiers from U.S. 101st Airborne set to deploy to Ukraine According to the top defense official, recently the United States provided assistance to Ukraine worth over $400 million. These are Javelin anti-tank grenade launchers, modern communication systems, artillery recon tools, e-warfare equipment, anti-sniper systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles, said Poltorak. At the same time, according to the Minister of Defense, Ukraine has to further develop its own defense industry to build a strong army as it would be impossible solely at the expense of foreign partners. In a statement signed late February the official says Poroshenko failed to support him amid allegations of ties with foreign intelligence. UNIAN has at its disposal a resignation statement filed by Lieutenant General Valeriy Kondratiuk where he explains the compelling reasons for him deciding to step down. Head of Presidential Administration Ihor Rainin has confirmed to an UNIAN correspondent that Kondratiuk submitted a resignation letter. In the statement dated February 26 the official says Poroshenko failed to support him amid allegations of ties with foreign intelligence and claims the president uses pro-Russian media in "information war" against political opponents. The allegations in question claim that Kondratiuk recruited former SBU chief Nalyvaichenko in favor of a foreign intelligence service. Kondratiuk also says the smear campaign against him was launched from Russia, and accuses the president of striking "secret deals" with Vladimir Putin's political operative in Ukraine, Viktor Medvedchuk [said allegations against Kondratiuk were voiced on 112 TV Channel, the one owned by Medvedchuk]. "Given the lack of public support on your part amid these dirty allegations relieve me of any moral duty to serve under your command," the statement says. Read alsoUkraine's envoy to EU denies information about lifting EU sanctions against persons close to Yanukovych In a comment to UNIAN, Kondratiuk said: The president's recent actions tell that he considers himself a sole defender of the country. He also believes that it was only he who ensured diplomatic support. It's far from being true. To me, as well as to thousands of military who maintain peace, as well as for tens and hundreds of diplomats who serve for the good of Ukraine, it is insulting to hear. The success of further confrontation between Ukraine and Russia largely depends, not so much on the personal experience of the future president, but on his honesty and sincere will to continue this struggle for independence, and readiness to carry out the important reforms required, Kondrtratiuk believes. The key factor in a president's success in the current situation should be his personnel policy in appointing professionals and his confidence in delegating authority, he added. "No man is an island, even if he's president," said Kondratiuk. The official has long been in public focus over journalists' allegations of illegal enrichment and possible connections with Russia. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, who is now running for re-election, signed a decree dismissing first deputy head of SZRU, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service, Serhiy Semochko. Poroshenko made the announcement as he spoke in front of journalists and supporters at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium. As UNIAN reported earlier, investigative journalists established facts that may prove Semochko's ties with Russia via his family members and the "aggressor state might have paid this official for information from him." Nashi Groshi journalists found evidence that Semochko owns real estate worth over UAH 200 million (US$7.4 million), while his family members, namely his common-law wife and her daughter, have Russian citizenship and run a business in Russian-occupied Crimea. On October 3, 2018, the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) opened a criminal case under Part 3 of Article 368-2 (illegal enrichment) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. On December 16, 2018, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he would decide on Semochko's dismissal after the counterintelligence department of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine completed its investigation. On January 24, 2019, the then head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service Yehor Bozhok told a Ukrainian media outlet that Semochko was denied access to state secrets. On March 14, 2019, Poroshenko dismissed Bozhok from the post he had held since September 2017. For a tourist trip, they only need a valid passport. From April 14, citizens of Ukraine will enjoy visa-free tourist trips to the Kingdom of Thailand. The Department of Consular Services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine states that Ukrainians will only need their valid passport (biometric or non-biometric) to visit the country. The term of a visa-free stay is up to 30 days. Read alsoUkraine ranks 40th in 2019 Henley Passport Index To stay in Thailand for more than 30 days, regardless of the purpose of the trip, Ukrainians must obtain a visa at the appropriate diplomatic mission or consular office. As reported earlier, in the first three months of 2019, Ukraine's World Passport Index rose from the 41st spot to 40th, while at the same time the number of visa-free destinations remained the same, that is, 128. The enemy four times used f weapons banned by the Minsk agreements. Over the past day, April 13, Russian proxy forces in eastern Ukraine fourteen times violated the ceasefire. There have been no losses among Ukrainian troops, reads the morning report of the Joint Forces Operation HQ. The enemy fired on Ukrainian positions from anti-tank missile systems, grenade launchers of various types, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms. Four times, militants employed weapons proscribed by the Minsk agreements (120mm mortars two times, and 82mm mortars two times). Read alsoJFO: Ukraine reports six enemy attacks in Donbas April 13 It is noted that not a single enemy shelling was left without an adequate response on the part of Joint Forces. According to intelligence data, on April 13, two invaders were killed and five injured in action. From day-start on Sunday, no enemy attacks were reported on positions of Joint Forces. The incident is not being treated as terrorist-related. A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a car was driven at police officers outside the Ukrainian embassy in London. Police fired shots at the scene in Holland Park in the west of the capital after the Ukrainian ambassadors car was deliberately rammed twice on Saturday, according to the Daily Mail. Scotland Yard said a vehicle was driven at officers when they arrived at the scene and a man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of the attempted murder of police officers and criminal damage. Police firearms and Taser were discharged in the incident, and the man, who was not injured, was taken to hospital as a precaution and is now in custody at a central London police station. The incident is not being treated as terrorist-related. Witness Darcy Mercier described the really strange event to the BBC, saying the car was blasting Ukrainian music in some kind of protest against the embassy after arriving at about 7:00. He said: I was out on my terrace when he started ramming the car and then the police arrested him. Read alsoJulian Assange arrested by British police at Ecuadorean embassy media I asked him to turn down the music and he said that he was playing Ukrainian music for the Ukrainian Embassy and was a little bit belligerent. Footage showed armed police surround the silver Mercedes before smashing the drivers window and using a Taser on the screaming suspect. A statement from the Ukrainian embassy said: The official vehicle of the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom was deliberately rammed as it sat parked in front of the Embassy of Ukraines building. The police were called immediately, and the suspects vehicle was blocked up. Nevertheless, despite the police actions, the attacker hit the ambassadors car again. In response, the police were forced to open fire on the perpetrators vehicle. The embassy said no staff were injured. Ukrainian diplomats praised the police response to the incident. "We appreciate the swift and professional @metpoliceuk response in the incident outside the Embassy earlier today," the Ukrainian Embassy wrote on Twitter. Gold Stocks Bull Market Breakout Potential Gold has faded from interest in the past couple months, overshadowed by the monster stock-market rally. But gold has been consolidating high, quietly basing before its next challenge to major $1350 bull-market resistance. A decisive breakout above will really catch investors attention, greatly improving sentiment and driving major capital inflows. With gold-futures speculators not very long yet, plenty of buying power exists. Last August gold was pummeled to a 19.3-month low near $1174 by extreme all-time-record short selling in gold futures. The speculators trading these derivatives command a wildly-disproportional influence on short-term gold price action, especially when investors arent buying. Gold-futures trading bullies golds price around considerably to majorly, which can really distort psychology surrounding the gold market. The main reason is the incredible leverage inherent in gold futures. This week the maintenance margin required to trade a single 100-troy-ounce gold-futures contract is just $3400. Thats the minimum cash traders have to keep in their accounts. Yet at the recent $1300 gold price, each contract controls gold worth $130,000. So gold-futures speculators are legally allowed to run extreme leverage up to 38.2x! Thats extraordinarily risky of course. A mere 2.6% adverse move in gold against traders fully-leveraged positions would result in 100% total losses. Its amazing these guys can sleep at night. For comparison, the stock markets legal limit has been 2x leverage since 1974. 10x, 20x, 30x+ is crazy, and has been very problematic for gold for decades. It greatly amplifies gold-futures speculators impact on gold prices. Every dollar deployed in gold futures at 30x leverage literally has 30x the influence on gold prices as a dollar invested in gold outright! So even though gold-futures speculators have far less capital available than investors, it is way more potent amplified up to 38x! Thus when gold investment demand is weak like recently with stellar stock-market complacency, gold-futures speculators utterly dominate gold price action. Their collective trading effectively controls gold psychology too, since the American gold-futures price has become the worlds leading gold reference one. Investors start feeling bullish on gold and buying usually only after gold-futures speculators push its price higher. And gold-futures selling leaves investors bearish and worried, impelling them to exit gold. Gold-futures trading is the tail that wags the gold-investment dog! So everyone interested in gold has no choice but to follow what the gold-futures speculators as a herd are doing. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission publishes weekly data showing their collective positioning, the famous Commitments of Traders reports. They are released late Friday afternoons, and show traders aggregate gold-futures long and short contracts held as of the preceding Tuesday closes. Despite golds solid upleg since those deep mid-August lows, these traders still have lots of buying power left to push gold considerably higher. This first chart superimposes the daily gold price in blue over specs weekly total gold-futures long and short contracts in greed and red. The great majority of golds upleg-to-date gains have been driven by short-covering buying. Very bullishly the larger long buying is still yet to come. In mid-August when todays gold upleg was born, speculators total gold-futures shorts rocketed way up to 256.7k contracts! That was the highest witnessed in the 19.6 years since early 1999, almost certainly an all-time record. That unprecedented orgy of extreme shorting hammered gold from roughly $1300 down to $1175 in a couple months or so. That sharp futures-driven gold plunge naturally devastated psychology. The gold-futures traders were effectively borrowing gold they didnt own to dump in the markets, hoping to buy it back later at lower prices and profitably repay those debts. They were doing it at extreme 30x+ leverage, proportionally amplifying their capitals price impact. That record shorting spree had nothing to do with fundamentals, it was a snowballing momentum thing. Yet investors were spooked into selling in sympathy. In mid-June when gold traded just over $1300, total spec shorts were only 100.3k contracts. But over the next 10 CoT weeks they skyrocketed 156% higher to that record 256.7k. The resulting gold carnage led American stock investors to sell shares in the leading GLD SPDR Gold Shares gold ETF much faster than gold was being sold. That forced its gold-bullion holdings 60.1 metric tons or 7.2% lower in that short span! Gold bottomed the very week gold-futures short sellers had exhausted themselves, reached the limits of their available capital. Since then gold has powered nicely higher on balance, enjoying a 14.2% upleg over the next 6.2 months into mid-February. Gold peaked near $1341 then and has been consolidating high ever since. This upleg has been almost fully driven by gold-futures buying, which is totally normal. To close gold-futures short positions and repay those debts, speculators have to buy gold-futures long contracts to offset them. They bought to cover an enormous 112.3k short contracts in this uplegs span, mostly unwinding last summers record shorting spree. They also added another 46.8k long contracts, leveraged upside bets on golds price. Despite all that gold-futures buying, there is still room for much more. Major gold uplegs have three stages, each driven by distinctive buying from different groups of traders. Uplegs are always born and initially fueled by gold-futures short covering, as speculators are motivated to buy to cover and realize their shorting profits. Short covering quickly becomes self-feeding, as resulting fast gold-price gains force other short-side traders to rapidly buy to cover or face catastrophic leveraged losses. Thus that stage-one short-covering buying quickly burns itself out after a couple months or so. But it first pushes gold high enough for long enough to convince long-side gold-futures speculators to return. They command way more capital than the short-side guys, as evidenced by the green long line in this chart usually being much higher than the red short line. Spec gold-futures long buying is uplegs second stage. That unfolds more gradually than short covering, typically 6 months or longer. Long-side traders not only have lots more capital to deploy, but their buying is voluntary. They have to really believe gold is heading higher to make such risky hyper-leveraged upside bets. In contrast short covering is mandatory and often involuntary, as those effective debts must legally be repaid. Stage-one buying directly ignites stage two. Gold has real bull-market breakout potential in the coming months because this current upleg hasnt yet seen much gold-futures long buying. Stage two is underway, but the majority is likely still yet to come. The green total-spec-gold-futures-longs line above proves this. At best in mid-February near golds latest high, total spec longs peaked at 305.0k contracts. And they have since retreated sharply to 243.8k as of last Tuesday. Both levels are really low by bull-to-date precedent. This young secular gold bull was born out of deep 6.1-year secular lows in mid-December 2015. Its maiden upleg was big and fast, gold rocketed 29.9% higher in just 6.7 months in essentially the first half of 2016. As that peaked in early July 2016, total spec longs hit an all-time record high of 440.4k contracts! Gold-futures traders piled on, helping fuel big upside momentum. Total spec shorts that same CoT week ran 100.2k contracts. That upleg had been partially driven by the gold-futures speculators buying a monster 249.2k longs while covering 82.8k shorts. Gold crested at $1365 in early July, which remains this bulls best level today. Over the subsequent years $1350 would repel gold multiple times, becoming major overhead resistance as gold kept failing to break out above it. Speculators soon started to unwind their excessive long positions, helping hammer gold 17.3% lower by mid-December 2016. That heavy gold-futures selling was greatly exacerbated by stock markets surging after Trumps surprise election victory. This gold bulls second upleg emerged from the ashes, driven first by gold-futures short covering which soon ignited gold-futures long buying. That was also the first uplegs order. Gold powered another 20.4% higher to $1358 by late January 2018, and once again gave up its ghost right near that key $1350 resistance. Gold-futures speculators ultimately played a smaller role in that upleg as investors returned. Gold investment buying is the third stage of gold uplegs, which can grow far larger than gold-futures-driven stages. Futures buying is a two-stage ignition mechanism to attract investors. Total gold-futures longs only climbed 80.6k contracts during that second upleg, while shorts only slipped 4.1k. Thats somewhat misleading though, as the precise upleg dates mask the green long line trending higher while the red short line trended lower. When that upleg peaked, total spec longs and shorts were running 356.4k and 121.9k contracts. The former was still much higher than todays levels, a very-bullish omen. This gold bulls first two uplegs failed with total spec longs far higher than todays 243.8k, averaging 398.4k contracts. Second-stage spec long buying has exhausted itself and killed uplegs between roughly 350k to 450k contracts in this gold bull. So the sub-250k levels seen last Tuesday remained way too low to likely signal a mature gold upleg. Speculators still have room to do the majority of their stage-two long buying! This gold upleg is highly likely to see at least another 100k contracts of long buying, and potentially up to 200k if gold returns to favor! That is the gold-futures equivalent to another 311 to 622 metric tons of gold. That will almost certainly catapult gold much higher, just like during this bulls prior uplegs. Given where gold is today, this creates major bull-market breakout potential. A concerted assault on $1350 is likely. Throughout this entire gold bull, gold has never been higher with sub-250k spec longs than it is today near $1300! Usually the yellow metal was only around $1250 at this kind of positioning. So we are now witnessing golds highest basing in its bull market relative to spec longs. $1350 isnt much higher than $1300, just another 3.8%. Theres a good chance the remaining stage-two buying will drive gold there. While its certainly not exact, 50k contracts of gold-futures long buying in this bulls other gold uplegs have often pushed gold $50 higher. Again we are almost certain to see another 100k and potentially a best case of 200k. So gold has never been better positioned in this bull market to surge up to and through its multi-year $1350 resistance! A decisive breakout above $1350 would change everything in the gold market. Gold-futures speculators are necessarily trapped in the short term by their extreme leverage. They dont care what gold does, they just want to ride its momentum. Investors are way different, with no leverage at all they have a long-term focus. Theres nothing that excites them more, and drives more capital inflows into gold, than new bull-market highs. Higher highs prove gold is still marching, portending more future gains. Investors havent seen a new gold-bull high since way back in early July 2016, which feels like forever ago in these markets. As the months and years paraded by and gold kept failing to best $1350, most investors gradually lost interest in gold. While its bull-market lower-support zone has gradually risen, the horizontal upper resistance really tainted psychology. Gold has been viewed as consolidating, not in a bull. But 100k to 200k contracts of spec gold-futures long buying starting near $1300 has real potential to blast gold back above $1350. A decisive breakout is 1%+ beyond that, or $1364. Once gold climbs back over $1365, it will start hitting new bull-to-date highs. That will bring gold back into the financial news in a big way, rekindling investor interest and capital inflows. The resulting bullish sentiment becomes self-feeding. Major stage-three investment gold buying gets way more likely the higher gold forges above $1350. Its ironic that although investment is all about buying low when assets are out of favor, the great majority of investors instead prefer to buy high. They love chasing winners, and increasingly crowd into positions the higher their prices climb. Theres no doubt new bull-market gold highs will fuel big excitement in this metal. Golds bull-market breakout potential in the coming months is amplified by a couple other major factors. Gold is in a seasonally-strong time of the year, enjoying its seasonal spring rally. That provides a solid sentimental tailwind that should help motivate gold-futures speculators to continue rebuilding their low gold-futures long positions. Their buying also becomes self-feeding the higher and longer gold runs. Far more importantly, gold-investment levels are really low thanks to the monster stock-market rally since late December. With the US stock markets skyrocketing from ugly near-bear severe-correction lows to nearly regaining Septembers all-time highs, complacency and euphoria are epic. Stock investors have virtually no fear of a major stock-market selloff, which like usual has greatly retarded gold investment demand. But these lofty stock markets are dangerously overvalued and overbought, heading into a Q119 earnings season which is looking to be the weakest in years. When the stock markets roll over again, investors will again remember the wisdom of prudently diversifying their stock-dominated portfolios with gold. It tends to rally when stock markets weaken, a rare and desirable quality. The next material stock selloff will goose gold. Back in December when the flagship US S&P 500 stock index plunged 9.2%, gold surged 4.9% higher. Any material stock-market selloff, regardless of the reason, will quickly rekindle gold investment demand. And if investors start buying even before gold-futures speculators stage-two long buying is complete, a decisive breakout back above $1350 is all but certain. This gold bulls upside breakout potential is very real. The biggest beneficiaries of higher gold prices reviving interest in its bull market will be the gold miners stocks. The major gold miners of the GDX VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF usually amplify golds own moves by 2x to 3x. So a 10% gold rally will often translate into 20% to 30% GDX gains. But when gold really shifts back into favor among investors, the upside can be far greater. Weve already seen that in this bull. This GDX gold-stock-bull chart is updated from last weeks essay, where I explained the bullish gold-stock situation in depth. So check that out if you need to get up to speed. But for our purposes today, note the last time gold powered to new bull-market highs exciting investors was during this bulls first upleg largely in the first half of 2016. GDX skyrocketed 151.2% higher in essentially the same span of that 29.9% gold upleg! That made for outstanding 5.1x upside leverage to gold from the major gold miners. The smaller mid-tier and junior gold miners of the GDXJ VanEck Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF did even better. With their superior fundamentals and lower market capitalizations, mid-tier upside is much better than the majors. Even if gold merely challenges $1350 again, the gold stocks will surge dramatically higher as traders flock back. So while the lack of interest in gold and its miners stocks these days is understandable, it is unfortunate. The biggest gains are won by buying relatively low before everyone gets excited about an asset or stock sector. Once gold and the gold stocks start surging again as $1350 nears, speculators and investors alike will have to buy much higher. Deploying aggressively before new bull highs should yield impressive gains. One of my core missions at Zeal is relentlessly studying the gold-stock world to uncover the stocks with superior fundamentals and upside potential. The trading books in both our popular weekly and monthly newsletters are currently full of these better gold and silver miners. Mostly added in recent months as gold stocks recovered from deep lows, our unrealized gains are already running as high as 76% this week! To multiply your capital in the markets, you have to stay informed. Our newsletters are a great way, easy to read and affordable. They draw on my vast experience, knowledge, wisdom, and ongoing research to explain whats going on in the markets, why, and how to trade them with specific stocks. As of Q1 weve recommended and realized 1089 newsletter stock trades since 2001, averaging annualized realized gains of +15.8%! Thats nearly double the long-term stock-market average. Subscribe today for just $12 per issue! The bottom line is this gold bull now has the highest major-upside-breakout potential of its entire lifespan. This latest gold upleg fueled by gold-futures buying hasnt matured yet, as speculators long positioning remains quite low. For the first time in this bull, gold is already consolidating high around $1300 before most of the likely gold-futures long buying has run its course. That makes an assault on $1350 very likely. If gold can break decisively above that multi-year resistance and start forging new bull-market highs, its psychology will greatly improve. Investors will take notice and start buying again, driving gold higher and fueling mounting bullishness. The gold miners stocks will be the biggest beneficiaries of new bull-market gold highs. Their stocks soared the last time investors were excited about this gold bull, rapidly multiplying wealth. Adam Hamilton, CPA So how can you profit from this information? We publish an acclaimed monthly newsletter, Zeal Intelligence , that details exactly what we are doing in terms of actual stock and options trading based on all the lessons we have learned in our market research. Please consider joining us each month for tactical trading details and more in our premium Zeal Intelligence service at www.zealllc.com/subscribe.htm Questions for Adam? I would be more than happy to address them through my private consulting business. Please visit www.zealllc.com/adam.htm for more information. Thoughts, comments, or flames? Fire away at zelotes@zealllc.com . Due to my staggering and perpetually increasing e-mail load, I regret that I am not able to respond to comments personally. I will read all messages though and really appreciate your feedback! Copyright 2000 - 2018 Zeal Research ( www.ZealLLC.com ) 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th April, 2019) The UK town of Salisbury, located in the southern UK county of Wiltshire, on Sunday was named by the Sunday Times newspaper as the best place to live in the United Kingdom in 2019, one year after the infamous attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. "As chemical weapons specialists clad in hazmat suits combed the city centre for traces of novichok in March 2018, Salisbury would have had a claim to be ranked among the worst places. Yet the city has bounced back, rating highly on most of the attributes measured by our 2019 Best Places to Live in Britain guide - particularly the community spirit that helped overcome the shock, fear and confusion spawned by the attack on Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy, and his daughter Yulia," the newspaper wrote. The city has been lauded for it "energetic, close-knit population," as well as clean air and burgeoning cultural life. Salisbury,which only has a population of some 40,000 people, rose to international prominence due to the highly publicized Skripal affair. On March 4, 2018, kripal and his daughter were found unconscious on a bench near a shopping center in Salisbury. London claimed they were poisoned with a military-grade A234 nerve agent and accused Moscow of staging the attack, provoking a huge international scandal. The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed the claims about Russia's involvement in the attack and stressed that Moscow has been denied access both to the investigation into the incident and to the Russian nationals. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th April, 2019) The UK town of Salisbury, located in the southern UK county of Wiltshire, on Sunday was named by the Sunday Times newspaper as the best place to live in the United Kingdom in 2019, one year after the infamous attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. "As chemical weapons specialists clad in hazmat suits combed the city centre for traces of novichok in March 2018, Salisbury would have had a claim to be ranked among the worst places. Yet the city has bounced back, rating highly on most of the attributes measured by our 2019 Best Places to Live in Britain guide - particularly the community spirit that helped overcome the shock, fear and confusion spawned by the attack on Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy, and his daughter Yulia," the newspaper reported. The city has been lauded for its "energetic, close-knit population," as well as clean air and burgeoning cultural life, according to the newspaper's guide. Also on the list of the best places to live in the United Kingdom are a small town of Petworth in West Sussex; a town of Topsham in Devon and a district of the Isle of Dogs in London. The Scottish city of Dundee and a town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk as well as Holywood, a town in Northern Island, also have made the cut. Salisbury, which only has a population of some 40,000 people, rose to international prominence due to the highly publicized Skripal affair. On March 4, 2018, Skripal and his daughter were found unconscious on a bench near a shopping center in Salisbury. London claimed they were poisoned with a military-grade A234 nerve agent and accused Moscow of staging the attack, provoking a huge international scandal. The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed the claims about Russia's involvement in the attack and stressed that Moscow has been denied access both to the investigation into the incident and to the Russian nationals. Stock Market Indexes Race For The New All-Time High Without too much attention from traders, the SPY and QQQ are racing to attempt to establish new all-time highs in what may become the most exciting Spring/Summer breakout rally of the past 3 years. While many other symbols are still flirting with November/December 2018 highs, the SPY and QQQ are both showing upside price gaps last week indicating a moderately strong price advancement is taking place. Additionally, both the SPY and the QQQ are already well above early 2018 peak levels. If you were not paying attention, it sure looks like these two symbols are racing to be the first to break into new all-time high levels and shock the doomsayers (again) as we may see this rally continue for at least another 30 to 60 days. If youve been following our research, youll know that our short term research suggests new all-time high prices are imminent (very likely over the next 30 to 60+ days). We made this call back in September 2018 before the big selloff prompted by the US Fed. We also called the bottom on December 24, 2018, and warned that the subsequent rally would push hard in an attempt to target recent all-time highs. Now, as we near this event, we need to evaluate what may happen next. This SPY chart shows the weekly price bars and just how close we are to new all-time highs. The SPY only needs to rally about $8 to breach into new record-setting territory. We believe the upside rally could continue well above the $300 level as this upside price bias should last until late May or into early June 2019. Therefore, we could see an upside potential of more than 5~8% before a new peak sets up. This QQQ Weekly chart shows similar characteristics, yet shows one incredible variation to the SPY chart. The QQQ chart shows that price is breaching the lower YELLOW price channel and this may result in an impulse move higher in the QQQ that could push it to new highs before the SPY. The QQQ is even closer to all-time highs than the SPY being only $2.15 away from reaching the all-time high level. If this breach of the lower YELLOW price channel prompts a bigger rally, we could see the QQQ rally upward towards $200 to $210 before setting up a new price peak. This represents a +7.5% to +13.5% upside potential for skilled traders. If our research continues to be correct, we should expect at least another 30 to 60 days of upward price trend/bias before any real resistance sets up to potentially create a peak in price. Our research suggests late May or early June 2019 is the time traders should protect open positions and prepare for extended volatility. Dont wait for the ES, NQ, YM or TRAN to break the all-time highs. Watch the QQQ and SPY for this event and pay attention to the Russell 2000 and Blue Chips as they will likely be the early warning signs of a price peak or price weakness. We warned that price volatility will likely increase over the net 30+ days so be prepared for some bigger price swings going forward as the bull and bears fight for control as we near these resistance areas. Let our 55 years experience in researching and trading makes analyzing the complex and ever-changing financial markets a natural process. We have a simple and highly effective way to provide our customers with the most convenient, accurate, and timely market forecasts available today. Our stock and ETF trading alerts are readily available through our exclusive membership service via email and SMS text. Our newsletter, Technical Trading Mastery book, and Trading Courses are designed for both traders and investors. Also, some of our strategies have been fully automated for the ultimate trading experience. Chris Vermeulen www.TheTechnicalTraders.com Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better. His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility. He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect. Chris Vermeulen Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. From US-Sino Talks to New Trade Wars, Weakening Global Economic Prospects Recently, IMF cut global growth forecasts. As US-Sino trade talks will give way to next trade wars, new tariff wars will not resolve US deficits but will further impair global economic prospects. Ever since the US-Sino trade talks began almost four months ago, the United States has pushed for a broad commitment focusing on Chinas economic practices, including participation of U.S. firms in certain industries and protection of U.S. intellectual property rights (IPRs). In a recent CNBC interview, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin claimed that the countries had pretty much agreed on an enforcement mechanism for a trade deal. After his meeting with the Chinese delegation last week, President Trump stated that negotiators may need four more weeks to package the deal. But the enthusiasm may prove premature. The state of US-Sino trade talks As the last globalist in the Trump administration, Mnuchins views carry some weight, but he lacks clout to enforce those views. Thats been the case since Gary Cohn, Mnuchins former Goldman Sachs colleague, resigned from the White House ahead of the tariff wars. In turn, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has proven too weak, reluctant and old (81 years) to press for compromise. Thats why trade talks are led by Peter Navarro, Director of National Trade Council, and Robert Lighthizer, U.S. Trade Representative. The former is an advocate of trade mercantilism, who has a dark track record in China-bashing; the latters trade wars began against Japan in the Reagan administration. In addition to enforcement mechanisms, the two are pressing for a pact that would allow US tariffs on Chinese goods to snap back in case of violations - but without permitting China to retaliate in response. Understandably, Chinese negotiators consider such conditions unacceptable. Such conditionality has surprised even Craig Allen, President of US-China Business Council, who believes that Mnuchin may have been too optimistic about the deal, if it is burdened by a conditionality clause. Indeed, US business groups tend to focus on commitments, including the proposed enforcement offices. They dislike negotiating tactics that needlessly prolong the talks and may undermine the progress achieved. Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He has expressed greater caution by stressing that, by the end the proposed four weeks, the two countries may learn whether a trade deal could be reached. And even if a final deal is achieved, it will take another year or two to verify the structural changes associated with the pact. Trade wars' next targets However, a US-China deal will not resolve US trade deficits, which have increased for half a century. The imbalances began in the postwar era after the recovery of the key EU economies - UK, Germany, France and Italy - and the subsequent rise of Japan. Toward the late 20th century, the deficits reflected the emergence of the four dragons; i.e., Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore. Chinas role in these deficits became prominent in the 2000s. Today, the largest deficits prevail with China, US NAFTA partners (Mexico, Canada), key EU countries (Germany, Ireland, Italy), ASEAN (Vietnam, Malaysia) and India. China has been targeted first, but others will follow. Last year, Mexico and Canada were pressured to a revised US first regional pact. Friction has been steadily rising with Japan and Germany. And Trump has pledged to extend the trade war to ASEAN - where the deficits are likely to climb if US companies begin to relocate. Despite half a century of promises to bring an end to deficits, US dependency on trade deficits has only deepened as Washington has become increasingly dependent on foreign financing and sovereign debt (which now exceeds $22.2 trillion, or 106% of US GDP). The net effect is a falling trend line (Figure). Figure U.S. trade deficits have deepened for half a century (US$ Million) Why tariff wars wont resolve US deficits Do the US tariff wars make economic sense? No. Here are some reasons why: US deficit issue is multilateral and regional, not bilateral and national. Trying to resolve it by forcing the bilateral trade deficit down is a bit like mimicking the fictional story of the little Dutch boy who discovered a leak in the dyke and stuck his finger in it to save his country. Thats Trumps strategy. Unfortunately, it ignores the dykes many other leaks and may thus make the flood more likely. Second, Trumps trade hawks presume that international trade is a competition between companies representing different countries. They ignore the fact that, for decades and particularly since the 1980s national industry leaders have built multinational value activities around the world. Consequently as even the OECD has concluded - conventional data on bilateral trade deficits can be misleading, due to multinationals global supply chains. Third, it is the overall size of the trade balance that matters, and that is largely a function of macroeconomic forces, such as domestic savings and investment. If the US domestic investment continues to exceed savings, it will have to continue to import capital and will have a large trade deficit. Since late 2017, the Trump administration has made this challenge much worse, thanks to large tax cuts, which have caused US fiscal deficits to soar. That is likely to cause the trade deficit to increase, irrespective the outcome of the trade war. Of course, one way to avoid this is that the White House will lead the US into a recession, with incomes declining adequately for investment and imports to plummet as with the aftermath of the 2008 crisis (see the Figure). Why tariff wars will weaken global prospects Unfortunately, that path would further penalize American middle-class and working people, but it would also have even more severe implications internationally. It has potential to further derail global economic prospects (which would harm the very same US multinationals Trump claims to support). As US tariff wars undermined the global recovery momentum in early 2018, the IMF now predicts that global economic activity is notably slowing. Global growth is projected to slow to 3.3% in 2019. In the absence of more positive signals, the international environment is faltering toward a darker path. Dr Steinbock is the founder of the Difference Group and has served as the research director at the India, China, and America Institute (USA) and a visiting fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (China) and the EU Center (Singapore). For more information, see http://www.differencegroup.net/ 2019 Copyright Dan Steinbock - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. Dan Steinbock Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Judy Lewis was born on November 6, 1935 in Venice, California. She was conceived while her birth parents, Loretta Young and Clark Gable, were working on the film. Gable was married at the time of Lewis conception, and Young concealed her pregnancy to avoid scandal. Weeks after her birth, Lewis was placed in an orphanage. Lewis would spend the next 19 months in various hideaways and orphanages before being reunited with her mother. Young then claimed that she had adopted Lewis. When Lewis was four years old, Young married radio producer Tom Lewis, and Judy took his last name.Lewis bore a striking resemblance to Gable, including having ears that stuck out. When Lewis was seven years old, Young had her undergo a painful operation to pin her ears back in another attempt to hide her real parentage. When Lewis was fifteen, Gable came to her mothers house to visit her briefly. Gable asked Lewis about her life and then, upon leaving, kissed her on her forehead. It was the only time that Lewis ever spoke to Gable, and at the time, she had no idea that he was her father.I couldnt believe my eyes, she wrote in her memoir. He was right in front of me, and he was smiling at me. His eyes were crinkled into smile lines at the corners and he was so tall that I had to look up. He was much more handsome than I remembered him from the movies. What is he doing here? I wondered to myself. But I could say nothing. I was speechless.Lewis was married for several years to Joseph Tinney. They had one daughter, Maria, and two grandsons. They divorced in the late 1960s.After Lewis became engaged to Tinney at age twenty-three, he told her it was common knowledge that Gable was her biological father; Lewis was stunned.After Gables death, Lewis, at age 31, finally confronted her mother about the mystery behind her parentage. Young became nauseated, but acknowledged that she and Gable were Lewis biological parents. In 1994, Lewis published a book about her life entitledin which she stated that Gable was her father; Young refused to speak with her for three years after the book was published.I had to write this book, Lewis toldin 1994 when her memoir was released. I don't think anyone knows what it's like not to be acknowledged by your own parents.Loretta Young died on August 12, 2000, at age 87; her autobiography, published posthumously, confirmed that Gable was indeed Lewis father.Lewis never had a chance to ask Gable the questions that swirled in her head for years: Did he want a child? What was he thinking that day they met? Would he have wanted to help raise her if her mother hadnt pushed him away? She said that whenever she watched Gables loving scenes with his on-screen daughter in, she cried.Its very sad to me, she told thein 2002, because hes so dear with her. I pretend its me.Judy Lewis died of cancer at age 76 on November 25, 2011, in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania. Dalat Accordingly, Sa Pa ranked 7th and Da Lat ranked 8th. MSN wrote on Vietnams Sa Pa: A popular tourist destination, the region is known for its terraced rice fields and colonial-style houses. The lush greenery is beautifully complemented by the variety of flowers in spring. Meanwhile Da Lat was described Also known as the Kingdom of Flowers, the region has several varieties in abundance, including wild sunflowers, phoenix, cherry blossoms, mimosas, Mexican sunflowers and white orchids. Da Lat, situated 1,500 meters above sea level in the Central Highlands, came in at number four in the top 10 list of rising destinations in Asia and Sa Pa in the northern highlands was at number six. Given various nicknames such as the city of eternal spring, the city of flowers and the city of love, Da Lat is recommended for providing a cool respite from Vietnams year-round hot weather. The former colonial resort town is full of beautiful French-era buildings and surrounded by pine trees, flowers and vegetables farms. In January, the New York Times also recommended Da Lat among 52 places to visit in 2016, describing it as an agricultural El Dorado with unique scenes of pine forests, locally grown avocados, and artichoke tea. Meanwhile, around 2,000 kilometers to the north is Sa Pa, known for its trekking trails. The colourful town is recognised as a perfect oasis for travellers interested in mountain trekking or visiting the terraced rice paddies. Tourists can visit the Saturday night love market, the Gothic stone church at the town centre which is a reminder of the French missionary influence, and many downtown Vietnamese and European restaurants. Other top ten ranking destinations included Mountain Fuji, Japan; Ngong Ping Plateau, Hong Kong (China); Jeju Island, the Republic of Korea (RoK); Bangkok, Thailand; Hapcheon, the RoK; Taroko National Park, Taiwan (China); and Pokhara, Nepal. An incense offering ceremony was held in the northern province of Phu Tho on April 14, or the tenth day of the third lunar month, to commemorate the national founders, the Hung Kings. Incense offering ceremony is the most important part of the Hung Kings Temple Festival (Photo: VNA) National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, representatives of ministries and agencies, and provincial leaders attend the incense offering ceremony (Photo: VNA) Incense offering ceremony takes place at the Hung Kings Temple Relic Site on Nghia Linh Mountain (Photo: VNA) (Photo: VNA) (Photo: VNA) Incense offering ceremony is the most important part of the Hung Kings Temple Festival. It takes place at the Hung Kings Temple Relic Site on Nghia Linh Mountain (Photo: VNA) National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan attends the incense offering ceremony (Photo: VNA) Incense offering ceremony is the most important part of the Hung Kings Temple Festival (Photo: VNA) National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan attends the incense offering ceremony (Photo: VNA) VNA Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse arrive at Henri Coanda International Airport. VNA Photo Thong Nhat The visit is being made at the invitation of Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila. During the visit, PM Phuc is scheduled to hold talks with his Romanian counterpart Viorica Dancila, and meet with President Klaus Iohannis, President of the Senate Calin Popescu Tariceanu and President of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea. The Vietnamese Government leader is also expected to attend and deliver a speech at the Vietnam-Romania Business Forum and talk with representatives of Romanian localities having cooperative ties with Vietnam. After his arrival, PM Phuc will visit Prahova where he will have a working session with its governor, and meet with the Vietnamese Embassys staff and representatives of the Vietnamese community in the country. Vietnam and Romania officially set up diplomatic relations in February 1950. The two countries have enjoyed growing friendship and cooperation. Both sides have worked together towards a trade revenue target of US$500 million in the near future, instead of just US$200 million at present. The Prime Minister's official visit to Romania reaffirms Vietnams consistent foreign policy of treasuring, deepening the traditional friendship and cooperation with the European country in a more practical and efficient manner. This visit, the first by a Vietnamese Prime Minister to Romania since 1977, looks to open up opportunities for Vietnam to gain Romanias support in the ties with the European Union (EU), especially in pushing for the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) during the countrys rotating EU Presidency in the first half of 2019. Besides, the visit also looks to step up the two sides coordination at international forums and build plans to prepare for the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic ties. The two sides will seek to boost cooperation across politics, economics, trade-investment, education-training, culture-tourism, agriculture, labour, and local partnership during the visit. An ancestor worship ritual performed by a guild in Chu Hoa commune (Photo: VNA) Their death anniversary on the 10th day of the third lunar month has long been observed as a national holiday. UNESCO inscribed the Worship of the Hung Kings in Phu Tho province on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012. Sacred belief Folklore researchers say the worship of the Hung Kings is very sacred to Vietnamese people, creating unity strength for national construction and defense. Vietnamese are proud of their ancestors: Lac Long Quan, the Dragon Lord, the father of all Vietnamese people and Au Co, the Fairy Goddess, their mother. Prof. Dr. Ngo Duc Thinh, a member of the Vietnam National Cultural Heritage Council, said, Why do people worship the Hung Kings? Because of their appreciation of paying debts of gratitude, their custom of worshipping ancestors within a clan, and their need for a spiritual support under feudal regimes. Thats why we observe our ancestors death anniversary, which UNESCO has applauded. The death anniversary is something very close to the hearts and minds of Vietnamese and has strong vitality. Folklorist Thinh said the worship of the Hung Kings embodies the Vietnamese nations pride and bonding: Its the convergence of Vietnamese spiritual sentiments, reminding them of their roots and creating national solidarity. Throughout Vietnams history, national solidarity has always been a source of strength. The destiny of our nation, its economic development and territorial integrity, needs such strength. Worship of Hung Kings preserved For thousands of years, the Vietnamese have worshiped the Hung Kings at a complex of temples on Nghia Linh Mountain in Phu Tho province, and other temples and shrines scattered across Vietnam. Wherever the Vietnamese people live, they always turn to their origin, their Fatherland. Many Vietnamese expats have visited the Hung Kings Temple to pay tribute to their forefathers and have set up an altar to worship the Hung Kings in their place of residence. Culture researcher Nguyen Khac Xuong said, The Hung Kings legend is spiritually important. Every Vietnamese feels the need to come to Phu Tho to Nghia Linh Mountain, because its the land of their ancestors. The worship of the Hung Kings has been preserved from one generation to another. Every year, the death anniversary of the Hung Kings is commemorated with full respect. Pham Ba Khiem, Chairman of the Phu Tho Folklore Association, said its an honor for locals to take care of the Hung Kings relic site and organize their death anniversary. He added, Even before the UNESCO recognition of the worship of the Hung Kings we were preserving and promoting this practice. We have done this job for thousands of years. The UNESCO recognition encourages future generations to continue to safeguard this intangible heritage. Inside today's edition: A mad mix of amazing music from Angola, Burkina Faso, Congo, Ghana, Morocco, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Mali, South Africa and the diaspora. Some tunes are by beloved veterans like Lokua Kanza, Fally Ipupa, Eduardo Paim, Papa Wemba, Habibou Sawadogo, and Tiken Jah Fakoli. Others are by fresh young artists like A-Star, Victor AD and Patience Namidongo. Mayondes Nairobi is our Song of the Week feature and other VOA journalist friends pop in throughout the hour and help introduce a couple of the songs and give them insightful context and meaning. Fadumo Yasin contributed to this report from Bosaso in Puntland. The deputy leader of the Islamic State group in Somalia has been killed in an airstrike, a Somali regional minister told VOA. Abdisamad Mohamed Gallan, security Minister of the Puntland region, told VOA Somali the airstrike that killed Abdihakim Mohamed Ibrahim, known as Dhoqob, took place Sunday between the villages of Hol Anod and Hiriro. Gallan said the strike hit the vehicle Dhoqob and another passenger were travelling in. He said both men were killed but the other person has not yet been identified. "The vehicle was burned," said a witness who didn't want to be named. IS Somalia is led by Sheikh Abdulkadir Mumin, a former scholar for al-Shabab. In October 2015 he defected from the group and pledged his allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Dhoqob was Mumin's right-hand-man and has appeared in videos produced by the group. Mumin himself survived another airstrike in his mountainous hideout in Bari region in November 2017. "Killing one of their top leaders will speed up their eradication," Gallan said. Puntland officials have not commented on who carried out the attack but the U.S. military in Africa has been conducting relentless strikes against militants in Somalia. This year alone, U.S. has carried out more than 30 airstrikes, all of them against al-Shabab. IS has 200-300 men in Somalia according to experts. Al-Shabab and IS have recently been fighting in the eastern mountainous areas since December last year. Al-Shabab has vowed to eliminate its rival IS, accusing it of "dividing the jihadists." Security officials told VOA Somali that IS has lost some of its territory to al-Shabab. Kathleen Struck, Esha Sarai contributed to this report. Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has become the latest Democrat to formally enter the crowded field of presidential candidates seeking to unseat Donald Trump in the 2020 election. The 37-year-old, who announced a presidential exploratory committee in January, made it official at a rally in South Bend on Sunday. The Harvard and Oxford graduate and Afghanistan war veteran has gone from being virtually unknown on the national political landscape to surging in recent polls, placing third behind behind former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. The son of an immigrant from Malta, Buttigieg attended Harvard College around the same time as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. He received a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, spent seven months in Afghanistan in the U.S. Navy Reserves as an intelligence analyst and driver and worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Company. Reportedly he speaks seven languages, some of them fluently, including Spanish and Norwegian. And in 2011, he was elected mayor of his hometown, South Bend, population 100,000. Buttigieg would be America's first openly gay president. His husband, Chasten, has also won over many American voters. "As for my husband, you know I'm pretty biased, because I love him, but it's pretty great to see that the rest of America is falling in love with him too," Buttigieg said at a recent appearance in New Hampshire. The South Bend mayor has raised more than $7 million so far and assured himself a spot in the Democratic presidential debates that begin in June. Analysts say it remains to be seen if Buttigieg can maintain his recent momentum. "Sometimes candidates have a few weeks or few months of stardom and then another 'it candidate' replaces them," Leah Askarinam, a reporter and political analyst for Inside Elections, told VOA. "So I think we know he's viable. I don't think we know at this point that he's going to be a star in the field." At least 18 Democrats are in the run to become the party's nominee to face off against President Donald Trump in next year's election. When U.S. prosecutors unsealed a March 2018 indictment accusing Julian Assange of conspiring to illegally access a Department of Defense computer system, they sparked more than just an examination of the case and the accused. The WikiLeaks co-founder is charged with participating in a password hacking agreement with Chelsea Manning, a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst who served seven years in prison for leaking one of the largest troves of classified documents in U.S. history. Newspaper editorial pages, political pundits and cable news analysts are debating whether the case against Assange imperils freedom of the press, whether hes a member of the press, and whether it threatens First Amendment protections. Assange is not a journalist Mary McCord, former principal deputy assistant attorney general for national security, says there should be no debate about whether Assange is a journalist or whether this case is about journalism and free speech. One only needs to examine what WikiLeaks has distributed to come to the conclusion that Assange is not a journalist, she told Voice of America. WikiLeaks is a conduit to distribute stolen information, both classified and unclassified, she said, without context, without any analysis or explanation. Journalists add value, analyze the facts and connect the information they disseminate. WikiLeaks is just a conduit, just a platform for illegally obtained materials, she said. Even if he was a journalist, theres no free pass for those who violate the law. This is no different from physically breaking into a building and breaking into a safe its the cyber equivalent, said McCord, who is currently a visiting professor at Georgetown Law School. Yes, he's a journalist Louis Clark couldnt disagree more. Hes a journalist and WikiLeaks is a journalism organization, he said. Clark is CEO and executive director of the Government Accountability Project, and has negotiated transparency and accountability issues with American and international government and corporate officials for nearly four decades. He steadfastly categorizes Assange as a member of the media. Were talking about the press, press freedoms and essentially First Amendment issues. It is particularly troublesome when our government decides to prosecute essentially a member of the media, he said. Clark is also concerned about a rush to judgment. I definitely think there needs to be a presumption of innocence at this point given the track record of the Department of Justice in the areas of espionage and security, he said. Chilling effect Harvard Law Professor Yochai Benkler has written about the legal implications of prosecuting WikiLeaks. He told The Guardian he believes the indictment contained dangerous elements that pose a significant risk to national security reporting. Sections of the indictment are vastly overbroad and could have a significant chilling effect. Gabe Rottman is the technology and press freedom project director for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the organization that went to court to have the Assange indictment unsealed. He and his colleagues are focused on the impact the case has on transparency and accountability in light of the Supreme Courts recognition of broad First Amendment protection for the publication of information of public concern and how that standard must be applied to the case against Assange. Rottman believes the emphasis has to remain on the fact that publishing of even damaging government information is legally protected even if the material is acquired unlawfully as long as the publishing party didnt break the law to get it. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of Virginia declined to comment on the case. At least five people were killed Saturday in Mogadishu during violent demonstrations staged by hundreds of drivers, who took to the streets of the Somali capital to protest the killing of a driver of a tuktuk, or motorized rickshaw, as well as road closures that hinder the city's movement. The protesters burned tires and chanted slogans against government security forces. Demanding justice and freedom for their businesses, they shouted, "Down with the civilian's killers!" At least two protesters were wounded as security forces tried to disperse them, witnesses said. It was not clear whether the demonstrators were shot by police trying to contain the violence or by private security guards from local firms and businesses trying to protect their properties. Most of the protests occurred near the main Bakara market on the south side of the city, while just a few kilometers away, the country's parliament was debating the security situation in the capital. Criticism of security forces Opposition lawmaker Mahad Mohamed Salad, an outspoken government critic, accused the security forces of mishandling the protests and killing innocent civilians. "A driver and a passenger and at least three other people who were protesting were killed by security forces. They were shot by the same security personnel who were meant to protect them," Salad said. The last few years, motorized rickshaws have virtually monopolized public conveyance in the city because of their mobility and the fact Mogadishu's major roads have been closed by government soldiers to prevent al-Shabab car bombs. Over the last three years, security forces have killed more than 20 tuktuk drivers in Mogadishu. More than 20,000 young people directly or indirectly depend on the tuktuk business, said Mohamed Abdi, 19, a tuktuk driver. "If the government does not solve the challenges we face, our last resort might be forcing it in some way or another," he said. Another protester, Ali Nur, 22, was among hundreds of Somali migrants who were repatriated to Mogadishu from Libya months ago. He said this business was the only opportunity available to him, although it is dangerous and even deadly. "We constantly face soldiers holding their guns improperly, and sometimes they aim their guns at us," he said. "In several cases, they pull the trigger as they conduct security checks, killing an innocent tuktuk driver." Promise of justice To try to calm the protesters, Mogadishu Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman promised the government would bring the killer to justice. "We are very sorry for what has happened and we promise that we will bring the soldiers who carried out the shooting to justice, and the same time figure out how to facilitate your businesses without compromising security," the mayor said. The Mogadishu drivers shared videos on social media that show their challenges, including government soldiers blocking the city's main roads, as well as other soldiers who they say extort money from them. But Saturday's protests erupted after one such video showed a government soldier, who was manning one of the city's security checkpoints, fatally shooting a young driver and a passenger. The reason for the shooting was still unclear, but in prior shootings, government security officials have accused the young drivers of ignoring soldiers' warnings and helping al-Shabab assassins to escape. Finns voted on Sunday in a general election in which widespread public dissatisfaction with recent spending cuts looked likely to propel the opposition Social Democratic Party back to government for the first time in 16 years. The left-wing party leads Finland's two main opinion polls with about 19 percent of the vote, having campaigned against the austerity policies of Center Party Prime Minister Juha Sipila and his Finance Minister Petteri Orpo leader of the conservative National Coalition Party. But the far-right Finns Party, led by hardline MEP Jussi Halla-aho, has seen a surge in support in recent months during an anti-immigration dominated campaign, urging people to "Vote for some borders." Polls show the Finns Party ending up in second or third place, meaning it could hold significant influence in the talks to form the next government, which in Finland is typically a coalition of three or four parties. The current center-right government, elected in 2015, promised to rebalance the nation's economy after a prolonged slump with a program of deep spending reductions. However, cuts to Finland's prized education system, and a tightening of unemployment benefit criteria, provoked loud and widespread public opposition. Casting her vote shortly after polling stations opened at 9:00 am (0600 GMT), a Helsinki resident who gave her name as Jenny said that she had only settled on who to vote for at the last minute. "There have been a lot of cuts and some, like education, in areas they promised they wouldn't cut. Of course, the parties from the last government are going to suffer because of that now," she told AFP. Another voter, Katja Katajamaki, told AFP she felt the government's austerity had gone "too far in some ways". "I don't think that you just fix the situation with spending cuts," she said. Petteri Orpo, leader of the conservative National Coalition Party and co-architect of the government's savings program, has denounced the Social Democratic Party's anti-austerity plans as "irresponsible". However, in a tacit acknowledgement that the public mood has turned against further belt-tightening, Orpo has insisted the economy is now strong enough to allow for some more generous public spending. A record 1.5 million Finns, over a third of the electorate, had already cast their ballots during a week of advance voting earlier this month. Populist surge Opinion polls suggest the Social Democrats' lead has narrowed in recent weeks to as little as two points, ahead of the National Coalition and Finns Party which are battling it out for second place. Some have blamed the shrinking lead on the inability of party leader Antti Rinne, a 56-year-old former trade union boss, to attract large numbers of new, younger voters. The growing Finns Party ratings, on the other hand, appear to be driven by new supporters who have not voted in the past. The Finns Party has run a vocal campaign calling for asylum-based immigration to be reduced to almost zero, and decrying the "climate hysteria" of other parties seeking action against global warming. At a Finns Party rally on the eve of the vote in Myyrmaki, a disadvantaged suburb of the capital, a crowd of people, young and old, clamored around party leader Jussi Halla-aho, asking for autographs and congratulating him on the campaign. "You will be the next prime minister," one woman assured him. Forecasts suggest no party is likely to draw more than 20 percent of the vote, meaning the result could be historically close. This could make the negotiations to build a government coalition particularly tricky. The major parties have all expressed strong reservations about joining a government with the Finns Party, whose policies lurched to the right after Halla-aho became leader in 2017. Ageing population pressure Finland has a rapidly ageing population and declining birth rate, and the question of how to keep funding the country's generous welfare state has been a key election battleground. Yet the Social Democratic Party may face tough economic conditions in which to implement its anti-austerity promises: many economic forecasts suggest Finland's GDP growth will slow in the coming years. Immigration became a hot election topic despite Finland being western Europe's most homogeneous country with a foreign-born population of just 6.6 percent. In January, outrage over highly publicized reports of an alleged string of sexual assaults by immigrant men boosted support for the Finns Party's anti-immigration agenda. Polls close at 8:00 p.m. (1700 GMT), with all votes provisionally counted by 9:45 p.m. (1845 GMT). Finland's leftist Social Democrats won first place in advance voting ahead of Sunday's parliamentary election, with 18.9 percent of the votes, after 35.5 percent of ballots had been counted, justice ministry data showed. The center-right National Coalition of outgoing Finance Minister Petteri Orpo came in second, with 17.2 percent of the advance ballots. The Center Party of outgoing Prime Minister Juha Sipila scored third, with 15.4 percent. The nationalist True Finns party came in fourth, with 15.1 percent of the vote. About 36 percent of voting-age Finns cast their votes in a seven-day advance voting period that ended on Tuesday. The results from these votes are often skewed due to differences in voter behavior in different regions. Public broadcaster Yle is expected to publish its forecast of the final election result at 1830 GMT. With the top contenders running close, the final results could still show another group winning and getting the first shot at forming government. The Finns' strong showing further complicates coalition talks, with most party leaders ruling out any cooperation with them. At the stake in the election is the future shape of Finland's welfare system, a corner of its social model, which the leftist want to preserve through tax hikes and the center-right wants to see streamlined because of rising costs. The Finns call for limits on the country's environmental policies, arguing the nation has gone too far in addressing issues such as climate change at its own expense, as well as a revamp of its immigration stance. With the European Parliament election less than two months away, the Finnish ballot is also being watched in Brussels. A strong result for the Finns Party could bolster a nationalist bloc threatening to shake up EU policy-making. Ivanka Trump arrived in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, Sunday for a summit on African women's economic inclusion and empowerment. President Donald Trump's daughter and senior adviser visited a coffee shop and textile company in Addis Ababa. She is there to promote a $50 million initiative enacted by her father in February that is aimed at encouraging women's employment in developing countries. The Women's Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative says it hopes to "reach 50 million women by 2025, through the work of the the United States Government and its partners." "Fundamentally, we believe that investing in women is a smart development policy and it is a smart business," Ivanka Trump said after sampling coffee at a traditional Ethiopian ceremony. "It's also in our security interest, because women, when we're empowered, foster peace and stability." It was not immediately clear if the controversy that surrounds the U.S. president will follow his daughter to Africa. The president has not been kind in his remarks about Africa and its migrants. "I don't think people will have a good feeling" Ethiopian journalist Sisay Woubshet said about the president's daughter visit to the continent. Marakle Tesfaye, an activist, said, however, "I think she's coming genuinely to empower women and it's good that she's coming because she will push forward our agenda." Ivanka Trump will also meet with meet with Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed before going on to Ivory Coast, where she will attend a meeting on economic opportunities for women in West Africa. She is also scheduled to an make an appearance at a World Bank policy summit. An idea floated by President Donald Trump to send immigrants from the border to sanctuary cities to exact revenge on Democratic foes could end up doing the migrants a favor by placing them in locations that make it easier to put down roots and stay in the country. The plan would put thousands of immigrants in cities that are not only welcoming to them, but also more likely to rebuff federal officials carrying out deportation orders. Many of these locations have more resources to help immigrants make their legal cases to stay in the United States than smaller cities, with some of the nations biggest immigration advocacy groups based in places like San Francisco, New York City and Chicago. The downside for the immigrants would be a high cost of living in the cities. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University announced this week that an analysis found that immigrants in sanctuary cities such as New York and Los Angeles are 20% less likely to be arrested out in the community than in cities without such policies. With immigrants being less likely to commit crimes than the U.S. born population, and with sanctuary jurisdictions being safer and more productive than non-sanctuary jurisdictions, the data damns this proposal as a politically motivated stunt that seeks to play politics with peoples lives, said George Gascon, district attorney for San Francisco. Tens of thousands of immigrants Trump has grown increasingly frustrated over the situation at the border, where tens of thousands of immigrant families are crossing each month, many to claim asylum. His administration has attempted several efforts to stop the flow and he recently shook up the top ranks of the Department of Homeland Security. The idea to ship immigrants to Democratic strongholds was considered twice in recent months, but the White House and Department of Homeland Security said the plan had been rejected. But Trump said Friday he was still considering the idea. Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only, Trump tweeted. He added that, The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy - so this should make them very happy! In California, needing work Wilson Romero is an immigrant from Honduras who chose to settle in the San Francisco Bay Area. Romero, 27, was separated from his daughter, now 7, by federal authorities at the U.S. border at El Paso, Texas, last year and jailed for three months before being released and making his way to live with his mother in San Jose, California. There he was reunited with his daughter, who attends public kindergarten. Romero says he goes about daily errands in public without worry of discrimination. His daughter has made friends and has playdates with the children of Mexican American families. Its a far cry from his hometown in the violence-plagued outskirts of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, that he fled after his brother-in-law was killed. To him, the biggest problem with being in the Bay Area is the high cost of living. The former textile factory worker relies on his mothers income from waitressing for food and clothing, and hes started thinking about asking legal permission to move to North Carolina, where an uncle resides and says its cheaper to live and work. To tell the truth, its a little tight now, financially speaking, said Romero, a former textile factory worker, who said he doesnt know of any charities that may be willing to help. Legal, logistical issues The plan discussed by Trump would also have financial, logistical and legal issues. The transportation of immigrants who are arrested at the border to large and faraway cities would be burdensome and costly at a time when Immigration and Customs Enforcement is already stretched thin, having released more than 125,000 immigrants into the country pending their immigration court date since Dec. 21. They are currently being released mainly in border states. Flights chartered by ICE cost about $7,785 per flight hour, according to the agency, and require multiple staffers, including an in-flight medical professional. The agency also uses commercial flights. Doing longer transports would increase liability for the agency, especially considering that many of the immigrants in its care are families with young children. And despite the consideration given to releasing the immigrants on the streets to sanctuary cities, the Trump administration actually has plenty of jail space to detain families. As of April 11, the nations three facilities to detain immigrant families were nowhere near capacity, including a Pennsylvania facility housing only nine immigrants. Its also unclear how long the immigrants would stay in these cities because they are required to provide an address to federal authorities, typically of a family member, as a condition of their release. Its illogical, said Angela Chan, policy director and senior attorney with the San Francisco-based Asian Law Caucus. Its just alarming that they are spending so much effort and so much time to engage in political theater. The Trump administration has long pushed back against cities with sanctuary policies, which generally prohibit local authorities to cooperate with federal immigration police, often by refusing to hold people arrested on local charges past their release date at the request of immigration officers. More than 100 local governments around the country have adopted a variety of these policies. New York City will always be the ultimate city of immigrants, the presidents empty threats wont change that, New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio said in a statement. But Trump seemed ready to step up his fight with the cities, vowing to give them an unlimited supply of immigrants from the border. A drive-by shooting outside a popular Melbourne nightclub in Australia early Sunday left one man dead, another critically wounded and two others injured, police said. Police said shots were fired from a car into a crowd standing outside the two-story Love Machine club, hitting three security guards at the nightclub and one patron. Police appealed for anyone with video footage or information to come forward. They have made no arrests so far. Four people were taken to a hospital, two of whom in critical condition. Police later confirmed that one man, 37 years old, had died. They are investigating whether a black Porsche SUV seen leaving the area is related to the shooting. The car was later found burned out. These things are still incredibly rare and theres nothing to indicate at the moment that this is part of a broader agenda, said Andrew Stamper of Victoria state police. Love Machine host Steve Yousif posted on Facebook: Overwhelmed with all your calls and texts, nothing but love for you all. What happened last night was uncalled for and devastating. For some of you it was a night out, the rest of the Love Machine family lost a beautiful soul today, he wrote. Gun violence is rare in Australia, which strengthened its gun laws following the murders of 35 people by a lone gunman in 1996 in Tasmania. In New Zealand, an Australian white supremacist has been charged with murder over the March 15 mosque attacks that left 50 dead, leading that nation to ban a range of semi-automatic weapons. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he does not think the Venezuelan people will tolerate the Maduro regime much longer. "The devastation wrought by Nicolas Maruro, the tragedy of the humanitarian situation there bought out solely by Maduro making the choice to bring in the Cubans, to allow Russians to intervene in the country -- those are things that are destroying the lives of young people in Venezuela," Pompeo told Peru's El Comercio newspaper Sunday. Pompeo was on the last day of a four-nation tour of South America, where the economic and political calamity in Venezuela was among the top concerns during talks in Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Colombia. "This is not something that has happened in the last weeks or months. This is devastation wrought by the Cubans, the Russians and Maduro over the last years. ... I'm very hopeful that it'll come to its conclusion quickly," he said. Watch: Pompeo Spoke to VOA About Venezuela, Iran, and Nicaragua: Pompeo again said all options are on the table when it comes to U.S. involvement in Venezuela. But the Trump administration has not said under what circumstances it would use military action. The U.S. has already imposed a number of sanctions against some Venezuelan officials and the country's oil sector. Pompeo's stop in Colombia will include a visit to the border city of Cucuta, which is separated from Venezuela by a bridge. Tons of U.S. food, medicine and other relief supplies are sitting in warehouses in Cucuta, waiting to be delivered. Maduro has refused to let U.S. aid into the country, calling it the vanguard of a U.S. invasion. Pompeo said the Trump administration wants to be deeply engaged in Central and South America, noting that great democracies, free market economies and transparency have not always flourished in the region. "There were many communist countries in Latin America for many years, but that's the great thing that's changed. This idea of the totalitarian Orwellian state of communism is being rejected by the people of South America. It's glorious," the secretary said. But while Pompeo said the U.S. welcomes Chinese private enterprises bringing goods and services to Latin America, competing with what the U.S. has to offer, he said Latin countries must be aware that Chinese companies may come instead for "malign activities." "State-owned enterprises, companies deeply connected to the Chinese government that want to put infrastructure, telecommunications infrastructure inside of your country ... we want to make sure everyone has their eyes wide open," Pompeo said. The United States has accused Chinese computer and telecommunications firms, including Huawei, of installing spyware in its products charges the companies deny. Pompeo told the Peruvian newspaper that if the country uses Chinese technology, its information would be "in the hands of President Xi (Jinping) and the People's Liberation Army." Tens of thousdands gathered at St. Peter's Square as Pope Francis celebrated Palm Sunday Mass. Palm Sunday marks the start of the holiest and one of the busiest times on the Popes calendar. On the day the Church also celebrated the day of the youth, the pope urged young people not to be ashamed to show their enthusiasm for Jesus. As is tradition, Sunday Mass in Saint Peters Square on Palm Sunday began with Pope Francis sprinkling holy water and blessing palm fronds and olive branches for the service in front of the towering obelisk in the center of the square. The Vatican said over 40,000 people were present for the occasion. The pope wore bright red vestments and held a braided palm as he and many cardinals and bishops took part in a long procession before he held mass at an open-air altar in front of Saint Peters Basilica. Palm Sunday marks the day Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Pope Francis began his homily by saying, Joyful acclamations at Jesus entrance into Jerusalem, followed by his humiliation. Festive cries followed by brutal torture. This two-fold mystery accompanies our entrance into Holy Week each year. The pope said that it was important to resist the temptations of triumphalism and remain humble. He added, One subtle form of triumphalism is spiritual worldliness, which represents the greatest danger, the most treacherous temptation facing the Church. The pope said that Jesus destroyed his triumphalism by his Passion. On Palm Sunday, the church also marks World Youth Day. The pope called on young people not to be ashamed to show their enthusiasm for Jesus but at the same time not to fear following him on the way to the cross. The Vatican has announced that the next World Youth Day will be held in Portugal in 2021. Pope Francis asked those gathered at the end of the mass to pray for peace in the Holy Land and all of the Middle East. Like every year the pope has a busy schedule this week. On Holy Thursday he will visit the prison of Velletri, south of Rome, where he will wash the feet of 12 prisoners. On Good Friday he will lead the Way of the Cross procession at Romes ancient Colosseum. And, on Easter Sunday the pope will give his traditional blessing to the city and to the world. Forty red dresses hang outside of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, a short distance from the U.S. Capitol. Theyre strategically placed near trees and waterfalls alongside the Riverwalk located in the museums Native landscape. Theyre present 24 hours a day, in all weather, to draw attention to the plight of missing and murdered indigenous women who experience violence at a much higher rate than non-indigenous women. On this day, they snap furiously in a wicked wind, commanding attention. The powerful installation is the creative brainchild of visual artist Jaime Black, whose goal is to raise awareness about the high rate of violence against native women. What I do is I put up empty red dresses in public spaces so that people can connect to the absence of these women, but also to the power and presence of the women through the red dress, she says. The color red Her choice of the color red was deliberate. Its our sacred life blood, its where vitality comes from, and our energy, and our power as human beings, but its also an allusion to the violence and the loss of that sacred life blood through violence, she says. Paying homage On this freezing day outside the museum, Black honors the women the dresses represent with a special performance. As a Native American elder beats on a drum, the artist, barefoot and all in black except for a red silk scarf around her neck, kneels and rubs clay on the ground near the entrance to the museum. Its been raining hard all morning. But it stops as Black starts her performance. Spectators gather round as she clutches her pot of clay and walks slowly toward the dresses. She winds her way around the ledge of a curved pool and wades into the cool water, smearing some of the dresses with the mudlike substance. I really wanted to use my talents and my gifts to further the voices of a lot of people who are silenced, she says, and indigenous women are really facing this epidemic of silence. While Blacks work has focused mostly on Canadian women so far, shes brought her project to the U.S. for the first time, to address an issue that spans the entire Western hemisphere. REDress project She calls her installation The REDress Project, or The re-dress project. Redress is a word that means to put right a wrong, and indigenous women have been facing injustice in North America for hundreds of years, she says. Ever since settlers came to North America, theres been a violent relationship between settlers and indigenous people and I feel like that violent relationship carries on still today. She calls that systemic discrimination, The Colonial Project. The Colonial Project is basically interested in erasing certain voices in favor of a certain system, she explains. So the legal frameworks, the political frameworks, these things were built by non-indigenous people to silence indigenous people, and so all of these systems have created a space where indigenous women are erased. But more and more Native women are refusing to be silenced and are becoming proactive, leading movements, participating in protests and petitioning their governments for more recognition. I think in these ways and these movements, like Standing Rock and Idle No More movement, we see the strength of indigenous women to really maintain culture in the face of such colonial violence, Black says. Hope for change Black and other supporters, including Machel Monenerkit, deputy director of the museum are also encouraged by the presence of two Native American women in Congress now; Debra Anne Haaland, serving as the U.S. Representative for New Mexicos 1st congressional district, and Sharice Lynnette Davids, serving as the U.S. Representative for Kansass 3rd congressional district. I think the 2019 Congress for women was exceptional in the numbers that we now have in Congress, but for Native people having two indigenous women represent Kansas and New Mexico is obviously something weve not seen before, and hopefully well be able to bring attention to Native issues, Monenerkit says. In the meantime, Black hopes the red dresses, all of which are donated, will have an impact on all who get to see them. What I think that the artwork and creativity can really do is really hit people in the heart, she says. People who walk by those dresses they cant unsee that. Thats going to sit in their memory for a very long time, and I think it has a really emotional impact on people even before they know what the dresses are even there for. Release appears imminent of a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's nearly 400-page report on Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, but sparring over Mueller's conclusions is already rampant. Washington is expecting that Attorney General William Barr could disclose the report on Monday or Tuesday, much-awaited details from Mueller's 22-month investigation of Donald Trump campaign contacts with Russia and whether Trump, as president, obstructed justice by trying to thwart the probe. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told Fox News Sunday, "I don't think it is going to be damaging to the president." Congressman Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee that is probing the election, told CNN on Sunday that Barr should release the full report and underlying investigatory evidence to his panel, but Barr has balked. "To deny the Judiciary Committee and the Congress the knowledge of what's in parts of the Mueller report is not proper," Nadler said. No one other than Barr and key officials in the Justice Department, Mueller and his team of prosecutors appear to know what the report says about the extent of Trump campaign links with Russia during his 2016 campaign or whether he took any actions as the U.S. leader aimed at inhibiting the investigation. Barr released a four-page summary of the Mueller conclusions three weeks ago, saying the prosecutor had concluded that Trump and his campaign did not collude with Russia to help him win but had reached no conclusion whether Trump obstructed justice. But with Mueller not reaching a decision on the obstruction issue, Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided no obstruction charges against Trump were warranted. Nadler said that even though Barr concluded no obstruction charges should be brought against Trump, his decision should not go without review. Nadler noted that Barr, before he became the country's top law enforcement official, wrote that Trump could not obstruct justice because the president "is the boss of the Justice Department and could order it around to institute an investigation, to eliminate an investigation or could not be questioned about that." "In other words, (Barr) thinks as a matter of law a president can't obstruct justice, which is a very wild theory to which most people do not agree," Nadler said. "The fact of the matter is we should see and judge for ourselves and Congress should judge whether the president obstructed justice or not, and the public ultimately." Nadler said it "may be that Mueller decided not to prosecute obstruction of justice for various reasons that there wasn't proof beyond a reasonable doubt on some things. But there still may have been proof of some very bad deeds and very bad motives. And we need to see them and the public needs to see them." Since the release of Barr's summary, Trump has claimed "total exoneration, no collusion, no obstruction." Trump for months derided Mueller's investigation, but said he believes Mueller acted honorably in clearing him of colluding with Russia. Opposition Democrats like Nadler have launched new investigations of Trump, a Republican, but the president is objecting. On Twitter, Trump said Saturday, "Why should Radical Left Democrats in Congress have a right to retry and examine the $35,000,000 (two years in the making) No Collusion Mueller Report, when the crime committed was by Crooked Hillary, the DNC and Dirty Cops? Attorney General Barr will make the decision!" He was referring to Hillary Clinton, his 2016 opponent, and the Democratic National Committee, which supported her candidacy. Barr has said he will release as much of the Mueller report as possible, while excluding material Mueller included from secret grand jury testimony and confidential U.S. intelligence sources. Sudan's main protest organizers have called for the immediate handover of power to a civilian government in the wake of the military coup that ousted President Omar al-Bashir last week. On Sunday, the military council said it would name a civilian prime minister and Cabinet to help run the country but would not name a civilian to the office of the president. A military spokesman also said the council would not stop the demonstrations that are continuing. It remains to be seen if the announcement will satisfy the protesters who have demanded the council "immediately and unconditionally'' transfer power to a civilian government. The Sudanese Professionals Association, which has led calls for a civilian government, has urged more demonstrations until its demands are met. The demonstrations against longtime leader al-Bashir led to his removal by the military last week. The protests began December 19, with demonstrators accusing al-Bashir's government of economic mismanagement that has sparked skyrocketing food prices, and fuel and foreign currency shortages. Sudan's defense minister, Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf, said a transitional military council will run the government for the next two years. The leader of that council, Lieutenant General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, said Saturday he is committed to transferring power to a civilian government within two years. He also ordered the release of all prisoners jailed under emergency laws ordered by the ousted president. Al-Bashir, who came to power in an Islamist coup in 1989, imposed a nationwide state of emergency 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. Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in connection with atrocities in the western region of Darfur. Thousands of Sikh pilgrims from across the world have gathered at a shrine in Pakistan to celebrate the Vaisakhi harvest festival amid heightened security. The festival concluded Sunday, with pilgrims bathing and worshipping at a pond at Gurdwara Punja Sahib in the town of Hasanabdal, outside Islamabad. Some 2000 Sikhs traveled to Pakistan from neighboring India despite recent tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals. Sikhs are a small minority in Muslim-majority Pakistan, but many Sikh holy sites ended up in the country after the 1947 partition from India following independence from Britain. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to VOA Spanish Service Senior Reporter Gesell Tobias in Asuncion, Paraguay, about issues related to Venezuela, Iran and Nicaragua. Below is a full transcript of the interview. QUESTION: Thank you, Secretary Pompeo, for another time, another opportunity to talk to you. SECRETARY POMPEO: "Its great to be with you again." QUESTION: Thank you. Lets begin with one of the hottest topics, Venezuela. This is one of the topics you have been talking about for quite a long time already, and I would like to know how you can explain to the Venezuelan people who is the real president. We take into consideration that some Venezuelans still pay taxes to the government of Nicolas Maduro. If a government, a foreign government, needs to help their own citizens living in Venezuela, they need to get in contact with Maduros officers. How can we explain that to the Venezuelan people? SECRETARY POMPEO: "Thats a great and important question. The Venezuelan people have spoken. The sham election that gave Maduro the pretend authority that he has the world has recognized. There are now 54 countries in addition to the people of Venezuela who recognize that Maduro is not a legitimate leader. He still has control of elements of power, to be sure, but the people have spoken; we know what they want. Maduro and his henchmen have destroyed this nation. The Venezuelan people can see that very plainly. Its why they didnt want him back. They gave power to the National Assembly, now Juan Guaido, in a way that will ultimately deliver true democracy and prosperity back to Venezuela. You know the history. This is a rich nation, a wealthy nation, a nation of people who are industrious and are prepared to work very, very hard. What they need is a leader who is prepared to help them, not be corrupt, not turn over power to the Cubans, and demand interventions to save them by the Russians. The new leadership will do that, and the United States stands ready to support not only the Venezuelan people but all of the countries in this region were sitting here today in Paraguay the countries of this region who recognize the same." QUESTION: What about if Maduro continues to hold the military power and to hold the city? Does the U.S. have a new strategy to go does Maduro have a deadline, for example, for the U.S. Government? SECRETARY POMPEO: "So the strategy is not just an American strategy. Its the Venezuelan peoples strategy. The opposition groups banded together, made clear that it was unacceptable what Maduros regime did. They gave Juan Guaido the authority through the National Assembly to lead their nation forward. This wont be an American solution to this problem. Itll be the solution that the Venezuelan people choose. I remark sometimes people think Maduro is winning, and yet hes handed over all of his power to the Cubans, to the Russians. This is weakness from Maduro. And so this weakness will ultimately lead to his departure, and democracy and prosperity will be restored in Venezuela. I am very confident of that." QUESTION: And I know you already answered this question many times, but I have to ask. Are all options on the table still? SECRETARY POMPEO: "Of course. They remain on the table. We keep all options on the table because its very important, in that we dont know how things will proceed. The Venezuelan people are entitled to the democracy that they have demanded, and we want to make sure that the resources of the United States of America arent foreclosed from being used if that turns out to be the right thing to do." QUESTION: Now, as you mentioned, Maduro has the support of Russia and China. Does that turn a decision against the government of Maduro more complex to take? Could this rise tensions between Washington and the Kremlin? SECRETARY POMPEO: "I always remark Ill hear some of the Maduro people talk about intervention in Venezuela. The Russians will say the Americans shouldnt intervene in Venezuela. I mean, its almost funny to say, right? They have intervened in the most fundamental ways. The Cubans own the security apparatus. I would think if you were a Venezuelan military leader, youd be embarrassed by that, right? The people, the people of Venezuela, want their own security. They want their own democracy. They want Venezuelans to lead their nation, not people from a small island, not people from Russia. They want their country to be led by their own people, and thats what thats what Brazil and Colombia, the Lima Group, the OAS, here in Paraguay, thats what all the leaders of the region are demanding, and its what the United States stands ready to support." QUESTION: Is there any line of communication between U.S. officials and Venezuelan militaries? SECRETARY POMPEO: "I dont think theres any mistake about what Americas position is with respect to the Venezuelan military. Weve made clear publicly that they ought not to continue to support Maduro, that this regime is over, its done, its day is finished, and that a new page needs to be turned, and that those who continue to support Maduro will face their own consequences, and those who make a different decision, those military leaders that make the decision to defend the Venezuelan people, will find happier days." QUESTION: And does the U.S. support or has given any advice to the Guaido government about giving amnesty to any Venezuelan military who turns their back on Venezuelan government? SECRETARY POMPEO: "Sure, were talked with Juan Guaido about what a first day would look like, right? Maduro will leave, and we want to make sure that that next day that the world stands ready to support Venezuela. That will involve making decisions about how to address the transgressions of senior military leaders, those that inflicted violence, those who did harm to Venezuelans well, theyll be held accountable. Those who made a different decision, a better decision, a decision on behalf of the democratic institutions of Venezuela, will be treated very differently." QUESTION: With many countries in Latin America turning to the right and with the economical crisis in Venezuela at its worst, do you think the Iranian Government still have some presence in Latin America? And if it does, is it still a threat for the U.S. national security? SECRETARY POMPEO: "So the question is does the do the Iranians? Yes. Theres no doubt Iranian money remains in South America being used for malign purposes, supporting Hezbollah, supporting transnational criminal organizations, supporting efforts at terrorism throughout the region. The United States is working with our partners in this area to take down those networks, to take down that risk. IRGC you saw the other day there was an air flight straight, straight from Tehran to Caracas. This is Iran intervening in South America. Thats not in the best interest of the South American people, and the United States stands ready. We see Iran for what it is, the worlds largest state sponsor of terror. Thats a global threat, and were prepared to push back against it not only in the Middle East but in South America and wherever we find that threat present." QUESTION: Moving forward, Secretary Pompeo, yesterday you mentioned in a speech from Santiago, in Santiago, and you used Chile as an example, as a model for economical growth. But Chile also have many trades with China $43 billion, if Im not mistaken and the U.S. comes as a second partner. Can any country from Latin America have economical and diplomatic relationship with China while at the same time they do with the United States? SECRETARY POMPEO: "Well, of course. What we have said about China is very clear. The United States has big economic relationships with China. We want China to thrive and prosper. Heres what we dont want, especially in South America. We dont want China to show up with bags full of money and bribe officials. We dont want China to show up and put Huawei or Chinese technology into the infrastructure of these countries so that the citizens, the citizens of Chile or the citizens of Paraguay, have their information, their private information, stolen by the Chinese Government. We dont want corrupt activity. China should compete. We have democracies here in South America now. This is a glorious thing where theres free markets and capitalism and opportunity. That value set of transparency, of the rule of law, thats the one the South American people are demanding. It is not what China brings. If China shows up to compete on a commercial basis, that seems perfectly reasonable. When they show up with malign intent, to give money with strings attached, which will destroy the sovereignty of a South American nation, thats not good for the people in that country, and the United States is prepared to help those countries recognize that threat and to offer alternatives to it." QUESTION: Changing the topic a little bit, the U.S. cut the funds for three countries in Central America Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Is this a final decision, or can they make things better and gain the confidence of the U.S. Government and also the money? SECRETARY POMPEO: "Yeah, of course, they can. The United States is the most generous nation when it comes to both humanitarian and foreign assistance of any country in the world. The Trump administration has maintained that. What we want to make sure is where we provide those resources, those dollars from the American taxpayer, that they are effective, that we get outcomes not only what we want but that those countries want as well. So President Trumps decision, we saw that those countries werent doing what needed to be done to prevent this enormous migration challenge, this crisis that the United States has at its southern border. As those countries work to develop systems to prevent their citizens from taking this incredibly dangerous journey from Guatemala, from Honduras, or from El Salvador through Mexico into the United States, when those countries begin to take actions that stop that, well reconsider that decision." QUESTION: And my last question, Secretary. This week Nicaragua will remember a year since the political and social crisis began. More than 350 people died in this crisis. The negotiations are very slow right now, and their oppression continues with people who has demonstrated publicly. Is the United States taking new steps against the government of the president in Nicaragua? SECRETARY POMPEO: "Thats a great question. Here I am in Paraguay. I was in Chile. Ill be in Peru, Ill be in Colombia, before I head back to the United States. You watch most of the countries in South and Central America turning in the direction of freedom, in the direction of liberty, in the direction of democracy; and yet, you have Venezuela and Nicaragua stuck in history, stuck with dictatorships, stuck with bad leadership, kleptocrats, stealing from their own people. Our efforts in Nicaragua are very similar to those in Venezuela. We want the Nicaraguan people to have all the great things that they are entitled to have and that they so desperately want. And Mr. Ortega and his wife both need to change their ways in order to give Nicaragua that very opportunity." QUESTION: Secretary Pompeo, thank you very much for your time with Voice of Americas Spanish Service. SECRETARY POMPEO: "Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. Its great to see you again. " QUESTION: Thank you With reporting by Christopher Miller in Kyiv, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, AP, AFP, and Reuters. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko arrived at Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv for a presidential election debate even though his challenger, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said he will only agree to spar with Poroshenko at the stadium five days later. Poroshenko is to face Zelenskiy in Ukraine's presidential runoff on April 21. Zelenskiy won the first round earlier this month by a large margin, and most, if not all, opinion polls put him well out in front of the incumbent ahead of the final vote. Both candidates have agreed to hold a debate, but disagreed on the date. Zelenskiy insists the debate take place on April 19 while Poroshenko wants it held on April 14. Poroshenko, accompanied by his wife and children, walked inside a glass-encased room sandwiched between the stadium and the adjacent hotel where dozens of journalists were waiting. He took to the stage, with the moderator off to the side. They welcomed Zelenskiy as well but noted his absence. "It was not me who proposed the site of the event, it was a certain man," Poroshenko told the audience, standing next to an empty lectern bearing Zelenskiy's name. He then addressed Zelenskiy, saying, "I know you're watching," and added, ironically, that Zelenskiy must be having a rest after his trip to Paris where he met French President Emmanuel Macron. Poroshenko also called on Zelenskiy to show up at the stadium, saying that otherwise he would invite him to a televised debate every day. Asked by a reporter if he would cooperate with Zelenskiy if the latter won the presidency, Poroshenko replied, "If, God forbid, he were to be elected, that would still be the choice of the Ukrainian people and I would respect that choice." The stadium has confirmed it also received a request to hold a debate on April 19, leaving open the possibility that Zelenskiy will show up on his preferred date and speak to supporters alone. There also weren't any spectators in the stadium, though a large crowd of about 1,000 people stood outside to listen to a broadcast of Poroshenko's statements and his answers to journalists' questions. The campaign has been marked by theatrics on both sides, including public moves by both candidates to be tested for drugs and alcohol. According to a statement on April 13 on the Ukrainian presidential website, press will be admitted to Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv on April 14 starting at 1 p.m. local time (1000 GMT/UTC), 15 minutes before what it says is the start of the scheduled debate. Most likely, if Zelenskiy doesn't show up, the event will turn into a Poroshenko rally. On April 12, Poroshenko traveled to Berlin and Paris to seek international support ahead of the April 21 runoff. Zelenskiy traveled only to Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron, who separately met with Poroshenko as well. In Berlin, Poroshenko met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who praised the "very close relations" her country has built with Ukraine in recent years. At a joint news conference, Merkel deflected a question about the impression that she favors Poroshenko in the election. She said that she was in "permanent contact" with the incumbent. Her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said a meeting with Zelenskiy "is not planned at present." Germany, France, and Ukraine are part of the so-called Normandy Format of countries seeking a resolution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed separatists are fighting against government forces. Russia is the fourth country in the format, which has not held talks in two years. Poroshenko said he would be prepared to hold a summit "immediately after the election." He later met Macron in Paris. Macron first hosted Zelenskiy, who told journalists that his meeting with the French president was held in a "very nice, warm atmosphere." Zelenskiy won the first round by a wide margin over Poroshenko, but he did not receive enough support to avoid the runoff. An independent poll released on April 11 suggests that Zelenskiy enjoys a commanding lead ahead of next week's runoff. The Sociological Group "Rating" said its polling early this month points to 51 percent popular support for sitcom star Zelenskiy, who appeared on the political scene late last year, versus 21 percent for Poroshenko. The race was even more lopsided in Zelenskiy's favor among respondents who intend to vote in the second round of the election -- 61 percent to 24 percent. The U.N. envoy for Syria held "substantial" talks Sunday in Damascus with Foreign Minister Walid Muallem on efforts to find a political settlement to the country's eight-year-long war. "We have had very detailed substantial discussions," Norwegian diplomat Geir Pedersen told reporters after the meeting. "We are now addressing all the issues so all the issues are at the table," he said, without specifying. The envoy said he was set to hold more talks with Syrian officials later in the day. "Let's see how we are able to proceed later this afternoon," he added. State news agency SANA said Pedersen and Muallem discussed ongoing efforts to advance Syria's political process, including moves to form a committee tasked with drawing up a post-war constitution. They also spoke about the envoy's diplomatic activities since his last visit to Damascus in March, SANA added. Pedersen arrived in Damascus on Saturday, in his third official visit to the country since assuming his post in January. He became the fourth U.N. negotiator aiming to resolve Syria's conflict following the resignation of his predecessor Staffan de Mistura. Since early January, he has traveled extensively to meet with the government, opposition and others. The U.N. Security Council remains deeply divided over the way forward in Syria. Veto-wielding Russia, a key backer of President Bashar al-Assad, has taken a lead role in diplomatic efforts through the so-called Astana group with Iran and Turkey that has largely sidelined U.N. diplomacy. Syria's war has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since the conflict began with the repression of anti-government protests in 2011. The regime has made a military comeback with Russian military support since 2015, and now holds almost two-thirds of the country. U.N. aid agencies are urgently appealing for the release of thousands of refugees and migrants held in Libyan detention centers near combat zones, where their lives are in peril. Security in the Libyan capital Tripoli is worsening as fighting increasingly moves from the suburbs into the city center. The World Health Organization reports the number of war dead now has risen to 121, with nearly 600 wounded. WHO condemns repeated attacks on health care workers. It notes eight ambulances have been struck since a renegade general began his march on Tripoli 11 days ago. The U.N. refugee agency reports more than 1,500 refugees are being held in official government detention centers in Tripoli. Spokesman Babar Baloch tells VOA there is great concern for the safety of the refugees and the many migrants who are being detained in areas where active conflict is ongoing. "We have spoken to refugees in detention centers who tell us that they can hear the clashes, and many are really scared. Sowe are asking, advocating for release of all refugees and migrants from detention," he said. The U.N. human rights office is calling for guarantees of protection of extremely vulnerable civilians, including refugees and migrants, many of whom are being held in horrific conditions. Human Rights spokeswoman, Ravina Shamdasani told VOA the inmates are under significant peril as many may be caught in the cross fire. "Especially when armed groups involved in the conflict exercise influence or control over the detention facilities, these ad hoc detention facilities for migrants. Based on previous experience in Libya, we are also concerned that migrants may be used as human shields or forcefully recruited to fight as well," she said. The U.N. agencies are urging the Libyan authorities not to abandon the refugees and migrants in the prisons and detention centers. They are calling on all parties in this conflict to guarantee that detainees are treated humanely, in line with international law. The White House denies President Donald Trump is inciting violence and Islamophobia for a tweet critical of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and her seemingly dismissive comment about the September 11 attacks. "Certainly the president is wishing no ill will and certainly not violence towards anyone," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told Fox News Sunday. "But the president should be calling out the congresswoman for not only one time but a history of anti-Semitic comments," she added, accusing Omar's fellow Democrats of "looking the other way." But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the memories of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on New York and Washington are "sacred ground and any discussion of it must be done with reverence." Democratic Congressman Jerrold Nadler said on CNN Sunday he had no problem with Omar's comments. "I have had some problems with some of her other remarks, but not with that one," he said. In an emotional speech last month to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Omar spoke out against discrimination against and suspicions of Muslims. "CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something, that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties ... for far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and, frankly, I'm tired of it and every single Muslim in the country should be tired of it," she said. Trump's Friday tweet included Omar's brief line "somebody did something" followed by more than 40 seconds of September 11 terrorist attack news footage and a large graphic repeating the words "somebody did something." Other Omar critics have focused solely on that one single line, accusing her of trivializing the inhumanity of September 11 but not mentioning the rest of her speech. Some Democrats accuse Trump of stirring up the same kind of Islamophobia that Omar was decrying. Nadler sais Trump has "no moral authority" for talking about September 11. He accuses Trump of "stealing" a $150,000 grant meant for small-business owners to rebuild their destroyed businesses after the attack and using that money for his own real estate holding. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders noted that then-President George W. Bush, a Republican, went to a mosque after 9/11 to assure Muslim Americans that they are not criminals and terrorists. The White House on Sunday, echoing President Donald Trump, said sending undocumented migrants to sanctuary U.S. cities that have protected them from deportation remains a possibility even though government agencies have said it would be impractical and there is no money allocated to do it. "We certainly are looking at all options as long as [opposition] Democrats refuse to acknowledge the crisis at the border," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told the "Fox News Sunday" show. Trump said late Saturday on Twitter, "Democrats must change the Immigration Laws FAST. If not, Sanctuary Cities must immediately ACT to take care of the Illegal Immigrants - and this includes Gang Members, Drug Dealers, Human Traffickers, and Criminals of all shapes, sizes and kinds. CHANGE THE LAWS NOW!" Hundreds of U.S. cities, along with California, the country's most populous state, have declared themselves as havens for migrants who have illegally crossed the southern U.S. border with Mexico, refusing the help U.S. immigration officials to track down the immigrants so they can be deported. U.S. border authorities apprehended more than 100,000 undocumented migrants, mostly from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, at the border in March, nearly twice that in the same month in 2018. "The USA has the absolute legal right to have apprehended illegal immigrants transferred to Sanctuary Cities," Trump said. "We hereby demand that they be taken care of at the highest level, especially by the State of California, which is well known (for) its poor management & high taxes!" The U.S. now houses thousands of migrants at the border, but is running out of beds and instead is releasing new arrivals into the U.S. on their promise to appear at asylum hearings that might not occur for two years. The Department of Homeland Security has said that Congress has not appropriated any money to transport the migrants from the border to far-flung sanctuary cities across the U.S., while the Immigration and Custom Enforcement agency has called it an "unnecessary operational burden." Sanders said, "Nobody thinks this is the ideal solution," sending migrants to sanctuary cities. But she said mayors of cities "who want this... should be looking to help" Trump resolve the crisis at the border. She accused Congress of wanting to spend "all of its time investigating the president" rather than dealing with the immigration turmoil at the border. Trump tweeted, "So interesting to see the Mayor of Oakland and other Sanctuary Cities NOT WANT our currently 'detained immigrants' after release due to the ridiculous court ordered 20 day rule. If they dont want to serve our Nation by taking care of them, why should other cities & towns?" Trump was referring to a court ruling prohibiting the U.S. from detaining migrant minors, those under 18 years old, for more than 20 days, before being required to release them to relatives in the U.S. or other care givers. A key Republican lawmaker, Sen. Lindsey Graham, told another Fox News show, "Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo," that after the current two-week congressional recess ends, he would introduce legislation that would authorize the detention of children beyond 20 days, "toughen up our asylum standards," and allow migrant children to be returned to Central American countries, which is not now allowed once they have entered the United States. "We're never going to change this with troops and walls at the border," Graham said of the U.S. immigration crisis. "Doing what we're doing is not working." He added, "If you get one foot into the United States," migrants can seek asylum. "The word is out that if you come with a minor, you're never going to get deported. We need to change that narrative. We need troops at the border. We need a law. But these [U.S.] laws are insane." By FARAI MUTSAKA HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) The death toll from the cyclone that ripped into southern Africa last month is now above 1,000, while the number of cholera cases among survivors has risen above 4,000. The United Nations has described Cyclone Idai, which hit Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi nearly a month ago, as one of the deadliest storms on record in the southern hemisphere. Zimbabwes information minister on Tuesday said the death toll in that country has risen to 344. Mozambique has reported 602 deaths and Malawi at least 59. Zimbabwes efforts are now confined to recovery of the deceased and the government will send pathologists to Mozambique to help identify bodies, said Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa. An unknown number of Zimbabweans were washed down mountainsides into Mozambique, which also has turned from search and recovery efforts to relief work providing food and shelter to survivors. Zimbabwe, whose economy is badly struggling, said it needs $612 million to assist survivors and has appealed for international support. A final death toll is yet to be established and might never be known. A cholera outbreak among survivors was declared in Mozambique on March 27 and had led to 4,072 cases and seven deaths as of Tuesday morning, according to government figures. Most of the cases of the acute diarrheal disease have been in Mozambiques hard-hit port city of Beira, where running water recently was restored. The system, however, reaches just 60% of the population of roughly 500,000. More than 745,000 doses of oral cholera vaccine have been distributed since the vaccination campaign launched last week, the government said. Cholera is spread via contaminated water or food and can kill within hours if untreated. Treatment is relatively easy with rehydration and antibiotics. Now malaria is a growing concern as floodwaters continue to recede in parts of the sodden region. More than 7,500 cases of the mosquito-borne disease have been reported, the government said. ___ Associated Press writer Cara Anna in Johannesburg contributed. A woman who has come to symbolize protests in Sudan after being photographed chanting atop a car during demonstrations against President Omar al-Bashir said on Thursday she had received death threats since her image went viral. Clad in white, Alaa Salah can be seen poised above the crowds in Khartoum, where demonstrators gathered to demand the military hand over power to civilians. The ouster on Thursday of Bashir, 75, followed months of protests against his rule. "I wanted to get on the car and speak to the people," according to a post on a Twitter account for Salah, 22, an engineering and architecture student at Sudan International University. "We need international support, for people to be aware of what's happening and to understand our demands." The post praised the role of Sudanese women, many of whom have taken to the streets in protest. Figures from the World Bank show that less than half of women finish secondary school in Sudan, where female life expectancy is about 66 years old. "You cannot have a revolution without women. You cannot have democracy without women," read the tweet. "We believed we could, so we did." Calling herself "very proud to take part in this revolution," Salah said her life has been threatened since her picture and video went viral on social media. "I will not bow down. My voice can not be suppressed," according to a tweet on her account, adding that she would hold Bashir responsible "if anything happens to me." Reuters could not reach Salah for comment or verify that she wrote the tweets herself on her account rather than representatives. Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague and faces an arrest warrant over allegations of genocide in Sudan's Darfur region during an insurgency that began in 2003 and led to the death of an estimated 300,000 people. He denies the allegations. Guide to Holy Week and Easter in Rome and the Vatican in 2019. Holy Week, or Settimana Santa, the week of religious events leading to Easter, began on 14 April with Palm Sunday, the final Sunday of Lent, and continued on 18 April with Holy Thursday, commemorating Christ's Last Supper. On 19 April, Good Friday, Pope Francis celebrates the Lord's Passion in St Peter's Basilica at 17.00. This is followed at 21.15 by the Via Crucis or Way of the Cross, a solemn torch-lit procession at the Colosseum. The annual ceremony - which dates to the 18th century and was revived in 1964 - attracts around 20,000 faithful who listen to meditations re-enacting Christ's crucifixion. Via Crucis at the Colosseum At 20.30 on Saturday 20 April Pope Francis celebrates the Easter Vigil at St Peter's Basilica, while the next morning the pope celebrates Easter Sunday Mass in St Peter's Square at 10.00, concluding at midday with the traditional Urbi et Orbi papal blessing from the balcony of St Peter's. Tickets, free of charge, are required for the papal Masses but not for the Via Crucis or Urbi et Orbi. For details see Vatican website. There are also numerous English-language religious services for Easter in the city. Roman restaurants typically offer menus featuring abbacchio (lamb) on Easter Sunday however you will need to reserve your table in advance due to high demand. In the lead-up to Easter, Rome's bakeries sell a sweet cake, made in the shape of a dove, known as a colomba. Colomba Easter cake Easter Monday, or Pasquetta, is a national holiday in Italy, and all public offices will be closed. Many Romans mark this day by having a picnic with family or friends in the city's parks. Tourists should note that Rome's state and city museums will be open on Easter Monday but the Vatican Museums will be closed. The uncovered Holy Stairs can be visited for a limited time. Photo Adnkronos. This Easter in Rome offers the unique opportunity to visit the Holy Stairs - a sacred staircase which Christ is said to have ascended to be sentenced to crucifixion by Pontius Pilate - which have been uncovered for the first time in 300 years. Cover image: Vatican News Our initial thought was that there would be a difference in abundance in cities versus rural areas, Nelson said. The implication is that being white is not very advantageous in the wild. Thats why theyre rare: They get picked off by carnivores. But in the city theres a decreased abundance of predators, and maybe thats allowing the white color pattern to become more abundant. Kevin Fowler was traveling west in the 11000 block of Old Annapolis Road in Frederick shortly after 11 p.m. when his motorcycle crashed into a Subaru Forester heading east. Fowler, who lived in Frederick, was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver of the Subaru was treated at the crash site and released. No other vehicles were involved in the collision. In August, Judge Hiram Puig-Lugo sentenced Decuir to 23 years in prison, the maximum sentence according to District guidelines. Puig-Lugos anger during the sentencing was palpable. I know the governments theory was this was a robbery gone bad, but I sat through that evidence. That was not a robbery gone bad. That was somebody being disrespectful to you in front of your boys, Puig-Lugo said. Im aware that Mr. Mercer had that shotgun in a duffle bag. But lets be clear. You were the one who followed him. He didnt follow you. You were the one who shot him in the back. On Friday, police said they had linked 11 package thefts in recent weeks, all from front porches in Northwest. The thefts in the Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods started Feb. 18, on Fairmont Street NW. Morehouse College to begin taking transgender men: The country's only all-male historically black college will begin admitting transgender men next year, marking a major shift for the school at a time when higher education institutions around the country are adopting more welcoming policies toward LGBT students. Leaders of Morehouse College said that its board of trustees approved the policy Saturday. Transgender men will be allowed to enroll in the school for the first time in 2020. Students who identify as women but were born male cannot enroll, however, and anyone who transitions from male to female will not be automatically eligible to receive a degree from the institution. Turns out that we do not, and she was right: In just four months, the Food and Drug Administration had approved at least two new drugs for acute leukemia, completely changing our treatment paradigm for the disease. Several more drugs would be approved for the disease throughout 2018. Now, instead of treating all leukemia patients the same way, we had different drug options depending on a patients genetic and molecular abnormalities. British police shoot at car outside Ukrainian Embassy: British police officers fired shots at a car outside the Ukrainian Embassy in London after it rammed other cars parked in front of the embassy. London's Metropolitan Police said the suspect is a man in his 40s who did not appear to be injured but was taken to a central London hospital for a precautionary check. Police said the incident is not being treated as related to terrorism. The 1883 Pendleton Act was enacted because hiring and firing employees is not the same as buying office equipment or establishing auditing standards. Under the spoils system, politicians rewarded supporters with federal jobs and removed people who did not agree with their policies. This president and his administration have granted security clearances against the advice of national security professionals, are accused of reassigning senior career staff to far-flung posts for disagreeing with the administrations policies and have berated a civil servant for accurately describing the inaugural crowd size. Then there is Doug Manchester, who, after being nominated by Mr. Trump as ambassador to the Bahamas, told senators that the country was a protectorate of the United States, even though it is not and never has been. The Post also reported that multiple women said they felt uncomfortable or demeaned by Mr. Manchester when he was the owner of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Whats actually going on is that the global system for international trade dispute resolution is functioning, to the benefit of the United States contrary to so much rhetoric from Mr. Trump about how it is rigged against this country. The United States and the E.U. have been fighting peacefully, through their lawyers over aircraft subsidies for about 15 years, with Washington claiming that Brussels violates WTO rules by underwriting Airbus production and Brussels claiming that the Pentagon (through defense contracts) and the states (through tax breaks) do the same for Boeing. To cut a long story short, the WTOs answer to the parties has been that theyre both right, and both entitled to retaliate. But the magnitude of the E.U. subsidy to Airbus, roughly $20 billion, is significantly greater than the U.S. subsidies to Boeing. Hence, U.S. retaliation including, the administration warned, tariffs on airplanes from Europe would probably dwarf measures the Europeans say they might be allowed to levy against this country, and which they are preparing. Barr said he is also making his own inquiries into the issue because he is concerned intelligence agencies may have crossed ethical lines established during the 1970s to prevent surveillance on purely political activity. Pressed by Democrats during his testimony to say whether he had any evidence to justify his concerns, Barr said, I have no specific evidence that I would cite right now, leaving open the possibility that he might do so at a later date. The blistering attacks on the president reflect Sanderss developing, and arguably risky, strategy of reaching out to Trumps voters people the president has said would support him even if he shot someone. Its a sharp contrast with other Democratic candidates who are focused on mobilizing Trump opponents. Not incidentally, it is also a way to signal to Democrats that Sanders is their best hope for knocking off Trump, at a time when many fear he is the opposite. Last week, a man in New York was arrested and charged with threatening to kill Omar, whom he had described as a terrorist. The next day, Trump criticized the Minnesota Democrat during a speech to a conservative Jewish group, declaring that Omar doesnt like Israel. Buttigieg has worked to rub off the heavy sheen of implausibility from his upstart candidacy, insisting that being a two-term mayor of a city in the middle of the country gives him more governing experience than Trump and that he is the face of a new generation that wants to bypass the partisanship and rancor that has gripped Trumps Washington. Before Donald Trump took office, we had a situation that was manageable we had spikes, but it also went down. But what we have now is a constant pushing of the system so that it doesnt work, Thompson said. Rather than being punitive, the president has to step up and provide real leadership, which hes failed to do on immigration. In a memo to supporters on Sunday obtained by The Washington Post, Gillibrands campaign said there was no question that its fundraising in the first quarter was adversely impacted by certain establishment donors and many online who continue to punish Kirsten for standing up for her values and for women. Harriss household income places her in the upper tier of candidates who have shared their returns so far. Warrens 2018 returns revealed roughly $900,000 in combined income for her and her husband. Gillibrands filing included her $167,000 Senate salary and $50,000 in book proceeds. Klobuchar released her tax returns through 2017, and reported less than $300,000 in combined income for her and her husband that year. Inslees 2018 return reported an adjusted gross income of $202,912. We will welcome it; we will look at it. We are open-minded, Danon said in an interview. Unlike the Palestinians, we do respect the work that was done by the team, and we will be willing to look at it and speak about it. The Palestinians say exactly the opposite they say we dont want to speak with the Israelis, and we dont want to see the plan that was drafted by the U.S. Some tribal leaders and analysts say the clashes are a result of minor altercations at checkpoints that quickly spiraled out of control. Other tribal leaders and local officials said the coalition was funding and arming tribes linked to both ISIS-Y and al-Qaeda to fight the Houthis. The disputes, they say, began when the coalition began funneling more weaponry to the tribesmen with AQAP. After spending months drawing, scrunching up and then drawing again six famous Andy Warhol portraits last year, artist Cj Hendry told her 350,000-plus Instagram fans the drawings would be printed on T-shirts, which would be available for purchase. Fans practically had their credit cards at the ready, but there was a problem: a production issue meant the entire project had to be scrapped. "I was like, 'Oh my God, Im an idiot'," says New York-based Hendry. "I went white, got a bit panicky, and then I was like, 'OK, let's throw them away creatively'." Hendry and her team packed up the shirts, painted the boxes red and marked them "trash only". What followed was a mad scavenger hunt around New York, as Hendry dumped the boxes in random spots, giving fans on Instagram clues where to find them. Within moments of sharing a post, 50-plus people would pounce, grabbing what they could. Pat Mullins, the housewife from Nollamara in Perth, Western Australia, who suffered from skeletal dysplasia of the femur that is, one leg is shorter than the other, allowing her to "roll" in a straight line was one of Lilley's most loved characters. The accusation critics would level at that performance that it is "disability appropriation" is hard to reconcile with the fact that Pat's death was devastating, and that Lilley's performance as the character was both nuanced and genuinely moving. Similarly, the characterisation of Jonah Takalua was battered by accusations of "blackface" which, curiously, did not surface materially when we were introduced to the character in 2011 but took until 2017 to find momentum. And yet Lilley's performance as Jonah, his battle with literacy and bullying from the school faculty, and his battle with his own self-esteem, was impactful. On the basis of that substance, it's tough to consign Jonah to the pop culture dustbin. Chris Lilley as Jonah Takalua in Angry Boys. Credit:John Tsiavis And what should we make of Lilley's Ricky Wong, the Chinese physics student from We Can Be Heroes, who eschewed academic overachievement in favour of art, and took the role of Walkabout Man in the high school musical Indigeridoo. To summarise: that's a white man, playing an Asian kid, wearing indigenous face paint, playing an Aboriginal. How that didn't turn into a tsunami of social media protest goes some way to explaining how flimsy and inconsistent such firestorms can be. The problem with social media warfare is that it demands treaties be signed in less than 280 characters and that's tough when a comedian's nuance comes to the table. It is true that Lilley is a provocateur. His art plainly hungers for both the endorsement of the cool kids at school and the opprobrium of their parents and teachers. The relationship between comedy and offence is hard to navigate at the best of times. And while such cultural appropriations seem a straightforward and legitimate accusation, it stumbles because it is unevenly applied. That that statement could be interpreted as a defence of blackface which it is not is itself proof of the challenge in bringing simple arguments to complex issues. 2011's Angry Boys gave us S.mouse, the African American rap artist. Of all of Lilley's characters, he seems to have drawn the loudest criticism. Partly perhaps because he is the clearest case of blackface. But also because, broadly, he is one of Lilley's weakest characterisations. In the same series, however, Lilley played Jen Okazaki, a Japanese wife and mother of three who obsessed over her son Tim. If that performance was not singled out in the same way, should we conclude a comedian playing Asian is less offensive than blackface? The many faces of Lilley in We Can Be Heroes. Credit:ABC Look at Sacha Baron Cohen's performance as General Shabazz Aladeen, the fictitious Arab dictator. It drew some criticism, but not much. Should we conclude that a comedian playing an Arab is funny but blackface is not? Scott Morrison was trackside at Randwick to witness Winx notch up her 33rd consecutive victory on Saturday. Coincidentally enough, it also marked the end of Mr Morrisons 33rd week in the top job. The Prime Minister rubbed shoulders with Governor-General Peter Cosgrove, swimming legend Dawn Fraser and television personality Kerri-Anne Kennerley at the raceday VIP lunch, and shook hands with punters ahead of Winxs 3pm start. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and wife Jenny watch Winx win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer "It was just spirited, the way the crowd just carried her home," Morrison said moments after the win. He said he expected to remember the occasion for the rest of his life. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten cheered on Winx's big win on his smartphone from his campaign bus on the NSW Central Coast. 'Snowball chamber' helps researchers use supercooled water to search for dark matter WASHINGTON, D.C., April 14, 2019 -- After watching YouTube videos of people supercooling water in a bottle and then triggering it to freeze by banging it, something about this concept solidified for Matthew M. Szydagis, an assistant professor of physics at the University at Albany, State University at New York, especially when he saw it again during the Disney movie "Frozen." During the 2019 American Physical Society April Meeting in Denver, Szydagis will describe how this inspired him to explore whether a subatomic particle like dark matter can trigger the freezing of supercooled water. Read more at https:/ / arxiv. org/ pdf/ 1807. 09253. pdf . "All of my work is motivated by the search for dark matter, a form of matter we're sure is out there because we can observe its indirect gravitational effects," Szydagis said. "It makes up a significant fraction of the universe, but we have yet to uncover direct, conclusive and unambiguous evidence of it within the lab." If water is clean enough -- low in impurities, such as dust particulates -- and placed in a smooth enough container, Szydagis explained, it can be cooled below its freezing point of 0 C (32 F) without freezing. "This is called 'supercooling' and is similar to how water can be easily superheated in the microwave, essentially heated above its boiling point without actually boiling. It's simply the reverse," he said. "The water ends up, in either of these cases, in a state known as 'metastability,' neither unstable nor quite stable either." A disturbance can trigger the phase transition, freezing and crystallization, in this case. "This isn't ordinary freezing, and it forms white snow instead of clear ice," he added. "We cooled liquid water to as cold as -20 C (-4 F). in our lab without it freezing. It isn't the same as freezing point depression, like when you salt your sidewalk, because the water was pure and not contaminated with impurities on purpose." The group demonstrated that certain forms of particles hitting the water can microscopically (subatomically) cause it to freeze if it's supercooled first. "Some particles like neutrons can even scatter multiple times within the water," Szydagis said. "We were able to show this not only with commercially available sources of particles, but also a Fiestaware 'radioactive red' plate with orange uranium-based paint from the 1950s." They created a new detector based on the supercooled water, dubbed the "snowball chamber" because that matches well with "bubble" and "cloud" chambers, which are technologies from the early- to mid-20th century that use boiling and condensation. Supercooled water certainly isn't new; it's been studied for numerous decades by chemists and condensed matter physicists, down to -40 C (-40 F). There are even publications about it dating back more than 100 years old. "But we managed to discover a new property of supercooled water," Szydagis said. "To our great surprise, we found that some particles (neutrons) but not others (gamma rays) trigger freezing. Since this is basic research that has never been done before, there was no guarantee it would work. It was a 'let's try it and see' approach -- the scientific method in its most basic form. Not only do we have a new detector of fundamental particles, but potentially of dark matter because neutrons are thought to emulate it." The group envisions numerous other potential implications for their discovery, including detecting nuclear weapons in cargo for homeland security, understanding cloud formation, and providing clues as to how certain mammalian species hibernate, supercooling their blood somehow. ### The presentation, "The Snowball Chamber: Using Supercooled Water to Search for Low-Mass Dark Matter," will take place at 2:54 p.m. MT, Sunday, April 14, in room Governor's Square 11 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. ABSTRACT: http://meetings. aps. org/ Meeting/ APR19/ Session/ J09. 8 USEFUL LINKS Register as Press: https:/ / goo. gl/ forms/ 7l15SaH0GOAbhBgR2 Main Press Page: https:/ / www. aps. org/ meetings/ april/ press. cfm Main Meeting Page: https:/ / www. aps. org/ meetings/ april/ Hotel Information: https:/ / www. aps. org/ meetings/ april/ hotel-travel. cfm PRESS REGISTRATION APS will provide free registration to all staff journalists representing media organizations, professional freelance journalists on assignment, and student journalists who are attending the meeting for the express purpose of gathering and reporting news and information. Press registration grants full access to all scientific sessions, to the press room, and to the press conferences. We will also provide complimentary press registration to university press officers, PIOs and other professional media relations staff. Press registration grants full access to all scientific sessions, to the press room, and to the press conferences. Press credentials are approved at the sole discretion of APS. For press related questions about the APS April Meeting, email media@aps.org>. PRESS CONFERENCES A series of press conferences will be held during the meeting at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. The press conferences will be live webcast, and members of the media who are unable to attend the meeting in person may register to view the live webcasts at https:/ / www. apswebcasting. com . ABOUT APS The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy, and international activities. APS represents over 55,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and throughout the world. Society offices are located in College Park, Maryland (Headquarters), Ridge, New York, and Washington, D.C. https:/ / www. aps. org/ This story has been published on: 2019-04-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Australia's top Great Barrier Reef officials warn the natural wonder will virtually collapse if the planet becomes 1.5 degrees hotter a threshold that scientists say requires shutting down coal within three decades. This federal election campaign is a potential tipping point for Australia's direction on climate action, as the major parties pledge distinctly different targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. However neither party has rejected the proposed Adani mine outright or promised to phase out coal, an export on which Australia is heavily reliant. Climate change has already wrought devastating effects on the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef, including two consecutive years of mass coral bleaching in 2016 and 2017. It was the briefest of moments but it went to the heart of why Bill Shorten has hand-picked Kristina Keneally - former premier, one-time TV host and now federal senator - to play a key role in his campaign to become prime minister. Mr Shorten was conducting a press conference in the Sydney suburb of Ryde on Friday, having earlier talked with people battling pancreatic cancer or those who had lost a loved one to the disease that kills nine in every 10 sufferers within five years. Senator Kristina Keneally boards Bill Shorten's campaign bus on the second day of the race to The Lodge. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen One of those in a real fight for her life was Susan Sumner. As Shorten paid tribute to her resilience, a wave of sadness swept across Sumner's face. A gentle rub was extended to her right shoulder. It was from the hand of Keneally. In an election campaign that will be dominated by highly staged media events, it was the most human of moments. And one shared only between two people. And, of course, we clocked up another change of prime minister something we should never accept as business as usual. We had nine byelections almost as many as the record holding 20th Parliament of 1951-54 led by Robert Menzies which saw 10 byelections. The difference then was nine MPs died in office as opposed to todays lot who were simply paperwork deficient dual-nationals. Its been an unusual start to what promises to be an unusual election. But then again the 45th Parliament was far from regular. But that was then and the election campaign is now. What should we expect? The first is a change in Scott Morrisons tone to be more, sound more and act more prime ministerial. Theres a simple reason for that his preferred prime minister lead over Labors Bill Shorten is the one number in the polling thats in positive territory. That means Coalition campaigners will see votes in highlighting Morrisons leadership attributes compared with those of Shorten. Loading Political junkies will know that it isnt unusual for prime ministers to win on this measure, even if their political fortunes are fading or, in Morrisons case, if the polls are to be believed, incinerating like a council tip on fire. Thats simply because its easier to make an assessment about someones performance in the job when they are actually doing the job. One exception worth calling out is during Tony Abbotts time in the big chair when he was regularly beaten by opposition leader Shorten. Despite the bumps in the Coalition governments road since then, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison consistently beat Shorten as preferred prime minister. With that in mind, we have already seen Morrison start to delegate the "political hitman" role to others on his frontbench. It was Attorney-General Christian Porter who led the Coalitions response to claims frontbencher Peter Dutton and Morrison had questions to answer about prolific political donor, Chinese national Huang Xiangmo. And expect to see Senator Simon Birmingham do more of that heavy lifting as campaign spokesman. The "bill shock" of hidden payments can financially cripple families, particularly when the primary income earner is off work getting cancer treatment. Cancer patients in Australia pay only a relatively small proportion of the total costs of their care but their out-of-pocket costs can still range from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. Hefty out-of-pocket costs are a brutal sucker punch for cancer patients already dealing with the physical and emotional anguish of their diagnosis as they navigate a complex entanglement of public and private providers across several often unintegrated healthcare sectors. It's a policy that plays to the heart and the hip-pocket. An estimated 145,000 people will be diagnosed with cancer in 2019. One in two is diagnosed by their 85th birthday. Labor leader Bill Shorten has pledged $2.3 billion to slash the cost of cancer treatment by offering millions of free scans and consultations. On average, Medicare covers 63 per cent of the total costs of cancer care, ranging from 51 per cent for prostate cancer to 89 per cent for lung cancer patients. You might need to pay in full, or pay the gap for services that attract Medicare or private health insurance rebates. Being diagnosed with cancer propels patients along a nebulous trajectory of appointments, tests and treatments, all of which can attract out-of-pocket costs, from diagnostic scans, specialist consultations, drugs, radiation therapy and surgery (including anaesthetist fees) to rehabilitation. They are all the additional payments that patients and families fork out for all the healthcare services inside and outside of hospital that are not covered by Medicare or private health insurance. The ministerial advisory committees report into out-of-pocket costs found that patients were charged up to $5000 for breast cancer surgery, $3000 for pathology and $5000 for radiation treatment, all out-of-pocket. Breast and prostate cancer are known to attract exorbitant out-of-pocket costs for some patients. People with rarer cancers can rack up onerous costs just in the course of being diagnosed. Credit:Nic Walker More than one in four cancer patients paid more than $10,000 out of their pockets over two years, and one in three paid between $2000 to $4999. A recent report from the Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) found that half of Australians with cancer have out-of-pocket costs in excess of $5000. It varies dramatically, even between people with the same cancer diagnosis. Half of public radiotherapy is now provided by the private sector, increasing the chances of out-of-pocket costs. Credit:Shutterstock Their treatments are less likely to be covered by the pharmaceutical benefits scheme (PBS) than medicines for more common cancers, and crowd-funding sites are populated by pleas from desperate families trying to raise the cash needed for unsubsidised or experimental treatments, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. People with rare or less common cancers can be hit with crushing costs as they bounce between specialists, collecting tests and scans in search of a definitive diagnosis and racking up bills at every juncture. A separate study found the average out-of-pocket expenditure for prostate cancer patients was $9205 with some patients paying in excess of $17,000. Crowd-funding sites are populated by pleas from desperate families trying to raise cash. A 2018 Queensland study of more than 452 patients with one of the five most common cancers (melanoma, breast, prostate, lung and colorectal) found the median out-of-pocket costs were highest for breast cancer patients (costs ranged from $1165 to $7459) and prostate cancer patients ($971 to $8431). One notorious example involves surgeons' fees for robotic prostatectomy to treat prostate cancer. Some surgeons are known to charge patients up to $30,000 to perform the procedure while other patients pay no gap for the same surgery in a public facility. Some surgeons are known to charge patients up to $30,000 to perform robotic prostatectomy. Its up to the patient to "shop around" for better prices. But when the spectre of cancer hangs over your head, and the cost of a consultation is in the hundreds of dollar, shopping around can be a big ask. The Queensland study found that one-quarter of cancer patients paid upfront doctors fees of more than $20,000 over two years. 1. Specialists These life-saving surgeons, oncologists and anaesthetists set their own fees, and often charge what the market can bear. In some cases, patients might agree to pay a known gap for surgery only to get a shock when they later learn that the price didnt cover their anaesthetists and surgical assistants fees. 2. Treatments Almost one in five cancer patients reported out-of-pocket medication costs, in the recent CHF study. Treatment costs are largely dependent on whether it is subsidised by the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), PBS or private health policies. Intravenous chemotherapy is free in public hospitals but patients prescribed oral chemotherapy will need to shoulder some of the cost, especially from community pharmacies. Chemo patients also need to pay for any medication they need to relieve the side-effects of the treatments, such as anti-nausea drugs. Radiotherapy is generally free in public facilities. The problem is that roughly 50 per cent of public radiotherapy is now provided by the private sector, which increases the chances of patients incurring out-of-pocket fees. New therapies for cancer are rapidly emerging and can be prohibitively expensive. They can cost patients tens of thousands even hundreds of thousands of dollars a month if they are not covered on the PBS. Those who can afford it travel overseas to access the astronomically expensive treatments. For instance, the immunotherapy drug Keytruda costing $11,300 per script or $188,000 a year is subsidised for people with advanced lung cancer, Hodgkins lymphoma and unresectable stage III or stage IV malignant melanoma. (Unresectable means it is not possible to remove all of the melanoma.) Cancer patients might get free access to these types of new and promising experimental treatments on clinical trials but their numbers are limited and access is often confined to large metropolitan centres. Those who can afford it travel overseas at their own expense to access the astronomically expensive treatments. In some cases, expensive cancer drugs are available through compassionate access schemes offered by drug manufacturers but these schemes aren't transparent. 3. Private health insurance People with private health insurance have reported double the out-of-pocket costs of cancer than those without insurance, regardless of the time since diagnosis. This might be due to higher gap payments, or paying for treatments that would have been free or subsidised if accessed under the public system. The average out-of-pocket costs reported by privately insured women with breast cancer was double that of uninsured women ($7000 compared to $3600), according to the Breast Cancer Network Australias financial impact report. Patients often dont realise or arent told that they are not locked into private treatment and could choose to be treated as a public patient. Prostate cancer patients with private health insurance reported double the out-of-pocket costs (an average $10,052) of patients without private health insurance ($5103 on average), regardless of time since diagnosis. Out-of-pocket costs are significantly higher for melanoma patients who choose to use their private health insurance. The long waits for initial consultations at public clinics mean many patients often have their first consultation in a specialists private rooms, setting them on a private patient pathway, and incurring higher expenses for treatments with higher gap payments. They often dont realise or arent told that they are not locked into private treatment and could choose to be treated as a public patient. A patient receives radiotherapy for breast cancer. Credit:Shutterstock 4. Tests and scans More than one-quarter of cancer patients report paying out-of-pocket for diagnostic imaging. One reason for this is because many public facilities have privatised their radiology and pathology services or patients access these services closer to home, which often incurs costs. More than 300,000 Australians skip radiology each year because of cost. More than 300,000 Australians skip radiology each year because of cost, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. When the federal government announced new Medicare items for breast cancer imaging scans, Health Minister Greg Hunt said it would save women up to $1500 for MRI and $1000 for PET scans. If a diagnostic imaging service isnt covered on the MBS, patients can pay up to $1000 for a single scan. Patients with rarer cancers report paying in excess of $3000 for imaging scans just to establish a diagnosis. 5. Location Distance matters. Cancer patients living outside the major cities have 17 times the odds of reporting geographical or financial barriers to care compared to those living in metropolitan areas. A study of regional cancer patients found travel expenses accounted for 71 per cent of out-of-pocket costs. The further away you live from your treating hospital, the higher the out-of-pocket costs. A study of regional cancer patients found travel expenses accounted for the biggest share of out-of-pocket costs (71 per cent) followed by medical appointments (10 per cent) and co-payments for medications (9 per cent). Cancer patients in regional areas paid on average $2263 in out-of-pocket costs over an average of six months, another Queensland study found. 6. The miscellaneous money drain There is a litany of costs that are easily overlooked but that add up: Parking fees at hospitals and clinics, up to $70 per day wound dressings over-the-counter medication organising childcare while undergoing treatment Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Health Minister Greg Hunt visit the Icon Cancer Centre in Canberra in April. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen What's the Coalition offering? In the past year, the Coalition government has listed $1.4 billion worth of medicines on the PBS to treat cancers. It also introduced new Medicare rebates for expensive MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans and PET (positron emission tomography) scans related to breast and prostate cancers, and will invest an additional $31 million to more than double the number of Commonwealth-funded prostate cancer nurses from 28 to 62 by 2022-23. The first specialists under the microscope will be gynaecologists, obstetricians and doctors working in cancer services. The Coalition has pledged to build a searchable website that will list individual specialists' fees for specific services to help patients avoid bill shock and crack down on doctors charging egregious out-of-pocket sums. The website will not include health-fund rebate information nor Medicare gap payment information, and the voluntary scheme will not compel specialists to publish their fees. The first specialists under the microscope will be gynaecologists, obstetricians and doctors working in cancer services including urological surgeons and breast cancer specialists. Earlier this year, the Coalition provided $38.6 million for 23 new clinical trials to improve treatments and discover cures for debilitating and deadly rare cancers. Labor leader Bill Shorten (centre) with Labor's candidate for Bennelong, Dr Brian Owler, Dr Michael Lannan, cancer patient Susie Sumner and shadow health minister Catherine King at a diagnostic imaging centre in NSW in April. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen What's Labor proposing? Labor's $2.3 billion cancer package over four years would fund several initiatives designed to address out-of-pocket costs. $600 million for up to 6 million free medical scans (including X-rays, MRIs, ultrasounds and CT scans) $433 million for 3 million fully bulk-billed specialist consultations $300 million capital works fund for cancer hospitals and regional radiation centres $500 million to shrink treatment waiting lists for cancer patients in state-run hospitals $37.7 million to support kids with cancer $10 million to develop an informed financial consent standard to ensure patients are given clear and consistent information about the costs and options of their treatment Bill Shorten admits that some of the services Labor promises to fund are already free in public hospitals, but he says waiting lists are forcing people into the private system. Both Labor and the government have guaranteed to list every drug on the PBS that the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) recommends, and has committed to expanding regional radiation services. The Cancer Council, Consumers Health Forum and Breast Cancer Network Australia have all broadly welcomed Labor's and the Coalition's cancer announcements. Our explainers give you background on the news in Australia and overseas. If you want something explained, including during the federal election campaign, drop us a line at explainers@theage.com.au or explainers@smh.com.au Police are the scene of a nightclub shooting in Prahran. Credit:Chris Hopkins Sandra, a 19-year-old who lives nearby, saw the shooting out of her bedroom window while studying. I just saw the car roll up and then 'pow, pow, pow, pow' - four times they shot, she said. Sandra said the outside of the club was still busy, with many patrons around the entrance. The people were all lining up to get in the club, they just start screaming and yelling Oh my god, oh my god. When the car left they ran to the people on the ground. I just saw the car roll up and then 'pow, pow, pow, pow' - four times they shot. Sandra said she saw two men on the ground, one who had been shot in the leg. It was horrific, it was so horrible. I couldnt sleep, I dont know if Im going to be able to do my exams tomorrow. I guess this stuff happens but I just saw it all through my window. The shooters car drove over Malvern Road and was last seen driving up Bray Street. Homicide Detective Inspector Andy Stamper said it was too early to say whether it was a targeted or random shooting. No arrests have been made. This is just a horrendous act, he said. He said the full weight of the crime department would be thrown into the investigation. No stone will be left unturned, he said. An officer photographs evidence left at the scene. Credit:Chris Hopkins Detectives are expected to investigate links to an outlaw motorcycle gang which has made extortion attempts on the nightclub. A security guard from Love Machine said the music inside the R&B nightclub was so loud that patrons and staff inside had no idea anything was occurring outside during the shooting. Chapel Street is home to a number of popular nightclubs and the shooting on Sunday occurred while many people were still out. One woman posted to social media to let her family and friends know she was safe after she witnessed the shooting. There was a shooting right in front of us at Love Machine while we were standing across the road ... so please if anyone is out at clubs please go home now, she said on Facebook. Police officers at the crime scene on Sunday morning. Credit:Chris Hopkins We are all in shock but we are all okay and back at the apartment safe. Malvern Road was closed on Sunday morning between Chapel Street and Surrey Road as forensic officers collect the clothes and bullet casings left outside the club. Three officers searched the drains outside the entrance to the club, pulling up the grate to photograph the area below. Edie, who lives in the nearby commission flats, says she didnt hear anything when the shooting occurred. Evidence on the ground. Credit:Chris Hopkins I think they should be stricter on the gun laws, she said. "There is a bit of trouble around here, but its usually fighting and stabbings. Its scary because its right on your doorstep - it could have happened to one of us. March was the deadliest month for shootings in Victoria in a decade, figures from the Coroners Court of Victoria show. Five people were killed in Melbourne in four unconnected shootings in less than a fortnight. Premier Dan Andrews said on Sunday shootings like this one "rock the city". He said the government had always supported police when they had sought more powers or resources to control gun crime. Im not aware of any further request for additional gun law reform but given recent events, if the police commissioner came to me and said he needed more, then of course we would stand ready to do that, he said. A GoFundMe page set up in the memory of Aaron Khalid Osmani has already raised more than $3300. Its always worrying when someone signposts their own satire if you have to tell people youre being ironic, youre probably not accomplishing it very well. Hence I am not entirely convinced that Captain GetUp, the satirical super-hero created by conservative activist group Advance Australia, is actually satire. Or at least, that he is satirising what he is supposed to be satirising. Especially since what it is supposed to be satirising is unclear. Fighting them on the Manly beaches .... Captain Getup. Credit:Twitter Confused? So is everyone, not least the superhero himself, who is named after his nemesis and wears his underpants on the outside. Gerard Benedet, the national director of Advance Australia, unleashed Captain GetUp on Tony Abbotts seat of Warringah last week to fight the hordes of orange-shirted (true) GetUp! activists working in the electorate to have the controversial ex-prime minister voted out. Prime Minister Scott Morrison will target youth unemployment in a $58 million plan to encourage students to enter vocational training with the help of scholarships and links to employers. Mr Morrison will hold out the promise of "quality careers" for young Australians by announcing 10 training hubs in areas with the highest youth unemployment, including Shepparton in Victoria and Gosford and Grafton in NSW. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the campaign trail. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer The government announced the concept in the budget but has waited until the election campaign to name the locations, which include safe electorates as well as some of the marginal seats the Coalition must win to stay in power. While the government is campaigning on job creation and economic growth, the nation's youth unemployment rate is twice the overall unemployment rate at 11.5 per cent. Its a safe bet the extravagantly wealthy Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, doesnt give a straw about the international outrage over his implementation of sharia law, much less the stoning to death of homosexuals, which was fully implemented in his nation last week, the grand finale of a five-year roll out. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has introduced the penalty of death by stoning for sex between people of the same gender. Credit:EPA The eye-watering hypocrisy and profligate spending of his family was revealed in an investigation by 60 Minutes three years ago, in which a senior Brunei cleric tells us why the royal family is exempt from sharia. Only if the boycotts of Bolkiahs raft of luxury hotels such as the Dorchester in London and the Beverly Hills Hotel in LA, led by celebrities such as George Clooney and Elton John, are sustained and devastating to his business, is it likely Bolkiah will give pause to reconsider. For the cruel truth is that Bolkiah, 72, has been shifting Brunei towards a more conservative brand of Islam for decades. Thats why outrage on Twitter or change.org petitions or condemnation from Australia's Prime Minister are unlikely to accomplish much. It would be wrong to see Brunei, a small country of 400,000 people, as some kind of homophobic exception in a world of rising tolerance for LGBTQ people. On the contrary, outside the Western world, the outlook for sexual minorities appears to be growing grimmer, especially so in Muslim majority countries. In Iran, a country its former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad famously declared was a homosexual-free zone, a gay man was publicly hanged in January for violating the countrys barbaric anti-gay laws. In Saudi Arabia, which has sharia as its legal code, gay activists and feminists have been arrested and given long prison sentences, despite a thriving LGBTQ underground community in some cities. In Egypt, where homosexuality is not technically illegal, the authorities have been brutally cracking down on the LGBTQ community since 2017. In Pakistan, gay men, transgender people and atheists have been targeted in killing sprees across major cities, their murderers rarely brought to justice. These atrocities are likely to be the tip of the iceberg; in an atmosphere of fear and paranoia, information is sketchy at best. This is our trial of the century, says Michelle Gross, from the local group Communities United Against Police Brutality. "The case has woken up a lot of people in Minneapolis. The idea that police shootings only happen to people who are doing bad things suddenly crumbled away." Loading In her opening remarks last week, Judge Kathryn Quaintance said the Noor trial has attracted more publicity than any criminal case she had seen in almost 20 years on the bench. Noor is the first police officer in Minnesota's history to be charged with murder for shooting someone while on duty. If convicted, he will be the first police officer in the state to go to jail for shooting a civilian. These facts alone make the case historically significant, but there are deeper dynamics at play that explain the enormous interest it has aroused. Unlike most US police shooting victims, Ruszczyk was a blonde, white woman who lived in a wealthy area. The officer who shot her was not just black but Muslim, a celebrated member of Minneapolis's burgeoning Somali community. When Noor was charged last year, the Somali-American Police Officers Association said: "We believe these charges are baseless and politically motivated, if not racially motivated as well." The case has has inflamed Minneapolis's racial, religious and class divides to such a degree that some of Ruszczyk's neighbours fear there will be a violent backlash if Noor is sent to jail. Let's not be naive," says Mel Reeves, a veteran activist in Minneapolis's African-American community. "Race is the elephant in the room in this trial." 'Any one of us could have made that same call' The suburb where Ruszczyk lived with her American fiance Don Damond resembles South Yarra in Melbourne or Wahroonga in Sydney. Fulton has leafy streets and stately homes, fashion boutiques and a farmers' market. Residents have a median household income of $US110,000 ($154,000), making it the fourth wealthiest neighbourhood in Minneapolis. Almost everyone who lives there is white. If you were asked to name the least likely places in town to get shot by police, this would be high on the list. "Nothing like this had ever happened in our neighbourhood before," says Mindy Barry, one of Ruszczyk's neighbours. Katherine Hamberg, who has lived in the area for 35 years, says: We had heard what was going on with police brutality in neighbourhoods of colour. "But it was only when it happened here, in our neighbourhood of white privilege, that it became real for us. Although they lived just a few doors away, Barry and Hamberg did not know Ruszczyk well. Neither did Sarah Kuhnen. She probably wouldnt remember meeting Ruszczyk at all if not for her Australian accent - a rarity in Minneapolis. Sarah Kuhnen, in blue, and other "Justice for Justine" activists outside the Minneapolis courtroom this week. Credit:AP But Ruszczyk's death had a transformative effect on her. This was a woman trying to help another woman, Kuhnen says. Any one of us could have made that same call and gone out in our pyjamas to try to help the police. Thats the type of neighbourhood we lived in. The use of past tense, she says, is deliberate. I dont feel safe anymore if police are around." The night after Ruszczyk's death, several neighbours gathered together and formed a group called Justice for Justine. They have organised vigils and protest marches and sent out press statements. They have Justice for Justine signs on their front laws reading: The world is watching. The members knew there was a risk they would be seen as a group of wealthy white people who only cared about police violence when it affected one of their own. Loading A year before Ruszczyk was killed, Philando Castile, a 32-year-old black man, was shot dead in Minnesota after being pulled over by police. The officer who shot him was charged with manslaughter, but was later acquitted. The group's members have stressed that they want to achieve more than just sending Noor to jail; they want justice for the Philando Castiles of the world as well as the Justine Ruszczyks. "Because of where we live, we have a voice and we feel we have a moral responsibility to use it speak up about how broken our police system is," Hamberg says. "Other communities didnt get big crowds of media when they had press conferences. They didnt get visits from the mayor, they didnt get visits in their home from the police chief." The group's members have worked closely with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and other activists in the black community. "They have done that at great political cost," says Todd Schuman, another neighbour. "They got pushback from people in their community who asked: where were these people when this was happening to us?" Civil rights activist Mel Reeves says most members of the black community see it as a "foregone conclusion" that Noor will be convicted. "When a black man shoots a white woman, he goes to jail," he says. Ruszczyk's neighbours are not nearly as convinced. Of the 98 police officers in the US who have been charged since 2005 with murder or manslaughter for an on-duty shooting, prosecutors have secured convictions or guilty pleas of only 35. Kuhnen believes there is at best a 50-50 chance of Noor going to jail. Michelle Goss, from the local group Communities United Against Police Brutality, is concerned that 12 of the 16 jurors in the case are men. They are likely to be more sympathetic to police than female jurors, she says. 'Because his name is Mohamed its different' Ali Kalif wants to be clear: all Muslims - even police officers - are forbidden from killing. But he believes Noor has been a victim of profound injustice. "Police officers kill people every day in America and they dont go to court," says Kalif, an optician who emigrated to the US from Somalia two decades ago. "If this was a white guy they would have let him go. Because his name is Mohamed its different." Kalif is sipping on a smoothie at the Karmel Mall in southern Minneapolis. The mall is just a 15-minute drive from Ruszczyk's home in Fulton, but it feels like another world. You can buy camel milk, traditional Somali samosas and colourful headscarves. At several points throughout the day all the shops close for prayers. The Karmel Mall, in southern Minneapolis. Credit:Matthew Knott Minnesota is home to an estimated 60,000 Somali-Americans, one of the biggest concentrations in the country. Last year the city sent the first ever Somali-American to the US Congress. The election of 37-year old Ilhan Omar was seen as a symbol of the community's successful integration into US society. It was the same in 2015 when Noor became the first Somali-American officer to serve in Minneapolis's fifth precinct. In a lengthy post on Facebook, Minneapolis mayor Betsy Hodges said Noor's arrival had been "highly celebrated, particularly by the Somali community in and around Karmel Mall". But an Uber ride to the mall makes clear that not everyone in Minneapolis has welcomed the influx of Somali immigrants. "There has been a negative reaction to the Somali community here," says Mike Ferrell, a white 40-year-old fishing guide and Uber driver. "The Noor trial has rekindled that fire." Asked why this is so he says: "They are rude, they don't understand American culture." "In the '90s so many Somalis came here so fast that it led to pushback." He says tensions heightened after September 11 and the rise of Islamic extremism. Between 2011 and 2017 some 33 Somali-Americans from Minnesota were charged with terrorism-related complaints - 13 per cent of the total charges laid over that time. Washington: Powerful storms have swept across the south of the United States after unleashing suspected tornadoes and flooding that killed at least eight people, injured dozens and flattened much of a Texas town. Three children were among the dead. Nearly 90,000 customers were without electricity in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Georgia as of midday Sunday, according to www.poweroutage.us as the severe weather left a trail of destruction. Two children were killed on a back road in East Texas when a pine tree fell onto the car near Pollok, southeast of Dallas. The tree "flattened the car like a pancake", said Captain Alton Lenderman of the Angelina County Sheriff's Office. The children, ages 8 and 3, were dead at the scene, while both parents, who were in the front seat, escaped injury, he said. South Bend, Indiana: Pete Buttigieg, the little-known Indiana mayor who has risen to prominence in the early stages of the 2020 Democratic presidential race, has made his official campaign entrance by claiming the mantle of youthful generation ready to reshape the country. "I recognise the audacity of doing this as a Midwestern Millennial mayor. More than a little bold, at age 37, to seek the highest office in the land," he said to cheers of "Pete, Pete, Pete" from an audience assembled in a former Studebaker auto plant. The South Bend mayor, a Rhodes scholar and Afghanistan war veteran who has been exploring a White House run since January, has now joined a field of a dozen-plus rivals vying to take on US President Donald Trump. "The forces of change in our country today are tectonic," he said. "Forces that help to explain what made this current presidency even possible. That's why, this time, it's not just about winning an election - it's about winning an era." April 15, 2019 MIAMI, Fla. (CBSMiami) A Florida man wanted in a triple shooting has turned himself in, according to police. 38-year-old Ernst Cherizard turned himself in to the Haines City Police Department after 2 p.m. Sunday. The Haines City police chief spoke Friday night following the deadly shooting at an apartment complex. Its disgusting to say, the least. I cant say what I really want to say about him. Thats why all Im going to tell you is that hes a male, not much of a man, who shot a child and two females, Haines City Police Chief James Elensky said. Police said 48-year-old Nicole Guillume and 23-year-old Eli Normil were shot and killed. Normils daughter, six-year-old Elizabelle Frenel, was shot in the head. She died overnight. Investigators say Normil was Cherizards girlfriend and Guillume was her relative. Investigators told CBS4 News they are aware of a Facebook post on the suspects page after the shooting that reads in part: My girl wasnt too happy about me talking to my ex baby mama to see my kids. The post goes on to say I dont know what happened. All I know is, we were fighting for the gun, then I lost it. Its almost like I was hearing voices in my head. By: Associated Press April 14, 2019 HAINES CITY, Fla. (AP) -- A 6-year-old Florida girl shot by a gunman who killed her mother and aunt has also died. Haines City Police said Elizabelle Frenel died late Saturday. Her 23-year-old mother, Eli Normil, and 48-year-old aunt Nicole Guillume died at the scene of Friday night's shooting. Police are still seeking the 38-year-old suspect, Ernst Cherizard, who had been in a relationship with Normil. Police said Cherizard fled in a burgundy 2011 Nissan Altima, license plate GZN C82. A toll booth 200 miles away near Fort Lauderdale recorded the plate early Saturday. Haines City is 40 miles southwest of Orlando. Police said Cherizard apologized on Facebook hours after the shooting, but Chief James Elensky called him "a monster." MILFORD Locker number 43 in the Milford Police Department remains empty to this day. The locker once belonged to Milford Police Officer Daniel Wasson. But Wasson, 25, was killed during a motor vehicle stop on Boston Post Road on Sunday, April 12, 1987. Milford police said on Facebook on Friday that they would never forget Wasson. Early Friday morning, recruits and staff from Platoon 27 of the Regional Police Academy paid their respects at Wassons grave site on Cherry Street in Milford and ran from there to a small ceremony in the parking lot of Bowlero in Milford, adjacent to where Wasson was killed. On April 12, 1987, Wasson and his K9 General pulled over a driver for a motor vehicle stop. The driver shot Wasson, who was found by a passing driver with a single, fatal gunshot wound to the chest. Wasson joined the police force on March 1, 1985, and had been commended three times for his performance on the force. Wasson was a U.S. Air Force veteran. His badge number 60 was retired. General was retired from police service and adopted by Wassons family. When he later died, he was buried near Wassons grave. Wasson is buried in Kings Highway Cemetery in Milford. The empty locker is meant to serve as a reminder that Wasson made the ultimate sacrifice when he died in the line of duty that day. The shooter, Bridgeport resident Thomas Hoyesen, was allegedly on a three-day cocaine binge when he killed Wasson, police said. He was later sentenced to life in prison with no parole. Williamson, WV (25661) Today Partly cloudy skies this morning will give way to occasional showers during the afternoon. Near record high temperatures. High 71F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low 53F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. VANCOUVER - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touted the strength and contributions of Canada's Sikh community as he celebrated the religion's holy day of Vaisakhi in Vancouver. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/4/2019 (977 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Justin Trudeau, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, addresses supporters at the 2019 convention of the Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario) in Mississaugua, Ont. on Friday April, 12, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young VANCOUVER - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touted the strength and contributions of Canada's Sikh community as he celebrated the religion's holy day of Vaisakhi in Vancouver. "As we celebrate Vaisakhi, let us also celebrate all the incredible contributions of this community," he said in a speech after he walked in a parade Saturday organized by the Khalsa Diwan Society. The society formed in 1902 and built the first Sikh Gurdwara in Canada several years later, according to its website. Trudeau joined other politicians and community members in walking amongst floats and performers. On the sidelines, people handed out free food along the route, including snacks and full meals to passersby. Sikhs have helped to build Canada for more than 120 years, Trudeau said, adding there are now Sikh entrepreneurs, politicians, artists and true leaders in every field. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stands to speak at the Khalsa Diwan Society Sikh Temple before marching in the Vaisakhi parade, in Vancouver on Saturday April 13, 2019. Vaisakhi is a significant holiday on the Sikh calendar, commemorating the establishment of the Khalsa in 1699 and marking the beginning of the Punjabi harvest year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck He said the values celebrated during the holy day, like equality and social justice, are values that make Canada stronger. Before the parade, Trudeau visited one of the largest Sikh temples in the country, Vancouver's Ross Street Gurdwara, where he delivered a speech with similar sentiments. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan also attended the festivities. Attendees at the morning ceremony sat on the floor, many of them in colourful turbans, as speeches by several political leaders were broadcast on two massive screens. His morning speech came just hours after the federal government agreed to remove a reference to Sikh extremism from a report on terrorism. The language was changed late Friday to remove any mention of religion, instead discussing the threat posed by "extremists who support violent means to establish an independent state within India." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada drew the ire of the Sikh community when it was released in December. For the first time, the report listed Sikh extremism as one of the top five extremist threats in Canada. Although the objections were largely about the inclusion of Sikhs at all, because of the report's lack of evidence to back it up, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said he would at least ask for a review of the language the report used. He said entire religions should never be equated with terrorism. There are roughly half a million Canadians who identify as Sikh, most of them in the Greater Toronto Area and suburban Vancouver. Follow @AleksSagan on Twitter. VANCOUVER - It was a day Heather Hobbs recalls vividly: the staff at AIDS Vancouver Island had pulled another overdose victim from the washroom, his body was blue from a lack of oxygen. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2019 (976 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manager of Harm Reduction Services Heather Hobbs is photographed in the safe injection room at AIDS Vancouver Island in Victoria, B.C., on Friday, April 12, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito VANCOUVER - It was a day Heather Hobbs recalls vividly: the staff at AIDS Vancouver Island had pulled another overdose victim from the washroom, his body was blue from a lack of oxygen. The man was revived and they closed the office in Victoria to allow staff to regroup. At the same time, in an alley just a half a block away, another of their clients was dying from an overdose. Hobbs said she remembers seeing the man leave the facility as they began cleaning up from the overdose. His death was the tipping point for the implementation of an overdose prevention site at their facility, even though they weren't yet legal, she said. "I feel like it's possible, had we not had to have closed, that he would still be alive. So it's those moments that stick with me and really drive it home that these spaces are essential in terms of keeping people alive," said Hobbs, who is the manager of harm reduction services for AIDS Vancouver Island. In April 2016, the B.C. government declared a public health emergency in the overdose crisis, allowing for the unprecedented implementation of the prevention facilities. Within weeks, 20 sites had mushroomed around the province. A new study by researchers at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research concludes the rapid implementation of the sites should be used as a template for other governments to save lives. The study says the quick response of the provincial government and community groups is an "international example of an alternative to the lengthy and cumbersome sanctioning processes for (supervised consumption sites.)" The report, published this month in the International Journal of Drug Policy, says other government demands for public consultations and an intensive application process "are highly questionable in the context of legal drug poisonings and evidence-based alternatives such as (overdose prevention sites.)" Health Canada approves the supervised consumption sites, which require an exemption from federal drug laws, while the overdose prevention sites in B.C. are sanctioned under the provincial health minister's declaration of a public health emergency. Bruce Wallace, co-author of the report, a scientist at the institute and an associate professor at the University of Victoria, said the study demonstrates how unnecessary the approval process is elsewhere. "Our research is showing that the benefits of being able to have overdose prevention sites at so many different locations and really integrated with housing, health and social support is a model to go for, rather than going back to the federal processes, which are more onerous to set up and more limited in scope." The BC Coroners Service said 991 people died of illicit drug overdoses in 2016, 1,486 died the next year and 1,510 were killed by illicit drugs in 2018. The dramatic rise in deaths coincides with emergence of the powerful opioid fentanyl, which the coroner says is responsible for the majority of illicit drug deaths. In the province, drug poisoning deaths this year equate to about 2.9 deaths a day, said the City of Vancouver in a statement Sunday as it marked the three-year anniversary of the province's public health emergency. The city flew its flag at half-mast to recognize the lives lost and said it would continue to do so on each subsequent anniversary until the provincial health officer rescinds the current state of public health emergency. Canada's Public Health Agency said last week that 3,286 people died of apparent opioid-related deaths between January and September last year. The report draws on interviews from staff at three of the prevention sites in Victoria to determine their impact. Wallace said he's frustrated that other jurisdictions in Canada aren't adopting the same innovate practices to save lives, especially because they've been warned that dangerous opioids are moving into their provinces. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "So to have that level of warning of the potential harm and not act, it's really tragic that people would not take these lessons and adopt them as fast as they can in other jurisdictions." The Ontario government announced in late March that while 15 overdose prevention sites had been approved, six others would close, including three in Toronto. Judy Darcy, B.C.'s mental health and addictions minister, said there are about 40 overdose prevention sites across B.C. with over one million visits. Thousands of overdoses have been reversed and there have been no deaths at the sites, she added. Darcy said it's estimated the government's actions, including the prevention sites, take-home naloxone kits and other prevention measures, have saved about 4,700 lives. She said the prevention sites are a critical tool that also connect visitors to other supports, such as housing or treatment. But the stigma remains, Darcy said, and that is the next barrier to knock down. "For too long we have treated mental health, mental illness as a sign of weakness and addiction as a character failure and as a sign of moral failure," she said. "These centres don't judge people. They're there to save lives, they're there to connect people to the social supports they need." BEIJING - This year's Shanghai auto show highlights the global industry's race to make electric cars Chinese drivers want to buy as Beijing winds down subsidies that promoted sales. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/4/2019 (977 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this April 25, 2018, file photo, attendees take photos of the E-SEED electric concept car during a press conference by Chinese automaker BYD at the China Auto Show in Beijing. The 2019 Shanghai auto show highlights the global industry's race to transform electric cars into a profitable product Chinese drivers want to buy as Beijing winds down multibillion-dollar subsidies that made this country the biggest market for the technology. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) BEIJING - This year's Shanghai auto show highlights the global industry's race to make electric cars Chinese drivers want to buy as Beijing winds down subsidies that promoted sales. Communist leaders are shifting the burden to automakers by imposing mandatory sales targets for electrics, adding to financial pressure on them amid a painful sales slump. Chinese purchases of pure-electric and hybrid sedans and SUVs soared 60% last year to 1.3 million half the global total but overall auto sales shrank 4.1% to 23.7 million. Buyers of electrics were lured with subsidies of up to 50,000 yuan ($7,400) per car, but that support was cut by half in January and ends next year. "Competition is getting more fierce," said industry analyst Paul Gong of UBS. Communist leaders have been promoting electrics for 15 years in hopes of cleaning smog-choked Chinese cities and gaining an early lead in a promising industry. General Motors, Volkswagen, Nissan and other global majors are developing models to suit Chinese tastes. They have money and technology, but local rivals have experience: brands including BYD Auto and BAIC Group have been selling low-priced electrics for a decade. At the Shanghai show, which opens to the public Saturday, automakers plan to display dozens of electrics, from luxury SUVs to micro-compacts priced under $10,000. They aim to compete with gasoline-powered models on performance, cost and looks. By the end of next year, "it will be very difficult for a customer to decide against an electric car," said the CEO of Volkswagen AG, Herbert Diess. "The cars will offer roominess, space, fast charging," Diess said during a January visit to Beijing. "They will look exciting." FILE - In this April 25, 2018, file photo, a visitor takes a closer look at the Sylphy Zero Emission during the start of the Auto China 2018 in Beijing, China. The 2019 Shanghai auto show highlights the global industry's race to transform electric cars into a profitable product Chinese drivers want to buy as Beijing winds down multibillion-dollar subsidies that made this country the biggest market for the technology. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File) Automakers are looking to China, their biggest global market, to drive revenue growth at a time when U.S. and European demand is flat or declining. That gives them an incentive to co-operate with Beijing's campaign to promote electrics. This week, General Motors Co. is unveiling the first all-electric model in Buick's China-only Velite range, which includes a hybrid based on the Chevrolet Volt. VW will display a concept SUV as part of plans to launch 50 electric models by 2025. Nissan Motor Co. and its Chinese partner will display the Sylphy Zero Emission, an all-electric model designed for China that went on sale in August. BYD Auto will display an all-electric sedan with an advertised range of 400 kilometres (250 miles) on one charge. Pressure to shift to electrics is "more an opportunity than a threat" to Chinese automakers, said UBS's Gong. Latecomers to gasoline-powered vehicles, Chinese brands account for just 10% of global sales, mostly in low price tiers, Gong said. But they account for 50% of electric sales worldwide. "In the EV world, Chinese companies started earlier and reacted faster," said Gong. The ruling Communist Party has spent billions of dollars on research grants and incentives to buyers. State-owned power companies have blanketed China with 730,000 charging stations, a vastly larger network than any other country. Meanwhile, automakers are struggling to revive sales of traditional SUVS, minivans and sedans that fell last year for the first time in three decades. A tariff war with Washington and weakening economic growth made jittery consumers reluctant to commit to big purchases. That skid worsened this year. First-quarter sales shrank 13.7% from a year earlier. Despite that, people in the industry say Chinese sales could top 30 million vehicles a year by 2025. Ford relaunched its China operation this year after 2018 sales plunged 37%. The company blamed an aging product lineup. Global brands are linking up with Chinese partners with experience at low-cost production. Ford has an electric venture with Zotye Auto. GM and its Chinese partners plan 10 electric models by next year. Mercedes Benz launched the Denza brand with BYD. VW's electric joint venture, SOL, started selling an SUV last year. Under the new system, automakers must earn credits for sales of electrics equal to at least 10% of purchases this year and 12% in 2020. Automakers that fall short can buy credits from competitors that exceed their targets. Regulators say targets will rise later. An electric's sticker price in China still is higher than a gasoline model. But charging and maintenance cost less. Industry analysts say owners who drive at least 16,000 kilometres (10,000 miles) a year save money in the long run. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. China's biggest SUV brand, Great Wall Motors, has responded to the sale quotas by launching an electric brand, Ola. Its R1 compact, while looks like a toy beside Great Wall's hulking SUVs, went on sale in December priced as low as 59,800 yuan ($8,950) after the subsidy. In a move to spur competition, Beijing lifted ownership restrictions on electric automakers last year. Tesla Ltd. responded by announcing plans to build its first factory outside the United States in Shanghai. Official ambitions clash with the Chinese public's love of bulky SUVs, seen as the safest option on crowded, bumpy streets. But sentiments are shifting. A UBS survey found 71% of Chinese buyers are willing to try an electric, up from 58% a year ago. The rate for the United States and Europe was below 20%. "Customer willingness is always higher in China," said Gong. HELSINKI - Results from Finland's parliamentary election illustrated the struggle by Europe's traditional political parties to retain supporters, with the centre-left Social Democratic Party winning the most votes and followed closely by a populist party that wants to temper national efforts to curb climate change. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2019 (977 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Chairman of the Centre Party and current Prime Minister Juha Sipila signs autographs as he campaigns for the Finnish parliamentary elections in Oulu, northern Finland, on Saturday, April 13, 2019. The election day of the Finnish parliamentary elections is on Sunday. (Timo Heikkala/Lehtikuva via AP) HELSINKI - Results from Finland's parliamentary election illustrated the struggle by Europe's traditional political parties to retain supporters, with the centre-left Social Democratic Party winning the most votes and followed closely by a populist party that wants to temper national efforts to curb climate change. The 17.7% of the vote the Social Democrats received gives it 40 of the 200 seats in Finland's new parliament, one more than the 39 the euroskeptic, anti-immigration Finns Party secured with its 17.5% support. "I have to make a honest confession: I hoped still for a better result," Social Democratic Party leader Antti Rinne, a former finance minister and union leader, told supporters in central Helsinki. "Let us, my friends, take the Finnish society toward sustainable climate, social and economic policies." A woman walk to cast her vote in the parliamentary elections in Helsinki Finland on Sunday April 14, 2019. Finns are voting in a parliamentary election in which reforming the nationAos generous welfare model and tackling climate change have emerged as key issues.(Emmi Korhonen/Lehtikuva via AP) Sunday's election had been watched for signs of how a bloc of euroskeptic populists might do in next month's European Parliament elections. The Finns Party is part of an alliance that hopes to become the strongest faction in the European Union legislature and to radically transform EU policies on migration, families and the environment. Finns Party chairman Jussi Halla-aho, who received the most votes by far of any candidate for the Eduskunta legislature, said he was surprised by his party's strong performance. "I certainly could never have expected a result like this," an elated Halla-aho said. Honestly speaking, none of us expected this kind of result." Voters chose between 2,500 candidates from 19 political parties and movements. Preliminary returns showed the conservative National Coalition Party in third place with 37 seats and outgoing Prime Minister Juha Sipila's Center Party claiming 31 places in the legislature. Citizens cast their votes during Finnish parliamentary elections, at the town hall in Manstala, Finland on Sunday, 14th April, 2019. Finns went to the polls in parliamentary elections on Sunday. (Emmi Korhonen/Lehtikuva via AP) The Center Party lost more support than any other party compared to Finland's last election in 2015, apparently punished by voters for failing while in government to push through an ambitious health care and social care reform plan. Finnish Institute of International Affairs program director Mika Aaltola said voters putting their support behind comparative political upstarts produced "a historic result" in Finland that reflects disenchantment with mainstream politics across Europe. "Support for the three traditional established parties has been down for years. The political centre is weakening, which is an overall European phenomenon," Aaltola wrote on Twitter. After an election, the party that attracts the most votes typically tries to a new government with other parties as partners. A Cabinet made up of ministers from different political parties is a long-time tradition in Finland. Chairman of the Finnish Social Democratic Party Antti Rinne with his wife Heta Ravolainen-Rinne speaks, at the parliamentary election party in Helsinki, Sunday, April 14, 2019. Voters in Finland are casting ballots in a parliamentary election Sunday after climate change dominated the campaign, even overshadowing topics like reforming the nation's generous welfare model. (Antti Aimo-Koivisto/Lehtikuva via AP) Most political observers said the election's outcome means if Rinne is named prime minister-designate, he likely would try to form a broad-based majority government with the National Coalition party or a combination of the Center Party and smaller parties such as the Greens. Rinne said after casting his ballot that all coalition options remained on the table if his party won the most votes but that Finland's government needed to have "the same value base." The election followed a campaign in which concerns about climate change even overshadowed the issue of how to reform the nation's generous welfare model. Finland, a European Union member of 5.5 million people, has one-third of its territory above the Arctic Circle. Most political parties support government actions to curb global warming. Chairman of the National Coalition Party Petteri Orpo, left, and Chairman of The Social Democratic Party Antti Rinne, right, at the parliamentary elections media reception at the Finnish Parliament Annex at the Little Parliament building, Helsinki, Finland, on Sunday, April 14, 2019. (Markku Ulander/Lehtikuva via AP) Pre-election debates over what and how much the Nordic country should do revealed disagreement among voters. The Finns Party railed against public sacrifices in the name of fighting climate change. It put less focus on immigration than anti-migrant, euroskeptic counterparts elsewhere in Europe have done in recent years. "For everybody, it's about the climate. It's kind of a climate election. Everybody's feeling some kind of a depression about it," voter Sofia Frantsi, 27, an interior architect from Helsinki, said Sunday. Rural voters and other residents who feel that the climate change plans of other leading parties require too much sacrifice have been part of the momentum of the populist Finns Party. "We want a more moderate and sensible climate policy that does not chase industries away from Finland to countries like China," Halla-aho said Sunday at a Helsinki polling station. Immigration remains a key policy issue, Halla-aho said. Greenpeace Finland called Sunday's vote the "climate election," saying that "never before has climate and the limits of planet Earth been discussed with such seriousness in Finland." The environmental group cited a recent nationwide poll in which 70% of respondents said tackling climate change and reducing carbon footprints should be key priorities of the new government. Finland is boosting its production of nuclear energy by launching a new nuclear power plant next year. Finnish lawmakers last month voted to phase out burning coal as an energy source to end it by 2029. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Other proposals include increasing the number of electric vehicles on Finland's roads and reducing meat consumption through taxes or serving more vegetarian food as part of publicly funded meals in places like schools and the military. The Social Democratic Party, which has traditionally attracted working-class voters, favours raising taxes and increasing spending to overhaul the social and health care system, which is under strain with one of the most rapidly aging populations worldwide. The Social Democrats also back the pro-European Union policies of Finland, which uses the shared euro currency but is not a NATO member. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border with Russia. Negotiations to form the next government "will be very difficult, that's very clear, before they can create a government," said Jukka Vakkila, a 57-year-old doctor from Helsinki. "But I think that they will find some kind of consensus ... Finland could be a good example for other countries in this way." ___ Olli Kangas contributed from Helsinki. Vanessa Gera contributed from Warsaw. TORONTO - Canadian companies are racing to get an edge in the new frontier of the cannabis industry which does not involve the leafy green plant at all. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2019 (976 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Kevin Chen, chief executive of Hyasynth Biologicals, is seen in the company lab in Montreal on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson TORONTO - Canadian companies are racing to get an edge in the new frontier of the cannabis industry which does not involve the leafy green plant at all. An increasing number of licensed producers and biotechnology firms are moving towards synthetic production of THC and other cannabinoids in a lab, using ingredients such as sugar and yeast, eyeing the potential to produce these active compounds more cheaply than traditional cultivation and extraction. CannTrust Holdings Inc.'s chief executive Peter Aceto said the Vaughan, Ont.-based licensed producer has a short list of biosynthesis companies that it is in active conversations with, which could result in either a partnership or acquisition. "We do believe that cannabinoids will be created through biosynthesis, whether it's yeast or sugar or other compounds, at scale at an extremely low cost... And do expect to be investing in that space in the not-too-distant future," he said. Canada is on the verge of legalizing the next-generation of cannabis products such as edibles and topicals in the coming months, which will allow the industry to tap a broader range of consumers who aren't interested in smoking dried flower. In turn, the demand for cannabinoids and isolates for use as an ingredient in consumer products is expected to grow "exponentially in the coming years," said AltaCorp analyst David Kideckel. Synthetic cannabinoid production has the potential to disrupt the cannabis industry supply chain, he added in a recent note. "We believe that cannabis LPs will begin to pay much closer attention to these companies technology and its application to their industry, as it offers the potential for significant advantages on an operational and cost basis, as well as product quality and purity." Other Canadian cannabis companies have already made moves in this space. Moncton-based Organigram Inc. in September closed a $10-million investment deal with Hyasynth Biologicals, in a bid to boost its access to the Montreal-based company's proprietary methods involving fermentation of yeast. Also last September, licensed producer Cronos Group Inc. announced a strategic partnership with Boston-based Ginkgo Bioworks Inc., also focusing on cannabinoid production via fermentation at commercial scale, in a deal worth roughly US$22-million. Cronos' chief executive Michael Gorenstein said during a recent conference call that this partnership is key to its strategy of focusing on developing branded products and intellectual property, rather than the capital-intensive process of cultivation and production. He added that Cronos and Ginkgo will focus on synthetic production of THC, the compound which produces a high, and CBD, the non-impairing compound believed to have anti-inflammatory properties. The two companies through the partnership will also target six other rare cannabinoids, which are "economically impractical" to produce with high purity at scale through traditional cultivation and extraction," he added. "We at Cronos believe that rare cannabinoids are key to product differentiation, but today are nearly impossible to produce commercially," Gorenstein told analysts. Rather than using a solvent, carbon dioxide or another method to remove extracts from the cannabis or hemp plant, synthetic production of cannabinoids involves using a controlled chemical reaction to produce these coveted compounds. Synthetic production is already commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry, such as the use of yeast fermentation to biosynthesize insulin. One method of synthetic production is called biosynthesis, in which a biological organism such as bacteria, fungus or algae are used as agents to yield cannabinoids, AltaCorp said. It's similar to brewing beer, where water, yeast and malted grain are combined and fermented to produce an alcoholic beverage. However, the yeast is instead genetically engineered to produce the necessary enzymes to yield cannabinoids instead. "We'll remove the genes that tell it to produce ethanol, and then we'll put in a new set of genes that will give it the machinery to produce THC," said Kevin Chen, the chief executive and co-founder of Hyasynth. Biosynthesis has the potential to produce large quantities of cannabinoids, consistently, with a high level of purity and precision, according to AltaCorp. As well, at roughly less than $1,000 per kilogram, it is much cheaper than growing cannabis or hemp and extracting it, Kideckel wrote in a recent note. That's a particularly attractive prospect as Canadian producers increasingly look at ways to reduce costs, such as outdoor growing in the warmer climes of B.C., as dried cannabis becomes a commodity. Lab-generated cannabinoids via synthesis will not replace plant-based extraction, but will be an added tool in companies' arsenals, Kideckel added. Still, biosynthesis and other methods of synthetic cannabinoid production are still in the "early stages" and could take "years of research and development to perfect," he added. In February, UC Berkeley synthetic biologists published a study in the journal Nature demonstrating how they used engineered brewer's yeast to produce THC, CBD and other cannabinoids. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Meanwhile, there has been a flurry of companies flooding into the biosynthesis space within the last six months, said Chen, who co-founded Hyasynth in 2014. "Everybody is jumping into this stuff now," he said. "It went from us and two other companies to 20 companies." Competitors include Vancouver-based InMed Pharmaceuticals and California-based Amyris Inc. The race is on, and Hyasynth is aiming to establish its own small-scale facility and be able to sell a product by the end of the year. The company is aiming to become an ingredient supplier, he added. However, Chen said there is "a lot to be nailed down, and it will be an ongoing process of improvement." "We're already pretty confident that we'll get there." CALGARY - Alberta's NDP leader said she's hopeful momentum is moving toward her party in the waning days of what has been a nasty provincial election campaign. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2019 (976 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. CALGARY - Alberta's NDP leader said she's hopeful momentum is moving toward her party in the waning days of what has been a nasty provincial election campaign. "We're really feeling good on the ground and we're certainly seeing that there's a lot of volatility, a lot of movement," Rachel Notley told reporters Sunday while visiting a Sikh temple in northeast Calgary. Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley, left, speaks with Gurdeep Singh Dhillon as she visits the Dashmesh Culture Centre to celebrate the Sikh holiday of Vaisakhi in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, April 14, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh Notley was scheduled to head to Edmonton for a rally later Sunday before returning to Calgary a key battleground on Monday. The rival United Conservatives are focusing their final campaign push in Edmonton. Election day is Tuesday. Notley said the fact that a whopping 696,000 people voted in advance polls shattering the previous record of 235,000 in 2015 doesn't necessarily portend a change election. Part of it may be due to a rule change that allowed early voters to cast ballots anywhere not just in their home riding, she suggested. "Maybe turnout's really up because of that. Maybe turnout's really up because it's convenient. Or maybe ultimately not that many people vote on Tuesday," she said. "It's a little too early to tell, but I'm very happy that we've been able to succeed in making it easier for people to vote." Notley's chief rival, United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney, has spent much of the campaign attacking the NDP's record on pipelines and the economy, never missing an opportunity mention her co-operation with Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on those matters. The UCP has laid out an aggressive plan to go after oil and gas industry critics, including setting up a war room and stoking a number of legal battles. It has also vowed to proclaim a law that would stop the flow of energy to neighbouring B.C. over its blocking of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. On Sunday, Notley once again accused Kenney of political grandstanding, saying his plans threaten to alienate the very people Alberta needs to have on-side to ensure its energy gets to market. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "He's declaring a war in order to further national political objectives, but Alberta may well be the casualty in that," she said Sunday. "I don't think that he's prepared to stand up for Albertans. He's just grandstanding." Kenney spent Sunday in Edmonton attending Palm Sunday services and celebrating the Vaisakhi festival with members of that city's Sikh community. He was scheduled to meet with First Nations leaders in the evening. On Monday, he plans to join candidates door knocking, capitalizing on what the party says is growing support in the provincial capital. "In the past, we have sadly seen provincial governments with little or no representation from this vibrant city, and we can never let that happen again," Kenney said in a statement Sunday, when he had no media availabilities scheduled. "We have an amazing team of Edmonton and region candidates eager to fight for this city, for jobs and for Alberta, and we need them in the next legislature. That's why I will be here in Edmonton right through to election day." A Winnipeg Free Press photographer snapped up three awards at the News Photographers Association of Canada gala in Vancouver Saturday night. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2019 (976 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Winnipeg Free Press photographer snapped up three awards at the News Photographers Association of Canada gala in Vancouver Saturday night. Mikaela MacKenzie took first and second in the Single Multimedia category, and third in Portrait/Personality. Her first place for Multimedia was for One Dog at a Time, a video about the dangerous number of stray dogs at northern, reserves including the Chemawawin Cree Nation. Her second place win was for her story, Sisterly Love, about the Sisters of the Holy Rock singing group. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Free Press editor Paul Samyn said: "Mikaela has already accomplished much in her short time at the Free Press. She is a remarkably talented visual storyteller and I am so proud that her journalism has been recognized at the national level as the best in the land." Mackenzie's third-place win was for a portrait of a former patient of the Childrens Hospital for a story on the hospitals television program. More than 2,000 images were submitted for Canada's premier photojournalist competition. Andrew Ryan, who worked as a Free Press intern last summer, was honoured with second place in the Feature category for a shot of a couple taking a nap at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Every so often, a first-time visitor to Dairy Delight, which, despite its lactose tolerant tag, is actually better known for its cheeseburgers and fatboys than its sundaes and shakes, will ask Patty Mikos how her restaurants fare stacks up against some of the other Greek-style burger joints around town. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2019 (977 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Every so often, a first-time visitor to Dairy Delight, which, despite its lactose tolerant tag, is actually better known for its cheeseburgers and fatboys than its sundaes and shakes, will ask Patty Mikos how her restaurants fare stacks up against some of the other Greek-style burger joints around town. When it comes to hamburgers, lots of people are set in their ways and are hesitant to try a new place, shes learned. So if its reassurance theyre after, shes happy to let them know she and her brother Val, who co-own Dairy Delight, 467 St. Annes Rd., with their mother Voula, come from a long line of Winnipeg burger royalty. She tells them their mothers cousins family runs Super Boys on Main Street, while their father Steve Mikos and their aunt Cathy Mikos are the proprietors of local landmark Mrs. Mikes on Tache Avenue. "At that point theyre usually like, Sounds good. Ill get a double cheese and order of frieswith gravy on the side," she says with a chuckle. March marked 20 years since Dairy Delight opened at its St. Vital location at 467 St. Annes Rd. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press) 2019 marks a trifecta of anniversaries in the Mikos clan. First and foremost, it will be 50 years this August since Steve and Voula got married, two months after Voula came to Winnipeg from her native Greece to visit a cousin, and met Steve her first week here. Second, this year is also the golden anniversary of Mrs. Mikes, which Steve and his late brother Nick purchased from the founding owner a fellow named Mike, surprise, surprise in the spring of 1969. And third, last month marked 20 years since Dairy Delight, recognizable for its west facing wooden deck and blue-and-pistachio painted exterior, opened at its St. Vital location, following a three-year run on Portage Avenue, where it was known as Downs Dairy Delight due to its proximity to the racetrack. "Its funny because until somebody on Facebook mentioned it, I hadnt even realized this was our 20th (anniversary)," says Patty, 34, positioned in her "office," steps behind a countertop freezer containing 28 flavours of hard ice cream. "I started working for my mom when I was a kid this is all Ive ever done, pretty much so I never bothered to count the years. Now that we know, though, were definitely planning to toast our anniversary in some fashion; maybe a draw for a gift certificate or free cones for a few hours, one afternoon in the summer. Well see." Of her two parents, her mother is the more classically trained chef, Patty says. That was one of the reasons she decided to strike out on her own in 1996, rather than join her husband and in-laws at Mrs. Mikes slinging burgers. "Shed always been a stay-at-home mom and I think it was simply a matter of her being bored, now that my brother, sister and I were a bit older and she didnt need to be home looking after us all the time," she explains. Despite its lactose tolerant tag, Dairy Delight is actually better known for its fatboys (above) than its sundaes and shakes. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press) After kicking tires at a few places around the city, Voula settled on an existing ice cream stand hence the name, Dairy Delight a few blocks from their home. Despite the fact it was profitable from the start, Patty recalls her father being pleased as punch when the people who owned the building it was housed in announced they were selling the property in late 1998, which meant Voula would have to vacate the premises. "Dad said something like, OK, now that youve gotten that out of your system, you dont have to work any more. Except Mom told him, Forget that, Im just getting going. Were going to find me another spot, and soon." Patty, a lifelong resident of Westwood, still remembers the first time she went with her parents to check out the shuttered Chinese take-out joint that would become Dairy Delight 2.0, on St. Annes Road a few blocks north of Bishop Grandin Boulevard. "It took us what seemed like forever to drive here. I was 14 at the time and didnt have a clue where St. Vital was, even. After we got past Pembina, I kept asking, How far is this place? and Where are we going, exactly?" Voula Mikos is a recognizable face behind the counter. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press) Dairy Delight continued operating as a dedicated ice cream stand for two years following the change of scenery. Prior to the 2001 season (from the get-go, Dairy Delight has closed from Dec. 1 to the end of February), Voula made the decision to add burgers, dogs and fries to the mix, as well as Greek specialties such as gyros and souvlaki. Owing to her expertise in the kitchen, the move was an immediate hit, right? Wrong. Patty shakes her head, saying there were days those first couple months when they sold five burgers, max, all day. Compare that number to opening day six weeks ago, when they ran out of ground beef 60 pounds worth and fries 300 pounds of potatoes! by 6 p.m., two hours shy of closing time. "Every year, lots of people make it their tradition to drop in the first day we reopen, in the spring," she says. "Same thing on our last day in November, when some of our regulars even place orders ahead of time for containers of chili, or a couple dozen of our pre-made patties, which we freeze for them so they can enjoy over the winter." The menu hasnt changed too much through the years due to demand, Voula added a veggie burger last summer but whats listed on the wall just over Pattys head simply as "Food" is a primer only; everythings negotiable, she advises. Patty Mikos makes a mean banana split. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press) For instance, theres one specialty order they refer to as the Barry, named for a fellow who came in one day and asked if they could make him a chicken burger topped with two chicken fingers. Then theres the guy who brings in a new crew of buddies every so often, to see which of them can put back the largest fatboy, slathered with chili, lettuce, tomato, onions, mustard and mayo. "Three years ago he came in with this skinny, little gal she couldnt have weighed more than 100 pounds, soaking wet who managed to polish off six patties," Patty says, pulling out her phone to show a visitor a picture of the behemoth-in-question. (Ha, ha, it sounded like you said she ate a six patty fatboy.) "Plus an order of fries and a chocolate shake," Val yells, poking his head out from the kitchen. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. If theres one nice thing about milestones such as a 20th anniversary, its that they remind you to pause and reflect on all the hard work that has gone into making a business such as theirs successful, and appreciate the struggles that went along with it, Patty says. "I grew up watching both of my parents work super hard. I barely saw my dad when I was a kid, because hed get home from Mrs. Mikes when I was already sleeping, and by the time I got up in the morning, he was back out the door, seven days a week," she says. "Were lucky here because if my mom ever decides to retire which she swears will never happen at least my brother and I can keep the tradition going. But there are lots of burger places in town being run by people in their 60s and 70s, my dads included, where who knows whats going to happen if they decide to call it quits? A lot of people my age dont want to work as hard or stay open as late as those people do or did, and it would be a shame if those spots end up disappearing because of that." Val Mikos (left) puts together a Fat Boy, while Theo Kambas gets a fresh batch of fries ready. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press) Finally, wed be remiss if we didnt put Patty on the spot, and ask whose burger is No. 1 in her books: her dads at Mrs. Mikes or her moms at Dairy Delight? "Youre probably not going to believe this, but I dont really like burgers all that much. I eat maybe one a year, if that," she says with a laugh. "I like the chicken stuff we do the pitas and the gyros but lots of times, my mom will be in the back making me soup or something for lunch which usually leads to a customer asking what smells so good, and Mom coming out front and asking if theyd like a bowl, too." David Sanderson writes about Winnipeg-centric restaurants and businesses. david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca A day in the life of a chamber of commerce director Amara Huffine, executive director for the Madison County Chamber of Commerce, began her journey in the position March 1. Since then, she has taken on a variety of responsibilities, all geared toward making Madison County... Avoid insurance scams during open enrollment Madison County Health Care System (MCHCS) is urging area residents to be cautious about solicitation calls or emails related to health insurance during the open enrollment period. They also warn against shopping for health insurance... Local musicians selected for honor band The following Winterset High School musicians were selected from over 350 applications for the Drake University Honor Band. They rehearsed with other students from across Iowa and performed a great concert on Saturday evening at... Listen and learn with Coffee and Conversation Iowa Learning Farms (ILF), the Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach conservation and water quality education program, will host Coffee and Conservation, Wednesday, Dec. 15, from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at the Warren Cultural Center in... Alcentra European Floating Rate Income Fund Limited is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Oriel Asset Management LLP. It is managed by Alcentra Limited. The fund invests in the fixed income markets of Western Europe. It primarily invests in floating rate secured loans or high-yield bonds that are issued by corporate entities and are rated below investment grade. The fund invests in senior loans, mezzanine loans, second lien loans, and senior secured floating-rate notes. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Europe Leveraged Loan Index. Alcentra European Floating Rate Income Fund Limited was formed on November 3, 2011 and is domiciled in Channel Islands. Read More CoreLogic, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides property information, insight, analytics, and data-enabled solutions in North America, Western Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Property Intelligence & Risk Management Solutions (PIRM) and Underwriting & Workflow Solutions (UWS). The PIRM segment combines property information, mortgage information, and consumer information to deliver housing market and property-level insights, predictive analytics, and risk management capabilities. It also offers proprietary technology and software platforms to access, automate, or track the information and assist its clients with decision-making and compliance tools in the real estate and insurance industries. This segment primarily serves commercial banks, mortgage lenders and brokers, investment banks, fixed-income investors, real estate agents, MLS companies, property and casualty insurance companies, title insurance companies, government agencies, and government-sponsored enterprises. The UWS segment combines property, mortgage, and consumer information to provide comprehensive mortgage origination and monitoring solutions, including underwriting-related solutions, and data-enabled valuations and appraisals. This segment also provides proprietary technology and software platforms to access, automate, or track the information and assist its clients with vetting and onboarding prospects, and meeting compliance regulations, as well as understanding, evaluating, monitoring property values. It primarily serves mortgage lenders and servicers, mortgage brokers, credit unions, commercial banks, fixed-income investors, government agencies, and property and casualty insurance companies. The company was formerly known as The First American Corporation and changed its name to CoreLogic, Inc. in June 2010. CoreLogic, Inc. was incorporated in 1894 and is headquartered in Irvine, California. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of American International Group: AGC Life Insurance Company, AIG APAC HOLDINGS PTE. LTD., AIG Advisors S.r.l., AIG Aerospace Insurance Services Inc., AIG Asia Pacific Insurance Pte. Ltd., AIG Asset Management (Europe) Limited, AIG Asset Management (U.S.) LLC, AIG Assurance Company, AIG Australia Limited, AIG Brazil Holding I LLC, AIG CIS Investments LLC, AIG Canada Holdings Inc., AIG Capital Corporation, AIG Capital Services Inc., AIG Claims Inc., AIG Egypt Insurance Company S.A.E., AIG Employee Services Inc., AIG Europe (Services) Limited, AIG Europe Holdings S.a.rl., AIG Europe S.A., AIG Federal Savings Bank, AIG Financial Products Corp., AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd., AIG Global Asset Management Holdings Corp., AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp., AIG Global Reinsurance Operations, AIG Holdings Europe Limited, AIG Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited, AIG Insurance Company China Limited, AIG Insurance Company JSC, AIG Insurance Company of Canada, AIG Insurance Company-Puerto Rico, AIG Insurance Hong Kong Limited, AIG Insurance Limited, AIG Insurance Management Services Inc., AIG Insurance New Zealand Limited, AIG International Holdings GmbH, AIG Investments UK Limited, AIG Israel Insurance Company Ltd, AIG Japan Holdings Kabushiki Kaisha, AIG Kenya Insurance Company Limited, AIG Korea Inc., AIG Latin America I.I., AIG Latin America Investments S.L., AIG Lebanon SAL, AIG Life Holdings Inc., AIG Life Insurance Company (Switzerland) Ltd, AIG Life Limited, AIG Life South Africa Limited, AIG Life of Bermuda Ltd., AIG MEA Holdings Limited, AIG MEA Limited, AIG Malaysia Insurance Berhad, AIG Markets Inc., AIG Matched Funding Corp., AIG PC Global Services Inc., AIG Philippines Insurance Inc., AIG Property Casualty Company, AIG Property Casualty Inc., AIG Property Casualty International LLC, AIG Property Casualty U.S. Inc., AIG Re-Takaful (L) Berhad, AIG Resseguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V., AIG Shared Services Corporation, AIG South Africa Limited, AIG Specialty Insurance Company, AIG Technologies Inc., AIG Travel Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., AIG Travel Assist Inc., AIG Travel Assist Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., AIG Travel EMEA Limited, AIG Travel Inc., AIG Uganda Limited, AIG Vietnam Insurance Company Limited, AIG WarrantyGuard Inc., AIG-FP Pinestead Holdings Corp., AIG-Metropolitana Cia. de Seguros y Reaseguros S.A., AIGGRE EOLA LLC, AIGGRE Europe Real Estate Fund I GP S.a r.l., AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund I GP LLC, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund I LP, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund II GP LLC, AIU Insurance Company, AM Holdings LLC, Ageas Protect, AlphaCat Managers Ltd., American General Corporation, American General Life Insurance Company, American Home Assurance Co. Ltd., American Home Assurance Company, American Home Assurance Company Escritorio de Representacao no Brasil Ltda., American International Group Inc., American International Group UK Limited, American International Overseas Association, American International Overseas Limited, American International Realty Corp., American International Reinsurance Company Ltd., American International Underwriters del Ecuador-Holding S.A., American Security Life Insurance Company Limited, Arthur J. Glatfelter Agency Inc., Avondhu Limited, Blackboard Customer Care Insurance Services LLC, Blackboard Insurance Company, Blackboard Services LLC, Blackboard Specialty Insurance Company, Blackboard U.S. Holdings Inc., Chartis Takaful Enaya B.S.C. (c), Commerce and Industry Insurance Company, Crop Risk Services Inc., Eaglestone Reinsurance Company, Ellipse, Fortitude Group Holdings LLC, Fortitude Life & Annuity Solutions Inc., Fortitude Reinsurance Company Ltd., Franklin Life Insurance Company, Fuji Fire and Marine, Glatfelter Insurance Group, Globe and Rutgers Insurance Group, Grand Isle SAC Limited, Granite State Insurance Company, Group Risk Services Limited, Group Risk Technologies Limited, Illinois National Insurance Co., Jefferson Eola Venture LLC, Johannesburg Insurance Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, Laya Healthcare Limited, Lexington Insurance Company, MG Reinsurance Limited, Mt. Mansfield Company Inc., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh Pa., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Vermont, New Hampshire Insurance Company, PT AIG Insurance Indonesia, Pine Street Real Estate Holdings Corp., Private Joint-Stock Company AIG Ukraine Insurance Company, Risk Specialists Companies Insurance Agency Inc., SA Affordable Housing LLC, SAFG Retirement Services Inc., Service Net Warranty LLC, Stratford Insurance Company, SunAmerica Affordable Housing Partners Inc., SunAmerica Asset Management LLC, Talbot Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Ltd., Thai CIT Holding Company Limited, The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania, The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York, The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, Travel Guard, Travel Guard Group Canada Inc./Groupe Garde Voyage du Canada Inc., Travel Guard Group Inc., Tudor Insurance Company, VALIC Financial Advisors Inc., Valic Retirement Services Company, Validus Holdings, Validus Holdings (UK) Ltd., Validus Holdings Ltd., Validus Reinsurance (Switzerland) Ltd, Validus Reinsurance Ltd., Validus Ventures Ltd., Volunteer Firemen's Insurance Services Inc., Western World Insurance Company, and Western World Insurance Group Inc.. Brookdale Senior Living, Inc. engages in the operation of senior living communities. The firm manages independent living, assisted living and dementia-care communities and continuing care retirement centers. It operates through the following segments: Independent Living Assisted Living & Memory Care, CCRCs, Health Care Services and Management Services. The Independent Living segment is primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors who desire an upscale residential environment providing the highest quality of service. The Assisted Living & Memory Care segment offer housing and 24-hour assistance with ADLs to mid-acuity frail and elderly residents. The CCRCs segment offers a variety of living arrangements and services to accommodate all levels of physical ability and health. The Healthcare Services segment provides home health, hospice and outpatient therapy services, as well as education and wellness programs, to residents of many communities and to seniors living outside communities. The Management Services segment composes of communities operated by the company pursuant to management agreements. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Brentwood, TN. Read More NEXT plc engages in the retail of clothing, footwear, and home products in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and internationally. The company operates through NEXT Retail, NEXT Online, NEXT Finance, NEXT International Retail, NEXT Sourcing, Lipsy, NENA, and Property Management segments. It operates retail stores; an online retail platform; and 190 franchise stores in 36 countries. The company also offers consumer credit; NEXT branded products; and women's, men's, children's, home, and beauty products under the LABEL and Lipsy's own brand, and other third-party brands. In addition, it provides property management services, including holding and lease of properties. The company was formerly known as J Hepworth & Son and changed its name to NEXT plc in 1986. NEXT plc was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Enderby, the United Kingdom. Read More SPDR Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Bond ETF shares reverse split on the morning of Monday, May 6th 2019. The 1-3 reverse split was announced on Wednesday, March 13th 2019. The number of shares owned by shareholders was adjusted after the closing bell on Friday, May 3rd 2019. An investor that had 100 shares of SPDR Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Bond ETF stock prior to the reverse split would have 33 shares after the split. Experian plc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a technology company. The company operates through two segments, Business-to-Business and Consumer Services. It provides data services to identify and understand their customers, as well as to manage the risks related with lending. The company also offers analytical and decision tools that enhance businesses to manage their customers, minimize the risk of fraud, comply with legal requirements, and automate decisions and processes. In addition, it provides financial education, free access to Experian credit reports and scores, online educational tools, and applications to manage their financial position, access credit offers, and protect themselves from identity fraud. The company serves customers in financial service, direct-to-consumer, health, retail, automotive, software and professional services, telecommunications and utility, insurance, media and technology, government and public, and other sectors. It operates in North America, Latin America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. Experian plc was formerly known as Experian Group Limited and changed its name to Experian plc in July 2008. Experian plc was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Read More 11 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Hugo Boss in the last twelve months. There are currently 6 hold ratings and 5 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "hold" Hugo Boss stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in BOSS, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares. View analyst ratings for Hugo Boss or view top-rated stocks. The following companies are subsidiares of Lloyds Banking Group: A G Finance Ltd, A.C.L. Ltd, ACL Autolease Holdings Ltd, ADF No.1 Pty Ltd, Addison Social Housing Holdings Ltd, Alex Lawrie Factors Ltd, Alex. Lawrie Receivables Financing Ltd, Amberdate Ltd, Anglo Scottish Utilities Partnership 1, Aquilus Ltd, Automobile Association Personal Finance Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services 2 Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 2) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 3) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland)) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 1 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 2 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 3 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 4 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 5 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 6 plc, BOS (USA) Fund Investments Inc., BOS (USA) Inc., BOS Edinburgh No 1 Ltd, BOS Mistral Ltd, BOS Personal Lending Ltd, BOSSAF Rail Ltd, Bank of Scotland (B G S) Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland (Stanlife) London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Branch Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Central Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Edinburgh Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Equipment Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Foundation, Bank of Scotland LNG Leasing (No 1) Ltd, Bank of Scotland London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Nominees (Unit Trusts) Ltd, Bank of Scotland P.E.P. Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Structured Asset Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Transport Finance 1 Ltd, Bank of Scotland plc, Bank of Wales Ltd, Barents Leasing Ltd, Barnwood Mortgages Ltd, Birchcrown Finance Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Financial Services Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Land Development Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Mortgage Services Ltd, Black Horse (TRF) Ltd, Black Horse Executive Mortgages Ltd, Black Horse Finance Holdings Ltd, Black Horse Finance Management Ltd, Black Horse Group Ltd, Black Horse Ltd, Black Horse Offshore Ltd, Black Horse Property Services Ltd, Boltro Nominees Ltd, British Linen Leasing (London) Ltd, British Linen Leasing Ltd, British Linen Shipping Ltd, C.T.S.B. Leasing Ltd, CBRail S.A.R.L., CF Asset Finance Ltd, CF1 Ltd, CM Venture Investments Ltd, Cancara Asset Securitisation Ltd, Capital 1945 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 12 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 3 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 5 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 9 Ltd, Capital Bank Property Investments (3) Ltd, Capital Personal Finance Ltd, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2018-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2019-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Cardnet Merchant Services Ltd, Cashfriday Ltd, Cashpoint Ltd, Caveminster Ltd, Cedar Holdings Ltd, Celsius European Lux 2 S.A.R.L., Central Mortgage Finance Ltd, Chariot Finance Ltd, Cheltenham & Gloucester plc, Cheltenham II Securities 2020 DAC, Cheltenham Securities 2017 Ltd, Chepstow Blue Holdings Ltd, Chepstow Blue plc, Chester Asset Options No.2 Ltd, Chester Asset Options No.3 Ltd, Chester Asset Receivables Dealings Issuer Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings No.2 Ltd, Chiswell Stockbrokers Ltd, Clerical Medical Finance plc, Clerical Medical Financial Services Ltd, Clerical Medical International Holdings B.V., Clerical Medical Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Clerical Medical Managed Funds Ltd, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Spanish Prop Co SL, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Prop Co SA, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Property Company S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Funding S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Investments S.A.R.L., Conquest Securities Ltd, Corbiere Asset Investments Ltd, Create Services Ltd, Credit Card Securitisation Europe Ltd, Dalkeith Corporation, Deva Financing Holdings Ltd, Deva Financing plc, Deva One Ltd, Deva Three Ltd, Deva Two Ltd, Dunstan Investments (UK) Ltd, Edgbaston RMBS 2010-1 plc, Edgbaston RMBS Holdings Ltd, Elland RMBS 2018 plc, Elland RMBS Holdings Ltd, Eurolead Services Holdings Ltd, First Retail Finance (Chester) Ltd, Fontwell Securities 2016 Ltd, Forthright Finance Ltd, France Industrial Premises Holding Company, General Leasing (No. 12) Ltd, General Reversionary and Investment Company, Gresham Nominee 1 Ltd, Gresham Nominee 2 Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 1) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 10) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 11) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 12) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 13) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 14) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 15) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 16) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 19) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 20) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 21) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 22) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 23) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 24) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 25) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 26) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 27) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 28) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 29) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 3) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 30) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 31) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 32) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 33) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 34) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 35) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 36) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 37) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 38) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 39) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 40) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 41) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 44) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 45) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 46) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 47) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 48) UK Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No 3) Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No.11) UK Ltd, HBOS Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS Final Salary Trust Ltd, HBOS Financial Services Ltd, HBOS Insurance & Investment Group Ltd, HBOS International Financial Services Holdings Ltd, HBOS Investment Fund Managers Ltd, HBOS Social Housing Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS UK Ltd, HBOS plc, HSDL Nominees Ltd, HVF Ltd, Halifax Credit Card Ltd, Halifax Financial Brokers Ltd, Halifax Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Halifax Financial Services Ltd, Halifax General Insurance Services Ltd, Halifax Group Ltd, Halifax Investment Services Ltd, Halifax Leasing (June) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (March No.2) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (September) Ltd, Halifax Life Ltd, Halifax Loans Ltd, Halifax Ltd, Halifax Mortgage Services Ltd, Halifax Nominees Ltd, Halifax Pension Nominees Ltd, Halifax Premises Ltd, Halifax Share Dealing Ltd, Halifax Vehicle Leasing (1998) Ltd, Heidi Finance Holdings (UK) Ltd, Hill Samuel Bank Ltd, Hill Samuel Finance Ltd, Hill Samuel Leasing Co. Ltd, Home Shopping Personal Finance Ltd, Horizon Capital 2000 Ltd, Housing Association Risk Transfer 2019 DAC, Housing Growth Partnership GP LLP, Housing Growth Partnership LP, Housing Growth Partnership Ltd, Housing Growth Partnership Manager Ltd, Hyundai Car Finance Ltd, IBOS Finance Ltd, ICC Enterprise Partners Ltd, ICC Equity Partners Ltd, ICC Holdings Unlimited Company, Inchcape Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Software Ltd, International Motors Finance Ltd, Kanaalstraat Funding C.V., Katrine Leasing Ltd, LB Healthcare Trustee Ltd, LB Motorent Ltd, LB Quest Ltd, LB Share Schemes Trustees Ltd, LBCF Ltd, LBG Brasil Administracao LTDA, LBG Capital Holdings Ltd, LBG Equity Investments Ltd, LBI Leasing Ltd, LDC (General Partner) Ltd, LDC (Managers) Ltd, LDC (Nominees) Ltd, LDC GP LLP, LDC I LP, LDC II LP, LDC III LP, LDC IV LP, LDC Parallel (Nominees) Ltd, LDC V LP, LDC VI LP, LDC VII LP, LDC VIII LP, LTGP Limited Partnership Incorporated, Legacy Renewal Company Ltd, Leicester Securities 2014 Ltd, Lex Autolease (CH) Ltd, Lex Autolease (VC) Ltd, Lex Autolease Carselect Ltd, Lex Autolease Ltd, Lex Vehicle Finance 2 Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing (Holdings) Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing Ltd, Lime Street (Funding) Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I Holdings Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I plc, Lloyds (Gresham) Ltd, Lloyds (Gresham) No. 1 Ltd, Lloyds (Nimrod) Specialist Finance Ltd, Lloyds America Securities Corporation1, Lloyds Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Branches) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Colonial & Foreign) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (I.D.) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (International Services) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Stock Exchange Branch) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Asset Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Scotland Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (HP) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.4) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets Wertpapierhandelsbank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets plc, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (LM) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds LLP, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 7) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 9) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales, Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Holdings Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 11) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 20) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 5) Ltd, Lloyds Bank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Hill Samuel Holding Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank Insurance Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank International Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 6) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 8) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank MTCH Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 10) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 13) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No.16) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Offshore Pension Trust Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 1) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 2) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pensions Property (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Properties Ltd, Lloyds Bank Property Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank S.F. Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Subsidiaries Ltd, Lloyds Bank Trustee Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank plc, Lloyds Banking Group Pensions Trustees Ltd, Lloyds Capital GP Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Properties Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Property Investments Ltd, Lloyds Corporate Services (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Development Capital (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Engine Capital (No.1) U.S LLC, Lloyds Far East S.A.R.L., Lloyds General Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Group Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Hypotheken B.V., Lloyds Industrial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds International Pty Ltd, Lloyds Investment Bonds Ltd, Lloyds Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Lloyds Investment Securities No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Leasing (North Sea Transport) Ltd1, Lloyds Leasing Developments Ltd, Lloyds Nominees (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Offshore Global Services Private Ltd, Lloyds Plant Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Portfolio Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Premises Investments Ltd, Lloyds Project Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 3 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 4 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Secretaries Ltd, Lloyds Securities Inc., Lloyds TSB Pacific Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Rentals Ltd, Lloyds UDT Hiring Ltd, Lloyds UDT Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Ltd, Lloyds Your Tomorrow Trustee Ltd, Loans.co.uk Ltd, London Taxi Finance Ltd, London Uberior (L.A.S. Group) Nominees Ltd, Lotus Finance Ltd, MBNA, MBNA Direct Ltd, MBNA Europe Finance Ltd, MBNA Europe Holdings Ltd, MBNA General Foundation, MBNA Global Services Ltd, MBNA Indian Services Private Ltd, MBNA Ltd, MBNA R & L S.A.R.L., MBNA Receivables Ltd, Mainsearch Company Ltd, Maritime Leasing (No. 19) Ltd, Membership Services Finance Ltd, Mitre Street Funding S.A.R.L., Molineux RMBS 2016-1 plc, Molineux RMBS Holdings Ltd, Moor Lane Holdings Ltd, NFU Mutual Finance Ltd, NWS Trust Ltd, Nominees (Jersey) Ltd, Nordic Leasing Ltd, Ocean Leasing (July) Ltd, Oystercatcher Nominees Ltd, Oystercatcher Residential Ltd, PIPS Asset Investments Ltd, Pacific Leasing Ltd, Penarth Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Penarth Funding 1 Ltd, Penarth Funding 2 Ltd, Penarth Master Issuer plc, Penarth Receivables Trustee Ltd, Pensions Management (S.W.F.) Ltd, Peony Eastern Leasing Ltd, Peony Leasing Ltd, Peony Western Leasing Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 1) Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 2) Ltd, Permanent Holdings Ltd, Permanent Master Issuer plc, Permanent Mortgages Trustee Ltd, Permanent PECOH Holdings Ltd, Permanent PECOH Ltd, Perry Nominees Ltd, Prestonfield Investments Ltd, Proton Finance Ltd, R.F. Spencer And Company Ltd, Ranelagh Nominees Ltd, Retail Revival (Burgess Hill) Investments Ltd, SARL Coliseum, SARL Hiram, SAS Compagnie Fonciere De France, SCI Astoria Invest, SCI De LHorloge, SCI Equinoxe, SCI Rambuteau CFF, SW Funding plc, SW No.1 Ltd, SWAMF (GP) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (1) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (2) Ltd, Saint Michel Holding Company No1, Saint Michel Investment Property, Saint Witz 2 Holding Company No1, Saint Witz 2 Investment Property, Salisbury II Securities 2016 Ltd, Salisbury II-A Securities 2017 Ltd, Salisbury III Securities 2019 DAC, Salisbury Securities 2015 Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 Holdings Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 plc, Sandown Gold 2012-1 Holdings Ltd, Sandown Gold 2012-1 plc, Savban Leasing Ltd, Scotland International Finance B.V., Scottish Widows Administration Services (Nominees) Ltd, Scottish Widows Administration Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Annuities Ltd, Scottish Widows Auto Enrolment Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Europe, Scottish Widows Financial Services Holdings, Scottish Widows Group Ltd, Scottish Widows Industrial Properties Europe B.V., Scottish Widows Ltd, Scottish Widows Pension Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Property Management Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth (ACD) Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Wealth Holdings Ltd, Scottish Widows Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Funds Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Trust Managers Ltd, Scottish Widows Fund and Life Assurance Society, Seabreeze Leasing Ltd, Seaspirit Leasing Ltd, Share Dealing Nominees Ltd, Shogun Finance Ltd, Silentdale Ltd, St Andrews Group Ltd, St Andrews Insurance plc, St Andrews Life Assurance plc, St. Marys Court Investments, Standard Property Investment (1987) Ltd, Standard Property Investment Ltd, Sussex County Homes Ltd, Suzuki Financial Services Ltd, Swan Funding 2 Ltd, Syon Securities 2019 DAC, The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Plc, The British Linen Company Ltd, The Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, The Mortgage Business plc, Thistle Financing Holdings Ltd, Thistle Investments (AMC) Ltd, Thistle Investments (ERM) Ltd, Thistle Leasing, Three Copthall Avenue Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (10) Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (7) Ltd, Tranquility Leasing Ltd, Trinity Financing plc, UDT Budget Leasing Ltd, UDT Sales Finance Ltd, Uberior (Moorfield) Ltd, Uberior Co-Investments Ltd, Uberior ENA Ltd, Uberior Equity Ltd, Uberior Europe Ltd, Uberior Fund Investments Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments (No.2) Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments Ltd, Uberior Investments Ltd, Uberior Nominees Ltd, Uberior Trading Ltd, Uberior Trustees Ltd, Uberior Ventures Australia Pty Ltd, Uberior Ventures Ltd, United Dominions Leasing Ltd, United Dominions Trust Ltd, Universe The CMI Global Network Fund, Upsaala Ltd, Vine Street IX LP, WCS Ltd, Ward Nominees (Abingdon) Ltd, Ward Nominees (Birmingham) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees (Bristol) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees Ltd 1, Waverley Fund II Investor LLC, Waverley Fund III Investor LLC, Waymark Asset Investments Ltd, West Craigs Ltd, Wetherby II Securities 2018 DAC, Wetherby III Securities 2019 DAC, Wetherby Securities 2017 Ltd, Wood Street Leasing Ltd, and Zurich Insurance Group - UK Workplace Pensions and Savings Business. Fortis Inc. operates as an electric and gas utility company in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean countries. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 433,000 retail customers in southeastern Arizona; and 98,000 retail customers in Arizona's Mohave and Santa Cruz counties with an aggregate capacity of 3,233 megawatts (MW), including 59 MW of solar capacity. The company also sells wholesale electricity to other entities in the western United States; owns gas-fired and hydroelectric generating capacity totaling 65 MW; and distributes natural gas to approximately 1,048,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in British Columbia, Canada. In addition, it owns and operates the electricity distribution system that serves approximately 572,000 customers in southern and central Alberta; owns 4 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 225 MW; and provides operation, maintenance, and management services to five hydroelectric generating facilities. Further, the company distributes electricity in the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador with an installed generating capacity of 143 MW; and on Prince Edward Island with a generating capacity of 130 MW. Additionally, it provides integrated electric utility service to approximately 67,000 customers in Ontario; approximately 270,000 customers in Newfoundland and Labrador; approximately 31,000 customers on Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and approximately 15,000 customers on certain islands in Turks and Caicos. The company also holds long-term contracted generation assets in Belize consisting of 3 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 51 MW; and the Aitken Creek natural gas storage facility. It also owns and operates approximately 91,000 circuit Kilometers (km) of distribution lines; and approximately 49,500 km of natural gas pipelines. Fortis Inc. was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in St. John's, Canada. Read More GlaxoSmithKline Plc is a healthcare company, which engages in the research, development, and manufacture of pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines, and consumer healthcare products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceuticals; Pharmaceuticals R&D; Vaccines and Consumer Healthcare. The Pharmaceuticals segment focuses on developing medicines in respiratory and infectious diseases, oncology, and immuno-inflammation. The Pharmaceuticals R&D segment focuses on science related to the immune system, the use of human genetics and advanced technologies, and is driven by the multiplier effect of Science x Technology x Culture. The Vaccines segment produces pediatric and adult vaccines to prevent a range of infectious diseases including, hepatitis A and B, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella, polio, typhoid, influenza, and bacterial meningitis. The Consumer Healthcare segment develops and markets brands in the oral health, pain relief, respiratory, nutrition and gastro intestinal, and skin health categories. The company was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Middlesex, the United Kingdom. Read More Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. engages in global investment banking, securities, and investment management, which provides financial services. It operates through the following business segments: Investment Banking, Global Markets, Asset Management, and Consumer & Wealth Management. The Investment Banking segment serves public and private sector clients around the world and provides financial advisory services, help companies raise capital to strengthen and grow their businesses and provide financing to corporate clients. The Global Markets segment serves its clients who buy and sell financial products, funding and manage risk. The Asset Management segment provides investment services to help clients preserve and grow their financial assets. The Consumer & Wealth Management segment helps clients to achieve their individual financial goals by providing a wealth advisory and banking services. The company was founded by Marcus Goldman in 1869 and is headquartered in New York, NY. Read More Boliden AB, a metals company, explores for, mines, smelts, and recycles metals. It operates in two segments, Business Area Mines and Business Area Smelters. The company mines for zinc, copper, lead, gold, silver, nickel, and tellurium deposits. It operates the Aitik, the Boliden Area, and Garpenberg mines in Sweden; Tara mine in Ireland; and Kylylahti and Kevitsa mines in Finland. The company also produces zinc and lead ingots, copper cathodes, and gold bars and silver granules; sulphuric acid, zinc clinker, sulphur dioxide, and palladium concentrates; copper, lead, nickel, and zinc concentrates; and by-products comprising copper sulphate, zinc clinker, iron sand, copper telluride, selenium, nickel matte, crude nickel sulphate, and platinum group metal concentrates. In addition, it recycles copper and precious metals from electronic scrap; lead from used lead-acid batteries; and metals from waste products. Further, Boliden AB extracts silver from zinc concentrates. The company sells its products principally to industrial customers, as well as to base metal dealers and international metal stocks, such as the London Metal Exchange in Sweden, other Nordic region countries, Germany, the United Kingdom, other European countries, North America, and internationally. Boliden AB was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Read More Hannover RAck SE, together with its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance products and services worldwide. It operates through Property & Casualty Reinsurance, and Life & Health Reinsurance segments. The Property & Casualty Reinsurance segment offers specialty lines comprising marine, aviation, facultative and direct business, credit, surety, and political risks reinsurance products; and treaty, catastrophe XL, and structured reinsurance, as well as insurance-linked securities. This segment also provides risk solutions for agricultural, livestock, and bloodstock businesses; aviation and space business; and marine and offshore energy business. The Life & Health Reinsurance segment offers group and individual credit life, enhanced annuities, group life and health, and Sharia-compliant Takaful reinsurance products. This segment also provides risk solutions in the areas of critical illness, disability, health, longevity, long term care, and mortality and morbidity, as well as underwriting services. In addition, it offers various financial solutions, including new-business financing; monetization of embedded value; reserve and solvency relief; and divestiture of non-core businesses. The company was formerly known as Hannover RAckversicherung AG and changed its name to Hannover RAck SE in March 2013. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Hanover, Germany. Hannover RAck SE is a subsidiary of Talanx AG. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Fidelity National Information Services: 11601 Roosevelt Boulevard Realty LLC, AFSF II AIV Investors D-LP, AGES Participacoes Ltda., AKC Insurance Company LLC, Advanced Portfolio Technologies Ltd., Alphakinetic Ltd., Armed Forces Financial Network LLC, AssetExchange, Automated Securities Clearance LLC, Best Payment Solutions Inc., Bibit Spain S.L., Bitpay Payments KK, C&E Holdings Luxembourg S.a.r.l., CPRS Holdings Inc., Canadian Envoy Technology Services Ltd., Capco, Central Credit Services Limited, Certegy Canada Company, Certegy Card Services B.V., Certegy Dutch Holdings B.V., Certegy France Limited, Certegy SAS, Certegy UK Holdings B.V., Chex Systems Inc., Clear2Pay, Clear2Pay (Shenzhen) Company Limited, Clear2Pay APAC Pte. Ltd., Clear2Pay APAC Pty Ltd., Clear2Pay BV, Clear2Pay Belgium BV, Clear2Pay China Limited, Clear2Pay France SAS, Clear2Pay Germany GmbH, Clear2Pay Limited, Clear2Pay Nanjing Co. Limited, Clear2Pay Nederland BV, Clear2Pay Poland Sp. z o.o., Clear2Pay Scotland Holdings Limited, Clear2Pay Scotland Limited, Clear2Pay Spain S.l., ClearTwoPay Chile SpA, Complete Payment Recovery Services Inc., Compliance Coach, Credit Management Solutions, Decalog (UK) Limited, Decalog N.V., Envoy Services Bulgaria Limited, Envoy Services Ltd. (Asia) SDn BHD, Envoy Services Pty Ltd., Envoy Services South Africa (Pty) Limited, F.I.S. Systems (Middle East) Limited, FIS (Switzerland) SA, FIS (Tunisia) I SARL, FIS (Tunisia) II SARL, FIS Ambit Holdings Pty Ltd, FIS Apex (International) Limited, FIS Apex (UK) Limited, FIS Asia Pacific Inc., FIS AsiaPacRim Holdings Ltd., FIS Australasia Pty Ltd., FIS AvantGard LLC, FIS Banking Solutions UK Limited, FIS Bilgisayar Hizmetleri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, FIS Brokerage & Securities Services LLC, FIS Business Integration (UK) Limited, FIS Capital Markets UK Limited, FIS Capital Markets US LLC, FIS Card Services (Caribbean) Ltd., FIS Card Services (Thailand) Co. Ltd., FIS Consulting Services (Ireland) Limited, FIS Consulting Services (UK) Limited, FIS Denmark ApS, FIS Derivatives Utility Services (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., FIS Derivatives Utility Services (UK) Limited, FIS Derivatives Utility Services LLC, FIS Energy Solutions Limited, FIS Financial Solutions Canada Inc., FIS Financial Systems (France) SAS, FIS Foundation Inc., FIS GCS LLC, FIS Global Business Solutions India Private Ltd., FIS Global Execution Services (Ireland) Limited, FIS Global Execution Services Limited, FIS Global Holdings S.a.r.l, FIS Global Recovery Services India Private Limited, FIS Global Solutions Philippines Inc., FIS Global Trading (Deutschland) GmbH, FIS Global Trading (Hong Kong) Limited, FIS Global Trading (Iberica) S.L. Unipersonal, FIS Global Trading (Nederland) B.V., FIS Global Trading (Portugal) Unipessoal Lda, FIS Global Trading (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., FIS Global Trading (Suisse) SA, FIS Global Trading (UK) Limited, FIS Healthcare Trustee Limited, FIS Holdings (Germany) GmbH i.L., FIS Holdings Limited, FIS Holdings Mauritius, FIS Insurance Services Limited, FIS International Subsidiaries Holdings Inc., FIS Investment Systems (UK) Limited, FIS Investment Ventures LLC, FIS Investor Services LLC, FIS Japan KK, FIS Kingstar Cayman Islands Limited, FIS Korea Ltd., FIS Management Services LLC, FIS Management Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., FIS Pakistan (Private) Limited, FIS Payment Solutions & Services India Private Limited, FIS Payments (Ireland) Limited, FIS Payments (UK) Limited, FIS Pensions Limited, FIS Romania SRL, FIS SG (Italia) S.r.l., FIS SG International Holdings LLC, FIS SG Systems Philippines Inc., FIS Sherwood Systems Limited, FIS Solutions (India) Private Limited, FIS Solutions LLC, FIS Solutions Software (India) Private Limited, FIS Systeme GmbH, FIS Systems (Hong Kong) Limited, FIS Systems (Luxembourg) S.A., FIS Systems (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., FIS Systems (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., FIS Systems Canada Inc., FIS Systems International LLC, FIS Systems Kenya Limited, FIS Systems Limited, FIS Systems NZ Limited, FIS Systems Pty Ltd, FIS Systems South Africa (Pty) Limited, FIS Systems de Colombia S.A.S., FIS Technology (Beijing) Co. Limited, FIS Technology Services (Poland) Sp. z o.o., FIS Technology Services (Tunisia) SARL, FIS Technology Services Singapore Pte. Ltd., FIS Treasury Systems (Europe) Limited, FIS Treasury Systems (UK) Limited, FIS UK Holdings Limited, FIS Vietnam LLC, FIS Worldpay (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, FIS Worldpay Jersey Limited, FIS-SG Holding Corp., FNIS Istanbul Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, FV General Partner LLC, Fidelity Holding Ltda., Fidelity Information Services (Hong Kong) Limited, Fidelity Information Services (Iberia) S.L.U., Fidelity Information Services (Israel) Ltd., Fidelity Information Services (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd., Fidelity Information Services (Thailand) Limited, Fidelity Information Services Front Arena AB, Fidelity Information Services GmbH, Fidelity Information Services Holdings B.V., Fidelity Information Services India Private Limited, Fidelity Information Services International Holdings Inc., Fidelity Information Services LLC, Fidelity Information Services Limited, Fidelity Information Services Operations GmbH, Fidelity Information Services SARL, Fidelity Information Services Slovakia s.r.o., Fidelity Information Services de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fidelity International Resource Management Inc., Fidelity National Card Services Inc., Fidelity National Global Card Services Inc., Fidelity National Information Services (Netherlands) B.V., Fidelity National Information Services C.V., Fidelity National Information Services Inc., Fidelity National Participacoes e Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Fidelity National Servicos de Tratamento de Documentos e Informatica Ltda., Fidelity National Servicos e Contact Center Ltda., Fidelity Participacoes e Servicos Ltda., Financial Insurance Marketing Group Inc., GL Settle Limited, GL Trade (South Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, GL Trade CMS (Thailand) Limited, GL Trade Software DOO, GL Trade Solutions CMS (Thailand) Limited, Glesia S.r.l., GoCart LLC, Information Services Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Integrity Treasury Solutions Europe Limited, Integrity Treasury Solutions Inc., Integrity Treasury Solutions Limited, Integrity Treasury Solutions Pty Limited, Link2Gov Corp., Memento, Metavante Corporation, Metavante Payment Services LLC, Metavante Technologies Inc, Metavante Technologies Limited, Minorca Corporation NV, Monis Management Limited, Monis Software Limited, NYCE Payments Network LLC, Oshap Software Industries Ltd., Oshap Technologies Ltd., PT FIS Systems Indonesia, PT Fidelity Information Services Indonesia, Panther Holdco 2 Inc., Panther Holdco Inc., Payment Brasil Holdings Ltda., Payment Chile S.A., Payment Trust Limited, Paymetric Inc., Pazien Inc., People's United Merchant Services LLC, Platform Securities Holdings Limited, Platform Securities International Limited, Platform Securities International Nominees Limited, Platform Securities LLP, Platform Securities Nominees Limited, Platform Securities Services Limited, Reech Capital Limited, Reliance Financial Corporation, Reliance Integrated Solutions LLC, Reliance Trust Company, Rocket Partners Holdings LLC, Sanchez Computer Associates Pty Limited, Secondco Limited, Ship Holdco Limited, Ship Luxco 2 S.a.r.l., Ship Luxco 3 S.a.r.l., Ship Midco Limited, Solutions Plus Consulting Services Limited, SunGard, SunGard Data Systems Beijing Co. Ltd., SunGard Global Services (Tunisia) III, SunGard Global Trading (Australia) Pty. Ltd., SunGard India Sales Private Limited, TP Technologies N.V., Tayvin 346 Limited, Transax Limited, Trax BV, Valuelink Information Services Limited, Valutec Card Solutions LLC, Virtus Fund Services, Virtus Group LP, Virtus LP Holdings LLC, Virtus Partners Fund Services Cayman Ltd., Virtus Partners Fund Services Holdings Company, Virtus Partners Fund Services Ireland Limited, Virtus Partners Fund Services Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Virtus Partners Ireland Ltd., Virtus Partners Ltd., Virtus Trade Settlement LLC, WebTone Technologies, Worldpay, Worldpay (HK) Limited, Worldpay (NZ) Limited, Worldpay (UK) Limited, Worldpay AP Ltd., Worldpay Argentina SRL, Worldpay B.V., Worldpay Canada Corporation, Worldpay Cayman Holdings Limited, Worldpay Company LLC, Worldpay Do Brasil Processamento De Pagamentos Ltda., Worldpay Finance Limited, Worldpay Gaming Solutions LLC, Worldpay Governance Limited, Worldpay Group Limited, Worldpay Holdings (Barbados) SRL, Worldpay Holdings Brasil Participacoes Ltda., Worldpay ISO Inc., Worldpay India Private Limited, Worldpay Integrated Payments Canada LLC, Worldpay Integrated Payments LLC., Worldpay Integrated Payments Solutions Inc., Worldpay International Group Limited, Worldpay International Holdings Limited, Worldpay International Limited, Worldpay International Payments Limited, Worldpay International Solutions Limited, Worldpay K.K., Worldpay LLC, Worldpay Latin America Limited, Worldpay Limited, Worldpay Marketing Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Limited, Worldpay Payments (Barbados) SRL, Worldpay Processing Services SRL, Worldpay Pte Ltd., Worldpay Pty Ltd., Worldpay S.a.r.l., Worldpay Services Company, Worldpay Services SRL, Worldpay Solutions SRL, Worldpay Technology Bucharest S.R.L., Worldpay Treasury Solutions SRL, Worldpay US Inc., Worldpay eCommerce LLC, Worldpay eCommerce Limited, Xpede, YES-Secure.com Limited, YESpay International Limited, Zenmonics Inc., Zenmonics Software Private Limited, eFunds Corporation, eFunds Holdings Limited, eFunds International Limited, i DLX International B.V., and mFoundry Inc.. Deutsche BArse AG operates as an exchange organization in Europe, the United States, and the Asia-Pacific. The company operates through seven segments: Eurex (Financial Derivatives), EEX (Commodities), 360T (Foreign Exchange), Xetra (Cash Equities), Clearstream (Post-Trading), IFS (Investment Fund Services), and Qontigo (index and analytics business). The company engages in the electronic trading of derivatives, electricity and gas products, emission rights, and foreign exchange; operating of Eurex Repo over the counter (OTC) trading platform and electronic clearing architecture; and operating as a central counterparty for on-and-off exchange derivatives, repo transactions, and OTC and exchange-traded derivatives. It also operates in the cash market through Xetra, BArse Frankfurt, and Tradegate trading venues; operates as a central counterparty for equities and bonds; and provides listing services. In addition, the company offers custody and settlement services for securities; investment fund services; global securities financing services; and global securities finance and collateral management, as well as secured money, market transaction, and repos and securities lending transaction services. Further, it develops and markets indices, as well as portfolio management and risk analysis software; markets licenses for trading and market signals; provides technology and reporting solutions for external customers; and offers link-up of trading participants. Deutsche BArse AG was founded in 1585 and is headquartered in Eschborn, Germany. Read More 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. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Procter & Gamble: "Procter & Gamble Services" LLC, "Procter & Gamble" LLC, Agile Pursuits, Agile Pursuits Franchising, Arbora, Arbora & Ausonia, Arborinvest, Billie, Braun (Shanghai) Co., Braun GmbH, Braun-Gillette Immobilien GmbH & Co. KG, Celtic Insurance Company, Compania Procter & Gamble Mexico, Compania Quimica S.A., Corporativo Procter & Gamble, Cosmetic Products Pty. Ltd., Detergent Products B.V., Detergent Products SARL, Detergenti S.A., Eurocos Cosmetic GmbH, FPG Oleochemicals Sdn. Bhd., Fameccanica Data S.p.A., Fameccanica Industria e Comercio Do Brasil LTDA., Fameccanica Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Fater S.p.A., Fountain Square Music Publishing Co., Gillette (China) Ltd., Gillette (Shanghai) Ltd., Gillette Aesop Ltd., Gillette Australia Pty. Ltd., Gillette Canada Holdings, Gillette Commercial Operations North America, Gillette Diversified Operations Pvt. Ltd., Gillette Egypt S.A.E., Gillette Group UK Ltd, Gillette Gruppe Deutschland GmbH & Co. oHG, Gillette Holding Company LLC, Gillette Holding GmbH, Gillette India Limited, Gillette Industries Ltd., Gillette International B.V., Gillette Latin America Holding B.V., Gillette Management LLC, Gillette Nova Scotia Company, Gillette Pakistan Limited, Gillette Poland International Sp. z.o.o., Gillette Poland S.A., Gillette U.K. Limited, Gillette del Uruguay, Giorgio Beverly Hills Inc., Hyginett KFT, Industries Marocaines Modernes SA, LLC "Procter & Gamble Novomoskovsk", LLL "Procter & Gamble Distributorskaya Compania", Laboratorios Vicks, Liberty Street Music Publishing Company, Limited Liability Company 'Procter & Gamble Trading Ukraine', Limited Liability Company with foreign investments Procter & and Gamble Ukraine, MDVIP, MERCK KGAA NPV, Marcvenca Inversiones, Modern Industries Company - Dammam, Modern Products Company - Jeddah, New Chapter, New Chapter Canada Inc., Olay LLC, Oral-B Laboratories, P&G Distribution Morocco SAS, P&G Hair Care Holding, P&G Industrial Peru S.R.L., P&G Innovation Godo Kaisha, P&G Israel M.D.O. Ltd., P&G K.K., P&G Northeast Asia Pte. Ltd., P&G Prestige Godo Kaisha, P&G Prestige Service GmbH, P&G South African Trading (Pty.) Ltd., PGT Health Care (Zhejiang) Limited, PGT Healthcare LLP, PPI ZAO, PT Procter & Gamble Home Products Indonesia, PT Procter & Gamble Operations Indonesia, Phase II Holdings Corporation, Procter & Gamble (Chengdu) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Sales Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (East Africa) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Egypt) Manufacturing Company, Procter & Gamble (Enterprise Fund) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Consumer Products Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Enterprise Management Service Company Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Health & Beauty Care) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Jiangsu) Ltd. China, Procter & Gamble (L&CP) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Procter & Gamble (Manufacturing) Ireland Limited, Procter & Gamble (Shanghai) International Trade Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Acquisition GmbH, Procter & Gamble Administration GmbH, Procter & Gamble Algeria EURL, Procter & Gamble Amazon Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Amiens S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Argentina SRL, Procter & Gamble Asia Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Australia Proprietary Limited, Procter & Gamble Azerbaijan Services LLC, Procter & Gamble Bangladesh Private Ltd., Procter & Gamble Blois S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Brazil Holdings B.V., Procter & Gamble Bulgaria EOOD, Procter & Gamble Business Services Canada Company, Procter & Gamble Canada Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Chile , Procter & Gamble Chile Limitada, Procter & Gamble Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Commercial LLC, Procter & Gamble Commercial de Cuba S.A., Procter & Gamble Czech Republic s.r.o., Procter & Gamble DS Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Danmark ApS, Procter & Gamble Detergent (Beijing) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Deuttschland GmbH, Procter & Gamble Distributing (Philippines) Inc., Procter & Gamble Distributing New Zealand Limited, Procter & Gamble Distribution Company (Europe) BVBA, Procter & Gamble Distribution S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Eastern Europe, Procter & Gamble Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Procter & Gamble Egypt, Procter & Gamble Egypt Distribution, Procter & Gamble Egypt Holding, Procter & Gamble Egypt Supplies, Procter & Gamble Energy Company LLC, Procter & Gamble Espana, Procter & Gamble Europe SA, Procter & Gamble Export Operations SARL, Procter & Gamble Exportadora e Importadora Ltda., Procter & Gamble Exports, Procter & Gamble Fabricacao e Comercio Ltda., Procter & Gamble Far East, Procter & Gamble Finance (U.K.) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Holding Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Management S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Financial Investments LLP, Procter & Gamble Financial Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Services S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finland OY, Procter & Gamble France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH, Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH & Co. Operations oHG, Procter & Gamble GmbH, Procter & Gamble Grundstucks-und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Procter & Gamble Gulf FZE, Procter & Gamble Hair Care, Procter & Gamble Hellas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Holding (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Holding France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Holding GmbH, Procter & Gamble Holding S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Holdings (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Home Products Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Hong Kong Limited, Procter & Gamble Hungary Wholesale Trading Partnership (KKT), Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Inc., Procter & Gamble India Holdings, Procter & Gamble Indochina Limited Company, Procter & Gamble Industrial - 2012 C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Industrial S.C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Costa Rica, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Guatemala, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Panama, Procter & Gamble International Operations Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble International Operations SA, Procter & Gamble International Operations SA-ROHQ, Procter & Gamble International S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Investment Company (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Investment GmbH, Procter & Gamble Italia, Procter & Gamble Japan K.K., Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan Distribution LLP, Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan LLP, Procter & Gamble Korea, Procter & Gamble Korea S&D Co., Procter & Gamble Lanka Private Ltd. Sri Lanka, Procter & Gamble Leasing LLC, Procter & Gamble Levant S.A.L., Procter & Gamble Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Berlin GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Marketing Romania SRL, Procter & Gamble Marketing and Services doo, Procter & Gamble Maroc SA, Procter & Gamble Mataro, Procter & Gamble Mexico Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Mexico Inc., Procter & Gamble Middle East FZE, Procter & Gamble Nederland B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Investments B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Services B.V., Procter & Gamble Nigeria Limited, Procter & Gamble Nordic, Procter & Gamble Norge AS, Procter & Gamble Operations Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Overseas India B.V., Procter & Gamble Overseas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Pakistan (Private) Limited, Procter & Gamble Partnership LLP, Procter & Gamble Peru S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals France SAS, Procter & Gamble Philippines, Procter & Gamble Polska Sp. z o.o, Procter & Gamble Portugal - Produtos De Consumo, Procter & Gamble Product Supply (U.K.) Limited U.K., Procter & Gamble Production GmbH, Procter & Gamble Productions, Procter & Gamble Productos de Consumo, Procter & Gamble RHD, Procter & Gamble RSC Regional Service Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Retail Services BVBA, Procter & Gamble S.r.l., Procter & Gamble SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Satis ve Dagitim Ltd. Sti., Procter & Gamble Seine S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Service GmbH, Procter & Gamble Services (Switzerland) SA, Procter & Gamble Services Company N.V., Procter & Gamble Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Share Incentive Plan Trustee Ltd., Procter & Gamble South America Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Spol. s.r.o. (Ltd.), Procter & Gamble Sports and Social Club Ltd., Procter & Gamble Sverige AB, Procter & Gamble Switzerland SARL, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Limited, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Sales Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Technical Centres Limited, Procter & Gamble Technology (Beijing) Co., Procter & Gamble Trading (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Tuketim Mallari Sanayii A.S., Procter & Gamble UK, Procter & Gamble UK Group Holdings Ltd, Procter & Gamble UK Parent Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Universal Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Verwaltungs GmbH, Procter & Gamble Vietnam, Procter & Gamble d.o.o. za trgovinu, Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.C.A., Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.R.L., Procter & Gamble do Brasil S/A, Procter & Gamble do Brazil, Procter & Gamble do Nordeste S/A, Procter & Gamble-Rakona s.r.o., Progam Realty & Development Corporation, Redmond Products, Richardson-Vicks Real Estate Inc., Richardson-Vicks do Brasil Quimica e Farmaceutica Ltda, Riverfront Music Publishing Co., Rosemount LLC, SPD Development Company Limited, SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH, Scannon S.A.S., Series Acquisition B.V., Shulton, Surfac S.R.L., Sycamore Productions, TAOS - FL, TAOS Retail, Tambrands Inc., Temple Trees Impex & Investment Private Limited, The Art of Shaving - FL, The Dover Wipes Company, The Gillette Company, The Gillette Company LLC, The Gillette co., The Procter & Gamble Distributing LLC, The Procter & Gamble GBS Company, The Procter & Gamble Global Finance Company, The Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company, The Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company, The Procter & Gamble U.S. Business Services Company, This is L., US CD LLC, Vidal Sassoon (Shanghai) Academy, Vidal Sassoon Co., WEBA Betriebsrenten-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Walker & Company Brands, and iMFLUX Inc.. Exelon Corp. operates as a utility services holding company, which engages in the energy generation, power marketing, and energy delivery business. It operates through the following segments: Mid Atlantic, Midwest, New York, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and other Power Regions. The Mid-Atlantic segment represents operations in the eastern half of PJM, which includes New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, the District of Columbia and parts of Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The Midwest segment operates in the western half of PJM, which includes portions of Illinois, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee, and the United States footprint of MISO, excluding MISO's Southern Region, which covers all or most of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, the remaining parts of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio not covered by PJM, and parts of Montana, Missouri and Kentucky. The New York (NY) segment provides operations within ISONY, which covers the state of New York in its entirety. The ERCOT segment includes operations within Electric Reliability Council of Texas, covering most of the state of Texas. Read More New Media Investment Group Inc. invests in, owns, and operates local media assets in the United States. The company's principal products include 146 daily newspapers with total paid circulation of approximately 1.5 million; 323 weekly newspapers with total paid circulation of approximately 268,000 and total free circulation of approximately 1.4 million; 132 shoppers with total circulation of approximately 3.1 million; and 581 locally-focused Websites, including Internet and mobile devices with approximately 364 million page views per month. Its principal products also comprise 77 business publications; and UpCurve Cloud and ThriveHive, which provides digital marketing and business services. In addition, the company produces niche publications that address specific local market interests, such as recreation, sports, healthcare, and real estate. Further, it offers print and online products that offer local market news and information on various topics comprising local news and politics, community and regional events, youth sports, opinion and editorial pages, local schools, obituaries, weddings, and police reports, as well as commercial printing services for publishers; and prints commercial materials, including flyers, business cards, and invitations. Additionally, the company produces approximately 350 annual events with a collective attendance approximately 400,000, such as themed expo, signature event, endurance event, and white label event services; and provides digital and print advertising services. It reaches approximately 22 million people per week; and serves approximately 199,000 business customers. New Media Investment Group Inc. was founded in 1997 and is based in New York, New York. Read More Novan, Inc., a clinical development-stage biotechnology company, provides nitric oxide-based therapies to treat dermatological and oncovirus-mediated diseases. Its clinical stage dermatology drug candidates include SB204, a topical monotherapy for the treatment of acne vulgaris; SB206, a topical anti-viral gel for the treatment of viral skin infections; SB208, a topical broad-spectrum anti-fungal gel for the treatment of fungal infections of the skin and nails, including athlete's foot and fungal nail infections; and SB414, a topical cream-based gel product candidate for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. The company also develops SB207, an anti-viral product candidate for the treatment of external genital warts; WH602, a nitric oxide-containing intravaginal gel to treat high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV); WH504, a non-gel formulation product candidate to treat high-risk HPV; and SB019 for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Novan, Inc. has a license agreement with Sato Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; and a strategic alliance with Orion Corporation. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina. Read More Merck & Co., Inc. pays an annual dividend of $2.60 per share and currently has a dividend yield of 3.53%. Merck & Co., Inc. has been increasing its dividend for 11 consecutive years, indicating the company has a strong committment to maintain and grow its dividend. The dividend payout ratio of Merck & Co., Inc. is 91.87%. Payout ratios above 75% are not desirable because they may not be sustainable. Based on earnings estimates, Merck & Co., Inc. will have a dividend payout ratio of 37.85% next year. This indicates that Merck & Co., Inc. will be able to sustain or increase its dividend. View Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend history. Phoenix Group Holdings plc engages in the long-term savings and retirement busines in Europe. The company operates through UK Heritage, UK Open, Europe, ReAssure, and Management Services segments. It engages in the management of insurance policies, which include active and closed life insurance products. The company also provides workplace pensions, and customer savings and investments products under the Standard Life brand. Its retirement solutions business includes vesting annuities and bulk purchase annuity business, where it acquires annuities and deliver the financial stability for secure pensions. The company also offers a range of financial products for the over 50s market under the SunLife brand, which cover life cover, equity release, funeral plans, and home insurance. Phoenix Group Holdings plc has a strategic partnership with Standard Life Aberdeen plc. The company was formerly known as Pearl Group and changed its name to Phoenix Group Holdings plc in March 2010. Phoenix Group Holdings plc was founded in 1782 and is based in London, the United Kingdom. Read More Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Utilities ETF's stock was trading at $98.06 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, RYU shares have increased by 14.6% and is now trading at $112.35. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. The following companies are subsidiares of Valero Energy: AIR BP-PBF DEL PERU SAC, BELFAST STORAGE LTD, CANADIAN ULTRAMAR COMPANY, COLONNADE TEXAS INSURANCE COMPANY LLC, COLONNADE VERMONT INSURANCE COMPANY, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY LLC, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY OF CANADA INC., DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL HOLDINGS LLC, DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL LLC, DIAMOND K RANCH LLC, DIAMOND OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., DIAMOND SHAMROCK REFINING COMPANY L.P., DIAMOND UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., DSRM NATIONAL BANK, ENTERPRISE CLAIMS MANAGEMENT INC., GCP LOGISTICS COMPANY LLC, GOLDEN EAGLE ASSURANCE LIMITED, HAMMOND MAINLINE PIPELINE LLC, HUNTWAY REFINING COMPANY, MAINLINE PIPELINES LIMITED, MAPLE ETHANOL LTD., MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT GP LLC, MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT L.P., MRP PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, NECHES RIVER HOLDING CORP., NORCO METHANOL LLC, OCEANIC TANKERS AGENCY LIMITED, PARKWAY PIPELINE LLC, PENTA TANKS TERMINALS S.A., PI DOCK FACILITIES LLC, PICKARD PLACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, PORT ARTHUR COKER COMPANY L.P., PREMCOR USA INC., PROPERTY RESTORATION L.P., PURE BIOFUELS DEL PERU S.A.C., PURE BIOFUELS HOLDINGS L.P., Parkway Pipeline, Premcor, Pure Biofuels Del Peru, SABINE RIVER HOLDING CORP., SABINE RIVER LLC, SAINT BERNARD PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, SUNBELT REFINING COMPANY L.P., THE PREMCOR PIPELINE CO., THE PREMCOR REFINING GROUP INC., THE SHAMROCK PIPE LINE CORPORATION, TRANSPORT MARITIME ST. LAURENT INC., ULTRAMAR ACCEPTANCE INC., ULTRAMAR ENERGY INC., ULTRAMAR INC., Ultramar Diamond Shamrock, V-TEX LOGISTICS LLC, VALERO (BARBADOS) SRL, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS GP LLC, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS LIMITED, VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ARUBA ACQUISITION COMPANY I LTD., VALERO ARUBA FINANCE INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA HOLDING COMPANY N.V., VALERO ARUBA HOLDINGS INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA MAINTENANCE/OPERATIONS COMPANY N.V., VALERO BROWNSVILLE TERMINAL LLC, VALERO CANADA FINANCE INC., VALERO CANADA L.P., VALERO CAPITAL CORPORATION, VALERO CARIBBEAN SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO COKER CORPORATION ARUBA N.V., VALERO CUSTOMS & TRADE SERVICES INC., VALERO EAST BAY LLC, VALERO ENERGY (IRELAND) LIMITED, VALERO ENERGY ARUBA II COMPANY, VALERO ENERGY INC., VALERO ENERGY LTD, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS LP, VALERO ENERGY UK LTD, VALERO ENTERPRISES INC., VALERO EQUITY SERVICES LTD, VALERO FINANCE L.P. I, VALERO FINANCE L.P. II, VALERO FINANCE L.P. III, VALERO FOREST CONTRIBUTION LLC, VALERO GRAIN MARKETING LLC, VALERO H2 PIPELINE COMPANY LLC, VALERO HOLDCO UK LTD, VALERO HOLDINGS INC., VALERO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC., VALERO LIVE OAK LLC, VALERO LOGISTICS UK LTD, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY (PANAMA) LLC, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY COMPANY, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPY INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO MARKETING IRELAND LIMITED, VALERO MKS LOGISTICS L.L.C., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEW AMSTERDAM B.V., VALERO OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONS SUPPORT LTD, VALERO PARTNERS CCTS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS EAST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS WEST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS EP LLC, VALERO PARTNERS HOUSTON LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LOUISIANA LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LUCAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MCKEE LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MERAUX LLC, VALERO PARTNERS NORTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS OPERATING CO. LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PAPS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PORT ARTHUR LLC, VALERO PARTNERS SOUTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS TEXAS CITY LLC, VALERO PARTNERS THREE RIVERS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WYNNEWOOD LLC, VALERO PAYMENT SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE LLC, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE OIL TERMINAL LTD, VALERO PLAINS COMPANY LLC, VALERO POWER MARKETING LLC, VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO RAIL PARTNERS LLC, VALERO REFINING AND MARKETING COMPANY, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-ARUBA N.V., VALERO REFINING COMPANY-CALIFORNIA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-OKLAHOMA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-TENNESSEE L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-MERAUX LLC, VALERO REFINING-NEW ORLEANS L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-TEXAS L.P., VALERO RENEWABLE FUELS COMPANY LLC, VALERO SECURITY SYSTEMS INC., VALERO SERVICES INC., VALERO SKELLYTOWN PIPELINE LLC, VALERO TEJAS COMPANY LLC, VALERO TERMINAL HOLDCO LTD, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO TEXAS POWER MARKETING INC., VALERO ULTRAMAR HOLDINGS INC., VALERO UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., VALERO WEST WALES LLC, VRG PROPERTIES COMPANY, VTD PROPERTIES COMPANY, WARSHALL COMPANY LLC, and ZELIG COMMERCIAL INC.. United Technologies Corporation provides technology products and services to building systems and aerospace industries worldwide. Its Otis segment designs, manufactures, sells, and installs passenger and freight elevators, escalators, and moving walkways; and offers modernization products to upgrade elevators and escalators, as well as maintenance and repair services. The company's Carrier segment provides heating, ventilating, air conditioning, refrigeration, fire, security, and building automation products, solutions, and services for commercial, government, infrastructure, residential, and refrigeration and transportation applications. This segment also offers building services, including audit, design, installation, system integration, repair, maintenance, and monitoring. Its Pratt & Whitney segment supplies aircraft engines for commercial, military, business jet, and general aviation markets; and provides aftermarket maintenance, repair, and overhaul, as well as fleet management services. The company's Collins Aerospace Systems segment provides electric power generation, power management, and distribution systems; air data and aircraft sensing systems; engine control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems; engine components; environmental control systems; fire and ice detection, and protection systems; propeller systems; engine nacelle systems; aircraft lighting, seating, and cargo systems; actuation and landing systems; space products and subsystems; avionics systems; flight controls, communications, navigation, oxygen, and training systems; food and beverage preparation, and storage and galley systems; and lavatory and wastewater management systems. The company offers its services through manufacturers' representatives, distributors, wholesalers, dealers, retail outlets, and sales representatives, as well as directly to customers. United Technologies Corporation was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. Read More BT Group plc provides communications services worldwide. Its Consumer segment sells telephones, baby monitors, and Wi-Fi extenders through high street retailers, online BT Shop, and Website BT.com; and offers home phone, copper and fiber broadband, TV, and mobile services in various packages. The company's EE segment offers 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile network services; broadband, fixed-voice, and TV services; and postpaid and prepaid plans, and emergency services network. This segment also sells 4G mobile phones, tablets, connected devices, and mobile broadband devices from various manufacturers. Its Business and Public Sector segment provides fixed voice, mobility, fiber and connectivity, and networked IT services to retailers, utilities, public sector, healthcare, sports, construction, finance, and educational sectors. The company's Global Services segment offers business communications and ICT services comprising BT Connect, BT Security, BT One, BT Contact, BT Compute, BT Advise, and BT for financial markets. This segment serves approximately 5,500 customers in 180 countries. Its Wholesale and Ventures segment enables communications providers and other organizations to provide fixed or mobile phone services. Its ventures provide mass-market services, such as directory enquiries and payphones; and enterprise services comprising BT Fleet and BT Redcare. This segment also provides broadband and Ethernet, voice, hosted communication, mobile virtual network operator, managed solutions, machine-to-machine, roaming, and media services. The company's Openreach segment engages in the provision of services over the local access network; and installation and maintenance of fiber and copper communications networks that connect homes and businesses. The company was formerly known as Newgate Telecommunications Limited and changed its name to BT Group plc in September 2001. BT Group plc was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More Greif, Inc. engages in the production of industrial packaging products and services. It operates through the following segments: Rigid Industrial Packaging and Services, Paper Packaging and Services, Flexible Products and Services, and Land Management. The Rigid Industrial Packaging and Services segment involves the production and sale of rigid industrial packaging products, such as steel, fibre and plastic drums, rigid intermediate bulk containers, closure systems for industrial packaging products, transit protection products, water bottles and reconditioned containers, and services, such as container life cycle services, blending, filling and other packaging services, logistics and warehousing. The Paper Packaging and Services segment involves the production and sale of containerboard, corrugated sheets, corrugated containers and other corrugated products to customers in North America. The Flexible Products and Services segment involves the production and sale of flexible intermediate bulk containers and related services on a global basis and the sale of industrial and consumer shipping sacks and multiwall bag products in North America. The Land Management segment involves the ma Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Textron: AAI Corporation, AAI Services Corporation, ALSTOM Gears, Able Aerospace, Able Aerospace Services Inc., Able Engineering & Component Services, Aeronautical Accessories LLC, Airborne Tactical Advantage Company LLC, Arctic Cat, Arctic Cat ACE Holding GmbH, Arctic Cat France SARL, Arctic Cat GmbH, Arctic Cat Inc., Arctic Cat Production LLC, Arctic Cat Production Support LLC, Arctic Cat Sales Inc., Arctic Cat Shared Services LLC, Arctic Cat UK Ltd., Arkansas Aerospace Inc., Avco Corporation, Aviation Service servis letal doo Ljubljana, Aylesbury Automation, B/K Navigational Equipment sro, Beech Aircraft Corporation, Beech Holdings, Beechcraft Defense Support Holding LLC, Beechcraft Domestic Service Company, Beechcraft Germany GmbH, Beechcraft International Holding LLC, Beechcraft International Service Company, Beechcraft New Zealand, Beechcraft Service Company UK Limited, Bell Helicopter GK, Bell Helicopter KK, Bell Textron Asia (Pte.) Ltd., Bell Textron Canada International Inc., Bell Textron Canada Limited/Limitee, Bell Textron Inc., Bell Textron Korea Inc., Bell Textron Miami Inc, Bell Textron Prague a.s., Bell Textron Rhode Island Inc., Bell Textron Services Inc, Bell Textron Supply Center BV, Bell Textron Technical Services Inc., Benzlers, Brazaco Mapri Industrias, Burkland, Cessna Aircraft Company, Cessna Citation European Service Center SAS, Cessna Dusseldorf Citation Service Center GmbH, Cessna Finance Corporation, Cessna Finance Export Corporation, Cessna Mexico S de RL de CV, Cessna Spanish Citation Service Center SLU, Cessna Zurich Citation Service Center GmbH, Citation Parts Distribution International Inc., Cushman Inc., Datacom Technologies, David Brown Group, Doncaster Citation Service Centre Limited, E-Z-GO Canada Limited, Energy Manufacturing, Flexalloy, HBC LLC, Hawker Beech de Mexico S de RL de CV, Hawker Beechcraft Argentina SA, Howe & Howe Inc., Howe and Howe Technologies, Industrial Technology Inc., InteSys Technologies, International Product Support Inc., KSB Annecy SAS, Kautex (Changchun) Plastics Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Chongqing) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Guangzhou) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Pinghu) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Shanghai) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Wuhan) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex Corporation, Kautex Craiova srl, Kautex Germany Holding GmbH, Kautex Inc., Kautex Japan KK, Kautex Shanghai GmbH, Kautex Textron (UK) Limited, Kautex Textron Benelux BVBA, Kautex Textron Bohemia spol sro, Kautex Textron CVS Limited, Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG, Kautex Textron Iberica SL, Kautex Textron Italia Srl, Kautex Textron Management Services Company de Puebla S. de RL de CV, Kautex Textron Portugal Produtos Plasticos Sociedade Unipessoal Lda., Kautex Textron de Mexico S de RL de CV, Kautex Textron do Brasil Ltda., Kautex of Georgia Inc., Kaywood Products Corp., Klauke, LCI Corporation International, LLC Textron RUS, Maag, McCord Corporation, Mechtronix, Medical Numerics Inc., Midland Industrial Plastics, MillenWorks, MillenWorks Themed Technologies, MotorFist LLC, OPINICUS Simulation and Training Services LLC, OmniQuip International, Opinicus, Optical Boring Co., Opto-Electronics, Opto-Electronics Inc., Overwatch Systems Ltd., PEINER Umformtechnik, Pirelli Tyres - General Rubber Goods (GRG) division, Premiair Aviation Maintenance Pty Ltd, Progressive Electronics, Ransomes, Ransomes Inc., Ransomes Investment LLC, Ransomes Jacobsen France SAS, Ransomes Jacobsen Limited, Ransomes Limited, Ransomes Pensions Trustee Company Limited, Replacement Part Solutions LLC, Response Technologies LLC, Rotor Blades Limited, Sukosim Verbindungselemente, TRU Simulation & Training Spain SL, TRU Simulation + Training Inc., TRU Simulation + Training LLC, TekGPS Engineering Srl, Textron Airland LLC, Textron Atlantic LLC, Textron Aviation Australia Pty. Ltd., Textron Aviation Canada Ltd., Textron Aviation Defense LLC, Textron Aviation Finance Corporation, Textron Aviation Inc., Textron Aviation Prague Service Center sro, Textron Aviation Rhode Island Inc., Textron Aviation Services de Mexico S de RL de CV, Textron Capital BV, Textron Communications Inc., Textron Far East Pte. Ltd., Textron Finance Holding Company, Textron Financial Corporation, Textron Financial Corporation Receivables Trust 2002-CP-2, Textron Fluid and Power Inc., Textron France Holding SAS, Textron France SAS, Textron Global Services Inc., Textron Ground Support Equipment Inc., Textron Ground Support Equipment UK Limited, Textron IPMP Inc., Textron India Private Limited, Textron Innovations Inc., Textron International Inc., Textron International Mexico S de RL de CV, Textron Limited, Textron Management Services Inc., Textron Motors GmbH, Textron Motors North America Inc., Textron Outdoor Power Equipment Inc., Textron Realty Corporation, Textron Shared Service Centre (Canada) Inc., Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc., Textron Sweden AB, Textron Systems Australia Holding Pty Ltd, Textron Systems Australia Pty Ltd, Textron Systems Canada Inc., Textron Systems Corporation, Textron Systems Electronic Systems UK (Holdings) Limited, Textron Systems Electronic Systems UK Limited, Textron Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Textron UK Pension Trustee Limited, Textron Verwaltungs-GmbH, Turbine Engine Components Textron (Newington Operations) Inc., United Industrial Corporation, Westminster Insurance Company, Williams Machine & Tool, Wuxi Textron Specialized Vehicles Co. Ltd., and Zhenjiang Bell Textron Aviation Services Limited. ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Advocates for older New Yorkers are praising the state budget recently passed by lawmakers in Albany. The $175.5 billion spending plan approved April 1 includes $15 million for counties to provide community-based services that allow aging residents to remain in their own homes instead of moving to taxpayer-funded nursing homes. The funds will be used for services such as transportation to medical appointments and in-home assistance with daily activities. The budget also includes the nation's first program to develop a private-pay market that will enable people of all income levels to gain access to services to help older adults remain independent. Beth Finkel, AARP director for New York state, says the funding will help thousands of families. The organization was formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons. (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - In New York state government news, the Democrat-controlled Assembly has passed a package of legislation to provide services and support to crime victims. Assembly leaders say one of the six measures would ensure state compensation and counseling for families of domestic partners who are victims of homicide. Another would direct fines imposed under certain antitrust laws to be used to help fund the state's Office of Victim Services. Meanwhile, environmentalists are calling for an amendment to the state constitution guaranteeing clean air and water. The group Environmental Advocates of New York wants to include a line that reads: "Each person shall have a right to clean air and water, and a healthful environment." (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) UTICA- Millennials talk about why they chose Utica as their place to settle down. A study done by realtor.com ranked Utica as number 9 across the nation for home purchases by millennials. These statistics are determined by the number of transactions millennials are involved in. Licensed Real Estate broker for One Realty Partners, David Paciello said affordability has a lot to do with it. "That is because we're a late cycle compared to prior generations to the market and they're coming droves now. Home prices are low, we are the last pocket in Upstate New York where you can buy an affordable home." Paciello said most of his millennial clients are searching for homes in the $120,000- $180,000 range, but they ultimately want something that's move in ready. The Orts family moved into their Utica home in 2016, and there are several reasons why they chose Utica. "I think it was because of the exponential growth especailly within the past year specifically," said Kelley Orts. "I mean you see Baggs Square and all these little shops expanding into the area." Both Kelley and her husband Ryan said family also played a role in their decision. Paciello said it's important for his team of agents to have relatability with all their clients. Ilion, N.Y. - Ilion Police say a 911 came in around 12:45 Saturday morning. The caller stating there has just been a stabbing inside 15 South Third Avenue. Officers say they found a 44-year-old man had been stabbed in the upper left chest area. Police are not releasing the man's name yet. They do say he remains at St. Elizabeth Medical Center but no word on his condition. Police arrested 46-year-old Tara Lyndaker and charged her with assault, criminal possession of a weapon and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Lyndaker is being held in the Herkimer County Jail on $50,000 cash bail. Neighbors tell us police have been at the residence a number of times in the past. Police would neither confirm nor deny that. They said to call back on Monday for more information. With the Christmas holiday fast approaching, many of us are decorating our homes with plants to match the festivities. And traditional holiday plants may come through the door as gifts. However, as pretty as poinsettia, holly, and mistletoe can be... By By: 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. State gives grant for Farmstead Park restoration in Upper Moreland Township Live from New York, its BTS! After host Emma Stone introduced them, members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook performed their new single Boy With Luv featuring Halsey for the first time. Complete with their signature choreography and sound, the seven guys made history as the first South Korean act to perform on the NBC comedy sketch series. They also performed their 2018 hit Mic Drop. The Korean boy bands SNL appearance comes a day after with the release of their seven-track album, Map of the Soul: Persona . Halsey isnt the only pop star to collaborate on BTS latest album. Ed Sheeran co-wrote the groups single Make It Right, the fourth track on their album. This is the first K pop song Ive had the honour of helping write. Check out the rest of the project too, the four-time Grammy winner wrote on Instagram. Well done @bts.bighitofficial. On Friday, Stone revealed to Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon that she was blown away by the groups rehearsal. I just saw their soundcheck today and I involuntarily screamed, she told Fallon. Im actually not kidding. It came out of my body. It was like, Ahhh! It was like a chemical reaction that happens. Theyre incredible. 2019 has been a whirlwind year for BTS. Most notably in February, the K-pop sensation made their Grammy Awards debut, even serving as presenters at the awards show. Rosalind O'Connor/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images In addition, their album Love Yourself: Tear was nominated for best recording package, making BTS project the first Korean album to be recognized in any category by the Recording Academy. Its more than a dream, RM told PEOPLE on the red carpet. We cant believe it. Next, BTS is set to hit the road for their worldwide Love Yourself: Speak Yourself stadium tour which kicks off in May. Follow its vinyl release on Record Store Day, the Lips' 15th LP will be available worldwide in July. For Record Store Day, The Flaming Lips unveiled their new album, Kings Mouth. Spanning 12 tracks and featuring narration from The Clashs Mick Jones, Kings Mouth marks The Lips fifteenth studio album to date and the follow-up to 2017s Oczy Mlody. A wide release is planned for later this year, but 4,000 lucky fans today got their hands on a limited-edition vinyl copy released exclusively for Record Store Day. For everyone who couldnt secure a copy, the band has made the album track All for the Life of the City available for streaming. A small consolation for sure, but it does mark our first official taste of Kings Mouth. Take a listen below. Kings Mouth, a concept album about a community mourning the noble death of a benevolent monarch, is part of a larger art installation of the same name, according to JamBands. A press release adds: Introduced in 2015, the installation has showcased its psychedelic visuals and soundscapes through North America in museums such as Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, NM, the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, MD, the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, OR and Waynes own creative space, The Womb, in Oklahoma City, OK. A true handcrafted marvel, it consists of a giant metallic head that welcomes spectators inside. Once inside of the foam month, an LED lightshow begins in tandem with music from the album. Now, the record doubles as the sonic companion to the exhibit and allows fans to experience the aural side at any time. Completing the project is a literary tome titled, Kings Mouth: Immerse Heap Trip Fantasy Experience, which tells the story of the Kings Mouth through words and visuals by Coyne. In describing his vision of the project, Lips frontman Wayne Coyne said: The Kings Mouth immersive/child-like qualities are born from the same spark and womb as The Flaming Lips live performances. The Kings Mouth adventure was made for humans of all sizes, ages, cultures, and religions. John Travolta and Kelly Preston Pay Tribute to Son Jett on What Wouldve Been His 27th Birthday John Travolta is honoring his late son Jett, who unexpectedly died at age 16. On Saturday, which wouldve been Jetts 27th birthday, the actor shared a photo of a portrait that was gifted to him by a fan. A painting a fan made of my son Jett! Happy birthday my son I love you! Travolta, 65, captioned his Instagram post. In January 2009, Jett died while on vacation with his family in the Bahamas. He had suffered a seizure at his familys vacation home at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island. The teen had hit his head in a bathtub and was declared dead at Rand Memorial Hospital. Les Miserables has major stones to debut on the same day and in the same timeslot as the hotly anticipated return of Game of Thrones, and that confidence isnt necessarily foolish or unfounded. With its share of backstabbing, suffering, starry-eyed love, and insurrection, the Victor Hugo novel was delivering large-scale drama long before Jon Snow was even a glint in George R.R. Martins eye. PBS moving and stunning adaptation of Les Miserables is an engrossing treat, featuring a vibrant cast and taking its time to unspool the melodrama and offer loving looks at 19th century France. Andrew Davies is no stranger to tackling epic tomes such as War and Peace and does a credible job wrestling Hugos nearly 2,000-page opus to the screen. Fortunately, he has six episodes to work with, which is similar to the authors five-volume breakdown of the action. Teamed up with director Tom Shankland, Davies spends a good one-third of the episodes establishing the world and its colorful characters. Barring a few tweaks to smooth the logic and flow, this Les Miserables hews closely to the source material without skipping too much plot or character motivations a sacrifice often made in condensing the story into a musical that delivers on emotion but takes shortcuts elsewhere. Related stories TV Is Unwhitewashing History One Character, Period, and Genre at a Time 'Les Miserables' Trailer: Victor Hugo Fans Who Don't Like Musicals Get Their Day PBS Doesnt See Netflix as Competition; Still Open to Making American Dramas Preternaturally strong Jean Valjean (Dominic West), aka Prisoner No. 24601, butts heads with police inspector Javert (David Oyelowo), who sees people and morality in binary terms. Valjean at least can put that tyrant behind him once hes released from prison, after serving 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. However, despite reforming and making a good life for himself, its not long before Valjean must start to evade Javert again as events in post-Napoleonic France begin to heat up. Story continues West is perhaps recently best known for playing a lousy human being on The Affair, but brings a convincing fragility to Valjean, a man who desperately wants to love and do right, but is often conflicted about his ability to do so. In a similar character flip, Oyelowo is best known for playing civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, but here has no intention of championing the marginalized or challenging authority. He is the authority, and Oyelowo is unbending and bombastic without appearing too villainous. Hes a worthy main antagonist who is crushingly fallible. The exquisite casting continues throughout the series: Lily Collins is a charming and ultimately heartbreaking Fantine, Johnny Flynn is her charismatic swain, Ellie Bamber makes for a lively and luminous Cosette, Durrells of Corfu star Josh OConnor is endearing as the romantic Marius, Adeel Akhtar oozes obsequiousness and bile as the duplicitous Thenardier, and David Bradley does what David Bradley does best as a bombastic elder who will brook no contradiction. But oh, it is the supremely likable Oscar winner Olivia Colman who steals every scene shes in as the loathsome yet hilarious Madame Thenardier. She chews le scenery as if it were a day-old baguette, and its every bit as horrifying and enchanting as that sounds. The only complaint, one that viewers learn quickly at her knee, is that one should always ask for more. Thanks to Oyelowo, who is an executive producer on the series, the cast is as inclusive as it would be if it were performed on Broadway. Its bold not because its inaccurate but because this is so rarely seen to this extent in adaptations of classic materials. The diversity adds authenticity to the setting, making Paris feel like a living and breathing city with its varied constituents. It also adds a particular zest to interactions that force viewers to question their preconceived notions: the black man Javert is the one in a position of authority slapping shackles on this white, cowed prisoner. What is right and wrong isnt ingrained in nature, but it is through the distorted lens of society and pop culture. Javert himself must learn this lesson along with the viewers. As familiar as many will be with Les Miserables as a musical, its gratifying and refreshing to return to the storys non-musical roots. This forces the words, the acting, and the pacing to stand on their own to evoke emotion, without relying on swelling choruses. Barring a few rushed and confused scenes in the later episodes when citywide unrest begins, this new version earns every smile, groan, tear, and gnashing of teeth. And it does so by keeping the narrative clear and allowing character-driven scenes to breathe. This can be seen particularly in the love stories, both filial and romantic. There is genuine, if fatalistic, joy in Fantine with her first love from the first giddy glances and courtship to its orchestrated and insightful surprise. And even though theres a bit of Romeo and Juliet shallowness to Cosettes crush-turned-soulmate, theres never any doubt about the swoon-worthy magnetism or rightness of her pairing on screen. But its Valjean and his ward that stir the most emotions and tightly tethers the story to humanity. Because of this, the middle portions of the series show no sagging. It is no longer burdened by setting up the world and its injustices, and just allows its characters to exist as Parisians of that time. Of course, even for the uninitiated, its no surprise that Les Miserables has its share of hardship onscreen. The early tragedies and inequities are the worst and hardest to stomach, sometimes crossing over into unintentional farce. There are moments when the cinematography makes certain scenes too clear, and it is devastating. For viewers, there is that expectation of calamity, and its best to lean in and revel in the awfulness with the promise of uplifted spirits and blood-stirring scenes to come. The series builds to its biggest set piece organically, albeit in a one-sided manner. Even a six-hour series cant manage to include the depth of history and treatises on Paris sewer systems that Hugo was able to impart in his novel. But when all the cannons are fired and last stands are taken, the sacrifices given do not feel insignificant. Les Miserables has been dubbed one of the greatest novels of all time, and while a few outmoded characterizations still exist (Hugo was alas, only a man), its still compelling, relevant, and most of all, introspective. This mammoth undertaking would be nothing without Valjean and Javert, whose characters contain multitudes, and the BBC and PBS had the grace to find and reflect that in them. Grade: B+ Les Miserables kicks off the first of six parts on Sunday, April 14 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS. Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. When Calls the Heart is moving on without Lori Loughlin. The Hallmark Channel drama has been renewed for a seventh season, a little over a month after the actress was dropped by the network in light of her alleged role in the college admissions cheating scandal. Series star Erin Krakow made the announcement Saturday during the premiere of the Hallmark Channel movie Bottled with Love. RELATED: Feds Seek Harsh Punishment for Lori Loughlin, Says Source: They Cant Skate Because Theyre Rich Youve already heard When Calls the Heart will returning with a special two-night event Sunday, May 5 and Monday, May 6, Krakow said. Im also thrilled to announce When Calls the Heart season 7 coming next year! We cant wait to get back to Hope Valley. The Hallmark Channel cut ties with Loughlin after she and husband Mossimo Giannulli were charged in the college admissions cheating scandal involving elite colleges and universities including Yale, Georgetown, the University of Southern California and Stanford. The network dropped Loughlin on March 14, halting the development of future projects and claiming it would not air any past content featuring the actress. RELATED: Lori Loughlin Rejected Plea Deal Before New Charges, Says Source: Not Seeing How Serious This Is We are saddened by the recent news surrounding the college admissions allegations. We are no longer working with Lori Loughlin and have stopped development of all productions that air on the Crown Media Family Network channels involving Lori Loughlin including Garage Sale Mysteries, an independent third party production, a statement from Hallmark read. Story continues Bettina Strauss/Crown Media Shortly after Loughlin was ousted, When Calls the Heart producer Brian Bird issued a lengthy statement informing fans that the show had not been canceled, and would return with new episodes after a retooling hiatus. #Hearties, thank you for your love, support, and patience these last several days as we have all been preoccupied with the news about Lori Loughlin and her family, and the decisions our colleagues at the Hallmark Channel USA needed to make, he and his fellow producers said in a statement on March 16. As you can imagine, everyone involved with When Calls the Heart was surprised by these developments, so we hope you can forgive us for initially staying silent while we sorted through how to respond. Lori Loughlin | GUNTHER/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Loughlin, 54, and Giannulli, 55, are facing felony charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud after they allegedly paid $500,000 to have daughters Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose recruited to the USC crew team, despite the fact that neither rowed. (It is unclear whether or not Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose are believed to have known about the alleged scheme.) The couple appeared before a judge for the first time earlier this month, but did not enter pleas in the cases against them. On Tuesday, Loughlin and Giannulli were among 16 parents indicted on an additional felony charge of money laundering conspiracy. They now face up to 20 years in prison for each charge. A source recently told PEOPLE Loughlin is reluctant to plead guilty because shes worried about her daughters. Mossimo Giannulli, Lori Loughlin | Donato Sardella/Getty Images for LACMA She is very concerned about what a guilty plea would do to her daughters, who may not have grasped everything that was going on, the source said. Yes, she can think about the public perception of her, but thats nothing compared to what her daughters think of her. So that is something that has understandably made her less likely to enter a plea. Meanwhile, Loughlin has been receiving support from costars including Krakow, who broke her social media silence last week to share a cryptic message seemingly dedicated to the actress. Krakow, who hadnt tweeted since the day before Loughlins indictment, shared a picture of a blooming pink flower April 8, writing, You are always there for me And I always will be. Though its unclear just who the tweet was referring to, the quote was lifted from a When Calls the Heart scene between Loughlin and Krakows characters. Photo credit: Earl Gibson III - Getty Images From Esquire It's early days yet, and Joe Biden already has floated the Hindenburg of trial balloons. Twice. First, his people start bruiting about the notion that he will pick Stacey Abrams, who got cheated out of the governorship of Georgia, as his running mate long before he gets the nomination. Then, word comes out that Biden will promise to serve only one term. Both of these are dumb enough to make you wonder if Biden should be allowed to cut his own meat at dinner. Now, the former comes from Mike (Payola) Allen at Axios, so you may want to keep a salt lick handy while you think about it. However, the logic, as described by Allen, does sound like it came from somebody in the overpriced Smartest Guys In The Room consultant universe. The popular Georgia Democrat, who at age 45 is 31 years younger than Biden, would bring diversity and excitement to the ticket-showing voters, in the words of a close source, that Biden "isn't just another old white guy." First of all, historically, this never works and it always looks desperate. It looked desperate in 1976, when Ronald Reagan tried to assuage the Eastern Wall Street wing of the Republicans, the part of the party he was three-quarters of the way to supplanting anyway, by picking Senator Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania immediately before the Republican National Convention. It didn't work in 2016, when Ted Cruz announced the formation of a Stop Trump ticket with Carly Fiorina in the second spot. Photo credit: Tony Korody - Getty Images "Elect Me Because Look Who I'm Running With" is an open invitation to every voter to wonder why the ticket shouldn't be reversed. In any event, it doesn't exactly demonstrate confidence on the part of the guy running for president. More specifically, why in the name of God would Abrams do it? Right now, she's no worse than the second-hottest ticket in Democratic politics, a favorite to win whatever office for which she chooses to run in Georgia. (If it's the U.S. Senate, she becomes even more of a national figure overnight.) She's going to give all that up to throw a life preserver to a guy whose time probably passed in 2008, if not long before. (Jonathan Chait disagrees.) She's going to give all that up to make enemies out of the progressive base that already adores her? Story continues Choosing to go with Biden now guarantees that she makes one friend and 18 enemies on every debate stage. Photo credit: Win McNamee - Getty Images As bad an idea as that is, the one-term pledge is worse, and it makes you wonder if Biden truly has been alive over the past 10 years. Even if the Republican Party weren't completely committed to the idea that any Democratic president is prima facie illegitimate, it still would mean that Biden would become a lame duck about halfway through his inaugural address. Unless he's planning to drug Mitch McConnell and ship him off to the Kuriles, Biden would find he had a Merrick Garland problem with his entire government. Moreover, the fact that he appears unconcerned about this obvious fact is an indication that Biden still has in him a belief in the the Good Ol' Boy Senate way of doing things and an indication that he believes that, somehow, that will immunize him against McConnell's proven track record of successful obstructionism. And that might be the best argument of all against a Biden nomination. Respond to this post on the Esquire Politics Facebook page here. ('You Might Also Like',) Phoenix man killed his wife, 2 kids and friend over suspicions of an affair: Police Phoenix man killed his wife, 2 kids and friend over suspicions of an affair: Police originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A Phoenix man is charged with four murders and multiple assaults after allegedly killing his wife, two of their children and a friend over apparent suspicions that his wife was having an affair with his brother -- who was not among the victims, officials said this week. While in custody, suspect Austin Smith told police that "in God's eyes it was alright for him to deal with someone in this manner who been involved in adultery or an extramarital affair," Phoenix Police Sgt. Tommy Thompson at a press conference on Friday. "Under his religious beliefs he believes that it was okay." It's unclear what religion Smith practices, Thompson said. (MORE: Chris Watts, man who killed pregnant wife and daughters, provides new details on murders to investigators: Officials) On Thursday, police were called to the scene of an apartment complex in Glendale, Arizona -- a city about nine miles northwest of downtown Phoenix -- where they found the body of Ron Freeman, 46, as well as an unidentified woman, 47, with multiple gunshot wounds and an unidentified man with unspecified injuries. (MORE: When people kill close relatives: Explaining 'family annihilators') Police said they apprehended Smith, 30, fleeing that scene. Once in police custody, he allegedly led authorities to the scene of an even more horrific crime -- at his own home. Officials said that Smith had returned home from a local bar around 8 p.m., full of suspicion over the perceived infidelity and confronted his wife, who denied the accusation. Smith then then fatally shot wife Dasia Patterson, 29, and their 5-year-old daughter, Nasha Smith, according to court records cited by the Associated Press. Their 7-year-old daughter, Mayan Smith, died from apparent blunt-force trauma, allegedly by the use of a bat, according to the Associated Press. Story continues Authorities said the only survivor at Smith's family home was the couple's 3-year-old daughter. "It is from my understanding that he elected not to shoot the 3-years-old [3-year-old], she was under the bed when officers got to her," said Thompson. (MORE: Former Walmart Santa Claus arrested after bodies of his 2 children were found buried in his backyard) He then headed to Glendale and shot Freeman after the family friend told Smith he would be crazy to believe his wife was cheating on him, according to authorities. Inside Smith's car, police found a 9mm handgun, a .45 caliber handgun and a .223 caliber rifle they believe were used in the shootings, according to the probable cause statement. PHOTO: This undated booking photo from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office shows Austin Smith. (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office via AP) (MORE: Man whose estranged wife, daughter allegedly killed son in murder spree wants them in jail for life) Smith was charged on Friday in Maricopa County Superior Court for the quadruple murder and held on $2 million bail. He is also charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault. Nicole Millers longtime business partner Bud Konheim died Saturday, after injuries sustained from a bicycle accident in Connecticut. Konheim, chief executive officer of Nicole Miller Inc, died at the age of 84 at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Conn., Saturday. The cause of death was not immediately known, Miller said. Related stories The Sage of Seventh Avenue: Bud Konheim in His Own Words Through the Years FIT Increases Safety Workshops After Brief Campus Lockdown Due to Last Week's Live Shooter Scare Former Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen Talks N.Y. Manufacturing, Hudson Yards and Women.nyc Services will be held Friday at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel in New York City. Konheim and Miller have been one of the fashion industrys longest-standing power couples, having worked together for more than 40 years. He always said, Ive never had a bad day. He loved life and he loved his job. Miller said. He just always had this positive attitude. He just loved what he did. He loved the business. The irrepressible straight talker Konheim was a big picture thinker who examined the fashion industry from a mile-high perspective. Rather than talk up his own companys success or most recent news, Konheim was more inclined to first discuss at great length why old-school retail models and other aging business practices werent working. Rather than bemoan the state of things, Konheim would fire off a litany of possible solutions. An early adopter of technology for a variety of elements of sales and design, Konheim also championed a Made in New York label and marketing initiative in 1994, lobbying city officials to get on board. Anticipating that shopping malls were increasingly becoming places for teenagers to hang out, rather than shopping meccas, Konheim said in 1990, I never wanted to be malls in the first place. Malls give me hives. Theyre completely devoid of any personality. Succinct as he was in analyzing problems, Konheim as anyone who knew him can attest was never a man of few words. But his rapid-clip dialect was always laced with one-liners. Regardless of the topic, humor was in order with Konheim, but his verbosity was no laughing matter. What he wanted first and foremost was to try to help strengthen the industry. Story continues Konheim said as much in a 2016 interview with WWD executive editor Bridget Foley: Sorry my answer got overdone, but I got very interested in your question and its early in the a.m. We are very passionate about the industry. We have made decisions based on our common sense that has conspired to keep us from growing out of control. Konheim attended Exeter Academy, Dartmouth College and then served in the U.S. Marines three institutions that he remained committed to throughout his life, Miller said. Just as Konheim instinctively spoke gutturally from the heart, he and Miller shared a somewhat instinctive approach to business. He said in the 2016 WWD interview, Nicole [Miller] and I have run our company since 1982 without manuals, bureaucratic boards or business school type organization. Most of our policies are formed by our own trial and error, occasionally adopting a business idea from an outside source that we think is worthy. Konheim and Miller were known to do things their way taking risks and rarely conforming to the conventional wisdom or norms of Seventh Avenue. They opened their first store in the mid-Eighties when few other designers were doing so. They also refused to play along with the markdowns and chargeback mania that swept through department stores in the Nineties. In a 2007 interview with WWD, Konheim said, When I think about the last 25 years, its not about how big weve become. Its whether theres anything the industry can learn about what weve done. A fourth-generation apparel producer, Konheim was among the first Seventh Avenue executives to bring back some off-shore production from Asia to New York. Yeohlee Teng said Sunday, Bud had an independent voice and perspective on our industry and his vision will be missed. More often than not, Konheim could be seen in his office on the telephone, maintaining relationships and staying on top of what was going on in the industry, Miller noted. Miller said Sunday, He just loved the clothing business. He loved every minute of it. Arriving at 8 a.m. every day and working until 7 p.m. in the companys Seventh Avenue offices, Konheim loved the business so much. He always said, Ive never had a bad day. He loved life and he loved his job. Miller said. He just had this positive attitude. He loved what he did and he loved the business. Beyond his phone habit, Konheim made a point of always staying connected with business associates and friends by making and keeping lunch dates and e-mailing company news and occasionally interesting non-fashion information. Literature was among his areas of interest, having studied that as an Ivy Leaguer. Miller first met Konheim in the late Seventies, after answering an ad for a designer at his company P.J. Walsh in WWD. It was part of a big corporation. It wasnt an independent company. After seven years, we left and opened up our own business in 82. Miller said. We just always got along. Im more low-key and he had a big personality. When he entered the room, he always took over the whole room. If he was at a dinner party, he took over the whole dinner party. He was just larger than life and everybody loved him. He made every day exciting. In an interview with WWD, Konheim recalled, I told her from Day One that were going to run a business thats totally independent and rests on your ability to design clothes. I told her, You design clothes for yourself and well find enough people in the United States that share your aesthetic and your idea of clothes, and well make a business out of it. Konheim also spoke of his own commitment early on and how he promised Miller to make the business profitable no matter how small or big we become. The companys core has grown from a staff of 12 to 15 in 1982 to about 40 today, but Miller and Konheim kept a familial environment. What started out as weekly homemade luncheons for the design team became more frequent employee-wide meals at Konheims suggestion. Miller said Sunday that Konheim was even brasher when the company was starting out. Even though he was a big personality, he was a much more calmed-down version of his former self. After a dress made in a theater ticket print bombed, Miller considered using the material for scarves but Konheim suggested neckties instead. He wore one and sent the other 59 to the designers Madison Avenue store, where an enterprising security guard took one to his other job at the Metropolitan Opera gift shop. The manager there recognized a Met Opera ticket in the print and ordered the $90 ties, which sold out in three days. As for how a misstep turned into a multimillion dollar conversational print business, Konheim said, It was lucky but you also have to give luck a chance to happen by being open and creative. Everybody in the company is encouraged to be creative from the production manager to the head of sales. Everybody here goes beyond their main function. Konheim also spoke candidly about the leaner years, telling WWD about how sales fell to nearly $8 million in 1986. Forecasting the end of long dresses, Miller designed what Konheim described as a cheek-high mini-dress that took some time to catch on with retailers. Konheim said of that time, We would stay until 9 oclock at night to call the West Coast to sell two pieces. The whole company was committed to staying alive. Then one night buyers from Neiman Marcus walked In [to make a significant order]. A fourth-generation apparel producer, Konheim was among the first Seventh Avenue executives to bring back some off-shore production from Asia to New York. He was also an early champion of creating a Made in New York City label and marketing initiative, lobbying former Mayor Rudy Giulianis administration to adopt the proposal at no cost to the city. In advance of last falls midterm elections, Konheim explained why he and Miller werent doling out any pre-voting advice as some brands chose to do. We are making a conscious effort to not be part of the political conversation. Do you see whats going on around the country? he said. Were in the dress business. We like all the emphasis to be on taste and is this good design, good manufacturing not politics. Its a charged issue right now. People are finding a way to get hysterical about the right and left. Its just really bad quicksand to try to walk across. Konheim continued, There is no way we could give advice that would be taken universally as good advice no way. The way the atmosphere is right now, someone would take offense either way. If there is nothing else to talk about, youve got a pretty empty life. For long weekends in the winter, Konheim flew to his house in Boca Grande, Fla., where he and his wife played a lot of golf, went out on their boat and loved to entertain, Miller said. Recalling Konheims memorable personality, Miller described attending a magazine luncheon with Konheim where 24 guests were seated at one table: He carried on during the whole luncheon. He talked to the whole table like he was conducting the whole luncheon. He had everybody howling. He had everyone in stitches. Miller added: I was like, Oh my God, is this a little bit rude? You know how those luncheons are quiet and you talk to the person next to you and the person on the other side of you? But Bud had everybody laughing and they were so entertained. Afterwards, everybody just came up to talk to him. Miller added, He was just one-of-a-kind. Thats for sure. The British designer Jeff Banks recalled meeting Konheim for the first time 50 years ago when he visited his London office to ask for a license for Jeff Banks for America. We talked for hours and then went for dinner. After more deliberation, we concluded that most business arrangements end up, however well-intentioned, with a falling out. We decided, as we got on so well, to remain friends and help one another in business, whenever we could, Banks said. That resulted in Bud becoming my best friend and confidante. We have since laughed, cried, dined, holiday-ed and continuously enjoyed each others company around the world. I last saw him for dinner in November in New York and spoke on the phone last week. We both exchanged our ideas of plans for the future in this ever-changing world of design and retail. He was a dear friend, who will be sorely and sadly missed. After meeting Konheim in the mid-Nineties, The Daily Front Rows editor-in-chief and ceo Brandusa Niro said he inspired her to do more, and to do better. He gave me courage and support. He was a superb leader and an irreplaceable friend funny, brilliant, passionate, immensely loyal, a veritable jewel in the fashion world and in his friends lives, a crown jewel. Maybe its a cliche, but it holds so true in his case: they dont make them like this anymore. Fashion writer Terry Agins recalled how Konheim was a dear friend and a tipster through the years, confirming what she had heard about the price fixing with models fees. When she married Paul Hands wearing a Nicole Miller lace gown last fall, Konheim offered to host the reception at the companys showroom. She said Sunday, He was interested in the truth. If something was failing he admitted it. He refused to sugarcoat. Integrity for days! The industry has lost a stellar player. Konheim is survived by his wife Colleen, a son Alex and a stepson Christian Hoagland. Another one of Konheims sons, Eric, died in a kayaking accident in 1991. Following the death of his athletic environmentalist son, Konheim and his family gave a cache of money that Eric Konheim had stowed away to the Rocky Mountain Institute. The elder Konheim later worked with the RMI to create the Eric Konheim Memorial Fund and he continued supporting the organization through the years. His other philanthropic work included supporting Puppies Behind Bars, a group that works with prison inmates, who learn to train service dogs for combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] Don't expect first lady Melania Trump on the cover of Vogue anytime soon. The Daily Mail reports that Anna Wintour, the fashion bible's notoriously scathing editor-in-chief, implied that while the magazine wouldn't be featuring the current first lady. During an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, it was mentioned that Wintour hasn't kept the magazine exactly nonpartisan. It didn't take long for the White House to react, however. A Trump spokesperson reminded everyone that Melania's already had been on the cover and that not being on the magazine again was no big deal. During her tenure as first lady, Michelle Obama snagged three covers. Wintour stated that the choice was easy, noting that Obama "redefined" what the role meant. Wintour has also featured Senator Kamala Harris, making the magazine's political leanings very clear. Hilary Clinton was on the cover of Vogue back in 1998, halfway through her husband's second term. The magazine even endorsed the former presidential nominee during her run for the White House in 2016. It was the first time in the magazine's illustrious history that such an overt policial statement was made. In the magazine's declaration, it was mentioned that the Trump family, including Ivana, Marla, Melania, and Ivanka, had been featured in the past. Patrick McMullan/Getty Images RELATED: How Tom Ford Got Pulled into a Fake News Scandal Involving Melania Trump "Obviously these are women that we feel are icons and inspiring to women from a global perspective," Wintour told Amanpour. "I also feel even more strongly now that this is not a time to try and I think one has to be fair, one has to look at all sides but I don't think it's a moment not to take a stand." Melania's team clapped back with a statement saying that she wouldn't be defined by something as minor as a magazine cover. Back in 2005, shortly after her wedding to now-President Donald Trump, Melania was featured and appeared on the cover in her heavily embellished wedding gown, which was designed by John Galliano during his time at Christian Dior. Story continues Sharing for fun. This is First Lady Melania Trump's February 2005 American Vogue cover. She is wearing her wedding gown -- a version of John Galliano's finale look from his Fall 2004 Haute Couture collection for Dior, one of the most famous collections he ever designed. pic.twitter.com/8WIJIkDYOa John Binder (@JxhnBinder) April 12, 2019 "To be on the cover of Vogue doesn't define Mrs. Trump, she's been there, done that long before she was first lady," Stephanie Grisham, the first lady's spokesperson, said. "Her role as first lady of the United States and all that she does is much more important than some superficial photo shoot and cover." RELATED: Donald Trump Just Weighed in on the "Fake Melania" Conspiracy Grisham added that Melania wouldn't be available for a second cover, even if the invitation was presented to her. Instead, she's focusing on her Be Best campaign against bullying. "This just further demonstrates how biased the fashion magazine industry is, and shows how insecure and small-minded Anna Wintour really is. Unfortunately, Mrs. Trump is used to this kind of divisive behavior." * Explosions and gunfire echo through Libyan capital * Battle forces 13,625 people out of their homes * Eastern forces fighting U.N.-backed government * Latest warfare since Gaddafi toppled in 2011 (Updates number of displaced) By Ulf Laessing and Ahmed Elumami TRIPOLI, April 12 (Reuters) - Eastern Libyan forces bogged down in street battles in a push to seize the capital Tripoli deployed warplanes on Friday to hit several government positions, as more civilians fled fighting. More than 1,000 people gathered in central Tripoli to demand that Khalifa Haftar stop the advance of his Libyan National Army (LNA) on the coastal city. Haftar launched the campaign a week ago, in the latest conflict in a cycle of anarchy since the 2011 overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. But forces loyal to Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj's internationally recognized government have so far kept them at bay, with fierce fighting round a disused former airport about 11 km (7 miles) from the center. On Friday, an LNA warplane bombed the camp of a force allied to Serraj in Zuwara, west of Tripoli towards the Tunisian border, an LNA military source and residents said. Zuwara is near the Mellitah oil and gas plant, jointly operated by Italy's ENI and state oil firm NOC, which supplies Italy with gas through the Greenstream pipeline. An LNA warplane also attacked the only partly functioning airport in Tripoli, Mitiga, where anti-aircraft guns opened fire in response, witnesses said. The extent of damage and possible casualties in both places was not clear. A week of battles has killed 75 people - mainly fighters but also 17 civilians - and wounded another 323, according to latest U.N. tallies. Some 13,625 people have also been forced out of their homes. As the sound of fighting echoed round their city, residents sought to maintain some normality on Friday. Some families were eating in cafes next to the fish market where people were stocking up for the weekend. Story continues "We have got used to wars. I fear only God," said Yamim Ahmed, 20, who works in a fast food restaurant. More than 1,000 people staged a protest in Martyrs Square in central Tripoli to demand an end to the offensive, witnesses said. The turnout was bigger than last Friday. As well as the humanitarian cost, the conflict threatens to disrupt oil supplies, increase migration across the Mediterranean to Europe, scupper a U.N. peace plan, and allow Islamist militants to exploit the chaos. CITY STALEMATE Haftar, 75, a former general in Gaddafi's army who later joined the revolt against him, moved his troops out of their eastern stronghold to take the oil-rich desert south earlier this year before sweeping up to Tripoli at the start of April. But Serraj's government has managed to halt for now the advance, helped by forces with machine-guns on pickups, and steel containers across the road into Tripoli. The Tripoli government says it has taken nearly 200 prisoners from Haftar's forces. The United Nations, which had hoped to organize a national conference this month bringing the rival eastern and western administrations together to organize an election, has called for a ceasefire. The United States, G7 bloc of wealthy nations and European Union have also urged the LNA to halt its offensive. Tripoli-based Foreign Minister Mohamed Siyala urged the U.N. Security Council to call on Haftar to halt the advance. The U.N. health agency said it fears outbreaks of tuberculosis, measles and diarrhea due to poor sanitation, especially among those displaced. Five ambulances have been hit trying to extract wounded people from the conflict zone, World Health Organisation (WHO) representative Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain also told a Geneva news briefing from Tripoli. The WHO said it had only two weeks of medical supplies available for Tripoli's hospitals. Haftar casts himself as a bulwark against Islamist militancy who wants to restore order to Libya. But opponents see him as a potential would-be dictator like Gaddafi. He has so far resisted U.N. pressure to accept a power-sharing settlement, using his leverage as an ally of the West in attempts to stem jihadists in North Africa. About 1,500 refugees and migrants are trapped in detention centers, the head of the U.N. refugee agency said. "They must be urgently brought to safety. Simply put, this is a matter of life or death," Filippo Grandi said in a statement. Libya is a major transit point for migrants pouring into Europe in recent years, mostly trafficked by smuggling gangs. (Additional reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli in Benghazi, Ahmed Salem in Tripoli, and Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Andrew Cawthorne and James Dalgleish) Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Twelve people were killed and 16 others badly injured when a fuel tanker exploded in northern Nigerian city of Gombe, police told AFP on Sunday. The driver lost control of the fuel tanker as he tried to avoid colliding with another truck at a bridge on the outskirts of the city on Saturday. The tanker fell on its side, "spilled its contents and exploded, causing an inferno that engulfed other road users," Gombe state police spokeswoman Mary Mallum said. "Twelve people burned to death while 16 others were seriously injured and evacuated to hospital for treatment," she said, accusing the driver -- who was among those killed -- of reckless driving and speeding. Accidents are common on Nigeria's poorly maintained roads, many caused by reckless driving, speeding and disregard for traffic rules. Nineteen people were killed on April 5 when a truck crashed in northern Katsina state due to "fatigue and overloading", according to road safety officials. Photo credit: Audi From Car and Driver Celebrating a decade of Audi V-10 engines installed in the R8 supercar, the Decennium arrives as a very limited 2020 model. Only 50 of these special R8s will be imported to the United States. It is the most expensive R8 for sale. One of the best things about being alive right now, as a car lover, is the Audi engine plant in Hungary. Nestled between Budapest and Vienna are 6000 exacting pairs of hands that assemble more than 8800 engines per day and ship them to all 31 of the Volkswagen Group's final assembly plants across the world. Of the nearly two million engines this plant cranks out each year, a small drip of 5.2-liter V-10s-naturally aspirated, race proven, loud as hell-find their way to Neckarsulm, Germany, where more careful hands drop them into the Audi R8. It's been like this for a decade. Or, in Audi's studious Latin, a decennium. But Audi is only telling half the story. It has been building this engine since it debuted in the 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo. Originally, it was a 5.0-liter V-10 based off its now-discontinued 4.2-liter V-8, making 493 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque. Extra displacement, direct injection, and more refinements gleaned from the R8 LMS GT3's 78 class wins have led Audi to today, where in the R8 it musters up to 602 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque. In the Lamborghini Huracan Evo, it's 631 hp and 443 lb-ft. In either car, the sound is furious, at times violent, and it revs like a superbike. Since quindecim doesn't quite roll off the modern tongue, the 2020 R8 Decennium is a tribute to this engine's Audi-branded manifolds since it appeared in the first 2009 R8. (Unlike in Europe, Audi of America has skipped the 2019 model year.) This R8 has the same exterior refresh, particularly to its grille, front aero, and rear diffuser, as the Euro-spec car we reviewed in January. Among many small updates to all 2020 R8 models are an optional carbon-fiber front anti-roll bar, 30 more horses for the "base" version, new colors, and a name change for the top trim from V10 Plus to V10 Performance. The Decennium is only available in V10 Performance guise and only the last 50 of this car's 222-unit run will come to the U.S., all coupes painted in Mythos Black instead of the photo car's matte Daytona Gray. Story continues Lest there be any strife with Lamborghini, the Decennium is simply an appearance package that costs $19,095 more than a base V10 Performance coupe. With a 205-mph top speed, that's unlikely to cause any consternation. But it's a striking appearance package, with matte 20-inch bronze wheels and a bronze-painted manifold glowing from the R8's illuminated glass engine compartment. Blacked-out badges, gloss black underbody trim (front spoiler, sills, diffuser), and carbon-fiber wing, side blades, and mirror housings complete the visuals save for one secret: the car's production number is projected onto the ground when you open the doors. Inside the R8's minimalist cockpit is copper stitching weaving through the seats, console, doors, dash, and microsuede-covered steering wheel. Audi etched the Decennium logo (with the number 10, just to make sure you get the point) on the carbon-fiber console and stuck two more metal logos on the outer edges of both doors. A little more microsuede for the gear selector, and that about does it. Assuming there are no more options, the Decennium starts and ends at $217,545 with destination and gas-guzzler tax. To everyone at Audi Hungary, keep doing what you're doing, even if after 15 years, it was never meant to last forever. ('You Might Also Like',) Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks creator Julian Assange was arrested in London on Thursday and faces extradition to the U.S. over a charge of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. But lawyers not connected to the case said the single count brought by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia isnt a lock, and connecting communications and interactions will be crucial to proving conspiracy. The charge, which was originally filed under seal March 6, 2018, alleges Assange and former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning agreed to hack a password on a government computer. The cracked password, the government alleges, would have allowed Manning to log into government computers under a different username to access documents to share with Assange without the activity being traced to her. As Assange is held in U.K. custody, prosecutors first hurdle may be securing his extradition from the United Kingdom. Per the European Convention on Human Rights, extradition may be refused if Assanges offense is punishable with capital punishment, said Foley & Lardner partner and national security lawyer Christopher Swift. However, the maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act is five years, according to the Eastern District of Virginia press release announcing the charge. If Assange finally lands on American soil, prosecutors will most likely use computer forensics and digital communications to connect Assange to conspiring to hack government computers. What I would expect is the government to have some communications that help them to paint the picture of the conspiracy that is alleged here and be pieced together with the actions that Manning took and show a timeline of actions, coordination and communication, said Mayer Brown partner and former Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Marcus Christian. According to the indictment, "Assange indicated to Manning that he had been trying to crack the password by stating that he had 'no luck so far.'" Such correspondence and Manning and Assange allegedly communicating through online chat services may indicate the DOJ has evidence of more conversations. "They talk about specific communications between Assange and Manning and specific password cracking attempts," said Christopher Ott, a Davis Wright Tremaine partner and former senior counterintelligence and cyber counsel with the U.S. Department of Justice's National Security Division. He added, "If it proves as direct as they describe, it could still be a hard case but it could be relatively straightforward." The actual publishing of stolen government files to Wikileaks will also help prosecutors to prove conspiracy, a lawyer said. Part of being able to build a conspiracy case is to establish that there is an underlying crime (or at least the planning and preparation for an underlying crime) because criminal charges like aiding and abetting and conspiracy are a form of secondary liability that can ride on the coattails of the underlying criminal offense, said Fenwick & West of counsel and former federal prosecutor Hanley Chew. On the defense's side, Assanges counsel will argue the facts and poke holes in the sequence of events that the government must show to get a conviction, Swift added. Assanges lawyers have already said the arrest sets a dangerous precedent for journalists' rights, according to ABC News. The American Civil Liberties Union and freedom of the press organizations issued statements condemning the charge against Assange. The ACLU said in part, "While there is no First Amendment right to crack a government password, this indictment characterizes as part of a criminal conspiracy the routine and protected activities journalists often engage in as part of their daily jobs, such as encouraging a source to provide more information." In 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice decided not to pursue charges against Assange over publishing classified information because it would also have to prosecute other news organizations and journalists whove published classified material, according to a 2013 article in The Washington Post. However, a First Amendment defense may be unsuccessful against the governments claim of a conspiracy to hack into unauthorized government files, said Fenwick & West of counsel Chew. He could definitely try that claim, but Im not sure how successful it might be because I think as a journalist theres a line between getting a tip from someone and actively helping someone to commit a crime to get information." In the hours after President Donald Trump tweeted a video that spliced together an edited clip of Rep. Ilhan Omar speaking and footage from the Sept. 11 attacks, frontrunners for the 2020 Democratic nomination expressed their outrage. On Friday, the President tweeted a video that showed the Minnesota congresswoman, referring to the terrorist attacks, saying, Some people did something. The clip was followed by images of the attacks with the message, WE WILL NEVER FORGET. 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Mayor Pete Buttigieg tweeted that the President had gone a step too far. Buttigieg tweeted that, in fact, it was the President who misused 9/11s legacy. After 9/11 we all said we were changed. That we were stronger and more united. Thats what never forget was about. Now, a President uses that dark day to incite his base against a member of Congress, as if for sport. As if we learned nothing that day about the workings of hate, Buttigieg wrote. After 9/11 we all said we were changed. That we were stronger and more united. Thats what never forget was about. Now, a president uses that dark day to incite his base against a member of Congress, as if for sport. As if we learned nothing that day about the workings of hate. Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) April 13, 2019 Omar has become a controversial figure over the last few months. This winter, she released several tweets which some critics including members of her own party decried as dealing in anti-Semitic tropes. Other liberals, especially the younger and left-leaning segment of the party, defended Omar. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that oversized outrage to Omars comments was an attempt to silence a woman of color. Story continues Some have argued that some of the criticism of Omar has risen to the level of stoking violence against her or the Muslim community. Last week, a New York man was arrested and charged with threatening to kill the congresswoman. Sen. Warrens tweet on Saturday echoed this concern. She accused the President of inciting violence against the congresswoman. The President is inciting violence against a sitting congresswomanand an entire group of Americans based on their religion. Its disgusting. Its shameful. And any elected leader who refuses to condemn it shares responsibility for it, Warren tweeted. The President is inciting violence against a sitting Congresswomanand an entire group of Americans based on their religion. It's disgusting. It's shameful. And any elected leader who refuses to condemn it shares responsibility for it. Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) April 13, 2019 Sen. Sanders called for an end to the disgusting and dangerous attacks against Omar. Ilhan Omar is a leader with strength and courage. She wont back down to Trumps racism and hate, and neither will we. The disgusting and dangerous attacks against her must end, Sanders wrote. Ilhan Omar is a leader with strength and courage. She won't back down to Trump's racism and hate, and neither will we. The disgusting and dangerous attacks against her must end. Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 13, 2019 Other presidential hopefuls were notably more vague about the presidents video. Beto ORourke didnt mention Omars name in his tweet. We are stronger than this presidents hatred and Islamophobia. Do not let him drive us apart or make us afraid, ORourke wrote. We are stronger than this presidents hatred and Islamophobia. Do not let him drive us apart or make us afraid. Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) April 13, 2019 Sen. Amy Klobuchar noted that she had disagreed with Omar in the past, but said that the video was wrong. Someone has already been charged with a serious threat on Congresswoman Omars life, Klobuchar said. The video the President chose to send out today will only incite more hate. You can disagree with her wordsas I have done beforebut this video is wrong. Enough. Someone has already been charged with a serious threat on Congresswoman Omars life. The video the President chose to send out today will only incite more hate. You can disagree with her wordsas I have done beforebut this video is wrong. Enough. Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) April 13, 2019 Other candidates were notably silent about Trumps video. Among them were Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker, who had in the past expressed criticism about Omars comments. Kamala Harris also declined to comment, although she had previously been somewhat more supportive of the congresswoman, expressing concern that the focus on Omar would put her at risk. Former Vice President Joe Biden, who has not yet declared his candidacy, does not appear to have weighed in about the controversy. Arville (France) (AFP) - Like every spring, Guillaume Lefort sits at his computer labelling all his farm's fields on a map, an annual ritual of registering for subsidies from Europe's Common Agricultural Policy. "Wheat is here, that's cilantro, and next to it the field is fallow," Lefort says. "Without the CAP money, we wouldn't manage. It wouldn't be possible." Like other French farmers, he will be watching the outcome of the EU Parliament elections next month, which will lead to a new slate of European Commission officials. One of the Commission's first tasks will be to help draft a new 2021-2027 budget along with member states which will affect the CAP money that is a cornerstone of EU spending and a lifeline for millions of farmers across the bloc. It represents the biggest line in the EU's budget, representing 37 percent of the total in 2017, and is either defended as a vital way of protecting rural livelihoods, or a over-generous and misdirected stream of money. The Heinrich Boell foundation, for example, calculates that just 20 percent of Europe's agricultural businesses -- mainly huge industrialised farms -- received 80 percent of the CAP funds each year. Already Brussels has proposed trimming the CAP by five percent from the previous six-year period, to 365 billion euros ($413 billion) -- to cover Britain's looming exit from the bloc And new priorities for European leaders have emerged in areas such as security, border reinforcements and new technology, raising the spectre of an even bigger cut. Even French President Emmanuel Macron has signalled he is ready to consider a reform of the CAP -- breaking from a tradition that has seen France as the biggest defender of the budget because of the country's powerful farming lobbies. - 'First line of insurance' - The core of the CAP's support to some seven million farms across Europe is the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), direct transfers which the EU says amount to an average of 266 euros per eligible hectare per year. Story continues The basic payments open the door to other aid, including payments to young farmers or for environmentally friendly practices. Lefort said he hopes the base level will remain "solid". "It's my first line of insurance... But the BPS has been falling." The threat of escalating trade tensions worldwide adds to the risks for farms, whose products are often the first targets for countries looking to impose tariffs. Whether its meat, milk, cereals or even hemp, grown with conventional methods or organic practices, "in agriculture, no farm in the world can survive without government help," Lefort said. But Lefort, who began farming his 250 hectares (620 acres) some 75 kilometres south of Paris nine years ago, also worries the CAP won't impose enough "common" rules, in particular on environmental norms. "This year we won't be able to use neonicotinoids on beets," he said, after France moved last year to ban five pesticides containing the compounds, which are suspected of decimating bee populations. "The Belgians have gotten an exemption, so they'll produce more beets than us, and cheaper," he said. Many farmers are also hoping the CAP can start playing a bigger role in Europe's transition to a cleaner environment and improved food quality and safety. Critics say the programme has encouraged intensive farming and the use of massive amounts of pesticides since its creation in 1962, leading to a loss of biodiversity. - 'True priorities' - Remi Seingier, a 33-year-old farmer not far from Lefort's operation, is converting 38 hectares of his land to organic crops. Since beginning to take over the farm from his father four years ago, he has also started re-planting trees and hedges in his fields to help replenish soil nutrients after years of pesticide use. He also relies on CAP funding, though he has yet to receive the funds he applied for to help finance his shift to organics. "I'm not exploiting nature. I'm focused on quality and transformation, with short supply chains and local distribution, even if it means lower yields," Seingier said. He said he would like more visibility on the CAP's practices to better understand "the true priorities" of Europe's agricultural policies. That's also being sought by the French coalition "For a Different CAP," made up of left-leaning farmers' groups as well as environmental and animal welfare NGOs. The coalition wants to ensure more of the funds go to smaller independent farms, which could limit the emptying out of European countrysides while also helping to fight climate change. Freshman congresswoman Omar responds to President Trump's tweet originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar vowed her "unwavering love for America on Twitter Saturday after President Trump and conservatives criticized comments she made about 9/11. "I did not run for Congress to be silent," she wrote. "No one person no matter how corrupt, inept, or vicious can threaten my unwavering love for America," she continued, without naming Trump directly. "Thank you for standing with me against an administration that ran on banning Muslims from this country to fight for the America we all deserve." On Friday, the president tweeted a video that used footage of 9/11 with comments Omar made at the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The 43-second video captures Omar saying "some people did something, in reference to terrorists who killed thousands when they crashed planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. The video, which features dramatic music and video of the chaos in downtown Manhattan, asks "Some people did something? PHOTO: Rep. Ilhan Omar walks through an underground tunnel at the Capitol as top House Democrats plan to offer a measure that condemns anti-Semitism in the wake of controversial remarks by the freshman congresswoman, in Washington, D.C., March 6, 2019. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP) But it does not show the entirety of Omars comments. "For far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and, frankly, Im tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it, Omar said at CAIR in California last March. "CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties. Omar went on to say that the 9/11 attacks changed how Muslims are viewed in America, and encouraged Muslims to not tolerate being treated as "second-class citizens. (MORE: Trump attacks Rep. Ilhan Omar for her 'white nationalist' comment) But conservatives viewed Omars comments as dismissive of 9/11. "First Member of Congress to ever describe terrorists who killed thousands of Americans on 9/11 as "some people who did something. Unbelievable, wrote Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw, an Afghanistan war veteran. Story continues Democrats quickly came to Omars defense, and suggested the presidents tweet took Omars words out of context and could potentially endanger Omar. Last week, a man was arrested for threatening to kill Omar because she is Muslim. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi tweeted that the president should not use images of 9/11 for political purposes. "The memory of 9/11 is sacred ground, and any discussion of it must be done with reverence. The President shouldnt use the painful images of 9/11 for a political attack," Pelosi wrote. PHOTO: Rep. Ilhan Omar speaks about Trump administration policies towards Muslim immigrants and her own immigrant background at a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, April 10, 2019. (Jim Bourg/Reuters) Fellow Democratic freshman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, called on Democrats to respond to Trumps tweet and said that Omar's "life is in danger." "Members of Congress have a duty to respond to the Presidents explicit attack today.@IlhanMNs life is in danger. For our colleagues to be silent is to be complicit in the outright, dangerous targeting of a member of Congress, Ocasio-Cortez wrote. Democratic presidential hopefuls also hit back at Trumps tweet. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg accused the president of inciting hate and violence. "Someone has already been charged with a serious threat on Congresswoman Omars life," Klobuchar wrote. "The video the President chose to send out today will only incite more hate. You can disagree with her wordsas I have done beforebut this video is wrong. Enough. (MORE: Rep. Ilhan Omar in fiery exchange after Trump and GOP demand she be removed from a foreign policy committee) For his part, Buttigieg tweeted that "[t]he threats against the life of @IlhanMN make clear what is at stake if we fail to to do this, and to beat back hate in all all its forms. "After 9/11 we all said we were changed," he wrote in one of a series of tweets. "That we were stronger and more united. Thats what never forget was about. Now, a president uses that dark day to incite his base against a member of Congress, as if for sport. As if we learned nothing that day about the workings of hate. (MORE: Trump calls Democrats the 'anti-Israel' and 'anti-Jewish' party after House vote condemning hate) Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., tweeted, "Ilhan Omar is a leader with strength and courage. She won't back down to Trump's racism and hate, and neither will we. The disgusting and dangerous attacks against her must end. Its not the first time Omars comments have sparked controversy. Shortly after entering office, Omar accused Israel of having too much power in Washington because of its powerful financial lobbying and questioned the loyalty of some Jewish Americans. "I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country, Omar said. Her comments were criticized as being anti-Semitic and accusing some Jewish people of having loyalty to both America and Israel. Omar apologized for her comment, but it sparked division among Democrats and even spurred an vote in the House aimed at denouncing anti-semitism, Islamophobia, and homophobia, among other things. Global consumer insights agency InSites Consulting has appointed Lisa Mai as Senior Research Consultant and Mauricio Silveyra as Research Director, based at its office in London.With a team of more than 250 people across eight offices - in Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, France , the US, Romania, Germany, Australia, and South Africa - the firm serves the consumer insight needs of global and local brands. Mai joins after two years at Havas People, where she served as a Research Executive, prior to which, she worked in Germany for phaydon as a Junior Research Manager. She began her career as a Research Assistant at the University of Mannheim. Silveyra began his career more than a decade ago as a Research Associate at Research International in Chicago. More recently, he worked for audience intelligence specialist Pulsar as Research Director, prior to which, he was a Research Manager at consumer research agency Firefish.Daniel Teixeira, MD of InSites Consulting London, comments: 'Mauricio has had a very rich career, and has been exposed to the marketing, research, and social listening aspects of our industry - his expertise and insights will prove to be invaluable to the local and global team. Lisa will strengthen our senior consultant team with quantitative expertise and her unique goal-getting personality. Given her background, she will be focusing on our media clients and brand tracking work. We're looking forward to the research experience and flair they will bring to the team, sustaining the entrepreneurial team spirit that brands us.'Web site: www.insites-consulting.com BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's state-funded public broadcaster Deutsche Welle said on Sunday that Venezuela's broadcast authority had blocked its Spanish-language channel from cable networks in the country. Germany, the United States and most other Western countries consider the 2018 election of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro illegitimate and have recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as the company's interim president. Maduro dismisses Guaido as a U.S. puppet. DW's general manager Peter Limbourg urged broadcast authority Conatel to "urgently resume distributing the signal of DW." The Venezuelan Ministry of Information, which controls Conatel, had no immediate comment. A German foreign ministry spokeswoman urged Caracas to allow the Deutsche Welle (DW) broadcasts to continue. "We expect this regrettable decision to be rapidly reversed," she said. DW had launched a 15-minute daily special programme in response to the growing crisis in Venezuela, reporting on its Spanish language channel about developments there and interviewing key officials, including Guaido. "We will of course do everything we can to keep our viewers and users in Venezuela informed," Limbourg said in a statement. DW's programme "Noticias Extra Venezuela" would remain available on its website, he said. DW cited a tweet from Venezuela's journalists' union explaining the order from Conatel, and lauding the work of the German broadcaster for its reporting of the crisis in Venezuela. It carried the hashtag "censorship." DW reached 17 million viewers in Latin America each week with its 24-hour programming, the broadcaster said, noting that a video posted on Twitter in which German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for new elections was retrieved 112,000 times. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; additional reporting by Vivian Sequera in Caracas; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) India's Jet Airways extended a suspension of all of its international flights until Monday, the latest blow to the debt-stricken carrier battling to stay afloat. The development Friday came after the government said it would investigate Jet's ability to continue flying as lenders seek a buyer to keep the beleaguered airline running. Passengers have been left stranded, and on Friday airline staff protested at Mumbai's airport. A collapse would deal a blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pro-business reputation as Indians vote in a mega six-week-long election that started Thursday. A Jet Airways source told AFP that all of Jet's international flights out of and into India until Monday had been scrapped, extending a series of cancellations announced on Thursday. Aviation minister Suresh Prabhu earlier tweeted on Friday that his ministry would "review issues related to Jet Airways" and "take necessary steps to minimise passenger inconvenience and ensure their safety". Jet was until recently India's second-biggest airline by market share but is close to going under with debts of more than $1 billion. The Mumbai-based carrier has been forced to ground the majority of its fleet after months of defaulting on loans and struggling to pay lessors and staff. It told the Bombay Stock Exchange Thursday that 10 more planes could not fly due to non-payment. The airline has a fleet of 119 aircraft but Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said it would fly only six or seven of them over the weekend on domestic routes, after flying 11 on Friday, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. That is below the 20 required by Indian aviation regulators to fly overseas. Thousands of customers have been stranded in recent weeks after hundreds of flights were cancelled, in some cases with little or no notice. Flights to to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Colombo and Singapore were among those cancelled Thursday and Friday. Story continues Airline staff are also in limbo. Dozens of uniformed Jet workers protested on Friday at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, where they carried signs saying "Save Jet Airways" and "Save Our Future." Close of play Friday was the deadline for prospective bidders to express an interest in acquiring a 75-percent stake in Jet. A consortium of lenders led by the State Bank of India started the stake sale process on Monday. Any interested parties will then have until April 30 to make a formal bid. Kharola said bankers asked the airline to "rework its proposal" on interim funding, and a meeting with bankers is scheduled for Monday, according to PTI. "Depending on what the banks decide, the future course of action would be taken," he said. Several airlines, including Etihad, are interested in bidding, according to reports. - Etihad interested - The consortium took control of Jet Airways last month after creditors injected $218 million of "immediate funding support" as part of a debt resolution plan. The deal saw founder Naresh Goyal step down as chairman. Etihad Airways, which owns a 24-percent stake in Jet, has submitted an expression of interest to buy a controlling stake of up to 75 percent, according to Indian business dailies. PTI, quoting sources, said Goyal has put in a bid for the airline, although it was not clear whether he had partnered with another entity or airline. Alarm bells for Jet Airways first rang in August when it failed to report its quarterly earnings or pay staff, including pilots. It later reported a loss of $85 million. In February, it secured a $1.19 billion bailout from lenders to bridge a funding gap, but its crisis has deepened. The carrier has been badly hit by fluctuating global crude prices and a weak rupee, as well as fierce competition from budget rivals. Mismanagement has also plagued the airline. Analysts trace the start of Jet's financial problems to its 2006 purchase of Air Sahara for $500 million in cash. Goyal reportedly ignored the advice of associates who said the cost was too much. Tehran (AFP) - A woman who protested against Iran's compulsory hijab law by removing the Islamic veil in public last year has been sentenced to one year in prison, her lawyer said Sunday. Vida Movahedi was arrested in October after removing her hijab from her head at Tehran's Enghelab Square, Payam Derafshan told AFP, confirming his earlier comments to state news agency IRNA. Movahedi, in her mid-20s, was charged with "encouraging corruption and debauchery" and sentenced by a court in Tehran to one year in prison on March 2, Derafshan added. The lawyer said Movahedi had stated her opposition to the "compulsory hijab" and that she wanted to express her opinion in "a civil protest". Movahedi has staged protests against the law in the past. In December 2017, she stood on a pillar box on Enghelab Avenue without the mandatory long coat and raised her white veil on a stick, an act that was copied by women in different cities. Enghelab means revolution in Farsi and the square and avenue are among the busiest areas in the capital. Movahedi's move sparked similar protests by other women, including some at the same spot, and they soon won recognition as "Dokhtaran-e enghelab", or the Girls of Revolution Street. Like other women who copied her, she was arrested, but she was only fined for her first protest. In her latest case, she has already spent more than five months in prison even though she is eligible for a pardon and the judge promised he would look favourably on a request for parole, Derafshan said. "The judge was very sympathetic to the fact that Ms. Movahedi has a two-year-old daughter and that she had not had a political motive for her actions," the lawyer said. According to Derafshan the judge "had urged Movahedi to make a parole request and that he would grant it as soon as he received it," however bureaucratic hurdles have prevented Movahedi from sending in her request. Story continues "Movahedi has repeatedly made the parole requests in writing, but none of them have been sent," by Gharchak Prison where she is incarcerated. Movahedi is also now eligible to be part of a mass pardon, but because the prison authorities have not yet updated her legal status she cannot receive it, Derafshan said. "We have tried many times to overcome this bureaucratic dilemma but more than a month later we are nowhere, that's why we've gone to the media," Derafshan said. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal set the IRS a new deadline of April 23 to hand over President Donald Trumps tax returns before potentially resorting to other legal options. Neal, a Massachusetts Democrat, sent a second letter to the Internal Revenue Service on Saturday, asking for six years of Trumps personal and business returns, citing a section of the tax code that allows the chairman of the tax committees to request the returns of any taxpayer, including the president. I am aware that concerns have been raised regarding my request and the authority of the Committee, Neal wrote. Those concerns lack merit. There is no valid basis to question the legitimacy of the Ways and Means Committees legislative purpose, Neal added. The letter signals that Neal could be preparing to issue a subpoena or take other legal action, including a lawsuit, to compel officials to obtain and turn over the presidents returns. That would set up a protracted legal battle between the Trump administration and House Democrats that could span beyond the 2020 presidential elections. Needs More Time Neal sent a letter earlier this month to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig asking that the returns be turned over by April 10. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin responded by the deadline saying he needed more time to review the request and consult with the Department of Justice. In that letter, Mnuchin also questioned the scope of Congresss investigative authority and Neals stated reason for the request that he wants them to insure that the IRS is properly auditing presidents. Federal law gives the chairmen of House Ways and Means, Senate Finance Committee and the Joint Committee on Taxation the power to request the returns of any taxpayer, although some legal scholars believe the request needs a legitimate legislative purpose, which Democrats say they have met. Story continues Members of the Trump administration, including acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and their allies have called the request a political attack and a violation of Trumps privacy. The House Democrats asked that the returns be turned over to the members of Congress. They would then decide whether to release them publicly, but the political pressure among Democrats to do so would be high, as would the resistance among Republicans. Trump broke with 40 years of presidential campaign tradition by declining to release his personal returns before the 2016 election. He said that he was under audit and didnt intend to turn anything over until that process had been completed. There is no prohibition on releasing returns to Congress or the public while under audit. It pisses the members off if you dont give them information that they think they should have. But for lawmakers, theres no real effective remedy except to say bad things about them or not take their phone calls, said Christopher Rizek, a former Treasury official who is now a tax litigator at law firm Caplin & Drysdale. People expect the rule of law to work smoothly, but thats not always the case. Damascus (AFP) - An Israeli air strike in central Syria wounded three combatants early Saturday, the official SANA news agency reported. A Britain-based war monitor said the strike killed several Iranian fighters and wounded 17 Syrian troops and their allies. An Israeli military spokesman declined to comment on the foreign media report. "Around 2:30 am (2330 GMT Friday)... the Israeli air force carried out a strike targeting one of our military positions in the town of Misyaf," in Hama province north of Damascus, SANA quoted a military source as saying. "Our air defence batteries intercepted some of the Israeli missiles," the source said, adding that the strike "wounded three combatants and destroyed buildings". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strike targeted a Syrian military college in the town and two buildings used by Iranian forces in nearby villages -- a development centre for medium-range missiles in Zawi and a training camp in Sheikh Ghadban. Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria against what it says are Iranian and Hezbollah targets. With the support of the US administration of President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed repeatedly to take whatever military action he deems necessary to prevent archfoe Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah establishing a continuing military presence. Late last month, Trump broke with decades of international consensus to recognise Israel's unilateral annexation of the strategic Golan Heights, seized from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967. The move was a diplomatic prize for Israel, but met with a chorus of opposition from US foes and allies alike. Iran and Hezbollah have both intervened in Syria's civil war, which erupted in 2011 to support forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. They were joined in 2015 by Russia, which supplied its S300 air defence system to Assad's forces after a Russian aircraft was downed by mistake by Syrian defence systems during an Israeli raid on September 17, killing all 15 people on board. After several months of frosty relations, Russia and Israeli resumed coordination of their military operations in Syria and Israel's bombing campaign picked up again. By David Lawder and Pete Schroeder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday a U.S.-China trade agreement would go "way beyond" previous efforts to open China's markets to U.S. companies and hoped that the two sides were "close to the final round" of negotiations. Mnuchin, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings, said that he and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer would hold two calls next week with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He. The officials also were discussing whether more in-person meetings were necessary to conclude an agreement. "I think were hopeful that were getting close to the final round of concluding issues," Mnuchin said. Beijing and Washington are seeking a deal to end a bitter trade war marked by tit-for-tat tariffs that have cost the world's two largest economies billions of dollars, disrupted supply chains and rattled financial markets. The United States is seeking sweeping changes to China's economic and trade policies, including new protections for U.S. intellectual property, an end to forced technology transfers and cyber-theft of trade secrets. Washington also wants Beijing to curb industrial subsidies, open its economy wider to U.S. companies and increase purchases of American farm, energy and manufactured goods to shrink a $419 billion U.S. trade deficit with China. Asked whether market openings in the agreement would go beyond what was contemplated in the 2016 Bilateral Investment Treaty negotiations, he replied: "We are making progress, I want to be careful. This is not a public negotiation ... this is a very, very detailed agreement covering issues that have never been dealt with before," Mnuchin said. "This is way beyond anything that looked like a bilateral investment treaty." The BIT talks, pursued by former President Barack Obama's administration, stalled as China refused to satisfy U.S. demands to open significant sectors of its economy to foreign investment. The talks were not taken up by the Trump administration, which pursued tariffs on Chinese goods instead, leading to the current talks. Story continues Mnuchin said the two sides are negotiating an agreement with seven chapters that would be "the most significant change in the trading relationship in 40 years." He said the deal would have "real enforcement on both sides," adding that the United States was open to being subjected to penalties if it failed to keep its commitments in the deal. "I would expect that the enforcement mechanism works in both directions, that we expect to honor our commitments, and if we dont, there should be certain repercussions, and the same way in the other direction," said the Treasury chief, who is playing a key role in the negotiations with China. (Reporting by David Lawder and Pete Schroeder; Editing by Paul Simao and Andrea Ricci) Tripoli (AFP) - Fighting near Tripoli has killed 121 people since strongman Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive earlier this month to take the Libyan capital, the World Health Organization said Sunday. In clashes between Haftar's forces and those of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), both sides have proclaimed "advances" but neither appears to have made substantial progress on the ground in recent days. With more than 560 people wounded since the fighting started on April 4, the WHO said it was sending more medical supplies and staff to Tripoli. On its Twitter feed, the agency denounced "repeated attacks on health care workers" and vehicles during the fighting. The UN's humanitarian coordination office, OCHA, said Saturday that three medical personnel had been killed and that shrapnel had put five ambulances out of action. The mounting violence has sparked global alarm over the oil-rich country, in turmoil since NATO-backed forces overthrew former dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. A bewildering array of militias have sought to take control since his ouster. Haftar's offensive began shortly before a conference set for this month to discuss Libya's future -- an event the UN cancelled as his forces closed in on the capital. Haftar, who leads the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), has pushed from his power base in the country's east towards the Libyan capital in the west, the seat of the UN-backed unity government led by Fayez al-Sarraj. The unity government said its forces had shot down an LNA fighter jet on Sunday "that was preparing to conduct air raids" south of Tripoli. An LNA source said the plane had come down in an area under its control and that the pilot, who had ejected, was "safe and sound". That came as the strongman met in Cairo with key backer Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, who pledged support for "efforts to fight terrorism and extremist militias to achieve security and stability... throughout the country", Sisi's office said. Story continues Haftar also has the support of key Gulf Arab states and Russia. - 'Great advances' - With gunfire echoing through city blocks and tanks rumbling through towns and districts south of Tripoli, many panicked residents have fled their homes. More than 13,500 people have been displaced and over 900 are now living in shelters, OCHA said. Both sides have launched daily air raids and accuse each other of targeting civilians. One air strike the GNA blamed on Haftar's forces hit a school in Ain Zara, south of Tripoli, which has been the scene of violent clashes for days. On Sunday, the UN mission in Libya warned that international humanitarian law "prohibits the bombing of schools, hospitals, ambulances and civilian areas". The mission warned that it would document all breaches in order to inform the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court. The LNA meanwhile accused the Tripoli-based forces of an air raid "targeting civilians" in the Gasr Ben Ghachir region south of Tripoli. GNA spokesman Mohamed Gnounou said his forces had carried out 21 air strikes targeting LNA positions and supply lines between Friday and Saturday. - Terrorists and criminals? - Gnounou late on Saturday claimed "great advances on all fronts", including in Al-Aziziya, a city about 50 kilometres south of Tripoli. "We have not started this war," he said, "but we will decide the time and place of its end." On the LNA's side meanwhile, spokesman Ahmad al-Mesmari said the attacking forces were also "moving forward on all fronts". He reiterated his claim that "terrorists" and "criminals" were fighting on the side of the UN-backed GNA forces. "The decision is no longer in Sarraj's hands," he said. "It is in the hands of terrorists now." The European Union also expressed its "concern" on Thursday at the involvement of "terrorist and criminal elements" in the fighting. Sarraj on Saturday denounced the "misinformation campaign by some parties that our forces include fighters belonging to terrorist organisations and groups". In a statement, he "strongly denied" the claim and insisted that it was the LNA attack on the capital that was "paving the way the way for dormant terrorist cells" to attack Libyans. CAIRO (AP) Sudan's new ruling military council announced Sunday that it will name a civilian prime minister and Cabinet but not a president to help govern the country following the coup that removed longtime leader Omar al-Bashir. An army spokesman, Lt. Gen. Shamseldin Kibashi, also said in televised remarks that the military had begun to overhaul security organizations and would not break up demonstrations that have continued outside the military headquarters since Thursday's coup. The statement came after a second day of meetings between the army and organizers of the months of escalating street protests that led to al-Bashir's ouster. The announcement was unlikely to satisfy protesters, who have demanded full civilian rule. Protest organizers have urged the military to "immediately and unconditionally" hand power to a transitional civilian government that would rule for four years. The Sudanese Professionals Association, which has spearheaded the protests, also posted a nine-point list of demands earlier Sunday, including prosecution of those behind the Islamist-backed military coup in 1989, dissolution of all pro-government unions, a freeze on the assets of top officials in al-Bashir's government and dismissal of all top judges and prosecutors. There was no immediate comment from opposition figures about the military's announcement. After Saturday's talks, Omer el-Digair, leader of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party, told protesters at a sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum that the atmosphere had been "positive." He said that the talks would focus on submitting the organizers' demands and transition plan and that they are calling for dissolving al-Bashir's ruling National Congress Party. "We demanded restructuring the current security apparatus," el-Digair said. "We do not need a security apparatus that detains people and shuts off newspapers." Story continues The political parties and movements behind the four months of protests said in a joint statement late Saturday that they would remain in the streets until their demands are met. They said a handover to civilian rule would be the "first step toward the fall of the regime." After the coup, the army appointed a military council that it says will rule for two years or less while elections are organized. The military ended al-Bashir's nearly 30-year reign and placed him under house arrest in the capital. Protesters fear that the military, which is dominated by al-Bashir appointees, will cling to power or select one of its own to succeed him. In separate statements issued late Saturday, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued statements in support of Sudan's transitional military council. Saudi Arabia said it "stands by the Sudanese people" and called on all Sudanese "to give priority to the national interest" of their country. The UAE urged Sudanese "to work for protecting legitimacy and ensuring a peaceful transfer of power." Saudi King Salman ordered an unspecified package of aid for Sudan that includes petroleum products, wheat and medicine. Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan was sworn in Friday as head of the transitional council. He assumed that role after protesters objected to its being led by Gen. Awad ibn Ouf, who was seen as being too close to al-Bashir. The military announced Sunday that ibn Ouf had retired. In remarks broadcast on state TV, Burhan said Saturday that the council has invited "all spectrums of Sudanese people for dialogue." He also said he was lifting the nighttime curfew imposed Thursday, which was supposed to have lasted a month, and he declared the immediate release of all those detained and tried during the wave of unrest that began in December. Al-Bashir imposed a state of emergency in February, banning unauthorized public gatherings and granting sweeping powers to the police in an effort to quash the protests. Dozens of people were killed in clashes between police and protesters, and hundreds were tried before emergency courts. Protesters modeled their movement on the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 that swept leaders from power in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen. They incorporated many of its slogans and established a sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum earlier this month. Those earlier uprisings have left a mixed legacy, with only Tunisia emerging as a democracy. In Egypt, the military overthrew an elected but divisive Islamist president in 2013 and authorities have since cracked down hard on dissent. Yemen slid into civil war, and Libya is on the verge of another major conflict as militias fight for control of the capital, Tripoli. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. mayors said on Friday their cities would welcome illegal immigrants, dismissing President Donald Trump's threats to transport people detained at the border to "sanctuary cities" as illustrating the White House's callous approach to the issue. Trump confirmed on Twitter that he wanted to transport people detained in his immigration crackdown at the U.S.-Mexico border to sanctuary cities, an informal designation for localities that refrain from assisting federal immigration authorities in detaining people living in the country illegally. Mayors from across the country were quick to respond to Trump's latest portrayal of immigrants and sanctuary cities as threats. In New York City, where nearly 40 percent of the population are immigrants, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Trump's immigration policy was rooted in cruelty. "He uses people like pawns," de Blasio said in a statement. "New York City will always be the ultimate city of immigrants the President's empty threats won't change that." In Philadelphia, known as the city of brotherly love, Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement that his city "would be prepared to welcome these immigrants just as we have embraced our immigrant communities for decades." He said the White House was demonstrating "the utter contempt that the Trump Administration has for basic human dignity." The Republican president has made cracking down on illegal and legal immigration a centerpiece of his administration, and has regularly threatened to try to cut federal funding to programs in generally Democratic-leaning sanctuary cities, counties and states. "Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only," Trump wrote on Twitter, confirming a Washington Post report. Story continues The mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, responded by saying on Twitter: "These are people, not pawns, Mr. President." At least one governor, New Mexico's Michelle Lujan Grisham, weighed in, calling the plan "absurd, sad and all too characteristic of the president not to mention indicative of a complete and cruel indifference to the plight of migrant families." The mayors of Oakland, California, and Takoma Park, Maryland, voiced similar reactions. Trump's latest move on immigration comes days after U.S. officials said they arrested or denied entry to over 103,000 people along the border with Mexico in March, more than twice as many as the same period last year. "I am shocked but not surprised that once again this president is playing a cynical game with people's lives in order to score political points," Jesse Arreguin, the mayor of Berkeley, California, said in a statement. "Rather than supporting a real pathway to citizenship for the millions of immigrants in this country, he is fanning the flames of division." (Reporting by Jonathan Allen; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Leslie Adler) Washington (AFP) - With US-Japan trade talks set to begin Monday, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Saturday any agreement will include a requirement to refrain from manipulating currencies to gain an advantage in international trade. But he said there is no arbitrary deadline for completing the talks. The US priority is that countries "don't in any way manipulate their currency for purposes of competitive advantages," Mnuchin told reporters on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is set to hold two days of talks with Japan's Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Monday and Tuesday. Mnuchin said the talks would focus on a "broad agenda." The US has long argued that China kept its currency artificially low to make its exports cheaper, and negotiators have insisted on a provision on exchange rates in the ongoing trade talks with Beijing. And a clause was included in the revised free trade pact with Mexico and Canada, dubbed the USMCA. "I think we'll want to make sure whatever trade agreements there are, that there are currency provisions that reflect that in the agreement similar to USMCA and as we've alluded to in our China discussions," Mnuchin said Saturday. A Sprint, T-Mobile merger is the path to the best 5G network we're likely to see in the U.S., says New Street Research's Jonathan Chaplin Sprint is sitting on a "phenomenal band of spectrum" that can run the technology, he says. The merger will in turn drive AT&T and Verizon to invest, he says. If President Donald Trump wants to be the leader in 5G technology, the administration should approve the merger between Sprint S-GB and T-Mobile TMUS , analyst Jonathan Chaplin told CNBC on Friday. The two wireless companies agreed to a deal last year, but they are still awaiting federal approval of the $26.5 billion transaction . "If it is really important to the administration to be first in 5G and have a more robust set of infrastructure in the U.S. than China, Japan and Korea do, then they should let the deal go through," Chaplin said on " The Exchange ." "That's the path to the best 5G network we're likely to see in the U.S. and it will drive AT&T T and Verizon VZ to invest." That's because Sprint is sitting on a "phenomenal band of spectrum" that can run the technology, he said. Spectrum is the airwaves networks use to provide the internet to devices. The 5G technology will enable faster data speeds. "What Sprint has is mid-band spectrum, which can work almost everywhere. It might not be great in the most rural parts of Montana but pretty much everywhere else it's going to work great," said Chaplin, who leads the U.S. communications services research team at New Street Research. Verizon and AT&T, on the other hand, have high-frequency spectrums, which work great in the big cities but not very well outside of dense markets, he noted. The problem is, Sprint doesn't have the money to deploy its spectrum band, he added. "If the deal with T-Mobile goes through, that's going to put those companies in a phenomenal position. If the deal doesn't go through, that spectrum just sits on the sidelines for the next five years." Story continues Trump held an event on 5G at the White House on Friday with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, announcing a $20 billion fund to build out high-speed broadband networks in rural America. The FCC also intends to start the agency's third 5G spectrum auction on Dec. 10. "The race to 5G is on and America must win," Trump said, noting that 92 5G markets will be ready by the end of the year, outpacing South Korea, which is on pace to have 48 markets live by the end of 2019. "To accelerate and incentivize these investments, my administration is freeing up as much wireless spectrum as needed," Trump said. "[We're] removing regularity barriers to the buildout of networks.The FCC is taking very bold action, bolder than they've ever taken before, to make wireless spectrum available." It's an issue the president has been pushing for. In February he called on U.S. companies to step up their efforts on the technology. TWEET 1 TWEET 2 The White House had no comment on Chaplin's remarks. CNBC's Todd Haselton and Reuters contributed to this report. More From CNBC RAMALLAH, West Bank -- A new government for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority was sworn in Saturday, led by a veteran peace negotiator and harsh critic of Gaza's Hamas rulers. President Mahmoud Abbas picked Mohammed Ishtayeh as prime minister, a move that deepens the internal Palestinian divide at a time when prospects for a peace deal with Israel are possibly at their lowest point ever. A longtime adviser to Abbas and a senior member of his Fatah party, Ishtayeh and his 24-member cabinet took the oath of office at Abbas' headquarters in Ramallah. Ishtayeh faces tremendous challenges, with the PA in a deep financial crisis following U.S. sanctions and Israel's withholding of $138 million in key tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinians. Israel says the slashed sums were designated for families of Palestinian who carried out attacks against Israel. The new cabinet replaces a technocratic government formed by Rami Hamdallah in 2014 after an agreement between Fatah and Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has run the Gaza Strip after ousting Fatah and evicting the PA in 2007. Despite enormous Egyptian efforts, the attempted unity government failed to reconcile the two groups. NAJAF, Iraq - A group of Iraq's Shi'ite militia groups said on Saturday that they strongly rejected the designation of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation by the United States. The groups, backed and trained by Tehran, delivered a statement from the home of Iran's consul-general in the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf. They announced their solidarity with the Muslim people and the Revolutionary Guards who they said helped to prevent four or five states from falling to Islamic State militants. President Donald Trump said last week he would name Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organisation. Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro responded to criticism of his comments, made last week, to an evangelical group in Rio de Janeiro, that the Holocaust can be forgiven but not forgotten. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter His comments drew criticism in Israel. Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Remembrance Center, which Bolsonaro visited during his trip to Israel last month, released a statement saying no one can decide if it is possible to forgive the crimes of the Holocaust. Brazilian President at Yad Vashem (Photo: AFP) Israeli president Reuven Rivlin posted his reaction on twitter: 'We will never give a hand to those who deny the truth or try to cause it to be forgotten' he said. 'Not by individuals, nor organizations, not by head of parties, nor by heads of states. No one will enjoin the forgiveness of the Jewish people, and no interest will buy it.' There was no comment from the office of Prime Minister Netanyahu or from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but an Israeli official told Ynet that Bolsonaro's clarifications were "too little, too late" and that the Brazilian president did not walk back his comments. Benjamin Netanyahu and Jair Bolsonaro (Photo: AFP) In a letter to Israeli ambassador Yossi Shelley, Bolsonaro wrote: 'To the people of Israel, during my visit to Yad Vashem I wrote that those who forget their past are doomed to not have a future. Any other interpretation of my words is the work of those wishing to distance me from my Jewish friends. Forgiveness today is a personal choice. I never meant to use the term in a historical context in the case of the Holocaust, during which a cruel genocide of millions of innocent victims was perpetrated'. Shelley came to Bolsonaro's defense calling him "Our dear friend" and accepting the president's explanation. "In no part of his speech, did the president demonstrate disrespect or indifference to Jewish sufferingThank you Mr. President. We will never forget". In an earlier statement made in Jerusalem, by the Brazilian president, who many see as extreme right-wing, Bolsonaro's described Nazi's as leftists, sparking outrage back home. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud Party has won 36 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, according to final results of Tuesdays election, putting him in pole position in negotiations to form a right-wing coalition. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Netanyahu is heading toward a record fifth term in office confident of being able to put together a bloc of religious-rightist parties. It would be a slim majority against an opposition that is likely to be led by the centrist-left Blue and White party, which won 35 seats. No single party has ever won an outright majority in the Knesset. Leaders of the New Right Bennett and Shaked and Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: EPA) Heres a quick guide to the various parties, who gained, who lost and what is likely to happen next: WHAT COALITION WILL NETANYAHU SEEK? Most likely, a replica of his outgoing right-wing government. In his victory speech, Netanyahu, 69, said he intends to form his new cabinet with right-wing and religious parties. WHATS THE NEXT STEP? Coalition-building. Next week Israels president consults with the leaders of each party about their preference for prime minister. He then names the person who he believes has the best chance of putting together a government. Netanyahu is the obvious choice as leader of the largest party. If nominated to form a government, he will have up to 42 days to form a government. If he fails, the president asks another politician to try. Past coalition negotiations have dragged on. Smaller parties will demand cabinet seats, and will have their own financial and legislative demands to fulfil campaign promises made to their own voters. Netanyahu will have to balance these against his own partys priorities. LIKUD Thirty-six seats, up from 30 before the election. Leader: Benjamin Netanyahu. The spearhead of right-wing politics in Israel for decades. Likud first came to power in 1977 under former Irgun leader, later Nobel Peace Prize-winner, Menachem Begin. Likud party HQ after the elections (Photo: Igor Osdach) Its current leader, Netanyahu, personifies Likuds traditionally hawkish positions on security in matters such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and foreign policy, with Iran currently as the focus. Many Likud members of parliament oppose the creation of a Palestinian state and during the election Netanyahu said he would annex Israels settlements in the West Bank. About 400,000 Jewish settlers live alongside 2.9 million Palestinians in the territory that Israel captured in a 1967 war, but never formally annexed. Netanyahus base rallied around him, even though he faces possible indictment in three corruption cases. THE RIGHT WING UNION Five seats, no change. Leader: Rafi Peretz. Israels national-religious party is the most prominent political representative of the settler movement. It repudiates the idea of a Palestinian state, underlining the Jewish peoples biblical and religious connections to the land that Palestinians seek for a state. US President Donald Trump is expected to unveil his long-awaited Middle East peace plan in the coming months. If the plan requires Israeli territorial concessions to the Palestinians, the Right Wing Union is likely to raise fierce objections. YISRAEL BEITENU (Israel is our Home) Five seats, no change. Leader: Avigdor Lieberman. A secularist, nationalist and far-right party whose base is immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Its Moldovan-born leader, Lieberman, is a former defense minister who seeks to out-hawk Netanyahu. His policies include swapping Arab towns inside Israel - home to the countrys 21 percent Arab Palestinian minority - in return for ceding territory in the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority. UNITED TORAH JUDAISM (UTJ) Seven seats, up from six. Leader: Yakov Litzman. Yakov Litzman (Photo: Avi Moalem) It represents ultra-Orthodox Jews, or haredim, of European origin. A Netanyahu coalition, like many before it, is likely to rely on ultra-Orhodox support. UTJ is primarily concerned with safeguarding state benefits for Haredi men, many of whom devote themselves to full-time religious study, do not work and do not serve in Israels conscript military. Demands for more government payouts will make it harder for Netanyahu to rein in a growing budget deficit. SHAS Eight seats, up from seven. Leader: Aryeh Deri. SHAS represents Haredi Jews of Middle Eastern origin. Allied with UTJ and with similar demands, it has also served as kingmaker in successive governments. KULANU (All Of Us) Four seats, down from 10. Leader: Moshe Kahlon The party casts itself as moderate right-wing. Kahlon, the current finance minister, has met Palestinian officials on economic matters, even though the two political leaderships have not held negotiations since 2014. Kahlon wants to keep the finance ministry but his party is now much weaker in parliament, so will have less clout in post-election coalition negotiations. Israels economy barely featured in the election campaign, but the central bank has warned that the new government will need to cut spending and raise taxes to rein in a growing budget deficit. BLUE AND WHITE Thirty-five seats, in its first election. Leaders: Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid. Blue and White leaders Gantz and Lapid (Photo: Motti Kimchi) A centrist party whose figurehead, former military chief Gantz, emerged as a serious rival to Netanyahu. But the political novice failed to unseat the veteran, and lost credibility by claiming victory too soon on election night. Gantz joined forces with right-wing Moshe Yaalon, a former defense minister, and center-left former finance minister Yair Lapid. The party vowed to combine clean government with peace and security. Conceding defeat on Wednesday, Lapid said his party will make Likuds life hell in the opposition. LABOUR Six seats, down from 18. Leader: Avi Gabbay. The left-wing party which ruled Israel throughout the early decades of the state was dealt a devastating blow on April 9. With Netanyahu reflecting the rightward shift of the Israeli electorate, Labour highlighted social and economic reform, and the pursuit of peace and a two-state solution with the Palestinians. HADASH-TAAL (Leaders: Ayman Odeh and Ahmad Tibi). Six seats. The larger of two mostly Arab blocs in parliament. All the Arab-dominated parties joined forces in 2015 but split in two this year, and saw their combined seat tally falling from 13 to 10. The group has one Jewish member of parliament, and advocates an Arab-Jewish alliance to fight racism and social inequality. But Arab parties have never joined governing coalitions in Israel, and this year faced a boycott movement by Arabs dismayed at a 2018 Nation-State Law which declared that only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country. By most estimates, this election saw exceptionally low turnout by Israels Arab citizens, some of whom increasingly prefer the designation Palestinian to Israeli-Arab. RAAM-BALAD (Leaders: Mansour Abbas and Mtanes Shihadeh). Four seats. Raam-Balads leaders are a mix of Islamist and Arab nationalists. It describes itself as a democratic movement opposed to Israels occupation of Palestinian territory. MERETZ Four seats, down from five. Meretz Chairwoman Tamar Zandberg (Photo: Yair Sagi) The left-wing party has not been part of government in the past two decades. Popular with liberal middle-class Israelis, it advocates a two-state solution with the Palestinians. WHO LOST BIG? THE NEW RIGHT - Leaders: Naftali Bennet and Ayelet Shaked. No seats, down from three. Once seen as rising young stars in Israeli politics, Bennett, a high-tech millionaire, was education minister and Shaked was justice minister in the outgoing government. They split from a larger national-religious faction to form a new far-right party that would appeal to more secular constituents. Shaked frequently criticized the Supreme Court as being too liberal and interventionist. Naftali Bennet and Ayelet Shaked (Photo: Shaul Golan, Yariv Katz) The party did not win over enough voters to enter the Knesset. ZEHUT - Leader: Moshe Feiglin. No seats. Soaring in pre-election opinion polls and crashing at the ballot, the new ultra-nationalist libertarian Zehut will not be part of the incoming Knesset. Its campaign demands for marijuana legalization appeared to be a huge draw for many young voters, who ultimately failed to come through for it. Its other policies included proposals to annex the West Bank, the voluntary transfer of Palestinians to other countries and the eventual construction of a third Jewish temple. Five things to think about in the wake of the election results and how primary portfolios will elude Likud ministers, again, in the new government. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Number one: 'Mutual respect' In the days leading up to the elections I suggested all party leaders sign a joint declaration stating they will respect the results, whatever they are. Now I suggest a new one. I propose they all declare the majority and the minority are to be respected and their rights protected including their right to pass judgment on those in power. As recounted by the notable author, David Grossman, "I am reminded of the man standing outside the Whitehouse for years, holding up a sign protesting the Vietnam War. One day a journalist asked him: "tell me sir, do you really think you can change the world"? "I am just making sure the world does not change me" the man answered. Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: MCT) Number two: The thing with Netanyahu I am often asked what I have against Netanyahu. My response is that I've had the privilege of covering Israeli premiers from Begin to Netanyahu. It has given me a perspective into their conduct as well as their decision making process. Netanyahu is leading in duration of tenure but is far beneath his predecessors when it comes to personal conduct. Number three: I was wrong I have not often erred in my projections of election results. This time though, I was wrong. I was confident Gantz would become the next prime minister. Gantz presented an alternative to Netanyahu, despite the hate and filth flung at him by the latter's supporters. He won the trust of over 1 million voters from all over the country. I have just one request of him. Do not try to be someone you are not. I found Gantz's attempts to portray himself as more blood-thirsty than Netanyahu, unconvincing Outgoing Israeli cabinet after Trump recognition of Golan (Photo: Amit Shabi) Number four: This little piggy had none When party leaders meet with President Rivlin, to recommend he entrusts Netanyahu with the formation of the new government, there will be no surprises. Much like the nursery rhyme about three little pigs, Likud ministers will be at the end of the line for important portfolios. Netanyahu will have to grant his much smaller coalition partners their demands leaving his own party with scraps. Number five: Making amends An unnamed minister from the outgoing government announced, following Likud's win last week, that the filth flung by his side, during the last campaign, was a legitimate tool needed to win the elections. No sir, it was not. Spare me your calls for reconciliation. A lawyer representing jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says the Ecuadorian government has been spreading lies about his behavior inside its embassy in London. Jennifer Robinson told Sky News on Sunday that Ecuador is making "pretty outrageous allegations" to justify allowing British police into its embassy Thursday in order to take Assange into custody. Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno withdrew Assange's political asylum this week, opening the way for his seizure by British police. A new Beresheet space project is set to get underway after its benefactor, Morris Kahn announced he will finance a second attempt. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter After its failed attempt to land, SapceIL's spacecraft Beresheet crashed onto the moon surface Thrusday, but the project is not destined to end there. Morris Khan told reporters "We've started, and should complete the mission. Morris Kahn and the Beresheet spacecraft (Photo: Shaul Golan) Beresheet project engineers worked to understand what had gone wrong in the final, fatal seconds before the spacecraft crashed. Ofer Doron, director of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) described the dramatic moments trying to save the project. Beresheet spacecraft crashes (Photo: SpaceIL/IAI) "We identified a problem with one of the failed acceleration sensors," Doron explained. "It caused problems on the spacecraft's computers and shut down the engine operating at maximum power to stop the spacecraft. The crew dispatched a re-boot order to restart the engine, but it was too late" he said. "NASA has expressed regret over the failure of the Genesis mission to land on the moon, but we commended spaceIL for its privately funded mission to orbit the moon. Costing one hundred million dollars, Beresheet was the cheapest spacecraft to date, to successfully orbit the moon, An achievement only six other countries can claim Millionaire Morris Kahn told Israeli media that in light of the support he has received from all over the work, a new Beresheet project will be launched. "We must complete what we've started" Kahn said. A delegation from Israel that was due to attend a conference in Bahrain this week has pulled out due to security concerns, the organizers said on Sunday, after Bahrainis held an extensive campaign against the visit. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter A spokeswoman for Israel's Economy Ministry said a planned visit to Bahrain this week by Israel's Economy Minister Eli Cohen had been "delayed because of political issues." Manama, Bahrain (Photo: shutterstock) Israel and the Gulf Arab countries are in the midst of a diplomatic push aimed at forging an alliance against their common enemy Iran. Their efforts have become increasingly public after years of mostly covert contact due to strong opposition to Israeli rule over the Palestinians. The group of around 30 Israeli business executives and government officials was scheduled to participate in a congress organized by the U.S.- based Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) in Bahrain on April 15-18. This prompted an outcry in Bahrain, with parliament joining calls on social media for the visit to be cancelled and some minor street protests held in Manama. "While we advised the Israeli delegation they would be welcome, they decided this morning not to come due to security concerns and a wish not to cause disruption for the other 180 nations participating," Jonathan Ortmans, GEN president, said in a statement. A source close to the matter told Reuters that three Israeli speakers had cancelled because they were unable to obtain visas while the rest of the delegation had "decided not to go." Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain (Photo: AP) The Bahraini government said the delegation had been invited at the sole initiative of the Global Entrepreneurship Network. "Our responsibility is to ensure a safe and supportive environment for the attending delegations," the government said in a statement. Last week a group of Bahraini lawyers tried unsuccessfully to get a court to stop immigration authorities from issuing visas to the delegation, while parliament condemned the visit. "Bahrain's parliament announces that the people of Bahrain reject any Israeli presence on its territory and its lands and any decision allowing this presence is unacceptable," lawmakers said in a statement. Israel has formal diplomatic relations with only two Arab states, neighboring Egypt and Jordan. But an Israeli cabinet minister visited Abu Dhabi's Grand Mosque last year and fellow Gulf state Oman hosted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a surprise trip, the first time an Israeli leader had visited the Sultanate in 22 years. BUDAPEST - Thousands of Hungarians attended the annual March of the Living in Budapest on Sunday to commemorate victims of the Holocaust, including Jane Haining, a Scottish missionary who refused to abandon her Jewish charges during World War Two. Israel's Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem estimates that 565,000 Hungarian Jews were killed in the Holocaust, most of them deported to the Auschwitz death camp in Poland between May and July 1944. Haining, who had taught Christian and Jewish girls at a boarding school of the Church of Scotland's Mission in Budapest, was arrested by the Gestapo in 1944 and later died in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Satellite images released Sunday by Israeli intelligence company ImageSatInternational (ISI) show the results of the airstrike on a military complex in Syria, attributed by foreign media to the Israeli Air Force, on Saturday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The site is believed to be related to Iranian ambitions to produce precise surface-to-surface missiles on Syrian soil. The images show S-300 anti-aircraft batteries operated by the Assad regime as well as an S-400 battery operated by the Russian military assisting the regime. ISI satellite image The report by ISI states that the site that was struck is indeed a missile production facility and can be used to assemble missile parts and improve their accuracy. Airstrike in Syria aftermath ISI images The report also states that the site lacks facilities for the manufacture of missile engines or warheads, as no reinforced structures were observed. The site was built during the years 2014-2016 on the western section of a Syrian military base and is isolated by a wall. Entrance to the site is through the base, but it could not be verified who actually controls it, Iranian or Syrian forces. Satellite imagery It is possible that the base surrounding the complex is for the purpose of disguising the true use of the site. The industrial structures were completely destroyed and other buildings suffered damage as well from the explosions. "All of the equipment inside the structures were completely destroyed," according to the ISI report. Syrian opposition forces claim that 17 people were injured in the strike including Syrians and Iranian militia personnel. Casualties were reported as well. Israel is determined to prevent Iran from expanding its military presence in Syria and is especially concerned with Iran's efforts to manufacture highly precise missiles in Syria, which, if launched, can hit Israeli targets in minutes. Iranian militias are also known to be operating in proximity to Israel's northern border including the Syrian section of the Golan Heights. Latest News Nogales, Arizona - Remarks by Vice President Pence in Briefing with U.S. Border Patrol: CHIEF VILLAREAL: Vice President, thank you. Welcome to Nogales Station. THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Chief. CHIEF VILLAREAL: Sir, I just want to take the time to highlight some of the tools of our trade, but more importantly, I think its important that we had a robust conversation down here, but that we when I say we, Congress, the Department of Homeland Security, and the American public recognize that border security is national security. What we have going on right now is a crisis. Our immigration system has been overwhelmed to the point that its broken. We werent set up for the type of migration that were seeing today. The illegal alien population is family units, its children. Our old system was designed for a single adult from Mexico and had (inaudible). From that perspective, that national could be processed, returned to Mexico in a very short of period of time. Todays population of illegal aliens is not that at all. Theyre exploiting our loopholes in the laws by coming over as families, by claiming asylum. And so we lack the capacity to detain these individuals, which results in them being released. But when we talk about a humanitarian crisis and a border enforcement crisis, I wanted to highlight this. This is the humanitarian aspect. This is these are families, these kids dropped off in the desert. This is just east of Ajo, Arizona. Right now, its relatively cool, but you give it about another month, and its going to be 100 to 120 degrees out here. Its a vulnerable population that would succumb to the heat out there. But whats important here is that, if you look, there are three Border Patrol units there. There are probably another four or five responding. I have to pull 10 to 14 agents out of field, which creates a gap in border security. So, for me, that vulnerability is then exploited by organized criminal syndicates that are sending over aliens that dont want to be arrested, and this includes criminal aliens. In the last week, weve arrested 17 criminal aliens that had convictions for robbery, rape, child molestation, narcotics trafficking. And theyre interwoven in this mixture with the family units. And then, when they see these vulnerabilities, these gaps that are created as a result of this, they exploit that. And one of the things that we see, if I may, the anomaly out here in Arizona is for those that dont want to be arrested putting these booties on, the proper booties, so that we cant track their (inaudible). Theyre camouflage from toe to head. Its orchestrated. It is well organized. And its that threat that truly concerns me. When you look across the southwest border on a daily basis, we are witnessing this migratory flow every day. And until we take some sort of action, the threat is only going to continue and the degradation of more security is going to continue. Thank you. And before I forget Id be remiss if I didnt take the opportunity: The men and women of Tucson Sector wanted to say thank you. We truly appreciate the support that youve given us. We appreciate the fact that both you and President Trump have championed this, have brought this to the attention of the American public. And hopefully we can get something done, because this crisis will not change until something takes place. Thank you, sir. THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Chief. Thank you so much. Well, let me say, Chief, thank you so much. Its an honor to be in the Tucson Sector and an honor to be here with your Governor, the Deputy Commissioner, and all of these extraordinary men and women of law enforcement here in Nogales. Were grateful for the work that you do every day. And Im here because President Trump and I recognize that we have a crisis on our southern border. But to be here in the Nogales community, to see the work that youre doing, to fly over the border as we have, reinforces the determination that we have to get you the resources, build the physical barrier, but also to make the changes in the law that are necessary to end that humanitarian crisis that you see depicted here. And I was told the Deputy Commissioner and I were on the flight out here I was told, this last Tuesday, 4,300 people were apprehended attempting to come into this country illegally. It is the highest single day total ever recorded by Customs and Border Patrol. Four thousand three hundred people a day. And I know you have physical barrier in this area in Nogales, I know and the Tucson Sector used to be the epicenter, a decade ago, of illegal immigration. And because of your work here and because of the presence of physical barriers, thats diminished greatly. But in Texas and other areas, we see this incredible (inaudible). And thats why the President and I are absolutely determined to make sure you have the resources you need, and the men and women who serve in the green uniforms have the resources that you need to accomplish your mission to secure our borders and to come home safe to your families. Theres no question, though, that people are suffering on both sides of the border. I just finished walking through the detention center. And every American has a heavy heart. The fact that we have loopholes in our laws today that human traffickers and drug cartels are using to entice vulnerable families to make the long and dangerous journey up from Central America to come into our country illegally. These people, these families, are being exploited by drug cartels and human traffickers. And in these criminal organizations, as you said, Chief, are exploiting loopholes in our laws. And so President Trump and I are calling on the Congress to come together and close the loopholes in our asylum laws to bring about the change that allow us to return individuals that are apprehended in this country to their countries in Central America, the way that we can today in Mexico, to give us greater flexibility with regard to detention as we process individuals, and ultimately to change what is known commonly as catch and release, where people know, in Central America, that human traffickers will take cash to bring them up here and tell them, If you make it, the Americans have a system where you can vanish. I learned today that theres a million people in the United States today who were denied asylum through the judicial process but vanished into the United States. So we have a broken system. We have a porous border. You saw the Presidents determination to secure funding for a wall. And I know therell be some 80 miles between Tucson and the Yuma Sector where well be building physical barriers in the next year. But we call on Congress today to do your job. And the courageous men and women of our Customs and Border Patrol are doing their job every day. President Trump has done his job securing the funding to support your efforts and to build a wall. But now its time for Congress to do their job to come together on a bipartisan basis and address this very real crisis for the sake of the American people and for the sake of our security, and to end this crisis of illegal immigration on our southern border. But I want to thank you, Chief, for your efforts and for the courageous efforts of your team every day. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. New Delhi: The auspicious occasion of Baisakhi or Vaisakhi is being celebrated on April 14 this year. It either falls on 13 or 14 of the month of April as per the Nanakshahi calendar and the Mool Nanakshahi Calendar. One of the major festivals in North India, Baisakhi holds greater significance for the Sikhs. It marks the birth of the Khalsa way of living in the Sikh religion and commemorates the formation of Khalsa Panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1699. On this day, temples, Gurudwaras are decorated beautifully with garlands and other items. Bhajans, devotional satsangs are organised to spread the message of God. Here's a compilation of top WhatsApp, Facebook, SMS which you can send to your loved ones on Baisakhi and celebrate the festival with much gusto: Also, Sikhs take a holy bath before visiting the Gurudwara in the morning on this day. Devotees exchange food and offer prasad to the Lord. Here's wishing all our readers a Happy Baisakhi! MATHURA: A 5-year-old boy, who was trapped in a borewell at about 100-foot deep at a village in Mathura's Shergarh has been rescued successfully, ANI reported. Anil Kumar Singh, Assistant Commander NDRF, told ANI that the rescuers took around 2 hours to bring out the child alive from the borewell. He added that the army also helped the NDRF team in the rescue operations. "A 5-year-old boy, who was trapped in a borewell at about 100-foot deep at a village in Shergarh rescued successfully. Anil Kumar Singh, Assistant Commander NDRF says, "It took us 2 hours to rescue the child, army also helped us in the rescue operations," ANI reported. Mathura: A 5-year-old boy, who was trapped in a borewell at about 100-foot deep at a village in Shergarh rescued successfully. Anil Kumar Singh, Assistant Commander NDRF says, "It took us 2 hours to rescue the child, army also helped us in the rescue operations." pic.twitter.com/ZYB40zFnjp ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) 13 April 2019 CMO Mathura Sher Singh said that the child is perfectly fine and is completely out of danger. He added that some necessary medicines have been given to him as a precautionary measure. According to Sher Singh, the boy was admitted in a hospital on Saturday night and will be released on Monday. Sher Singh, CMO Mathura: The child is perfectly fine, he is not facing any problems but as a precaution we have given him some necessary medicines. He will stay admitted for the night and will be released tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/IZSLjWe3pS ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) 13 April 2019 The 5-year-old was trying to pluck fruits from a tree when he fell into a nearby borewell. The local administration officials rushed to the spot immediately after hearing the news of the incident. After reaching the spot, the officials started the rescue operation to save the child. Doctors were called in to provide oxygen supply to the trapped child. "After receiving the information around 3.30 PM, we rushed a team to the spot to take stock of the situation. A team of doctors also arrived soon and they are providing oxygen to the child struck in borewell,'' a local official told PTI. Ram Dutt, Sub Divisional Magistrate, Chhata, said, ''An NDRF team has left from Ghaziabad and rescue operation is being handled by the local authorities." Indian and the Australian Navy on Sunday concluded the AUSINDEX naval exercise which was aimed at increasing bilateral maritime cooperation. For the first time in the history of the joint naval exercise, 55 American and New Zealand's military personnel were also on board the Royal Australian Navy ships to witness the exercises. AUSINDEX, which began on April 2, had a series of naval exercises which were designed to increase cooperation between the Indian and Australian navies. The Indian fleet was represented by INS Sahyadri, INS Ranvijay, INS Kora, INS Kiltan and submarines INS Sindhukirti. Australian Navy Ship (HMAS) Canberra, a landing helicopter dock, Newcastle and Paramatta, both frigates, a Durance-class multi-product replenishment oiler along with HMAS Collins, a conventional submarine, also participated in the maritime exercise. The sea phase was held between April 7-11 shall be held in the Bay of Bengal. By PTI MUMBAI: Jet Airways pilots body, the National Aviator's Guild (NAG), Sunday deferred its "no flying" call to a later date, particularly when the management is scheduled to meet the lenders on Monday. Earlier in the day, the Guild, which has around 1,100 pilots as its members, decided to stop flying from April 15 in protest against non-payment of salaries since March. "It has come to our notice that there is a critical meeting planned tomorrow (Monday) morning with the airline management and SBI. In light of the meeting, the members have requested, through their team leaders, that the call of 'No Pay No Work' be deferred to give the airline a chance of survival. Accordingly, as requested, the Committee would like to inform all that the decision stands deferred for the time being," the Guild committee said in a late evening communication to its members. All pilots are still requested, however, to be present at Siroya Centre at 0930 hours on April 15 in their uniforms, it said. Siroya Centre is Jet Airways headquarters in Andheri suburb in Mumbai. According to NAG, it has also called upon other departments to join the gathering at the headquarters as a show of unity. An Open House will be called shortly as per the availability of the venue and the committee members, the communication added. The pilots, along with engineers and senior management, have not received salaries since January. The debt-ridden carrier has also not paid the March salary to employees of other categories as well. "As on today, we have not been paid for nearly three-and-a-half months and we do not know when we will be paid. So we have decided to go ahead with our call of no-flying from April 15. All 1,100 pilots of NAG will stop flying from 10 am Monday," a Guild source said earlier in the day. The NAG, which claims representation of around 1,100 pilots of the total 1,600 with the full service carrier, had in late March called for no flying from April 1 over non-payment of salaries. However, on March 31, it deferred the agitation to April 15, saying it wanted to give more time to the new management. Jet Airways is at present under the management control of SBI-led consortium of lenders after the approval of a debt-rejig plan last month, which also led its founder chairman Naresh Goyal to quit. New Delhi: India has shortage of an estimated 600,000 doctors and 2 million nurses, say scientists who found that lack of staff who are properly trained in administering antibiotics is preventing patients from accessing live-saving drugs. 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, according to the report by the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) in the US. In India, 65 per cent of health expenditure is out-of-pocket, and such expenditures push some 57 million people into poverty each year. 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. Researchers at CDDEP in the US 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. Health facilities in many low- and middle-income countries are substandard and lack staff who are properly trained in administering antibiotics. 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 two million nurses. "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 Ramanan Laxminarayan, director at CDDEP. 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," Laxminarayan said in a statement. "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," said Laxminarayan. 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. 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 less expensive generics, and the possibility that resistance will rapidly emerge. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday slammed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar over his claim that the Rafale jet deal wasn't acceptable to late BJP leader Manohar Parrikar, so he quit the defence ministry and returned to Goa. Recently Pawar had claimed that Parrikar and quit as the minister as he did not agree with the Rafale deal, in which the opposition has alleged corruption. Training his guns at Pawar, the CM said that such statements after Parrikar's death is wrong. He clarified that the late Goa CM eight days before his death had said that he should get the chance to campaign for PM Modi in at least two rallies. CM Fadnavis further added that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi too had attempted to say something like this earlier and called it a crass joke. "Rahul ji too had attempted to say something like this earlier. It was a crass joke but Manohar ji was alive then, so he could give a reply. Giving statements like this after his death is not right. Manohar Parrikar ji had given a reply to this. He was such a man that 8 days before his death he had said that he should get the chance to campaign for Modi ji in at least 2 rallies as there won't be a PM like him," said CM Fadnavis. Parrikar, who died in March of an ailment, had said that he always wanted to work in Goa. He returned as the state's chief minister after the assembly polls in 2017 amid demands by BJP's allies that he should be leading the alliance government. Earlier, BJP president Amit Shah too ahd accused Pawar of spreading falsehoods, claiming that he was doing so because of his party's falling fortunes and family fights over seats. "Being a former Defence Minister yourself, one expected better from you Pawar Sahab! Your party's falling fortunes and family fights over seats is making you nervous and spread falsehoods," Shah had said in a tweet. The BJP chief added, "Talking of quitting, remember why you quit Congress and what you did thereafter?" Shah was apparently referring to Pawar quitting the Congress in 1999 after raking up Sonia Gandhi's foreign origins and her credentials to lead the party. Pawar formed NCP but soon joined hands with the Congress to form government in Maharashtra. President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday paid homage to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar on his 128th birth anniversary. Calling Ambedkar an icon of India and chief architect of the Constitution, President Kovind remarked that he waged a life-long struggle for a modern India free of caste and other prejudices. He added that Ambedkar worked throughout his life to ensure equal rights for women and weaker sections. President Kovind: Homage to Dr B.R. Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. An icon of our nation, & Chief Architect of the Constitution, Dr Ambedkar waged a life-long struggle for a modern India free of caste and other prejudices, ensuring equal rights for women and weaker sections. pic.twitter.com/mLWxB7huWS ANI (@ANI) 14 April 2019 In a video tribute on Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "He (Ambedkar) is an inspiration to crores of people including me. It is not necessary for a person to born in a rich family. In India, a person born in a poor family can also dream of big things and can achieve them." . ! pic.twitter.com/KIZVJC725r Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 14 April 2019 Union Minister Piyush Goyal also paid homage to Dr Ambedkar and said that he has contributed a lot for the upliftment of Dalits in India. Congress also remembered Dr Ambedkar with Nitin Raut, Chairman of SC Department of the party, issuing a press release paying homage to Dr Ambedkar and praising his works. Lok Jan Shakti party leader Chirag Paswan paid rich tributes to Dr Ambedkar on his 128th birth anniversary and said that Dr Ambedkar was a leader, economist and social reformer. Paswan added that Dr Ambedkar devoted his life for the upliftment of women, workers and farmers and get their due. Dr Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891 in Mhow (now in Madhya Pradesh). The town is now known as Dr. Ambedkar Nagar. Dr Ambedkar was the 14th and the last child of his parents. Dr Ambedkar has the highest number of statues in the world. His first statue was built in Kolhapur city in 1950. He is the only Indian whose statue is attached with Karl Marx in the London Museum. Dr Ambedkar's birth anniversary is celebrated in different parts of the world. Dr Ambedkar passed away on December 6, 1956, in New Delhi. He was was posthumously conferred with Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1990. Srinagar: Pulwama police, along with 55 Rashtriya Rifles, busted a terrorist hideout in Manduna village in South Kashmirs Pulwama on Sunday, news agency ANI reports. A huge quantity of incriminating material and other items have been recovered from the hideout. Jammu & Kashmir: Pulwama police and 55 Rashtriya Rifles today busted a terrorist hideout in Manduna village in South Kashmirs Pulwama. Police have registered a case, further investigation is underway. pic.twitter.com/6Xif37zaBH ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 Police have registered a case and seized the incriminating material and further investigation is underway, a police spokesman said. The hideout has been busted just a day after the security forces on Saturday killed two terrorists in an encounter which broke out in J&K's Shopian. A large cache of arms and the ammunition was also recovered from them. Last week, counter-insurgency units of Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and Special Operations Group (SOG) of the J&K police gunned down two terrorists in Imam Sahib area in Shopian district. In February, 40 CRPF personnel were martyred after a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist rammed an explosive-laden car into their bus in Pulwama district. SRINAGAR: Terrorists are planning another Pulwama-type attack on Sunday, intelligence agencies have said, adding that it is possible that the terrorists would use a motorbike to carry out the attack. As per the sources quoted by Zee News, the inputs received by the intelligence agencies have revealed that the terrorists are planning to trigger the blast on National Highway using a remote control. The specific inputs provided by the intelligence agencies have prompted the security agencies to enhance security along the highway and the convoy of all security forces have been ordered to start their movement on the National Highway only after 9 AM. A report prepared by investigative and security agencies working in the counter-terrorism grid in Jammu and Kashmir has revealed that anti-theft remote alarms or keys, which are used in motorcycles and vehicles, have now become the favourite tool of terrorists to trigger improvised explosive devices (IED) in the state. It may be recalled that recently the terrorists had launched an IED attack to target the personnel of the Armys 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) unit in Shopian district. After investigation it was found that a remote key was used by the terrorists to lock and unlock a two-wheeler. The security agencies analysing the history of IED blasts in Kashmir and came to the conclusion that military-grade explosives such as RDX, PETN (Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate), TNT (Trinitrotoluene) and commercial explosives such as slurries and ammonium nitrate were used by Pakistan-based terrorists for making IEDs. The report also added that the rudimentary command-wire mechanism were used by the terrorists to blast IEDs in order to launch precise attacks. On February 14, forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were martyred after a Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist rammed an explosive-laden car into a bus in their convoy in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi: Thundershowers and dust storms have been predicted for Delhi and several parts of northwest India by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) for Monday. IMD said on Sunday that several areas in northwest India, including Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab could witness thundershowers and/or dust storms due to a number of weather patterns. Primary among these is a rare western disturbance. This could lead to intermittent rainfall coupled with thunder and lightning between Monday and Wednesday. While the rain and thundershowers could bring some relief from rising temperatures, it is unlikely to be welcomed by farmers in the region. Meanwhile, the Met Department has also predicted continued rainfall in the state of Jammu and Kashmir over the next couple of days. It has said that the state, as well as adjoining parts of Himachal Pradesh, could witness hailstorms as well. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Sunday released the marks scored by the successful candidates in the civil services examination this year, results of which were declared on April 5. Kanishak Kataria who topped the exam, scored a total of 1121 marks; Akshat Jain, who got the second rank, secured 1080 marks; Junaid Ahmad, who came in third, got 1077 marks; fourth rank holder Shreyans Kumat, got 1071 marks; Srushti Jayant Deshmukh, who got the fifth rank, scored 1068 marks, Shubham Gupta, who got the sixth rank, secured 1067 marks; Karnati Varunreddy, who got the seventh rank, got 1067 marks; Vaishali Singh, who got the eighth rank, got 1066 marks; Gunjan Dwivedi, who got the ninth rank, secured 1064 marks; and Tanmay Vashistha Sharma, who got the tenth rank, secured 1064 marks. The civil services examination is conducted annually by the UPSC in three stages -- preliminary, main and interview -- to select officers for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others. A total of 759 candidates, including 577 men and 182 women, has been recommended for different government services. Kanishak Kataria is a BTech from IIT Bombay and hails from Rajasthan. He had said, "It is a very surprising moment. I never expected to get the first rank. I thank my parents, sister and my girlfriend for the help and moral support. People will expect me to be a good administrator and that`s exactly my intention." Akshat, who also hails from Rajasthan, had said, "I want to give credit for this achievement to God, my family, and my friends, for always supporting me. I had to study a lot, but it doesn`t mean that I was working like a machine. I used to take breaks and go out with my friends." Junaid, a native of Madhya Pradesh, said, "I had a few books suggested by seniors that helped in creating a base. But the internet helps you a lot, everything is available online. Productive use of the internet helped me. I expected to be in the list but never expected the third rank." Among the women candidates who appeared for the examination, Srushti topped the charts while securing the fifth rank overall. The final ranks were announced based on the results of the written part of Civil Services Examination, 2018 held by the UPSC in September-October, 2018 and the interviews for Personality Test held in February-March, 2019. Check the marks scored by the 759 successful candidates in the UPSC exam: Bengaluru: Electorate in Karnataka will not be allowed to carry smart-phones or mobile phones inside the polling booth while going to vote to prevent them from taking selfies or recording videos, an official said on Sunday. "The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) prevents voters from carrying mobile phones or smart-phones and cameras inside the polling booth. In fact, no voter will be allowed to take his/her cellphone within 100 metres radius of the booth. "They will have to leave it at home or deposit it with the police personnel before entering the booth," Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar told IANS. Another poll official admitted that though the MCC has had the ban provision since 2008, it was not enforced strictly during the previous elections for reasons such as manpower shortage and absence of internet-connected smart-phones with a camera. "The provision to not allow mobile phones or smart-phones inside the booth was observed more in breach in the past, as not many voters had them a decade or five years ago or carried them while going to vote," recalled senior poll official Surya Sen. With most urban voters now using camera-wielding smart-phones, during the May 2018 Assembly elections many were caught taking selfies while casting their vote or making videos inside the booth as a proof of exercising their franchise. "This year, the security personnel have been instructed to prevent voters from carrying a mobile or a smartphone inside the booth," said Kumar. "If the security personnel are busy, the voters can leave their devices with party agents who sit outside the booths with the voter lists," Kumar added. Polling officials, security personnel and others manning booths, including presiding officers, their assistants and agents of candidates, however, will be allowed to carry and use smart-phones. Karnataka has 5.11 crore electorate, including 2.6 crore male and 2.5-crore female voters and 4,661 others. The number of polling booths in 28 seats across the state has increased 7 per cent from 54,265 in the 2014 elections to 58,186 this year. The state`s 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in the central and southern regions go to polls on April 18, while the remaining 14 parliamentary seats cast their vote on April 23. The 14 constituencies polling in the first phase are Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga (SC), Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajnagar (SC), Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkaballapur and Kolar (SC). Those in the second phase are Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur (SC), Gulbarga (SC), Raichur (ST), Bidar, Koppal, Bellary (ST), Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davanagere and Shimoga. The votes will be counted on May 23. New Delhi: Two hundred and fifty one candidates contesting in the second phase of Lok Sabha election have declared criminal cases against them including those relating to murder, crime against women, kidnapping and other serious offences. The data is based on a report by the National Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) in which the affidavits of 1,590 out of 1,644 candidates, who are contesting in the second phase were analysed. The affidavits of 54 candidates have not been analysed due to unavailability of their complete certificates, affidavits. As per the report, 251 candidates (16 per cent) out of 1,590 have declared serious criminal cases against themselves and 167 (11 per cent) are convicted criminals. Three candidates have declared convicted cases against themselves, six have declared cases related to murder (IPC Section 302) against themselves, 25 have declared cases related to attempt to murder (IPC Section 307) and eight have declared cases related to kidnapping. Ten candidates have declared cases related to crime against women and 15 have declared cases related to hate speech against themselves. In the second phase of Lok Sabha election, 97 constituencies will go to polls on April 18. Of which, 41 are red alert constituencies, which means three or more candidates contesting the polls have declared criminal cases against themselves. Among the major parties, 16 out of 51 candidates with criminal cases are from BJP, 23 out of 53 are from Congress, 16 out of 80 candidates are from BSP, three out of 22 are from AIADMK, 11 out of 24 are from DMK and four out of 11 from Shiv Sena. Ten out of 51 candidates with serious criminal cases are from BJP, 17 out of 53 are from Congress, 10 out of 80 candidates are from BSP, three out of 22 are from AIADMK, seven out of 24 are from DMK and one out of 11 is from Shiv Sena. The seven-phase nation election began on April 11 and will end on May 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. New Delhi: The enemy of an enemy is a friend and it is this age-old saying that may still be keeping fragile hopes of an AAP-Congress alliance alive in the Lok Sabha election 2019. While both parties have had fallouts galore, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that he is ready for all that it would take to defeat PM Narendra Modi. The possibility of an AAP and Congress alliance for Lok Sabha election 2019 has been an electoral rollercoaster the last few weeks. While many Delhi leaders of Congress had been vehemently against a tie-up, AAP too had said on Wednesday that an alliance was not possible due to no agreement on the seat-sharing formula. On Saturday, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia once again held out an olive branch although he maintained his party was against a tie-up just in the national capital. And Kejriwal further underlined why Sisodia still kept some of the hopes alive. "We will do anything to defeat Narendra Modi and Amit Shah," he said when asked about an alliance with Congress. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on if discussions on Congress-AAP alliance are still underway: The country is in danger. To save the country from Modi Ji & Amit Shah Ji's 'jodi', we are ready to do whatever is needed. Our efforts will continue till the end. #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/ryvtACTrQj ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 This comes shortly after Congress had said that it is only open to an alliance with AAP in Delhi and in no other state. While both AAP and Congress have been bitter enemies in Delhi, both parties are also determined to bring down BJP in the ongoing Lok Sabha election 2019. A tie-up against BJP would have been an easy clincher only if the two parties were able to decide on a seat-sharing arrangement. AAP MP Sanjay Singh had accused Congress of being too demanding while rejecting the possibility of a tie-up earlier this week. He had said that Congress wants three seats in Delhi but is unwilling to budge in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Goa. "Congress is not in favour of alliance and it seems they want to benefit BJP. AAP will contest and win all seven seats in Delhi," he had said. (Read full report here) Just when it looked like Singh had driven the final nail in the coffin, his party once again resurrected the possibility of a tie-up. Meanwhile, many political analysts believe that the flip-flop over a possible tie-up between the two parties is likely to benefit BJP whether AAP and Congress now do join hands or not. A sense of indecision and an unwillingness to let go seats could have already made a dent in the minds of voters who were leaning towards voting for either Congress or AAP. Delhi votes in the sixth phase - on May 12. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Whether Jet Airways once Indias leading private carrier and now facing a threat to its existence will get a lifeline, is likely to be decided on Monday. The consortium of lenders led by State Bank of India, which has recently acquired majority stakes in the carrier, are expected to meet the Jet Airways management on Monday to discuss infusion of Rs 1,500 crore as an interim fund to the airline. The lenders had, when they took over majority stakes in the airline last month, proposed infusion of Rs 1,500 crore emergency fund to keep Jets operations in motion. The takeover also marked the exit of Jets founder promoter Naresh Goyal and wife Anita Goyal from the airlines board. However, the airline is yet to receive this fund. Acute liquidity shortage has forced the carrier to suspend its international flights till Monday and cancel most of its domestic flights. Jet, which once had a fleet size of 119 flights, is operating only six to seven aircraft over the weekend. Any further crisis might pose a threat to Jets existence, as the current norms mandate that an airline needs to fly at least five planes in order to maintain its permit of a scheduled operator. Further, a large section of Jet pilots has given an ultimatum to the airline to clear their pending salaries by April 15, failing which they would stop flying. Among all the uncertainties, the lenders concluded the first round of the bidding process on Friday. According to reports, as many as five parties, including Goyal himself, have submitted Expressions of Interest. The lenders have offered 31.2-75 per cent stake in Jet on a fully diluted basis. Other players who possibly have submitted bids are Etihad Airways, TPG Capital and National Infrastructure Investment Fund. The lenders are expected to make a formal announcement on the name of bidders soon. AGARTALA: An eclectic range of individuals, ranging from an ex-royal who is a remote sensing specialist, a teacher, a law student, a former bureaucrat, one who is unlettered and even a novice in politics are trying their electoral luck in the Lok Sabha polls in Tripura. Congress candidate and ex-royal Maharaj Kumari Pragya Deb Burman, 50, who is a remote sensing and urban settlement specialist; and Bharatiya Janata Party nominee Rebati Tripura, 43, an academician, are novices in politics. They are contesting against each other in the Tripura East Lok Sabha seat, reserved for tribals, where voting will be held on April 18. Narendra Chandra Debbarma, 76, a candidate of the ruling BJP`s ally, the Indigenous People`s Front of Tripura (IPFT) and a former Station Director of All India Radio (AIR), Agartala; Tripura Government Law College student Jayki Murasing, 25; former bureaucrat Chitta Ranjan Debbarma, 58; and former bank official Arun Kumar Bhaumik, 64, are also trying their electoral luck. Quite obviously, their issues are varied. Pragya Deb Burman wants to serve the people in a different ways, Rebati Tripura is keen to uplift the tribals and Murasinga`s thrust is on jobs of the unemployed. Pragya Deb Burman, who is the elder sister of Tripura Pradesh Congress President Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarman, is a post graduate diploma in Human Urban Settlement and Remote Sensing from Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (in Dehradun) under the ISRO. Deb Burman`s father, Maharaj Kirit Bikram Kishore Deb Burman, was thrice (1967, 1977 and 1989), elected to Lok Sabha from the Tripura East Lok Sabha seat and her mother, Maharani Bibhu Kumari Devi, (also former Tripura minister) won in 1991. Deb Burman is also the state Convener of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. "The Congress is in my blood and I want to serve the people, specially the backward tribals in a different ways. I would not politicise the issue. They should not be treated as vote bank," Deb Burman told IANS. Debbarma`s IPFT has since 2009 been agitating to upgrade 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 that is home to over 12,16,000 people, mostly tribals. All political parties, including the BJP, the Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Congress are opposed to the IPFT`s statehood demand. Most of the 23 candidates, two less than the 2014 elections, are highly educated. Narayan Chandra Dey is the only exceptional who never went to any educational institution, and is contesting as a candidate of the Adi BJP party (old BJP), a registered unrecognised party. "The present leaders of the BJP in Tripura are not giving due recognition and respect to the party`s old guard. That`s why we have formed the Adi BJP party few years back," Dey told IANS. The ruling BJP`s nominee Pratima Bhoumik, a science graduate, the Congress`s Subal Bhowmik and CPI-M sitting Lok Sabha member and trade union leader Sankar Prasad Dattaare seasoned politicians wants for further development of Tripura. There are three women of the 23 nominees for Tripura`s two Lok Sabha seats (one voted on April 11 and the other will vote on April 18). AHMEDABAD: Hitting out at former Congress leader Alpesh Thakor, Hardik Patel on Saturday said that Alpesh failed to handle the respect and power given to him by the Congress party. "Congress party had given so much respect and power but he could not handle it. He started playing blame games," Hardik, who had joined Congress few weeks ago, told ANI. Thakor had joined the Congress ahead of Gujarat Assembly poll in 2017 but he decided to resign from all party posts on Wednesday. Hardik Patel also lashed out at the BJP, accusing the party of making all efforts to stop him from contesting the Lok Sabha poll. "I am accepting the decision of the High Court. BJP lawyers tried their best so that I could not contest the ongoing elections. Congress wanted to take me to the Parliament. I am a 25-year-old young man and many elections will come in the future," he said. It may be recalled that the Supreme Court had refused to urgently hear a plea filed by 25-year-old Hardik seeking suspension of his conviction in a case of rioting and arson in Gujarat's Mehsana. The incident took place in 2015 when the Patidar quota stir was at its height and Hardik was leading the stir. The Gujarat High Court had suspended Hardik's jail sentence in this case in August 2018 but the court did not stay his conviction. Hardik had joined Congress on March 12 and the party had named him as its contest from Jamnagar in Gujarat in the upcoming Lok Sabha poll. Referring to the mention of Congress' pledge to amend sedition law, Hardik said, "BJP misguided the people. Congress said to remove sedition charges but will not tolerate anti-nationalism. The BJP does not have any issue to fight the elections that is why they always come with issues like anti-nationalism." Hardik noted that Patidars across Gujarat were happy with his decision to join the Congress party. "There are a huge number of Patidars who like me and my leadership. Patidar community is happy with my decision of joining the Congress. I believe they will support me and will help in fighting this battle." The young Patidar leader added that he will hold 42 rallies in the run-up to the Lok Sabha poll and will ensure that the Congress win the poll. He remarked that the Congress is in favour of the poor and farmers and party president Rahul Gandhi will bring 'achhe din' for Indians. It is to be noted that the BJP had won all 26 seats in Gujarat in 2014 Lok Sabha poll and the party is hopeful for repeating its feat this time too. Experts maintain that the BJP's decision to field its party's chief Amit Shah from Gandhinagar will prove a masterstroke for the party and it will help the party in the upcoming poll. On the other hand, the Congress is buoyed by its good show in the last Assembly poll and the party is trying its best to avoid a whitewash this time. Polling for all Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat is scheduled to take place in a single phase on April 23. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. (with ANI inputs) Congress in 1997 had given outside support to Prime Minister IK Gujral but the fragile government was in a constant threat of losing the numbers in the Lok Sabha. IK Gujral had become the Prime Minister of the United Front-led government after HD Devegowda had to resign due to lack of support for his government. However, IK Gujral too, walked on a thin line facing the imminent threat of his alliance partners pulling out their support. From taking action against the then Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, who was an alliance partner, in connection with a corruption case in the Fodder scam to his recommendation of President's rule in Uttar Pradesh in 1997, his government was treading on a tumultuous path. Also Read: History of Lok Sabha elections The final nail in the coffin was the demand of Congress to take action against another alliance partner of the United Front government - the Karunanidhi led DMK. The Congress's demand had gained momentum after the report of the Jain Commission which probed the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi indicted the DMK of cozying up to Sri Lankan guerrilla group - Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) - whose cadres killed Rajiv Gandhi. In more than two weeks since the 5,280-page report had come out, Congress had not let even a single session of Parliament function seeking action against DMK. Despite repeated threats by the Congress of withdrawal of support, the 13-party United Front coalition refused to bow down to their demands of ousting the DMK, and its three representatives in IK Gujral's cabinet. And, for the second time in the 11th Lok Sabha, Sitaram Kesari-led Congress brought down the United Front government. Elections were scheduled to be held over a period of three weeks in February and March. The triangular fight was between the Bharatiya Janata Party which was the largest party in the 1996 election, United Front which had been in power over the last two years and Congress (I) which was opposing the two groups. The fate of coalition governments over the past terms had shown that stability was much needed for the country's progress. Parties vigorously campaigned to convince the voters on how they would bring political stability and handle the economy of the country. The other issues which were often spoken about during the campaigning ranged from employment generation to tackling corruption, providing safe drinking water, electricity, sanitation among others. With an aim to improve its 1996 tally, the Bharatiya Janata Party reached out to the voters with an agenda of economic nationalism and promising to protect the domestic industry from international competition. Reiterating its stand against foreign direct investment, the party promised to restrict direct investment to non-priority areas if it comes to power. The Congress, on the other hand, advocated in favour of foreign investment focussing on how it can reform the country. The Congress seemed to be getting a tough fight from the Bharatiya Janata Party forcing the grand old party to think of desperate measures to save itself from another defeat. The trump card then that the Congress was looking for was Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's widow who till then had refused to enter the political fray. Succumbing to the requests of party leaders to save the party, Sonia Gandhi stepped into the ring. Yet again, when the results were announced, the election threw up a hung Parliament. The Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the largest party with 182 seats. The BJP bagged the maximum share of votes in the Hindi belt. In Uttar Pradesh, where the partys movement to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya had gained pace, it secured 57 of 85 seats. It bagged 30 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 20 in Bihar, 19 in Gujarat and 13 in Karnataka. However, in Haryana it one just bagged one seat as compared to the 1996 election result when it won 4 seats. While in Rajasthan, it bagged 5 seats as against 12 in the previous election. It lost its ground in Maharashtra too - having won just 4 seats as opposed to the 1996 tally of 18. It gained marginally in Delhi, with wins in 6 seats, one more than the previous tally. HOW BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY FARED HOW CONGRESS FARED STATES SEATS STATES SEATS ANDHRA PRADESH 4 ANDHRA PRADESH 22 ASSAM 1 ASSAM 10 BIHAR 20 BIHAR 5 GUJARAT 19 GOA 2 HARYANA 1 GUJARAT 7 HIMACHAL PRADESH 3 HARYANA 3 JAMMU & KASHMIR 2 HIMACHAL PRADESH 1 KARNATAKA 13 JAMMU & KASHMIR 1 MADHYA PRADESH 30 KARNATAKA 9 MAHARASHTRA 4 KERALA 8 ORISSA 7 MADHYA PRADESH 10 PUNJAB 3 MAHARASHTRA 33 RAJASTHAN 5 MEGHALAYA 2 TAMIL NADU 3 NAGALAND 1 UTTAR PRADESH 57 ORISSA 5 WEST BENGAL 1 RAJASTHAN 18 CHANDIGARH 1 WEST BENGAL 1 DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI 1 ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS 1 DAMAN & DIU 1 NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF DELHI 1 NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF DELHI 6 LAKSHADWEEP 1 TOTAL 182 141 As for the Congress, Sonia Gandhis entry into politics had helped the party but failed to generate another sympathy wave in favour of her - like was the case when Rajiv Gandhi won in 1984 after Indira Gandhis assassination. Even in the South where Congress for several years had a stronghold, the party failed to make a mark. The party significantly improved its numbers in Maharashtra where it bagged 33 seats as against 15 in the last election. However, just like the 1996 election, it failed to win even a single seat in Tamil Nadu. Though it marginally improved its tally in Kerala, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh where it bagged 8 and 9 and 10 seats respectively. It maintained its 1996 tally in Andhra Pradesh with wins in 22 seats. Among the Communist parties, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) maintained its tally of 32 as was in the last election but the Communist Party of India lost some of its seats and settled for wins in 9 constituencies. The Janata Dal managed to secure just 6 wins in the 1998 election, winning three seats in Karnataka and one each in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Punjab. In the 11th Lok Sabha, Bahujan Samaj Party had started to make its presence felt by winning 11 seats. However, in the 1998 election, the party won just five seats - 1 in Haryana and 4 in Uttar Pradesh. The United Front - which was the coalition of regional, leftist and low-caste parties - along with its other allies bagged 97 seats. Altogether 4,750 candidates, including 1493 from national parties and 471 from state parties took part in the election. There were 1915 Independent candidates too who were in the fray of which just 6 emerges as winners while the deposits of 1898 candidates were forfeited. After the results, the Bharatiya Janata Party staked claim to form the government and with the support of allies, mustered up 286 seats in the House and Atal Bihari Vajpayee took oath as the Prime Minister. However, the number 13 seemed like a bad omen for Atal Bihari Vajpayee. While his government in 1996 had lasted for just 13 days, this time the clock was ticking against the government in just 13 months. For several months, alliance partner All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) had been threatening to withdraw support from the ruling coalition if all criminal cases filed against her by the Tamil Nadu government were not removed. Just when the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government was indulging in the one year celebrations, they were caught off guard by the AIADMK MPs who withdrew their support. The Central government was asked to prove its majority in the House and in a historic turn of events, which kept everyone on the edge, the government lost by just one vote - securing 269 votes to 270. Mayawati leading the 5 Bahujan Samaj Party MPs in the House had promised its support to the Bharatiya Janata Party but when she rose to speak in the House, she said that she was against the government, tilting the balance in favour of the opposition. Blaming Congress for its sinister moves in bringing his government down, Atal Bihari Vajpayee in an uncharacteristically aggressive speech vowed to come back to power and exuded confidence that 800 million Indians would make up for the one less vote that he got in the House. Jammu: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secretary Ram Madhav took a cue from the hit Bollywood film Deewar to attack the opposition in Jammu and Kashmir in an attempt to claim that there's no match to Prime Minister Narendra Modi calibre in their camp. "Humare paas Modi hai (We have Narendra Modi)," Madhav said at an election rally in Jammu's Reasi district on Saturday. The BJP leader also asserted that PM Modi has made India "corruption and terrorism-free" and instilled among the terrorists by hunting them down inside Pakistan. "The opposition does not have any leader but we have Modi. That is why they are forming 'gathbandhan' (alliance)... Their attempt to form a grand alliance failed because many people among the opposition are eyeing prime minister's chair," Madhav said. The prime minister today campaigned in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua, where he hailed the people for turning up in large numbers to vote in phase of the Lok Sabha polls despite the issue of terrorism. "You have proven the strength of democracy in India in the first phase of election by coming out to vote in huge numbers in Baramulla and Jammu. You have given a befitting reply to the terrorist leaders, opportunists and people in 'mahamilawat'," PM Modi said. PM Narendra Modi in Kathua, J&K: You have proven the strength of democracy in India, in the first phase of elections. By coming out to vote in huge numbers in Baramulla and Jammu, you have given a befitting reply to the terrorist leaders, opportunists & people in 'mahamilawat'. pic.twitter.com/tOMqmDzQ7P ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 At the rally, he criticised Congress for "politicising" the 100 years of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and took a sharp dig at the Abdullah and Mufti families for "destroying lives of the generations of Jammu and Kashmir." PM Narendra Modi in Kathua, J&K: I have known Captain Amarinder Singh for a long time. I have never raised a question on his patriotism. I can understand the kind of pressure which must have been put on him for such 'parivar bhakti'. https://t.co/qp7wrUGDzf ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 PM in Kathua: Abdullah family & Mufti family destroyed lives of 3 generations of J&K. The bright future of J&K can be ensured only after their departure. They can bring their entire clan into field, can abuse Modi as much as they want but they won't be able to divide this nation. pic.twitter.com/mIWESefYUt ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 Polling in J&K is being held in five phases. In the first phase, voting was held in Jammu and Baramulla while in the second phase, voting will be held in Uddhampur and Srinagar. Voting in Anantnag will be held in the third, fourth and fifth phase. Along with Anantnag, voting in Ladakh will also be held in the fifth phase. KOLKATA: Infighting over spoils of office, control of the lucrative construction material businesses and factional feuds between the old guard and new members may adversely hit the chances of West Bengal`s ruling Trinamool Congress in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, though to a very limited extent, party insiders and analysts say. While a minister IANS contacted disconnected the call when he was asked about the issue, a middle level Trinamool leader said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to take advantage of the ruling party`s internal conflicts, especially after Banerjee`s erstwhile second in command Mukul Roy crossed over to the saffron outfit. However, political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty felt that BJP had smartly stoked the aspirations of a number of Trinamool leaders to take them in their fold. "Somebody like Arjun Singh wanted to become an MP, but the party did not consider him. So he left. Similarly there are others who may be feeling they are stagnating in their old posts, or maybe, desiring to become ministers. They are leaving the party and joining the BJP," Chakraborty, a professor of political science at the Rabindra Bharati University, said. A master in engineering defections, Roy was known for bringing leaders and public representatives from other parties to the Trinamool fold for years. He has shown the same skills after joining the BJP, roping in two sitting Trinamool MPs Anupam Hazra and Saumitra Khan, besides a number of other leaders and activists. He has also weaned away leaders from the Left parties including the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). Also known for his wide contacts across the political spectrum, Roy keeps in touch with a good number of leaders from his former party, often sowing the seed of suspicion in Trinamool ranks. A case in point was how he dropped into Bidhannagar Mayor and Trinamool lawmaker Sabyasachi Dutta`s house last month to have a meal of `luchi` and `aloor dam`. Roy`s visit made Dutta almost a pariah in Trinamool, as the party began monitoring all his movements with great suspicion. Born from the Congress` womb, the Trinamool has imbibed the parent party`s factionalism since it came into existence on January 1, 1998. With the passage of time and the party`s rapid expansion that culminated in Trinamool taking over the reins of West Bengal, the bickering has only magnified. According to Chakraborty, there are at least three or four variants of infighting in the Trinamool. "The feud between the old guard of the Trinamool and the new faces who crossed over from the CPI-M after the party came to power is quite intense. "Then there is the fight over the spoils of office, sharing of the cake, that is money. The monetary factor has led to much blood-letting, violence, murder," he said. "The building construction materials supply business has also led to fierce infighting. The syndicates formed for the supply business have been quite notorious in creating law and order issues," said another analyst, not wishing to be named. In fact, the infighting became so serious that Trinamool chairperson and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in February publicly cautioned workers to stay away from factional squabbles and carry out their duties in a spirit of unity in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls. Last year, infighting had cost the party dear as it lost a number of seats in the Junglemahal area (comprising forest stretches of Paschim Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura and parts of Birbhum districts) to the BJP during the Panchayat polls. After the internal fights came to the surface, the party leadership had deputed a number of heavyweight ministers and party stalwarts to Junglemahal to sort out the problems. At the same time, Banerjee sacked three of her cabinet ministers, apparently holding them responsible for the party`s setbacks. According to Chakraborty, had there been a party other than the BJP, like a strong CPI-M, it could have exploited the issue to the hilt. "The problem with the BJP is the percentage of Muslim electors in every constituency. In 28 of the 42 seats in the state, Muslims form 30 per cent or more of the population. And the community has deep distrust for Modi`s BJP. So naturally, whatever advantage BJP could have hoped to get, is nullified to a large extent by the M factor," he said. Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday took a dig at the BJP by saying that brave soliders keep our borders secure and not the governments and hence the credit should go where it is due. The SP chief made the statements while addressing a public rally in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh. They say, as long as there is BJP government, our borders are secure. We, the people of Samajwadi Party believe that as long as there are brave soldiers at our borders, the borders are secure. Governments come and go but the jawans stay at the border, protecting India, Akhilesh said. Akhilesh Yadav, SP President: They say, as long as there is BJP govt, our borders are secure. We the people of Samajwadi Party believe that as long as there are brave soldiers at our borders, the borders are secure. Govts come&go but the jawans stay at the border,protecting India pic.twitter.com/vZAOKQIvFw ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 14, 2019 The statements made by Akhilesh come in wake of the ongoing debate over the politicisation of the armed forces by the BJP and the chest-thumping by the BJP leaders for the strikes carried out by the Indian Air Force on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camps at Balakot in Pakistan on February 26. It may be recalled that the daring airstrikes were carried out by IAF in response to February 14 Pulwama terror attack. Several BJP leaders have been caught on camera trying to give credit to the success of military strikes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was recently served a notice by the Election Commission for calling the Indian Army Modi ki Sena during anelection rally. Congress ke log aatankwadiyon ko biryani khilate the aur Modi ji ki sena aatankwadiyon ko goli aur gola deti hai (Congress people would feed biryani to terrorists, while Modis army gives them bullet or bomb). This is the difference. The Congress people use ji in Masood Azhars name to encourage terrorists, Yogi Adityanath had said. The EC issued a statement asking the UP CM to remain careful and refrain from using such languages in the future. Being a senior leader, he should be extremely careful. The commission is not satisfied with the explanation and advises Yogi Adityanath to be cautious while making statements at public rallies," the EC had said. New Delhi: Veteran SP leader Aazam Khan has stoked a controversy with a derogatory jibe at film actor and BJP candidate Jaya Prada, fighting the Lok Sabha polls from Rampur against him. National Commission for Women Chairperson Rekha Sharma termed Khan's alleged below-the-belt remarks against the actor as "extremely disgraceful" and said the women panel will be sending a show cause notice to him. Reacting to Khan's remarks, she tweeted that the NCW would also be requesting the Election Commission to bar him from contesting elections. Sharma reacted after taking cognisance of another tweet by an user, who had also uploaded a video of the SP leader's purported jibe. The video of Khan making the "abusive" remarks was also doing rounds on various social media platforms. Khan allegedly made the remarks while addressing a poll campaign rally at Rampur, which goes to polls on April 23 along with a total of 115 constituencies across 15 states in the third phase of the elections. "Extremely disgraceful," said Sharma, reacting to Khan's remark. "Aazam Khan is always abusive and disrespectful towards women. The NCW will take suo motu cognisance and will send a notice to him. Will request Election Commission to bar him from contesting elections," tweeted the NCW chairperson. (Note: Zeenews.com has intentionally edited out the alleged remark made by Azam Khan from the above copy) National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah on Sunday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remark on the 'Abdullahs and Muftis' families. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister alleged that ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election, PM Modi had said of getting Jammu and Kashmir rid of the two political families--Muftis and Abdullahs but after the election, he made two members of the Mufti family the chief minister of the state. Taking to Twitter, Omar further accused PM Modi of coming out with the same slogan ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, questioning if this was another false promise (jumla) of the prime minister. We have to rid Jammu and Kashmir of these two political families says Modi ji in 2014 & then promptly goes & makes not one but TWO members of the Mufti family CM of J&K. In 2019 Modi ji says we have to rid J&K of these two political families. Another jumla Modi ji?: tweeted Omar. We have to rid J&K of these two political families says Modi ji in 2014 & then promptly goes & makes not one but TWO members of the Mufti family CM of J&K. In 2019 Modi ji says we have to rid J&K of these two political families. Another jumla Modi ji? Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 14, 2019 He tweeted another post in which former chief minister late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and PM Modi are seen hugging. Omar tweeted jibing "look how happy he is to seal an alliance with one of the families he wants to rid J&K politics of". This is how much Modi ji believes what he says. Look how happy he is to seal an alliance with one of the families he wants to rid J&K politics of. pic.twitter.com/SFtdXJjbhI Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 14, 2019 "This is how much Modi ji believes what he says. Look how happy he is to seal an alliance with one of the families he wants to rid J&K politics of," tweeted Omar. PM Modi slammed the Abdullahs and Muftis, saying two families "ruined" three generations of Jammu and Kashmir and he will not allow them to "divide" India. The prime minister was referring to Omar's demand for a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir. The Abdullah and Mufti families have "ruined" three generations in the state. They laid seize to the state for three generations. For the better future of the state, they need to be voted out, he told a public rally in Kathua. The bright future of Jammu and Kashmir can be ensured only after their departure. They can bring their entire clan into the field, can abuse PM Modi as much as they want but they won't be able to divide this nation, the prime minister said. New Delhi: The BJP Sunday termed the opposition parties meeting in Delhi an exercise "to find excuses for their impending massive defeat" in the Lok Sabha polls. The opposition alliance is a misnomer because most of them are fighting elections separately, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said. "The so-called all-party meeting convened in Delhi is nothing but a confession of defeat by the so-called Mahagathbandhan. They are already trying to find excuses for their impending massive defeat. "They have not only failed to mount a challenge against the BJP in this election but have also failed as an opposition in the last five years," Rao said. Raising doubts over the credibility of EVMs, a number of opposition parties, including the Congress, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Samajwadi Party, CPI and CPI(M), Sunday said they will move the Supreme Court again to demand verification of at least 50 per cent of votes by paper trail. The people are delivering a massive blow to "this negative opposition" and their attempts to really come together is only "to express confession of their defeat in the ongoing elections," he said. The only thing they have in common is negativity and that they want to pull India back from the development it has witnessed in the last five years, he said. The BJP also took a dig at the Congress for fielding its MLA Lalit Nagar as its Lok Sabha candidate from Faridabad in Haryana, alleging that he was named because his brother played a role in various land deals involving Gandhi family and Rahul Gandhi's brother-in law Robert Vadra. Alleging that Nagar's brother signed several documents on behalf of Rahul Gandhi, Rober Vadra and Priyanka Vadra, Rao said "he is the benami of the family". "Why has the Congress party fielded a benami as a candidate, is this out of pressure, is this out of love or does this not clearly establish that all those who are involved in property scandals are actually extremely close to Gandhi family and Rahul Gandhi himself," he alleged. Rao also asked Congress president Rahul Gandhi to answer questions about all the "shady and murky" property deals that he and his brother-in-law got into after coming to power in 2004. Referring to the purchase of some properties, Rao also sought to know the sources of Rahul's incomes and how has his assets increased over the years despite he having no other source of income except being an MP. "Rahul Gandhi's alliance with middle men, brokers, property mafias and his sympathetic approach towards separatists and even terrorists clearly show that Congress party's real alliance in this country is with negative and evil forces only," he said. He further alleged that Gandhi's public interactions and speeches only show frustration of the party for not being able to "reverse the negative trend" and therefore indulging in lot of negative vibes. "People will punish the Congress for not only failing as an opposition in the last five years but also indulging in reckless statements and reckless acts of political buffoonery," he said. Referring to the all-party meeting of opposition leaders in the national capital, Rao said, "Mr Naidu's visit to Delhi is the result of his frustration after sensing a massive drubbing in Andhra Pradesh simultaneously in the state assembly and Lok Sabha polls and the only other party in deep frustration in Delhi is Congress." Mr Naidu may travel to other parts of the country to jointly cry over their impending defeat in the national and assembly polls. "This is an indication that the so called grand alliance looks extremely depleted, completely frustrated and this alliance is looking for massive excuses for impending defeat," the BJP leader said. Reacting to Congress' demand for a thorough probe into the alleged transportation of a "suspicious black trunk" in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helicopter during his visit to Chitradurg in Karnataka, Rao said these are baseless allegations and the "Congress party which is synonymous to corruption" should come out clean on their issues. KATHUA: Lashing out at National Conference (NC) for demanding a separate Prime Minister for Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday stressed that he will never allow Abdullahs and Muftis - the most powerful political families in the state - to divide India. Addressing a massive rally in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua, Modi blamed the Abdullahs and Muftis for destroying three generations of Jammu and Kashmir. "I will not allow Abdullahs and Muftis to divide the country. Main na jhukta hu, na bikta hu," Narendra Modi said at the rally. "Abdullah family and Mufti family destroyed lives of three generations of J&K. The bright future of J&K can be ensured only after their departure. They can bring their entire clan into field, can abuse Modi as much as they want but they won't be able to divide this nation," he added. PM Modi was referring to the recent demand made by National Conference leader Omar Abdullah for a separate prime minister and president for Jammu and Kashmir. PM Modi also attacked Congress for failing to take measures to stop the migration of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir. "Due to the policies of Congress, Kashmiri Pandits had to leave their own home. Congress and their friends were so worried about the vote bank that they overlooked the atrocities on Kashmiri Pandits," he noted. Modi added that his government will ensure that Kashmiri Pandits return to their land. "The BJP is committed to bring the Kashmiri Pandits back to their land," said the prime minister. During the rally, PM Modi also took a potshot at Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for not attending an event with Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday to pay respects to the victims of Jallianwala Bagh massacre. "He boycotted the event. Do you know why? Because he was busy in bhakti of Congress parivar. He went to Jallianwala Bagh with naamdar but didn't find it right to attend event with the Vice-President. This is the difference between Rashtrabhakti & Parivar bhakti," Modi said. He added, "I have known Captain Amarinder Singh for a long time. I have never raised a question on his patriotism. I can understand the kind of pressure which must have been put on him for such parivar bhakti." Polling in Jammu and Kashmir is being held in five phases and voting was held in Jammu and Baramulla in the first phase on April 11. In the second phase, voting will be held in Uddhampur and Srinagar. Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency will witness voting in the third, fourth and fifth phase. In Ladakh, voting will be held in the fifth phase. Yathiraju By Express News Service BENGALURU: A fathers fight for justice paid off when he went against Orchids The International School, Jalahalli, in front of the consumer forum. The forum ordered the school, which was running a pre-nursery without permission, to refund fees with interest, and bear the fathers litigation costs. The Bangalore Urban II Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, comprising president T Shobhadevi and members Balakrishna V Masali and V Anuradha, passed the following order. The complainant, Jagadeesh, a resident of Jalahalli, demanded to return the amount remitted with the school, which refunded only Rs 25,500 of the total Rs 68,000. Because of the false information, the parents were made to discontinue their childrens education. This apart, school authorities should also pay Rs 10,000 towards litigation expenses to him. School authorities did not make an application seeking permission prior to doing publicity, but formally filed an application to run the school. It shows that there is a deficiency of service on the schools part, it read. The school has filed its response stating that management has already applied for relevant registration to run the school. The school has taken all the measures required to obtain the requisite permission as prescribed by law, it claimed. New Delhi: The N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has responded to Election Commission's displeasure over the inclusion of Hari P Vemuru, an 'EVM theft accused', in the delegation which met the poll body to raise concerns over EVM malfunctioning in the state during the poll day, April 11. Vemuru, as per the letter written to TDP by EC on Saturday, is involved in a criminal case regarding alleged theft of EVM machine in 2010, for which an FIR was filed. "Would like to state that instead of focusing on the issue, the Commission is trying to avoid the situation," read TDP's response to EC, ANI reports. "ECI is not willing to discuss with him stating reason of criminal case while on many occasions he attended sessions on EVMs," the letter added. TDP responds to EC's letter expressing displeasure over Hari P Vemuru being part of AP CM's delegation that met EC to raise concerns over EVM&VVPAT,states "ECI is not willing to discuss with him stating reason of criminal case,while on many occasions he attended sessions on EVMs" ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 The Andhra Pradesh chief minister met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora to submit a memorandum alleging that a large number of EVMs malfunctioned during polling and inadequate security led to incidents of violence. In its letter, EC said that when Naidu visited, he was accompanied by Hari Prasad who repeatedly raised various technical issues regarding the functioning of EVMs and claimed that he had the technical expertise in the field. The letter stated that it was decided that Prasad would get a detailed briefing from the technical team of the EC. "However, when this technical person came it turned out that he was Hari Prasad who was involved in a criminal case regarding alleged theft of EVM machine in 2010 which an FIR was filed... Whatever may be the eventual outcome of the investigation, it would be appreciated that such antecedents do not inspire confidence," read the letter from EC, addressed to the president of the party's legal cell, PTI reported. "This is completely intriguing as to how a so-called technical expert with these antecedents was allowed to be part of the delegation led by N Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and President, TDP," it added. (With agencies inputs) Hyderabad: A local Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader Nayakapu Venkatesh was on Saturday arrested for unauthorisedly clicking a picture inside an EVM strong room in Telangana's Bogaram area. A case has been registered against him and he would be sent to judicial remand. Malkajgiri:Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader Nayakapu Venkatesh arrested for clicking picture in a strong room. Circle Inspector,Keesara police station says,"before sealing of strong room, Venkatesh attending as TRS' political agent clicked picture unauthorisedly."#Telangana pic.twitter.com/u3ZrI2mfAb ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2019 As per an ANI report, Venkatesh allegedly entered the strong room as a poll agent of Lok Sabha candidate Marri Rajasekhar Reddy from the Malkajgiri constituency. "The accused entered the strong room while the EVMs used in the polls were being kept and the room sealed in Bogram area. The accused was attending as the poll agent of TRS Lok Sabha candidate from Malkajgiri constituency," said Circle Inspector Narender Goud. Telangana recorded over 61 per cent voter turnout in the first phase of national election on April 11 across 17 Lok Sabha constituencies. Union minister Renuka Chowdhury and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi are among the prominent candidates in the fray. The seven-phased national election ends on May 23 and counting of votes will take place on May 25. (With ANI inputs) Kolkata: Islampur made news a few months back when two youths were killed over violence related to the recruitment of an Urdu teacher. On Sunday, Islampur celebrated Ramnavami and paid homage to Pulwama martyrs and those two killed in Darbhith. Posters put up here showed the name of the place as Ishwarpur. A collection box, reportedly of VHP, was also placed for collecting funds to gather more support to change the name of Islampur to Ishwarpur. After the Darbith incident, VHP has started demanding a change in the name of Islampur and BJP candidate Debosree Choudhury also stressed on the need to change the name of the place while campaigning on Sunday. "If people demand, the name will obviously change. Ram's name is always with BJP. We are not doing politics. Mamata Banerjee does politics with adharm". Islampur falls in the constituency of Raigunj which will go for polls on April 18. Raigunj has been a Congress stronghold and of its candidate Dipa Dasmunshi although this seat was last won by Md Salim. Kanailal Agarwal, who is now contesting for TMC, also took part in Ramnavami festivities but pointed fingers at the BJP candidate. "They are always doing politics with Ram. We don't do that. They will not win and therefore, there is no way that the name of Islampur will be changed." New Delhi: In a statement that is likely to provide ammunition to rival parties, UP Congress chief Raj Babbar said on Sunday that no one would stop Robert Vadra if he chooses to join the party. Vadra is married to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who recently made her political debut and is the Congress in-charge for eastern UP. And while Vadra himself has kept away from politics, Babbar said that it would be his decision alone if he ever chooses to join Congress. "If he wants, the party would surely consider. He is part of the family. Who will stop him from becoming a part of the party?" he said. Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar on Robert Vadra: Agar wo chahenge to party unke baare mein, zaroor chahegi ki wo parivaar ka hisaa hain, party mein sammilit karne ke liye kaun mana karega unko? pic.twitter.com/1dmuw9MLzs ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 14, 2019 Babbar's comment is likely to be picked out by BJP leaders this election season, especially because Vadra has been targeted repeatedly over land-scam allegations. In addition, BJP leaders have often said that Congress is a party where one family dictates everything. Babbar's statement could sit well into the narrative BJP has tried to put out that Congress is a party of dynasty. Vadra himself, however, has made no move which would show he could join politics although several Congress leaders have repeatedly defended him from accusations galore. Last month, he did say he won't enter active politics till he clears his name in cases against him. (Read full report here) Despite being outside of active politics, Vadra is an extremely controversial figure with an alleged Bikaner land scam case a major spot on his resume. While the Enforcement Directorate has even grilled Vadra on numerous occasions, Congress says that Vadra is targeted because of his close relations with the Gandhi family. New Delhi: Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has refuted the rumors that he filed a police complaint against the paparazzi for crowding outside his residential area in order to capture every action of his son Taimur Ali Khan. In an interview to Pinkvilla, Saif said,"I did not initiate any police complaint against the photographers. Kareena and I live in a respectful residential area and are a part of the larger community, thereby we do also have a responsibility to emotionally support our neighbors when they feel a disturbance to them is being caused and to be fair, their sentiments are understandable." He added, "We have always shared a very respectful relationship with the paparazzi as we understand that this their livelihood, however, it's important for us to understand that kids should enjoy the basic right of growing up in a normal atmosphere out of and away from constant media glare. Earlier, in a video that had gone viral on social media, Saif can be seen reprimanding the paparazzi for clicking Taimur. 'Bas Karo, Baccha aandha ho jayega, ' he says in the video. This incident led the paps to believe that he had filed a police complaint against them. "I believe I am well within my right as a father to choose to not pose for the cameras when I have my son with me or to inform the photographers that the constant flashes can hurt his eyes. As media figures, we have to live with the attention and we accept that. But our kids shouldn't be subjected to it, " He said in the same interview. On the work front, Saif is busy prepping for his role in Tanaji. He also has films in the pipeline with Dangal girl Fatima Sana Sheikh and another one with Aalia Furniturewala. Washington D.C. [USA]: Marvel has more in store for its fans, as it announced that new `Star Wars` comics are set to be unveiled in July this year. On Saturday, the panel revealed that the upcoming `Star Wars: Age of Resistance` series would largely focus on the characters from the new trilogy of movies, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed. It was also revealed that the comics would highlight one of the characters from `The Force Awakens` and `The Last Jedi`.`Star Wars: The Age of Resistance Special`, the ninth issue will have three stories penned by Taylor, G. Willow Willson, and Chris Eliopoulos. Writer Kieron Gillen and artist Angel Unzueta are being replaced by Greg Pak and Phil Noto, respectively, the panel mentioned.Noto designed five of the nine covers which were unveiled during the panel. This threw light on five titles `Star Wars: Age of Resistance: Finn`, `Star Wars: Age of Resistance: Captain Phasma, both coming out in July; `Star Wars: Age of Resistance: Rey` releasing September, `Star Wars: Age of Resistance: Poe` and `Star Wars: Age of Resistance: Hux`, likely to release in August. Meanwhile, Pak said his storyline is set between `A New Hope` and `The Empire Strikes Back`.Greg`s storyline will split the heroes of the original trilogy into three pairs where each one will tell a distinct story. (ANI) Mumbai: Model-turned-actor Shibani Dandekar, who is a currently working on a web series, says the digital platform is offering great opportunities to artistes. Shibani said the medium does not serve the cliched idea of hero and heroine. "I am going to be doing a web series but I can't talk about it. There is quality work happening on the web and there is room for everybody to work. It is not just about hero or heroine thing on the web. The focus is also on multiple characters. "There is good work for everybody. And that's why people are drawn to it. Also in terms of story and characters. There is more substance," the actor told PTI. She will also be seen in the south version of Kangana Ranaut's 2014 hit "Queen" "That is Mahalaxmi" (Telugu) and "Zam Zam" (Malayalam). "I have two south films. "Queen" remake is releasing this year. I am playing Vijayalakshmi's role, the one played by Lisa Haydon. I am hoping people will enjoy watching it," Shibani said. She was talking on the sidelines of launch of brand Cover Story's Spring/Summer collection. Facebook Inc said it restored services on Sunday after some users could not access its social networking site, photo-sharing network Instagram and messaging app WhatsApp. However, Facebook did not specify the cause or scope of the outages. "Earlier today, some people may have experienced trouble connecting to the family of apps. The issue has since been resolved; we`re sorry for any inconvenience," a Facebook spokesman told Reuters. The issue comes after Facebook experienced one of its longest outages in March, when some users around the globe could not access Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp for more than 24 hours. On Sunday, Downdetector.com indicated that there were more than 12,000 incidents of people reporting issues with Facebook at its peak. The outage monitoring website also showed that, at the peak on Sunday, there were more than 3,000 incidents of people reporting issues with WhatsApp and over 7,000 with Instagram. Downdetector.com`s live outage map showed that the issues were mainly in Europe and Asia. New Delhi: At least two people were killed and five others were injured when a Summit Air flight carrying them collided with a stationary helicopter at Tenzing-Hillary airport in Nepal's Solukhumbu district on Sunday. News agency ANI, quoting a Nepal-based newspaper said that the flight was taking off for Kathmandu from the Lukla airport. Nepal: 2 people killed, 5 injured in Summit Air flight crash at TenzingHillary-Lukla airport. The aircraft had collided with a parked chopper at the airport. ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2019 The injured, including a police officer, have been airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment At least four people got injured, two of them critically, after a shooting outside a nightclub in inner Melbourne on Sunday, police confirmed. Police said that the shooting occurred outside the venue near Little Chapel Street and Malvern Road in Prahran about 3.20am. The police are yet to arrest anyone in connection with this case. According to police, an unidentified man and a 28-year-old man have sustained serious injuries, while two men are injured but out of danger. It is learnt that a security guard was shot in the face during the attack, which according to the police appears to be a drive-by shooting case. The Age reported the attacker came in a stolen Porsche Cayenne. Local detectives are probing the involvement of an outlaw motorcycle gang as the gang had recently made extortion attempts on the nightclub. Police have launched an investigation in the incident and people are being told to avoid the area and have urged anyone with video footage of the incident to contact them. Investigators and emergency services are on the scene at Melbourne's Love Machine nightclub after a shooting early this morning. Police are urging anyone with video footage of the incident or information to contact them. https://t.co/4u6LOVtZLV pic.twitter.com/myc8gKBALk news.com.au (@newscomauHQ) 13 April 2019 According to news.com.au, the shooting occurred just days after The Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia (SIFA) appealed for gun leadership from every candidate in the upcoming election in the country. The shooting occurred just days after The Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia called for gun leadership from every candidate in the upcoming federal election. https://t.co/4u6LOVtZLV pic.twitter.com/GDAlSXImI7 news.com.au (@newscomauHQ) 14 April 2019 Executive Officer of SIFA, Rod Drew, said it is high time that every candidate must express their commitment to the safety of Australian community. Australian voters care about safety, but the reality is that we have many thousands of illegal guns in the hands of criminals all over the country, news.com.au quoted Drew as saying. BENGALURU: Innovate Bengaluru, a book embedded with augmented reality, was released by Dana Kursh, Consul General of Israel to South India; Nicole Girard, Consul General of Canada in Bengaluru; Dr Shalini Rajneesh, principal secretary, Planning Programme Monitoring and Statistics Department, Govt of Karnataka; Ashok Soota, executive chairman, Happiest Minds, Dr B S Ajai Kumar, chairman and CEO, HCG Hospitals and Revathy Ashok, co-founder, Strategy Garage. Published by city-based media firm Raintree Media with Global Village World, the book has been hailed as an impressive deep dive into Bengalurus diverse, vibrant and inspiring ecosystem by Sebastien Hug, CEO and Consul general, swissnex India. The is available at Sapna Book House, and on Amazon and Flipkart. It was released at the Innovate Bengaluru festival which brought together icons, inventors, entrepreneurs and emerging leaders. Readers can watch their stories come to life with the augmented reality videos and experience the future of media in this 200-page coffee table book. The stories are also up on innovationsoftheworld.com/india/innovate-cities/bengaluru/. New Delhi/Islamabad: In a deja vu case of Hamid Nehal and Uzma Ahmed, another Indian who fell in love and went to Pakistan is now in captivity. Tina from Chandigarh had reached Pakistan on October 24, 2018, and allegedly converted to Islam to marry a Pakistani national but has been in captivity since then. India has raised the issue of Tina, with the Pakistan government many times but is yet to receive a response. At least four note verbals have been sent to Pakistan but there has been no response. She is believed to be in the captivity of her husband, Suleman, in Pakistan's Gujranwala. The Indian High Commission spokesperson said, "We await a formal response from the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs on our request to locate and repatriate this Indian citizen." The case has many parallels with Hamid Nehal Ansari and Uzma Ahmed. Hamid was repatriated in 2018 after six years in a Pakistani jail. He had gone to Pakistan via Afghanistan after befriending a Pakistani girl whom he fell in love with. He went to Pakistan's Kohat on fake passport in 2012 and was arrested by security officials. Uzma Ahmed, another Indian who was brought back in 2017 had a similar story. She fell in love with a Pakistani man, Tahir Ali, in Malaysia and went to Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa district with him. Later in Buner district of the province, she was asked to marry him. She managed to escape and reached the Indian high commission, and with the help of officials there, came back to India. LONDON: Iran will ask the international community to take a position on the U.S. designation of its Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was cited as saying on Sunday. Iran condemned U.S. President Donald Trumps step last week as illegal. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is a powerful elite force which controls much of the Iranian state and economy. "We will send messages to foreign ministers of all countries to tell them it is necessary for them to express their stances, and to warn them that this unprecedented and dangerous U.S. measure has had and will have consequences," Zarif was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. Zarif said he had also sent letters to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the United Nations Security Council to protest against "this illegal U.S. measure". Tehran retaliated against Washington`s move by designating the regional United States Central Command (CENTCOM) as a terrorist organisation. 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. The United States has already blacklisted dozens of entities and people for affiliations with the IRGC, but had not previously targeted the organisation as a whole. 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. Iran`s oil minister said on Sunday that the supply-demand balance in the global oil market is fragile due to U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela and tensions in Libya, and warned of consequences for increasing pressures on Tehran. KHARTOUM: The new head of Sudan`s military council said on Saturday a civilian government would be formed after consultations with the opposition and promised the transition period would last for a maximum of two years. Protesters, however, kept up the pressure for rapid change following the overthrow of long-ruling autocrat President Omar al-Bashir on Thursday. In his first televised address, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Abdelrahman cancelled a night curfew and ordered the release of all prisoners jailed under emergency laws put in place by Bashir before his downfall. During a meeting between the transitional military council and a coalition of opposition groups, including protest organisers, the protesters demanded that civilians be included in the council, opposition activists who were briefed about the meeting said. They will submit names of suggested members on Sunday. The military council also promised to "abolish all laws that restrict freedoms," the activists said. The main group organiser, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), said in a statement that the council`s response was not satisfactory and called for protests to continue. The SPA said that among its key demands the restructuring of the country`s powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), the dissolution of militia forces that operated under Bashir and the arrest of all "corrupt leaders" involved in what it called crimes against citizens. "There are clear demands and unless they are met, there is no escape but to publicise full rejection (of the council`s moves)," the SPA statement said, urging citizens to continue a sit-in outside the Defence Ministry. Thousands of people continued their sit-in outside the Defence Ministry in central Khartoum, a Reuters witness said. Bashir was overthrown on Thursday after months of mass protests brought on by rising food costs, high unemployment and increasing repression during his three decades in power. But activists and opposition groups pressed ahead with demands that Bashir`s close associates leave. SAUDI ARABIA TO SEND AID PACKAGE Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday it supported moves taken by the council and said it was sending an emergency aid package to Khartoum, state news agency SPA reported. "The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques gave instructions to the concerned authorities in the Kingdom to provide a package of humanitarian aid, including petroleum products, wheat and medicines," SPA said. On Friday, Defence Minister Awad Ibn Auf, who was also Bashir`s deputy, stepped down as head of the transitional military council after only a day in the post. On Saturday, state news agency and TV announced that the head of NISS, Salah Abdallah Mohamed Saleh, better known as Salah Gosh, had also resigned. He was once the most powerful person in the country after Bashir and protesters held him responsible for the killing of demonstrators demanding an end to military rule. A replacement has yet to be named. Celebrations erupted on the streets of Khartoum overnight after Ibn Auf`s resignation. Thousands of protesters waved flags and illuminated mobile phones in the darkness and drivers hooted car horns. People chanted: "The second has fallen!" a reference to Ibn Auf and Bashir, witnesses said. "Islamists have now lost control and they are in shock. Their ability to project influence in an organized way inside the state appears weak," said Sudanese analyst Khalid al-Tijani. "The reason for the changes in Sudan is the pressure from protesters and pressures within the army, and the fear among military commanders of a split in the armed forces." LITTLE KNOWN Burhan, the new head of the military council, was the third most senior general in the Sudanese armed forces and is little known in public life. As head of Sudans ground forces he oversaw Sudanese troops fighting in the Saudi-led Yemen war and has close ties to senior Gulf military officials. The head of Sudan`s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known by his nickname Hemeti, was appointed deputy head of the council, state TV reported. RSF soldiers outside the Defence Ministry fired their guns in the air in celebration of Dagalo`s promotion, causing a brief alarm, witnesses said. "The opposition are demanding a civilian government, but I think it will be a mixed government," analyst Muhammad Osman said before Burhan`s remarks on Saturday. "The military would want to retain the defence and interior portfolios. The Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been leading protests to demand a civilian government, called for more demonstrations earlier on Saturday. "We assert that our revolution is continuing and will not retreat or deviate from its path until we achieve ... our people`s legitimate demands of handing over power to a civilian government," an SPA statement said. Bashir, 75, seized power in a 1989 military coup. The protests against him escalated last Saturday when thousands of demonstrators, apparently bolstered by change in Algeria following similar protests, marched towards the Defence Ministry to deliver a memorandum demanding the military side with them. Demonstrators have been camping outside the compound since then to push for a handover of power. At least 16 people were killed and 20 wounded by stray bullets at protests and sit-ins on Thursday and Friday, police said. Government buildings and private property were also attacked. The military council under Ibn Auf had said it would not extradite Bashir to face accusations of genocide at the international war crimes court. Instead he might go on trial in Sudan. Washington: British finance minister Philip Hammond has fired the starting gun for the race to succeed Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, but concerns about Brexit may keep some potential contestants on the sidelines. Britain is unusual in throwing open the invitation to run its central bank to candidates from around the world. Yet Carney`s tenure - the first for a foreigner at the BoE - has been seen as a success for the country`s financial diplomacy, and the government is keen to promote what it calls a "global Britain" after the country leaves the European Union. The chances are high that the Canadian`s successor was somewhere among the thousands of delegates at the International Monetary Fund`s half-yearly meeting last week, where Hammond told media the process for finding a new governor was "getting underway". Attendees included all four of the BoE`s current deputy governors, the head of Britain`s market regulator as well as central bankers, academics and other policymakers from across the globe. The role becomes vacant on Feb. 1 next year when Carney leaves after over six years on the job. This followed five years as governor of the Bank of Canada - during which he was courted by Hammond`s predecessor, George Osborne, when they met at international meetings in 2012. But the next BoE governor will have to reckon with a sharply divided political backdrop on top of the obvious challenges that Brexit poses as regards short-term growth and longer-term regulatory relations with the EU. "There may be some candidates who might be deterred from an application because of the political debate around Brexit, which inevitably the governor of the Bank of England can`t avoid being part of," Hammond said in Washington. Carney has been criticised by members of hardline pro-Brexit faction of the Conservative Party. Jacob Rees-Mogg last year labelled Carney a "wailing banshee" and a "failed second-tier politician" who gave unfairly negative forecasts of the economic impact of Brexit. Boris Johnson, when foreign secretary, was dismissive of BoE predictions of Brexit damage. Shortly after coming to power, Prime Minister Theresa May said in a speech that the BoE`s quantitative easing had damaging side-effects. Brexit has certainly put off many other job-seekers. Recruitment agencies report falling numbers of job searches from overseas and net immigration to Britain by EU nationals fell to the lowest since 2009 last year - though non-EU immigration rose strongly. INTERNATIONAL ROLE Since starting at the BoE in July 2013, Carney delayed his departure twice - in October 2016 and September 2018 - to help prepare for Brexit. The second time, the hunt for a successor had already started and Hammond had said explicitly he was open to another foreign governor. This time, Carney has said he has no intention of staying longer at the BoE, even after the latest delay to Brexit that sees Britain`s departure potentially postponed until Oct. 31. A formal job advert is likely to appear before long, and one key criterion is to be able to effectively represent Britain in international forums like the IMF. Someone already well-known on the international stage - such as former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan, who publicly debated with Carney and other central bankers on stage at the IMF - may have an edge. Rajan declined to comment when asked by Reuters whether he would consider a return to active policymaking. Last year he said he would not apply for the role, but was slightly more equivocal about what he would do if approached directly, as Carney was. A lack of in-depth knowledge about the details of Britain`s economy and more domestically-focused financial institutions is not necessarily a stumbling block. The BoE`s structure - with four deputy governors and a chief economist responsible for different areas of monetary policy and regulation - can potentially fill in gaps. Nonetheless, there is a question over how far afield Hammond can go with his choice - which must formally be approved by May and ultimately Queen Elizabeth. Carney had strong existing ties to Britain before his appointment to Britain. He had previously studied, worked and met his wife in the United Kingdom, and as a Canadian already shared the queen as head of state. He also promised to apply for British citizenship once he met residence requirements. As well as representing Britain internationally, the BoE under Carney has placed increased emphasis on communication with the British public. Carney speaks regularly on British television and radio after major decisions. With Britain in the throes of Brexit, an EU national could be a tough sell as the face of the central bank -- though the BoE has plenty of staff from continental Europe. There is also domestic competition. Andrew Bailey, a former BoE deputy governor who now heads Britain`s Financial Conduct Authority, is widely seen as a strong contender given the governor`s job involves at least as much supervision of London`s financial centre as it does monetary policy. Current deputy governors and the BoE`s chief economist, Andy Haldane, are potential contenders too. Either way, Hammond expects applicants will have a greater idea about what form of Brexit they will have to handle before a final decision is made. "I hope we get it resolved before we get to the shortlisting stage," he said. Pinto Deepak By Express News Service HYDERABAD: It appears that education really does not make one streetwise, as a large number of cyber-fraud victims are well -educated, while most of the fraudsters are found to beschool dropouts. Cybercrime officials have been startled to learn that most of the victims were already aware of cyber frauds. Despite a massive number of awareness campaigns being held in this regard, people continue to get duped, many a times due to their thirst for discounts on online marketplaces, say officials. They further add that many buyers do not even enquire about the owners before embarking on the transaction. Case in point, a victim of such a fraud recently told cybercrime officials that he got cheated by a seller who earned his trust by telling him he worked in the army, and then showed his ID card along with pictures of what he claimed was his own office. After multiple incidents of fraud on OLX came to light, the online marketplace came out with safety guidelines for buyers, asking them not to share their OTPs with strangers, or transfer money without verifying the products in person. Even the police have sought to raise awareness. Hyderabad police have published material on OLX frauds, are reaching out to private companies and educational institutes. We are even making a short film on OLX frauds; it is in the final stages, and will soon be released on social media, said Additional DCP Cybercrime, Hyderabad, KCS Raghuveer. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: On the eve of the 128th birth anniversary of the father of the Indian Constitution, Dr BR Ambedkar, a freshly-erected 10-ft-tall statue of the leader was not only removed for want of permissions, but also dumped in the garbage by corporation staff. The statue was erected at Punjagutta early on Saturday without obtaining clearance from the GHMC. Pictures of the damaged structure being carried from Yousufguda to the Jawaharnagar dump yard in a garbage truck went viral and evoked strong reactions from all quarters. The Ambedkar Statue Protection Committee which installed the structure led by G Vinod Kumar, staged a protest against its removal at the site near the Punjagutta junction. As a precautionary measure, the police detained at least eight persons, including Kumar. The damaged statue, meanwhile, was taken to the Yousufguda Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy indoor stadium. VIEW GALLERY: Check out 10 powerful quotes of Dr BR Ambedkar Officials say it got damaged while being transported, but members of the association claim it got damaged as it fell off the vehicle. Kumar said they sought permission from the government to erect the statue at the Punjagutta junction, near the statue of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy. In the absence of a response, the association went ahead and installed the statue on Saturday. The GHMC and Hyderabad police have humiliated Dr BR Amedkar on his birth anniversary by removing the statue and throwing it in the dump yard. We will intensify our stir till the government responds to the incident, Kumar warned. The incident left both the GHMC and police embarrassed, and GHMC Commissioner Dana Kishore expressed deep regret over the unfortunate incident. He suspended the Yousufguda yard operator Balaji for shifting the statue from Yousufguda to the Jawaharnagar dumping yard without permission from higher officials. A senior IAS officer has been entrusted with the inquiry into the incident. The Congress condemned the TRS government for the incident and demanded that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao tender an unconditional apology and install a statue of Dr Ambedkar at the same place. Police register case under SC/ST Act The Jawaharnagar police registered a case under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, following a complaint by the Telangana State Mala Mahanadu president. The Telangana SC, ST Commission has sought a comprehensive report from the GHMC commissioner Hyderabad police commissioner. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid allegations of a sudden slowdown in the poll campaigning of UDF candidate Shashi Tharoor, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) has appointed Congress Nagpur constituency candidate and All India Kisan Congress chairman Nana Patole as the observer in Thiruvananthapuram. As per KPCC sources, Patole will station in Thiruvananthapuram till the completion of the polls and will oversee the election campaigning here. Thiruvananthapuram is witnessing a three-cornered fight. So any slowdown in the campaigning will have an adverse effect on the results. As the candidate himself feels that his campaigning falls behind his opponents, the party decided to intervene and appointed an observer, said a source. However, Shashi Tharoor told media there is nothing unusual in appointing an observer and the AICC had appointed such observers in various constituencies. Tharoor said he had never asked the leadership to appoint such an observer for overseeing the poll campaigning. FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE Patole, a former BJP MP from Bhandara-Gondiya constituency in Maharashtra, had then defeated senior Congress leader Praful Patel. He later became a vehement critic of Narendra Modi and joined the Congress in 2017. The party had fielded him in Nagpur constituency against sitting MP Nitin Gadkari in the present election. Meanwhile, to review the performance of the party in the 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, who is in charge of Kerala, will hold a meeting with KPCC office-bearers on Sunday. He will also assess the preparations for the election campaigns of Congress president and Wayanad candidate Rahul Gandhi in Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Pathanapuram, Alappuzha and Wayanad. Who is Patole? A former BJP MP from Bhandara-Gondiya in Maharashtra, Nana Patole had defeated Praful Patel. After turning a Narendra Modi- baiter, Patole joined the Congress in 2017. He is fighting Nitin Gadkari in the coming polls. By IANS MUMBAI: Actress Soni Razdan faced criticism on Saturday from netizens after she tweeted about Junaid Khan who was stabbed to death on a train near Ballabhgarh in Haryana in June 2017. Social media users alleged that she was "creating fake news". She posted an image of deceased with a caption: "I am Junaid Khan, Muslim boy, age 15. I was killed by a mob on a train for being a Muslim. Remember me when you vote." Netizens reacted sharply to her post, with several of them posting messages about Hindus killed in violence in various parts of the country. One social media user responded to Soni's post saying she was "creating a fake news" and pointed out that "the Punjab and Haryana High court while granting bail to one of the accused in the case said the fight was over seat and nothing related to selectively targeting Junaid on basis of his religion". Another person posted: "She is trying to create communal tension in the country". "No, Junaid was killed in a quarrel over seat (in train), not for his religion. Courts found so, too. People had voted against these pathetic lies, propaganda and selective targeting of Hindus in 2014, and you are ensuring a repeat in 2019," posted another social media user. On June 22, 16-year-old Junaid was allegedly beaten and stabbed to death on a train at Ballabhgarh in Haryana by a group of people. Manasa R By Online Desk A hundred years later, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre continues to haunt the collective consciousness of a country's people. Although well known, the events of April 13, 1919 and what preceded them remain poorly understood, says historian Kim Wagner. In his latest book, Jallianwala Bagh: An Empire of Fear and the Making of the Amritsar Massacre, a scholarly and strictly unsentimental account, Wagner presents a sombre reality of the vulnerable position of the British in India amidst the empire's racist fear triggered by the bloody 1857 Mutiny, leading to the colonial brutality. Excerpts from an interview: You describe the Jallianwala Bagh massacre as both a catalyst for India's freedom struggle as well as a 'historically meaningful event in its own right.' Can you elaborate? Nobody in 1919 realised that the events at Amritsar would have such a major impact on the future of the British Raj - or that people would be talking about it a hundred years later. It is important to distinguish between the significance accorded to historical events decades later, and the events themselves as they unfold. Kim Wagner We've heard very little about what happened on April 10, 1919, three days before the massacre... There were violent riots in Delhi on March 30 and in Lahore and elsewhere subsequently, including in Amritsar on April 10 - so the reality of Gandhi's passive resistance movement was rather more complicated. The key thing to remember, however, is that Indian violence in each and every instance was precipitated by British actions. You have devillainized General Dyer in order to show how he was just an enabler of the colonial vision. How have people reacted to this nuanced version of Dyer? There is no question that Dyer was responsible for the massacre, but I think it is important to understand that his mindset was shared by many of his fellow British officers and that there was nothing uniquely 'evil' about him. People like to think of him as a sort of pantomime-villain, the way he is depicted in the Gandhi movie for instance. But we need to understand that his actions were in full keeping with the mindset and logic of colonial violence and that - sadly - there were many like him in India and throughout the Empire. You've explained in the book how the Rowlatt Act, which played a role in the Amritsar massacre, was totally avoidable. Why? There were no revolutionary movements active in 1919 and the unrest in Punjab was dealt with under the provisions of the Defence of India Act of 1915 which were still in force. The Rowlatt Act was never used and was indeed withdrawn a few years later - which means that the entire thing could have been avoided. Theresa May recently expressed 'regret' over the massacre, calling it a "shameful scar" on British Indian history. You speak of then PM Winston Churchill and what went wrong in his 'apology speech'. How do you view these two different statements? Churchill emphatically did not apologise and his speech in 1920 singled out Dyer as a rotten apple, while the Empire itself remained morally untarnished. Theresa May repeated the same kind of rhetoric and never indicated that Britain and the British Empire had any responsibility or that an apology was due. You write that some instances are to be remembered, and some wounds are to never be opened. In this context, what sort of apology/reparations do the British owe Indians? I think the British owe Indians to face up to the past, rather than merely making some kind of mealy-mouthed non-apology. We also have to remember that if an apology was made (and I dont think it will), it would probably serve to gloss over the history of the Raj and those of a pro-Empire inclination would able to say 'we've apologised so now let's move on and forget it'. In the light of Brexit, how dangerous is empire nostalgia, which is taking over the world now? Like any kind of nationalist myth-making, it plays a big role in everyday politics. I think that attempts to rehabilitate the British Empire as a powerful force for good in the world go hand in hand with Britain's decline as a global power empire nostalgia is thus a symptom rather than a cause. In terms of politics of space, how is the site of the violence viewed today? And how, in your opinion, should it be perceived? The site of the memorial at Jallianwala Bagh has been transformed into a celebration of the independence struggle rather than a memorial to the people who died in 1919. None of those killed on April 13 were calling for independence and it is only after 1947 that the Jallianwala Bagh massacre could be identified as the beginning of the end of British rule in India. For me, there is very little left of the original historical site and there are few attempts at preserving it properly. In the centennial year of the massacre, what do you want readers of the book to ruminate upon? There are many myths surrounding the massacre, and I think the best way of remembering those who died a hundred years ago is by understanding the historical facts and what actually happened. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre was indisputably an atrocity and there is no need to exaggerate the horrors of that day. Title: Jallianwala Bagh: An Empire of Fear and the Making of the Amritsar Massacre Author: Kim A. Wagner Publisher: PENGUIN Price: Rs 599 READ: Jallianwala Bagh massacre: The day British Raj showed its true colours READ: Deeply regret what happened at Jallianwala Bagh: British envoy Ganesh Saili By Express News Service Oftener than not I have been told that there are two sets of rules in this world: one for the rich and another for the poor. And nowhere is this more obvious than during Mulakaat or the Hour of Meeting. The well-to-do have their palms stamped purple by the sentry at the gate and step right in. The others, the lesser-fortunate-ones, squat under a tree with their rags and bags, awaiting their turn to see one of their family locked inside.What was I doing there? Well! During the Movement for the separate state of Uttarakhand, I had gone to Dehradun Jail to check up on some of our fellow statehood rebels. This is where the late Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was incarcerated from 1932 to 1933. Later he wrote: For fourteen-and-a-half months, I lived in my little cell or room in the Dehradun Jail, and I began to feel as if I was a part of it. M Chandrakumar too brings to the reader a searing account of his arrest for a crime he did not commit, and the weeks he spent in lock-up. The work won the Best Document of Human Rights Award. In his latest offering, The Prison Diary of an Ordinary Man, he begins with his refusal to admit to the crime, as the police wanted. He and his friends are shifted from lock-up to jail, awaiting the next court hearing. The book captures their experiences: the politics, the violence, the struggle to retain a sense of dignity, the camaraderie and unexpected support from fellow inmates. The experiences of ordinary people in jailthe non-political, the non-celebrityare rarely, if ever, documented. Chandrakumars honest, eye-opening and engrossing record of his spending five months in the lock-up and jail, and his experiences with the justice system, is a must-read. Sample this: When we finally arrived at court after five months, the judge turned to us: Why do you suffer this way? If you had confessed, your prison term would have ended by now. So, they confessed and were released after being told that they had actually served a week in excess of the duration of imprisonment. Sadly, the have-notsthe world overend up being locked up for crimes they did not commit. In Franz Kafkas The Trial and Mahmoud Saeeds Saddam City, arrests are made without any reason: Perhaps some policeman needs a promotion or an unsolved pending case had reached a dead end and needs to be wrapped up. Such suffering can only be inflicted on those who cannot afford the luxury of what we euphemistically call the legal process. Read on to listen to the voice of the voiceless. Shilpi Madan By Express News Service Each pair is a virtual artwork. From petals in pouting pinks, leaves in sky blues and chartreuse clusters to muted gold and silver flecks, sandy tones, sequins, intricate resham threadwork and finely realised French knotsthe slip-ons simply floor in contemporary complexions and couture cuts. Laksheeta Govil, co-founder and creative head of jutti brand Fizzy Goblet, is busier than the proverbial bee, having just put finishing touches to the brands first store in tony Palladium in midtown Mumbai. The space marks the debut of Fizzy Goblet in the offline space after a smashing sales run online. Laksheeta Govil Putting together our flagship store has been a labour of love, an organic growth for our five-year-old brand, confesses Laksheeta, as she powers the mechanics of selling Indias edgiest juttis by the lakhs, with her husband Abhinav Mehra. The duo stands powered by a team of over 30 dedicated individualsmost of them women as they tend to understand the dynamics of the product better, says Laksheeta. The Insta handle of the brand tosses up over two lakh followers at a glance. The numbers multiplying by the day, as Fizzy Goblet successfully gobbles a meaty chunk of the traditional footwear segment. Gone are the days when your feet winced with shoebites on sporting colourful, but uncomfortable juttis you bought on a whim from Rajasthan, or the typical Pakistani juttis you chanced on at an exhibition. A homegrown success story, having tested waters through online sales earlier, Fizzy Goblet has taken sure steps to amp up its presence. The product comes with quality assurance: the juttis are handcrafted in leather, with inner padding to zap in comfort. Silk and hand-embroidered fabrics bring in that contemporary charm to the traditional pick, as the jutti has been a quintessential inclusion in every womans wardrobe for years. Actress Sonam Kapoor Ahuja chose to give away Fizzy Goblets Aisha juttis to all her friends and family members at her pre-wedding mehendi ceremony last year. Shaped in a happy, festive combination of white and gold, these have been a constant favourite on the FG bestseller list since, much like the neutral tones of the Champagne Supernova with the leaf sequins winking in classic glory. The Bollywood clutch of Anushka Sharma, Jacqueline Fernandes, Alia Bhatt, Huma Qureshi has been seen trotting around in Laksheetas prized footwear as well while making public appearances. Some of the juttis take up to 60 hours of labour to come into being, shares Laksheeta, surveying her store with an air of satisfaction. Her keen eye for detail emerges in the logo-shaped hooks that hold pairs against circular mirrors, the embroidered couch that flaunts an extension of the delicate knots adorning the pair of juttis behind it on the wall. The experience doesnt end with just making your selectioneach pair is handed to you in a candy pink-and-brown cardboard box, shaped like a mini trunk. For brides, there are special floral boxes that read Cant say I do without you. The key lies in reinvention. Quick to sense the leaning towards athleisure, Laksheeta and Abhinav have interpreted it in a flurry of innovations in Fizzy Goblet offerings, including lace-ups on denim, sneaker juttis, rubber soled ones, loafers, broguesters (juttis with brogue patterns) and fun prints like Panda, the Sail Away Sneakers series, Udaipur juttis and more. The truth is, I get bored, laughs Laksheeta. That makes me come up with newer, fascinating designs. I believe in never saying never. Contemporary, chic, classic and crafted with care. Thats the sustained metaphor in this jutti jive for you. Meera Bhardwaj By Express News Service The royal kingdom of Bhutan is the land of monasteries with most temples being built in the last 150 years, except the Kyichu Lhakhang Buddhist Temple. This temple is said to have been built even earlier. Situated in the picturesque Paro Valley, Bhutan, the temple is believed to be built by a Tibetan king to tame a demon. Today, the ancient Kyichu Lhakhang Buddhist Temple stands restored and upholds its traditional annual rituals. The stupa, the prayer wheels and the main temple complex are set literally in the lap of the mountain range. A huge statue of Guru Padmasambhava exists in the courtyard. Tourists also come across water prayer wheels, small prayer wheels with Lenza script, monks quarters, palace for Naga and stupa for Naga. Outside the hall of the shrine, the statue of Chenresig (Tibetan Buddhist pantheon) has 11 heads and 1,000 arms. As one comes out of the main temple, there is a second templethe Guru Lhakang, which has a five-metre tall statue of Guru Rinpoche and Kurukulla (Red Tara), holding a bow and arrow made of flowers. The colours in the various structures, paintings and artifacts have all been well-preserved. Nature is at its best in this scenic landscape and the Buddhist traditions in the temple complex offer a calm experience. One can see groups of monks sitting in different corners around the temple. An old monk visiting this temple says Kyichu Lakhang is one of the 108 temples built by a king in the 7th century. Religious records claim that the temple was visited by Lord Padmasambhava in the 8th century. The monastery is believed to contain many Buddhist spiritual treasures that was hidden by Lord Padmasambhava. Devotees and tourists throng not just to see the main temple but also the two orange trees situatued in the compound. It is believed that it bears fruit throughout the year. Locals visit the place for daily prayers and go round it rolling the prayer wheels. Since the monks stay in the complex, visitors can hear the continuous chant of mantras throughout the day. Some might consider the entry fee of `300 a bit steep for a temple visit, but the serenity of the mountains and the beauty of nature viewed from the Kyichu Lhakhang Buddhist Temple is priceless. Anil Mulchandani By The port city of Bhavnagar in Gujarat was once the capital of a princely state. During the 1800s, the rulers such as Takhtsinhji Gohil and Bhavsinhji Gohil commissioned hospitals, colleges, schools, water bodies and administrative offices, some of which are architecturally impressive but are facing neglect. Brijeshwari Kumari Gohil, who is in her mid-20s, has taken up the challenge of reviving the heritage of Bhavnagar buildings that were built by her ancestors. The young royal went to graduate in Archaeology and Art History from Nottingham, UK, and later got a postgraduate degree in Heritage Management from Durham University. On returning to Bhavnagar, she was instantly drawn to its historical marvels. The Nilambag Palace has been adaptively reused as a hotel started by my grandparents and it is now managed by my elder brother. On the positive side, many of the heritage buildings are still in use like Takthsinhji Hospital designed by Sir William Emerson, who is responsible for masterpieces such as the Victoria Memorial, Muir College and Allahabads All Saints Cathedral, the Barton Museum, etc. Some of these historical civic institutions have been allowed to decline over the last few decades and the buildings are either showing signs of neglect and vandalism or are being modified and extended without consideration of their original character, she says. Bhavnagar is filled with architectural delights such as the state granary called Darbari Kothar, an old palace called Darbargadh, which was also extended by Sir William Emerson in the late-1800s, and the Ganga Jalia Temple built by Taktsinhji. Like the Taj Mahal, the Ganga Chhatri is a marble memorial that was built by Takthsinhji in memory of his wife. He is sometimes called the Shah Jahan of Bhavnagar because of the many buildings he commissioned, Brijeshwari adds. She now works with Bhavnagar Heritage Preservation Society and has launched morning heritage walking tours that cover some of these historical building. For college students we had organised a tour of Darbari Kothar, the historic granary that is now a government archives office and told them about how it was designed. For school children between the ages of 13 and 17, wed organised an art competition titled Bhavnagar 100 years ago, where they drew some of the old buildings of Bhavnagar. We also organised a Clean your heritage walk on March 17 which focussed on cleaning the sites. The aim was to educate participants about the historic significance of the sites. These awareness drives I hope will help save Bhavnagars architectural gems, and the intangible heritage of arts, crafts, literature and cuisine,says Brijeshwari about her initiatives. Harpreet Singh Bajwa By Express News Service Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, questioning her great grandfathers lavish dinner for General Dyer on the day of the barbaric Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Amarinder's attack on Harsimrat, her husband Sukhbir Singh Badal and father-in-law Prakash Singh Badal came after she slammed the chief minister over his visit to the Akal Takht with Congress president Rahul Gandhi late on Friday night. Pb CM @capt_amarinder took @RahulGandhi to Sri Akal Takht Sahib but lacked courage to ask him admit the @INCIndia's sin of demolishing Sikhs' highest religio-temporal seat with tanks & mortars. What a contrast with demand for British apology for #JallianwalaBaghMassacre !, tweeted Harsimrat in what Amarinder later described as an outrageous statement which showed neither an understanding of the events of 1984 nor his own role in the entire affair. Amarinder countered Harsimrats tweet with: Did you, your husband @officeofssbadal or his father, Prakash Singh Badal, ever apologise for your great grandfather, Sardar Sunder Singh Majithias lavish dinner to Gen Dyer on the day of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre? He was later knighted in 1926 for his loyalty and his deeds. Amarinder later went on to lash out at Harsimrat, her brother Bikram Singh Majithia and the Badal clan for playing the charade of nationalism to promote their vested political interests. The Union ministers remarks, he said, not only smacked of duplicity but total ignorance of the facts of his own role in the events following Operation Blue Star. I resigned from both the Parliament and my party in protest against the military action. I was, and still am, fully aware of the implications and consequences of the events of those days, he said, quipping that Harsimrat would have been in school at that time and totally clueless of what transpired then. So dont try to teach me on Akal Takht. No Badal can ever understand the pain the Sikh community went through. They have always been too busy to self-serve their own interests. Had it been otherwise, they would have apologized for Harsimrats great grandfathers anti-national act long back, said the chief minister. By ANI AHMEDABAD: Congress leader Hardik Patel on Saturday said his party gave a lot of respect and power to MLA Alpesh Thakor, but the latter could not handle it. "Congress party had given so much respect and power but he could not handle it. He started playing blame games," Patel told ANI. Alpesh Thakor (File ) Barely 18 months after joining the Congress party in 2017 ahead of the Gujarat Assembly polls, Thakor tendered his resignation from all party posts on Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, Patel alleged that the BJP tried its best to stop him from contesting the Lok Sabha polls. "I am accepting the decision of the High Court. BJP lawyers tried their best so that I could not contest the ongoing elections. Congress wanted to take me to the Parliament. I am a 25-year-old and many elections will come in the future," he said. READ MORE | Gujarat OBC leader Alpesh Thakor quits Congress ahead of Lok Sabha elections The Supreme Court had declined urgent hearing on Patel's plea seeking suspension of his conviction in a case of rioting and arson in Mehsana district of Gujarat during the Patidar quota stir in 2015. Patel had moved the apex court challenging the order of the Gujarat High Court, which, in August last year, suspended his jail sentence but not the conviction. He had joined Congress on March 12 and was given a party ticket to contest the election from Jamnagar in Gujarat. When questioned about the mention of amending sedition law in Congress' manifesto, he said, "BJP misguided the people. Congress said to remove sedition charges but will not tolerate anti-nationalism. The BJP does not have any issue to fight the elections that is why they always come with issues like anti-nationalism." Patel, who led the Patidar agitation in 2015, said his community is happy with his decision of joining the Congress party. "There are a huge number of Patidars who like me and my leadership. Patidar community is happy with my decision of joining the Congress. I believe they will support me and will help in fighting this battle." Speaking about his campaign for Congress, Patel said: "I will do 42 rallies and we will try to make Congress candidates win. Congress is in favour of the poor and farmers. Achhe din aayenge, Rahul Layenge (Good days will come, Rahul Gandhi will bring them)." Polling for 26 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on April 23. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. Harpreet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: Joining the protests against the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau administrations decision to succumb to domestic political pressure to remove all references to Khalistani extremism in its 2018 report on terrorist threats, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday described the move as a threat to Indian and global security. Amarinder expressed shock at the ruling Canadian Liberal Partys knee-jerk decision, that was clearly aimed at protecting its political interests in an election year, saying it could have serious consequences for Indo-Canadian relations in the long run. "Trudeau was playing with fire with his decision to assuage inflamed domestic passions through this ill-considered move," he added. READ HERE: Canada removes references to Sikh extremism, Khalistan in its terror threat report Amarinder pointed out that he himself had given proof to the Canadian Prime Minister, during the latters India visit, of his countrys soil being used to spread the separatist Khalistani ideology against a friendly country. Trudeau had been informed of Khalistani activists being involved in financing terror activities in India from Canada, said the Chief Minister. Pointing to the well-known fact that Trudeaus party was inundated by such activists and separatists, the Chief Minister dubbed the deletion of the various references to Khalistan and Khalistani organisations from the latest threat report as an unpardonable act in the eyes of the peace-loving global community. Such an act amounted to an endorsement of the terror activities and de facto promotion of extremism, said Amarinder, condemning outright the selective changes made by the Canadian government in its report on threats. Only references with respect to Khalistan and related terms had been targeted by Trudeau administration, he noted, adding that it appeared to be a clear case of the Canadian government giving in to political compulsions. It was obvious that Trudeau had played safe in view of the upcoming elections in Canada, giving in to pressure within his country, the Chief Minister said. In the process, he had quite blatantly ignored the adverse impact this could have not only on Canadas relations with India but also on geopolitical stability, he added. Amarinder warned the Canadian government against encouraging hardliners through such actions, which he said were detrimental to the interest of both India and Canada, as well as the global community. The world could not afford to fan extremism in any form, which was what the Trudeau government was effectively doing with such ill-thought moves, he added. Harpreet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: Taking strong exception to his Kathua remarks on the issue, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for playing dirty politics over the sombre occasion of the Jallianwala Bagh centenary. Countering Modis attack on him over the Jallianwala Bagh event organised by the central government, Amarinder said the Centre had deliberately chosen to hold a parallel event instead of supporting the initiatives and programmes of the state government. He had personally approached the prime minister several times over the last two years to seek support for ensuring that the centenary of the historic massacre is observed in a befitting manner but the central government had failed to respond suitably, Amarinder pointed out. Shocked by your remarks in Kathua on Jallianwala Bagh @narendramodi ji. You used a somber occasion to play dirty politics, conveniently ignoring your own governments decision to hold a parallel event instead of extending support to my govt, which wed been requesting for 2 yrs. Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) April 14, 2019 Instead, the Modi government decided to hold its own event, quite evidently to score brownie political points in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha elections, he added. This was truly shocking considering the fact that the prime minister was chairman of the Jallianwala Bagh Trust, Amarinder further said. Unlike the BJP, the Congress leadership does not believe in dictating terms to its state governments, said Amarinder, countering Modis remark that he did not attend the central government event under pressure from his party high command. These things happen in the BJP, which you, Modi, are running in your typical dictatorial style, Amarinder quipped. It was not befitting the stature of the countrys minister to stoop to such a low in order to woo voters, the Chief Minister said, urging Modi to refrain from demeaning the high office to which the people of this great free nation had elected him. READ: Amarinder asks Harsimrat if she apologised for great grandpa's dinner for Gen Dyer Amarinder also exhorted the prime minister not to exploit the martyrdom of the victims of the violence unleashed by the British during the freedom struggle, or of the soldiers who are dying every day at the borders or in ISI-backed terror attacks such as Pulwama, for furthering his and his partys political ambitions. Condemning the prime minister for trying to mislead the people with this politically motivated falsehoods, Amarinder said it was Modi who had insulted the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh, first by not being present at any of the commemorative events and then by choosing to politicise the occasion. A Cabinet Minister (OP Soni) was, however, duly appointed to be present at the central government function, which was attended by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, said Amarinder, adding that all the necessary protocols were duly followed. Hitting out at Punjab CM Amarinder Singh for skipping Saturday's event to pay respect to those killed in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre 100 years ago, Modi on Sunday had said, "Congress CM (of Punjab) was absconding from the function. He boycotted it, because he was busy in 'bakhti' of the Congress 'parivar' (family). He went with 'naamdar (dynasts)' but not with India's vice president", he said. The PM was in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district to campaign for BJP's Udhampur Lok Sabha seat candidate Jitendra Singh. By Online Desk Major General Sunil Vombatkere, who led the campaign of military veterans against the alleged politicisation of the armed forces ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections expressed surprise on Saturday over three of his former colleagues backing off a day after endorsing the letter sent to President Ram Nath Kovind, while mentioning that their initial words of support were recorded in an email chain. "I really cannot say why they are distancing themselves from the letter. They may have their own reasons, and I respect them. But I have recorded the consent of all the veterans to whom I sent the emails," Vombatkere told NDTV. Former Air Chief Marshal NC Suri and retired Army chief General SF Rodrigues on Friday denied endorsing the letter written by 156 ex-military personnel, including nine retired service chiefs, to the President. Rashtrapati Bhavan sources too said that the Kovind's office had not received the letter. We have received only one letter which is from former service chief N C Suri who has conveyed to us that he has not signed any letter on the issue. We have not received any other letter, the sources said. It is worrying if peoples consent is being taken and fake letters with fake allegations are being signed by some vested interest groups. It is absolutely condemnable, remarked Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday on the whole development. Vombatkere also dismissed Suri's claim that the letter was not shown to him before being sent to President on Thursday. "Suri would have seen it in the mail because it was there along with other veterans' emails. It was not sent to him alone," Vombatkere said. He also expressed wonder over the President's office's claims of not receiving the e-mail. "The email was sent by Major Priyadarshi Chowdhury to three addresses in Rashtrapati Bhavan. If I recall right, one of them is presidentofindia@rb.nic.in. I do not know how they have not received it. That's not clear to me at all." Former Air Chief Marshal NC Suri said that his support on the whole campaign was very specific in context. "Please understand that my statement was merely in the context that the armed forces must continue to be apolitical and serve through a democratically elected government. That's all I endorsed," he told the media. The issue got confounded further with Admiral Suresh Mehta, Lt gen ML Naidu, Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak, and few others, accepting they had consented to the text the letter contained. Suri also refused to comment on UP CM Yogi Adityanath's alleged reference to the Indian Army as "Modiji ki Sena (PM Narendra Modi's soldiers)", saying that he does not know enough of the issue to make a statement on it. The letter addressed to President said, We refer to the unusual and completely unacceptable practice of political leaders taking credit for military operations like cross-border strikes, and even going so far as to claim the Armed Forces to be Modi ji ki Sena. The letter appealed the President to ensure the secular and apolitical character of the Forces is preserved. (With Inputs from ENS) By IANS PANAJI: The BJP on Sunday wrote to the Election Commission demanding a probe in a controversial sermon delivered by a Catholic priest which it said could destabilize religious harmony in Goa. In a video that has gone viral, parish priest of Father Conceicao D'Silva is heard addressing devotees at the Raia Church in south Goa and alleging that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar died due to cancer as a wrath of God for encouraging pollution and trying to cancel government holidays of the Catholics. D'Silva also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of harassing minorities and urged his parishioners not to vote for it. FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE "The said video clip depicts a priest addressing people within a religious institution and creating an atmosphere of hate and fear against a particular political party and a specific religion," BJP Panaji Mandal General Secretary Vishnu Naik said in a complaint to the Goa Chief Electoral Officer. "This matter needs a thorough investigation and the said priest must be booked for spreading hate and destabilizing religious harmony," said the letter. In the undated video, D'Silva spoke about coal dust pollution in the port town of Vasco da Gama, 35 km from Panaji. "It (coal dust) is all over, in the food, water, houses. People protested, held morchas, meetings, but Parrikar did not pay heed. His pockets were filled. Therefore God gave him cancer," he alleged. "Parrikar had even tried to take away school holidays. And he died in suffering. Pancreatic cancer is the worst cancer. Those who cross the path of God are invariably punished," he said. Asked for a comment, Secretary to Archbishop Fr. Loiola Pereira said: "I am aware of the video and the Bishop's House has been informed about it." Harpreet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: IAS officer Brijendra Singh (46), son of Union steel minister Chaudhary Birender Singh will contest on a BJP ticket from Hisar in Haryana. With this, the saffron party has announced all its ten candidates from the Jatland. Soon after his son got the ticket, the Union minister announced his retirement from active politics, thus ending his four-decade-long political career. Singh has said that he had written a letter to the BJP National President Amit Shah and has offered to resign from the cabinet and Rajya Sabha. "Every politician needs to follow a certain ideology. I feel it is a message to those to end dynastic politics, he said. Chaudhary Birender Singh had joined the BJP in 2014 after his decades-old association with the Congress. FOLLOW OUR ELECTIONS COVERAGE HERE A 1998-batch IAS officer, Brijendra Singh who is currently posted as managing director, Haryana State Co-operative Supply and Marketing Federation (HAFED) had addressed state-level farmers meet in Jind in December 2018. This was seen as an indication of his keenness to foray into electoral politics. His father Birender was reportedly seeking ticket for him from Sonipat. Meanwhile, the BJP also announced the candidate Rohtak parliamentary seat today. The party has fielded Arvind Sharma who recently joined the BJP after quitting from the Congress. The local leaders are reportedly irked over this and have raised their objections over an 'outsider' being given the ticket. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Congress Sunday demanded a thorough probe into the alleged transportation of a "suspicious black trunk" in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helicopter during his visit to Chitradurg in Karnataka. Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma asked the prime minister to come clean on the issue and said the EC should inquire into the contents of the trunk. He said the Congress' Karnataka unit has already filed a complaint with the EC in this regard. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE "We saw there were three more choppers escorting the prime minister's helicopter. After landing, a black trunk was taken out and whisked away in a private car which was not part of the SPG cascade," he alleged. Sharma also asked Modi to give an account of his five-year rule to the people of the country. Manish Anand By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Internal conflict appears to have delayed BJPs announcement of candidates for a few remaining Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh. While rebellion threatens to compound the partys challenge to repeat the success of 2014 polls, former state chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is learnt to be digging in heels in picking nominees for prestigious Bhopal and Vidisha constituencies. Chouhan wants to contest either from Bhopal or Vidisha, but hes insisting that his Budhni Assembly seat, in the event of his election, should go either to his wife or son. This is in contrast to party high commands clear aversion for promoting dynasty in the party ranks, said a source, who claimed that Uma Bharti is not in contention from Bhopal. It has been reliably learnt that Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar is also keen to contest from Bhopal, besides Morena parliamentary constituency. Tomar, who was shifted out of Gwalior, isnt comfortable in Morena, the source added. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE The BJP, having won 27 Lok Sabha seats in 2014, is seemingly facing an uphill task to defend the turf after losing the Assembly elections last year. In Balaghat, BJP rebel Bodh Singh Bhagat didnt withdraw his nomination as an Independent candidate. Former MP Govind Mishra, who won Siddhi Lok Sabha seat in 2009, has quit the party. There are rebellions against the party nominee in Tikamgarh where R D Prajapati, father of a local party MLA, has been fielded by SP, said a senior BJP functionary. Sources further said the chances of the BJP top brass picking partys national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya from Indore, which was won by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in 2014, were dim. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a grim view of Vijayvargiya pushing his son for the Assembly elections, added the BJP functionary. By Express News Service Having delivered Rajasthan for the Congress in the Assembly elections last year, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot faces a double challenge in the Lok Sabha polls of ensuring the victory of his party as well as of his son Vaibhav, who is making his electoral debut from Jodhpur. Excerpts from an interview with Rajesh Asnani: Whats your view on the BJPs attempt to cash in on the Balakot air strike to win the elections? Do you think this could affect Congresss chances in Rajasthan? The atmosphere created after the Pulwama attack made the people of the country realise that Modiji and his government spared no effort to gain political mileage out of it. The way the issue of national security was used for political publicity should be condemned. Unrestrained allegations were made against the opposition despite Rahul Gandhiji being the first person who came in support of the government. Modiji created an impression that the opposition was questioning the valour of the armed forces. Nobody has ever questioned the Army, Navy and the Air Force; we are all proud of their bravery. The politics of diverting issues is being played for winning elections and this is not in the countrys interest. According to them (BJP and Modi government), only they are nationalists; rest all are anti-nationals This has been seen for the first time in the country that if anybody criticises the government, the person is accused of being anti-national. They have no achievement to speak of, so they want to win elections by hiding behind the accomplishments of the army, in the name of religion, in the name of nationalism. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE Opposition and even former BJP leaders and Union ministers like Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha say that if Narendra Modi wins again, Indian democracy will be in danger. Whats your view? It is not only Arun Shourieji and Yashwant Sinhaji, but it has become a common opinion. People are scared of what direction this country will go to if Modiji comes back to power. Only two people, Modi and Amit Shah, are ruling the country and they are intolerant to voices of dissent and protest. In a democracy, criticism has to be tolerated. The opposition and the people will raise their voice whether it is against an MLA, MP, minister, chief minister or against the prime minister. But for them (Modi government), criticism has no place. Today, there is an atmosphere of fear in the country. The constitution and the democracy are in danger. If Modiji comes back, then there is no guarantee that elections will be held in future in the country or not. They do not believe in democracy Their fascist mindset is a matter of concern Politics of hatred and revenge is ruling the country. We have seen politics on cows even your government has raised financial support for gau palaks. Many see this as an effort to win votes in the name of cows. How will you curb cow vigilantism and lynching which has spoiled Rajasthans image? The BJP has only done politics in the name of cows. 40 years ago they raised the issue of gau mata and now they have left this issue assuming it does not get votes for them. Its very unfortunate that lynching was started in the name of cows. This tarnished the states image and created a sense of insecurity among the people. We are now working to improve the situation. As far as our governments efforts towards the protection of cows are concerned, we made a separate directorate for cows during our previous tenure. This was done for the first time. I gave a grant of Rs 125 crore for gaushalas and Rs 25 crore were marked for disabled cows... During my previous tenure, we also started a free medicine scheme for animals. This was the first time in the country that such a scheme was started. What steps have you taken to help farmers burdened by huge debts? Given the agricultural crisis, what is your plan to improve farmers income beyond just loan waivers? Weve fulfilled the promise of farm loan waiver made by Rahul Gandhiji. We have also started a scheme of giving pension to farmers under Vridhjan Krishak Samman Pension Yojana so that they live with dignity in old age. Our aim is to improve the condition of farmers so that they move from debt waivers to freedom from debt. Rahulji has decided that when we form the government at the Centre, there will be a separate budget for farmers. This is an important announcement. In a country that depends on agriculture, the farmer will have his own budget and his problems will get addressed. We will work on ensuring that the farmer gets the right price for his crop and on setting up small businesses based on agriculture. Union Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Shekhawat has alleged that over 50 lakh farmers in Rajasthan would have benefitted under the Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna launched by PM, but the state government has deprived them of the right. The politics of confusing people regarding Kisan Samman Nidhi was started by the Prime Minister himself by making false promises during his Rajasthan visit in February. The allegations of not giving the list of beneficiaries to Central government and not letting the farmers take benefit are baseless and unfortunate. All the facts regarding the registration of farmers are available. But it is the BJPs habit to speak lies and confuse the people. Why would we not want the farmers to get the benefit of the schemes? Modiji must know that we are giving a higher pension than Rs 6,000 which he has promised per year. You decided to adopt your party manifesto as the state policy document. What is the strategy? Our Jan Goshna Patra is the policy document of the state government. Its implementation is being done in a time-bound manner. Commitment and accountability has been accorded topmost priority. We are working with the commitment of susashan (good governance). Your party has given the ticket to your son Vaibhav from Jodhpur. Do you think its the right time for his electoral debut? Its the party that has given the opportunity to Vaibhav. He has been working continuously for the Youth Congress. Last time, his name came up from Sawai Madhopur but I did not allow that. He wanted to become Youth Congress chief, but I stopped him because I am the Chief Minister and if he becomes YC president, people will allege nepotism. Chandrabhanji promoted his name for PCC, but I stopped that. This time, Vaibhavs name was proposed from three-four places and a consensus for Jodhpur emerged. By IANS SHIMLA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Himachal Pradesh is gunning its own party leader, who resigned from the Jai Ram Thakur-led cabinet two days ago. The BJP is asking its former Power Minister Anil Sharma to quit from the party over his love for his son. Congress greenhorn Ashray Sharma, who learnt politics for years from his father Anil Sharma, is in the fray from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat. He is pitted against first-time BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma. The father and son belong to the political dynasty of former Union Telecom Minister Sukh Ram, 91. ALSO READ: Himachal minister refutes BJP demand to campaign against son, resigns The BJP has raised the battle cry of dynastic politics. BJP Chief Minister Thakur, who is leading the poll campaign, never forgets to tell voters that "his former Cabinet minister has love for 'putra' (son) Ashray Sharma and that is why he's not campaigning in Mandi for BJP candidate Ram Swaroop Sharma". "If he has to remain in the party, he has to campaign for the party even from where his son is contesting," he said during public meetings. BJP General Secretary Chander Mohan Thakur told IANS: "Anil Sharma should either rise above 'putra moh' or he should resign (from the party)." Popularly known as 'Pandit-ji' in his bastion of Mandi, the six-time MLA and three-time MP Sukh Ram and his grandson Ashray Sharma rejoined the Congress on March 25 after quitting the BJP. ALSO READ: Chaudhary Birender Singh resigns from Modi cabinet as son gets Hisar BJP ticket Countering its rivals, state Congress unit President Kuldeep Rathore told IANS that by fielding Anil Sharma's son from Mandi the party is trying to bowl out the BJP with a googly. Political observers say the decision to nominate Anil Sharma's son is just a shrewd move by the Congress to push the ruling BJP onto a slippery wicket as Mandi is the home turf of Chief Minister Thakur. Also Anil Sharma's father Sukh Ram played a crucial role in winning all 10 Assembly seats in Mandi district. Taking a jibe at his rivals, Ashray Sharma said that "his father's soul is in the Congress while only the body is in the BJP". At the launch of the Congress campaign, Anil Sharma announced that he would campaign for his party but not against his son. He resigned from the cabinet on April 12 but has not quit either from the BJP or from the state Assembly. Himachal Pradesh will vote in its four Lok Sabha seats -- Shimla (reserved), Kangra, Hamirpur and Mandi -- on May 19. By Express News Service BHOPAL: As many as 12 tribal men have been arrested in Jhabua district of West MP for allegedly forcing a 27-year-old tribal woman to parade across the village with husband on shoulders as punishment pronounced by her clans elders for eloping with a man from another tribe. According to Jhabua district police superintendent Vineet Jain, all 12 accused men, including the womans husband Shankar were arrested within 24 hours of the case being registered against them under Sections 323, 506, 354B and 342 of IPC on Saturday. The incident took place on Friday when the woman belonging to the Patliya tribe was forced to allegedly parade around her village amid drum beats and teasing sounds from villagers as punishment from her clan for allegedly eloping with a Bheel tribe man in Jhabua district of West Madhya Pradesh. Not only was the woman forced to parade around the village with smiling husband on shoulders, but was repeatedly flogged with sticks by dancing villagers, many of whom also clicked pictures and shot videos of the savage act with pride. The chilling episode happened in Devigarh village under Thandla police station area of Jhabua district (around 340 km from Bhopal) on Friday evening, but it became public, after videos of shocking episode went viral over social media on Saturday. The Jhabua district police superintendent Vineet Jain directed the cops to lodge a case under Sections 354B, 323, 506 and 342 of IPC against over a dozen accused, including her husband Shankar Rathod. Initial probe has revealed that the woman had recently gone to her paternal village, around three km from her husbands village, where she fell in love with a younger Bheel tribal man and allegedly eloped with him. However, she returned to her parents place a few days later and the matter was resolved by a tribal panchayat in parents village. She subsequently returned home with husband. But once in husbands Devigarh village, elders of family and other Patliya tribal men pronounced the cruel punishment to her of parading husband on shoulders throughout the village on Friday. Its not the first time such an act of cruel tribal justice happened with a married woman for eloping with a lover in tribal-dominated districts of West MP, as several similar incidents have happened in the past also. In January 2015, a 25-year-old married woman was forced to breastfeed her lover (with whom she had eloped) on the diktat of a Bheel tribal panchayat in Alirajpur district. In October 2013, as many as 20 tribal men were arrested for allegedly stripping a married woman and her lover and forcing them to parade through the village amid drum beats for allegedly eloping. By PTI NEW DELHI: In the wake of reports that it granted huge tax waiver to Anil Ambani's French firm, France Saturday said a global settlement was reached between the French tax authorities and the Reliance subsidiary and that it was not subject to any political interference. Leading French newspaper Le Monde reported that France waived taxes worth 143.7 million euros to a French-registered telecom subsidiary of Ambani's Reliance Communications in 2015, months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of India buying 36 Rafale jets. "A global settlement was reached between the French tax authorities and Reliance Flag, a telecom company, in a tax dispute pertaining to the period 2008-2012," the French embassy said in a statement. It further said, "This settlement was conducted in full adherence with the legislative and regulatory framework governing this common practice of the tax administration," the embassy said. It said the settlement was not subject to any political interference whatsoever. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after talks with the then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015 in Paris. The final deal was sealed on September 23, 2016. ALSO READ | Tax concession by France to Anil Ambani's firm is 'Modi kripa', says Congress in fresh attack over Rafale The Congress has been alleging massive irregularities in the deal, saying the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the UPA government when it was negotiating the deal. The Congress has also been targeting the government over the selection of Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Defence as an offset partner for Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale. The government has rejected the allegations. The French newspaper said the company was investigated by French tax authorities and found liable to pay 60 million euros in taxes for the period 2007 to 2010. ALSO READ | 'Inaccurate, mischievous attempt to disinform': MoD dismisses Anil Ambani's tax waiver report However, Reliance offered to pay 7.6 million euros only as a settlement but French tax authorities refused to accept the amount. The authorities conducted another probe for the period 2010 to 2012 and asked the company to pay an additional 91 million euros in taxes, the report said. It said by April 2015, the total amount owed by Reliance to the French authorities in taxes was at least 151 million euros. In October, six months after Modi announced in Paris about the Rafale deal, the French authorities accepted 7.3 million euros from Reliance as a settlement as against the original demand of 151 million euros. By PTI ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has released another 100 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture amidst tensions between the two countries after the Pulwama terror attack. The fishermen released on Saturday were part the second batch of 360 Indian prisoners Pakistan has announced to set free in four phases this month. Pakistan had released first batch of 100 Indian fishermen on April 7. "Another 100 Indian fishermen were released from Malir Jail in Karachi as a goodwill gesture," officials said. They were being taken to Lahore through train where they would be handed over to the Indian authorities at Wagah border on Monday. The fishermen were arrested for fishing illegally in Pakistani waters during various operations. Pakistan had released first batch of 100 Indian fishermen on April 7. Another 100 will be freed on April 22 and the process will be completed on April 29 when 55 fishermen and 5 prisoners shall be released. Pakistan and India frequently arrest fishermen as there is no clear demarcation of the maritime border in the Arabian Sea and these fishermen do not have boats equipped with the technology to know their precise location. Owing to the lengthy and slow bureaucratic and legal procedures, the fishermen usually remain in jail for several months and sometimes years. Pakistan's announcement to release the fishermen came amidst escalating tensions between India and Pakistan after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14. India launched a counter-terror operation against a JeM training camp in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Pranab Mondal By Express News Service KOLKATA: More than 100 Ram Navami processions were taken out in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal with thousands of BJP supporters joining in. The event has drawn sharp criticism from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. She hit out at the armed rallies and accused the BJP of trying to disturb peace in Bengal. The BJP is misleading the people in the name of religion They are taking out rallies with swords and mace, Banerjee said at an election rally in Darjeeling. Whose throat do you want to slit with swords? Whose head do you want to smash with the mace? Banerjee questioned. Last year, the state had witnessed unprecedented violence which had resulted in the death of three persons. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, who spent the day in West Midnapore, and took part in more than a dozen processions, said: Ram Navami rallies are a part of our tradition. We are carrying arms to protect ourselves. It has nothing to do with elections. If TMC has a problem with armed rallies then they should change their thought process. However, there was no report of violence in the state on Saturday. BJP leaders alleged that the police intercepted their supporters who were going to join Ram Navami processions riding motorcycles. Kolkata Police said that no political, apolitical, religious organisations are allowed to carry bike rallies in the city. The BJP was denied permission to take out bike rallies across Kolkata on the occasion of Ram Navami. The Viswa Hindu Parishad has planned to take out nearly 700 rallies across south Bengal on Sunday. Didis plea to Hill voters Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, on the last day of her poll-campaign in north Bengal, urged electors from the plains in Darjeeling constituency not to vote for the Congress or the CPM while addressing a rally in Siliguri. "The erstwhile CPM-led government did nothing for the Hills. I was in Congress and then quit to form the Trinamool. Now, you are witnessing development in the area. Please do not waste your votes by supporting the Congress and the CPM, she said. Eyeing first-time victory from the Lok Sabha seat, Banerjee was camping in the Hills for past three days Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Sunday held a roadshow at Silchar in Southern Assams Barak Valley to seek the support of voters for party candidate Sushmita Dev who is the president of All India Mahila Congress. Gandhi said she had come to Assam for Dev who resembles her grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in her determination and spirits. Sushmita is always there to speak up for youYou have the power to choose and decide who is a good leader and who is not, she told a crowd during the roadshow. She slammed the Narendra Modi government for withdrawal of special status to Assam which the erstwhile Congress government had given. She was also critical of the PM for frequently visiting foreign countries but not his constituency Varanasi. Modiji has a lot of time to visit America, Africa, Japan and other countries but he doesnt have even five minutes time to visit his constituency Varanasi, Gandhi said. The Congress candidate Dev is battling anti-incumbency. She also finds herself in trouble as her party has taken a stand against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 which, if passed in Parliament, will lead to granting of Indian citizenship to immigrants belonging to six persecuted non-Muslim communities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who migrated till December 31, 2014. The Barak Valley, which accounts for two of Assams 14 Parliamentary seats, has a large population of Bengali Hindus and various Bengali groups and organisations insist the people there, who missed out on National Register of Citizens (NRC), should be protected through the passage of Citizenship Bill as they were the victims of partition of India. In the Assamese-majority Brahmaputra Valley, the people, however, stand opposed to the Bill for the fear that two crore Bengali Hindus will migrate from Bangladesh and it will wipe off of the Assamese and other indigenous communities. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: Claiming that there was no glitch in Robert Vadra, joining active politics, UPCC chief Raj Babbar said that if he would want to contest Lok Sabha elections, Congress party would stand by him. Notably, Vadra, husband of Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, has been under the scanner of Enforcement Directorate (ED) over cases of money laundering and land deals. In February this year, a few days after Priyanka's plunge into active politics, Robert had also expressed his wish to enter active politics but only after getting his name cleared in all the cases for which he had been facing ED inquiry. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE "Woh parivaar ka hissa hain. Agar woh chahenge to party unke baare mein zaroor chahegi ki woh party mein sammilit hon, kaun mana karega unko (If Robert Vadra would wish to join the party then the party will definitely think about it as he is a part of the family, and who would oppose it )? Raj Babbar said while interacting with media persons on Sunday. Recently, Robert Vadra had accompanied wife Priyanka along with their two children while going for the nomination of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, in Amethi and Rae Bareli respectively. On April 10, Robert was seen at the Congress chief's roadshow while proceeding for his nomination from Amethi. Next day, he along with Priyanka and Rahul accompanied mother-in-law Sonia to her nomination in Rae Bareli. On the speculations over Priyanka Gandhi contesting Lok Sabha election from Varanasi against PM Modi, the UPCC chief avoided a direct reply saying: "She will win wherever she will contest from. All people in Gandhi family have their own responsibilities in Congress party." Babbar was all praise for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra claiming that her entry and presence in the party had invigorated the party organisation and enthused the cadre a great deal. "People are enthusiastic about Priyanka ji. The day she will decide to enter electoral politics, people will welcome her," Raj Babbar said. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: While eight seats of western UP which went to polls in the first phase had a dominant Muslim-OBC -Dalit factor, the dynamics of the second set of eight seats in western UP is altogether different. Each of the eight seats-- Nagina (reserved), Hathras, Agra (reserved), Fatehpur Sikri, Aligarh, Amroha, Bulandshahr and the land of Lord Krishna Mathura - set to vote on April 18 have different dynamics in terms of caste, religion and other factors. While dominating upper caste on a few seats will consolidate BJPs prospects, a strong presence of minority on some others will place the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in a strong position. Mathura and Fatehpur Sikri will be guided by the Bollywood factor. BJP has reposed faith in Hema Malini in Mathura, actor-turned-politician and Congress UP chief Raj Babbar is in fray from the historical city of Fatehpur Sikri. Notably, all the eight seats to go to polls in the second phase were bagged by the BJP in 2014. While Agra (reserved), Aligarh, Bulandshahr and Hathras have been strong BJP bastions since 1991, there have been a few aberrations majorly in 2004 and 2009 when theses seats were won by SP, BSP, RLD and Congress separately. This time around these seats may be in for another change owing to the alliances caste arithmetic. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE The other three seats too have an almost similar demographic profile as with a strong combination of upper-caste Hindus, non-Yadav OBCs and Dalits. The Muslim are just 20% in Bulandshahr, around 10% in Hathras and 12% in Agra. Aligarh is dominated by around 27% upper-caste Hindu voters and 24% OBC. The minority vote on the seat is estimated to be 15%. While Nagina, which came into being in 2008, has over 40% Muslims, Amroha as around 35%. Opposition treats illegal immigrants as vote bank, says Amit Shah LUCKNOW: Taking a pot shot at BSP chief Mayawati on Saturday for allegedly remembering Dr BR Ambedkar only when elections were around, BJP chief Amit Shah said when polls were around Behen ji remembers Baba Saheb Ambedkar otherwise she installs only her statues. Notwithstanding the controversy surrounding the invocation of the Army in campaign speeches, Shah did not desist from bringing Pulwama massacre in his speech. He said the Air Force went to Pakistan to conduct surgical strikes as revenge on the orders of PM Narendra Modi. We cant do ILU-ILU (I love you) with Pakistan as demanded by SP-BSP alliance and Congress after the Balakot air strike. I just want to make it clear that if a bullet comes from Pakistan, we will reply with a bomb till we are in power, said Shah to the cheering crowd. Later in Badaun, Shah urged the people to vote for change (BJP) as the Samajwadi Party MP (Dharmendra Yadav) did nothing but hooliganism. Bringing in the triple talaq issue, Shah said the Opposition came in the way of it. Shah also promised to complete electrification of villages, jobs for everyone and a toilet in every home by 2022. Let Rahul baba, Mayawati and Akhilesh ji cry, he said. Shah accused the Congress of doing nothing for the poor. By PTI NEW DELHI: A 25-year-old woman from Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, one of the worst-hit Naxal regions in the country, has got the 12th rank in the civil services exam, the result of which was declared recently by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Namrata Jain, who hails from Geedam town in Dantewada, ranked 99th in the 2016 civil services exam. She got Indian Police Service and is undergoing training at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad. "I always wanted to be a collector. When I was in Class 8, a woman officer had come to my school. Later I was told she was the collector. I was quiet impressed by her. At that time only, I had decided to become a collector," Jain told PTI over the phone from Hyderabad. She said a Naxal-triggered blast that hit the police station in her town a long time ago encouraged her to join the civil services to serve the poor and bring development to the Maoist-affected area. "The place I come from is badly affected by Naxalism. People there lack basic facility like education. I want to serve the people of my state," said Jain, who is hopeful of getting Indian Administartive Service (IAS) this time. She said bringing development to Dantewada could be the best way to check naxalism there. While her father is a local businessman, the mother is a housewife and her brother aspires to become a chartered accountant. She studied till Class 10 in Dantewada. Thereafter, she went to Bhilai in Chhattisgharh where she completed Bachelor of Engineering. The result of civil services examination 2018 was declared on April 5. A total of 759 candidates were recommended for different government services. Kanishak Kataria, a B. Tech from IIT Bombay, has topped the civil services examination 2018. The civil services examination is conducted annually by the UPSC in three stages -- preliminary, main and interview -- to select officers for Indian Administrative Service , Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service among others. Michael Tracey By Many of the journalists who pushed the Trump-Russia theory were also the ones responsible for the Iraq WMD fiasco. The scope of the American medias failures in recent yearsespecially with regard to the sprawling, sordid saga commonly referred to as Trump/Russiaare almost incomprehensibly vast. Central to the debacle was the running theory that US President Donald Trump had engaged in a long-term treasonous conspiracy with Russia, a premise finally debunked for good last month by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the much-heralded prosecutor tasked with investigating every conceivable aspect of this spectacular claim. Yet day after day for nearly three years, journalists employed all manner of dubious methodologies, slippery innuendos, and unethical tactics to force-feed down the publics throats the wildly outlandish notion that Trump had been compromised by a hostile foreign power. It was not atypical for media figures to outright proclaim that the office of the presidency had been literally subverted by Vladimir Putin. From the start, none of this ever made any sense. Yet the media egged it on with unrelenting vigor, and thats why their reputation with a huge portion of the country is currently in the gutter. Rather than focusing on Trumps actual misdeedshis newfound subservience to the Republican donor class, his brazen attempts to overthrow the government of Venezuela, his prolonging of the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen, just to name a fewelite journalists instead became transfixed on an international espionage melodrama that was predicated on a complete fiction. To understand the structural reasons for this calamity, its worth revisiting a previous media failure of epochal poroptions: that of Iraq and Weapons of Mass Destruction, wherein journalists played a central role in generating the hysteria seized upon by the George W Bush Administration to launch preemptive war. Many of the very same figures who were complicit in that fiasco were never held accountable, continued their disreputable conduct, and also contributed mightily to the Trump/Russia disgrace. Take, for instance, Jonathan Chait. One of the countrys preeminent liberal opinion writers, Chait rose to national notoriety when he wrote an October 2002 cover story in The New Republic magazine which made the case for why liberals should support Bushs war. Giving the Iraq misadventure the appearance of bipartisan credibility was crucial, and so its no overstatement to say that Chait was among the writers most personally responsible for fostering the political climate which created the conditions for invasion. Chait chastised liberals as being "blinded by their hatred of George W. Bush" and failing to recognize that "America's prospective war with Iraq isn't merely defensible. It's defensible on explicitly liberal grounds." Unsurprisingly, prominent Democrats ranging from Hillary Clinton to Joe Bidenthe latter of whom is currently leading polls for the partys 2020 presidential nominationultimately voted in favor of the war, invoking rationale similar to that outlined by Chait. Chait later admitted mistakes with respect to his pro-war boosterism, but this epic failure never impeded him from rising through the ranks of media respectability. Rather, his reach only grewthe perverse dynamic that characterizes all of elite US media, where the worst journalistic offenders are not only go unpunished, but are rewarded with greater power and influence. This came to its logical conclusion in July 2018 when Chait published another incendiary cover story, this time for New York magazine, which alleged that Donald Trump had been colluding with Russia since 1987. Yes, according to Chait, the conspiracy was so monumental in scale that it literally went back several decades. Chaits theory was laughable at the time, and looks even more so now. But because he has never been held accountable for any of his past grave offenses, Chait has had the audacity to double down and insist that he was actually proven right about his crackpot Trump fantasy. Its got to be one of the most shocking exercises in journalistic self-humiliation ever. That Chait is even in the position to be making such preposterous claims again speaks to the fundamental irrationality of the US journalism industry: the more catastrophic your wrongdoings, the more swiftly you ascend up the ladder of elite prestige. Another illustrative example is Jeffrey Goldberg, the writer who in 2002 published a long article in the New Yorker magazine charging that Saddam Hussein was in league with Al Qaeda, a falsehood that came to be believed by supermajorities of the American public on the eve of the invasion -- proving the cruel efficacy of the propaganda. (Dick Cheney himself touted Goldbergs debunked story.) But rather than atone for his grievous failings which contributed to one of the most cataclysmic actions the US government has ever undertaken, Goldberg also doubled downinsisting that he bore no responsibility, and eventually gained more and more power within the profession. He is now editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, the elite prestige magazine funded by Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of the Apple founder. Sure enough, Goldberg was one of the first to posit, in July 2016, that Trump was an agent of Russian President Vladimir Putina storyline that was then echoed across the rest of the respectable media, and formed the basis of the all-consuming three-year conspiracy narrative that would envelop the entirety of American politics. In addition to spouting this theory, Goldberg also elevated actual Bush Administration officials like current Atlantic senior editor David Frum, who helped coin the phrase Axis of Evil and contributed forcefully to the government PR initiatives which precipitated the 2003 invasion. Naturally, Frum has also been a leading proponent of the Trump/Russia conspiracy theoryagain highlighting the conspicuous overlap between these two discreditable categories. As is always the case when extreme failure goes unpunished, the lack of accountability ever imposed on these people for their malfeasance during the Bush years enabled them to commit yet another act of grand malfeasance during the Trump years. And they will almost certainly never be held accountable for this, either. So its only a matter of time, tragically, before the next catastrophe arrives. MICHAEL TRACEY New York-based journalist and writer Email: mtracey@protonmail.com Signing ceremony of memorandum of understanding between State Audit Office of Vietnam and Canadian Audit and Accountability Foundation (Source: VNA) The signing marked an important milestone, affirming the fine cooperation between the SAV and the CAAF and serves as a foundation for activities of their 2018-2025 Cooperation Programme. The MoU reaffirms both sides commitments to implementing cooperation activities included in the programme. Specifically, the CAAF continues helping the SAV increase its capacity of conducting operational audit activities in prioritized fields such as gender equality, the environment and the implementation of the United Nations sustainable development goals. The foundation will also help improve the efficiency of the SAVs information exchange and cooperation with other agencies, and increase the capacity of the NAs supervision agencies in assessing and using operational audit reports, and monitoring the implementation of audit-related recommendations. During the visit, the delegation from the SAV and the National Assemblys Finance-Budget Committee learnt from the CAAFs experience in conducting and developing operational audit, especially the use and publicity of and dissemination on operational audit results, in order to increase the influence of outcomes of audit activities in general and operational audit in particular on the entire socio-political system./. By PTI ALIGARH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday hailed the contribution of Bhimrao Ambedkar on his birth anniversary, saying it is the strength of the Constitution given by him that people from humble backgrounds are holding post of president, vice-president and PM. Modi while addressed two separate rallies in Aligarh and Moradabad also attacked the opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh and said those who are not fighting all 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state, are dreaming to become prime minister. "It is the strength of Babasaheb's Constitution that a gentleman hailing from deprived and exploited class has become the president (Ram Nath Kovind), while the vice-president (M Venkaiah Naidu) is from a farmer's family," he said at a rally here on the 128th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE "Thanks to Babasaheb's Constitution, a 'chaiwala' (teaseller) is holding the prime minister's post," Modi said. Later at a rally in Moradabad, he attacked the opposition alliance, saying the 'mahamilavat' (highly adulterated) will face a "mahagiravat"-- a grand fall. "Mahamilavat ka mahagiravat tay hai (the grand fall of the highly adulterated alliance is certain)," the prime minister said. Back in Aligarh, in an apparent jibe at the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said, "(Parties of) those who are not fighting on 40 Lok Sabha seats, are dreaming to become prime minister." The Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is contesting 38 Lok Sabha seats, while the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) has fielded candidates from 37 parliamentary constituencies. ALSO READ | On 128th birth anniversary, Ambedkar statue taken down, left in Hyderabad dump yard There are three Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) candidates in the poll fray from the state. The alliance has not fielded candidates from Rae Bareli and Amethi, the two Congress bastions in the state. "With your support, your 'chowkidar (watchman)' has made an effort to follow the path shown by Babasaheb, and ran the government on the mantra of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' (together with all, development for all)," he said. Modi, in Moradabad, accused Mayawati of supporting the candidate who had allegedly called BR Ambedkar a 'land mafia'. Referring to the BSP chief's support to SP's Rampur candidate Azam Khan, he said, "Mayawati is today seeking votes for the candidate who had termed Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar as a 'bhoo-mafia' (land mafia) and had encroached Dalit hamlets in the name of a university," the prime minister alleged. Khan had in 2016 allegedly termed the Father of the Constitution as someone who "grabs land". An FIR was registered against him two years later. In the last three days "you must have noticed that how competition to hurl abuses towards the chowkidar is going on," Modi said in Aligarh. Besides, following the path shown by Babasaheb, "we have also made an effort to honour him in the country's history of which he is a rightful claimant," Modi said, adding that five places associated with Ambedkar are being developed as 'panchteerth'. The prime minister, attacking the Congress, said, "We should not forget what was done to Babasaheb. He was a great economist, policy-maker, writer and a legal luminary. The social circumstances in which Babasaheb attained such great heights, were extraordinary and unprecedented. This is a major reason why the Congress could not tolerate Babasaheb," he said. In a veiled attack on rival parties that claim to be followers of Ambedkar, Modi said, "The politics of Uttar Pradesh has seen an era in which he (Ambedkar) had been deceived after initial promises to follow his path. Some people wanted to change politics, but they changed their slogans -- 'sabse pehle parivaar aur baad mein rishteydaar (first the family and then the relatives)," he said. "The entire country had witnessed how people in western UP had to leave their houses and business and go to other places, everyone has seen. When western UP was burning, who was the one who shielded the guilty," Modi said without naming anybody or any incident. The prime minister said the people in western parts of the state understand the nuances of their vested interest. Karamatullah K Ghori By With saner voices in both India and Pakistan pleading for cooler heads to hog the narrative there was, instead, another dose of fury was injected in their eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation. The scene for this round of war of nerves was set by the forced conversion of two Hindu girls last week in Ghotki, a town in Pakistans Sindh, neighbouring Indias Rajasthan. The father of the girls reported to the police that his girls, both minors, aged 14 and 16, were abducted by some men in his town, forcibly converted to Islam and then married off to Muslim men. According to Sindhs Child Marriages Restraint Act, the minimum age for girls to marry is 18. But the plot thickened and became more complicated when the girls appeared before a magistrate and asserted that they had converted to Islam of their own free will and married men of their liking. However, before anyone could attempt to sort things out and sift chaff from the grain, the vigilantes of Pakistans vibrant social media had waded into the scandal, kicking off a furious debate in defence of the girls as well as their alleged abductors. PM Imran Khan, too, got a foot in the snowballing media duel and asked Sindhs governor and its chief minister to get to the bottom of the scandal. Imran had also come down hard on Sindh government earlier, in February, when there was an arson attack on a Hindu temple in Khairpur, in which copies of the Bhagavad Gita and the Guru Grant Sahib were burnt to ashes. Sindh has the largest number of Hindus in Pakistan, and their representatives also sit in the National Assembly. The districts of Umarkot and Tharparkar have the heaviest concentration of Hindus, with the latter having as many as 50 per cent of them in its population. However, these Hindu-heavy areas of Sindh have also long been in the sights of religious fanatics and zealots sworn to converting Pakistans minorities to Islam by fair or foul means. These freaks think its their ordained mission to bring the blighted and ignorant non-Muslims under the light of Islam. But in their paranoid frenzy to spread the blessings of Islam, these hotheads forget that the Prophet of Islam had strictly forbidden forced conversion of people of other faiths. In one of his earliest acts after migrating to Medina from his native Mecca, the Prophet had issued a written guarantee to the minoritiesChristians and Jews alikeliving under his remit that their religious rights, as well as their places of worship, would be inviolate and off-limits to Muslims. His written assurance, in original, can still be seen in the archives of St. Catherines monastery in Sinai, Egypt. But the fanatic brigades of Sindh have clearly no respect for the word of their own Prophet and seem hell-bent on inflicting their archaic sense of religion and faith on the Hindu minority. The abduction of Hindu girls, even minors as in this case, their conversion under duress and marriage to whoever has been a favoured modus operandi with them. They are powerful and well-heeled, so much so that the Sindh government seems pitiful and powerless against their antics. In November 2016, the Sindh Assembly had overwhelmingly passed a Bill against forced conversion. But that legislation invited a swift backlash from the zealot brigade; it remains mothballed and hasnt, to date, been signed into law. The choice of Umarkot as a bountiful hunting ground for the fanatical proselytisers has a historic irony. The greatest of Mughals, Akbar the Great, whose secular credentials were impeccable, was born in Umarkot, while his father, Emperor Humayun, was in flight from the challenge of Sher Shah Suri. Akbar, an epitome of a ruler wedded to religious and social harmony, spent the early years of his childhood at Umarkot. He must be turning in his grave at such wanton plunder and rape of his shining legacy of peaceful and harmonious coexistence among all faiths. The Imran government, conscious of the past and persistent failures of the Sindh administration to safeguard the religious and fundamental rights of the minorities under its watch, has shifted the case of the two minor girls to Islamabad. The Islamabad High Court has remanded the two girls to a sanctuary for women and constituted a medical board to determine the ages of the two girls. The case remains sub judice. That Imran Khan took early notice of the violation of the girls fundamental rights gives a clue to his concern not to let fanatics and zealots dominate the social narrative in his New Pakistan. The Pakistani Constitution obligates the government to guarantee the safety and security of all minorities and their places of worship. Common sense says there should be no ambiguity in either India or Pakistan that protection of minorities is a universal obligation of governance. But the barbs traded between Indias external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj, and Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on the heels of the scandal did nothing to fortify their basic obligation to their respective minorities. Politicians on either side ought to understand that silence on issues of such sensitivity as faith is more than golden. Its a virtue not to be trifled with. Karamatullah K Ghori Former Pakistani diplomat Email: K_K_ghori@hotmail.com T J S George By Winston Churchill told us that it wasnt polite to refer to lies as lies, that we should be cultured enough to call them terminological inexactitudes. But such phraseological definitudes do not apply to party manifestos in Indias hit-and-run democracy. BJP spokesmen call the Congress manifesto a pack of lies, and Congressmen describe the BJP manifesto as a field of falsities. Both are right. The only question is: Will a double dose of lies trick the Indian voter? Perhaps the question underestimates the voter. A national survey saw 41 per cent of our voters admitting that their votes were influenced by distribution of cash and liquor. That points to two virtues of the Indian voter. First, his honesty; he wont cheat the suppliers of cash and liquor. Second, he doesnt pay attention to the lies the parties tell. Knowing that they are lies, he pays attention only to things that are tangible, physical and consumable. The voters honesty also highlights the importance of money. To ensure that the 41 per cent voters do their duty, small change wont do. You need cash in gunny bags, almirahs, canvas containers, godowns. Hence the hundreds of crores that are being unearthed by income tax raiders. If you havent noticed already, all the raids have been in the homes of opposition leaders and their associates. No BJP leader has been raided because no BJP leader would handle black money. They are patriots, desh bhakts. Such being the ground realities, it may not be necessary to attach too much importance to a party manifesto. Obviously the BJP doesnt, for it did not even pay attention to proof-reading. The result was that the BJP manifesto declared that it would make provisions in the law to commit crimes against women. Or maybe, it wasnt a proofing error; may be the karyakartas were merely saying what they were trained to say. As a concession, however, they corrected the manifesto statement to make women feel a little better. The twin manifestos proved once again that all parties seek refuge in populism. Each party felt free to simply give away cash. The BJPs PM Kisan Yojana was estimated to cost Rs 2 trillion, while the Congresss minimum basic income schemes cost was put at Rs 3.6 trillion. Basically these are freebies. Where will the money come from and how bad will be the impact on the economy? The real difference between the two manifestos is that the Congress aims at the poor while the BJP aims at firing up nationalistic fervour. The Congress wants to ensure Rs 72,000 every year to 20 per cent households that come under the poorest of the poor category. The economic thinking behind this has won a measure of appreciation from professional planners despite its essentially populist nature. Their argument is that the Congress plan is doable without causing significant upsets in the overall economy. In contrast, the BJP manifesto emphasises security, defence build-up, anti-terrorist preparations and even a global programme for promoting yoga. Clearly the BJP is trying to cash in on the Balakot strike, a point the prime minister made obvious when he asked the youth to vote for Indias defence forces. As if the army belongs to him, said Mamata Banerjee. More significantly, former defence chiefs and civil servants publicly protested against pushing the army into politics. The PMs statements were in violation of the code, but there has been no action. The BJP manifesto makes no effort to soften its hardline approach to issues it has already made combustible. Its inflexibility over Jammu and Kashmir and over the northeast states continues to make things worse in both areas. Ignoring Indias multicultural essence, the BJP is out to mainstream all stakeholders into its ideological straitjacket. Only the use of force can push such a policy forward, and the consequences of using force for such divisive ends could be catastrophic. The BJP is led by shrewd men. That they approach the elections without making any concessions to any group shows that they want things to go their way, no arguments please. Amit Shah misses no opportunity to maul the Congress. Noticing that the Congresss Kerala ally, the Muslim League, was among those who cheered Rahul Gandhi when he filed his nomination from Wayanad, Shah said he couldnt make out whether Rahul was in India or Pakistan. Imran Khan heard that in Rawalpindi and came to Amit Shahs support. He said a BJP victory in the election would be welcome as it would lead to some kind of settlement in Kashmir. With Pakistan backing BJP, victory is assured. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: The reported remarks of Chief Minister N Gopal Krishna Dwivedi against LV Subramanyam against Chief Secretary LV Subramanyam and the formers behaviour with Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gopal Krishna Dwivedi in the last couple of days are snowballing into a major controversy. On Saturday, a group of 13 retired IAS officers shot off a letter to Naidu urging him to withdraw his comments and apologise for the same. They also urged Naidu to avoid making such comments in the future. Finding fault with the Election Commission for transferring Chief Secretary Anil Chandra Punetha and replacing him with LV Subramanyam, the Chief Minister alleged that the EC appointed an officer, who was co-accused in a case along with YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Similarly, Naidu also called on CEO Gopal Krishna Dwivedi in his office a day before the elections and reportedly entered into an argument with him over the transfer of officials as per ECs directions without verifying facts. Later, Naidu also allegedly said that there was no need for a CEO in AP when he was implementing all the directions of the EC in toto. Taking serious note of Naidus comments, the retired IAS officers rallied behind Subramanyam and described the latter as an outstanding officer. It is unfortunate that the CM is referring to him as an accused even after the cases have been quashed by the High Court, they said. Similarly, the retired bureaucrats also found fault with the manner in which the Chief Minister spoke to the CEO to intimidate him, which they said is not in the best tradition of administration. They demanded that Chief Minister desist from such action in the future. The letter was released by 13 retired IAS officers of United AP, Telangana and AP cadre comprising Sripada Bhalerao, KV Rao, TS Appa Rao, AK Parida, SK Sinha, Sutirtha Bhattacharya, Vidya Sagar, MG Gopal, CVSK Sharma, Vinod K Agarwal, Jatish Chandra Mohanty, Dr Vijay Kumar and IYR Krishna Rao. FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE In a related development, former secretary to the Government of India E A S Sarma wrote a letter to the CEC stating that Naidu went to the extent of belittling the ECI-appointed Chief Secretary by calling him a co-accused and someone who worked as a covert agent. The comments defamed Subramanyam and intimidated all those civil servants acting under the directions of the poll panel when MCC is in force, he said. The comments made by Chandrababu Naidu are derogatory, detrimental to the authority of the ECI and hurting the morale of the civil servants at all levels working as a part of the election process. Such comments tend to belittle the democratic traditions of the country and demean the authority of the Commission which is acting in pursuance of the authority conferred on it by Article 324 of the Constitution, he said. Chandrababu Naidu had reportedly spoken in defiance of the Commissions authority, Sarma said and added that there is a possibility of persons like Naidu victimising the civil servants who prefer to obey the orders of the Commission during the elections rather than his. He urged the ECI to initiate cases against Naidu, after ascertaining the contents of his reported statements, under the relevant provisions of the Representation of People Act and the Indian Penal Code, especially those provisions that relate to criminal defamation. By PTI KOLAR: Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of corruption, Congress President Rahul Gandhi Saturday alleged that "100 per cent chowkidar (guard) is a chor (thief)." At a rally here, Gandhi also asked as to why all the "thieves" have the surnames of Modi."I have a question. Why all the thieves have Modi in their names whether be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Narendra Modi? We don't know how many more such Modis will come out," Gandhi said. Raking up the Rafale fighter jet deal issue, he said, "100 per cent chowkidar is a chor" and alleged that the prime minister stole Rs 30,000 crore and gifted it to his "thief friend" Anil Ambani."You stole Rs 30,000 crore and gifted to your thief friend. You 100 per cent steal money. 'Chowkidar' is a thief. Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksy, Lalit Modi, Mallya, Anil Ambani and Narendra Modi - There is a group, a team of thieves," Gandhi said as he attacked Modi, who has described himself as a "chowkidar" who would not tolerate graft. FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE He also said Modi no longer spoke about farmers, jobs and corruption. "Unlike him, we don't tell lies." Gandhi spoke about the NYAY scheme, the minimum income scheme of depositing Rs 72,000 annually into the account of five crore families announced by the Congress in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls. Gandhi said one of the first acts of the Congress, if voted to power, would be to provide for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Parliament and assemblies and also in government jobs. G Subhash Chandra By Express News Service CHITRADURGA: The 2019 general election is an ideological battle between the BJP and the Congress, said AICC president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, adding that love, truth and brotherhood would triumph over hate, false statements and hegemony. Addressing a massive gathering at the government science college grounds here, Rahul said, unlike Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, the party wouldn't make any false assurances to the public. Instead, Nyay, which is a meticulously planned programme aimed at elevating the poor would be implemented. Under the programme, each family would get Rs 6000 per month, Rs 72000 per year and Rs 3.60 lakh for five years without burdening the economy. The programme has been designed after sufficient research by renowned economists, he said. During his speech, Rahul reiterated that the money given to the beneficiaries of the Nyay scheme would be credited directly to the accounts of the women of the family and 25 crore poor families of the country would be benefited by the programme. Claiming that he is not the 'chowkidar' of the country and wouldn't lie, Rahul said that he would listen from the heart and all the programmes promised by him could be easily implemented without damaging the economy. FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE Taking a dig at Anil Ambani, the Congress president said, "Even though Anil Ambani became a defaulter after obtaining Rs 3 lakh crore loan, he is allowed to move freely across the world like Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Lalit Modi, but if a poor farmer becomes a defaulter, he would be sent behind bars. This faulty law needs to be changed." Rahul assured that no farmer would be put behind bars if he became a defaulter. Instead, they would be supported with special programmes like increasing the minimum support prices for agricultural produce, drip irrigation schemes, new technologies in the agricultural sector and other measures to make farmers self-reliant. Rahul said if the Congress came to power, it would deliver a separate agricultural budget to develop the farming sector, which is in dire straits. Naushad Bijapur By Express News Service BELAGAVI: The continuing migration of large sections of rural folk owing to the worsening drought situation in the Bombay-Karnataka region is sure to show its impact elsewhere at the polling booths. It is estimated that voting percentage could dip by as much as 12% in the region. Majority of 55% of the states 21 lakh nomadic Lambani population in the Bombay-Karnataka has already migrated, another 8-10 per cent of other rural folk has headed elsewhere in search of jobs. According to Ramesh Naik, development officer of Karnataka Tanda Development Corporation, Lambanis migrate to areas of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Goa, and it is difficult to ascertain how many of them will turn up for voting. According to official sources, rabi and kharif crops sown in 18 lakh hectares in the districts of Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Belagavi, Dharwad, Haveri and Gadag have been totally damaged, rendering farmers and agriculture labourers jobless. According to initial estimates, crop losses in Vijayapura district are estimated at Rs 500 crore while in Bagalkot, it is Rs 1,026 crore. Export quality lemons, grapes and other horticulture produce sown in thousands of acres in Vijayapura too may be lost due to the dry spell. Drought is staring at this region of northern Karnataka. The lakhs of hectares of dry farm lands are a stark indicator to the fact that farmers have no choice but to look for other means of livelihood. FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE Almost all taluks hit by drought in Bombay-Karnataka region It may be difficult to ascertain the number of migrant farmers and labourers from rural segments, but roughly about 12% from Bombay-Karnataka have migrated to neighbouring states in search of alternative jobs. Majority of migrants in Gadag and Haveri region hail from rural belts of Shirahatti, Mundargi and Ron taluks. Their absence could affect the average polling percentage in the region, feels senior agriculture officer Manjunath Hugar. The reason: Acute water scarcity. For those affected by the drought, the upcoming Lok Sabha poll is definitely not uppermost on their minds. For them, Congress and BJP are two sides of the same coin which have never come to their aid in times of farm crisis. With water sources drying up, drinking water crisis in the region is turning from bad to worse. Life is akin to nightmare. According to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad, district officials are entering into agreements with the owners of private borewells to tackle the water scarcity in most of the drought-hit areas of Dharwad district. All taluks in Dharwad district have been declared drought-hit. Enough funds are available with us to tackle the crisis. We have opened control rooms in the offices of the DC, the tahsildar and Zilla Panchayat to help people, he added. Back-to-back drought spells in the entire Bombay-Karnataka region has forced the state government to declare almost all taluks as drought-hit. Water is being supplied through tankers to most of the affected are as, including 100 talukas in Vijayapura district, is not always adequate for normal everyday chores. And farming is almost distant dream. But many in the villages of Gadag, Haveri and Dharwad districts narrate their daily struggle. Whether it is a Congress or BJP government at the Centre, nobody has been able to address drought-related issues in our villages. How can we judge which party or candidate is better when we go for voting? This is a million dollar question, says farmer Ramesh Kubal from Hebballi. The party which come to power must fulfill the assurances made in their manifesto, he added. Chikkumbi farmers cant grow enough to feed families The impact of drought has been so severe that for the residents of the tiny Chikkumbi village located in Saudatti taluk, it has become difficult for many to arrange one square meal a day. Back-to-back droughts over the past few years have made our lives miserable. Look at our dried-up fields in the village. We hardly get something to eat everyday, says farmer Satyappa Vakkund. He and other farmers like Mahadevappa Taplad and Gudleppagouda Abbiger availed huge loans from private lenders and cooperative banks for agriculture activities hoping for good rains after monsoon. Unfortunately, most failed to even grow small quantities of crops due to the sweeping dry spell. While showing this correspondent their dried-up fields, farmers said they were unable to produce enough foodgrains for their families. A large number of villagers have already migrated. Most of the youths from Chikkumbi are away and are struggling to maintain their families which have suffered due to drought, says Satyappa. Though the government machinery claims to have been implementing rural development schemes to overcome drought in rural areas, including National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA), hardly any of the schemes have reached the villagers, say farmers in Chikkumbi adding that none of the works under NREGA scheme were being taken up to provide employment to them.None of the villagers are aware of any of the schemes which are supposed to be implemented by Gram Panchayats. The officials never attempted to help us get the benefits of various rural development schemes being implemented by the Centre despite the worsening situation, said farmer Mahadevappa Taplad. Grape, lemon production hit Vijayapura is one of the major exporter of horticulture produce from Karnataka, especially grapes. Owing to the worsening dry spell, grape production in all parts of the district has drastically fallen this fiscal, compared to the huge 2.28 lakh ton production last fiscal. The drought we are facing here has been the worst in the last decade. The deficit rainfall and receded water table has affected the entire horticulture crop, especially grape plantations. We spend at least Rs 2 lakh to grow grapes in each hectare, says Veeraiah Wandalmath, a grape grower from Devarhipparagi. Also, lemon, which is grown in 12,000 hectare in Vijayapura every season, was affected. Babu Ramanna who grows lemons in his land in Indi says, he is forced to spend Rs 4,000 every week towards watering due to lack of rains. The Central drought-review team has already taken cognizance of the situation in Vijayapura. SV Krishna Chaitanya By Express News Service CHENNAI: In a first, the Tamil Nadu Forest department has procured a state-of-the-art solar-powered boat to boost eco-tourism inside Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) in Tirunelveli. Costing about Rs 60 lakh, the 26-seater boat is currently undergoing field trials at the Manimuthar Dam and will soon be deployed to ferry tourists around the famous Manimuthar waterfalls, located inside the reserve forest of KMTR. Sharing pictures of the boat trials with Express, senior forest officials said, under Tamil Nadu Innovation Initiatives (TANII), the department got a grant of Rs 2.25 crore for promoting several eco-tourism activities at KMTR, including introducing solar-powered boats. There is a State Innovation Fund under TANII. Our project proposal to introduce solar-powered boats got qualified. Maharashtra police had deployed such a boat last year, which was customised and manufactured by Mahindra Group. So we also approached the company and placed the order, the official said. Sources said the department was planning to order a few more boats and extend the services at Karaiyar Dam, situated in Mundanthurai range of Ambasamudram Division in KMTR. The water submersion area is owned by the forest department and was declared as a critical tiger habitat. The dam is maintained by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. Earlier, private diesel boats were used for tourism purposes to go to Banatheertham falls from Karaiyar, and it was stopped due to pollution in the dam water. The Karaiyar Dam is used for the hydro-electricity power project, officials said. The State Planning Commission had recommended the proposal submitted by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) for implementation in 2018-19 and subsequently, a Government Order was also passed. Using the approved grant, the forest department has also purchased four country boats made of fibre, which have been handed over and operated by local Kani tribes. An alternative livelihood has been provided to the tribe people who are taking tourists for coracle rides, a KMTR official said. Lalitha Ranjani By Express News Service RAMANATHAPURAM: Ramanathapuram gears for a three-cornered fight in both Lok Sabha and Assembly by-elections, fishermen conflict, farmer distress and negligible industrial development remain the critical factors that need special focus. Ramanathapuram parliamentary constituency comprises six Assembly segments Paramakudi, Thiruvadanai, Ramanathapuram, Mudukulathur, Aranthangi (Pudukottai district) and Thiruchuli (Virudhunagar district). Of these, Paramakudi Assembly constituency (SC) is to face a by-election as well. While a majority of the people in Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha constituency predominantly belong to Mukkulathor community which is collectively known as Thevar community (comprising Agamudaiyar, Kallar and Maravar), this constituency also encompasses about 14 per cent of the total Muslim population in the State. The constituency which was once the stronghold of Congress for about 12 years (1984-96), later became an AIADMK bastion for 11 years (1998-2004, 2014-19) with the incumbent MP A Anwhar Raajhaa belonging to AIADMK. This time, the constituency has in fray candidates who are either new to elections or to the constituency itself. Ramanathapuram constituency has been handed over to the allies of the two Dravidian parties, to Indian Union Muslim League (K Navas Kani) which contests here after 28 years and to BJP (Nainar Nagenthran). This decision did spark internal friction and bitterness among both DMK and AIADMK functionaries. On the other hand, AMMK has fielded VDN Anandh, son of a former AIADMK Labour minister V D Natarajan who rallies under the son of the soil tag. Ending speculations that Makkal Needhi Maiam president Kamal Haasan might contest in his native constituency, he fielded a fresh face Salem-based businessman J Vijaya Baskar. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE While Navas Kani, a Chennai-based businessmen who has his roots in the district, banks on the votes of the minorities, a former AIADMK minister Nainar Nagenthran, a two-time MLA from Tirunelveli district, hopes to polarise the votes of Mukkulathor community. Meanwhile, Anandh is expected to split the votes of Mukkulathor community, reducing the chances of AIADMK-BJP alliance from gaining a majority. In this constituency, deep-rooted problems faced by farmers, fishermen, coupled with acute water crisis and unemployment cry for attention for several years now, voters feel. Home to about 1,500 mechanised boats which sustain about eight lakh fishermen (directly and indirectly) and 10,000 country boats which feed about three lakh fishermen, the constituency is riddled with perennial fishermen conflict. The president of All Mechanised Boats Association B Jesuraja said, Even the meagre subsidies received by the fishers are given only by the State. But, in case of arrests and attacks by Sri Lankan forces, the Centres help is required through the Ministry of External Affairs. Before the 2014 polls, BJP promised creation of a Ministry for Fisheries and protection of fishermen from attacks by Sri Lankan navy. These two poll promises gave greater hopes, but in vain. A significant step to solve the fishermen crisis would be the creation of Ministry of Fisheries, fishers feel. Jesuraja further urged that diesel should be brought under GST as it accounts for a major portion of their daily expenses (approximately RS 50,000 a day per boat). Meanwhile, president of district Country Boat Fishermen Welfare Association SP Rayappan said, Earlier during Congress rule, seized boats as well as fishers arrested by Sri Lanka were rescued by the Centre. But now, only the fishers are released while the boats remain under the custody of Sri Lankan government. This has deeply affected the livelihood of thousands of fishermen. The other issue in this region where paddy is the staple crop engaging about 1.10 lakh farmers and covering three lakh acres, is the non-settlement of crop insurance claims. The district president of Tamil Nadu Farmers Association M Muthuramu said, For the first time ever, the district faced drought for three consecutive years since 2016. Of the 417 revenue villages in the district, 217 did not receive crop insurance for 2017-18. Putting forth their expectations, farmers in this constituency seek timely disbursal of crop insurance, farm loan waiver, desilting of over 1,000 irrigation tanks by the government, without involving private parties and implementation of Cauvery-Vaigai-Guntar interlinking project. The arid constituency looks up to the revival of Cauvery Integrated Drinking Water Project (CIDWP) that was introduced by former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. Residents say that the project that supplies drinking water to the district suffered from poor maintenance. AJAYMOSES By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Theres no better time to be a BJP leader in the state, as cadre have received huge chunks of money, as though they were being rewarded for winning the polls. Each mandal-level party functionary who worked in the recent Assembly elections has received Rs 2 lakh, taking the total expenditure on this to a whopping Rs 10.6 crore. This amount, given to 531 functionaries and their representatives, was reportedly for fuel reimbursement, and most of it went to members of the partys youth wing, Yuva Morcha. As per the saffron partys recently-published election expenditure report, more than 42 crore was spent between October 6 and December 11 last year, during the state Assembly polls. The lions share went to the grassroot level karyakartas. It may be recalled that the BJP made headlines two days ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the state, when the Narayanaguda police seized 8 crore from two party workers. The money, the BJP claimed, was to be paid to party functionaries. The BJP has further given most candidates a lump sum of 10 lakh or 15 lakh, depending on their popularity in an Assembly segment. This amounted to 12.5 crore. Thus, the party gave as much as 23.1 crore to its mandal leaders and contestants, accounting for half its expenditure in the elections. However, this did not get the BJP to win more than one segment. In fact, it lost four segments it held. The AIMIM, meanwhile, spent 14.92 lakh and won seven of the eight segments it contested in. The TDP spent 37 lakh and won two Assembly segments. The rest of the BJPs expenses went towards print and electronic media publicity, transportation of national-level leaders, and purchase of merchandise. HANOI PERFORMANCE Spring Concert Meeting With the World Music Talents 8 pm on April 17 and 18 The Grand Concert Hall Vietnam National Academy of Music 77 Hao Nam Str., Dong Da Distr., Hanoi You are invited to the Spring Concert Meeting with the world music Talents with the participation of: Conductor: Wojciech Czepiel Violin Soloist: Stephane Tran Ngoc Piano Soloist: Nguyen Viet Trung (Grand Prix at the National Chamber Competition in Warsaw, Poland) Piano Soloist: Eric Lu (First Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition) Piano Soloist: Kate Liu (the Bronze Medal and Best Mazurka Prize at the 17th International Fredyryk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland) and the Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra the Vietnam National Academy of Music Ticket prices: VND300,000, VND 500,000, VND 700,000, VND 1 million. Subscription Concert Vol. 119 Beethoven Cycle with Conductor Jonas Alber 8 pm on April 18 Hanoi Opera House 1 Trang Tien str, Hanoi German conductor Jonas Alber is back in Hanoi. He is remembered for the opening of the Cultural Year of Germany in Vietnam 2010 with Beethovens 9th Symphony accompanied by the Philharmonic Chorus Berlin and VNSO, in addition the Brahms Concerto six years ago and his Beethoven Symphony No 1 last year. Jonas Alber has returned to Vietnam and will participate in the Beethoven cycle of the VNSO this year. Ticket prices: VND 200,000 VND 350,000 VND 500,000 JF Garage Concert 19 with Hanoi Brass Band & Friends 7-9pm on April 19 Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam 27 Quang Trung Street, Hoan Kiem District, The Hanoi Brass Band consists of 6 professional musicians from the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, Military University of Culture and Arts, Brass Ensemble of Department of Public Security, and their instruments are Horn, Trombone, Tuba, Trumpet and Drums. In addition to the members, a Flute and Clarinet will also join the concert. Free ticket. Concert with LaJazzO 8 pm on April 20 and 21 Ly Thai To Monument Pedestrian zone at the Hoan Kiem lake, Hanoi The State Youth Jazz Orchestra of Baden-Wurttemberg (LaJazzO) is the talent school for the next generation of jazz musicians. Many young German jazz musicians can use this ensemble as a springboard for their musical careers. Twice a year, during school holidays, the young musicians meet for one-week work phases, trained by their bandleaders Rainer Tempel and Klaus Graf and other renowned lecturers. The repertoire ranges from contemporary interpretations of traditional pieces to standards and the composers own compositions and arrangements. Following this years spring rehearsals, La JazzO will travel to Hanoi to perform. Free admission EXHIBITION ART FOR YOU 11 Hanoi Hanoi Information and Exhibition Centre Exhibition House, 93 Dinh Tien Hoang, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi Visitors have an opportunity to contemplate a collection of sketches, photographs, illustrations, paintings works, ideas, mediums & meanings, questions and responses by some of the finest creative talents working in Vietnam today, some framed, some unframed, but all between US$25 and US$900. Free entrance Exhibition Echo by Tran Van An Vietnam Fine Arts Museum 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi This is Tran Van Ans first solo exhibition after 9 years of his art career (2010-2019), showcasing his new works made from metal (iron and stainless steel), shaped with mounding and electric welding techniques. Art Exhibition The Art of The Journey at Pan Pacific Hanoi Pan Pacific Hanoi 1 Thanh Nien Road, Ba Dinh, Hanoi The Art of the Journey, an exclusive publication comprising of the private art collection of 170 original art pieces from established and emerging artists in the Asia-Pacific region, will be launched at Pan Pacific Hanoi on 10th April 2019. Of these, 37 stunning pieces representing the definitive works of more than 20 of Vietnams most respected and beloved artists will be displayed for the first time in partnership with Blue Gallery. HO CHI MINH CITY PERFORMANCE Teh Dar: Vietnamese Tribal Culture 6:00 pm, April 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 Ho Chi Minh City Opera House 7 Cong Truong Lam Son, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1 Teh Dar: Vietnamese Tribal Culture features a vibrant display of circus arts, aerial acrobatics, and tribal music within an hour-long performance. The show highlights the lives of tribal families from the southwest highlands of Vietnam, using UNESCO-listed percussion instruments, such as Vietnamese gongs and buffalo horns, as well as vibrant costumes, and a stunning bamboo cirque depicting various landscapes and creatures from tribal folklores. Price range: VND630,000 - VND1,470,000 EXHIBITION Exhibition Machine is Nature The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre 15 Nguyen U Di, Thao Dien, District 2 The exhibition features 15 artists from Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh, China and the UK, curated by The Factory and Inlen Photo Gallery. This exhibition seeks to engage the behaviour and consequence of thinking that machines have become the Nature we study and prioritise. It examines the current times in which we live, sharing the work of artists who are both in awe, and critical, of the patterns, substance, psychological relations and historical fictions between assumptions of Nature and the Machine. Fayaz Wani By SRINAGAR: The grandson of States last Maharaja Hari Singh and Congress candidate for Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat Vikramaditya Singh feels Article 370 is a crucial constitutional link between the erstwhile princely state of J&K and India. Talking to this newspaper, Vikramaditya said Congress has already cleared its stand on special status in its manifesto. We are going to follow the party stand. It (Article 370) is a crucial constitutional link between the erstwhile princely state of J&K and India, he said. Congress in its manifesto has vowed not to allow any change in Article 370, which grants special status to J&K within the Indian constitution. Asked whether Article 370 repeal will alter J&Ks relation with India, Vikramaditya said, It is a highly constitutional and legal matter. I dont want to comment on it. The grandfather of Vikramaditya, Maharaja Hari Singh had on October 27, 1947 signed Instrument of Accession with then Governor General of India Lord Mount Batten. It comprised of nine clauses. Vikramaditya said Congress has always been in favour of the continuation of Article 370 while BJP is talking about removing Article 370 and Art 35A. However, while in power in J&K with PDP, they remained silent on the issue. The party now talks of removing the law. This speaks of their double standards, said Vikramaditya, who is a son of senior Congress leader and former Sadr-e-Riyasat (president) of J&K Karan Singh. On Article 35A, which grants special privileges to J&K citizens some of whom were incorporated from Maharaja Hari Singhs 1926 state subject law, he said, I dont want to specifically comment on it. It is a highly sensitive matter for J&K. Express News Service By NEW DELHI: AICC in-charge of Delhi unit PC Chacko held two rounds of meeting with former chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday to discuss key issues for strategising campaign if the party has to go alone in the national capital for the Lok Sabha election. I met Sheilaji twice today. The meetings were convened in view of the elections. Discussions are going on to streamline and smooth coordination for election campaigning. Various committees for elections are to be set up, Chacko said. The final list for seven seats may be released in a day or two. ALSO READ: Will fight alone in Delhi but willing to tie-up with AAP only in the national capital: Congress After the Congress refused to stitch a pre-poll pact in Haryana, Punjab, and Goa, the AAP has announced to contest all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi on its own. Chacko has blamed the AAP leaders for the failure of alliance talks. He said through a seat-sharing formula was agreed upon, the AAP started to bargain for seats in three other states of Haryana, Punjab, and Goa. According to a Congress leader, the party may finalise candidates for three remaining seats East, South, and West Delhi on Sunday. There has been no communication on the alliance. As I have already said that they (AAP) had taken an impractical stand. We will finalise remaining candidates on tomorrow (Monday) as Congress president Rahul Gandhiji is in Karnataka. After which, we may release list of final seven on Sunday or Monday, said Chacko, who was negotiating with AAP leader Sanjay Singh for a seat-sharing formula for elections in Delhi. As talks for a coalition with the AAP failed, the Congress had finalised its candidates for four parliamentary constituencies in its Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting on Thursday. The shortlisted nominees are Kapil Sibal (Chandni Chowk), Rajkumar Chouhan (Northwest Delhi), Ajay Maken (New Delhi) and Jai Prakash Agarwal (Northeast Delhi). Fayaz Wani By Amid intense pressure from BJP leadership on scrapping of Article 370 (granting special status to J&K) and 35A (which prohibits outsiders from purchasing land and property in J&K) and upping the ante and rhetoric by state politicians on the state subject law, the common man in militancy-hit Kashmir is apprehensive and worried about the next move of the saffron party in case it comes to power again at the centre. They feel that the threat to two Articles of the Constitution is real and warn that any tinkering will lead to a catastrophe in the state, which is already witnessing a surge in militancy since 2016, and the flames would spread to other parts of the country as well. Mohammad Shafi, a boatman in the famous Dal Lake in Srinagar, said removal of Articles 35A and 370 will set the entire J&K on fire. It will unite people of the state and cutting across party affiliations and ideologies, people will join hands and come out on the streets with whatever means to fight its abrogation. For us, Article 35A and 370 is our honour and we cannot allow anybody to touch it. Its removal will have a devastating fallout in the state. It will lead to bloodshed, he said. An elderly boatman, Ghulam Mohammad Mattoo, said the threat to Article 370 and Article 35A is real. PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah are giving frequent statements against J&Ks special status. The threat is real and imminent, he said. Mattoo said, If Article 370 is removed, our relationship with India will end. It means Kashmir will become Azad (free). India will have to remove its troops from the state. The situation will get out of hand and nobody knows where it will stop and how many will be killed. Kashmir will turn into ruins if this law is withdrawn., he said. A barbeque seller, Abdur Rashid opined that if Article 370 or 35A was removed, it would create lot of problems for the people. We have got a special identity because of Article 370 and 35A. If these are removed, then what will be left? It will push the state to uncertainty. The rich people and businessmen from the country will buy land in the state at higher rates. And people in Kashmir will be rendered landless and homeless in their own state. J&K will turn into another Palestine. There will be no jobs for locals and it will lead rise in poverty, he said. A postgraduate commerce student of the University of Kashmir, Aadil Ahmad said, on one hand, PM Modi is talking about embracing Kashmiris and on the other hand theres the talk of removing States special status, which is the only bridge between J&K and India. There will be no comprised on Articles 35A and 370. It is not only dear to the Kashmiris but to people of Jammu and Ladakh as well, he said. Feeling that the threat to special status is imminent, Aadil warned that removal of Articles 35A and 370 would lead to devastation. The BJP leaders should not resort to vote bank politics on this sensitive issue. Even talk of abrogation of the states special status will further add to alienation among people, he said. If it is removed as is being advocated by BJP leaders, it will bring destruction and more bloodshed to J&K. If we will lose our special identity, then it will be a fight for our honour and everybody will come out on roads and blood will be spilt, he said. He hoped good sense would prevail. The BJP government should take decisions as per ground reality and refrain from taking decisions, which will result in bloodshed, adding to our woes, Aadil said. He added if Article 370 is removed, there will be unrest as Kashmir will be Azad. He said the country wont be detached from the Kashmir fallout if Article 370 is withdrawn. Countries have disintegrated because of non-existence of social justice. Talking point Article 370 and Article 35A has become the focal point of every conversation among the Kashmiris nowadays. Businessman Ghulam Mohammad said everybody in Valley is concerned as Articles 370 and 35A safeguard our identity and special status. If our identity is attacked, there will be a mass movement, he said. Instrument of Accession Former Head and Dean Department of Law, School of Legal Studies Central University of Kashmir, Dr Sheikh Showket said clause 7 of J&Ks Accession signed by then Maharaja Hari Singh and then Governor General of India Mountbatten on October 27, 1947 reads, Nothing in the instrument shall be deemed to commit me in any way to acceptance of any future Constitution of India or to fetter my discretion to enter into arrangements with government of India under any such future constitution. He said any tinkering with Article 370 will throw open every issue related to Accession and legitimacy of Accession. If it is removed, our relations would be the same as it was before the Instrument of Accession was signed between the princely state of J&K and India, he said. Playing with fire Taking a dig at BJP leadership, he said, They are playing with fire. Given the fact that J&K is facing over three decades militancy, it is listed as disputed territory in the UN and presence of UN peacekeepers in the State, I dont think it will be so easy for them to remove it. They want to keep it boiling the way they want to keep the Babri Masjid issue boiling, he added. Even students are worried that abrogation of special status may lead to further bloodshed. Deeba Ashraf, the law student of the University of Kashmir, said, Being a law student, I believe Article 370 cannot be abrogated because we need the Constituent Assembly for its abrogation, which no longer exists. Article 370 acts as a bridge between India and J&K and if it is scrapped, it means removing the bridge. She added, It will snatch our land and property, jobs, scholars, etc. It will increase poverty and unemployment. Babar Mansoor, a media student at the University of Kashmir said, If Article 370 is abrogated, it means constitutionally, J&K will become an autonomous princely state as it was before 1947. Express News Service By NEW DELHI: Tension gripped West Delhis Mayapuri on Saturday, as clashes broke out between local shop owners and police personnel during a sealing drive. The drive was initiated by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in compliance with an order issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The NGT had sought the closure of around 850 polluting scrap units in the area. Acting on the NGT order, the sub-divisional magistrate of Delhi Cantonment on Saturday issued a notice directing officials to launch a sealing drive in the area. A team of MCD and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) officials soon arrived at the Mayapuri Kabadi market. ALSO READ: Blame game erupts over Mayapuri shops sealing violence However, the officials said they had sealed around 6 polluting units and were about to seal more when they ran into violent protests by workers of some of the other units. They claimed the workers unleashed an attack on them and the police personnel. The sealing drive was carried out following the directions of the NGT, a senior Revenue Department official said. Police said as the sealing drive began, local scrap dealers erupted in protest and even restored to stone pelting. Fourteen persons, including the SDM, DPCC employees, the ACP and other police personnel, were injured. A case has been registered, the police said. Videos surfaced showing police personnel being chased around by a mob, pelting stones at them and hurling abuses. On Thursday, the NGT had come down heavily on the Delhi government and the DPCC for failing to curb pollution caused by these scrap units. In 2006, 3 people lost their lives in Seelampur during a protest against a sealing drive. Repeated calls to a spokesperson for North MCD went unanswered. By PTI ISLAMABAD:The three-day annual Baisakhi festival -- which was participated by thousands of Sikhs from across the world, including over 2,000 from India -- concluded at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal city of Pakistan's Punjab province on Sunday. Baisakhi is celebrated to mark the beginning of a new harvest season. Under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, every year, large number of Sikh pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals and occasions. A total of 2,206 Sikh pilgrims arrived at Hasan Abdal from India on Friday to attend the festival at the Gurdwara Panja Sahib, even as tensions between the two neighbours remain at fever pitch. Special security arrangements were made for the pilgrims to ensure law and order. ALSO READ: Over 2,200 Sikhs from India arrive in Pakistan to celebrate Baisakhi The Panja Sahib gurdwara at Hasan Abdal, which is about 35 km from Islamabad, has a handprint of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, on a boulder of the shrine. Addressing the pilgrims, Prime Minister's Advisor on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam, who was the chief guest at the concluding ceremony titled Bhog Akhand Paath Sahib', said the Pakistan government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan believed in providing equal rights to all minorities, and cited the example of the country's decision to open the Kartarpur corridor. India and Pakistan have agreed to open up a special border crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district. The corridor will facilitate the visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. By Online Desk After reported pressure from the Sikh Diaspora, Canada has removed references to Sikh extremism, Khalistan in its Terror threat report. The '2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada' had few references to Sikh extremism and Khalistan which had perturbed Sikhs across the world. Sikhs in Canada had been putting pressure on the government to remove the reference. Canadian Sikh community, office-bearers of Canadian gurdwaras and Sikh advocacy groups had been expressing their outrage by holding several meetings and reaching out to the government. Bowing to the pressure from the influential Sikh community in the country, Public Safety Canada has updated the report with 'Extremists who Support Violent Means to Establish an Independent State Within India' deleting the words Sikh extremism and Khalistan. The report which was updated on April 12 had the note, "A review of the language used to describe extremism has been undertaken and is ongoing. The Governments communication of threats must be clear, concise, and cannot be perceived as maligning any groups. As we continue this review, it is apparent that in outlining a threat, it must be clearly linked to an ideology rather than a community. The Government will carefully select terminology that focuses on the intent or ideology." Canada's Public Safety minister Ralph Goodale said, the languages used to describe some threats unintentionally maligned certain communities... and it is not in the line with the values of the Government of Canada. The updated version was released on Friday, about 24 hours before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was scheduled to attend a Vaisakhi parade, organised in Vancouver by the Khalsa Diwan Society, with national defence minister Harjit Sajjan. By PTI NEW DELHI: As the crucial weeks-long general elections began in India, issues like sustained economic growth, national security and protection of democratic values are among key poll priorities for the Indian diaspora across the US as it galvanizes support for various political parties. An Indian-American community group recently organised an election campaign kickoff event in upstate New York, voicing its support for the Bharatiya Janata Party and Narendra Modi in the 2019 elections. With slogans of 'Abki bar 400 paar', Modi supporters among the diaspora said they are confident that he will return to power for a second term. American India Public Affairs Committee president Jagdish Sewhani said the 2019 general elections are very crucial for the future of India. "National security is a top priority of the BJP," he said, adding that another term for Modi will ensure sustained economic growth and development in the country. Members of the Indian-American community organised and participated in several programmes across the US, including a 'Chowkidar March' in New Jersey, car rallies in Washington and Virginia, which travelled 12 miles. FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE A 'chai pe charcha' was organised in New Jersey and other cities including Detroit, Pittsburg, Boston, Columbus, Cleveland, Chicago, Atlanta, Tampa, Houston, Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. Meanwhile, advocacy group 'Coalition for the Defence of the Constitution and Democracy' held a 'Defence of Democracy' rally in the city. The rally was co-sponsored by other groups such as Alliance for a Democratic and Secular South Asia, Coalition for a Democratic India and Dalit Solidarity Forum (DSF) and Indian American Muslim Council. "The BJP government has also been responsible for systematic erosion and weakening of democratic values and institutions," the Coalition said in a statement. It called for ensuring free and fair elections. It also said that lynchings of Dalits and Muslims must be stopped and perpetrators be prosecuted. By PTI LONDON: Julian Assange would cooperate with Swedish authorities if they reopen a rape case against him but will continue to resist any bid to extradite him to the United States, his lawyer said Sunday. "We are absolutely happy to answer those queries if and when they come up," Jennifer Robinson told Sky News television about the rape claims. "The key issue at the moment is US extradition, which we have warned about for many years," she added. The WikiLeaks founder is in custody in London awaiting sentencing for breaching his British bail conditions in 2012 by seeking refuge in Ecuador's London embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden. READ| Assange's father calls on Australia to bring him home He was arrested at the embassy on Thursday after Ecuador gave him up, and is now also fighting a US extradition warrant relating to the release by WikiLeaks of a huge cache of official documents. The Australian has always denied the claims of sexual assault and rape in Sweden. The first expired in 2015 and the other was dropped in 2017, but the alleged rape victim has now asked for the case to be reopened. If Stockholm makes a formal extradition request, the British government will have to decide whether to consider it before or after that of the United States. Robinson said Assange would seek assurances from Sweden that he would not be sent on to America, saying: "That is the same assurance we were seeking in 2010 and the refusal to give that is why he sought asylum". She added: "He's not above the law. Julian has never been concerned about facing British justice or indeed Swedish justice. This case is and has always been about his concern about being sent to face American injustice". The US indictment charges Assange with "conspiracy" for working with former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to crack a password stored on Department of Defence computers in March 2010. He faces up to five years in jail. READ|'I know nothing': Donald Trump changes his tune on WikiLeaks after Assange's arrest Manning passed hundreds of thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks, exposing US military wrongdoing in the Iraq war and diplomatic secrets about scores of countries around the world. The conspiracy charge against Assange seems intended to sidestep limits on prosecution potentially arising from the US Constitution's First Amendment guarantee of press freedom. But Robinson insisted: "This indictment clearly engages newsgathering activities and the kinds of communications that journalists have with sources all the time". The lawyer condemned as "outrageous" claims made by Ecuador about Assange's behaviour in the embassy, including that he smeared his faeces on the wall, saying: "That's not true". Quito also accused him of failing to care for his cat. WikiLeaks said Assange had asked his lawyers to "rescue him (the cat) from embassy threats" in October, adding: "They will be reunited in freedom". Assange's father, John Shipton, on Sunday urged Australia to bring his son home. By PTI DESROCHES ISLAND (Seychelles): In a striking speech delivered from deep below the ocean's surface, the Seychelles president is making a global plea for stronger protection of the "beating blue heart of our planet." President Danny Faure's call for action, the first-ever live speech from an underwater submersible, comes from one of the many island nations threatened by global warming. Seychelles President Danny Faure sits inside a submersible on the deck of vessel Ocean Zephyr, off the coast of Desroches, in the outer islands of Seychelles. (Photo | AP) The president is speaking during a visit to an ambitious British-led science expedition exploring the Indian Ocean depths. Oceans cover over two-thirds of the world's surface but remain, for the most part, uncharted. Faure's speech says that "this issue is bigger than all of us, and we cannot wait for the next generation to solve it. We are running out of excuses to not take action, and running out of time." The airline will be the first to operate direct flights between the two cultural and tourism cities. The route will operate return flights every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday from May 29, 2019. Each leg takes about four hours. The flights will depart from HCM City at 8:05 am and arrive in Bali at 13:05 am (local time). The return flights will take off at 2:05 pm (local time) and land in HCM City at 5:05 pm (local time). Vice General Director of Vietjet Air Nguyen Thanh Son believed the route will help promote tourism, trade, and integration between Vietnam and Indonesia, as well as promote Vietnams image to international friends. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Windy. Showers in the morning then clearing with bright sunshine in the afternoon. Morning high of 52F with temps falling to near 40. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low 26F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Innovation and technology is a policy priority for my Government and an area of progressive growth and boundless promise for our universities. Hong Kong has what it takes to be successful in this field. To start with, we have world-class research capabilities. Four Hong Kong universities rank among the world's top 100. That includes the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, a founding member of the Asian Universities Alliance (AUA). Let me add that this prestigious university is among the top young universities in the world, leading the way in science and engineering-related subjects. Hong Kong's technology research strengths include biotechnology, artificial intelligence and robotics. To expand on these and other areas of excellence, we have in recent years put in place numerous policies and programmes to promote research and development at our universities. Our Innovation & Technology Fund, for example, supports both applied and forward-looking R&D projects undertaken by our universities. We also have the Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities under the fund, which enables university professors and students to start technology companies and commercialise their R&D results. In January this year, we launched the Partnership Research Programme under the fund. It sponsors R&D projects undertaken by private companies in collaboration with local universities. There is also a dedicated programme which funds universities engaged in midstream research. On top of the above, our Innovation & Technology Fund assists universities in their technology transfer. And, I'm pleased to note, R&D results among our universities are encouraging. A startup linked with Hong Kong Polytechnic University, for example, developed soft contact lenses and spectacle lenses that can retard the progression of myopia in children. Its related defocus-incorporated-multiple-segments technology won the Grand Prize at last year's International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. The research behind this breakthrough was funded by our Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities that I mentioned just now. By the way, I am thrilled to learn from yesterday's news and this morning's newspapers that this year's Geneva Exhibition of Inventions' Grand Prize also goes to a Hong Kong company, a startup at Science Park, with a water-based manufacturing process to recycle and reuse lithium battery as its winning entry. Excellent work is also being done by the 16 State Key Labs and six local branches of Chinese National Engineering Research Centres here, which are funded in full or in part by the Innovation & Technology Fund. Hosted by Hong Kong universities, their achievements include the new stress-tolerant soybean cultivar, and the world's first scientific model for predicting metal toxicity in marine environments and bodies of water. Let me add that Prof Dennis Lo, Director of the State Key Lab of Translational Oncology, was named among the Top 20 Translational Researchers for two consecutive years by the world-renowned journal Nature Biotechnology. Prof Lo developed a noninvasive prenatal diagnostic technology that has benefited millions of pregnant women around the world. And SenseTime, a home-grown technology company in the Hong Kong Science Park founded by Prof Tang Xiaoou has developed into the world's most valuable AI startup in just a little over three years. It's all very encouraging, which is why we continue to expand our support through facilitating policies and considerable investment at some US$12.5 billion in the past two years. This fiscal year, my Government doubled annual funding under our Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities. Each university now gets more than US$1 million a year. We've done the same for the technology transfer office of each university, which means a doubling of funding to more than US$1 million a year. As for our State Key Labs and the Hong Kong Branches of Chinese National Engineering Research Centres, their annual funding has also been doubled to US$1.3 million. And to boost our impressive talent base, my Government launched the Postdoctoral Hub last August under the Innovation & Technology Fund. It funds universities and other organisations in their recruitment of post-doctoral talent for R&D work. The Researcher Programme also supports them in the hiring of local graduates to assist in R&D projects. Since February, the maximum time period for these two programmes has been extended to three years. Response is overwhelming with the Researcher Programme having sponsored over 3,800 local graduates to join the I&T industry and the Postdoctoral Hub Programme having sponsored 360 postdoctoral talents to pursue a career in R&D. We are, in short, committed to helping our universities realise their full R&D potential. Our more ambitious goal, however, is to help build an international I&T hub here in Hong Kong. That includes the establishment of two world-class research clusters at our Science Park - one targeting healthcare technologies, the other AI and robotics. In each case, we are inviting renowned universities, research institutions and companies from all over the world to look to Hong Kong for their future. The response has been encouraging, and from such prestigious universities as Harvard, Stanford and Johns Hopkins in the US, Imperial College and University College London in the UK, the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany and the Institut Pasteur in France. From the Mainland of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Tsinghua University are amongst the active project proponents. In all, we've received nearly 50 proposals to date, and the first research institutions will be setting up their laboratories in two brand new buildings at the Science Park before the end of this year. We are also building unprecedented connections and opportunity through the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The city cluster comprises the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao and nine major cities in Guangdong, and each of the 11 cities will contribute their respective strengths. The Outline Development Plan for the Greater Bay Area was promulgated by the Central Government in February this year, and the goal of creating an international I&T hub for the Greater Bay Area occupies a very prominent part of the plan. To that end, we are strengthening our collaboration with the Mainland on the I&T front under the "one country, two systems" principle. With the support of the Central Government, our local universities and research institutions are now eligible to apply for state funding on science and technology and the approved funds will be remitted to Hong Kong. Also in last year, we signed a co-operation arrangement with the Mainland's Ministry of Science & Technology, which serves as an action guide and framework for us to enhance co-operation in scientific research, nurturing of talents, transfer of results, etc. We also entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which will set up an affiliated institution here in Hong Kong to facilitate its research institutes to participate in the research clusters I mentioned earlier. And we've established a Greater Bay Area academician alliance to promote co-operation among academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. They will help advise on the Greater Bay Areas technological development. We would like to see more world-renowned universities and research institutions joining us, both for the research clusters being set up in Hong Kong and for the Greater Bay Area development. That is why university visits are now almost a must-see on my official itinerary overseas. Last week, during my trip to Japan, I visited the University of Tokyo, a member of the AUA, and had a very fruitful meeting with President Gonokami. While we are all excited about science and technological innovation, we must not forget about sustainable development, or the broader humanity issues, without which there will be little social and ecological harmony. I am glad to note that sustainable development is also a main theme to be discussed at this Presidents Forum. Hong Kong definitely realises the importance of sustainable development. And the Government has rolled out various environmental blueprints and measures to tackle environmental degradation. Chief Executive Carrie Lam gave these remarks at the Asian Universities Alliance Summit 2019 Presidents Forum on April 14. According to a statement, the treasury "designated four companies that operate in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy," and "identified nine vessels, some of which transported oil from Venezuela to Cuba, as blocked property owned by the four companies." As a result of the sanctions, all property and interests of these targeted entities that are in the United States would be blocked. Also, US persons are generally prohibited from all dealings that involve any property of these entities. 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 Venezuela's "interim president" on January 23, days after incumbent President Nicholas Maduro was inaugurated for a second term. In response, Maduro severed "diplomatic and political" ties with the United States. Maduro has accused Washington of trying to orchestrate a coup in Venezuela in order to install a puppet regime and claim its resources. A SERVICE level benchmarking peer review report by the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe, (Ucaz) has revealed that 47 percent of Gweru City Councils management team is not qualified for their positions. Presenting the findings, review team member, Mutare City Engineer Maxwell Kerith said this affects the top and middle management positions. We noted that 47,9 percent of those occupying top and middle management positions are not qualified for those posts. Only 52,1 percent of employees are qualified for their positions, he said. Engineer Kerith said there is a need for the local authority to consider correcting the anomaly. Our recommendation as the review team is that the council should expedite adoption of draft key corporate policies. The number of under qualified staff is worrying because we expect that everyone should be qualified for the posts they are holding, he said. Engineer Kerith also said there is an audit backlog at the municipality, with the last audit having been done in 2015. What we noted is that there is a serious backlog of audit in Gweru City Council. The council is still working on their 2016 audit books and that should be corrected as well. The city needs to fast track the adoption of key corporate governance policies, said Engineer Kerith. The report also revealed that the council has managed to reduce loss of its treated water. The last service level bench marking review revealed that the council was losing 57 percent of its treated water. We are happy to announce that there is a huge improvement as now the city is only loosing 47,3 percent of its treated water. We encourage them to continue working hard to reduce water loss, said Engineer Kerith. Trafigura, the global commodities trader, is facing accusations that it used a partners connections to Zanu PF to gain an unfair advantage in the supply of fuel to the southern African nation. The Swiss-based trader is alleged to have benefited from favourable terms that its partner, Sakunda, enjoys over the use of a vital state-owned pipeline that supplies most of the countrys fuel needs. Trafigura, which is a big supplier of fuel to Zimbabwe, has been criticised by politicians in both the ruling Zanu PF of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the main opposition. Trafigura and rival trading houses operating in Africa and elsewhere are under scrutiny over how they use local intermediaries such as Sakunda to strike deals in politically fraught markets such as Zimbabwe. The industry is under a bit of a microscope over the practice, Jeremy Weir, Trafiguras chief executive, conceded in March. The pipeline in question runs from Mozambiques port of Beira to the landlocked Zimbabwean capital, Harare. Christopher Mutsvangwa, a senior Zanu PF figure, claimed Sakundas influence over it was secured in a way that he described as being akin to state capture using a term that refers to profit-seeking private interests gaining influence over state institutions. The alleged benefits include inflated prices for fuel delivered through the pipeline at a time when a dire shortage of US dollars means the country is struggling to pay for imports. Trafigura denies the accusations. Trafigura pays in advance for pipeline utilisation like every other trader. We are not given priority or any other special treatment. . . the fuel we import is sold at the price publicly set by the government regulator, a spokesperson said. The accusations are politically charged. Zimbabwe is struggling to emerge from years of economic misrule by Robert Mugabe, the leader deposed in 2017 by generals favouring his former deputy Mnangagwa. Severe cash shortages and long queues outside petrol stations are undermining Mnangagwas signature promise to make Zimbabwe open for business through investment-friendly policies. In January, security forces brutally suppressed protests over the fuel shortages. Mnangagwas government has since started a risky reform programme to tackle a longstanding currency crisis. But Zimbabwes opposition has said that reforms are being undermined by vested interests. Tendai Biti, a former Finance minister and a senior leader in the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, claimed that the government was beholden to Trafigura because they control the pipeline. They are right now buying fuel from Trafigura . . . why should Zimbabwe buy fuel from a middleman? said Biti, referring to Sakunda and Trafigura. Sakunda, which has a joint venture with Trafigura in Zimbabwe, is headed by Kudakwashe Tagwirei, a businessman with clout in Zanu-PF. Tagwirei is popularly known as Queen Bee because of his perceived influence over critical levers of the economy such as access to US dollars. Sakunda and Tagwirei did not respond to a request for comment. Trafigura owns 49%of the joint venture with Sakunda, which is called Trafigura Zimbabwe. Trafigura has become an important lender to Zimbabwe. Like other traders, it has advanced fuel on credit to the government. The use of the pipeline and fuel supplied is part of a competitively priced credit arrangement which is repaid over time after delivery, a Trafigura spokesperson said. Zimbabwes Energy minister, Joram Gumbo, has denied that Sakunda has a monopoly over the pipeline. Rival traders to Trafigura such as Glencore also supply Zimbabwe through the pipeline, which is currently operating below its maximum capacity of 180 million litres a month. Trafigura said the group currently uses less than a third of the pipelines capacity. Sakunda has financed refurbishments of infrastructure such as storage associated with the pipeline, which is operated by Zimbabwes national oil company. Mutsvangwa claimed that a political cartel under Mugabe had favoured Sakunda and given it pride of place in the pipeline. It happened before my eyes and ears, said Mutsvangwa, who was a cabinet minister in Mugabes final years of rule. Mutsvangwa is also a close ally of Mnangagwa. Sakunda, he alleged, was only the local comrade or face for Trafigura, on which he placed most blame for high prices. Traders and analysts said importing fuel into Zimbabwe might be expected to carry a premium in a region not well served by refineries. But they added that prices for fuel delivered to the pipeline still looked high. Diesel fuel imported to Zimbabwe generally contains more sulphur than permitted in Europe or North America. But the pipeline product has been priced at a level similar to or higher than wholesale price benchmarks in New York and London. Eddie Cross, an economist and former opposition MP in Zimbabwe, said the pricing was not justified. He said a lot of the price was premium generated by the current arrangement. Every cent [per litre] represents about $1m-$2m. Were not talking peanuts here, Cross added. I would like to say thank you very much to President Mnangagwa for the support he has given me since my return to Zimbabwe. All the efforts that they have been making together with those that work with him are excellent. I was away for 18 years and I am very grateful for the assistance that has been rendered to me by the Government of Zimbabwe. The Government is in the process of processing my dues and other things and I am just waiting for them to conclude their work but it is in order. THE Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (Zimche) will suspend all degrees that do not meet minimum standards prescribed by the Zimbabwe National Qualifications Framework in January next year. In an interview on the sidelines of a public lecture at Midlands State University on Friday, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Professor Amon Murwira said Government had set minimum standards and requirements for degree programmes in the country to ensure that they are relevant to the economy. These are the expectations of any degree whether arts and humanities, sciences and engineering. All degrees must promise us what they are going to do. So if a degree does not have these requirements, Zimche is going to look at it using its quality assurance standards, he said. The exercise, Prof Murwira said, will also ensure that there is uniformity in degree programmes being offered in the country in terms of skill and knowledge. We now have the Zimbabwe National Qualifications Framework in which we are saying similar degrees should be standardised with at least 80 percent of their courses overlapping and the remaining 20 percent should cater for the specialisation of that university. Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low around -15F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low around -15F. Winds light and variable. Twitter/@GovMurphy(TRENTON) -- New Jersey has become the eighth jurisdiction to allow for terminally ill patients to end their own lives. Gov. Phil Murphy signed the Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act on Friday, which will allow "New Jersey adults to end their lives peacefully, with dignity, and at their own discretion," according to a press release from the governor's office. The law will go into effect on Aug. 1. The law will permit terminally ill adult patients living in New Jersey the right to obtain and self-administer medication to end their lives, according to the release. In order for the patient to get the medication, doctors must determine that he or she has a life expectancy of six months or less, has the capacity to make health care decisions, and is acting voluntarily. Other measures would require patients to make two requests and also give them the chance to rescind their request. In a statement, Murphy described giving residents the choice to end theirs lives as "the right thing to do." "By signing this bill today, we are providing terminally ill patients and their families with the humanity, dignity, and respect that they so richly deserve at the most difficult times any of us will face," Murphy said. Dan Diaz, the husband of Brittany Maynard, an advocate for right-to-die laws who ended her own in 2014 at the age of 29 after moving from California to Oregon, thanked New Jersey lawmakers for passing the law "without excessive regulations that would prevent dying New Jerseyans from using this option. My wife Brittany Maynard spoke up so terminally ill New Jerseyans in her predicament would not have to leave their home like we did just to secure the option of a gentle dying process, Diaz said in a statement. Lawmakers in New Jersey had been trying unsuccessfully since 2012 to pass the bill, The Associated Press reported. California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia also allow for terminally ill patients to choose to end theirs lives. One in five Americans now live in locations where the option is available, according to Death With Dignity, an organization that promotes laws that allow dying individuals to end their own lives. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (front) attends the eighth leaders' meeting of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) in Dubrovnik, Croatia, April 12, 2019. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) DUBROVNIK, Croatia, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday proposed a series of measures to promote cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs). Li made the proposal when addressing the eighth China-CEEC leaders' meeting in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik. Li noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping recently made successful visits to three European countries, injecting new impetus into deepening development of the China-European Union (EU) comprehensive strategic partnership. As part of the China-EU relations, the China-CEEC cooperation mechanism has been conducive to promoting European integration process and advancing the China-EU ties, the premier said. Members of the mechanism stick to the principles of mutual respect and equal treatment, uphold the spirit of openness and inclusiveness, follow international rules and EU laws and regulations, and respect the responsibilities and obligations that EU members among the 16 CEECs need to fulfill, Li said. The cooperation mechanism attaches equal importance to trade and investment, and combines economic cooperation with people-to-people exchanges, having not only promoted common development but also facilitated Europe's balanced development, said Li. The mechanism has become a major pillar for China-EU comprehensive cooperation, he added. Noting that the leaders' meeting takes "Building new bridges through openness, innovation and partnership" as its theme, Li called for making the bridge of openness broader, the bridge of innovation clearer, and the bridge of partnership more solid. On future development of the China-CEEC cooperation, Li called for jointly defending multilateral trade system, upholding such basic principle as openness, transparency, inclusiveness and non-discrimination, and sticking to the direction of trade liberalization. On expanding trade volume, Li said China is willing to import more high-quality agricultural products from the CEECs and make it easier for such products to be exported to China. Calling for joint efforts to build the Belt and Road, the premier said China is willing to enhance the alignment between its development strategies and those of the CEECs, stick to the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and better draw on complementary advantages, so as to achieve win-win results and common prosperity. Urging greater efforts to boost innovation cooperation, Li said China is willing to work with the 16 countries to conduct joint research, expand scientific and technological exchanges, and cultivate growth points through innovation cooperation. The premier also stressed the importance of jointly safeguarding a fair, just and non-discriminatory market environment. Li also called for continued efforts to promote cooperation in the fields of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and industrial park building, adding that China and the CEECs have held cross-border matching events of SMEs, and launched a website for the SMEs coordination mechanism. Calling for stepped-up efforts to conduct people-to-people exchanges, Li said China and the CEECs should take the Year of Education and Youth Exchange as an opportunity to enhance exchanges and cooperation among universities and colleges and promote mutual understanding and friendship between young people. Announcing that China will host the ninth China-CEEC leaders' meeting in 2020, Li said he expects CEEC leaders to attend the meeting and jointly sketch out a new blueprint for the China-CEEC cooperation. On their part, CEEC leaders said, after the launch of the cooperation mechanism, the CEECs and China have seen their pragmatic cooperation bearing remarkable fruits, political mutual trust continuously strengthened, trade and investment rapidly growing, and cooperation in fields including education, tourism and culture continuously deepened. The cooperation mechanism has continuously shown new vigor and vitality and become an important cross-region cooperation platform featuring openness, inclusiveness, mutual benefits and win-win results, they said. The mechanism has not only boosted economic growth of each country and enhanced the wellbeing of their people, but also effectively promoted the overall EU-China relations, they said. All sides are ready to take this meeting as an opportunity to fully support the implementation of CEEC-China cooperation projects, further promote connectivity and infrastructure building, actively participate in the joint building of the Belt and Road, continuously expand trade volume, jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade, increase personnel exchanges, and expand exchanges and cooperation at local levels and in fields including tourism, health, sports, and think tanks, the CEEC leaders said. After the meeting, China and the CEECs jointly published The Dubrovnik Guidelines for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries, and the leaders witnessed the signing of more than 10 cooperation agreements. Greece was accepted as a full member of the China-CEEC cooperation mechanism, according to a decision made by the meeting. Later on Friday, Li and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic met the press after the leaders' meeting. Both leaders spoke highly of the new progress made in the China-CEEC cooperation and called the meeting efficient, pragmatic, fruitful and successful. Speaking to reporters, Li said, faced with the current complicated international situations, all sides should work to safeguard multilateralism and free trade. As a cross-regional cooperation platform, the China-CEEC cooperation mechanism now serves as an important part of and a beneficial supplement to the China-EU cooperation, Li said. 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. Community Perspective Send Community Perspective submissions by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Submissions must be 500 to 750 words. Columns are welcome on a wide range of issues and should be well-written and well-researched with attribution of sources. Include a full name, email address, daytime telephone number and headshot photograph suitable for publication (email jpg or tiff files at 150 dpi.) You may also schedule a photo to be taken at the News-Miner office. The News-Miner reserves the right to edit submissions or to reject those of poor quality or taste without consulting the writer. Letters to the editor Send letters to the editor by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707), by fax (907-452-7917) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Writers are limited to one letter every two weeks (14 days.) All letters must contain no more than 350 words and include a full name (no abbreviation), daytime and evening phone numbers and physical address. (If no phone, then provide a mailing address or email address.) The Daily News-Miner reserves the right to edit or reject letters without consulting the writer. DUBROVNIK, Croatia, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivered a speech at the 9th China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Business Forum here on Friday. An English translated version of the speech is as follows: Speech by H.E. Li Keqiang Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China At the Ninth China-CEEC Business Forum Dubrovnik, 12 April 2019 Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Ladies and gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure to join friends old and new at the ninth China-CEEC Business Forum in the seaport city of Dubrovnik in the beautiful season of spring. On behalf of the Chinese government, I wish to extend warm congratulations on the opening of the Forum and pay high tribute to all those who are committed to the friendly relations and cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern European countries. In recent years, China-CEEC (16+1) cooperation has been growing with a strong momentum. This is largely attributed to our strong and expanding business ties, which have seen new progress every year thanks to the concerted efforts of all parties. In 2018, China's trade with the CEE countries increased by 21 percent, hitting a record high of 82.2 billion U.S. dollars. In particular, growth in China's imports from the CEE countries outstripped that of exports by five percentage points. As FDI (foreign direct investment) plunges worldwide, China's investment in the CEE countries has bucked the trend and soared by 67 percent, most notably in major projects in the energy, mining and home appliance sectors and with new steps taken in cooperation in third-party markets. China-CEEC cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has made new strides, as seen in greater headway in infrastructure connectivity, smooth progress in projects from the Budapest-Belgrade railway and the E763 highway in Serbia to the MS and KO highways in North Macedonia and the South-North expressway in Montenegro, and growing cooperation in new areas like information and communications and smart cities. With over 6,000 new freight train services opened between China and Europe last year and the steady development of China-Europe Land Sea Express Line, CEE countries are poised to play a bigger role as gateways between Asia and Europe. Subnational cooperation continues to deepen, marked by the launching of the Ningbo 16+1 Demonstration Zone for Economic Cooperation and Trade and the China (Liaoning) CEEC Pavilion. There have been more frequent people-to-people and cultural exchanges, as evidenced by over 1.4 million tourist arrivals from China to CEE countries and 350,000 visits from CEE countries to China in 2018. Our two sides also run collaboration programs in the performing arts, animation, film and other cultural and creative industries. While strong support from governments has been indispensable, all this progress would not have been possible without the hard work from our business communities. Ladies and gentlemen, We meet at a crucial moment in world economic development. Global growth has been weighed down by factors such as sluggish international trade and investment and rising protectionism. New uncertainties and destabilizing factors are mounting, shaking market expectations and confidence in development. That said, on the bright side, the global economy is increasingly propelled by the new round of technological and industrial revolution. The growing complexities in the international landscape make it all the more imperative for all parties to work together to seize opportunities and tackle challenges. President Xi Jinping's recent visit to three European countries has injected fresh impetus to China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership. The 16+1 cooperation is an important part of China-Europe relations. Guided by the principles of peace, cooperation, openness, inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit, China will foster a stronger synergy between the BRI and development strategies of CEE countries on the basis of consultation and collaboration for shared benefits, with a view to taking our business cooperation to greater depth and breadth. - We need to promote trade facilitation. China's trade with the 16 CEE countries has enjoyed fast growth, yet there remains a big potential to tap. China will work with the CEE countries to open markets wider to each other. Customs cooperation needs to be strengthened by streamlining procedures for greater efficiency in the clearance of goods. We will improve the communication and coordination mechanism for inspection and quarantine, speed up the negotiation of relevant protocols, and better coordinate our safety inspection efforts. China will support CEE countries in participating in the China International Import Expo, the China-CEEC Expo and other trade promotion platforms, and provide a green channel for exports by CEE countries to China. We will continue to develop the China-Europe freight train service and multi-modal transport, enhance services facilitation cooperation on China-Europe Land Sea Express Line, harmonize rules and standards at a faster pace, and establish logistics hubs to speed up cross-border flow of goods. - We need to foster new growth areas in trade. China and CEE countries each have comparative advantages and our economies are highly complementary. We need to further unlock the trade potential, improve the trade mix, and expand areas in trade cooperation. Trade in agricultural products will be increased. China will continue to create conditions to import more honey, fruit, dairy and meat products and other farm produce from CEE countries to meet the diverse needs of Chinese consumers. We will continue to scale up trade in mechanical and electrical products and quality consumer goods such as automobiles and home appliances, and grow trade in high-quality, high-tech and high value-added products such as manufactured equipment. We need to step up cooperation on new business forms and models, encourage large cross-border e-commerce companies to set up more overseas warehouses and exhibition and sales centers in CEE countries to explore more trading channels. Trade in services will be expanded. There is a big potential in tourism cooperation as the number of overseas trips by Chinese tourists reached 150 million last year. Companies from CEE countries are welcome to hold tourism expos in China to intensify the promotion of tourism resources and attractive tourist products. We look forward to more facilitation provided to Chinese tourists in terms of border control in CEE countries. Our two sides need to support civil aviation cooperation, encourage communication between airline companies, and look into the feasibility of opening more direct flights when conditions are in place. - We need to deepen investment and industrial capacity cooperation. The Chinese government supports Chinese companies in investing in CEE countries in keeping with commercial principles and on their own decisions, particularly in such areas as agriculture, manufacturing, information and communications, and R&D. Joint efforts will be made to build industrial clusters and logistics parks and improve industrial chain cooperation. We hope that the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies will be effectively protected in relevant countries in accordance with the principles of equity, fairness and non-discrimination. During this year's summit, we will launch the 16+1 Global Partnership Center and the website for the China-CEEC SME Coordination Mechanism, which are designed to provide more convenient, thoughtful and professional services for companies to broaden investment cooperation. - We need to make concrete progress in connectivity. Achieving infrastructure connectivity at a faster pace is high on the development agenda of many CEE countries, and is an important means for delivering win-win outcomes of 16+1 cooperation. A good example is the China-Croatia cooperation on the Peljesac Bridge project. China will continue to encourage companies to take part in infrastructure development of CEE countries, and work with relevant parties to steadily advance the construction of the Serbian section and the tendering of the Hungarian section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway. We will foster synergy among the Belt and Road Initiative, the Three Seas Initiative, the EU strategy on connecting Europe and Asia, the Trans-European Transport Networks and other plans, and implement the projects with earnest efforts. We will improve the financing conditions for projects, make full use of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Silk Road Fund, the China-CEEC Inter-Bank Association and other financial platforms, encourage commercial banks to develop more innovative financial products and diversify financing models. We will develop new ways in implementing cooperation projects, properly address issues concerning mutual recognition of standards and returns on investment, and actively explore cooperation modalities in third-party markets, joint bidding and public-private partnership. The Chinese government supports relevant countries in conducting rules-based public tendering where Chinese companies can compete on a level playing field. Ladies and gentlemen, I would also like to take this opportunity to briefly talk about the Chinese economy and our policy orientation as they may be topics of interest to you. In 2018, despite difficulties and challenges, China's economy grew by 6.6 percent and exceeded 90 trillion yuan, or 13.6 trillion U.S. dollars. A total of 13.61 million new urban jobs were created and the surveyed urban unemployment rate was 4.9 percent at the end of last year, which means we have achieved fairly full employment. This year, China faces a more complex and challenging development environment. In the Report on the Work of the Government adopted at last month's annual session of the National People's Congress, we made a comprehensive analysis of the situation and laid out a series of major policies and measures. The Chinese economy has maintained a stable performance on the whole this year. In particular, we have seen quite a number of positive changes since March: the manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index and its sub-indices on production and new orders rebounded to the highest point in months; fixed-asset investment, imports and exports, freight volume and electricity generation grew at a faster pace; consumption remained stable; and trading in the capital market was vibrant. As things stand now, we are seeing a notable improvement in market expectations, better performance of the business sector, especially SMEs, and growing dynamism for internally driven development. We are confident that the main targets for this year, including a 6-6.5 percent GDP growth, can be achieved. We will maintain the current macro policy orientations, and avoid adopting strong stimulus policies, such as quantitative easing and excessive money supply. Instead, we will keep to the central task of supply-side structural reform and create conditions for steady economic performance by further advancing reform and introducing measures in accordance with market principles and the rule of law. Going forward, we will concentrate our efforts in the following three areas. First, we will take steps to energize market entities and improve the business environment. Robust market entities provide a strong driving force for economic growth. China has more than 100 million market entities, including over 34 million enterprises. On average, 18,000 new enterprises are established each day. If more and more market entities can be in vibrant operation, we will acquire a solid bulwark against the downward pressure on the economy. This year, we will cut taxes and fees on a larger scale, which is expected to reduce the tax burden and social insurance contributions of companies by nearly two trillion yuan. Tax cuts for enterprises will lead to lower fiscal revenues, yet the spending in key areas such as people's livelihood must be maintained. Then what is our solution? Instead of substantially raising the deficit-to-GDP ratio, we are asking governments at all levels to tighten their belts, explore every possible means to expand revenue and reduce spending, and follow a new approach of putting idle assets and funds to better use while notably cutting general expenditures. We will make the negative list on market access shorter, streamline administrative approval procedures, strengthen impartial regulation, and improve the efficiency of government services, with a view to creating a level playing field for market entities of all types. Second, we will take steps to pursue innovation-driven development and strengthen new growth drivers. Innovation is the primary driving force for development. China has more than 170 million people in its workforce with higher educational background or professional skills. China also has the largest pool of scientific and technological personnel in the world, and a big internal market. Such conditions have given a strong boost to technological innovation and industrial application from both the supply and demand sides. To foster new growth drivers, we are developing emerging industries and promoting the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries at the same time. China is the largest manufacturer in the world. We will strengthen the industrial foundation and the capacity for technological innovation, build industrial internet platforms, and empower the manufacturing industry with digital, internet, smart and green technologies. E-commerce, mobile payment, sharing economy and other new business forms and models are booming. These are the results of innovation by Chinese companies that are encouraged by the accommodative and prudential regulatory approach taken by the Chinese government. Going forward, we will step up the R&D (research and development) and application of big data and artificial intelligence, foster clusters of emerging industries and strengthen the digital economy. New growth drivers now contribute more than one third of China's economic growth and more than two thirds of new urban jobs. They are giving China new strengths to pursue development. Third, we will take steps to promote all-round opening-up and build an open economy at a higher level. The National People's Congress of China adopted the Foreign Investment Law a few weeks ago. We are bringing forward the formulation of matching regulations so that they can enter into force together with the law on 1 January next year. This will help build an enabling business environment based on the rule of law and up to international standards. We are expediting the implementation of the measures announced, including shortening the negative list on market access for foreign investors, further opening up the financial and other sectors, and strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights. China has grown into a major international investor. We will encourage credible and capable Chinese enterprises to invest overseas in an orderly fashion. China has actively expanded import from other countries. Since last year, we have voluntarily cut tariffs four times, bringing the overall tariff level down to 7.5 percent, a lower middle level in the world. We will also further improve the facilitation of customs clearance to significantly reduce cost and improve efficiency. As China continues to develop an open economy, it will create greater opportunities for companies of CEE countries. Ladies and gentlemen, As a saying goes, "When the wind is at our back, lose no time in setting sail." In the face of a great opportunity to deepen China-CEEC cooperation, I hope business leaders from both China and CEE countries will work in concert to open up new prospects for China-CEEC economic and business cooperation. Thank you. U.S. congressional Democrats on Saturday headed for a showdown with the Internal Revenue Service over President Donald Trumps tax retu... U.S. congressional Democrats on Saturday headed for a showdown with the Internal Revenue Service over President Donald Trumps tax returns, setting a new hard deadline of April 23 for the federal tax agency to hand the documents over to lawmakers. In an April 13 letter that appeared to move Democrats closer to a federal court battle against the Trump administration, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal warned the IRS that failure to comply with his request for six years of Trumps individual and business returns by April 23 would be interpreted as a denial. The Trump administration has already missed an initial April 10 deadline for providing the tax records, which Neal first set when he made his request on April 3. Democrats based their request on the panels jurisdiction over IRS enforcement of the tax laws regarding U.S. presidents. But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday that Neal was just picking arbitrary dates in setting deadlines and said it was more important to get the decision right to ensure the IRS would not be weaponized in a political dispute. I do intend to follow the law. But I think these raise very, very complicated legal issues. I dont think these are simple issues. There are constitutional issues, he told reporters on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings in Washington. He could not say whether the Treasury, which oversees the IRS, would complete its review of Neals request by April 23. Mnuchin, who has consulted with the White House and Department of Justice about Trumps tax returns, said earlier this week that Neals request raised concerns about the scope of the committees authority, privacy protections for U.S. taxpayers and the legislative purpose of lawmakers in seeking the documents. He said he has not spoken personally to Attorney General William Barr about the request. Those concerns lack merit. Moreover, judicial precedent commands that none of the concerns raised can legitimately be used to deny the committees request, Neal told IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig in his letter. It is not the proper function of the IRS, Treasury or Justice to question or second guess the motivations of the committee or its reasonable determinations regarding its need for the requested tax returns and return information. Please know that, if you fail to comply, your failure will be interpreted as a denial of my request, Neal wrote. As Ways and Means chairman, Neal is the only lawmaker in the House of Representatives authorised to request individual tax information under a federal law that says that the Treasury secretary shall furnish the data. Despite the laws clarity, Democrats have long acknowledged that the request, if denied, would mean a federal court battle that could ultimately be settled by the U.S. Supreme Court. Legal experts say lawmakers could vote to hold administration officials in contempt of Congress, which would provide a basis for the House to ask a federal judge to order the Treasury Department to comply. Congressional Republicans have condemned Neals request as a political fishing expedition by Democrats, while the White House has said the documents will never be turned over. But Congress would likely win a court fight, though it could take months or even years to unfold, experts say. Neals request for the returns of a sitting president is unprecedented, and legal experts say its success or failure may depend on a court ruling about the committees legislative purpose for seeking the documents. Neal said in his letter that the request is needed to further legislative proposals and oversight related to our Federal tax laws, including but not limited to, the extent to which the IRS audits and enforces the Federal tax laws against a President. Democrats want Trumps tax returns as part of their investigations of possible conflicts of interest posed by his continued ownership of extensive business interests, even as he serves the public as president. Passengers leave a train after arriving at the Dar Es Salaam station of Tanzania-Zambia Railway in Dar Es Salaam, capital of Tanzania, Feb. 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Lyu Shuai) NAIROBI, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Almost six years after Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the grand vision for promoting common development through better connectivity among countries and regions has been morphing into a solution for speeding up global cooperation for greater prosperity. This is evidenced by the fact that 125 countries and 29 international organizations have so far signed cooperation agreements with China on jointly building the Belt and Road, according to data published in March on China's official Belt and Road web portal. But as global enthusiasm for and confidence in the BRI grow, some noises ensue, often with ill intentions to discourage its wide adoption and send misleading messages to nations who seek to benefit from BRI participation. One such message claims that the BRI pushes some countries into a "debt trap." PALE NOISES The situation on the ground, however, has shown that such noises are ill-founded. Researchers, economists, and policymakers in Africa, a region that has been warned to be wary of a so-called "debt trap" for participating in the BRI, regard such claims as mere negative speculations that seek to undermine the initiative, saying these claims should not be taken seriously. Firstly, developing countries apparently aspire to improve their dilapidated infrastructure and the BRI well meets such needs. Taking transport as a key example, Prof. Damian Gabagambi, managing director of Tanzania's National Development Corporation, said the BRI is highly strategic because transport networks in a country are like blood vessels in a human body. "If the blood vessels are blocked, the whole body would paralyze. Likewise, without an efficient transport network, the economy paralyzes," he said. "Development of transport network contributes to lower cost of distribution of goods and services among regions and increase in productivity through the availability of access to a diversified set of resources," he said. In Ethiopia, a new Chinese-built and funded terminal at its capital airport was inaugurated in January this year with an annual capacity to serve about 22 million passengers. It tripled the airport's capacity, contributing to Ethiopia's efforts to become a key aviation hub of the African continent. In Kenya, the Chinese-built and funded Nairobi-Mombasa railway has ferried more than 2.5 million passengers and nearly 3.9 million tons of cargo since its launch in May 2017. In his State of the Nation Address on April 4, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta praised the grand project, saying it has been listed among the top 13 most magnificent railway tours for 2019. Developing countries need these, and if China is willing to provide support, it should be a welcomed move, Gabagambi said. "Accusation by some Western countries of China letting some countries fall into a debt trap due to their cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative is a matter of perception," he added. Secondly, the so-called debt trap diplomacy language is highly questionable. In fact, taking Africa for instance, its debts owed to China only make up a small share of the total, and such language was highly likely coined by some Western countries that seek to rein in China's growing global role. Zitto Kabwe, an economics analyst in Tanzania, said between 2000 and 2016, Africa owed China 115 billion U.S. dollars which were only 2 percent of loans that Africa owed other foreign countries. "Why is the world making noise to China with such a minimal amount of debt?" he said. "It should be remembered that the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway in the 1970s by China was protested by the World Bank and other Western countries. Some quarters claimed that Chinese were invading Tanzania, but to date, we don't see Chinese invading Tanzania," he said. "I believe that Tanzania and Africa in general should define how their cooperation with China should be. Western countries should stop dictating to Africa how the continent should collaborate with China. This amounts to insulting African countries and it's a continuation of colonial mentality," he said. Gabagambi said that it is normal for countries to become indebted because countries borrow to finance different development projects. "Fortunately, African countries are not in the list of most indebted countries in the world," he said. Noting that blaming China for the BRI is unfair, Gabagambi said: "In my opinion, Western countries are envious of Chinese success in transforming the economies of developing countries in a big way that they and their Bretton Woods institutions have failed to achieve for decades." Benard Ayieko, a Kenya-based economist wrote an article earlier this year, describing the so-called China debt trap rhetoric as "farcical." Ayieko said that the saying that Chinese loans are the largest component in the debt matrix of borrowing countries is a misconception. "What Chinese loans have done is to diversify these countries' loan portfolios to avert any risk associated with overreliance on one borrower," he said. Thirdly, BRI cooperation follows the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, which demonstrates BRI cooperation is based on negotiations among parties and is never unilateral. Hence, the "debt trap" rhetoric is highly unfair. Zambia-based economist Kampamba Shula said China was not trying to dupe participating countries into a debt trap because China does not force itself on any country. "To insinuate that African countries were being duped into a debt trap is not to be taken seriously," he said. Leonard Munyandamutsa, a Rwanda-based trade and investment policy expert who specializes in emerging markets investment and trade negotiation, said: "We cannot simply blame China for the increasing debts of some countries because the loans are negotiated by African representatives and given on mutually agreed terms." Ladislas Ngendahimana, a political analyst and the secretary general of the Rwanda Association of Local Government Authorities, said that business, trade and investments are neutral. The so-called debt trap is more a matter of accountable and responsible leadership on the part of the recipient countries, but China is doing a good thing for Africa. Ngendahimana said the BRI contributes to economic cooperation and economic development, which is the best way to prevent conflicts and a driver of modern international relations as well. KEEPING POPULARITY AMID ATTACKS Despite accusations by detractors, the BRI has remained popular, which once again proves the "debt trap" labeling is wrong. During President Xi's visit to Italy in March, China and Italy inked a memorandum of understanding on jointly advancing the Belt and Road construction. Rome's endorsement of the BRI makes Italy the first G7 member to do so. In a joint communique issued by the two countries, Beijing and Rome agreed that the BRI boasts huge potential in promoting infrastructure connectivity. There is nothing sinister about China giving out loans to other countries, said Isaac Mwaipopo, executive director of the Center for Trade Policy and Dialogue in Zambia, adding what matters is that recipient countries ensure that the loans are used for the intended purpose of uplifting the welfare of citizens. "There is no doubt that the initiative has left an indelible mark of impact on the participating countries as reflected in various infrastructure projects such as schools and hospitals which have not only helped improve social service delivery but resulted in economic development as well," he said. Mwaipopo looks forward to the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled to be held in China later this month and anticipates that the forum would highlight the BRI's progress in achieving certain objectives, while allowing countries to further consolidate their cooperation and understanding. Photo taken on April 12, 2019 shows Sudanese people continuing their protest against the military council in front of the army's general headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan. Sudan's opposition Freedom and Change Alliance on Friday urged the new leadership of the Transitional Military Council to transfer power to a transitional civilian government. The alliance urged the protesters to continue their sit-in before the army's general headquarters. Earlier on Friday, chairman of Sudan's transitional military council Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf announced his resignation. He named Lt. Gen. Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan Abdel-Rahman as his successor. (Xinhua/Mohamed Khidir) KHARTOUM, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's opposition Freedom and Change Alliance on Saturday demanded the transitional military council involve civilians in a joint presidential council. The alliance made the call during its meeting with Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's Transitional Military Council. "We demanded the participation of civilians in the transitional presidential council in addition to a civilian government," Omer Al-Digair, a member of the alliance, told reporters. The alliance will present a list to the chairman of the military council on Sunday, he added. Al-Digair also said the alliance asked the council to restructure the security body and bring all people involved in corruption and killing of protesters to fair trial. Earlier in the day, Al-Burhan voiced in a statement his commitment to forming a two-year transitional civilian government. WASHINGTON, April 13 (Xinhua) -- China will further expand the opening-up of its financial sector "in a systemic manner at the institutional level," the deputy governor of China's central bank said in a statement released Saturday. Chen Yulu, deputy governor of the People's Bank of China, said Beijing is working toward treating Chinese and foreign-funded financial institutions "equally in a way that is more transparent and consistent with best international practices." Chen made the statement at the ministerial meeting of the 39th meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), the policy-setting body of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). "The Chinese government continues to implement the high-level opening-up strategy, through measures such as tariff cuts," the deputy governor said. "The market access for the agricultural, manufacturing, and service sectors has been relaxed and the negative list for foreign access has been shortened substantially." In addition to enhancing the two-pillar framework of monetary and macro-prudential policies, Chen said China will accelerate the development of its financial market infrastructures, and the resolution mechanism for distressed financial institutions will be improved. With respect to policies related to the exchange rate of China's currency, the RMB, Chen said "China will continue to improve the exchange rate mechanism and keep the RMB exchange rate in line with fundamentals at an adaptive equilibrium level." China, Chen said, will continue to improve its business environment, promote opening-up at a high level and across the board, and further expand sectors for opening-up, so as to deepen reform in a comprehensive manner. Highlighting the passage of the Foreign Investment Law at the National People's Congress -- China's legislature - in March, the deputy central bank chief said that subsequently, relevant laws and regulations will be revised in line with the principle of competitive neutrality. "Policies and measures that hamper the growth of private businesses or fail to treat domestic and foreign investors as equals will be overhauled," he said. Noting that a fair competition review system will be implemented across all levels of government this year, Chen said such a system will review all business-related policies, rules and measures, "and mechanisms for filing complaints and third-party evaluations will be established to forestall and redress any action that may preclude or constrain competition." The IMFC meeting is part of the ongoing Spring Meetings 2019, which is co-hosted by the IMF and the World Bank in Washington. PYONGYANG, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said he is willing to meet the U.S. president again on certain conditions, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday. Kim made the remarks in his policy speech marking the First Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) on Friday, a day after he was re-elected as chairman of the DPRK's State Affairs Commission (SAC). "If the United States adopts a correct posture and comes to the third DPRK-U.S. summit with a certain methodology that can be shared with us, we can think of holding one more (round of) talks," Kim said. "It is necessary for both sides not to table their unilateral demands but find out a constructive solution to meet each other's interests." The top leader said he will "wait for a bold decision" from Trump "with patience till the end of this year." In his speech, Kim blamed the United States for only considering its own interests during the second DPRK-U.S. Summit in Vietnam's Hanoi this February. This has led the DPRK to question Trump's willingness to improve relations with the DPRK. Kim, while stressing the importance of solving problems through dialogue and negotiations, also underlined that he does not accept "the American style of dialogue" which imposes the United States' unilateral demands upon its dialogue partner. Kim said the United States is hinting at holding a third DPRK-U.S. Summit, but what happened in Hanoi "is not inviting" to the DPRK. However, Kim also mentioned his good relations with Trump. "As President Trump keeps saying, the personal ties between me and him are not hostile like the relations between the two countries and we still maintain good relations." At the end of the speech, Kim said he hoped that the United States would decide wisely and that the confrontation between the two countries will be brought to a complete stop. BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono will pay an official visit to China from April 13 to 15, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang announced Friday in Beijing. Lu said Kono's visit is at the invitation of the Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. During the visit, the two foreign ministers will hold the fifth high-level economic dialogue, Lu said. The two sides will also jointly attend the opening ceremony of the "China-Japan Youth Exchange Promotion Year," according to the spokesperson. Google has commemorated the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Bauhaus school with a nice animated doodle. They write: Both a school for the arts and a school of thought, the Bauhaus was founded by architect Walter Gropius exactly 100 years ago in Weimar, Germany, gathering many of Europes most brilliant artists and designers with the aim of training a new generation of creatives to reinvent the world. Todays animated Doodle celebrates the legacy of this institution and the worldwide movement it began, which transformed the arts by applying the principle form follows function. Gropius envisioned the Bauhauswhose name means house of buildingas a merger of craftsmanship, the fine arts, and modern technology. His iconic Bauhaus Building in Dessau was a forerunner of the influential International Style, but the impact of the Bauhauss ideas and practices reached far beyond architecture. Students of the Bauhaus received interdisciplinary instruction in carpentry, metal, pottery, stained glass, wall painting, weaving, graphics, and typography, learning to infuse even the simplest functional objects (like the ones seen in todays Doodle) with the highest artistic aspirations. Steering away from luxury and toward industrial mass production, the Bauhaus attracted a stellar faculty including painters Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee, photographer and sculptor Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, graphic designer Herbert Bayer, industrial designer Marianne Brandt, and Marcel Breuer, whose Model B3 tubular chair changed furniture design forever. Though the Bauhaus officially disbanded on August 10, 1933, its students returned to 29 countries, founding the New Bauhaus in Chicago, Black Mountain College in North Carolina, and White City in Tel Aviv. Bauhaus affiliates also took leadership positions at the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Harvard School of Architecture, and the Museum of Modern Art. Through all of these institutions, and the work created in their spirit, the ideas of the Bauhaus live on. Iranians Donate 31 Million Dollars To The Flood Victims 04/14/19 Source: Tehran Times Iranians have so far donated some 1.3 trillion rials (nearly $31 million) in both cash and kind to the flood victims, Iranian Red Crescent Society Chief Ali Asghar Peyvandi said on Saturday. Iranian cineastes collecting donations for flood victims (see more photos by ISNA) Floods hitting Iran since March 19 have been highly devastating especially in provinces of Golestan, Mazandaran, Lorestan and Khuzestan, Peyvandi said, Fars news agency reported. He went on to say that the only region not struck with flood was Kish Island and all other 31 provinces were hit by flood to some extent.br /> More than 227,000 were provided with emergency accommodation, he added, noting that thankfully the causalities remained low. No financial aids have been received so far due to the sections, he regretted, adding that some countries like Germany, Kuwait, Armenia, Pakistan, Turkey, etc. have sent in-kid contributions to Iran. Shelter provided by army for flood victims of Khosraj village in Ahvaz (see more photos by IRNA) Islamic Republic of Iran Army, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Basij have collectively attempted to provide services to the flood victims, he concluded. HHeavy rainfall, beginning on March 19 has led to flooding in 28 out of 31 provinces affecting 42,269,129 inhabitants in 253 cities and causing widespread damage to municipal facilities, including health centers and hospitals. Many health facilities in affected areas are either fully or partially damaged, and the risk of water- and vector-borne diseases, including malaria, cholera and other communicable diseases is increasing, also due to the interruption of the water supply. Iranian cineastes collecting donations for flood victims (see more photos by ISNA) Following devastating flood hitting Iranian provinces some 1,660,100 individuals are in need of health care services in areas where the floods have left 78 people dead and 1,137 injured. As many as 295,787 people have been displaced./p> 5 provinces in Iran remain under flood warning as death toll reaches 76 04/14/19 Source: Press TV Iranian officials are warning that even though floodwaters have been receding in most parts of the country, several provinces remain under a flood warning due to renewed heavy precipitation. Peoplel in Ahvaz trying to protect the city by shoring up levees (see more photos by Mehr News Agency) Vast expanses of the country are experiencing a new spell of rainfall, Ahad Vazifeh, an official with Iran's Meteorological Organization, was quoted by Tasnim News Agency as saying on Sunday. Five provinces at risk There is a possibility that flash floods could still affect the southern provinces of Fars, Hormozgan, Sistan and Baluchestan as well as the northeastern South Khorasan and Khorasan Razavi provinces, which remain in a state of emergency, he added. Rainfall is also expected to intensify in the southwestern Province of Khuzestan, the official cautioned. Flood victims of Khosraj village in Ahvaz (see more photos by ISNA) Massive downpours began sweeping the country on March 19, with raging currents of water battering houses, washing away cars and killing people in a few provinces. The intense rainfalls eventually caused rivers to burst their banks, and dams to overflow, triggering the worst flooding in decades in 25 of the country's 31 provinces. Death toll rises Also on Sunday, the country's Forensic Medicine Organization increased the death toll from the ongoing floods to 76. Most recently, the organization said, flooding claimed the lives of five people in Khuzestan Province and left a sixth person dead in the western Province of Ilam. On Sunday, several ministers of President Hassan Rouhani's cabinet went to the Parliament to brief the lawmakers on the disaster response and relief operations in flood-hit cities and villages. Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami said around 14,000 kilometers of national roads had been damaged by the floods. Aftermath of floods in Pol-e Dokhtar, Iran's Lorestan province (see more photos by IRNA) Eastern rivers could swell Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian, warned of the possibility of rivers in eastern parts of the country overflowing their banks as a result of fresh downpours. Ardakanian said precipitation levels this year had reached as high as 57 millimeters, up from 19 millimeters last year. This amount, he said, was unprecedented over the past 50 years, showing a 174 percent increase compared to last year. Talking to parliamentarians, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli explained that minimizing human losses had been the primary goal of relief operations. He cited the evacuation of 250 villages and a number of urban districts as part of preventative measures employed to that end. Flood refugees, Atish village in Iran's Khuzestan province (see more photos by ISNA) Ardakanian gave assurances that the dams were in good condition and subject to constant supervision in terms of flood control capacity. He praised the many successful dam building projects implemented since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and noted, "Had it not been for these dams, Khuzestan Province would have been [entirely] inundated [by the ongoing floodwaters]." The Accra Regional Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a suspect in connection with the murder of Ahmed Hussein-Suale, an undercover journalist and associate of the investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas of the investigative firm, Tiger Eye PI. Mr Hussein-Suale was shot and killed by two unknown assassins who are alleged to have monitored his movements and laid ambush on a motorbike at a spot at Madina on January 16, 2019. Confirming the arrest, the acting Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Kwaku Boadu-Peprah, said the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team of the command apprehended the suspect in a targeted police operation. The suspect, Abdul-Rashid Meizongo, 29, was arrested at a spot close to the West Hills Mall on the Mallam-Kasoa Highway about 10:30 a.m. Mr Boadu-Peprah said Meizongo, in the process of his arrest, attempted to bribe the arresting officers with GH200,000, which they declined. Meizongo, who was in the custody of the Accra Regional Police Command at the time of filing this report, was being prepared to be taken to the Headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for further investigations. Concern Family members of the late Hussein-Suale have expressed concern over the inability of the police to arrest and prosecute the suspected murderers of their relation. A brother of Hussein-Suale, Mr Alhassan Yunus, had indicated that the family, on its own, had investigated, identified, tracked down and arrested the suspected killers at two separate locations in Accra and handed them over to the police. He said one of the suspected killers was arrested at the Madina Ritz Junction and handed over to the Madina Police, but the Madina Police said the case was beyond them and so the suspect was later transferred to the Police Headquarters. The other suspect was arrested at Abolo Pub, near Kotobabi. Mr Yunus, who said he had personally taken part in the arrest of the two persons suspected to have shot and killed Hussein-Suale, added that one of them was set free by a police patrol team. He said the family was told by the patrol team that an order had come from above that the suspected killer be set free and that was done, despite the effort and stress the family had put in tracing the suspects. Recall However, the Director General of the CID, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mrs Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, during a press conference on April 2, 2019, said 13 suspects had been questioned, including Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, the MP for Assin Central, and Anas Aremeyaw Anas, in connection with the murder of Hussein-Suale. She also stated that one suspect was on remand assisting the police in investigations into the murder. She explained that the suspect who was handed over to the police patrol team at Abolo Pub was set free on March 20, 2019 because people at the drinking bar where he was caught had prevented the only policeman at the spot from arresting him and for fear of his (policemans) safety, he had to let the suspect go because other officers he had expected to aid the arrest had not shown up. But Ahmed Suales family discounted the CID boss claim, revealing that against severe danger, they stormed the Abolo Pub on March 17, 2019 and arrested the suspect, with the help of people in the area, and handed him over to a four-member police patrol team. Source: Graphic.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the national afforestation committee, attends a plenary conference of the national afforestation committee in Beijing, capital of China, April 12, 2019. (Xinhua/Ding Lin) BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- China should make down-to-earth efforts to promote the forming of a new development pattern on national afforestation and greening cause that are scientific and reasonable, Vice Premier Han Zheng said at a meeting Friday. Han, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the national afforestation committee, called for accelerating the pace of the new pattern formation. Both the quantity and the quality of ecological resources should be boosted, Han told a plenary conference of the national afforestation committee. China should stick to the most rigorous protection system to comprehensively strengthen the protection of forests, grasslands, wetlands and deserts, take strict precautions against forest fires, and severely clamp down on illegal hunting and killing of rare and endangered wildlife, Han said. The country should develop green industries in a scientific manner to help targeted poverty alleviation. Social forces should persistently be motivated to continue the tree-planting campaign. The management system on national afforestation and greening should be optimized and investment channels should be broadened. Local government and departments should improve their target-oriented responsibility systems, strengthen their teams of grass-roots cadres and appropriately allocate public financial investment, Han said. The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, has reminded police investigators that debt collection is not part of their duties and must desist from the practice. According to her, investigators must investigate criminal cases thoroughly and not engage in debt collection. If any officer is found engaging in acts that are not part of policing duties, especially civil cases, that person will be dealt with by the police administration, she added. Her remarks follow a video that captures some police personnel collecting debts collection and receiving money for bail from families of suspects. The undercover investigation conducted by Corruption Watch was carried out in police stations in three regions- Greater Accra, Ashanti and Central. COP Tiwaa Addo-Danquah disclosed this at the closing ceremony of a two-week intensive course organised for CID personnel at the Detective Training Academy in Accra. The course was meant to upgrade the knowledge of the officers to be able to deliver quality services to Ghanaians, as well as fight crime in communities. Crimes have increased and also changed with the growing technological sophistication, and criminals sometimes outsmart the police and other security agencies because they use skills and tactics to cover their criminal activities, thereby making it difficult for the police to connect them to the various crimes. Criminal investigations and prosecutions involve a lot of evidence gathering to connect an offender to a crime. The major problem for the police in conducting criminal investigations is that not only is there potentially massive amount of information available, but also the relevance of the information is often unknown, incomplete and inaccurate. She disclosed that over 300 CID chief inspectors across the country would undergo the training, adding that the CID would ensure that all personnel at the lower level of supervision take the course. The Commandant of the Detective Training Academy, Chief Superintendent Benjamin Affisa, in an address, said 82 personnel were selected nationwide for the course. He said personnel were taken through topics such as customer care, review of docket, techniques of investigations, supervision of CID books, CID Forms, docket building and money laundering, among others. He added that 18 seasoned resource persons, including retired Inspector General of Police, members of the bar and bench took the officers through the aforementioned course. He urged personnel to apply the skills, and knowledge acquired during the training to effectively combat crime in the country. Present were the Deputy Director General of CID, ACP George Tweneboah, Director of Operations at CID, ACP Joseph Oklu Gyamera and other senior police officers. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Greater Accra Regional Police Command has apprehended a 29-year-old man they suspect is one of the killers of undercover investigator and a key member of Anas Aremeyaw Anas Tiger Eye Private Investigations team, Ahmed Hussein-Suale. The suspect Abdul-Rashid Meizongo was arrested by the Accra Regional Special Weapons and Tactical (SWAT) team of the police upon police intelligence. He was nabbed at the West Hill Mall at Weija in the Ga South Municipality yesterday. The acting Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police, (DCOP) Kweku Boadu Peprah, who confirmed the arrest to DAILY GUIDE, said Meizongo was grabbed around 10:30 am. According to him, the suspect had wanted to bribe the arresting team with an amount of GH20,000 to set him free but it was declined. He is presently in our custody and we are also preparing to hand him over to the CID headquarters for further interrogations and investigations. Ahmed was shot three times, twice in the chest and another in the neck on January 16, 2019, at Madina in Accra by unidentified men, while he was driving home on a motorbike. The deceased was one of Tiger Eye journalists whose photographs were circulated in Who Watches the Watchman, a documentary by Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong that criticized Anas work. The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Commissioner of Police Maame Yaw Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, at a press conference organized a week ago, revealed that two key witnesses were assisting forensic artists to come out with artistic images of the killers to aid in their investigations. She mentioned that so far 13 people have been questioned in the course of their investigations while one is on remand. Family members of the murdered Tiger Eye operative have been invited by the police following the breakthrough. A DAILY GUIDE report earlier had it that one of the men suspected to have shot and killed Ahmed Hussein-Suale was indeed arrested, but let off the hook by a police patrol team. Two suspects were arrested by a team put together by the family to assist the police in arresting the suspects. The second suspect was said to have been left off the hook by the patrol team, which was supposed to take him to the Kotobabi Police Station. A family spokesman, Alhassan Yunus, made the startling revelation in a narration to the paper. The first arrest, according to him, was made at Ritz Junction in Accra at a location on the Madina-Adenta highway after the Madina Police were told about the plans, Yunus told DAILY GUIDE. Alhassan Yunus said that a tip-off showed them that the suspect had been frequenting the location. We eventually arrested the suspect based on the intelligence we received but the Madina Police told us that the case was beyond them and so the suspect be taken to the Police Headquarters. He said both arrests were made between 15 and 17 March, 2019. We received another tip-off about a second suspect at a place called Polo Park near Kotobabi and not the location the CID chief put out in her briefing, he added. A four-man patrol team, which was notified about the operation, looked on as we undertook the operation leading to the arrest of the suspect. Some young men charged upon us but when we told them that he had murdered somebody they allowed us to take him away, he said. Patrol Teams Role The patrol team headed towards the Kotobabi Police Station but on the way they released the suspect. We waited for a long time and when the patrol team arrived the suspect was not with them. When we demanded the whereabouts of the suspect the policemen said the suspect made a call after which they were asked to release him which they obliged. They claimed that there was an order from above for the release, he said. When I asked why a suspect in a murder case would be allowed such a courtesy of a phone call and an eventual release, they could not give a convincing response, he said. Abronye Vs Kotobabi Police The First Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Bono Region told Oman FM that a suspect in the murder of the Ahmed Suale-Hussein was arrested but allowed to go by the Kotobabi Police after receiving money. Abronyes allegation was denied by the Nima Divisional Crime Officer Chief Superintendent/Mr. William Daah after the paper had made a call to the Kotobabi Police Station Crime Office to authenticate the story. According to him, the crime officer told him that there was no entry about an arrest of that nature. Of course, there could have been an entry when the suspect was not even brought to the Police Station, having been left off the hook after the strange call and order from above as the patrol team alleged, a security expert said. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Christians in Ghana are joining their brethren around the world to mark Palm Sunday, which commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem days before his arrest and crucifixion. The day is also the final Sunday of Lent, and the beginning of the Holy Week on the Christian Calendar. It is christened Palm Sunday because, according to the Gospel, the people placed Palm fronds in Jesus' path and also waved them as they hailed him amid shouts of Hosanna, with the expectation that he was the Messiah to restore peace to them. He rode a young donkey and was also welcomed by the townspeople with songs and praises, amid the throwing of their garments and on the ground for Him to ride on as a sign of homage. Today, faithful use palm fronds for the re-enactment of Christ's procession into Jerusalem around the world. Children are very prominent in Palm Sunday parades in Ghana. The palm frond has been adopted into Christian iconography to represent the victory of martyrs, or the victory of the spirit over the flesh. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video In our series of letters from African journalists, Nigerian writer Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani says parents of the missing Chibok girls remain desperate five years after their daughters' kidnapping. The parents of the Chibok girls are worried that an unseen force, beyond Boko Haram, could be behind the troubles they have experienced in the past five years since their daughters were stolen from school in north-eastern Nigeria. Of the more than 200 girls taken from their dormitory on 14 April 2014, 107 have been rescued or freed in negotiations between the Nigerian government and the Islamist militants, while more than 100 remain missing. "Something is pursuing us in one way or the other," said Yakubu Nkeki, the chairman of the association of parents of the abducted girls and whose niece was among the last batch of girls released in May 2017. Mr Nkeki has a catalogue of tribulations to back up his suspicions. In April last year, parents of some of the freed girls were involved in a ghastly motor accident. They had been travelling together to a meeting at a university in Yola, where their daughters are enrolled in a special course sponsored by the government. One parent died on the spot while 17 others were taken to hospital as a result of their injuries. In January this year, 18 siblings of some of the still missing Chibok girls, whose education is being sponsored by a local charity, were returning to school when the hired vehicle in which they were travelling had an accident. Eight of the children sustained severe injuries. Also severely injured was Zannah Lawan, the secretary of the parents' association, who was escorting the students to school. Growing rancour Weeks later, in March, the injured children were ready to return to their studies. Mr Nkeki accompanied them to school, dropped them off, and set out for home. The hired car in which he was travelling had an accident. "The car somersaulted but I was not injured," he said, but added, "These things happening are not ordinary." A total of 34 members of the parents' association have died between when their daughters were kidnapped and now, from accidents, illness, and more Boko Haram attacks. Mr Nkeki is also worried by the increasing rancour within the association. Meetings often end in quarrels, with parents attempting to beat each other up and having to be physically separated. Last year, some parents of the missing girls threatened to blockade the convoy of buses taking the freed girls back to Yola, to the American University of Nigeria, after their summer holiday. They felt that the girls' release and school attendance had taken away the focus from their daughters still in captivity. on the message to others." Meanwhile, the threat of Boko Haram is still very real to the people of Chibok - where a mix of Christians and Muslims live - despite the success of the military in recapturing territory from the militants. In the past weeks alone, Boko Haram has razed to the ground seven villages in the area and destroyed scores of homes, including those of some of the freed girls studying at the university in Yola. "What is going on in Chibok is so terrible," Mr Nkeki said. "Many of the people are no longer in their homes." The Chibok parents now view their daughters' abduction as just one in a series of unfortunate events unleashed on their people and community. Seeking miracles For the fifth anniversary of the kidnappings, which sparked international outrage and a global #BringBackOurGirls campaign for the girls' release, they chose to focus on supernatural assistance. Earlier this month, representatives of the parents' association travelled more than 48 hours by road from Chibok to Lagos, to meet popular televangelist TB Joshua. He is the founder of The Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN), and one of Nigeria's most revered and influential preachers. Thousands of people come from around the world to the SCOAN headquarters in the Ikotun district in Lagos to seek miracles and to witness prophecies. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The National Communication Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi has apologised after maligning the intergrity of renowned journalist and host of Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Kwami Sefa Kayi. The former described the latter as a 'hypocrite' following a leaked tape recording of the National Chairman of the NDC, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo. According to him, these bunch of hypocrite journalists will never play leaked tapes on their shows so far as they have negative repercussions on the NPP. However, they are quick to play leaked tapes that involve the NDC like we are seeing today. On Friday's edition of Peace FM's morning show, Sammy Gyamfi walked into the Studios of the station to the amazement of the host. "What are you doing on my show after insulting me?" Kwami Sefa Kayi asked. "Honestly, I don't want you on my show . . . you can't insult me and then appear on my show. You impugn my integrity, called me names . . . and you didn't have the courtsey to correct and you don't want me to say it? . . . honestly, I am not happy you are here," he told the NDC National Communication Officer. This went on for a while and after several calls from other panelists on the show for him to acknowledge his actions were wrong, Sammy Gyamfi apologized for his conduct. Watch what happened in the 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. Featured Video Popular Ghanaian rapper, M.anifest has disclosed that he has been tasked with writing the obituary for his celebrated grandfather Emeritus Professor Joseph Hanson Kwabena Nketia. Considered Africas premier musicologist, the renowned professor passed away on Wednesday, March 13 at age 97. He will be given a state burial on Saturday, May 4, preceded by a pre-burial service at the Forecourt of the State House. M.anifest (known in real life as Kwame Ametepe Tsikata) in a post to his social media pages said he was thrilled with the opportunity, although he was unqualified to do the job. He posted: "In the last few days I have unraveled & woven together many missing pieces of my family history - on my mother's side. All this made possible by my current job as my Grandpa's obituary writer. A job I'm absolutely unqualified for but e dey be to do it all the same ". Born on June 22, 1921, Prof Kwabena Nketia was a well-known ethnomusicologist and composer. Source: Graphic.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast With poems, videos and a riveting testimony from a former Prosecutor General of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), the African Development Bank, in collaboration with the Rwandan Embassy and the Rwandan community in Cote dIvoire, observed the 25th commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda under the theme Remember-Unite-Renew. The event, held Thursday, April 11, was attended by the Ambassador of Rwanda in Cote dIvoire, Stanislas Kamanzi, and the Rwandan community; a delegation of the Government of Cote dIvoire led by Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, Minister of Animal and Fishery Resources; members of the diplomatic corps and Bank employees. The ceremony also included the lighting of candles to commemorate the occasion. Ousman Jammeh shared that, through his work with the ICTR, he had the opportunity to see first-hand the courage and resilience of genocide survivors in their difficult testimonies. He also drew attention to the crucial role that the media played in enticing hate and division and called for Africans to closely learn from this tragedy. The commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda is an opportunity to remember and honour the one million lives lost within three months in 1994 The commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda is an opportunity to remember and honour the one million lives lost within three months in 1994. In Rwanda and across the world, the commemoration is a moment of reflection on the past and a time to recommit to the pledge of Never Again. Oley Dibba-Wadda, the Banks Director of Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development, speaking on behalf of President Akinwumi A. Mr. Adesina, stated that the 1994 genocide remains a deep scar on humanitys conscience. She expressed her solidarity with the people of Rwanda during this period of commemoration and saluted the bravery and sacrifice of helpers who risked their lives to save others. Dibba-Wadda also commended the resilience and determination of the Rwandan people, especially Rwandan youth, whose dynamism and sense of purpose are already shaping countrys future for the better. She concluded by reaffirming the African Development Banks commitment to continue its strong partnership with Rwanda on its journey of transformation. In his remarks, Minister Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, representing the Prime Minister, Amadou Gon Coulibaly, stated that the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda reminds Africa and the world of the dramatic consequences of policies based on hatred, communitarianism and any other form of divisionism. He underlined the importance of educating African youth to equip them with the tools to systematically reject genocide ideology and protect unity. Addressing the participants, Pacifique Kayihura, President of the Rwandan Diaspora in Cote dIvoire, highlighted that the progress made in Rwandan over the last 25 years in the areas of unity, justice, reconciliation and development, demonstrate that no country is doomed to failure and that our strength lies in unity. He further urged the participants not to be indifferent to impunity and the suffering of others. In closing, Ambassador Stanislas Kamanzi thanked the Government of Cote dIvoire and the African Development Bank for the solidarity shown during this period of commemoration. He reiterated that over the past 25 years while we mourn the loss of our loved ones we do not let despair bring us down. Rwanda has instead embarked on a challenge of rebirthfor an inclusive, equitable, dignified and prosperous society. About the African Development Bank Group: The African Development Bank Group is Africas premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 31 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. Related KAMPALA In January 2016, Parliament passed into law, amendments to the Financial Institutions Act (FIA), which now allow insurance companies to use banks as a distribution channel to extend insurance policies. In this regard, Ms. Miriam Magala, the chief executive officer of the Uganda Insurers Association, says the Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda (IRA) circulated the draft bancassurance regulations for comments from all the concerned stakeholders. As we wait for the regulations to be finalised, the insurers and bankers are engaging on operational issues extending to, among others, models that support partners, training requirements and the products that will be distributed through this channel, Ms. Magala says. According to Ms. Faith Ekudu, the public relations officer at the Uganda Insurers Association, the advancement of bancassurance in Asia, Europe and more recently in Africa speaks to the desirability and profitability of bank branches in ensuring insurance policy penetration. For example, Prudential Assurance Uganda Limited, which has more 100 partnerships with banks in 13 countries worldwide, entered the Ugandan market in 2015 and has identified bancassurance as a growth area, citing the opportunity to increase access to services through the bank network, the size of the bank network. Ms. Ekudu also says similarly, as early as 2013, Sanlam Emerging Markets (SEM) renewed its bancassurance partnership with Standard Chartered (StanChart), thereby allowing SEM to market and sell its life insurance products through StanCharts wide banking network in Zambia, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Mr. Arjun Mallik, the Prudential Uganda chief executive officer, says understanding of the banks clients and their needs, the availability and ability to match products to needs, well-trained staff and the management of expectations for both the insurer and banker are critical for the success of bancassurance. Mr. Herman Kasekende, CEO StanChart Zambia, says a customer-centric approach right from product design to distribution should be at the core of the partnership between the banks and the insurers. Trust and maintaining the level of trust and confidence that clients have in the banking industry will also be critical, added to which the continuous education of clients about the products, their benefits, and rights to avoid situations of not selling right, Mr. Kasekende says. Related If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Lithuania's Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis in Dubrovnik, Croatia, April 12, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) DUBROVNIK, Croatia, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with Lithuania's Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis here Friday, calling for more practical cooperation between the two countries. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the eighth leaders' meeting between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) at the southern Croatian coastal city of Dubrovnik. Commending the solid political mutual trust and the broad cooperation prospect between the two countries, Li said China and Lithuania are friendly nations and that the bilateral ties have maintained positive development momentum since the establishment of diplomatic relations. He said China and Lithuania have deepened the alignment between the two countries' development strategies within the China-CEEC cooperation framework, and that the bilateral practical cooperation has yielded abundant achievements. China is willing to keep promoting bilateral cooperation in accordance with market principles and European Union (EU) rules, and import more of the European country's competitive products, so as to push forward bilateral ties to a new stage, said the premier. Skvernelis said Lithuania attaches great importance to its relations with China, adding that the two sides enjoy sound cooperation within the frameworks of the China-CEEC cooperation and the China-EU relations. Lithuania stands ready to join China in deepening their practical cooperation, and exploring cooperation in finance and infrastructure, as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges, he said. He also said that Lithuania wants to export to China more of its competitive agricultural and livestock products for greater achievements in bilateral ties. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas in Dubrovnik, Croatia, April 12, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) DUBROVNIK, Croatia, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas on Friday said the two countries are ready to enhance cooperation and boost bilateral ties. Li and Ratas made the remarks when meeting on the sidelines of the eighth leaders' meeting between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) at the southern Croatian coastal city of Dubrovnik. Bilateral relations have shown booming momentum with fruitful practical cooperation and a broad cooperation prospect, Li said, adding that the two countries have maintained close exchanges via multiple channels, and promoted bilateral ties and cooperation by utilizing the China-CEEC cooperation platform. The premier said China is willing to enhance cooperation with Estonia in the fields of e-commerce, education, innovation and digital economy, and expand imports of Estonian agricultural, livestock and marine products Chinese consumers love. Ratas said the Estonia-China relationship is close, and has seen a sound development. Noting that more and more Chinese tourists are coming to Estonia, Ratas said the two countries enjoy a close cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Estonia is ready to take the signing of a series of cooperation pacts as an opportunity to promote practical cooperation with China in the fields of agriculture, artificial intelligence and 5G, and to promote their communications and coordination in multilateral areas, said Ratas. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang addresses the opening ceremony of the 9th Business Forum of Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) and China in Dubrovnik, Croatia, April 12, 2019. Li and 16 CEEC leaders attended the opening ceremony here on Friday. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) DUBROVNIK, Croatia, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday called for broader and deeper economic and trade cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC). Li made the appeal when attending, together with 16 CEEC leaders, an opening ceremony of the 9th Business Forum of CEEC and China. Li said China-CEEC cooperation has maintained exuberant vigor and vitality, which is supported by the constant development of economic and trade cooperation. Amid the backdrop of a slowdown in the world economy last year, trade volume between China and the 16 countries increased 21 percent, hitting a record high in history, and displaying a broad prospect for cooperation, Li said. The Chinese premier also noted new progress in third-party market cooperation, joint efforts in Belt and Road construction, infrastructure connectivity, subnational cooperation, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. The premier said that China is willing to better align the Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies of other countries, uphold the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and insist on promoting peace, cooperation, openness, inclusiveness and mutual learning, so as to push for a broader and deeper China-CEEC economic and trade cooperation. To improve trade facilitation, the Chinese premier called for further opening up their respective markets and simplifying customs procedures. China will provide a green channel for CEEC exports to China and strengthen cooperation in facilitating the China-Europe land-sea express line to accelerate cross-border logistics, Li said. On nurturing new trade growth points, the Chinese premier called on China and the CEECs to further tap into trade potentials, optimize trade structure, boost trade of agricultural products, machinery and electrical products, including cars and household appliances, enhance innovation cooperation and facilitate cooperation in new industries and models. On investment and industrial capacity cooperation, Li said the Chinese government supports enterprises in their commercialized operations, and hopes that relevant countries will uphold the principles of fairness, justice and non-discrimination and protect Chinese companies' legitimate rights. To further enhance small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) cooperation, this year's leaders' meeting is going to launch the Global Partnership Center of CEECs and China and a website on the China-CEEC SMEs coordination mechanism in a bid to provide more convenient services for businesses to expand investment cooperation. On boosting connectivity, Li said China encourages its enterprises to participate in infrastructure construction in the CEECs. He also called for better financial conditions, diverse funding patterns and an active exploration of such construction modes as third-party market cooperation, joint bidding and public-private partnership. The premier briefed the forum on China's economic situation, saying that the Chinese economy has been generally stable, and the country is confident in achieving this year's main development targets, including a 6-6.5 percent of GDP (gross domestic product) growth. China will work to energize the vitality of market entities, optimize business environment, pursue innovation-driven development, boost new development drivers, promote an all-round opening up, develop a high-level open economy, and create conditions for a steady Chinese economy, Li said. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic noted that the theme of the forum is "Building New Bridges through Openness, Innovation and Partnership," saying that he hoped all parties concerned can take this opportunity to further deepen economic and trade cooperation. He also hailed last year's China International Import Expo in Shanghai, saying that the fair has presented new opportunities for all countries. In the past few years, exports from the CEECs to China have increased by nearly five fold and China-CEEC cooperation has grown much closer, which is conducive to narrowing their gaps with developed countries, he said. The Peljesac Bridge project is a model of EU-China cooperation, which will further enhance connectivity and EU-China trade, said the Croatian prime minister. Li and Plenkovic jointly launched the China-CEEC SMEs coordination mechanism website. Together with other CEEC leaders, they also visited an exhibition on China-CEEC education cooperation, and attended a matchmaking meeting for SMEs from China and the CEECs. More than 1,000 delegates from the governments, as well as business and industrial communities of China and the CEECs attended the opening ceremony. Invaders, mercenaries of US-saudi aggression coalition continue to target provinces over last hours [14/April/2019] PROVINCES, April 14 (Saba) The mercenaries and invaders of US-backed Saudi-led aggression coalition over the last 24 hours continued to violate UN-sponsored agreement signed in Sweden in Hodeidah targeting in the same time Several provinces, a security official told Saba on Saturday. The official said that the mercenaries fired the artillery at Hodeidah Airport and Dhabiany neighborhood, he said, adding that they also fired their artillery and machine guns at separate areas south of Medicine and Medical Science Faculty. He affirmed that they fired their artillery and machine guns at Shabab city in 90th St. and nearby areas, he said, adding that they also fired their heavy and medium weapons east of Khamseen St., 22 May and Itihad Hotel. In Kilo 16 area, Durihimy district, three shells were fired at Mahal Sabeeha while the enemy artillery and machine guns were fired at south and west of Tuhayta district, he said, adding that the mercenaries hit area of Faza in Tuhayta district. In Saada, the force of rocketry and artillery bombarded populated areas in Razih and Monabih border districts, he said, adding that five Saudi-led airstrikes hit Ishash area, Kitaf district. AA Saba In a strident attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday termed its poll manifesto "anti-India" and playing with the future of the country. "The Congress, if elected, has promised to change the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Kashmir, which will weaken our fight against terrorism," said Modi at a massive BJP rally here ahead of the Lok Sabha election's first phase in Karnataka on April 18. Terming the Congress itself "anti-national", he alleged that the party that ruled the country for over 50 years was talking in favour of Pakistan by assuring in its manifesto of withdrawing troops from Jammu and Kashmir. "The Congress wants to send our troops to the gallows by diluting the AFSPA and make the country's border porous by withdrawing the army from J&K. "The Congress wants to keep the fire Pandit Nehru stoked in Kashmir for which the country is still paying heavy price. It has kept quiet when its ally National Conference said there should be a separate Prime Minister for Kashmir. How can India have two Prime Ministers?" he asked. Exhorting the electorate, especially the first-time voters and millennials to reject the Congress, Modi urged them to vote for the BJP's lotus symbol to have once again a "mazboot" government than a "majboor" government of "unworthy parties". Claiming credit for granting One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme to ex-servicemen, who waited four decades for it, Modi said his BJP-led NDA government cared as much for the armed forces as for farmers, rural and urban people, women and youth across the country. "When we came to power with majority by your blessings, we ordered 2.8 lakh bullet-proof jackets to protect jawans at the borders from enemy fire, fulfilling a long-pending demand on which the Congress-led UPA government did not act though it was in power for 10 years," he alleged. Listing achievements of his government during the last five years, Modi said the country progressed faster than it had over the decades due to its "clear vision, commitment, hard work and correct policies". "I am not boasting but the results are there for all to see. Take any area or sector and compare its growth or development at a pace that was unheard of in the past. Be it infrastructure, power, roads, highways, railways, airways, ports, broadband, telecom, internet penetration and ease of doing business," he said. Seeking votes for another term, Modi said he was committed to work towards ease of living from ease of doing business so as to improve the quality of life and raise the profile of the people and build a new India. Earlier, addressing a massive party rally at Mangaluru on the west coast, about 330 km from here, Modi said the BJP manifesto had promised to ensure storage and infrastructure for fishermen under the Matsya Sampada Yojana. "There will be a dedicated minister for fisheries when we form the government again after the general elections. Financial aid will be given for upgrading deep sea trawlers and fishermen will be equipped with Naval Messaging Receiver device to get alerts," he added. After Chandrababu Naidu ' title='Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu '>Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu raised questions over the Election Commission's independence and impartiality, the poll panel on Saturday issued a notice to the TDP questioning how Naidu allowed a person accused of stealing an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) to be part of the delegation that knocked on its doors. Maintaining that "such antecedents do not inspire confidence," the Election Commission (EC) invited the TDP to send another expert "who does not have similar antecedents" to interact with the poll panel on Monday over the EVM issue. The notice to the legal cell of the TDP came after a delegation led by Naidu met the EC on Saturday afternoon to discuss poll-related issues, including those related to functioning of EVMs. The poll panel said in its notice that during the meeting, one of the delegates repeatedly raised issues about EVMs, claiming that he had requisite technical expertise in the field, and hence it was decided that he could have a more detailed discussion with Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain, who is also in-charge of EVMs in the Commission. "However, when this technical person came, it turned out that he was Hari Prasad who was involved in a criminal case regarding the alleged theft of an EVM machine in 2010 in which an FIR was filed. "Whatever may have been the eventual outcome of the investigation, it would be appreciated that such antecedents do not inspire confidence," the notice said. It added that it was "completely intriguing as to how a so called technical expert with these antecedents was allowed to be a part of the delegation" led by Naidu. The poll panel said while it was not found appropriate to have any interaction with Prasad, it invited the TDP to send another expert "who does not have similar antecedents" to interact with the Deputy Election Commissioner on Monday. Earlier, after his meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, Naidu said the EC has lost its credibility as "it functions on the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his office". Raising questions on the poll panel's independence and impartiality, Naidu told reporters outside the EC headquarters here that the level playing field -- an essential attribute of democracy -- "now stands disturbed". WASHINGTON, April 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday at the White House that the U.S. government would free up much wireless spectrum and build better infrastructure to take a leadership in 5G, the next-generation wireless network. It came after the country's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced Friday a plan to start largest spectrum auction and spend over 20 billion U.S. dollars for rural high-speed internet. FCC chairman Ajit Pai said that American wireless carriers would be bidding for as much as 3.4 gigahertz of "millimeter-wave" spectrum starting on Dec. 10 this year. Verizon, one of America's largest telecommunications companies, announced on April 3 the official operation of its commercial 5G network in two American cities, making it the world's first commercial 5G mobile service for customers with 5G-equipped smartphones. While the United States leads in some key 5G-readiness metrics, China and other countries are ahead in making critical mid-band spectrum available for 5G, according to a report made in April by CTIA, a trade association representing the U.S. wireless communications industry and companies throughout the mobile ecosystem. The millimeter-wave spectrum or high-band spectrum to be auctioned off refers to frequencies above 24 GHz. Its capacity is higher but its coverage lower than the mid-band spectrum. So the mid-band spectrum can travel far to provide broader service than the high-band spectrum. Another challenge for 5G service is the country's weaker infrastructure in rural areas, according to the CTIA report. Trump said the 5G industry in the United States would be "private sector-driven and private sector-led," so the U.S. government does not have to spend lots of money. But the FCC unveiled a plan to provide 20.4 billion U.S. dollars in the coming decade to connect up to 4 million rural homes and small businesses to high-speed internet. This is part of FCC's three-part 5G Fast Plan, namely, spectrum freeing-up, small antennas installment and deployment of optical fiber, according to Pai. Trump described in his speech the building of 5G service a race that "America must win," and "will win." But FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said in her Twitter account on Friday, "from imposing tariffs on 5G equipment to alienating allies on 5G security to falling behind the rest of the world on critical mid-band spectrum," the Trump administration has yet to offer a workable plan for U.S. leadership. "So far this Administration's interventions on 5G have done more harm than good," said Rosenworcel. THE HAGUE, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The pre-trial chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague rejected the request of the prosecutor for an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Afghanistan, the ICC announced on Friday. "The judges decided that an investigation into the situation in Afghanistan at this stage would not serve the interests of justice," the ICC stated in a press statement. In November 2017 the prosecutor had requested for an investigation into the alleged crimes committed during the long-lasting armed conflict in Afghanistan. The period the prosecutor wanted to be investigated was from May 1, 2003 on the territory of Afghanistan and also from July 1, 2002 on the territory of other states, with alleged war crimes closely linked to the situation in Afghanistan. The chamber now argued that "noting the time elapsed since the opening of the preliminary examination in 2006 and the political changing scene in Afghanistan since then, the lack of cooperation that the prosecutor has received and which is likely to go scarcer should an investigation be authorized hampering the chances of successful investigation and prosecution". In addition, the chamber added that the current circumstances of the situation in Afghanistan are such as to make the prospects for a successful investigation and prosecution extremely limited. Press Release April 15, 2019 Sen. Nancy: Draw up guidelines ensuring health and safety of clean-up crews in PH Given the nature of their job, garbage collectors, street sweepers and individuals working in disaster areas should be afforded the right to protect themselves from being exposed to hazardous and infectious materials. Sen. Nancy Binay, in filing Senate Bill No. 2083, noted the lack of existing guidelines and programs addressing the plight of these individuals. "The hazardous working environment faced every single day by garbage collectors, individuals assigned in disaster areas and those who work in dumpsites exposes them to various health and safety risks," she said. "This bill seeks to protect the health and safety of individuals working in dumpsites or assigned in disaster areas by providing concrete guidelines that shall be observed and implemented in disaster area operations and dumpsite activities," said Binay. Proposed to be known as "Individuals' Health and Safety Act," SB 2083 mandates the provision of gloves, masks and other proper protective equipment, including periodic medical check-up for those involved in garbage collection or working in dumpsites and disaster areas. Unless they are properly equipped with safety gears and proper protective equipment, Binay said no individual should be allowed to work in dumpsites or disaster areas in order to protect them from any airborne toxins and health risks during clean-up operations where hazardous materials and infectious chemicals are present. The senator also included a provision requiring the said workers to undergo a regular medical check up to ensure that their health and safety are not prejudiced. The proper government agencies or private corporations or entities that employ them shall provide for the necessary fund to finance the cost of medical attention or intervention that may be needed, Binay said. Binay also proposed to ban the use of open garbage trucks. Contractors or entities engaged in garbage collection in Metro Manila and other parts of the country shall have to place all collected garbage inside closed containers, she said. Binay likewise called on the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources and other concerned offices to come up with a set of comprehensive guidelines specifically for responder or clean-up crew to be deployed to any rescue or clean-up operations in disaster areas where presence of hazardous and infectious materials shall place them at greater risks. This is to ensure that responders and clean-up crews are subject to a full environmental assessment, properly informed of the environmental hazards they may face in their work, provided proper training in handling toxic materials and protective equipment and receive proper immunization if necessary and appropriate, the senator explained. A fine ranging from P200,000 to P500,000 will be meted against anyone found guilty of violating any provisions of the law, including revocation of necessary license to operate as regards private entities. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in Dubrovnik, Croatia, April 12, 2019. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen) DUBROVNIK, Croatia, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on Friday, calling on the two countries to enhance infrastructure cooperation. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the eighth leaders' meeting between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) at the southern Croatian coastal city of Dubrovnik. Commending the bilateral relations, Li said China and North Macedonia respect and trust each other, and that practical cooperation between the two countries has yielded fruitful achievements. China stands ready to dovetail the Belt and Road Initiative with North Macedonia's development strategy, said Li, adding that highway projects are a landmark for bilateral cooperation, which is of great significance to North Macedonia's socio-economic development and regional connectivity. The premier said China is willing to work in close coordination with North Macedonia to promote transport infrastructure cooperation for greater achievements, voicing his hope for facilitation by the country to the highway construction. Applauding the relations and cooperation between the two countries, Zaev said his country has benefited from the China-CEEC cooperation and the connectivity projects. North Macedonia stands ready to work with China to enhance cooperation in trade, investment, energy, agriculture and infrastructure to boost bilateral relations, he said. Li Xiaolin (2nd L), chairperson of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, shakes hands with Veroljub Arsic, deputy speaker of the Serbian parliament, in Belgrade, Serbia on April 12, 2019. Li Xiaolin arrived here Friday together with a delegation of 18 representatives of Chinese cities and provinces. (Xinhua/Nemanja Cabric) BELGRADE, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The Belt and Road initiative made the traditional friendship between Serbia and China prosper, not only in economy and trade, but also in science and education, a Serbian government official said at a meeting with Li Xiaolin, Chairperson of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, in Belgrade on Friday. Speaking at the meeting, Sokovic said that the Belt and Road initiative harvested the potentials of the historical friendship between Serbia and China, which resulted in increased cultural exchange, scientific cooperation, and Chinese language learning in Serbia. She said that the scientific cooperation which was established with an agreement between Serbia and China in 2009 has since improved immensely, enabling numerous bilateral projects in the different fields of science, such as discovering new pharmaceuticals. "Our ministry is very satisfied with our cooperation with China in the field of science and education and we hope that the cooperation between our countries will intensify further and bring mutual benefits to all of us," she said. Li Xiaolin, who arrived here Friday together with a delegation of 18 representatives of Chinese cities and provinces, agreed that the friendly ties between Serbia and China are a good foundation for mutually beneficial cooperation within the Belt and Road initiative in future. "Our friendly relations are a platform that creates further preconditions for the deepening of cooperation and exchange in different fields, such as culture, economy and industry," Li said. On the upcoming second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held in Beijing later this month, she said she hoped the Serbian government will achieve even more active economic cooperation and trade exchange within the Belt and Road initiative, which has so far been supported by more than 120 countries worldwide. The Chinese delegation headed by Li also met with the head of Serbian Parliamentary Friendship Group with China Zarko Obradovic and the deputy speaker of the Serbian parliament Veroljub Arsic. Finland leftists tipped to win anti-austerity vote Helsinki, April 14 (AFP) Apr 14, 2019 Finns voted on Sunday in a general election where anti-austerity sentiment looked set to propel the opposition Social Democratic Party back to the head of government for the first time in 16 years. The left-wing party leads Finland's two main opinion polls with about 19 percent of the vote, having campaigned against the steep cost-cutting of Centre Party Prime Minister Juha Sipila and his Finance Minister Petteri Orpo -- leader of the conservative National Coalition Party. But the far-right Finns Party, led by hardline MEP Jussi Halla-aho, has seen a surge in support in recent months during an anti-immigration dominated campaign, urging people to "Vote for some borders". Polls show the Finns Party ending up in second or third place, meaning it could hold significant influence in the talks to form the next government, which in Finland is typically a coalition of three or four parties. The current government's cuts to Finland's prized education system, and a tightening of unemployment benefit criteria, provoked loud and widespread public opposition. Outside a polling station in central Helsinki on Sunday morning, a local resident who gave her name as Jenny said that she had only settled on who to vote for at the last minute. "There have been a lot of cuts and some, like education, in areas they promised they wouldn't cut. Of course, the parties from the last government are going to suffer because of that now," she told AFP. Petteri Orpo, leader of the conservative National Coalition Party and co-architect of the government's savings programme, has denounced the Social Democratic Party's anti-austerity plans as "irresponsible". However, in a tacit acknowledgement that the public mood is against further belt-tightening, Orpo has insisted the economy is now strong enough to allow for some more generous public spending. The heated debate in the run-up to the vote led some analysts to predict that turnout will be high. A record 1.5 million Finns -- over a third of the electorate -- had already cast their vote in advance of polling day. On Sunday, queues were reported at some polling stations in the capital. Around lunchtime the leaders of the main parties were seen casting their ballots in their constituencies: Halla-aho in Helsinki, Rinne in the town of Mantsala in the south, and Petteri Orpo in the southwest city of Turku. - Populist surge - Opinion polls suggest the Social Democrats' lead has narrowed in recent weeks to as little as two points, ahead of the National Coalition and Finns Party which are battling it out for second place. Some have blamed the shrinking lead on the inability of party leader Antti Rinne, a 56-year-old former trade union boss, to attract large numbers of new, younger voters. The growing Finns Party ratings, on the other hand, appear to be driven by new supporters who have not voted in the past. The anti-immigration Finns Party also decries the "climate hysteria" of other parties seeking action against global warming. At a Finns Party rally on the eve of the vote in Myyrmaki, a disadvantaged suburb of the capital, a crowd of people, young and old, clamoured around party leader Jussi Halla-aho, asking for autographs and congratulating him on the campaign. "You will be the next prime minister," one woman assured him. Forecasts suggest no party is likely to draw more than 20 percent of the vote, meaning the result could be historically close. This could make the negotiations to build a government coalition particularly tricky. The major parties have all expressed strong reservations about joining a government with the Finns Party, whose policies lurched to the right after Halla-aho became leader in 2017. - Ageing population pressure - Finland has a rapidly ageing population and declining birth rate, and the question of how to keep funding the country's generous welfare state has been a key election battleground. Yet the Social Democratic Party may face tough economic conditions in which to implement its anti-austerity promises: many economic forecasts suggest Finland's GDP growth will slow in the coming years. Immigration became a hot election topic following outrage in January over highly publicised reports of an alleged string of sexual assaults by immigrant men. The incidents boosted support for the Finns Party's anti-immigration agenda. Polls close at 8:00 pm (1700 GMT), with all votes provisionally counted by 9:45 pm (1845 GMT). Finland's leftists lead with half of votes counted Helsinki, April 14 (AFP) Apr 14, 2019 Early results in Finland's general election on Sunday showed a lead for the leftist Social Democrats, while the current prime minister said his Centre Party was the night's "biggest loser". The Social Democrats were credited with 18.9 percent of votes after 47.3 percent of ballots were counted, ahead of the conservative National Coalition at 16.6 percent. The Social Democrats, led by 56-year-old former trade union boss Antti Rinne, campaigned against the steep cost-cutting of Centre Party Prime Minister Juha Sipila and his Finance Minister Petteri Orpo -- leader of the conservative National Coalition Party. "For the first time in a long, long time the Social Democrats are in first place," Rinne told reporters at the Finnish parliament. A first-place spot would put the Social Democrats at the head of the government for the first time in 16 years. The right-wing Finns Party was almost neck-and-neck in third place with PM Sipila's Centre Party, at around 15 percent. The Finns Party, led by hardline MEP Jussi Halla-aho, has seen a surge in support in recent months during an anti-immigration dominated campaign, urging people to "Vote for some borders". If the party remains in third place it could hold significant influence in the talks to form the next government, which in Finland is typically a coalition of three or four parties. The final results were expected before 11:00 pm (2000 GMT). - Heated campaign - The heated debate during the campaign -- over welfare, immigration and climate change -- led some analysts to predict that turnout would be high. One predicted the high advance turnout and tight poll margins would make this "the liveliest election of the 2000s". Voter turnout looked set to come in around 72 percent, higher than the 70.1 percent who voted in 2015. The current government's cuts to Finland's prized education system, and a tightening of unemployment benefit criteria, provoked loud and widespread public opposition. If the Social Democrats lead were confirmed, party leader Rinne would be tasked with building a majority coalition. But he refused to speculate Sunday as to whether he would agree to form a government with the conservative National Coalition. Rinne has been a staunch opponent of the National Coalition's austerity policies over the past four years. Petteri Orpo, leader of the conservative National Coalition Party and co-architect of the government's savings programme, has denounced the Social Democratic Party's anti-austerity plans as "irresponsible". However, in a tacit acknowledgement that the public mood is against further belt-tightening, Orpo has insisted that the economy is now strong enough to allow for some more generous public spending. - Populist surge - Opinion polls had suggested the Social Democrats' lead had narrowed in recent weeks to as little as two points, ahead of the National Coalition and Finns Party. Some blamed the shrinking lead on the inability of party leader Rinne to attract large numbers of new, younger voters. The growing Finns Party ratings, on the other hand, appear to be driven by new supporters who have not voted in the past. The anti-immigration Finns Party also decries the "climate hysteria" of other parties seeking action against global warming. Finns Party leader Halla-aho has sought to dispel accusations that he hopes to keep his party in opposition after the election, so as to avoid facing the tough decisions of being in power. On Sunday he said his party was open to being in a coalition "but not at any cost". The Finns Party does have previous experience of being in government, when they became the second-largest party in the 2015 election. But that led to the group splitting acrimoniously when its popularity spiralled following unpopular compromises on immigration and EU bailouts. The hardline faction, led by Halla-aho, went into opposition in 2017, and the party took a further lurch to the right. The other major parties have all expressed strong reservations about joining a government with the Finns Party, although few have ruled it out entirely. - Ageing population pressure - Finland has a rapidly ageing population and declining birth rate, and the question of how to keep funding the country's generous welfare state has been a key election battleground. Yet the Social Democratic Party may face tough economic conditions in which to implement its anti-austerity promises: many economic forecasts suggest Finland's GDP growth will slow in the coming years. Immigration became a hot election topic following outrage in January over highly publicised reports of an alleged string of sexual assaults by immigrant men. The incidents boosted support for the Finns Party's anti-immigration agenda. Air strike kills IS Somalia's number two: minister Mogadishu, April 14 (AFP) Apr 14, 2019 An air strike has killed the Islamic State group's second in command in Somalia, the security minister in the northwest region of Puntland announced Sunday. "The air strike occurred near Hiririo village in the Iskushuban district of Bari region this afternoon where the commander Abdihakim Dhoqob and a suspected colleague had been travelling in a car," Abdisamed Mohamed Galan said. Speaking from the port of Bokasso, Galan did not say who had launched the strike. IS in Somalia is far outnumbered by a rival jihadist group, the Al-Shabaab, which is aligned with al-Qaeda. The United States said Wednesday that it had resumed air strikes against al-Shabaab and has previously targeted both groups. Muse Abdiweli, an elder in a nearby village, confirmed the attack. "There was a heavy blast and several smaller blasts and people who went to the scene of the attack later saw a vehicle completely destroyed with human body parts shattered in pieces," he said. Amnesty International has criticised US drone attacks and air strikes in Somalia, last month reporting that 14 civilians had been killed from only five air strikes they had examined, of a total of 110 missile blasts. US forces said on April 5 that two civilians had died in an air strike in Somalia, the first time it has admitted non-combatant deaths since launching a wave of missiles targeting jihadist fighters. 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(Xinhua/Shen Hong) DUBROVNIK, Croatia, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said here Friday China is willing to join Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in promoting their all-round cooperation. Li made the remarks while meeting with Denis Zvizdic, chairman of BiH's Council of Ministers, on the sidelines of the eighth leaders' meeting between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) held at the southern Croatian coastal city of Dubrovnik. Li said China and BiH enjoy sound relations, complementary advantages, and huge potential for cooperation. He said China stands ready to work with BiH to enhance all-round cooperation, share development experience, explore new cooperation modes, and make good use of market rules, so as to make sure that cooperation projects between the two countries are sustainable. The Chinese premier called on the two sides to enhance transport infrastructure construction cooperation, and to work together to promote cooperation between their respective enterprises, particularly that of small and medium-sized firms. China welcomes more of BiH's agricultural exports that are suitable for the Chinese market, he added. Zvizdic said BiH highly appreciates its relations with China, adding that the two sides enjoy smooth bilateral economic, cultural and education cooperation. He hailed the China-CEEC cooperation as an important platform which has important significance to regional economic and social development, saying that BiH hopes to export more of its competitive agricultural products to China and enhance cooperation in technology and science park, infrastructure construction, processing and manufacturing, so as to realize mutual benefit and win-win results. Police are urging the public to help them tackle modern slavery in Warwickshire, by keeping an eye out for warning signs. Labour exploitation involves people being forced to work for little or no pay, with victims sometimes assaulted, threatened with violence, denied access to their passport or made to live in poor or overcrowded conditions. In an effort to clamp down on the offence, Warwickshire Police are asking residents to look out for a number of signs that could indicate someone is being exploited. Such signs include those not having enough food, those who appear scared or alone, those who always wear the same clothes, those living and working at the same location or in overcrowded accommodation or those with unusual travel and work times. The public can play a vital role in helping identify potential victims who may need help and reporting their concerns. Assistant Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith said "Please do not assume this does not affect you in Warwickshire. Reports of modern slavery are rare with 30 cases reported in the last year to December 2018. We believe this is because it is largely a hidden crime and we need the public's help to spot the signs and report any concerns so that they can be properly investigated." "The types of work where we believe people could be exploited in Warwickshire include warehousing and logistics work, agriculture, food processing and packing, car wash industries and barbers. This is by no means an exhaustive list." If you know someone who needs help, please call the police on 101 or the Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700 or the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) on 0800 432 0804. We want to help In the 12 months to December 2018, Warwickshire Police referred 52 potential victims of modern slavery into the UK National Referral Mechanism which is a national framework to ensure they receive the appropriate support. Warwickshire PCC Philip Seccombe said "It's really vital that everyone comes together to identify and protect the most vulnerable people in our society and ensure that anyone who is being exploited through modern slavery and human trafficking receives the right protection and support. We have been organising awareness events for frontline officers across a number of agencies, as well as producing a number of information packs aimed at both those that may be victims of modern slavery, as well as to help members of the public identify and contact enforcement agencies." Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Dubrovnik, Croatia, April 12, 2019. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen) DUBROVNIK, Croatia, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday that China is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with Hungary, consolidate political mutual trust, and push bilateral practical cooperation forward for more progress. Li made the remarks during his meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on the sidelines of the eighth leaders' meeting between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) held at the southern Croatian coastal city of Dubrovnik. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-Hungary diplomatic relations, said the premier, adding that the bilateral relationship is at its best time in history. He called on the two countries to enhance communication and coordination through their joint economic committee, and steadily advance large project cooperation, including the Hungarian section of the Belgrade-Budapest railway. Li said China welcomes high-quality products, including Hungary's agricultural products, to the Chinese market, and encourages competent Chinese enterprises to invest in Hungary through open tendering. China also supports its citizens in traveling to Hungary, and is willing to expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges to further consolidate public support for stronger bilateral relations, he added. For his part, Orban said China and Hungary will this year jointly celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. Hungary is willing to continue deepening practical cooperation with China, accelerate the implementation of the Hungarian section of the Belgrade-Budapest railway, and enhance cooperation in areas including agriculture and tourism, he said. Orban said Hungary expects to draw up a development plan for Hungary-China cooperation to promote bilateral relations. The Hungarian side is glad to see that the Europe-China relations are moving forward smoothly, he said, adding that his country will make further efforts to sustain this momentum. HNB launches a new product for entire family this Avurudu season View(s): HNB PLC has announced the launch of its radical revamp to its General and Minor Accounts, Avurudu Savings Promotions with the introduction of a first-of-its-kind 50 per cent interest free cash advance on deposits made with the bank during the month of April in addition to a special range of gifts and vouchers for Singithi deposits, in celebration of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. Through the new promotion customers that place a minimum deposit with HNB of Rs. 50,000 will be able to avail themselves of a maximum cash advance of Rs. 25,000. The maximum deposit amount accepted by HNB will be Rs. 2 million while repayment on advances can be made after 12 months, or on a quarterly basis, the bank said in a media release on Monday. We warmly wish our customers a happy Sinhala and Tamil New Year and invite each of them to avail themselves of this unprecedented offer and save while they spend or even better invest while having peace of mind that HNB is here to support you, HNB Senior Manager- Deposits, Viranga Gamage said. HNBs youngest and most valued customers will also get a chance to double their savings this Avurudu season, with the bank offering all Singithi Lama, and HNB Teen account holders special gifts and vouchers on deposits made till April 30, until stocks last. This year, a deposit in a Singithi account of Rs. 7,500 will entitle the account holder to a gift of a Branded Jumbo mug, while deposits of Rs. 15,000, Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 50,000 will respectively receive a digital alarm clock, a trendy pencil case, and a trolley bag. Additionally, deposits of Rs. 100,000 and Rs. 250,000 will receive gift vouchers for Rs. 7,500 and Rs. 17,500 respectively. With our Singithi depositors, we are always looking for ways to work with parents and help children build excitement around the savings habit, and make the entire experience a rewarding one so that they become enthusiastic about taking control of their financial future from as young an age as possible, Mr. Gamage stated. IFS net revenue soars beyond $600m in 2018 View(s): Global software firm IFS has closed the 2018 fiscal year with record-making growth that has seen it outpace its peers by a factor of three. The company announced that net revenue was up 23 per cent YoY. Cloud and SaaS revenue increased +300 per cent YoY. licence revenue +22 per cent YoY, maintenance revenue +13 per cent YoY, and consulting revenue +10 per cent YoY. IFS, in a media release, said it carried out a significant amount of transformation projects in 2018, facilitating global growth and ever-happier customers at the enterprise firm. Projects have included harmonising customer service and support, which ensured the company could continue to grow its footprint in the medium-to-large enterprise segments. 2018 also saw the launch of key products, including IFS Applications 10, IFS Field Service Management 6, and SaaS-based solutions in the IFS Aerospace and Defence product line. Darren Roos, global CEO of IFS, highlighted how the company achieved such unprecedented gains and whats ahead for the technology firm as it invests more resources in Sri Lanka. Sharing his thoughts on this, Mr. Roos said, Building on the momentum created in 2018, we enter 2019 with a renewed sense of purpose and a future guided by our customers. IFS has always invested significant resources in R&D and 2019 is no different. One such example of this is IFS Labs. 80 per cent of the Labs team is based in Sri Lanka and the technologies that this department is currently developing include wearables, augmented reality, bots, drones, robotic process automation and artificial intelligence. By doing this, the company seeks to prototype the emerging technologies, trends and concepts of today that customers will ask for tomorrow. IFS has also reinforced its proven expertise through regional expansion projects. The Asia Pacific, Japan, Middle East, and Africa market unit is expected to be one of the key sources of growth for the company globally over the next few years. Thats due to above-average projected growth in ERP and enterprise software spend throughout the region. IFS is actively investing to capitalise on this growth opportunity, targeting 45 per cent CAGR 2019 2021. The Sri Lankan and South Asian operation will be a significant contributor towards this growth, the release said. As a responsible corporate entity, IFS also strives to live its values and are passionate about giving back in a meaningful manner. The company has focused on education throughout its deep-rooted relationship with Sri Lanka. Collectively, IFS has awarded over 142 scholarships and more than 750 internships over the past few decades through university collaboration programmes. It has also offered support to communities during devastating times of natural disasters, it said. Moratuwa Universitys CAR moves into top gear By Alvin Sallay View(s): View(s): Perhaps, one day, the Centre for Advanced Robotics at the University of Moratuwa might devise a robot capable of lighting an oil lamp. But thankfully it was the human touch that was displayed as the traditional opening ceremony for an interactive discussion on Future Directions of Advanced Robotics in Sri Lanka got underway at the Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka premises last Thursday (April 4). Soon after lighting the oil lamp, Dr. Buddhika Jayasekara, Director Centre for Advanced Robotics (CAR) at the University of Moratuwa, outlined the vision of this body established just two years ago: To become a centre of excellence in advanced robotics in South Asia. Our mission is to foster and enhance research and innovations in advanced robotics through collaborative partnership within our own university as well as local and international research institutes, universities and industry for uplifting living standards. Our focus will be mainly on how to serve the country, Dr. Jayasekera outlined. CAR is one of eight centres set up in recent years at the University of Moratuwa. Others include data science, language similar to what reputed overseas universities like Cambridge are doing. The initiative is to create an image for the University of Moratuwa, as the place to go to for anything robotics (in the case of CAR), making it easier for the marketplace to not only invest in projects but also creating a gateway for industries to easily tap into the technical skills and talent available. The founding members of CAR, apart from Director Dr. Jayasekara, are: Prof. Rohan Munasinghe, Prof. Ruwan Gopura, Prof. Sisil Kumarawadu, Dr. Thilina Lalitharatne, Dr. Damith Chaturanga, Dr. Sulochana Sooriyaarachchi, Dr. Sanath Jayawardana, Dr. Peshala Jayasekera, Dr. Chandima Pathiranage, Dr. Udayanga Hemapala, Dr. Jayathu Samarawickrama, Dr. Palitha Dasanayake, Dr. Harsha Abeykoon and Dr. Ranga Abeysooriya. Robotics is one of the driving technologies of the world where many countries have already started using it in local industries speeding up their development process. In Sri Lanka this technology is still in the developing stage. The multi-disciplinary nature and flexibility in shaping up to the task make robotics the means for a solution in almost any field, Dr. Jayasekara revealed in his opening address. For Sri Lanka, robotics can make a very significant development if it is properly developed and deployed, he added. Apart from collaborating with other bodies, the roles of CAR include conduct research and facilitate postgraduate degrees; create opportunities for innovations, product development and commercialisation of robotic solutions; and provide solutions to local and international problems. Presentations on four different aspects of robotics industrial, aerial, field and assistive followed Dr. Jayasekaras introductory speech. The common theme among all the speakers was how to reduce the costs of robots on the market to such a level that even a small organisation can afford to have a robot system. When that happens, then probably we will have a robot lighting the oil lamp. Political stability vital for an International Financial Centre By Jayampathy Jayasinghe View(s): View(s): Two things vital for the creation of an International Commercial court is the usage of English Law that has to be looked into first. Most international financial centres such as New York, Bombay, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney function on English Law and the other important aspect is the political stability of a country essential for establishing a financial centre which Sri Lanka lacks although still desires of hosting an International Financial Centre, according to a top expert. We do not have political stability as witnessed recently where two Prime Ministers were appointed causing much confusion, said Prof. M. Sornarajah of the Faculty of Law of the National University of Singapore at the Senathi Rajah Memorial Trust lecture held at the BMICH Colombo recently. The topic that he dealt was on International Financial Centres and Specialised Legal Regimes: Is Sri Lanka Ready He said by the usage of Common Law there will be a pool of Common Law precedents that can be applied into innovative financial transactions. The three new financial centres in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kazakhstan make use of the English Law despite the fact that two states are Arab states and the other was a former Russian state. Under Section 3 of the Civil Law Ordinance of Sri Lanka, English Law would apply to commercial transactions except in some circumstances. Referring to international financial centres, he said the first such centres began in Amsterdam and in London during the period when both cities belonged to Empires. Both were port cities and cities where much of the trade took place. New York was the other financial centre owing to the growth of industries and due to a large market that existed in the country. There was a flow of money from Europe to New York and London as a result of the influx of refugees arriving at these cities, mostly Jewish bankers bringing in large amounts of money. However both London and New York are now losing that claim today. They were cities of culture, and cities of tolerance where people wanted to enter and live in, was an important facet of financial centres. International financial centres in Asia too were established as outposts of these Empires where Britain established financial centres in Bombay, Kolkata and in Hong Kong, the largest financial centre owing to Chinas growing wealth despite political tensions between them. Referring to Singapore, he said although it was not associated with Empires as the former Prime Minister of Singapore used to say that it was mud infested swamp at a time when Colombo was an elegant tree lined city. The mud infested swamp of Singapore had grown into a major financial centre in the world owing to a charismatic leader, the late Lee Kuan Yew who provided legal and financial services in Singapore. But by design Singapore was a corruption free country and elimination of corruption was embedded in its core values of the country. It was the second corruption free city after Denmark. Elimination of corruption is important in building up a financial centre. But where do we stand? Our politicians are not corruption free at all where they pilfer public funds, he added. Chandra Jayaratne of the Senathi Rajah Memorial Trust also spoke. Savoy makes 200 kids happy View(s): To put a smile on a childs face is something we all love to do. Savoy Cinemas did just that on Saturday March 30, inviting 200 children to enjoy a day at the movies to the Savoy Premier Cinema in Rajagiriya to watch Disneys, Dumbo The Flying Elephant. The children from the Voice Foundation, SOS Foundation, and Centre of Hope were treated to a truly red carpet extravaganza. From the time they arrived at 8 am, Savoy Cinemas, ensured that they had a full blown movie goers experience. Whether it was a Happy Meal from McDonalds, or an interval snack from Maliban, the kids aged 5 to 15, just had a blast with Dumbo The Flying Elephant. For most, it was their first movie experience, the cinema company said in a media release. Savoy Cinemas look forward to creating such happy memories for kids who typically dont have the opportunity to go to the movies. Savoy Cinemas, which is Sri Lankas sole distributor of Disney and Marvel movies and an industry stalwart in distributing Sinhala and Tamil films, is now on its way to becoming a true corporate samaritan in the country, guided by the vision and strength of Ben Holdings Pvt Ltd. Former Defence Secretary returns with confidence that court cases against him wont stop him from contesting presidential poll Prospects still nil of President getting the nod from SLPP; second opinion may be sought from Supreme Court on presidential term Jayasekeras attacks cause major problems in talks for SLPP-SLFP alliance; it might die before it is born The first tweet, surprising enough, came from a power centre within the government. It said that Ahimsa, the daughter of slain editor Lasantha Wickremetunge had filed civil action in a Los Angeles Court against Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Opposition presidential hopeful and former Defence Secretary. Lasanthas brother Lal Wickremetunga, Sri Lankas Consul General in Australia, told the Sunday Times on the telephone from Sydney, The family had waited for five years under the Rajapaksa government and another five years under the present one. They did not get justice. Therefore, they have gone before a US court. The remarks were an about-turn from what he said just two weeks earlier. Denying moves to file a case against his brothers killing, he then told the Sunday Times (Cafe Spectator March 31): Those reports are completely untrue. I have no plans to file any action in US courts. I am awaiting the outcome of what the Sri Lanka courts would do once those responsible are indicted. Now he admits action indeed has been filed in US courts, albeit by the family. According to other well-informed sources, he played a key role in the ongoing exercise co-ordinating matters. The brutal killing of Lasantha, Editor of the now defunct Sunday Leader, and one-time politician of sorts, took place on January 8, 2009. Since then, for the past ten years, investigations by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), have been mired in deep mystery and controversy. One of the main reasons is the pressure on those probing from different arms of the state, some of them very powerful. Talks on the probe had even extended to five-star hotels. Efforts are being made now to file indictments on some, after the national New Year. This again is on those widely described as being on the outer fringe or, as they say, where the buck has stopped. Thus, a case listing the accused, if as claimed including Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has not yet surfaced in courts. How then is he being allegedly accused of murder? The Sunday Times has learnt that substantial material involving his alleged involvement has been culled from reports filed by the CID in the Magistrates Courts in Colombo. Though these court reports are considered public documents, both the CID and the court staff, have been consistently protective and have not released them. This has come as a veil of secrecy not only in this case but many high-profile cases. The US-based Premier Group International (PGI) said in a tweet that their licensed process (summons) servers teamed up with Ideal Investigations, Inc. to surveil and serve papers on Gotabaya Rajapaksa for two federal lawsuits filed in California. The PGI is a company dealing with investigations, threat assessment and risk management. It happened when Gotabaya, who was visiting the United States at the time was to drive to Nevada and chose to visit Trader Joes in Pasadena, California a large food chain dealing with a variety including many vegetarian items. He is a strict vegetarian. There he was photographed as the process (summons) was served on him in a sealed brown envelope. The photograph shows him accepting a sealed brown envelope. Quite clearly, as admitted in the tweet, he had been under close surveillance and was unaware of it. In Colombo, Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa denied such process (summons) was served. And that surveillance did not end there. Soon, his return flight details from Los Angeles to Dubai (en route to Colombo) from the Tom Bradley International Airport, in Los Angeles at 1.40 p.m. on April 10 by Emirates flight EK 216 became known. As it so happened, the same power centre in Colombo together with a known coterie tweeted the details and caused some confusion for the former Defence Secretary. He had to cancel the flight. He left in another flight and arrived in Colombo on Friday. He was received by a group of MPs, former ministers, retired military officials and well-wishers at the Bandaranaike International airport. There was also a religious ceremony at the VIP Lounge where the Buddhist clergy chanted pirith. Also present were Muslim ulemas and Hindu priests. Gota makes statement In a brief statement he made to the crowds; Gotabaya Rajapaksa made a significant revelation he has NOT handed in his papers yet for the renunciation of his US citizenship. He said he had gone to the US mostly to consult his lawyers over the renunciation of his US citizenship. He said he did this successfully. He said he would move towards this soon a clear indication that the civil law suits have been filed in the US courts ahead of his handing in documents to end his US citizenship. Rajapaksa said it was unfortunate court action was being initiated ahead of a presidential election and emphasised that it was civil action. He made no reference to receiving the process (summons) directly but said he received them through Sri Lankas Consul General in Los Angeles. It became clear yesterday that the former Defence Secretary had a meeting with US Embassy officials on March 6 for a preliminary inquiry. It is now that he is expected to hand in documents including his US passport. That disclosure adds a new dimension to the issues revolving around. The journey to Los Angeles to attend the wedding of a friend was not without some controversy. Members of the Rajapaksa family, top level leadership of the SLPP and those in the Opposition were livid that a controversial personality had accompanied him. He had taken part in all events including personal engagements. Top members of the family had warned Gotabaya Rajapaksa before departure that he should keep a safe distance from the person. Some were also unhappy about his timing to attend a wedding in Los Angeles given the evolving political situation in Sri Lanka. So much so, President Sirisena who planned a pilgrimage overseas called it off. Premier Wickremesinghe, who is known to take an overseas vacation during the National New Year season has also not done so. Just after the court action by Ahimsa Wickremetunge was made public, the South Africa-based International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) said it had, in partnership with the international law firm Hausefeld Solicitors, filed a civil damage suit in California against the former Defence Secretary. Thus, both cases have been filed by the same law firm, an indication that they are linked. The ITJP is a South African NGO run by Yasmin Sooka, a transitional justice expert. She was earlier a member of a three-member UN panel that visited Sri Lanka at the end of the separatist war in 2009. That was to study and advise the United Nations then Secretary General Ban Ki-moon regarding modalities, applicable standards and comparative experience relevant to the accountability process, having regard to alleged violations of international human rights law during the final stages of the separatist war. The ITJP case is in respect of Roy Samathanam, now a Canadian national. He was arrested in Colombo in January 2007 and allegedly detained and tortured for three years without access to lawyers. A former Colombo-based BBC correspondent Frances Harrison is also involved in this initiative as a media contact from London. The case of Marie Colvin Interesting enough, the two cases are being handled by Scott Gilmore, an international human rights lawyer in Washington DC. He has represented survivors of torture and war crimes from around the world, including the family of ISIS hostage James Foley and Haitian victims of Baby Doc Duvalier. In January 2019, Mr Gilmore won a $303.6 million lawsuit against the Syrian Assad Regime for the killing of (London) Sunday Times correspondent Marie Colvin. She died covering the Syrian war. It transpired later that Syrian Intelligence had identified her location by intercepting calls on a satellite phone. They were accused of precision bombing that killed her. However, the payment of compensation was more symbolic and the Assad regime in Syria rejected the court order. Colvin, a well-known war correspondent, a US citizen, flew into Colombo from London in April 2001 to cover the separatist war. Since I was reporting to the Sunday Times (UK) then, I met her for a lengthy chat at the Galle Face Hotel just the night before she left in the morning for the war-torn north. Over the years, she had become a personal friend. She entered the area through Mannar entry/exit point and spent several days in Jaffna. She was returning through the forward defended localities ahead of Vavuniya when an Army team ambushed her and her Tiger (LTTE) guerrilla escorts. In a firefight, Colvin lost her left eye. The guerrillas left her almost for dead at the FDL and fled. She was eventually treated at a Government hospital in the North Central province of Sri Lanka. The Sunday Times (London) arranged for an air ambulance to fly her back to the UK, but Sri Lankan doctors later gave her the okay to fly in a commercial aircraft. South Asia Correspondent Jon Swain flew in to escort her to London. She later flew to the US for further treatment. Foreign Editor Sean Ryan once described her satellite phone bills as one of the costliest items for the newspaper. Colvins encounters, both in Sri Lanka and Syria have now been made into a Hollywood movie. The law suits against Gotabaya Rajapaksa are clearly intended to delay, if not scuttle, the US government from renouncing his citizenship. The move has been like releasing a nest full of hornets within the SLPP and has led to serious concern. In some ways, it is similar to what a group called Sikhs for Justice filed in New York courts against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in December 2014. She was accused of shielding party leaders involved in violence against Sikhs in India in November 1984 following the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. However, in June 2014 more than six months after a US Federal Court dismissed the lawsuit for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim. What is significant here is the time taken a period of six months. In Gotabaya Rajapaksas case, too, he would have to obtain US certification that he has renounced his citizenship much ahead of six months the time by which presidential election is now due. Some SLPP leaders learnt from onetime UNP turned SLFP minister Milinda Moragoda, a close ally of the former Defence Secretary, that it took him only some ten days to renounce his US citizenship. It is now that they are becoming conscious that Gotabaya Rajapaksas case is a lot different. Questions are now being asked why he could not have applied to renounce his citizenship much earlier despite being advised to do so. Therefore, the suspense, not to mention fears, are growing and so is the propaganda pitch against the former Defence Secretary. UNP plot, says Allahapperuma Others in the Rajapaksa camp have, however, spoken out. This is only part of a vicious campaign by the United National Party (UNP) against the plan to field Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the next presidential candidate, Dullas Allahapperuma, now a frontliner in the SLPP, told a news conference last Tuesday. He claimed that after the Wickremetunge killing, eight Intelligence officers were kept in custody for around two years. The aim was to implicate Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe had said that the former Army Commander was involved as reports in the Parliament Hansard would reveal. Alahapperuma claimed there were parallels to events that unfolded in 1982. President J.R. Jayewardene had planned the presidential election campaign after depriving former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, of her civic rights. Jayewardenes nephew Wickremesinghe was trying to use the same tactics. From last Tuesday, he said, there was only 179 days left for the announcement of the presidential election. The last date on which such an election could be held is December 7 this year. Thus, the final date for calling for nominations will be October 21. A formal announcement would have to come on October 5. At the same news conference, National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa said the purpose behind action before US courts was to create issues over renunciation of the former Defence Secretarys US citizenship. The cases have been filed after the documents had been handed over. There will be no implications over it as a result of the court action. Lawyers who studied the matter have advised so, he added. The SLPPs nominal leader, G.L. Peiris, argued that there was no basis for a case since the incidents referred to had taken place ten years ago. President Maithripala Sirisena-led Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) is, however, still vary over Gotabaya Rajapaksas candidature at the presidential election. Its General Secretary, Dayasiri Jayasekera, who has taken a hawkish stand against the SLPP in recent times, declared, I dont know whether Gotabaya Rajapaksa is named as the SLPP candidate. We respect that familys decision. However, we believe that the SLPP has not taken such a decision. Those remarks only mean that like President Sirisena, General Secretary Jayasekera also wants to believe there is still hope. That is for prospects of Sirisena becoming the joint candidate for both the SLFP and the SLPP. However, even in the unlikely event of Gotabaya Rajapaksa not contesting, the prospects are zero for Sirisena being backed by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). SC ruling on presidential term Noting that we have great respect for Gotabaya personally, Jayasekera further said, we should discuss whether the situation he is facing would have an impact on the activities that are taking place in our country, He added; These are civil cases; not criminal ones. We dont know the future of that. If there was jubilation at the highest levels of the UNP at the turn of events in the US, vis-a-vis court cases being initiated against Gotabaya Rajapaksa, officially they remained silent and non-commital. Outsourced by the leadership, as is the practice, it is only some back-benchers who voiced some comments. Jayasekera also revealed another significant matter President Sirisena is toying with the idea of seeking a second Supreme Court interpretation over the term of his office. He claimed the Presidential election should be held after June 21, 2020, if they start counting the five years from June 21, 2015 when the 19th Amendment was signed by the Speaker and became law, thus limiting the term of the President to five years. He noted that The Supreme Court was previously asked whether the Presidents term of office was five or six years. It was ruled (in January last year by the Supreme Court) that the term was five years. The question is when does that five-year term begin and end, Jayasekera argued. Sirisenas legal advisors seem to believe that contradictory positions in the 19th Amendment provided room to argue that he could remain in office for a further period after January 8, 2020. The idea is being scoffed at by constitutional experts who say there was enough clarity he could not continue. Even if the move does not materialise, it is manifestly clear President Sirisena is exploring every avenue to remain in office for as long as possible. In the event of a SC ruling giving Sirisena an extended term, his close aides, believe it would mean the scheduled parliamentary elections in August next year would come with him in office. He once sacked his Prime Minister and dissolved parliament. It is after the same so-called legal big wigs who are advising him now, a former SLFP minister who did not favour the move said. He warned that if given effect, the move would bring down whatever esteem that remains for Sirisena now. Another reason that has prompted the consideration of this doubtful effort is that it would give more time to complete his anti-corruption, anti-drugs and other campaigns now under way. Even if such a move were to succeed, other than a handful of his own parliamentarians from the SLFP, Sirisena would not have any political backing. The United National Front (UNF) is not likely to back the move. Neither is the SLPP. Already, Sirisenas SLFP delegation for the formation of an alliance with the SLPP is on a rough road. Last Wednesdays talks make this clear though some media reports gave a positive spin that they had reached understanding on some matters. True, they did agree on some issues, but those were on matters most political parties would have agreed. Like for example protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka or not to sell state assets. The meeting at the Opposition Leaders office at Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha, just next to the Sravasti MPs hostel, began late. Thilanga Sumathipala MP and Rohana Luxman Piyadasa, former General Secretary of the SLFP, were late. They had been at a meeting with President Sirisena. Besides the guidelines Sirisena also gave them an agenda to follow at the talks. This, however, was not followed, and the SLPP delegation ignored it. The SLPPs nominal leader G.L. Peiris sounded a strong note of caution. He said that the SLPP delegation was coming to the talks despite tremendous opposition from party members. He was bitterly critical of SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekeras remarks against them. He said that the SLPP believed in Shista Sampannawa or doing politics in a civilised way. Alahapperuma joined Peiris to say that it was not only the SLPP membership which was vary of the common alliance but also people in different parts of the country. Yet, he said, their leader Mahinda Rajapaksa had told them to continue the talks to demonstrate their bona fides. He said earlier, in a bid to have the SLFP demonstrate its unwillingness to act against the UNP, the SLPP had called for the resignations of SLFP members who were in control of local councils with the support of the ruling party. This had not been done. Jayasekera intervened to say they (the SLFP) could not proceed with the move. President Maithripala Sirisena who was in India in February last year had telephoned after reading media reports and urged them not to go ahead. It appeared there were issues in this regard in the local authorities in Polonnaruwa and Medirigiriya. Alahapperuma said that the SLFP should demonstrate its bona fides by getting its members in local councils to withdraw from their tie-ups with the UNP. Meka Ranil Virodayak Arenna, UNP Virodayak Nevei or this is an Anti-Ranil Protest and not a protest against the UNP. Even the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) was showing publicly that it is opposed to the government. He said that the SLFP mindset should change. The issue of the SLFP refraining from voting on the Budgets third (final) reading was also raised. The SLPP expressed disappointment over this move and said the SLFP had been reluctant to make a political decision. Earlier, Alahapperuma said the SLFP and the UNP called their budget Neela Haritha or Blue-Green. Is this why they chose to refrain from voting this time, he asked. What has incensed the SLPP delegation most are remarks made by Jayasekera at a news conference just a day ahead of their talks. Some of the remarks made by him are relevant. He said: President Sirisena was the one who was at the receiving end after appointing Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister. As result of his actions, everyone made negative comments about him. Yet, he took that decision for the betterment of the country. No one said then that they are not sure of the SLFP. Who are the ones who destroyed the trust? Hours after appointing Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister, when they learned President would prorogue Parliament, they went and joined the SLPP. When that happened the SLFP supporters felt uncertain. The SLFP party supporters at village level said that they felt betrayed, MPs like us who didnt join the SLPP were shocked at what happened. I would like to tell the ones who portray us as betrayers for not voting against the budget that, when they took the membership of the SLPP, we felt the same way. When President Sirisena gave leadership and issued Gazettes, their action was like stabbing him. That was also wrong. If they are saying they need trust, we have to say that the ones who joined SLPP are the ones who first breached the trust. We are expressing distress over the assault directed against the President and the party. We told the SLFP members that they dont need to be agitated over that as we have no issue regarding the partnership of the both parties in an alliance. However, there is also a conspiracy to bring down SLFP members, to wear them down mentally. We are not ready to surrender to any other party. As SLFPers, we would keep our dignity and identity and work towards forming a government that refrains from making the political mistakes that occurred during the history of politics. The SLFP is not bound to protect the ones who made the mistakes and also is not ready to protect them in the future. The SLFP will work hard to create the common alliance that loves the country. We will take great effort to unite our parties and create a force that works for the betterment of the people. Within that alliance, the SLFP will also take effort to create common leaders. No one can resolve their issues by slinging mud at the SLFP.. It is noteworthy that Jayasekera is the only party frontliner who is taking a more belligerent stand against the SLPP, their counterpart with whom they wish to form an alliance. Whether this is with the approval of President Sirisena, tacit or otherwise, remains unclear. In doing so, wittingly or unwittingly, Jayasekera is projecting that he and his party are in a strong, unassailable position? Is this true? If it is, then he would have to, with those backing him, take the responsibility for the breakdown in talks for an alliance. This only means the SLFP has to go it alone. On the other hand, if it is not, to the SLPP which has now grown in strength, the SLFP would be playing the role of a big brother. Would anything more have to be said about the future of the proposed alliance? It could die before it is born. This the national New Year festival takes centre stage though the suffering people have not recovered from the lengthy power cuts and a water shortage. When the festivities end, the political climate is sure to heat up with the focal point being the question of who and who will be presidential candidates. That there will be shocks and surprises will be no secret going by the recent developments. There can also be turmoil within the major political parties, as a result. A fast track for a world-class university degree ACBT University Foundation programme for O/LEVEL qualified students View(s): View(s): Australian College of Business and Technology (ACBT), the pioneer in providing Australian Higher Education in Sri Lanka with Edith Cowan University (ECU),has started enrolments for its new batch of University Foundation Program exclusively meant for students who sat for GCE Ordinary Level Examination in 2018. ACBT University Foundation Programme is an excellent opportunity for students who have completed Ordinary Level examination to fast track their entry to a university degree programme. This 8 month Foundation Programme is ideal for those students who do not wish to pursue Advanced Level studies in schools and it directly transfers them, upon successful completion, to the first year of the university degree. To join the Foundation Programme, students require a minimumof 5 passes at GCE O/Level including a Credit pass for English Language. There are four streams of study in the Foundation Programme : namely Business, Engineering Studies, Computing & IT and Health Studies. Graduates from these disciplines are in high demand globally. Especially in Australia,these programmes open pathways to numerous employment opportunities for those students who plan to complete their degree programmes in a university in Australia after their Foundation Programme. An added advantage of the ACBT University Foundation Programmeis that, if thestudents transfer to Australia, they are not expected to take any English Language Proficiency Tests such as IELTS. However, if students do not intend to study in Australia, it is also possible for them to complete the entire degree programme at ACBT to obtain an internal degree certificate from ECU at a much lower cost than the expenditure of studying in Australia. The 8 months of the Foundation Programme are divided into 2 semesters during which students study 8 subjects relevant to their chosen stream of specialization. Course schedule is planned in order to engage students in a full-time academic programmeso as to equip them with the relevant subject knowledge, academic discipline and study skills expected of a prospective undergraduate student. In addition, students are provided with learning facilities of international standards as well as a comfortable and safe campus environment to study and socialize at ACBT. Students and parents can get more information about the programme by calling the ACBT Hotline on 0773 000900, by visiting ACBT Campuses in Colombo, Kandy & Galle, by logging ontothe ACBT website on www.acbt.net or via email on info@acbt.lk . Annual General Meeting of SJC OBU Ja Ela Wattala Branch View(s): The 32nd Annual General meeting of St. Josephs College, Colombo 10, Old Boys Union Ja Ela Wattala Branch, will be held on Saturday 27th April 2019 at No. 165, Palliyawatta Road, Palliyawatta (the residence of Dr. Maithri Perera) commencing at 7.30 pm for the following purpose. 1. To Table the Annual Report for the year 2018/2019. 2. To Table and adopt the Annual Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2019. 3. Election of a President and Office Bearers for the ensuing year 2019/2020. 4. To consider any resolutions of which due notice of seven days has been given to the Honorary Secretary in writing. 5. Election of Auditors for the coming year 2019/2020. 6. Any other business. Meeting will be followed by fellowship and Dinner. Members are invited with their spouses. An all-inclusive cover charge of Rs. 1,500.00 per head will be levied. Please confirm your participation to President, Secretary or Treasurer. Bump and Grind to promote Lankan rap stars View(s): The third episode of Bump N Grind DJ parties was held at the exclusive Voice Lounge in Colombo 7 on 29th March, 2019. Bump N Grind is all about promoting Sri Lankan Hip-hop/Rap artistes and their music to the vibrant Colombo night life. DJ Cairo, popular Sinhala Rap star was the main attraction of the third Bump N Grind last month. The very first Bump N Grind Concert was held at the W Lounge, Horton Place on 1st February with many local talents. The first episode was graced by Rude Bwoy Shiraz, one of the first rappers in the industry and also the one the only ragga/dancehall rapper in the island. He is the main character behind super hits Wise Kaari, Bambarapadam and Paaradeesaye. The event is organized by DJ Minol Dee, who is one of the leading DJs in the music scene in Sri Lanka. I really wanted this concept off the ground, as I strongly believe that there is so much of young English Rap/hip hop talent in Sri Lanka. Some of them even have their own originals but we hardly hear them or see them in action, on radio or television. So I decided to create a platform for our English rappers to perform and introduce their originals to the audience live, which in return will help them to gain live experience on stage Minol explained. The second episode of the Bump N Grind, came alive at the same venue on Friday, March 1st. Introducing Sinhala rap music to the field and we had DNM CREW, Dush and Malin, who won the best band at TNL Onstage 2018 entertaining the crowd. We also had DJ Spike, who performed at the 2nd edition. He is an award-winning rap artiste winning the best rapper award at Derana Music Awards in 2013 said Minol Hewage, the Founder/Creative Director of Bump N Grind, popularly known as DJ Mino Dee. The third edition was special as the crowd was given a chance to enjoy to the eighties rap styles and early days of Hip Hop. Not only that crowd was entertained to some great music from the 90s, Oldskool and early 2000s hip hop music, but the spin masters- Dilan Jay, Base Craft and Minol D dished out the best he added. The Fourth edition will come a live soon with a bigger surprise for all hip-hop/ rap music artistes and their fans. BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- China is using high-tech measures, such as satellite remote sensing technologies, in protecting its cultural heritage, according to an official with the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA). Chen Peijun, director of the NCHA's supervision and inspection department, said in an interview with Xinhua that the administration has been using remote sensing to monitor some of the country's key cultural heritage sites and stretches of the Great Wall and their nearby areas. Chen said the administration will also explore the use of other technological means such as the Internet, cloud computing, big data and drones in the administrative and law enforcement work for cultural heritage protection. He said new technologies help improve the efficiency of supervision and ensure that violations are detected and handled in an early and timely manner. Child abuse: Backlog of 17,600 cases in AGs Dept. View(s): There was a backlog of nearly 17,600 unresolved child abuse cases in the files of the Attorney Generals Department at the end of 2017, according to its annual performance report presented to Parliament this month. Meanwhile, the latest report of the Prisons Department shows that there were 161 direct admissions of convicted child abusers in the same yearmaking up 0.7 percent of the total number of direct admissions in 2017. This was the lowest total since 2015. The majority of offenders (30) were convicted for having sexual intercourse with children followed by sexual abuse of children (29) and rape of a girls under 16 years (29). The next largest category was those who involved children in and procured children for sexual activities (24). Across the three years, these offences have been the most numerous and mainly carried out by men. In 2016, there were 231 direct admissions of convicted child abuse offenders, while the number was even higher, at 267, the previous year. The other types of child abuse listed are use of children for photographic publications and display; cruelty to children; incest; inducement and involvement of children in begging; use of children in drug trafficking; unnatural offences with children (under 16); acts of gross indecency (under 16); procuring; and sale of children (under 18). The AGs Departments Child Abuse Cases Unit was set up in 2004 for the speedy disposal of cases, including of sexual offences against women referred for the advice of the Attorney General. The performance report says the Department recruited 18 young lawyers to work in the unit with an additional supporting staff of 14. They concluded 2,488 cases during the year, yet 17,582 cases remained. The number of cases completed in 2017 is marginally higher than what it was in 2016. That year, 3,651 cases were opened and 2,354 files concluded. But the statistics for 2015 were discouraging: only 1,801 files were concluded while 3,338 cases were opened. Dont misuse media freedom through unethical conduct: President Sirisena at Media Awards ceremony View(s): President Maithripala Sirisena requested the Media not to misuse the Media Freedom given to them, by engaging in unethical conduct. He made these remarks at the inaugural Presidential Media Awards ceremony held at the BMICH. He said he was not against constructive criticism and would welcome criticism made for the betterment of the country. The President also said that he will be passive, though derisive criticisms are hurled against him. However, he also advised the Media that, as result of derisive criticism, a leader that would be his opposite would surface and would take drastic measures to control the Media. During the past four years, there hasnt been anyone who has been criticised like me, especially in web based media. I am an easy target, as I have no connections with underworld criminals and dont misuse the Tri-Forces. I dealt with the insults in a quiet manner, but dont expect that from my successor, he said. Non Cabinet Media Minister Ruwan Wijewardena, in his address, said the event was the first Presidential Media Awards in the country, and was an important event for the people in this industry. From such events the services of journalists are commemorated and appreciated among people, which elevates the self esteem of the journalists. At the event, 51 journalists from Print, Radio, Television and Web streams were presented awards. Veteran journalists Edwin Ariyadasa, Karunarathna Amarasinghe, Lucian Bulathsinhala and Lakshman Jayawardena were presented Lifetime Achievement Awards by the President. The event was organized by the Ministry of Mass Media. Presidents Secretary Udaya R Seneviratne, Minister of Lands Gayantha Karaunathilake, Lasantha Alagiyawanna and Media Ministry Secretary Sunil Samaraweera were also in attendance. Govt. to repeal controversial Takeover Act By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s): The Cabinet this week approved the repeal of the controversial Revival of Underperforming Enterprises or Underutilized Assets Act of 2011 under which the previous administration abruptly took over 37 institutions, including private companies, and sent shockwaves through the investor community. The repeal Act, which is in draft form, ensures that the relevant institutions and properties are vested in the Secretary to the Treasury for and on behalf of the State. As such, he or she will be custodian of these assets. The Act does not return these assets to the previous holders who include well-known entrepreneurs such as UNP Parliamentarian Daya Gamage and business tycoon Harry Jayawardene. The sole objective of repealing this Act is to reassure worried investors that it will not be used again, said a source from the Ministry of Public Enterprises under whose purview the subject matter lies. All acts done under or pursuant to the repealed Act for the purpose of control, administration, management and revival, as the case may be, of underperforming enterprises or underutilised assets and the execution of all contracts and deeds, agreements, memorandums of understanding, guarantees, powers of attorney of whatever nature and all licence permits and approvals obtained in relation or in pursuance thereto be valid in force in accordance with the terms thereof, the draft repeal Bill states. The Revival of Underperforming Enterprises or Underutilized Assets Act was enacted to vest the underperforming enterprises or underutilized assets with the Government and make provisions for their proper management, administration or revival and for the payment of relevant compensation. But it created a strong sense of uncertainty in the minds of investors and had an adverse effect on the countrys ease of doing business, the Cabinet was told this week. The legislation was passed as an urgent Bill in 2011. It was quietly sent to the Supreme Court for a determinationbut the then Government prevented the draft from being accessed by anybody before the 48-hour deadline for the SC ruling had passed. The Supreme Court registrar refused to release a certified copy until the Courts decision was conveyed to the President. A draft went to Parliament and to the Opposition Leader only after the SC made a determination and communicated it. All this effectively prevented the raising of any objections and led to serious concerns that the Government, in introducing this bill, intended to take over private institutions at will. The Bill was also drafted by a private company. Laws are usually drawn up by the Legal Draftsmans Office. The underperforming enterprise named in the Act was Hotel Developers (Lanka) PLC, the owning company of Colombo Hilton. The underutilized assets named are the Pettah property of Charmers Granaries; the Badulla properties of Colombo Commercial Company; the Pettah and Narahenpita properties of Lanka Tractors Ltd; land belonging to Pelwatte Sugar Industries Ltd; and land owned by Sevanagala Sugar Industries Ltd. Acquired, too, was the property of Sinotex (Lanka) Ltd; Jaqalanka Ltd; Plymouth Industries (Pvt) Ltd; Cosmos Macky Industries Ltd; Kabool Lace (Pvt) Ltd; former Cashew Corporation land; Intertrade Lanka (Pvt) Ltd; Suchir NEB Projects (Pvt) Ltd; Ceylinco Leisure Properties Ltd; Seethas Fashion (Pvt) Ltd; D.C. Apparel (Pvt) Ltd; Needle Crafts (Pvt) Ltd; HY Fashion Garments (Pvt) Ltd; Collins Garment (Pvt) Ltd; Ruhunu Putha Apparels (Pvt) Ltd; and Sanjaya Garments (Pvt) Ltd. The remaining companies on the list were Macfa Apparel (Pvt) Ltd; Yobeedha Associates (Pvt) Ltd; Dynamic Clothing (Pvt) Ltd; 609 Polymers Exports (Pvt) Ltd; Cosco Polymer Lanka (Pvt) Ltd; Great Wall Thread Manufacturing (Pvt) Ltd; Adamjee Extractions (Pvt) Ltd; Data Food (Pvt) Ltd; Tendon Lanka (Pvt) Ltd; Rican Lanka (Pvt) Ltd; Composite Tower Solutions (Pvt) Ltd; Health Food Products (Pvt) Ltd; Sri Chirag (Pvt) Ltd; Royale Exports (Pvt) Ltd; and Continental Vanaspathi (Pvt) Ltd. The law defined underutilized asset as land that was once owned by the Government but alienated to any person by outright sale, lease or through a divestiture on the basis this would result in generating employment, foreign exchange earnings or savings or economic activities beneficial to the public, but where such benefits have not accrued. It could also be land owned by a person who had been granted tax incentives, incentives under the Board of Investment Law or regulations framed there under, or any government guarantee, but where the desired benefits have not accrued. Power crisis: Top official tampers with committee report By Anthony David View(s): View(s): A three-member ministerial committee tasked to make urgent recommendations to end the power crisis has found that alterations have been made to its report by a senior official of the Ministry of Power and Energy. Such a move, the Sunday Times has learnt, has triggered questions on whether the alterations were intended to promote certain business interests under the cover of the power crisis. For example, the committee had specifically recommended the purchase of 200MW ofpower for six months from a private supplier operating a barge-mounted plant. The ministry official had added other barge-mounted power projects. Another was the inclusion of two different contracts to different companies for LNG projects a subject that did not come before the Committee. It is not clear whether the official included these changes on his own or at the insistence of political leaders. Though the recommendations were intended to be for a short-term period, the official changed it. The committee was headed by Power and Energy Minister Ravi Karunanayake and included Highways Minister Kabir Hashim and Non-Cabinet Economic Reforms and Public Distribution Minister Harsha de Silva. The Sunday Times learns that the committees original report had been tippexed and the additions included. At least, one committee member had refused to sign the report, forcing the Ministry official to revert to the original recommendations. The Sunday Times also learns that the matter has been brought the attention of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Despite claims by Minister Karunanayake that there would be no power cuts from last Friday, engineers warned that the power situation was extremely volatile. The supply of electricity after the national holidays hinges only on a perfect scenario where all power plants work smoothly, emergency power is connected promptly and the expected monsoons arrive on time, warned Saumya Kumarawadu, President of the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union. In the event of an unfortunate breakdown in Norochcolai, power cuts would become inevitable, he said. Water supply cant meet hot-weather demand By Kasun Warakapitiya View(s): View(s): The Irrigation and Meteorology Departments are calling on the public to use water sparingly during the next few days. Below-average rainfalls and high temperatures have been reported throughout the month. Irrigation Department Director-General S. Mohanarajah said farmers have been told to use water sparingly to avoid shortages at the end of the month. The Irrigation Departments tanks has an average of 70 per cent of water remaining and can provide water for Yala season cultivation, he said, but added, As we have not had sufficient rains we have to preserve water. Evaporation is rapid due to the high temperatures so the farmers must strictly manage water. The water board is also facing difficulties as the public is using more water in the heat and says it cannot assure a reliable supply. Due to increased demand, people living in inner-city areas and in elevated areas are experiencing poor water supply due to lack of water pressure, Board Chairman K.A. Ansar said. He said people must preserve water and use purified drinking water only for drinking and other essential activities. Mr. Ansar said water supply in the Kalutara District has been affected due to an increase in salinity in the Kalu Ganga. People there are being sent drinking water in bowsers and told to use the river-pipe water for cleaning. Farmers and people who are living remote areas are badly in need of drinking water. Polonnaruwa District Secretary Panduka Abeywardena said eight water bowsers have been deployed to provide drinking water for four divisional secretariat areas that have 4,300 families resident. We have sufficient water for Yala season cultivation but we have been preserving tank water by not releasing water to the canals, and that means we have to send out bowsers to give people drinking water, he said. Water was being released into the canals from Friday and this will continue until tomorrow (Monday). Hambantota District Secretary Bandula Harischandra said 17 bowsers are being dispatched daily to local government areas including Tissamaharama and Lunugamwehera. We are preserving tank water for cultivation activities so we are providing drinking water to people via bowsers, he said. He said discussions had been held between the secretariat and the NWSDB on Wednesday to create an action plan. We agreed to use our water bowsers to transport water to areas where the NWSDB is failing to provide water, and in return they arranged us access to their water source, he said. He added that officials have plans to dig wells in marshy farmlands in search of water if the poor situation continues. In the Matara district, 10,246 people are facing a water shortage and District Secretary Pradeep Ratnayaka said he had ordered water bowsers to be deployed to stricken areas such as Devinuwara, Matara, Dickwella, Kirindapuhulwella and Hakmana. Devinuwara is the worst-affected area, with almost 4,000 people in need, and there are complaints that not enough is being done to help them. Most of the paddy cultivation in the Hambantota region has come to a standstill due to lack of water. The Meteorology Department said little rainfall is expected, not enough to fill the tanks and reservoirs. Meteorological Department Director Anusha Warnasooriya said she hoped for some rain in the evenings but added that the days heat would remain due to the lack of breezes during the inter-monsoonal period. Ms. Warnasooriya advised people to be cautious of the heat and also be prepared for thundershowers in the North, North-Central, North-Western and Eastern provinces and in the Monaragala District after 2pm. Additional reporting by Krishan Jeewaka Jayaruk Botanik dishes out tasty fare for rice and curry fans By Joshua Surendraraj View(s): View(s): As Sri Lankans (most proper rice addicts by birthright) we are constantly on the lookout for a tempting plate of rice and curry come lunchtime. Though youre never short of options, youd often find most of the so-called bath kades putting up the same old tired dishes on a daily basis. With the launch of its newest Regional home-style Sri Lankan lunch menu, the rooftop bistro and bar Botanik looks to fill the void in this popular cuisine. We were invited to an official tasting at the bistro, located along Hospital Street Colombo 1, to experience the menu that features dishes and curries not usually found in restaurants. The spread before us included a choice of three mains. These included a Lemongrass Chicken Curry, Fish Fry (Badum), Beef Stew and a Jakfruit curry. All of them were accompanied with Ghee Keera Samba Rice, four vegetable curries, sambals and house condiments. We helped ourselves to the Beef Stew first. Slow cooked overnight (for eight hours approx), this allows the meat to tenderize so that it melts in your mouth at the first bite. The cooking process also ensures the meat comes packed with a range of flavours, including tamarind, chillies and lime. Lemongrass is a tricky ingredient which could end up overpowering the dish if its not balanced well, but this was not the case with their chicken curry. The chicken remained the hero of the dish throughout the entire course, though with a distinct hit of lemongrass flavour. The Jakfruit curry was also slow cooked, packing in a range of complex flavours that could only be achieved by this cooking method. This dish is the perfect option for any vegetarian diner. The balance of spices and flavours in the curries paired well with the authentic ghee rice, beetroot curry, dhal, tempered potatoes (Ala thel daala) and aubergine curry. The cabbage leaf salad (mallung) that was also served added freshness to the plate, while the pickle brought in much needed acidity and the pappadum some crunch. In a nutshell, this was a plate of rice and curry with a modern twist. Head Chef Nizran Yazid tells us the recipes are from his home style of cooking. Beef is a staple in Chef Nizrans household and he developed this style of slow-cooking the meat over time as he was exposed to the culinary industry. The menu was developed by him and Head Chef Nandana Wanigasekera. We wanted to do something different with the traditional rice and curry. The Dessert menu for lunch features a Buffalo Curd Parfait with a salted Kithul Caramel and toasted Cashew, and the Botanik Sago Kacang (comprising Sago, Wattalapam ice cream, caramelised almonds and wild rice.) Overall, the bistro is the perfect place if youre looking to take a foreign client for a business lunch and offer a taste of Lankan food, or simply want to enjoy your lunch break (or as we would put it, a cocktail break) away from the scorching sun. The dishes are priced as follows: Chicken curry of the day (available on Tuesday and Wednesday)- Rs. 700 Beef Stew- Rs. 800 (available on Thursday and Friday) Rs. 800 Fish Fry (Badum) Rs. 750 Jakfruit Curry- Rs. 650 (All the said prices are subject to a service charge and the applicable Government taxes) NANJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park has seen rapid development and attracted about 5,000 foreign companies since it was established in 1994, according to information from a meeting held Friday in celebrating the 25th anniversary of the park in eastern China's Jiangsu Province. The industrial park -- the first flagship intergovernmental cooperation projects between the two countries -- has received 31.5 billion U.S. dollars in foreign investment and realized a total import and export volume of over 1 trillion dollars over the past 25 years. Nearly 5,000 foreign-funded enterprises from more than 70 countries and regions have registered and operated in the industrial park, and more than 500 enterprises at home and abroad have set up research and development centers in the park. Suzhou Industrial Park has given support to 309 Chinese enterprises in investing in 53 countries and regions and participated in the establishment of 12 industrial parks. Zhou Naixiang, secretary of Suzhou city committee of the Communist Party of China, said the industrial park has continuously boosted the cooperation between China and Singapore. So far, more than 350 Singaporean firms have participated in the construction and development of the Suzhou Industrial Park. The 278-sq-km park has about 80,000 companies. Its gross domestic product increased 227 folds from 1994 to 2018. "Drawing on experience from Singapore, the park has made great efforts to build a law-based, international and facilitated business environment, which is the key to its development," said Wu Qingwen, a senior official of Suzhou and the park. The park has formulated 110 practical rules and regulations in line with international standards, laying a solid foundation for its rapid growth, he added. Cooperation in financing and technology is expanding. Since its establishment in 2010, the National University of Singapore (Suzhou) Research Institute had incubated 54 high-tech enterprises by the end of 2018. In December 2018, China and Singapore launched cooperation on another industrial park in Jiashan, Zhejiang Province. The 16.5-sq-km park will make use of the Suzhou park's experience in construction and business services. Suzhou Industrial Park will play an important and active role in the integration of the Yangtze River Delta area and a "demonstration" role in the Belt and Road Initiative, said Wu. Besides the Suzhou Industrial Park, other major intergovernmental projects between China and Singapore are the Tianjin Eco-City and the Chongqing Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity. Premier Li Keqiang and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday respectively sent congratulatory letters to the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park on its 25th anniversary. The Suzhou Industrial Park has introduced and absorbed international advanced technology and management experiences, implemented an innovation-driven strategy and achieved a leap forward in development. It has played an important role in promoting mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Singapore, Li said in the letter. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in the letter that the successful development of the Suzhou Industrial Park reflected close cooperation between China and Singapore at all levels, and he hoped the park would continue to play a pioneering role in promoting bilateral cooperation. SHENZHEN, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Eleven people were killed in floods triggered by a sudden rainstorm in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen Thursday night, local authorities confirmed Saturday. The last missing person was found dead Saturday afternoon, said a source with the city's emergency management bureau. At around 9 p.m. Thursday, the rainstorm pounded Shenzhen, leading to floods that flushed away dredging workers at different river sections in the districts of Luohu and Futian. The average precipitation in three hours Thursday night reached 65 millimeters in Luohu district, data from the Shenzhen Meteorological Bureau showed. Provincial authorities of Guangdong Province in charge of workplace safety and emergency management on Friday issued a circular on strengthening safety and preventing deadly risks during flood season, demanding all projects be halted and workers be evacuated to safe grounds during heavy rainfall to prevent loss of life. Shenzhen falls under jurisdiction of Guangdong. All water projects in the two districts of Luohu and Futian were ordered to stop operation for investigation and measures of rectification. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met on Sunday his Portuguese Defence Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho in Cairo to discuss military cooperation, a statement by Egyptian presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady said. The Portuguese defense minister said that Egypt has succeeded in restoring security and stability in a very turbulent regional environment. Cravinho said that this successful experience led by President El-Sisi over the last five years is an inspiring lesson for all countries in the region. In April 2018, El-Sisi met with his Portugese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in Cairo. The two leaders agreed to activate agreements and memorandums of understanding to develop partnership and increase trade exchange and investments in different domains. Ahead of de Sousa's Cairo visit, El-Sisi visited Lisbon in 2016 to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Search Keywords: Short link: AFP/Getty Images As the Queens birthday approaches, weve got a look at one of the most timeless heirlooms in her jewelry box: the Duchess of Cambridges Pearl Pendant Brooch. Julian Herbert/Getty Images The brooch is classic in its design: a large pearl, surrounded by a cluster of diamonds, with a diamond and pearl pendant suspended from the cluster. The piece was likely made by Garrard some time in the middle of the nineteenth century, with a setting made of silver. The pendant is detachable, and the cluster also features a loop that allows the entire piece to be worn as a pendant. Detail, Heinrich von Angelis portrait of Princess Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge, 1877 According to Hugh Robertss landmark jewelry book, The Queens Diamonds, the royals simply call this piece the Duchess of Cambridges Brooch. The Duchess in question isnt the present one, but rather Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, the wife of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge. An elderly Augusta wore the brooch in a portrait commissioned by her niece, Queen Victoria, in 1877. Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck wears the brooch as a pendant From Augusta, the brooch passed to her younger daughter, Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck. The exact details of the transfer are a little sketchy; Roberts notes that she either gave the brooch to Mary Adelaide in 1885 or bequeathed it to her when she died four years later. In the formal photograph above, she wears the brooch as a pendant on a pearl necklace. Queen Mary wears the brooch in a formal portrait (Grand Ladies Site) The broochs next owner was Mary Adelaides daughter, Queen Mary of the United Kingdom. She wore the brooch throughout her life with both day and evening wear. Above, youll note the brooch pinned to the side of Marys bodice. Queen Mary wears the brooch for Prince Charless christening, 1948 (AFP/Getty Images) Sentimentally, Mary chose this important family heirloom brooch for two very important family occasions: the christening of her granddaughter, the present Queen, in 1926, and the christening of her great-grandson, the present Prince of Wales, in 1948. William Lovelace/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images The Queen inherited the brooch from her grandmother in 1953, and its been in her jewelry box ever since. Above, she wears the brooch during a visit to Kenya in 1972. AFP/Getty Images Four years later, in April 1976, the Queen wore the brooch for her official 50th birthday portraits, which were taken at Windsor. Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images The white stones of the brooch also make it suitable for occasions of mourning and remembrance. In September 1979, she wore the brooch at Westminster Abbey for the funeral of Lord Mountbatten. Mike Lawn/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images And here, she wears it with the pendant hanging off the collar of her jacket during the opening of the Thames Flood Barrier in May 1984. JEAN-LOUP GAUTREAU/AFP/Getty Images The brooch has also often accompanied HM on trips abroad. In June 1992, she took the brooch with her on a visit to France. PAUL VICENTE/AFP/Getty Images The simplicity of the brooch has made it a popular choice when the Queen has worn very brightly patterned dresses. Above, she wears the brooch with a black, red, and blue printed dress for a visit to a Finnish art exhibition at the Barbican in London in November 1997. AFP/Getty Images The brooch made a prominent appearance in Australia during the Golden Jubilee tour in 2002. She wore the piece without its pendant pearl at Chateau Barrosa in Adelaide in February 2002. MARTYN HAYHOW/AFP/Getty Images The brooch made multiple prominent appearances during the Golden Jubilee year. Here, the Queen wears it for a service to mark her Golden Jubilee at St. Georges Chapel, Windsor in June 2002. DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images Ten years later, the brooch was part of her Diamond Jubilee festivities as well. Here, she wears it for a luncheon for Sovereign Monarchs at Windsor Castle in May 2012. John Stillwell WPA Pool/Getty Images Youll spot the brooch on the Queen often, from audiences at the palace to prominent public occasions like the annual Christmas Message. (The appearance above is from Christmas 2014.) The timeless beauty of the piece, combined with its impeccable family provenance, will undoubtedly ensure that it remains a central part of the familys jewelry collection for generations to come. The drinks giant released low-calorie, mineral-infused citrus drink Aquarius in the UK last week. There are two flavours to choose from: a lemon flavour containing zinc, or lime with magnesium. Image courtesy of Aquarius This comes only months after the launch of an ongoing lawsuit over the rights to Coca-Colas brain boost drink, Fanta Gaba, which is distributed in Japan.Coca-Cola had been in talks with Mexican businessman Jose Antonio Del Valle, who pioneered Go Gaba, a drink containing the amino-acid based supplement Gaba. Gaba is widely used in Japanese drinks and is believed by some to have stress-relieving effects. However, for the largest drinks company in the world it has likely been a source of stress. Coca-Cola signed an agreement stating they would not produce or sell any beverage like Go Gaba for at least 30 months from December 2017. When the US company launched Fanta Gaba in Japan in 2018, Del Valle sued them for $345 million. Coca-Cola denied the charge, arguing that it has been developing products containing Gaba since 2006 in Japan. Infographic credit: Laura Parnaby Aquarius is aimed at young people with busy lifestyles in the UK. Jon Woods, general manager of Coca-Cola Great Britain and Ireland, said: Aquarius provides a new great tasting option for everyday moments when you are looking for a revitalising way to hydrate, with added minerals. 78% of millennials overlook their wellbeing when busy, opting for success and stress instead, according to One Poll. The campaign states: forget being snowflakes, millennials are the Plus Generation, becoming depleted on their search for success. The drink aims to put back in what life takes out. Each bottle contains minerals, sugar levels below the sugar tax limit, and 56 calories. A bottle of lime flavoured Aquarius contains 32% of your recommended dose of magnesium, and the lemon version has the same proportion of zinc. Coca-Cola states that zinc contributes to cognitive function, while magnesium helps reduce tiredness and stress.After its launch in Japan in 1983 as a grapefruit-flavoured drink, Aquarius was sold in Europe before its debut in the UK.Aquarius comes in recyclable 400ml and 900ml bottles, and is set to be the official drink of the 2020 Olympics.Aquarius is Coca-Colas contribution to the functional drinks market, where it will compete with brands like Lucozade, Tenzing and WOW. Lucozade Sport Fitwater was launched in 2017, and contains electrolytes but no sugar, sweeteners or flavourings. It is one of the cheapest functional drinks, with 600ml bottles on sale for 89p in Asda. Tenzing energy drink contains only natural ingredients and is based on a salty tea drunk in Nepal. It is sweetened with a small amount of sugar and is priced at 1.25 per 250ml bottle. WOWs focus mixed berry drink is the same price as Tenzing but has no calories and no sugar. Aquarius sits at the cheaper end of the spectrum, at 97p for 400ml in Sainsburys. Lead image credit: MBABANE Out-of-contract Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (SMVAF) Chief Executive Officer Helmon Vilakati has an unlikely ally in his corner. As Vilakati faces a Cabinet-sanctioned investigation into the payment of about E14 million in respect of seven years salary review backpay for SMVAF employees, a union that represents the workers has jumped to his defence. The Swaziand Union of Financial Institutions and Allied Workers (SUFIAW), which has over the past couple of years been at loggerheads with Vilakati regarding the payout, feels that he should not be targeted for how the process went on. SALARY REVIEW Last week the Times SUNDAY revealed that Vilakatis negotiations with the SMVAF Board for a new contract have been put on hold pending an investigation into three aspects of the salary review process. The first aspect is why he failed to implement the review when it first came up in 2012; secondly, if the E14 million figure that was eventually paid to the employees was based on correct calculations; and lastly, how the entire negotiation process was conducted. The investigation has been sanctioned by the Standing Committee of Public Enterprises (SCOPE), which is chaired by the incumbent Minister of Finance, in this case being Neal Rijkenberg. SUFIAW is of the view that it cannot stand aside and watch, but believes that they too should be involved in the investigation because it touches on them. The union is of the view that if Vilakati is being probed for the salary review process, then he should not be the only one to be investigated but SCOPE and the SMVAF Board should also be scrutinised for their role in the matter. Through its Secretary General, Jabu Shiba, the union said they were not in the business of defending Vilakati because we believe that with the facts at his disposal on the matter, he will easily be able to deal with all concerns in the reported impending probe. As a trade union that is a party to the agreement on the subject matter, it would not be prudent to look the other way when serious concerns and inevitable insinuations that flow from the agreement so signed come up, Shiba said. She highlighted that the agreement between SMVAF and SUFIAW regarding the salary review was signed in August 2017 and subsequently sent to the Public Enterprises Unit where it stayed for about seven months without any feedback. They said it was not until the workers went on strike that they got a response which was not even talking to the agreement that was submitted for approval. The union said the effective date of the agreement was April 1, 2012 and they were baffled when a new one of April 1, 2017 was brought to the fore because no request to that effect could have possibly been before whoever was approving. Needless to say, we had to approach the court for an order to compel SMVAF to comply with all terms of the agreement, which one of the terms was the effective date of April 1, 2012, said Shiba. The secretary general said it was surprising that it was only when the media recently reported on the imminent arrest of Vilakati for failing to comply with a court order to effect the payment that employees were paid in terms of the effective date of the review report, which was April 1, 2012. The Board cannot have been unaware that SMVAF had to comply with the court order in that regard unless it would have been comfortable with the arrest of its CEO for saving it from the embarrassment of SMVAF having been found off-side. We believe that the Board was aware every step of the way, Shiba said. She wondered what report the PEU, through SCOPE, were looking at when approving implementation of the report from April 1, 2017 and April 1, 2012. This is because all the questions and concerns that are now coming up ought to have been raised then, she said. But the more pertinent question that the union wants answered is not so much about the payment, instead what they want to be tackled is the delay that was due to what they were told was the SCOPE process. We are unimpressed about the operations of SCOPE, which is lethargic in its approach to issues affecting workers, where these have been submitted to that body and remain on their desk for months, while we are told that they are still looking at themwhatever that may mean, Shiba said. She continued: Currently, there are matters of two institutions, where the union and the employers therein, reached agreements over six months back, but still the issues are outstanding, supposedly because the minister is still considering them. The secretary general said as a union, they had resolved that they would deal with such inefficiency through the courts or through industrial action to encourage whoever was in charge of the PEU through the SCOPE process to be focussed and efficient. We have brought such conduct, which is a threat to industrial harmony, much against the often-stated remarks of government to create such harmony, to the attention of His Excellency the prime minister and hope that he will take the necessary action and we see action more than words, Shiba said. She stated that a probe of the operations of SCOPE to deal with the bottlenecks would have been more appropriate and urgent. IRREGULAR AGREEEMents Adding, Shiba said any probe around the SMVAF salary review payout would not be complete without our involvement, especially because our members at the institution get the sense that we are an organisation that is a party to irregular agreements. As revealed last week, the team to carry out the probe will be led by Regional Excellence Development Initiative (REDI) Director Dr. Sikhomba Gumbi, and its members include former Eswatini TV Board Chairperson Nozizwe Mulela, prominent lawyer Mangaliso Magagula from Magagula Hlophe law firm and Edward Sithole, who is Nedbank Eswatini Human Resources Manager. The team has been given a three-month period to carry out the investigation and, during that time, an interim CEO will be appointed to head SMVAF. Negotiations for Vilakatis new contract will only resume after the probe team has concluded its findings. MBABANE Former Deputy Minister Paul Dlaminis appointment to Liqoqo will cost him dearly, but a huge gain to government. This is due to the fact that the now Chairperson of the Kings Advisory Council will lose a top-of the range Mercedes Benz valued at E1.7 million, which he was entitled to get by virtue of being the former deputy prime minister. The car benefit and other perks shall be taken away from him because he is now in gainful employment following his appointment by His Majesty the King to lead Liqoqo. The Times of Swaziland reported on February 21, 2019 that the Central Transport Administration (CTA) had already procured the vehicle through Tender No.99 of 2018/2019. It had not been delivered at that time, and its precise price was fixed at E1 727 858.80. The car, as per Finance Circular No.2 of 2013, was to be owned and maintained by government. Upon his death, it was to be sold to his estate at depreciated value. According to Article 5 of the Circular, the former DPM, who once served as the Shiselweni Regional Administrator and Lubombo Regional Secretary, was eligible for other several benefits which included a monthly salary of E55 581.60. Based on what the Circular stipulates, he will not be eligible to receive two salaries at the same time from the same source of fund. Loses lifetime cash cow It effectively means he will now depend on the pay from Liqoqo, which is around E50 000, excluding sitting allowances. He would have been given this salary until he dies. The E55 581.60 he was to get as a pensioner equates to 80 per cent of the basic salary he earned when he deputised for deceased Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini. Reads the clause which deprives the ex-DPM of his lucrative benefits: In an effort to maintain the dignity of prime minister and deputy prime minister, this framework provides for the former prime minister and deputy prime minister, certain benefits to assist them respond to post parliamentary life. It then attaches strings to the benefits: They will be eligible for these benefits unless they hold an appointive or elective position in government, to which a rate of pay is attached. One of the benefits for Dlamini, which government sources said would fall away as a result of his royal appointment, was the monthly salary of E55 581.60. Initially, he did not need to work for this money. Another benefit he was to get from government is the provision of security, which was to be in line with his risk profile as determined by the national commissioner of police. Attorney General Sifiso Mafelenkhosini Khumalo, popularly known as Mashampu, gave a prima facie analysis of the law because he did not have a copy of the Circular with him. Khumalo said it was true the ex-DPMs benefits would not accrue because he would be in gainful employment, earning a salary. The benefits he would have been entitled to in his capacity as the former DPM will just fall away, he said. It was not immediately established if he would revert to his old benefits when his term of office as a member of Liqoqo expires. Bayethe, lauds ex-DPM In an interview, the former deputy prime minister first saluted the King for the appointment: Bayethe wenaWaphakathi! He then disclosed that he was aware that he would lose the benefits he was getting as the former deputy prime minister. He said it was important for him to put nationhood and citizenship first, adding that he purposed to serve the country as opposed to getting financial benefits. Asked if the car had been delivered to him, he said it had not, and was not sure if government procured it. I am aware that I am now not entitled to the benefits for former deputy prime minister, but whats most important to me is to serve the country, he said. Percy Simelane, the Government Press Secretary, said there was nothing he could say because the Circular was self-explanatory. Kindly read the Circular that explains the benefits, he advised. Washington Khumalo, the General Transport Manager, did not respond to eight telephone calls made to his phone yesterday. The last call was made at 4pm. He was called in connection with the delivery of the car. Makhosini Mndawe, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, did not respond to the calls as well. He was called seven times, and the last call was made at 4:05 pm yesterday. He was telephoned to give clarity on what would happen to the car purchased for the former deputy prime minister. The Egyptian parliaments legislative and constitutional affairs committee will vote today on the final draft of the proposed amendments to Egypts 2014 constitution. Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the committee will hold a meeting Sunday afternoon to review the final constitutional amendments and take a vote on them. A seven-member sub-committee led by Abdel-Aal and entrusted with putting the final draft of the amendments held a meeting on Sunday morning and prepared a report which will be voted on by MPs affiliated with the constitutional and legislative affairs committee this afternoon. Abdel-Aal indicated that if they vote yes, a report containing the final draft of the amendments will be discussed in parliaments plenary sessions on Tuesday (16 April) and Wednesday (17 April). So the final discussion and vote on the amendments will be completed by parliament this week, said Abdel-Aal, adding that in line with Article 226, which states that once proposed constitutional amendments are approved by parliament, the president of the republic should be notified of parliaments approval to take the necessary constitutional measure of putting the constitutional amendments to a vote in a public referendum. According to article 226 the amendment shall be put to a public referendum within 30 days from the date the approval is issued. Meanwhile, MPs are still divided over the amendment of Article 140, which regulates presidential terms. Abdel-Hadi Al-Qasabi, the head of the parliamentary majority bloc Support Egypt, which proposed and submitted the amendments on 3 February, told reporters on Sunday that there were a lot of division over Article 140, but in all cases we will reach an agreement when we meet to vote on the final drafts during the committees meeting on Sunday afternoon. Informed sources said that MPs have so far proposed three amendments to Article 140. The first one, led by Al-Qasabi and the Support Egypt coalition, proposes that President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis current term in office, which ends on 2022, be extended by two years to 2024, and then be allowed another six-year term which will end on 2030. This proposal also gets the approval of some opposition political parties such as Al-Tagammu party. Salah Hassaballah, the parliamentary spokesperson, said this proposal goes with Egypts 2030 strategic development plan and I think this will get the approval of the majority of MPs. Another group of MPs, also affiliated with the Support Egypt coalition, say that when President El-Sisis current term ends as planned on 2022, he should be allowed to run for an additional two terms that will end on 2034. A third group of MPs, mostly affiliated with the opposition leftist 25-30 group, propose that the presidential term should be increased from four to just five years. In this case, the current term of President El-Sisi would be increased by one year, or from 2022 to 2023, and then he would be allowed to run for another five years ending on 2028. This group of MPs argues that the term of the president in office should be five years, just like parliament, which is elected every five years and in this way legislative and presidential elections would be held in one year. The current term of Egypts parliament will end next year (2019/2020), and the new parliament, which will be elected next year, will sit until 2025, and in this year both parliamentary and presidential elections could be held. Search Keywords: Short link: Bahrains Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera) is encouraging investment in the kingdom's real estate market through its support for the Gulf Property Show, a dedicated boutique showcase for the property development sector in the Northern Gulf region. Rera is the body tasked with the responsibility of regulating real estate developers and off-plan sale projects to protect investors interests. It is also the licensing entity for real estate professionals including brokers, sales agents, property managers and owners association managers. Rera's role in general is to provide a strong, safe and sustainable regulatory environment for the real estate sector which will encourage investment. The real estate sector watchdog will have a major presence at the upcoming Gulf Property Show. Bahrains leading real estate event is being held under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain, from April 23 to 25 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, said the event organisers Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE). On the upcoming expo, CEO Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa said: "Rera is committed to building a strong real estate ecosystem that serves the needs of all stakeholders, including investors and developers. Our work is ongoing as we work with our stakeholders to deliver on our commitment." "The Gulf Property provides us with an ideal platform to engage with the developers, brokers, investors and others in the real estate market," stated Shaikh Mohammed. HCE Managing Director Jubran Abdulrahman said: "Rera is very critical to building confidence in Bahrains ever-growing real estate sector. The Gulf Property Show attracts the major developers of Bahrain by providing a transactional platform with investors from Bahrain and around the GCC and the Reras support is a major vote of confidence for such events." The Gulf Property Show also carries strategic organizational support from the Survey and Land Regulatory Bureau (SLRB) and the Urban Planning and Development Authority of Bahrain, he noted. A dedicated boutique showcase for real estate and property development. The Gulf Property Show highlights present and future developments in Bahrain and the Northern Gulf, providing the opportunity to promote the kingdom's property assets as well as Regional and International opportunities for investors in commercial and residential real estate.-TradeArabia News Service Duqm Industrial Land Company (DILC), a subsidiary of Port of Duqm Company, has been granted the usufruct right over 2,000 hectares of industrial land for over 35 years by the Oman Government. Under the arrangement it has the exclusive rights to develop, lease, manage, operate and market the industrial land located inside of the Special Economic Zone of Duqm. The industrial land will be largely used by petrochemical, medium heavy and heavy industrial activities, said a stastement from the company. DILC is determined to facilitate the diversification of Omans economy. It is currently in the phase of developing and handing over long-term lease agreements to tenants. DILC is developing as an integrated manufacturing industrial area that will utilize the multiple natural resources available in the al Wusta governorate. DILC recently signed two 25 years lease agreements with respectively Al Hana Engineering and Mohammed Jama Esmail Trading. This event was chaired by Reggy Vermeulen, CEO of Port of Duqm. The total industrial land area covering both the agreements was about 40000 sq m. Both companies will establish their fabrication units to perform predominantly steel fabrication activities. Mohammed Basheer, chairman Al Hana Engineering Industries stated that we foresee huge business potential caused by the various projects being developed in Duqm, and this will help us to bring real value for our investment there. He thanked Hilal Al Balushi, business development manager at PDC and his team and mentioned that, DILC is rapidly confirming its reputation of providing quality support and prompt service and we look forward to enjoy such service further post signing this agreement until the actual work commencement and commissioning of the facility. DILC provided us with levelled industrial land which is strategically located within proximity of the Port and this will help us perform our activities more efficiently. This was possible only by the efficient and committed involvement of the entire DILC technical and commercial team stated Mohammed Jama Bait Ishaq, CEO - Mohammed Jama Esmail Trading MJET. He also mentioned that, MJETs project in Duqm will generate 30 job opportunities for Omani within 2019 and this number is expected to grow in the future. Concluding the event, Reggy Vermeulen, CEO of PDC stated that, the DILC Industrial land area is rapidly emerging to become a major hub for Industrial Investment in Duqm. TradeArabia News Service Dubai-based AMEA Power has reached financial close and will begin the construction of the $74 million Al Husainiyah Power Plant, a 50MW greenfield solar park, in Maan Governorate in Jordan. AMEA Power is a fast-growing developer, operator and owner of power assets in emerging markets. The commercial operation date is scheduled for Q4 2020 and will supply 42,000 households with affordable clean energy and avoid at least 100,000 tonnes in annual CO2 emissions, said a statement from the company. The Al Husainiyah project is sponsored by AMEA Power, as the lead developer and majority owner (70 per cent) and Jordan-based Philadelphia Solar (30 per cent). Philadelphia Solar is a Jordanian company that manufactures, develops, designs, constructs, owns and operates utility-scale commercial and industrial photovoltaic plants. The project will source over 200,000 330Wp panels that will be manufactured in Philadelphia Solars manufacturing facility in Al-Qastal Industrial Area, near Amman. As such, the project will support the sustainability and expansion of this facility, along with the good-quality jobs it provides to approximately 375 employees, including 26 female employees in administrative and managerial positions. FMO is acting as a lead arranger for the $59.2 million senior financing package. In addition to its own participation of $29.6 million, FMO is mobilising $29.6 million from DEG, the German Development Finance Institution. The Al Husainiyah project will play a major role in the country as it supports the governments vision to enhance the security and affordability of its power sector, by reducing its reliance on expensive imported fossil fuels. Hussain Al Nowais, chairman, AMEA Power, said: Our company believes in Jordan and the governments commitment to increase the renewable energy share in the countrys power production. Through this project, we are proud to support Jordans vision to reduce its reliance on imported fuel and limit its carbon footprint. The country is an important market for us as we recently also reached financial close on a 50MW wind project in Jordan and we hope that this solar project will stimulate further investments in renewable energy projects in Jordan, he added. A R Shehadeh, chairman, Philadelphia Solar, said: Our company has achieved a new milestone by the support of all stakeholders. We are proud of this great partnership, and in my opinion the project real value comes from the great mix of sustainability, job creation and local content support. Linda Broekhuizen, chief investment officer, FMO, said: This project perfectly fits with our strategy. Not only is it 100 per cent green, it also has a high developmental value because the project will source its PV panels from a local manufacturer, thereby supporting hundreds of good quality jobs. For FMO, this transaction also represents another successful collaboration with DEG under the Friendship Facility, a partnership we are keen to expand to better serve our shared objectives, Broekhuizen added. TradeArabia News Service PC shipments in EMEA totalled 18 million units in the first quarter of 2019, a 2.2 per cent decline year over year, said global research and advisory company Gartner. Enterprise shipments increased as many companies moved ahead with Windows 10 deployments. However, consumer PC demand remained weak as users are not replacing older PCs and are not migrating to hybrid systems, which have not gained wide adoption in EMEA as users continue to prefer larger screens. Worldwide, PC shipments totalled 58.5 million units in the first quarter of 2019, a 4.6 per cent decline from the first quarter of 2018, according to preliminary results by Gartner. We saw the start of a rebound in PC shipments in mid-2018, but anticipation of a disruption by CPU shortages impacted all PC markets as vendors allocated to the higher-margin business and Chromebook segment, said Mikako Kitagawa, senior principal analyst at Gartner. While the consumer market remained weak, the mix of product availability may have also hindered demand. In contrast, Chromebook shipments increased by double digits compared with the first quarter of 2018, despite the shortage of entry-level CPUs. Including Chromebook shipments, the total worldwide PC market decline would have been 3.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2019. The supply constraints affected the vendor competitive landscape as leading vendors had better allocation of chips and also began sourcing alternative CPUs from AMD, said Kitagawa. The top three vendors worldwide were still able to increase shipments despite the supply constraint by focusing on their high-end products and taking share from small vendors that struggled to secure CPUs. Moreover, the constraints resulted in the top vendors shifting their product mix to the high-end segment in order to deal with the constraint which, along with favourable component price trends, should boost profit margins. The top three vendors Lenovo, HP Inc. and Dell accounted for 61.5 per cent of global PC shipments in the first quarter of 2019, compared with 56.9 per cent of shipments in the first quarter of 2018. These top three vendors continued to gain share in the PC market as scale becomes a bigger factor in industry dynamics. Intels CPU supply constraint accelerated this trend. Lenovo remained in the top spot in the first quarter of 2019 with the largest year-over-year growth among the top vendors. However, Lenovo benefited from the inclusion of Fujitsus shipments from its second quarter of 2018 joint venture. Lenovos shipments increased in EMEA and Japan, where Fujitsu had a larger presence. HP Inc.'s worldwide PC shipments increased 0.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2019 versus the same period last year. The company saw an increase in desktop shipments while mobile PC shipments remained flat. HP Inc. recorded a small increase in shipments in EMEA, but experienced a decline in all other regions. Dell recorded its fifth consecutive quarter of PC shipment growth in the first quarter of 2019. Dell increased PC shipments in EMEA, Latin America and Japan, but declined in North America and Asia/Pacific. Desktop PC shipments continued to be strong for Dell in all regions, showing Dell's strength in the business segment. Business PC demand remained strong Business PC demand remained strong throughout the first quarter of 2019 across most key regions. The PC refresh driven by Windows 10 has been a driving force of business PC growth over the past three years, but Gartner forecasts that 2019 will be the last year in which shipments will be impacted by this refresh. While PC shipment results in the first quarter of 2019 indicated that the business PC segment still showed strong demand, weak mobile PC results could be the indicator that the Windows 10 refresh has nearly peaked, said Kitagawa. Regional overview In the US, PC shipments totalled 11 million units in the first quarter of 2019, a 6.3 per cent decrease from the first quarter of 2018. HP Inc. took the top spot in the US based on shipments, as its market share increased to 29.4 per cent. Dell took the No. 2 position as its shipments declined 7.1 per cent, and its market share totalled 28.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2019 (see Table 2). Japan was the only region to experience PC shipment growth in the first quarter of 2019 with a 6.8 per cent increase year over year. This was primarily driven by a surge in business PC shipments. Latin America experienced the largest decline in the quarter with a 16.6 per cent decrease in PC shipments. This decline was due to a lack of stability in political and economic environments, as well as the CPU supply constraints, which severally impacted the small system builders in the region. PC shipments in Asia/Pacific totalled 20.1 million units in the first quarter of 2019, a 5.1 per cent decline from the first quarter of 2018. This decline was largely due to weak PC demand in China. The consumer market across Asia/Pacific continued to see some growth driven by demand for thin and light ultramobile premium devices. Vendors such as Huawei and Xiaomi are pushing thin and light mobile PCs into the consumer market with aggressive pricing. TradeArabia News Service 13 April, Washington DC Increased financing and bold leadership are needed urgently to tackle climate change, rising inequality, and surging debt, as increased risks and vulnerabilities threaten economic growth globally, said United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Achim Steiner at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring meetings today. We still have a global financial and economic system that is not responding to the needs for the scale and type of finance that is required for sustainable development, he said in his statement on behalf of the United Nations, to the 99th Meeting of the Development Committee. He also emphasized this during the Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the G20, where he represented the UN. Bold climate action could trigger US$26 trillion in economic benefit by 2030, create more than 65 million jobs, and help 700,000 people avoid premature death. We need smart policies and investments now to bridge growing gaps not just in income, but in dignity, opportunity, and quality of life. By 2050, financing transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy will require investment of at least US$60 trillion. Steiner said that public finance clearly wont be enough and it must be leveraged to mobilize more private finance. He repeated these sentiments at the launch of the Finance Ministers Coalition for Climate Action, hailing their leadership and highlighting their central role in supporting national climate strategies. We do not have to choose between economic prosperity and action on climate. Both are possible. Just consider the breathtaking innovation and transformation in our energy and mobility sectors." Steiner also addressed the looming debt crisis many developing countries face. IMF-World Bank analyses find 40 percent of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and low-income countries face debt distress or high risk of debt distress, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. Against the above backdrop, there is need for a comprehensive policy and programmatic support to the LDCs to ensure enhanced debt management and sound macroeconomic policies but also importantly, bringing development financing to scale, said said Steiner at a Ministerial Breakfast for LDCs. As an international community, we need to leverage our global presence, partnerships, knowledge and expertise to ensure that the countries we serve do not fall back into debt crises. Steiner reiterated these themes in his statement to 39th Meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee saying, Developing countries as a group have become more exposed to global finance. While this has provided much-needed access to finance, it has also left them more vulnerable and susceptible to contagion. He also spoke about the need to address soaring inequality in a number of areas, Inequalities are prevalent in access to quality education, health, and technologies as well as vulnerability to shocks, among other areas. We also see persistent gender disparities across the world. Inequality limits peoples choices and opportunities and engenders political and social tensions and global inefficiencies. This year, UNDPs Human Development Report will focus on the critical issue of inequality in human development. UNDP, as part of the UN Development System, advocates for leveraging existing or potential funding flowsinternal, external, public, or private - to meet LDC needs. It also prioritizes advocacy for increased Official Development Assistance as catalytic funding for countries that need it the most including LDCs. To help governments mobilize domestic resources, the OECD-UNDP partnership Tax Inspectors Without Borders Initiative , which held its board meeting on the sidelines of the spring meetings, assists countries in building tax audit capacity. It has so far supported some 50 programmes globally - 24 in Africa alone - mobilizing more than US$400 million in domestic revenues. He emphasized during the G20 meeting the potential of innovation in financial technologies to advance inclusion and sustainability, referring to the on-going work of the UN Secretary-General Digital Financing Task Force of the SDGs, which he co-chairs. He concluded his message to the G20 noting that progress towards the 2030 Agenda is the path not only to improve living standards and protect our planet, but also to ensure human security. Streamlined, strengthened cooperation Alongside the Spring Meetings, UNDP and the World Bank signed two landmark agreements April 12 to strengthen and streamline cooperation. The World Bank is a critical partner for UNDP, Steiner said. In the last two years, our vital partnership in Yemen has created emergency employment for 344,550 people, helping 2.4 million people from vulnerable households across the country buy essentials to survive and nearly 3.4 million access goods and services, such as water, food, health care, education, and roads. UNDP and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) also signed a five-year memorandum of understanding to accelerate progress towards sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz says that he is seeking to strengthen cooperation with Egypt in all fields, and that the two countries will sign a number of agreements in May. The polish ministers comments came during a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo. The Polish FM highlighted that his country appreciates Egypt's mediating role in Africa, stressing that Egypt plays an important role in the region. He also stressed that Egypt has played a strong role in curbing irregular migration. The duo also discussed the latest developments in Sudan, Libya and Palestine, as well as the crisis in Yemen, Shoukry said at the press conference. Czaputowicz stressed that Poland supports a peaceful settlement in the Palestinian issue, expressing hope that peace and security will be achieved in the Middle East and stressing that Egypt plays an important role in achieving peace in the region. Egypt Czaputowiczwe also hailed Egypt's role in combating extremism and terrorist organisations, as well as in helping achieve sustainable development in Africa. The press conference was preceded by meetings between delegations from both countries, which discussed cooperation as well as the latest regional and international developments. Egypt Search Keywords: Short link: Egypts Minister of Defence Mohamed Zaki met on Sunday in Cairo with Portuguese counterpart Joao Gomez Cravinho, where they discussed issues related to the fields of military cooperation and the exchange of expertise between the two countries, as well as regional and international efforts to eliminate terrorism. Zaki praised the deep ties between Egypt and Portugal, and expressed hopes that the upcoming period will see more joint cooperation in various fields. The Portuguese defence minister said his country is determined to strengthen relations with Egypt, especially in the military field, praising Egypts commitment to eradicating terrorism and addressing problems affecting its region. The meeting was attended by a number of leaders of the Armed Forces and the Portuguese ambassador in Cairo. Earlier on Sunday, El-Sisi met with the Portuguese defence minister to discuss military cooperation. Search Keywords: Short link: Gibraltar Announces Gibraltar 2020 Scheme The Gibraltar Tourist Board is launching its biggest trade initiative in over a decade. Calling the scheme Gibraltar 2020 and working together in the UK with its tour operator and airline partners and in Gibraltar with hoteliers, ground agents and tourist attractions, the Tourist Board will be running monthly familiarisation trips with the aim to bring 200 agents from the UK to Gibraltar over the next 2 years. Agents will qualify to join a trip by completing the Gibraltar online training programme www.gibraltartraining.com Departure points will alternate from each of Gibraltars UK airport hubs. The campaign will be supported by a trade and consumer generic creative campaign driving awareness of the destination and its key selling points to the UK market, particularly in a post- Brexit era. Chief Executive Nicky Guerrero explains: The British public have long held an affection with Gibraltar often through its historic legacy to the armed forces. Today the destination is appealing to a younger, more youthful generation driven by our great range of events. Vibrant new products are capturing the imagination of the Instagram generation and this is something we hope to further educate the trade about, in addition to Gibraltars very important unique selling points to the UK markets, such as its sterling currency in times of currency volatility and its warm British welcome in the heart of the Mediterranean. Minister for Tourism Gilbert Licudi QC said: The tourism industry is facing many challenges in the short to medium term and this initiative will be vital in keeping the tour operators and travel agents in our main source market up-to-date on the product. This is one of a series of initiatives that we are taking to ensure that we keep the tourism leisure industry interested in Gibraltar. I know that our partners in the UK and in Gibraltar welcome this proactive approach and we look forward to working with them to continue to drive business to Gibraltar. By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 08, 2019 | 02:24 PM | PADUCAH The positive impact of Work Ready Communities will be the topic for a Paducah Area Chamber of Commerces Business Education Partnership luncheon on Tuesday, April 16. The featured speaker is Kristina Slattery, Executive Director of the Office of Workforce, Community Development and Research, with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.The meeting will begin at 11:30 am at the Commerce Center, 300 South 3rd Street, in the Paducah Bank Community Room. The luncheon is open to anyone wanting to learn more about the regions workforce and economic development efforts. There is a $15 fee to attend the catered luncheon.Slattery will provide an update on the states Work Ready program and the importance of the certification for a positive impact for economic development. Slattery has been with the states Economic Development cabinet for over three years, joining the Cabinet following a 10 year career in Human Resources and Operations Management with The Home Depot, where she was responsible for all customer facing, inventory management and staffing aspects of her store.A Kentucky Work Ready Community certification is a measure of a county's workforce quality. It is an assurance to business and industry that the community is committed to providing the highly-skilled workforce required in today's competitive global economy. Currently in Kentucky there are 41 counties who have achieved the certification including McCracken, Marshall, Graves, Ballard and Carlisle. Fulton and Hickman Counties are Certified Work Ready In Progress.Pre-registration is required to attend. Those interested in attending should register online at www.paducahchamber.org, email info@paducahchamber.org or call 270-443-1746 by noon, April 12. By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 08, 2019 | 11:11 AM | EDDYVILLE The 2019 Pork and Politics-An update on our community, hosted by the Lake Barkley Chamber of Commerce will be held beginning at 11:00 am on Tuesday at The Joint-BBQ, Wings and More, located at 30 Outlet Avenue in Eddyville.The event will feature Congressman James Comer and area political leaders representing the communities the chamber serves which is Lyon, Livingston and Caldwell counties. The panel of area leaders includes State Representative Chris Freeland, District 6, Lyon County Judge Executive Wade White, Princeton Mayor Dakota Young, Kuttawa Mayor Jimmy Campbell and Grand Rivers Mayor Tom Moodie.The lunch and learn style event will highlight an update on legislation concerns for our area with a D.C. update from Congressman Comer. Attendees will also hear from local leaders on the progress in their respective communities. Tickets for the event includes a BBQ buffet, dessert and beverage are $17.50 and on sale at the following locations: Farmers Bank & Trust (Eddyville), First Southern National Bank (Princeton), and Payroll Vault/ Lake Barkley Chamber Office (Eddyville). The event is limited seating so advance ticket purchase is necessary. For additional information contact Executive Director, Deb Domke at 270.388.4769 or lakebarkleychamber1@gmail.com. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Sunday with Field Marshal Khalifa Hafter, commander of the Libyan Armed Forces, the latest developments in Libya and Egypt's keenness to see unity, stability and security in its neighbouring country, presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady said. During the meeting, El-Sisi affirmed Egypt's support for the efforts to combat terrorism and extremist groups and militias in order to achieve security and stability for the Libyan citizen in all the countrys territory to establish the foundations of a stable and sovereign civil state. The meeting was attended by Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel. Libya has been a war-torn country since the death of its leader Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011. Islamist militants have since controlled large parts of the vast country, including the capital Tripoli. El-Sisi has pledged to support Egypt's neighbouring countries through cooperation and coordination. During the past week, Eastern-based Libyan forces led by Haftar have been advancing in a push to seize the capital, Tripoli, but troops loyal to Prime Minister Fayez Al-Serraj's internationally recognized government have so far kept them at bay. Search Keywords: Short link: Blue and Li took part in a sharing meeting about the book on Mar 21 in Beijing.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] Some people may advise couples not to quarrel, since it does harm to their relationship. But counselor couple Judith Wright and Bob Wright encourage "effective" quarrels between couples to promote the development of their relationship in their new book The Heart of the Fight. Philip Blue, a psychologyl major who completed his PhD at Peking University and Li Zhen, better known as Jian Lili, the founder and CEO of Jiandan Xinli (My Therapist, or easy therapy), an online platform for psychological consultation, took part in a meeting about the book recently in Beijing. According to Blue, conflict comes from prejudice, and prejudice comes from people's refusal to show their discontentment. Therefore, "remaining true to yourself is better than making compromises easily". Li also says cold violence is worse than quarrels. And they both agree with the Wright couple's idea that "effective" quarrels are beneficial. Li spoke at a sharing meeting about the book on Mar 21 in Beijing.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] Blue classified common quarrels between couples into 15 types, including evading one's responsibilities, household chores and psychological problems influenced by original family. Li also believes that the quarrels are because there are inner desires that have not been satisfied. "Therefore, quarrels help to dig out the desires and couples can develop new ways of getting on with each other based on their discoveries," says Li. The Wright couple also provide six techniques and analyze them in their book to tell people how to "effectively" quarrel. And through the further elaboration by Blue and Li, people get to know that a quarrel itself is not beneficial, but understanding the reason for it and promoting understanding between each other is helpful for relationship. (Source: chinadaily.com.cn) New awareness drive to support patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder launches at Wrexham Maelor This article is old - Published: Sunday, Apr 14th, 2019 A new awareness campaign has been launched at Wrexham Maelor Hospital to improve understanding and awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As part of the new drive led by engagement officer Karen Owen staff are being encouraged to engage with a new training programme exploring ways that health care professionals can best support patients who have medical conditions, but also have ASD. The training programme, which is provided by the north Wales Integrated Autism Service, raises awareness of autism by helping staff to improve the experience of patients coming to North Wales hospitals who have ASD and may struggle with the environment. The Health Board are also in the process of establishing a support group for staff who want to further their knowledge of ASD and how it can affect individuals. The diabetes service in Wrexham Maelor is one of the first services to begin trialling new ways of supporting ASD individuals through designing materials that are given to patients before they have appointments to help them understand what to expect. Julia Platts, all Wales lead for Diabetes said: When people live with both Autism Spectrum Disorder and diabetes it can be more difficult to access the support needed. We need to work together to ensure everyone may access support in all health settings. I fully support all healthcare professionals in completing training in Autism Spectrum Disorder, it doesnt take long to complete but can make the world of difference to the lives of people we care for. Karen Owen, engagement officer for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said, Its so important that we listen to feedback from our patients about how we can improve their experience. Patients are telling us that visiting hospital or clinics can sometimes be a challenge. Patients with ASD can find places like waiting areas and entrances disorientating and confusing. We want to make sure we help all of our patients be successful in their medical treatments and so we have begun to develop ways of making that journey better. We hope that making simple changes to the way we work and our healthcare settings can make a big difference to patients with ASD. (Click for large) Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-13 22:11:54|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close GUIYANG, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Before Duan Ping, a truck driver in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, left for the neighboring Guizhou Province with a truckload of fruit, he tapped on his smartphone and secured a wood transport order so that he would not have to drive an empty truck back. Duan, 37, has been driving a truck for over a decade. Not many years ago, he had to stare at a small blackboard looking for orders. Today, with a smartphone in hand, he can take orders anytime, anywhere. Duan is among the 5.2 million registered truck drivers on Huochebang, an Uber-like truck hailing platform based in Guizhou. More than 1.25 million goods owners post their demands on it everyday. "The integration of information consolidated on one platform not only increases the incomes for millions of truck drivers, more importantly, it also improves logistics efficiency across China," said Wang Bingzhi, a public relations director at Huochebang. Wang said the company has made efforts to channel its transport and technology capacities overseas in recent years, especially in countries along the Belt and Road. In May 2017, Huochebang launched a multilingual version in Uygur, Russian and Mongolian in Xinjiang. The cross-border freight information network has since strengthened the trade connectivity between Xinjiang and neighboring countries. As China's first big data pilot zone, Guizhou has attracted heavyweight players, including Apple, Qualcomm, Huawei, Tencent, Alibaba and Foxconn, to establish cloud computing and big data centers as well as regional headquarters. Big data has become the most important tool for the mountainous province to go global and reach cooperation. Last February, the city government of Guiyang, the provincial capital, signed a cooperation framework agreement with NASSCOM, an Indian non-profit IT industry association, and NIIT, an Indian talent development enterprise. The NASSOM (Guiyang) IT Industry Cluster District and the NIIT Big Data College were inaugurated on a forum at the China International Big Data Industry Expo in May 2018. In November, a dozen experts from Belt and Road countries such as Russia, Uzbekistan and Ukraine were invited to Guiyang for technical exchanges. Various cooperation intentions were signed during their visit. A mountain flood predicting and warning system, developed by Guizhou East Century Technology Company, has been incorporated into the national flood control platform in the Philippines. "Flood predicting used to require a large number of sensors installed beside waters, which was costly in equipment maintenance and operation. The forecast lead time was also not very long," said Li Sheng, president of the company. Li said the new system, based on the advanced analysis technology of big meteorological data, can predict and update early flood warnings every 15 minutes. The company has planned to cooperate with more Belt and Road countries to enhance their ability in predicting flood hazards, Li added. "The pilot zone is actively building a digital Belt and Road and a community of shared future in cyberspace, attracting world-class big data companies while pushing Guizhou to the world," said Jing Yaping, deputy director of the provincial big data development authority. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 01:43:35|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (C) gestures during his meeting with new government members following the swearing-in ceremony in the West Bank city of Ramallah, April 13, 2019. New Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye and his cabinet members were sworn in on Saturday before President Mahmoud Abbas at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the official television reported. (Xinhua/Pool/Fadi Arouri) RAMALLAH, April 13 (Xinhua) -- New Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye and his cabinet members were sworn in on Saturday before President Mahmoud Abbas at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the official television reported. The 18th Palestinian government since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1995 was sworn in according to a presidential decree issued by Abbas. According to the presidential decree, Ishtaye will serve as the minister of interior and minister of Waqf, or religious affairs, until two new ministers are named. Ishtaye and the ministers separately took the oath, all vowing to respect the law and the Palestinian constitutional system. The new government consists of 24 ministers from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), mainly Abbas' Fatah Party, the Palestinian People's Party, the FIDA party, the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front, in addition to independent figures. Both Islamic Hamas movement and Islamic Jihad are excluded from the new government, as Hamas has been ruling the Gaza Strip since it violently seized control of the coastal enclave from Abbas' security forces in 2007. Ibrahim Melhem, spokesman for the new government and a member of Fatah, told Palestine TV that the mission of the new Palestinian government is defend Palestinian holy sites and lands despite Israel's threats to annex the West Bank. "We want to support the steadfastness of the Palestinian citizens, but that requires political support from the Palestinian leadership," said Melhem. "The test is put through the work of ministers on the ground and not certificates. I will communicate with the journalists and give them the frank, true and clear information and answer the difficult questions," he added. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 01:58:42|Editor: yan Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Xia Lin, Wu Xiaoling, Gao Lu, Zhang Mocheng SAN FRANCISCO, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Large-scale high-tech corporations on the U.S. West Coast have been eyeing central and east states to open new headquarters and branches, which experts believe is essential for fulfilling their quest for growth and talents. "Talent, money and market," Del Christensen, Chief of Global Business Development for the Bay Area Council (BAC), told Xinhua while explaining the phenomenon dubbed "eastward expansion" by U.S. media. Among the first group to move eastward, Seattle-based e-commerce multinational Amazon had sought to open a second headquarters in the country. BAC, which represents San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley in public affairs and strategy management, took part in the bidding on behalf of the Bay Area. Amazon decided to split its new headquarters between Long Island City in New York City and Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, but had to give up the plan for Long Island City citing political and social-economic hurdles. Meanwhile, Silicon Valley giant Google is expanding its NYC office by doubling the number of staff, while Apple has announced plans to build a second campus in Austin, Texas. With an investment of about 1 billion U.S. dollars, Apple's expansion will hopefully bring the city 15,000 jobs. Its first campus in Austin has already grown almost as big as the 5-billion-U.S.-dollar Apple Park in Cupertino, California. FOR TALENT "I think the biggest one (reason), the most important one, is a quest for human capital, right?" said James DeNicco, Director of the Principles of Economics Program at Rice University. Going for talent is the No. 1 consideration for Seattle and Bay Area's high-tech giants. They map out Austin, because top schools like University of Texas can be relied upon for sustainable high-level human resource, and an aggregation of medical centers and hospitals here and in the neighboring city of Houston will serve their employees' health to the best degree, DeNicco told Xinhua. "They want to go where the young talents are, where young people want to live, and they just want to live in these cities (that these corporations target)," said DeNicco, referring to Texas' high-quality workforce and unmatched economic environment. Since late 1980s, the aggregation of tech companies in Austin has brought the city a new nickname "Silicon Hills." The hilly city, with its growing academic and high-tech sectors, has since lived up to expectations. Other big names in technology industry including Uber, Facebook and LinkedIn have also embarked on eastward expansions - driven by a common goal -- hunting for talent. Their choices of location still favor New York, Washington D.C., Boston and other already developed eastern cities. To gain more opportunities in high-tech giants' east expeditions, cities like Pittsburgh are also flexing their muscles in technology. In addition to a globally top-ranking computer science program, one of the city's top universities Carnegie Mellon now boasts a new program of artificial intelligence research and development. FOR GROWTH Google has been growing really fast in recent years, and is "buying up land like crazy, and so is Facebook," said Jim Wunderman, BAC's President and CEO. "The tech industry is really the command industry globally," Wunderman said. Silicon Valley, where Google and Facebook were born and have been growing a lot, can't accommodate all their growth. So they have to find some other places, Wunderman told Xinhua. "You're going to have to go to other parts of the country and other parts of the world. That's what they're doing, and I think they'll keep doing that." "The Bay Area can only support so many people. The housing is already ridiculously expensive. Silicon Valley in the Bay Area will always have a special place in that world, and that's what makes it so expensive to live here," he said. San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland and Seattle, bearing the blunt of the impact of those giants' growth, are the four most expensive major cities in America based on home values, according to The New York Times. The Washington Post this week reported that Amazon's "explosive growth" has made it "Seattle's largest private employer and taxpayer in less than a decade," offering 45,000 jobs in a city of 725,000 people. INNOVATION DRIVEN DeNicco took innovation and business-friendly environment as other factors contributing to the eastward expansion. "Innovation is key for all companies, but especially for those tech companies. They need that innovation to stay on top," he said, adding that hiring younger talents is one way to innovate. Another consideration is political capital, which is conventionally concentrated on the U.S. East Coast, including Washington D.C. and Boston. "They might be able to get the ear of the policy makers. If you get the ear of the policy makers, you can help make it more business friendly for you. They want collaborative relationships with policy makers as well," said DeNicco. "Move to grow" - this has become the mainstream decision among the large corporations on the West Coast. "If you don't change and adapt, you get left behind. This is why and how it happens," added DeNicco. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 02:23:48|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close A student shows a papercut work during the 16th Chinese Bridge Chinese proficiency contest in University of Latvia in Riga, Latvia, on April 13, 2019. The 16th Chinese Bridge, an annual Chinese proficiency contest for school kids, college students and adult learners of Chinese, was held at the University of Latvia Friday and Saturday. (Xinhua/Janis) RIGA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The 16th Chinese Bridge, an annual Chinese proficiency contest for school kids, college students and adult learners of Chinese, was held at the University of Latvia Friday and Saturday. This year's competition, themed One World, One Family, gathered 64 contestants in total in Latvia, including 14 in the adult group, 24 in the high school group and 24 in the primary school group. The contestants were required to demonstrate their Chinese language skills by introducing themselves and making speeches on various topics in Chinese, participate in a quiz on Chinese culture and perform in a talent show. Each division, namely college students, high school students and primary school students, has three groups of senior, intermediate and junior. Some of the winners will represent Latvia in the 2019 Chinese Bridge competition for universities and middle school students in China where they will compete with Chinese language learners from all over the world. Latvia has made remarkable progress in teaching and learning Chinese in recent years, with the successful 16th Chinese Bridge competition taking the promotion of the Chinese language and culture to an even higher level in Latvia and strengthening cultural ties between the two countries even more. The 16th "Chinese Bridge", was organized by Confucius Institute at the University of Latvia in cooperation with various education institutions in Latvia. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 02:38:51|Editor: yan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 13 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese official has urged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to push ahead quota and governance reforms, which are "a prerequisite" for the IMF to fulfill its responsibilities. "China supports a strong, quota-based, and adequately-resourced IMF to preserve its central role in the global financial safety net," Chen Yulu, deputy governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), said in a statement to a meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) on the sidelines of the ongoing Spring Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank in Washington. "The G20 Summit and IMFC meetings have made several commitments to conclude the 15th General Review of Quotas based on the agreed timetable, so that the quota shares for dynamic economies can be increased to be in line with their relative positions in the world economy," Chen said in the statement, which was posted to the IMF's website on Saturday. "We should be mindful of the serious importance of such commitments," he said. The deputy central bank governor noted that the IMF quota reform should objectively reflect the relative positions of member countries in the global economy, as well as strengthen the voice and representation of emerging market economies and developing countries. "The gap between the actual and calculated quotas should be narrowed in a constructive manner and the structural distortion of quotas should be reduced," he added. "There is broad support among our members on ensuring that the IMF remains strong and well-resourced, so that it can play its role as a global financial backstop in the event of downturn," Zhang Tao, deputy managing director of the IMF, told Xinhua in a recent interview. "Going forward, we also remain committed to the realignment of quota shares to more accurately reflect members' representation," Zhang said. Chen also urged the IMF to continue supporting "an open, inclusive, and rules-based multilateral trade system." "With a membership of 189 countries, the IMF enjoys special advantages and trust in strengthening international coordination and cooperation and can play a greater role," he said. According to the deputy governor, China is willing to strengthen cooperation with all parties to safeguard and improve international rules, promote more open, more stable, and more transparent trade policies, support trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and oppose trade protectionism. "All parties should continue to advocate for strengthened cooperation under the multilateral framework, avoid policy missteps, enhance resilience, and jointly address global challenges," Chen said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 03:34:12|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close PARIS, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of "Yellow Vest" protestors turned out on Saturday for the 22nd weekend of the action in a row to denounce unfair fiscal policy, as President Emmanuel Macron is preparing a package of new measures to be unveiled next week to head off the social movement. About 31,000 people took part in the demonstrations in Paris and other French cities, the Interior Ministry estimated, up from last week's 23,000 participants. In Paris, Saturday's protests coordinated by "Yellow Vest" via social media against Macron's ruling has lured 5,000 participants compared with 3,500 last Saturday. Marches in the capital and other cities were largely peaceful, with violence reported in the southeastern city of Toulouse, the focus for the 22nd round of protests. Violent confrontation occurred between police and vandalism, during which two people were injured and 23 arrested. Tension flared after hundreds hooded demonstrators threw projectiles at anti-riot officers, set rubbish bins on fire. Police fired tear gas and used rubber bullets to push back rioters and restore order. The "Yellow Vest" movement, a nationwide protest against weak economic performance and stagnant income increase under President Macron, started as a campaign against surge in fuel prices in November 2018. It had since turned into social rebellion demanding Macron to step down, despite his reversal of tax hike and measures worth 10 billion euros (11.3 billion U.S. dollars) to bolster purchasing power. To further defuse anger, Macron launched in January a series of public debates that he promised will lead to concrete measures. "I intend to transform anger to solution," the 41-year-old head of state said in an open letter to the nation when he launched the consultations. "Your proposals will therefore build a new contract for the Nation, structure the action of the government and parliament, but also the positions of France at the European and international level," he pledged. Three months on, the president will announce, early next week, a new batch of measures to respond to public anger. The conclusions that emerged from 10,000 meetings with local mayors, high-school students, workers, intellectuals as well as 1.9 million online contributions and 16,000 in "grievance books" opened up by mayors across French communes, would lead to "strong and concrete decisions," Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said while he presented the consultations' initial findings on Monday. "The debate show us very clearly which way we go. We need to lower taxes and lower them more quickly," he said. "What the French tell us is that they do not see the results coming, that things do not move fast enough. This is a powerful incentive to redouble efforts," he added. According to a recent Elabe online survey, eight out of 10 French citizens believed the consultations would not be transformed into deeds. One third of them called the country-wide consultations as a failure, while only 6 percent of them believed it was a success. ( 1 euro = 1.13 U.S. dollar) Sudanese women chant slogans during a demonstration outside the army headquarters in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on April 12, 2019. (Xinhua/AFP) UNITED NATIONS, April 12 (Xinhua) -- A Sudanese envoy said Friday that transition after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir requires time and that the international community should not try to push it. "Any democratic process requires time and that should not be threatened. We do not wish to see the nascent, gradual, democratic process unravel in the name of democracy," Yasir Abdelsalam, charge d'affaires of the Sudanese mission to the United Nations, told the Security Council. "We, therefore, call on our partners in the international community to support a peaceful transition in the country in a way that would help build on gains and open up the path to stability, development, and prosperity, and allow us to move away from the scourge of violence," he said after the Security Council voted to extend the UN peacekeeping mission for Abyei, a territory contested between Sudan and South Sudan. "I would like to reaffirm here that what is happening in Sudan is a domestic matter. It is up to the will of the Sudanese people. It is a delicate situation that Sudan is currently facing," said Abdelsalam. Sudanese Defense Minister Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf on Thursday announced the ouster of President al-Bashir. Ibn Auf, who assumed the chairmanship of a transitional military council and said he would rule the country during a two-year transitional period, stepped down Friday and named Lt. Gen. Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan as his successor. Abdelsalam said the transitional military council would be "the guarantor of a civilian government." No party will be excluded from the political process, including armed groups, he said. The suspension of the constitution could be lifted at any point, and the transitional period could be shortened depending on developments on the ground and agreements reached between stakeholders, he said. Abdelsalam said the military council is responding to the Sudanese people's aspirations for change and works to protect the lives of its citizens, as well as their well-being. Street protesters in Khartoum who had demanded al-Bashir's departure have continued their protests against the military takeover. Egypt will hold a popular referendum next week on proposed constitutional amendments that the parliament will pass in a final vote on Monday. Egyptian expatriates will go to the polls on 19, 20 and 21 April, a source close to the National Election Authority told Ahram Online on Sunday. Egyptians at home, meanwhile, are scheduled to cast their ballots over three days, from 22 through 24 April, the source added Some 55 million Egyptians of the country's 110 population are eligible to vote in the forthcoming referendum. The official announcement of the dates by the NEA will follow the approval of the Egyptian parliament's approval of the proposed constitutional amendments. The amendments, submitted by the parliamentary majority Support Egypt coalition on 3 February, cover 12 articles in the constitution. In addition to increasing the presidential term from four to six years, the amendments include a provision to allocate 25 percent of parliamentary seats to female candidates, reinstate the post of vice president and establish a second chamber. A two-month national debate over the amendments show there are a lot of disagreements, particularly on the two amendments aimed at increasing the presidential term and allocating a quota of 25 percent of seats in parliament to women. Search Keywords: Short link: Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 04:04:34|Editor: yan Video Player Close MOSCOW, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Russian enforcement officers killed two armed members of the Islamic States (IS) terrorist group in the Tyumen city in Russia's western Siberia, the country's Investigative Committee said Saturday. The militants, hiding in a private house in Tyumen, were eliminated by officers of the Federal Security Service at a counter-terrorist operation, the committee said in a statement. Weapons and ammunition as well as extremist religious literature were found and seized at the place where the suspects were located, it said. Investigations aimed at establishing all the circumstances of the incident are underway, the committee said. Regional investigative bodies of the committee has initiated a criminal case on the grounds of preparation for premeditated murder of two or more persons and intentional harm to law enforcement officers, according to the committee. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 09:06:26|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close GUANGZHOU, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The following are shows and exhibitions available in Guangzhou in the coming week: School of Rock The Musical Date: April 19-28 (except Mondays) Time: 2:30 p.m./7:30 p.m. Place: Guangzhou Opera House Introduction: Based on the film of the same name, "School of Rock" the musical tells the story of wannabe rock star Dewey Finn, who poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. When he discovers his students' musical talents, he enlists his fifth-graders to form a rock group and conquer the Battle of the Bands. Adapted as a musical, "School of Rock" brings new joy and energy to the hit comedy film. http://www.thatsmags.com/guangzhou/event/detail/60562 http://www.gzdjy.org/piao/4/4162.html Domenico Nordio & Massimo Scattolin's Duet for Violin and Guitar Date: April 21 Time: 7:30 p.m. Place: Guangzhou Opera House Introduction: Domenico Nordic is one of the most popular violinists today, and Massimo Scattolin is considered by critics to be one of the best guitarists of our time. At this event, they will work together as a duet to show classical repertoires of Paganini, Giuliani and Piazzolla, bringing a wonderful string music experience to the audience. http://www.gzdjy.org/piao/4/4157.html Classic Movie Music Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello Date: April 21 Time: 8 p.m. Place: Xinghai Concert Hall Introduction: In the movie "The Legend of 1900," it takes at least six hands to record and synthesize the music "Enduring Movement," but during the concert, audiences will feel the immersive music shock. Besides "Enduring Movement," many classic pieces from movies such as "The Godfather," "Schindler's List," "007," and "The Sound of Music" will all be played by piano, violin and cello. https://www.concerthall.com.cn/events/neweventdetail.php?id=3330 Elegant & Vogue: Chinese Export Fans in the 18th-20th Centuries Date: Until May 5 Time: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (Closed on Mondays) Place: Guangdong Museum Introduction: This exhibition shows 163 Chinese fans exported from the 18th to 20th century. Fans were once regarded as indispensable garment ornaments by women in Europe. The export fan was a kind of export handicraft which emerged under the background of the maritime trade between China and the West in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Chinese craftsmen, especially Guangzhou craftsmen, combined the Cantonese craftsmanship with Western aesthetics and created a large number of fans for export. These exquisite fans were relatively cheap, which greatly satisfied the keen desire and demand in the Western market. Therefore, "made in Canton" has become a well-known brand throughout the world. http://www.gdmuseum.com/gdmuseum/_300730/_300734/495287/index.html Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 09:31:34|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- A national performing season of acrobatics will be held in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in July. The performances will be original productions that debuted after 2015, said the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in a statement earlier this week. China has held nine national acrobatic performance contests since 1984 but, due to policy changes, this year's event will not be competitive, the ministry statement said. Acrobatic dramas will be included in the event for the first time, the statement said. The previous contests only allowed acrobatic dances and magic shows. Provincial culture and tourism departments and national art troupes will recommend excellent productions to the ministry by the end of this month. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 09:41:36|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- China's Education Ministry has issued a guideline requiring general college students to obtain mandatory art credits before graduation, People's Daily reported earlier this week. Universities should set up or designate management institutions for popularizing art education and incorporate art courses and practices in their teaching program, the guideline said. It encouraged universities to approve cross-school registration for public art courses and recognition of credits earned at peer institutions. In addition, higher education institutions should be equipped with qualified art teachers and promote the innovative development of traditional Chinese culture, according to the document. It also called for efforts to improve art education's integration into the national and regional development strategy. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 09:51:41|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta (R) meets with Cao Jianming, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, April 13, 2019. (Xinhua) NAIROBI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- China and Kenya on Saturday expressed their willingness to deepen cooperation between legislative organs from both sides. During his visit to Kenya on April 12-14, Cao Jianming, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), held talks with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and met separately with Senate Deputy Speaker Kithure Kindiki and National Assembly Deputy Speaker Moses Cheboi. The NPC stands ready to promote friendly exchanges with the Kenyan legislature, so as to play a positive role in advancing China-Kenya friendship and bilateral practical cooperation, Cao said. He said China attaches great importance to the development of China-Kenya relations and is willing to work with Kenya to implement the consensus reached by both leaders, as well as achievements made by the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, promote the Belt and Road Initiative, and continuously enrich the content of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. Meanwhile, the Kenyan side spoke highly of the achievements of bilateral cooperation in various fields and thanked China for its long-term assistance and support, expressing its willingness to further communication and cooperation with China in various fields including legislature. Kenya is also willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs and realize more tangible achievements in the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 11:27:04|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close LAGOS, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari Saturday expressed his optimism about the prospects for the release of remaining Chibok school girls in captivity of Boko Haram. The president renewed the pledge on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok girls, according to an official statement. About 210 school girls of a government secondary school in Chibok of Borno State were kidnapped on April 14, 2014, with 107 of them later released following successful negotiations between the government and the abductors. Buhari promised the parents of the kidnapped girls at the beginning of his first president term in 2015 that he would ensure their daughters' return. The president acknowledged that it was this promise that made the people of Chibok vote for him overwhelmingly in the February presidential election, in which he was re-elected. He said though his government had so far succeeded in securing the release of 107 of the girls, it will not rest until all of them are reunited with their families, assuring parents that his administration is still on the matter. He also said the schoolgirl Leah Sharibu, abducted by a faction of Boko Haram on Feb. 19 last year together with more than 100 girls from their boarding school in Dapchi village of Yobe State, will be reunited with her family after ways of her safe transportation are decided. Most of the other 100 girls were released after four weeks of the abduction. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 11:27:05|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close TRIPOLI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj on Saturday denied involvement of "terrorists" in fighting with his forces in the capital Tripoli against the eastern-based army. "We call for caution against campaigns of disinformation by some parties, the latest of which is the claim that there are terrorists fighting among our troops, which we strongly deny," Serraj said in a statement. The eastern-based army has been leading a military campaign against Serraj's government in the capital Tripoli since earlier this month, with army spokesman Ahmad al-Mismari warning of "increased involvement of foreign fighters fighting with the armed militias (government forces)." "The Government of National Accord was, and is still, fighting terrorism and pursuing terrorist remnants. The government has achieved impressive victories over terrorism," the statement said. The recent attack on the capital and other cities "encourages and opens the way for terrorist cells to activate," it said. The European Union on Friday expressed concern about "the involvement of terrorist and criminal elements in the fighting, including individuals listed by the United Nations Security Council," calling all Libyan parties to "dissociate themselves from these elements, both publicly and on the ground." The army, led by Khalifa Haftar, is allied with the eastern-based government. The politically divided country 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. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 11:37:12|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close TIRANA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Albanian opposition parties' rally held in the capital Tirana on Saturday evening turned violent when the supporters clashed with police in front of the prime minister's office and the parliament building. Albanian opposition parties urged supporters to join the protest, asking Prime Minister Edi Rama and his cabinet to resign and early parliamentary elections to be held. Thousands of opposition supporters from around Albania gathered around 6:00 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) in Tirana's main Martyrs of the Nation boulevard in front of the prime minister's office, holding anti-government posters and slogans, and throwing firecrackers and other projectiles at police forces. The protesters broke through the police cordon at the main entrance of the government building while the main opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha was delivering a speech. "We have surrounded this government. The country has an emergency need for political rotation and we will not make any compromise again," said Basha. The protesters led by Basha later moved to the parliament building and tried to enter the parliament headquarters. The police forces fired tear gas to repel the protesters. "Protest must continue to be peaceful and confrontations must be avoided," said Albanian President Ilir Meta, calling for a peaceful protest as the protest was escalating. "Even today, blind violence is affecting constitutional institutions and the Albanian State Police. Police officers were wounded and this is a shame and a violation of the law," tweeted Albanian Interior Minister Sander Lleshaj. In reaction to the violent protest, Rama expressed on Twitter his solidarity with police officers. "Solidarity with every police officer who in a day like this has to face the physical exaggeration of a desperate, headless, unmanaged politics without a future. Regret for police officers injured by the blows of the two dazzling parties marching into the road of self-destruction," said Rama. More than 1,500 police officers have been engaged to maintain order during the opposition's protest. The police surrounded the prime minister's office by iron fences, while the surrounding perimeter is monitored with security cameras. This is the ninth protest organized by the Albanian opposition parties, who said that the current government is corrupt and linked to organized crime. The opposition lawmakers have resigned from their parliament seats in late February and have refused the calls of the European Union and international organizations to hold dialogue with the government and end the political crisis. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 12:37:20|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close KATHMANDU, April 14 (Xinhua) -- An aircraft of Summit Air collided with a helicopter at Lukla Airport in Nepal on Sunday morning, killing at least two, according to local authorities. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 12:57:33|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close VIENNA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Ma Biao, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, visited Austria from Thursday to Saturday at the invitation of the Austrian parliament. Ma, who is also the president of the Chinese People's Association for Peace and Disarmament, met with Ingo Appe, president of the Federal Council of the Austrian Parliament, Alastair Wittmann, chair of the Austria-China Parliamentary Group, and Brigitta Pallauf, president of the Salzburg State Parliament. The two sides held in-depth exchanges of views on the China-Austria ties, parliamentary and people-to-people exchanges, and joint construction of the Belt and Road, among other issues. The Chinese delegation also had conversations with the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy, the Austria-China Friendship Association and other organizations. An air strike killed the deputy leader of the Islamic State group in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region, alongside another militant, a local security official said on Sunday. A witness said a 4x4 vehicle was hit by several missiles 3 km (2 miles) outside the village of Xiriiro in the Qandala hills at 1 p.m. (1000 GMT) on Sunday. "Today's air strike killed Abdihakim Dhuqub, the deputy leader of Islamic State," Puntland's security minister, Abdisamad Mohamed Galan, told Reuters. According to the United Nations, Dhuqub helped set up the first cell of al-Ittihad al-Islamiya (AIAI), an ideological predecessor to al Shabaab, a militant group fighting the Somali national government for over a decade. He later defected to Islamic State group. Somalia has been riven by civil war and Islamist militancy - though more in the south than in the north where Puntland is - since 1991 when clan warlords overthrew a dictator before turning on each other. "Several missiles hit a Suzuki car. Then helicopters hovered over the scene," Mohamed Iid, a resident of Xiriiro, told Reuters. "It was a deafening air strike. We reached the scene after the helicopters left. The car completely melted." Matt Bryden, head of the Nairobi-based think tank Sahan Research, downplayed the significance of the killing because IS in Somalia is believed to only have a comparatively small force of 150-200 soldiers. "(If) you take into account that they've never done a large terror attack in several years of operation, you basically have a gang stuck out in the desert," he told Reuters by telephone. "Just because they are called ISIS, it doesn't make them an existential threat." Search Keywords: Short link: Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 12:57:35|Editor: zh Video Player Close Photo taken on April 14, 2019 shows the site of aircraft collision at Lukla airport in Solukhumbu, Nepal. At least two people were killed after an aircraft of Summit Air collided with a helicopter at Lukla Airport in Nepal on Sunday morning, according to local authorities. (Xinhua) KATHMANDU, April 14 (Xinhua) -- At least two people were killed after an aircraft of Summit Air collided with a helicopter at Lukla Airport in Nepal on Sunday morning, according to local authorities. Locals said a Summit Air plane with call sign 9N-AMH collided with a helicopter of Manang Air, which was parked within the airport premise. "At least two persons have been dead, while few others are injured," local media reported. It has been reported that the Summir Air plane was en route to Kathmandu from Lukla. The detail of casualties has yet to be ascertained. Lukla airport is the nearest airport to the world's highest peak Mount Qomolangma, while April-May is the peak climbing season in the Himalayan country. In the springtime, domestic airline companies conduct over 50 flights everyday to Lukla, known as Tenzing Hillary airport, featuring vibrant terrains and harsh weather patterns. Due to the extreme wind pressure, all round-trip flights are usually operated in the morning. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 13:12:45|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Japanese automaker Subaru will recall 5,035 vehicles sold in the Chinese market because of possible safety hazards. The recall, set to begin on May 17, affects some imported models of Legacy, Outback and Impreza produced between Jan. 6 and Aug. 29, 2014, according to a statement posted on the website of the State Administration for Market Regulation. The front passenger airbags, produced by Japanese manufacturer Takata, have defective inflators that could fracture and send potentially fatal shrapnel into passengers when airbags are activated, the administration said. Subaru will replace the defective airbags of affected vehicles free of charge, said the statement. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 13:17:47|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that his possible third summit with Kim Jong Un, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), would be good in that both Washington and Pyongyang could fully understand their stands on a group of issues. "I agree with Kim Jong Un of North Korea that our personal relationship remains very good, perhaps the term excellent would be even more accurate, and that a third Summit would be good in that we fully understand where we each stand," Trump tweeted. Noting that the DPRK has tremendous potential for economic success under Kim's leadership, Trump said, "I look forward to the day, which could be soon, when Nuclear Weapons and Sanctions can be removed, and then watching North Korea become one of the most successful nations of the World!" The DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency earlier on Saturday quoted Kim as saying that he is willing to meet Trump again on certain conditions. "It is necessary for both sides not to table their unilateral demands but find out a constructive solution to meet each other's interests," Kim said. Blaming the United States for only considering its own interests during the second DPRK-U.S. summit in Vietnam's Hanoi in February, the top leader said he will "wait for a bold decision" from Trump "with patience till the end of this year." Trump said on Thursday that a third summit with Kim could happen and "it's step by step" and "not a fast process." He also left possibility open that a three-way summit with Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in "could happen also," but admitted that would largely depend on Kim. Earlier on Wednesday, Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said for dialogue to continue and make headway, the key is to address the legitimate concerns of the parties concerned in a balanced manner, and advance denuclearization and the establishment of a peace mechanism for the peninsula by following a phased approach with synchronized steps as a package solution. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 13:22:50|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close BOGOTA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- An explosive attack that left a soldier dead on Saturday was attributed to the guerrilla group National Liberation Army (ELN), said the Colombian military. The attack using explosives killed the 39-year-old Colombian soldier Carlos Urena in the northwestern province of Antioquia, the Colombian Seventh Military Brigade said. Via his Twitter account, the brigade commander Juan Carlos Ramirez confirmed Urena's death following the attack allegedly carried out by the Taraza group which belongs to the ELN. "In a cowardly attack by the ELN, in which they launched unconventional explosive devices, the professional soldier Carlos Alberto Urena Robles was killed in the rural area of Valdivia #Antioquia. My solidarity and that of @Ejercito_Div7 (National Army of Colombia) goes to his family in these difficult moments," Ramirez wrote on social network. Ramirez added that military troops were deployed by land and air to locate those responsible for the attack, which came after the ELN announced on Thursday a unilateral cease-fire as a gesture of peace for Holy Week. In January, President Ivan Duque suspended peace talks with the ELN which took place in Havana, Cuba, following a car bomb attack at the General Santander Police Cadet School which left 21 dead and 68 injured. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 13:32:54|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 13 (Xinhua) -- In response to the latest remarks of Kim Jong Un, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), over his possible third summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, Washington on Saturday highlighted the progress made after the Hanoi meeting and expressed cautious expectation of the third summit. During his stay in Paraguay on Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a press conference that "we have work to do, but I am confident we'll continue to make progress." "... even after Hanoi we have continued to have conversations. I am confident that what we did in Hanoi put us in a better place to continue to move forward," he said, referring to the Trump-Kim summit in Vietnam's Hanoi on Feb. 28 that ended without an agreement. Pompeo also said later in Peru's capital city Lima that "with respect to North Korea, we made real progress in Hanoi. I am confident that the leadership in America will continue to make progress to solve this challenge of the nuclear threat that is posed to the world." "I am very confident we'll continue to move down the path of achieving that outcome," he said, referring to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. For his part, Trump tweeted also on Saturday that, "I agree with Kim Jong Un of North Korea that our personal relationship remains very good, perhaps the term excellent would be even more accurate, and that a third Summit would be good in that we fully understand where we each stand." Washington's remarks came after the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency on Saturday quoted Kim as saying that he is willing to meet Trump again on certain conditions. "It is necessary for both sides not to table their unilateral demands but find out a constructive solution to meet each other's interests," Kim said in a policy speech on Friday. Blaming the United States for only considering its own interests during the second DPRK-U.S. summit in Vietnam's Hanoi this February, Kim said that this has led the DPRK to question Trump's willingness to improve relations with the DPRK. Noting that he does not accept "the American style of dialogue" which imposes the United States' unilateral demands upon its dialogue partner, the top leader said he will "wait for a bold decision" from Trump "with patience till the end of this year." Trump said on Thursday that a third summit with Kim could happen and "it's step by step" and "not a fast process." He also left possibility open that a three-way summit with Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in "could happen also," but admitted that would largely depend on Kim. After the Hanoi summit ended, Trump told a press conference that Kim demanded relief from sanctions against Pyongyang "in their entirety" in exchange for denuclearizing a "large portion" of the DPRK's nuclear program, something the United States could not agree to. Dismissing Trump's claim, DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho has said that the DPRK only proposed partial removal of the sanctions, wanting those impeding the livelihood of their people to be removed first. Earlier on Wednesday, Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said for dialogue to continue and make headway, the key is to address the legitimate concerns of the parties concerned in a balanced manner, and advance denuclearization and the establishment of a peace mechanism for the peninsula by following a phased approach with synchronized steps as a package solution. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 13:37:56|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close SHANGHAI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The following are shows and exhibitions available in Shanghai in the coming week: Heaven and Earth: Li Yu, the Poet Emperor (Future Kun Qu Opera) Date: April 20 Venue: Shanghai Grand Theater Introduction: Taiwan Guo Guang Opera Company is known as a reformer of Chinese Kun Qu Opera. They bring a bitter-sweet love-triangle story between a Chinese Emperor and two beautiful sisters. Emperor Li Yu was born to rule a country. He was also one of the most talented poets in Chinese history. In this production, the director raises the question: "What is immortal -- power, love, or literature?" http://www.shgtheatre.com Classical Selections of Operas and Musicals Concert Date: April 21 Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center Introduction: The concert will be given by Adelaide Harmony Choir, one of Australia's foremost large choirs with a history of over 70 years. Its wide choral repertoire extends from oratorio and opera to operetta and songs. During this visit to Shanghai, it will perform many classical selections from world-renowned operas and musicals such as West Side Story, The Phantom of the Opera, Carmen, The Bohemian, etc. https://www.adelaideharmonychoir.org.au http://www.shoac.com.cn Thonik: Why We Design (Exhibition) Date: Daily except for Mon until June 2 Venue: Power Station of Art Introduction: The Power Station of Art is now presenting a visual design exhibition titled Thonik: Why We Design, to throw daring questions like "What's the meaning and role of graphic design as a medium in the digital age?" The event will revisit 14 groups of key works of the famous Dutch design collective, spanning their 25-year career. http://www.powerstationofart.com Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 14:23:15|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close NANJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Nanjing, the only Chinese city where visitors can observe the wild Yangtze River finless porpoise in an urban area, is considering several design adjustments in building a new trans-Yangtze traffic passage, to minimize the impact on the endangered animal. One of the plans is to build a twin-tower suspension bridge with the main span of 2,079 meters, which would set a world record. The design of the trans-Yangtze traffic passage starts at the border of the core zone of the Nanjing finless porpoise nature reserve. It is expected to have a total length of 38 km. According to the Nanjing Public Works Construction Center in the capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, at the earlier stage, engineers opted for a triple-tower suspension design with one bridge tower standing in the nature reserve. Later, they forwent the plan of the middle tower to stay clear of the natural protection area. "The larger the span, the higher the requirements for design, construction, the quality of materials and the technique of ensuring wind stability, which is sure to increase the costs. But it is worthwhile for protecting these finless porpoises," said Wang Chao, the center's chief planning official. "In the next stage, we will compare the bridge design and the underwater tunnel design to see which is the best option to minimize the effect on the wild mammal," he said. The Yangtze River finless porpoise is the only freshwater subspecies of the finless porpoise family. The species, only found in the middle and lower main streams of the Yangtze River, has been living there for 25 million years. More than 50 finless porpoises have been spotted in the Yangtze River section in Nanjing. The population has greatly reduced due to environmental deterioration. In addition to establishing the nature reserve, Nanjing has adopted various methods to protect the ecological environment including issuing a thorough fishing ban in the river section since 2014. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 14:23:16|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close By sportswriter Michael Butterworth SHANGHAI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Mercedes AMG Petronas team principal Toto Wolff says a hard Brexit would be "massively disadvantageous" for his team, and that a second referendum on the subject would not be undemocratic. Although racing with a German license, Mercedes is one of six Formula 1 teams headquartered in the U.K., and Wolff told Xinhua of his concern about the implications of the U.K. leaving the European Union without a deal. "It seems like we don't know what happens tomorrow," Wolff said. "There are so many large organizations based in the U.K. that need to understand how things are going. Hard borders will affect the ability to trade, and it affects all of us, because we're all buying goods that come from Europe, most companies have suppliers that come from Europe, and many of us are selling products to Europe." The Austrian added, "A hard Brexit would be massively disadvantageous. It would come to the point where you would have to consider whether you are actually operationally capable of continuing what you do. I think everybody needs to recognize that a hard Brexit is something that must be avoided, because it will reduce the quality of life for many people in the U.K.." With the U.K. parliament having last month voted to reject a no-deal Brexit, there is growing momentum within the country for a second referendum on the terms of the U.K.'s exit from the EU, a notion that Wolff supports. "In a day and age where circumstances change on an almost daily basis, I think it is absolutely not undemocratic to give the population the possibility of saying, "Is that still what we think?" What's the downside of that? Because the result might be surprising." Wolff spoke to Xinhua after his drivers Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton had secured a one-two finish in qualifying for the 2019 Chinese Grand Prix, and the Austrian reserved special praise for Bottas, who dominated the first race of the 2019 season in Melbourne after a difficult 2018 in which the Finn had failed to win a race. "The really good drivers are able to improve and raise their game from season to season. Valtteri had a tough second half of last season, and reflected over the winter on how his approach needs to change or how he can improve. You can see that his performances [this season] are more solid, and he was exceptional in Melbourne and very good today." Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 15:03:31|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The number of deaths from the collapse of two buildings in a poor area in west Rio de Janeiro increased to seven, after two people who had been hospitalized died, Brazil's Fire Department said Saturday. Another 17 people remain missing, according to fire officials. At least 10 people were pulled alive from the rubble, but two subsequently died at hospitals Friday night as a result of their injuries, which raised the number of deaths to seven, rescue officials said. The two five-story buildings in the Muzema favela in western Rio de Janeiro collapsed on Friday morning. The cause of the collapse is unknown. Rescue work continued throughout Friday night. On Saturday morning, a brigade of more than 30 firefighters arrived to join the rescue efforts of over 100 soldiers, rescue dogs, drones and helicopters. The two collapsed buildings, both opened six months ago in the Muzema slum community, were irregular construction projects appear without the permission of city authorities. The residential use of the two buildings had been prohibited twice, in November and February. They were not demolished due to the danger demolition presented to adjacent buildings. The Rio city authorities announced on Friday that it would demolish three buildings adjacent to the collapsed buildings, which were also built without a license, to avoid the risk of more collapses. The Muzema community is controlled by violent mob-like militia groups. The two buildings are likely to have been built by order of the groups. It is estimated that in the same community, there are about 60 residential buildings built without official permits for construction and sale. The Muzema area was deeply affected by strong seasonal rain and wind, which hit Rio earlier this week and left 10 dead and caused severe damage. But it was not raining when the collapse occurred. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 15:38:56|Editor: zh Video Player Close by Bosun Awoniyi LAGOS, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian oil unions on Saturday denied reports about fuel scarcity hitting parts of the oil-producing country and called on citizens to stop panic buying of petrol and diesel. Local media reported on Saturday that fuel scarcity hit some cities in the country due to purported refusal by some oil marketers to lift products from depots. The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, urged Nigerians to stop panicking over fuel scarcity as there is sufficient product. They made the remarks in separate statements on Saturday in Lagos. IPMAN confirmed that about six vessels of imported petrol ordered by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) were currently discharging the product, assuring that the corporation has sufficient products. Meanwhile, the NNPC said in a statement that it has over one billion liters of petrol in stock, with an additional 48 vessels of 50 million liters committed for the month of April alone. There is "no need for panic buying or hoarding of petroleum products in anticipation of a phantom scarcity," the NNPC added. Also, oil marketers have said the shortage of petrol, which has hit some cities in the country, will ease soon. Clement Isong, an official of IPMAN, told Xinhua that they are working very closely with the NNPC to make ensure that queues in front of gas stations will soon disappear. Meanwhile, Olufemi Adewole, the executive secretary of Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, said the NNPC distribution pricing had been a major issue for depot owners. He said for now no member had product in his facilities. Adewole added that the price the NNPC was giving members, plus other charges, had made it extremely difficult for them. Nigeria is one of the largest oil producers in Africa. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 15:59:08|Editor: ZX Video Player Close KUNMING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- A forest fire that raged for two days in Heqing County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, was put out on Sunday, according to local authorities. More than 1,700 firefighters were dispatched to extinguish the fire which swept across an area of 64 hectares. The provincial fire department said there were no more fires in the area, but firefighters continued to patrol the mountain while a helicopter sprinkled water on the ashes to prevent reignition. The local forestry police have detained a villager whose smoking was thought to have triggered the fire. China's national observatory said earlier this month that low precipitation and strong winds have put southwestern provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan at high risk of forest fires. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 16:04:12|Editor: zh Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The mayor of the U.S. city of Oakland on Saturday urged President Donald Trump to stop "fanning hate" over his disputed immigration policy. "It's time to stop fanning hate and division @realDonaldTrump - I've been consistent and clear: #Oakland welcomes all, no matter where you came from or how you got here," mayor Libby Schaaf said on Twitter. Schaaf was responding to a tweet by Trump Saturday afternoon when the U.S. president seemed to mock Schaaf's earlier statement accusing Trump of planning to send undocumented immigrants to sanctuary cities. "...So interesting to see the Mayor of Oakland and other Sanctuary Cities NOT WANT our currently 'detained immigrants' after release due to the ridiculous court-ordered 20-day rule. If they don't want to serve our Nation by taking care of them, why should other cities & towns?" Trump tweeted late Saturday. Sanctuary cities in the United States are known as local jurisdictions that refrain from cooperating with federal authorities and detain undocumented immigrants for possible deportation. Oakland is one along with other Bay Area cities such as San Francisco and San Jose. Trump's tweet came after Schaaf said in an earlier TV interview that it's not right to divert the resources of local governments to address the issue of undocumented immigrants. "I am proud to be the mayor of a sanctuary city ... We embrace the diversity in Oakland, and we do not think it's appropriate for us to use local resources to do the government's failed immigration work," she told CNN Friday. Trump threatened on Friday to release detained undocumented immigrants into sanctuary cities while blaming the country's immigration laws on Democrats. "Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only," Trump wrote in a tweet. Trump's controversial tweets over immigrants have drawn backfire from some sanctuary cities in the Bay Area. San Francisco Mayor London Breed called Trump's threat "another in a long line of scare tactics and half-baked ideas that are just about chasing headlines and distracting people from real issues." San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said his city welcomes any families "who have endured such incredible hardships and have endeavored to make a better life for themselves and their families and want to be a part of our great country." Schaaf said Trump's idea was "an outrageous abuse of power and public resources." Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 16:09:15|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Speaking highly of the just-concluded eighth China-CEEC leaders' meeting, Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) express the hope that cooperation between the two sides can be lifted to a broader and higher level. The meeting, themed "Building new bridges through openness, innovation and partnership," was held Friday in the southern Croatian coastal city of Dubrovnik, with the participation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and leaders of 16 CEECs. Delo, a national daily in Slovenia, has paid close attention to the meeting. It said Friday in an editorial that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aims to join hands with regions including Europe in creating a better life and shows Europe the prospects of future win-win cooperation with Asia. Tomislav Tolusic, Croatian deputy prime minister and minister of agriculture, told Xinhua that as Croatia hosts the meeting, it is a great opportunity for the country to position itself in the region, in Europe and even broader than that. He said that Croatia and China have many common points and can cooperate in many different areas. He expects that bilateral cooperation will be more concrete after the meeting. Tolusic's remarks were echoed by Luka Burilovic, president of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, who said possibilities of cooperation between Croatia and China are enormous. Li delivered a speech at the ninth China-CEEC Business Forum on Friday, during which he said China will continue to create conditions to import more honey, fruit, dairy and meat products and other farm produce from CEECs to meet the diverse needs of Chinese consumers. Burilovic told Xinhua that his country was delighted by Li's remarks, saying this is good news for Croatia as his country could provide high-quality products for the Chinese market. Ivona Ladjevac, senior researcher at the Institute of International Politics and Economics in the Serbia's capital Belgrade, said the China-CEEC cooperation has been continuously expanding its scope in recent years, and has reaped solid achievements, adding that this cooperation mechanism has won higher expectations. It can be expected that the China-CEEC cooperation will be further strengthened by such measures as expanding investment in infrastructure to promote financial flows and trade exchanges, Ladjevac said. As there is a growing enthusiasm for learning Chinese language and culture among European students, educational exchanges can do a lot to promote the China-CEEC cooperation, she said. Endre Spaller, vice president of Hungarian Governmental Information Technology Development Agency, told Xinhua that cooperation with China is the key to the county's development as China is a growth engine for the world market. He appreciated the importance China attaches to Central and Eastern Europe, and believes that the cooperation between Hungary and China faces greater opportunities in the future. President of Sino-Czech Aviation Association Petr Hyl said that the CEECs welcome the cooperation mechanism with China as they have more space to highlight their priorities. Finding a right partner is always the foundation of successful cooperation, and Czech companies welcome the possibility of meeting new potential partners from China, Hyl added. Faruk Boric, executive director of the Center for Promotion and Development of the Belt and Road Initiative, said since China proposed the BRI, European countries that participated in its construction have benefited a lot. Within the China-CEEC cooperation framework, relevant countries would gather together annually to negotiate and implement new projects in areas of interest to all the participants, with none of such cooperation failing to notch up win-win results, Boric added. Marceli Burdelski, vice president of the Asia Pacific Society in Poland believes that China-CEEC cooperation do not conflict with China-EU cooperation. He said the CEECs cooperate with China to seek economic development and narrow down gaps with western European countries, which is good for the integral development of Europe. He also said that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Poland and China. Taking this opportunity, Poland and China can open up wider areas of cooperation, and bilateral economic and trade cooperation will reach a higher level. Sylwester Szafarz, the former consul general of Poland in Shanghai, China and expert on international issues, spoke highly of the China-CEEC cooperation, considering it as one of the initiatives and mechanisms that China proposed while actively participating in global governance and maintenance of multilateralism. He said that through this mechanism, China could carry out mutually beneficial cooperation with CEECs more effectively to make China-EU cooperation more balanced and substantial. China's cooperation with CEECs has achieved pragmatic results, and there is still much potential for cooperation between the two sides, he added. (Xinhua correspondents Yuan Liang, Gao Lei, Yang Xiaohong, Zhang Zhang, Chen Xu, Shi Zhongyu, Wang Zichen, Zhang Xiuzhi and Wang Yaxiong also contributed to the story.) Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 16:59:33|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close by Cristobal Chavez Bravo SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA, Chile, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Parched, sun-beaten, windswept and barren, the Atacama Desert in northern Chile is definitely inhospitable to any human. A global scientific community, however, braves the punishing reality. As conditions there are ideal for stargazing, scientists have joined hands in building one of the world's highest astronomical observatories: the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope. Situated more than 5,000 meters above sea level on the Chajnantor Plateau, the ALMA consists of 66 individual antennas pointing skyward to capture millimeter and submillimeter radio waves, turning the unnoticed corner into eyes of the Earth. "Strictly speaking, the ALMA is an interferometer," ALMA visitor coordinator Danilo Vidal told Xinhua. "That is a combination of many antennas whose objective is to simulate one major telescope." The ALMA is a joint project among the European Southern Observatory, the U.S. National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences of Japan, all in cooperation with Chile. It is "unique in its class and additionally a giant of its kind," as it simulates a telescope with up to 16 km in diameter, Vidal added. "The bigger the diameter, the better the resolution of the equipment, so it's more powerful. So the more we open up this telescope, the better." While Vidal and his colleagues work in an environment that is fully oxygenated and held to the highest safety standards, stepping outside in the harsh desert is a different story. Due to the high altitude, fierce wind, and intense ultraviolet radiation there, employees are urged to use an oxygen tank, wear clothes that cover the entire body, and be careful not to exert themselves. This extremely arid zone is perfect for receiving cosmic waves, said Dario Hernandez, an electrical engineer who has worked on the antenna maintenance team for seven years. "Signals are so low" in frequency that they would be difficult to be detected in other places, but "because we are in a drier place, we have less atmosphere" to interfere with the reception, Hernandez said. Signals captured by the antennas would be digitized and sent via fiber optic cables to one of the fastest supercomputers around the world. It has more than 134 million processors and, more importantly, can operate at an extremely high elevation. "As there has never existed a tool of this nature, with this capacity, all observation that the ALMA does is historic," Vidal said. According to Richard Simon, a scientist at the observatory, one of the ALMA's greatest achievements was capturing detailed images of the formation site of a giant planetary system in 2014. The image shows a series of brilliant concentric rings separated by dark gaps, where scientists believe planets could form. On Wednesday, astronomers in different countries announced that they had captured the first ever image of a black hole, thanks to the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), an Earth-sized virtual telescope network linking eight telescopes around the globe. The ALMA helped to guarantee high-quality calibration of the data from the other telescopes, leading to the EHT's fantastic images, according to ALMA Director Sean Dougherty. Although each antenna weighs more than 100 tons, they are sufficiently solid to withstand being relocated without their mechanisms suffering damage. Moving them around the desert plateau is "analogous to changing lenses on a camera, and that's what we do all year," said Vidal. "This is what many scientists dream about." Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 17:04:36|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 13 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to deepen its cooperation with the World Bank on lending programs and knowledge sharing, Chinese Finance Minister Liu Kun said here in a meeting with World Bank President David Malpass. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 99th Meeting of the Development Committee launched by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund on Friday and Saturday. There is great potential for China, the world's largest developing country and an important partner of the World Bank, to cooperate with the international lender in the future, Liu said, according to a statement released by the Chinese Ministry of Finance on Saturday. Liu said he hopes other developing countries can learn from China's experience in successfully alleviating poverty. China expects to work with the World Bank on improving the innovativeness of lending programs and added value, he added In addition, China also looks forward to cooperating with the World Bank in such areas as improving the business environment and establishing a high-standard multilateral financing cooperation center, the minister said. Malpass said the World Bank and China share a great responsibility in combating poverty and spurring global development, noting China's achievements in alleviating poverty, the experience of which is worth sharing. The World Bank, Malpass said, is also willing to work with China on pollution prevention and control, green development, as well as coping with climate change. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 17:49:57|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close MANILA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- A DNA test has confirmed that Abu Dar, the lone survivor of the Maute Group leadership that plotted the 2017 attack of Marawi City in the southern Philippines, has been killed, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Sunday. "It is confirmed, it's Abu Dar's remains. Well, for now his group is leaderless. We are monitoring who will replace Dar," Lorenzana said. Abu Dar, whose real name is Owayda Benito Marohomsar, was among the terrorists killed by Philippine security forces in the March 14 clash in Tubaran town in Lanao del Sur province this year. The military tagged Dar as the alleged emir of the Islamic State (IS) in Southeast Asia. Abu Dar was also among the Maute leaders recorded on video in a planning session that the military believes was for the attack of Marawi City in Mindanao. The military said the video was seized from the slain militants planning the assault. Also seen on the video clip with Abu Dar were Omar and Abdullah Maute, whom the military tagged as the founders of the Maute Group, and Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, one of the most wanted terrorist leaders in the region with alleged link to IS extremists. The three were all killed in an assault in Marawi. Army Col. Romeo Brawner, commander of the 103rd Brigade based in Marawi, said Dar's death is a major victory in the fight against terrorism. "He was a known religious leader," Brawner said, adding Abu Dar's death would also mean the end of Dawlah Islamiya Lanao Group. Military records showed that Abu Dar was a native of Pagayawan town in Lanao del Sur and served as the spiritual leader of Maute brothers. The Philippine military has launched several operations to hunt down Abu Dar and even dangled a three million peso (about 58,000 U.S. dollar) bounty for his capture. Founded approximately seven or eight years ago by Omar and Abdullah Maute, the Maute group declared its allegiance to IS in 2014. Born in the city of Marawi, both brothers studied in the Middle East and became fluent in Arabic. Aside from the 2017 attack on Marawi, the Maute group was responsible for multiple attacks throughout the Philippines, including the September 2016 Davao market bombing that killed 15 people and injured 70 others, as well as an attempted bomb attack in November of 2016 near the U.S. embassy in Manilla. The Duterte government is in the process of rebuilding the city's central business district ruined by the five-month-long Marawi siege that killed over 1,000 people in 2017. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte imposed martial law in the entire Mindanao a few hours after the May 2017 attack. The Philippine Congress has granted Duterte's three requests for martial law extension to quell the rebellion in the southern region. Martial law remains in the region until Dec. 31, 2019. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 19:15:37|Editor: zh Video Player Close COLOMBO, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday called on all Sri Lankans, living in the island and overseas, to work in unity towards uplifting the nation. In a special statement, Sirisena said that as the country celebrates the local Sinhala and Tamil New Year, Sri Lankans must collectively commit themselves towards fulfilling the national expectations which includes further developing the country. "While enjoying the results of the efforts of our own victories so far, we must collectively commit ourselves to fulfill the national expectations. I wish the dearest people of this country as well as the Sri Lankans living abroad a peaceful and prosperous New Year," the president said. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in a special statement said the local Sinhala and Tamil New Year was a national cultural festival celebrated across Sri Lanka evenly in the North and South. "It is with immense pleasure I would like to wish all of you a blissful and bountiful New Year," Wickremesinghe said. Several new year festivities were held across the island to usher in the new year. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 19:20:41|Editor: ZX Video Player Close HANGZHOU, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed after a fire engulfed a production workshop in east China's Zhejiang Province on Sunday, local authorities said. The fire broke out in the workshop in Guanhaiwei Township in the city of Cixi at about 10 a.m., killing two people on the spot and leaving another two injured. The injured were rushed to hospital but succumbed to their wounds, according to the Cixi municipal emergency management bureau. Rescue efforts were initiated immediately after the accident, and the fire was extinguished at about 10:30 a.m. Further investigation into the cause of the accident is underway. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 19:30:46|Editor: zh Video Player Close DAMASCUS, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday that Syria and Iraq must face the foreign schemes and preserve their sovereignty and independence, according to the state news agency SANA. Assad made the remarks during his meeting with visiting Iraqi advisor of the National Security Council Faleh Fayyad, in the capital Damascus. During the meeting, Assad stressed that the fate of the region could only be determined by the peoples of the area no matter how big the challenges become. Assad also underlined the need to boost the relations between both countries to eliminate terrorism and serve their mutual interests. For his side, Fayyad stressed that the victory of Syria on terrorism is also considered as the winning of Iraq and that any achievement of Iraq against terrorism is an achievement for Syria. Iraq and Syria have been lately discussing the opening of border points between both countries as well as the efforts to continue hunting down remnants of the Islamic State militants in the border areas. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 19:45:54|Editor: zh Video Player Close MANAMA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- More than 30 Israeli delegates, who were expected to take part in a key meeting in Bahrain on Monday, will not show up due to "security concerns." The organizers of the conference confirmed the news about the nonparticipation of the Israelis on Sunday in a statement. They were expected to take part in the 11th Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) 2019 that starts from Monday until Thursday. They decided on Sunday morning not to come due to security concerns and expressed a wish not to cause disruption for the other participants, said an events spokeswoman. There has been a massive uproar in Bahrain parliament and civil societies condemning the participation of Israeli delegates. Members of parliament last week presented an urgent proposal, for the third week in a row, to reject the participation of the over 40-member Israeli delegation, reportedly headed by Israeli Economy Minister Eli Cohen. Known for its leading global dialogue on entrepreneurship, the GEC will bring together thousands of entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and economic policymakers from more than 170 countries and regions. Bahrain, like other Gulf country, has no diplomatic ties with Israel. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 20:11:09|Editor: zh Video Player Close WARSAW, April 14 (Xinhua) -- In spite of an extraordinary 40 percent sales growth in China in 2018, Poland's leading dairy company Mlekpol is still seeking opportunities for further expansion in the promising market. Thanks to the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, bilateral trade between China and Poland hit new record in recent years. Meanwhile, Mlekpol sees a booming business in China and plans to bring more high-quality and competitive products to China to meet the huge demand there. "In 2013 we delivered the first container of our products to China. Since then, our cooperation has been constantly developing," Malgorzata Cebelinska, Director of Trade Department at Mlekpol Dairy Cooperative in Grajewo, told Xinhua. "In 2017, Mlekpol completed 850 container shipments of its products, while last year -- over 1,200 containers, which led to approx. 40 percent year-on-year growth in sales," Cebelinska added. Being committed to its opening-up policy, China provides foreign companies the most promising and also the largest market in the world for their high-quality products. As Mlekpol is gradually building up its reputation among Chinese customers, the company expects for better sales in the country this year. "We consider China as one of the most important export directions for us, and we are looking for new opportunities to expand current business activities," Cebelinska said, noting that she believes 2019 will be better than 2018 in figures. Cebelinska said that the Chinese market is demanding and the competition there is quite intense. "As a dairy producer we have a very good reputation compared to other market competitors. It is possible because our raw milk comes from the healthiest and cleanest regions in Poland, we always focus on bringing high-quality products to Chinese customers," she said. Cebelinska said, "The Chinese market evaluates our products very well, our milk is one of the leaders of imported milk in China just like German and Australian products. " Asked about if Mlekpol would like to take the advantage of CHINA RAILWAY Express, a fast growing railway transportation between China and Europe, Cebelinska said "that would be a great opportunity to start with fresh, short shelf life products that currently can't be delivered to Chinese clients. It could also improve frequency and efficiency of deliveries." Mlekpol started to approach the Chinese market back in 2012 by participating in trade fairs in China, gaining access to local partners and markets. Now, the company is looking forward to taking part in the China International Import Expo. "We heard a lot of positive opinions about China International Import Expo and we are taking into consideration the participation in this event. We are looking for opportunities to present our products at other local exhibitions and trade fairs in China in the coming years," Cebelinska said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 20:41:16|Editor: zh Video Player Close DAMASCUS, April 14 (Xinhua) -- UN envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen said he held "detailed and substantial" discussions with Syrian officials in the capital Damascus on Sunday. Pedersen, who arrived in Damascus on Saturday afternoon, held the meetings Sunday morning and will continue the discussions in the afternoon of the same day. He told reporters upon returning from the first session of talks Sunday that his talks with Syrian foreign ministry officials are covering all issues. "We have had very detailed substantial discussions and we are continuing the discussions this afternoon so it's fair to say that we are now addressing all the issues so all the issues are on the table and let's see how we are able to proceed later this afternoon," he said. Pedersen has been discussing, throughout his previous visits to Syria, the formation of a constitutional committee that would be tasked with discussing and suggesting amendments to the Syrian constitution. The Syrian government side has been reluctant to allow any foreign interference with the constitution, saying this is a sovereign matter. Last month, Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem told Pedersen that the Syrian constitution is a Syrian sovereign matter decided by the Syrian people without foreign interference. The foreign minister, while saying that the Syrian constitution is an internal issue, stressed his government's resolve to cooperate with Pedersen to make his mission a success. In January of this year, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that there is no timeframe to launch the constitutional committee in Syria, but the work needs to be done as quickly as possible. He said that Syria needs a constitutional committee that is "indeed balanced" and accepted by all Syrian people. Guterres said additional consultations will be needed since the UN's list for the constitutional committee was rejected by the Syrian government last year. The launch of Syrian constitutional committee has become the centerpiece of UN peace efforts in the country, and its goal is to set up elections that can end eight years of devastating war. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 21:31:43|Editor: zh Video Player Close GUANGZHOU, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Angola hopes to receive more Chinese investments to boost the Luanda-Bengo Special Economic Zone in the African country, according to Joao Salvador dos Santos Neto, Angola's ambassador to China. He made the remarks at the Angola-China Investment Forum held on Saturday in Guangzhou, capital of southern China's Guangdong Province. "Angola welcomes Chinese investments, and the government will be the protector for the rights and interests of foreign investors," said the ambassador. He added that China has offered great help in the recovering of Angola's economy and he hopes that "Angola and China can have further cooperation." Established by the Angolan government in 2009, the Luanda-Bengo Special Economic Zone is a state-owned enterprise covering an area of about 840,000 hectares. Antonio Herniques da Silva, CEO of the special economic zone, said the special economic zone eyes further progress in fields of medical treatment, metal manufacturing, agricultural equipment and energy. "The Luanda-Bengo Special Economic Zone has abundant mineral resources, young labor force, superior geographical location, low transportation and logistics costs, and a consumer market of about 30 million people. These are our unique advantages and competitiveness," he added. Boasting rich natural resources such as oil and natural gas, Angola is China's second largest trade partner in Africa. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 21:36:45|Editor: zh Video Player Close DAMASCUS, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The UN envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen discussed the formation of the constitutional committee with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem in Damascus on Sunday, state news agency SANA reported. They discussed the exerted efforts in the political track for resolving the Syrian crisis, including the formation of the constitutional committee, SANA said. Pedersen briefed al-Moallem on his activities since his last visit to Syria's capital Damascus in March. No more details were given about the meeting. Pedersen, who arrived in Damascus on Saturday afternoon, told reporters after the first session of his meetings on Sunday morning that his talks with Syrian officials are covering all issues. "We have had very detailed substantial discussions and we are continuing the discussions this afternoon, so it's fair to say we are now addressing all issues," he said. It's worth noting that throughout his previous visits to Syria, Pedersen had been discussing the formation of a constitutional committee which would be tasked with discussing and suggesting amendments to the Syrian constitution. The Syrian government has been reluctant to allow any foreign interference with the constitution, saying this is a sovereign matter. In January, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there is no timeframe to launch the constitutional committee in Syria, but the work needs to be done as quickly as possible. He said Syria needs a constitutional committee "indeed balanced" and accepted by all Syrian people. The launch of a Syrian constitutional committee has become the centerpiece of UN peace efforts in the country, and its goal is to hold elections that can end eight years of devastating war. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 21:41:47|Editor: zh Video Player Close DAMASCUS, April 14 (Xinhua) -- At least two civilians were killed and seven others wounded on Sunday by rebels' mortar shelling in Syira's northern city of Aleppo, state news agency SANA reported. The mortar attack targeted the al-Nile and al-Khaliyeh areas in Aleppo, SANA said. It's the latest in a string of mortar attacks carried out by the rebels in the western countryside of Aleppo. Aleppo returned under the government control in December 2016, but the rebels have remained in the western countryside and frequently fire mortar shells on the city to disrupt daily lives of the people. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 21:51:56|Editor: zh Video Player Close DAMASCUS, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will hand over 15 Russian nationals, who are families of Islamic State (IS) militants, to the Russian government within the next few hours, a war monitor reported Sunday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Russians were captured during the SDF operations against the IS in the eastern Euphrates River region. People of several foreign nationalities, including French and British citizens, were among the IS family members who surrendered to the SDF in eastern Syria. The SDF, with the help of the U.S.-led coalition, succeeded in dislodgeing the IS from its last redoubt in eastern Syria last month. Thousands of people, mainly IS militants and their families, have surrendered to the SDF and been taken to the al-Hol camp in the Kurdish-controlled part of Hasakah Province in northeastern Syria. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 22:07:13|Editor: zh Video Player Close KHARTOUM, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Foreign Ministry on Sunday called on the international community to support the efforts of the Transitional Military Council to achieve democratic transformation and balanced development in the country. "The measures taken by the Sudanese armed forces came in favor of the revolution of the Sudanese people for freedom, justice and peace, after the people's calls for the army to intervene to end the political, security and social crisis in the country," a ministry statement said. The statement referred to the earlier confirmations by the chairman of the transitional military council that the power will be handed over to a civilian government that will be formed in two years. The ministry reiterated Sudan's commitment to all local, regional and international treaties, conventions and agreements as well as its keenness on good neighborliness and balanced international relations. It also expressed aspiration for effective economic cooperation with the international community that would allow Sudan to exploit its huge natural and economic resources. The ministry urged exemption of Sudan's foreign debts and removal of the barriers which prevent it from receiving assistance and funds from the international institutions. Sudan's transitional military council is tasked with running the country's affairs following the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir's regime. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 22:12:21|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities on Sunday unveiled a guideline on reforming the country's property rights system for natural resource assets. By 2020, a system featuring confirmed ownership, clarified rights and responsibility, strict protection, smooth transfer and effective supervision should have been basically in place, reads the guideline released by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council. The efficiency of natural resource development and use, as well as resource protection, should have been significantly enhanced by then, providing strong support for improving ecological civilization, and guaranteeing national ecological security and resource security, the guideline says. The system should play a fundamental role in strictly protecting resources and promoting ecological functions, and also play a key role in optimizing resource allocation, improving the efficiency of resource development and use, and promoting high-quality development. China will explore more effective ways to realize the rights and interests of natural resource assets owners by giving play to the decisive role of the market in allocating resources, the guideline reads. Meanwhile, the country must strengthen government supervision and administration, and promote the reasonable use of natural resources by natural resource rights holders, it says. The country will improve the legal system for property rights over natural resource assets, protect the rights and interests of property rights holders on an equal footing, and give better play to the role of the property rights system as both an incentive and restraint in promoting ecological progress. Local governments are encouraged to carry out bold explorations in accordance with local conditions to accumulate sufficient practical experience for reforming the property rights system, according to the guideline. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 22:17:25|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (C) meets with Libyan army chief Khalifa Haftar (L) in Cairo, Egypt on April 14, 2019. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi met on Sunday with Libyan army chief Khalifa Haftar in Cairo where they discussed the latest developments in war-torn Libya, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement. (Xinhua/MENA) CAIRO, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi met on Sunday with Libyan eastern-based army chief Khalifa Haftar in Cairo over the latest developments in war-torn Libya, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement. "President Sisi stressed Egypt's support for the efforts of counterterrorism and fighting the extremist groups and militants to achieve security and stability in Libya," Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in the statement. The meeting came as the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Haftar, has been carrying out a military campaign over the past 10 days to take over the Libyan capital Tripoli. Sisi expressed Egypt's keenness on restoring security and stability in Libya and starting the country's reconstruction to realize the aspirations of the Libyan people. Tripoli is home to internationally-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, Haftar's rival. On Saturday, the LNA announced the launch of eight airstrikes as part of its campaign to "liberate" Tripoli, noting that 28 LNA soldiers were killed in the raids, while the GNA, whose forces started a defensive operation against Haftar's troops, said 35 were killed in the battles. The World Health Organization announced late Saturday evening that 121 have been killed and 561 others wounded since the confrontations near Tripoli started on April 4. Since the ouster and killing of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libyan factions have been engaged in a civil war that escalated in 2014, resulting in splitting power between two rival governments in the northwestern city of Tripoli and the northeastern city of Tobruk respectively. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 22:22:27|Editor: zh Video Player Close KABUL, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Afghan government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah will not attend the consultative Loya Jirga or traditional gathering of chieftains, elders and notables on peace, expected to be convened later this month, said a statement released by his office here Sunday. The statement said the members of his team had not been consulted on the subject, and it feels there were no convincing reasons to hold consultative Jirga. Holding such Jirga would not help resolve the country's existing imbroglio, the statement said. However, Omar Daudzai, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's envoy for peace and head of the proposed consultative Loya Jirga, has confirmed the differences of opinion among politicians, sayings some political figures have different views on the subject and the holding of the peace Jirga. More than 2,000 delegates from across the country are expected to participate in the four-day consultative Loya Jirga on peace to discuss the ways and means to talk with the Taliban representatives in the possible peace meeting expected to be held in the coming weeks in Qatar capital Doha. Afghan government, according to media reports, has constituted a 22-member negotiating team to hold talks with the Taliban group. The armed group has repeatedly rejected to hold talks with Afghan government face-on-face, saying there would be no talks with Kabul administration in the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan. Rockets fired by Islamist militants on Sunday killed at least six civilians in the Syrian city of Aleppo, which is held by President Bashar al-Assad's regime, state news agency SANA reported. Aleppo is located in the north of the country next to Idlib, a province dominated by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Since the regime regained control of Aleppo at the end of 2016, the city has been targeted intermittently by Islamist militants and rebel fighters. SANA said the rockets fired by "terrorist groups" killed six people and wounded seven in neighbourhoods of Aleppo, using its terminology for Islamist militants and rebels. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the rockets were fired by Islamist militants groups, notably HTS. It said 20 rockets were fired into several neighbourhoods of Aleppo, but put the toll at three dead civilians, including a child, and five members of the security services. A photographer with AFP saw pools of blood and body parts on the ground as well as a car with shrapnel holes. In front of an Aleppo morgue, a man was seen trying to calm down a child who was crying out for his lost mother, before he also broke down in tears. Opposition fighters and Islamist militants overran large parts of Syria in the first years of war that broke out in 2011. But since Russia intervened on Assad's side in 2015 the regime has notched up a series of victories against them. It has recaptured all rebel areas but Idlib province and parts of the neighbouring provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia. Since September, these areas have been subject of a Russian-Turkish agreement providing for the creation of a "demilitarised zone" allowing them to avoid a vast government offensive. Despite the initiative whose terms have not been respected, the regime has resumed its deadly bombings in Idlib, while Islamist militants have launched attacks against government-held positions. The eight-year conflict has claimed more than 370,000 lives and displaced millions of people. Search Keywords: Short link: Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 22:27:29|Editor: zh Video Player Close BAGHDAD, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi forces on Sunday continued operations and airstrikes against the positions of Islamic State (IS) militants in the eastern province of Diyala, killing a militant and destroying several hideouts, security sources said. Acting on intelligence reports, a joint force from the Iraqi security forces and intelligence service carried out an operation against IS positions in orchards of the town of Abu Saida, some 85 km northeast of Iraq's capital Baghdad, said a statement by Diyala's intelligence service. The joint force traded fire with an extremist IS militant, killing him in a hideout, and seized explosives, several bombs, suicide belts and military equipment in the hideout, the statement added. Also in the province, Iraqi warplanes pounded and destroyed four IS hideouts at a rural area located some 155 km northeast of Baghdad, Sadiq al-Husseini, head of the security committee in Diyala's provincial council, told Xinhua. Al-Husseini said the preliminary reports indicate that several IS militants were killed in the airstrikes. Despite repeated military operations in Diyala, some IS militants are still hiding in some rugged areas near the border with Iran, and in the sprawling areas extending from the western part of the province to the Himreen mountain range in the north of Baquba. The security situation in Iraq has been dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants across the country late in 2017. IS remnants, however, 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 security forces and civilians. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 22:37:32|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close by Maria Spiliopoulou, Valentini Anagnostopoulou ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Young students from across the globe gathered this week at ancient Olympia in western Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games 2,500 years ago, to exchange views on cultural heritage and send a strong message for its protection via UNESCO. The 2nd Annual World Cultural Heritage Youth Symposium which started on April 11 ends on Sunday with participants co-signing the Ancient Olympia Youth Declaration condemning assaults and crimes committed against World Heritage sites and cultural diversity. The declaration will be sent to UNESCO, Vasilis Papalyberis, President of the Hellenic Cultural and Educational Club for UNESCO which organized the forum, told Xinhua. "The symposium's aim is to bring youth from different countries and different cultures together in a sacred place where after all the workshops they will participate in they will reach the conclusion that peace and democracy are values that should prevail in all countries, across the world, and raise their voice through the declaration they will sign," he explained. A total of 180 students from schools from 14 countries, from Costa Rica to China and Norway to Oman, accompanied by their teachers, participated in the symposium which was held under the auspices of the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO, the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sport and the Municipality of Ancient Olympia. Given that one in every three people worldwide today is under the age of 30, investing in initiatives facilitating the communication and understanding between youth is an investment to a better world, Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO President Maria Ekaterini Papachristopoulou-Tzitzikosta said, addressing the opening ceremony. "Youth are more informed and more connected than any other generation before...They are the ambassadors of peace, multicultural dialogue, no violence and equality. They can bring change in the way we live, behave, produce, consume and invest," she said. "In an era where many are highlighting the elements that separate cultures, UNESCO stands against this confrontational logic and strongly endeavors those elements which unite cultures through dialogue," she stressed. On his part, Isidoros Kouvelos, President of the International Olympic Academy which hosted the meeting at its premises for a second time, explained that the symposium was warmly embraced by the Olympic family, because it shares the same philosophy with the Olympic movement. "To embrace the value of Olympism is a way of life. To create the appropriate conditions in order to foster a healthy dialogue among the representatives who will share their ideas, inspire one another with the spirit of friendship and develop their way of thinking in a cultural and educational context where each difference is eliminated and respect becomes an inherent part of their living," Kouvelos explained on the goals of the International Olympic Academy and the Olympic movement. Dialogue is the key to build a better future, Mao Qiugui, teacher at Huangliu High School of No. 2 High School of East China Normal University in Ledong, Shanghai, who accompanied nine students to Greece, agreed. "We want to provide a plan for the students to know more about the world and help them have the motivation to learn English well and think something about international affairs and learn something about the world and what teenagers in other countries do," she told Xinhua, explaining the reasons why the school sent a youth delegation to the symposium. "Nowadays the world is getting connected, more and more connected, so I think it is very necessary for us to learn how to communicate with other people and appreciate other, different cultures," Qi Yuxiang, one of the Chinese students said. "Meeting new people from other countries, I think, is the best part, the best thing in this symposium," Verica Stargo from North Macedonia added. "It is a really great experience and I think it changes people," Felipe Rojas from Costa Rica told Xinhua on his impression from the forum. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 22:37:34|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close SHENZHEN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- China's tech hub Shenzhen saw a robust growth in research and development investment in 2018, which accounted for 4.2 percent of the city's GDP last year, according to Wang Weizhong, the city's Party secretary. Shenzhen has invested heavily in basic research and sped up construction of national-level laboratories to attract talent and boost technological innovation, Wang said when addressing the 17th Conference on International Exchange of Professionals, which opened in the city on Sunday. Wang added that Shenzhen had seen its GDP grow from 196 million yuan (about 29.2 million U.S. dollars) in 1979 to 2.4 trillion yuan in 2018, thanks to the contribution of talent from home and abroad. Shenzhen is home to a bevy of Chinese startups and tech heavyweights including Huawei and Tencent. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 22:42:36|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close A foreign job seeker attends a job fair during the 17th Conference on International Exchange of Professionals (CIEP) in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province on April 14, 2019. The conference kicked off in Shenzhen on Sunday, attracting about 4,000 agencies and organizations from more than 50 countries and regions, as well as 40,000 government representatives, experts and high talented people. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian) SHENZHEN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The 17th Conference on International Exchange of Professionals (CIEP) opened in south China's tech hub Shenzhen on Sunday. The two-day event, featuring a series of forums and recruitment fairs, attracted more than 4,000 professional institutions and organizations as well as over 40,000 government officials, experts and high-end talents from more than 50 countries and regions. Over 1,500 enterprises will provide 30,000 jobs at the recruitment fairs. A variety of activities were held in Britain, the guest of honor of this year's CIEP, before the conference's opening to attract more innovative overseas talent to start their business in China. Created in 2001, CIEP has become one of China's top events for international talent exchange. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 23:32:59|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi co-chairs the fifth high-level economic dialogue between China and Japan with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono in Beijing, capital of China, April 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Tao) BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday co-chaired the fifth high-level economic dialogue between China and Japan with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono in Beijing. Hailing that China-Japan relations has returned to the right track and yielded new achievements by the joint efforts of the two countries' leaders and people of all social circles, Wang said the fourth high-level economic dialogue, which was restarted after an eight-year hiatus last April, facilitated policy communication and pragmatic cooperation effectively. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, while Japan will enter the new era "Reiwa", Wang said, adding that the two countries should uphold the major consensus reached by the two countries' leaders and jointly construct bilateral economic relations to meet the needs of the new era. The two sides should make steady headway in promoting bilateral investments and trade cooperation, jointly build the Belt and Road, and actively explore third party market cooperation as well as local cooperation, Wang said. He also called for consolidating the cooperation results in such areas as energy conservation and environment protection, science and technology innovation, high-end manufacturing, finance, sharing economy, medical care and elderly care industries. Wang said that China and Japan should make joint efforts to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, uphold a business environment of fairness, justice and non-discrimination, speed up negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and China-Japan-ROK free trade agreement, and safeguard multilateralism and free trade regime. Kono said that economic cooperation has been an important foundation and driving force for Japan-China relations. Facing a global situation of intense uncertainty, the two sides should jointly safeguard the multilateral trade mechanism based on rules, he said. During the dialogue, senior foreign affairs and economic officials of both countries exchanged views and achieved a series of consensus on macroeconomic policies, bilateral economic cooperation and exchanges, regional economic integration, and global economic governance. Before the dialogue, Wang and Kono jointly attended the opening ceremony of the "China-Japan Youth Exchange Promotion Year." Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 23:43:09|Editor: Liu Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Beijing on Saturday held a trial opening of the site for the upcoming 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition to test the reception capacity of the event. About 30,000 people, mainly local residents in Yanqing District in Beijing's northern suburb, which hosts the event, became the first group of visitors to the 503-hectare expo site at the foot of a section of the Great Wall. Slated to kick off on April 29, the 162-day expo is poised to impress an estimated 16 million visitors from home and abroad with a huge collection of plants, flowers and eye-catching pavilions as well as ideas for green development. More than 110 countries and international organizations, as well as over 120 non-official exhibitors, have confirmed participation, which will make it the highest attendance in the expo's history. According to the organizer, the exhibition's service group had 4,000 staff on duty Saturday to provide operation management, reception, and tourist and security services. All 78 entrances to the exhibition were opened with 30 electric vehicles shuttling guests to and from the parking lot. Visitors enjoyed food and beverages and shopping of small commodities in the park. Tim Briercliffe, secretary general of the International Association of Horticultural Producers, was among the visitors. He was briefed on the city's preparations for the expo. Briercliffe believed the event's preparation work has gone well and that Beijing will do a remarkable job in presenting this expo to the world. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 23:48:15|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- A series of Forbidden City-themed children's books titled "Monsters in the Forbidden City" has sold over three million copies. The book series, created by children literature writer Chang Yi, celebrated the success of its sales in Beijing on Saturday. Three books of the series' fourth volume were also unveiled. The series centers upon the adventures of the fictional character Li Xiaoyu, a primary school student who stumbles upon a mystic earring in the Forbidden City and acquires the ability to communicate with the mythical beasts that dwell in the royal palace. The book series has been translated and exported to more than 10 countries and regions including Russia, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. In terms of adaptation, apart from the currently touring musical, an animated TV series and film adaptations are also on the way. The book series is a successful example of promoting traditional Chinese culture in a way that attracts children, commented Liu Guohui, head of the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-15 00:08:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese educational experts have stressed education on national security among the country's youth. "Youth who live in a peaceful, stable environment for long are prone to think that national security is far away from them," Wu Yujun, professor at Beijing Normal University, told Xinhua ahead of the country's 4th National Security Education Day, which falls on Monday. "Some lack the knowledge about the complicated environment and serious challenges our national security is facing," he added. Wu called for the expansion in disciplines of national security education for the youth, as well as persistence and routinization of the education. Subjects including ecological, cultural and technological security should all be included in the scenarios, he said. Students should be aware that trivial matters such as saving water, looking after a tree contribute to the safeguarding of national security, according to Wu. "Multidisciplinary education edifies the youth with a lasting influence on them, and will have more positive effects in the long term," Wu said. Israeli Prime Minister and Chairman of the Likud Party Benjamin Netanyahu (R) gestures with his wife Sara after television predictions gave both Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and Benny Gantz's Blue and White party almost equal amount of Knesset seats in the Israeli general elections, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 9, 2019. (EPA photo) BEIRUT, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Local analysts agree that as Israel's Blue and White alliance led by Benny Gantz has conceded the electoral race, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is inching closer to forming a government for a fifth time. Under his government, with the right-wing parties who are backing Netanyahu, conflicts will increase between Israel and Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, experts said. "The political base inside Israel has shifted to the right. Today, everybody in Israel is speaking about security and there is no mention whatsoever for the peace process, the two-state solution or other economic issues that used to be a slogan carried by the left wing," said Sami Nader, director of Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs in Lebanon, adding that the priority for the right-wing parties is the security of Israel. Nader explained that Netanyahu not only transformed the Likud Party into a party defending the Jewish identity and security but also shifted the focus from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the confrontation with Iran. "This would say that the confrontation with Iran will witness more tension. It will increase and get sour," he said. Nader added that the U.S. President Donald Trump's designation of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization one day ahead of the Israeli elections was meant to support Netanyahu in his electoral campaign. Moreover, Nader said that the chances of a war at present are greater than the past. "Now that the elections are over, Netanyahu has nothing to lose. He can deal with the threat by waging a quick war that may include Lebanon as well," Nader said, adding that Israel will go into a long and exhausting war. It tried in its 2006 war against Lebanon but failed to reach its objectives. Nader added that Iran may drag Israel into a protracted war because of the increased American sanctions. Political analyst Youssef Diab told Xinhua that Netanyahu's fifth term means that there will be more confrontation because he will attempt to take advantage of the presence of Trump in power for him to make historical achievements. Netanyahu may want to achieve all the things that he has been campaigning for ahead of the elections such as turning Jerusalem into the capital of Israel, placing Golan Heights under Israel's authority in addition to annexing parts of the West Bank as Israeli territory, Diab said. The United States has taken a series of measures against Palestinians in order to increase pressure on them to accept a new peace plan to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which is rejected by Palestinians. The Palestinians say the U.S. plan, known as "Deal of the Century," is meant to eliminate rights of Palestinians, mainly refugees' right of return. Diab added that the Palestinian and Syrian populations will not remain silent if Netanyahu attempts to implement such measures in reality. "People in Palestine and Syria will not accept these measures regardless of the reaction of Arab regimes which will lead to more confrontations," he said. Diab added that Israel will continue to attack Iranian targets in Syria, adding that new sanctions by the United States will be imposed on Iran and Lebanon will be one of the battlefields. He also explained that Iran is well aware that the international community wanted Lebanon to remain secure because of the presence of over a million of Syrian refugees who will attempt to immigrate to Europe if a war erupts in Lebanon. "Iran will use Lebanon to pressure the international community and achieve better conditions when going into negotiations," he said. Meanwhile, Political analyst Rafik Nasrallah does not consider that Netanyahu's victory will lead to much changes in the region. "Despite the fact that the stay of Netanyahu in power is part of the measures that are needed to accomplish the 'Deal of the Century,' I do not believe that any war will take place," he said. Nasrallah believes that more conflicts will take place in Gaza with the Palestinians in preparation for the "Deal of the Century" but Arabs and the Palestinians will not remain silent. He added that Netanyahu will not wage a war against Lebanon because the United States and Israel have other alternatives such as sanctions which caused much economic deterioration in Iran and Syria and possibly in Lebanon soon. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-15 00:43:52|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, April 14 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people from Buchosa area in Tanzania's northwest region of Mwanza were killed by crocodiles in Lake Victoria in the past four years, an official said on Sunday. Onesmo Daudi, Maisome Ward Executive Officer, said seven other people sustained injuries from attacks by the crocodiles during the time under review, adding that most of them were left with disabilities. Daudi said two of the injured persons were Busikimbi and Kagorogoro primary school pupils who were attacked in 2017 when fetching water from the lake for domestic use. "These pupils are now living with disabilities after being amputated on one leg each following the crocodile attacks," he said. Busikimbi primary school head teacher, Cosmas Mkoye, said the two pupils had to be assisted materially in order to continue with their studies due to challenges they were facing in attending classes. Koletaha Kajoro, the grandmother of one of the pupils, said she was now forced to take the pupil to school after failing to purchase a wheel-chair for her grandson. "We are going through very difficult times after our legs were amputated. One of the challenges is walking to and from school, well-wishers should assist us," appealed Jafta Edward, one of the pupils. Aliko Ndile, a Lands and Natural Resources officer in Buchosa council, said permits have been requested from relevant authorities to harvest crocodiles in Lake Victoria, one of the African Great Lakes. Ndile cautioned people to avoid taking bath in the lake to prevent further attacks by crocodiles. Sudan's ruling military council on Sunday said it has decided to sack Khartoum's ambassador to Washington, Mohamed Ata, a former chief of the feared National Intelligence and Security Service. "The military council has decided to sack Sudan's ambassador to Washington, Mohamed Ata," the council's spokesman, Lieutenant General Shamselddine Kabbashi, told reporters. Search Keywords: Short link: Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-15 01:09:03|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ARUSHA, Tanzania, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania has made progress towards achieving 90-90-90 targets of the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in adults aged 15 years and older, says a new report released on Sunday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The 90-90-90 target is an ambitious global HIV program proposed by UNAIDS and adopted by high prevalence member countries. It directs that by 2020, 90 percent of people living with HIV know their status, 90 percent of all people diagnosed HIV infection receive antiretroviral (ARV) medication and 90 percent on ARV have viral load suppression. The Tanzania HIV Impact Survey 2016-2017 report launched here on Saturday shows that only 60.9 percent of those living with HIV/Aids know their status, significantly below the UNAIDS' 90 percent target. At least 93.6 percent of those who know their status are on ARV drugs whereby 87.0 percent of them have the viral load suppressed. "Awareness of HIV-positive status was lower among young people aged 15-24 years, being 50.2 percent," reads the report. The annual incidence of HIV infection among adults aged 15 years and older was 0.24 percent, which corresponds to 24 new infections for every 10,000 persons a year and approximately 72,000 new cases among adults in the country. The overall prevalence of viral load suppression among adults aged 15 years and older, living with HIV was 51.9 percent, 57.2 among women and 41.5 among men. The survey conducted in both Tanzanian mainland and Zanzibar showed that disease prevalence varied across 31 regions, ranging from 0.0 percent in Zanzibar South and North Pemba to 11.3 in Iringa and 11.4 in Njombe. Average HIV prevalence was estimated to be 5.0 percent in the Mainland and 0.4 percent in Zanzibar. The prevalence level in Dar es Salaam was 4.7 percent, with women having three folds higher prevalence rate compared to men at 6.8 percent for women and 2.3 percent for men, it said. The highest prevalence levels were observed in Njombe at 11.4 percent, Iringa at 11.3 percent, Mbeya 9.3 percent and the lowest were observed in Zanzibar South and North Pemba, both at 0.0 percent. HIV prevalence among adults between 15-49 years was 4.7 percent while prevalence among children aged 0-14 years was 0.4 percent. Among HIV-positive men aged 15 years and older, over half of those residing in urban centres, 53.0 percent and 55.8 percent of those residing in were not aware of their HIV-positive status Among the HIV-positive women aged 15 years and over, 39.0 percent of those living in urban areas and 50.9 percent in rural areas were not aware of their status. Speaking at the launch of the report, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (Parliament, Policy Coordination, Labour, Employment, Youth and the Disabled), Jenista Mhagama, urged all stakeholders to use the report in the war against HIV/AIDS. The new findings will help the government plan better HIV/AIDS-related activities concerning the disease as it affects development in different sectors, she stated. She appealed to the public to go for testing so as to know one's status, and when diagnosed positive, start using drugs so as to live free and happily. Mhagama cautioned that much as the country seems to have taken positive steps that have realized some improvements, "there is a need for more effort to save youth, the national workforce notably affected by the disease." The number of new infections has declined from 80,000 people per year in 2012 to 72,000 people in 2017 while deaths have diminished from 70,000 per year in 2010 to 32,000 in 2017, which is a positive trend, she remarked. The minister wondered why Zanzibar has succeeded in the fight against the disease while the Mainland lags far behind. "Why is it that there is success in Zanzibar but not on the Mainland?" she asked, calling on all relevant institutions and stakeholders to ponder why this is the case. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-15 03:55:00|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The Development Committee, a ministerial-level forum of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said that global trade growth has weakened, while investment prospects have softened, urging countries to address these concerns. In a communique issued on Saturday at the close of the institutions' Spring Meetings in Washington, the Development Committee said it reiterates the important role of international trade and investment as engines of growth, productivity, innovation, job creation and sustainable development. "Debt vulnerabilities persist, and policy uncertainty is weighing on confidence," the communique said. "We stress the importance of adopting growth-enhancing policies while containing risks and protecting the most vulnerable." The committee voiced its support for the World Bank and IMF's "multipronged approach," with borrowers and creditors, to improve the recording, monitoring, and reporting of public and private debt, as well as efforts to strengthen creditor coordination in debt restructuring situations, drawing on existing fora. "We call on both institutions to work jointly with policy makers to identify the right balance, given country circumstances, between supporting demand and rebuilding fiscal space; to help countries improve debt management capacity, sustainability, and transparency; and to strengthen domestic resource mobilization," the communique said. The communique emphasized the "key role" of the private sector plays in providing sustainable solutions to development challenges, creating markets, mobilizing investment and generating jobs. It called on relative parties to work together in mobilizing private sector solutions and resources, leveraging sectoral reforms, and mitigating investment risks. The committee, which represents 189 member countries, also underscored its support for the World Bank's twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. In a statement after the Development Committee meeting, David Malpass, new president of the World Bank, stressed that the multilateral development institution's mission is "more urgent that ever." "It is critically important that we work tirelessly to foster broad-based growth, raise median incomes, create jobs, and fully incorporate women and young people in economies, to support a stronger, more stable global economy for everyone," Malpass said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-15 04:20:06|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BAGHDAD, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi government on Sunday said that the provinces of Basra, Maysan and Anbar were identified as the entry corridors for drugs smuggled into the country. "The Iraqi Interior Ministry has identified these three provinces after a long investigation in collaboration with other government institutions," Jamal al-Asadi, inspector general of the Interior Ministry, told al-Mirbad local radio station. Al-Asadi explained that the ministry has noted an increasing rate of drug abuse in Basra and other provinces, "thus we put forth measures to solve the problem, but the measures still require approval by the Council of Ministries." "The spread of drug abuse in Iraq is due to the weak capacity of the anti-narcotics directorate which lacks sufficiently trained staff as well as the weak control on the border crossings," al-Asadi added. Earlier in the year, the Iraqi Human Rights Commission said that the drug abuse in Iraq has become a phenomenon threatening family and society, and called upon the Ministry of Health to establish more hospitals to deal with the drug addicts. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-15 04:25:08|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close (L-R) Party leaders Pekka Haavisto of the Green Party, Juha Sipila of the Center Party, Petteri Orpo of the National Coalition Party, Jussi Halla-aho of the Finns Party and Antti Rinne of the Social Democratic Party line up to be interviewed by national broadcaster Yle in Helsinki, Finland, April 14, 2019. Finland's opposition Social Democratic Party is to become the biggest in parliament with 40 seats, the national broadcaster Yle predicted late on Sunday. The prognosis said the Social Democrats would get 40 seats, the populist Finns Party would have 39 seats, and the conservative National Coalition Party, 38. (Xinhua/Finnish Parliament/Hanne Salonen) HELSINKI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Finland's opposition Social Democratic Party is to become the biggest in parliament with 40 seats, the national broadcaster Yle predicted late on Sunday. The prognosis said the Social Democrats would get 40 seats, the populist Finns Party would have 39 seats, and the conservative National Coalition Party, 38. The Center Party would become the biggest loser with 30 seats only, 19 seats fewer than in the 2015 election. In terms of votes garnered, the Social Democrats ranked first with 17.7 percent, the Finns came second narrowly with 17.5 percent, the conservatives 17 percent, and the centrists 13.8 percent. The Green Party came fifth with 11.5 percent of votes, and the Left Alliance, 8.2 percent. Both the Green Party and the Left Alliance have increased their seats. The greens were predicted to have 21 seats, an increase by six, and the Left Alliance, 15 seats, up by three. The prognosis gave around 22:45 Helsinki time was based on 91.2 percent of the total ballots counted. Commenting on the prognosis, Social Democratic Party Chairman Antti Rinne said the final result must be awaited. Conservative chairman Petteri Orpo did not rule out cooperation with the winning Social Democrats. Centrist leader Juha Sipila said his party would remain open in whether to join the government and the decision would depend on the negotiation. The next Finnish government is predicted to be formed on the basis of Social Democrats' cooperation with either the conservatives or the centrists. Both alternatives would be complemented with the Green Party. The inclusion of the Swedish People's Party is considered likely. The party was in the opposition in the past four years for the first time in decades. During the election campaign, all parties expressed unwillingness to join a government with the Finns Party. However, commentators have said the inclusion of the Finns Party in the cabinet is not totally impossible. The high level of support of the populist Finns Party in Finland is described now as reflecting the support of populist parties in continental Europe. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-15 05:00:17|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close HOUSTON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The 52nd WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival concluded Sunday, with insiders hoping that the festival will create a platform for emerging young talented people and a window to China. The "Family", a 2018 musical film directed by Hongmei Liu from China, won the Special Jury Remi award. The film, adapted from the semi-autobiographical novel by Chinese author Ba Jin, tells stories about three young people from a feudal noble family in China's Sichuan Province in the early 1920s, exploring the hypocrisy and decay of the feudal system while praising mind openness and critical thinking of a new generation. Some other Chinese films also won gold, silver or bronze Remi awards in their categories. There are 801 total Remi entries from the 52nd WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. During the festival, 10 major categories of competition, including over 60 new independent feature films and 108 award-winning shorts as well as documentaries and student projects from around the globe, were screened. Only one Grand Remi Award was given to the top winner in each of the major ten categories. The Remi Award is named after Frederic Remington, whose brilliant sculptures and paintings captured the spirit of Texas and the West of the United States. As a part of the film festival, the WorldFest Focus on China brought the screenings of 15 Chinese feature films along with several Chinese short subjects, providing a window of the emerging Chinese film production for American audiences. During the festival, prominent Chinese actress, dancer and educator Zhou Jie was awarded Remi Career Achievement Award for her contribution to arts. Hunter Todd, chairman of WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, said the award is to "recognize her unwavering dedication to the arts and to our community." WorldFest-Houston Chairman Hunter Todd has said that he considered the WorldFest Focus on China as a platform to provide opportunities for emerging Chinese directors and a window to China. In fact, it's a platform for emerging film makers all around the world. Meanwhile, Chinese film makers reflect on film industry's contribution in cultural communication between China and the West, in particular the United States.. Jizhong Zhang, a well-known film producer and director in China, said Chinese film works, which carry historical traditions, cultural resources and aesthetic styles, are the best medium for Chinese culture to go global, but challenges do exist, such as the differences between Chinese and American values, and the translation problems. "So it's really important to find commonalities across different cultures as it helps Chinese culture go global," Zhang said during an exclusive interview with Xinhua. And the key to cultural exchange is to enhance cultural mutual trust and to maintain an open, inclusive mentality. "On this basis, we could break the barriers of cultural cognition and find common values." Zhang gave an example of Journey to the West. "We want to adapt the work to a globally acceptable fantasy, exploring the meaning of human life," he said, adding that "I really want to bring the essence of our Chinese culture to the world. We are working on it persistently." Ryan Jacobson, a high school student who is making short programs for his school TV studio, told Xinhua that his plan is to make documents and want to learn something, but it's the first time for him to attend the film festival closing night gala. He said, "I viewed the Chinese opening night movie 'The Star and The Sea' and I can understand the development of story. I like it." One of the two opening-night movies of the festival, "The Star and The Sea," co-directed by Li Qiankuan and Xiao Guiyun and first screened in China in 2011, is a moving drama about the impoverished childhood of one of China's most famous composers, Xian Xinghai. His "Yellow River Cantata" was the most inspiring piece of music during the Chinese War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in World War II. Li and Xiao, both honorary life chairpersons of WorldFest-Houston, told Xinhua last week that diversity of arts and cultures is one of the highlights for the festival, and "cultural activities are very helpful in improving understanding between China and the United States." WorldFest-Houston was founded over 52 years ago as Cinema Arts, an International Film Society in August 1961. It has since evolved into the third competitive international film festival in North America, following San Francisco and New York film festivals. One of the world's oldest independent film festivals, WorldFest boasts discovering a long list of heavyweights including Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Ang Lee. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-15 05:15:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LONDON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Britain's main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn would win the keys to 10 Downing Street in a snap general election, a major polling analysis revealed Sunday. Prime Minister Theresa May's governing Conservatives would lose 59 seats in the House of Commons, paving the way for left-wing politician Corbyn to become prime minister, showed the poll published by the Sunday Telegraph. Labour would increase its number of MPs by 34, making them the largest party in the British parliament. Conservative supporters blamed their falling support on May's failure to deliver on her promise to take Britain out of the European Union (EU) by March 29. Election and polling expert Prof. John Curtice from Strathcylde University, who is also president of the British Polling Council, said supporters who backed leaving the EU had been drawn back to either the euro-sceptic UK Independence Party (UKIP) or the newly launched Brexit party, created by UKIP co-founder Nigel Farage. An Electoral Calculus poll of polls of 8,561 people surveyed after May's intended exit date found that following an immediate general election, Labour would become the largest party in the Commons. It would win 296 seats of the 650 parliamentary seats, against 259 for the Conservatives. Corbyn could then lead a government propped up by the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) which is also expected to make gains in a general election. Martin Baxter from Electoral Calculus told the Sunday Telegraph: "Theresa May is discovering why David Cameron really held the referendum. It wasn't to placate his own Eurosceptic MPs, instead it was to stop Conservative voters defecting to pro-Brexit parties. That process seems to have restarted and the Conservatives are beginning to suffer." The Observer newspaper in London reported Sunday that the latest Opinium poll suggested the Conservatives have dropped six points over the past fortnight, giving Labour a seven-point lead. The support is the lowest May's party has scored since the European elections in May 2014, according to the pollster. May told MPs last month that she would stand down once she had secured the UK's exit from the EU. The Telegraph commented that May now faces mounting calls by MPs and senior grassroots figures to name a date for her departure as it appeared Britain would have to participate next month in elections to the European Parliament. Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith called Sunday on May to resign as prime minister next month. He told Sky News the timetable for her departure should still stand despite her failure to pass a withdrawal agreement. "What the Prime Minister has to do is aim everything now towards departure before the European elections which would then allow her to step away having done what she said she would do, getting the UK out of the European Union one way or the other and then we can have another leadership election and pick a new leader," he told Sky. In a television interview on Sunday, May's de facto deputy prime minister, the Cabinet Minister David Lidington said he did not think talks between the government and the Labour party, looking for a consensus Brexit deal, could be allowed to drag out for much longer. He said he had not set a deadline for the talks to produce a result, but the public wanted parliament to resolve their differences over Brexit quickly. The Conservative government and Labour are continuing talks over the coming week to test each other's ideas in a bid to break the Brexit deadlock. Lidington said while there was no deadline, both sides would take stock in 10 days. The two parties have set up a series of working groups in key areas, such as environmental standards, security and workers' rights, to try and find common ground. Labour is pushing for a deal that keeps Britain allied to the EU's customs union and single market, but the current deal agreed by May would see Britain leaving both. Last week the European Council extended Britain's membership of the bloc until Oct. 31 to give more time for the British parliament to agree on a withdrawal deal. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-15 06:35:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close HELSINKI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The Social Democratic Party won the most in the Finnish parliamentary election on Sunday, securing about 40 seats, six more than last election in 2015. With all votes counted across the country except the Lapland area, the populist Finns Party won some 39 seats, one more than in the last election, and the conservative National Coalition Party got 38, one more as well. The Center Party was the biggest loser with 31 seats only, 18 seats fewer than in the 2015 election. The Green Party came out fifth with 20 seats and the Left Alliance, 16 seats. The Finnish parliament has 200 seats in total. Both the Green Party and the Left Alliance have increased their seats. The greens were predicted to have 20 seats, an increase by 5, and the Left Alliance, 16 seats, up by 4. The Swedish People's Party has nine seats and the Christian Democrats, five. The Green Party said it was one of the largest victories of the green parties in Europe, and only the greens in Austria and Luxemburg have done better. The final numbers remained somewhat uncertain, since at least in one constituency a second manual ballot counting was ordered. The election result left several options of a coalition government under the likely prime minister Antti Rinne. The party could choose either the conservatives or the Center Party as a companion, with the greens and the Swedish People's Party or the Left Alliance added. In his election night speech, Rinne did not outright exclude cooperation with the populist Finns Party, but defined it as unlikely. In the election, the Blue Reform party vanished from parliament. It was established by the people who left the Finns Party in 2017. None of the five ministers won any seats. The foreign minister Timo Soini, the previous chairman of the Finns Party, did not run. Other ministers failed, including the high profile defense minister Jussi Niinisto. The Center Party lost its only seat in the Helsinki constituency as the environment minister Kimmo Tiilikainen was not elected. The Party is historically a successor to the old Agrarian League and has never had much presence in the capital. Commenting on the social background of the election, Juha Rahkonen, research director of pollster company Taloustutkimus, said the election result was a counter attack by "soft values" following the hard economic policies pursued by the outgoing government. Rahkonen also took up the apparent polarization between men and women in political attitudes, noting that some 80 percent of the supporters of the populist Finns are men, while two thirds of the Green supporters are women. Anu Kantola, a professor of communication at Helsinki University, noted that only the Finns profiled themselves a strong critic of immigration. Kantola and Rahkonen both noted that as the polls recently started indicating, the Finns could reach even the largest party status and this contributed to a "band waggon phenomenon" about a likely winner. The election also saw the disappearance from parliament Paavo Vayrynen, former chairman of the Center Party. He attempted to get elected through an election alliance. Touko Aalto, the short time chairman of the greens, failed to renew his seat. He resigned from the chairmanship after health problems and was succeeded by Pekka Haavisto as an interim chairman. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-15 07:00:49|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close YAOUNDE, April 14 (Xinhua) -- At least six people were killed and several others injured early Sunday during an anti-separatism military operation in Ekona, a locality in Southwest, one of Cameroon's two war-torn English-speaking regions, local sources said. The army searched for secessionist-terrorists in the bushes and found them there. Most of those killed had been terrorizing the people, a military source who opted for anonymity told Xinhua. However, there were conflicting reports of who committed the act. Locals claimed that they were shot by government forces. "The six people including two children are members of the same family. They were hiding from the army in the bush when they were shot dead. The corpses are still scattered in the bush," a local resident who asked not to be named told Xinhua. Since November 2017, government forces have been clashing with armed separatist forces who want the two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest to secede from the largely French-speaking nation and form a new country called "Ambazonia". Presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko undergoes at a briefing April 5, 2019 112 Agency 20,000 people came at the meeting of Petro Poroshenko with Ukrainians, which was originally scheduled as a debate with Volodymyr Zelensky. This was announced by the press secretary of the head of state Svyatoslav Tsegolko on Facebook. He noted that the event was "a real explosion of positive." This is a positive explosion at the Olympiysky Stadium. The atmosphere was incredible: families with children, tears in their eyes, embroidered shirts and incredible faith, said Tsegolko. He also said that 20 000 people sang the anthem of Ukraine at the stadium. Most of all I was struck by the anthem that 20000 people sang right at the stadium (its a pity that the police are reducing the number of people gathered today). In fact, there are much more Ukrainians who demand debate from Zelensky. Poroshenko said that he would respect any choice of the Ukrainian people, whoever they vote for in the second round of the elections on April 21. He said this speaking to journalists at the NSC Olimpiysky, reports 112 Ukraine. "If, God forbid, he (showman Volodymyr Zelensky, - ed.) is elected (president - ed.), and it is the choice of the Ukrainian people, I will respect it. Why? Because we are a democratic state, and there is already no doubt about this, "he noted. At the same time, Poroshenko added that he was concerned about the likely presidency of Zelensky. Open source The district court of the Hungarian city of Nyiregyhaza (80 km from the border with Ukraine) made a verdict in the case of Ukrainian citizens forging documents for obtaining Hungarian citizenship, Mukachevo.net media outlet reported. According to the publication, 12 defendants got suspended sentences ranging from 2 to 10 years in prison. Another 39 Ukrainians who attempted to obtain Hungarian citizenship fraudulently were fined. At the same time, it is specified that two accused persons, who have dual citizenship of Hungary and Ukraine, received the longest term. They admitted that they had resorted to fraud and falsification in helping Ukrainians to obtain Hungarian citizenship for a fee. Earlier, President of Ukraine and presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko promised to learn the Hungarian language if necessary. This promise was part of Poroshenko's election campaign between the first and the second rounds of presidential elections. In September 2017, Ukraine passed a law that banned teaching in minority languages beyond primary school level. Ukraine has sizeable Russian, Romanian, Polish and Hungarian minorities that speak these languages. A French wheat cargo Egypt had rejected by Egypt due to high levels of the grain fungus ergot has been re-tested and found to have acceptable levels, a ministry document showed and an Egyptian official said. The cargo at the Red Sea port of Safaga will be offloaded and distributed to mills after the test showed a 0.01 percent ergot level, Othman Mohammad Younes, general manager of the Safaga silo, told Reuters. A ministry of agriculture document, obtained by Reuters, also showed a test result of 0.01 percent. Egypts ministry of agriculture was not immediately available for comment. On Tuesday, sources told Reuters that the cargo of 63,000 tonnes of French wheat had been rejected and negotiations were underway to resolve the issue. At the time, one source said a 0.1 percent ergot level had been found and that the acceptable level was 0.05. An official source at Safaga later confirmed the rejection because of the 0.1 percent ergot content and said unloading of the wheat had been refused. A request was then made to re-test the cargo, he said. Egypt, the worlds largest wheat importer, rattled the global market in 2016 when it reinstated a ban on even trace levels of ergot, which can cause hallucinations but is considered harmless at minor levels. After several wheat cargoes were rejected, the government later readopted an internationally recognised standard allowing up to 0.05 percent ergot in wheat. Search Keywords: Short link: Currently, the man is in custody at a central London police station ABC News A man, who attacked the official car of Ukraine's ambassador in the U.K. Natalia Halibarenko, was taken into custody in London. The press service of the Scotland Yard reports this. A man, aged in his 40s, was arrested on suspicion of the attempted murder of police officers and criminal damage, the report said. According to the report, the man has been taken to a central London hospital as a precaution measure, but he was not injured. Thus, now he is in custody at a central London police station. Earlier, the police of London do not treat the incident as the terrorist-related one. The shooting began near the Embassy of Ukraine in London. According to the report, at about 10 a.m., the car intentionally rammed the official vehicle of Ukraine's Ambassador, which was parked near the diplomatic department. Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine 112 Agency Petro Poroshenko, the incumbent head of state and the presidential candidate, said that would respect any choice of the Ukrainian people, whoever they would vote for in the second round of elections on April 21. He said this speaking to journalists at the NSC Olimpiysky, 112 Ukraine reported. "If, God forbid, he (showman Volodymyr Zelensky, - ed.) is elected (president - ed.), and it is the choice of the Ukrainian people, I will respect it. Why? Because we are a democratic state, and there is already no doubt about this," he noted. At the same time, Poroshenko added that he was concerned about the likely presidency of Zelensky. "He was invited to the debates so that he could at least say something. How he sees European integration, Euro-Atlantic integration, how he sees the first directions of reforms... For example, Im concerned that we should now stop European, Euro-Atlantic integration in order to go for a referendum again. The people now have more than half of NATOs support and almost 2/3 of EU support. I think this is a deliberate delay of our way to return our people to the family of European nations," he said. 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." Novovolynska-9 coal mine in Novovolynsk, Ukraine August 2, 2018 Reuters A mine collapse occurred in the Donetsk region. As a result of the incident, one miner was killed and two more were seriously injured. This is reported by the press service of the local prosecutor's office. According to the report, the incident took place this morning during the cementation of the dome part of the ventilation shaft and the sump cleaning ladder. "When moving the shelf overlapping the ventilation shaft, the offset occurred, due to which the employees of the enterprise fell into the sump part of the ventilation shaft," the report states. In particular, as a result of the incident, a 40-year-old miner and a 30-year-old assistant to the section chief received serious injuries, and a 27-year-old miner died on the spot. Local police opened criminal proceedings under Part 2 of Art. 272 (violation of safety rules during the execution of works with increased danger) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Earlier, Donbas militants started to flood Yunkom mine in a temporarily occupied Yenakiyeve of Donetsk region. Almost 40 years ago there has been a nuclear explosion performed with an aim to relieve the tension in the mountain massif. The journalist Denys Kazansky reported this on Facebook. Thus, Donbas residents are facing the danger of radiation poisoning, in particular through the poisoning of drinking water. Deputy Minister of the Temporarily Occupied Territories and IDPs Yuriy Hrymchak commented on this issue on air of 112 Ukraine TV channel. This mine hasnt been working for a long time now, it had been closed. But it was set on the so-called eternal conservation. It means that water withdrawal was to go on for the years ahead. The danger is that during the flooding of the place of nuclear explosion, radionuclides can flow out with the ground waters to the surface and it threatens not only ground water but also that on the surface. And it can flow out of Ukraines territory to Russia To continue pumping out the water we need around 10 million dollars, but for today Russia says they dont have money, so do what you want, Hrymchak said. Poland refused to allow the Russian sailboat Sedov with the cadets from occupied Kerch on board into its territorial waters. It is reported by the Polish Press Agency. The Prime Ministers decision is negative. We believe that the admission of a sailboat to Polands territorial waters would contradict the policy of respecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine and not recognizing the annexation of Crimea, said Ewa Suwara, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman. It is noted that students of Kerch State Marine Technological University were on board of the sailboat. The Polish Foreign Ministry recalled the demand for Russia to release the Ukrainian sailors captured in November 2018. Earlier, the Russian training ship Sedov did not receive permission to enter the territorial waters of Estonia due to the presence of Kerch cadets on board. As we reported, Poland demanded from Russia to return the debris of Tu-154M, which crashed not far from Smolensk on April 10, 2010, as Polskie Radio reported citing Foreign Ministry. The debris of Tu-154M, which crashed not far from Smolensk, is the property of the Republic of Poland. Poland waits for their return as soon as possible, the message said. It is reported that the statement of Polish Foreign Ministry is the response to the statements of the spokesperson of Russias Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, according to her, the wreckages of the plane cannot be returned to Poland in the future, as the criminal proceeding held by the Investigative Committee of Russia on Smolensk tragedy is not over. Zakharova added that the debris of the plane is the material proof in this case and it means that its return to Poland is impossible. Poland stated that it perceived the position of the Russian Federation with surprise. Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine 112 Agency President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said that he dismissed Serhiy Semochko from the post of the Foreign Intelligence Service First Deputy Head on April 12. He said this speaking to journalists at the NSC Olimpiysky, 112 Ukraine reported. "On Friday, the First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Mr. Semochko, was dismissed from his post," he noted. The president promised to dismiss Semochko from this position on April 6. We recall that in October 2018, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau opened criminal proceedings on the fact of illegal enrichment of the former head of the Security Service Main Directorate in Kyiv region, First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Serhiy Semochko. A journalist investigation revealed that Semtchko has relatives with Russian passports, real estate worth more than UAH 200 million (USD 7,1 million) and business in Crimea, and he also drives Toyota Land Cruiser 200 SUV, registered for a person who does not exists. In March 2019, Semochko's case was closed based on the decision of the Constitutional Court, which canceled the criminal responsibility for the illicit enrichment. Petro Poroshenko, the current President of Ukraine Open source President of Ukraine and presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko promised to learn the Hungarian language if necessary. He said this during the debates at the Olimpiysky stadium, for which his opponent, presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky, did not appear, 112 Ukraine reports. Poroshenko made a statement in response to a question from a Hungarian journalist about the next steps of Ukraine on the path to European integration. The president noted that he was confident in Hungarys support and support of Ukraines aspirations to join the European Union. "First of all, the implementation of our legislation, accession to the EU and NATO - I think this is an absolutely realistic roadmap. And I named a specific year (2023), when we must sign a membership action plan and when we must fulfill the criteria to apply for EU membership. And Im absolutely convinced that Hungary together with other EU member states will support Ukraine just as it was promised many times a few years ago. We are open to compromises on the rights of the Hungarian minority, their right to education. They have absolutely all rights to learn Hungarian. As a guarantor of the Constitution and the rights of Ukrainian citizens, I also support the rights of Ukrainian citizens of Hungarian origin to study in Ukrainian schools, Ukrainian universities, work in Ukrainian companies. And you know that this is impossible if you do not know the Ukrainian language in Ukraine," the president stressed. The tense in the language issue as part of the Ukrainian-Hungarian diplomatic relations has been growing for more than a year. Ukraine passed a law in September 2017 that banned teaching in minority languages beyond primary school level. Ukraine has sizeable Russian, Romanian, Polish, and Hungarian minorities that speak these languages. Denisova intends to insist on the right to visit Ukrainian sailors, who are already five months being illegally kept in Russia Lyudmyla Denisova, the Parliamentary Envoy for Human Rights, is to come to Moscow in order to participate in the hearing of the case concerning the POW sailors to the court in Lefortovo. Ukrainian ombudsman posted this on Facebook. I am coming to Moscow by train now. I intend to visit the hearing of the Lefortovo court concerning prolonging of the detaining of 24 our sailors, the report said. According to Denisova, she hopes to meet FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov and adviser of the President of the Russian Federation, Head the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, Mikhail Fedotov. Ukrainian Parliamentary Envoy for Human Rights intends to insist on the right to visit Ukrainian sailors, who have been illegally kept in Russia for five months. 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. Petro Poroshenko, the current President of Ukraine Open source Ukrainians can visit Thailand without visas from today. President Petro Poroshenko posted this on his Facebook. Great country! Ukrainian citizens can travel to the Kingdom of Thailand for tourist purposes without a visa. One will need a foreign passport (biometric or non-biometric); the period of visa-free stay amounts up to 30 days. The amount of free-visa countries is increasing greatly! Poroshenko wrote. Besides, according to the press service of the Consular Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, regardless the purpose of the visit, one will need to get a visa in the respective diplomatic office or the consulate for staying in Thailand. Ukraine is currently negotiating on the visa-free regime with 22 countries. So far, Ukraine enjoys the visa-free regime with 128 countries worldwide. Previously, we reported that since March 1, Ukrainians have the opportunity to travel to Georgia, using their ID cards. ________________________ Best in the State Washington Post's The Fix, 2011, 2009 Best in Pittsburgh Region PoliticsPA, 2011 "[W]idely cited as one of the oldest and most-read political blogs in the city" Pittsburgh City Paper, 2007 ________________________ PLEASE NOTE! Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate! All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited! (One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!) The festival is hosting six films as well as seven film stars and filmmakers from Egypt this year Egyptian films and stars are making a strong presence at the Gabes Cinema Festival as it opens in Tunisia. Six Egyptian films are participating in the festivals competitions. Participating in the long feature segment are Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky and Poisoned Roses by Ahmed Fawzy Saleh. Yommeddine has been garnering acclaim and awards worldwide since its selection for the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, marking the first time an Egyptian director's feature-debut has made the line-up. Poisoned Roses had its world premiere at the 47th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) where it received strong acclaim. It then garnered three awards during the Cairo International Film Festival last year; Best Arab Film, the Salah Abu Seif Prize (Special Jury Prize) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Award. You Come from Far Away by Amal Ramsis and What Comes Around by Reem Saleh are both participating in the documentary films segment at the Gabes Festival. You Come From Far Away unearths an unexplored history by telling the story of Sidki, who, like his Arab companions, believed in the universality of their struggle for social justice and democracy and thus left their countries on the eve of the Spanish Civil War to fight alongside Italian comrades. What Comes Around participated in the Panorama section of the 2018 Berlinale and provides an intimate portrait of mutual support and solidarity among a community in Cairos Rod El-Farag district. As for the shorts competition, Like the Sun by Hana Mahmoud and Fork and Knife by Adam Abdelghaffar are representing Egypt. Like the Sun recently scooped the Jury Award at the Zawya Short Film Festival in Cairo, as well as Best Short Fiction from the 20th Ismailia Film Festival. Fork and Knife was among the short films competing at El-Gouna Film Festival, and was screened in Cairo last week at Zawya cinema. Egyptians on the red carpet included actresses Elham Shahine, Bushra and Mona Hala, director Ahmed Fawzy Saleh, storywriter Medhat El-Adl, producer Gamal El-Adl, as well as director Hala Lotfy, who heads the jury for the long and short fiction film competitions. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: 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. Whether they prefer Elsa, SpongeBob or a Russian heroine named Masha, todays kids have endless reasons to beg for more screen time. Yet almost nobody thinks there is too much childrens programming. Media companies have heavily invested in kids content as they build new digital businesses to court consumers directly. Walt Disney Co announced details about Disney+, a family-friendly streaming service it is launching in November for $7 per month. The benefit for Disney, Netflix Inc, Viacom Inc and other media companies is clear: Hook viewers when they are young, with content that often has merchandising and theme park tie-ins. And the streaming model in particular makes sense: Children are the original binge-watchers, with an endless appetite for repeats. Yet experts who study media consumption among children are not concerned about the explosion of programming, as long as parents impose limits, said Shelley Pasnik, the director of the nonprofit Center for Children and Technology. Parenting no longer involves relying on the finite-ness imposed by media. Instead, its up to the parents and household rules to make it finite and help kids understand when to stop, Pasnik said. When considering their rules around screen time, parents who want to shield their kids from commercials likely see a value in ad-free services like Disney+ and Apple TV+, Apple Incs upcoming streaming venture. But that format can provide false comfort: When it comes to selling merchandise, content can have the same effect as commercials. Even though there are no commercials disrupting the narrative, you may not be as alert to the fact that your son or daughter is developing a great affinity for a character, and then its pretty bonkers when it comes to shopping, says Pasnik. Parental controls - which can be tricky to locate - are not an easy solution. Instead, experts say, parents should help their children make choices around programming; watch with them if possible; and talk about what they have seen, helping to connect that content to a familys values. Parents need to communicate why a show is OK to watch, and help their children process the messages of what they just watched, says Jill Murphy, vice president and editor-in-chief of the nonprofit Common Sense Media. It comes down to quality of content. Search Keywords: Short link: Dr. Roshdi Rashed is one of the worlds great philosophers and science historians. He worked as a professor in the universities of Paris, Berlin and Tokyo. He has received many international accolades and prizes. Rashed was born in Cairo and settled in Paris. Between his study of philosophy at Cairo University and teaching the history of science in the worlds universities, his is a fantastic story of one of the grandest Egyptian intellects in modern history. Ive read books by Rashed, watched a number of his televised interviews and heard about him in several countries, from Germany to Japan. I looked forward to the honour of meeting him; to hear and learn. I was able to obtain the world renowned Egyptian philosophers phone number in France. I phoned him and was happy that I met him in the past few days in Paris. His wife was very generous, humble, and friendly. We had coffee and French desserts and then took photos to document the visit. I found the philosopher in his office as Id seen him on screen; exquisite, refined and profoundly knowledgeable; the scholar and the human being at the same time. Magnificent book shelves covered all the walls, an antique desk full of manuscripts and a seat for one guest, for being gravely serious doesnt permit many visits or redundant talk. I gave the big philosopher a copy of my book Jihad against Jihad, and he was generous enough to give me his solemn book Between Philosophy and Mathematics, then he was extra generous by talking about the facets of science history and the philosophy of civilisation. Rashed has undertaken the biggest scholarly endeavor, which is to investigate and expound the history of science in the Arab and Islamic civilisation. He authored a number of unprecedented works; some were investigative, some were authorship and others were the supervision of encyclopaedias in French and German. The essence of the intellectual project of the science historian Rashed is philosophy and mathematics. He saw that studying the history of the science of the Arabs and Muslims is the necessary point of departure in order to regain the Scientific Spring of our civilisation. Rashed sees that the Arab civilisation was not only a civilisation of Islamic jurisprudence and poetry, but also the civilisation of science and technology. In Cairo, there was the House of Science, which was like a great academy, for it included a huge library and eminent scientists and was always full of sophisticated scientific meetings and forums. There was also the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. It was a giant research center in which the famous scientist Hassan Ibn Al-Haytham used to work. This was almost an Arab Modern Age, and those who advocate today to modernise the Arab World are not calling for something totally new, but for a modernity that had been present and glorious one day then lost the way. Translation in the Arab civilisation according to Rashed wasnt for boasting or filling the caliphs cabinets or showing off libraries, but it was there to meet real research and scientific need. Before Al-Khawarizmi there was no Algebra. Had it not been for the Egyptian Algebraist Abu-Kamel, who was one of the great scientists in Egypt in the age of Ahmed ibn Tulun, Algebra wouldnt have developed in Italy. Half of Rene Descartes book Algebraic Geometry was redundant of what had already been done by Omar Al-Khayyam, who was the first in this scientific field. Sharaf Al-Din Al-Tusi, who was discovered by Rashed, exceeded Omar Al-Khayyam and reached analytical geometry and discovered notions that had not been reached except in the 17th century. The Arab civilisation discovered symbols that contributed in developing mathematics. Before this discovery, dozens of pages were needed in order to solve one equation. Religion in Rasheds opinion wasnt the reason behind the backwardness of the Arabs, but it was an essential motivation for achieving progress and excellence. Even Ibn Taymiyyah didnt dare attack science and didnt come near the natural sciences. He also did not criticise scientists. His criticism was focused on philosophers and the essence of the battle was the philosophers notion about the eternity of the world. From the philosophical point of view, Ibn Taymiyyah was profound, but unfortunately nothing has remained but heresies, myths, and conflict. Reading the intellectual project of the philosopher and science historian Rashed is of unalloyed joy and limitless benefit. The philosopher excelled outside the limelight. There were no newspapers running articles or cameras following. He has also worked outside the Arab financing system; no millions, no billions, no hundreds of employees or thousands workers. He has become a refined institution. An institution that relied on the biggest capital throughout history: the capital of the intellect. The philosopher told me that he owns a huge library and that the volume of manuscripts and books stored on a microfilm is the largest of its kind. He expressed his desire to donate it to Egypt. I told him that I would consult Cairo University and Alexandria University and also the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. He has generously accepted to donate it to any academic centre in Egypt so as to be available to the future generations of scholars and researchers in Egypt and the world. Rashed stopped me before leaving his office in that Parisian elegant quarter and said to me: Is it reasonable that there is no street named after? I expected that he would say Roshdi Rashed, but to my surprise he said: the great Egyptian scientist Abu-Kamel, that Egyptian giant from whom modern Europe learned. How I wish that the scientific and intellectual institutions in our country take the initiative to honour this great mind. Honouring him would be honouring ourselves, and respecting his project is respecting our output and our symbols. It is imperative that we reach out to shake hands with those who give us glory and honour. We shouldnt turn our faces away or cast stones at our sons. Search Keywords: Short link: Reuniones del Presidente @MartinVizcarraC y del Canciller @NestorPopolizio con el Secretario de Estado de los Estados Unidos de America, @SecPompeo https://t.co/s8WlhVE4ai pic.twitter.com/KhHVwdfjlP Dell Deaton's New Hat With his newspaper clients disappearing, he started his own opinionated website. by Sheila Beachum Bilby Published in April, 2019 Saline photographer and marketing professional Dell Deaton works from an unassuming suite of offices on Michigan Ave. His photographs provide the main decor at D2 Enterprises, and a gallery showroom is well stocked with his fine prints and commemorative postcards for sale. Deaton, fifty-six, wears many hats, including divorce counselor and online expert on watches worn in James Bond movies. And for at least thirty-five years, he's sold photos and news copy to local newspapers and wire service outlets. But lately, he says, his clients have been "going out of business, over and over again." One of those was the Saline Reporter. Five years ago, Digital First Media merged Saline's weekly newspaper with six others into a single countywide publication--only to shut down entirely a year later. (Digital First also owns the Detroit News--and as the Community Observer went to press, was attempting a hostile takeover of Detroit Free Press owner Gannett.) A year ago, Deaton and his wife Janet launched their own online publication: SalineJournal.com, a self-described metro magazine devoted to in-depth looks at business, tourism, and history in the Saline area. "First and foremost, Saline Journal is providing a voice that is not the corporate voice of Saline," says Deaton. "We're not the insider voice. We're not the voice that tells the story that Saline City Council wants to tell. "What we do is try and connect the dots," says Deaton. "We try and talk about the big picture." He is the Journal's editor and his wife is its publisher; three staffers help with background research, fact-checking, technical website upkeep, and assembling "references" that link to related stories or photographs. He says the site gets 3,000 unique viewers monthly. The Journal isn't Saline's first online news source. For almost seven years, Tran Longmoore's SalinePost.com has provided broad coverage of local government, school, business, and community news. "The focus of both publications are very different," says Saline mayor Brian Marl. "We're very blessed to ...continued below... have both of them cover news events and economic activities in the city of Saline."Deaton wrote for the Post for free in 2017--and D2 advertised on its website--before he left to start the Journal in early 2018. Around that same time, Deaton became an investor in the planned Best Western Premier Hotel, now under construction just half a mile east of Deaton's office.Every story on thesite features a prominent ad reminding readers that the hotel will open in 2019, and the site gives regular updates on the hotel's construction, touting its potential economic benefits for other local businesses. In one recent article, Deaton predicted that once it opens, "the effective Saline nexus will actually migrate from four-corners to a point just off the TCF Bank parking lot."Asked if he owes it to readers to disclose his personal financial interest in the hotel, Deaton replies: "I'm not even saying that I'm covering it from an objective standpoint. I am covering it from a different standpoint."Ultimately, Deaton says, "I would suggest probably that the vast majority of people who readdon't know that I'm an investor." He adds: "Nor probably cares."But, he says later, "If your question is do you think that I'm objective about it, my answer would be yes. I think that I am. You would have to judge me by what it is that I write." [Originally published in April, 2019.] His foresight in creating PNGSDP and building walls around it to protect its operations and assets, especially the money in the long term fund, has given the people of Western Province the base for a more certain future. We also congratulate the member for Moresby North-West, former prime minister and former PNGSDP chairman, Sir Mekere Morauta, for leading the fight to preserve the company for the benefit of our province now and into the future. PORT MORESBY We congratulate the Papua New Guinea Sustainable Development Program Ltd [PNGSDP] on its comprehensive win against the [PNG] government in the High Court of Singapore. Young Western Province women. "With the court case over PNGSDP is free to support our needs and ambitions" The findings of the court leave no doubt that PNGSDP is an independent company well insulated from outside control or influences, including political interference. Its principle objective is to use the long term fund for sustainable development in the Western Province. We strongly support that, and we wish to protect that. We urge the prime minister to accept that PNGSDP does not belong to the national government; its duty is legally and morally to the people of Western Province. We urge the Prime Minister to stop attacking PNGSDP and to work with the directors and the provincial government to ensure that the interest income from the long term fund is spent to achieve development and change in the Western Province. We are pleased that the court case is finally over. The government should accept the decision and stop wasting money on further legal action which will not only be fruitless but will also continue to cost both the government and the company millions of kina in legal fees. Victory in Singapore allows PNGSDP to start planning and spending the annual interest it receives from the 5 billion kina investments of the long term fund on social and economic development in the province. We know that the long term fund can only be spent after mine closure, but there is sufficient interest income for PNGSDP to increase its spending and visibility in the province. People are dying from preventable diseases, children are not being educated properly, other services such as road accessibility, power, water, banking and communications are inadequate, our infrastructure is falling apart, law and order is failing, and we have so many other problems. With the court case over, PNGSDP is now again free to support our needs and ambitions, so our people can see and benefit from the company's programs. We also want PNGSDP to bring its management back onshore, so that it can work more closely with the people of the province, the local level governments, the provincial government and us as national MPs. The Singapore decision gives PNGSDP a secure base to expand its activities and increase its presence in the province. We, as members of parliament, and the provincial government are ready and look forward to working with PNGSDP. Im very thankful that the government has provided this opportunity for me not only to enjoy but also to compete for the best this year and onwards, said Clency Amos. Both proved themselves capable among the many sighted students to attain excellent grades and win the scholarships from the Department of Higher Education. Clency Amos and Frank Wonea are currently in their second and fourth (final) years respectively as self-sponsored students enrolled for Arts degrees in political science. GOROKA - Despite all odds, two visually impaired students attending the University of Goroka have met Papua New Guinea government requirements and been awarded higher education scholarships. However, it is really the collaborative effort of my course lecturers, tutors, course mates and especially my guides who have assisted me to compete with other students and win the scholarship. Clency is from remote Yuri village in the Gumine District of Simbu Province. She completed her early education in Western Highlands before moving to her home province to continue through high and secondary school. She completed Year 12 at Rosary Secondary School in 2017 and was accepted as a pre-service student at university. Her father Amos Kaupa and mum Ruth are keen to see Clency advance in her education and were among the first parents to pay the parental components of the tuition fees this academic year. My guides are my very special friends who assist me to go to class, collect lecture notes, read printed materials for me and do many invaluable things without complaining, Clency said. They have been not only helpful but also very patient throughout the year. Her fellow student Frank Wonea is vocalist and bass guitarist of the Goroka Braille Boys Band and hails from Okasa village in the Okapa district of Eastern Highlands. He started his elementary education at Mt Sion Centre for the Blind and completed his primary education at Faniufa Sacred Heart school in Goroka. Frank continued at Goroka Secondary School, completing Year 12 in 2012 and applied to study Social work at university but was unsuccessful. He didnt give up, applying each year until 2015 when he finally got an offer to study at the University of Goroka. According to their lecturers, Clency and Frank are intelligent, independent and very competitive. They attend all classes, doing their academic activities alongside all other students. Both scored very good grades resulting in the award of the scholarships. Ive been working very hard in the last three years to win such a scholarship but things were very challenging until the final year, said Frank Wonea. Im proud and thankful that my dream of enjoying such privileges came through. With the unwavering support of the universitys staff and senior management team under the leadership of vice chancellor Professor Musawe Sinebare, both Clency and Frank will live on campus and eat three meals a day at the student mess hall and access other benefits provided by the University of Goroka. Being visually impaired does not mean they cannot go to mainstream school and learn the mainstream curricula, a special education staff member said. The expression do not look at my disability but look at my ability is materialised in Clency and Franks achievements. The University of Goroka believed in the abilities of Clency and Frank and invested in their education and dug out their potential. The university is devoted to educating students with special needs and is the only gender and disability inclusive university in Papua New Guinea at the moment that enrols and over the years has successfully graduated a large number of students with special needs. The Disability Inclusion Resource Center under the leadership of Dr James Aiwa facilitates the learning of students with special needs in all academic programs the university offers. The top management team has allocated a building with all necessary facilities and equipment. The computers have JAWS (Job Access with Speech) software which helps visually impaired students read and understand course content, use the internet and send and receive emails through the provision of voice mechanisms. Working with students with visual impairment is challenging and stressful and a high degree of patience is required of educators in that learning environment. According to their tutors and lecturers, Clency and Frank are independent and highly competent in terms of academic work and performance. The only time they need assistance is to locate lecture rooms and offices. To enable this independence, the university has created an environment that is inclusive, enabling and empowering. We are all very proud of the students and our own achievements. The university has educated and supported many students with disabilities. Currently there are six students continuing their studies and Jacob Edward, Simon Apilia and Noah Boli Kuns, also visually impaired, are graduating this month with a diploma in early childhood education, a diploma in business accounting and bachelor of education respectively. The University of Goroka stands tall among other tertiary institutions in PNG and is proud of its achievements as it continues to encourage Papua New Guineans an equal chance to quality tertiary education. Brewers' Favorite Beers That Aren't Their Own The Go-To Beers of Pro Brewers To say that the craft brewing world has exploded in the last few years would be an understatement. In 2012, there were more than 2,000 craft breweries in the U.S. alone. Today, that number is closer to 7,000, giving beer fans more options than ever before. RELATED: Why Is There No Spring Seasonal Beer? While you might think that the people behind the brews are not as privy to the growing number of offerings on tap preferring to stick to their own varieties in favour of supporting the competition you would be wrong. Of course, brewers want to support their business, but they enjoy getting a taste of whats out there, too. In fact, many brewers find inspiration in their rivals offerings. And it turns out they arent afraid to share it. In an effort to separate the delectable from the duds in the booming beer world, we checked in with some of our favorite brewers to get their unbiased opinion on the must-try beers that arent their own. From Bamberg, Germany, this beloved pilsner is known for its herbal hoppiness, clean fermentation, and a crisp, yet slightly round finish. It inspires my pilsner brain. It reminds me of what a marriage of Prima Pils and Braumeister [a Victory beer available on draft at the brewerys tap room] might taste like, says Ron Barchet, founder and brewmaster of Victory Brewing Company. Find out more at Biershop.de A brown ale aged in Pinot Noir casks with sour cherries, brettanomyces, lactobacillus, and pediococcus added, Supplication is a highly-prized beer. According to Layton Culter, head brewer at Angel City Brewery, It is a superior fruited barrel-aged sour beer. What flavors and unique elements drew me to it? The level of sourness, funk, and cherry flavor is outstanding. From $14.05 at Drizly.com One of the most well-known pilsners in the world, Pilsner Urquell is the worlds first pale ale and it has been copied and mimicked more than most beers ever created. "I got to spend a week at the brewery with the brewmaster several years ago. When that beer is enjoyed fresh at the source it is the most soft, delicate, and refined beer drinking experience Ive ever had. I remember thinking that I wish I could solidify it and savor it with a fork, says Todd Usry, president and head brewer at Breckenridge Brewery From $5.29 at Drizly.com This light, citrusy, subtly peppery saison is one of the most respected of the style in the world. This beer works so well on its own, and it's even better with food. It is always in my beer fridge normally in a big bottle so I can share, Jason Santamaria, co-owner and beer architect at Second Self Beer shares. "[Saison Dupont] is one of those beers, that, whenever I have it, I remember why I got into making beer. It truly shows how great a beer can be. Whenever I create a saison myself, I think of Dupont as my inspiration. Our Saison Champenoise, which we released two years ago, is very close in flavor and will be served in our taproom again this year, he adds. From $5.04 at Drizly.com RELATED: Best Gifts for Beer Lovers Brewed by F.X. Matt Brewing in Utica, New York, Utica Club is a classic throwback lager that brings its drinker to a different time and place in history. I know in a world full of amazing and diverse craft beers it sounds kind of silly that I chose an old school classic American lager, but I was trained by the best at Anheuser-Busch and Genesee to brew a light, clean, and crisp lager that has next to nothing to hide behind, says Steve Kaplan, head brewer at the Genesee Brewing Company Im not saying its easy to make a great IPA because its certainly not. But you can sure hide a lot of sins behind a pile of hops. American lagers have zero margin for error, he adds. Brewmaster Keith Miller and all the guys at F.X. Matt have stuck to their original recipe and perfected their process to deliver the same clean, light, and crisp Utica Club Lager. Find out more at Saranac.com Founded in 2009, Fremont has quickly become one of the most respected breweries in the country. Its seven percent ABV Lush IPA is made with Citra, Mosiaic, and Citra Lupulin hops to create a juicy, tropical beer. IPAs are usually my go-to when I'm drinking craft I didn't brew. I'm a big fan of Fremont Brewing. My brother lives close to Fremont. We visited the brewery, tried their beers, and really liked them, Steve Kaplan, head brewer at the Genesee Brewing Company shares. I also see [Fremont] at craft beer conferences throughout the year, so I'm always able to see what they're up to, build a relationship with their brewers, and continue to try their new releases, he adds. From $9.98 at Drizly.com Jever is Germanys old school version of a West Coast IPA. The beer is bone dry, has an aggressive yet balanced hop bitterness, and a spicy nobel hop aroma. There are so many great beers out there. However, one that stands out is Jever Pilsner. What makes this beer even more fun is that it is the High Life of German beers, says Yiga Miyashiro, director of brewing operations at Saint Archer Brewing Company. When I was traveling in Northern Germany, all of the broke college kids, would pick up cases of this beer for their BBQ and other social gatherings, he adds. $9.99 at Drizly.com This session beer is known for its great balance of hop bitterness and malty sweetness. According to Matt McCall, head brewer at Coney Island Brewing, It goes great with everything from mowing the lawn to watching the ball game on TV. That sessionability is one of the reasons Im excited about releasing our Beach Beer. Its easy-drinking while still offering up a good amount of flavor. From $6.99 at Drizly.com Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is all about balance. Fresh bright bitterness balanced perfectly with a formidable malt backbone. When it was released people considered it aggressively bitter. From todays perspective [Sierra Nevada] really has served as a gateway to what the modern IPA is today. For me, you can taste the evolution of American Craft Beer in every sip. Ken Grossman is a legend, and this beer is a reflection of all of the work and innovation he has blessed our industry with, shares Rhett Dougherty, head brewer at Veza Sur Brewing Company. This is my favorite beer mostly due to the emotions and memories it elicits for me. This beer is like a time machine. It makes me think of stealing a bottle or two from a six-pack from my dad's fridge, or drinking it on the beach in Santa Cruz. The taste of this beer has visceral connections to my own memories, he adds. From $5.09 at Drizly.com One of the most popular craft beers of the past few years is the lager. Firestone Walkers Helles-style version maintains its malt character without being too full and keeps a perfect hop balance. Honestly, everything [Firestone] does is pretty amazing and never fails to deliver. It is just so well made, says Mike Stoneburg, brewmaster at Blue Point Brewing. It can be enjoyed on so many levels. If you wanted to, you could dissect every detail and all the care they put into it, or you can just veg out with one or six of them on the back porch watching the sunset after a long day, he adds. From $7.99 at Drizly.com Anchor is one of the oldest breweries in America. While almost every beer it brews is well-received by the beer community, one of its most popular is its Porter. Its so unique for a porter. It really doesnt fit the style it helped revitalize, and because of its historic position, Anchor Brewing just bent the category to their will, Josh Waldman, brewmaster at Elysian Brewing shares. Its beautiful. It has a smooth mouthfeel, a chocolatey taste, and that distinct hit of banana in the nose that makes it so unexpected, but yet so good. I want one right now, he adds. From $7.99 at Drizly.com Whether its local craft varieties or internationally-acclaimed names, its clear everyone enjoys imbibing a variety of brews from time to time even the brewers themselves. You Might Also Dig The Australian government should bring WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange home, his father says. John Shipton told News Corp Australia he was shocked by the sight of his son during his arrest earlier this week. I saw him, the way they dragged him down the steps, the coppers he didnt look good, he said. Im 74 and I look better than him and hes 47. Its such a shock. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said Assanges high profile doesnt mean he will receive any special consular support or assistance. Scott Morrison said Assanges high profile doesnt mean he will receive any special consular support or assistance. Source: AAP But Mr Shipton said DFAT and the prime minister could take subtle action to help. It can be resolved simply to the satisfaction of all. There has been some talk in a meeting between a senator and a senior DFAT official to extradite Julian to Australia, he added. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said on Saturday his team will speak to Assanges lawyers about his legal situation within a few weeks. Mr Shiptons call comes as protests are planned outside US embassies and consulates in Australia and overseas, demanding that Assange isnt extradited to the US. Julian Assanges father wants the Australian government to bring his son home. Source: REUTERS/Peter Nicholls On Thursday, Assange was removed by British police from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he had sought asylum seven years ago while on bail and facing extradition to Sweden on sexual assault charges. A British court on Thursday found Assange guilty of breaching his UK bail. At the same time, it was revealed that US authorities had applied to extradite him. The US wants him to face a charge of conspiring to commit computer intrusion with former military intelligence analyst and whistleblower Chelsea Manning. An extradition hearing is scheduled for May 2 in London. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoos daily newsletter. Sign up here. Democratic lawmakers on Saturday gave the Internal Revenue Service a final deadline of April 23 to hand over President Donald Trump's tax returns, which Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the administration was diligently considering. "I am aware that concerns have been raised regarding my request and the authority of the Committee. Those concerns lack merit," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal said in a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig after an initial April 10 deadline lapsed. On Wednesday, Mnuchin said the Treasury was handling the request and that a deadline set for that date would be missed, citing possible constitutional issues raised by the Democratic request. But on Saturday, he said the administration would respond by the latest target date. "I'm sure we'll respond by that deadline, not going to make a commitment prematurely whether we'll be able to conclude a legal review by that deadline," Mnuchin said. "We have people working on it diligently." Calling Neal's new deadline an "arbitrary" date, Mnuchin said the Democrats' request could set "enormous precedent in potentially weaponizing the IRS." Trump argues that he cannot release his tax returns because they are being audited, but the IRS has said this is no impediment to their release. "It is not the proper function of the IRS, Treasury or Justice to question or second guess the motivations of the Committee or its reasonable determinations regarding its need for the requested tax returns and return information," Neal said. "Concerns about what the Committee may do with the tax returns and return information are baseless." Neal gave the government until 5:00 pm (2100 GMT) on April 23 to hand over the tax records. "Please know that, if you fail to comply, your failure will be interpreted as a denial of my request," Neal wrote. Democratic lawmakers gave the Internal Revenue Service a final deadline of April 23 to hand over President Donald Trump's tax returns Finland's leftist Social Democrats won a razor-thin victory in Sunday's general election, holding off the far-right Finns Party which surged on an anti-immigration agenda. With 100 percent of ballots counted, the Social Democrats, led by 56-year-old former trade union boss Antti Rinne, picked up 40 seats in parliament, after campaigning on a ticket of fierce opposition to the austerity imposed by the previous centre-right government of Prime Minister Juha Sipila. Meanwhile the Finns Party, which won 39 seats, had focused almost entirely on an anti-immigration agenda under the leadership of hardline MEP Jussi Halla-aho, who also decried the "climate hysteria" of the other parties. Only 0.2 percentage points separated the two parties -- in a heavily splintered political landscape where the Social Democrats were the biggest party with 17.7 percent of votes. They will head a government for the first time in 16 years, though it has been a junior coalition member since then. The Finns Party has seen a surge in support in recent months, urging people to "Vote for some borders" and pledging to reduce Finland's asylum intake to "almost zero". It more than doubled its presence in parliament, from 17 seats to 39, and regained all of the ground it lost when more than half of Finns Party MPs fled the party in 2017 on the election of hardline leader Jussi Halla-aho. During the campaign, most parties expressed strong reservations about sharing a government platform with Halla-aho's party, while stopping short of ruling it out entirely. Finnish governments are typically a coalition of three or four parties that form the minimum 101-seat majority in parliament. The Social Democrats' Antti Rinne has previously said his party would find it "very difficult" to enter a coalition with the Finns Party. But after declaring victory on Sunday, Rinne did not rule out a collaboration, saying he "has questions" for the party. "Some of the questions will be about values," Rinne told Finnish media. "The Social Democratic Party's values are very important, it's the glue that will hold the government together." Rinne could also choose to form a coalition with the conservative National Coalition party, which came in third with 38 seats. Although the two parties have repeatedly clashed over the conservatives' austerity policies during the last four years, political commentator Sini Korpinen told AFP the pair would more than likely choose to collaborate in order to keep the Finns Party in opposition. "It's very hard to see that the other parties would say no to the Social Democrats, because then we would be in a situation with Halla-aho trying to form a government and I just don't see that happening," Korpinen said. - Biggest loser - Outgoing Prime Minister Juha Sipila said his Centre Party was the election's "biggest loser", blaming the "difficult economic decisions" his administration made in an attempt to rebalance the economy after a long slump. Voter turnout of 72 percent was higher than the 70.1 percent who voted in 2015. The current government's cuts to Finland's prized education system, and a tightening of unemployment benefit criteria, had provoked loud and widespread public opposition. Rinne has been a staunch opponent of the National Coalition's austerity policies over the past four years. And Petteri Orpo, leader of the conservative National Coalition Party and co-architect of the government's savings programme, has denounced the Social Democratic Party's anti-austerity plans as "irresponsible". However, in a tacit acknowledgement that the public mood was against further belt-tightening, Orpo has insisted that the economy is now strong enough to allow for some more generous public spending. - Populist surge - Opinion polls had suggested the Social Democrats' lead was narrowing towards the end of their campaign, with some blaming Rinne's inability to attract large numbers of new, younger voters. The growing Finns Party ratings, on the other hand, appeared to be driven by new supporters who have not voted in the past. Finns Party leader Halla-aho sought to dispel accusations that he hoped to keep his party in opposition after the election, so as to avoid facing the tough decisions of being in power. On Sunday he said his party was open to being in a coalition "but not at any cost". The Finns Party does have previous experience of being in government, when they became the second-largest party in the 2015 election. But that led to the group splitting acrimoniously when its popularity spiralled following unpopular compromises on immigration and EU bailouts. The hardline faction, led by Halla-aho, went into opposition in 2017, and the party took a further lurch to the right. The head of Finland's Social Democratic Party Antti Rinne votes in the country's general election Voter turnout of 72 percent was higher than the 70.1 percent participation of 2015 Jussi Halla-aho's far-right Finns Party has urged people to "vote for some borders" Pete Buttigieg, the gay, liberal mayor of a small American city in the conservative bastion of Indiana, officially launched his presidential bid Sunday, joining a crowded field of Democrats vying for their party's nomination in 2020. The 37-year-old Rhodes scholar and Afghanistan war veteran is the two-term mayor of his hometown of South Bend -- a left-leaning bubble in America's so-called "Rust Belt" region, where the decline of industries such as steel and automobile manufacturing has hurt local economies. Voters in states such as Michigan and Wisconsin helped hand Republican US President Donald Trump his victory in the 2016 election. Buttigieg, who is credited with helping turn South Bend around, has couched himself as a can-do reformer who can speak to voters across the political spectrum. The message has helped catapult him from relative obscurity to becoming one of the leading Democrats in the crowded presidential race. "My name is Pete Buttigieg. They call me 'Mayor Pete.' I'm a proud son of South Bend, Indiana, and I am running for president of the United States!" he told a jubilant crowd of supporters at a former assembly plant turned high-tech hub in South Bend. "That's why I am here, to tell a different story than 'Make America Great Again'" he added, referring to Trump's campaign slogan. "This time it's not just about winning an election. It's about winning an era." The official launch -- in which Buttigieg touched upon a number of liberal talking points such as racial justice, voting rights and health care reform, as well as his faith and marriage to Chasten Buttigieg -- is expected to give his surprisingly strong campaign an additional boost. Campaign staffers said they have been caught by surprise by the speed with which the mayor has generated nationwide political support, and are still staffing up the campaign. Buttigieg had no speech writer to help him prepare his remarks. - 'New generation' - So many people showed up for the launch event that a large crowd was left outside in the rain to watch on a large video screen. Buttigieg braved the elements and thanked the crowd moments before making his official announcement indoors. "He represents a new generation of Democratic leadership. We love his vision," said Jenn Watts, 35, while her three-year-old daughter sat on her shoulders. They were in the cavernous event space in the former plant of defunct automaker Studebaker waiting more than two hours to see Buttigieg speak. "As a young mom with a young daughter, he represents what I want my daughter to see in leadership in this country," Watts added. In the three months since he declared an exploratory committee to test a presidential run, Buttigieg has raised $7 million, more than most other candidates, and jumped to third place in the latest polls of voters in Iowa and New Hampshire -- the earliest states to vote in next year's primary elections. The popular mayor who speaks eight languages and plays classical piano has been the focus of countless news stories and profiles. The fascination has been in no small part due to his background: he would be the youngest, first openly gay, first millennial and first mayor to become president. But Buttigieg must still overcome the perception that his youth and thin resume as mayor of a town of just 100,000 leaves him lacking the experience necessary for the presidency. "I recognize the audacity of doing this as a Midwestern millennial mayor," Buttigieg said. "But the moment we live in compels us to act." Drew Corbin, a 24-year-old college student clutching four campaign T-shirts he had purchased for friends and wearing a campaign cap, said he still had not fully committed to the candidate. "There's a lot of candidates. I don't want to make up my mind so soon, almost a year before the primaries," Corbin said. "But he's definitely my favorite right now." - 'Destined for national politics' - Buttigieg's launch at Studebaker called to mind the plant's closure in 1963 that was still reverberating in the city in 2011 when he was elected mayor. He set out to tear down decaying, abandoned homes and restore the blighted Studebaker complex to make it suitable for new high-tech companies. In an unlikely feat, the city has reversed decades of population decline and attracted new businesses and development, with the mayor's popularity growing in the process. "His appeal, for many people in South Bend, is his ability to look forward and to focus on better days ahead," South Bend-based political science professor Elizabeth Bennion of Indiana University told AFP. "Once people looked at his resume and heard him speak, many started talking about the fact that he was destined for national politics." Pete Buttigieg is the two-term mayor of his hometown of South Bend, Indiana Supporters wait for Buttigieg to officially announce his White House bid Buttigieg, who is credited with helping turn South Bend around, has couched himself as a can-do reformer who can speak to voters across the political spectrum Buttigieg has jumped to third place in the latest polls of Iowa and New Hampshire voters Julian Assanges lawyer has accused Ecuador of making outrageous allegations like smearing faeces on the embassys walls to justify allowing police to arrest the WikiLeaks founder. Assange spent almost seven years in the nations London embassy where he sought asylum, until he was dragged out by police in dramatic scenes on Thursday. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrives at the Westminster Magistrates Court after he was arrested in London on April 11. Source: Reuters/Hannah McKay The South American nations interior minister, Maria Paula Romo, described staff tolerating poor behaviour from the 47-year-old, including him putting faeces on the walls. But his lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, disputed the allegations when she appeared on Skys On Sunday. I think the first thing to say is Ecuador has been making some pretty outrageous allegations over the past few days to justify what was an unlawful and extraordinary act in allowing British police to come inside an embassy, she said. Pressed over the veracity of the allegations, Ms Robinson said: Thats not true. She also said Assanges fears of a US extradition threat were proved correct this week after allegations were made that he conspired to hack into a classified Pentagon computer. Jennifer Robinson (centre) says Ecuador has made outrageous allegations against Julian Assange. Source: AAP The politics of the case with respect with Ecuadors change of government with Lenin Moreno coming to power and ever since then inside the embassy its become more and more difficult to the point where Human Rights Watch said was akin to solitary confinement, she said. So hes had a very difficult time its not been easy. And to suggest that someone would choose to remain in there without legitimate concerns about US extradition, which is exactly what was proven this week, I think people cant really understand what it would be like to live in a room like that for a very long time. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoos daily newsletter. Sign up here. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ended his tour of South America on Sunday with a brief visit to the Colombian border city of Cucuta, crossed through by thousands of Venezuelans fleeing crisis under President Nicolas Maduro. After attending a Sunday service in the Peruvian capital Lima, the chief US diplomat set off for the final leg of his tour of South America, which began Friday in Chile. In Cucuta, where he met with refugees alongside Colombian President Ivan Duque, Pompeo called upon Maduro to open the border to allow humanitarian aid to enter -- and step down. "Open these bridges, open these borders, you can end this today," he said. "I hope that you will care enough when you see the horror, when you see the tragedy, to change your ways and to leave your country." Branded illegitimate by over 50 countries, who instead recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido, Maduro closed four frontier bridges connecting Venezuela and Cucuta on February 22. That came after National Assembly leader Guaido declared himself interim president on January 23, kickstarting a power struggle with Maduro -- of which the entry of humanitarian aid has been a defining issue. Pompeo promised that the US would continue to use all political and economic means to help Venezuelans. All four countries featured on his itinerary -- Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Colombia -- are led by right-wing or center-right leaders favorable to Washington's uncompromising approach to Maduro. On Saturday, Pompeo paid tribute to Peru's welcome for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan refugees. But he became irritated when a reporter asked if that contradicted US President Donald Trump's harsh immigration policy at home. "Peru has felt first-hand the effects of the disastrous Nicolas Maduro and the pain that he has brought to the Venezuelan people," he said, following talks with President Martin Vizcarra and Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio. He added that Peru had shown "enormous leadership in responding to this challenge." Over three million Venezuelans, around 10 percent of the population, now live outside the crisis-hit country, ravaged by shortages of food and medicine and repeated power outages. The United Nations predicts that number will hit 5.3 million by the end of 2019. Peru has received the most Venezuelans after Colombia: 750,000, according to Popolizio, testing the capacity of the country's public services. Another objective of Pompeo's whirlwind tour was to blunt trade rival China's growing reach in Latin America. In Chile, whose biggest trading partner is Beijing, he warned of links between Chinese trade and "their desire to steal intellectual property, to have forced technology transfer, to engage in activity that is not economic." US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited the Colombian border city of Cucuta for the final leg of his South American tour Pompeo talks with Venezuelan refugees during a visit to Cucuta, Colombia A young student has suffered critical injuries after she fell while climbing her universitys bell tower to take photos at the top. Sydney Paige Monfries, 22, was with friends at Fordham University in New York, US, when they decided to take photos of the citys skyline at the top of bell tower about 3am on Sunday, the New York Post reports. She accidentally fell 12 metres to the ground below. Sydney Monfries suffered critical injuries in the fall. Source: Facebook/ Sydney Monfries Emergency services rushed to the scene, where paramedics treated Ms Monfries. She suffered severe head injuries and extensive damage to vital organs and her pelvis. She remains in an extremely critical condition at a nearby hospital in the Bronx. Students told the New York Post that it is often a rite of passage for students to scale the bell tower and take photos of the surrounding area at the top. The bell tower on the universitys campus. Source: Facebook/ Fordham University The student was reportedly en route to take photos of New Yorks skyline. Source: Facebook/ Sydney Monfries I heard they were just getting a better view of the city, one student said. I think they were posting on Instagram when it happened. A university spokesman said the tower was locked at all times and investigations were underway as to how the students gained access. However, one student told the publication the tower often remained unlocked at night during periods of renovation or cleaning. The university informed students of the incident via email on Sunday. Ms Monfries fall came just hours before an open day for prospective students was due to commence. In January, another student fell to their death while taking a selfie in Ireland. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoos daily newsletter. Sign up here. An Italian man and his Canadian companion abducted last December in West Africa are alive but may have been moved to another country, a Burkina Faso government spokesman said. An Italian missionary abducted last September in Niger meanwhile may since have been briefly held in Burkina Faso, the spokesman added. Burkina Fasos government spokesman Remis Fulgance Dandjinou updated Italys state television channel Rai on the hostages in an interview broadcast Friday evening. The information they had on Luca Tacchetto, 30, and 34-year-old Canadian Edith Blais suggested that they were no longer in Burkina Faso, he said. We are certain that their life is not in danger. We can say that these people are still alive, he said. Burkina Fasos government believes that Luca Tacchetto (L) and Edith Blais are alive but no longer in the country. Source: Agence-France Presse Quebecois Blais and Tacchetto, from Venice, disappeared mid-December when driving through Burkina Faso. Armed men abducted Father Pier Luigi Maccali, 57, from his home in southwest Niger in September. While denouncing the abductions, Dandjinou added: The important thing is that there has been no homicide, otherwise we would have already recovered the bodies. A Canadian geologist abducted in January from a mine in the northwest of Burkina Faso was found dead the following evening. The country has been prey to a wave of abductions and since 2015 has also had to contend with deadly attacks by jihadist groups. Meanwhile Italian investigators looking for Silvia Romano, a 23-year-old volunteer at an orphanage in Kenya said after talks with officials in Nairobi that they were certain she was still alive, the Italian daily Corriere della sera, reported Saturday. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoos daily newsletter. Sign up here. The 2019-20 state budget contains $20 million for census outreach, but organizers say more funding is needed to help community-based organizations ensure there is an accurate count. New York Counts 2020, a coalition of groups from across the state, is calling for additional funding. The organization believes $40 million is necessary to overcome issues that affect immigrants and communities of color, such as fear of government, language barriers and the lack of internet access. "We think that (community-based organizations) are the best positioned to address these challenges," said Fabiola Ortiz Valdez, manager of member engagement for the New York Immigration Coalition. "It's in the interest of our state government to ensure that." The 2020 census will begin next April. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, households will receive invitations to participate in the count by mail, online or by phone. The census, which is conducted every 10 years, is important because it determines congressional apportionment and federal funding for Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other programs. Ortiz Valdez and other advocates want to avoid what happened in 2010. New York state, she said, was undercounted and lost two congressional seats. The state also lost federal funding due to the census. Kayla Kelechian, an organizer with the Workers' Center of Central New York, explained why community-based organizations play a vital role in ensuring there's an accurate count. Her group partnered with the Central New York Community Foundation to encourage Onondaga County to update local addresses for the census. The effort involved visiting the communities that are traditionally undercountered or considered difficult to reach. Kelechian said it was a success. "We bring the people. We have the connections. We have the trust," she added. When the census count begins, one way community-based organizations can help is by assisting people fill out the form online. While the Census Bureau plans to send invitations to residents in communities lacking internet access, the agency aims to have most of the count conducted online, whether it's by completing the form on a computer or a smartphone. Kelechian said that will a barrier for communities that are already under-represented in the census. "It's going to exclude a lot of people, especially in this area, who might not have access to the internet," she continued. She noted that the last census found 18 percent of central New Yorkers didn't have access to the internet. There's also concern about a question that may be included on the census form. The Trump administration added a citizenship question to the 2020 census, although it's being challenged in the courts and may be removed from the final questionnaire. Ortiz Valdez said the question will discourage people, particularly undocumented immigrants, from completing the census. The citizenship question is also why organizers believe the state needs to provide more support and an additional $20 million for community-based organizations. "We don't expect any support from this federal administration," Ortiz Valdez said. "We count on the state government to ensure that those communities in our state are counted and are included in this process." Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 April is National Volunteer Month, a time dedicated to recognizing the important contributions of the volunteers in our communities and a time to encourage volunteerism. For many, volunteering starts at an early age. Scouts are involved in a variety of community service projects. Students may spend a part of their summer doing good works locally or afar. Congregations engage all family members, helping strengthen community bonds. And, in many families, volunteering is something that follows from one generation to the next. Since childhood, Kate Budlong has been participating in the Angel Tree Project with her family. Now, she and her husband, Earl, are continuing that tradition of giving back with their children Della (6) and Daelyn (3). They think its important to them, with opportunities to understand the world beyond their everyday experiences. It helps build character strengths like compassion and empathy. Each year they have their kids pick a paper angel off the Angel Tree. They pick a child their age to shop for and spend an evening shopping and wrapping. One of the best parts is delivering the gifts. No matter how much these families feel blessed, my family always feels more blessed being able to help. Seeing the joy in my kids eyes when they have the opportunity to make another child smile is priceless," Kate said. She continued, "All children have such capacity for empathy when given real life opportunities to experience it and its a blessing as parent to provide them through volunteerism. She sees holiday-based volunteerism as a great way to introduce kids to volunteering and to make it a tradition. Its also perfect for busy parents of young kids, as you can commit without feeling overwhelmed. She thinks of it as gateway volunteering. Michelle Barbers professional career introduced her to the rewards of volunteering. She noted that in her role as a banker, being involved in ones community is expected. Yet for her, its so much more and very personal. She joined her first board in Cayuga County in 2003 when Five Star Bank was new to the community. Today, Michelle is involved with Literacy Volunteers of Cayuga County, the Auburn Housing Development Corporation, the Auburn Rotary Club and the Leadership Cayuga advisory board. Recently, she finished chairing the United Ways 2018-2019 annual campaign. If people dont support their communities, they wont grow or flourish, Michelle said. While working on the campaign, she said, she saw the community in a new way and it was very rewarding to interact not only with the service providers, but the donors who support them as well. Her board service allows her to offer her skills and expertise to causes she is passionate about. She said volunteering is about that feel-good feeling that you get deep inside when youve done something unselfish, something that helps someone out or something that helps an organization grow. Flora Dailey fondly remembers Matthew House getting started: I was fortunate enough to work with the fine group of people that created Matthew House. That will always be one of my greatest volunteering achievements. It took a lot of work to create a home where people could come to in the last stage of their life to feel loved, protected and as pain-free as possible, while also giving support to their families. A retired nurse, she helped with the caregiving and teaching volunteers. One of her most memorable and unforgettable patients was one of the first residents. She said that individual taught them all. Flora recalled that the woman was being taken care of by her teenage son, and could no longer safely stay at home. You could immediately feel their relief when she moved in," Flora said. Her son wanted to be there as much as he could, and they let him. They fed him, washed his clothes and made sure he got to and from school. When she heard Floras birthday was coming, she wanted to buy her a gift. Flora responded by telling her, The best gift you can give me is to go to heaven and tell my mother that I love her. The woman died on Floras birthday. Flora is proud of how successful Matthew House has become: I have met so many wonderful people through my years of volunteering, and for me it has been so rewarding I feel I receive much more than I give. Volunteers come in all shapes and sizes. When they pick a cause, they make a difference in someone elses life, as well as their own. What can you do? Karen A. Macier, of Auburn, has spent 20 years working and volunteering in the not-for-profit sector. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 I find that the more I travel, the more I appreciate the historical foundations of all parts of our country, how each place evolved in a particular era as compared to our local history of that era. It is amazing the perseverance and foresight of our forefathers and foremothers to preserve that history. Recent travels have taken me out west and down south. My sister and I visited friends Judy and Harry Snyder and their daughter, Sandy, and her family in San Antonio, Texas, last fall. Judy and Harry, formerly from Sterling, were very active members of the Sterling Historical Society, and Judy was the town of Sterling historian at one time. Our visit was filled almost every day with history and trips to all the five missions 1659-1795, San Antonio de Valero (the Alamo), 1718, the Paseo del Rio (the Riverwalk) boat ride (at night with the beautiful Christmas lights), Lyndon B. Johnson boyhood home and ranch 1950s near Johnson City/Stonewall, and even the tiny site of three or four buildings in Luckenbach, Texas (yes, Waylon, Willie and the boys). There are also five active military bases: Fort Sam Houston, where the Fifth U.S. Army is garrisoned, and Brooke Army Medical Center; Kelly Field Air Force maintenance installation; Brooks Field School of Aerospace Medicine, 1917; Randolph Air Force Base, "the West Point of the Air," 1930; and Lackland Air Force Base, 1942. All of these venues support the San Antonio economy. We sampled many varieties of Mexican food, went to a mega church one Sunday, and even attended a Celtic Thunder concert at the beautiful Majestic Theatre, 1929 Spanish style, renovated in 1989 in San Antonio and now a national historic landmark. As historians, we constantly think preservation of our town history and sites, and it was fantastic to see Texas history preserved from the 1600s along with renovation/remodeling of new tourist attractions and museums. It takes a lot of money, time and commitment to protect, promote, support and preserve with purpose and vision to maintain that unbroken connection to the past. It is also a great economic boost to all of us in the history business when stores/markets/farms/homes that unfortunately close can be repurposed into educational centers, tourist attractions, parks/trails or an historic place to display artifacts and the legacy of generations. When New York state was busy building the Erie Canal, steamers were on the lakes of Lake County, Florida. The homesteaders of 1850-1875 Eustis, Mount Dora, Tavares and Leesburg area benefited from receiving goods and services in this way before the telegraph came in 1878 and the railroads came in 1880. Not unlike Joe Raitis general store in Victory, the Clifford Store on Lake Eustis sold groceries, stoves, crockery, hardware, building materials, hay and grain. Churches encouraged the formation of schools and seminaries. Many of our small towns in Cayuga County had different names throughout history. Weedsport was once known as Weeds Port, Weeds Basin and Macedonia. Eustis was known as Highlands and Pendryville, and finally named in 1825 after Gen. Abraham Eustis, who served in the Seminole Wars and had fought with Indians on the south shore of Lake Eustis near Tavares. In Mount Dora, the first orange groves were established in 1873 by Doc Henry, and in Eustis, homesteader A.S. Pendry planted many citrus groves. In 1902, Pendry put an addition onto his splendid hotel. To honor this, the residents of Eustis planned to honor him with a big celebration they called the George Washington Birthday Celebration. It is the most popular and longest-running event honoring Washingtons birth in all of Florida, and second in the United States. This special annual event in Eustis was held on Feb. 22-24 for the 117th year, and is now called Georgefest. It featured a carnival, choirs, lots of bands and live music, plus a concert by Plain White Ts, food, vendors, a 5K run, a dog jog, fireworks, seaplane rides, magic shows and a parade, and was thought to draw some 30,000 people. Most venues were free and sponsored by the chamber of commerce, the city of Eustis police and fire departments, and many other businesses in surrounding towns. The city also holds First Friday celebrations, as we do here in Auburn. Your town historians and historical societies are busy with program presentations coming up. There are some special anniversaries this year: 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal continues; and the Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Park opens in May. 75th anniversary of D-Day, which was June 6, 1944 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, which landed on the moon on July 20, 1969 50th anniversary of the Woodstock music festival Aug. 15-17, 1969 Beverly Coleman Sayles is the Victory town historian and a New York state registered historian, and can be reached at (315) 730-3183 or beverlycs65@gmail.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Tensions sometimes run high in local news, especially during an intense situation. But its rare to see that show up on-air. Thats what happened during a storm report on WTVA (a dual NBC and ABC affiliate in Tupelo, Mississippi) Saturday night, though, with chief meteorologist Matt Laubhan repeatedly snapping his fingers at someone off-camera named John (presumably fellow meteorologist John Dolusic) during a tornado watch report: Oh, and theres more! (Can we talk about the my cat died last week on the closed captioning?) Oh, and there was more still: Apparently, though, the anger in that latter clip wasnt at Dolusic, but at the Doppler radar system: He wasnt mad at John there (thankfully for Johns sake haha). Doppler radar went down. Patrick Swindoll (@DeltaRiceFarmer) April 14, 2019 In any rate, this all spawned some Twitter commentary: When yaboi made a Whataburger run in the middle of a tornado warning and aint even bring you anything pic.twitter.com/6BurS5XMPD Will Bardwell (@willbardwell) April 14, 2019 Imagine getting clapped at on tv by a man wearing suspenders Bunkie Perkins (@BunkiePerkins) April 14, 2019 I don't know how John feels about this, but if it was me, I'd be opening up a 55-gallon can on Matt as soon as the weather clears https://t.co/WXLODT2qhh Louie Riddick (@riddick_louie) April 14, 2019 And apparently, Laubhans done some of this in the past: Ive seen him do this to John before. Sometime last year he came running into the station during bad weather and quite literally kicked John off camera and was like Ill take it from hereJohn got put in the corner that day lol CindyZ (@cz_def) April 14, 2019 Did some research. This clap is nothing compared to basement now! https://t.co/ZfyK8fo12r Cal Wells (@CalWells) April 14, 2019 Meanwhile, others were mad that ABCs coverage of Warriors-Clippers kept getting cut into for this: Im trying to watch the clippers game and Matt laubhan wont shut up John riley wilbanks (@JohnR5522) April 14, 2019 Tornadoes are obviously a dangerous situation, and some tension while covering them is understandable. But its still a bit unusual to see that show up on-air this way. [Tim Burke on Twitter] In order to maintain this blog I have to pay for its upkeep including a hosting company, support services, virus and other malicious hackers. If you appreciate what I write please make a donation. Ahram Online, by Muhamed Sabry Al Jazeera maybe facing its most critical lawsuit as the pressure mounts on the Qatar-funded network In October 2015 bureau chief Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fahmy and producer Baher Mohamed were pardoned by president Abdel Fattah El Sisi while correspondent Peter Greste was deported to Australia. The three journalists spent around 400 days of incarceration and they have all categorically denied in their own defense any wrong doing. Mr. Fahmy had stated in the press that he had a fallout with the network after he met scores of Muslim Brotherhood youth in prison who revealed to him that they had a systematic working relationship with Al Jazeeranews that came as shock for him. Until then, he had been outspoken in court against the prosecution. During his time out on bail he sued his former employer in the British Columbia court in Canada and announced the lawsuit in a press conference in Cairo demanding one hundred-million-dollar compensation for Al Jazeeras role in his imprisonment. He accused the Qatari-owned network of of negligence and explained that they failed to inform him of their legal situation in Egypt before hiring him and that they hid their irregular and illegal dealings with agents of the Muslim Brotherhood across Egypt before and during the three months he worked for them in Cairo in 2013. They had set-up a make-shift office in the Marriot Hotel in Cairo before his appointment and did not inform that staff that their operational license has been revoked. In 2016, after his release Fahmy filed a report at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and told investigators that his email address had been hacked and he accused the Qatari government of conducting cyber-espionage against him and his family on Canadian soil. To this day his Australian former colleague Peter Greste refrained from critsizing Al Jazeera in public for their wrong doing and breach of contract. Leaked files from Fahmys compromised inbox that was hacked twice indicate otherwise. In February 2018 Greste wrote a letter to Fahmy titled Private and Confidential: Litigation funding Peter Greste v Al Jazeera Media Network. Greste opens the letter by describing the legal proceedings he endured in Egypt before denying any wrongdoing. He then goes on to explain his intention to sue Al Jazeera for their actions and wrote that network resulted in my incarceration by the Egyptian authorities. In the following excerpt from the letter he informs Fahmy that he is aiming to more than one million Australian dollars in order to file the lawsuit in Australia. I am seeking litigation funding to make a claim for compensation against my former employer, Al Jazeera Media Network. I presently intend to commence proceedings for a claim in tort in the Supreme Court of New South Wales (Australia). Primarily, I will allege that before my departure to Egypt and during my assignment in Egypt, Al Jazeera breached the duty of care it owed to me, as its employee, to take reasonable steps to provide a safe working environment in circumstances where it had the knowledge and means to do so, and that the breach resulted in my incarceration by the Egyptian authorities. I intend to seek compensation from AJMN (including for the distress I endured during, and as a result of, my incarceration, for the loss of professional reputation and the restriction of my movement internationally (being considered a convicted terrorist). I also intend to seek compensation for the expenses incurred to secure my release. Excerpt #9: A Leaner, Flatter Organization M. Bakri Musa (www.bakrimusa.com) I reorganized GHKLs Surgical Unit III by dividing the large male ward into two, keeping the smaller female ward as one, and combining the first and second class wards as the fourth division. It turned out that each had about the same number of patients; that helped even out the load. I further divided each division into two and assigned an intern to each, with a medical officer over the two interns. I streamlined the organization and clarified the lines of authority. Whereas before there were the senior and junior house officers, the medical officers with their own myriad titles of registrarsordinary, junior, and seniorand the consultant, now there would be only the interns, medical officers, and me. There was immediate dissatisfaction, not expressed openly but quietly as per the oriental style. I had two senior registrars and they did not take kindly to what they viewed as an apparent demotion to being mere medical officers. One was Freda Meah. A full-fledged surgeon before she left her native Myanmar, she was with the university so I could dispense with putting her into my scheme. I told her to find her own level, supervise the rest, and report directly to me. She had no problem with that. The other was also a lady trainee who by now had a reputation as a perpetual surgical test-taker. She had taken her FRCS examination umpteen times but never made it. As she was much older than me, she figured that she was just as qualified if not more experienced a surgeon than I was except for those silly string of alphabets behind my name. As she would need some time to study for her next examination, I put her in charge of the much lighter first and second class units. She was ecstatic not because of the reduced load, rather the chance to hobnob with the hospitalized senior civil servants and other elite of Malaysian society. I told Mahmud privately that he could take any case he wanted and then supervise the intern and medical officer assigned to that patient. I made it clear to everyone that he and I shared the clinical leadership. With his training in pediatric surgery, I had Mahmud take charge of that small unit with Zul who had shown an interest in that field as the designated medical officer. There was one other stipulation I introduced. No case should go into the operating room no matter what time of day unless Mahmud or I were present and scrubbed. Since Mahmud was busy on campus, that effectively meant me. Even for a simple appendix? one medical officer asked, less for clarification, more for sarcasm. Yes! As a surgical resident back in Canada, I used to chafe when the attending would not scrub with me and instead waste his time in the lounge discussing local politics or recounting his latest exotic vacation. I reckoned that the day I operated on my own would be the day I collect the full fees. Most residents felt otherwise however. They felt that the presence of the attending reflected on their competence, or lack thereof. My attitude was shaped by a simple appendectomy I was forced to do. Dr. Frank Turner was the attending. Such a case was not for the chief resident but all the other residents were busy. Sensing my displeasure at having to do the case with him, he went out of his way to show me that he still had a thing or two to teach me. As I inserted my index finger through the incision to retrieve the appendix, he stopped me. He asked me to describe the pathology just through the feeling of the tip of my finger. I did, and he then asked about the ovaries, liver and the rest of the bowels. Everything was normal I assured him except for the liver and the rest of the bowel. I could not reach them. Then he took over and inserted his finger and started rattling off. Cirrhosis, gallstones. I repeated my exploration but could not tell anything as those organs were beyond my fingers reach. I wanted to enlarge the incision but he would not let me. Suitably humbled, I finished the case in silence. He had made his point. I should find out as much as possible through digital exploration. After the case, sensing my dejection, he said that he did not actually feel the gallstones rather those had been the incidental preoperative ultrasound findings. I wasnt mad at him. Instead I took his lesson that day to heart. You could always learn something even from a simple routine case. I would often pull that old trick on my arrogant residents and medical officers just to humble them. Since that episode, I had picked up innumerable unexpected pathologies, like colon cancers during routine hernia repairs, ovarian abnormalities during appendectomies, and stomach cancers during simple umbilical hernia repairs, just by digital exploration through the incision, even in these days of exhaustive and expensive preoperative scans. allcases they billed. As for my insistence on being in the operating room (OR) at every case, decades later the United States Medicare Agency would require surgeons to attest as to their presence in the OR, scrubbed, oncases they billed. I implemented all those changes in Unit III the Thursday of my first week. That way they would get a two-day trial and have the weekend to recover. I apprised Mahmud of the changes, being careful to present them only as proposals. With Sister Fong reminding him of the problems with the current system, I had no trouble convincing him. He added that it was similar to what he had at the University of Malaya Hospital. I was surprised at the smoothness of the change. The nurses were pleased as they now knew exactly who to call and were spared the usual call the other intern response. With everybody knowing their responsibilities, things were smooth with little wasted motion. My earlier stipulation that I be scrubbed on every case was not as onerous as I had expected. I tried to restrain myself to be only the first assistant and let my trainees do the actual surgery. The junior doctors enjoyed my direct supervision. Up till then, the practice was for the more senior trainees mentoring their less-experienced juniors. This old see one, do one, and teach one was also the standard practice then at many major medical centers in North America. That was one reason I left McGills program to return to Edmonton where the tradition was for a resident, no matter how junior, to work directly with an attending. The new arrangement worked so well that everyone thought this had been the case all along forgetting the earlier chaotic system which we had abandoned only a few weeks earlier! As we were now efficient, we had ample time for coffee breaks after our rounds. The house officers in the other units were now envious that my staff were getting time off for coffee! The chaos in the other units reminded my staff how bad those not-so-long-ago days had been. The Son has Not Returned. A Surgeon In His Native Malaysia(2018). From the authors second memoir,(2018). Next: Excerpt #10: Revamping The Out-Patient Clinic Mess When Clueless And Desperate, Thump Your Chest For Malay Unity! M. Bakri Musa nota major realignment of Malaysian politics, as many had interpreted, rather a pitiful demonstration of the despair, dumbness, and most of all the desperation of their respective leaders. They had failed to address the embarrassing backwardness of Malays while they were in power for the past 60 years. The recent, much-ballyhooed love-fest between the two exclusively Malay political parties PAS and UMNO wasa major realignment of Malaysian politics, as many had interpreted, rather a pitiful demonstration of the despair, dumbness, and most of all the desperation of their respective leaders. They had failed to address the embarrassing backwardness of Malays while they were in power for the past 60 years. thGeneral Election, these leaders are left with thumping their collective chests calling for Malay unity. When pressed, as with unity towards what, their vacuous thinking is exposed. They are devoid of answers. What they are really scheming at is to be back in power so they could once again loot the nation with impunity. Now dislodged from their lofty perches as a consequence of the 14General Election, these leaders are left with thumping their collective chests calling for Malay unity. When pressed, as with unity towards what, their vacuous thinking is exposed. They are devoid of answers. What they are really scheming at is to be back in power so they could once again loot the nation with impunity. The ugly reality and utter shame of continued Malay backwardness remains, made intolerable considering that all the major levers of powersfrom the sultans, ministers, and the civil servicehave been in almost exclusive Malay hands during those decades. Instead of facing up to that failure and doing much-needed soul-searching, these leaders and their followers now resort to scapegoating and wallowing in their victimhood status. With the predominantly Chinese Democratic Action Party now in the ruling coalition, it becomes their favorite whipping-boy. With Mahathir bringing in such sterling talents as new Attorney-General Thomas, those previously powerful and untouchable leaders now face criminal prosecutions that could put them behind bars for the rest of their lives. Instead of lauding this brave move, UMNO and PAS Malays would prefer instead that their favorite and clueless former AG Apandi remain in charge. Malays should be ashamed of him and others of his ilk, not proud of them. Malays must confront the reality that many of our leaders have been corrupt and incompetent. They have also betrayed the rakyats trust in them. Leaders like Najib had been in cahoots with foreign elements, both East and West, to rob Malaysia to satisfy their insatiable greed. Why did we let them? How did these flawed characters rise so high? Does that reflect on our culture? Where is the Koranic wisdom that Allah would not allow His community be in error? Why have Malays been so wrong in choosing these leaders? bossku(our boss). Look at the perversity of the recent by-elections at Semenyih and Cameron Highlands. Worst is their lack of shame, much less any sense of remorse or contrition despite the motherlode of foreign currencies stored in used-produce boxes (instead of in banks) found at their residences. Malays still consider these criminals fondly as their(our boss). Look at the perversity of the recent by-elections at Semenyih and Cameron Highlands. notneed these lebaiswith their Syariah-compliant lies! What next? Syariah-compliant fornication? Such bidaa! This new Malay alignment was purportedly to defend Islam and Malay interests. The first is laughable if not pathetic. This great faith does not need defenders, least of all from these slimy characters. Islam had withstood the hordes of Moghul invaders and survived powerful Western colonialism. It doesneed thesewith their Syariah-compliant lies! What next? Syariah-compliant fornication? Such Ketuanan Melayu or make Malaysia Tanah Melayu again. What do they have in mind? A pogrom against non-Malays? You would have the Chinese Navy landing on Malaysian shores in no time. The Japanese took only days to overrun Malaysia despite formidable British defenses. I would have far greater confidence and respect had these leaders articulated their vision beyond such hackneyed calls foryu or make Malaysiau again. What do they have in mind? A pogrom against non-Malays? You would have the Chinese Navy landing on Malaysian shores in no time. The Japanese took only days to overrun Malaysia despite formidable British defenses. amoisfrom the Mainland would distract these corrupt leaders and achieve the same end. Look at what that moon-faced boy from Penang could get away with Najib! No, you would not need the Chinese Navy. A fewfrom the Mainland would distract these corrupt leaders and achieve the same end. Look at what that moon-faced boy from Penang could get away with Najib! Get real, folks! The sooner these Malay leaders in UMNO and PAS accept the present reality, the easier and faster they could make the adjustments and return to power to lead us forward. If only these leaders had said they wanted Malay unity towards improving our schools and healthcare, so as to enhance the quality of our human capital, or strengthening our social structures to reduce rampant abandoned babies, underaged marriages, and drug addiction! Go beyond, as with freeing our people from the myopic and crippling interpretation of our faith. Then I and many others would be the first to join forces with them. Consider Islam in Malaysia. Heavily supported by the state, it has reduced the ummah to the proverbial sheep, not the flock that could freely graze in the lush, green pastures and protected from predators, as gloriously expressed in J S Bachs cantata Where Sheep May Freely Graze, but flocks being led to the slaughterhouse by their greedy, corrupt, and unscrupulous shepherds. Tradition has it that the prophet was once asked for the signs of the end of time. When the naked, destitute, and barefooted become your shepherd! (Approximate rendition). wira negara dan bangsa naked of ideas, destitute of imaginative initiatives, and barefooted with their experience or competence. These are the new Malay leaders, our naked of ideas, destitute of imaginative initiatives, and barefooted with their experience or competence. Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenges and Choices Of Interpreting The Prophets Legacy, the advice given by one Mustafa Maraghi, the Grand Mufti of Al Azhar, to his countrys rulers, Bring me anything that benefits the people, and Ill show you a basis for it in the Syariah! Jonathan Brown recalled in his book, the advice given by one Mustafa Maraghi, the Grand Mufti of Al Azhar, to his countrys rulers, Bring me anything that benefits the people, and Ill show you a basis for it in the Syariah! Malay leaders and ulama have it backward. They are busy looking into those ancient texts on how to develop the nation instead of studying the problems and then recruiting the best minds to solve them. These leaders are obsessed only with displaying their ostentatious piety when they should be focusing on formulating sound public policies. They will continue doing so until we, the rakyat, tell them in no uncertain terms that that is no longer acceptable. My book excerpt will resume next week.